"Are you man or ghost?"
Zhang Qingyang stared at Yang Cheng, his voice breaking in shock.
As far as he knew, the Crown Prince of Great Zhou should only be nine years old this year.
At seventeen, with his current strength, Zhang Qingyang was already considered a peerless genius, a heaven-defying monster among the Central Wastes.
But this Crown Prince of Great Zhou, at only nine, had completely crushed him.
What in the world was this?
"Zhang Qingyang, do you still want to kill me now?"
Yang Cheng's voice was calm.
Zhang Qingyang's expression twisted, but he could only choke out, "Crown Prince of Great Zhou, today's matter was my recklessness. I am willing to admit fault and apologize. As for these Five-Colored Flowers, I can give them up."
Yang Cheng looked at him, deep in thought.
Zhang Qingyang's fortune might not be on the level of Yang Xiu, the Heaven's Mandate Emperor, but it was still that of a man with great destiny.
If he tried to kill him openly, Zhang Qingyang would likely be forced to burn some hidden trump card.
Thinking this through, Yang Cheng's face turned solemn. "Give up? No, Zhang Qingyang. I think we can actually cooperate."
"Cooperate?"
Zhang Qingyang blinked.
"That's right."
Yang Cheng said, "Though I defeated you, I didn't come out unscathed either. I acknowledge your strength."
"You must also know, I have many enemies. Nangong Yi is only one of them."
"So, if you're willing to join hands with me against my enemies, I'll split the Five-Colored Flowers with you, half and half."
At first, the Nineteen Tiger Generals were confused. Why would His Highness, who clearly crushed Zhang Qingyang, still give him a share?
But hearing this, they finally understood.
So it was because His Highness faced so many enemies that even he felt pressure.
It was their own weakness that left him burdened.
The Nineteen Tiger Generals felt guilty.
Zhang Qingyang, too, showed a look of comprehension.
Ever since losing to Yang Cheng, he had kept his guard up. But now, unconsciously, that wariness softened.
"Crown Prince of Great Zhou, you are wise," Zhang Qingyang said with a laugh.
Inside, though, he sneered. He thought Yang Cheng was still too young, still too naïve.
Hatred wasn't something that could be dissolved so easily.
Right now Yang Cheng was strong, so he couldn't do anything. He could only swallow today's humiliation.
But later, when the chance came, he would kill Yang Cheng the first moment he could.
'This one has many enemies. That's good. When he faces another powerful foe, I'll pretend to support him, then stab him in the back. Let's see if he dies or not.'
Already, Zhang Qingyang was plotting in his heart.
"Let them in," Yang Cheng ordered his Tiger Generals.
They immediately sheathed their weapons.
Seeing this, Zhang Qingyang believed Yang Cheng's sincerity completely.
Words could lie, but killing intent could not.
With his natural sensitivity, if Yang Cheng or his men still held killing intent, he would have sensed it.
Even if a few could hide it with some secret method, it was impossible for all of them to mask it perfectly.
What he never imagined was that the Nineteen Tiger Generals carried no killing intent because Yang Cheng had not told them the truth.
They truly believed their Crown Prince intended to ally with Zhang Qingyang.
This was exactly why Yang Cheng had kept them in the dark—so that the deception would be flawless.
And Yang Cheng himself, with his past life as a Martial Saint and Asura Demon Lord, could smother his killing intent with ease and deceive Zhang Qingyang effortlessly.
"Zhang Qingyang, the Five-Colored Flowers were discovered by me first. And since I'm stronger, I will take seventy percent. Luofu Mountain can have thirty. No objections, right?"
Yang Cheng's voice was calm, his words completely convincing.
Zhang Qingyang nodded without hesitation. "No problem."
Step by step, he moved closer to Yang Cheng's side.
And in that instant—
Yang Cheng's sword flashed out without the slightest warning.
To prevent Zhang Qingyang from having any chance to unleash a hidden trump card, he struck directly for his throat.
The distance was too short. Zhang Qingyang had no time at all to dodge.
Puchi!
Blood sprayed.
Zhang Qingyang's head flew off and crashed to the ground.
Even after his head hit the ground, he hadn't died instantly. He glared at Yang Cheng, his eyes filled with a storm of emotions.
Anger.
Unwillingness.
Regret.
All sorts of feelings tangled together, but in the end, everything faded into nothingness.
The light in Zhang Qingyang's eyes went out completely.
Everyone else was still frozen in shock, unable to react.
"Yang Cheng, you despicable coward!"
The bow-wielding youth shouted in fury, his voice trembling. "Doing this—what kind of man are you?"
Yang Cheng replied lightly, "Sorry, but I'm only nine years old. I never claimed to be a man."
"If you believed the words of a nine-year-old child, that only means you're idiots."
He turned to his dazed Tiger Generals. "Do it."
The Tiger Generals snapped back to their senses.
Only now did they realize that His Highness had been fooling Zhang Qingyang all along.
They couldn't help but look at Zhang Qingyang's corpse with a trace of pity.
The poor Luofu Mountain true disciple had been tricked straight into his grave by His Highness.
But their hands didn't slow. With overwhelming force, they charged at the Luofu Mountain disciples.
The bow-wielding youth was kicked to the ground by Tang Xingyu.
Before he could recover, Zheng Guanbao rushed over and began pounding his head with his fists.
"I've hated your face for a long time!"
In the blink of an eye, the youth's face swelled up like a pig's head.
After venting his anger, Zheng Guanbao hesitated.
Up to now, he had never actually killed anyone.
The bow-wielding youth saw his hesitation and his eyes lit up with desperate hope, silently pleading for his life.
But Zheng Guanbao slapped himself hard.
His Highness had given him the chance to follow at his side. If he couldn't even bring himself to kill, wouldn't that be a disgrace to His Highness' trust?
If so, what right did he have to remain by His Highness' side?
Gritting his teeth, Zheng Guanbao closed his eyes, grabbed the youth's throat, and twisted with all his strength.
Crack!
The boy's neck snapped. His body twitched a few times before going still forever.
Zheng Guanbao collapsed to the ground, his body weak, his stomach churning as if he might vomit.
Killing someone with your own hands was nothing like watching another do it.
The impact on the heart was much greater.
Just then, a hand patted his shoulder.
Turning his head, he saw it was His Highness, the Crown Prince.
There was no contempt in Yang Cheng's eyes—only encouragement.
That alone eased Zheng Guanbao's heart instantly.
"Your Highness, I will become your blade."
Though his legs still trembled, Zheng Guanbao stood tall, his expression hard and resolute.
"I believe you," Yang Cheng said with a smile.
At that moment, memories of Zheng Guanbao's death in his past life flashed through Yang Cheng's mind.
But now, in this life, Zheng Guanbao still stood here, alive and strong.
This made Yang Cheng certain that everything he was doing now had meaning.
He wouldn't only live like a true person—he would also ensure those by his side lived as true people too.
A quarter of an hour passed.
The disciples of Luofu Mountain were wiped out completely.
Their treasures were gathered up by Yang Cheng and his men.
Yang Cheng took Zhang Qingyang's void ring, which held no small number of valuable treasures.
But the most important prize was still the Five-Colored Flowers.
To avoid any new trouble, they quickly harvested them and began absorbing their essence on the spot.