Chapter 749: No Regrets Left in This Life

Li Fei's voice resounded through the wind and snow.

Tang Zhan, who had lost an arm, stared fixedly at him, his face flushed a deep red.

Being publicly humiliated like this by a junior in the Foundation Establishment realm made Tang Zhan furious to the extreme; he could barely resist rushing forward to fight Li Fei to the death!

"Please stop!"

Qin Ziyu hurriedly called out to stop them.

His expression was uncertain, but he eventually managed to squeeze out a smile, took a few steps forward, walked out of the Prince's Mansion gate, and cupped his hands toward Li Fei:

"The Marquis of Jing'an is truly the number one Foundation Establishment cultivator of all time; the reputation is well-deserved, and it is truly admirable!"

Li Fei looked at this heir, not intending to follow the path being offered:

"I wonder if there is any other master in the Prince Cheng's Mansion who would like to offer some pointers?"

Qin Ziyu's smile froze.

Martial arts masters were not exactly common cabbages; Tang Zhan was the only martial arts master in the Prince Cheng's Mansion, and all the others were following Prince Cheng on the battlefield.

There was no one else left who could trade blows with Li Fei.

"You—"

Hearing this, Tang Zhan was about to speak up to fight again.

"Uncle Tang!"

Qin Ziyu immediately stopped him, giving him a sharp look.

Tang Zhan gritted his teeth and said nothing more.

Qin Ziyu turned his head back to look at Li Fei, gritting his teeth:

"Most of the experts in the Prince's Mansion are fighting in the army; if there is an opportunity in the future, I will personally introduce them to the Marquis of Jing'an!"

In the end, he was unwilling to keep retreating and could not help but bring up the experts in the Northern Border Army.

This was the true foundation of the Prince Cheng's Mansion.

Even setting aside military power, Prince Cheng himself was a Grandmaster!

"Good, I hope you don't make this Marquis wait too long."

Li Fei said indifferently.

These words caused Qin Ziyu's expression to change once again.

It had only been a little over two years since Li Fei began practicing martial arts.

With the terrifying potential and talent he had displayed, what realm would he be in two years from now?

A martial arts master? Or a Grandmaster?

By then, even if Prince Cheng took action personally, would he necessarily be able to take down this Marquis of Jing'an?

A Foundation Establishment martial artist capable of defeating a martial arts master was certainly worth far more than a martial arts master himself!

Seeing that Qin Ziyu had fallen silent, Li Fei turned to look at Song Jun, who was hiding far away, and beckoned.

Song Jun hurried over with a trot, saying cautiously:

"Marquis?"

Li Fei: "Official Song, continue with the case."

Song Jun glanced at the silent Qin Ziyu and the one-armed Tang Zhan; his back was already soaked with sweat.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and pleaded:

"I ask that the Marquis please provide some guidance to this subordinate."

Maintaining the original verdict was certainly impossible now, but he could never bring himself to impose a heavy sentence on Xi Yuchen.

His youngest son was currently serving in the Northern Border Army; one could say his life, death, and honor were tied to Prince Cheng. Even if Li Fei broke his legs, he dared not offend the Prince Cheng's Mansion!

Li Fei glanced at Song Jun: "Since Official Song does not know how to judge this, then this Marquis will ask the person involved for you."

Having said that, he walked toward Xi Yuchen, who was lying on a stretcher.

Xi Yuchen immediately became nervous.

After witnessing Li Fei defeat Tang Zhan with his own eyes, the pride and delusions in his heart had been completely shattered by Li Fei.

"Just now, Official Song said that it was this Marquis who used too much force and that you need to offer a settlement; what do you think?"

Li Fei arrived in front of Xi Yuchen and asked, looking down at him.

Xi Yuchen's face was pale; he avoided Li Fei's gaze, not daring to meet his eyes:

"... t was my reckless actions that offended Official Lu; it was only right for the Marquis to take action."

"So, you admit your mistake?"

"... his commoner admits his mistake!"

"Good."

Li Fei took a piece of paper from his robes and tossed it onto Xi Yuchen:

"This Marquis forgives you."

After saying this, he turned and left without looking back.

Qin Ziyu's face was livid as he stared fixedly at Li Fei's retreating back.

A gust of cold wind blew, carrying away the paper Li Fei had thrown onto Xi Yuchen, and it happened to land right beside Qin Ziyu.

Qin Ziyu reached out, grabbed the paper, and took a look; his expression turned even uglier.

This was the letter of forgiveness He Jian had written for Xi Yuchen.

