Watching a Secret Battle at Night

Great Gan, North Long Street.

This area lay close to the Imperial Palace and Government Offices, where most court ministers resided.

Within a two-courtyard estate.

"Eunuch Li, have you found any leads on the matter I asked you to investigate last time?" Qin Baijun watched the eunuch before him.

"Ordinarily, this servant should not spread palace affairs outside. But Young Master Qin and Her Highness the Princess are fellow disciples, the Lingxu Sect and the Imperial Court have always been on good terms, and your father also holds the post of Imperial Inner Court Attendant. We are practically family, so this servant will speak plainly and not beat around the bush."

At this point, Li Haiming paused. "There truly was a strange incident eight months ago. That night, His Majesty flew into a rage and smashed even his favorite Pine Pollen Imperial Inkstone into powder. The next day, Prince Gu was stripped of one rank, while Prince Gu's Heir Apparent, Gu Yuanxuan, had his cultivation abolished and was exiled to the frontier for abducting a civilian woman half a year earlier. Yet less than three hundred li from the Capital City, he was killed by bandits. Heh, how strange—bandits actually appeared near the Imperial Capital. Wasn't that like dozing off beneath a tiger's jaws?"

"You mean the child in Miaoxuan's womb belonged to Prince Gu's Heir Apparent? He died eight months ago?" Qin Baijun's expression turned icy. Though he had learned of this matter months ago, he still could not view it calmly.

"This servant never said that Her Highness the Princess had secretly conceived a child. Young Master Qin must not speak recklessly of such things. This servant merely mentioned a strange incident from nine months ago." Li Haiming's voice sharpened somewhat.

Qin Baijun ignored Li Haiming's words. They were nothing but an attempt to hide the truth. He took a box from his sleeve, set it on the table, and pushed it over. "Thank you for your efforts in this matter, Eunuch Li. Inside is a Leopard Fetus Tendon Changing Marrow Cleansing Pill specially made by my Lingxu Sect, a small token of appreciation."

Li Haiming was overjoyed. He accepted it with both hands, opened it for a glance, then carefully tucked it into his pouch before rising with a beaming smile and cupping his hands. "On behalf of my nephew, I thank Young Master Qin."

"You're welcome. May your nephew achieve success in cultivation soon."

"Thank you, thank you. I'll borrow your auspicious words. Oh, Young Master Qin, there is one more matter. This servant does not know whether it is true, but I heard that Prince Gu has another illegitimate son named... Gu Yuanqing. He too was taken away by the Imperial Guards around those days. They say he was sent to North Spring Mountain and imprisoned there."

Qin Baijun abruptly rose to his feet. "What do you mean by that, Eunuch Li?"

"This servant merely heard it in passing. Perhaps it is only a rumor. As for whether it is true, Young Master Qin naturally has his own judgment. This servant cannot stay away from the palace for too long, so I shall not impose further. Farewell!" Li Haiming clasped his whisk in greeting, backed away three steps, then turned and departed.

"Gu Yuanqing? How could a mere illegitimate son of the Gu Family dare?"

Qin Baijun's expression was grim. He had left that day in grief and fury, yet after a month, his heart still refused to accept it. Even his cultivation had been affected.

Later, when he investigated, he found no news of Great Gan's Princess Li Miaoxuan marrying. Thus, he guessed that she had secretly conceived a child.

Had it been a proper marriage with matchmakers and ceremonies, so be it. But how could he endure things being this way? He immediately returned to the royal capital, only to be unable even to meet Li Miaoxuan.

He secretly investigated the matter, initially thinking it was some peerless prodigy from a renowned noble clan. Now that he learned it was merely an illegitimate son, his rage became unbearable, every emotion turning into killing intent.

"North Spring Mountain?"

Qin Baijun's voice was low, brimming with murderous intent.

On North Spring Mountain, Gu Yuanqing was in an exceedingly good mood.

His cultivation had broken through, and the road ahead was wide and clear.

Other than being somewhat dissatisfied that no one was around to talk to, everything was free and carefree.

