Chapter 122 : Chapter 122

Chapter 122: Ma Minnong: This Old Man Will Add Another Stake to the Wager!

To completely wipe out Prince Qing’s Remnants before anyone could stop him!

In other words, Cheng Yu intended to go up against a rebellious clan that had endured for several hundred years without relying on the power of the Great Qian court.

How could that possibly be?

Although Ma Minnong was somewhat moved by Cheng Yu’s resolve,

bewilderment still flashed through his eyes. “Young Friend Cheng, why must you be in such a hurry? The Jinyiwei’s current strength is nowhere near what it was at the time of Sword-Forging Manor!”

Back then, the reason Cheng Yu had been able to destroy Sword-Forging Manor

was, in the eyes of the overwhelming majority who did not know the specific circumstances, surely because he had relied on the power of two Eighth-Rank Jinyiwei Commandants.

They did not know that at the most critical and dangerous moment, it had been Jian A and Cheng Yu who, one after the other, withstood two attacks from the Dragon Abyss Sword.

Cheng Yu had even used his Sword Intent to suppress the Dragon Abyss Sword in return and kill He Qin, which was how the final victory had been won.

After the banquet at the Jiannan Circuit Yamen, all anyone knew was that a mysterious swordsman above the Eighth Rank had appeared by Cheng Yu’s side.

That level of strength was more than enough to dominate Jiannan Circuit.

But if he were to use it against Prince Qing’s line, which always produced a Ninth-Rank expert whenever it resurfaced, then it was clearly insufficient.

Cheng Yu shook his head. “Prince Qing’s Remnants are all madmen. I have already killed their people and captured their Young Princess.”

“They may make their move at any moment. If I could stand by and watch the people of Jiannan Circuit be butchered, then there would be no need for me to be so anxious.”

“But if people like the laborers of Dragon Abyss Path and their families are left to fend for themselves because I do not care, then who else would care whether they live or die?”

A mocking expression appeared on Cheng Yu’s face.

“Should I rely on those so-called Jianghu heroes who shout about chivalry while committing evil, or on the Great Qian officials who can barely protect themselves and collude with one another?”

Those people were the perpetrators and beneficiaries to begin with.

Expecting them to put in real effort was nothing but a dream.

“If Jiannan Circuit is to remain safe, then we absolutely cannot leave the initiative in the hands of such people! We must strike first! We must be fast!”

“So I have no choice.”

“My life may be short and insignificant, but I do not want there to come a day when I am filled with regret.”

By now, Cheng Yu had already swept away most of the Jianghu forces in Jiannan Circuit and had even demanded that they register by name.

The fact that all the great clans and powerful households had been privately keeping slaves

would be dragged out into the open.

That would deal a tremendous blow to the reputation of those Jianghu heroes who claimed to champion justice.

In a very short time, someone would inevitably seize upon Cheng Yu’s ruthless methods as a pretext and oppose him in every possible way.

And as for the Great Qian court, with Zhao Yi’s return to court, things were no longer as they had been in those years when he stood second only to one.

Xu Quan’s arrival and the attitude behind his words proved that the Moderate Faction, which held most of the power in court, was dissatisfied with and hostile toward Cheng Yu.

On top of that, Prince Qing’s Remnants had rebelled again and again over the course of several hundred years, yet each time they had never been exterminated root and branch. There had to be a secret behind that.

If those people learned the truth and interfered, then Cheng Yu would never again have an opportunity like last time, when he had been able to decide matters himself.

The nearest threat was Prince Qing’s Remnants entrenched in Iron Halberd Mountain, ready at any time to take an entire region hostage and rise in rebellion.

And behind them, the Cheng Family’s power was hidden as well.

If Cheng Yu did not strike first, then once matters became more complicated, the peace of Jiannan Circuit’s common people, the system’s abundant rewards, and the hard-won situation in which the Jiannan Circuit Jinyiwei held supreme authority

would all slip beyond Cheng Yu’s control.

He had to strike first and report later. Only then could he seize the initiative in everything!

As long as he could launch a swift offensive, thoroughly cleanse the Jianghu of Jiannan Circuit first, and eliminate those forces already lined up, waiting their turn to be raided and exterminated one by one, then by relying on the system’s rewards, Cheng Yu would be able to strengthen both himself and the Jinyiwei under his command.

By then, if he poured out all his trump cards, and added the strength of Jian A and Susu, then in the most extreme case, they would be comparable to three Ninth-Rank martial artists.

