Great Li Martial God

The two sides exchanged a few pleasantries, and Murong Hong then took his seat.

The entire Murong family had in fact already been gathered, and had only been waiting for Li Musheng and the others to arrive before beginning the morning meal.

As the head of Sheng Province’s foremost martial arts family, Murong Hong had three sons and a daughter.

Murong Xiaoya, the youngest, was sitting in a corner on one side of the long table with her two brothers beside her.

Socially anxious as she was, she kept her gaze drifting toward Li Musheng and the others from the moment they arrived.

Even so, with this many people in the hall, initiating a greeting in front of everyone was naturally out of the question for her.

The Murong family observed strict etiquette at mealtimes, and ate in silence without conversation, leaving the hall pleasantly quiet.

Once the meal was finished and the family members had gradually dispersed, Murong Hong finally turned to the matter at hand.

”I heard from little Xiaoya about everything that happened in the city yesterday. Many thanks to Your Highness and Commissioner Hu for stepping in. Had Xiaoya fallen into the Bai family’s hands, the consequences would have been terrible.”

Murong Hong spoke slowly, his gaze resting on Li Musheng and Hu Rui’an across the table.Hearing this, Murong Xiaoya, sitting in the corner, raised her head for a glance toward this side of the table.

She had naturally come to know quite a few of Hu Rui’an and Li Musheng’s secrets over the course of the journey.

Before they arrived, Hu Rui’an had impressed upon her that the series of classified matters relating to the Tianjin Guards were not to be disclosed to outsiders.

So when it came to telling her father and family about what had happened on the road and about Li Musheng and the others, she had naturally been selective about what she shared.

For instance, in her view, Li Musheng’s cultivation was so terrifyingly formidable, yet he had been completely unknown before now, which told her he must be the greatest asset and trump card concealed within this entire operation to exterminate Falling God Peak.

That she had come to know such a closely guarded secret was itself a sign of the trust Li Musheng and the others had placed in her, and so she naturally would never reveal it to the Murong family.

”The Murong family head is too kind. I am someone who prefers to speak plainly, and I trust the family head understands what I mean.”

Hu Rui’an narrowed his eyes slightly and directed his words at Murong Hong.

The implication was clear: he had come on account of the Sheng Province business and the matter Commander Fu had entrusted to him.

Hearing this, Murong Hong seemed unsurprised, and gave a gentle nod, saying, ”Brother Qiwen has already sent me word explaining the situation, and before Commissioner Hu’s arrival I had also sent people to investigate the matter.”

As he spoke, Murong Hong turned his head to look at his second son Murong Zhen beside him, who immediately reached into his sleeve and drew out a letter.

He then stood, and passed it along the yellow pear-wood table toward Hu Rui’an.

”This is a letter we had our people secretly intercept, sent covertly by Sheng Province Governor Zhu Ziming. After Commissioner Hu reads it, you will understand something of the truth behind the matter.”

Murong Hong indicated for Hu Rui’an to open the letter, and Hu Rui’an, hearing this, first glanced at Li Musheng beside him, seeking his opinion.

But Li Musheng simply waved a hand, showing no interest whatsoever in the matter and continuing to drink his morning tea, leaving Hu Rui’an to handle it himself.

Seeing this, Hu Rui’an took the letter and opened it. After scanning it quickly, his brow furrowed sharply.

”A provincial governor secretly passing intelligence to Falling God Peak, reporting every mobilization order and development within the Sheng Province Tianjin Guards to them in exhaustive detail?”

Hu Rui’an’s expression was unpleasant. Before coming to Sheng Province, what he had known was that Zhu Ziming and Mei Yan had been maintaining close private ties with Falling God Peak.

But the reality was far more serious than he had imagined. With Zhu Ziming leaking intelligence of this gravity, he had essentially become a traitor and criminal to the court.

There was also another matter of even greater significance. As a provincial governor, Zhu Ziming had no authority over Tianjin Guards affairs whatsoever.

Yet from the contents of the letter before him, he appeared to have a thorough grasp of Tianjin Guards business, which clearly implicated Tianjin Guards Deputy Commander Mei Yan as well.

This meant that Mei Yan himself might also have betrayed the court.

Even so, Hu Rui’an did not rush to a definitive conclusion. After all, Mei Yan’s sister was the current Great Li Queen Consort, and the entire Mei family’s foundations were in the capital. By any measure, the man had no reason to betray Great Li.

”Regarding Governor Zhu Ziming, this is the extent of what the Murong family has been able to learn. As for the Tianjin Guards Deputy Commander, I also had people look into the matter.”

