Chapter 439: A Gentleman Should Not Act on Impulse: The Net of Heaven and Earth

【The sky cleared after the rain, exceptionally bright.】

【You just stepped out of the blue stone steps of the Xie Fu's southwest gate. The water dripping from the eaves still tinkled, knocking out a clear sound in the quiet alley.】

【Turning around the high and deep brick wall of Changning Street, you suddenly saw a familiar figure.】

【That Yan Mama from Qimo Chunfang was wearing a high silver-threaded bun, her graceful bearing carrying a bit of the solemnity unique to the palace.】

【The Eldest Princess's maid.】

【The old woman performed a standard palace salute: "Young Master Guan, are you well!"】

【"Mama, what is the matter with coming here?"】

【Yan Mama said, "Her Highness the Eldest Princess ordered this servant to come and inform the Young Master of the news."】

【"This matter is related to those princes of Great Sui, and the young master of the Xie Fu's second courtyard also participated."】

【Her tone carried a bit more worry, "What's more tricky is... the dark stakes found that the Prince of Yan and Prince Feng also met privately with the Great Sui Crown Prince."】

【The words of this Eldest Princess's maid did not exceed your expectations, but you underestimated the determination of those princes to kill you.】

【You looked at Yan Mama and thanked her softly: "Thank you for your trouble, Eldest Princess."】

【Yan Mama continued, "The Eldest Princess also has a word to exhort the Young Master, a gentleman can be deceived by the square."】

【Her tone carried a bit more earnestness, "Young Master Guan has the talent to manage the world, you should know the principle of taking in the sails when the river is narrow and the water is fast, and detouring when the tiger roars in the forest. This old woman dares to speak, the Young Master carries the ambition of a swan, how can you throw away your future for a maid who has no name?"】

【"The Book of Rites says: 'A son of a thousand gold, do not sit under a dangerous wall,' this is the bright teaching of the sages."】

【"In the past, the Gao Zu of Great Qi, when he was lurking, could still hide his light; Emperor Taizong, after experiencing the hatred of killing his brother, endured for many years and finally achieved great things. Today, the Young Master should also temporarily restrain his edge and wait for the opportunity."】

【Speaking of this, she paused slightly, her expression solemn: "The Eldest Princess repeatedly exhorted that this trip is extremely dangerous and may involve a life-and-death disaster. I hope the Young Master will weigh the pros and cons and think twice before acting."】

【"The Eldest Princess is also constrained at this time, really inconvenient"】

【Yan Mama was about to persuade again, "Before the words faded, she saw a figure in green shirt pass by her. 】

【The old woman stood in place, only hearing the youth's clear voice coming with the wind: "Thank the Eldest Princess for her kindness on my behalf. However—"】

【His footsteps did not stop, "My maid has a name and a surname, and her life is not cheap."】

【Yan Mama looked at the back that was gradually going away. She couldn't help but sigh long. In her eyes appeared the scene of startling talent at the Flower Banquet—the young man who wrote five handed-down poems in one go, shocking the entire Above Bianjing literary world, was now risking his life alone for a small maid.】

【"Is this really worth it?" She muttered to herself.】

【On the blue stone road, the youth's figure gradually disappeared into the fireworks of the market alleys.】

【You didn't walk long, just turned the street corner, and a horse with a body of red as fire entered your sight.】

【The horse was extraordinary, pulling a black carriage parked quietly at the intersection, as if it had been waiting for a long time.】

【The horseman pulling the carriage was a dark-skinned peasant, but his aura was several times deeper than the guards you saw at the Xie family, a martial artist of the Upper Three Realms.】

【Just a slight induction, you felt that there was no one in the carriage, but you instinctively knew that there must be someone in the carriage.】

【The person in it, cultivation is profound!】

【In an instant, the aura flowed, and the Nine Swords in the heart and mind all trembled.】

【This is the strongest person you have encountered since the Flower Banquet, after the Demon Master and Master Lianchi, I don't know if he has reached the Great Grandmaster of the world, but he is definitely a person who has reached the Tenth Realm of the Primordial Spirit, the Yang Spirit.】

【The carriage curtain was lifted, and a wide Confucian robe protruded from it, his back hunched like a bow, walking with a stumbling gait.】

【His brows and hair were sparse, his face covered with crisscrossing wrinkles, and when he opened his mouth, only a few scattered yellow teeth could be seen, just like an ordinary old man seen everywhere in the market.】

