Chapter 61: The Eve of the Decisive Battle

Chapter 61: The Eve of the Decisive Battle

Another midsummer arrived.

The Prince Fu Estate.
The martial arts training ground.

"Hee-ha!"

With a tender cry, a small hand as white as jade struck a slab of bluestone. The bluestone shattered abruptly, as if it had been smashed by a heavy hammer.

The Princess stared at her own hands in disbelief. Her skin was tender and fair, delicate enough that it seemed a breath could break it, yet it possessed the power to split bluestone.

"This, this... am I a Houtian martial artist now?"

Houtian martial artists cultivated true Qi, which some also called internal energy—a magical power born from vital energy and blood. Once achieved, splitting monuments and fracturing stones was effortless.

However, the Princess knew she had been practicing martial arts for less than a few months.

Calling it martial arts practice was even flattering herself.

She had merely assumed a few simple poses, stretched her tendons and bones, and occasionally been groped by a certain someone. Sometimes, when she was teased beyond endurance, the two of them would descend into absurdity.

With this kind of sporadic effort—fishing for three days and drying the nets for two—she had even suspected that the reason that certain person taught her martial arts was primarily to make her stretch her tendons and loosen her waist, rendering her more flexible so she could accommodate some of his high-difficulty postures.

That was entirely something he was capable of doing.

Yet now, with true Qi successfully attained, the Princess felt ashamed of her previous suspicions.

Yu Xian patted the Princess on her buttocks.

Not bad, quite springy.

A woman who practiced martial arts was indeed different.
Under the blessing of the martial arts realm, the Princess had successfully achieved a reverse in aging. Not only had her appearance become more youthful and vibrant, but her figure had also grown firmer.

"Did you really think I was just humoring you? If your foundation weren't so poor and your practice so lacking in earnestness, you would have cultivated true Qi long ago. Look at Yulan; she is already just a step away from the Xiantian realm."

Nearby, the gentle Yulan smiled with embarrassment.

Though her speed in cultivating the immortal Dao was as slow as a turtle's, her martial arts realm had advanced by leaps and bounds under the baptism of Yu Xian's Foundation Establishment mana.

Presently, her seemingly petite frame contained vital energy and blood comparable to a fierce bull.

Although Yulan lacked combat experience, supreme strength could overcome all techniques. Relying solely on a set of clumsy, wild punches, she could suppress most renowned masters of the rivers and lakes.

The Princess usually only consumed the scraps left over by Yulan, but even that was a monumental stroke of fortune for an ordinary person.

However, the Princess was unaware of Yu Xian's differential treatment. Seeing the facts laid out before her, she had no choice but to admit that she simply hadn't worked hard enough.

Clutching her backside, she said with a hint of grievance:

"It's not that I wasn't practicing seriously; it's clearly because you kept bullying me."

Her figure had always been exceptional.

When practicing martial arts, she wore form-fitting clothes, and her movements particularly accentuated her physique. Coupled with the various alluring labels attached to her, it was truly difficult for anyone not to feel tempted.

And Yu Xian had never possessed much self-control.

"Cough, cough..."

Yu Xian gave two light coughs and awkwardly changed the subject.

"The capital hasn't been peaceful lately. I've already instructed Eunuch Li to close the gates and decline visitors. You shouldn't go out during this time; stay home and practice diligently."

Living deep within the inner courtyard, the Princess usually only went out shopping in the company of Yulan and paid little attention to external affairs.

"What happened? Didn't they say the imperial court has already blocked the rebel forces?"

Two months ago, an elite guard unit known as the Black Wolf Guards secretly reinforced the front lines.

They deliberately lured the rebel vanguard into the city and engaged them in urban warfare for several days, ultimately inflicting heavy casualties on the rebels. Word had it that they even killed several martial arts grandmasters, forcing the enemy to suffer a crushing defeat and retreat.

The imperial court's faction rallied an army of one hundred thousand, pursuing the enemy for eighty miles and compelling the rebels to flee in succession, eventually abandoning multiple cities.

This was also the imperial court's first major victory since facing the rebel forces. It was immensely uplifting and won back a considerable amount of wavering popular support.

As the imperial court continuously reinforced its troops, the imperial army and the rebel forces were now locked in a stalemate at Cangbei City. Everything seemed to have returned to how it was in the beginning, except that the roles of offense and defense had reversed.

