Martial World

In order to avoid the eyes and ears of the Crown Prince, Wang Gan circled around the Cloud Prince’s palace a few times. He had wrapped himself in a cloak and entered the palace through the back door. Like this, he had come to the Cloud Prince to especially explain why he had been at the Crown Prince’s banquet, and also to report on the evil doings of Zhu Yan. The Tenth Prince probably wouldn’t like to hear about Zhu Yan, but Wang Gan had his own spin to add to the story.

He did not directly explain why he went to the Crown Prince’s palace and attended his banquet. Instead, he began by borrowing the Tenth Prince’s status in the army, and reporting to him about military affairs. He recommended to the Tenth Prince a brave father and son pair that had performed many meritorious military services. From this, he went back and forth on the greatness of such a father and son pairing, and then woefully sighed to himself about how his own household had suffered such misfortune and raised such a useless child. He then slowly edged in the matter of several months ago, where his good-for-nothing evil child had provoked Lin Ming, and then accidently dropped Zhu Yan’s name…

How could the Cloud Prince not know the meaning behind Wang Gan’s story? When he heard Wang Gan mention Zhu Yan time and time again, the Tenth Prince’s expression fell. He hadn’t known that Lin Ming and Wang Gan’s son had such a conflict on the day of the entrance examination, and that the instigator of this accident was Zhu Yan.

“Major Wang, you’ve worked hard today. Please head back to rest as soon as possible.” The Cloud Prince said with a blank expression.

“Yes, then I will excuse myself.” Wang Gan’s goal had already been achieved. Although the position he had in Sky Fortune City’s government was not too big or too small, it was actually a very sensitive and important middle-level commanding role. Wang Gan had to be constantly cautious in order to preserve his own head, and he had done that very well.

…

Sky Fortune City, Zhu Family Branch –

Zhu Yan was wearing white pants. His hair was disheveled as he lay down on the bed. He had a dejected look as he peered outside the window. His eyes passed through the layered windows of the complex as he stared at the brilliantly illuminated palace of the Crown Prince. He knew that today the Crown Prince was holding a grand banquet at his palace, and the star of that party was Lin Ming.

Thinking of Lin Ming, Zhu Yan clenched the bed sheets. The fine and expensive bed sheets were torn apart in Zhu Yan’s grip.

In that fight several days ago, he had seriously injured himself! The ‘Red Lotus Purgatory’ was a martial skill that he hadn’t been able to fully utilize yet. In doing so, he had overdrawn the true essence in his body and damaged his meridians. Zhu Yan’s cultivation was insufficient, and he had barely used it. In addition to the enormous load on his body, he had been pushed back by Lin Ming’s spear. The result was an even more severe injury on Zhu Yan!

The wounds of the flesh were easy to cure with good medicines and pills, but damage to the meridians was very hard to recover from. This kind of wound would become a major hindrance when he was breaking through to the Pulse Condensation Period!

“Damnit!”

Peng! The velvet pillow under Zhu Yan suddenly exploded. The countless snow white feathers fluttered around the room like snowflakes in winter.

“Ah!” Lan Yunyue jumped in fear as she covered her mouth. Zhu Yan was moody, and this caused her to feel not even the least bit of security. One moment he was quiet, and the next moment he would be filled with anger like a raging beast.

Lan Yunyue’s scream caused Zhu Yan to suddenly look at Lan Yunyue.

As soon as Zhu Yan’s eyes fell on her, Lan Yunyue’s breath caught in her chest. The look Zhu Yan gave her made her feel as if she was being submerged in an icy bath. She thought that Zhu Yan might even kill her now.

There was a pause before Zhu Yan suddenly asked, “Do you regret?”

“What… what regrets?” Lan Yunyue panicked. She took a deep breath, and tried to sound as calm as possible.

“You know what I’m talking about.”

Lin Ming’s present achievements were already several times more dazzling than Zhu Yan. Without a doubt, his achievements in the future would far outstrip Zhu Yan. Zhu Yan believed that with Lan Yunyue’s pragmatic heart, she would inevitably regret to the extreme.

