Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Zhou Qingfeng did not believe Gu Daozhao because he never easily trusted anyone.

Moreover, he was an enemy with whom there was an old grudge.

Therefore, whatever Gu Daozhao said, Zhou Qingfeng considered it to be only one side of the story.

Gu Daozhao clasped his hands and said, "Ten years ago, we had different positions, and there was no right or wrong between us."

"For the sake of my family and to fulfill my duty, I had no choice but to plot against you."

"But I also spent ten years in prison for this, and paid a heavy price."

"In everyone's eyes, we are already a group of dead people, including the Python Sparrow royal family."

"Although I harbor resentment and want to kill you to vent my anger, I know that this will only drag me and my brothers into a quagmire of death from which we can never climb out again. Don't laugh, but I admit defeat. Now I just want to live a peaceful life."

"And you, Zhou Silang, are known for your benevolence in Sword Tower City."

"I believe that if I help you this once, you will spare our brothers' lives." It was precisely because Zhou Qingfeng's reputation for benevolence was widely known among the people that Gu Daozhao was able to make this decision.

If Zhou Qingfeng were a notorious and utterly despicable person...

Gu Daozhao would not immediately turn his guns on Zhou Qingfeng to deal with the people who wanted to kill him.

Regardless of whether Zhou Qingfeng is cunning, treacherous, greedy for money and power, or has done many evil deeds, at least in the eyes of most people, Zhou Qingfeng is benevolent, righteous, and a great person!

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "Ten years of imprisonment have worn away your heroic spirit. I vaguely remember how heroic you were ten years ago, so loyal and courageous, breaking into my mansion single-handedly and threatening to kill me."

Gu Daozhao's face showed bitterness: "Heroes... ha, heroes are nothing in the face of power."

Let alone a simple imperial edict, even if the current emperor were imprisoned for ten years, subjected to bullying and torture day and night, and given special treatment every day, even the most domineering and heroic emperor would turn into a timid and cowardly coward.

He had done enough for the royal family. If the royal family had shown mercy and sent someone to take him back, given him a way out, or demoted him to a stable boy, he would have accepted it. But the royal family did not send anyone for ten years, and they treated him as if he were dead.

His heart had turned cold. All he wanted was to secretly change his name and live a quiet, unseen life as a rat in the dark sewers, without implicating his family.

Zhou Qingfeng stood in the air with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Fine, I'll give you a way out."

Upon hearing this, Gu Daozhao's face lit up with joy, and he immediately clasped his hands in a deep bow, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Fourth Young Master."

Zhou Qingfeng raised his hand to stop him: "Don't thank me yet. Cooperate with me to capture Wumian alive. We can talk about your matter later."

Gu Daozhao clasped his hands in response and said, "Yes."

Gu Daozhao's betrayal has made the current situation very delicate. Originally, the two sides were evenly matched, and Yan Wenjiu's side even had the obvious advantage, but with Gu Daozhao's betrayal...

Yan Wenjiu immediately became all alone: ​​"Hehehe, Gu Daozhao, do you think I didn't have a backup plan? I secretly added a secret technique to the pills I fed you. I can take your lives at any time."

Gu Daozhao said calmly, "Mr. Faceless, do you take me for a stupid and reckless man? I have followed Prince Yunzheng for so many years, and I have learned a thing or two about intrigue and scheming in the capital."

"If you want to use us as pawns, you're destined to silence us. Under these circumstances, how could I not take precautions beforehand? Since I dared to take the pills you gave me, I'm not afraid of your tricks. You can try if you don't believe me."

Yan Wenjiu's eyes narrowed beneath his mask, and he snorted coldly. Purple light shone brightly on his body as he rapidly formed hand seals: "I will reverse the cycle of life."

In an instant, Ah Jie and Ah Hu, along with their group of nineteen, showed expressions of pain. A purple light emanated from their bodies, and the power of rules surged forth, rapidly twisting their limbs.

This is the animal creation rule that Yan Wenjiu studied. Through the ritual of becoming an "animal creator," he mastered the "animal creation rule." He can turn humans, demons, ghosts, immortals, and Buddhas into ordinary animals according to his will, at the mercy of others.

This is a downgraded attack derived from a rule-based approach.

It is entirely possible to directly reduce powerful, high-ranking life forms to lowly beasts.

The flesh and bones of Ah Jie, Ah Hu, and the others were rapidly transforming. Their skin grew wool, their heads grew horns, their limbs twisted and contracted, and their hands turned into sheep hooves. They changed once per breath, and in just two breaths, they were about to turn into sheep.

The duel between cultivators at the Poisonous Consumption Realm is a clash of rules. It mainly depends on whose cultivation is stronger enough to withstand the enormous consumption, and who has studied the rules more deeply and mastered them more effectively.