News in Blue Spirit City had always traveled fast.

The news of Xi Yuchen comprehending the sword in the snow had only just sparked discussion when the news of Li Fei breaking his legs in one move spread out.

Consequently, people began to discuss whether Li Fei's strength had recovered.

Before everyone could reach a conclusion, the results of the clash between Li Fei and Tang Zhan spread as well.

For a time, the whole city was in a heated debate!

The rumors from the previous months about Li Fei being crippled were completely untenable; everyone knew that the number one Foundation Establishment cultivator of all time had returned!

After months of silence, he had defeated a martial arts master the moment he came out of seclusion, giving the Prince Cheng's Mansion a fierce slap in the face.

Previously, the news of Li Fei kicking the First Imperial Prince had been kept strictly confidential and had not spread.

But what happened today at the gate of the Prince Cheng's Mansion spread very quickly.

The people of this city had seen the arrogance of the Marquis of Jing'an for the first time!

"The Inspector of Gan Province, Su Xuesong, arrived in Blue Spirit City two days ago. There will be a Grand Court Assembly in five days, which Su Xuesong will attend to present the case to His Majesty in person."

Inside the car, Lu Wen introduced the three major cases currently famous in the capital to Li Fei.

Li Fei had previously heard about these three cases from He Jian, but that was from He Jian's perspective; he now needed to understand these three cases from other angles.

"Regarding the impeachment, the Head of the Pavilion of Stopping Conflict, Chi Chengyu, has also submitted a memorial to provide a defense. The outcome will depend on the Grand Court Assembly in five days."

"As for the case of the Prince Cheng's Mansion guest colluding with the New Heaven Society, the special investigation team of the Supervision Pavilion has been investigating for over a month. The news I gathered is that the team has already found results sufficient to prove the innocence of the heir, Qin Ziyu."

"In my opinion, this case has the least suspense of the three; His Majesty still trusts Prince Cheng, so the heir, Qin Ziyu, must be innocent."

"Finally, there is the connection between the Third Imperial Prince and the Law Enforcement Pavilion. I cannot gather much information on this matter; the Head of the Supervision Pavilion, Lou, is personally in charge of this case. There should be a report at the Grand Court Assembly in five days."

"..."

After summarizing the various pieces of information he had gathered, Lu Wen informed Li Fei one by one.

After listening, Li Fei pondered for a moment: "So, the results of these three major cases will all be reflected at the Grand Court Assembly in five days?"

On ordinary days, the vast majority of government affairs are decided directly by the Central Cabinet.

But these three cases do not involve small figures, and the potential impact is very great, so the Central Cabinet will first discuss a preliminary plan, then openly discuss it at the Grand Court Assembly, and the Emperor will make the final decision.

"Five days from now is the first Grand Court Assembly of the year; I didn't expect it to be so exciting."

Lu Wen sighed with emotion.

Li Fei actually did not care about the three major cases; what he truly cared about was the assassination case at the Temple of Heaven.

This case was handed to him by the Emperor to oversee; only after investigating this case could he go back to re-investigate the case of Shangguan Xiao.

But from last year until now, although there were more and more clues, and various traces indicated that the mastermind behind the Temple of Heaven assassination was highly likely the New Heaven Society.

However, there is no such thing as 'likely' in investigating a case.

Investigating a case requires solid evidence.

Yet, neither Li Fei nor He Jian currently had direct evidence to prove that the New Heaven Society had orchestrated the Temple of Heaven assassination.

This was not because He Jian, this great detective, was incompetent, but because whenever he investigated to a critical point, it would always involve very important figures and forces, thereby encountering huge resistance!

The three major cases currently rocking the capital actually all originated from the Temple of Heaven assassination.

Whether it was the Entering the World Society accused by Su Xuesong, the Prince Cheng's Mansion, or even the Law Enforcement Pavilion, all had become entangled with the New Heaven Society.

If any one of these three cases could continue to be investigated in depth, allowing He Jian to let go and investigate, Li Fei could have finished his task long ago.

This was the reason Li Fei was paying attention to the three major cases.

He was beginning to understand more and more why the New Heaven Society had assassinated the Emperor back then.

Knowing full well there was no possibility of success, they still chose to expose an important mole they had planted inside the imperial court to go to their death.

Because the New Heaven Society understood the corruption of the Great Lan Dynasty better than anyone else!

A Mingxin Reform could not fundamentally solve the problems of the Great Lan Dynasty; at most, it would only forcibly extend the life of this feudal dynasty that had existed for over five hundred years.

