The Great Qian Imperial Palace.
Li Haotian held the confidential memorial in his hand. Though he was an emperor with unfathomable depths of reserve, the news still left him stunned.
From Prince Qing's account, he had suspected that Gu Yuanqing might be beyond Grandmaster, but Prince Qing was only in the True Martial Realm himself and could well have misjudged.
Now, however, Old Man Tianzhu Jiang Hongguang had died at his hands in a single sword strike. The implications spoke for themselves.
Unless someone was beyond Grandmaster, how could he kill a Grandmaster with one strike? Even if this person was not Gu Yuanqing, he had to be someone backing him. Otherwise, he would not have intervened repeatedly.
Li Haotian pondered for a long while before asking, "Has Master Qin returned to the capital?"
"Your Majesty, he has yet to return. Presumably, something has delayed him."
Li Haotian nodded.
"Old companion, summon my uncle Prince Qing to the Imperial Study."
"Yes. This old servant will go at once."
Half an hour later, Prince Qing arrived at the Imperial Study and bowed. "This old subject pays his respects to Your Majesty."
"Rise, Uncle. Sit, and we shall talk."
"Thank you for granting me a seat, Your Majesty."
Only after sitting down did Prince Qing ask, "Your Majesty, what urgent matter prompted you to summon this old subject so late at night?"
"Read this first, Uncle."
Li Haotian handed him the confidential memorial.
Prince Qing received it with both hands. A single glance told him that it came from the Divine Eagle Guard. As he read its contents, his expression shifted slightly.
A moment later, Prince Qing lowered the letter.
"Is Your Majesty ready to tell this old subject the truth?"
Li Haotian gave Xu Lianying a meaningful look. Xu Lianying bowed and withdrew, dismissed everyone nearby, and stood guard outside the Imperial Study.
Only then did Li Haotian say with a bitter smile, "Last time, Uncle, you asked why I had not told you about Gu Yuanqing's circumstances. Now I can answer you: in truth, I did not know either.
"To be frank with you, Uncle, after what happened last year, even ten thousand deaths for Gu Yuanqing would not have quenched my hatred. It was Miaoxuan who insisted on sparing his life, so he was imprisoned on North Spring Mountain instead.
"That place is called a forbidden ground, but it is really nothing more than a deserted mountain. I merely had the Imperial Guard Army stationed below to guard the Demon Realm Seal keep watch over him as well.
"I intended to leave him there to grow old alone for the rest of his life. That would serve as punishment.
"But half a month later, Miaoxuan suddenly told me she was pregnant. Her heart was set on seeking the path to immortality, and she did not wish to remain in the Imperial Palace, so she wanted to bear this child as an heir to our Li Family. At first, I refused, but in the end, I could not overcome her stubbornness.
"Now Gu Yuanqing's name has spread throughout the land, and there is no hiding it anymore. Whether it is Gu Yuanqing himself or someone behind him who is beyond Grandmaster, calling this 'imprisonment' is no longer appropriate. Yet this matter concerns the dignity of our Great Qian Imperial Family, and I have no one else with whom to discuss it. That is why I summoned you, Uncle."
Prince Qing considered this for a moment, then asked, "Did Your Majesty issue an imperial edict?"
"Of course not. It was only a verbal decree."
"Then Your Majesty need not do anything else for now. I hear Gu Yuanqing enjoys reading. Why not have someone send him some books later?"
"And the Gu Family..."
A Grandmaster being slain with a single sword strike was a matter of paramount importance in the martial world. The news seemed to sprout legs, spreading throughout the land in just a few days.
Linping County lay roughly three hundred li from North Spring Mountain.
Inside a teahouse, a storyteller in his forties stood onstage, his brows dancing and his words blooming like fragrant lotuses as he spoke and gestured with a folding fan.
"In the blink of an eye, a flash of silver stirred a thousand layers of Wind Dao and ten thousand waves. Old Man Tianzhu focused his gaze and only then realized a streak of sword light was hurtling toward him. Frightened nearly out of his wits, he unleashed Eight Directions in Night Battle in desperation, whirling the Ice Soul Cold Jade Bamboo in his hand until not even a breath of air could get through..."
"Hahaha! Li Kangwen, you're going to make me die laughing! That was a Grandmaster! You're saying a Grandmaster used Eight Directions in Night Battle?"