Seeing this, Gu Daozhao could not stand by and watch his brothers be reduced to mere mortals. He formed hand seals and cast a spell to protect himself: "Enemy attack, protect, shift injury!"

All the damage caused to A-Jie, A-Hu, and their group of nineteen by the rules was transferred to Gu Daozhao.

"Enemy attack, defense, counter-damage!" Gu Daozhao used his own defense rules to fight against the rules of animal creation.

The damage that the Animal Creation Rules have caused to Gu Daozhao and his nineteen brothers will be returned to them by the Guardian Rules without any change. This is the unique feature of the Guardian Rules.

Yan Wenjiu felt himself being harmed by the Creation Animal Rule, but he was not flustered because he was sure to win. With only half a life left, Gu Daozhao wanted to defeat him, a Poison-Eating Realm cultivator in his prime. That was simply wishful thinking.

Once Gu Daozhao's own magical power is insufficient to support the consumption of the rules in the competition, he will be immediately demoted to a mortal animal by the rules of animal creation. This is the battle between poison-eating cultivators.

Yan Wenjiu's eyes were filled with sarcasm as he sneered, "You ungrateful wretch, you think you can beat me?"

Gu Daozhao's magical power was greatly depleted, and his face was pale: "I don't want to win against you, I just want to hold you off. Fourth Young Master, now have your men take action and capture him alive, then we'll know who wants to kill you."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng said, "Mr. Liao, I would like to trouble you to take action and capture the enemy alive."

The old cripple nodded calmly, took a step forward, and his body was surrounded by purple light.

Seeing this, Yan Wenjiu knew things were going badly. Another cultivator at the Poison Realm had arrived, making it two against one; his chances of survival were slim.

Therefore, he decisively abandoned the assassination plan, resolutely scattering into countless purple butterflies that flew away in all directions, leaving behind a harsh threat: "Gu Dao Zhao, you ruined my grand plan, let's see how you die!"

Everyone present was speechless. They never expected the other party to be so despicable. He was, after all, a cultivator in the Poison Eating Realm, a powerful figure in the fourth realm, a person with some prestige wherever he went, yet he just ran away like that.

"Fourth Young Master, we must stop him!" Gu Daozhao's face turned pale. He knew that if he couldn't stop him, it would be all over. If the other party escaped, he would surely convey the news that his group was still alive and had regained their freedom to the Python Sparrow Royal Family.

Zhou Qingfeng turned his head and asked, "Mr. Liao, can we still catch up?"

The old cripple calmly said, "It's strenuous."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly, not caring much, after all, there were plenty of people who wanted him dead.

Assassination was to be expected.

As long as he continues to vie for power, more and more people will want him dead. How long will it take to catch assassins? It's just a matter of catching one and killing one, or catching two and killing two.

To completely eliminate assassinations, one must never leave the Sword Tower; otherwise, it is impossible to avoid them.

Instead of trying to catch all the assassins, we should strengthen our personal security.

However, he was still very curious about who was so heartless as to kill him, the young master, at the entrance of the Sword Tower.

This kind of reckless behavior is simply insane.

Zhou Qingfeng had a guess in his mind, and said calmly, "Gu Daozhao, now tell me what you know. Who is that black-robed man called Faceless? You can guess, and it doesn't matter if you're wrong."

With the help of his brothers, Gu Daozhao stood up, his face pale, and said bitterly, "What's the point of saying all this now? Even if you were to give us a way out, I'm afraid my brothers and I wouldn't survive."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "Let's go. Let's pretend we never met tonight."

Having publicly promised to give them a way out, how can they go back on their word?

He now holds a high position of power and is of great prestige. His words are considered golden. Going back on his word would damage his authority and credibility. If he breaks his promise even once, no one will take his words seriously anymore.

Moreover, the people of Gudao Zhao have been "reformed through labor" for ten years, and their spirits have long been worn down. All they want is to live a peaceful and quiet life. Pushing them too hard at this point is tantamount to forcing them to risk their lives.

Even if we take a step back and assume the worst, it's questionable whether Gu Daozhao and his group can escape the calamity of being punished by the imperial family upon returning to the capital.

Gu Daozhao clasped his hands in a salute: "Fourth Young Master is kind and generous. Thank you for your mercy today and for sparing our lives."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded and said, "Yang Tianqing, clear a path for them and let them pass."

Upon hearing this, Yang Tianqing, holding the array pestle that controls the array clan's grand array, opened a small opening in the eastern part of the manor's city wall and said, "Eastern city wall."

Upon hearing this, Gu Daozhao nodded slightly, then looked at Zhou Qingfeng and said, "Sis Young Master is benevolent, and I cannot be unjust. After tonight, our past grievances will be wiped clean."

"In addition, I will give the Fourth Young Master two pieces of information."

