Chapter 279: Anxiety

"Ah, it looks like the Mongols might be about to make a move," Zhuge Zhengwo sighed.

"The Mongols are about to make a move? Then, Uncle, what should we do?" Tie Shou couldn't help but ask.

"Let's first investigate the most handsome man in the Mongols and see what he wants to do in the capital. It would be best if we could keep him here." A fierce look flashed in Zhuge Zhengwo's eyes.

Although Zhuge Zhengwo's strength hadn't yet reached the level of a Celestial Grandmaster, he possessed a unique skill that could significantly increase his strength in a short period of time, allowing him to face a Celestial Grandmaster head-on.

So, even though the evil spirit Li Ruohai was a Celestial Grandmaster, he wasn't afraid.

Especially since this was the capital. As long as Zhuge Zhengwo could stall for a while, the other Grandmasters would surely arrive. Joining forces, they might actually be able to detain Li Ruohai. Even if they couldn't, they could still drive him away.

"What about Wuqing—"

"Wuqing, Tieshou, keep an eye on her. Don't let her do anything she can't handle," Zhuge Zhengwo said to Tieshou.

Tie Shou's expression changed slightly. He didn't want to confront Wu Qing, but he also knew it was best to watch Wu Qing right now. So he nodded, "Okay, Uncle Shi, I'll watch Wu Qing."

After Zhuge Zhengwo and Tie Shou explained a few things, they immediately rushed to the An Mansion.

As a Grandmaster, Zhuge Zhengwo's arrival at the An Mansion was incredibly quick; in the blink of an eye, he was already there.

He didn't even bother to restrain his aura, instead enveloping the An Mansion with his own aura, as if in a provocation.

Ye Xiu and Lian Nishang both sensed Zhuge Zhengwo's presence.

Faced with Zhuge Zhengwo's peak-level Finger Profound Realm aura, Lian Nishang, who had just entered the Grandmaster realm, paled slightly. She sensed pressure and danger.

Ye Xiu, however, faced Zhuge Zhengwo's provocation with no fear at all. Instead, he felt a surge of curiosity: "This aura, it's Zhuge Zhengwo. But what's wrong with this old man?"

Zhuge Zhengwo arrived at the An Mansion and, following Ye Xiu's aura, approached him directly.

Zhuge Zheng's eyes narrowed slightly when he saw Ye Xiu and Lian Nishang. Previously, Zhuge Zhengwo had been solely focused on Ye Xiu, forgetting that Lian Nishang was also a Grandmaster, albeit a novice. In a one-on-one fight, Zhuge Zhengwo could even defeat her with just one hand and a few moves.

But now, Zhuge Zhengwo had to contend with Li Ruohai, a Celestial Grandmaster. That was already a significant challenge, and now, with the addition of a Vajra Grandmaster, the pressure mounted. Zhuge Zhengwo's heart was

so heavy that he even ignored the cultivation level indicated by Ye Xiu's aura. Like him, they were both Grandmasters at the Profound Finger Realm.

"Li Ruohai, what brings you to the capital?" Zhuge Zhengwo gazed at Ye Xiu's handsome face. He was almost certain that the man before him was the evil spirit Li Ruohai, because only Li Ruohai, known as the most beautiful man in the Yuan Dynasty, could be so handsome.

"Li Ruohai? Who are you talking about? Li Ruohai? You're saying I'm Li Ruohai?" Ye Xiu couldn't help but stare at Zhuge Zhengwo in surprise.

"What? Brother Li, you're going to deny it?" Zhuge Zhengwo chuckled.

"This isn't about denying or not denying our enmity. I'm not Li Ruohai." Ye Xiu shook his head.

"Brother Li, why are you so anxious to deny it? You should know that once we fight, your martial arts skills won't be hidden, and you'll still need to unleash your most powerful skills. Or, Brother Li, are you sure you can withstand my stunning shot without even using the Hundred Fire Blows? I've long wanted to challenge the Mongol's First Spear." Zhuge Zhengwo wielded a spear, a faint fighting spirit emanating from him.

As the master wielder of the spear, Zhuge Zhengwo had longed for a proper duel with a master spearman. He

'd just never had the chance.