【Your eyes flashed slightly, you thought for a moment, held your sword and bowed: "Greetings, Master Dongshan."】

【A smile appeared on the old man's withered face, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes stretched out: "Quite clever."】

【His gaze swept over the long sword in your hand, and there was a surging murderous intent hidden in your seemingly calm eyes.】

【"The Eldest Princess, should have told you, who they are?"】

【You nodded, "Already know."】

【The old man stood with his hands behind his back and said slowly, "There are three princes from Great Sui, Eternal Heaven, and the Buddha Kingdom; they are all martial artists of the Upper Three Realms, among whom Liu Yuan has ignited the divine fire, and is even a cultivation of the Ziwei Hengjie."】

【"Not to mention the gate of the mansion, these years have long recruited many masters in Above Bianjing."】

【"Apart from them, there are also two princes of Great Qi today; although they will not take action directly, it is an easy matter for the masters of the Upper Three Realms sent under their command."】

【The red horse snorted, and the old man patted the horse's neck: "If it were just this, it would be fine. But this matter affects the whole body... that person who is high in the court is also behind the scenes."】

【"This trip is extremely dangerous, it is no exaggeration to say it is a dragon's den and a tiger's den... nine deaths and one life, absolutely not false."】

【The old man's eyes condensed, "So the old man advises you, the dispute of anger is not what a gentleman does. Knowing that you will die and still go, a wise man does not do it."】

【"Moreover, even if you get your wish, the Great Qi and the three countries are allied, and you cannot afford the crime of assassinating a crown prince!"】

【"Whether it succeeds or not, there is only one dead end."】

【You listened and remained silent.】

【"Young man, you must know that being too rigid is easy to break." The old man continued to exhort, "As long as you turn and leave today, the old man is willing to guarantee with his life's reputation. Whether it is entering the Academy for further study, or leaving Above Bianjing, it is up to you."】

【"You have already obtained the sword intent inheritance of the Second Master, this vast world, you can roam freely." He said with expectation, "The ancient saying goes, a gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late."】

【"Xie Guan, you have the opportunity to ascend right in front of you, why do you have to bet everything?" The old man's eyes were like torches, "The old man really doesn't want to believe that someone who can get the Second Master's inheritance is such a short-sighted person?"】

【In the small alley, the youth behind the tall carriage had a thoughtful look on his face.】

【West Chamber Building, Smoke Wave Lake.】

【It belongs to one of the three Qingyin small classes of the West Chamber Building—Zixiao Pavilion.】

【The lake is not big, but it is extremely elegant, like a piece of jasper embedded in the prosperity of Above Bianjing, and you can also take a boat to swim.】

【When the breeze blows, the lake surface ripples with fine silver light, reflecting the vermilion railings and painted buildings around.】

【Four arch bridges are like dragons lying on the waves, connecting the four-story building in the middle of the lake with the shore.】

【That exquisite building with flying eaves and upturned corners is the "Tingyu Building," the most praised place among the six buildings in the pavilion, specifically for the Qingguan girls in the pavilion to chant poems and paint, entertain guests and meet friends.】

【On a sunny day, the glazed tiles shimmer with purple-gold halos in the sun, reflecting the reflection in the lake.】

【Today, there was just a heavy rain, and there were only a few small boats and painting boats in the lake, which seemed quite lonely.】

【At this moment, the lake surface is calm, only a few koi occasionally stir the water surface.】

【Inside the Tingyu Building, it is strangely quiet today.】

【In the four-story building, even the usual silk and bamboo sounds have disappeared, only the bronze bells on the eaves are occasionally moved by the wind, making a cold tinkling sound.】

【The highest fourth floor, facing the lake, has a wide view and is an excellent place to enjoy the scenery.】

【At this time, a leisurely voice sounded.】

【"Crown Prince Yuan, do you think Xie Guan will come?"】

【The speaker is a young man dressed in a moon-white Confucian shirt and dressed as a student, with a refined temperament, looking at this building in the Smoke Wave Lake.】

【There are others behind the man.】

【If Xie Guan were here, he would recognize this group of people, they were the ones who shared a boat on the lake in the Grand View Garden.】

