“Not bad at all!” Ye Chu yanked off the opponent’s glove that had been tempered with baleful qi. The baleful qi spread from the glove onto his arm and into his body. Ye Chu did not refine or expel it. Instead, he actively circulated his spiritual energy to guide it along. He wanted to test an idea in his mind and verify what was written in that lone red baleful manual.
The Sha Kingdom’s State Preceptor watched Ye Chu step on Sha Tianyun. His expression turned extremely ugly. Inside, monstrous waves surged through his heart. No one could believe the scene before their eyes: an Innate Realm expert had actually been killed by someone at the Intent Transformation Realm.
“Good! Excellent!” The Yao Kingdom’s king was overjoyed. His face flushed red with uncontrollable excitement.
The king’s exhilaration completely infected the people of Yao Kingdom. They all began to cheer, their eyes blazing with fervent admiration as they looked at Ye Chu.
Zhang Su’er and Su Rong gazed at Ye Chu, equally moved, tears glistening in their eyes. They had originally thought that both they and the king were doomed this time, that the Yao royal palace could not withstand this crisis. Yet Ye Chu had appeared like a heavenly deity and single-handedly slain the Innate Realm State Preceptor.
“Long live Yao Kingdom! Long live Ye Chu!”
The crowd of Yao Kingdom erupted in boundless excitement. Wave after wave of shouts crashed together. They all felt as though they had survived a calamity and been reborn. At this moment they wanted to vent every ounce of pent-up emotion. The sound waves shook the heavens and moved everyone who heard them.
Su Rong stared at the young man before her, who remained calm and unruffled despite the overwhelming praise. Listening to the deafening chorus of acclaim filling her ears, she felt a daze come over her. In this instant, Ye Chu seemed to perfectly overlap with the hero she had always imagined. It felt strangely unreal to her.
“What’s wrong?” Zhang Su’er noticed Su Rong staring blankly at Ye Chu. She turned her head, took Su Rong’s hand and sighed. “I never imagined Ye Chu could be praised to such a frenzied degree.”
Those words made Su Rong suddenly grip her hand hard, causing Zhang Su’er a sharp pang of pain. Even Su Rong’s breathing became somewhat disordered. When Zhang Su’er looked over, she clearly saw Su Rong biting her lip.
Zhang Su’er was stunned for a moment. Then she remembered what Su Rong had once told her. She had said she hoped her other half would be a hero, adored by the masses, immensely powerful, versatile in both civil and martial arts, a young and handsome talent. The Ye Chu standing there now matched that ideal almost exactly.
Yet not long ago, Su Rong had personally rejected Ye Chu!
“Is she regretting it now?” Zhang Su’er looked at Su Rong and saw her biting her lip, mist gathering in her eyes. She simply tilted her head back, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall.
Zhang Su’er gently patted Su Rong’s hand without saying a word. Her gaze returned to Ye Chu.
By now Ye Chu had already crippled Sha Tianyun. His eyes shifted to the other Innate Realm martial artist. The Sha Kingdom’s State Preceptor’s face changed dramatically. He instinctively wanted to flee. But the Weiyuan Marquis had long since locked onto him. Escape was impossible.
Facing both the Weiyuan Marquis and Ye Chu, who could fight at the Innate Realm level, he stood no chance at all. As more and more soldiers surrounded him, the State Preceptor’s face grew deathly pale.
Neither Ye Chu nor the Weiyuan Marquis made a move against him. Ye Chu’s gaze fell on the Weiyuan Marquis. Seeing how much older this man who had once doted on him now looked, he could not help but sigh inwardly. He thought to himself that the decision three years ago must have struck the old man quite hard.
Tears also welled in the Weiyuan Marquis’s eyes. Although he had expelled this heart-breaking young man from the Weiyuan Marquis residence and severed all ties, seeing him achieve such heights now made the old tears stream down his face.
No one wants their child to fail to achieve greatness. And clearly Ye Chu had proven it to him through his actions. Listening to the fervent cheers all around, the Weiyuan Marquis felt that the former wastrel son, once only known for infamy, had finally grown up.
The Weiyuan Marquis restrained his emotions, turned his head away as though he had not seen Ye Chu, and shouted to the approaching soldiers, “Form the military formation!”
