Chapter 113

Hearing the voices of the palace guards outside, Bu Jun's eyes flashed with sharpness; he said, "Time is short—we'll speak plainly. After the Grand Sacrifice, you must leave Chen immediately. The Chen Huang feigns benevolence but is inwardly cruel and suspicious."

"At this moment, with so many factions present at the Grand Sacrifice, he must maintain the image of a benevolent emperor and won't pursue many matters—but once it's over, he'll remember them all, and you'll be in danger."

Li Guanyi said, "I already planned to leave this place."

"I'm going to the Eighteenth Province of Jiangnan."

Bu Jun said, "Good. I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you then."

Bu Jun lit a fire-starter and burned the silk map to ashes; the firelight reflected in his eyes, and the young man's gaze burned: "You go to Jiangnan, but you must not stay long. Though the Jiangnan clans are safe, Murong Longtu dominates the world with ruthless authority—he'll only treat you as a clan scion to be protected."

"The steppes and the Western Regions are where heroes spread their wings."

Li Guanyi asked, "Where are you going, Mr.?"

"Me?"

Bu Jun grinned and said, "I just said—every nation has its flaws."

"Ying has strong armies and horses, a renowned monarch, three divine generals, and countless others whose names rank among the top hundred on the Divine General List. The Central Plains' martial world thrives; the court is frugal and nurtures the people, brimming with mighty spirit. The only problem? That emperor is very old."

"No matter how heroic, one cannot defy time."

"Even wine pools and meat forests cannot exhaust the hero's spirit as time does—and worse, he has two sons, both equally outstanding: one, a benevolent ruler trained to govern with mercy; the other, a fierce and defiant warlord prepared to subdue a still-unsettled realm."

"And the most perfect twist? The world's number-one divine general—the current Grand Tutor of Ying—is gone."

"The remaining two of the top five divine generals each chose a prince."

"Yuwen Lie serves the Crown Prince; the other, He Ruo Qinhu, belongs to the Second Imperial Prince's faction."

"This is Ying's flaw. I offer my congratulations to Your Highness—"

Bu Jun bowed, and softly said:

"After the Grand Sacrifice, I will enter Ying with the Seven Kings of the Turkic. This time, I shall split the steppe into Eastern and Western branches, and incite Ying's succession war—so that the Western Regions collapse, the Turkic split, and Ying descends into chaos."

"This body shall prove that the Bu Jun lineage remains the strongest among all strategists and masterminds under heaven."

He lifted his gaze—still blazing like fire.

This was the true strategy of the Bu Jun lineage: entering alone as the first blade to tear apart this chaotic age.

Eight hundred years ago, that generation of Bu Jun entered a city with only eight men and the warlord.

Ten men. One hour. Killed the city lord, seized the city.

Then gave the warlord his first foothold.

Li Guanyi said, "... Be careful."

Bu Jun said, "When the world stirs with wind and clouds, that's when heroes rise. In chaos, clinging to rules only makes you like the Regent and your father—destroyed by villains using those very rules. When the world truly collapses, when wind and clouds surge—"

"That's when you rise from the ground and claim the world."

"Wind follows the tiger; clouds follow the dragon."

"You once said: 'Add flowers to brocade, deliver charcoal in snow.'"

The handsome young man smiled, his narrow eyes like unsheathed blades: "Tell me, is what I'm doing adding flowers to brocade—or delivering charcoal in snow?"

He brushed his sleeves, sniffed the air thick with blood and fire, and turned to leave.

His back to Li Guanyi, he said: "A tiger needs wind to tear apart the fog ahead, and the wind wishes to accompany the tiger and witness a vaster future."

"Let me be the one to lift the corner of this chaotic age!"

"Then let you step onto the world."

"I only wonder—how will posterity record me?"

"As a treacherous minister stoking chaos? Or a heartless mastermind?" He raised his head to the sky and sneered: "Who cares?"

