Exiled to the Frontier, He Became the Empire’s Most Powerful Lord - Chapter 6

Hong Jiuming was still worried, and after secretly observing the surroundings, he discovered that the number of hidden martial artists had exceeded his capacity to handle them!

Even if all the assassins were to go, there’s no guarantee of success!

However, he soon received a telepathic message from Zhou Lingfeng, instructing him to leave immediately and take good care of Mo Li.

Suddenly, the gongs and drums sounded at midnight, and a dark cloud appeared in the sky, blocking out the moonlight.

Suddenly, the sound of swords being drawn rang out from the darkness, followed by more than a dozen martial artists rushing out from the shadows and charging toward Zhou Lingfeng with murderous intent.

There was no fear or worry in Zhou Lingfeng’s eyes; he was as quiet as a clay Buddha.

Then another group of martial artists rushed out, but they blocked the first group.

Martial artists kept rushing out of the darkness, but another group of martial artists always rushed out to protect Zhou Lingfeng.

The stench of blood began to spread in the darkness, pungent yet intensifying the excitement and the urge to kill.

“They’re just minor characters; the real masters are yet to come.”

Zhou Lingfeng felt a little disdainful. He always sensed that there were four or five more powerful figures lurking in the shadows, the strongest of whom was a second-rank expert.

A light rain suddenly began to fall from the sky, and a steady, clear footstep sounded. Zhou Lingfeng opened his eyes and saw a swordsman walking through the rain not far away.

Then a gray-clad beggar with a cane appeared in the shadows.

Immediately afterwards, a tall, thin woman with a sinister expression, holding a sickle-shaped weapon, jumped down from a rooftop.

“Big brother, it’s so uncomfortable to sleep under the wall on a rainy day. Let me send you to your eternal rest!”

Suddenly, a thin, frail child appeared with a strange laugh, pulled out a dagger, and stabbed it directly into Zhou Lingfeng’s chest.

Zhou Lingfeng suddenly opened his eyes and looked at this guy calmly!

This is no child; his face is so wrinkled you could trap flies in it. He looks like an old dwarf.

“Senior hiding in the shadows, if you don’t make a move soon, I’m going to meet the King of Hell!”

Zhou Lingfeng suddenly shouted.

How did he know I was in the shadows?

The second-grade Grandmaster showed surprise, but immediately revealed himself and kicked the old dwarf away.

The swordsman, the gray-robed beggar, and the tall, thin woman all stopped in their tracks, staring solemnly at the second-rank grandmaster.

This person wore a pig’s head mask, but his body looked quite thin, and his true energy was extremely surging.

“The Swordsman of the Rainy Night, the Beggar Assassin, the Netherworld Meng Po, and the Black-Hearted Dwarf! Who would have thought that four Grandmasters of the Third Rank would join forces to kill a cripple!”

The second-rank Grandmaster stood in front of Zhou Lingfeng and explained the origins of the four people one by one.

His voice sounded somewhat immature, suggesting he was quite young.

“You guys must have been sent by my royal brothers to kill me and then frame someone else!”

Zhou Lingfeng suddenly burst into laughter.

The four assassins exchanged bewildered glances; that was indeed the order they had received!

But unexpectedly, at least four princes wanted to kill Zhou Lingfeng.

But who exactly sent this grandmaster to protect Zhou Lingfeng? And there seems to be no one who can match the voice of such a young grandmaster.

“Gentlemen, this person is extremely powerful. To complete our mission, we have no choice but to join forces against him!”

The four assassins spoke in extremely hoarse voices.

“Let’s do it!”

The swordsman in the rain unleashed a dazzling sword light from his longsword, while the beggar assassin’s cane swept across the battlefield.

The black-hearted dwarf leaped high into the air, while the figure of the Netherworld Meng Po vanished without a trace.

“These four guys are already at the peak of the third rank! I wonder how they would fare against a second-rank grandmaster if they joined forces!”

Zhou Lingfeng’s gaze fell on the four people’s attacks. In his vision, it suddenly felt as if the four people’s attacks had slowed down tenfold, making it easy for them to dodge and counterattack.

“Just the four of you!”

The powerful man with the pig-head mask sneered, and a red whip suddenly appeared in his hand, enveloping the four of them.

“Bang!”

The four bodies collided violently, and a sweet taste rose in their chests before blood gushed out.

“A second-grade Grandmaster! You are a second-grade Grandmaster!”

All four of them showed surprise at the same time, and fear arose in their hearts!

However, all second-rank Grandmasters in the entire Shengjing are currently registered and not allowed to enter the Imperial City at will.

Which family would dare to send a second-grade Grandmaster to risk everything to protect Zhou Lingfeng?

The price to pay for this is considerable, and if the Censorate finds out, it will incur the wrath of Emperor Yuanwu.

Grandmasters of the first rank are so engrossed in martial arts and pursue higher realms that they almost never make a move!

Therefore, a second-grade Grandmaster can be considered the highest combat power among martial artists.

“Get out of here if you don’t want to die!”

The powerful figure in the pig-head mask said calmly.

The four looked at each other, but after weighing the difference in status, they immediately gave up and took their own people with them.

The bloody battle quickly subsided into calm!

“Thanks!”

Zhou Lingfeng thanked him sincerely.

The man in the pig-head mask didn’t speak, but simply nodded at him before disappearing into the darkness.

“Who has the strength and audacity to send a second-grade Grandmaster to protect me! Could it be my elder brother?”

Zhou Lingfeng thought to himself, but he still had some doubts!

After all, the eldest prince’s background was not good enough, and he didn’t have any relatives to help him!