“The Crown Prince is hosting the grandest of banquets. He is there. If you regret then you may go there and look for him. That sort of banquet, there are all sorts of celebrities and famous, influential figures. The aristocratic young ladies there wear magnificent and expensive attire, and their manners and poise are elegant. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted? You may go now.”

Zhu Yan’s calm voice brought an icy chill with it. It caused Lan Yunyue to feel fearful and apprehensive. She knew that today, Zhu Yan was walking on the edge of a cliff. If she really did say she ‘regretted’, she did not know what he would do in his rage.

Lan Yunyue was on pins and needles. She clenched her lips and said, “I no longer have any qualifications to regret anything anymore.”

Zhu Yan evilly smiled, and revealed the corners of his teeth. “You are very honest. At least you weren’t hypocritical and said you didn’t regret. Good. You truly do not have the qualifications to regret. Such being the case, take off your clothes!”

“What!?” Lan Yunyue subconsciously grabbed her own collar in surprised. “Zhu Yan, we are not married.”

“Marriage? Lan Yunyue, you do not understand your position and identity. Do you think that you are a princess? The reason I have not made an advance on you is because I respected you. But you, you must at least have the qualifications that are worth me respecting! Have you ever had me for even a moment in your heart? Now prove it to me, take off your clothes!”

“Zhu Yan, you…” Lan Yunyue felt an impending sense of alarm and subconsciously leaned towards the door. Before this, Zhu Yan’s disposition had already been dark, with a sense of high-risk danger. But the truth was that Zhu Yan had never made a move on Lan Yunyue. In fact, most of the time he had been the very image of a gentleman’s gentleman.

But today Lan Yunyue did not doubt that Zhu Yan would rape her. Because of his failures and frustration from his defeat in the match, as well as his future setbacks, he had already become similar to a wild, angry beast.

Zhu Yan saw Lan Yunyue’s petty actions and his voice lowered in anger, “Although I am injured, I am more than enough to deal with you. I advise you not to move towards the entrance. If you take another step towards the door, I don’t mind personally moving.”

“Zhu… Zhu Yan…” Lan Yunyue bit her lip. Tears had already begun to form at the corners of her eyes. She grabbed the collar of her clothes, and her knuckles and already turned white from the excessive gripping.

Her voice trembled as she said, “You lost to Lin Ming in the match, and you think that by abusing a woman that Lin Ming had liked, you will be able to retaliate and vent your anger against him! Is this your heart of martial arts!? Zhu Yan, why must you use this method to psychologically comfort yourself? Does this make you feel better?”

“What did you say?” Zhu Yan’s face had completely sunk. Every word Lan Yunyue said had punished his heart and poked his sore spot. The reason he wanted to move on Lan Yunyue today was exactly because of this repression that he could vent or retaliate against.

He hated. He hated everything about Lin Ming. He urgently needed to find somewhere, anywhere, where he could be just a tiny bit better than Lin Ming. He would take complete possession of the woman Lin Ming used to like, in order to rid his heart of its demons!

But, his thoughts had been bluntly revealed by Lan Yunyue. To look for a sense of superiority in a woman’s body; this made Zhu Yan feel extremely pitiful!

Therefore, he became angry out of his shame!

He revolved his true essence, and was about to pounce on her. But at this moment, a voice sounded behind the door. The old servant’s voice resounded from outside, “Young Master, the Tenth Prince has come.”

“Mm?” Zhu Yan frowned. The true essence that he had begun to circulate gradually calmed down.

Lan Yunyue was strained to her limit. Her body was up against the wall, and she slowly slid down against the floor. Her back was covered in nervous sweat. In this past month, the name of the Tenth Prince had been her nightmare. At that time, with just a few words, he had almost caused Zhu Yan to renounce their engagement and divorce her. But now, hearing the Tenth Prince’s arrival, it actually made her feel incomparably relieved.

