A Blunt Blow

The woman, beautiful enough to topple cities, drew closer, the icy aura she radiated making Xu Yuan feel as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar.

At this life-or-death moment, Xu Yuan's mind was crystal clear.

His words had already been spoken; regret was useless now. Even if he had to cry, he could only grit his teeth and act it out to the end.

Under the oppressive pressure of Ran Qingmo's aura, Xu Yuan slowly released his grip on the wooden pillar beside him, steadied his stance, and gritted his teeth as he looked her in the eye.

"Master Ran, you seem quite surprised?"

"..." Ran Qingmo.

Xu Yuan smiled faintly, bearing the pressure:

"I suppose so. How could my father let a good-for-nothing like me know about a secret of this magnitude?"

As he spoke, Xu Yuan's long, narrow phoenix eyes narrowed slightly:

"However, Master Ran, compared to me—the third son of the Prime Minister—I am more curious how a disciple of the Tianyuan Sword Sect came to know such a secret?"

"..."

The air inside the temple turned deathly silent.

The only people currently aware of this matter were his father and his most trusted confidants; the implication in Xu Yuan's words was self-evident.

Ran Qingmo stared fixedly at the young nobleman before her. The dimness of the rainy night could not hinder her gaze as she spoke, word by word:

"What is the meaning of these words?"

As she spoke, her footsteps halted, and the blade in her hand dipped slightly.

Xu Yuan sensed the icy pressure that had felt like Mount Tai crushing him suddenly lift, and seeing this, he felt a surge of relief.

The stimulation of being on the verge of death had caused Xu Yuan to cast aside many of his reservations; at this moment, he absolutely could not show cowardice.

"Meaning?"

He began to pace slowly, circling Ran Qingmo with interest in the darkness, his gaze sweeping over her graceful figure as his tone grew heavier with every word:

"Publicly speaking, the Great Yan has stood for over thirteen hundred years. The Tianyuan Sword Sect was founded alongside the Great Yan; every generation of Sect Master has served as the Imperial Preceptor, and the current Sect Master is even the martial arts mentor to the Crown Prince. The Sword Sect and the Great Yan prosper and perish together."

"Privately speaking, my father and Master Ran's master are old friends who have known each other for decades."

"And you, Master Ran, are a disciple of the Sect Master. I am curious whose words could make you believe that my father would move against the Sword Sect. Is that so hard to understand?"

"..."

Listening to his words, Ran Qingmo tightened her grip on her sword slightly.

She felt that the man before her had changed.

From the moment he fell unconscious to the moment he just woke up, it was as if he were a completely different person.

Her keen perception of Qi allowed her to detect that the heart of this seemingly calm Third Young Master was beating rapidly; his inner state was far from the composure he displayed on the surface.

But when long-standing rumors were no longer reliable, she could not be certain how much this Xu Yuan actually knew, or how many trump cards he held.

Watching the "great block of ice" standing silently in place, Xu Yuan's heart gradually calmed down.

He suddenly shifted his pace, walking straight toward the woman in black, meeting her gaze.

Under Ran Qingmo's watchful eyes, the man stood one meter before her, looking down at her:

"Master Ran, put the sword away."

Ran Qingmo looked at him with an indifferent expression; she could feel that his heartbeat had gradually steadied.

And the next moment, She saw the man before her smile. He leaned in slightly, raised two fingers to pinch the blade of her lowered sword, and lifted it bit by bit until it rested against his own undefended throat.

With the blade at his throat, he looked into her eyes:

"Since you won't put it away, then Master Ran, why not just kill me?"

Having mastered the plot, Xu Yuan was certain that this woman would not kill him on her own initiative.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ran Qingmo's hand tightened on the hilt, and the blade resting against his throat let out a sudden hum.

A massive wave of killing intent washed over him.

In a daze, Xu Yuan saw a vision of his own head flying high into the air.

But the next instant, the hallucination vanished; the woman stood before him, sword in hand, and his head remained firmly on his shoulders.

The near-death experience made Xu Yuan's eyes widen. Born in an era of peace, he had never encountered such a situation, and the aura of death she had released for that split second made his legs go weak.

Even if the woman before him could make him look this pathetic just by releasing her aura, the very act of unleashing that killing intent proved that she would not kill him at this point in time.

Xu Yuan stared at her, repeating, word by word:

"Master Ran, a threat that cannot be fulfilled is nothing but a joke. Put the sword away, let's talk. I can help you."

The cold wind whistled; the blade pressed against his throat was truly cold.

Xu Yuan had no system, no ancient mentor, and this Third Young Master's body was merely that of an ordinary person. His deep knowledge of the plot and characters of Cangyuan was his greatest reliance, yet this very reliance was also a death warrant.

In the plot of Cangyuan, the ending for this Prime Minister's third son was miserable; in every single timeline, his fate was death.

To survive, Xu Yuan had to do certain things in advance and gamble on certain outcomes.

Ran Qingmo lowered her eyes slightly, lost in thought, but she did indeed sheathe her sword.

The blade danced in a sudden flourish, casting a ripple of azure light through the darkness before clicking back into its scabbard.

Very cool.

Xu Yuan instinctively touched his neck.

Mm. His head was still there, no bloody seams or anything of the sort.

Ran Qingmo cast a slightly strange glance at Xu Yuan's movement.

Xu Yuan offered her a faint smile, secretly preparing his words in his mind.

But the next instant, Xu Yuan's smile stiffened.

After sheathing her blade, Ran Qingmo silently picked up the thick, long wooden club from the ground and held it in her hand.

"..." Xu Yuan.

His pupils constricted slightly, and he hurriedly opened his mouth to say something:

"Wait—"

"BANG!"

With a dull thud, Xu Yuan, his words left unfinished, collapsed straight to the ground.