Chapter 302: I Am Supreme by Heaven's Mandate!

The covered boat drifted against the wind. Yu Liancheng stood tall on the deck, the river breeze brushing his face, his black robes fluttering and snapping. He appeared indescribably elegant and composed as his gaze swept lightly toward Li Shimin on the giant ship.

The Li Clan's vessel was massive, like a giant beast crouching on the water's surface; even with the occasional wind and waves, it remained as steady as dry land.

Yet, Li Shimin, standing on the deck, felt his body tremble. He felt the other man's gaze was like lightning, as if it had physical substance. It was even more profound than the starry sky, seemingly capable of peering through all the mysteries and Xuanji of the world, including the various thoughts and calculations in his heart.

However, Li Shimin was by no means a simple character. In just a single breath, he had already steadied his mind and laughed aloud: "May I ask if the one opposite is Young Master Yu Liancheng?"

Yu Liancheng said: "It is I. Please, Second Young Master, come down for a chat."

Li Shimin smiled: "With such a kind invitation from Brother Yu, Shimin naturally cannot refuse. Please wait a moment."

He turned to leave the ship, but Li Xiuning grabbed his sleeve, her delicate brows slightly furrowed as she said: "Second Brother, this Yu Liancheng is difficult to distinguish as righteous or evil, and his martial arts are extremely high. If you are alone with him, I fear there may be unforeseen dangers."

"Forgetful Fan" Pei Ji nodded: "Indeed. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. It would be best for Shimin to be careful."

Li Shimin pondered slightly and said: "If one does not enter the tiger's den, how can one catch the tiger's cub? The Dongming Account Book is very likely on this person. If we miss this chance, wouldn't our trip be in vain? And without the account book, it would be too difficult to convince my father to rebel against the Sui. Shimin must go."

Chai Shao frowned: "Why not invite him onto our ship? Then everything would be under our control."

Li Shimin shook his head: "That would lack sincerity. It is better for Shimin to go down and see him. You know my martial arts; even if I am not his match, I still have the ability to escape with my life."

Seeing Li Shimin so stubborn, Pei Ji shook his Folding Fan and said: "Why don't I go down with my nephew? That way, there will be someone to look out for you."

Chai Shao hurriedly said: "I will go too."

Seeing Li Shimin's brows slightly furrowed, as if he wanted to refuse, Li Xiuning said coaxingly: "Second Brother, if you don't let them accompany you, Xiuning won't let go."

Li Shimin gave a wry smile and said: "Fine. In that case, I will trouble Mister Pei and Chai Shao to come with me."

"That puts my mind at ease," Li Xiuning said, letting out a soft breath.

Pei Ji had been famous in the Edo for decades. With the passage of time, his "Forgetful Fan" had become increasingly ethereal and unpredictable. Once deployed, one only saw its intent while forgetting its form; he was a master of martial arts in the Guanzhong region.

And Li Shimin was not only proficient in military strategy, but his own martial arts were also deeply inherited from Li Yuan; he was a man of both literary and martial talent.

Coupled with the not-insignificant martial arts of Chai Shao, even if a sudden situation arose, the three of them working together could handle it with ease.

Li Shimin and the others walked down from the ship, boarded a small boat, and sailed toward the covered boat where Yu Liancheng was.

Yu Liancheng watched the two from afar and said in a loud voice: "Little Li, I only invited you to come up; I did not invite anyone else."

"Forgetful Fan" Pei Ji stood on the small boat, letting the waves strike him, yet his figure remained unmoved. He smiled and cupped his hands: "This old man is 'Forgetful Fan' Pei Ji. Having heard of the great reputation of 'Supreme Brilliance' Young Master Yu, I am filled with admiration and have come specifically to pay a visit. If there is any rudeness, I hope you will forgive me."

Li Shimin also smiled: "Mister Pei Ji has met all the heroes of the world with his 'Forgetful Fan'. He is the supervisor of Jinyang Palace and my father's chess partner; he is not an outsider. I hope Brother Yu will not take offense."

