Castle of Black Iron

Only the legendary God was almighty. Han Zhengfang was not a God; therefore, he would make mistakes such as thinking that Cui Li didn’t grasp the Purgatory Samsara based on his knowledge and experience. If Cui Li grasped this secret method, Han Zhengfang believed that Cui Li would never pass the interrogation of Guang Qianchong. Guan Qianchong was not a simple personality. Guan Qianchong might have already known the secret method that Cui Li used to promote to an earth knight in the hieron’s ruins rapidly; how could Guan Qianchong and Du Guyi promise the reward to a person who was related to the alchemist’s demon and let him return to the earth’s surface safe and sound? Guan Clan assigned two people to contact Cui Li in Lord Guangnan’s manor in Xuanyuan Hill, which indicated that Gan Qianchong believed in Cui Li.

Given the intelligence, Cui Li was very tricky. However, Han Zhengfang had seen too many earth knights like Cui Li. Based on his power, influence and relationship with bright forces and dark forces, he believed that he would get the secrets methods or secret items from this earth knight sooner or later as long as he had people keep a close watch on Cui Li. Every knight was interested in the secret methods or items which could help one to form chakra rapidly.

Han Zhengfang and Han Yuanhong didn’t know that Cui Li and Zhang Tie were the same, not to mention that Zhang Tie had already known the secrets of Han Clan and was going to uproot Han Clan in Xuanyuan Hill. Otherwise, the two people would never be so calm.

People were screwing the tiger while the tiger was also screwing the people.

”We have to hold the sense of propriety about the event of Arlkey Empire. Don’t act on an impulse. Put Cui Li and Bai Suxian on one side first. Every coin has two sides. Lord Guangnan’s Mansion could become our assistant on this event. Facing the stress of Lord Guangnan’s Mansion, Arlkey Empire would be under our control easily!” Han Zhengfang told Han Yuanhong.

”I see...” Han Yuanhong nodded. As long as they had Arlkey Empire realize that Lord Guangnan would exterminate their empire in the blink of an eye without the help of Han Clan, Arlkey Empire would follow their orders.

The others might feel excited ruling an empire on a subcontinent; however, Han Zhengfang and Han Yuanhong would not feel any sense of achievement and excitement from these ”trivial thing”. They just guided the royal households of Arlkey Empire to follow the trend. As for Taixia Country, Arlkey Empire was like a small shrimp beside a huge whale. Even if they ate it, their appetite would not be satisfied. They always focused on more valuable things in Taixia Country.

Watching Han Zhengfang picking up his teacup once again, Han Yuanhong finally remembered an important thing that he was here to tell Han Zhengfang.

”Oh, dad, Yuantu has not come back yet. I’ve not even received his message through remote-sensing crystal...”

”Yuantu has not come back?” Han Zhengfang slightly frowned. At the same time, he attempted to contact another son by injecting his spiritual energy into a finger ring which was inlaid with a remote-sensing crystal. However, he received no response either, ”Did Yuantu go to Pingsha Valley?”

”Yes, I saw Yuantu’s airboat fly over Longxi Prefecture. According to the schedule, Yuantu should have arrived at Xuanyuan Hill, but he didn’t!”

”Where’s Yuantu’s airboat?”

”According to my subordinate, after Yuantu’s airboat suspended in Longxi Prefecture for a short while, it turned around and left Zhongzhou Province. However, he didn’t come to Xuanyuan Hill!” Han Yuanhong revealed a bitter smile after throwing a glance at Han Zhengfang. After that, he continued, ”Yuantu manages his subordinates strictly. Except for him, nobody else on his side was allowed to carry any remote-sensing crystal. Wen Haoyun and Xiao Longfei are on his side. If they carry remote-sensing crystal, we could ask them; however, they don’t. Neither could we contact Yuantu; therefore, I don’t know where is Yuantu!”

Han Zhengfang faintly frowned. His eldest son was blaming Han Yuantu rather than worrying about his safety. Although the two brothers usually joined hands to help Han Zhengfang do something, one in the public, the other in the dark, the two brothers, they were actually competing with each other. The reason was simple. If Han Zhengfang made a success in overthrowing the regime of Taixia Country, the better one of his sons would inherit his throne. In this situation, the so-called brotherhood would be replaced by merciless profits.

This was what Han Zhengfang tried to create. His two sons had very high talents since young. They were both great in intelligence and insight. He wanted to have his two sons catch up with each other in this manner. Of course, his undertaking would finally be inherited by the better one. Han Yuantu was a bit more docile than Han Yuanhong. A few years ago, Han Yuanhong arranged a mole on Han Yantu’s side. The mole carried a remote-sensing crystal and sent Han Yuantu’s information and schedule to Han Yuanhong from time to time. Later on, Han Yuantu discovered it and quarreled with Han Yuanhong in front of Han Zhengfang. Han Zhengfang finally ended this quarrel by criticizing Han Yuanhong and letting him apologize to Han Yuantu. From then on, besides the remote-sensing crystal that Han Yuantu delivered to, he didn’t allow any subordinate to carry other remote-sensing crystals on his side, even knights who accomplished tasks together with him; otherwise, he would punish them severely the moment he discovered that.

