The Wu Wang Fu, the current five temples below, Liu Zhengqi, who was sealed as the King of Wu by the Emperor, picked up a piece of cloth from the table and threw it to the ground fiercely, saying: "What kind of top-notch masters are these? They're all just a bunch of gluttons."

  Zhang Zihua carefully picked up the cloth from the ground and unfolded it to take a look, only to find that it recorded Xu Haifeng's mighty feat of defeating three great masters of the Cheng family in front of Xiao Zhoushan, no wonder Liu Zhengqi was so furious.

  "And let him make a big show, isn't the Cheng family supposed to be the strongest among the four major families? How can they always be defeated with just one blow." Liu Zhengqi's face was twisted and ugly, where was his elegant and noble demeanor.

  Since the emergence of a master-level top-notch expert, the martial arts of the family members have grown to varying degrees. Especially the number of first-rate masters is the most among the four major families.

  Cheng Jiaxiao and Cheng Jiali, who were defeated by Xu Haifeng, were among them. They were unlucky to have encountered Xu Haifeng, who had gained a deeper understanding of the Taiji Divine Skill under the guidance of the Taizhen True Person.

  If it weren't for the guidance of that number one person in the Central Plains, Xu Haifeng would not have been able to use this clever trick of borrowing force to counterattack so magically under the joint attack of the two great masters.

  However, since he consecutively defeated three top-notch experts, his kung fu has indeed reached the first-class level among the younger generation. Even without using spiritual power, Grassland Wolf Li Zhi and Xiazong successor Xia Yajun are only on par with him at most.

  Once his mental strength is restored, he will be the number one master among the younger generation.

  "Zi Hua, you said how to deal with Xu Haifeng and put him to death." Liu Zhengqi's serious tone was filled with a deep-seated hatred.

  Zhang Zihua gazed at this fifth imperial son who had assisted him for over a decade, his heart filled with mixed emotions, and his eyes suddenly revealed a resolute determination.

  He stepped forward and knelt down respectfully, saying: "Reporting to Your Highness, this person cannot be killed."

  Liu Zhengqi was taken aback for a moment, almost daring not to believe his ears, and asked in surprise: "What did you just say?"

  Zhang Zihua raised his head and looked straight at Liu Zhengqi, replying without hesitation: "I say, this man cannot be killed."

  Liu Zhengqi looked at him, the astonishment in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a thread of cold and fierce killing intent that slowly rose to his eyebrows. His words were like thousand-year-old ice, freezing people's hearts. He asked word by word: "For... what... reason..."

  Zhang Zihua met Liu Zhengqi's furious gaze without flinching, speaking quickly: "The other day, the Emperor summoned Your Highness and spoke of the Xiongnu Khan's ambition, forming an alliance with both sides to plot against our Great Han dynasty. The situation is more perilous than ever before. The Black Flag Army, renowned for its bravery, should be utilized to resist external enemies, not destroy the Long Wall and give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage."

  Liu Zhengqi's eyes narrowed slowly, looking even more gloomy. He sneered: "Good you, Zhang Zihua! I thought only you knew my heart's affairs, but I didn't expect the one blocking me would be you. Who gave you the guts to defy the Lonely King?"

  Zhang Zihua took a deep breath and said slowly: "Ten years ago, Your Highness was only fifteen years old, but you were intelligent and wise beyond your years, with great ambitions and the makings of a brilliant ruler. That's why I pledged my loyalty to you, hoping to contribute my humble efforts to help you ascend to the throne, defeat the Xiongnu, expand our Han territory, and achieve greatness that will last for eternity."

  Liu Zhengqi's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he was hooked up with memories of the past, wanting to speak but stopping.

  "However, three years ago, Your Highness met Miss Tang Rou'er at the Tang Mansion and has since been deeply infatuated with her, forgetting the grand ambitions he once had, which pains me to no end."

