After entering the city and arriving at the post house, Lu Guan waited for an imperial summons, while Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu used visiting old friends as a pretext to stroll down the main street together.

  Meng Qi thought back to his previous encounter with Xie Jun, feeling proud and confident, planning to hone his Tian Dao. Suddenly, he heard Ruan Yu Shu say in a seemingly casual tone: "That last knife was one of Ah Nan's Broken Vow Knife Techniques?"

  "Yes." Meng Qi didn't hide it, wanting to hear the evaluation of Langya Ruan's direct descendant on his knife skills.

  Ruan Yushu walked through the surging crowds on the street, his eyes fixed straight ahead, calm and composed: "Very strong, Lei Dao Kuang Seng is indeed not a name in vain."

  "Hehe." Meng Qi could only respond like this, correcting others' biases was not an easy thing to do! Fortunately, he didn't use the Golden Bell Shield earlier, otherwise, Mang Guang would have been justified too!

  The streets of the capital city crisscrossed each other, forming a chessboard pattern. The Xiangxiang Building was far from the post house, and Meng Qi and the others spent nearly half an hour asking for directions along the way before finally arriving at the bustling market street, where they saw a wine shop with large red lanterns hanging high above.

  Just as he was thinking about how to ask about Lu Shengyi and his party, he heard Lu Shengyi's loud and clear voice: "The name of Xiao Meng has been spread all over the capital, and it is true that there are no false heroes under a great reputation."

  He and Ge Huaien stood beside the wine building steps, as if waiting specially.

  "Who are you?" Meng Qi was somewhat perplexed.

  Luo Shengyi smiled and said, "There are many people here with prying ears, let's talk inside."

  Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu nodded, silently following Luo Shengyi and Ge Huaien through the wine house hall, across the small bridge flowing water, to a quiet courtyard behind.

  "As soon as you entered the city, I received a hint from the master of the six reincarnations." Guan shut the door and carefully checked around before Luo Shengyi spoke up to explain.

  Collaborative tasks should be like this... Meng Qi thought to himself in a daze.

  At this moment, the cold and distant voice of the Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation sounded again: "Mainline mission 2 is activated. Help Lu Guan regain the emperor's trust, offer sacrifices and point to the soldiers. Successful reward: 400 good deeds; failure will deduct corresponding good deeds."

  "...regained the Emperor's trust..." Meng Qi slightly furrowed his brow, looking at Luo Shengyi, "Brother Luo, your main task should be related to this, right?"

  Luo Sheng nodded slightly and pointed to the full table of wine and dishes: "Eat while talking."

  Meng Qi didn't hesitate and carefully checked the food and wine with Luo Shengyi and Ge Huaien, watching Ruan Yushu eat first before feeling at ease to start eating.

  "The Western bandits have won victory after victory, and their troops are stationed upstream of the Pei River. They have also sent envoys to negotiate with us, but their terms are harsh. The Emperor is furious and has fallen ill, and he is now unconscious." Luo Sheng said calmly, "Our main task was to gain the trust of a certain prince and temporarily stop the peace talks. Now it seems that if we can help our supported prince ascend to the throne, our second main task will be smoothly completed."

  Meng Qi nodded thoughtfully: "I wonder which prince you are supporting?"

  This is indeed the way out.

  "The third prince, he is the only one who is willing to accept us." Luo Shengyi said calmly, as if it was a matter of no importance.

  Ge Huaien sat quietly on one side, not interrupting, with great self-cultivation. Ruan Yushu focused on the food, with elegant posture, and a demeanor that drew admiring glances from Luo Shengyi, who couldn't help but stare.

  "What about the power of the Third Prince's side?" Meng Qi understood Xuan Ge's implication, roughly knowing that the Third Prince was the weakest side, otherwise he wouldn't have accepted people with unknown backgrounds like Luo Shengyi.