"Nephew Shimin is too kind. My clumsy skills are not worth showing to others, let alone meeting all the heroes of the world." Pei Ji turned to Chai Shao and smiled slightly: "As for martial arts, that will have to be left to Nephew Chai Shao to show off."

Chai Shao hurriedly declined, though his demeanor held a fair amount of self-regard.

Yu Liancheng clapped his hands and laughed: "Good. I also enjoy making friends with the heroes of the world. Mister Pei, Young Master Chai, if you can use your light-body technique to reach my boat now, not only will I not take offense, but I will also hand over the Dongming Account Book."

Li Shimin's eyes brightened: "Is that true?"

Yu Liancheng said lightly: "A gentleman's word is as fast as a whip to a horse."

The three of them looked at each other, their expressions filled with both excitement and a trace of caution.

The covered boat was only five or six zhang away; for experts like them, it could be considered easy.

But since the other party had spoken, he naturally would not let them board easily.

Li Shimin was the first to deploy his light-body technique, tapping lightly on the boat. He crossed the water and landed lightly and nimbly on the covered boat. His light-body technique was indeed not weak.

Yu Liancheng was not the least bit surprised and said: "Good. Please, the next one."

"I'll go!" Chai Shao was eager to show off his skills. He swung his arms, leaping like an eagle. He was extremely fast, clean, and efficient, without a single wasted movement.

Yu Liancheng smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping toward Chai Shao, his divine light brimming.

When Chai Shao met those unfathomable eyes, he felt a momentary trance.

He seemed to see himself fighting on the battlefield, winning every battle, and establishing unparalleled military achievements. Immediately after, he married Li Xiuning, living in blissful, inseparable, and affectionate harmony. How delightful.

But in an instant, this beautiful scene shattered. His army was defeated like a collapsing mountain, and he had reached a dead end. His beloved wife, in order to help him, even went so far as to give herself to the "Young Marshal" Kou Zhong, which made his heart ache as if pierced by knives.

These two extremes of joy and sorrow came too fast. Chai Shao's True Qi went into chaos, his internal organs churned, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, falling from mid-air into the river.

The cold river water finally brought him to his senses, breaking the mirage before his eyes. He thrashed in the water a few times before swimming to the small boat where Pei Ji was.

"Nephew Chai, what happened?" Pei Ji looked at Chai Shao in astonishment.

In the eyes of others, Chai Shao had been in mid-air when he suddenly plunged down.

Chai Shao was circulating his True Qi to steam the river water off his body.

He could feel the astonished gazes of Pei Ji and Li Shimin, and his face burned like fire.

Especially with Li Xiuning on the giant ship, he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

Chai Shao took a deep breath and explained: "This person's eyes are strange; he seems to know some kind of evil martial art. Mister Pei, be careful."

"An Astonishing Glimpse, shaking the human world. I thought it was just a rumor in the Edo; I didn't expect this person to have really cultivated martial arts with his eyes."

Pei Ji muttered to himself, then shook the Folding Fan in his hand and smiled: "Nephew Chai, rest assured. This old man has his own means of dealing with it."

"Chai Shao has been defeated; we can only rely on Mister Pei now."

"It is my pleasure."

After speaking, Pei Ji closed the Folding Fan in his palm and deployed his movement technique, crossing the river with an extremely elegant posture.

His eyes were filled with divine light, and the hand holding the Folding Fan was placed in front of his chest. Even if he could not resist the other party's "Astonishing Glimpse," as long as he sensed something wrong, he could use the Folding Fan to block their gazes from meeting at any time.

Yu Liancheng smiled slightly and turned his palm to strike out. Suddenly, his palm force poured down like a collapsing heavenly river.

Boom!

The river water exploded. Waves were carried by the palm force, rising into the air like dragons and Flood Dragons. They were like True Dragons, baring fangs and brandishing claws, roaring and lunging at Pei Ji.

