Chapter 79 - 76: Mu Family Ancestor
The battle of Shuozhou completely shattered any lingering hope for Cao Xun and his court of officials.
People finally realized with a shock that Chen Ye was no longer a Martial Artist they could easily manipulate.
He was a ferocious tiger that had bared its fangs, ready to devour someone at any moment.
Cao Xun was suddenly struck by a thought and immediately ordered someone to the Meng Family’s residence to summon Meng Yi out of retirement.
But soon, a eunuch came running in, trembling. He dropped to his knees with a THUD, his voice laced with tears.
"Your... Your Majesty, this is terrible! The Meng Family just sent word. Old General Meng suffered a sudden, acute illness last night. He’s bedridden and... and I’m afraid he doesn’t have much time left!"
’Sick?’
’Such convenient timing?’
’Why not fall sick sooner, or later? Why now, of all times, just when I need him?’
Cao Xun was no fool. He understood instantly. This was the Meng Family making their stance clear.
They didn’t want to get involved.
A profound sense of panic and rage, born from being abandoned and betrayed, seized Cao Xun’s heart.
He scanned the varied expressions of the officials below, feeling that not a single one of them could be trusted—that they all wanted to betray him.
In stark contrast to the gloom hanging over the Capital City, the prefectures and counties newly conquered by Chen Ye were flourishing.
He fully implemented the policies he brought from Great Liang—lowering taxes, levying minimal labor, and distributing land equally. At the same time, he ruthlessly purged the old officials and local gentry who had preyed on the populace, promoting a large number of talented individuals from among the commoners and Lower-Class Families to govern the regions.
These measures earned him the support of the people in the newly occupied territories in a very short time.
Meanwhile, secret letters from the top Noble Families in the Capital City arrived at Chen Ye’s desk like a snowstorm.
These same powerful figures, who had once been the most vehement in impeaching him at court, now adopted the most humble and fawning expressions, their words filled with the intent to surrender.
"Your Majesty, these people are truly shameless!" Wang Xing said with a look of contempt.
Chen Ye merely smiled at this. It was perfectly normal for these Noble Families to show him goodwill and pledge their loyalty.
It would be strange if they didn’t.
Chen Ye looked up in the direction of the Capital City, thinking to himself.
’Cao Xun, you must be running out of cards to play!’
Inside Zichen Hall, candlelight flickered.
Cao Xun had dismissed all the palace attendants and sat alone on the cold Throne.
He regretted it.
If he hadn’t been so eager for quick success and insisted on moving against that Chen Ye, how could he have ended up in this predicament?
But now, it was too late for any of that.
Just as he was sinking into complete despair, a sinister voice sounded from behind him.
"Your Majesty, since conventional methods have failed, why not try an unconventional one?"
Cao Xun turned to see that the speaker was one of his most trusted old eunuchs.
"An unconventional one?"
The old eunuch leaned close to his ear and whispered, "On the battlefield, we may not be a match for Chen Ye. But what if... we sent someone to take his head?"
Assassination!
A terrifying glint instantly flared in Cao Xun’s eyes.
"The Martial World is full of countless capable and extraordinary individuals. There are even those with heaven-defying abilities, revered as Land Immortals, for whom killing is as easy as reaching into a bag to grab something. As long as the price is right, forget one Chen Ye—not even an army of thousands could stop them!"
"Good, let’s do it!" Cao Xun shot to his feet. "Contact them for me at once! Whatever they want—gold, silver, titles, fiefs—I will grant it all!"
「Three days later, in the dead of night.」
A figure in white and a figure in cyan appeared silently in the depths of the Imperial Palace.
Cao Xun dismissed his attendants and faced the visitors alone.
The man in white had white hair and a white beard, his eyes as still as an ancient well. Just by standing there quietly, he exuded an invisible pressure that filled the entire hall, making even an Emperor like Cao Xun find it difficult to breathe.
The man in cyan beside him had a cold, stern face and eyes as sharp as an eagle’s.
Had Chen Ye been present, he would have surely recognized him, for this man was none other than Mu Jianqing, the one who had single-handedly annihilated Cyan Bamboo Mountain.
However, he had shed his youthful immaturity and become composed and reserved. Standing behind the man in white, his expression was filled with reverence.
"You are the Mu Family Ancestor?" Cao Xun’s voice was a little hoarse.
The man in white didn’t answer, merely giving him a faint glance.
From that single glance, Cao Xun felt as if a sharp, unsheathed sword was pressed against his throat, and the hair on his body stood on end.
"The terms." The man in white finally spoke, his voice cold and detached, devoid of any worldly emotion.
"As long as you, revered Immortal, can kill Chen Ye, I... I am willing to grant an entire prefecture to the Mu Family, to be held by them for all generations!" Cao Xun said through gritted teeth.
Hearing this, a barely perceptible arc formed at the corner of the man in white’s mouth.
"Done."
「Half a day later.」
On a mountaintop outside Chen Ye’s main camp.
The Mu Family Ancestor stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the night wind, looking like an Immortal about to ride the wind and depart.
He gazed at the brightly lit military camp in the distance.
Even from such a great distance, he could still feel the oppressive might formed from the condensed will and killing intent of countless soldiers.
"The troops are orderly, their killing intent restrained. This boy is truly extraordinary." A hint of admiration appeared in the Mu Family Ancestor’s eyes.
"If this boy does not die, he will surely become a sovereign of his generation. A pity..."
He slowly turned his head to look at Mu Jianqing beside him.
"He met me."
The Mu Family Ancestor’s tone was flat, yet it held an absolute confidence that saw all life in the world as nothing but ants.
He slowly drew the longsword from his waist.
It was a longsword of ancient design. Under the Moonlight, the blade reflected no light at all; instead, it seemed to be devouring the light around it, its darkness unsettlingly profound.
"Qing’er, I brought you here this time to show you what a true sword of slaughter looks like."
A fanatical look appeared on Mu Jianqing’s face. "This grandson understands!"
The night wind howled, kicking up dust from the mountaintop.
The moment the Mu Family Ancestor’s voice fell, he vanished from where he stood.
In the next moment, a bone-chilling Sword Intent swept through Chen Ye’s main camp like an invisible storm!
This Sword Intent was so tyrannical that it forcibly cleaved through the army’s condensed Blood Fiend, as unstoppable as a hot knife through butter.
The patrolling sentries along the path had no time to react before the formless Sword Intent tore through their armor and slit their throats, and they collapsed without a sound.
Wherever the Sword Intent passed, all fell silent, creating a corridor of death that pointed directly at the command tent of the Central Army!
"Enemy attack!"
A shrill roar finally rang out, jolting the entire camp awake. Countless soldiers rushed out of their tents, their torches illuminating the night sky.
But all they saw was a figure in white strolling through the camp as if on a leisurely walk. Anyone who came within three zhang of him, no matter who they were, was instantly decapitated, their blood splashing across the ground.
He walked very slowly, but no one could hinder him in the slightest.
This was simply not a power that mortals could contend with!
"Protect His Majesty!"
Wang Xing and the others, their eyes wide with fury, led the Personal Guards to form layers of human walls in front of the command tent.
Just then, the flap of the command tent was thrown open.
Chen Ye stepped out.