Chapter 46

Lin Ying looked at Ning Chang'an. "You have no money and no power. It seems I cannot demand much from you. Still, luckily, you are somewhat useful. How about I borrow you for a few days?"

"What?"

Ning Chang'an was stunned.

Lin Ying said blandly, "I happen to be short of a guard at my side, and you are a suitable choice. I want you to remain by my side and await my orders for one month. Then all our past grievances can melt away like ice and snow. What do you think? Such a request should not be excessive, should it?"

Ning Chang'an fell silent. The image of Lin Ying bathing in the pool surfaced in his mind. Being her flower-protecting guardian for a month would not be bad either. With a turn of thought, he answered, "No problem. But I cannot leave Yongan Prefecture."

Lin Ying nodded lightly. "I cannot leave Yongan Prefecture either!" Her eyes narrowed into curved slits as she looked at Ning Chang'an. In an exceedingly gentle tone, she added, "Would you like a drink?"

Ning Chang'an gave a chuckle. "Why not?!"

With a flick of her wrist, the wine jar in Lin Ying's hands whooshed toward Ning Chang'an. A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes, and his heart jolted in surprise. He could not perform such a move. Without immensely powerful inner qi, it was impossible. The wine jar flew through the air in a perfectly straight path, moving extremely slowly, as though invisible hands were holding it up and carefully delivering it bit by bit to Ning Chang'an.

Whether intentionally or not, Lin Ying had shown off a little, and Ning Chang'an now knew that she was very strong.

Ning Chang'an caught the wine jar, lifted half his mask, and drank deeply. Only after he had enjoyed a good long drink did Lin Ying begin speaking. "There will be a grand gathering in Yongan Prefecture tomorrow. I am going, and you will accompany me. But before that, I have three rules to lay down." Lin Ying seemed never to have considered that Ning Chang'an might refuse.

Ning Chang'an exhaled a breath reeking of wine. "Go on!" Sure enough, he did not refuse.

Lin Ying said, "First, you must listen to me in all matters and may not act on your own. Second, you will handle any trouble that arises. Third, you may not reveal your true identity."

Ning Chang'an said, "None of those three are difficult!"

Lin Ying said, "I will give you a new identity: my steward. You must remember this well. When the time comes, you absolutely cannot act rashly."

Ning Chang'an merely drank, but he committed every word Lin Ying said to heart.

Lin Ying blinked and asked, "Can you imitate an old man?"

Ning Chang'an was briefly taken aback, then laughed. "An elderly man who has put on weight? I should be able to imitate that well enough. You want me to be your old steward?" Curiosity immediately rose in his heart, and he secretly pondered Lin Ying's purpose in arranging this.

Lin Ying said, "When an ordinary young lady goes out, it is only natural for her to have an old steward or loyal old servant following at her side. No one would suspect anything. Have you finished drinking? If so, come with me. I am going to give you a complete makeover!"

Ning Chang'an shook his head. "Such fine wine—I truly cannot bear to finish it all in one go."

Lin Ying smiled faintly. "Do not worry. There is plenty more at my home. As long as you do not delay our business, you can drink as much as you want. It would not be a problem even if I turned you into a wine grub."

Ning Chang'an's eyes lit up. "Really?!"

Lin Ying nodded with utmost seriousness.

Hugging the wine jar, Ning Chang'an gulped it down in one breath until it was empty, then lowered his mask. Lin Ying's figure rose and fell as she headed north of the city, while Ning Chang'an followed behind at an unhurried pace.

"What? The Yang family suffered the calamity of an overturned nest? Yang Wudou, Yang Qianjun, and all the Yang family's elites were wiped out?"

Inside a lavishly furnished room blazing with lamplight, a man in white stood before a writing desk, facing a half-open window. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his eyes stared vaguely into the night beyond as his voice rang with shock and fury. Three feet behind him stood a middle-aged man with hawk eyes and a kite's nose, head bowed. Dressed in a long robe of black brocade, he appeared exceedingly cautious. Hearing the white-clad man's shout, he hurriedly replied, "Everything had been proceeding according to plan without the slightest error. But who could have expected a strange figure to suddenly emerge? First, he used demonic sound to beguile people's minds, throwing Yang Manor into utter chaos. Fifty or sixty percent of them bowed their heads in worship, smashing their foreheads bloody without even realizing it. This subordinate has never seen such witchcraft. It was truly evil and strange. Even more mysterious was that the stranger stood suspended in midair without falling, slaughtering nearly a hundred Yang Manor elites with scarcely more than a wave of his hand. Yang Qianjun's self-created Thousand Army Break, its sound-attack formation striking with full force, could not harm him in the slightest. This subordinate was incompetent and could only hide rather than emerge, taking the chance to escape. This lowly one failed in his duties. I beg Young Master to punish me!"

