Mu Rong

Great Shang's capital, Wangxiang Tower.

On the second floor, two women sat at a table by the window. Outside lay the bustling sights of Great Shang's capital.

Their looks were so outstanding that people could not help glancing their way again and again.

"Sister Li, please."

Mu Rong spoke, raising tea in place of wine to toast the woman before her with a smile.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Li Youwei likewise raised her cup, then took a gentle sip.

"I heard you came to the capital with my third imperial brother, Sister Li. Did you encounter any trouble along the way?" Mu Rong asked softly.

"No."

Li Youwei shook her head gently and said, "Thanks to the Third Prince's care, the journey was fairly smooth."

"That's good."

Mu Rong smiled. "I've admired your reputation for a long time, Sister Li. When I learned you had come to the capital, I couldn't wait to meet you. I hope you'll forgive my presumption."

"You're too kind, Your Highness. It's my honor to be granted an audience with you," Li Youwei said softly.

Mu Rong smiled lightly at her words. "Sister Li, let's dispense with these pleasantries. What plans do you have for this visit to the capital? Why not stay at my princess's residence for a few days? I haven't stayed at my residence outside the palace in a long time. If you came, I could take the opportunity to ask Mother for permission to stay outside the palace for a few days."

"Thank you for your invitation, Your Highness. However, I've come to the capital to discuss a partnership, and my itinerary and accommodations have already been arranged. I can only offer my apologies," Li Youwei said calmly.

"I see. What a pity."

Regret showed on Mu Rong's face, but she quickly recovered and smiled. "Never mind. You're here in the capital, after all, Sister Li. I'll have plenty of opportunities to see you."

"Mm."

Li Youwei nodded gently without saying anything more.

"By the way, Sister Li, regarding the partnership you mentioned, do you have any candidates in mind? I happen to know a few suitable families I could introduce you to."

Mu Rong's words were half courtesy, half sincerity.

"Back in Yuzhou City, the Third Prince mentioned three candidates to the Li Family: the Zhangsun Family, the Merchant Alliance, and the Yin Family Bank. He said he would help make introductions, but I haven't met them yet," Li Youwei said.

"The Merchant Alliance, the Yin Family Bank."

Mu Rong murmured the names softly, glimmers flashing through her beautiful eyes.

Third Imperial Brother certainly knew whom to recommend. Both had ties to the court, but they were also deeply entangled with him.

Of the three candidates, two belonged to Third Imperial Brother's faction. His purpose went without saying.

It seemed that although Third Imperial Brother had completed the task Father assigned him, he had secretly harbored plenty of selfish intentions as well.

"Since Third Imperial Brother has promised to make introductions for you, Sister, I won't meddle."

Mu Rong parted her lips, seemingly about to say something, then swallowed her words.

Seeing this, Li Youwei obligingly asked, "Your Highness, I've only just arrived in the capital and am unfamiliar with many things here. I hope you can offer me some guidance."

"There are indeed a few things I'd like to tell you, Sister."

Mu Rong thought for a moment, then said sincerely, "The capital's factions are tangled and complex. Although everyone serves the court, many secretly harbor ill intentions. You should be careful when choosing a partner, Sister."

"Could you be more specific, Your Highness?" Li Youwei asked gravely.

"Walls have ears. There are some things I can't spell out too clearly."

Mu Rong glanced around the bustling second floor and said, "Just be careful, Sister. Of course, if you trust me, you might give the Zhangsun Family more consideration when choosing a partner. That is my mother's family, and I can put in a few words for you."

After hearing the Ninth Princess's words, Li Youwei nodded gently. "I'll remember your guidance, Your Highness."

"All right, let's stop discussing these troubling matters. Sister Li, could you tell me about Yuzhou City? I've never left the capital, and I'm terribly curious about the world outside."

Having achieved her aim, Mu Rong deliberately changed the subject and began chatting with the woman before her, dispelling her wariness as much as possible.

Sure enough, once the Ninth Princess stopped discussing the partnership, much of the tension faded from Li Youwei's face, and her tone relaxed as well. "What would you like to hear about, Your Highness?"

"Tell me about the Li Residence. Here in the capital, the Li Residence has already become a legend, especially those curious things it invented. We'd never even heard of them before," Mu Rong said.

Li Youwei smiled. "You mean perfume, glass, soap, and such things, Your Highness? An elderly gentleman in our residence learned about them during his travels overseas years ago. The Li Family was fortunate enough to receive his help, which allowed us to manufacture them."

"Oh?"

Surprise appeared on Mu Rong's face. "Why did I hear that the Li Residence's third young master invented them? Am I remembering incorrectly?"

"Those are only wild rumors."

Li Youwei smiled. "When our Li Family started selling perfume and soap, my little brother wasn't even seven yet. How could he have invented those things?"

"That does make sense."

Mu Rong nodded, though she did not fully believe it. Rumors did not always arise from an empty hollow. There were far too many legendary tales surrounding the Li Family's third young master. Whether rumor or truth, they warranted the imperial family's attention.

