I am the snake demon!

"I have one more thing I'd like to ask you, Uncle Zhong."

Bai Xuan shook his head, temporarily suppressing his thoughts.

"Ask away, you are now the King of Zhenbei, this northern border is all yours, and my spy network is also yours," Li Daoyan said.

"Just now in the hall, when the decrees of my elder sister and Guo Mingcheng were announced, the first one to unleash his murderous aura was Xu Wenzheng. Why was he so agitated about my elder sister's marriage? Speaking of which, Xu Wenzheng is already over thirty years old. Logically speaking, he shouldn't be unmarried yet. Could it be that he likes someone else?" Bai Xuan raised his eyebrows, revealing a curious expression.

Upon hearing this, Li Daoyan's expression froze. He hadn't expected Bai Xuan's question to be this. He glared at Bai Xuan and said irritably, "The reason your formation hasn't improved is probably because you've been thinking too much."

"So, does it exist or not?" Bai Xuan asked curiously.

There's more to the story of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion than he imagined.

Following fake uncle and aunt, and fake lesbian, is there going to be a fake incestuous relationship?

"I'm not Xu Wenzheng, how would I know? But Xu Wenzheng does care about Yuhua, but he's different from you. Even if they are related by blood, what can they do?" Li Daoyan said irritably.

"Uncertain, that means he's pregnant. Tsk tsk, he's ten years older than my eldest sister. If he really likes her, wouldn't he have liked her since they were little? What a pervert. As my eldest sister's protector, I have another reason to kill him." Bai Xuan clicked his tongue in amazement upon hearing this.

"Um?"

Li Daoyan looked at Bai Xuan with a strange expression. "When did you become Yu Hua's guardian?"

Numerous questions flashed through Li Daoyan's mind. Finally, Li Daoyan said, "If you want to kill Xu Wenzheng, you must first control the northern border. In March, during the spring hunt, generals and tribal leaders from various regions will come to pay their respects. If the court doesn't pursue the matter, then Xu Yanheng and Xu Wenzheng will probably make their move. Xu Yanheng is not a serious threat, but Xu Wenzheng is different. The Molai Three Guards are affiliated with the Prince's Mansion, but Xu Wenzheng is the one who actually controls them. He's likely to cause some trouble and undermine your prestige."

Forget it, let's put feelings aside for now.

There's plenty of time; feelings can grow over time.

Liu Ruyi was far away at the Taibai Sword Sect, so there was no real connection between them.

Let's talk about the situation in the North first.

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When facing the imperial court, we should unite against external threats.

Xu Wenzheng does possess a strong sense of the big picture.

But if the imperial court's threat is removed, Xu Wenzheng might take action. Even if he can restrain himself, his men will not be able to.

"I'll deal with whatever comes my way. However, with Uncle Leng around, Xu Wenzheng shouldn't dare to be too presumptuous. And with the Duan family keeping the Western demon tribes in check, it won't be difficult. It's just that my third uncle doesn't seem to be on my side today," Bai Xuan said.

"His relationship with Yu Hua isn't deep, but considering the bigger picture, it's not entirely wrong. After all, the foundation in the Northern Territory is too weak, and the chances of a successful rebellion are extremely slim," Li Daoyan said.

"But he commands the most elite Crimson Blood Wolf Riders in the North," Bai Xuan said.

The Crimson Blood Wolf Riders are the elite force under the command of the Prince of Zhenbei, and are known as the best cavalry in the world.

The most elite soldiers from the North were selected to join them.

Every ordinary Crimson Blood Wolf Rider possesses a cultivation level above the Fourth Realm; placed in a regular army, they could at least serve as a centurion.

Even their mounts were not ordinary warhorses, but real blood wolves, fourth-tier demonic beasts.

The entire army numbered only five thousand, but under the leadership of the Prince of Zhenbei, they were invincible throughout the land.

He once defeated a hundred thousand Northern Wilderness troops with five thousand wolf cavalry.

