Chapter 55

What are you spacing out for? Tonight you managed to save everyone from my Yang Family—thanks a lot. What's your relationship with that senior master named Li Zhangsheng?

Yang Hongyue suddenly spoke up; she had hesitated on this question for a long time, and now she couldn't help but ask.

If I had to say, he's basically my master. I contacted him before coming to rescue people; with his speed, he must have already arrived in Jingcheng.

At the time I was just trying to shout a bit; I didn't expect him to actually show up. I never thought he'd come so fast, so I made all those plans, but in the end all my scheming couldn't compare to a master's wave.

I see. As for masters, I know a bit too—I'd never heard of a master named Li Zhangsheng before; he seemed like a reclusive senior expert.

No wonder you have such formidable strength—though you're only Sixth Grade, you can kill a Seventh-Rank Expert in one strike; this must be thanks to Senior Li's teaching.

At this moment, Yang Hongyue dropped her usual habit of bickering with Shen Tianxing—something even Shen Tianxing wasn't used to—and he had already guessed the reason behind it.

Congratulations, Host, your Martial Dao Realm has reached Sixth Grade Sixth Layer, triggering a random skill upgrade: True Eye of Reality upgraded, adding the main skill Truth-or-False Judgment.

The main skill of True Eye of Reality, Truth-or-False Judgment, lets you observe the person you're speaking with by gathering your qi and focusing your spirit to determine whether they're telling the truth. Using it consumes Killing Value: 100 points per hour, and any fraction of an hour counts as a full hour.

Suddenly this prompt sounded, and Shen Tianxing was a bit surprised—he had reached Sixth Grade Sixth Layer several hours ago, so why did a skill upgrade come now all of a sudden?

Still, this Truth-or-False Judgment is quite useful—at least Shen Tianxing no longer needs to rack his brains to figure out whether the person he's talking to is sincere or not.

Thinking this, Shen Tianxing immediately chose to use the Truth-or-False Judgment skill, consuming 100 points of Killing Value, then turned his head to look at Yang Hongyue.

You wouldn't be thinking of becoming my disciple and calling yourself my junior sister, would you? Too bad my master doesn't take apprentices, but if you marry me, it's pretty much the same as being his disciple—I can have him teach you a few moves whenever he has time, and you'll benefit endlessly.

Once again Shen Tianxing guessed her thoughts, leaving Yang Hongyue speechless—who would have thought that Yang Tieqiang, who had just been sleeping soundly, would suddenly snap his eyes open and slap his thigh.

Fine, marry him, Hongyue—I approve this match. Once we reach a safe place, Grandfather will decide and you'll marry him. His name is Shen Tianxing, right? He's a fine young man.

Yang Tieqiang, acting as the matchmaker, woke up just in time, leaving Yang Hongyue dazed—does this count as settled? A life-saving debt must be repaid with one's body, but don't drag me into it.

Grandfather, but he already has a wife—the lady right beside him.

Truth-or-False Judgment: Yang Hongyue's words are true!

The System Prompt suddenly came out with that, and Shen Tianxing felt a mix of laughter and tears. He could tell that himself; no reminder needed.

Yang Hongyue was actually quite happy inside, but she still wanted to put up a fight—just playing hard to get.

What's the big deal? I, your grandfather, loved your grandmother devotedly, yet I also took two Side Wives and three concubines—all to help the Yang Family branch out.

This young man has done the Yang Family a life-saving favor; at a glance he's no ordinary pond fish—someday he'll surely rise to great heights, and being a Side Wife wouldn't be a disgrace for you.

Yang Tieqiang wore a solemn expression, making Yang Hongyue even more dazed—shouldn't she be fighting for the position of Eldest Wife? After all, she's a general, after all.

Old General, you're so open-minded—I'll definitely treat Hongyue well.

You still call him Old General—what's so hard about calling him Grandfather? Or do you think that saving the old man makes your status higher than his?

Yang Tieqiang affected a tone, though he kept a smile on his face. Shen Tianxing naturally understood—this was just putting on an act.

Grandfather, but I think calling him Old Man Yang feels more intimate.

Alright, do as you like—you can entrust Hongyue to me, but you also need to speak frankly with the old man. First, stop the carriage so your wife and Hongyue can get out; the old man wants to talk to you alone.

Grandfather, what's there that you can't say in front of me?

Shen Tianxing had the carriage stop, and Yang Hongyue couldn't help but ask; meanwhile, Qin Mingyue glanced at Shen Tianxing, who gave a slight nod, whereupon she obediently stepped down from the carriage.

Stop fooling around—you're about to get married. Learn from Shen Tianxing's Eldest Wife, be a bit more obedient, hurry up and get down, and go farther away; don't even think about eavesdropping.

Yang Hongyue was left speechless by Yang Tieqiang's words, could only glare fiercely at Shen Tianxing, and unwillingly got down from the carriage.

Shen Tianxing, it's obvious that Hongyue likes you—I don't know how you managed to win my granddaughter's heart, but you certainly have that ability.

The old man doesn't beat around the bush—you went to great trouble to come save him, and even brought in a senior master to help; this isn't just for Hongyue, is it?

Tell the old man honestly—what are you really after? Are you aiming to exploit the internal chaos of the Great Zhou and seize its throne, or are you planning to pick a suitable person from the Imperial Family to crown as the Great Zhou emperor, thereby helping him secure the realm and reach the pinnacle of ministerial power?

Yang Tieqiang has fought for the country for many years and stood firm in the court for just as long; his talent for seeing into people's hearts may not match Sun Zhongquan's old fox level, but it's still clearer than that of ordinary civil and military officials.

Shen Tianxing certainly couldn't say this was a system task, so he naturally had to come up with a plausible excuse—whether he could speak openly required consideration, so he fell silent for a moment before speaking.

Since Old Man Yang asked that, I'd also like to ask him a question first: what's his view on the present Great Zhou?

When dealing with an old man like Yang Tieqiang, one should turn the guest into the host; moreover, Shen Tianxing has the True Eye of Reality as a judgment tool, and having spent those hundred Killing Value points, he might as well make full use of it—so he also shifted the True Eye's judgment onto Yang Tieqiang.

You little brat are pretty sharp, but telling you this now doesn't matter—the emperor is already dead, and the Imperial Family is no longer concerned with legitimacy or illegitimacy.

I, the old man, promised the former emperor that I would assist the emperor no matter what; I've kept that promise, nearly losing my family's lives in the process, and now the Great Zhou Imperial Family has nothing to do with me.

You, young man, can speak your mind freely—the emperor wasn't exactly a wise ruler, and after his death, even the crown prince, who might have been a bit better, followed him to the grave.

Nowadays, whether it's Sun Zhongquan or any other Imperial Family member taking the throne, it's no good for the Great Zhou—if you really have any ideas, on this trip you shouldn't go to Jiangzhou; instead, go straight through Jiangzhou to Leizhou.

Yang Tieqiang is making it clear to Shen Tianxing: if you have any ideas about the Great Zhou realm, speak them freely—the old man will surely support you, and he's even found you a good place to start an uprising.

Shen Tianxing smiled but hadn't yet replied when the System Prompt sounded in his ear.

True Eye of Reality judgment: Yang Tieqiang's words are all sincere and genuine!