The Court Officials' Worries, The Boundless Saint Emperor's Trust

Lin Changqing rode on the back of Golden Radiance, feeling the night wind blow against his face.

He reached out and patted Golden Radiance's neck, and the qilin let out a low purr, clearly enjoying its master's touch.

The Sixth Ancestor remained where he stood, the look of shock on his face not yet fully faded.

"The Boundless Saint Emperor."

Lin Changqing looked down at the Sixth Ancestor, a smile playing on his lips.

"This Prince is no 'Chosen One'."

He stroked the golden mane on the side of Golden Radiance's neck, his tone casual. "Perhaps I am simply born with an affinity for these rare and exotic beasts."

The Sixth Ancestor's mouth twitched.

Born with an affinity for rare and exotic beasts?

That was a pure-blooded qilin, a holy beast that existed only in legends.

Across the entire Heavenly Martial Continent, even in the ancient eras, who among those who could make a pure-blooded qilin willingly submit was not a heroic leader who founded a sect or even established a powerful dynasty?

You make it sound so simple.

But the Sixth Ancestor naturally would not voice these thoughts.

He merely bowed and cupped his hands again, his tone respectful to the extreme.

"Prince Wu'an is too modest."

Lin Changqing did not continue the topic, looking up at the sky.

The night was deep, and the moon hung in the middle of the sky.

"I leave this place to you."

As his voice fell, Golden Radiance threw its head back and let out a clear whistle, its four hooves treading on golden thunder as it soared into the sky.

The golden figure carved an arc through the night sky, flying toward the direction of the Prince Wu'an Mansion.

The Sixth Ancestor watched the fading golden light and slowly straightened his back.

He stood in place, motionless for a long time.

The night wind stirred his white robes, and the moonlight illuminated the wrinkles on his face.

He had lived for over two thousand three hundred years and had seen countless storms.

But what happened tonight... still made the old man's heart difficult to calm.

A Martial Saint sect leader who was a traitor to the human race had been slain with a single sword strike, and a blue lotus of sword energy had illuminated the entire Capital City.

Following that, a pure-blooded qilin had descended from the heavens, willingly becoming a mount.

Any one of these three events, taken alone, would be enough to cause a massive uproar!

Yet tonight... they had all happened at once.

And they were all related to the same person!

At the same time.

Xiao Qianjun approached the Sixth Ancestor, his expression somewhat complex.

He first glanced in the direction where Lin Changqing had departed, confirming that the other had indeed gone far away.

Only then did he lower his voice, his tone carrying a hint of worry.

"Sixth Ancestor... this subordinate has something to say, though I do not know if I should speak it."

The Sixth Ancestor withdrew his gaze from the night sky and looked at him.

"Speak."

Xiao Qianjun weighed his words, his voice dropping even lower.

"The scene just now... almost everyone in the Capital City saw it."

"A pure-blooded qilin acknowledging a master, auspicious omens descending from the heavens—such phenomena have only been recorded in ancient texts a few times since antiquity. And every time, it has heralded the rise of a heroic leader."

"Now that the commoners of the Capital City are all shouting 'Long live Prince Wu'an,' combined with the words 'Chosen One' that you yourself spoke just now..."

He paused, his voice dropping a few more notches.

"If Prince Wu'an has intentions to take a step further, with the strength and prestige he has displayed, I fear there is no one in the entire Great Yu Dynasty who could keep him in check."

The words were spoken very tactfully.

But everyone present understood.

What was a step further?

He was already Prince Wu'an; a step further was that dragon throne!

With Lin Changqing's strength to kill a Martial Saint of the early stage with a single sword, plus that early-stage Martial Saint qilin mount.

All the Martial Saints on the surface of the entire Great Yu Dynasty combined were not enough to fight him alone.

If he truly had such thoughts, who could stop him?

Chen Zhan, Commander of the Imperial Guard, also stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Sixth Ancestor, Department Head Xiao speaks the truth."

His expression was solemn, his tone heavy.

"Prince Wu'an's strength is unfathomable."

"Before tonight, we all assumed he was merely at the peak of the Martial Saint realm. But that sword strike he used to slay the sect leader—even though I am only at the eighth rank, I could tell that such a feat is far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary peak Martial Saint."

"Not to mention that pure-blooded Qilin."

Han Yue, Commander of the Royal Forest Army, nodded in agreement.

"Sixth Ancestor, after tonight, Prince Wu'an's prestige among the common people will reach an unprecedented height."

"The commoners do not care about courtly power balances; they only know that a Qilin choosing its master is a sign of Heaven's mandate. If someone were to seize this opportunity to stir the flames from the shadows... the consequences would be unimaginable!"

"We do not doubt Prince Wu'an's character; we are simply thinking of the dynasty's safety. Some things must be guarded against."

The three men's stance was clear.

They were all loyal subjects of the Great Yu Dynasty, concerned for the safety of the realm.