The young man in white was none other than Young Master Tang.

Young Master Tang's expression was icy as he murmured, "Demonic sound devouring the mind, controlling human bodies, walking the void and treading the air, killing with a wave of the hand..." An inexplicable light flickered in his deep pupils. He suddenly turned around and said, "Pojun, tell me every detail of what happened. Do not omit a single thing you saw. Such a powerful figure must have an extraordinary background. Unless I investigate him thoroughly, my heart will not be at ease, nor will the plan be complete! You know what sort of place Yongan Prefecture is. Every one of those people was once a great figure holding military power in his palm. Though they retired in old age and live cooped up here, they are anything but peaceful. They secretly collude with one another, form cliques to drive out dissidents, and build factions for private gain. The Crown Prince has been quietly operating here for who knows how long. The struggle within the royal city is all about killing without spilling blood. Though I dislike it, I have no choice but to play along. Yet Yongan and Yongping are no trivial places. Those two crouching beasts possess the power to sway the larger situation. Civil and military officials, former students, disciples, trusted confidants, and former subordinates are scattered throughout the realm—how broad is their influence?! I must guard against them, and I must contend with them... Hmph! Those who mock me for lacking schemes are fools! How can sparrows understand the ambitions of a swan? The day I take hold of the weight of the realm, across the four quarters, the eight desolations, and the six directions, who will dare refuse to submit?!" Young Master Tang swept his right hand through the air with a rustle, making a killing gesture as the fierce light in his eyes gradually receded.

Pojun straightened his body, his expression solemn. "Young Master is a vessel meant for great things, bearing Heaven's mandate of fortune and destiny. The day you grasp the divine artifact will not be far off!"

Young Master Tang's expression eased completely. "Tell me the matter from beginning to end! Recently, the Great Zhou Dynasty has repeatedly deployed troops against our border, and fighting there has never ceased. The Peacock Dynasty has not been very peaceful either. Looking across the realm, undercurrents surge and churn. I have a vague feeling that this is the sign of a mountain rain about to come. I cannot remain in Yongan Prefecture much longer. Once matters here are settled, immediately gather Wu Qu, Lian Zhen, Wen Qu, Lu Cun, Ju Men, Tan Lang, and the other six. We will head to the border together, contend with the Great Zhou Dynasty, win some military merit, then return triumphantly to the capital. We must thoroughly stabilize our foundations and secure a certain degree of influence. We cannot let the Crown Prince alone have wind when he wants wind and rain when he wants rain."

Pojun nodded repeatedly and carefully recounted everything that had happened before and after the Yang Manor massacre. He concealed nothing of what he had seen or heard. The account alone took half an hour.

After listening, Young Master Tang sank into deep thought.

Back when Yang Wukui had only recently entered the army and had yet to establish a firm foundation, he had once been surrounded during a bitter battle against the Great Zhou Dynasty's forces. Young Master Tang had lent him aid and saved Yang Wukui's life. Thus, everyone in Yang Manor thought highly of Young Master Tang and was quite close to him. Yang Wukui, in particular, had gained a firm foothold under Young Master Tang's personal promotion and won illustrious merit at the border. Yang Wukui could be considered Young Master Tang's personal follower, utterly loyal to him. Young Master Tang had long heard that Yang Wudou was also highly gifted in the art of commanding armies and deploying troops, his talent no less than Yang Wukui's. He had therefore wished to win him over and bring him to the border to help him gain military merit. Yet on the very night he sent Pojun to discuss the matter, Yang Wudou died violently, and Yang Manor suffered the calamity of an overturned nest. It truly threw Young Master Tang's plans into disarray.

