Chapter 83: Recovering from Injury
Just as Duke Yan was about to force his way past Zhao Xinghan and Cui Shuyun and head to the courtyard where Marquis Fu'an was in seclusion, a powerful aura suddenly rose from that courtyard, causing Duke Yan to frown.

Because this aura was the most powerful aura that Duke Yan had felt in the Marquis Fu'an's Mansion before.

The location is right too!

If Duke Yan's guess is correct, the owner of this aura in front of him should be his target this time.

"Brother Chengyi has come from afar! Chengwu is sorry for not welcoming you in person!
I hope my brother will forgive me!"

As expected by Duke Yan, the visitor was none other than Zhu Chengwu, Marquis of Fu'an.

Looking at Zhu Chengwu flying over from a distance, full of energy and without any visible injuries, Duke Yan's thoughts were endless.

"Is it really such a coincidence that just these few moments of delay allowed Wu Ge'er to successfully complete his enlightenment?
Or maybe Wu Ge'er's enlightenment has been interrupted, and now he is just bluffing, making it impossible for people to figure out his true intentions!
Or maybe Wu Ge'er has already finished his enlightenment, and the reason he hasn't come out is just to test and fish?"

Although they haven't seen each other for nearly ten years, Duke Yan can still see some of Zhu Chengwu's childhood on his face.

The person who came was exactly his target this time, there was no doubt about it!
"As the saying goes, fortune follows misfortune. It seems that Wu Ge'er's assassination this time was a blessing in disguise. His strength has greatly improved!"

Duke Yan looked at Zhu Chengwu, who was radiating a high spirit, and praised him.

“Brother Liao Zan of Chengyi clan, Chengwu has only gained a little!
It’s even further away than my brothers!”

Zhu Chengwu smiled reservedly.

"I heard that Brother Wu was injured by the Nine Arrows of Extermination. I wonder if Brother Wu could let me see the wound?"

Duke Yan suddenly changed the subject and asked.

"What is the Nine Arrows of Extinction?
The arrow wound that Chengwu suffered was just an ordinary direct shot by a secret archer!
It's just that the archer had strong internal strength and superb archery skills, and with the cooperation of the Yin God master, he controlled Cheng Wu for a moment, which caused Cheng Wu to be seriously injured and almost died! "

Speaking of this, Zhu Chengwu still feels a lingering fear.

The arrow shot at the gate of Xuzhou City was the closest Zhu Chengwu had ever been to death since his rebirth.

“Just a straight shot?
The archer in the dark tried his best to assassinate you, Wu Ge'er, but at the critical moment, he didn't use his archery skills!

Direct fire only?"

Duke Yan was not satisfied with Zhu Chengwu's answer.

"Brother, what you said makes sense!
Actually, when I think about it carefully now, there are many unreasonable things!

Facing the life-and-death crisis at that time, Chengwu didn’t think much!

After the assassination, I had to prepare for the wedding and other complicated matters, and I was anxious to retreat and heal my wounds, so I didn’t think about many things carefully…”

With the reminder from Duke Yan, Zhu Chengwu finally realized that there were indeed many suspicious points in the assassination at the gate of Xuzhou city.

But if he said that it was a deliberate trap set up by Zhao Yugang that he had concealed from Zhu Chengwu, Zhu Chengwu would not believe it.

Because the Yin Shen master in the dark was ruthless in his attack.

If Zhu Chengwu hadn't suddenly exploded and broken free from the control of his soul at the last moment.

Even a direct arrow would be enough to take Zhu Chengwu's life.

This is not the way to act!

The strategies of self-torture and death by spies are only suitable for generals and spies, but never for lords.

But it is not entirely true to say that the person who assassinated him secretly really wanted to kill Zhu Chengwu.

Just as Duke Yan reminded, even if one wants to hide one's identity, a sharpshooter in secret can use some ordinary and popular archery skills to hide his identity.

And its power is definitely stronger than ordinary direct arrows.

