Volume One, Chapter 12: Ling Yao's Choice
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At this remark, Gu Changfeng chuckled, “Young miss, I observe that your constitution is no more than eighteen years old, the same age as me. Have you ever seen a Grandmaster at eighteen?”
Eighteen!?!?
Such skill at that age?
Ling Yao couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine.
Compared to the man before her, she felt like a mere mayfly.
After a long moment, she shook her head and said, “Not to mention a Grandmaster, even a ninth-rank expert like General Zhao, it is my first time seeing one.”
“No, it should be the second time…”
As she spoke, a trace of sorrow flashed in her eyes, and she hesitated.
Gu Changfeng sensed something was seriously wrong. A woman at the third-rank realm daring to provoke two ninth-rank experts was no mere bravado.
“Don’t worry, speak freely.”
“If there is some hardship you cannot say, as long as it is within my power, I will handle it for you. Consider it payment for escorting me to the Divine Sword Manor.”
At these words, a gleam appeared in Ling Yao’s moist eyes. “The first ninth-rank expert I saw was the third young master of Divine Sword Manor…”
“He…”
As she spoke, tears began to fall. Gu Changfeng was a Grandmaster but had little firsthand experience with such matters.
Zhao Yi was the same—a ninth-rank martial general who only knew how to kill; he couldn’t very well just kill someone outright.
Still, Gu Changfeng was quick-witted and handed her a cup of hot water.
“Go on.”
“He slaughtered my entire family, one sword per person. My father was once a man of the Jianghu, and because he offended Divine Sword Manor, the third young master came to my home when he first reached ninth rank. If my parents hadn’t knocked me unconscious and hidden me away, I would have been dead long ago.”
Ha!
Gu Changfeng sneered. They say misfortune never strikes wives and children, yet this man came seeking revenge and wiped out the whole family.
Of course, if it were him, he would have done the same; such is the way of the world.
But if he left a survivor, that would mean future vendettas—a matter of Jianghu grudges.
“So, you sought out Yan Thirteen to ignite a conflict between them, using the third young master’s whereabouts as leverage, hoping he would help you kill the third young master?”
Ling Yao nodded. “Yes…”
Gu Changfeng thought the girl was somewhat naive—to risk provoking Yan Thirteen’s psychological shadow for an uncertain bargaining chip.
“So you want me to help you kill the third young master?”
Ling Yao nodded firmly. “Then, Your Highness, are you a Grandmaster?”
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Gu Changfeng shook his head. “To defeat a ninth-rank or above, one need not be a Grandmaster. Even among those above ninth rank, there are strong and weak. It depends on whose internal energy is more profound and whose techniques are more varied.”
“A Grandmaster transcends the realm of mortals; with a single wrath, mountains and rivers collapse—that is a Grandmaster!”
Ling Yao looked half understanding. “So, you really can help me kill him?”
Gu Changfeng was still pondering. He had intended to recruit the third young master for his own use, but it seemed he had been preempted.
Seeing his hesitation, Ling Yao rose from the wooden stool and knelt with a thud. “Your Highness, Prince Liyang, this humble girl pledges her life to serve Your Highness forever!”
She bowed her head hard, but just before it could strike the ground, a gentle hand caught her forehead.
“Enough. Let’s see how things unfold. You seem set on a do-or-die path. I agree to help you create an opportunity to kill him.”
Upon hearing this, Ling Yao lifted her head, joy written all over her face. “Thank you, Prince Liyang.”
Gu Changfeng waved his hand, no need for thanks.
In his eyes, a third young master who could rival his thirty thousand Snow Dragon Cavalry? A joke!
“No need to thank me. And don’t call me Prince Liyang—just call me ‘Young Master’.”
“Yes!” Ling Yao stood, wiping away her tears.
A moment later, Thirteen Lady prepared drinks for them.
The three mounted their fine horses. Thirteen Lady and the innkeeper’s waiter saw them off at the inn’s entrance.