  "Nonsense." Liu Zhengqi shouted violently: "When did the lonely king forget his past oath? As long as the lonely king ascends to the throne and becomes emperor, he will definitely fulfill his promise."

  Zhang Zihua coldly smiled and said: "Ascend to the throne as Emperor? Your Highness, for the sake of Tang Miss, would rather cut off his own arm, damaging the reputation of a great general of the imperial court. Such behavior is chilling, how can it make the Emperor willing to pass on this supreme position to you?"

  "You..." Liu Zhengqi was momentarily speechless, his face alternating between pale and red, clearly enraged.

  Zhang Zihua ignored his anger and continued: "The Nanfang Cheng family, twenty years ago suddenly expanded everywhere, now it is a lone tree standing tall, a hidden threat to the imperial court. If Your Highness continues to support them, I fear that in the future they will become a tiger that cannot be tamed, with a tail too big to shake off."

  Liu Zhengqi's face was unpredictable, changing from cloudy to sunny, with a battle between heaven and man in his heart, making it difficult for him to make a decision.

  Zhang Zihua suddenly threw out a shocking sentence: "I beg Your Highness to welcome the daughter of Cai Zhongman, Cai Zipi, as the Crown Prince's consort."

  "What?" Liu Zhengqi exclaimed.

  "Although Director Cai is a traditionalist, he has never formed any private cliques and has always been upright and self-disciplined. His daughter, Ziyu Pei, may not be as stunningly beautiful as Miss Tang, but she is well-read, courteous, and dignified. She is indeed the best candidate to be the First Lady."

  "Mind your own business, it's none of your concern when the lonely king is involved." Liu Zhengqi was furious and kicked him in the chest.

  Zhang Zihua did not dodge or flinch, and was kicked to the ground by him. However, he immediately got up again, crawled to Liu Zhengqi's face, and disregarding the trickle of fresh blood slowly flowing from the corner of his mouth, he persisted in saying: "The country is in danger, Your Highness will regret it if you indulge in personal feelings again."

  "Ding..." A crisp sound, Liu Zhengqi drew out his treasured sword and pointed it at Zhang Zihua: "You repeatedly go against my wishes, do you think I don't dare to kill you?"

  Zhang Zihua's face flushed, his eyes filled with an unyielding determination: "The ancients said: beauty is a calamity. I implore Your Highness to consider the fate of the nation and the millions of Han citizens, think thrice before acting."

  Liu Zhengqi was stared at by his gaze, feeling flustered and embarrassed, annoyed and ashamed, and suddenly slashed down with a sword.

  Zhang Zihua's eyes widened as he stared at the glittering silver sword growing larger in his pupils, his heart filled with nothing but a deep sorrow.

  Liu Zhengqi's sword had just been swung out, as if all the negative emotions in his heart had been vented and would never return.

  His consciousness recovered instantly, but this sword was unstoppable no matter what. Fortunately, the last bit of spiritual intelligence made him tilt his sword at the last moment.

  A cold light flashed by, and Zhang Zihua's right arm was cut off at the elbow, with blood gushing out like a pillar.

  Zhang Zihua's face instantly became ferocious and terrifying, he didn't even glance at the severed arm, but with great difficulty forced out two words from between his teeth: "San... Si..."

  "Clang..." The precious sword covered in fresh blood slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

  Liu Zhengqi rushed forward, ignoring Zhang Zihua's bloody body, and hugged him into his arms. He tore off the clothes on his body and desperately pressed them onto Zhang's wound, shouting loudly: "Someone come...!"

  Several guards rushed in upon hearing the noise and were shocked to see Liu Zhengqi covered in blood.

  Liu Zhengqi's mind cleared up at this moment, and he immediately showed his brave and daring side. Pointing to one of them, he said: "Give Zi Hua hemostasis."

