Jiang Qingyi had just left when there was a knock on Xiao Mo's door.
"Is something the matter, Qingyi?" Xiao Mo asked.
The door opened, and a woman walked in.
Xiao Mo's eyes widened for a moment as he looked at her, a flash of killing intent even appearing in them.
Xiao Mo knew who she was.
She was from Prince Xiao's Mansion in the Liang Kingdom.
To be precise, she was Xiao Mo's Sword Attendant.
She had been with Xiao Mo since his earliest memories, growing up alongside him.
When Xiao Mo had left Prince Xiao's Mansion and severed all ties, he had wanted to take this Sword Attendant who had grown up with him.
But she had refused.
Only after that did Xiao Mo understand.
She wasn't *his* Sword Attendant; she was the Sword Attendant of "the son of Prince Xiao."
"Xia Chan, what are you doing here?"
Xiao Mo frowned, his tone hostile.
It wasn't because she hadn't left with him over a decade ago.
Xiao Mo could understand her choice.
The reason he was so wary, even hostile, was simply because Xia Chan—a person loyal only to Prince Xiao's Mansion—had appeared here.
'Prince Xiao's Mansion must be planning to make a move against me.'
"Young Master, it's been a long time."
Xia Chan stepped forward and bowed to Xiao Mo.
Xia Chan was the same as ever. There was no warmth in her words or actions.
She had been this cold ever since Xiao Mo first met her.
It seemed nothing could ever cause a ripple in her emotions.
"Cut the pleasantries. I'm no longer the Crown Prince of Prince Xiao's Mansion. Get straight to the point. What did my father send you here to do?" Xiao Mo said coldly.
Instead of answering directly, Xia Chan posed a question of her own. "Young Master, do you have any idea how much effort the Prince expended to find an Innate Sword Bone for you? Or the price he paid?
It was the Prince who made you into a uniquely talented Sword Cultivator. The only reason you were able to reach the Nascent Soul Realm by the age of eighteen was because the Prince had that Sword Bone transplanted into you."
Xiao Mo sneered. "And do you know that if I had known I was receiving someone else's Sword Bone—let alone one from a four-year-old girl—I would have rather remained an ordinary person for the rest of my life!
Do you know that she nearly died from having her Sword Bone taken?
Besides, in your eyes, was transplanting an Innate Sword Bone into me really for my own good, or was it for my father's ambition?
Go ask him that!"
"You haven't changed, Young Master." Xia Chan shook her head and sighed. "You are excellent in every way, except you inherited the Princess Consort's kindness. The Princess Consort was excellent in every way, except she raised you to be far too soft."
The moment she finished speaking, a streak of Sword Qi shot past her face.
A lock of her hair was cleanly severed, drifting slowly to the ground.
A thin, long gash appeared on Xia Chan's fair cheek, and blood began to well from the wound.
Xiao Mo stared at Xia Chan, his gaze icy. "I spared you this once because we grew up together. If you dare speak ill of my mother again, the next streak of Sword Qi will slit your throat!"
"What is it you want? Say it and get out!" Xiao Mo had lost his patience.
Although Xiao Mo knew he was merely experiencing a life, he possessed all the memories of this world's "Xiao Mo."
This "Xiao Mo's" mother was *his* mother.
Though his mother had passed away when he was seven, he would never forget her gentleness and her teachings.
He would absolutely not allow anyone to slander his mother.
Xia Chan ignored her wound, simply looking at Xiao Mo calmly as she spoke. "In the third year after you left, Young Master, a younger brother was born to you. Unlike your transplanted Sword Bone,
the Second Young Master was born with Innate Double Pupils.
Double Pupils are in no way inferior to a Sword Bone.
Barring any accidents, he is destined to at least reach the Immortal Realm, perhaps even the Ascension Realm!
And Prince Xiao's Mansion will secure its dominance for eternity!
The Liang Royal Family will be the Prince's puppets for generations to come!"
