Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng quietly guarded Li Xuan, waiting for the anomaly before them to end.
Bamboo Five Peaks's corpse decomposed faster and faster, causing even the Two Chief Eunuchs to frown slightly.
Upper Three Ranks Martial Artists, due to the extreme purity of the True Qi within their bodies, would trigger such a strange phenomenon after their demise.
They called this the "Five Elements Reincarnation."
A Martial Artist's strength came from the Five Elements power that constituted this world.
Generally speaking, the more power of the Five Elements a Martial Artist accumulated in his body, the stronger he would be.
But one day, this power would still have to be returned to this world.
It was just that the process of Martial Artists below the Upper Three Ranks and ordinary people entering the Five Elements Reincarnation was slower, far less direct than the demise of an Upper Three Ranks Martial Artist.
The Two Chief Eunuchs had witnessed the demise of many Upper Three Ranks Martial Artists in their lives, but today was the first time they had encountered someone who could interfere with the Five Elements Reincarnation process.
However, thinking of Li Xuan's uniqueness, they both found it understandable.
"I heard that Destined Ones always have some special qualities; perhaps this is Li Xuan's difference."
"Of course, Li Xuan has far too many special qualities."
Chief Steward Shang sighed softly.
After a little over half an hour, Bamboo Five Peaks's corpse was completely decomposed, leaving no other trace except for a patch of lush vegetation.
Li Xuan's body, which had been floating in mid-air, slowly descended.
He stood on the ground, his entire perception feeling somewhat unreal, as if waking from a long dream, feeling dizzy and muddled.
Li Xuan took several deep breaths, easing the uncomfortable sensation.
When he opened his eyes again, a distinct green light flashed in his pupils.
But the green light was fleeting, quickly disappearing, returning Li Xuan to his usual appearance.
"Li Xuan, how do you feel?"
Chief Steward Shang asked with concern from the side.
"Good meow!"
"Better than ever meow!"
Whether it was his imagination or not, Li Xuan felt that he spoke much more fluently.
Not to mention, the Yin Yang True Qi in his body was incredibly abundant at this moment, and the speed at which he circulated his cultivation art was much faster than usual.
Li Xuan instinctively stomped his paw on the ground, and the next moment, a thick green bamboo shot up in front of him, emitting a muffled "woo" sound, indicating astonishing force.
"This is!?"
The Two Chief Eunuchs couldn't help but show shock.
That's right, Li Xuan was now able to easily unleash bamboo-attributed True Qi, and its power was immense.
The Two Chief Eunuchs, who had witnessed the previous anomaly, immediately realized something.
"Li Xuan, how much of Bamboo Five Peaks's power did you absorb?"
Zhao Feng asked hurriedly.
Li Xuan thought for a moment and replied, "It seems like Fourth-Rank meow."
He couldn't be sure about this yet.
Although Li Xuan had previously cultivated the Yin-Yang True Extremity Art to perfection, due to the lack of subsequent cultivation arts, he had always relied on the characteristics of the Yin-Yang True Extremity Art to passively increase some Yin Yang True Qi daily.
Otherwise, he would rely on some heavenly materials and earthly treasures, absorbing pure Five Elements power from them to enhance his Yin Yang True Qi.
This speed was naturally much slower than before, which made Li Xuan anxious for a while.
But later, after Elder Ye's guidance, Li Xuan focused on deepening his understanding of the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth, strengthening his ability to evolve various attributed True Qi.
Although there were no new Yin Yang True Qi cultivation arts, preventing Li Xuan's cultivation from progressing steadily as before, he could still cultivate other Fifth-Rank cultivation arts to deepen his understanding of other attributes.
At that time, to comfort Li Xuan, Elder Ye told him about many places in the pugilistic world that had Yin Yang True Qi cultivation arts, leaving him with the thought of visiting them if he had the chance in the future.
Li Xuan had thought that his advancement to Fourth-Rank would either be through accumulation over time or by accidentally obtaining other Yin Yang True Qi cultivation arts, but he never expected that his enemy, Bamboo Five Peaks, would be the one to complete him.
"Fourth-Rank!?"
The Two Chief Eunuchs couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
They were also very clear about Li Xuan's cultivation situation.
One must know that Li Xuan was a Destined One; his realm could not be judged by common sense.
Previously, when Li Xuan was Fifth-Rank, he already had the strength to be unrivaled below Third-Rank.
Now that he had advanced further, wouldn't he be able to contend with true Third-Rank masters?
"It's just..."
"There doesn't seem to be much change meow."
Upon hearing Li Xuan's words, Zhao Feng immediately disagreed:
"Why is there no change? You speak much more fluently now than before."
"You've been speaking aloud since just now, not using telepathy. You must have noticed the intense fluctuations of True Qi, right?"
After hearing Zhao Feng's words, Li Xuan quickly nodded.