  That man was Liu Hualiang, the general manager of the Liu Zhengqi Wangfu guard. Upon hearing this, he immediately stepped forward and pressed several acupoints on Zhang Zihua's arm, causing the bleeding to slow down. He took out a package of golden wound medicine from his pocket and roughly applied it to his wounds, temporarily stopping the fresh blood.

  "Summon Hu Taizhen, quickly." Liu Zhengqi ordered.

  A moment later, Hu Taiyi appeared at Zhang Zihua's bedside under the escort of Wu Wangfu soldiers.

  After Hu Taigong finished diagnosing, Liu Zhengqi asked anxiously: "How is Zihua's condition?"

  "Mr. Zhang has lost too much blood, and his heart is racing with anxiety," said Dr. Hu, shaking his head. "At this moment, he's unconscious and hasn't woken up yet. If by tomorrow he still can't wake up, I'm afraid..."

  He looked up at Wu Dianxia, whose face was gloomy, and suddenly stopped speaking, feeling a chill in his heart, and dared not continue.

  Liu Zhengqi swept his sleeves and strode into the inner house, waving his hand to dismiss all the servants.

  He walked to the bedside and saw that Zhang Zihua's eyes were tightly closed, his eyebrows were tightly knotted together, and the muscles on his face twitched from time to time, obviously suffering from great pain even in his sleep.

  Liu Zhengqi's nose turned sour, and his emotions surged as he lifted his robe and knelt down in front of the bed. He said slowly: "Sir, your loyalty is like a shining pearl, every word is precious, but I, Liu Zhengqi, am ignorant of good and evil, and have caused you to be seriously injured, I truly have no face to show before you."

  He took a deep breath, his eyes revealing a hint of determination and pain, and said in a low voice: "I have made up my mind. At this moment, I will enter the palace to pay respects to the Emperor, request an imperial decree to grant marriage, and welcome Miss Cai into our household. You must also fulfill your past promise, assist me in unifying the world under one rule, and absolutely not withdraw your hand at this point."

  As if he had heard Liu Zhengqi's promise, Zhang Zihua's pair of thick eyebrows miraculously relaxed in his coma, and his originally urgent breathing also gradually stabilized.

  Liu Zhengqi looked at this loyal subordinate with surprise and delight, and suddenly said: "I swear here, as long as Mr. can wake up to help me, I will not disappoint Mr.'s expectations."

  Zhang Zihua's eyes twitched and two turbid tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes.

  Liu Zhengqi was overjoyed and wiped away his tears. He said, "Sir, please rest assured and focus on your recovery. This matter should not be delayed. I will now enter the palace to report to the Emperor."

  "Your Highness..." A weak voice came from behind.

  Liu Zhengqi suddenly turned around and looked at the weak Zhang Zihua, only to hear him say with difficulty: "A gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late..."

  The corner of his eye twitched slightly, and after a moment, Liu Zhengqi said in a low voice: "I have learned from it."

  Liu Zhengqi came out of the inner room and said to Hu Taigong who was guarding the outer hall: "Mr. Zihua is now awake."

  Hu Taiyi let out an "ah" and went in for a moment, coming out with a joyful expression to say to Liu Zhengqi: "Your Highness is a divine person, Mr. Zhang can be saved."

  "Dr. Hu."

  "I am present."

  "You may temporarily reside in the palace, and take good care of Mr. Zihua. When he recovers, you can take anything you want from the palace." Liu Zhengqi promised.

  Hu Taiyi was overjoyed and hastily knocked his head on the ground, saying: "Your humble servant thanks Your Highness."

  Liu Zhengqi's face tightened, his tone turned cold: "If you are derelict in your duty and let Mr. Zihua have any mishap, then you can cut off your own head, I will destroy your entire family."

  Hu Taiyi involuntarily shivered and said in a low voice: "I will definitely do my best, I dare not be the slightest bit slow."

  Liu Zhengqi looked at him deeply, said no more, turned his head to Liu Hualiang and said: "Prepare the horse, I will enter the palace to pay respects."