Pei Ji was terrified, but he was in mid-air and could not move as freely as on flat ground. The Folding Fan in his palm danced, conjuring ethereal and chilling light to meet the water dragons.

With a "Boom," the water dragon shattered the fan's momentum, sending Pei Ji flying sideways. He crashed heavily onto the small boat he had previously ridden, causing it to sway and nearly fall apart.

Chai Shao helped the pale-faced Pei Ji up. Pei Ji spat out a mouthful of blood, his face dim. He managed to cup his hands and said: "Young Master Yu's methods are brilliant. This old man is impressed, truly impressed."

"It seems you don't have the ability to get the Dongming Account Book. What a pity, what a pity." Yu Liancheng shrugged and turned to walk into the boat: "Little Li, come in."

Li Shimin looked at Pei Ji and Chai Shao with concern, a wry smile spilling from the corner of his mouth, and turned to follow Yu Liancheng into the cabin.

"Come, I shall introduce you two." Inside the boat canopy, Yu Liancheng pointed at the charmingly smiling Wanwan and said: "This is the Demon Sect enchantress Wanwan, disciple of the 'Queen of Yin' Zhu Yuyan, and the future successor of the Yin Gui Sect."

Only then did Li Shimin discover there was another person in the cabin, whose appearance was exquisitely peerless, and every frown or smile carried a soul-snatching charm that actually caused even him to feel somewhat shaken.

Upon hearing the keywords "Demon Sect," "Queen of Yin," and Zhu Yuyan's disciple, Li Shimin hurriedly bit the tip of his tongue to sober up, cupped his hands, and said: "Li Shimin of the Li Clan offers his greetings."

Yu Liancheng looked at Wanwan and smiled: "I imagine you already know the identity of this Second Young Master Li, so I might as well reveal a bit more to you. This Second Young Master Li possesses great talent and strategy, knows how to use people well, and is the protagonist of the Cihang Jingzhai's 'Substitute Heaven to Select the Emperor' in the future."

"What!?" The one who let out this exclamation was indeed not Wanwan, but Li Shimin, who said in surprise: "Is Brother Yu joking? Not to mention whether my Li Clan has the qualifications to contend for the world, even if Cihang Jingzhai truly wanted to select someone, it should be my father."

The current Li Shimin did not yet have the spirit of a great lord who had conquered the north and south. His only wish now was for Li Yuan to rebel so as not to be dragged down by the Sui Dynasty.

"It seems Second Young Master Li still underestimates yourself too much; you indeed have the qualifications to become a great lord of the world." Yu Liancheng sighed lightly: "It is just a pity..."

"A pity for what?" Li Shimin frowned and asked.

Yu Liancheng suddenly asked: "Does Brother Li believe in 'God'?"

Li Shimin pondered for a moment and said slowly: "The heavens are high and unfathomable; all things have a set of natural laws of operation that drive the development of everything, which is what is called 'there is naturally a divine will in the dark.' But man is the most unpredictable part of that divine will; as long as one is willing to change and struggle, it is not impossible to change the divine will."

"Good, good, good." Yu Liancheng clapped his hands in praise: "That you, Second Young Master Li, can have such insight truly surprises me. However, my viewpoint is different from yours."

Li Shimin said: "I am all ears."

Yu Liancheng slowly spat out four words: "Heavenly Mandate is Supreme."

This was precisely the name of that song from earlier.

That song was originally sung for Li Shimin to hear.

Li Shimin's brows furrowed slightly: "Shimin truly cannot see how someone like Mister Yu would place the Heavenly Mandate in the highest position."

Wanwan giggled and said: "Because this Uncle Yu of mine fancies himself the 'God,' the Heavenly Mandate is supreme, but he is even higher than the Heavenly Mandate. The Cihang Jingzhai wants to 'Substitute Heaven to Select the Emperor,' yet they didn't ask if he, this 'Supreme Heaven,' agreed."