The storyteller was most displeased at being interrupted and snapped, "Qiu Lao Er, what do you know? That's called returning to the uncarved simplicity of the true self! Do you think Eight Directions in Night Battle in a Grandmaster's hands is the same as yours? Not a splash of water or a gust of Wind Dao could get through!"
"All right, all right, let's say you're right. But why did I hear the Hu Family's third son say you never even made it there while the Grandmasters were fighting? They'd all left, and you were still on the road."
"Utter nonsense! Upon hearing the news, I went to North Spring Mountain myself, dining on Wind Dao and sleeping beneath the open sky. I waited three days and nights before witnessing the battle between Grandmasters with my own eyes. How dare you spout such rubbish?" The storyteller glared at him. Cutting off a man's livelihood was like murdering his parents; right now, he wanted nothing more than to kill Qiu Lao Er.
"Enough. Get on with it. I paid to come in and listen to a story, not watch you argue," a thin, wizened old man said irritably.
"That's right! Either get on with the story or give us our money back."
Once one person started, everyone joined in.
In moments, the teahouse audience was clamoring.
"My apologies, my apologies, esteemed listeners. I shall continue at once." The storyteller shot Qiu Lao Er a glare, then struck a pose and prepared to resume.
Suddenly, a squad of bailiffs pushed through the door.
Their leader wore blue robes, with a Silver Shark Saber hanging at his waist. His sharp gaze swept the room before he waved a hand, and the bailiffs behind him pasted a wanted portrait on the wall.
"By order of the Heavenly Policy Mansion, anyone providing verified information about the person in this portrait will receive one hundred taels of fine silver. Anyone assisting in his capture will receive one hundred taels of gold."
With that, the group hurried away.
Those who had been seated listening to the story crowded around the notice.
"A hundred taels of silver just for reporting something? Let's see who they're after this time."
"Void Form? Isn't he the man ranked seventh on the Black List? I think I'll pass. You might live to earn that money, but not to spend it."
"What's there to fear? Spot him, report him to the authorities, and a hundred taels of fine silver is yours. How would he know who reported him?"
The thin, wizened old man rose and glanced at the portrait from a distance, immediately cursing inwardly. Damn it, those bastards from the Heavenly Policy Mansion are serious this time. They've even sent men to this little town. I failed to catch the fox and ended up covered in its stink.
Still, it's strange. Since they let me go, why are they so eager to catch me again? Could some old business have dragged me into this? Luckily, I'm an expert at disguises and came prepared. Otherwise, once those hounds of the Heavenly Policy Mansion caught my scent, I'd never shake them off.
North Spring Mountain.
The martial artists gathered nearby finally began to disperse. Some were unwilling to leave just yet and waited outside to see whether any more Grandmasters would arrive.
Clearly, however, they had miscalculated and wasted several more days waiting.
The Imperial Guard Army at the foot of the mountain could finally breathe a full sigh of relief. Already burdened with guarding the Demon Cave's seal, they also had to watch North Spring Mountain day and night. Lately, almost every man had spent all his time either cultivating or patrolling. Now they could finally take a little rest.
Gu Yuanqing had also resumed his daily cultivation. After killing Old Man Tianzhu with a single sword strike, his heart had relaxed completely.
Moreover, it meant that here in Great Qian, on North Spring Mountain, he no longer needed to fear anyone.
His life and death were no longer in another's hands. Even if the emperor came... well, he was Miaoxuan's father, after all. I'd still have to show him some respect.
As for his supposed imprisonment by the Imperial Family, he no longer took it to heart.
Once his strength surpassed the level of a Grandmaster, those so-called rules ceased to be rules!
The complete relaxation of his mind began to influence his cultivation from within, and even the true qi in his body seemed to grow a little more lively.
Cultivation was, at its heart, the cultivation of the mind. Changes in his state of mind naturally reflected upon all things.
Both Mountain Observation and Object Control became more fluid and natural than they had been in recent days.
His longsword flew freely through North Spring Mountain like a roaming dragon. Now and then, the sound of it cleaving the air rang out, and he no longer needed to worry about anything.
Without realizing it, his cultivation had already progressed far into the profound martial ninth layer.
By now, he had devoted most of his attention to developing his cultivation method, for before breaking through to Grandmaster, he needed to reforge his foundation!
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