  Lu Shengyi played with his wine cup: "Not too strong but not weak either, at least the Washing Moon True Man in the Microcosm Realm supports him, and there are others in the same realm, but I'm not sure who they are."

  "What about his opponent?" Meng Qi was still able to hold back his foodie nature when he was being serious, unlike the person next to him.

  Lu Shengyi put down his wine cup: "The Crown Prince is the orthodox, with the national teacher behind him, like a monk, and many courtiers. The four princes are the disciples of the Sword Emperor, and in the Jianghu, there are many people who have expectations for them, and they are not lacking in heavy ministers who secretly collude with them. The seventh prince is the most trusted by the emperor, with a belly full of poetry and books, and skilled in archery and horse riding. However, he has no foundation in Jianghu. Originally, the left prime minister of the Politics Hall was inclined towards him due to his relationship with the emperor, but now that the emperor is in a coma, it's unknown whether he will have a chance to wake up again, and he has also alienated him."

  "But now he seems to have realized his own shortcomings. He is openly friendly with the officials, but secretly connects with powerful people. I suspect that Mo Hou has secretly entered the capital and is living in the Seventh Prince's mansion."

  Meng Qi hesitated for a moment before asking: "How much can the strong people in this world influence the changes in the dynasty?"

  "I once exchanged a move with someone who seemed to be a demonic cultivator, barely escaping. Except for the inability to manipulate heavenly phenomena, her strength and realm were already close to that of a half-step Transcendent. Such a figure, if there are no powerful experts in the imperial city or court, can completely control the political situation, and those who disobey can be secretly killed." Luo Shengyi let out a breath, clearly still feeling a bit intimidated by his brief encounter with the suspected demonic cultivator.

  "He continued: 'However, in this world of Confucianism and strong families, none of the six arts of rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and arithmetic are neglected. Those who can be called great Confucians all have considerable strength. For example, the Right Prime Minister "Rebirth Star Lord" Wang Dejian, or the Half-Confucian Half-Taoist National Master Chang Le Zhenren, they all adhere to the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, reject external Taoism, and despise those who recklessly use force. To assassinate the Emperor and the Crown Prince, even if it were the Demon Empress or the Sword Emperor, one would have to plan for a long time and wait for an opportunity.'"

  "In that case, the crown prince's ascension is almost certain, and hardly anyone can stop it." Meng Qi furrowed his brow.

  Lu Shengyi smiled with a confident expression: "The Emperor has been on the throne for many years, and as he grows older, he has become increasingly wary of the Crown Prince, showing great displeasure and repeatedly suppressing him. If not for the protection of the National Master, I fear that the Crown Prince would have already been deposed. Therefore, if there is an imperial edict, other princes also have a chance to ascend to the throne. However, after the Emperor fell into a coma, the Right Chancellor, who has always been loyal only to the Emperor, stayed overnight in the Taiji Hall, not giving anyone the opportunity to alter the edict."

  "This matter can't be explained clearly for the time being. Tomorrow I'll take you to meet the Third Prince, and since your reputation has spread far and wide, he will definitely attach great importance to it."

  Meng Qi had some reservations about this matter, and it wasn't necessarily the case that only if the third prince ascended to the throne could Lu Guan be reused. The situation in the northwest was chaotic, and as long as he could get rid of his enemies in the court, the new emperor would likely use him. However, if things were that simple, the master of the six paths of reincarnation wouldn't have given him 400 good deeds.

  "Alright." He thought for a moment and decided to meet the Third Prince first, to see his character, demeanor, talent, etc. "Where's Cao Zhan?"

  Just now he was strange, why were there only Luo Shengyi and Ge Huaien, Cao Zhan disappeared without a trace, and he didn't receive any prompts that a new person had died.

  "He has won the trust of the Third Prince, and is at his beck and call." Luo Shengyi said with an unchanged expression. To him, no matter what Cao Zhan wanted to do, as long as it didn't interfere with himself, there was nothing to pay attention to. "I heard you had a fight with Ye Jun? How's the Not-Dying Seal? What's his strength like?"