Even a ninth-grade Tongtian Realm expert would have no choice but to flee immediately when faced with this personal guard.

Otherwise, if he were to fall into this trap, even the Northern Wilderness Sword Demon Dugu Sheng, who once dominated the martial arts world of the Great Zhou and monopolized the fortune of swordsmanship for thirty years, would be in grave danger.

The Prince of Zhenbei never trusted outsiders to lead such elite troops; they were always commanded by members of the Xu family.

Bai Xuan estimated that if the Prince of Zhenbei were to personally lead the army, along with ninth-rank experts like Lu Zhanqiu, this army would be strong enough to injure him, who had never learned any formations.

"You don't need to worry about that. The Crimson Blood Wolf Riders are surnamed Xu, the same Xu as the Prince of Zhenbei. The Crimson Blood Wolf Riders are a family tradition, passed down from father to son. The earliest members can be traced back to when the Prince of Zhenbei raised his army. For thirty years, two generations have been loyal. Xu Chengfeng was able to lead them because he is surnamed Xu. If you want to take them back, you don't need any schemes or plots. Just a word is enough. In Liangzhou, the Prince of Zhenbei's word is law." Li Daoyan shook his head and said.

All the relatives and lands of the Crimson Wolf Riders are in Xuanwu, directly under the jurisdiction of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.

Xu Chengfeng only had the authority to command troops during wartime, but had no authority over anything else.

The Prince of Zhenbei ruled the northern border for nearly thirty years. These thirty years were not a long time, but they had just enough to influence a generation.

"I see." Bai Xuan nodded. In that case, Xu Chengfeng's threat was reduced even further.

"You've just ascended to the throne, and it would be bad for your reputation to take action against your uncle right now. Besides, the northern border is in chaos right now, so it's better to stay put than to act rashly. It's better to leave him alone for now and let him keep Duan Qingyue in check. Once you're fully familiar with the northern border, you can replace him," Li Daoyan said.

"To restrain Duan Qingyue?" Bai Xuan asked in surprise.

"After the spring hunt in March, Leng Shih-hu and Xu Wen-zheng will go to Xiyang City and Subei City respectively to take charge and deter the Demon Kingdom and the Northern Wilderness. At that time, within Liangzhou, besides you, the highest-ranking officials will be Xu Cheng-feng and Duan Qing-yue. You lack a foundation in the army and must rely on the Duan family, but you cannot rely solely on the Duan family, otherwise, they will not be able to distinguish between the primary and secondary positions. You must know that some people can share hardships, but not prosperity," Li Dao-yan said earnestly.

"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle. I understand." Bai Xuan bowed and said.

He was aware of that.

In my past life, there was a saying circulating online that "in ancient times, an uncle could help you usurp the throne." This is true, since if one suffers, all suffer; if the nephew is in trouble, the uncle will not escape either. However, none of the marketing accounts that say this talk about what happens after the usurpation.

If your uncle helps you usurp the throne, he will surely reward you handsomely, and you will rise to the highest position in the court.

Your maternal uncle holds a higher position than you in private, so maternal relatives are bound to interfere in politics and may even try to make the emperor a puppet.

Therefore, once a capable emperor has consolidated his power after usurping the throne, he will inevitably begin to settle scores with his uncles.

King Zhaoxiang of Qin, the great tyrant of the Warring States period, ascended the throne with the support of his uncle Wei Ran. Later, he expelled his uncle, forcing Wei Ran to die of grief and indignation. Emperor Wen of Han, who was hailed as the most virtuous emperor after the third generation, went even further and directly ordered his uncle Bo Zhao to wear mourning clothes, forcing him to commit suicide. Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, was not to be outdone. He ascended the throne with the support of his uncle Changsun Wuji, but after consolidating his position, he used Wu Zetian to force his uncle to commit suicide.

After all, when faced with power, even fathers and sons will kill each other, brothers will fight each other, and uncles and nephews are even more likely to turn against each other.

