"I basically understand now. It seems this golden scale truly wishes to transform into a dragon."
Lianshan Xin's tone was unexpectedly calm to Heavenly Sword, who even detected a hint of pity in it.
"Barring any surprises, the Second Prince has the backing of a Great Grandmaster and commands a behemoth like the Golden Scale Alliance. In the court and across the martial world alike, he is already a reigning powerhouse. Lianshan Xin, are you pitying the Second Prince?"
Heavenly Sword's tone was peculiar.
Lianshan Xin did not deny it. "My father is merely an ordinary physician."
Pausing, Lianshan Xin shook his head. "Allow me to correct that: my father is an exceptional physician, though our family certainly cannot compare to imperial royalty in the slightest. Even so, I am quite glad that my father is my father, and His Majesty is not."
Heavenly Sword stared at Lianshan Xin in surprise for a second, then burst into laughter, clapping Xin on the shoulder once more with praise. "Good lad. I'm starting to like you. You've got the guts of us swordsmen."
Lianshan Xin said calmly, "Swordsmen are indeed generally daring, but compared to our lineage, they pale considerably in comparison."
Heavenly Sword was thoroughly convinced. "You're right about that."
Even a Dragon Supporting lineage that had been castrated twice possessed an audacity that commanded the awe of the world.
"His Majesty is very wise, but in this matter... he has truly put the Second Prince over the fire to roast."
Heavenly Sword clearly understood why Lianshan Xin pitied the Second Prince.
Lianshan Xin nodded. "Ever since His Majesty uttered those words, the Second Prince has had to fight whether he wants to or not. Unfortunately, that path has an even higher mortality rate than our lineage."
Not everyone felt compelled to run the rat race.
If you were born with more wealth than you could spend in a lifetime and only a handful of people ranked above you... there was truly no need to grind yourself into dust.
For someone like that, the room for upward advancement was slim, but the room to fall was bottomless.
Lianshan Xin believed the throne was alluring, but he was also convinced that the imperial family had no shortage of people who just wanted to lie flat.
"Sometimes, whether to contest or not isn't up to the princes and princesses."
Heavenly Sword had evidently grown accustomed to this long ago. "There is His Majesty, there are the ministers, and there is your lineage... Before princes and princesses come into their own, they are nothing more than chess pieces held in the hands of various factions. But Old Xie can treat princes as pawns, while Shiyun barely qualifies. As for you... it's a bit too early."
Heavenly Sword spoke without mincing words.
Lianshan Xin took no offense. "Naturally, this student doesn't have the audacity to provoke the Second Prince, but I do have the nerve to deal with the Golden Scale Alliance."
"What did the Golden Scale Alliance do to you?"
Heavenly Sword was somewhat curious.
Lianshan Xin recounted what Luo Panlan had said regarding the potential conflict that might arise between him and Zeng Ningbing.
Heavenly Sword was stunned after hearing it. "Just that?"
Lianshan Xin said solemnly, "My lord, isn't that enough? I am now a member of the Nine Heavens. If Zeng Ningbing dares provoke me today, she will dare provoke the Nine Heavens tomorrow. As for what she might want to do the day after, I shudder to even imagine."
"Don't blow this out of proportion. Even the Second Prince wouldn't necessarily dare provoke the Nine Heavens."
Heavenly Sword didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I think you're just looking for trouble on purpose. At most, Zeng Ningbing might dare give you a beating; she wouldn't dare go too far."
"My lord, isn't that a grave matter?" Lianshan Xin said solemnly. "If this student was bullied before joining the Nine Heavens, and continues to be bullied after joining the Nine Heavens, wouldn't that mean I joined the Nine Heavens for nothing?"
Heavenly Sword found himself unable to refute that, and could only offer a well-meaning reminder: "In such a minor matter, neither the Nine Heavens nor I have any reason to step in. Besides, the Golden Scale Alliance isn't without backing. Shiyun has already offended the Crown Prince. Do you want to thoroughly offend the Second Prince as well? You should at least spare some thought for your future."
"Tanhua Qi... has a major grudge with the Crown Prince?"