Bu Jun strode out, and instantly his face shifted to a tense yet composed expression; he hurried inside, calling: "Your Highness, the Seven King."

Though Yuwen Lie had just fought fiercely against the Turkic.

Yet the five kings crushed by Yuwen Lie themselves sought to seize the lands held by the Seven King.

Now both were honored guests of Chen, exchanging cups and drinking merrily. Though the steppes had strong liquor, it differed from Central Plains wine: Central Plains' fine wine was soft on the tongue, sweet, and when one felt something amiss and tried to breathe fresh air, one collapsed instantly, unconscious.

That was the "Wind-Knocked-Down."

The feast ended; reeking of alcohol was no way to treat guests. The Ying Crown Prince had gone to freshen up.

The Seven King was thoroughly drunk when Bu Jun rushed over. Confused, he raised his cup and laughed: "Didn't you go for a ride? How'd you return so fast? Hahaha! Still thirsty, aren't you?"

"Come, come—let me refill your cup."

"Drink it all."

Bu Jun bowed and said, "Your Highness, did you hear that noise just now?"

The Seven King, drunk, mumbled: "Noise? It sounded like... a dragon's roar. This is the Chen imperial palace—we're outsiders. The Chen Huang probably can't hold on. What did you find?"

Even drunk and sluggish, the Seven King remained sharp.

Bu Jun said, "Someone broke into the palace."

The Seven King's eyes flashed with sharpness; his inner Qi surged, the alcohol vanished instantly. His right hand rested on his curved blade: "Who?"

Bu Jun said, "Yue Qianfeng."

The Seven King said, "Chen's top infantry general."

He asked, "Is this about Yue Pengwu?"

"Did you encounter that brute? Were you hurt?"

Bu Jun recounted what had just happened: "The palace guards chased him. It was alarming but no real danger. Coincidentally, I was driving Your Highness's carriage at the time. Yue Qianfeng couldn't tell if there were any experts inside, so he didn't want to complicate things—he just hurled his Jinwu Guards at me to delay me, then left."

The Seven King said, "You came here specifically to tell me this—does that mean the Jinwu Guards are unusually significant?"

"Still, I've heard Chen's Jinwu Guards are only appointed from noble families. Which noble scion is it?"

Bu Jun answered: "The Xue family. Li Guanyi."

Po Jun replied: "Xue family, Li Guanyi."

The Seventh Prince's eyes glinted slightly; he set down his cup and said, "That's the one we saw before—the one of the Three Great Merchants of the Realm, the most outstanding among the Xue family?" He was no fool; after Po Jun spoke these words, he fell silent.

Too many words invite error, yet the Seventh Prince immediately realized this was an opportunity.

"An opportunity to cultivate good relations with the Xue family."

"We must build our own tents on the steppe—Father will never agree. They'll block our trade routes, forbidding the nomadic tribes of the steppe from coming here to trade furs. But if we can befriend a great merchant from the Central Plains, we'll have another path."

"Then Father and his kind can't hold us back."

"Hahahaha, Mr., you truly are my lucky star."

The Seventh Prince extended his arm and embraced the young man beside him, laughing heartily.

Po Jun said, "So, Seventh Prince, you…"

The Seventh Prince drained several cups of wine, his brow lifting as he said:

"No matter what consequences follow, I don't care what the Chen Huang will do after the Great Sacrifice. This favor from the Xue family must be secured in truth: a brave Gold Guard was rescued by my Turkic warriors, then brought back for protection."

"Highlighting our merit will make negotiations with the Xue family easier."

Po Jun smiled inwardly and smoothly said:

"If so, we must open a trade route through the Western Regions."

The Turkic Seventh Prince said, "Naturally!"

Po Jun smoothly completed this step—and made the Western Regions even more chaotic. Once the Seventh Prince's trade route with the Xue family opens, it means Li Guanyi, even if stranded in the Western Regions, can openly receive support and supplies from the Xue Merchants' Guild.

