The Villain's Counterattack

After acquiring new unique skills, Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling and Ba Fenghan bid farewell to the strange man Xiaoyaozi who came and went without a trace, and then returned to Luoyang City leisurely. Kou Zhong was led to meet Wang Shichong, while Xu Ziling and Ba Fenghan went their separate ways, one to meet Xu Xingzhi and the other to meet Shan Wanjing.

Deep down in his heart, Wang Shichong still had a little ambition. In addition, Yang Guang, Yang Xiu, Yang Xuyan and others pushed him to the front to take the blame and make him the apparent controller of Luoyang. This invisibly fueled his ambition, and he also hoped that he could become the son of destiny and the owner of the Heshi Bi.

When Wang Shichong heard that a great master with bare hands had openly broken into the Jingnian Temple, injured the Four Vajras, and picked up the Heshi Bi in the bronze hall and walked away in a swagger, the monks of the Jingnian Temple rose up to stop him, but were disrupted by another great master with a spear, who killed many monks, his face turned pale.

"Are you sure that the person who took the Heshi Bi and the person who came to pick him up are all grandmasters?" Wang Shichong was shocked. Among the three grandmasters, the one with bare hands was the wanderer Ning Daoqi, the one holding a spear was only the martial arts master Bi Xuan, and the Yijian master Fu Cailin used a sword. Their respective characteristics were easy to identify.

Wait, it seems there's another unconfirmed Grandmaster who also came unarmed. "Is the one who took away the Huihe Bi the Demon Sect's Evil King Shi Zhixuan?"

Kou Zhong shook his head firmly and said, "That man is not the Evil King."

"Why are you so sure?" Wang Shichong was extremely curious about his words. He naturally knew that Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling and Ba Fenghan were instigated by him to go and investigate last night, and it was very likely that they were at the scene. Now it seemed to be true.

But, does Kou Zhong know the Evil King?

Kou Zhong denied, "I don't know the Evil King, but there's no way that the enchantress Zhu Yuyan of the Yingui Sect would mistake her mortal enemy for her."

When they heard that the wanderer Ning Daoqi jumped out to stop the strange grandmaster from taking away the Heshi Bi, but was destroyed by the Evil King Shi Zhixuan, they were about to have a big battle. Suddenly, Zhu Yuyan of the Yingui Sect jumped out and launched a crazy attack on the Evil King. It turned out that the Evil King was not a pushover either. He actually dragged Ning Daoqi down and a big fight broke out.

Wang Shichong was speechless after hearing this. There were four grandmasters in total, including the grandmaster who snatched the Heshi Bi, the grandmaster with a spear who blocked the Jingnian Zen Temple, the grandmaster the evil king Shi Zhixuan, and the grandmaster the wandering man Ning Daoqi. This did not include the leader of the Yingui Sect, Zhu Yuyan, who was at least at the peak of the grandmaster level. In this situation, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were indeed not enough to be considered.

He was already feeling hopeful, so he asked him why he looked so advanced in martial arts. Hearing this, Kou Zhong chuckled and said, "We have finally, finally been recognized by Master and have been promoted from unregistered disciples to registered disciples."

This unclear and inexplicable statement made Wang Shichong overthink things. Wasn't Shuanglong practicing the "Eternal Life Secret"? Didn't they only have one deceased mother, the Goguryeo swordswoman Fu Junchuo? Where did the master come from?

With Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling's current strength and reputation in the martial arts world, they were only promoted from unofficial disciples to registered disciples. Who exactly is their master?

"My master doesn't allow me to say it, so I can't say it, and I dare not say it." In response to Wang Shichong's questioning, Kou Zhong said that he couldn't say it, and he dared not say it. If Shangshu Wang guessed it himself, it would be fine, but if he took the initiative to use his master's name to show off, he was afraid that he would never become a true disciple in this life.

"Could it be that the 'Eternal Life Secret' is not your master's orthodox secret?"

"It is true that the 'Eternal Life Secret' was arranged by our master through some means for us to practice, but it is not owned by our sect. However, our master has learned the 'Eternal Life Secret' thoroughly, unlike Ziling and I who only have a half-baked grasp of it." The more Kou Zhong praised his master, the more Wang Shichong doubted its authenticity. Kou Zhong shrugged directly and did not explain any further.