Now that Li Ruohai had arrived in the capital, he naturally wanted to test his prowess against Li Ruohai and see just how powerful Li Ruohai's Hundred Fire Blows truly were.

Hearing Zhuge Zhengwo's words, Ye Xiu felt increasingly speechless. "Shen Hou, are you so sure I'm Li Ruohai?" "

Of course. After all, Brother Li, you're known as the most handsome man in the Mongols, so only Brother Li can truly live up to that title." Zhuge Zhengwo nodded.

"I can't be the most handsome man in the Ming Dynasty, so I have to be the most handsome man in the Mongols?" Ye Xiu couldn't help but ask.

"As far as I know, the person known as the most handsome man in the Ming Dynasty is named Ye Xiu, a disciple of the Huashan Sect, and not even twenty years old. How could he be a Grand Master?" Zhuge Zhengwo shook his head. "Brother Li sent someone to the Shen Hou Mansion earlier and deliberately had that person claim to be Ye Xiu. I'm afraid he was trying to trick me into misleading Brother Li's identity to Ye Xiu. But Brother Li seems to have overlooked the difference in strength." "

...You really leave me at a loss for words. You're truly, truly 'clever,'" Ye Xiu said, giving Zhuge Zhengwo a thumbs-up.

"Brother Li, you're too kind. Actually, I'd like to know more about why you came to the capital." Zhuge Zhengwo held off on taking action primarily because he wanted to know if Li Ruohai had any other purpose in coming to the capital.

"What Li Ruohai's purpose is, I honestly don't know, because I'm not Li Ruohai at all," Ye Xiu shook his head.

Zhuge Zhengwo's expression changed slightly when he heard Ye Xiu repeatedly deny his identity as Li Ruohai. At Li Ruohai's level of strength and realm, he no longer cared about telling lies, especially ones that could be easily seen through.

So, was this person really not Li Ruohai?

"Then who are you? What's your purpose in coming to the capital? What do you intend to do by approaching Wuqing?" Realizing he might have mistaken someone, Zhuge Zhengwo finally noticed that Ye Xiu's aura wasn't at the level of a Celestial Grandmaster, but rather similar to his own, both reaching the Profound Realm.

Zhuge Zhengwo felt a little embarrassed upon realizing he'd misidentified. Despite feeling a bit embarrassed, Zhuge Zhengwo was a thick-skinned fellow, so he managed to change the subject without batting an eyelid.

"I can't tell you about this kind of thing. If you really want to know, ask Wuqing. She knows everything, if she's willing to tell you."

"...Young—young brother, could you please tell me your identity?" Zhuge Zhengwo looked at Ye Xiu seriously.

"No comment," Ye Xiu waved his hand.

While Ye Xiu could reveal his true identity to Ji Yaohua and the others like Wuqing, that was only because of the diary. Ye Xiu

wouldn't reveal his information to Zhuge Zhengwo.

Although Ye Xiu knew the likelihood of Zhuge Zhengwo revealing his whereabouts was low, he still didn't want to take the risk.

"In that case, let me experience your skills!" Zhuge Zhengwo clutched his spear, his aura growing fiercer.

Ye Xiu looked at Zhuge Zhengwo, feeling a bit of a headache.

A fight in the capital would only take a short while before all the Grand Masters in the capital were alerted. The unlucky one would be Ye Xiu. After all, even if Zhuge Zhengwo wasn't very popular, at least he was still a Divine Marquis in public.

"Fuck, this is really troublesome." Ye Xiu couldn't help but mutter, "Zhuge Xiaohua, don't force me. I have no ill will towards you, Wu Qin, or even the royal family. But if you force me to take action, then you, including the royal family, will become my enemy. It would be fine if you kill me, but if I escape, then I will retaliate wildly against the Song Dynasty. By then, your Song Dynasty will have an enemy of a great master lurking in the dark—"

Ye Xiu used plain words to say something extremely threatening.

Zhuge Zhengwo couldn't help but frown. Ye Xiu made this clear, and Zhuge Zhengwo also felt uneasy. He was really worried that Ye Xiu would become an enemy of the Ming Dynasty because of him.