The current Great Lan Dynasty was like a giant wearing a brand-new set of clothes, looking bright and beautiful on the outside.

And what the New Heaven Society wanted to do was tear open this outer garment, letting the world see the ugly, festering sores hidden beneath!

Perhaps it had tried many methods before, but none had yielded very good results.

Thus, it chose the most violent method—assassinating the Emperor!

Such cases cannot be covered up, and no one dares to be perfunctory; they must be investigated thoroughly.

And the process of investigating a case is the process of tearing off one's clothes.

To truly ferret out the mastermind behind the scenes, or even to eradicate them, the imperial court must itself tear off that gorgeous outer garment, delve deep into investigating its own body, and thereby expose all sorts of problems.

This is the open conspiracy of the New Heaven Society!

After figuring this out, Li Fei could not help but think:

"Do He Jian and I count as having passively become a blade for the New Heaven Society?"

With this thought in mind, he took a carriage back to the headquarters of the Inspection Pavilion.

Walking into the Inspection Pavilion again, the officials he met head-on all wore expressions of awe and bowed one after another.

Li Fei walked all the way to He Jian's office pavilion and went straight to the second floor.

"Marquis!"

Upon seeing Li Fei, Yuan Mengfei jumped up from her chair in excitement:

"I heard you went to the Prince Cheng Mansion and broke that Xi Yuchen's leg, and even defeated a Martial Dao Master?"

Li Fei smiled and nodded.

Consequently, the eyes with which Yuan Mengfei looked at him were filled with little stars.

"Mengfei."

He Jian suddenly spoke up, "You go out first; I have something to discuss with the Marquis of Jing'an."

"Oh."

Yuan Mengfei reluctantly moved her feet slowly and walked down the stairs.

"Actually, you don't have to be like this."

After Yuan Mengfei left, He Jian looked at Li Fei with a serious expression:

"If you stood up for me just because you wanted me to investigate cases better, or to help you investigate cases in the future, then that is completely unnecessary. Because as long as it is a case, I will give it my all regardless, and I don't need you to do anything special.

And if you are trying to bribe this old man, that is even more of a waste of effort. If you are ever implicated in any case in the future and the imperial court orders me to investigate, I will never show you any leniency!"

Even though he had just stood up for He Jian, He Jian now spoke such completely heartless words.

However, Li Fei did not feel angry or disappointed after hearing this; instead, he smiled:

"Master He, do not worry. I stood up for you without asking for any reward."

He Jian frowned and looked at Li Fei in confusion:

"Then what are you after?"

He asked himself that he did not have a very deep friendship with this Marquis of Jing'an, and it was completely not worth it for the other party to offend the Prince Cheng Mansion for his sake, or to offend that Prince Cheng who held one hundred thousand troops in his hands.

"What am I after?"

Li Fei's gaze suddenly became gentle, and he murmured:

"Because your actions, Master He, remind me of an elder. In the past, I didn't have the ability to help him with anything... Now, I just don't want to leave myself with any more regrets."

The incident where the Heir of Prince Cheng carried a rod on his back to plead guilty at the Grand Court Assembly happened first, and afterwards, He Jian and his eldest disciple were retaliated against by the Prince Cheng Mansion.

Under such circumstances, this old man still chose to continue investigating the case and reported the case of the Law Enforcement Pavilion suspected of colluding with the Third Imperial Prince.

Having just offended a Prince Cheng Mansion, yet completely unaware of how to restrain himself, he then went on to offend an imperial prince with real power and the entire Law Enforcement Pavilion!

Li Fei had only ever seen one other person who was so reckless with their life.

He Jian's refusal to bend and his lack of fear of powerful authorities made Li Fei feel as if he saw the shadow of Hao Yi.

Therefore, after learning the ins and outs of the matter, he chose to stand up for He Jian without the slightest hesitation!

He Jian fell silent, and in the end, he did not say thank you to Li Fei.

The old man coughed a few times and continued to lower his head to look at the files in his hands:

"At the Grand Court Assembly five days from now, there will be a result for the three major cases. As long as there is a breakthrough in any one of these three cases, there should be a result for the Altar Assassination Case."

Li Fei nodded: "Master He."

"Hmm?"

He Jian looked up at him.

"Have you ever thought that perhaps the New Heaven Society is using us to constantly expose problems within the imperial court, thereby disrupting the imperial court?"

Li Fei asked the question that had been puzzling him.