Murong Hong watched Hu Rui’an’s reaction and continued, saying, ”However, since the haunting incident at the Tianjin Guards office, Mei Yan has essentially made no further public appearances. The Mei Residence has also become very rarely involved in external affairs in the provincial city. As a result, we have yet to find any solid evidence of a connection between them and Falling God Peak.”

Hearing this, Hu Rui’an was quiet for a moment, then put the letter away, saying, ”I went to the Mei Residence last night. Apparently Mei Yan was seriously injured in the haunting incident, to the point where all Sheng Province Tianjin Guards business has been handed over to his son to manage.”

Murong Hong gave a light nod, saying, ”I have heard something of this as well, but the Mei Residence has been extraordinarily careful in how they conduct themselves recently, leaving almost no openings. As to whether the situation is truly as stated, the Murong family has been unable to determine.”

As he spoke, he gave a slow shake of his head, saying, ”I am sure Commissioner Hu can see for himself that the Murong family’s current situation is not particularly favorable. The various martial world families in the provincial city are showing signs of uniting, with the intent of erasing the Murong family from the martial world entirely.”

”Even with the sincerest wish to assist Brother Qiwen, we are genuinely stretched at this point, and the help we can offer is very limited.”

The moment those words fell, Hu Rui’an looked at Murong Hong. The man’s words had the ring of sincerity about them.

The Murong family’s current predicament did indeed appear to be as he described, and there was not much Hu Rui’an could say about it.

He had another pressing matter to attend to, which was dealing with Zhu Ziming without delay.

The Sheng Province business naturally extended well beyond the matter of Zhu Ziming alone, but with too many things happening at once and no clear direction on most of them, the one thing he could take direct action on right now was this.

And with the letter in hand, along with Commander Fu’s written order and the status of the Eighth Prince Li Musheng, he could move against Zhu Ziming first and seek approval afterward without any difficulty.

Of course, Hu Rui’an also understood that dealing with Zhu Ziming was secondary. What mattered most was extracting whatever useful leads he could from the man.

With this in mind, Hu Rui’an looked toward Li Musheng sitting beside him.

The moment Li Musheng sensed the gaze on him, he raised an eyebrow mid-sip of his tea, knowing perfectly well this meant nothing good was coming, and simply pretended he had not noticed.

Seeing Li Musheng paying him no attention, Hu Rui’an hesitated for a moment, then could only let it go in mild frustration.

At this point, Murong Hong, who had been watching Hu Rui’an’s manner toward Li Musheng with careful attention, narrowed his eyes slightly, then suddenly clasped his hands and said, ”This must be Your Highness the Eighth Prince’s first visit to Sheng Province. Perhaps today little Xiaoya could accompany Your Highness on a tour of the city, and give you a taste of the local customs so different from the capital.”

Before Li Musheng could say a word, Hu Rui’an’s eyes lit up and he quickly said, ”Your Highness, we have nothing pressing these two days. A stroll around the city would be quite pleasant. After all, who knows when there will be another chance to come here?”

Li Musheng glanced at him, gave it a brief thought, and without saying much simply gave a quiet nod.

This trip toward Falling God Peak had admittedly been spent mostly on the road, but Li Musheng had in fact always intended to wander a little and look around along the way.

Of course, he also chose not to call out Hu Rui’an’s little ulterior motive.

The man wanted him to leave the Murong estate, most likely because he did not dare stray from Li Musheng’s side yet still needed to go and deal with Zhu Ziming.

At this point, Murong Hong, seeing Li Musheng agree, turned his head and beckoned toward Murong Xiaoya in the corner.

Seeing this, Murong Xiaoya obediently came over.

Murong Hong gave her a few words of instruction, then had Murong Zhen go and call some of the estate’s martial experts to accompany them.

But just at that moment, the sound of urgent footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.

Then an armored soldier stepped quickly into the hall and reported with an urgent expression, ”Master, news has just come in. Bai Changfeng has suddenly joined forces with three other major families in the city and dispatched several thousand soldiers, who are now advancing toward us. It looks as though they intend to besiege and wipe out the Murong family.”

Hearing this, Murong Hong’s expression darkened at once, and Murong Zhen and the others beside him all had their expressions change simultaneously.

”Father, from what I know, General Han Cuiyuan has had no plans to go to war with the Murong family in the near term. For Bai Changfeng to act suddenly like this, it is most likely because of Bai Liwei’s death.”

Murong Feng said with flickering eyes. Murong Hong glanced at him, then thought for a moment and gave instructions, saying, ”Have your soldiers mobilize immediately and hold every position within the estate. However, until I give the order, do not leave the estate to engage them.”

