Chapter 190: Soldiers or Bandits? Earthshaking News!
Chu Yang looked down at the scruffy man before him. In his memory, this fellow had once been a handsome young man. After a few years apart, he'd become as disheveled as Li Gexiao.
"Is the life of a spy really that rough? You look so weathered I almost didn't recognize you," Chu Yang teased with a smile.
"Grateful for Your Highness's concern. The duties of a spy are indeed demanding. I've had no time to groom myself. Forgive me for this unsightly appearance."
"Get up and speak. We're all old friends here."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Guihai Yidao slowly rose to his feet, a flicker of confusion flashing in his eyes. The Virtuous Prince before him seemed vastly different from the man he remembered—especially his bearing, which now rivaled even the emperor's.
Chu Yang said, "Thank you for making the trip. I assume a large force is already stationed outside the city. But Jinling's crisis has been resolved, so we likely won't need them."
Guihai Yidao couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, is it true someone killed two demon kings?"
Chu Yang gave a faint, amused smile and nodded.
"This 'Lord Chu' the people are talking about—who exactly is he? Could you introduce me to him?"
"When did our human race produce such a powerful figure?"
Li Xunhuan and Li Gexiao burst into laughter at his words.
That master you speak of is standing right in front of you, yet you can't even tell.
"There are more important matters for you to handle. Forget about that so-called Lord Chu." Chu Yang shook his head with a smile. "First, have the army do a sweep of the area for any lingering demons, then head to Wanglong City to assist the Qi family army."
Guihai Yidao thought of that general's earlier attitude and shook his head. "Those men probably won't agree to go. Getting them to support Jinling was already pushing it."
Chu Yang frowned. "How can that be?"
Guihai Yidao's face turned solemn. "The southern region has been in chaos for a long time, and the court barely intervened. These generals may not say it outright, but in private, they've long established their own factions."
"When General Qi was still around, they kept quiet, hoping for a chance like this. Now that it's come, asking them to save him is wishful thinking."
Chu Yang nodded. "Understood. Take me to them—I'll talk some sense into them myself."
Guihai Yidao shook his head. "Forgive my bluntness, Your Highness. But with the emperor so far removed, even if His Majesty himself appeared, he might not be able to command these schemers. Your title as prince won't scare them."
Chu Yang said nothing. He strode toward the city gates with long, powerful strides, with Li Gexiao and Li Xunhuan following close behind.
Guihai Yidao had no choice but to tag along, inwardly puzzled. How had that good-for-nothing prince suddenly developed such presence? Even he found himself going along without realizing it.
Before long, a massive army loomed before Chu Yang. But what displeased him was how utterly disorganized they were—unable to maintain even basic formation, their discipline was in shambles.
They looked more like bandits than soldiers.
The burly, bearded general at their head looked more like a mountain bandit chief.
"General Zhao, allow me to introduce His Highness the Virtuous Prince. These two here are Li Gexiao and Li Xunhuan. You've probably heard their names before."
General Zhao, the bearded man, gave a disdainful sneer. He didn't even glance at them properly.
"A deputy commander of the Embroidered Guard and a top-ranked palace graduate? Maybe back in the day I'd have had to bow and scrape a little—but now?"
"As for the Virtuous Prince? Heh."
Li Gexiao and Li Xunhuan weren't bothered by his mocking tone. One glance at the sloppy army was enough for them to know—this Zhao fellow was doomed.
Guihai Yidao, on the other hand, was seething. If Zhao spoke like this, what did that say about him?
Suppressing his anger, Guihai Yidao said, "General Zhao, I've confirmed Jinling is secure. We should take the opportunity to head south and aid the Qi family army."
"Go south? Are you mad, or do you think I am?" General Zhao looked at them as if they were fools. "Wanglong City is a death trap. Anyone who goes there dies. I'd rather enjoy a few days in Jinling—it is, after all, the richest city in the south."
"Enjoy, huh?" Chu Yang stared coldly at him. "How exactly do you plan to enjoy yourself? Go on, let's hear it."
General Zhao laughed boisterously. "Little prince, you grew up in the capital—you're clueless about the world. Never heard the saying, 'Bandits comb like a fine-toothed comb, soldiers like a rake'?"
At those words, both Li Gexiao and Li Xunhuan's expressions darkened.
"Say something like that, and you deserve to die. No one else to blame."
Chu Yang reached into the air, and a powerful force yanked Zhao toward him.
"Why… why can't I move?!"
Zhao was both terrified and furious. His body refused to obey, unable even to struggle.
"Let go of the general!"