Many of the Imperial Guards had been personally trained by the Weiyuan Marquis back in the day. Hearing his order now, even though he no longer held military authority, they instinctively obeyed and carried it out.
Ye Chu watched as the Weiyuan Marquis arranged the military formation to surround the Sha Kingdom’s State Preceptor layer upon layer. He knew the man could no longer cause any trouble. The Weiyuan Marquis’s strength already surpassed his own. Combined with the military formation’s assault, this opponent was as good as dead.
Ye Chu did not act again. He kicked Sha Tianyun away from under his foot, sending him flying towards the Sha Kingdom’s king. “He has already been crippled by me. Take him away.”
“Yes!” The guard captain bowed and replied. Though this person held no official position, he was fully deserving of respect!
Ye Chu kept the glove, glanced once in the direction of the Weiyuan Marquis, then turned to leave.
“Ye Chu!” The Yao Kingdom’s king called out.
“Hm?” Ye Chu turned his head to look at the king. “Is there something?”
The Yao Kingdom’s king stepped forward until he stood before Ye Chu. Looking at him, he declared, “You damaged the imperial plaque bestowed upon the Dingwu Pavilion. Do you acknowledge your crime?”
Those words stunned everyone present. Even the guards beside him tensed up instantly, staring wide-eyed in disbelief at their king. They wondered what had gotten into their usually wise monarch, bringing up such a trivial matter at a time like this.
Su Rong and Zhang Su’er also grew anxious. They knew Ye Chu might appear lazy and careless, but he was still proud and untamed at heart. Questioning him like this now could easily provoke his displeasure. Who knew what he might do?
“So what do you intend to do?” Ye Chu narrowed his eyes at the Yao Kingdom’s king. His expression remained unchanged, and his smile stayed in place.
“If there is guilt, there must be punishment! How about I punish you by making you the National Preceptor of Yao Kingdom?”
The words caused a collective silence to fall over the surroundings for a moment. But immediately afterwards, the crowd erupted into cheers: “Long live the National Preceptor…”
Su Rong and the others also breathed a sigh of relief. Their beautiful eyes could not help drifting towards Ye Chu. To hold the position of National Preceptor while only at the Intent Transformation Realm would be a first in Yao Kingdom’s history. Although it broke tradition, surely no one would dare object.
“Not interested!” Ye Chu’s voice was not loud, yet it instantly silenced the surrounding cheers. Everyone stared at him in stunned silence.
“If there is nothing else, I will take my leave.” Ye Chu cupped his hands towards the Yao Kingdom’s king, then turned and walked away. He had come to block an Innate Realm expert for two reasons: first, for the Weiyuan Marquis, and second, because he did not want this fine place called Yao City to be ravaged by war. As for the title of National Preceptor, Ye Chu had zero interest.
Watching Ye Chu stride away, leaving only his back view behind, the crowd exchanged glances, all finding it utterly unbelievable.
“This is what scholars often call indifference to fame and fortune,” Zhang Su’er said, her eyes practically sparkling. “After the deed is done, brush off one’s clothes and depart, hiding oneself and one’s name. Right now Ye Chu truly has a touch of that carefree spirit!”
After speaking, Zhang Su’er turned to look at Su Rong. She saw Su Rong staring blankly at Ye Chu’s departing figure, her delicate fists clenched tightly.
The Yao Kingdom’s king watched Ye Chu’s figure grow steadily more distant. He could not help but sigh. Yet inside, his heart could not calm down. No one could have imagined that this former disgrace of Yao Kingdom possessed such bearing and strength.
“Your Majesty!” Seeing Ye Chu leave, the guard captain gently reminded the dazed king.
“Oh!” The king collected his complicated emotions. His gaze shifted to the Weiyuan Marquis. After a moment’s thought, he said to the guard captain, “Draft an edict: Promote the Weiyuan Marquis to Prince of a Different Surname, restore his military authority, and place all military power in Yao Kingdom under his command. Also, prepare a detailed inventory of treasures from the imperial treasury and send a portion to the Weiyuan Marquis residence. As for cultivation pills, deliver them to the two young masters of the Weiyuan Marquis residence.”
“Yes!” The guard captain was inwardly astonished. He had not expected the king’s rewards to be so generous, even conferring the first Prince of a Different Surname in Yao City in nearly a century. But everyone understood that, given the Weiyuan Marquis residence’s contributions this time, these rewards were hardly excessive.