"It's okay not to fight. But I hope you can tell me your identity. Or, you can leave the capital immediately and swear not to come back." Zhuge Zhengwo began to state his conditions.

"Zhuge Xiaohua, do you think you can defeat me or what?" Ye Xiu couldn't help but sneered at Zhuge Zhengwo. His name became Zhuge Xiaohua again.

Zhuge Zhengwo's cheeks twitched slightly when he heard Ye Xiu calling him Zhuge Xiaohua again. "No, it's just that I have the emperor's order to be responsible for the security of the capital. I need to deal with all potential threats."

"Zhuge Xiaohua--"

Hearing the name Zhuge Xiaohua again, Zhuge Zhengwo's eyes twitched.

"Okay, Zhuge Xiaohua, since you insist on doing so, then fine, I'll leave. It's okay for me to leave. Just don't regret it after I leave." Ye Xiu shrugged and said.

Zhuge Zhengwo frowned again when he heard Ye Xiu's words, his eyes fixed on Ye Xiu.

"Don't look at me like that. I've said before, I have no ill intentions towards your court. It's just that a problem is coming up. If I stay here, I can still handle it. But if I leave, it will immediately erupt. How it will turn out is hard to say." Ye Xiu shrugged and said casually.

Zhuge Zhengwo still frowned. He still believed that capturing Ye Xiu now was the best solution.

However, Zhuge Zhengwo was wary, worried that if he failed, he would provoke Ye Xiu's retaliation.

Especially on Ye Xiu's side, besides Ye Xiu, a Grandmaster of the Zhixuan Realm, there was also a Grandmaster of the Vajra Realm.

Zhuge Zhengwo mentally assessed the strength of both sides. He even speculated that if he used his trump card, the Three Realms True Qi, to temporarily enhance his own strength to the level of a Celestial Grandmaster, he could directly capture Ye Xiu and Lian Nishang.

Zhuge Zhengwo soon felt that he could do it.

After all, the person Zhuge Zhengwo had originally intended to use his trump card against was Li Ruohai, a master of the Celestial Grandmaster.

Now that his opponent had become a Grandmaster at the Finger Profound Realm, Zhuge Zhengwo felt that using his trump card, the Three Realms True Qi, he should be able to control Ye Xiu and Lian Nishang.

However, Zhuge Zhengwo knew he had to act swiftly, so fast that Ye Xiu and Lian Nishang wouldn't have time to escape.

"Three Realms True Qi!"

Instantly, a vortex formed within Zhuge Zhengwo's body, drawing in energy from heaven and earth with immense suction. This external spiritual energy then reacted with Zhuge Zhengwo's internal Qi, transforming into a ball of flame that enveloped Ye Xiu and Lian Nishang.

Ye Xiu hadn't expected Zhuge Zhengwo to strike so suddenly, and with such a powerful move.

The scorching flames seemed to transform into a shield, enveloping the two, trapping them within, leaving them with no escape.

Ye Xiu's expression hardened. She hadn't expected Zhuge Zhengwo to strike after all, and with such a powerful move.

"Sir, please explain your identity, origin, and purpose of coming to the capital. With your current strength, you simply cannot leave here unless you are a Grandmaster of Celestial Phenomena, possessing some ability to manipulate the spiritual energy between heaven and earth." Zhuge Zhengwo looked at Ye Xiu calmly, with a hint of pride in his eyes.

"Zhuge Zhengwo, you really make me very unhappy. As a Divine Marquis of the Great Song Dynasty, you want to serve the Great Song Dynasty, right? Hehehe." Ye Xiu sneered, his eyes filled with indifference.

Looking at Ye Xiu's eyes, Zhuge Zhengwo had a bad premonition in his heart for some reason.

So Zhuge Zhengwo stopped talking and took action directly, trying to control Ye Xiu.

Even if he couldn't control Ye Xiu directly, he would keep Ye Xiu here for a while.

Because Zhuge Zhengwo had activated the Three Realms True Qi, creating a massive commotion, the attention of nearly every expert in the capital had been drawn. A Grandmaster would undoubtedly arrive to investigate. Even according to Zhuge Zhengwo's concerns, a Grandmaster would arrive in five minutes at most.

