Chapter 115: Retribution

The Chu envoy was assassinated, and Chang'an was shaken to its core!

The Han Emperor issued an imperial decree to the imperial physicians: spare no rare elixir, at all costs, Fan Li must be saved.

Grand Tutor Dong Zhuo was struck with fury and ordered Marquis Wen, Lu Bu, to lead the Xiliang troops to turn Chang'an upside down in search of the culprit.

Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan each dispatched their own troops to scour the land within a hundred miles of Chang'an, searching for any suspicious trace.

Better to kill the innocent by mistake than to let a single suspect slip away!

At the Ministry of Protocol.

When Fan Li awoke, five full days and nights had passed since the assassination.

He felt as though his chest were crushed beneath a massive boulder; every bone in his body felt fractured, and his limbs were devoid of strength. He felt exactly like the "vegetative patients" he had often heard of before his transmigration.

"Am I still alive?"

Fan Li pondered for a moment and found it reasonable. The [Emperor's Undergarment] was truly worthy of being a Heaven-tier treasure; its defensive power was astonishing!

He was indeed fortunate. The assassin clearly did not know of the [Emperor's Undergarment]'s existence. Relying on strength far superior to the average cultivator of this world, she had mistakenly believed her single strike had succeeded. She had not even bothered to confirm if Fan Li was dead or alive before hastily fleeing under the cover of moonlight.

"The Duke of Jin has awakened!?"

Three voices spoke in unison, filled with joyful surprise.

Fan Li looked at the three men before him: Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan.

With a voice as thin as a thread, he said, "Many thanks to Lord Cao, Lord Liu, and Lord Sun..."

Cao Cao looked full of shame. "That you were assassinated within Chang'an is entirely due to our failure to provide adequate protection."

"That you have suffered such grave injuries is my fault," added Liu Bei.

Sun Quan’s face was livid. "It is hateful that our three armies have searched for so long, yet we have found no trace of the assassin, failing to avenge the Duke of Jin!"

Fan Li observed their expressions and knew that Cao, Liu, and Sun were not merely putting on a show. These three men harbored grand ambitions, and Fan Li was their most important ally. His assassination brought them no benefit whatsoever; on the contrary, it threatened to ruin their major plans. The concern they displayed now was undoubtedly sincere.

"How long have I been unconscious?" Fan Li asked.

Cao Cao gave a bitter smile. "Five days and five nights."

Fan Li calculated the time and frowned. "Does that mean the celebration is to be held tomorrow night?"

The three men looked at each other, their eyes filled with helplessness. Given Fan Li's current condition, it was clearly inappropriate for him to attend the festivities. This also meant that the three thousand Great Chu guards accompanying him could only remain stationed around the Ministry of Protocol to protect him at all times, unable to move freely.

"The assassin has yet to be found. Does the Duke of Jin have any clues?" Sun Quan asked in a low voice.

Clues?

Five days and five nights had passed; even if there had been any, they were likely long gone.

Fan Li shook his head. "With her capabilities, once she decided to strike, she must have been absolutely certain of her escape."

The crowd fell silent upon hearing this. The identity of the assassin was not difficult to confirm; it was the Holy Master of the Cold Moon. She had been missing for five days, which perfectly coincided with the time of the assassination attempt. However, without concrete evidence, neither Chu nor Han could bring charges against the Brahma Sound Pure Land based on mere suspicion.

"I never imagined that even with the deterrence of our three houses, she would dare to strike," Cao Cao lamented. "A woman's heart is as deep as the sea; we must be extremely cautious in our future dealings. We must never fall into the hands of a woman."

Cao Cao spoke without thinking, but Fan Li, hearing it, took the words to heart. He also found it strange.

*I gave several warnings and hints; I thought I had dispelled the Cold Moon's intent to kill.*

*Why did she suddenly strike?*

*If she had an escape route, why didn't she strike earlier?*

*Throughout the journey of the delegation, and even when she and I were walking the streets of Chang'an, there were clearly countless opportunities.*

*Unless...*

Fan Li suddenly realized!

The Cold Moon did not strike earlier because she lacked an escape route and could not guarantee she would survive the pursuit of Cao, Liu, and Sun. Yet, she had ultimately attacked him! That meant she had secured an escape route!

The Cold Moon was a stranger in Chang'an; how could she have found an escape route out of thin air?

Someone had helped her?!

Someone must have assisted the Cold Moon and paved her way to retreat, which led her to decide to commit the crime!

Who could it be?

Fan Li narrowed his eyes, mentally screening the various powers within Chang'an one by one.