Li Youwei watched the Ninth Princess's expression, smiled faintly, and said nothing more.

She knew why the Ninth Princess had invited her here today. But having come to the capital, she could not avoid contact with the imperial family. After meeting the Ninth Princess, she could also see how the others reacted.

That said, the Ninth Princess truly was as beautiful as the rumors claimed, a beauty who could topple cities and kingdoms. She could absolutely be called Great Shang's most beautiful woman. Nothing could be better than having her marry into the Li Residence as her little brother's wife.

At this thought, a smile curved Li Youwei's lips, and her gaze toward the girl before her grew a little kinder.

Yet when Mu Rong saw the woman's suddenly benevolent gaze, for some reason, she instinctively shuddered, and an indescribable feeling rose in her heart.

Just as Li Youwei was once again looking for a wife for her little brother, Li Ziye, who was maneuvering around the bandits all over the Qilian Mountains, suddenly shivered, feeling a chill at his back.

"They caught up?"

Li Ziye hurriedly glanced behind him. Finding no sign of the bandits, he could not help breathing a sigh of relief.

No one.

Good, good.

Speaking of which, these bandits were getting more and more useless. They couldn't even catch up with him.

Behind him, nearly a li down the mountain path, a dozen or so bandits sat slumped on the ground, panting so hard they could barely stand.

"Chief, how did that brat get so formidable? Seven or eight of our brothers ambushed him, and we still couldn't stop him," one bandit asked in bewilderment.

"That brat most likely opened a Divine Repository and has become a martial artist."

The bandit chief's face was dark. "In short, if you encounter him, you mustn't be alone. Better to attack with a dozen or twenty men at once. Otherwise, you won't be able to stop him."

"All right!" the bandits answered with nods.

"Hey, are you still chasing me or not?"

Just then, Li Ziye, who had already fled out of sight, actually returned along the same path and stood on a rock, shouting loudly.

"Brat, don't let me catch you, or I'll skin you alive!"

Hearing his provocation, the bandit chief flushed red with anger and roared.

"Big guy, I've heard that line so many times my ears are almost growing calluses. Are you chasing me or not? If not, this young master is leaving."

Standing on the rock with his hands on his hips, Li Ziye shouted like a shrew cursing in the street.

"Brothers, after him!"

Enraged, the bandit chief gave the order and led his men in pursuit again.

Seeing this, Li Ziye laughed heartily, then turned and kept running.

Fighting a whole crowd alone was out of the question. But if someone got separated, or three to five of them fell behind, he could consider it.

As the blazing sun traveled west, fewer and fewer people behind Li Ziye could keep up. By near sunset, only Li Ziye and the bandit chief could still run.

"Brat... do you dare stop and fight me?"

Near the edge of the mountain forest, the bandit chief bent over and spoke between great gasps for breath.

Before the forest's exit, Li Ziye stopped at his words and turned to look at the bandit chief behind him. "A fight isn't out of the question. But if I win, you have to answer three questions."

"What questions?"

The bandit chief's expression darkened as he spoke.

"Agree first."

Li Ziye smiled.

"Fine, I agree. But you'll have to be capable of beating me!"

Before his words had fallen, the bandit chief's eyes turned cold. He sprang up and suddenly charged.

Before the forest's exit, Li Ziye was already prepared. Pushing off the ground, he leaped several zhang backward.

His graceful movement technique was unlike anything seen before, like a flying immortal, ethereal and untouched by worldly dust.

His first attack missing, the bandit chief's expression darkened. He stamped hard against the ground and closed in again.

Without the slightest panic on his face, Li Ziye shifted his steps, and his figure swept several zhang away once more.

The Flying Immortal Formula, the world's foremost art, possessed not only peerless swordsmanship but also the world's finest movement technique.

In one day and one night, Li Ziye had learned only five steps, not even enough to count as scratching the surface. Yet they were enough to deal with the bandit chief before him.

After retreating two steps in succession, Li Ziye stepped backward through the air and kicked off a tree trunk, reversing direction in midair as Azure Frost slid from its sheath in his hand.

Whoosh!

A sword strike like a startled swan, its light like frost. The seemingly simple thrust drove toward the bandit chief's heart with unmatched precision.

As danger struck, every hair on the bandit chief's body stood on end. Following his martial instincts, he rolled on the spot.

Riiip!

A piercing sound of tearing cloth rang out. A wound deep enough to expose bone appeared across the bandit chief's chest, and blood spattered, staining his clothes red.

"You've lost!"

The bandit chief was just about to rise from the ground when his vision suddenly blurred, and a longsword radiating an oppressive chill appeared before his throat.

"Th-this is impossible!"

The bandit chief stared at the sword before his throat in shock.

"What, willing to wager but unwilling to admit defeat?"

Li Ziye shook the sword in his hand. "Do I need to poke a few holes in you before you concede?"

"I concede!"

The bandit chief's face darkened. "Go on. What do you want to know?"

"Very simple."

Li Ziye grinned brilliantly. "Where did you get that Blazing Fire Iron Essence?"