Xu Yanci!
That face—Yang Cheng could never forget it.
In his past life, 500 years later, it was Xu Yanci who knocked him into the Death Devil's Den, leading to his eventual rebirth.
Xu Yanci was one of Yang Xiu's biggest contributors, later becoming his chief minister.
Xu Yanci and Yang Heng were Yang Xiu's left and right hands.
Now the two of them were already together—clearly, their connection had started earlier than Yang Cheng imagined.
Xu Yanci was twelve years old now.
He was the legitimate eldest grandson of the Xu clan, the number-one aristocratic family in Great Zhou. And at twelve, he was already a Martial Grandmaster.
The Xu clan held tremendous power.
For instance, the current Grand Secretariat Head, Xu Yan, was from the Xu clan.
Xu Yanci was Xu Yan's grandnephew.
[Xu Yanci? After two years, Host meets Xu Yanci again.]
[Two years ago, Xu Yanci publicly humiliated Host before countless young prodigies, then crushed Host with a single finger and sent him falling into the Death Devil's Den.]
[As a man, how can one forget such humiliation? Perhaps that disgrace has long been a knot in Host's heart.]
[To truly become a late-blooming legend, one cannot carry emotional knots. Host, defeat Xu Yanci. Avenge the shame of two years ago.]
[Mission reward: Sword Dao—Perfection level.]
Yang Cheng's eyes lit up.
Talk about a pillow arriving when you're sleepy.
Even if there wasn't a task, he was planning to crush Xu Yanci today anyway.
Now that there was a mission reward, it was the best of both worlds.
"Chengcheng!"
A soft little voice called out as a tiny figure rushed into his arms.
Yang Cheng instantly forgot the unpleasant memories triggered by seeing Xu Yanci and smiled.
"Junyi, looks like the Crown Prince and Tangtang are getting along really well."
Two women followed behind—Cheng Junyi and another noble lady. The speaker was the latter.
Yang Cheng wasn't unfamiliar with this woman either. She was Xu Yanci's mother, Yun Guanqing.
Yun Guanqing was Yang Cheng's second aunt.
She had married into the Xu family.
In his past life, Yun Guanqing had always been close to Yun Yirou and was hostile toward Empress Yun Liyue, Yang Cheng's mother.
Later, Yun Guanqing, Yun Yirou, and the Xu family all became core supporters of Yang Xiu.
Yang Cheng had once thought their support of Yang Xiu was because he'd been too useless.
But now he saw that wasn't the case.
In this life, he was anything but useless—he'd been nothing but brilliant. And yet Yun Guanqing and Yun Yirou still tangled secretly with the Zhuang clan.
Why would the Yun clan ignore the empress Yun Liyue and the Crown Prince, and instead support an outsider like Yang Xiu?
Back then, Yang Cheng couldn't understand it. But now, he was starting to piece it together.
It likely boiled down to a struggle between imperial power and aristocratic clans!
If the Yun clan supported the empress and the Crown Prince, imperial power would grow stronger.
But if they backed Yang Xiu—who was propped up by the Zhuang clan—that would weaken the throne and strengthen the influence of the clans.
What the clans wanted was a co-rule between imperial power and aristocracy.
Looking back at his past life, even though Yang Xiu became emperor, his power never truly matched Emperor Qian Yuan's.
By the time Yang Cheng was reborn, the emperor's authority barely extended beyond the palace walls. Outside, the aristocratic clans wielded real power.
Which meant—
In the past, the Yun clan had chosen the aristocracy over imperial authority.
It was obvious. The Yun clan didn't believe the throne could overpower the clans.
And really, that made sense.
Two thousand years ago, the Yang clan had just been one of many noble clans.
Only because they made the greatest contribution in toppling the Great Ying Dynasty did the founding ancestor of Great Zhou get crowned emperor.
But to the other noble families, the Yangs were still just a clan that happened to wear the crown.
Naturally, they weren't willing to be crushed by the Yang clan forever.
Even if the Yangs wanted to rule the world, they'd have to do it through them.
Of course, Yang Cheng believed there must be other reasons behind the Yun clan's actions. He'd need to dig deeper.
"Greetings, Second Aunt."
Yang Cheng cupped his hands in a polite salute.
Surface formalities were something he never neglected.
"Your Highness, the last time I saw you, you were still a newborn. In the blink of an eye, you're already three years old."
Yun Guanqing spoke with a kindly tone. "Just now, Tangtang was saying your swordsmanship is outstanding—even better than your cousin's. That truly comforts me, your Second Aunt."
"Chengcheng's swordsmanship is way better than his!" Tang Xingyu wrinkled her little nose.
Xu Yanci said coolly, "Xu Yanci greets His Highness the Crown Prince. Strictly speaking, I'm just a commoner and shouldn't presume to speak to Your Highness."
"But at the same time, I am Your Highness's older cousin, so I hope you'll forgive me for speaking frankly. Though you're young, as the Crown Prince, you should understand humility from birth."
"If you're already so arrogant now, how can you shoulder the future of this nation?"
His tone was courteous, but his words were full of arrogance—as if an older cousin scolding his younger one.
In his past life, Xu Yanci had always treated Yang Cheng this way.
Back then, Yang Cheng had regarded Xu Yanci as a true cousin and actually believed he had his best interests in mind.