And in this, the Seventh Prince also gained benefit, advancing it naturally.

The Seventh Prince strode out, lifted the curtain of his carriage, and smelled the thick stench of blood. Li Guanyi had already shattered his own meridians, making them appear in a fainting state—actually feigning unconsciousness, ready to awaken at the first sign of trouble.

The Seventh Prince, forged in the blood of battle, saw the boy's shattered armor and the blood upon it, and his expression turned solemn. "Such marks… come from a bloody battle."

"I thought a great clan like the Xue family would never produce such valor. I was wrong."

"Even the watery grasses of Jiangnan can nurture heroes like this."

He honored the warrior, laid down his curved blade, and personally lifted the youth into the tent, summoning a Turkic steppe healer to treat him, while dispatching his guards to communicate with the Chen imperial palace's Forbidden Guards.

He demanded absolute evidence for the event: "Turkic Seventh Prince scares away General Yue Qianfeng and rescues Xue family's Li Guanyi"—so every angle was covered, withstands scrutiny.

General Yue Qianfeng's strength was immense. If he entered the palace and breached those forbidden zones…

Or if he refused to adapt, fought to the death—he would die inside the palace.

But such a master, if he chose to leave, could not be stopped by ordinary Forbidden Guards; only top-tier experts could pursue him. And worse—right now, the vicinity of the Chen imperial palace was filled with nobles from other states. These royal experts could never afford to leave the palace at this moment.

If this was a ploy to lure them away—if the real target was the great figures of other states, like the Imperial Prince of Ying or the Turkic Seventh Prince—then even if they killed Yue Qianfeng, returning would not absolve their crimes.

"That damn soldier is truly sneaky!"

Chen Chengbi, a Chen royal expert, could only glare furiously as Yue Qianfeng, having taken another blow, laughed and vanished. Suppressing his rage, he turned back toward the palace—then heard the news, found Li Guanyi, and hurried over.

Arriving, he saw the Turkic Seventh Prince seated with commanding ease. The steppe healer and Chen imperial physician had both arrived. The Gold Guard general had also come, questioning Li Guanyi about his condition. Li Guanyi did not reveal the full truth—only that he had witnessed strange phenomena at the Fire Qilin Palace.

The Gold Guard general asked, "Did you enter the Fire Qilin Palace?"

The Bai Hu spiritual form reacted instinctively.

Li Guanyi sensed a hidden killing intent and answered, "No."

"My strength is insufficient. I intended to report to my superiors and resolve this—but I encountered the traitor Yue Qianfeng attacking his own comrade. Night Bu Yi can testify."

Hearing this, the Gold Guard general exhaled inwardly in relief and continued comforting the boy.

Seeing Chen Chengbi arrive, he bowed: "Greetings, Third Uncle."

The Gold Guard general was of royal blood, ranked as the current emperor's younger brother. Chen Chengbi waved his hand. "No need for formalities here."

"Old man here to see how this young one fares."

The old man stepped beside Li Guanyi and placed his hand on his wrist.

A vast, unstoppable qi surged into Li Guanyi's body—then Chen Chengbi's expression changed slightly. He felt a scorching, fiery qi lurking within Li Guanyi's organs, devouring his own input, even preparing to counterattack.

Chen Chengbi said, "Chilong Fire Qi."

He sighed. "Yue Qianfeng had no good intentions."

"He likely hates you deeply. This Chilong Fire Qi, once inside you, may erupt at any moment—damaging your lungs and organs, burning your blood."

The old man's expression was complex. He was a pure martial cultivator, born into the imperial family, yet too distantly related to inherit power—so he devoted himself solely to martial cultivation. He felt sorrow for the boy's future, muttering, "Burning the bloodline until death from blood exhaustion is minor."

"This Chilong Qi will severely hinder your cultivation."

"You may be forever stuck at the Second Story Tower—until one day the Chilong Qi erupts, your blood dries up and you die. A pity. A great pity."

