This performance is a bit too exaggerated… Meng Qi couldn’t help but inwardly mutter.
The Third Prince was aware that Meng Qi was a martial artist who generally disliked others getting too close, so he refrained from taking his arm. Instead, he warmly ushered him inside, saying, “How fortunate for Lord Lu to have Young Meng assisting him, traveling thousands of miles to escort him, braving dangers, and slaying formidable foes! Your loyalty is truly unparalleled! If only I could have someone like Young Meng by my side—what great undertaking could possibly fail?”
His eagerness and desire to win Meng Qi over were evident in his tone, making the words pleasant to hear.
“I merely did my modest part,” Meng Qi replied coldly and indifferently.
The Third Prince didn’t mind his attitude in the least and smiled broadly: “I heard that young Meng has already visited the mansions of my Seventh and Fourth brothers. I originally thought I wouldn’t see you until afternoon and planned to rest first, never expecting you to arrive so quickly.”
He briefly explained the incident of putting on his shoes incorrectly. Adopting a humble posture was good, but overdoing it appeared exaggerated, greatly diminishing its effect.
“I merely informed several princes about the deception in the peace talks,” Meng Qi honestly replied.
The Third Prince invited Meng Qi to sit beside him on the couch, displaying the standard courtesy of a ruler seeking talented individuals: “I’ve also heard of this matter, unfortunately, I have no authority to decide such matters—I can only try my best to prevent it. Ah, young Meng, I heard that you and Shengyi are old friends from the same hometown?”
“Yes,” Meng Qi remained as terse as ever.
“Shengyi often praises your exceptional swordsmanship, unlike any ordinary style, and strongly recommended you to me. At first, I didn’t believe him, but only recently have I realized that Shengyi was actually being too modest. Young Meng, your sword skills are truly extraordinary! Across the land, only a handful could rival you in swordsmanship. Merely drawing your sword was enough to frighten Monk Ruyi and the Ghost King into retreat. In time, you are destined to become the Sword Emperor…” The Third Prince spoke with fervent admiration, while Luo Shengyi listened quietly with a faint smile.
At least he had the decency not to reveal that my strongest skill is actually saber technique… Meng Qi gave a slight nod and waited until the Third Prince finished his chatter before replying, “You flatter me. Do you know, Your Highness, which prince is secretly colluding with the western barbarians regarding the peace talks?”
The Third Prince hesitated, his expression turning serious: “Without solid evidence, I dare not make unfounded accusations. However, recently, Shengyi and my other subordinates accidentally discovered that the Crown Prince, Fourth Prince, and Seventh Prince all sent secret envoys to Yunyan Pavilion, though we don’t know what they discussed. You can ask Shengyi about this.”
Feeling Meng Qi’s gaze, Luo Shengyi nodded slightly: “The Seventh Prince’s envoy is Ghost King, who must have already defected to the Demoness. The Fourth Prince’s envoy is his Sword Emperor disciple, ‘Heaven-Pointing Sword’ Song Ming. The Crown Prince’s confidant is the Capital’s Chief Constable, ‘Nine-Finger Divine Hunter’ Nie Wen. The western barbarians’ delegation secretly includes the most favored disciple of the Yin Master, ‘Demon Sect’ Lu Huasheng. As for what exactly they discussed, we don’t know.”
Among them, Ghost King is the most formidable. By Meng Qi and Luo Shengyi’s standards, he would qualify as a typical Nine Apertures master. Song Ming, Nie Wen, and Lu Huasheng are quasi-peak human-level fighters—quite powerful Eight Apertures masters. Luo Shengyi himself has already opened eight apertures and achieved initial mastery of his fist techniques, possibly even developing his own artistic conception, truly earning his place on the Human Roster. His combat strength might even slightly surpass Ghost King’s, so uncovering their movements through covert surveillance was hardly surprising.
Although the Third Prince was at a disadvantage in court politics, the military, and among elite experts, he appeared to have established a formidable intelligence network… Meng Qi pondered this carefully before giving an evasive response, “I will report this matter to Marshal Lu.”
