Feeling a slight shaking under his body, and the sound of water could be heard in his ears, Ling Chong's first thought was that he was on the boat, and he must have fallen into the hands of Chunshui Hall. Surprisingly, his heart is like an ancient well, he doesn't make any waves, he doesn't even want to open his eyes, it's been seven years, since he was ordered by King Yan to enter Yanshanwei, every day is like a thorn in the back, and he can't be at peace for a moment. Yan Shanwei has his own rules for promotion, looking at talent and martial arts, relying on real merit, almost not at all, although he was recommended by King Yan to enter the Yanshan Wei Huang Group, but there is no privilege at all. Ling Chong was able to move from an ordinary Yellow Group guard to the head of the Heavenly Group within five years, it was really difficult, under many obstacles, if it weren't for Ling Chong's wisdom and bravery, I am afraid that it would be impossible, of course, this is also because Ximen Rin can still treat him fairly. But all this changed two years ago, the lord of Huofeng County failed to return to Youji, and his life and death were unknown, which made the buffer between Xu Yan, the king of Yan, and Luo Chengyu, the prince of the world, lose their buffer, and the contradictions between the two began to erupt. The Yanshan Guard was originally the power of the Huofeng County Lord, and now it has been transferred to Luo Chengyu, so Ling Chong, who is in Yanshanwei, but has a heart for the Yan King, bears the brunt of the bitter consequences of the two sides.

Two years ago, the Tang family in Jiangning took advantage of the internal instability of Youji, Chunshuitang invaded several counties in Qingzhou, intending to disturb people's hearts, Ximen Rin sent himself to encircle and suppress, and won a big victory, and according to the plan, deliberately indulged the remnants of Chunshuitang, and took the opportunity to complete the infiltration of Chunshuitang, but afterwards, Ximen Rin added the position of deputy commander in the name of rewarding merit, and let Ling Chong take over. However, when Ling Chong was the head of the Heavenly Group, he not only had the right to make decisions on the spot, but also could order the mobilization of most of Yan Shanwei's forces, and the position of deputy commander was nominally an important position to assist the commander, but he could hardly leave the Yanshan Wei General Hall, and could only follow Ximen Rin's orders, which was clearly a means of ascending and descending secretly. It's just that Ling Chong is helpless, just because Ximen Rin is a man of his word in Yanshanwei, and his power is unmatched, although Ling Chong is also conceited, but it is almost difficult to do anything under the strength of Ximen Rin, if it weren't for the face of King Yan, I am afraid that he would have been expelled from Yanshanwei a long time ago. In the past two years, Ling Chong didn't know how many open guns and hidden arrows he had encountered, and this kind of unspeakable suffering had already made Ling Chong cold and disheartened.

That's it, today I will fulfill their wishes, if I die in the hands of Chunshuitang, it is better than fighting in the same room in the future, and die in the hands of my comrades. Ling Chong felt that although his body was empty, his true qi was unimpeded, and he couldn't help but open his eyes to see where he was, but he was not banned, but as soon as he opened his eyes, Ling Chong almost screamed, only to see that he was in a cabin, lying on a soft couch, and sitting on the chair opposite and looking at him lightly was his most feared Yanshan Wei commander Ximen Rin.

Ling Chong was stunned for a long time before he said, "How can the Commander of Ximen be here?"

Ximen Rin smiled faintly and said, "Deputy Commander Ling thinks that this seat is using a knife to kill people this time, and thinks that he will definitely die?"

Ling Chong was silent for a moment before he spoke: "Don't hide it from the commander, this time the commander ordered his subordinates to come south, and specially asked his subordinates to board the ship from Jiangxia to the west, and the subordinates never thought that there was any hope of survival, three days ago in Jiangxia, the subordinates had a conversation with a person, she advised me to simply disobey the order, not to kill myself, and also said that it was ordered by the Duke of Yueguo, and Chunshuitang would never let Ling go, after all, I killed too many elites in Chunshuitang two years ago, almost more than the total number of years in the past. ”

Ximen Rin seemed to have expected it, and said, "But Cuihu Yan Zishuang came forward to warn?"

