Chapter 82

Lan Guang was startled and said, "Father, do you mean...?"

Lan Hong took a long breath and said, "Tomorrow is Consort Xiang's birthday. Have someone prepare a generous gift to send to the palace."

Lan Guang seemed to understand. Consort Xiang was the birth mother of Prince Qin Yue.

Lan Hong suddenly had a smile on his face and muttered to himself, "It seems the Li family will overshadow us for many years to come. But has he not yet learned the lesson of being used and discarded?"

On the Qinhuai River, in a painted pleasure boat, two middle-aged men were drinking and enjoying themselves. A dozen or so beautifully dressed women surrounded them, constantly flirting and trying to win their favor.

The man on the left was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with a refined appearance. He held two beauties, his hands constantly rubbing their soft bodies, and laughed loudly, "It's all thanks to Li Yunxiao's antics that those self-proclaimed scholars have all returned home. Now, the most beautiful women in the Qinhuai pleasure boats are ours to choose from."

The man on the right had a shallow scar on his face and a look of disdain in his eyes. He sneered, "Those weaklings who can only pant on women's bodies dared to provoke the Li family. They deserve to die. That Kong fellow, who usually boasts of his integrity, has now been used as a pawn by the Crown Prince and met this end."

The man on the left chuckled softly, "What do these court matters have to do with us? Gao Feng is blinded by profit and assists the Crown Prince. Bai Mou is trapped by love and willingly serves behind Qin Yue. It's only Lu Yunshang and you and I who live freely and easily. Now, with those annoying scholars out of the way, it's like heaven on earth."

"Ha ha!" The man on the right also laughed loudly, and the two raised their cups to drink. His other hand was already wandering, and the women around him were breathing heavily and sighing.

Suddenly, the two men were shaken. Prince Xiao Qing's voice thundered in the sky, and the pleasure boat they were on began to sway violently. The women were thrown about in fear. The spring water of the river suddenly rippled, as if a great storm was coming.

The two men looked at each other in shock and gazed up at the sky.

In the next moment, the dozen or so beauties on the pleasure boat found that the two men had vanished, leaving behind a large pile of gold coins. The women immediately scrambled to grab them.

"Commander Gao Feng of the First Division of the National Divine Guards, I greet Prince Qing!"

Qin Yang and Gao Feng arrived first. Gao Feng, seeing the stern and cold expression on Prince Xiao Qing's face, felt uneasy and walked to the base of the platform, bowing in greeting.

Qin Yang, on the other hand, glanced coldly at everyone and walked straight to the other side of the platform, sitting down calmly. He looked at the two or three thousand old and weak soldiers below with a mocking expression.

"Commander Wang Su of the Second Division of the National Divine Guards, I greet Prince Qing!"

"Commander Xiao Chen of the Fifth Division of the National Divine Guards, I greet Prince Qing!"

Two voices came from afar, and by the time everyone turned to look, the two men had already landed at the base of the platform, the same two middle-aged men who had been enjoying themselves on the pleasure boat.

Lu Yunshang and Bai Mou, who were standing on the left side of the platform, also stood up and walked to the base of the platform.

"Commander Bai Mou of the Third Division of the National Divine Guards, I greet Prince Qing!"

"Commander Lu Yunshang of the Fourth Division of the National Divine Guards, I greet Prince Qing!"

With the five commanders in place, a large number of National Divine Guards quickly poured in from all directions, forming ranks behind the five men. Soon, the entire platform was filled with over a hundred more people.

On the other side, the two thousand student soldiers were all excited, watching their heroes appear one by one, their blood boiling.

Prince Xiao Qing finally lifted his eyes, his sleeves fluttering in the wind. His gaze was so intense that no one dared to look up. He then said coldly, "The duty of the Divine Guards is to protect the country, to serve with all their might until death. Now, the army of the Hundred Warring States has invaded, and the emperor has ordered the central army to go to the rescue. But so far, only two or three thousand people have arrived. Therefore..."

Qin Yang had a cold smile on his face, thinking to himself: Therefore what? Therefore, you and your over a hundred Divine Guards will also go to war? Ha! Even if all of them are martial masters, it won't make a difference in an army of hundreds of thousands!

Prince Xiao Qing's eyes suddenly revealed a murderous intent, and he shouted, "Therefore, these 124 central army commanders have defied the emperor's will and should be punished by death! Now, I order you all to immediately capture these 124 people and execute them on the spot!"

"Whoa!"

Everyone was shocked, drawing in a sharp breath. Qin Yang jumped up from his chair, roaring, "Prince Xiao Qing! You dare to kill military commanders? How dare you!"

Prince Xiao Qing's gaze, sharp as a blade, pierced into Qin Yang's body. Qin Yang felt a chill run through his mind, terrified.

