Wang Yu had just received a Tendon-Changing Bone-Forging Pill and ten bottles of Sanyang Qi-Invigorating Pills from Honghai when a shrill cry rang out from beyond the government office.
"What's going on?" Everyone turned their eyes outside in unison.
A moment later, an official runner came to report, "A scoundrel launched a surprise attack on the Prince of Zhenxi's ladies, but the guards subdued him! He has already been brought to the compound where you are staying."
The Prince of Zhenxi's ladies, of course, meant Qianqian and Ardai.
The group immediately returned to the courtyard, where they found a man in green sitting dazed on the ground. His acupoints had clearly been struck, and only his eyes darted about rapidly, looking toward Qianqian with a mixture of shock and terror.
Zhao Shan stepped forward to report, "Your Highness, on our way back, this rogue launched a sudden ambush targeting Consort Qian and Miss Ardai."
Ardai still had lingering fear in her chest. "He was actually quite skilled. It was Sister Qianqian who captured him."
Wei Gutong and Yan Ziyu raised their eyebrows and studied Qianqian closely. Neither had expected this seemingly delicate, timid woman to possess martial arts superior to Zhao Shan and Zhao He's.
Wang Yu gave a nod. "There truly are too many lechers in this world. No need for an interrogation—butcher him and feed him to the dogs."
The green-robed man instinctively looked toward Qianqian, only to see her leisurely admiring her fingernails, which were freshly dyed with garden balsam juice. She did not spare him so much as a glance.
The man's eyes seemed about to burst with fury. His bones popped and crunched, and then, with a wet sound, he sprayed a mouthful of blood. Risking severe internal injury, he had forcefully broken through his mute acupoint and croaked in a hoarse voice, "Wait! I have intelligence on Dulong Fortress!"
"Oh?" Wang Yu raised a brow. "You're from Dulong Fortress?"
The man in green nodded repeatedly and blurted out a crucial piece of information: "Dulong Fortress stole the Loulan treasure!"
Wang Yu chuckled. "If you'd said that three days ago, it might have been worth something. Spouting it now is no better than breaking wind."
Knowing full well that they had already sent investigators to Shangshan Prefecture, the green-robed man said at once, "I know where they hid the treasure! I also know the invasion route Zhong Yulei plans to take when he raises the banner of rebellion! I can tell you all of it!"
"No need." Wang Yu shook his head. "That treasure isn't mine either way. As for the march route—how many routes could there possibly be to strike the capital region from Shangshan Prefecture?"
The man in green was dumbfounded, his eyes darting frantically as he stole another glance at Qianqian.
Seeing that Qianqian had no intention of speaking, he finally steeled himself and said to Wang Yu, "Prince Zhao, this lowly one has another secret to report, but aside from you, absolutely no one else must hear it!"
"Oh?" Having noticed the man's repeated sidelong glances at Qianqian, Wang Yu turned his gaze to her as well.
Qianqian seemed to have thought of something amusing. She offered a charming smile and said demurely, "This man looks so fierce. Brother Yu, you must be careful being alone with him."
The man in green could not help shivering. He looked at Wang Yu, his eyes full of pleading.
Though slightly puzzled, Wang Yu waved his hand to dismiss the others, keeping the green-robed man behind alone.
With his acupoints sealed, his person searched, and his body injured from forcing open the mute acupoint, the man stood no chance against Wang Yu under any circumstances. Moreover, since the captive was tied to Dulong Fortress, Wang Yu was curious to hear what he had to say.
Yet the man's very first words caught him entirely off guard.
"That Consort Qian of yours—she's from the Demonic Cult's Channü Sect!"
Seeing Wang Yu's faint surprise, the man in green added with utter solemnity, "The moment we crossed blows, I felt her inner strength. It was the purest Channü true qi! She is undoubtedly a direct disciple of the Channü Sect. Your Highness must look into this!"
Wang Yu was speechless.