Then Wang Shichong seemed a little disappointed, but told Kou Zhong with some embarrassment that someone from Jingnian Temple had just informed him to tell Kou Zhong to return the Heshi Bi to Jingnian Temple before midnight tonight, otherwise he would take back the treasure at all costs.

Upon hearing this, Kou Zhong flew into a rage, saying he didn't even have the Heshi Bi in his possession, so how could he hand it over? He then asked if it was too late to find a beautiful jade and have it carved.

Wang Shichong was speechless after hearing this. If the He Shi Bi was so easy to imitate, how could it have been passed down for nearly a thousand years without anyone doing so?

On this side, Kou Zhong's eloquence and true feelings frightened Wang Shichong severely. On the other side, Xu Ziling encountered trouble. The vicious beauty Shen Luoyan was very scheming. Even though she had a secret crush on Xu Ziling, she was still the pretty military advisor who put the great cause first before Li Mi really disappointed her.

When the clever military advisor's threats, both real and fake, failed, she decisively called on the brothers Fu Zhen and Fu Yan. The two of them were truly formidable together. Before last night, Xu Ziling might not have been able to cope with them, but after being transformed and strengthened by the He Shi Bi, and having received instruction from the genuine grandmaster Xiaoyaozi (Yang Xuyan), Fu Zhen and Fu Yan could no longer pose a threat to him.

Seeing that Fu Zhen and Fu Yan were unable to win, and even had a tendency to be suppressed by Xu Ziling, Wang Bodang, who was hiding in the dark, rushed out immediately. However, even if the three of them joined forces, Xu Ziling still easily escaped and left calmly. And this was only when he was hiding the newly learned Tianshan Six Yang Palm and Nine Seals of Mantra. If he had used his full strength, it would not have been him who escaped, but the other three.

Xu Ziling felt something and deliberately concealed his strength. Later, he met Li Jing, his former friend and elder brother. He asked for the Heshi Bi and claimed that this time, Cihang Jingzhai Luoyang chose the emperor on behalf of God just for a formality. From the beginning, Fan Qinghui of Cihang Jingzhai had chosen Li Shimin.

Although his martial arts skills were good, he was only in the late stage of the innate realm (at least on the surface), and was even not as good as his own wife, Hong Fu Nu. However, he was extremely talented in leading troops and fighting, and was unmatched by ordinary people. Even Li Shimin was far inferior to him, but he deliberately concealed his talent and did not attract attention.

Li Jing told Xu Ziling from the standpoint of a faction that although the Heshi Bi was magical, its greatest significance lay in its legitimacy. If it was stolen or robbed, it would have no such significance. Only if it was truly received from Shi Feixuan and in full view of the public would it have its legitimacy. If Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling took it, it would do more harm than good.

"Cihang Jingzhai's bad idea is a bit self-righteous. Although their owner has good vision and chose the King of Qin from among millions of people, his original intention was to make the King of Qin famous. However, he forgot that the King of Qin is only a prince after all. Above him are the Emperor of Tang and the Crown Prince. If the Heshi Bi really falls into the hands of the King of Qin, he will be pushed into an extremely unfavorable situation." Li Jing's contradictory words made Xu Ziling slightly stunned.

Li Jing said solemnly, "I came to you to deliver the Heshi Bi to the King of Qin, who would then personally return it to Miss Shi Feixuan. If she is smart enough, she will praise the King of Qin, make empty promises, take back the Heshi Bi, and return it to Cihang Jingzhai as a show of sincerity. If she is stupid or has ulterior motives, she will take advantage of the situation to hand the Heshi Bi to the King of Qin, and then..."

Xu Ziling was speechless for a while and could only helplessly advise Li Jing not to interfere in this matter. There were too many masters of too high a level involved. Even he and Kou Zhong were just pawns and clowns on the stage. The He Shi Bi was not in his hands, so he really could not take it out.

The two knew each other quite well. Li Jing gave him a few words of advice, and seeing that he had made up his mind, he told him to be careful. Then he turned and left. Before leaving, he glanced to the side, but did not cause any trouble. However, this one glance made Ba Fenghan, who was hiding in the case, slightly startled.