Chapter 305: No Need for Half a Month

He Yishan and Zhao Yan had colluded in adultery, sharing bedchamber pleasures, and even possessed a "Life-Extending Secret Art."

He Yishan felt she had complete control over this Emperor Zhao Yan.

The plan they formulated was perfect, one could say utterly flawless; in their design, even if an investigation occurred, tracing it to the dead agents planted at the Eighth Prince's side would already be the limit.

Once those dead agents died, the trail would go cold; with luck they could even borrow Tang Luo's hand to kill two princes and extend their lives a while longer.

Moreover, He Yishan repeatedly emphasized that they both came from an overseas immortal mountain, having traveled together as companions.

She was well aware that Master Xuanzang and his group's purpose was to safeguard Great You's hundred-year national fortune; now Great You was peaceful and prosperous, the objective already achieved.

She was certain the other party would depart Great You before long, and would not linger because of A Fei's death.

Coquetry laced with a few parts threat — Zhao Yan ultimately still agreed to help He Yishan kill A Fei.

He Yishan knew Tang Luo possessed the technique of opening light to save people, but had never imagined he could even bring the dead back to life.

Zhao Yan also did not know Tang Luo could "resurrect the dead."

However, how could he be someone easy to deal with?

Zhao Yan understood Master Xuanzang's power even more clearly than He Yishan; how could he lightly offend such a person?

Although on the surface, under He Yishan's half-coquetry half-threat, Zhao Yan agreed to He Yishan, in his heart he had other plans.

He also believed that this woman with a face full of smiles surely harbored other plans in her heart as well.

Zhao Yan's guess was not wrong.

He Yishan indeed had other plans; today, just as the scheme against A Fei was executing perfectly according to their design and expectations, He Yishan vanished from the imperial palace.

She secretly left the palace, hid near that small village, waiting for Zhao De and the others to kill A Fei and leave.

He Yishan's target was A Fei's destiny fragment!

She had long since decided: once she obtained A Fei's destiny fragment she would immediately leave the capital, go into hiding.

By then, even if Tang Luo and the others investigated, no matter how bad the situation, no matter how formidable those people's methods, within a mere five days they could only trace it to the palace, to Zhao Yan's head.

She would already have fled far away.

However, the mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole waits behind — He Yishan's second mistake was underestimating this Emperor.

The moment He Yishan left the palace, Zhao Yan ordered the Shadow Hidden Guards to follow covertly.

He Yishan's own combat strength was not considered strong; facing the palace's most dangerous Shadow Hidden Guards, in the end she could only surrender with bound hands.

Originally Zhao Yan intended to extract from He Yishan that magic treasure and its usage method.

But he never in his wildest dreams expected —

Tang Luo's "investigation progress" had actually reached such a speed.

Crushing all obstacles along the way, they directly killed their way to Old Ninth's residence, even dragged out the aides, and traced it to Old Eighth's side.

This simply wasn't investigating a case! Even forced confessions aren't this fast.

Zhao Yan decided on the spot, disposed of He Yishan and several palace messengers, leaving them a last breath, and grandly marched out of the palace.

In his reckoning, even the dead agent planted beside Old Eighth might not have died due to some accident.

Now bringing the chief culprit along, setting aside the Emperor's face, condescending a bit, he could still reach a consensus with Master Xuanzang and bring the whole matter to a halt.

Then everyone would engage in interest exchange, pay a small price, and obtain that special magic treasure from Master Xuanzang.

If that truly failed, finally instigate Longya Dao Gate and once more reap the fisherman's profit.

Plan thorough, perfect!

He Yishan committed the error of judging others by herself; Zhao Yan likewise.

Or rather, this might not even count as an error.

Because normally speaking, swap in any other gods-and-demons walker — as long as they calculate profit and loss, use their brains to think, and have brains instead of muscle inside.

None would deviate from the predictions and judgments they made.

In the end they would choose compromise to ensure vested interests aren't lost — after all, when it comes down to it they suffered no real loss.

Just one gods-and-demons walker who completed a task together dies, what does it matter? Within the same task, gods-and-demons walkers killing and scheming against each other aren't few, are they?

This was He Yishan's thinking.

Yet events developed wildly toward Murphy's Law; this Monk Xuanzang could actually save even people left with only a last breath (on his way here, he did not know the dead agent had died and revived).

Zhao Yan's hints, even outright statements, were all refused by Monk Xuanzang.

Longya Dao Gate arrived too, and actually stood vaguely on the other side.

Zhao Yan didn't even have a chance to return to the palace; in such a setting, before everyone's eyes, his true face was exposed by He Yishan.

His gaze swept across; Zhao Yan saw even the Son of Heaven's personal guards, the Imperial Forest Army men, their complexions shifting somewhat.

Only those blade-bearing attendants and the true personal eunuchs showed no change, as if they hadn't heard at all.

These people more or less knew Zhao Yan's schemes, and having staked their lives on the Emperor, naturally would not birth other thoughts over such a matter.

Even if they did, they would follow Zhao Yan down a single path to the bitter end.

That eunuch slightly raised his head, silently mouthed: "You are the Son of Heaven."

Zhao Yan blanked for a moment, then laughed.

Right, he had long anticipated the worst case; the current situation was nothing more than public exposure, a damaged reputation.

He was the Great You Emperor, the august Son of Heaven!

Just now, in that instant, because a series of developments all turned toward the worse, Zhao Yan had momentarily lost his composure.

Now recovered, his aura surged, shifting from a faint smile to a great laugh, laughter resounding and majestic, fully displaying a ruler's bearing.

Zhao Yan fiercely flung his dragon-robe wide sleeves, pointed at He Yishan and said: "Utter nonsense! Joyous Temple's remnant, you still dare rely on glib tongue to sow discord? Today I absolutely will not let you live!"