Ling Chong didn't feel that Ximen Rin knew anything strange about this, and nodded: " It is Yan Zishuang, although Ling has no good impression of Cuihu, but she also knows that if it is not true, she will not come to warn, although she may not have any good intentions, but the commander has always regarded Ling as a thorn in his side, it is not strange to take Ling's life this time, this time His Royal Highness was assassinated, it has long been rumored that the king did it, Ling Mou absolutely does not believe that the king will make such an unwise move, but I am afraid that His Royal Highness the Prince will not think like this, if he can take the opportunity to give the king a warning, I think that His Royal Highness the Prince of the World should not take care of Ling's life in the future。 ”

Ling Chong was so outspoken, but he had the intention of taking the opportunity to vent the anger in his heart, over the years, in order to be able to support Yanshanwei and monitor the movements of Yanshan's guards, it can be said that he has suffered a lot of grievances, and now the two sides have had a showdown, and he is falling behind, thinking that there is no hope for life, naturally there is no need to tolerate it.

Seeing Ling Chong's sad and indignant expression, Ximen Rin also had a trace of apology in his heart, after the county lord married far away, the former commander of the Yanshan guard could not withstand the pressure of the Yan King, and most of the Yanshan guard forces were controlled by the Yan King, fifteen years ago, he was ordered to take over the position of commander at the age of a weak crown at the age of the Huofeng County Lord, and it was almost exhausted to take back the control of the Yanshan guard, which naturally has a lot of ulteriors. Although Yan Shanwei is only a guard in name, but in fact, it is like the eyes and sword of the Fire Phoenix County Lord in Youji, Fang Huan and other descendants of the Fire Phoenix County Lord control most of the military power, although the strength is huge, but it cannot be moved lightly, no matter what, Youji is still the Yan King's Youji, so the importance of Yan Shanwei is becoming more and more obvious. In order to maintain the county lord's control over Youji, Ximen Rin didn't know how many things he had done against his will, and among them, the one who made him most uneasy was Ling Chong.

Seven years ago, before King Yan completely gave up control of Yanshanwei, he installed Ling Chong into Yanshanwei, and after weighing the pros and cons, the Lord of Huofeng County agreed to this matter, according to the secret agreement between King Yan and the Lord of Huofeng, Ximen Rin could not embarrass Ling Chong clearly, and Ling Chong, a warrior who originally crisscrossed the battlefield, fell into a dilemma. If you talk about martial arts, in addition to one or two people in the heavenly group, Ling Chong's martial arts are rarely rivaled in Yanshanwei, if you talk about intelligence, although Ling Chong is lazy to read military books, but what he does is often secretly in line with the art of war, if you talk about people, this person is frank and open, he is really a rare gentleman, and he can still rise to the top of the heavenly group under his own suppression, so he knows that this person is really a rare talent.

is such a person, but he was broken by himself. Seven years of suppression is enough to wear away all the sharpness of a hero, but this person is loyal to King Yan, sincere and unremitting, and has refused to be loyal to His Royal Highness the Prince of the World, this time he let him serve as a bait, which is really intended to harm him, but after learning that this person has obviously been warned, but still according to the plan to go south, Ximen Rin finally couldn't be ruthless, so he rescued Ling Chong in advance, if it was according to the original plan, it should be after Ling Chong committed suicide, he would come forward to ask for the guilt. In any case, Ximen Rin would not think that Ling Chong would betray Youji, since he refused to betray, then under the coercion of Shi Ming, then naturally there was only one death.

Thinking of this, Ximen Rin couldn't help but sigh: "Brother Ling's character and talent, this is above Rin, but Brother Ling is too stubborn, if you are willing to be loyal to His Royal Highness the Prince, you and I should be brothers and sisters, how can we get to today's incompatible situation, but Brother Ling, I remember that you also got the guidance of the county lord that day, why is it so decisive, His Royal Highness the Prince is the heir chosen by the county lord himself, and he is eloquent, wise and decisive, and he can inherit the throne next year, why do you always refuse to submit?" This is a question he has been asking for many years, and he finally asks it at this moment.