He Jian looked at him, his gaze without the slightest hesitation:

"This old man is only responsible for investigating cases, only responsible for revealing the clues found and the truth uncovered. As for how this case is to be judged in the end, or how the problems are to be solved, that is for those big shots above to consider."

Li Fei: "What if this truth could potentially be exploited by others?"

He Jian met his gaze, his deep eyes filled with a firm look:

"But the truth is right there. Once I see it, I will not ignore it."

Li Fei and the old man looked at each other for a moment, and he revealed a smile once again.

From beginning to end, the only thing the old man insisted on was one thing: to investigate the evil he saw clearly!

This was his duty to begin with, and his actions were beyond reproach.

"I understand."

Li Fei reached out to He Jian, "Please give me your hand."

He Jian was startled, but he still trusted him enough to extend his right hand.

Li Fei gently gripped his wrist, and a faint green light spread from Li Fei's body onto He Jian's.

He Jian's spirit lifted; he felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring during the cold winter, and his entire being felt comfortable from the inside out.

The internal injuries in his body that had not yet healed were recovering at an extremely fast speed!

Not only that, but his heart and spirit, which had long been exhausted, were also recovering simultaneously!

Previously, when Xi Yuchen severely injured him, the injuries caused were not only physical but also mental.

That was a mental injury caused by Dao energy, which ordinary medicine could not heal at all. Coupled with the fact that He Jian had not been recuperating properly and was consuming a large amount of mental energy every day to investigate cases, his mental state had been getting worse and worse.

This was also an important reason why he had aged so much in just a few short months.

What Li Fei was currently using on He Jian was the fourth core-level extraordinary ability he had triggered—Green God.

It could not only heal the body but also heal the heart and spirit.

The main effect of the "Five Phases Reversal Method" was to allow the implant to undergo reverse growth or reverse abnormal states of the body. Physical injuries and disabilities certainly counted as an abnormal state and could be reversed to the normal state before being injured.

But if one used the "Five Phases Reversal Method" to heal injuries, the efficiency was actually very low; the treatment speed was slow, and the consumption of one's own energy was greater.

For the same injury, it might take more than ten minutes using the "Five Phases Reversal Method," consuming a large amount of energy to "reverse" it.

But if one switched to using "Green God," the treatment could be completed within a short minute, consuming very little energy and power from the implant.

And if it were a different situation, where the body developed an abnormal state, such as muscle hardening, meridian expansion, etc., "Green God" would not work because these were not injuries and could not be healed; they could only be reversed using the "Five Phases Reversal Method."

This was what was meant by "professional alignment."

A few minutes later, He Jian's internal injuries were fully healed, and his spirit was refreshed; the whole person looked full of vigor.

Li Fei stopped using "Green God" and withdrew his hand.

He stood up and smiled at He Jian:

"Master He, just focus on investigating the case. Leave the rest to me to resolve."

Having said that, he turned and left.

He Jian's answer also made him firm in his own heart.

What the other party pursued was uncovering the truth, while what he pursued was—

To not let this life have any more regrets!

He Jian looked at Li Fei's back, a smile appearing on his serious face.

He placed the file he had finished reading on the left and then pulled out a new one from the stack of files on the right, continuing to bury his head in research.

On the desk, the files that had been read on the left had long since piled up into a small mountain.

And the files on the right that had not yet been read were likewise a small mountain.

The wind blew past the window.

The file in He Jian's hand turned another page.

January 10th.

The first Grand Court Assembly of the forty-eighth year of Hongguang was convened.

At 7: 0 in the morning, the gates of the square outside the Zhenglan Hall opened, and a crowd of officials filed in, walked into the square, and headed toward the Zhenglan Hall in front.

It had been snowing heavily every day for the past few days, but there was not a trace of snow on the square.

On the Zhenglan Hall in front, the white snow that fell on the eaves and on the pieces of glazed tiles melted quickly, likewise failing to cover the roof of the great hall with snow.

This great hall was always as magnificent and majestic as ever throughout the four seasons!

Over a hundred officials ascended the steps one after another.

This was the first Grand Court Assembly of the year, and the three major cases that shocked the court and the public might have a result today.

Therefore, the officials who came to attend the Grand Court Assembly today all had solemn expressions.

The crowd behind was suddenly in a stir, and many officials turned their heads to look.

They saw a golden figure appear at the gate of the square, standing out like a crane in a flock of chickens among the crowd of officials wearing blue official robes.

The person who arrived was none other than the Marquis of Jing'an—Li Fei!