Everyone believed that he did not have enough strength or opportunity to seize the throne!

But apart from him, Zhou Lingfeng couldn’t think of any other prince who would treat him with such care.

The night passed quickly.

Inside the Censorate, Princess Zhaoyang, though sleepless all night, was radiant with energy.

“I didn’t expect the second, third, fourth, and fifth princes to all make their moves without the slightest hesitation! But the eldest prince is indeed the most secretive; he actually broke through to the second rank long ago!”

Princess Zhaoyang read the battle report with great interest.

As the teacher of the country, she was most concerned about her nephews.

She quickly got up and hurried towards the Imperial Study.

Meanwhile, inside the Left Prime Minister’s residence, the Chang family also fell silent.

The person they should not underestimate is the one who sent out a second-rank grandmaster and who is hiding so deeply.

“Could this be one of Tie Xuan’s men? Or one of Zhou Lingfeng’s own?”

Chang Ning quickly dismissed both possibilities.

Tie Xuan himself was also a second-grade Grandmaster, so how could he possibly have accomplished that, given that the deposed crown prince had been imprisoned for three years?

Strangely, the loyal eunuch and palace maid who served the deposed crown prince never appeared.

“Did he already know he would be fine? And what was he relying on?”

Chang Ningshuang found herself increasingly unable to understand Zhou Lingfeng, and a strange sense of panic welled up inside her.

“Brother, Zhou Lingfeng is alright!”

As Princess Zhaoyang spoke, she placed all the intelligence gathered that night on the table.

“Your Majesty, it seems I have won this round!”

Tie Xuan spoke calmly, saying that everything was within his expectations.

Emperor Yuanwu remained silent, slowly reading through all the intelligence reports with a calm expression.

“Who exactly is this second-grade grandmaster?”

He looked at Princess Zhaoyang and asked.

“Your Majesty, second-rank Grandmasters are forbidden from entering the palace at will, so it will be very difficult for us to find out!”

Princess Zhaoyang smiled wryly.

Once a person’s martial arts cultivation reaches the second rank, they are no longer subject to the whims of imperial power! Unless they have the ties of family and descendants.

“Draft the decree! Confer the title of Barbarian King upon Xiao Qi, grant him the fief of Mang City, bestow upon him 100,000 taels of silver, and a thousand personal guards.”

Emperor Yuanwu said calmly.

“Brother!”

Princess Zhaoyang was somewhat surprised, but Emperor Yuanwu added, “Today, she shall leave the city and assume her fiefdom!”

“yes!”

Princess Zhaoyang lowered her head and began writing the imperial edict.

This wasn’t the first time she’d done this; she was very skilled at it.

“Barbarian King! Python City!”

Tie Xuan gave a bitter smile, but perhaps this remote border town was the best place for Zhou Lingfeng to settle down!

At least in the outlying areas, even if another prince succeeds to the throne in the future, he will not cause trouble for him.

“The Grand Marshal of the Nation should have no objections, right?”

Emperor Yuanwu looked at Tie Xuan and said.

“Your Majesty is wise beyond compare! I still have military affairs to attend to, so I will take my leave now!”

Tie Xuan got up and left, as fast as the wind.

“Brother, Tie Xuan is actually a loyal minister!”

Princess Zhaoyang suddenly spoke.

“Unfortunately, his loyalty lies first and foremost with the people and the Great Zhou, not with me!”

Emperor Yuanwu’s eyes suddenly turned somewhat gloomy.

“I’m tired. Come with me to my bedchamber!”

“Take off your veil too!”

Emperor Yuanwu stood up and said!

“I’m your sworn sister!”

“If that’s really the case, then I’m abandoning the Censorate!”

A hint of struggle suddenly appeared in Princess Zhaoyang’s beautiful eyes.

“Imperial Preceptor, why are you doing this?”

Emperor Yuanwu shook his head.

Even such a powerful sovereign compromised.

…

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

After daybreak, Hong Jiuming arrived with Mo Li, who was now able to sit in a wheelchair.

“Why does it smell so bad, Your Highness? You’ve suffered.”

The little girl’s beautiful eyes were red, clearly she had been worried all night.

“I only stayed here one night and watched a good show, what’s there to be sad about!”

Zhou Lingfeng smiled slightly.

“Can we go back now?”

Mo Li asked expectantly.

“No rush, the imperial edict should arrive soon!”

Zhou Lingfeng said confidently.

Sure enough, under the two people’s puzzled gazes, a series of hurried footsteps approached.

Immediately afterwards, the three saw a figure in green robes arrive as if riding the wind, carrying a pale-faced eunuch in his hand.

“That’s the Grand Marshal of the Nation!”

Hong Jiuming and Mo Li both showed joy.

“You can leave after the imperial decree is read!”

Tie Xuan put the little eunuch down in front of him and said calmly.

“By the mandate of Heaven…”

The little eunuch stammered as he finished reading the imperial edict, then turned and ran!

The Grand Marshal of the Nation is truly terrifying. If he drags me back again, I’ll probably die.

“To confer the title of Barbarian King and grant him the fief of Mang City, how interesting!”

Zhou Lingfeng never expected that Emperor Yuanwu would exile him to the southernmost city.

In the far south of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there are barbarians. The area is full of mountains and forests, and many of them are uncivilized, wild, and unruly, lacking in manners.

The abundance of jungles in the southern region made it prone to miasma, which served as a natural barrier that made the people difficult to conquer.

However, some barbarians, after becoming civilized, nominally submitted to the Great Zhou and established the Python City, drawing officials from among the barbarians to govern it.