“Thirteen Lady, I don’t want today’s matter to spread. Do you understand?”
Suspicion flickered in Thirteen Lady’s eyes, then a murderous gleam. She bowed, “Your Highness, rest assured, Thirteen Lady will handle everything properly!”
Seeing her tactful nature, Gu Changfeng kicked his horse and rode off.
After their figures disappeared, Thirteen Lady made a throat-slitting gesture to the waiter.
“Shouldn’t the inn start serving beef more often?”
The stout waiter nodded and drew two bone-cleaving knives from behind, striding into the inn.
Thirteen Lady sighed softly, closing the door behind her. “Alas, in this world, it is truly hard to be a good person.”
In the Prime Minister’s Mansion, a pond lay like glass, its water crystal clear, fish swimming leisurely.
Around the pond stood pavilions and towers arranged in orderly beauty, with flying eaves and intricate brackets, exuding an ancient elegance.
Inside a stone pavilion, Sima Yun gazed at the water with a slight frown, as if troubled.
On the stone table within lay a steaming hotpot.
A handsome man held chopsticks in one hand, picking up a tender slice of lamb and chewing with satisfaction.
Several sword-bearing guards stood nearby, expressions solemn.
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He was the second prince of the Great Qian Dynasty—Song Chengze—who had once secretly planned to assassinate the crown prince but failed.
However, the Great Qian ruler favored this prince excessively. After chatting all night with both the crown prince and Song Chengze, he granted him one hundred thousand troops, banished him to the border as a fief prince, and forbade his return without royal summons.
After a while, the handsome man put down his bowl and chopsticks, stretched lazily, hands tucked into his belt, and came to the pond’s edge, standing shoulder to shoulder with Sima Yun.
“I say, Prime Minister, was it your idea to call me back from the frontier, or my father’s?”
“Could it be that my elder brother has returned, and Father wants to strip me of my military power?”
Sima Yun, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke gravely.
“Your Highness, second prince, you worry unnecessarily. Calling you back is purely personal. You command the hundred thousand White Tiger troops; the king would not dare easily seize your power.”
“Besides, even if the king later wants to take your military authority, you cannot hand it over—it is your bargaining chip.”
“Now, the garrison commander is aligned with Zhao Gao, and both the Finance Bureau and the Hanlin Academy are subtly being undermined. The crown prince’s faction has a malignant tumor in Zhao Gao, making them quite confident before the king.”
“The only way to compete for the throne is to hold onto the hundred thousand White Tiger troops and bring the Imperial Guards back under our control.”
Sima Yun spoke solemnly, but Song Chengze was indifferent, his robe loose, yawning.
“So, you called me back just for this? Thirty percent of the regional princes are under my command; this is no problem.”
“But returning to court without permission is a capital offense.”
Sima Yun shook his head.
“The crown prince is still in Liuli Imperial City and may not return for years.”
“I called you here because of Prince Liyang.”
“Prince Liyang?” Song Chengze’s face showed puzzlement. “I’ve heard of him—the fallen crown prince. What’s the matter?”
“Father gave him fifty thousand remnant troops, and the rumors about Ye Liuyun are false. He can’t stir up much trouble.”
“I think we should focus on whether it’s the one from Snow Moon City or the one from Peerless City who came to Liyang Commandery.”
“Why impersonate Ye Liuyun?”
“That’s the question we must consider. As for Gu Changfeng, let him be—a pawn in the Grandmaster’s hand.”
As Song Chengze spoke, his expression grew darker. Anyone who spoke of Grandmasters did so with fear.
“Your Highness may not know, even the Tang Sect’s attempt to assassinate him failed.”
“Although he has Zhao Yi’s protection, the Tang Sect did not attempt to kill this ninth-rank expert directly but struck at his subordinates. That was possible, but the first attempt failed.”
At these words, a sly gleam flashed in Song Chengze’s eyes.
“Oh? Interesting—they all failed?”
“The Tang Sect believes in ‘three strikes.’ If they fail three times, I will personally pay them a visit.”
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