Reliance

Under absolute violence, the truth was no longer of any consequence. The three accusations Lu Baizou had raised to force the succession were swiftly and definitively settled by the senior commanders of the Second Division. The intelligence regarding the Saints assaulting the city had originated from the Prime Minister's Manor. The white wolf demon was not a Linlang, but an ancient war beast procured by the Prime Minister's Manor. The woman within the city bearing the distinct cultivation aura of Dachao was not the Divine Maiden of the Great Desert, but a concubine brought along by the legitimate son of the Prime Minister's Manor. The rank-and-file soldiers below were caught somewhat off guard by this abrupt reversal in the winds of opinion, but their voices were swiftly and systematically suppressed by the lower- and mid-tier officers. No further objections were raised, not even from Lu Baizou himself. This farce of a power struggle was brought to a hasty end just like that. The military formations on the drill grounds were dismissed, led away in batches by mid-level officers toward the city walls to prepare for battle. Those senior generals who had originally straddled the fence also took their leave one after another with their former retinues, after offering Xu Yuan their greetings and salutes. They knew full well that now that the dust had settled, the time for reckoning had arrived. Lu Baizou was, after all, the commander of the Xuanting Army; even though his attempt to seize power had failed, out of respect for decades of camaraderie as fellow soldiers, they had to grant him a shred of dignity. In less than half an hour, the Xuanting Army camp lapsed into silence. On the entire drill grounds, only four people remained: Xu Yuan, Li Junwu, the veteran general surnamed Jin, and the crippled Lu Baizou. Unlike the Zhenxi Manor officers who had bowed and bidden farewell to Xu Yuan, this veteran general surnamed Jin sheathed his blade, walked up before Li Junwu, and dropped straight onto one knee: "Commandery Princess, this old servant was incompetent and allowed that villain Lu to commit such an offense." "..." The deep voice echoed across the vast drill grounds. Only after it faded did Li Junwu seem to snap out of a daze. She stared at the veteran general before her for a moment, then turned to Xu Yuan, a questioning look in her slender, beautiful eyes. She was asking him whether the old man before her was trustworthy. Seeing this, Xu Yuan strolled over to the two and reached out to help the old man to his feet, only to find he could not budge him. The armored veteran knelt there like a boulder of ten thousand jin. The look he directed at Xu Yuan held gratitude, but also wariness. Xu Yuan raised a hand to scratch his head and chuckled. "It seems I overstepped my bounds." The attitude of those Zhenxi Manor commanders earlier had made him momentarily forget that he was an outsider. As he spoke, Xu Yuan backed away somewhat awkwardly and jutted his chin toward Li Junwu, who was still standing there blankly. Li Junwu gave a soft "Oh," bent down, and reached out to help the veteran general up. "Elder Jin, please rise. This matter was not your fault." "..." Seeing these subtle interactions between the two, the veteran general's expression beneath his helmet grew complicated. As he rose, he asked tentatively, "Commandery Princess, can you... let bygones be bygones and trust this old man?" At his words, Li Junwu subconsciously glanced toward Xu Yuan, who was fiddling with the human-skin mask in his hands. Weighing his words, Xu Yuan said with a smile, "Commander Jin, you jest. The coup earlier was a decision made collectively by all the commanders of the Second Division; trapped in their midst, you had little choice. Whether it was stepping in earlier to save Junwu, or backing me up just now, both have already proven your loyalty to the Marquis of Zhenxi." "Third Young Master." Xu Yuan's words did nothing to improve the veteran general's expression. In a deep, stern voice, he said, "This old man's question just now was directed at the Commandery Princess." "..." With those words, the air suddenly fell still. Recalling the series of reactions from the woman beside him, Xu Yuan instantly understood what the old man was getting at. Li Junwu's brow furrowed slightly at his remark, and she said in a low voice, "Elder Jin, Changtian has been a close friend of mine since childhood. He came here specifically to advise and plan for me." The general surnamed Jin took a deep breath, his aged voice tinged with weariness. "Might I ask the Commandery Princess: the Third Young Master can plan for you for a time, but can he plan for you for a lifetime?" "..." Rendered speechless for a moment, Li Junwu blinked and looked toward the man beside her. Seeing this reaction from his bosom brother once more, Xu Yuan rolled his eyes in exasperation and turned his head away, ignoring her completely. Watching Xu Yuan's reaction, the veteran general felt a slight wave of relief in his heart. Fortunately, this Young Master Changtian did not seem to harbor any intention of manipulating the Commandery Princess. Though Zhenxi Manor was currently riddled with holes, all of that was rot on the surface. Whether it was the sects or the newly arrived Prime Minister's Manor, so long as the Marquis remained, there was still a chance to turn things around. But if something went wrong with the Commandery Princess, the heir, then the very foundation of Zhenxi Manor would be utterly ruined. Silence descended upon the Xuanwu Platform. Li Junwu realized the subconscious reliance she had developed on Xu Yuan. In the awkward atmosphere, the old man surnamed Jin spoke no more. He offered a respectful salute and took his leave. And before departing, he caught a glimpse of helpless dejection in the Commandery Princess's eyes. From the moment Lu Baizou began forcing the succession, Li Junwu's composure had shattered. She had not known how to handle the situation below. She had not known how to counter the public sentiment that had been deliberately stirred up. And even less had she known how to clear herself of the accusations. At a loss. Yet forcing herself to remain calm. She had tried putting herself in the shoes of that princess named Li Qingyan, trying to imagine how Li Qingyan would act in such a situation, but her blank mind had brought her thoughts to a near standstill. In that moment, she had felt a pang of regret over the reckless things she had done in the past. If she had not been so unbridled back then, perhaps she would not have faced such attacks. But there was no medicine for regret in this world; nothing could be undone. The immense pressure surging toward her had nearly crushed her. And in that helplessness, like drowning in the depths of the sea, she had thought of him. And so, she had simply thrown up her hands. She believed that fellow would definitely think of a way, believed that fellow would be able to break the impasse for her. And as facts proved, her assumption was right. After she was driven into a corner and forced to activate the array before everyone, his figure had appeared in the military camp just as she had hoped. In that moment, Li Junwu had felt the pressure drain away from her like floodwaters through an opened sluice gate, replaced by a collapse of sheer relief. She, who should have been the central figure of this coup drama, had been relegated to background scenery. From the instant Xu Yuan appeared, everyone's eyes had locked onto him. She watched him kill a man dressed as a scholar atop the high tower; watched him descend brazenly before the military array with the Linlang; and watched him unhesitatingly cripple Lu Baizou—the very man who had left her completely helpless—right in front of everyone's eyes... Everything had been arranged by him in methodical order, and the entire Zhenxi Prefectural City had entered full battle readiness. Those worms who had originally stood opposed to her had turned their spears around, standing once more on the same front with them. Her thoughts having reached this point, Li Junwu snapped back to reality, a touch of self-deprecating melancholy glistening in her slender, willow-leaf eyes. Li Junwu lifted her gaze to look at Xu Yuan, who seemed somewhat uneasy. "Um, I... I'll head back to the prefectural yamen first." Turning around as she finished speaking, she did not leave immediately, instead lingering quietly where she stood. Her chest heaved several times as she parted her lips to speak again and again, but with the words on the tip of her tongue, she had no idea where to begin. In that silence, Li Junwu bit her plump lower lip and clenched her fists, leaving behind words spoken in a trembling voice: "Changtian, thank you for this time. "And... this will be the last time."