Grand Tutor Dong Zhuo? The Han Emperor Liu Xie? Or even Cao, Liu, and Sun?

Among the many factions, Dong Zhuo was the strongest, but the one most hostile to him at the moment was the Han Emperor, Liu Xie.

Fan Li shook his head. In his view, none of these people had an absolute motive to kill him.

"The Holy Master of the Cold Moon is, after all, a member of the Pure Land. Could the Pure Land have other influence in Chang'an?"

This answer was the most logical, yet also the most useless. Fan Li had only been in Chang'an for a few days. If the Pure Land had truly cultivated influence here, how could he possibly uncover it?

*That Cold Moon is a wretched woman. I wasted five sets of clothes on her, thinking that 'a mouth fed and hands held' would soften her heart and make her set aside her killing intent.*

*She is truly ruthless! A Mahayana-realm expert ambushing a Qi-Refining-realm novice—I really thought I was going to die at that moment!*

*But the attack of a Mahayana-realm expert... didn't it seem less terrifying than expected?*

*Is she just poorly skilled, or is the defense of the [Emperor's Undergarment] truly that astonishing?*

Fan Li’s thoughts wandered until he drifted into a hazy sleep, frightening Cao, Liu, and Sun so much that they hurriedly summoned the imperial physicians.

...

Great Chu, Pengcheng, Dragon God Temple.

The ten-times cultivation room, a reward from the system, had been installed by Fan Li within the hall. Nowadays, the Dragon God Temple had become a true restricted area in Pengcheng; even the pseudo-emperor Xiang Chong was not allowed to enter. Compared to the Fan Estate, the security here was much higher!

On two prayer mats sat two identical Fan Lis, both with their eyes closed, in a state of meditative practice. Wearing the same attire, at a glance, they looked like reflections in a mirror.

If there was any difference between the two, it was that a small, white, furry creature was curled into a ball, sleeping soundly in the arms of the Fan Li on the right.

After a long while, the Fan Li on the right opened his eyes, his expression peculiar.

"What is it?" A serene voice came from the side; it was Wuzhui, who had been guarding him.

"The Holy Master of the Cold Moon hits hard," Fan Li said, feeling depressed. "Five Earth-tier treasure garments, and yet I couldn't buy off her desire to kill me?"

Wuzhui shook her head at his words.

"The Cold Moon is a Mahayana-realm expert, known as the world's number one female sword cultivator. If you want to bribe her, you should at least use a Heaven-tier spirit treasure, shouldn't you?"

Fan Li gave a bitter smile. "There was a Heaven-tier [Purple Ribbon Garment] that I might have given to you. Unfortunately, it was stolen by Princess Changle through shameless means."

"You might have given it to me?" Wuzhui raised an eyebrow, her usually stoic face showing a hint of expression. "If the Master wants to coax women into being happy, it would be better to be more focused."

"Hahaha!"

Fan Li laughed, waking the sleeping Tuan Tuan in his arms.

"Awoo~~~~~~~~~~!"

Tuan Tuan let out a cry, as if in protest, but it was milky-voiced and exceptionally cute.

Fan Li looked down at it, his face filled with struggle and frustration.

"A heaven-sent divine beast, how wonderful. Every day it just eats and sleeps, yet it has grown from the first grade of the Spirit-Transformation realm to the second."

"I use two bodies to practice bitterly day and night, with the ten-times cultivation room and a large amount of pills provided by the Fan Family Pharmacy, yet I am only at the ninth grade of the Qi-Refining realm, not even having reached Foundation Establishment."

The more Fan Li spoke, the sadder he became; he almost wanted to cry.

Wuzhui said, "Master, why don't you focus on being a commoner? It would avoid wasting cultivation resources. The supplies you've consumed recently could have cultivated several Spirit-Transformation-realm experts."

Recently, she had even learned how to joke, which left Fan Li feeling very depressed.

"Let's get down to business," Fan Li said slowly. "Courtesy demands reciprocity. Under the leadership of the Fan Family Trading Company, secretly cut off all trade between the Brahma Sound Pure Land and the Chu State."

"From now on, the Brahma Sound Pure Land won't be able to buy a single needle or thread from Great Chu."

"If the Holy Masters want to cultivate new disciples, please take your resource needs to the Han and Ming kingdoms."

"Although the Great Han lacks supplies and the Great Ming's prices are expensive, what does any of that have to do with me?"

"My Great Chu has always advocated for free trade."

"The so-called free trade means whether or not I want to do business with you depends entirely on my mood!"

"Hehehe..."