Zhu Yan rose up and began to dress himself silently. To see the Tenth Prince, he would naturally neatly dress himself and greet him in the hall. Only someone whose wound was too heavy or was terminally ill would meet in their bedroom.

However, as Zhu Yan was putting on clothes, there was the sound of disorderly footsteps outside.

The door opened, and the Tenth Prince stood at the entrance. He had a few followers with him, and his face was calm, showing neither joy nor anger.

“Greetings, Your Highness.” Zhu Yan bowed. Lan Yunyue also stood and bowed, before she moved back to a corner of the room.

According to customs, when an official bowed to the prince, the prince would dispense with the ceremony with a show of words. However, the Tenth Prince had not said anything, and Zhu Yan had bowed.

“You know Wang Yigao?” The Tenth Prince suddenly asked. This question made Lan Yunyue feel completely senseless.

Zhu Yan immediately understood that the Tenth Prince was referring to the matter that happened at the beginning of fall. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the Tenth Prince to mention such an unimportant person like Wang Yigao so suddenly. Because Lin Ming had become famous, Wang Yigao had been held accountable and confessed to his father, which was then passed to the ears of the Tenth Prince.

“Yes.” Zhu Yan admitted. He knew that the reason Lin Ming favored the Crown Prince might be because of this matter. He had not mentioned it at his own initiative, but now it was known by the Tenth Prince.

“Very good. Now I know why it was so easy for my third elder brother to win over Lin Ming. You might not have known, but the one who had rescued Lin Ming from Wang Yigao was my third elder brother! This is simply icing on the cake, how much more timely could that help have been? You have been under my command for two years already, and you still have not even had half a minute of merit, and yet you already have given third elder brother such a great present. You may know that the Seven Profound Valleys has already started Lin Ming on the core disciple test tonight. As long as he passes, then he will be a core disciple!”

Zhu Yan’s heart maliciously twitched. Core disciple!

This was unthinkable. In the entire Sky Fortune Kingdom, only Qin Xingxuan was a locally born core disciple!

As for the others, they were children of the mystical martial arts families.

“Zhu Yan, do you know what the value of a Martial House core disciple is to me and my third elder brother?” The Tenth Prince expression was a bit grim. A core disciple of the Martial House would enter the Seven Profound Valleys in the future. Afterwards, they would either stay at the Seven Profound Valleys, or be sent back. In the second case, they would be appointed as either the Seven Profound Martial House’s Martial House Master, or as a Seven Profound Envoy.

If Lin Ming stayed at the Seven Profound Valleys, that would be alright. But if he was sent back to become the Martial House Master or a Seven Profound Envoy, then that was extraordinary!

The Sky Fortune Kingdom was a vassal state to the Seven Profound Valleys and under their jurisdiction. The Martial House Master and the Seven Profound Envoy had a status that surpassed even the emperor!

If Lin Ming was appointed as the Martial House Master or as a Seven Profound Envoy and publicly supported the Crown Prince, then there was no hope for him to ascend the throne!

And if he failed to ascend the throne, then the price would possibly be his life!

Zhu Yan clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into the meat of his palm. Core disciple! How was this even possible!? If Lin Ming someday became the Martial House Master of the Seven Profound Martial House, or a Seven Profound Envoy, then to kill him would be as simple as crushing an ant. Thinking of this, he felt as if he were sinking in a bottomless well of despair.

This enmity, could it ever be fixed?

Lan Yunyue was slumped up against a wall, and her face had lost all of its color. Core disciple… Lin Ming, he wanted to become a core disciple?

In the future he would be the Seven Profound Martial House’s Martial House Master or he might be a Seven Profound Envoy…

To her, this kind of existence was nothing but simply fanciful legends; it was simply too remote an idea for her.

At this moment, the Tenth Prince also noticed Lan Yunyue. He had thought that Lan Yunyue was a maidservant, but after noticing the fine clothes Lan Yunyue was wearing, he realised he had been mistaken. “You are… Lan Yunyue?