The Imperial Palace, Zichen Hall.
Thick, dark clouds loomed over the Forbidden City, while warriors clad in golden armor lined up outside the hall, watching the group ascend the long white stone steps.
General Cao Xiong walked at the front. Although he was over sixty years old, his hair and beard were black. He wore a round-necked purple robe embroidered with a qilin and a gold and jade belt. He looked more like a strong warrior in his forties.
Although he ranked First Rank among the officials and was also the father-in-law of the ruler, Cao Xiong's words and actions were not arrogant. He arrived at the palace like an ordinary subject, had his attendants wait outside, and bowed to pay his respects.
"Saint."
Inside the luxurious palace, Emperor of Yan Xiao Cang of Yan, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat on a couch, examining the good news sent from the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, with Eunuch Fan standing behind him.
Seated next to him was Murong Xie, the Yellow Gate Attendant. Compared to his official position, people were more familiar with his other identity: a Yin-Yang Scholar, ranked sixth in the Second Rank, the head of the Ceremonial Phoenix Bureau, and one of the two good dogs of Yong Capital.
The other one is Ruan Jinyu.
Emperor of Yan ascended the throne in his early twenties and will only turn fifty this year after his birthday celebrations. His youth was marked by a young emperor and powerful ministers, a period of great hardship. He spent half his life walking on thin ice, and his demeanor is more mature than most. Hearing this, he put down his briefing and smiled.
"We're all family in private, no need for formalities. Father-in-law, please come in. Heaven-Observing Pavilion just delivered some good news..."
Cao Xiong entered the hall. Because of his long-standing relationship with the Emperor of Yan, which resembled that of uncle and nephew, he didn't stand on ceremony. After Murong Xie stood up, he sat down opposite him.
"Your Majesty, I have heard that this Ye Xingge is truly a remarkable figure. Throughout history, those whose momentum can rival his have all achieved First Rank, if they did not die. However, this young man comes from humble origins, yet his performance rivals that of First Rank descendant of a top-ranking scholar, which is indeed somewhat unexpected..."
Murong Xie, the Yin-Yang Scholar, who oversees the " Ceremonial Phoenix Bureau," the eyes and ears of the Emperor of Yan, is essentially a eunuch. He had previously suspected Ye Xingge's background, and his response at this moment is:
"Not only did Ruan Jinyu investigate this young man's background and resume, but I did as well recently. His background is spotless; his parents and second uncle run an inn on Azure Dragon Street, just like they did in Qingxi in previous years. Apart from his second uncle, Ye Gucheng, being a bit unusual, there are no problems."
" Ye Gucheng..."
Cao Xiong had never heard of this person before, and asked:
What's different about it?
"Hmm... He's over forty and still unmarried. I went to check it out myself, which shows he's quite an extraordinary person. Yet he's squatting on the street playing Connect Four with a child, and when he wins, he laughs 'Hahahaha!'"
Murong Xie was still relatively young when he was in the hall. At this moment, he was speaking with one hand behind his back, displaying the unrestrained attitude of "I am a madman of Chu, singing the phoenix and laughing at Confucius", which was quite similar to the smugness of Zhang the old scoundrel from the Heaven-Observing Pavilion.
üの"
Upon seeing the vivid and expressive description, the Emperor of Yan pondered for a moment:
"Such behavior suggests either a complete lack of common sense or a deep-seated, unassuming nature. Have you tested your skills?"
Murong Xie dropped his smug look and nodded.
"When we hit the wall behind his head with a pebble, he didn't react at all. He only turned around when he heard the sound, and there was nothing unusual about him. Furthermore, he hadn't moved for over forty years, and his life history, like Ye Xingge's, is well-documented..."
Seeing that even after personally conducting background checks on Ruan Jinyu and Murong Xie, two intelligence chiefs who had committed heinous crimes, they found nothing wrong, Cao Xiong naturally dispelled his doubts and sighed softly:
"That's a prodigy emerging out of nowhere. This young man fought five against one at Shangjin Ferry, witnessed by thousands of martial artists. This is his own hard-earned strength, which cannot be faked. However, only 35 people were nominated out of five Third Rank -three finishers..."
Cao Xiong was, after all, First Rank old demon, and he was well aware of divine weapons and even the current martial arts environment. Ye Xingge's attack had increased his power by at least five years. After five years of hard training, he only managed to improve his rank by more than thirty places. It would be difficult for him to even enter the Second Rank in his lifetime, let alone the First Rank.
Judging from Ye Xingge's past, his talent and ability are definitely not the problem. The reason for this situation can only be that his physical constitution and cultivation techniques are too poor, resulting in a lot of effort for little reward and low efficiency.
Murong Xie was clearly aware of the problem:
"This boy comes from humble origins, and his foundation is indeed too weak. If his physical constitution and martial arts were on par with Duke Cao's, he could kill one person and that would be equivalent to killing five today. And if this boy maintains this momentum throughout the second half of the year..."
The Emperor of Yan's eyes flickered. "Can he be ranked among the First Rank before the end of the year?"
Cao Xiong initially didn't believe it, but Ye Xingge was just too outrageous, so he nodded and said:
"The difficulty of entering the First Rank within six months lies in finding enough people to kill and ensuring one's own survival in every battle; time is secondary." "As long as the court provides this young man with targets, and his cultivation methods and physical attributes are supplemented, given his recent performance, it is indeed quite possible." Eunuch Fan, who had been standing by the couch, knew how much the Emperor of Yan desired to unify the country as soon as possible, and interjected:
"In that case, send the Qilin Pill, the Great Nine Yang Thousand-Autumn Move Manual to this boy and let him try them out?"