When Ling Chong heard this, his body trembled, and his eyes became confused, and he said after a long time: "Ling's ancestor was the king's personal guard, and he died in the army to protect the king, Ling was loved by the prince and raised in the mansion, but Ling was only shallow in his studies, and he had no chance to follow the county lord to fight on the battlefield, but he also admired the county lord in his heart, but Ling could not forget the king's kindness. Although His Royal Highness the Prince is the lord of the county and the lord of wisdom, but Ling is loyal to the king alone, but I am too incompetent, I have failed the king's love, today you want to kill it, needless to say, if Ling is willing to turn his back on the king, he can change his course in the past seven years. ”

Ximen Rin looked at Ling Chong, his expression changed several times, and finally sighed: "That's it, since you are so stubborn, I am not difficult for you, originally this time I was ready to send you on the road, but yesterday I received a message from His Royal Highness, you can take a look." ”

Ling Chong was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously reached out to take the silk book handed to him by Ximen Rin, only to see that the handwriting on it was the handwriting of Luo Chengyu.

"The county lord is in Japan, he has never killed Zhongliang in vain, Ling Qing is stubborn and stubborn, and his lonely heart is very comforting, and the Rong people in Beiping County have changed recently, if Qing has the intention to kill the enemy, after returning from Yueyang, he can be transferred to the captain of Qianxi. ”

After reading it, Ling Chong only felt that his hands were trembling, and he was speechless for a while, the position of captain is already a high military position in Youji, and he can lead the army to fight alone as a captain, with great power, and moving west is an important border town, this appointment is really very much in line with his wishes, but why does His Royal Highness the Prince do this, is it really just to refuse to kill Zhongliang in vain?

Ling Chong's heart was at a loss, and he only heard Ximen Rin say lightly: "Brother Ling, don't blame His Highness for idling you for many years, Yan Shanwei's internal affairs have always been the master of this commander, if there is nothing extraordinary, His Royal Highness the Prince of the World will not interfere, this commander has bound Brother Ling so far, he is unwilling to reuse, and he is unwilling to simply let you out, firstly, so as not to blame His Highness for not tolerating people, and secondly, it is also the selfishness of the subordinates, lest Brother Ling soar into the sky and it will be difficult to clean up in the future." In fact, when Brother Ling was Sima in Juyong Pass in the past, he was already a few warriors in the army, if he hadn't been transferred to Yan Shanwei, I am afraid that now he is a general. No matter how the fight between the king and the prince is, after all, it is a private matter between them, why should Brother Ling get involved, a good man should go into battle to kill the enemy, win a horse leather shroud, and leave a name in history, Brother Ling can't refuse His Royal Highness's kindness!"

Ling Chong's mind was surging, and he couldn't make a decision, whether it was Ximen Rin attacking him, or His Royal Highness the Prince of the World transferring himself to the border town, it all showed that Youji's internal strife was about to break out, and he would inherit the kindness of King Yan, if he left like this, wouldn't he be disappointed by King Yan, but thinking of being able to put on his robe again, Ling Chong actually felt that he couldn't help himself, and the words of refusal were unspeakable no matter what. Ximen Rin seemed to see through the struggle in his heart, and said with a smile: "This matter is not in a hurry, this time Brother Ling will go to Yueyang with me to pick up people, and it will not be too late to decide after returning to Xindu." ”

Ling Chong also diverted the topic when he heard this: "By the way, it's just an assassin, why does His Highness attach so much importance to it, and even send the commander to mention people, originally he spent the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain, thinking that the commander sent his subordinates to Yueyang, but it was just a means to kill people with a knife, I didn't expect that the commander would go to Yueyang in person, isn't that assassin very important?"

Ximen Rin sighed: "Naturally, it is very important, that person is likely to be a disciple of the senior brother of this seat!"

Ling Chong was stunned when he heard this, and couldn't help but ask: "How can this be, although his subordinates have been eating for a long time, and have also heard that the senior brother of the commander seems to have been serving as a guest next to the county lord, and because of the great change two years ago, he disappeared without a trace, if he has a disciple, how can he go against Youji?"