Yu Xian shook his head. "They blocked them, but recently, a large number of unfamiliar martial artists have flooded into the capital. Heinous crimes are happening frequently, and many officials' families have suffered victimization. You two are so beautiful; if any accident were to happen, I would regret it for the rest of my life."

Those martial artists were likely Jianghu figures driven by the Azure Dragon Society.

During this period, the capital was in a state of utter chaos every day, and all government offices were rushed off their feet.

This was the consequence of the imperial court losing its majesty.

Most of these martial artists who dared to come and stir up trouble were pessimistic about the imperial court's future prospects, and perhaps they had even received promises from the Azure Dragon Society, so they naturally cared little for the court's future retaliation.

With no worries holding them back, they wreaked havoc without restraint.

Even the suppression of the imperial army was of no use.

There might even be insiders within the imperial court itself. Since ancient times, during moments of national crisis and survival, there was never any shortage of high-ranking court officials who fancied themselves perceptive of the situation and secretly colluded with the enemy.

As for ordinary people, they could neither resist the authorities nor the martial arts powerhouses; they could only pray that misfortune would pass them by.

Though the capital was still bustling with people coming and going, the commercial market was shrinking at a visible rate.

Even the several entertainment venues Yu Xian frequented had closed their doors.

Perhaps before long, the capital's city gates would have to be sealed entirely, forbidding outsiders from entering or leaving.

"...However, you don't need to worry. The estate has long been stocked with sufficient grain and rice, along with two underground water wells, enough for the household to live on for several years. Even if the imperial court truly falls, it matters not. I shall simply protect you as we leave."

When it came to running away, he was a professional.

The Princess was stunned for a moment, before saying: "I'll have Steward Li take men to fetch Heng'er back from the Imperial Academy. He shouldn't attend school for now."

"That works too."

Yu Xian nodded.

...

Nightfall.

Several figures clad in night-walking attire vaulted over the courtyard wall. Before they could make a move, they heard several whistling sounds slicing through the air.

Bang, bang, bang!

Flowers of blood bloomed on the chests of the dark figures as they plummeted from mid-air, not even leaving behind a final word before drawing their last breaths entirely.

Shortly after, several torches were hoisted high.

They were none other than the estate's guards.

"The Chief Steward's divine might! These petty thieves actually dared to offend the Prince's Estate; they truly overestimate their own capabilities."

The guard captain stepped forward to flatter him with a look of reverence, yet his voice concealed a terror he hadn't even realized he possessed.

He had seen it clearly just moments ago: the Chief Steward merely flicked his finger, and streams of true Qi were projected outward like flying swords, instantly obliterating the petty thieves who attempted to breach the estate on the spot.

A martial arts grandmaster was indeed capable of projecting true Qi outward, but three feet away was already the absolute limit.

Yet the distance between the Chief Steward and the flying thieves was far greater than a hundred paces!

For martial arts to reach this realm was practically akin to an earth-bound immortal.

"Strip off their masks, and then hang their bodies outside the wall. The Prince's Estate is not a place just any stray cat or dog can wander into."

Yu Xian's tone was as calm as water.

For a dignified Foundation Establishment grand cultivator to bully a few petty thieves who weren't even at the Xiantian realm was something that would make people laugh just to hear it.

Over the past few days, he had already eliminated several batches of scoundrels attempting to sneak into the estate.

The Prince Fu Estate had entered the capital with its entire fortune, yet kept such a low profile without displaying any real strength. In the eyes of certain people, it was undoubtedly a juicy piece of fat meat.

During peaceful times, naturally no one would dare offend them, but with the capital in turmoil right now, those wishing to fish in troubled waters had grown numerous.

His spiritual sense swept across the faces beneath the thieves' masks. Among them were veterans of the capital's underground gangs; perhaps they had long been eyeing the Prince Fu Estate.

"Understood!"

The guard captain flashed a ferocious grin at the corpses on the ground.

"This subordinate will make sure to properly process them!"

Yu Xian paid no mind to these trivial matters, his gaze drifting leisurely toward the depths of the night.

The Prince Fu Estate sat right beneath the imperial city's feet, and high-ranking officials and nobles lived along this very street. Even their homes had fallen victim to thieves.

This meant the capital's defense forces were teetering on the verge of collapse.

"Looking at it this way, the day of the ultimate decisive battle isn't far off. The effect of that letter was evidently quite good; the movements of the Lin family cultivators have accelerated considerably."

(End of this chapter)