Chapter 57: The Martial World

“Vice Minister Fu, do you think I’m easy to fool? Don’t you know what kind of force the Luoshen Peak is?”

Li Muxian chuckled softly, glancing sideways at Fu Qiwén.

Hearing this, Fu Qiwén lowered his eyes slightly, his expression unreadable, and said:

“The reputation of Luoshen Peak is known throughout the martial world; as one of the top four sects, it is indeed extremely difficult to deal with—but…”

Li Muxian waved his hand, cutting him off outright:

“Don’t bother with the ‘but.’ This job you’re asking me to do is no easy task—do you really think the silver and house His Majesty offered are worth it?”

This time, Fu Qiwén’s expression changed. He looked up at Li Muxian in surprise and asked suspiciously:

“Does His Royal Highness intend to take on this task?”

At this moment, Fu Qiwén truly could not fathom the thoughts of this Eighth Imperial Prince.

Logically, anyone with even a passing understanding of Luoshen Peak would refuse without hesitation—but here, the man had not done so.

Then, Li Muxian calmly studied Fu Qiwén for a moment, stroking his chin:

“Luoshen Peak ranks among the top four martial sects, boasting countless martial experts and influence spanning all four provinces of Da Li. Taking it down would be exceedingly difficult.”

He paused, then shifted tone, narrowing his eyes:

“But if you want me to agree, it’s not impossible—only you’ll need to add conditions.”

Fu Qiwén said nothing, only fixed his gaze on Li Muxian.

Yet he saw no pretense in the man’s demeanor—only casualness, and an unhidden mockery directed at himself.

“Your Royal Highness must think carefully—this is no joke.”

Fu Qiwén withdrew his gaze, his expression turning grim. If the man treated this as a jest, he was gravely mistaken—and would pay dearly for it.

Li Muxian shook his head and smiled:

“I’ve thought it through clearly. Now, Vice Minister Fu, you’re the one who needs to think clearly—what conditions can you offer that would make it worth my while to wipe out Luoshen Peak?”

Li Muxian saw clearly enough: even if Emperor Yuanwu had no affection for his twenty-year-exiled son, he wouldn’t send him straight to his death.

So, sending him to confront Luoshen Peak must be the deliberate scheme of this seemingly kind but inwardly ruthless official.

Of course, Li Muxian also knew Fu Qiwén didn’t truly wish to kill him—even if he did, he wouldn’t use such crude methods.

He guessed…

Hmm… perhaps this official resented him because he was handsome, while he himself was not—and so he sought to make things difficult out of spite.

As for taking down Luoshen Peak, Li Muxian didn’t care much. On the contrary, rather than letting Emperor Yuanwu and the capital’s others harass him with trivial matters, he’d rather strike one big blow.

Otherwise, remaining a powerless, idle imperial prince would serve little purpose for what he intended to do.

After hearing Li Muxian’s words, Fu Qiwén fell silent. He naturally didn’t believe Li Muxian could defeat a force like Luoshen Peak.

But the man’s aggressive questioning left him uncertain—what was the source of his confidence?

After thoughtful consideration, Fu Qiwén finally looked at Li Muxian and asked:

“What conditions does His Royal Highness want?”

But Li Muxian waved his hand:

“We’ll discuss conditions later. First, tell me why you want to take down Luoshen Peak.”

“Honestly, this approach is a pyrrhic victory—killing a thousand, losing eight hundred. And I don’t believe your Tianjin Guard can eradicate such a massive martial sect.”

Fu Qiwén stared at Li Muxian for a moment, then said:

“Your Royal Highness may not know: for a hundred years, the five nations have been divided, each burdened by martial sects. To secure the borders, one must first stabilize the interior. As long as these sects poison the martial world, how can Da Li ever vie for supremacy under heaven?”

“Thus, His Majesty has long planned to act against Da Li’s martial sects—but due to unstable borders and unfavorable timing, he has only schemed, never acted.”

Li Muxian raised an eyebrow, curiosity in his expression:

“You mean the timing is now ripe? You’re ready to move?”

But Fu Qiwén shook his head:

“We are not ready to move yet.”

Li Muxian frowned, about to speak—but Fu Qiwén sighed and continued:

“In my view, there will never be a perfectly ripe moment. We could strike at any time—but we cannot, because we lack the certainty to destroy them completely.”

“You might as well have said nothing.”

Li Muxian fell silent for a moment, then waved his hand:

“Give me one good reason to wipe out Luoshen Peak. Even if they’re powerful and threaten Da Li’s rule, if they’ve done nothing wrong, kept to their own territory, why should you attack them without cause?”

Hearing this, Fu Qiwén gave a faint, cold laugh:

“Reasons to kill them? There are too many. The case files collected by our Tianjin Guard alone fill over a dozen bookshelves.”

“These so-called martial sects are no longer mere cultivation schools—they’re bandits who seize land and rule as kings. Free from imperial law, they act on whim: bullying the weak, seizing property by force—these are commonplace.”

“Otherwise, how else could these powerful sects grow so swiftly, amassing strength across provinces to rival the court?”

Li Muxian said nothing. He had spent his past fifteen years in Shunan City and had never truly witnessed the reach of martial sects.

On his journey to Shangyang City, he had encountered the Blood Bath Alliance firsthand—enough to make Cang Yin Yue avoid them entirely, detouring far away. This revealed just how dominant martial sects were in Da Li’s lands.

Moreover, though his journey had not revealed the full scope of the martial world, he’d seen how chaotic it was: sects clashed endlessly, bloodshed erupted everywhere.

Beyond Jingzhou, the common people of every province suffered terribly—describing their plight as “the people unable to live” was no exaggeration.

Though Li Muxian knew his own martial cultivation had reached the absolute pinnacle—he was nearly invincible—he also understood that personal strength had limits, and could not change the world’s reality.

Thus, he sought only transcendence in the Dao. The suffering of the common folk? He had no interest, and no power to help.

Perhaps while traveling the martial world, he might intervene against injustice, eradicate tyranny—his power made it effortless.

Sometimes, out of whim, he might even help a small town destroy a local evil force, earning praise and the title of “Great Hero” in the martial world.

But Li Muxian knew it was fleeting: eliminate one sect, and another would soon rise in its place.

One after another, endlessly—impossible to cut off at the root.

(End of Chapter)