Ximen Rin sighed: "The sect from which my brother was born is famous, and it is better to take disciples than to abuse them. The brother is the second disciple of the master, there was a senior brother above, and the qualifications and character are the best candidates to inherit the sect master, but he suddenly disappeared, and there is no news since then. The birth mother of this seat is the wife of the late father, and she is the half-father of the brother. When I was four years old, my parents both died of illness, and my brother came back after hearing the news, and after taking care of the funeral, he had no choice but to take me back to the school because he had no relatives in his hometown. The first master saw that I was lonely, and included this seat as a registered disciple, but at that time the first master had been hard to heal, so most of the martial arts of this seat were passed on by my brother, but although I got the master, this seat was mediocre in qualifications, and my heart was not specialized, although I was carefully taught by my brother, but it was still difficult to understand the essence of this martial arts. I started less than a year, the first master died, before dying, ordered my brother to take over the position of the sect master, but the brother was ashamed that he could not carry forward the martial arts of this sect, and always refused to regard himself as the sect master, but also traveled the world, hoping to find the whereabouts of the senior brother, so as to return the position of the sect master.

Twenty-five years ago, my brother and the county lord met, the county lord was heroic, and the brother hit it off at first sight, the brother was thinking that I was dragging him down, so he handed over the seat to the county lord to take care of, fifteen years ago, the seat was trusted by the county lord, and took over the position of the commander of the Yanshan guard. The young assassin used the secret body method in my sect when he fled, Meng Lao knew that his brother had already accepted a disciple, so he suspected that the assassin was his brother's disciple, but for some reason, I suspected that the identity of the assassin was not as ordinary as I imagined, but even if he was not a disciple of my brother, it was very likely that he was the descendant of the unmasked senior brother, otherwise he would never have been able to use that style of body, but in any case, I must go and see with my own eyes, according to what I know, if that young man is a disciple of this sect, he must be the best person to inherit the Taoist system of this sect, so I must not let him be left behind。 ”

Ling Chong's expression was a little dazed, he was not a confidant of the Lord of the Fire Phoenix County, so he naturally didn't know that Ximen Rin's brother was the Hidden Emperor, and he didn't know that the Hidden Emperor had accepted Yang Ning, the son of the Lord of the Fire Phoenix County, as an apprentice, but when he heard that Ximen Rin admitted that he had a relationship with the assassin, he didn't pay attention to the assassin's affairs originally, so he couldn't help but pay attention at this moment.

In fact, Ximen Rin was also hesitant in his heart, if the young assassin Zijing was a disciple of the Martial Arts Sect, since most of them were not Yang Ning, the Ninth Highness, then it was very likely that he was the successor of the senior brother Xuanjie, if the elder brother knew about it, he would be overjoyed. If the senior brother was still alive, he would even give up the position of sect master, but Ximen Rin couldn't think of it so simple. Since the palace change, there has been no news from his brother, which makes Ximen Rin uneasy. If the elder brother really has an accident, then the responsibility of inheriting the Dao system lies on Ximen Rin's body, if it is determined that Zi Jing is indeed the descendant of the Martial Dao Sect, just based on what he heard, Ximen Rin believes that this son has the qualifications to inherit the Dao system. However, if the elder brother is safe and sound, then what should be done about the fact that the elder brother had already decided to appoint Yang Ning as the son of the Ninth Highness a few years ago? Not to mention that now it is preliminarily judged that the Ninth Highness Yang Ning is still in Chang'an, Yang Ning and Zijing, who of the two young men is more suitable to inherit the Taoist system? This is a troublesome matter that Ximen Rin is difficult to decide, and when he thinks of this, Ximen Rin feels a headache.

Ximen Rin was full of expectations that Meng Yu was wrong, that Zijing was not a descendant of the Martial Arts Sect, so things would be much easier, in fact, he was very suspicious of Meng Huan's judgment, after all, the life and death of the senior brother Xuanjie was unknown, how could there suddenly be a successor? If Zijing is really a descendant of the Martial Arts Sect, he must first make sure that he is not Yang Ning, Ximen Rin hesitated in his heart, so he never gave Luo Chengyu a reply, and even after receiving the news from the King of Dian that the assassin had been captured, he volunteered to go south, just to determine the identity of the assassin. In any case, he had to take a look at the teenager for himself before he could decide what to do. If it weren't for the disorder in his heart, although he didn't reveal the most critical information, he wouldn't have easily told Ling Chong about these things, after all, Ling Chong was a loyal minister of King Yan, not a loyal minister of the county lord or the prince Luo Chengyu.

