Chapter 84: Pretense, Ambition

Fang Xu chuckled, clasped his hands, and said flatteringly:

"It's all thanks to the Heir Apparent's guidance."

"I'll go inform the visitors right away and wait for the Heir Apparent's arrangements."

Li Xun waved his hand and said, "Go."

"During this time, no martial artists have disturbed the Hall of Far-reaching, right?"

Fang Xu hastily clasped his hands and said, "With the Heir Apparent and Your Highness giving the word, those martial artists wouldn't dare disturb the Hall of Far-reaching even if they had the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard!"

A hint of a smile appeared on Li Xun's face: "That's natural, alright, go."

Fang Xu clasped his hands and left.

After returning to the Hall of Far-reaching, he briefly told Madam Wang about the work, and Madam Wang was very happy.

She too was a strong-willed woman by nature; otherwise she wouldn't have married Wang Ergou back then.

With a new source of income, she wouldn't be like a leech, sucking Fang Xu's blood.

In the evening, Xing Rong found a good inn in town, arranged her lodging, and then came again to the Hall of Far-reaching to ask for Li Xun the Heir Apparent's reply.

Fang Xu conveyed Li Xun's meaning to her; Xing Rong was delighted, immediately bowed respectfully to Fang Xu, and said that once the Blood Food Stall opened, she would prepare a great gift for him.

Time flew by, and two days passed.

That morning, Fang Xu woke from his cultivation, directly picked up the Gold Silk Soft Armor beside him, began to mobilize the power stored in his Aperture Secret Storage, and tried to store the armor inside.

Black energy surged forth, and the Gold Silk Soft Armor instantly vanished from his hand.

Success!

Fang Xu happily looked at the Gold Silk Soft Armor floating within the Fourth Aperture Space, his expression suddenly froze!

This Gold Silk Soft Armor, which I had once punched and left slightly deformed and damaged, upon just entering the Aperture Space, was slowly recovering under the influence of a mysterious power.

Not bad, not bad!

Seeing this, Fang Xu became even happier.

His consciousness withdrew from the Aperture Secret Storage, and he immediately went to the training ground in the courtyard to begin cultivating.

After running through the Nine Ape Staff Technique once, he felt his whole body relaxed, with a sensation of sweating profusely.

Smack!

Smack!

……

Just as he was about to put away his staff and head back to wash his face, a faint applause came from the main gate of the Hall of Far-reaching.

Fang Xu turned his head, saw Li Xun at the gate, and immediately clasped his hands: "Greetings, Heir Apparent."

After paying his respects, Fang Xu's expression suddenly changed!

Yun Wan had previously instructed that Li Xun must never see Chu Mu!

At this time, Fang Xu guessed that Chu Mu should already be up, and Lu Qingluo probably was as well.

Lu Qingluo's looks are no inferior to Chu Mu's; if Li Xun were to see both of them……

Seeing Fang Xu bowing his body and not moving, Li Xun slightly frowned and said, "What's the matter? Won't you invite this Heir Apparent to come in and sit?"

Fang Xu straightened up, somewhat hesitant: "This……"

Seeing him want to speak but stop, seeming not to intend to let him enter the inner courtyard, Li Xun turned his head and glanced inside.

The morning light shone upon a girl sitting in a wheelchair; she turned the wheels, then struggled to stand up, the stubbornness on her pretty face making one's heart ache.

Li Xun froze.

"Heir Apparent…" Following Li Xun's gaze, Fang Xu saw that Chu Mu had already gotten up, and his heart sank to the bottom of the valley.

Li Xun ignored him and walked straight toward the inner courtyard.

In the inner courtyard, Lu Qingluo had just risen to practice spear technique; seeing Li Xun approach, her expression also suddenly changed!

Fang Xu followed behind Li Xun, wanting to stop him, yet afraid of completely angering him.

"The meridians in both legs are completely ruined; trying to stand will entail great suffering." Looking at Chu Mu, Li Xun said lightly.

Chu Mu raised his head, curiously sizing up the Li Xun before him, who seemed like a child, then looked toward Fang Xu, as if asking, "Who is this person?"

Fang Xu forced himself to say, "Mu, quickly pay respects to the Heir Apparent."

"Heir Apparent, this is my younger sister."