Heavenly Sword smiled. "It seems you aren't privy to the inside story."
"This student knows a little. Tanhua Qi killed his retainer right in front of the Crown Prince."
Heavenly Sword's smile turned peculiar. "Did Shiyun tell you why she killed the Crown Prince's retainer?"
"No."
"Because the Crown Prince wanted to kill her."
Lianshan Xin's expression tightened at once. "The relationship between Tanhua Qi and the Crown Prince has soured to such an extent?"
"The hatred of having one's wife stolen. What do you think?"
"Hatred of having a wife stolen? Wait, my lord, this student doesn't understand."
Lianshan Xin considered himself no fool.
Yet he truly couldn't make heads or tails of this.
"Who stole whose wife?"
Heavenly Sword's tone grew even stranger. "Back then, Shiyun disguised herself as a man and caused the woman of the Crown Prince's heart to fall in love with her at first sight."
Lianshan Xin: "..."
"You can't really blame Tanhua Qi for that, can you?"
"Are you going to reason with the Crown Prince?"
That single question from Heavenly Sword rendered Lianshan Xin utterly speechless.
"So compared to the Crown Prince, you especially cannot afford to offend the Second Prince. If the Golden Scale Alliance truly holds this attitude toward you, it's actually quite reasonable."
Lianshan Xin fell silent for a moment, then decided to abandon the multiple-choice question.
"His Majesty doesn't have only two sons."
Heavenly Sword pondered for a moment and cautioned again, "That Zeng Ningbing—I've heard of her as well."
"My lord has even heard of such a minor figure?" Lianshan Xin was somewhat surprised.
Heavenly Sword's next sentence struck Lianshan Xin dumb: "I heard of her from the Second Prince. She seems to be his female confidante."
Conditioned by instinct, Lianshan Xin glanced in the direction of Qi Shiyun's closed-door seclusion.
This reaction amused Heavenly Sword once more.
"Shiyun charmed the Crown Prince's beloved, which already shook Shenjing and even put her on His Majesty's radar. If you go and take out the Second Prince's female confidante too... Lianshan Xin, swordsman though I am, I must tell you: what is too unyielding will easily break."
Even seeking death had its limits.
In his mind, Lianshan Xin elevated his threat assessment of the Golden Scale Alliance.
Then he spoke slowly, "My lord, what if the Golden Scale Alliance truly colludes with the Demon Cult?"
"Then naturally, they shall be executed on sight without exception."
"This student understands."
"I mean genuine collusion, not framing them."
"My lord, when has this student ever framed anyone?" Lianshan Xin replied with serene composure.
Whether it was the Qu household or the Dai household, there had been solid evidence for both.
Heavenly Sword thought about it and conceded the point.
"Either way, it isn't some major issue. There's no need to stoop to Zeng Ningbing's level. If you can't afford to provoke her, just steer clear."
"My lord, if you were in my shoes, would you steer clear?" Lianshan Xin asked humbly.
The corner of Heavenly Sword's mouth curved upward. "It seems you don't know how I became the 'Heavenly Sword.'"
"This student is young and truly lacks experience," Lianshan Xin said.
"'First immortal among three thousand souls,
Flowers like silk brocade, willows draped in mist.
Marvel not at passing the exams so young;
Chang'e in the moon adores a youthful scholar.'
Have you heard this poem?"
"No."
"This poem was written about me thirty years ago. Famous in my youth, top of the Hidden Dragon Rankings. My sword outmatched all rivals, and I swept first place across all three imperial examinations. And so, a princess set her sights on me. Unfortunately, I was already married. The princess had a fierce temper; she pursued me relentlessly and even tried to lay a hand on my wife, declaring that anyone she fancied in this life must belong to her. If she couldn't have him, she would destroy everything."
At this point, Heavenly Sword sighed softly. "I had no other choice, so I could only make sure she would never see me again. The princess became blind, and I became the 'Heavenly Sword.' A single stray thought, all caused by reckless impulse. Lianshan Xin, you must take me as a cautionary tale!"
Chapter 48