When Han Yuanhong talked about this event, of course, he wanted to explain what he did previously; actually, he wanted to express that his brother was too narrow-minded.

One son disappeared especially at this critical moment; it was reasonable for him to worry about that. After being silent for two seconds, Han Zhengfang slightly became still as he asked, ”Is there any abnormal action in the troops of the top 4 armies?”

”My subordinates are keeping a close watch on the corps of the top 4 armies within the 9 immortal provinces in Taixia Country. These days, besides receiving commands to coordinate with local forces to wipe out bloody figures across the country and take control of the local situations, there’s no abnormal action of the top 4 armies within the 9 immortal provinces!”

”What about the three top chancellors? Where are they?”

”The three top chancellors are inspecting across the country. Today, the national defense minister has arrived at Huizhou Province; the premier has arrived at Yizhou Province; the engineering minister has arrived at the Gobbling Province...”

After hearing that the top 4 armies didn’t have any abnormal action within the 9 immortal provinces and the top 3 chancellors who were still making an inspection across the country according to the schedule, Han Zhengfang became reassured at once. At least it indicated that the event didn’t deteriorate.

”Is there any woman on Yuantu’s side?”

Father always knew his son well. Han Zhengfang hit the point at once.

”It’s said that it’s a princess from a subcontinent!”

’Well.’ Han Zhengfang knew Han Yuantu’s ”eccentricities” and ”hobbies”. Because of these ”eccentricities” and ”hobbies”, Han Yuantu lost contact with Han Zhengfang for half a year one time. Finally, Han Zhengfang had to dispatch people to find him out of concern and was told that his son built a wine pool in a place and made love with hundreds of beauties nakedly for half a year around the clock, regardless of winter or summer...There’s another time when Han Yuantu got a new ”collection”, he locked himself for 1 month in a small room, during which period, he made a carving on the ”collection”...

Han Yuantu had similar deeds more than 2 times; therefore, when he was told that his son was missing once again, Han Zhengfang didn’t become nervous anymore.

”After a few days, if we could still not contact him, dispatch people to find him. Lately, tell Gold and Power Law to pay attention to the location of Yuantu’s airboat!”

”I see, dad!”

”Additionally, keep a close watch on Huaiyuan Palace too. If Zhang Tie returns to Huaiyuan Palace, let me know immediately!”

”Do we need to...”

”That brat has some ability. The tragedy in Fuhai City is known across the country and brought him a good reputation. The event in Zhongzhou Province had not been appeased. If Zhang Tie returns to Huaiyuan Palace, we don’t need to kill him for the time being. It’s not good for him to die in Taixia Country at this moment. I’ve already dug a grave for him in Waii Subcontinent. I don’t believe that the Sacred Light Empire on the Western Continent couldn’t deal with such a trivial black iron knight. If he didn’t seek for death in Waii Subcontinent, when Sacred Light Empire exterminate those innocent barbarians in Ice and Now Wilderness and send his women and children onto the column of stigma and expose his another identity to the public, I want to see whether this sentimental man could still be sentimental or not. If he died at that time, nobody would sympathize him anymore. All the aftermaths by then would be minimized...” Han Zhengfang’s eyes turned pretty merciless when he talked about Zhang Tie.

”Yup!”

Han Yuanhong admired his father’s trick very much. What a fatal method! As long as Zhang Tie dared come back, he was destined to die no matter whether he would return to Ice and Snow Wilderness. He could choose to die fast with a bit reputation or die a bit slowly with a bad reputation.

The talk between the father and the son almost came to an end. After saying something minor, Han Yuanhong bade a farewell to his father and left this study before the gold-treasure incense was burning out.

Since the beginning, the father and the son both thought that Cui Li and Zhang Tie were different people. They could never imagine that they were talking about the same person in the study.

Nobody could be almighty, including Emperor Xuanyuan, not to mention others...

Han Yuanhong left the finance minister’s mansion by car with the same icy expression. Actually, he was sneering inside, ’Young brother, you’re behaving weirdly on purpose so as to lower my vigilance about you, right? Taixia Country is large enough. Once our father succeeds, after this holy war, as long as you make a compromise on your initiative, I will not treat you too mercilessly...but you’ve played such tricks too many times, don’t you feel bored?’

When Han Yuanhong sneered his young brother inside, he recalled one face. Although the person of this face was still alive, he was already dead in Han Yuanhong’s eyes. Nobody who dared to stir up Han Clan and Han Yuanhong could have a good result. When Han Yuanhong remembered this person who made him very embarrassed at the Qian Gate of Gold and Power Market, he gritted his teeth, ’Let’s see, I will deal with you when I’m free. How could an earth knight be so insolent in front of me?’

”Take me to the airport!” Han Yuanhong told the driver. Closely after that, the vehicle sped up in a split second on the main road of the emperor’s imperial city...

If Cui Li was destined to die in Han Yuanhong’s eyes, those people from Arlkey Empire had already died in his eyes. However, these guys were still useful before death. Han Yuanhong had to end up this event himself.

Within the finance minister’s mansion, Han Zhengfang was standing on one side of the lotus pond outside the study and looking up at the two bright moons. Unconsciously, he felt a bit fretful...