The nearest deputy drew his saber and shouted the loudest—but didn't move an inch.
The other soldiers reacted the same way. Their commander had been seized, yet none dared fight to save him.
"What a pathetic bunch. And this rabble is what's supposed to defend southern Daming?"
Chu Yang's hand clamped tightly around Zhao's throat. His eyes, sharp as blades, swept over the troops.
Crack! Zhao's neck snapped. His head tumbled from his shoulders like a ball, rolling to a stop at his deputy's feet.
"General Zhao is dead!!!"
The deputy screamed in panic.
A wave of chaos swept through the troops—many began to show signs of desertion.
Chu Yang was even more disappointed.
"How could His Highness…"
From the moment Chu Yang made his move, Guihai Yidao's mind had gone blank. This prince, once the hedonistic joke of the capital, had just effortlessly killed a general in charge of two cities.
"Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang rushed out of the capital twice, both in great haste… and Lord Guo resigned unexpectedly… Could it be…"
As a spy from Dragon Guard Manor, Guihai Yidao had sharper instincts than most. With just a few clues, he pieced together the truth.
Thinking of how Chu Yang had endured for so many years, shouldering the scorn of being a useless playboy, Guihai Yidao couldn't help but feel both awe and a chill down his spine.
What exactly does His Highness plan to do?
Guihai Yidao's body trembled. He now just wanted to return to Dragon Guard Manor and report everything to his adoptive father, the Iron-Guts Marquis.
"Don't be in such a rush, Brother Yidao. First, follow His Highness's orders and bring back the Qi family army. Whatever you want to do afterward, ask His Highness first."
Li Gexiao silently wrapped an arm around Guihai Yidao's shoulder, using a secret Embroidered Guard grappling technique to lock him down. Guihai Yidao instinctively tried to break free, only to find his shoulders weighed down as if by mountains.
"Your inner power is restored?!"
"How?!"
Guihai Yidao stared at Li Gexiao in shock. The Iron-Guts Marquis had once said Li Gexiao's injuries had destroyed nearly all his martial foundation. Recovery was impossible.
"You'd best listen to me, Brother Yidao. I'm saying this for your own good."
Li Gexiao suddenly released him, patted his shoulder, and stepped aside with a smile.
Guihai Yidao had no doubt—if he refused, Li Gexiao would kill him without hesitation.
"You two, take this sorry bunch and go meet up with General Qi."
"Shouldn't we wait for Duan Tianya?"
"No need."
Chu Yang turned and glanced at the deputy. "You have a problem with that?"
The deputy didn't even dare open his mouth. The last guy who talked lost his head. He dropped to his knees, frantically kowtowing.
"No spine at all. Once this is over, disappear on your own. Don't let me see you again."
Chu Yang didn't spare him another glance as he turned to leave.
Li Gexiao and Guihai Yidao stayed behind to clean up the mess. Dealing with these bandit-soldiers was still within their power.
Li Xunhuan caught up with Chu Yang and asked, "Why didn't Your Highness ask if I wanted to go?"
Chu Yang replied casually, "Didn't you already want to leave?"
Li Xunhuan paused. "How did Your Highness know?"
Chu Yang said, "Some people are born free—like birds that can't be caged. They might stop for a while, but they'll always fly off into the boundless sky."
The words struck deep. Li Xunhuan sighed. "That jar of nu'erhong we shared back then was truly delicious. Drinking with Your Highness is one of the happiest moments of my life."
Chu Yang smiled. "Too bad that bird of yours has too many wounds in its heart—it'll never soar quite freely."
Sadness flickered in Li Xunhuan's eyes, but combined with his handsome, weathered face, it only made his mature aura even more compelling.
When the two returned to Jinling to visit the wounded soldiers, they came upon Lu Xiaofeng in a fistfight outside the clinic.
His opponent had impressive footwork—an even match for Lu Xiaofeng. He just looked a bit disheveled and plain, lacking the air of a master.
They clearly weren't going for the kill—it felt more like a brawl between friends.
Lu Xiaofeng was shouting angrily, and as Chu Yang and Li Xunhuan approached, they heard the tail end of it.
"You damned wall-hopping flea! King of Thieves, my ass! You abandoned us in the Tower of Euphoria to die!"
"Lu Xiaochicken, screw you! That thing was a full-grown demon! You two were captured—what could I do alone? Of course I had to find help!"
"Help?! You've been gone for days—where were you?!"
"How the hell was I supposed to know there was a formation around the Tower of Euphoria? I led people around that mountain for days!"
"And then you just gave up?!"