"Heh heh heh..." Xiao Mo chuckled. "Did my father send you here just to tell me this?"
Xiao Mo was, of course, well aware of his father's thinking.
In this world, an Emperor must bear immense karma.
If a powerful Cultivator becomes an Emperor, they will be entangled in karma, making it impossible to advance their Realm. They might even suffer a premature death because of it.
Conversely, if an ordinary person becomes Emperor, their Cultivation becomes extremely difficult. No matter how talented they are, they can at most reach the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer. They will find it hard to achieve Foundation Establishment, and their lifespan will only be thirty or forty years longer than that of a common person.
His father was the type who wanted to have his cake and eat it too. He craved the power of a great nation like the Liang Kingdom but didn't want to bear the karmic consequences. So, he seized control of the Imperial Court and turned the current Liang Royal Family into Puppet Emperors.
But doing so would naturally cause dissatisfaction within the Imperial Court.
At times like these, he needed an overwhelmingly powerful force to act as a deterrent.
Before, that "force" was Xiao Mo.
Now, that "force" was his half-brother.
Although Xiao Mo had never met this brother, he couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"Of course not."
Xia Chan shook her head.
"It seems you still don't understand my meaning, Young Master.
Admittedly, when you left, the Prince did feel some regret, because he needed you.
At first, the Prince did consider calling you back.
But your constant refusal gradually led to his disappointment.
This continued until the Second Young Master was born.
After that, the Prince gave up on you completely.
You have no connection to Prince Xiao's Mansion, and I would not have come looking for you otherwise.
However, what you've done these past few years has forced the Prince to pay attention to you once more.
The Prince never expected that girl to have survived.
What he expected even less was that you would actually find her and even teach her how to cultivate."
"..." Xiao Mo's brow furrowed. "How long have you been watching me?"
"Ever since you left the mansion and entered the Longquan Sword Sect."
Xia Chan replied calmly.
"Perhaps you don't know, Young Master, but the Sect Leader of the Longquan Sword Sect is a good friend of the Prince. They share common interests. Your every move in the Longquan Sword Sect has been under the Prince's watch.
As I said before,
after the Second Young Master was born, if you had just kept to yourself, or if Jiang Qingyi had been unable to cultivate,
the Prince would not have bothered to pay you any mind.
But you, Young Master, disregarded your own Great Dao, disregarded your own lifespan, and used a Technique like the Heaven-Continuing Technique on Jiang Qingyi.
Unexpectedly, it actually succeeded.
Not only can Jiang Qingyi now cultivate, but her talent is terrifying. In just fifteen or sixteen years, she has reached the Golden Core Realm!
Now that things have come to this, the Prince can no longer sit by and do nothing."
"What are you planning to do?" Xiao Mo's fists were clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms.
"What we plan to do is something you already understand, Young Master. The Second Young Master's future is limitless. Barring any accidents, he can at least reach the Immortal Realm, perhaps even the Ascension Realm.
But all of this is predicated on the condition that there are 'no accidents.'
And Jiang Qingyi... is the Second Young Master's 'accident.'"
"You're afraid she'll seek revenge, so you want to kill her?"
Xiao Mo let out a short laugh.
"Can you even manage that? The highest-Realm Cultivator in Prince Xiao's Mansion right now is that decrepit old Tributor, isn't it? Or is he planning to have the Sect Leader of the Longquan Sword Sect make a move?
But they're both in the Jade Realm, aren't they?
Don't you forget.
I may be in the late-stage Nascent Soul Realm, but my Sword Bone is enough for me to kill enemies in a higher Realm.
Do they dare to act?"
"You are mistaken, Young Master. They don't need to act."
Xia Chan shook her head.
"Young Master, what do you think would happen if Jiang Qingyi were to find out that you have her Sword Bone inside you?
And that to obtain this Sword Bone, your father killed her parents.
If Jiang Qingyi knew everything, how do you think she would feel?"