  He also has a side quest three, so he is quite concerned about the strength of Evil Lord and the special Not Die Seal, and from Meng Qi's repeated actions, he judges that he and him are evenly matched, whoever is careless will lose. The comparison of his strength with Evil Lord also applies to himself.

  Meng Qi thought for a moment, without hiding or boasting: "If we fight head-on, I'll use all my strength and can only save my life."

  The duel on the Yangtze River, although Xie Jun borrowed the momentum of the river flow, the momentum of the building ship and the shadow, putting himself at a disadvantage in the battle of qi, but he also launched a surprise attack from mid-air, not stepping on solid ground, and his changes were not powerful enough. This was how he was injured by his own "evil fate", and because he was startled by the "falling red dust", with caution, he chose to retreat. If they were to duel again, facing the Undying Seal Technique, his chances of winning would be very low, unless it was a day when thunderclouds gathered.

  As for the Undying Seal Technique, Meng Qi was quite familiar with it. He knew that it was a top-notch technique that involved absorbing energy, transforming energy, and dissipating energy. If one couldn't master the skill of highly condensing true energy, it would be difficult to harm the Evil Lord, and could only rely on the sharpness and uniqueness of the "Evil Tribulation".

  In this regard, Yan Luo Tie's Broken Seal Knife Technique is stronger than Ananda's. The first two moves of Ananda's technique scatter the knife energy and confuse people's senses, relying mainly on spiritual knives. On the other hand, Yan Luo Tie can discern the pure and refined sword light from the start, which, if arranged properly, might not be entirely without a chance of winning. However, it would be very difficult to kill the evil lord who has mastered the Undying Seal Technique and the Phantom Body Technique.

  If I were to fight against the evil lord again, I would have to use the Golden Bell Shield, Ananda's Broken Seal Knife Method, Yan Luo's Letter, and Dugu's Nine Swords fully open. It took great effort to correct my painting style, but now it would be wrong again. The person next to me would definitely say, "Hmm, Meng Jin Gang's reputation is not in vain..." Meng Qi looked out the window, feeling a little "sad".

  "In other words, you're at a disadvantage in a one-on-one fight. If we join forces, maybe we can take down Evil Lord...” Luo Shengyi's words were cut off as he negated his own judgment, "It's said that the Undying Seal is extremely special and doesn't fear group battles."

  "Yes, I also heard this rumor." Meng Qi naturally couldn't say that he had a very deep understanding of the Undying Spell.

  After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu bid farewell and left after dinner, agreeing to meet here again early the next morning to go see the Third Prince together.

  At this time, the sky was already late, and many streets were quiet. Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu walked shoulder to shoulder, and finally couldn't help but ask out of curiosity: "Besides using the sound of the guqin to assist and kill people, do you not have any direct means of dealing with enemies?"

  Ruan Yushu glanced at him and lightly plucked the guqin.

  Twang! The sound was ear-piercing, a string on the zither sprang up, like a sharp long sword.

  "Really." Meng Qi's curiosity was satisfied and he felt very happy.

  Ruan Yushu pressed down on the strings of his zither and re-tied them, continuing forward with a calm and collected demeanor.

  Two people stepped onto the stone bridge and walked slowly, when suddenly, a white-haired old man appeared in front of them out of nowhere.

  He sat on the stone steps, his back to Meng Qi, with a long sword propped up in front of him. His entire person seemed to be there and yet not there, as if he was suspended between existence and non-existence, giving people an extremely strange feeling.

  Meng Qi's expression suddenly turned solemn, he drew his long sword and blocked Ruan Yushu behind him.

  "I've heard that 'Surprising Sword' Meng's swordsmanship is powerful and unyielding, only attacking without defending. I'd like to try it out." The old man slowly stood up, his aura changing, like a long sword being unsheathed, its sharpness piercing directly into Meng Qi's heart.