Therefore, at worst, Zhuge Zhengwo only needed to trap Ye Xiu for five minutes, allowing him to unite with the other Grandmasters and attack Ye Xiu.

Of course, this was the worst-case scenario. The best-case scenario was that Zhuge Zhengwo could capture Ye Xiu before the others arrived.

After all, Zhuge Zhengwo, by activating the Three Realms True Qi, had already unleashed the combat power of a Celestial Grandmaster. For

a Celestial Grandmaster to capture a Finger Profound Realm Grandmaster was no problem.

Zhuge Zhengwo stretched out his hand towards Ye Xiu, his hand brimming with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It was as if a giant hand had materialized from thin air, attempting to grasp Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu snorted coldly, the vital energy of the Changsheng Jue circulated frantically within him. Simultaneously, he unleashed the Wind God Kick, transforming himself into a whirlwind.

If it were simply the Wind God Kick, no matter how fast it was before reaching the level of a Celestial Grandmaster, it would be incapable of connecting with the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

Only by combining the power of wind and cloud, combining the forces of wind and cloud, could one leverage the spiritual energy between heaven and earth and unleash the combat power of a Celestial Grandmaster. Even more powerful, if the wielder of wind and cloud were even more powerful, they might even be able to unleash the combat power of a celestial being.

This required a certain level of strength, or perhaps a unique destiny.

Ye Xiu's strength wasn't sufficient, and his destiny wasn't one of those destined for unfortunate fate, making it difficult to mobilize the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

However, Ye Xiu was cultivating the Changsheng Jue, and the complete Changsheng Jue.

Reaching a high level of cultivation in the Changsheng Jue could easily lead to the advancement to the level of a celestial being. Even if the Changsheng Jue was cultivated to its ultimate perfection, it was possible to achieve the status of a terrestrial immortal.

However, with the help of the diary, Ye Xiu had already pushed his Immortality Art to its limits.

So much so that, despite being only a Grandmaster at the Profound Realm, Ye Xiu, by exerting his full strength in the Immortality Art, actually connected with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Ye Xiu then transformed into an invisible breeze.

Zhuge Zhengwo tried to capture Ye Xiu, but he transformed into a breeze, slipping through his fingers and transforming into a gust of wind, even sweeping up Lian Nishang.

The wind then madly swept towards the surrounding flames.

Originally, the flames had formed a dome under Zhuge Zhengwo's control, but now, swept by the wind, the flames spread out, igniting the entire An Mansion.

The flames grew even more intense, gradually spreading in other directions. Judging by the situation, if they weren't stopped quickly, the entire street would be burned down.

Zhuge Zhengwo's face was livid, not just because the flames were raging ever more fiercely, threatening to spiral out of control. Ye Xiu had long since vanished from sight.

Zhuge Zhengwo didn't even know where to chase him.

So, Zhuge Zhengwo had to abandon the pursuit of Ye Xiu and once again mobilized his Three Realms True Qi with all his might, connecting the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, attempting to contain the flames.

However, Zhuge Zhengwo's Three Realms True Qi was inherently fire, not water.

Otherwise, he could have easily generated a large amount of water to extinguish the fire, rather than struggling to contain it.

However, this method was extremely laborious.

Most importantly, the An Mansion before him had been nearly completely consumed by the flames.

Besides, the An Mansion was connected to many officials at the imperial court; even the Prime Minister, Cai Jing, was a frequent guest there.

Zhuge Zhengwo can already imagine what he will face next.

Tomorrow, no, I'm afraid it will be today, countless memorials will be sent to the emperor, scolding him for disregarding human lives and setting fire to the An Mansion. Zhuge Zhengwo will not only be punished for this, but he may also be demoted or even thrown into jail.

When he thought of this, Zhuge Zhengwo was filled with depression. He didn't catch the person, and it turned out like this.

Then, Zhuge Zhengwo couldn't help but wonder, has his behavior fallen into the other party's calculations again?

Did the other party do this on purpose, wanting to send him to jail, and then take some action?

When he thought of this, Zhuge Zhengwo was filled with anxiety again.