Especially considering the superficial relationship between Bai Xuan and Duan Qingyue, could Bai Xuan really expect a deep affection from an uncle who doesn't even recognize his nephew?

It's just mutual exploitation.

However, even though he knew, Bai Xuan couldn't show it.

Otherwise, if this kind of "discarding the millstone after it has served its purpose" were to be done, Bai Xuan's first targets would be Li Daoyan and Xu Yuhua, the two people who knew his true identity.

So there are some things you know, but you have to pretend you don't.

Even if you want to do it, you have to pretend you don't.

Even if you have to do it in the end, you have to pretend that you have no choice, that you are forced to do it out of desperation.

There's no way to be hypocritical.

But the fact that Li Daoyan was willing to say these words to him shows that he truly values ​​him.

"It's good that you understand. Practice your formations diligently. Once you've fully mastered the Lone Wolf Shadow Formation, go to Zhenlong Pavilion and spar with those low-level formation masters outside," Li Daoyan said.

While discussing strategy in chess is not advisable, it is certainly a good thing for a beginner.

"Yes," Bai Xuan replied obediently, then asked, "Uncle, is the contribution system we discussed earlier ready?"

Uncle, you keep urging me on; you also need to work.

Everyone in the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion except me worked hard.

Otherwise, how am I supposed to lie down?

"It's done. In a few days, we'll make it public. If Blood Heaven Lord doesn't want the Blood Shadow Sect to be destroyed, he should find a way to help us hand over Shi Yexing and Xue Qiansha," Li Daoyan said.

"That would be for the best. Hopefully, this Blood Heavenly Lord will be sensible. These demonic sects are all so arrogant, calling themselves 'Lords.' How can they not be destroyed?" Bai Xuan said.

"It's a common practice, but strictly speaking, the history of the four demonic sects all predates the Great Zhou Dynasty. Back then, martial arts sects were more powerful than the imperial court. Now, the four demonic sects are essentially wanted criminals, so it's normal for them to act arrogantly. Apart from the Free and Unfettered Sect, which betrayed the Daoist sect and is more modest, calling themselves the Marquis of Free and Unfettered, the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect calls himself the Evil King, and the Palace Master of the Bright Moon Palace calls herself the Moon Queen. Which one is inferior? Moreover, the most arrogant person in this era is not them, but the White Emperor of Tianhao City, who defeated the Sword Demon by half a move and monopolized the martial arts fortune of the Great Zhou Dynasty for thirty years," Li Daoyan said.

"The White Emperor? Come to think of it, he seems to be the son of the former sect leader of the Taibai Sword Sect," Bai Xuan said.

Compared to Leng Qinghan, he also has someone he wants to pursue at the Taibai Sword Sect.

I don't know what kind of person Liu Ruyi is.

"Indeed, he once used a sword, but was defeated by the Sword Demon. After that, he abandoned the sword and used his palm, eventually defeating the Sword Demon by half a move. If it weren't for Mr. Meng, he would be the number one martial artist today. Even so, he is stationed in Tianhao City, single-handedly controlling the city, almost independent of the Great Zhou. However, because he no longer uses a sword, he left the Taibai Sword Sect. Therefore, the number one person in the Taibai Sword Sect is Taibai Sword Immortal Li Qingcheng. The White Emperor will not interfere in your matter with Liu Ruyi," Li Daoyan said.

The White Emperor's personal martial prowess has become so strong that the Taibai Sword Sect is needed to restrain him.

The imperial court may be able to destroy the Taibai Sword Sect, but it may not be able to kill the White Emperor.

"I have never met Liu Ruyi before, so it's hard to say what the future holds," Bai Xuan said.

With Leng Qinghan's experience, it should be easy for him to match Liu Ruyi's preferences.

"Indeed, let's play chess." Li Daoyan said, starting another game.

Bai Xuan responded with a smile.

Meanwhile, news of what was happening in the North spread like wildfire to all the major powers in the world.

The news quickly reached the palace.