"I needed a proper Daoist to break the formation! How else was I supposed to rescue you?!"
"Where's the Daoist?!"
"Still looking…"
Lu Xiaofeng trembled with rage.
At this rate, I'd have been sucked dry into a corpse by that demoness before you ever showed up!
"Sikong Zhaixing, you're a damned bastard."
"Heh, takes one to know one."
Catching sight of Chu Yang watching them, Lu Xiaofeng stopped and stormed over after glaring at Sikong Zhaixing.
Chu Yang joked, "So this is the legendary King of Thieves? Not quite what I imagined."
Lu Xiaofeng explained, "Disguise. That's not his real face—not that his real one is much better."
Sikong Zhaixing exploded, "Lu Xiaochicken, who are you calling ugly?!"
Lu Xiaofeng grinned. "There's four of us standing here—go ahead, tell me who you're better looking than."
Sikong Zhaixing looked at Hua Manlou, licked his lips, realized he didn't stand a chance in terms of looks, then glanced at Chu Yang and Li Xunhuan. Sweat broke out on his forehead. He had nothing.
Sikong Zhaixing slumped. "Fine. I lose in this life. I'll compete again in the next."
Chu Yang laughed. This guy was truly a character—no wonder he and Lu Xiaofeng were friends.
Lu Xiaofeng looked around and didn't see Li Gexiao. "Where's the drunk?"
Chu Yang said, "He's got real business to handle."
Lu Xiaofeng blinked. "The drunk? With actual responsibilities? The sun must be rising in the west."
"Oh! Speaking of serious business, Lu Xiaochicken, I've got earthshaking news for you." Sikong Zhaixing leaned in with exaggerated solemnity. "White Cloud City's master, Ye Gucheng, has challenged Ximen Chuixue to a duel on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The two will fight for the title of the world's greatest swordsman—on the summit of the Forbidden City!"
Lu Xiaofeng's expression changed drastically. "The Mid-Autumn Festival night—that's almost here!"
Hua Manlou frowned. "The human race is already on the brink. How can they afford to wage internal conflict out of selfish desire? There aren't many martial artists skilled in swordsmanship to begin with."
"No matter which side loses, it's a loss for all of humanity."
Sikong Zhaixing said with a strange look, "Seventh Young Master Hua, you're still so naïve. Even the emperor doesn't bother with these matters—do you really expect us vagabond warriors to care about the fate of the world?"
"The human race is already rotten to the core. What future is there to speak of?"
Hua Manlou fell silent, clenching his fists quietly.
Li Xunhuan instinctively looked to the man beside him—Chu Yang. The latter wore a calm, indifferent expression, as if even the collapse of the heavens would be nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Chu Yang gave a slight smile. "Since that's the case, let's take a boat by water—we should be able to catch this grand performance on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Lu Xiaofeng was startled. "You're going back to the capital?"
Chu Yang looked at him oddly. "Why wouldn't I? It's not like I'm some treasonous rebel."
At the word "rebel," Lu Xiaofeng's mouth twitched.
Hua Manlou and Li Xunhuan both broke into faint smiles.
Li Xunhuan's smile faded, a trace of worry creeping into his eyes. "Your Highness, may I have a word with you in private?"
Chu Yang nodded and followed him to the side.
Sikong Zhaixing pointed at Chu Yang's back and shouted, "Did you hear that just now? He said—"
Before he could finish, Lu Xiaofeng struck a pressure point to seal Sikong Zhaixing's voice. The latter's words came to an abrupt halt.
"Quit shouting, there are people nearby! Where's that fox-like cleverness when it's actually needed?" Lu Xiaofeng scolded angrily in his ear.
Elsewhere, Chu Yang and Li Xunhuan walked into a secluded corner. Once they were sure no one was around, Li Xunhuan got straight to the point.
"The world knows that the Li family has produced seven top scholars and three father-son pairs of top scorers. Ever since the upheaval in heaven and earth, my family has always served in the imperial court."
"Because of that, some secret knowledge has been passed down in our household. Whether it's true or not, Your Highness will have to judge for yourself."
Chu Yang nodded. "No matter—go ahead and speak freely."
Only then did Li Xunhuan continue, "Your Highness, you'd best tread carefully on your return to the capital. Don't think that just because you have exceptional martial skills, the throne is within easy reach. There were others like you in the past—martial prodigies who coveted the throne—but none of them left the capital alive."
"Otherwise, with Lord Zhuge's nature, do you think he would tolerate the imperial court falling into such ruin? He would've purged the emperor's entourage long ago!"
"Your Highness…"
"The waters of the capital run deep…"