The Yin Yang True Qi in his body was somewhat overly abundant now, giving him a feeling that he couldn't control it properly.
And telepathy was a technique that required very precise control, so Li Xuan dared not use it carelessly in such a state.
"Then that's right!"
Zhao Feng said, then began to explain.
"Fourth-Rank is called the Serene Qi Realm. Upon reaching this realm, one can completely control True Qi, using it without any waste."
"The three realms of the Middle Three Ranks are centered around True Qi: Sixth-Rank cultivates True Qi, Fifth-Rank applies True Qi externally to control Qi and form shapes, and Fourth-Rank achieves complete control."
"Each realm of the Middle Three Ranks brings earth-shattering changes to True Qi, and True Qi is the key for a Martial Artist to connect with the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth."
"The Dao of Third-Rank is based on True Qi."
"You can slowly comprehend the rest."
"Oh, and before your True Qi completely settles, I advise you not to use it recklessly. After breaking through to Fourth-Rank, before completing the first Jing Qi, those True Qi that have undergone qualitative change are very violent."
Li Xuan kept Zhao Feng's words in mind.
It seemed his intuition was not wrong; he just didn't know how long this Jing Qi process would take.
After all, Li Xuan also had the identity of Mo Tiansheng outside. If he couldn't use telepathy, Mo Tiansheng would also have to lose his voice and disappear for a period.
Li Xuan asked his question, and Zhao Feng said that most people could complete the Jing Qi in three to five days, but Li Xuan was special, so he couldn't guarantee it.
Li Xuan had no choice in this matter, but now that Bamboo Five Peaks was dead, the Money Gang's biggest hidden danger was resolved.
The remaining hall masters now trusted Yang Wanli, the new gang leader, very much, and it would be effortless for Yang Wanli to deal with them.
"I won't go looking for Yang Wanli these next few days."
"After Bamboo Five Peaks's death, the city is probably going to get lively."
"Staying low-key for a few days is also a reasonable choice."
Li Xuan deliberated in his mind and felt that not using True Qi for a few days was not entirely unacceptable.
"Alright, we can't stay here any longer. It's time to go."
At Chief Steward Shang's command, they decided to evacuate the area first.
But before leaving, Li Xuan couldn't help but ask:
"Don't we need to deal with these traces meow?"
Li Xuan was naturally referring to the lush vegetation that had suddenly grown after Bamboo Five Peaks's death.
"Li Xuan, look around. If we were to do something about it, it would only make it more conspicuous."
At Chief Steward Shang's reminder, Li Xuan immediately understood.
He found these traces special because he had personally witnessed the sudden growth of the vegetation.
But this patch of vegetation in the mountains was simply too natural.
"Originally, after Bamboo Five Peaks's death, there should have been more obvious signs."
"But after you, Li Xuan, absorbed Bamboo Five Peaks's True Qi after his death, there's almost no abnormality to be seen."
"The surrounding Five Elements of Heaven and Earth weren't even disturbed."
"You know, if a powerful Third-Rank master perishes, he can even catalyze the growth of heavenly materials and earthly treasures on the spot."
Chief Steward Shang said with a smile.
It turned out that by a strange coincidence, Li Xuan had actually helped with the work of destroying the evidence.
The Two Chief Eunuchs had originally wanted to see if Bamboo Five Peaks's death would catalyze any heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
After all, the anomaly of a Third-Rank demise could not be concealed, and no one could change the laws of the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth.
But Li Xuan, this unexpected factor, changed the predetermined outcome.
The Two Chief Eunuchs had originally planned to stir up some trouble in the city using the news of Bamboo Five Peaks's death.
However, given the current situation, Prince Zheng would probably have to put in some effort to confirm Bamboo Five Peaks's death.
Because, according to common sense, the demise of a Third-Rank Martial Artist has always been accompanied by a grand anomaly.
But this time, due to Li Xuan, the anomaly produced after Bamboo Five Peaks's demise was as small as it could be, even to the point of leaving no trace.
Li Xuan nodded and no longer paid attention to the matter.
In such matters, no one was more professional than the Two Chief Eunuchs.
Li Xuan immediately followed the Two Chief Eunuchs to withdraw from the mountains and arrived at the nearby rendezvous point.
There, they found Xu Lang and others, who were on high alert.
Xu Lang secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Two Chief Eunuchs and Li Xuan return.
"Xu Lang, anything unusual nearby?"
Zhao Feng asked as soon as he approached.
"Reporting to Chief Eunuch, nothing unusual." Xu Lang saluted and replied.
"Good, gather the others, lift the blockade around, and we will immediately return to the capital."
"Those staying at the inn should continue to spread the news and withdraw after three days."