He is the Son of Heaven; naturally whatever he says goes.

A person designated as Joyous Temple's remnant speaks a few words and can slander? Simply a joke.

Never mind baseless words — even with evidence, Zhao Yan says it isn't so and it isn't so; says it's instigation and it's instigation.

Because this was fundamentally not a matter that concerned evidence.

Even if all the civil and military officials of the court were present, aside from a few whose minds were truly muddled and who were stubborn, the rest would all "believe" this was a scheme by Huanxi Temple to sow discord against Great You.

There was no room for negotiation on this point.

Otherwise, where would the imperial family's face be placed? Where would the majesty of the Great You court be?

Matters of brothers turning against each other for the throne have been done in every dynasty; as long as it wasn't brazen and undisguised, not even covering it with a fig leaf, it fundamentally didn't count as anything.

Everyone covers it up, covers it up, and it's still a good emperor, a prosperous and peaceful era.

Undoubtedly, right now was a prosperous and peaceful era; Great You had barely caught its breath, its atmosphere flourishing.

How could it tolerate a confirmed scandal of the Emperor killing his son to prolong his life leaking out?

"A foolish farce." Zhao Yan looked at He Yishan and said, his gaze sweeping Tang Luo beside him into it as well.

No matter how the process developed, the matter ultimately had only this one outcome.

He had clearly extended an olive branch, even built the steps for him; why did he not understand to go down along the steps?

Insisting on making everyone lose face.

"You are good—" The smile on He Yishan's face vanished completely, leaving only resentment and despair.

Unexpectedly, in the end, she still failed to drag anyone down with her, and instead became the sacrificial offering for everyone to settle the affair—actually, not even an offering.

Her ending up at this step today was her just deserts.

"Do you think you will fare well?" He Yishan roared at Zhao Yan; the small bronze ding in her hand trembled and actually shattered directly, falling to the ground.

Zhao Yan's body swayed; he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and his face seemed to instantly gain several more wrinkles.

He looked to have aged five or six years at least.

"Hahaha!" He Yishan laughed again, her voice incomparably weak, "Without this ding, you will die in half a year."

Tang Luo's opening-light healing gave her the last bit of strength for revenge.

Once this life-prolonging equipment was used, it had to be maintained continuously; once interrupted, the body would age and weaken at twice its original speed.

And destroying this equipment left the user with at most half a year of life remaining.

"Die together." He Yishan spoke her final words and immediately fell silent.

Zhao Yan took a few quick steps, came before He Yishan and crouched down; disregarding the blood and filth on her, he grabbed her corpse before him and shook it frantically: "What did you say! Say it again! Wake up for me!"

His voice was somewhat hysterical.

The bodily change in that instant just now made Zhao Yan realize that what this woman said was not a bluff, but the truth.

What had he, Zhao Yan, done so much for?

Wasn't it just to be Emperor for a long, long time? Now suddenly only half a year of life remained; how could he accept it?

Right now, he was already in complete panic.

The bearing of a sovereign from just now had been thrown to the ninth heaven; he could maintain his composure before because the vital point hadn't been poked.

Once the vital point is poked, no matter how strong one was before, one will fall into the mortal dust.

Moreover, Zhao Yan was originally in the mortal dust to begin with.

The surrounding Imperial Guards and everyone else all had complex expressions... this twist of fate.

"Your Majesty..." That eunuch was about to walk over.

"Amitabha."

At this moment, Tang Luo instead intoned a Buddha's name; his voice was like a great bell, yet also made one feel a burst of tranquil serenity.

"Master!" Zhao Yan instantly reacted, looking toward Tang Luo.

Right, this monk; right now only this monk could save him.

Tang Luo stepped back two paces, creating a little space, dodging Zhao Yan's hand, and simultaneously reached back with a grab.

Zhao De, forgotten by the mansion gate behind, flew over and landed before Tang Luo, kneeling on the ground, gasping his last breath, not even the strength to raise his head.

A Fei, blessing arriving at heart, threw the Drilling Wind Bone Sword over, leaned against the wall and sat down, panting as he watched what was about to happen.

"Ninth Prince Zhao De..." Tang Luo spoke in a clear voice, recounting Zhao De's deeds once, "Sins towering to heaven, unforgivable."

"This poor monk severs karma, not people; kills to protect life; the path of severing karma brooks no refusal! Sever!"

One sword swung down; Zhao De's head fell to the ground.

Perhaps due to excessive blood loss just now, surprisingly not much blood spurted out, but some still splashed onto Zhao Yan's feet.

Zhao Yan blinked twice, reacted, and said loudly: "Well killed! Such a disloyal, unfilial, unbenevolent, unrighteous rebellious son! Even if Master does not act on behalf of Heaven, We would also make a move!" Finished speaking, he looked expectantly at Tang Luo.

He had already done his part to this extent; it should be time to act and save him, right?

Could it be he really has to issue a self-condemning edict?

He is the Emperor; letting someone kill a prince is already giving enormous face.

Does the other party dare to commit the world's greatest taboo against him, this Emperor? Not only does he not dare, he cannot, he should save him!

To this, Tang Luo's answer was "I dare."

What's the big deal, what's there not to dare? He has seen, and opposed, plenty of Emperors.

"Your Majesty need not panic."

Tang Luo's face bore a reassuring faint smile, "No need for half a month; because you will die here today."

"You!"

Zhao Yan's delighted expression turned into furious rage.

Before he could speak, to seize Tang Luo, a dragon's roar, divine might like a prison, came from the sky.

"Dragon!"

Someone cried out in alarm; everyone looked up.

They saw that the sky had at some point been covered by dense clouds, yet the light had not diminished in the slightest.

Because the golden True Dragon that existed only in legend appeared amidst the churning sea of clouds!