In fact, whether it is age, martial arts or his attitude towards Luo Chengyu, Zijing's identity is almost obvious, but the reason why Ximen Rin and even Luo Chengyu doubt his identity is because according to the information obtained by the Vermilion Bird Division, His Royal Highness Yang Ning is now by the side of King Yi of Chang'an, although the news he got is very vague, but the young man in Chang'an is six or seven points similar to the Lord of Huofeng County in terms of appearance and bearing, and when the young man was taken in by Yang Yuan, it was after the palace change, if he was not Yang Ning, no one would believe that a character like the sword king Yang Yuan would leave an imposter by his side for two years, and everyone already felt it, If even the Lord of Huofeng County failed to return to Youji safely, then it was really the most normal for a teenager to be controlled by the royal family, so even Ximen Rin, who knew the secret of the Martial Arts Sect, did not believe that Zijing was Yang Ning.

The two of them had different thoughts, but they were both silent, although Ling Chong was worried about his future path, Ximen Rin was also worried. There is one thing he didn't tell Ling Chong, the sword peerless Qingping has escaped from Youji's grasp, according to the information obtained afterwards, this woman actually crossed the Yellow River at night, which shows that the water is outstanding, and then there was a conflict with the sergeant of the white horse defenders patrolling along the river, and the single sword broke through, fortunately she did not reveal her identity, the white horse defenders were only regarded as the scouts of Youji, and they just searched as usual.

If the young assassin knew about this, he was afraid that he would not be willing to return with him. According to the information obtained by Ximen Rin, Zi Jing has a rebellious temperament, even if he is really a junior of his own master, he will not obey his orders, and the biggest bargaining chip that can control this son has been lost, unless it is possible to force him to stay, but Ximen Rin knows that if this is the case, there will be endless troubles, and the Martial Arts Sect will never have a disciple who is willing to be restrained. But in any case, unless he can be sure that Zi Jing is not His Royal Highness the Nine, he will never dare to let Zi Jing get out of his control, and in the face of such a dilemma, even Ximen Rin feels very headache.

There is also a point that makes Ximen Rin unwilling to believe that Zijing is Yang Ning, but it is because of Ximen Rin's selfishness, although Ximen Rin was ordered by the Lord of Huofeng County to lead Yanshanwei, it stands to reason that he should only respect the order of the Lord of Huofeng, but people's hearts are not so simple, with the gradual deepening of the understanding of Luo Chengyu, the son of King Yan, he has officially pledged allegiance to Luo Chengyu, Luo Chengyu's interests are his interests, and now the biggest threat to Luo Chengyu is Yang Ning, the only young man who inherits the bloodline of the Youji Xu family, if King Yan colludes with the royal family to change His Royal Highness Nine to the prince, then although Ximen Rin is confident that he can help Paul Chengyu ascend to the throne of Yan, but the losses are bound to be very heavy.

In addition to the force of Yan Shanwei, Ximen Rin relied on the support of the Youji military, when the lord of Huofeng County was forced to marry into the royal family, the soldiers of Youji all felt the shame of being a Youji man, in fact, Luo Chengyu was able to get the support of the Youji military and civilians as a person with a foreign surname, the main reason is that the Youji people refused to accept an heir with royal blood.

It's just that this mentality can't be maintained, after the death of the county lord of Huofeng, the hatred for the royal family is gradually replaced by the nostalgia for the county lord, at this moment, if His Royal Highness Yang Ning really wants to enter the Youji, after getting the support of King Yan, as long as the arrangements are right, it may not be able to come true. Therefore, for Ximen Rin, the best situation is that Yang Ning is in Chang'an, so the military and civilians of Youji must not accept a puppet controlled by the royal family to inherit the throne of King Yan. If Zijing is really Yang Ning, then a young man whose parents are dead and drifting in the world must have more sympathy than hatred in the minds of the military and civilians of Youji, which is too much of a threat to Luo Chengyu, and in the case of Luo Chengyu's deep affection for him, this threat is even greater, so for Ximen Rin, he subconsciously refuses to believe that Zijing is Yang Ning, so he tries his best to think about all kinds of doubts. Of course, if he didn't know anything about Yang Ning and attached too much importance to Yang Yuan's actions, he wouldn't have let his suspicions blind him.