Li Guanyi replied:

"To serve the sovereign and protect the state—this is what we must do!"

"There is nothing to regret."

His words rang with righteous grandeur.

Chen Chengbi sighed. The Seventh Prince turned his gaze. The Gold Guard general nodded slightly, his expression softening. He had not expected such loyalty in a relative of the imperial in-laws.

Only Po Jun lowered his fingers and pinched his own thigh.

Using the pain to stifle his laughter.

The great strategist had recalled every single most painful, most agonizing moment of his past twenty years—just to keep from bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

The others, unaware, thought the boy's loyalty admirable. Chen Chengbi thought a moment, then removed something from his waist and handed it over. "This is the Celestial King's Life-Saving Pill. It protects your heart meridian from the Chilong Fire Qi. You are a good boy."

"Old man will think of a way to remove this Chilong Qi from your chest."

Hearing the pill's name, Li Guanyi knew it was priceless.

But the old man stared at him with such earnest hope that Li Guanyi had no choice but to tilt his head back and swallow the pill. Now that it was done, he thought: I just swallowed something worth a thousand taels of silver. Though not poor, he had never grown accustomed to reckless spending.

His face still bore genuine sorrow.

A thousand taels of silver! Twelve hundred copper strings!

A hundred years' salary from Huichun Hall—gone.

Bystanders who saw this only thought that although the youth appeared calm on the surface,

in his heart he was still in pain from having his Wu Gong half-crippled, and they couldn't help but sigh with pity.

Po Jun, however, was full of admiration.

This generation's Bai Hu Da Zong could really put on an act.

Still, such an outstanding Bai Hu Da Zong was, in the end, one he had found himself.

He was the one who had signed the contract first.

You old things, you old wastes!

Just watch me wash away this shame of a hundred and eighty years!

After soothing things over for a while, the Golden Guard General directly approved the paperwork, granting Li Guanyi paid leave, and someone drove him back. Just like that, Li Guanyi openly left the center of the vortex and returned to his own courtyard at the Xue household. Only when he was back did Li Guanyi finally let out a breath of relief.

Lying on the bed, Li Guanyi closed his eyes and exhaled, then suddenly sensed something. His eyes opened, and he saw silver hair peeking out from the corner of the wall. He smiled slightly, and his expression eased.

It was Yao Guang.

The girl rested both hands on the wall corner and slowly poked her head out.

Just at that moment, he saw Yao Guang's movements pause.

The silver hair slowly emerging came to a stop.

Then in an instant it shrank back down.

The girl lay quietly there, not moving at all.

She even held her breath.

Li Guanyi was stunned, then heard hurried footsteps, and saw the main door kicked open as Xue Daoyong strode in, his hair bristling with rage as he loudly cursed Yue Qianfeng. Anyone who saw him would know the old man was furious.

He closed the door.

When he turned around, his expression was calm.

He saw the youth still lying on the bed.

The old man gave an irritated kick to the youth's backside, laughing and scolding: "Alright, don't put on an act in front of an old man like me. Tell me, what are you and General Yue Qianfeng up to this time?"

"Causing such a huge mess that you even dragged this old man into putting on a show of being furious in front of others."

The old man sat down in the grand chair with his tea, drinking it himself, his brow composed.

Li Guanyi sat up in one swift motion, but couldn't help glancing toward the wall corner.

He saw a wisp of silver hair blown up.

The girl quietly reached out and pressed the silver hair down.

Presumably with an expressionless face.

Li Guanyi nearly laughed, but replied: "As expected, I can't hide anything from Xue Lao."

He pulled his attention back, paused, not knowing where to begin.

Finally thinking of the Imperial Consort Xue, the Crown Prince, and the matter of the illegitimate son, Li Guanyi sat there, looked at the old man, and said:

"Xue Lao."

"Do you want Aunt's son to become the Crown Prince?"

One sentence laid bare the situation of the entire Chen Kingdom.

The old man's tea-drinking paused, his gaze sharp.