Confession

Hearing this, Liu Yi stood up and bowed slightly toward the direction of Yan Capital, saying with a solemn expression: "As the saying goes, within the territory of the Great Yan, everything is the king's land; along the shores of the land, everyone is the king's subjects. Is the Carefree Prince trying to rebel against His Majesty?"

In an instant.

Inside the grand hall, a death-like silence enveloped every corner.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound broke this suffocating silence. It was unclear which maid's porcelain plate slipped from her hand and shattered into pieces.

Immediately following, muffled thuds rang out one after another. Several attendants collapsed directly to the ground, their faces as pale as paper.

Mu Rongyi frowned, his sharp, falcon-like eyes sweeping across the entire room.

He raised his hand and waved it gently, and the guards who had been waiting outside the door immediately swarmed in, helping the uncomposed servants out one by one.

The entire process was swift and quiet, with only the sound of disordered footsteps and heavy breathing echoing within the hall.

When the last guard withdrew and closed the heavy, carved wooden doors, only four people remained inside the spacious banquet hall: Mu Rongyi, Liu Yi, Mu Bai, and that perpetually serene Langya Xing.

Mu Rongyi turned to look at Liu Yi, his gaze burning like a torch, the underlying reproach within it self-evident.

He had hosted the banquet today precisely to preserve the final shreds of dignity for both sides, yet who could have anticipated that Liu Yi would hurl such a startling remark in full view of everyone.

Faced with the Prince's furious glare, Liu Yi merely shrugged indifferently, a trace of helplessness showing on his weather-beaten face.

"Prince, some things are better said outright."

His voice was low and resolute.

After all...

His peripheral vision swept toward Langya Xing, who was leisurely sipping tea nearby. Surely the Prince was well aware of what kind of backing stood behind His Majesty.

Mu Rongyi's pupils contracted imperceptibly. He walked slowly toward the main seat, the silver-threaded dark patterns on his black brocade robe rippling under the candlelight like a dormant flood dragon.

After taking his seat, he picked up a wine cup but did not drink, merely gazing at the amber liquid sloshing inside.

Seeing that Mu Rongyi did not reply, the corners of Liu Yi's mouth curved upward into a smile. He turned his head, his gaze falling upon Mu Bai, and said with a half-smile: "That is a powerful faction that even a Grandmaster of Martial Arts is completely powerless to contend with!"

Mu Rongyi's expression instantly turned pitch-black. He gripped his wine cup tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, revealing his inner unease.

As the younger brother of the current sovereign, he was naturally intimately familiar with the secrets of the imperial household.

In particular, he knew all too well that the true masters pulling the strings behind the Great Yan Kingdom and many surrounding nations were the reclusive Langya Family.

However, what he never expected in his wildest dreams was that even after his young master Mu Bai had displayed the strength of a Houtian Limit Martial Grandmaster, Liu Yi, the Minister of War representing Yan Capital, would still be so aggressive.

This completely exceeded his expectations and caught him somewhat off guard.

Mu Rongyi's expression flickered continuously before he finally took a deep breath, striving to calm his roiling emotions. He took a small sip of the red wine in his hand and then spoke slowly: "I naturally have no intention of going against His Majesty, but the current situation is that His Majesty wants Mu Rongyi's head on a platter. All I can do is defend myself."

Mu Rongyi sighed inwardly, feeling that he was truly somewhat wronged.

His Majesty's physical condition was deteriorating by the day, reaching a candle-in-the-wind state. To ensure the Crown Prince could smoothly inherit the grand throne, His Majesty had no choice but to take action against the feudal lords across various regions to eliminate potential threats.

As one of them, Mu Rongyi knew in his heart that this was His Majesty's helpless dilemma, yet he had no other choice and was forced to prepare himself for war.

Just as Mu Rongyi's thoughts were running wild, Langya Xing—who sat nearby leisurely sipping tea under the pseudonym "Liu Xing"—suddenly spoke up.

His voice was very soft, yet it carried an undeniable majesty: "Carefree Prince, Lord Liu, let us discuss this matter ten days from now."

Hearing this, Mu Rongyi gave an inward start. He had not expected this "Liu Xing" to interject so suddenly at this moment, nor that his phrasing would be so peculiar—addressing Liu Yi, his elder, as "Lord Liu."

Liu Yi was even more caught off guard. He had originally expected this negotiation to proceed according to the established plan, yet he had not anticipated that Langya Xing would change his mind at the last minute and alter the arrangement.