Upon hearing Li Xun's identity, Chu Mu immediately felt a bit fearful and wanted to bow, but his body swayed as if about to collapse.

Li Xun flashed forward, supported her, and said, "No need for excessive courtesy."

Chu Mu gratefully sat in the wheelchair, then looked at Li Xun and said, "In reply to Your Highness, I feel that since there is hope of recovery, I must give it a try."

"Who would willingly spend a lifetime as a cripple, looked down upon by others?"

Li Xun momentarily dazed, his mind not only recalling the hardships he had endured these years for cultivating martial arts.

Born a dwarf, he had been looked down upon and mocked since childhood.

His father had summoned many physicians and martial arts masters, all of whom declared that, due to his physique, cultivating martial arts would be very difficult for him.

But he refused to give up, hiding it from his father and everyone else, enduring great pain each day to temper himself; finally, after stepping into the Martial Apprentice stage, his talent emerged.

Taking advantage of his small stature, he cultivated assassination arts, and from then on advanced rapidly; now, at twenty years old, he has reached Martial Master Consummation, becoming a once-in-a-century martial arts prodigy of the Yu State.

"He has a heart that refuses to be ordinary—excellent." Having regained his composure, Li Xun praised him, then turned to Fang Xu and said, "You blocked this Heir Apparent for the sake of these two, didn't you?"

Fang Xu dared not speak.

Li Xun gave a faint smile and said, "It must be that Yun Wan and you have been spreading many rumors about this Heir Apparent, right?"

Fang Xu hastily shook his head: "Miss Yun has never spoken ill of the Heir Apparent to me!"

Li Xun dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

He glanced at Chu Mu, then turned his head to face the rising morning sun and fell into contemplation.

After a long while—

At first, my brothers never regarded me as an opponent, and they didn't even treat me as a person.

After the rise of martial arts, they sensed the danger and began repeatedly targeting me.

After experiencing multiple assassinations, I realized a principle: when one's strength is not strong enough to overwhelm the whole situation, one must feign weakness to the enemy.

So I became murderous, lustful, violent... In short, to outsiders I am a madman whose psyche is twisted due to my own flaws.

Li Xun said, slowly turning to look at Fang Xu: "Everyone in Central Land knows that my relations with most officials in the court and with all factions in Central Land are poor."

Because I snatched their daughters, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters, and abused them to death!

I want them to hate me; only the more they hate me, the safer I am.

Li Xun rarely spoke of his past to Fang Xu.

Heir Apparent...

Fang Xu clasped his hands in salute, and for a moment didn't know what to say.

From Li Xun's perspective, being born into the royal family means being in a vortex; wanting to become stronger is fine, wanting to protect oneself is fine, but to protect oneself by killing and sullying oneself is somewhat excessive.

Alright, this matter I, the Heir Apparent, have only told you; if it gets out, it will ruin my plans, you know the consequences.

Having regained his usual indifference, Li Xun spoke lightly.

Fang Xu's heart jolted, and he immediately clasped his hands and said: "Heir Apparent, rest assured, this junior will keep his mouth shut like a sealed bottle!"

"What about the Xing family?" Li Xun changed the topic and said: "Take me to see him, Heir Apparent."

……

The tavern in the town.

After Fang Xu introduced Li Xun's identity to Xing Rong, Xing Rong respectfully saluted: "I, your servant, pay my respects to the Heir Apparent."

After glancing at Xing Rong, Li Xun frowned and said: "You are neither the Xing family's legitimate heir nor its head; what use is there in seeing me, Heir Apparent?"

Having said that, he rose and prepared to leave.

A minor figure of the Xing family cannot represent the Xing family; he simply couldn't be bothered to waste time with her.

Seeing this, Xing Rong became a bit anxious and immediately said: "As long as the Heir Apparent is willing to help, I may yet have a chance to become the Xing family's legitimate heir or its head!"

These words made Li Xun's steps pause slightly; he slowly turned to look at her.

Xing Rong hastily dropped to one knee and said: "Heir Apparent, if you do not abandon me, I, your servant, am willing to follow your lead."

Looking at the woman kneeling before him, Li Xun smiled.

Having ambition is good, but one also needs strength.

Tell me, what is your situation in the Xing family now?

Xing Rong hastily rose, laying out all the forces she had schemed over the years, aiming to move Li Xun, this investor, to invest in her.

(End of chapter)