Prince Xiao Qing stared at him and said coldly, "Qin Yang, as a central army commander and a prince of the realm, you have led the way in defying the emperor's decree, disregarding the safety of the country. This is a grave offense!" He paused, and a powerful killing aura emanated from his body. "Bring Qin Yang down first, and execute him along with the 124 others to consecrate the flag!"

"Whoa!"

Not only were everyone's minds blank, but even Li Chunyang, who had been calm, was startled, his eyes wide open. Only Li Yunxiao, after a moment of surprise, had a smile on his lips and nodded slightly.

In his eyes, Prince Xiao Qing was unbound and killed with ease, regardless of whether they were commoners or important officials. If they displeased him, he would kill them without hesitation. This was the mindset a martial artist should have. The path of martial arts is eternal, but it is also merciless. Every peak achiever, every one who commands the world, is covered in blood.

Li Chunyang, who had fought for the country for many years, had a deep-seated sense of loyalty and patriotism. Therefore, he could not be as free and easy as Prince Xiao Qing, and his achievements were far less.

"Are you, are you going to kill me? Do you dare to kill me?" Qin Yang's eyes widened, as if he had heard the most absurd joke in the world. He was a prince, a future king. How could a mere minister like Prince Xiao Qing dare to talk about killing him? "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

He found it too absurd and burst out laughing. But after a while, he felt a chill run through his body. Prince Xiao Qing's gaze, like that of a dead man, made him feel as if he were in an ice cellar!

"Why can't I kill you? Why wouldn't I dare to kill you?" Prince Xiao Qing said with a cold, mocking tone. "If it weren't for Li Chunyang's battles to expand the territory, and if it weren't for me, Prince Xiao Qing, protecting the country and defending the capital, the entire Tian Shui Kingdom would have long ceased to exist, and your Qin family would be a speck of dust in history. What are you? I am an Eighth Rank Martial King. In the Tian Shui Kingdom, who dares to defy me? Killing you—like killing a dog!"

Killing you—like killing a dog!

Qin Yang felt as if his eardrums had been shattered, his mind buzzing, and he almost collapsed.

The five divisions of the National Divine Guards were also stunned, standing there in shock.

Prince Xiao Qing roared again, and everyone was startled, scattering like birds and beasts to capture the 124 commanders on the list!

After five years of silence, Prince Xiao Qing, who had always been smiling and carefree, had finally returned.

The anger of a Martial King shook the entire kingdom!

Gao Feng also hurriedly scattered in the crowd, not to capture any commanders but to rush to the palace. The killing aura from Prince Xiao Qing was something he was very familiar with, and it was not to be taken lightly. If nothing changed, Prince Qin Yang would soon be in a different place!

The only one who could save Qin Yang now was the king of Tian Shui, Qin Zheng, in the palace!

On the platform, everyone was still in shock.

Including Qin Yue, who watched his older brother, who was of higher rank, bound like a criminal and hung under the flag. He felt no joy, only a sense of confusion, and for the first time, he doubted the throne.

Is ascending the throne really about being above all, with the world at your feet?

What about his brother now? Prince Xiao Qing was an Eighth Rank Martial King. Even if he killed all the princes, could the country's laws and the million-strong army do anything to him?

The answer was clearly no.

Killing Qin Yang was like killing a dog. What about killing him? There would be no difference.

Qin Yue felt a bitter taste in his heart. For the first time, he felt that maybe his goal was wrong.

The two thousand students and the two or three thousand old and weak soldiers below the platform were all stirred by Prince Xiao Qing's aura. They stood in perfect military posture, no one daring to breathe loudly or move a muscle. With over five thousand people present, it was as if the place was silent.

All the National Divine Guards moved out with astonishing efficiency. Soon, the 124 commanders were all bound and brought over, each one pressed to the ground. Some were still defiant, but when they saw Qin Yang bound like a pig and hanging under the flag, they were terrified and collapsed.

All 124 of them, not one missing, knelt neatly at the base of the platform, each one pressed down by a Divine Guard, unable to resist.

Prince Xiao Qing's eyes swept over them, looking at them like dead pigs, and he sneered, "You must think the law won't punish a large group? You must think Li Chunyang can't do anything to you? Now, I will use your heads to consecrate the flag! Remember in your next life, the Tian Shui Kingdom will still be glorious without you. Don't think too highly of yourselves; you are nothing!"

He waved his hand, and a bone-chilling killing aura swept over, "Kill them all!"

"Whoa!"

The 124 men were terrified, thinking they would only be humiliated and then still be needed to lead the army. They never expected to be executed so decisively. This was beyond everyone's expectations.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, a powerful voice came from afar. Gao Feng almost flew to the base of the platform, kneeling down and holding a royal decree high, breathing heavily, drenched in sweat, clearly without a moment's rest.