In the warm pavilion deep in the palace, Xiao Shaozong squatted on a round chair, but there was a map hanging in front of him.

It was obviously a nautical chart, there were many islands, many of which were marked with names on the edges, but more islands were blank, Xiao Shaozong held his cheeks with both hands, and at first glance, it looked like a naughty boy staring at his favorite plaything.

Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, Xiao Shaozong didn't look back, only waiting for the footsteps to stop behind him, Xiao Shaozong asked lightly, "Is there any news?" ”

"Back to the prince's words, where Qi Ning may appear, people have been sent to closely monitor him, and no trace of him has been found." Walking behind him was Yan Mo, who was dressed as a eunuch, with a slight bow: "The Yuan family and Tie Zheng's mansions are also arranged for people to watch and live, and the official mansions in Beijing that are close to them also have eyeliner, and there is no Qi Ning's figure." ”

Xiao Shaozong sighed: "Don't you understand, the Yuan family and Tie Zheng are just tools used by Qi Ning this time, after using them, he guessed that we would definitely keep an eye on these two people, how could we have any contact with these two people again?" No more wasting manpower on them. ”

Yan Mo said: "Lord, the capital is too big, if you really want to find Qi Ning from it, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack, this ......!" ”

"Qi Ning rescued his family, will he let them stay in the city." Xiao Shaozong squatted on the round chair, but his eyes kept staring at the chart in front of him: "Did Lu Xiaochao's people find something?" ”

Yan Mo shook his head and said: "After that night, I immediately sent someone to notify Lu Xiaochao and asked him to strictly check at all gates, and those family members of Qi Ning are likely to go out of the city in disguise, but ..... There has been no news. He walked forward to Xiao Shaozong's side and said softly: "Lord Wang, did Qi Ning guess that the city gate would definitely be searched carefully, so .....!" ”

Xiao Shaozong didn't speak immediately, and was silent for a moment before he said: "Don't start with his family anymore, if I'm not mistaken, those women have already left the city." ”

Yan Mo was stunned, Xiao Shaozong had already jumped off the chair, stood on the ground, turned to look at Yan Mo and said: "Never underestimate our opponent, if he can't even arrange a few women to go out of the city, then he really doesn't deserve to be my opponent." ”

"Then Qi Ning has also left the city?"

Xiao Shaozong shook his head, a chuckle on his lips: "He won't leave, and he must be thinking about how to deal with me at the moment." ”

Yan Mo said: "Is the prince saying that Qi Ning already knows that the prince controls the palace?" ”

"If he hadn't thought about it now, he would have died countless times." Xiao Shaozong sneered: "And Xiang Tianbei is with him, what happened in the palace, even if Qi Ning can't guess it, Xiang Tianbei will tell him." ”

"I didn't expect that Xiang Tianbei's swordsmanship was actually inherited from Beigong Liancheng." Yan Mo's face was a little stiff, and his face was expressionless: "A master like Mo Ying was easily killed by him, Qi Ning has this person by his side to help, then ......!" ”

"Easy?" Xiao Shaozong let out a strange laugh: "Do you think Xiang Tianbei killed Mo Ying easily?" Slowly walked to a chair, sat down, leaned back on the chair, and his eyes were sharp: "Mo Ying is Mo Lancang's first disciple, and his martial arts are passed down by Mo Lancang, such a character, even if the Kongzang Master of the Great Light Temple personally shoots, he may not be his opponent, even if Xiang Tianbei's swordsmanship is amazing, it is impossible to kill Mo Ying easily." ”

"But..... That night, everyone saw that after Xiang Tianbei killed Mo Ying, he left unharmed. Yan Mo said in a low voice: "Does the prince think he is pretending?" ”

Xiao Shaozong smiled lightly: "I have heard about the events of that night several times, after Xiang Tianbei killed Mo Ying, he entered the carriage directly ......!" Raising his eyes slightly, he looked at Yan Mo: "He killed Mo Ying and shocked everyone, Yan Mo, if you were sad to the sky and you were seriously injured, how would you react at that time?" Will you expose signs of your own injury? ”

"Naturally not." Yan Mo said: "At that time, Qi Ning was besieged by hundreds of people, since I made a move, I naturally wanted to leave smoothly with Qi Ning, if I showed the slightest sign of injury at that time, then hundreds of people would never let us leave easily." And after I am injured, Qi Ning will inevitably be distracted to protect me, so I will definitely fall into a desperate situation. ”

"Since you understand this truth, you naturally understand that Xiang Tianbei must be injured." Xiao Shaozong was thoughtful, silent for a moment, and then said, "Maybe Xiang Tianbei died that night." ”

Yan Mo smiled: "It's better this way, if Xiang Tianbei doesn't die, it will be a trouble." ”

"Prepare for the worst in everything." Xiao Shaozong said: "Xiang Tianbei may be very lucky, but it is unknown if he is still alive." ”

Yan Mo sneered, "Even if he is really alive, there is absolutely no way that his injuries will recover in a short time. What the prince said is right. Mo Ying is dead, Xiang Tianbei is unlikely to be unharmed, he deliberately covered it up that night, but it just proved that he was not lightly injured. We have cut off Qi Ning's strength and financial resources, even if Xiang Tianbei is still alive, he is like a waste person, what can Qi Ning do with a waste person? ”

"He doesn't seem to have any cards in his hand." Xiao Shaozong sighed: "But many things in this world are uncertain, and the change of the situation is also a matter of an instant. After thinking about it slightly, he said: "Xiang Tianbei is a disciple of Beigong Liancheng, since he helped Qi Ning this time, maybe he has received the meaning of the sword god." ”

Yan Mo said: "The Great Grandmaster wants to get involved in strife? ”

Xiao Shaozong smiled weirdly and said coldly: "Those monsters ......!" After a pause, he said, "Who can really guess their minds?" ”

Yan Mo said in a low voice: "Could it be that Beigong Liancheng is in the capital?" But......! He turned his gaze to the chart, but the rest of the words did not come out.

