For Heavenly Sword's flex, Lianshan Xin would have given him ninety-nine points out of a hundred.
Withholding that single point was only to keep Heavenly Sword from getting arrogant.
Seeing the utterly uncontrollable curve at the corners of Heavenly Sword's mouth, Lianshan Xin just wanted to slap himself: *Why the hell did you play the straight man so well?*
It could be said that this flawless stage for Heavenly Sword to show off had been erected entirely by Lianshan Xin.
"This student... truly wishes to take you as my mirror and model."
Lianshan Xin gritted his teeth as he laid on the flattery.
When flattering Qi Shiyun, Lianshan Xin did so willingly. Not only because Qi Shiyun was a stunning beauty whose toes were hidden from view when she looked down, but more because she never put on an act before him, making his flattery feel completely natural.
Heavenly Sword was different; his flexes were too solid—so solid that Lianshan Xin's flattery felt like stating plain facts.
"My lord, when you laid hands on the princess back then, weren't you afraid?"
"I was."
"Then how did you still dare to blind her?"
"I tried to hold back, but I really couldn't."
Heavenly Sword was utterly sincere. "Whatever you do, don't follow my example. The price I paid was giving up wandering carefree across the jianghu, left with no choice but to serve as a mere 'Heavenly Sword.' Though I gained wealth, honor, power, and status, I also lost so much."
"My lord, this student is willing to lose those things," Lianshan Xin replied, equally sincere.
Heavenly Sword patted Lianshan Xin on the shoulder for the third time, encouraging him, "In truth, our Great Yu is very reasonable. His Majesty and the imperial family are reasonable too. Even the laws of Great Yu are quite humane."
"How so?"
"Shiyun was a tanhua, so when she offended the Crown Prince, His Majesty merely laughed it off, calling it nothing more than child's play.
"Back then, I was at the top of the Hidden Dragon Rankings. So when I gouged out the princess's eyes, the imperial court considered that no virtue is greater than correcting one's mistakes. As long as I joined Nine Heavens to redeem myself through meritorious service, the matter was put behind us.
"Courage and insight are important, but what is even more important is making those big figures willing to be reasonable with you."
Lianshan Xin thanked him sincerely. "This student is enlightened. If I can make it onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings, I imagine the Second Prince wouldn't make an enemy of me over a mere Zeng Ningbing."
"Merely making the Hidden Dragon Rankings isn't enough. You must reach at least the top ten before your name and deeds reach the ears of those who matter, both in court and across the realm."
"The top ten?"
Lianshan Xin committed this goal to memory.
"Shouldn't be too hard."
"Good ambition."
Heavenly Sword did not look down on Lianshan Xin for being young and reckless.
After all, he was well aware of the cultivation speed of the Dragon Supporting lineage:
Fast to start, fast in between, and fast to die!
Their whole hallmark was staying one step ahead of everyone else at every turn.
"Since you're interested in the Golden Scale Alliance, it happens that I have another task for you: find out who the Great Grandmaster backing the Golden Scale Alliance is."
Lianshan Xin looked at Heavenly Sword in confusion. "You don't know, my lord?"
Heavenly Sword said solemnly, "I do not. They have been skulking in the shadows from start to finish. While understandable, this is intelligence that Nine Heavens cannot afford to lack. Furthermore, I suspect they might truly have ties to the Demon Cult."
Lianshan Xin perked up.
This was truly a pillow offered right when he was dozing off.
"My lord, why do you harbor such a suspicion?"
"When apprehending Thousand Faces earlier, I intended to take him alive, so I only used seventy percent of my power. Barring the unexpected, I would have captured him. At the critical moment, a mysterious Great Grandmaster appeared, rescued Thousand Faces from beneath my sword, and even snapped my blade."
At this point, the sword qi around Heavenly Sword turned as chill and sharp as solid steel, sending a bone-piercing chill through Lianshan Xin.
"You suspect it was the mysterious Great Grandmaster behind the Golden Scale Alliance, my lord?"
Heavenly Sword did not deny it. "I could not discern their background, but Great Grandmasters do not just spring out of nowhere in this world. In ancient times, some encountered immortal fortune and ascended to the heavens in a single step, but that belongs to legends. Since martial arts flourished, advancing along the path is completely impossible through closed-door cultivation alone. Therefore, every Great Grandmaster possesses their own martial dharma idol and holds a renowned name in the jianghu. For someone to conceal their origins even under my sword, they must be scheming for something immense."
Lianshan Xin saw the light. "If it touches upon the succession struggle, then naturally their schemes are immense. My lord, are there many Great Grandmasters in the world?"
"Probably more than you think, but not too many either. Moreover, Nine Heavens keeps track of eighty percent of them. The remaining twenty percent are almost all dire threats. As for which category this Great Grandmaster behind the Golden Scale Alliance falls into, it remains unknown."
"I understand. My lord, this student has a question, though I know not whether it is appropriate to ask."
"Speak plainly. Since Shiyun has chosen you, from now on you are a core disciple of Nine Heavens."
"May I ask, my lord: how did you learn that Thousand Faces was hiding in Bailudong Academy?"
Lianshan Xin had been pondering this very question since yesterday.
Thousand Faces had been hiding so well; how had he suddenly been exposed?
Heavenly Sword looked at Lianshan Xin and said with appreciation, "Good question. I received a tip-off letter."
"A tip-off letter?"
"I too know there is something strange about it, but such are the facts. The letter was delivered directly to the headquarters of Nine Heavens."
"In other words, Thousand Faces was reported by a mysterious person, and then rescued by a mysterious person?"
Heavenly Sword said rigorously, "We cannot rule out the possibility that both are the same person."
"The exposure of Thousand Faces has caused the imperial court to lose trust in Bailudong Academy. Bailudong Academy falls under the governance of the Jiangzhou Prefect, and most academy students who enter the imperial court as officials belong to the Second Prince's faction, do they not?" Lianshan Xin asked.
Heavenly Sword nodded silently.
"My lord, if I may be so bold as to make a guess: is it possible that the Jiangzhou Prefect knew of Thousand Faces's identity all along?"
Heavenly Sword fell silent.
Silence meant he did not reject Lianshan Xin's conjecture.
At that, Lianshan Xin grew even more invigorated. "My lord, could there be such a possibility: Thousand Faces... is actually the Second Prince's man? Or perhaps Thousand Faces is himself the Great Grandmaster backing the Golden Scale Alliance?"
Heavenly Sword finally spoke. "This speculation... is too bold."
"Perhaps that is precisely what the informant wanted us to investigate," Lianshan Xin boldly hypothesized. "If my guess holds true, then the person who reported Thousand Faces... could it be the Crown Prince? With the Crown Prince's standing, it would be only natural if he received wind of something. And stabbing the Second Prince in the back would be even more natural."
Heavenly Sword did not reprimand Lianshan Xin, nor of course did he endorse his hypothesis.
He merely said, "These are all things I came to Jiangzhou to investigate. Before there is concrete evidence, no hasty conclusions may be drawn."
Lianshan Xin knew that Heavenly Sword's words meant for him to verify things with care.
Unfortunately, Xin's style was bold hypotheses and ultra-bold verifications.
"It seems our Nine Heavens has already been dragged into the succession struggle, right to the front line of the battle between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. The Crown Prince wishes to use us in Nine Heavens as a sharp blade to kill his enemies! This is simply outrageous. We in Nine Heavens must never sit by and wait for death."
Lianshan Xin felt he had seen through everything. Filled with indignation, he was ready to rise up and strike back.
Chapter 49