Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Nangong Elder nodded, his face etched with grief. "It’s all my fault. Elder Rong and I arrived too late."

Ling Xiao thought, ’If they truly have three or more Sword Sect experts, it would have been useless even if you had been by His Majesty the King’s side the whole time!’

"I can’t take this child," Ling Xiao said after a moment of thought.

Huangpu Yue had at first only seen the child’s pitiful crying, and her maternal instincts urged her to hold and comfort him. But when she saw Ling Xiao refuse, she instantly grasped the heart of the issue. ’I wouldn’t dare take this child either,’ she thought. ’While it might mean immense honor, it’s also... immense trouble!’

"What?" Nangong Elder stood there stunned, holding the swaddled infant. He had never imagined that Ling Xiao would refuse to take the Third Prince. He had been so focused on how to deliver the Third Prince into Ling Xiao’s hands that he had never considered whether the man would even accept. Nangong Elder coughed twice, an unhealthy flush creeping onto his old face as he said, "This... this was His Majesty the King’s last wish..."

"Yes, but I have no reason to keep a Prince of such esteemed status in my care. There are many others in this Empire with the blood of the Royal Family. It’s hardly my turn to be responsible for raising him, is it?" Ling Xiao could already see that this old man was likely no more versed in the ways of the world than he was. Having spent many years in the Cultivation Realm himself, Ling Xiao knew that some powerful Cultivators who had trained for millennia were utterly clueless about worldly affairs. So, instead of making things difficult for Nangong Elder, he continued patiently.

"If I take in the Third Prince and others find out, what will they think of my Ling Family? How will they see me, Ling Xiao? To use your own words, Elder Nangong, the throne has already been taken by the Crown Prince. Yet you bring the Third Prince to me, telling me that His Majesty the King decreed he should be the new King. Aren’t you asking me to rebel?"

"This... this is acting in loyal service to the throne! It’s purging scoundrels..." By the end, even Nangong Elder’s voice lacked conviction. He was right; any discerning person would know there was something suspicious about the deaths of the King and Empress. How could two healthy people just suddenly be gone? But who was the Crown Prince? He was the one with the legitimate claim to the throne! If he said the King and Empress died in an accident, then it was an accident!

Would anyone dare to step forward and cry injustice for His Majesty the King? Even if there were someone that recklessly bold, what good would it do? The Crown Prince was protected by several Sword Sect experts and backed by a hidden clan. Furthermore, this internal strife within the Royal Family was a matter for the Li Family. If an outsider interfered, the Western Li Family would likely not only be ungrateful but would also jump out and accuse the meddler of harboring ill intentions, of trying to seize the Li Family’s throne!

This was precisely the kind of trouble Ling Xiao was desperate to avoid. He knew full well that even though the Crown Prince hated him to the bone, as long as he didn’t actively start trouble, the Crown Prince wasn’t stupid enough to provoke him.

Nangong Elder stood frozen, a pained expression on his face. The cries of the infant in his arms grew louder, as if the child already knew his own tragic fate.

Ling Xiao’s face remained placid. He had seen too much of life and death; it was nothing more than the cycle of reincarnation. Under the Celestial Dao, everyone had their own destiny, which could not be forced.

The infant’s cries softened the hearts of Huangpu Yue and Yisha. Huangpu Yue couldn’t help but say, "Elder Nangong, I have a suggestion. I wonder if you would be willing to hear it?"

Nangong Elder was already in a state of complete turmoil. Hearing her, he said, "Please speak, Miss."

Huangpu Yue gave a faint smile and said, "Elder Nangong, do you want this child to one day become the Emperor of the Empire, or do you want him to be an ordinary person and live a long, peaceful life?"

Nangong Elder might be naive about worldly affairs, but that didn’t mean he was a fool. Her words made him realize the point, and he stammered, "His Majesty the King entrusted the Third Prince to me and... and specified that he was to be the future Imperial King..."

"If that’s the case, I’d advise you to take the child and leave..." Huangpu Yue said in a soft tone. "Don’t you also have a hidden clan or sect backing you? Take the child back, cultivate for thirty or fifty years, and with the power behind you, perhaps you could restore his kingdom. But if you stay in Penzes City... you’re clearly just handing a huge problem to us."

Hesitation filled Nangong Elder’s face. At his advanced age, where could he possibly go with a swaddled infant? He did have a family behind him, but that family couldn’t compare to the might of the Western Li Family, and it was likely not even as powerful as the new faction the Crown Prince had found. If he were to bring such a massive problem back with him, the people in his family would surely never agree!

But he couldn’t just watch helplessly as His Majesty the Old King’s bloodline was extinguished! Nangong Elder sighed and said, "By now, the Second Prince has likely also been murdered. So be it. Marquis Lingxiao, if you are willing to adopt this child, his future will naturally be for you to decide! Entrusting him to you was also His Majesty the King’s final wish. I hope you can agree. I... I will kneel to you!"

As he spoke, Nangong Elder bent his knees, about to kneel before Ling Xiao. Frowning, Ling Xiao reached out a hand, releasing a gentle force.

Nangong Elder was horrified to discover that he couldn’t kneel even if he wanted to! ’Just what level has Ling Xiao’s power reached? Why can’t I feel the slightest fluctuation of Internal Strength from him?’