Yang Wudou and Yang Qianjun's deaths were not worth regretting. The fatal loss was the force of three thousand well-trained elite soldiers formerly under Yang Qianjun. They had originally been kept for Yang Wudou as his personal troops when he entered military service. As long as Young Master Tang won Yang Wudou over, those three thousand soldiers would effectively become his as well. Who could have expected sudden twists and upheavals? Yang Wudou and Yang Qianjun were both killed at once. Those three thousand elite troops could only be watched as they were absorbed into another force. A duck already in his mouth had actually flown away. How could Young Master Tang not be furious?

With that, nearly one-third of the capital Young Master Tang needed to gain military merit at the border had been cut away. It was pain carved to the bone.

"Damn it! I have never even heard of that white-shadowed demon. Yet he ruined my scheme just to save a lowly maidservant. One day, I will grind him to pieces! And that man in black must be investigated as well—investigate him thoroughly. If I am not mistaken, he must come from Master's Tower. Only Master's Tower possesses such audacity and ambition. Damn Master's Tower! They refused to serve me, so one day I will wipe them out as well. Hmph, someone is secretly playing dirty tricks against me, trying to ruin my grand plan. That is truly an unforgivable crime! Pojun, investigate! You must investigate until everything is crystal clear!"

After hearing Pojun's detailed account, a trace of baleful fury rose over Young Master Tang's face. He ground his teeth in hatred and issued the order coldly.

"Yes! This subordinate will see to it at once!"

Pojun accepted the order, withdrew from the room, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

After Pojun left, Young Master Tang paced the room, his left middle finger twitching faintly. Whenever he began considering matters and focused deeply, the middle finger of his left hand would start twitching involuntarily. The faster his thoughts turned, the quicker that finger twitched, though its movements remained slight.

Thin wisps of incense drifted from a pair of white jade censer rings on the table, calming the mind and clearing the head.

Young Master Tang took several steps to the table and stopped. Both hands pressed against its surface; one held a brush, as though he wished to write something but did not know where to begin. His left hand braced the tabletop, its incessantly twitching middle finger tapping against it with repeated knocks.

After a long, long time, Young Master Tang's entire body shuddered. He suddenly set brush to paper and wrote a huge character for "Kill" in the center of the sheet of rice paper spread before him. He had pressed down heavily, his brushstroke sharp as a blade. The word truly bristled with killing intent and overflowed with violent malice.

Young Master Tang stared at the huge character for "Kill," his expression cold and cruel. He muttered to himself, "The Ning family... the Ning family... Ning Shengdao, Ning Shengdao, what exactly did you obtain back then? It actually brought about your death and destroyed the fame of your entire life. But no matter what it is, I will obtain it. Something that makes Spirit Snake Island drool with desire must be extraordinary! Could it truly be the legendary Meridian Diagram? Under Heaven, those who practice martial arts transform qi, unite with nature, and comprehend creation. Only peerless Essence Cultivation methods can seek the path of refining qi into spirit, understanding life and nature, comprehending the ultimate truths of life and death, even reaching immortal mysteries and ascending in broad daylight. Outer arts, inner arts, qi arts, essence arts, spirit arts—of all the martial arts and cultivation methods, even my imperial family's secret Purple Qi Transforming Dragon Art is merely a quasi-peerless Essence Cultivation. It lacks a method for transforming qi into spirit. Even if I possessed several volumes of Divine Cultivation, I could not cultivate them. If I obtain the Meridian Diagram and cultivate inner qi according to its secrets, then with the power of my Purple Qi Transforming Dragon Art, I will surely open the twelve primary meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians. Then I can refine qi into spirit in one stroke, vastly increase my lifespan, and become almost immortal. Who could possibly do anything to me then? If I want the realm, would it not be as easy as turning over my hand? But these waters have already become muddy beyond measure. King Mao watches like a tiger eyeing its prey, the Money Gang wants a share of the spoils, and the Poison Dragon Cult, Dragon Yang Sect, and all manner of people are watching Yongan Prefecture. Damn it! Ning Maodao is on the verge of death, yet that old fossil would rather die than speak. He keeps saying he will not speak unless he sees the token... That token must be on Ning Chang'an. The urgent matter is to capture Ning Chang'an... Liu Ruyan, you protect that brat too fiercely. I originally intended to leave Ning Shengdao, the great general who quelled rebellion, a final bloodline. But now I have no choice but to kill him. Can a man who dares compete with me for a woman continue living in this world?!"