"Niece Wan, you are truly clever." Yu Liancheng laughed heartily: "I summoned you onto the boat to tell you that the climate of the Great Sui is not yet exhausted, because Heaven wants to extend the life of the Sui; you need not worry about the Li Clan rebelling and tiring yourself out."

Li Shimin's tiger-like eyes flashed: "Are you going to be a paper-paster for the Sui?"

Yu Liancheng's gaze was calm as he said: "You can understand it that way. Compared to rebuilding the world, maintaining the Great Sui is simpler, and the common people need not be displaced or the world plunged into war. With the support of me, the Supreme Heaven, the Li Clan's rebellion against the Sui will surely perish."

Among the Four Great Sects, the other three are not worth worrying about.

Only the Li Clan, with its many soldiers and generals, possession of Taiyuan, and a leader like Li Shimin, would be troublesome if they truly raised an army to rebel, so Yu Liancheng gave a warning in passing.

As for whether it would have any effect, he did not care much; at worst, he would just spend some time suppressing them.

Li Shimin was silent for a moment and said: "Yang Guang acts perversely; there is no telling how many people in the world wish they could eat his flesh, drink his blood, and sleep on his skin. The empire of the Great Sui can by no means be saved by one person."

"Giggle." Wanwan laughed until she shook: "Li Er, don't forget, the one standing in front of you is the Supreme Heaven; he has already transcended the category of humans; he is not a human."

This enchantress appeared to be boasting, but in reality, it contained a mocking tone.

Yu Liancheng snorted coldly and slapped her on her shapely buttocks: "If your Heavenly Demon Energy hadn't yet reached the eighteenth level, I would certainly make you look good."

"Pah, you stinking hooligan, and to think you're still my uncle." Wanwan's pretty face flushed red, and her delicate body shifted backward.

Yu Liancheng smiled: "I am about to take office in Daxing; is Li Er interested in working for me? I think highly of you."

Li Shimin was stunned upon hearing this. It had always been him recruiting others; this was the first time he had been recruited, so he could only cup his hands and say: "Shimin thanks Young Master Yu for your high regard, but the affairs of my Li Clan are busy, and I cannot serve you; I hope you will forgive me."

Yu Liancheng's eyes flickered, and he said meaningfully: "There will always be such a day. How does that saying go? Haha, I remember now: all the heroes of the world shall fall into my snare."

This was a clean and tidy room, and on the bed in the room lay a person.

This person was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, eyes tightly shut, as if in a deep sleep, yet his brows were still tightly furrowed, faintly revealing a look of fear and panic.

Suddenly, the man opened his eyes, let out a miserable wail, stretched out his hands to scratch his body, his eyes bloodshot, acting as if he were insane.

Two slender fingers struck like lightning, sealing his acupoints and causing him to fall into a coma once again.

"What a ruthless method; compared to this, our Sacred Sect can be considered benevolent. Bian Bufu is also considered a generation of Demon Sect giants, yet he has been tortured into this state."

Standing by the bed was a tall woman with skin whiter than snow, eyebrows like emeralds, and peach-blossom cheeks full of spring; no matter how one looked at her, she could not be over twenty-five, charming and alluring.

But if any man were truly taken by her, he would have to weep bitterly.

This woman was called Wen Cai-ting, an Elder-level figure of the Yin Gui Sect. Although she was no longer young, she was skilled in the evil arts of harvesting Yang to supplement Yin, so she still looked young, beautiful, and charming.

A few days ago, Wanwan and Bian Bufu joined forces to deal with Yu Liancheng, but no news had come out for a long time. Wen Cai-ting was nearby, so she immediately rushed over to investigate the matter and found Bian Bufu, who had been washed ashore.

And this evil-doing Demon Sect Elder could not help but be startled when she discovered Bian Bufu.

Bian Bufu was scratched raw from head to toe, with almost no inch of intact skin; he had tortured himself into a state that was barely human. If not for his deep internal energy, he would have long since bled to death.

Just then, a gust of wind blew, and the closed door was blown open.