After Ling Chong was settled, Ximen Rin walked up to the bow of the boat, stood in the wind with his hands in his hands, closed his eyes slightly, appreciated the cold river breeze, and carefully thought about what to do next, I don't know how long it took, a young man hurriedly walked behind him and reported in a low voice: "Commander, Master Wei has arrived, wait below for the commander to summon him." ”

Ximen Rin's eyebrows were raised lightly, and his expression remained unchanged, but a pair of clear eyes instantly burst into anger, and he said coldly: "Let Wei Bai come over." ”

Not long after, a thin young man of twenty-five or sixteen years old hurriedly walked over with the young man, and when he saw the tall back standing in the cold wind, he felt a trace of shame in his heart, and he didn't wait for Ximen Rin to speak, took a few steps forward, knelt down on one knee, and said gloomily: "Wei Bai knocked on the commander, failed to complete the mission, please take the commander to punish the crime." ”

Ximen Rin waved his hand slightly, the young man hurriedly retreated, and even passed the order to go, no one is allowed to approach the bow of the boat, he naturally knows Ximen Rin's temper, when he asks his subordinates for guilt, no one else is allowed to watch, although most of Yan Shanwei's subordinates are afraid of Ximen Rin's cruel methods, but he is heartily fond of this commander who is good at taking care of the face of his subordinates.

Ximen Rin saw that there was no one else, so he said coldly: "This seat has always felt that you are shrewd and capable, so this time I will send you to investigate the mistakes of the Southwest County Division, but you have achieved nothing, not only Sima Ming Shulian of the Southwest County Division, and He Bing, the secret son of the Junshan Gang, are both missing, and you can't see anyone alive or dead, you did a good job, do you know that the captain of the Military Intelligence Department almost didn't point to the nose of this seat and said that we have no ability to protect His Highness, but he used his subordinates as scapegoats, and the king also sent several letters to reprimand His Highness, you really disappointed this seat." ”

Although Wei Bai was ashamed on his face, he understood Ximen Rin's temperament, but he didn't argue, and when Ximen Rin no longer reprimanded, but turned to look at him, he explained: " The commanders are all incompetent subordinates, and the subordinates learned that it was too late when Ming Shulian traveled by boat, although it was guessed that he must be going to meet with He Bing, and most of them would kill people, but they didn't expect him to disappear suddenly, and his subordinates also tried their best to find him, but the eight hundred miles of Dongting Lake, there was no trace, and there was really no way to find them, but the subordinates could guarantee that these two people must be dead, and if they were alive, they would definitely not be able to escape the pursuit of their subordinates. Later, the subordinates had no choice but to torture a few of Ming Shulian's henchmen, but they didn't know much, but it was certain that it was He Bing's henchmen in the Junshan Gang who coerced the assassin to assassinate His Highness. ”

Ximen Rin weighed it in his heart for a long time, and sighed: "Ming Shulian is dead, even if he has a confession, he can't be trusted by others, it's just that, since His Royal Highness wants to calm things down, we can only act according to orders, but the matter of abolishing the Southwest County Division cannot be delayed, His Royal Highness has already ordered it, this matter is still presided over by you, and the people of the Suzaku Division will arrive soon, this matter is urgent, you don't slack off." ”

Wei Bai was overjoyed, kowtowed, and said: "My subordinates, thank you Your Highness, the leader of the cultivation, I will definitely do my best, and I dare not slack off." ”

Ximen Rin waved his hand to get him up, and said lightly: "That's it, you don't have to be so polite, there is one more thing, what do you think of that assassin?"

When Wei Bai heard this, a trace of murderous intent flashed on his face, and he said: "Commander, it's better to kill this person quickly, if you bring him back to Youji, I'm afraid there will be endless troubles." ”

Ximen Rin was stunned when he heard this, and a strange look appeared in his eyes.