"An Lushan, I never imagined you could be so audacious!" Saya could hardly believe that the one moving against her was her most trusted minister.
Five years ago, An Lushan had suddenly appeared within the borders of Loulan, and Saya had brought him back after discovering him. Because he possessed considerable talent, he had gradually been promoted to a position second only to her.
Recently, however, Saya had discovered that An Lushan seemed to harbor even greater ambitions, always plotting to get his hands on the power of the Dragon Vein.
Yet Saya truly could not use this force recklessly. If it drew the attention of the major Shinobi Villages, all of Loulan would be destroyed.
No matter how vast the background of such power, it still took time to absorb. Setting aside the fact that Loulan undoubtedly harbored watchers from various Shinobi Villages, just the periodic inspections of the Dragon Vein by shinobi every few years made it impossible to conceal.
Did he really think those shinobi wouldn't covet such immense power? It was only because whoever came ended up ruined that they ultimately had to leave the sealing to the Queen's lineage.
As long as she couldn't use it, and others couldn't use it either, that was enough.
If not for the surveillance and monitoring by the Shinobi Villages, Saya would have taken Sara and fled long ago. Whoever wanted this Dragon Vein could have it, and whoever wanted to make sacrifices could do so.
But now, she couldn't leave, and she dared not use it. Generation after generation, they had no choice but to risk their lives to maintain the seal of the Dragon Vein.
Yet the minister she had promoted with her own hands was actually plotting against the Dragon Vein. After being explicitly refused multiple times, he had even gone so far as to make a move against her.
Naturally, Saya would not agree.
"Hmph, if that's how it is, then you can't blame me. At worst, I'll just control Sara to succeed the throne! She should have already learned the secret arts to control the Dragon Vein seal by now!"
Regarding this, An Lushan wasn't entirely certain. If he eliminated Saya, only to find that Sara couldn't control the Dragon Vein, his entire scheme would come to naught.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have kept trying to find a way through Saya.
But now all other methods had failed, and he had no choice but to take a gamble.
"In your dreams! Sara hasn't learned the Dragon Vein secret arts yet. Even if you control her, you won't be able to achieve what you want."
Saya said with a look of disdain.
With An Lushan's discernment, however, he saw right through her bluff at a glance. She was merely trying to buy time for herself and Sara to survive.
Outside the bedchamber, Li Fusheng was being dragged along by Sara as she hurried over.
Suddenly, Li Fusheng's expression shifted slightly. He pulled Sara to a halt and asked in a low voice, "By the way, I've been here for so long, how come I've never heard you mention your father?"
He sensed that inside the Queen's study, besides Queen Saya, there was another man. Furthermore, the two of them seemed to be engaged in the art of bondage. Wasn't it a bit inappropriate to interrupt them right now?
So that person must be the Queen's husband, Sara's father, and his own future father-in-law?
Although this father-in-law's appearance was rather casual, fortunately, Sara had only inherited Saya's looks.
"Why is Fusheng-kun suddenly asking about Father?" Sara asked, somewhat puzzled, but she still answered, "Father passed away when I was about one year old."
"Huh?" Li Fusheng was startled. Moreover, in his perception, that man seemed intent on strangling Saya to death with a silk thread.
Realizing that something was wrong, Li Fusheng had no time to explain to Sara. He stamped his foot on the ground, and his entire body vanished from before Sara's eyes in an instant, as if he had slipped into water.
Reappearing, Li Fusheng was already inside the study, where he waved his hand and severed the chakra threads binding Saya.
He also gained a much clearer perception of the situation in the room.
Earlier, he had only vaguely sensed things by borrowing the Earth Release Technique, and the mental image had been fuzzier than 360P resolution.
Now, however, the situation was crystal clear.
Before he could ask any questions, though, he sensed that man shoot several sharp, long needles from his hands.
The faint purple glow shimmering on their tips didn't even require much thought to know they were poisonous.
Li Fusheng had no time to overthink; he turned, pulled Saya into his arms, and used his own back to take the damage from the poison needles.
Of course, he wasn't seeking death. Although he didn't have time to dodge while carrying Saya, casting a layer of the Earth Armor Technique on himself was no problem at all.
If there was any chance of a misunderstanding before, he was now completely certain that the other party was an enemy, and Li Fusheng didn't intend to coddle him. Following the Earth Armor Technique came the Earth Prison Technique.
The ground instantly rose, forming a earthen mound that buried the attacking man inside.
With a few clinking sounds, before An Lushan could recover from the shock of failing to pierce his defense, he found his vision turning pitch black.
Immediately afterward, immense pressure descended from above, intent on crushing him.
Naturally, An Lushan refused to surrender without a fight. He unleashed his chakra, only to find it utterly useless. The surrounding earth was exactly as it had been before.
"Such a powerful Earth Release ninjutsu! Damn it! Is he a Jonin from Iwagakure?" An Lushan struggled inside the earthen mound. Saya was also struggling in Li Fusheng's arms.
Having been suddenly rescued by Li Fusheng, Saya was still in a daze. She hadn't even had time to see clearly who had saved her, and her mind was already in complete turmoil. It had been over a decade since she had been this close to a man.
However, the sound of the poison needles clinking against the Earth Armor on Li Fusheng's back snapped her out of it. Realizing it was Li Fusheng, she immediately began to struggle.
First, because he was the future husband she had personally chosen for Sara; second, out of concern over whether Li Fusheng had been injured, wanting to check on him immediately.
Sensing her struggle, Li Fusheng quickly let her go, then turned to shield her behind him as he looked at the earthen mound and asked, "Aunt Saya, who is he? Why did he attack you?"
That single word, "Aunt," filled Saya—who was currently inspecting Li Fusheng's back—with a bitter ache. She quickly shifted her focus to explain: "His name is An Lushan, the grand chancellor of Loulan, but right now he's just a rebellious traitor."
Hearing this, Li Fusheng turned his head in slight surprise and asked, "An Lushan?"
That name sounded familiar. But the one he knew was the fellow from his original world who had sparked the An Lushan Rebellion.
And yet the Shinobi World also had someone by this name? Were all people named this destined to be born traitors?
Still, compared to that historical figure, the guy in front of him was far too pathetic. Starting a rebellion all by himself? And his strength wasn't even at the level of shaking the heavens and earth—how on earth did he dare?
Was it because Loulan lacked powerful figures? Ah, that explained it.
Judging from the control he exerted with his chakra threads, he possessed at least elite Chunin-level strength. Dealing with the defenseless Queen of Loulan was indeed as easy as pie for him. If he hadn't happened to drop by for a visit, the guy might have actually succeeded.
"F-Fusheng, how is he now?"
"He's not dead yet. Do you want him dead or alive?" Li Fusheng asked casually.
The Earth Prison Technique was meant for trapping, not killing, but killing was simple enough. For a guy who couldn't even break through a low-level spell like the Earth Prison, adding a couple of earth spears would easily poke a few bloody holes in him.
Besides, shinobi were notoriously high-damage and low-defense; perhaps simply tightening the range of the earth prison would be enough to crush him to pieces.
"F-First, spare his life." Then, perhaps worried that Li Fusheng might think her soft-hearted toward the enemy, Saya quickly added, "We need to interrogate him to see if he has any accomplices."
She didn't know why she had felt the need to offer that extra explanation, but that was indeed her plan.
Since it was confirmed that this chancellor was up to no good, she naturally had to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots, sweeping away every last traitor in one fell swoop.
Otherwise, next time she might not be so lucky. Her own death wouldn't matter, but Sara would become the other party's next target. That was something Saya would absolutely never allow to happen.