It took many years before he realized—Xu Yanci had just wanted to belittle him.
Yang Cheng asked with a confused look, "Why does Cousin say I'm arrogant?"
Xu Yanci frowned.
'Looks like I overestimated the Crown Prince's intelligence.'
Though people said the Crown Prince was clever, he was still only three. No matter how smart he was, there was a limit.
Xu Yanci had to speak more plainly. "Your Highness, how long have you even practiced the sword? And yet you go bragging in front of Tangtang about how great your swordsmanship is. Isn't that arrogant?"
Yang Cheng scratched his head. "But a lot of people say my sword skills are pretty good."
Xu Yanci's face darkened. "Still this stubborn? Not just you—even I wouldn't dare say my swordsmanship is 'pretty good.' What gives you the confidence to say something like that?"
Yang Cheng blinked. "Cousin, is your swordsmanship really strong?"
"Not exceptionally, but more than enough to guide you, Your Highness."
Xu Yanci sounded modest.
"Then why not show me your swordsmanship, Cousin?"
Yang Cheng smiled.
"Very well. But even if I do, I doubt you'd be convinced."
Xu Yanci gave a faint smile. "Then allow me to demonstrate the Xu family's Bright Moon Sword Technique, Your Highness."
Bright Moon Sword Technique?
Yang Cheng knew this technique well.
In his past life, he'd learned it from Xu Yanci.
But thinking back, Xu Yanci had never taught it in good faith.
Throughout the process, he'd constantly scolded and belittled him, making Yang Cheng believe his own sword talent was poor.
Later, after becoming the Asura Demon Lord and fighting countless battles with a sword, Yang Cheng realized his sword aptitude was anything but lacking.
That made this technique—and the memory of learning it—especially vivid for him.
At this moment, Xu Yanci moved with grace.
Even before he drew his sword, a sharp yet ethereal aura spread out, drawing in the air around him and condensing it into strands of soft light that swirled around his blade.
As he swung, the light danced like cold moonlight spilling over the earth.
To be fair, Xu Yanci's sword technique was impressive for someone his age.
And to fully suppress Yang Cheng, he'd even infused the technique with sword intent, making it look even more refined.
"Junyi, what do you think of Yanci's swordsmanship?" Yun Guanqing smiled.
"This kid's Bright Moon Sword Technique... he's probably reached the third stage by now?" Cheng Junyi answered calmly. "To reach this level at such a young age and even comprehend sword intent—it's truly rare."
Her tone was steady. She praised Xu Yanci sincerely, without showing a hint of concern or care for Yang Cheng.
This first surprised Yun Guanqing, then made her chuckle inwardly.
It seemed Cheng Junyi didn't care that much about Yang Cheng.
If she really did, she'd worry that he might lose confidence. She wouldn't look this calm and composed.
Half a cup of tea's time later, Xu Yanci finished the entire technique.
He moved with elegance, then looked at Yang Cheng with a smug smile. "Your Highness, what do you think of my sword technique?"
Tang Xingyu pouted. "Hmph! Nothing special. It's way worse than Chengcheng's."
Yun Guanqing shook her head, assuming Tang Xingyu was just being childish.
Yang Cheng smiled. "For your age, Cousin, I suppose your swordsmanship is decent."
Xu Yanci's face immediately turned sour.
Yang Cheng's words came off as condescending—like an elder appraising a junior's technique.
To Xu Yanci, it felt like an insult.
He laughed coldly. "So Your Highness thinks your swordsmanship is better than mine? In that case, I'd love to see how skilled you are."
Yang Cheng didn't hide or hold back. "Very well. Like you said, Cousin, if I don't show you, you won't be convinced."
"Then I'll demonstrate that same sword technique. Maybe it's not stronger than yours, but I doubt it'll be worse either."
"Fine, fine. I'm watching."
Xu Yanci's face darkened, his eyes full of mockery.
Not only was Yang Cheng going to show off his swordsmanship—he was using his family's signature technique.
That was a direct slap to the face.
Xu Yanci now looked at Yang Cheng with open anger and disgust.
"Heh… looks like His Highness needs a little humbling," Yun Guanqing's smile faded.
A prince with such arrogance—what a hollow title. Not even worth her effort to deal with.
Cheng Junyi only smiled without speaking. The way she looked at Yang Cheng held a hint of expectation.
'Could this child be about to surprise me again?'
Yang Heng kept his head down, saying nothing.
Maybe because he'd suffered a loss at Yang Cheng's hands before, he didn't dare provoke him now.
The next moment, Yang Cheng moved.
With the first swing of his sword, moonlight poured down—like a crescent moon slicing through darkness.
His opening strikes were light and graceful, then shifted to flowing power like a dragon in flight.
His sword intent shifted too—at times a rising crescent, then a full moon hanging high, then a waning moon sinking west.
What was the difference between Yang Cheng and Xu Yanci?
Xu Yanci's sword mimicked the moon.
But Yang Cheng's sword was the moon.
At that moment, even though he had the body of a child, he looked like a banished immortal from the moon—graceful, elegant, one with his sword. People couldn't help but be drawn in by his brilliance.
"Impossible… this can't be happening!"
Xu Yanci's voice cracked in disbelief.