When it comes to assassination, one will definitely choose the one that is more powerful and has a greater chance of success without hesitation!
Even if the power is just a little bit greater, the chance of success is just a little bit higher!

Also, now that I think about it, there was no follow-up after the assassin shot the arrow, which is also a suspicious point.

Even at that time, Zhu Chengwu was protected by guards.

But relying on the guard force of Fu'an Marquis's Mansion and the team of guards at the gate of Xuzhou City at that time, a Yin God combined with a first-class archer was enough to kill Zhu Chengwu without revealing his whereabouts.

Many things, now I think, really cannot stand up to scrutiny.

It is no wonder that some people suspected that Zhao and Zhu Chengwu were the ones crying "stop thief".

But even if it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny, you still have to scrutinize it!

That is a master or force hiding in the dark who wants to kill Zhu Chengwu!

Fortunately, Zhu Chengwu had a broad vision in his two lives.

Zhu Chengwu had a famous saying in his previous life: When all impossibilities have been eliminated, whatever remains, no matter how absurd, is the truth!

Exclusion!
Eliminating all impossibilities, no matter how small the remaining probability is, it is a fact.

After eliminating all the impossibilities one by one, Zhu Chengwu finally had some guesses about the situation at that time.

unless…

Unless the assassin changes his mind temporarily, or there is a conflict among the assassins, or there is someone who stops the assassination...

"Huang Jun, it looks like there's a chance, I should go meet him!"

Reminded by Duke Yan, Zhu Chengwu made a secret decision in his heart while thinking.

"It seems that after my reminder, Brother Wu has finally figured out something!"

Duke Yan carefully observed the changes in Zhu Chengwu's expression, and noticed that Zhu Chengwu was thoughtful, so he asked.

“Brother, Chengwu just feels that all these doubts may eventually fall on Huang Jun!

We must catch Huang Jun as soon as possible and let Huang Jun explain the mystery to us!"

Zhu Chengwu said what was in his mind without hiding anything.

Facing the top bosses of the Ming Dynasty, with Zhu Chengwu's acting skills, acting in front of them would only bring humiliation to himself.

Therefore, when Zhu Chengwu faced them, his main emphasis was on being sincere and telling them everything without saying anything more!
"No flaws!"

Duke Yan had been carefully observing Zhu Chengwu's every word and every move, but in the end, Duke Yan did not find any flaws in Zhu Chengwu, nor did he find any signs that Zhu Chengwu was lying.

"But, sometimes, having no flaw is the biggest flaw!"

The Duke of Yan came here with a preconceived stance.

In the eyes of Duke Yan, Zhu Chengwu's honesty and truthfulness became a prepared response and lies.

It is a manifestation of deep scheming!

"Brother Wu, since you have made great progress in strength, and I happen to be here now, let me test your progress and skills!"

Duke Yan's eyes narrowed and he changed the subject.

Then he rushed forward, clenched his right fist, and hit directly at the chest where Zhu Chengwu was said to have been shot by a hidden arrow.

In the Duke of Yan's opinion, since there were no flaws in words and actions, he would find them through actual combat.

If it can be proved in the fight that Zhu Chengwu was not seriously injured in the assassination, then everything will naturally become clear.

Of course, Duke Yan also knew that this possibility was extremely small.

But, so what?

As for Zhu Chengwu, he is only first-rate and cannot be a match for the master. He is more likely to be seriously injured by Duke Yan!

The Duke of Yan had never even considered it!
Or in other words, "accidentally" seriously injuring Zhu Chengwu was the purpose of Duke Yan's visit to Xuzhou City this time!

To fight to determine whether Zhu Chengwu is acting or the thief is crying thief...

This was originally just a reason that Duke Yan gave himself to take action.

The main purpose of the Duke of Yan's visit to Xuzhou City this time was to depose Zhu Chengwu and prevent the possibility of Zhu Chengwu rebelling like the Marquis of Xuzhou thirty years ago after the crown prince succeeded to the throne. The King of Ming is old!