"Firstly, the people who got us out spent a huge sum of money to bribe two prison guards. Perhaps those two guards know something and can use that as a starting point to investigate the assassin's identity."

"Secondly, the assassins pulled us out to kill you in order to shift the blame onto the Python Sparrow Royal Family. It's certain that the Python Sparrow Royal Family didn't orchestrate this assassination; it was probably done by your enemies in the Sword Tower."

You can believe what I say or not; I won't force you.

"If I return to the capital this time and die, I, Gu Daozhao, would like to be your friend."

In conclusion, Gu Daozhao clasped his hands in a deep bow and led his brothers to retreat towards the eastern city wall.

Zhou Qingfeng didn't take Gu Daozhao and his group seriously, because they were just a group of powerless nobodys, and whether they lived or died didn't really affect the overall situation.

If Gu Daozhao and his group hadn't deliberately caused trouble, Zhou Qingfeng wouldn't have bothered with them.

Now that ten years of labor reform have taught Gu Daozhao how to be a decent human being, and he no longer thinks about assassinating me, I am willing to show him mercy and give them a way out, so as to further solidify my reputation for benevolence.

"Let's go. The enemy has been eliminated; it's time to deal with the corpses."

After a busy night, the eight hundred Fiend-level zombies were frozen by the Yang Clan's Fiend-Eating Realm members, then smashed and burned with Fiend Fire, completely reducing the zombies' flesh and bones to ashes.

Zhou Qingfeng personally took action, using the Blood Devourer to devour zombies one after another, consuming quite a few.

The old cripple also lent a helping hand, stepping in to rescue anyone in danger.

After a massive zombie extermination operation, it was already dawn.

Madam Yang wanted Zhou Qingfeng to stay at Yang Family Village for a few days, but Zhou Qingfeng declined, saying he had important matters to attend to and could not linger at Yang Family Village. However, Madam Yang was very grateful and repeatedly tried to persuade him to stay.

Zhou Qingfeng really couldn't refuse any longer. Fortunately, Yang Tianqing spoke up to dissuade him, saying that the Yang family had suddenly suffered a corpse disaster and was in dire need of rebuilding. He said that if Zhou Qingfeng stayed at the manor, he would not be able to be properly entertained. It would be better to hold a banquet to express his gratitude after everything was settled.

Only then did Madam Yang agree to let Zhou Qingfeng go. Furthermore, after being persuaded by Yang Tianqing, Madam Yang reasonably agreed to Zhou Qingfeng's request to take her husband's body back to the Sword Tower for a further autopsy.

Before returning to the Sword Tower, Zhou Qingfeng pulled Yang Tianqing aside for a private conversation.

Yang Tianqing respectfully clasped his hands and said, "What are your instructions, Commander?"

Zhou Qingfeng said, "You heard what Gu Daozhao said. Who exactly attacked me? I'm leaving this matter to you to investigate. Find out something and then report back to me. I have more important things to do."

Upon hearing this, Yang Tianqing knew that this was the first task Zhou Qingfeng had entrusted to the Yang family, a test of the Yang family's ability to handle affairs, and also a test of his own ability as the head of the family.

If things are handled properly, the reward is secondary. There will be more opportunities in the future, and Zhou Qingfeng will consider their needs at the right time to help them grow their power. He will also share in any good things that happen to them and will arrange for some of the elites of the Yang family to sit in key positions.

Even if they mess it up, it's not a big problem. They'll still be an affiliated family of the Zhou family. However, in Zhou Qingfeng's mind, the importance of the Yang family will decline rapidly. Then, they'll be sent to any dangerous or suicidal tasks without much consideration for the Yang family. In the end, they'll be useless once they've been used up.

"Please rest assured, Commander, I will give you a satisfactory explanation as soon as possible." Since Yang Tianqing has decided to lead the Yang family to join Zhou Qingfeng, he must firmly stand on the right side, do his job well, and make great contributions.

Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly, patted Yang Tianqing's arm, and encouraged him, "I believe in you. After last night's battle, I can see that you can shoulder heavy responsibilities and take charge of the overall situation. Do a good job, and I'll wait for your news."

Yang Tianqing clasped his hands in a salute: "Respectfully seeing the young master back to the city."

Zhou Qingfeng slowly drove the coffin carrying Yang Jianxin's body back. The gravedigger had finished examining the body and left on his own. Only the old cripple, Zhou Qingfeng, and a level-evil zombie were on the carriage.

The old cripple asked with a smile, "Fourth Brother, do you have any suspects regarding the person who tried to assassinate you last night?"

Zhou Qingfeng, holding a riding whip and reins, sat in the coachman's seat and chuckled, "Who knows? I'm more concerned about something else than who's trying to assassinate me."

The old cripple asked with interest, "Oh, what is it?"

Zhou Qingfeng said meaningfully, "The Renxin School will never perish."

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