Sixth Ancestor listened to them in silence for a moment.

Then, he slowly shook his head.

"This matter... do not speak of it again."

His tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable authority.

"You only see his strength and prestige, but you fail to see his attitude."

Xiao Qianjun was slightly taken aback.

"Attitude?"

Sixth Ancestor stroked his beard, his gaze fixed on the direction where Lin Changqing had vanished.

"You all know the terms I offered when I personally went to Green Province to recruit him."

"One and a half million Top-grade Spirit Crystals annually, the entire Yu Province as his fief, and full autonomy over military, political, and tax affairs. If it were anyone else with ambition, what would they have done?"

He looked at Xiao Qianjun, answering his own question.

"They would have demanded more provinces, expanded their fief, and made exorbitant demands, taking every single thing they could get."

"But Evergreen Saint Venerable did not. He took exactly what I offered, without even haggling."

Sixth Ancestor turned his gaze to Chen Zhan and Han Yue.

"Furthermore, look at the court. Since he arrived in the capital, have you seen him plant his own people? Have you seen him get particularly close to any official? Have you seen him attempt to recruit anyone?"

Chen Zhan and Han Yue exchanged glances and shook their heads.

Indeed, he had not.

Since Prince Wu'an entered the capital, aside from the banquets and the investiture ceremony arranged by His Majesty, he had almost no private dealings with any court officials.

He had not even sent anyone to manage his fief.

The only exception was Princess Yunshu.

But that, too, was something His Majesty had actively facilitated, not something Prince Wu'an had requested himself.

"And look at tonight."

Sixth Ancestor continued.

"I personally brought up the title of 'Chosen of Heaven,' and you heard his reaction, did you not?"

Xiao Qianjun recalled the moment.

Prince Wu'an seemed to have only smiled and remarked, "Perhaps I am just naturally liked by these exotic beasts."

He had shown no intention of climbing the ladder offered to him.

There was not even a hint of arrogance.

It was as if the title "Chosen of Heaven" was nothing more than an indifferent label to him.

"This man truly seems to have no interest in power or status."

Sixth Ancestor delivered his final judgment.

"His heart is not in the court, but on the path of martial arts."

"For a man like this, even if you gave him the highest prestige, he would not bother to fight for anything. I have lived for over two thousand years; I still have the eye to judge a person."

He paused, his tone becoming even more resolute.

"Therefore, I choose to trust him, and you need not worry any further."

Xiao Qianjun was silent for a moment, then cupped his hands.

"Since the Sixth Ancestor has said so, this subordinate will obey."

Chen Zhan and Han Yue also cupped their hands in unison.

"I obey, Your Majesty. However, I still hope that you and the Sixth Ancestor will remain vigilant regarding this matter. After all, one cannot be too careful..."

The Sixth Ancestor nodded, choosing not to continue the topic.

He turned around, his gaze falling upon the figure bound tightly in the corner of the alley.

The Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Qian Youde.

At this moment, the color had completely drained from Qian Youde's face.

His legs were as limp as noodles, and he collapsed on the ground, the ropes digging deep into his flabby flesh.

He had witnessed with his own eyes the Red Python Sect Leader being cleaved in two by Lin Changqing's sword.

Everything had happened so fast—so fast that he hadn't even had time to process it before it was all over.

His greatest backer, the Capital City branch of the Holy Demon God Sect, had been completely razed to the ground within the span of a few incense sticks.

Now, only one fate awaited him.

Not only that, but his family would likely not escape the catastrophe either.

The Sixth Ancestor walked up to Qian Youde, looking down at him with an indifferent gaze.

"The external threat has been temporarily resolved; now it is time to deal with this traitor who bites the hand that feeds him."

He turned his head and issued an order to Xiao Qianjun.

"Xiao Qianjun, immediately send men to apprehend all of Qian Youde's family members within the Capital City and throw them into the Ministry of Justice Prison. Not a single one is to be missed."

"As for those clan members not in the Capital City, send out hawks with messages to the governors of every province immediately, and have them apprehended and brought to justice with the utmost speed."

Xiao Qianjun cupped his hands, his voice resonant and firm.

"I obey!"

Upon hearing these words, Qian Youde shuddered violently.

He struggled to lift his head, his face a mess of snot and tears.

"S-Sixth Ancestor, spare me! This subordinate was forced! This subordinate was coerced by that Red Python!"

His voice was hoarse and shrill, laced with sobs.

"This subordinate never wanted to defect to them! But they seized my weakness, and I had no choice! I beg the Sixth Ancestor for mercy! I beg the Sixth Ancestor for mercy!"

He wailed while kowtowing, his forehead slamming against the ground with a rhythmic thud, quickly leaving a smear of blood on the floor.

The Demon Suppression Guard soldier holding him frowned.

"Shut your stinking mouth!"

A third-rank elite warrior swung his hand, landing a heavy slap on both sides of Qian Youde's face.