Such matters always required skepticism. Tonight, he would unexpectedly raid Yunyan Pavilion to capture ‘Demon Sect’ Lu Huasheng and interrogate him using the Shape-Shifting Great Art!
Right now, whether in appearance or actual strength, he was fully capable of such bold action. Even if discovered, anyone attempting to stop him would first have to weigh their own abilities carefully. Of course, secretly capturing ‘Demon Sect’ would be best.
Meng Qi had nearly mastered the sixth level of the Golden Bell Shield, with his current cultivation at the Four Apertures stage. Originally, his strength was comparable to a Six Apertures master, requiring major techniques to defeat or kill a Seven Apertures opponent. However, after recently mastering the Solitary Sword, his combat power had significantly increased during this technique-focused phase. He could now directly confront and defeat ordinary Eight Apertures masters without relying on major techniques. Even against formidable opponents like Monk Ruyi and the Ghost King, whose protective auras formed naturally, he would not be at a significant disadvantage. Thus, if he exerted his full capabilities, capturing the “Demon Sect” would not be overly difficult.
However, this assumption relied on ‘Demon Sect’ being as described in the intelligence, not having surpassed expectations.
The Third Prince nodded slightly: “With Marshal Lu’s support, with the Iron Mountain Army stationed in the northwest outside the capital and myself inside, we could surely intimidate these villains, preventing them from rash actions and territorial concessions that would fall into the western barbarians’ trap.”
He looked at Meng Qi with slightly fervent eyes: “Young Meng, since we met, I’ve deeply admired your character, martial skills, and demeanor. I sincerely wish to invite you into my court to help me achieve greatness!”
He eagerly sought to recruit Meng Qi, making him the most enthusiastic among the princes.
However, enthusiasm doesn’t necessarily mean sincerity, just as coldness doesn’t imply disinterest. Meng Qi was no longer a child and naturally viewed this casually: “Your Highness’s favor is appreciated, but I’m more like a wandering cloud and wild crane, loyal only to Marshal Lu. After this matter concludes, I shall naturally depart.”
The Third Prince showed no sign of anger at the rejection, smiling instead: “Marshal Lu is a pillar of the court, a nightmare for the western barbarians. I deeply admire him as well. I hope to join forces with him in the future to repel the western barbarians and bring peace to the people. Please convey this message to Marshal Lu from me.”
His recruitment was too blatant, seemingly overly eager. However, given his current forces and situation, such urgency was understandable.
Meng Qi stood to take his leave, and the Third Prince had Luo Shengyi escort him out.
“Yesterday’s Stone Bridge battle further solidified your fame in the capital. In the Third Prince’s eyes, you’ve already become a Grandmaster comparable to the Evil Lord, surpassing even me who directly defeated Ghost King,” Luo Shengyi half-jokingly remarked, subtly emphasizing his own strength.
Meng Qi wasn’t naive; naturally, he understood the implication. If seeking cooperation, Luo Shengyi, as a teammate with formidable strength, would be more trustworthy and have a better foundation for collaboration than others.
“Because I encountered the Sword Emperor and received his guidance on a sword technique, I managed to imitate his demeanor and scare off Ruyi Monk and the Ghost King,” Meng Qi vaguely replied.
“Sword Emperor?” Luo Shengyi slightly frowned, carefully inquiring further about Sword Emperor.
Meng Qi didn’t hide anything either—he needed to obtain information about the Demoness from Luo Shengyi, so he roughly described the encounter.
“Sword Emperor’s displayed strength seems comparable to the Demoness’s, but his cultivation level appears higher. In actual combat, he might have a slight advantage,” Luo Shengyi mused. “The Demoness’s yin-soft style has reached true mastery—dense and intricate, like an invisible net. Moreover, her dispersed yin-soft energy can secretly infiltrate an opponent’s body, affecting their true energy and manipulating their physical movements. Without caution, one might unknowingly become the Demoness’s puppet, moving involuntarily according to her energy flow. When encountering her for the first time, one must be extremely cautious…”
This was already nearly the ability of a half-step beyond the mundane realm!
When Luo Shengyi previously encountered the Demoness, he had completely unleashed his true energy, channeling it entirely into his fist intent, expelling even the yin-soft energy toward the Demoness. He had unleashed the most powerful punch of his life, barely escaping with his life.