The Duke of Yan could not let the wise king's lifetime be ruined by his last bit of kindness.

As for the Ming King's desire to save Zhao Yushan and Zhu Chengwu's lives...

At that time, the Duke of Yan will plead with the succeeding prince.

The Duke of Yan believed that the Crown Prince would also give face to his elder brother, who had made great efforts for his succession to the throne, and would not kill the Marquis of Fu'an, who had been deposed and posed no threat to him.

It will also allow Queen Zhao, who has lost Zhao's minion, to live out her life in peace in King Ming's palace!

As for the possibility that the prince would not give face to his cousin!
To be honest, Duke Yan had never thought about it!
Of course, you may have thought...

Well, I can only say...

All we can say is that this is the fate of Queen Zhao and Zhu Chengwu!

Sacrifice your own family to protect the whole community!

It is worth giving up Zhao Yushan and Zhu Chengwu to preserve the peace and stability of the Zhu royal family and the Ming Dynasty and to ensure their safe continuation!

To this end, the Duke of Yan even went to see the Crown Prince in private, asking him to persuade Northwest Marquis Chang Qingshan to secretly come to Xuzhou City and delay Zhao Yuguang, giving the Duke of Yan enough time to act.

The prince was hesitant!

He was afraid that the Duke of Yan's sudden visit and request was another test from the King.

Test whether he has the magnanimity to tolerate others and whether he can treat his brothers well after he succeeds to the throne.

But in the end, the prince was tempted by the huge profits that Duke Yan would gain after successfully deposing Marquis Fu'an!
King Ming has only three legitimate sons!

In the Ming Dynasty where there was a clear distinction between legitimate and illegitimate sons, unless all the legitimate sons died, it was almost certain that the next Ming king would only be born from these three legitimate sons.

As the eldest son, he had the title of crown prince and had the advantage.

But Marquis Fu'an and Zhao have always been thorns in his heart!

The Zhao family was too powerful, and from the moment Marquis Fu'an was born, the Zhao family had been planning to put Marquis Fu'an on the throne.

Now, if the Duke of Yan wants to take the initiative to depose the Marquis of Fu'an, all he needs is for the Marquis of Xibei to take action to hold back Zhao Yuguang.

After Marquis Fu'an was deposed, the only remaining legitimate sons of Prince Ming were him and Marquis Xuanping Zhu Chengya.

It’s not that the prince is arrogant, the prince really doesn’t think that Xuanping Hou Zhu Chengya can threaten him!
As for the issue that Zhao and Queen Zhao might go crazy after Marquis Fu'an was deposed.

The one who took action was the Duke of Yan. With the Duke of Yan leading the way, what did the prince have to fear?
And everyone knows that the Duke of Yan is a die-hard fan of our father.

No way would Zhao and Queen Zhao's first target after they went crazy be the crown prince.

The Duke of Yan and King Ming were enough to attract all the firepower of the Zhao family and Queen Zhao.

In the past, the reason why the prince had never dared to use this most direct physical means of eliminating the threat and depose or kill Zhu Chengwu was because there were no people with enough weight in front of him who could attract the firepower of the mad Zhao family and Queen Zhao.

Without someone of sufficient weight in front to support him, the firepower of Zhao and Queen Zhao was enough to cause this crown prince to be buried with Zhu Chengwu.

That wouldn't be eliminating the threat, but rather a mutual destruction!
In the entire Ming Dynasty, there were very few people who were qualified to attract all the attention of Zhao and Queen Zhao.

Duke Yan and the wise king behind him happen to be one of them.

In this case, since the Duke of Yan has taken the initiative to ask, why wouldn’t the Crown Prince do it?

And who knows, after Marquis Fu'an was deposed, the mad Queen Zhao and the Zhao family might even allow him to succeed to the throne early!

Fu'an Marquis Mansion.

As Duke Yan finished speaking, Cui Shuyun, Zhao Xinghan and others were stunned one after another. They could never imagine that Duke Yan, who was just chatting peacefully, would suddenly take action?
Although it was to test Zhu Chengwu's progress and skills.

