Chapter 129: Heroes of the Wilderness

Your Highness, since you and the crown prince have important matters to discuss, I'll take my leave first.

After saying that, Hei Ming was about to leave.

It's fine, Yang Jun is here too; summon all the experts you've recruited and let him see how these wilderness experts compare to the capable hands in the army—just how great the gap is.

Since Lady Yun Fengyue has given an order, Hei Ming certainly cannot refuse.

He clapped his hands, and three men in tight-fitting attire walked in from outside.

I am Lin Tianxing.

The first to introduce himself was a man with a lecherous look, his eyes flashing with a vicious gleam.

I am Zhao Fu.

Next came a man who appeared gentle and charitable, an old man.

Lastly, there was a middle-aged man with an upright appearance.

He stepped forward and clasped his hands in salute.

I am Mu Nianhe.

Yang Jun sized up the three men before him, trying hard to remember the details about them from the original book.

This Mu Nianhe seems sparsely recorded, yet he is a ruthless operative, a big‑shot figure.

You three, spar here; the victor will surely receive a great reward.

Yun Fengyue spoke, ordering that the three men before her were the experts Hei Ming had recruited for her.

But she wants them trained into death‑sworn warriors.

After all, what she intends to do is too dangerous.

Those coming from the martial world, sent to carry out such deeds, will surely leave the target unable to discern their identities.

【What does this woman want? To have the people she recruited come out and perform, merely to intimidate me? Or to display her own strength?】

Yang Jun wore a deep‑thought expression; Yun Fengyue, this woman, is profound—truly very profound!

【Or perhaps she is doing this now to demonstrate her trust in me?】

【Otherwise, how could she present such a matter as a display for my sake?】

【Hei Ming is her important figure—what exactly is the purpose of doing this?】

【Could it be that, in her view, my seeing these secrets here amounts to joining a pirate ship, making me one of her own?】

Yun Fengyue glanced at Yang Jun, saying no more about these matters.

Anyway, Yang Jun cannot see through himself, so this is better.

What she wants is control; occupying true leadership in these matters is what she ought to have.

The three before us are all tough characters; since the Elder Princess proposed the contest, they will naturally chase each other, unwilling to yield easily.

Being able to display one's strength before Yun Fengyue is, of course, the best possible.

Among the three, it was a great melee.

Lin Tianxing attacked Zhao Fu with his knife while also guarding against Mu Nianhe.

Zhao Fu and Mu Nianhe performed similarly.

No one was merely attacking a single opponent or defending against one; each had to deal with both adversaries at once.

Yang Jun watched the three before him, his heart greatly shocked.

Now, each of these three individuals' strength surpasses my own!

Even if I rely on the Divine Skill of Retrieving Spilled Water to rise to the fifth rank, I still cannot defeat them.

Mu Nianhe's sword occasionally lashed out at Lin Tianxing and Zhao Fu; he seemed eager, very much wanting to defeat both.

Zhao Fu, like his outward appearance, is ordinary yet passable, and his movements are the same.

He appears casual and composed, yet he blocks every attack directly.

The three exchanged blows back and forth—how enjoyable!

But for a moment, the three seemed evenly matched; none could in one strike defeat the other two simultaneously.

I don't know if it was because they couldn't break through after prolonged attack, but Mu Nianhe shook his right hand, brandished his long sword, and a powerful sword energy burst forth.

However, because he executed it too hastily, the sword qi surged forward, yet a gust of wind rushed toward Yang Jun.

Seeing this, Mu Nianhe was startled, hastily lashed out with another sword, and fortunately shattered that strand of sword energy.

Yang Jun remained seated, seemingly not reacting, merely showing a faint shock on his face.

Hei Ming saw this and looked uneasy.

"Your Highness the Elder Princess, please forgive me; this was merely an accident!"

"If the accident injures one's own people, it's not an accident; haven't you properly vetted these people beforehand?"

Yun Fengyue coldly rebuked, cutting off Hei Ming's words.

"Your Highness, please calm your anger!"

Hei Ming, uneasy, his knees went weak; with a thud he knelt down on the ground.

At that moment, the three also stopped.

Lin Tianxing wore a look of disdain, glaring at Mu Nianhe.

Zhao Fu, meanwhile, looked uneasy; before him were all important figures, and now this slip‑up would not end well.

As for Mu Nianhe, forget about rewards—his very life might not be spared.

At this point, Yang Jun finally recalled: the worried‑looking Mu Nianhe before him would later become one of the truly strongest individuals, on par with his own father.

Having realized this, he turned his gaze to the furious Yun Fengyue.

Amid a smile, he instead clapped his hands.

"Good, very good—such free command of release and restraint is rare in the world; congratulations, Elder Princess, on obtaining such talent."

Besides, those two are also true masters; masters like that, even the Prince's Mansion doesn't have any.

Yang Jun's words caused Yun Fengyue's anger to dissipate.

At this moment, what she worried about was whether this mishap would ruin the cooperation she had hoped for with Yang Jun.

Now it seems Yang Jun didn't care at all.

Mu Nianhe, meanwhile, was stunned.

He had a thought, and in his distraction, he almost injured Yang Jun.

But this Heir Apparent not only didn't get angry, he even spoke up for me; this surprised him greatly—do important people really have such broad minds?

Lin Tianxing and Zhao Fu both let out a sigh of relief.

Hei Ming once again looked gratefully at Yang Jun; these people were recruited by him, and if Yang Jun blamed them, he feared he would be the first to suffer.

"Oh? It seems you admire him; then this swordsman is yours."

Yun Fengyue observes people keenly; she could naturally see that Yang Jun admired Mu Nianhe.

But Yang Jun shook his head.

Treating people as commodities, he seemed unable to do that.

"No, the three masters are free agents; they have attached themselves to you, Elder Princess, so I certainly can't take them from you."

"But making friends is fine, after all, now everyone belongs to the Elder Princess."

Yang Jun's words instead made Yun Fengyue even more surprised, and also somewhat interested.

"Really? When did you become mine?"

【No way, a dignified Elder Princess actually playing word games, using these lines to trap me?】

Yang Jun's inner voice made Yun Fengyue tremble slightly.

His fingers slid over the hair at his forehead, thereby concealing his every move.

But his fingers ended up pulling out a strand of hair.

Hei Ming, truly Yun Fengyue's confidant, upon seeing this, immediately cupped his fists toward Yun Fengyue and Yang Jun, then led the three recruits he had brought away.