Then he turned to Murong Zhen, saying, ”Zhen’er, pass my order immediately: every person in the estate is to be on standby from this moment forward, ready to act at any time. If things develop beyond our control, we may have no choice but to move early.”

Having given all these instructions, Murong Hong finally turned to look at Li Musheng and clasped his hands, saying, ”Your Highness, circumstances have changed. For everyone’s safety, I ask that you remain in the estate for the time being. Once I have dealt with the matter at hand, I will have my daughter take Your Highness out to see the city.”

With that, Murong Hong wasted no further time, took his leave at once, and led the Murong family members out of the hall.

However, Hu Rui’an’s expression shifted slightly, and he signaled Shen Anran to quietly hold back Murong Xiaoya, who was the last to leave with the others.

”Your Highness, we have no reason to get mixed up in the Murong and Bai family’s conflict. Why not leave the Murong estate first and find somewhere in the city to avoid the commotion?”

Hu Rui’an suggested to Li Musheng without so much as a twitch.

Hearing this, Li Musheng gave him a glance, then patted him on the shoulder and sighed, saying, ”Commissioner Hu really is dedicated to seeing the Sheng Province business through.”

With that, he said nothing more and walked out of the hall.

Seeing this, Hu Rui’an was briefly surprised, then immediately called to Shen Anran and the others to follow.

As for Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong, there was no need for him to say a word. The moment Li Musheng moved, the two of them stuck to the man’s side like two patches of sticking plaster.

Murong Xiaoya, who had been held back, walked with her head lowered alongside Shen Anran, and after a moment’s hesitation, she could not help asking timidly, ”Does His Highness still need me to take him around the city?”

Shen Anran took her by the hand and said sincerely, ”Xiaoya, your Murong family is not in a great position right now. Staying in the estate is nowhere near as safe as staying close to His Highness. Come with us.”

Hearing this, Murong Xiaoya neither agreed nor refused, and simply went along quietly without a word.

In her heart, she was not particularly worried about the Murong family.

Though the Murong family was not what it once was, a dead camel was still bigger than a living horse.

The other martial world families in the city wishing to bring down the Murong family in any short span of time was simply not a realistic prospect.

As for whether following Li Musheng meant danger, that was even less of a concern.

So she simply remembered what her father had told her, and went along to complete her own task first.

The group left the hall, prepared briefly, and soon set out to leave the Murong estate.

This time it was Cao Gaoshan’s turn to look bewildered. His usual position as coachman had been taken over by Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong, leaving him riding up front to lead the way.

Inside the carriage, four people sat in somewhat close quarters. Hu Rui’an’s stout frame occupied one side, while on the other side sat Li Musheng and Shen Anran, with Murong Xiaoya having retreated to her usual corner as before.

”Miss Murong, how are you supposed to give us directions from over there? Come and sit here.”

Li Musheng raised an eyebrow, looked at the neck-tucked Murong Xiaoya, and patted the spot next to him.

Hearing this, Murong Xiaoya instinctively shook her head.

But on reflection, Li Musheng’s point was not without merit, and so she carefully shifted herself over, face flushed red, and sat down beside him.

Li Musheng looked at her obvious discomfort and simply shook his head. Then the two men up front sitting as coachmen drove the horses out toward the estate gates.

Since learning that several martial world families in the city had united to move against the Murong family, the entire Murong estate had gone on full alert. Row after row of armored soldiers moved swiftly through the estate grounds, and Murong family martial experts could be glimpsed flashing past at intervals.

”The Sheng Province garrison is somewhat unusual. It is composed jointly of the Great Li imperial court and local martial world families, which has long been one of the court’s methods of managing martial world power.”

”The martial world families provide the funding to maintain the troops, and these soldiers answer to the court’s mobilization orders and serve in wars between Great Li and the surrounding kingdoms. However, the families also retain concurrent authority over the soldiers.”

Inside the carriage, Hu Rui’an looked out through the window at the scene outside and brought up the topic naturally, explaining the situation in Sheng Province to Li Musheng.

”The Murong family is the foremost martial arts lineage of Sheng Province, and at the height of their influence, their financial contribution to the garrison reached forty percent, with the other martial world families sharing ten percent and the Great Li imperial court holding fifty.”

”However, as the Murong family declined, their share of the garrison is now less than twenty percent, which means the Sheng Province garrison forces they can actually mobilize today amount to less than twenty percent.”

As he spoke, Hu Rui’an glanced at Murong Xiaoya.

She had begun leaning in attentively through the carriage window after sitting down beside Li Musheng, guiding Cao Gaoshan and the others along the road.

The Murong estate guards, upon seeing her, did not stop them, and let the group out of the estate without any trouble.