But Duke Yan’s turn was too abrupt!
Moreover, by now, who at the scene could not see the Duke of Yan’s stance and ulterior motives!

Cui Shuyun even suspected that she was hallucinating.

"Are all the fights among the upper class so direct?"

Cui Shuyun thought in disbelief.

But Cui Shuyun and Zhao Xinghan were stunned, but Zhu Chengwu was not.

As a warrior, as a reincarnated person with memories of past lives, Zhu Chengwu always remains vigilant deep in his heart no matter when or who he faces.

It can be tiring though!
But it also successfully helped Zhu Chengwu avoid many dangers.

Like, now!
Zhu Chengwu moved lightly and left the spot, appearing on the top of a sightseeing tree in the courtyard of the Marquis' Mansion, avoiding the almost sneak attack from the Duke of Yan.

"Since my brother is interested in giving me some advice, Chengwu will be happy to help!"

Although Zhu Chengwu dodged the sudden sneak attack from Duke Yan.

But at this moment, Zhu Chengwu couldn't help but feel a little angry at Duke Yan's lack of martial ethics.

It just so happened that Zhu Chengwu had just perfected the "Innate Gangqi".

It’s time to be full of confidence!
Now, let Zhu Chengwu try the strength of Duke Yan, the true master.

Zhu Chengwu was polite in his words, but he was ruthless in his actions. He immediately used his full strength to perform the "Fire Palm" at the master level.

"Brother, try my move, the Fiery Handprint!"

Zhu Chengwu shouted loudly, and a palm print made of fire broke out from Zhu Chengwu's palm and pressed down on Duke Yan from mid-air.

"Such a sharp out-of-body attack?
A unique martial art at the highest level!

Little Grandmaster! "

Looking at the huge flaming handprint in front of him, Duke Yan was secretly shocked.

Duke Yan never imagined that Zhu Chengwu in front of him had actually become a junior grandmaster.

Duke Yan's impression of Zhu Chengwu is still that before he was conferred the title, he focused on internal strength and neglected external skills.

Although there were rumors later that Marquis Fu'an had overcome his shortcomings of having strong internal strength but not being proficient in martial arts, Duke Yan believed that this overcoming had at most caught up with the normal level of a first-class master.

What the hell is this ultimate martial arts skill in front of me?

Is this still the Wu Ge'er that Duke Yan remembers as someone who values ​​inner qualities over outer ones?
However, the more outstanding Zhu Chengwu was, the more determined Duke Yan was to get rid of him!

The Zhao family has been in power for decades, and they can't continue like this any longer!
Otherwise, one day they might become dissatisfied with their current status and launch an attack on Zhu's position.

Moreover, with the lessons learned from thirty years ago, the Duke of Yan did not want to see another internal strife among the Zhu family's princes fighting for the throne.

That would really damage the Zhu family's heritage and royal image.

"Since Brother Wu has such a unique skill, it would be better for me to keep it secret any longer!"

Duke Yan snorted lightly, put his right index and middle fingers together, and pointed out.

Disperse the flaming handprint that was attacking from Zhu Chengwu.

Then, with the help of the scattered flames from the flaming palm to cover up, he pointed out again!
Unfortunately, Zhu Chengwu was already on guard. He immediately turned around, took light steps, and dodged.

As Zhu Chengwu left the top of the sightseeing tree, a huge finger force carrying a sense of compassion passed through the shadow Zhu Chengwu left on the top of the tree.

The finger force was condensed and penetrated the shadow left by Zhu Chengwu, leaving an obvious mark in the sky above half of Xuzhou City.

It was as if a god had written a big “one” in the sky with a white pen.

"Ananda Finger, one of the Zhu Clan's twelve unique martial arts!
My brother is really rude! "

Zhu Chengwu looked at the white streak in the sky and spoke sarcastically.

　Added update for the fourth milestone (2/2)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)