"Your Highness, the Channü Sect placed her at your side with foul intentions!" the green-robed man warned earnestly. "The Channü Sect excels above all in bewitching men. They surely want you to fall head over heels for her so they can seize control of the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor through you and rebel against the imperial court!"
Seeing Wang Yu remain expressionless, the man grew desperate. "Your Highness, everything I'm saying is true!"
After pondering for a brief moment, Wang Yu adjusted his expression, wearing an ambiguous half-smile. "Qianqian is the fiancée my late father chose for me—dignified, gentle, virtuous, and pure. Between a rogue of unknown origin calling her a demonic witch and her, who do you think I should believe?"
Wang Yu paused, then deliberately asked, "Shall I go ask her?"
"No!" The man's eyes fluttered as he urgently dissuaded him. "Your Highness, disciples of the Channü Sect are ruthless! It is only because she hasn't realized I saw through her identity that we are safe. If you call her out, neither of our lives will be spared!
"This woman has already attained the Xiantian realm! The Channü Sect's arts are exceptionally good at preserving youth; who knows how old she truly is—"
Just as he reached this point, the man in green suddenly felt a chill creep over his body, as though an eerie pair of eyes were fixed intently upon him.
Yet he failed to perceive anything truly amiss. After all, injured and held captive, his senses were dulled. He pressed on: "Furthermore, once Your Highness engages in intimacy with her, she will inevitably drain your vital yang!"
Wang Yu also felt that icy chill. Shivering slightly, he promptly changed the subject: "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"
The green-robed man nodded repeatedly. "Dulong Fortress is merely an external matter to Your Highness, but this woman is a dire menace right at your core!"
"And then?" Wang Yu asked. "You told me all this just so I would spare your life?"
The man's eyes shifted, and he licked his lips as greed surged within him. "Actually... if Your Highness is willing, this lowly one can lend you a hand to turn the tables on her."
Wang Yu raised a brow. "Turn the tables how?"
Seeing that Wang Yu appeared tempted, the man's eyes shone bright. "I can teach you a technique that will not only revitalize your masculine vigor, but make you stronger with every battle! Even if you bed a Channü disciple, you can reverse the flow and harvest her essence instead, making them lose both their woman and their gains!"
Wang Yu swallowed. "You mean..."
"To be frank, the reason I could tell she belongs to the Channü Sect is that I, too, am a disciple of the Holy Cult!" The green-robed man chuckled slyly. "Hu Aipiao of the Kanli Sect greets Your Highness!"
Wang Yu stared at him blankly.
"What Kanli Sect? More like the Essence-Harvesting Sect!" Wang Yu remarked dryly.
He had listened to Yan Xiangxue's explanation back on Mount Tianshan: the Kanli Sect's internal dual cultivation harmonized yin and yang within the body, aiming to turn oneself into a microcosm of heaven and earth. Their external dual cultivation, on the other hand, harvested yin to nourish yang and balanced water and fire, which had ultimately degenerated into an essence-draining lineage.
The green-robed man argued, "External dual cultivation is also legitimate dual cultivation! It can complement yin and yang mutually, or harvest yin to bolster yang, advancing yang as yin retreats. Used for good, it is righteous; used for evil, it is wicked—"
At that point, he could hardly continue, for their sect had indeed pursued quick results and fallen into the category of using it for evil.
"In short, the Kanli Sect counters the Channü Sect! As long as Your Highness learns my technique, you won't need to fear that Channü disciple," the green-robed man urged temptingly.
Wang Yu felt the chill on his back grow even colder.
Seeing Wang Yu's apparent skepticism, the green-robed man immediately began reciting the mnemonics: "This is the secret essence of my Kanli Sect, the Method of Harmonizing Yang through Taiyin. Please listen, Your Highness—"
After reciting three to five hundred words in a steady flow, the man looked at Wang Yu with burning eyes. "Does Your Highness have any interest?"