After all, Mu Rongyi was a prince who had wielded power for many years; although somewhat startled, he quickly regained his composure, a hint of a smile appearing on his face as he said, "What this little brother says is entirely correct. That would be for the best."

His tone was exceptionally courteous, entirely devoid of any lofty airs of royalty.

Seeing this, Liu Yi felt a trace of internal dissatisfaction, yet he could not well refute it directly.

After all, he knew the true identity of "Liu Xing"—this was none other than a young master of the Langya Family, and rumor had it he was even in contention for the future headship of the lineage.

How could he dare to easily offend such a figure?

Consequently, Liu Yi had no choice but to temporarily agree, saying, "Since you have said so, Liu Xing, we shall proceed accordingly."

Meanwhile, Mu Bai alone understood what was truly happening. Ten days from then was precisely the date of his scheduled duel with Langya Xing; clearly, the outcome of this battle would determine their stance toward the Carefree Prince's Estate.

With things having reached this point, the banquet naturally could not continue.

As the setting sun sank in the west, before the gates of the Carefree Prince's Estate, two rows of guards stood as straight as pine trees.

"Take care on your journey, Lord Liu." Mu Rongyi's voice was neither loud nor soft, just loud enough for the Minister of War, Liu Yi, who had already boarded the carriage, to hear.

Liu Yi turned on the carriage and cupped his fists: "Prince, please stay your steps. This subordinate takes his leave."

At the very front, Langya Xing glanced back, his gaze briefly meeting Mu Bai's.

Under the sunlight, the corners of Langya Xing's mouth curled into an elusive smile, and he immediately turned his horse and rode away.

As the carriage procession vanished around the street corner, Mu Rongyi turned and said, "Mu Bai, accompany me to the study."

"Yes, Father." Mu Bai acknowledged, following his father through the winding corridors of the estate.

His stride was steady, but upon closer inspection, the movement of his chest appeared slightly stiff—the lingering injury from his battle with Master Dehua two days prior.

Inside the study, sandalwood curls drifted lazily.

Mu Rongyi motioned for Mu Bai to sit while he stood before the window, his back turned to his son.

"That person... exactly who is he?" Mu Rongyi cut straight to the point.

Knowing he could not conceal it from his father's discerning eyes, Mu Bai answered truthfully, "He is a young master of the Langya Aristocratic Family, Langya Xing."

Mu Rongyi spun around abruptly, a flash of shock crossing his eyes: "The Langya Aristocratic Family? That reclusive Langya Family?"

"Precisely," Mu Bai nodded. "And he is also a Grandmaster of Martial Arts."

Mu Rongyi's expression instantly became extremely unsightly.

"Your injuries are not yet fully healed; how could you fight a Grandmaster of Martial Arts?" Mu Rongyi's voice dropped low. "Especially someone from the Langya Aristocratic Family! Every generation of their lineage produces several peerless geniuses; this Langya Xing is likely even more troublesome than Master Dehua."

Mu Bai offered a bitter smile: "Father need not worry overly much. Langya Xing bestowed upon me a Nine Revolutions Heavenly Pill. With the aid of such a miraculous medicine, my injuries will heal within a few days."

"A Nine Revolutions Heavenly Pill?" Mu Rongyi's brows locked tightly together. "Why would Langya Xing help you? He could easily have defeated you while your injuries remained unhealed."

Mu Bai recalled the pure lotus that had blossomed at Langya Xing's fingertips in the mountain pavilion that morning.

Contained within that flawless, pristine radiance was a martial intent that surpassed even Master Dehua.

"He wants a fair duel," Mu Bai said softly. "Ten days from now, just outside the city."

"Ten days..."

Mu Rongyi was silent for a long moment before finally asking, "What degree of certainty do you have? If you lack confidence, it would still be best to follow the previous plan—you can leave alone first."

He paused briefly before continuing: "You are a Grandmaster of Martial Arts; you are the one in the entire estate who must survive."

"Once you reach Xiantian, return and avenge us!"

Mu Bai did not answer immediately.

He rose to his feet, walked to the center of the study, and curled his right hand into a half-grasp, as though holding an invisible sword.

In an instant, the air within the study seemed to congeal as a fierce, razor-sharp sword intent emanated from his body.

"Lightness Sword Style, Fifth Sword—Tornado Rain Strike." Brilliant light flashed in Mu Bai's eyes. "If I can master this sword technique, I will have a chance of winning."