Strength like that would certainly be enough to deal with Prince Qing’s Remnants.

But if he waited until the situation grew more complicated, that would no longer necessarily be the case.

If he succeeded in taking down Prince Qing’s Remnants, then he would have resolved the menace of rebels who had remained active for hundreds of years and established a heaven-shaking merit unseen through the ages.

The system’s reward would surely be so abundant that it would defy imagination. Added to that would be the accumulated legacy of Prince Qing’s Remnants, along with the treasures coveted by the Cheng Family.

Cheng Yu would receive another enormous rise in power.

He had absolutely no reason to refuse any of it.

On Ma Minnong’s side, after hearing Cheng Yu’s entire speech, he was deeply shaken, and his heart could not calm down for a long time.

A scene flashed through his mind.

If Cheng Yu had never risen to prominence in Dragon Abyss Path and used thunderous methods to sweep away corruption and evil, then those laborers after Sword-Forging Manor would still be living as slaves in despair between life and death, ignored by all until the day they died.

Was that not exactly what he, this Divine Physician once renowned across the Jianghu and revered by all, had always despised—those hypocrites who spoke endlessly of the people under heaven, yet never truly acted?

And now, standing before him was a young man of peerless talent.

Faced with the hostility of the Jianghu, the fierce advance of the rebels, and even betrayal from the court, he had chosen the thing his heart truly pursued—the true meaning of “chivalry.”

He never repeated it over and over with his mouth. He only ever put it into practice through action.

“With such talent, and such a heart…”

Ma Minnong’s heart trembled. It was as though he had seen, from the ancient texts, one of the pioneers who had created the martial path—the true great hero of chivalry.

He thought of several old friends from decades ago.

“Old Ghost Zhao, Daoist…”

A crimson heart long since sullied by the dust of hypocrisy unexpectedly began to shine brightly once more.

There had once been a time when Ma Minnong himself had been just as reckless, striving with all his might for what he sought in his heart!

After failing, he had carried numbness until he himself became numb, and his companions had each gone their separate ways.

In his utter disillusionment, he had thought there was no hope left.

Yet he had never expected that today he would witness a new inheritance.

“With Young Friend Cheng possessing such resolve, how could this old man fall behind?” Complex emotions shone in Ma Minnong’s eyes as a smile spread across his face.

“This old man accepts your wager!”

Cheng Yu was overjoyed beyond measure. The talent he had set his sights on had finally agreed.

Ma Minnong stroked his white beard, his eyes filled with anticipation.

“Not only that, this old man will add another stake to the wager.”

“What stake?” Cheng Yu asked, puzzled.

Ma Minnong said mysteriously, “If you can win this wager, young friend, then this old man will gift you another heaven-shaking treasure—something that will make the people of the Jianghu covet it beyond measure.”

That item was truly wasted in his hands. Only by giving it to a talent like Cheng Yu would it not remain buried in dust.

“Young Friend Cheng, this old man will await your good news.”

Cheng Yu cupped his fists and smiled. “I certainly will not fail the trust Divine Physician Ma has placed in me!”

On a wall not far away, two sword-bearing figures were watching this scene.

“Damn it, why does that old man Ma keep taking advantage of Master? Would it kill him to call him Lord Cheng?”

Liu Xiong looked at Jian A, who was glaring so hard that his beard was practically bristling, and felt helpless at once.

“Isn’t it because you were too impatient yourself? I knelt down and acknowledged him as my master before I could even react. Otherwise, with Master’s temperament, he definitely would not have minded treating you as a peer.”

Jian A’s eyes widened instantly, and he barked, “Is that what I meant? How could I possibly be worthy of being Master’s peer? Do not insult me again!”

He had only been grumbling casually.

That did not mean he harbored even the slightest disrespect toward Cheng Yu, a man capable of ascending to the very summit of the Sword Dao.

“You should contact the other Sword Bearers first. If Master is going to make a big move, he will definitely be short of manpower. This is the perfect chance to give them an opportunity to follow him.”

Liu Xiong nodded. “Then what about you, Elder?”

“I will naturally find a way to locate the Sword Chief. Master is a heaven-sent talent, but he has too many things to face. He still needs a Grandmaster watching over him for safety.”

“Is there any news of the Sword Chief?”

Jian A let out a sigh. “I still cannot get in touch with her. I have no idea where she has run off to look for immortal swords again.”

As one of only two people whose status was above his,

could the Sword Chief not be a little steadier, like Master?