Zhao Feng gave his orders according to the plan, and Xu Lang immediately complied, but there was one thing he still needed to report:
"Chief Eunuch, previously, Lord Li Xuan captured five Prince Zhengs Mansion Dark Guards, who are currently being held here. Should we take them with us?"
Xu Lang seemed to ask a useless question, but his intention was to remind Zhao Feng of this matter.
Zhao Feng was stunned, frowning as he asked Xu Lang, "You mean you captured live Dark Guards?"
Xu Lang immediately nodded. Since Zhao Feng understood the situation, there was nothing more for him to do, which made him feel much more relaxed.
Zhao Feng turned his head and glanced at Li Xuan in surprise, but knew this was not the time for detailed inquiry.
"Xu Lang, your team will withdraw with us first, and have the others follow once they've gathered."
Originally, the Two Chief Eunuchs intended to take Li Xuan back first to report.
After all, their pace was much faster than Xu Lang's team, and going back with them would be a bit of a delay.
But the situation was different now.
Having managed to capture five live Dark Guards, Zhao Feng would not allow any carelessness.
Chief Steward Shang nodded silently from the side, having no objection to this.
Li Xuan only understood the situation when he saw this arrangement.
"Are these five people that important?"
Li Xuan had only considered the Dark Guards as Prince Zhengs Mansion's spies, not expecting Zhao Feng to be so concerned.
Chief Steward Shang secretly transmitted a message to Li Xuan, explaining:
"Li Xuan, you've rendered another great service."
"Before this, no live Dark Guards had ever fallen into our hands."
Upon hearing this, Li Xuan couldn't help but show surprise.
Emperor Yongyuan and Prince Zheng had been fighting for so many years that Li Xuan had thought they both knew each other inside out by now.
He hadn't expected the Internal Affairs Bureau had never even captured a live Dark Guard.
Chief Steward Shang probably guessed Li Xuan's thoughts and continued to transmit his message:
"Prince Zhengs Mansion's Dark Guards have undergone special training. Although their overall strength is not as good as the Internal Affairs Bureau's Flower-Clothed Eunuchs, their reconnaissance and anti-reconnaissance abilities are excellent, and they are fiercely loyal to Prince Zheng, always ready to die."
"Even their methods of suicide are extremely violent, aiming to drag a few scapegoats down with them before death, causing no small losses to our Internal Affairs Bureau."
As Chief Steward Shang explained, Li Xuan began to understand.
When he dealt with those five Dark Guards earlier, he suppressed them immediately, making them lose all power to resist.
It was also fortunate that Li Xuan had not underestimated the Dark Guards; otherwise, these five live captives might not have been kept.
"Even if we don't get information about Prince Zhengs Mansion, just figuring out their suicide methods is a major gain."
Chief Steward Shang looked at the five unconscious Dark Guards, who were controlled in the middle of the crowd, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Even Chief Steward Shang himself found it hard to describe his mood at this moment.
Since their conflict with Prince Zheng, it seemed this was the first time they had such a significant gain.
Prince Zhengs Mansion's consecrator, the Third-Rank master Bamboo Five Peaks, perished on the spot.
Not only that, but they also captured Prince Zhengs Mansion's Dark Guards, who had previously caused them great trouble.
At this moment, Chief Steward Shang somewhat agreed with Zhao Feng's initial assessment of Li Xuan.
"A propitious omen from heaven, truly a propitious omen from heaven."
Chief Steward Shang turned to Li Xuan, beckoning to him. Li Xuan immediately understood, climbing onto Chief Steward Shang's shoulder and sitting comfortably.
"Oh, it's so comfortable sitting on someone else meow."
Li Xuan was also incredibly lazy; he would avoid walking himself if possible and would never stand if he could lie down.
Zhao Feng smiled slightly at this scene, then immediately led Xu Lang's team, escorting the five unconscious Dark Guards back to the city.
These Dark Guards had all been given a sufficient dose of sedatives by Xu Lang, so they wouldn't wake up anytime soon, saving them from causing any more trouble.
That night, the group quietly returned to the imperial palace under the cover of darkness.
Zhao Feng personally saw the five Dark Guards locked up in the secret dungeon before he finally felt relieved.
Li Xuan, having been on the move all day, also felt somewhat tired and let out a big yawn.
But the Two Chief Eunuchs did not intend to let him go immediately and instead said:
"Li Xuan, it's not time to sleep yet. How about we go report the good news to His Majesty and request a reward for you?"
Zhao Feng tempted Li Xuan.
With Li Xuan's greedy nature, he knew he could definitely lure him in.
As expected, upon hearing the words "request a reward," Li Xuan's eyes immediately lit up, and he repeatedly nodded towards Ganlu Hall, looking like, "What are we waiting for?"
The Two Chief Eunuchs were amused by Li Xuan's appearance and burst into hearty laughter.
Li Xuan also grinned along.
For some reason, everyone was in an exceptionally good mood today!