Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Chapter 1142 Deliberately revealing a flaw, Sean escapes!

The leader was a woman, her face veiled, revealing only a pair of bright eyes. She gazed at the convoy in the distance, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.

“Miss, are we really going to follow them all the way to Northern Qi?” an old man beside her asked in a low voice.

“At least to the border,” the woman said in a cold voice. “I want to see with my own eyes how he deals with Sean.”

"Doing this is too risky. What if Emperor Qing's men find out..."

“Then let’s not be discovered,” the woman interrupted the old man. “I know what I’m doing.”

The convoy and these unseen observers traveled together in the night, each with their own thoughts and motives.

Sean was not asleep in the prison cart. Although the long imprisonment had exhausted him, the former King of the Night of Northern Qi still maintained his keen intuition.

He could sense the changes in the convoy's route, Fan Xian's caution, and even the presence of more than one hidden force following them. These discoveries brought a slight smile to his withered lips.

“Young man, you’re more interesting than I thought,” he muttered to himself, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows.

Sean closed his eyes and began to recall all the intelligence he possessed. Names and events—about Fan Xian, the Qing Kingdom's royal family, Ye Qingmei—connected in his mind. He knew he was a pawn, but even a pawn has its uses.

His fingers tapped lightly on the iron bars of the prison cart, a highly secretive rhythm, a coded message unique to the Northern Qi intelligence system. If any Northern Qi spies were nearby, they would certainly be able to decipher his message:

"Fan Xian can be of use to me. The plan remains the same."

He didn't know if the message would get through, but that was his habit—never giving up any opportunity.

On his journey to Northern Qi, Fan Xian was not idle. He traveled during the day and set up camp at night to conduct his own investigation.

While Gao Yao's words couldn't be entirely trusted, they provided clues. Fan Xian began to recall his experiences since arriving in the capital: Emperor Qing's attitude towards him, Chen Pingping's arrangements, the struggle between the Second Prince and the Crown Prince, the Eldest Princess's scheming... Each event seemed independent, yet they were subtly connected.

One night, Fan Xian summoned Wang Qinian.

"Old Wang, you've been in the Overwatch Council for many years, have you ever heard about my mother's situation?"

Wang Qinian's expression changed slightly: "Lord Fan, this matter... this official dares not make any rash comments."

"I want to hear the truth." Fan Xian stared into his eyes. "You can choose not to tell, but don't try to fob me off with lies."

Wang Qinian remained silent for a long time before finally sighing: "Lady Ye Qingmei... she was a legend. The inner treasury she established changed the economic landscape of the entire Qing Kingdom, and many of the ideas she proposed still influence the court today. But her death was too sudden and too suspicious."

"What's strange about it?"

“Lord Ye is surrounded by experts, and she herself is a powerful figure in this world. Logically speaking, that assassination attempt should not have succeeded.” Wang Qinian lowered his voice. “Moreover, all relevant files were sealed afterward, and those who participated in the investigation at the time were either transferred or died in accidents.”

Fan Xian's heart sank. This information coincided with Gao Yao's statement.

“There’s one more thing,” Wang Qinian hesitated for a moment, “Before Lord Ye passed away, he had a heated argument with His Majesty. No one knows the specifics, but after that day, the number of guards in the palace doubled.”

Fan Xian nodded, indicating that Wang Qinian could leave. Alone, he spread out paper and pen and began to record all the suspicious points:

The cause of death of Ye Qingmei, the mother, remains in doubt.

Emperor Qing's attitude was ambiguous.

Chen Pingping seemed to know something but never revealed it.

The emergence of Gaoyao was by no means accidental.

The systemic problems exposed by Teng Zijing's death

After writing this, Fan Xian added another line: "If all of this is true, how should I conduct myself?"

Instead of answering the question immediately, he rolled up the paper, lit it with a candle, and watched it turn to ashes in his hand.

Since the seed of doubt was planted in his heart, Fan Xian's desire for strength reached an unprecedented level. Every night after setting up camp, no matter how tired he was, he would insist on cultivating for two hours.

The Overbearing True Qi circulated more and more smoothly within his body, surging like a mighty river. Fan Xian could feel himself rapidly approaching the ninth rank, needing only one more opportunity to break through.

But compared to increasing his internal energy, he valued practical combat skills more. He found a Gundam and practiced with him every night.

"Sir, you could have used a more tricky angle today," Gao Da said, rubbing his shoulder after being knocked down once again.

Fan Xian reached out and helped him up: "When you're defending, you focus too much on the posture and neglect the actual effect. In real battle, there are no rules, only life and death."

"Your subordinate is enlightened."

The two continued their practice, their swords flashing in the moonlight. Fan Xian's moves became increasingly concise and deadly. He no longer pursued flashy techniques, but focused on how to subdue or kill his opponent in the shortest amount of time.

The effects of this training were remarkable. A month later, when the convoy entered the last stretch of mountain road before reaching the border of Northern Qi, Fan Xian was already able to fight against a master of the eighth rank like Gao Da without being at a disadvantage, and even occasionally gained the upper hand.

Deliberately exposed flaws

The border mountainous area, with its complex terrain, is the best location to implement the plan.

Fan Xian knew that Chen Pingping and Emperor Qing were both watching to see how he would deal with Xiao En, this hot potato. According to the original plan, he should safely deliver Xiao En to Northern Qi to complete the transaction. But Fan Xian had his own ideas.

Instead of passively waiting, it's better to proactively create variables.

One evening, after setting up camp, Fan Xian deliberately argued with Gao Da near Xiao En's prison cart.

"Gao Da, you must stay by the prison cart at all times tonight while you are on night duty!" Fan Xian's voice was loud enough for Sean to hear clearly.

"Sir, the brothers are tired from traveling all day, I'm afraid I'll have to go alone..." Gao Da argued cooperatively.

"This is an order!" Fan Xian said, feigning anger. "If Xiao En runs away, you will be held responsible!"

After saying this, Fan Xian stormed back to his tent, deliberately shouting, "I'm going to study the map tonight, so don't bother me unless it's urgent!"

Sean observed the entire performance. The shrewd and calculating Sean was naturally not easily fooled, but he noticed a detail: before Fan Xian entered the tent, he gave Gao Da a very subtle wink.

That wink was something Fan Xian deliberately let him see.

As the night deepened and the camp grew quiet, Gao Da sat beside the prison van. He was initially alert, but as time passed, he began to feel sleepy, his head nodding, and eventually he fell asleep without realizing it.

Sean waited quietly until he was sure that Gao Da's breathing had become long and steady before he carefully began to move. He had already secretly unlocked the mechanism of the shackles—a skill he had honed during his years of imprisonment, and a flaw that Fan Xian had deliberately left.