Jiang Bozheng said nothing.
Lu Chengwen said, "You... want to cover for her?"
Jiang Bozheng nodded. "Ever since she was six, I began training her in the Jiang Family's orthodox true qi, hoping it could suppress the Mystic Maiden True Qi within her. At nine, I had her carry out death sentences, hoping her killing aura could conceal the Mystic Maiden True Qi. But..."
Jiang Bozheng sighed. "When she was fourteen... we were ambushed. We had very few men, while the enemy vastly outnumbered us. It was a battle where victory was almost impossible to see."
"After I killed several of their strongest fighters in succession, I was nearly spent and could fight no longer. Xiao Hu's performance in that battle was absolutely beyond his usual limits as well; it showed both his courage and extraordinary talent. But..."
Lu Chengwen said, "Little Monkey... Monkey Princess's Mystic Maiden True Qi could no longer be hidden?"
Jiang Bozheng let out a long breath. "To save us, she unexpectedly mastered the Mystic Maiden True Qi herself. At the very end of the battle, she turned the tide. But... her Mystic Maiden True Qi was no longer a secret."
Lu Chengwen remained silent for a long while.
"But if I'm with her, will the other families... come after me?"
"They will," Jiang Bozheng said. "Since I've decided to be completely honest, I won't hide anything from you anymore. They'll believe I broke the rules. I'll lose all my prestige, and I won't be able to inherit the position of Jiang Family Patriarch. They'll also do everything they can to force Little Monkey to reinforce the formation, so... they may resort to some underhanded methods against you, including assassination."
Lu Chengwen smiled. "The three great families will try to kill me personally?"
"That's possible. But