I have a bold idea

Lianshan Xin gave the Heavenly Sword's show of badassery a score of ninety-nine.

He withheld one point for fear the Heavenly Sword would get conceited.

Watching the curve of the Heavenly Sword's lips, which he simply couldn't suppress, Lianshan Xin wanted to slap himself:

Why the hell did you have to play the straight man so well?

It was fair to say that Lianshan Xin had single-handedly built this perfect stage for the Heavenly Sword to show off.

"This student... truly wishes to follow your example."

Lianshan Xin gritted his teeth as he sucked up to him.

When he sucked up to Qi Shiyun, Lianshan Xin did it willingly. Not just because Qi Shiyun was a peerless beauty who couldn't see her toes when she looked down, but more because she hadn't shown off in front of him. His flattery came naturally.

The Heavenly Sword was different. His badass credentials were too solid.

So solid that even Lianshan Xin's flattery sounded like a simple statement of fact.

"My lord, weren't you afraid when you went after the princess back then?"

"I was."

"Then how did you dare to blind her?"

"I tried to hold back. I really just couldn't."

The Heavenly Sword was very sincere. "Whatever you do, don't follow my example. The price I paid was giving up a life of roaming the martial world with a carefree laugh. I could only become a mere Heavenly Sword. Though I gained wealth, glory, power, and status, I also lost a great deal."

"My lord, this student is willing to lose those things." Lianshan Xin was equally sincere.

The Heavenly Sword patted Lianshan Xin on the shoulder for the third time and encouraged him. "Actually, we in Great Yu are very reasonable. His Majesty and the imperial family are reasonable too. Even our laws in Great Yu have a human touch."

"How so?"

"Shiyun placed third in the imperial examinations, so when she offended the Crown Prince, His Majesty merely laughed it off, saying it was just children playing around.

"Back then, I topped the Hidden Dragon Ranking, so when I gouged out the princess's eyes, the imperial family also felt that nothing was more commendable than recognizing one's mistakes and reforming. As long as I joined the Nine Heavens and atoned through meritorious service, the matter would be laid to rest.

"Courage and insight are important. What matters more is making those powerful figures willing to reason with you."

Lianshan Xin thanked him sincerely. "This student has learned much. If I can make it onto the Hidden Dragon Ranking, surely the Second Prince won't become my enemy over a mere Zeng Ningbing."

"Simply making it onto the Hidden Dragon Ranking isn't enough. You need to reach at least the top ten before your name and story reach the ears of interested parties at court and beyond."

"The top ten?"

Lianshan Xin silently committed this goal to memory.

"That shouldn't be too difficult either."

"Good ambition."

The Heavenly Sword didn't scorn Lianshan Xin for not knowing how high the heavens were or how deep the earth was.

After all, he knew how quickly the Dragon Aiders lineage cultivated:

Quick to start, quick in the middle, quick to die!

Their defining feature was always being one step ahead.

"Since you're interested in the Golden Scale Alliance, I might as well give you another task. Find out who the Great Grandmaster behind the Golden Scale Alliance is."

Lianshan Xin looked at the Heavenly Sword in puzzlement. "You don't know, my lord?"

"I don't," the Heavenly Sword said gravely. "They've kept their head hidden while letting their tail show. Understandable though that may be, the Nine Heavens cannot afford to lack this information. Besides, I suspect they may really have ties to the Demon Cult."

Lianshan Xin perked up.

This really was a pillow arriving just as he was getting sleepy.

"My lord, why do you suspect that?"

"When I tried to capture Thousand Faces earlier, I wanted a live prisoner, so I used only seventy percent of my strength. Barring any surprises, I should have been able to capture Thousand Faces. At the critical moment, a mysterious Great Grandmaster appeared, rescued Thousand Faces from beneath my sword, and even broke my sword."

At this point, the Sword Qi around the Heavenly Sword grew sharp enough to seem tangible, its keen edge cutting into Lianshan Xin's bones.

"You suspect it was the mysterious Great Grandmaster behind the Golden Scale Alliance, my lord?"

The Heavenly Sword didn't deny it. "I couldn't identify their origins, but Great Grandmasters don't simply spring out of nowhere in this world. In the Primordial Era, some people gained an immortal blessing and ascended to heaven in a single step, but that belongs to legend now. Since the martial arts began to flourish, advancing along the Dao Path through seclusion alone has become utterly impossible. Thus, every Great Grandmaster has their own martial Dharma Form and their own name in the martial world. Anyone who could still conceal their origins beneath my sword must be plotting something enormous."

Lianshan Xin understood. "If this concerns the struggle for the throne, the stakes would naturally be enormous. My lord, are there many Great Grandmasters in the world?"

"Probably more than you imagine, but not too many. Moreover, the Nine Heavens has information on eighty percent of them. The twenty percent we've missed are almost all threats festering close to the heart. We don't yet know which category the Golden Scale Alliance's Great Grandmaster belongs to."

"I understand. My lord, this student has a question, though I don't know whether it's appropriate to ask."

"Speak freely. Since Shiyun has chosen you, you'll be a direct-line disciple of the Nine Heavens from now on."

"May I ask, my lord, how you learned that Thousand Faces was hiding in White Deer Grotto Academy?"

Lianshan Xin had already been pondering this question yesterday.

Thousand Faces had remained well hidden all this time. How had that identity suddenly been exposed?

The Heavenly Sword glanced at Lianshan Xin and said appreciatively, "Good question. I received a letter of denunciation."

"A letter of denunciation?"

"I know there's something strange about this too, but that is indeed what happened. The letter was sent straight to the Nine Heavens' headquarters."

"In other words, Thousand Faces was reported by a mysterious person, then rescued by another mysterious person?"

The Heavenly Sword replied precisely, "We can't rule out the possibility that they were the same person."

"Thousand Faces being exposed caused the Imperial Court to distrust White Deer Grotto Academy. And White Deer Grotto Academy falls under the Jiangzhou Governor's jurisdiction. Most of its students who enter court as officials belong to the Second Prince's faction too, don't they?" Lianshan Xin asked.

The Heavenly Sword nodded silently.

"My lord, let me venture a guess. Is it possible that the Jiangzhou Governor knew Thousand Faces' identity all along?"

The Heavenly Sword fell silent.

His silence meant he hadn't rejected Lianshan Xin's guess.

So Lianshan Xin perked up again. "My lord, could it be that Thousand Faces... actually works for the Second Prince? Or even that Thousand Faces is the very Great Grandmaster behind the Golden Scale Alliance?"

The Heavenly Sword finally spoke. "That guess... is far too bold."

"Perhaps that's exactly what the informant wants us to investigate." Lianshan Xin advanced a bold hypothesis. "If this student's guess is true, then the person who reported Thousand Faces... could it have been the Crown Prince? Given his position, it would be perfectly normal for him to receive some real information. And stabbing the Second Prince in the back would be even more normal."

The Heavenly Sword didn't rebuke Lianshan Xin, though of course he didn't endorse his hypothesis either.

He merely said, "These are all matters I came to Jiangzhou to investigate. Until we have solid evidence, we must not jump to conclusions."

Lianshan Xin knew the Heavenly Sword meant for him to verify things carefully.

Unfortunately, his style was bold hypotheses and outrageously bold verification.

"It seems our Nine Heavens has already been swept into the struggle for the throne and landed on the very front line of the conflict between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. The Crown Prince wants to borrow the sharp blade of our Nine Heavens to kill people. How outrageous! Our Nine Heavens absolutely cannot sit idle and await our doom."

Lianshan Xin had already seen through everything. Furious, he prepared to rise up and strike back.