A white, graceful figure had already drifted into the room, her figure slender and curvaceous, yet radiating infinite charm. It made one unable to help but want to approach her like a moth to a flame and bow down beneath her pomegranate skirt.

"Greetings, Sect Leader." Wen Cai-ting bowed to the newcomer, showing a respectful demeanor.

And who else could it be that could make Wen Cai-ting so respectful, other than the 'Queen of Yin' Zhu Yuyan?

Zhu Yuyan was dressed in layers of snow-white robes, her face covered by a white veil, and her pair of bright eyes, like the night sky, looked at Bian Bufu, her moth-like brows slightly furrowed as she asked: "How is Junior Brother Bian?"

Wen Cai-ting said respectfully: "Elder Bian's body has been implanted by the enemy with a strand of True Qi dominated by Yin and Yang, which is also entangled with twenty or thirty other types of True Qi. Once it flares up, it immediately produces an unbearable itch, and each time is worse than the last. This subordinate is incompetent and unable to resolve the pain for Elder Bian."

Zhu Yuyan's beautiful eyes flashed, and she stepped forward gracefully, pressing her jade hand onto Bian Bufu's wrist, inputting a trace of Heavenly Demon Energy into his body. She soon detected the Yin-Yang True Qi lingering within him.

She circulated her Heavenly Demon Energy, attempting to expel and resolve that strand of Yin-Yang True Qi.

But upon contact, that Yin-Yang True Qi drove the twenty or thirty strands of True Qi to circulate on their own, like a giant millstone, not only dissolving all of the Heavenly Demon Energy but also turning it into nourishment and further strengthening itself.

Zhu Yuyan's moth-like brows furrowed, and she calmed her heart, continuing to transmit Heavenly Demon Energy.

She believed that as long as she spent some effort to understand the principle of this True Qi's operation, she would certainly be able to resolve it.

Time gradually passed, and nearly half an hour had gone by. The room was silent; Zhu Yuyan was drenched in fragrant sweat and had already withdrawn her hand, secretly recovering her True Qi.

Wen Cai-ting asked: "Sect Leader, how is it?"

Zhu Yuyan shook her head and said: "To resolve this True Qi, at least twenty experts who have cultivated the corresponding True Qi must act simultaneously, and one must also distinguish the Yin-soft changes of the True Qi, otherwise it is just a waste of energy."

Wen Cai-ting frowned and said: "I fear this... is not easy..."

Zhu Yuyan sighed: "It is more than just not easy; apart from the person who planted this True Qi, no one else can hope to undo it."

Wen Cai-ting exclaimed: "Then what should be done about Elder Bian?"

Zhu Yuyan's beautiful eyes flashed, but she did not answer.

And just at this moment, Bian Bufu's eyelids trembled and opened once again.

He saw Zhu Yuyan first and could not help but reveal a look of surprise and joy. Immediately after, his body suddenly shuddered as the Life and Death Talisman took effect, the strange itching rushing over him like a tide, and he said tremblingly: "Senior... Senior Sister, quickly save... me..."

Zhu Yuyan looked at Bian Bufu coldly, her pair of beautiful eyes having returned to a state of calm, as if nothing could shake her.

Bian Bufu revealed a sense of terror he had never felt before; he understood his Senior Sister's heart all too well, and his tone carried a sense of begging for mercy and pleading: "Senior Sister... no..."

He only had time to utter three words before Zhu Yuyan waved her jade palm and struck him on the head.

Bian Bufu's body stiffened, his head tilted to the side, and he was already devoid of breath.

Wen Cai-ting looked at Bian Bufu's corpse, sighed in her heart, and could not help but feel a sense of sympathy for a fellow sufferer.

Zhu Yuyan had already flicked her sleeves and left, as if she had merely swatted a fly to death, her cold, clear voice speaking indifferently.

"Bury him, first go and investigate the whereabouts of Yu Liancheng clearly, then summon Elder Pi and the others. This time, I will take action personally; I must capture this person and obtain the secret of the Yang Gong Treasury."