Xiao Shaozong got up again and walked to the chart, it was silent, Yan Mo was silent for a moment, and finally said: "Although Qi Ning was not killed after that, it can't be said that nothing was found, at least..... Moying is dead. This person's ambition is growing, and he is becoming more and more unaware of who he is, originally I was thinking about how to get rid of him, but this time Xiang Tianbei helped us solve this matter. Moreover, the news that Xiang Tianbei is a disciple of Beigong Liancheng will be released soon, and Mo Lancang will know sooner or later that his beloved disciple died at the hands of Beigong Liancheng's disciple, so it will be ......! ”

"Of course Beigong Liancheng knows that Xiang Tianbei killed Mo Ying, which will inevitably lead to a deeper contradiction between him and Mo Lancang." Xiao Shaozong was thoughtful, his eyes were deep: "Xiang Tianbei is a cautious person, without Beigong Liancheng's permission, he will never make a move against the disciples of the East China Sea, in this case, why does Beigong Liancheng want to let Xiang Tianbei make a move?" ”

Yan Mo's body was shocked, and he said in a low voice: "Lord Wang, do you think that the purpose of this attack on Tianbei is not just to save Qi Ning?" ”

Xiao Shaozong folded his hands behind his back, stared at the starry islands on the map, and said calmly: "As far as I know, although Beigong Liancheng and Mo Lancang are both great grandmasters, the two have never fought each other. Xichuan's one is dead, and the so-called Longshan Covenant has been shaken back then, and with that matter looming, it is inevitable that the great grandmaster will fight head-on. He raised his hand and touched his chin: "These people have all broken through the peak of the world's martial arts and entered a new realm, but I believe that even if they enter a new realm, there are also high and low strong and weak winds." ”

Yan Mo bowed his head and said, "That's nature. ”

"But they don't actually know how deep each other's martial arts cultivation is." Xiao Shaozong smiled faintly and said: "There is only one thing, for a few of them, no one will give up, Yan Mo, in the sky and on the ground, as long as there is a fight, there will definitely be a result, and they are destined to have only one result." The smile on his lips was even stronger: "That kind of result can only be fought for with their blood, so a battle between Beigong Liancheng and Mo Lancang is inevitable." ”

Yan Mo seemed to understand what Xiao Shaozong meant: "What does the prince mean is that Xiang Tianbei made this move, is Beigong Liancheng wanting to know himself and his opponent?" ”

"Xiang Tianbei was instructed by Beigong Liancheng many years ago, but he has not made a breakthrough in swordsmanship, so why doesn't Beigong Liancheng give more advice?" Xiao Shaozong said slowly: "The reason is very simple, if you want to reach the peak of swordsmanship and enter a real kendo realm, you must comprehend the real kendo by yourself, Beigong Liancheng needs a real swordsman, not an apprentice, he pointed out the key to swordsmanship, but whether you can make Xiang Tianbei a real swordsman, you can only see whether Xiang Tianbei himself has that kind of understanding." After a slight pause, he pondered for a while before he said: "If Xiang Tianbei has never been able to comprehend the true way of the sword, for Beigong Liancheng, it will be a waste, but as long as Xiang Tianbei really breaks through the sword technique one day and enters the way of the sword, it will have a great effect on Beigong Liancheng." ”

"In other words, Beigong Liancheng pointed out to Tianbei back then, just so that one day he could use Xiang Tianbei to test Mo Lancang's martial arts cultivation?" Yan Mo was also suddenly enlightened.

Xiao Shaozong bowed his head slightly and said, "Exactly." Mo Ying is Mo Lancang's personal disciple, and his martial arts cultivation is completely inherited from Mo Lancang, but there are very few people in this world who can really force Mo Ying to go all out, and Xiang Tianbei happened to realize the way of the sword at this time, which was the heart of Beigong Liancheng. With Xiang Tianbei's current cultivation, as long as he makes an all-out move, Mo Ying can only fight to the death with Xiang Tianbei without reservation, this battle is a battle of life and death for these two people, but for Beigong Liancheng, it is just a tool to see through the depth of Mo Lancang's martial arts. ”

"I see." Yan Mo suddenly realized: "Taking advantage of this battle, Beigong Liancheng can see the realm of his teacher Mo Lancang from Mo Ying's martial arts cultivation. ”

"For ordinary people, naturally they can't do this." Xiao Shaozong sighed: "But for a great master like Beigong Liancheng, Mo Ying's moves and styles can completely reflect Mo Lancang's general cultivation, not only is it impossible to get a glimpse of Mo Lancang's true martial arts, but for Beigong Liancheng, even if he only knows a little more, he will inevitably take the initiative in the duel with Mo Lancang." A weird smile appeared on his lips: "Maybe when those two people are fighting for life and death, Beigong Liancheng is nearby, and everything is in full view." ”