Listening to Luo Shengyi’s description, Meng Qi grew increasingly respectful toward the Grandmasters of this world. If they were in the main world, they might have already stepped into the realm of the beyond, becoming formidable experts there.
Sword Emperor had already begun grasping the sword path, while the Demoness’s true energy could manipulate objects at a distance. What about the other Grandmasters who ranked alongside them—the National Preceptor, Living Buddha, and Right Chancellor?
Meng Qi couldn’t help but feel a sense of yearning.
“Let’s go, let’s witness the battle between Grandmasters,” Luo Shengyi said, his face glowing with excitement, eyes burning with anticipation.
Meng Qi slightly hesitated before realizing: “The Right Chancellor is personally going to meet the young master of the Jiang Clan?”
“Yes, just received the news. The Right Chancellor left the palace with Lu Guan and Batu,” Luo Shengyi nodded slightly.
The young master of the Jiang Clan had clues about the Demon Lord’s whereabouts. The Demoness would never allow him to fall into the Right Chancellor’s hands. As long as she remained in the capital, this battle was unavoidable.
Meng Qi took a light breath: “Let’s go.”
How could one possibly miss witnessing such a high-level battle?
Observing this battle would be more beneficial than years of arduous cultivation!
The two quickened their pace, aided by the Third Prince’s “intelligence network,” soon arriving at the bend of the Luo River, which flowed through the city into the Pei River. From afar, they saw Lu Guan, Batu, and an elderly man in wide robes boarding a small boat, heading toward a house on the opposite bank.
In this world, Grandmasters were still within the realm of mortals. Unless they cultivated the Immortal Sealing Art, they would struggle when besieged by numerous experts. Of course, given their formidable strength and cultivation level, it was almost impossible for them to find themselves encircled by dozens or even hundreds of top-tier masters.
This also allowed the Right Chancellor to temporarily leave the palace with peace of mind. After all, the inner palace was filled with formidable masters. Any Grandmaster attempting to assassinate the emperor would have to go through great trouble, and even then, failure and disgrace were possible. Thus, even if everything went smoothly, there would be ample time for the Right Chancellor to complete his round trip.
Meng Qi and Luo Shengyi found another small boat, anchoring it in the middle of the Luo River, watching as the Right Chancellor, Lu Guan, and Batu stopped at the back gate of a bluestone courtyard.
This courtyard, with a bustling market in front and the Luo River behind, was an ideal place for concealment and escape.
The Right Chancellor was of medium build, with a thin face, no beard, and a smooth complexion without any age spots.
Watching them disembark and enter the courtyard, Meng Qi and Luo Shengyi maneuvered their small boat slightly closer to avoid missing the Grandmasters’ battle.
Soon, they saw the Right Chancellor step out with his hands behind his back, followed only by Lu Guan and Batu, no one else.
“Isn’t the young master of the Jiang Clan here?”
“Were we sent on a wild goose chase?”
“No Grandmasters fighting?”
These thoughts flashed through Meng Qi’s mind as he observed the Right Chancellor and Lu Guan maintaining their composure, concealing their emotions, while Batu appeared slightly anxious and worried.
After the three left, Meng Qi and Luo Shengyi quickly infiltrated the bluestone courtyard, searching for clues.
“Judging from hand temperature and the arrangement of objects, the people inside haven’t been gone long,” Luo Shengyi concluded after inspecting the scene.
Meng Qi reached the same conclusion, pondering: “If they had changed hiding places out of concern for Batu’s disappearance, they should have done so last night. Why wait until just before the Right Chancellor’s arrival?”
“This matter must be suspicious,” Luo Shengyi mused thoughtfully.
The two left the courtyard but hadn’t yet boarded their boat when they saw another small boat passing by. Standing at the bow was a middle-aged scholar in a brocade robe with a jade belt, his temples slightly gray, exuding confidence and charm.
He smiled at Meng Qi, slightly nodding as a greeting before drifting downstream, disappearing around the bend of the Luo River.
“Evil Lord…” Meng Qi slightly narrowed his eyes.
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