Wang Yu swallowed. "Recite the entire manual from beginning to end—three full times. I want to see if you make any mistakes or try to trick me."
The green-robed man was somewhat baffled, assuming Wang Yu simply didn't trust him. He complied and continued reciting. After all, the complete technique ran several thousand words; he hardly believed Wang Yu could memorize it after merely hearing it thrice.
Wang Yu listened to the first recitation. Then, as if parched, he drank a cup of tea, washing down the newly acquired Tendon-Changing Bone-Forging Pill in the process.
During the second recitation, Wang Yu nodded with grave seriousness.
By the third recitation, an inscrutable smile emerged on his face.
Once he finished the third recitation, the green-robed man said cautiously, "There is no need for me to deceive you. After all, I still wish to cooperate with Your Highness. So long as Your Highness cultivates it yourself, our sect's secret methods can be shared."
At this, the man took on an alluring tone. "A bunch of women from the Channü Sect want to ride atop our heads, and Your Highness is merely a pawn in their hands. Why not collaborate with my Kanli Sect instead?"
Wang Yu let out a long breath. "This is your Kanli Sect's secret method?"
The man nodded. "This is our sect's method of external dual cultivation. It is not at all inferior to the internal dual cultivation art, the Kanli Convergence of Dragon and Tiger. Moreover, it isn't forbidden from being passed to outsiders, especially heroes such as Your Highness."
Wang Yu asked again, "In cooperating with Zhong Yulei, does your Kanli Sect intend to rebel as well?"
The man's eyes flickered, and he sought to reassure Wang Yu: "Our Holy Cult has been smeared as the Demonic Cult for hundreds of years, so naturally we wish to turn things around. But don't worry, Your Highness—we understand the ways of the realm and will certainly wait for the right moment.
"Besides, our Sect Master hasn't yet decided on joining forces with Zhong Yulei. I have only engaged in preliminary contact with Dulong Fortress, and I didn't pressure him. In fact, I even tried to advise him! Alas, he was too impatient and couldn't resist the Loulan treasure, proving he isn't cut out for great deeds.
"Your Highness holds sway over the Northwest and commands a mighty army. You can advance to attack or retreat to defend. If our sect manages the affairs of the martial world for you on top of that, and we join hands, we may well contend for the realm when the time is right!"
The man in green grew increasingly excited as he spoke. If he could forge an alliance with the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, what did Zhong Yulei amount to? Even Jiang Sihai, whom his senior brother spoke of, fell far short of the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor.
When that time came, he would have rendered a monumental service before his master, and his influence within the sect would surely soar once more.
"You aren't a disciple of the Kanli Sect's master?" Wang Yu inquired. Typically, direct disciples of a sect master addressed him as 'Master.'
"No, but my master is a Xiantian elder of the Kanli Sect, a figure of great weight!" the green-robed man stressed.
Wang Yu understood immediately. "How high is your Sect Master's cultivation, and how many Xiantian elders does your sect possess?"
The man answered at once, "Our Sect Master's cultivation is no weaker than a Grandmaster's, and there are dozens of Xiantian elders under his command! As long as Your Highness agrees, we can guarantee that no martial matters will ever trouble you!"
Wang Yu realized at once: the Kanli Sect did not have a Grandmaster.
A weakling sect!
Seeing Wang Yu's expression turn calm, the man in green sensed hope and urged hurriedly, "I must ask Your Highness to release my acupoints."
Wang Yu nodded and raised his hand, then suddenly asked, "When you laid hands on Qianqian, you didn't know she was a Channü Sect disciple—you only knew she was my consort, correct?"
The man answered instinctively, "That's right!"
Wang Yu chuckled. "Do you understand now?"
The man wore a bewildered look. "Understand what?"
Wang Yu said placidly, "Understand why you must die."
The green-robed man froze in horror. Then he saw Wang Yu press a palm down softly upon the crown of his head.
Chapter 99