He gathered Heavenly Gang at dawn, gathered Earthly Sha at dusk, and at midnight used the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate his Cultivation Method. His progress advanced with each passing day. Once he became a Grandmaster, the vast world would hold no place he could not go.

His swordsmanship had advanced by leaps and bounds as well. The Big Dipper Seven Swords had already entered the hall, and the embryonic form of Sword Intent was quietly taking shape.

He did not know how strong he was in battle now, but he reckoned that ordinary Profound Martial Low Rank cultivators were no longer his match.

At night, after cultivating, he lay on his bed and began Mountain Observation, merging with North Spring Mountain and sensing the exchange between the mountain and this stretch of heaven and earth. In that half-asleep, half-awake state, his spiritual consciousness was nourished and grew. Of all the Spirit Refining Methods in the various secret manuals, none could compare to Mountain Observation.

Suddenly, he woke from that wondrous state. Two figures had intruded into North Spring Mountain's domain from the West Cliff.

Both wore black clothes, their faces covered with black cloth, long swords on their backs—the standard attire of night prowlers. Their cultivation was impressive as well. They scaled the sheer cliff face as though walking on level ground and reached the mountainside in the blink of an eye.

"Could they also be here for North Spring Mountain's hidden treasure? Are they accomplices of that old man?"

As Gu Yuanqing pondered this, the two men ran straight into the old man who had emerged from the cave.

All three were doing things they could not let others see. When six eyes met, all were startled, and they almost instinctively attacked at once.

The old man had already drawn the Firewood Saber from his waist. Saber light filled the sky as it swept toward the two men, who likewise drew the swords from their backs, their blades like swimming dragons as they met the attack.

Clang, clang, clang! A rapid series of weapons striking rang out.

"Eh? It looks like saber techniques, yet it carries the shadow of the Big Dipper Sword Technique! Could this old man once have been a disciple of the North Spring Sword Sect?" Gu Yuanqing's attainments in the sword path were extraordinary, and he had cultivated the Big Dipper Sword Technique. With one look, he "saw" its underlying flavor.

"They're not accomplices after all. This is interesting."

Gu Yuanqing watched with relish. His cultivation had been too low in the past, and he had mostly seen ordinary Origin Scholars fighting. Even when he occasionally saw experts of the Profound Martial Realm battle, he could not make anything out. Now, naturally, things were different.

This fight was far more interesting than the martial arts battles he had watched on television in his previous life.

"Tsk, tsk, they're really fast, but their swordsmanship is utterly mediocre. With every sword strike, I can spot at least two or three flaws." Gu Yuanqing shook his head repeatedly.

"This old man isn't much better either. Didn't he see it? If that move just now had been replaced with Coiled Roots Pointing Geese, then shifted into Parting Clouds to See the Sun, he could immediately... Oh, no. When Parting Clouds to See the Sun swept upward, it would just expose a flaw for the other person."

Gu Yuanqing gradually immersed himself in the fight, and insights into swordsmanship he had never possessed before surged into his mind. After all, though his swordsmanship was good, he had never experienced real combat. Practicing the sword and fighting were fundamentally different.

Just as he was watching in fascination, the old man's moves suddenly changed. A three-inch sword glow shot from the Firewood Saber in his hand, and the vaguely sword-like saber technique transformed into the true Big Dipper Sword Technique.

The two black-clad men were caught off guard. Two flashes of sword light broke through their sword forms almost simultaneously and landed upon them.

Blood blossomed. The two men both gave muffled groans and fell from the mountainside.

The old man looked down once but did not pursue them. Instead, he swiftly headed up the mountain and returned to his dwelling.

"That just ended so suddenly? What a terrible ending." Gu Yuanqing stared in astonishment. He had not had his fill yet; it was like a film cutting off just as it reached its most thrilling point because the power went out.

But he immediately understood why. A figure clad in armor approached from afar. An Eagle Phantom floated around his body, and with every step he took, the eagle's wings flapped once, making his Movement Technique as swift as lightning!