Murong Xie thought for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"What martial artists seek is nothing more than innate talent, martial arts techniques, skill level, and wealth. Giving them everything now will leave nothing to reward them with later, which will not be conducive to motivating this young man." Cao Xiong nodded in agreement. "This humble servant will first give this young man the body-refining method of the ' Great Nine Yang ' to make up for his shortcomings in martial arts. Later, we will gradually incentivize him with complete martial arts manuals, elixirs, technique manuals, and sword-nurturing materials. The goal doesn't need to be set too high. Give him a reward every ten places he advances. This way, he will both increase his skill and receive rewards, and the goal will be within reach. He will work tirelessly without needing to be driven."
Emperor of Yan pondered for a moment, then nodded:
"Can."
After thinking for a moment, Eunuch Fan offered another piece of advice:
"The Sage's birthday is in four days. This old servant remembers one of Wu Chenglie's disciples, hailed as 'the strongest martial artist under twenty.' Ye Xingge has performed so exceptionally well, climbing to 360 meters today. If this were before the birthday banquet..."
Emperor of Yan slightly raised his hand:
"Even if Ye Xingge masters the Great Nine Yang Technique in four days, it's impossible for him to break into the top sixty again. Being too hasty might backfire." Cao Xiong, being First Rank veteran, considered the conditions of the technique and Ye Xingge's recent performance and replied, "This boy can do what ordinary people cannot. Who knows? Eunuch Fan, send the Great Nine Yang Technique to the Heaven-Observing Pavilion and subtly remind him. If he can achieve it, reward him with a ' Martial Emperor Pill ' and fifty pieces of sword-nurturing materials."
Emperor of Yan added, "Celebrating a birthday is merely a formality; do not force it, lest it be counterproductive."
The Martial Emperor Pill is a divine medicine for body tempering; it is normally taken when attempting to break through to the Second Rank.
As for the fifty pieces of sword-nurturing material, if you were to collect them yourself, the minimum price would be five million coins, because the market price fluctuates, and normally it would cost six or seven hundred. Therefore, this is an extremely generous reward.
Upon hearing the instructions, Eunuch Fan immediately nodded in acceptance...
As dusk fell, the majestic capital city lit up with the lights of countless homes.
The light rain made the streets and alleys appear hazy and indistinct, while inside the shops on both sides of the street, one could see bright lights and lively music and dancing.
Ye Xingge rode his post horse through the streets, with powerful bows, spears, and giant axes hanging from its side, making him look like a weapons merchant. As he rode, he inquired about various items.
" Yu'er, are you home yet?"
"Snort!"
The sound was one of gritted teeth, but there was no response; clearly, he was still embarrassed from being teased and joking around that afternoon.
Ye Xingge and smiled, casually glancing around as the horses arrived at Azure Dragon Street.
Hoofbeats, hoofbeats...
The three-story inn was already brightly lit and open for business. The lobby was bustling with activity, and the rooms on the second and third floors were also lit up, indicating that business was doing quite well. Meanwhile, the second uncle, dressed in a white robe, was standing on the roof with one hand behind his back, gazing at the Forbidden City.
The portly father and mother were behind the counter, working on an abacus. Judging from their beaming smiles, they must have made quite a bit of money today. Ye Xingge remembered that it wasn't today that the store opened, so he was a little surprised to see this scene and wanted to go over and ask them.
When they were still about a hundred meters apart, his second uncle, standing on the rooftop, spotted him. Seeing that his horse was laden with weapons, as if he'd just returned from a robbery, his expression changed slightly. He raised his hand, and judging from his lip movements, he probably meant:
" Xingge, it seems you've gotten yourself into a mess of karma..."
"..."
Ye Xingge thought to himself that he was going to kill thieves, not to do anything evil.
He had originally intended to take the Azure Dragon Spear back to show his second uncle, but seeing this situation, he worried that it might really ruin the newly opened shop.
Ye Xingge simply waved goodbye from afar on the street, and after his posing second uncle waved goodbye, he rode back to Yingtian Ward. Heaven-Observing Pavilion usually closes for business at 7 pm, but there are usually quite a few people on duty inside.
When Ye Xingge arrived at the gate of the East Office, he saw four embroidered-robed guards on duty. Despite the rain, they were all in their cells inside the gate, whispering among themselves, "This Lord Ye is really something. Knowing about the Jianghu annihilation order, instead of avoiding the enemy, he dared to go to Shangjin Ferry alone and wipe out all the assassins..."
"Otherwise, why would someone wield the Fate-Robbing Saber? Who would dare to do something like that..."
"This is called making an example of someone to scare others..."
Upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves outside the door, the four guards in embroidered robes turned to look, then simultaneously sprang to their feet, bowing respectfully. "Lord Ye!"
His eyes were full of admiration!
Ye Xingge stepped onto the steps, making no attempt to put on airs, and gestured to the post horse outside the door:
"You're too kind. I went out for a stroll today and killed a few bandits. The spoils are all on horseback. Who should I give them to?"
Heaven-Observing Pavilion went out on business, any items seized had to be handed over and reported as part of a procedure. Seeing this, the foreman of the four quickly stepped forward:
"Normally, the case should be submitted to the Inspection Bureau along with a summary of the events, which Commander Ruan would then send someone to verify. However, the Heaven-Observing Decree instructed Lord Ye to report back to the Heaven-Observing Pavilion upon his return."
"Oh?"
Ye Xingge was slightly surprised, but didn't say much. He picked up the spoils from his horse and headed towards the main building...