【Xue Huaian, two flower queens of Zixiao Pavilion, Liu Zixin and Su Zhirou.】

【Except for these three.】

【There is also a woman holding a sword behind her, the current proprietor of Jinxiu Building, Luo Susu.】

【A middle-aged man in a green shirt with a gossip diagram on the hem, the general rudder master of the Giant Whale Gang, Mei Qingsu.】

【A group of five people, after encountering a disaster at the Xie family last time, the old grandfather of the Xue family was furious and questioned the Xie family.】

【After the You Daoist died, the White Bone Temple, which lost its backing, was uprooted under the siege of the Xue family, Jinxiu Building, and Giant Whale Gang, almost exterminated.】

【After Xue Huaian encountered a disaster last time, the old grandfather of the Xue family was really worried that this direct grandson who finally returned home would have any accidents in Above Bianjing.】

【After thinking about it, he asked Mei Qingsu and Luo Susu to guard for a few days.】

【The two naturally did not refuse—the Xue family had great kindness to them, not to mention that this time it was the old grandfather who personally opened his mouth to entrust them.】

【So for the past month, as long as Xue Huaian went out, the two would definitely follow him.】

【Liu Zixin snorted coldly, "It seems our Young Master Xue knows the Zixiao Pavilion like the back of his hand, and usually doesn't support it less."】

【Xue Huaian looked helpless.】

【Su Zhirou frowned: "It's strange: although Tingyu Building is not as lively as Xuanhua Building, and it doesn't have the silk and bamboo sounds of our Miaoyin Pavilion, it shouldn't be so quiet."】

【The two of them looked at the lake surface at the same time.】

【The painting boats and tourist boats that usually shuttle back and forth were now only a few lonely ones drifting in the lake or docked by the lake.】

【Liu Zixin tilted her head in doubt: "Could it be because of that heavy rain just now, they all went to hide from the rain?"】

【Xue Huaian shook his head: "I'm afraid not. When we came from Miaoyin Pavilion just now, we saw many people going to the building to avoid the rain, and the business was even more lively than usual."】

【Su Zhirou thought: "Could it be that a noble guest came to the building today and cleared the scene for ordinary guests?"】

【"That's not right,"】

【Liu Zixin immediately refuted, "The sisters in the building didn't receive guests today. If a noble guest really visited, Zixiao Pavilion would definitely arrange for flower queens to accompany them, and would never let the guests be alone."】

【She paused and added: "Moreover, we are originally people from Zixiao Pavilion. If there was such a thing, how could we have no news?"】

【Mei Qingsu suddenly frowned and said in a deep voice: "It shouldn't be!"】

【"The situation here is wrong."】

【This statement came out!】

【Luo Susu held the eight-sided Han sword, and had been wandering outside the world, finding it difficult to calm down, and only then slowly came back to her senses.】

【Since the Grand View Garden of the Xie family, everyone's heart had been like a bird startled by the bow.】

【"Like the light of the moon, to observe the Canghai..."】

【For this month, she chewed on the artistic conception of that sword every day, and even the sword skills she had practiced diligently since childhood were abandoned. Every time she held the sword, she only felt boring. She had practiced hard for twenty years, but she couldn't compare to someone else's casual sword.】

【Since hard work is a sword, and not hard work is a sword, what is the meaning of this hard work day after day for decades?】

【The youth's face also lingered in her mind.】

【At this moment, hearing Mei Qingsu speak, she was surprised.】

【The battle in the Grand View Garden had long made everyone like a bird startled by the bow.】

【Liu Zixin and the two women didn't speak again, but looked at the Smoke Wave Lake with the eyes of several people.】

【Today is indeed strange!】

【Luo Susu's eyes narrowed, sweeping like a sword edge, and suddenly said in a low voice: "There is an ambush in the lake! It's a master!"】

【At the same time!】

【Xue Huaian also seemed to feel something, his Primordial Spirit moved slightly, and his gaze looked around with shimmering waves.】

【Passersby occasionally passed by the lake shore, but they were all in a hurry, and the coming and going were abnormally sparse.】

【At the intersection in the distance, shadows could be vaguely seen blocking, intercepting many pedestrians.】

【Some pedestrians seemed to have a flash of inspiration, bypassing this lake shore from afar, just like mortals instinctively avoiding desolate graves and wild tombs, and fierce places.】

【Mei Qingsu and Luo Susu looked at each other, and both of their faces sank.】