Today was his first time participating in the Grand Court Assembly in the capacity of the Marquis of Jing'an.

He was not wearing official robes, but was still wearing the Gold-Threaded Jade Qilin Armor, with a Ghost-Slaying Blade hanging at his waist.

Last year, when he was enfeoffed as a Marquis before the hall, one of the series of rewards the Emperor gave him was—permission to carry a blade into the court!

This reward did not provide any practical benefits, but it was a tremendous honor.

Looking across the entire Great Lan Dynasty, fewer than ten people have ever received this honor!

The Crown Prince, the First Imperial Prince, the Third Imperial Prince, and even many military generals at the Martial Arts Master realm do not possess this qualification.

Since he is allowed to carry a blade into the imperial court, not wearing official robes naturally does not amount to anything.

Furthermore, the Golden Thread Jade Qilin Armor on Li Fei is a treasure bestowed by the Emperor; wearing this divine garment to court better reflects his remembrance of the imperial grace.

Li Fei walked toward the Zheng Lan Hall step by step, dressed in his golden attire with a long blade hanging at his waist.

On the Imperial Path, a crowd of officials stepped aside to make way for him.

"Marquis of Jing'an."

"Greetings, Marquis."

"."

Inside the hall, a crowd of officials took the initiative to greet Li Fei.

Li Fei responded with a smile and walked all the way to the front of the grand hall, arriving before the group of Pavilion Elders from the Supervisory Pavilion.

"Everyone, this is my first time attending an imperial court session, and I do not know where I should stand."

Li Fei asked his colleagues before him with a smile.

"This..."

These Pavilion Elders exchanged glances, but none of them provided an answer.

According to official rank, Li Fei was merely a seated official and did not have the qualification to stand in the same row as the Pavilion officials.

But according to his noble title, Li Fei was fully capable of standing on equal footing with them.

Yet, as to where exactly he should stand—whether in the front row or the back row, whether on the left or the right—these seemingly subtle details were, in reality, reflections of status and influence.

What should Li Fei's status be now?

The group of Pavilion Elders found it difficult to provide an answer to this question.

"Marquis of Jing'an."

Just at this moment, the Head of the Supervisory Pavilion, Lou Hongtao, who was further ahead, suddenly turned his head and called out.

"Pavilion Head Lou."

Li Fei cupped his hands in a salute.

"You stand behind me."

Lou Hongtao said calmly.

"."

The surroundings quickly fell silent, and many officials turned their gazes over.

Li Fei was startled, then nodded: "Very well."

He then stepped forward and came to stand behind Lou Hongtao.

Standing before him were the heads of the six pavilions, officials of the 18th rank, who were almost at the very front of all the civil and military officials in the court!

Looking further ahead, the First Imperial Prince glanced back with a somewhat gloomy expression, while the Third Imperial Prince turned and smiled at Li Fei.

Continuing forward were three chairs placed side by side; the Crown Prince and the Chief Councilor Ye Zean were sitting on two of them, while the third chair remained empty—it was reserved for the State Preceptor Yunshu, who was in seclusion.

The Crown Prince also turned his head to look at Li Fei and nodded at him.

Opposite the Crown Prince and Ye Zean sat the Grand Marshal of the Military Council, Wenren Zheng.

Beyond these three people was the Cinnabar Steps.

Above the Cinnabar Steps was that Dragon Throne.

Attending the court session for the first time, Li Fei clearly saw his current position within the imperial court.

Suddenly feeling something, he turned his head to look at the row of officials on the right.

Those standing there were all military officials, and he saw that the Heir of Prince Cheng, Qin Ziyu, had also joined the ranks; he was standing in the same row as Li Fei.

The two of them, one civil and one military, happened to be on the outermost side of their respective groups, separated by an aisle in the middle.

The two exchanged a glance and calmly looked away.

A moment later, Li Fei turned his head to look behind him and saw He Jian walking into the ranks.

The position where He Jian stood was quite far back, almost near the entrance of the grand hall.

Seeming to sense Li Fei's gaze, He Jian turned to look.

Li Fei gave him a smile and then nodded at him.

This made He Jian recall what Li Fei had said to him a few days ago:

"You just focus on investigating the case; leave the rest to me."

The last time he attended a court session, not a single official in the hall stood up to speak for him.

This time, it would not be like that again.

Hum—

A clear, resonant bell chime rang out.

"His Majesty has arrived—"

The sharp yet deep voice echoed throughout the entire grand hall, carrying far into the distance.

The first grand court session of the year had begun.

(End of chapter)