Great Harmony City

Two days passed, and Su Qingyang and Liu Qingni smoothly entered Central Province.

The moment he entered Central Province, Su Qingyang looked into the distance, and a trace of shock surged into his eyes.

"So this is Great Jin..."

On the distant horizon stood a colossal black curtain stretching across heaven and earth, as though it had split the world in two.

No, this was not a curtain at all.

It seemed to be a city wall, merely so immense and majestic that from afar, it resembled a black screen spanning heaven and earth.

The wall was pitch-black, rising roughly a hundred zhang high. Its breadth on either side was impossible to measure; all they could see was its edge eventually dissolving into the horizon.

This was the heart of Great Jin—

Great Harmony City!!

Within this one city gathered princes and ministers, sect prodigies, and martial arts powerhouses!

It gathered the dragon fortune and destiny of Great Jin's vast lands.

Separated by a single wall, inside and outside seemed like two utterly different worlds.

"Yes! This is... Great Jin!!"

Liu Qingni softly breathed those words, then glanced at the young man beside her, complex emotions hidden in her eyes.

"What a magnificent city. It seems I've been a frog at the bottom of a well."

Su Qingyang had never seen such a massive, imposing city—not even in his previous life!

The visible portion of the Imperial Capital alone was as large as half of Northern Prefecture...

Though this world lacked refined firearms craftsmanship, it had pushed human strength and the great power of martial arts to their utmost limits.

He faintly sensed that several Grandmasters must have taken part in building this city, pouring their own craftsmanship into it to create such a wonder.

"The grander and more prosperous a city is, the more demons and monsters lurk in its shadows," Liu Qingni said softly.

"Usually, undercurrents lie dormant in the Imperial Capital and killing intent remains unseen. But once the various powers bare their fangs, it will be a time of blood rain and howling winds, when people devour one another without spitting out the bones."

Su Qingyang nodded slightly.

As they traveled, he questioned Liu Qingni about the inner workings of the Imperial Capital's court, sects, Secret Bureau, and other factions.

As they chatted, the two had already reached the gate beneath the Imperial Capital's outer city wall.

Liu Qingni looked at the Imperial Capital, then suddenly turned to Su Qingyang. Drawing a deep breath, she seemed at last to have made some decision...

Just then, the massive gates of the imperial city burst open inward with a thunderous roar!

Five units of armored cavalry rushed out, nearly a thousand soldiers in all, kicking up dust and sand across the ground.

Every rider wore black armor, with a firearm slung across their back and a long blade at their waist. As they passed, their blood and qi merged into a rolling torrent, their sky-piercing killing intent stabbing straight into the clouds.

At the sight, all passersby were stunned, whispering among themselves as they watched the iron cavalry depart!

"What happened?" Su Qingyang asked in surprise.

He stopped a passerby and made a brief inquiry. A moment later, he nodded thoughtfully.

"So it's because of Lovesickness Tower..."

Lovesickness Tower assassins had been intercepting and killing the "Sixth Prince" in various regions. The commotion had shaken both court and commoners, enraging the emperor, and only then had the court dispatched a thousand cavalrymen to Central Province's border to purge the ambushing assassins.

"Young Master, after entering the Imperial Capital, if possible... please conceal your strength for now!" Liu Qingni dismounted and led her horse toward the broad city gate, a hundred zhang high.

"Oh? Why?" Su Qingyang raised a brow and asked with a smile.

An unending stream of citizens passed in and out through the gate. Several hundred fully armored guards stood watch at the entrance, examining and verifying each travel permit before allowing anyone through.

Liu Qingni gazed at the Imperial Capital she was about to enter. Beneath her veil, her expression shifted several times. She gathered her inner qi into a thread and sent her words solely into Su Qingyang's ears.

"If Young Master enters the city only as the Sixth Prince who was lost among the common folk, or merely reveals the cultivation of a Blood Refining Grandmaster, there will be no problem!"

"But..."

"If both identities are exposed at once!"

"A prince lost among the common folk, unknown to all, who is also a Grandmaster..."

"It would be like a dragon entering shallow waters. It would surely raise stormy waves throughout the city and stir every power in the court."

"His Majesty, the princes, the dukes who command military power, the great sects hidden within the Imperial Capital, and the experts of the Secret Bureau—who among them would not grow wary?"

"From then on, any slight move Young Master makes may touch the nerves of every faction. You would be watched and scrutinized at every turn."

Su Qingyang raised his eyes toward the Great Jin dragon banner fluttering atop the city wall and smiled faintly. "I understand."

"However... that is probably not the only reason, is it?"

Hearing this, Liu Qingni lowered her head slightly and remained silent, not daring to respond.

Seeing this, Su Qingyang gave a soft laugh and laid bare the deepest concern in her heart. "What you truly fear is that everyone in the court will suspect I am not the real Sixth Prince at all."

"Even if my identity is genuine, even if I truly am the Sixth Prince who was lost among the common folk all those years ago, no one would easily believe it with my Blood Refining Grandmaster cultivation displayed so openly."

"After all, even you, who personally found me, have carried doubts in your heart throughout this journey..."

"Everyone will secretly wonder how, in merely twenty years, a fallen prince stranded in the countryside—with no famed master to guide him and no resources to support him—could possibly step into the Grandmaster realm that ordinary people could never reach even after exhausting a lifetime."

Liu Qingni's shoulders trembled faintly. After a long silence, she finally raised her eyes, filled with complicated emotions, and quietly replied through inner qi.

"I'm sorry, Young Master, I..."

Su Qingyang shook his head and continued, "This is not your fault, because no one believes in things that lie beyond the bounds of their common sense."

"It is human nature..."

"I'm sorry, Young Master. Please endure it for a little while. Once your identity is confirmed, in the vast Imperial Capital, not one person will fail to revere you!!"

Liu Qingni said earnestly.

A prince with the cultivation of a Grandmaster would cause far too great a disturbance.

Put the two together, and it would be enough to shake the existing succession order. No one in the court could stand idly by.

Su Qingyang smiled lightly. "Perhaps."

"But now, I'm even more curious. Why is Miss Liu so certain that I am this so-called 'Sixth Prince'? Even my being a Grandmaster has never shaken your judgment."

Liu Qingni fell silent for a moment. She raised her eyes to Su Qingyang, hesitated several times, then finally said, "Young Master, actually... you have an older sister."

"Oh?" Su Qingyang was genuinely surprised this time. "What kind of person is she?"

Liu Qingni shook her head and said seriously, "I'm sorry, Young Master, I cannot speak much of this matter. But I can assure you that the Secret Bureau is worthy of your trust."

"Mm!!... At least, most people in the Secret Bureau can be trusted."

Su Qingyang smiled faintly. It seemed his sister was quite an extraordinary figure!

"Fine! I know what to do!!"