On the edge of the Penzes Swamp, 150 li from Penzes City, lay the base of the Southern King’s army of hundreds of thousands.
Looking out across the plains, they could see a city wall made of giant stones, standing over fifty ters tall! The towering wall had an overwhelming presence, its stone face polished so smooth that climbing it with bare hands would be a joke. Ling Xiao glanced at Uncle Fu and Ye Wen Ni beside him and sighed softly. "Now *that’s* a real city wall! Our territory... needs one just like it!"
"Most of the south is flat plains, so stone is extrely scarce," Uncle Fu said, squinting at the great city-like military base that rose intimidatingly from the flatlands. "When the Second Prince had this base built back then, it seems the stone was hauled from very far away. It took countless n, materials, and money to complete it!" He sighed softly. "The Second Prince is exceptionally talented. In every aspect, he is the Crown Prince’s equal, if not his superior. It’s still uncertain whose hands this empire will fall into."
Ye Wen Ni looked at the great city with a hint of envy and asked softly, "Uncle Fu, if we were to build the walls of Penzes City like this, how much would it cost?"
Uncle Fu was very fond of Ye Zi. He smiled, his wrinkles crinkling together. "With our current finances? We couldn’t afford a city like this even in another ten years!"
"What?" Ye Wen Ni stuck her tongue out in shock and drew back. After a mont, she said, "Looks like we need to work hard and make more money, Ling Xiao! Don’t you think?"
Ling Xiao nodded. "We do."
A blissful smile appeared on Ye Wen Ni’s face. Won always tend to daydream about the future a little more than n. Ye Zi was imagining herself by Ling Xiao’s side, building their domain with him. ’How wonderful would that be!’
The clown streaked across the sky above. Ling Xiao chuckled. "Nothing’s changed in the base. Not that he’d need to make any major changes, even if he were planning sothing."
Uncle Fu said, "As long as that Sword Sect master doesn’t show himself, hmph, this military camp won’t be able to hold us!"
Ling Xiao’s face was full of confidence. "Show himself? If that Sword Sect master really is his man, I can guarantee it’ll take him three months at the very least to recover just eighty percent of his strength! And if... he really belongs to the Second Prince, I wouldn’t mind sending him on his way personally! Killing a Sword Sect master... I imagine that would bring a certain sense of accomplishnt, wouldn’t it?"
Just then, the towering city gates, which were over two ters thick, slowly swung open. The CREEEAKING sound carried far into the distance, a clear sign they hadn’t been opened in a very long ti.
From a distance, a handso, blond young man, Li Tianluo, strode quickly toward them with a smile. He arrived before their carriage, first giving Uncle Fu a humble and polite nod of greeting, then laughed heartily. "Brother Ling, you’ve co a long way! I, Tianluo, was unable to co out further to greet you. I hope you don’t mind!"
Ling Xiao stepped out of the carriage and stood on it, looking down at Li Tianluo with a gentle smile. "Brother Li, you’re too kind. We’re friends who have been through hardship together. Besides, with your status, Brother Li..."
Li Tianluo paused, slightly taken aback. The Ling Xiao he rembered wasn’t this talkative. But he recovered quickly, laughing as he walked over to embrace Ling Xiao, who had just jumped down from the carriage. "Between us brothers, I’m just Luo Tian! An ordinary student of the Imperial Academy! As for that damn Royal Family status... is that important?"
Ling Xiao also laughed loudly. "You’re right, it’s not!"
At that mont, Ye Wen Ni also stepped out of the carriage. Li Tianluo gave her an elegant smile. "Hello, Ye Zi!"
Ye Wen Ni returned the smile and asked, "Where’s Kaelin? Is she not here?"
Hearing Kaelin’s na, Li Tianluo’s face softened into a gentle smile. "Kaelin is at ho. We’re planning to return to the Imperial Academy together in a little while. Heh, Brother Ling is the lucky one, not having to be tied down by the academy anymore."
"Brother Li, you’re about to break through to Tier One Great Sword Master, aren’t you? According to the rules, you should be able to apply for the graduation exam at the Imperial Academy," Ling Xiao said, recalling the academy’s regulations. "And the Imperial Academy isn’t that restrictive. I thought it was quite freeing!"
"Haha, you only say that because you’re out!" Li Tianluo said, guiding them forward enthusiastically. "Brother Ling, this way! Speaking of which, your sister, Ling Yun’Er, has already entered the advanced class at the Imperial Academy! A Fourth-rank Great Sword Master... Brother Ling, tell secretly, has your family found a powerful backer? Like how the Xie Family is now backed by the Baihua Sect. Though, Xie Xiaoyan is so short-sighted! She thought having a powerful backer ant she could ignore everyone else, and as a result... I’m sure she’s regretting it endlessly right now! Haha, just kidding, Brother Ling, don’t mind . My father has been waiting inside!"
As Li Tianluo finished speaking, a cunning glint flashed in his eyes. He had just done Ling Xiao a huge favor by revealing a massive piece of news. Even in the Imperial Capital, very few people knew about this. There weren’t many families with an intelligence network as powerful as the Southern King’s.
"Xie Xiaoyan... she?"
A look of disdain appeared on Ye Wen Ni’s face. She sneered, "What’s the Baihua Sect? Are they famous?"
Seeing that Ling Xiao’s expression remained normal, Li Tianluo couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. His father had repeatedly instructed him to do everything possible to get on Ling Xiao’s good side; otherwise, Li Tianluo would never have dropped such a shocking piece of news on him right after eting. When Ye Wen Ni asked her question, Li Tianluo slapped his forehead. ’I’ve really made a blunder,’ he thought. ’How could Ling Xiao possibly know about the hidden families and sects? If he did, he would definitely be grateful that I told him this!’
Little did he know, not only did Ling Xiao know of the Baihua Sect, he had even personally killed two of their Outer Hall Masters! Although he didn’t know the Baihua Sect’s standing among the hidden families and sects, since it was divided into an Outer and Inner Hall, and its Outer Hall Masters possessed power at or above the level of a Demon Sword Master, it had to be much stronger than Fengling’s sect! The reason Ling Xiao was unfazed was that he had long suspected that woman, Xie Xiaoyan, would find a way to latch onto the Baihua Sect!
’But... so what? We have nothing to do with each other anymore! I have a family, and doesn’t Xie Xiaoyan have one too? Besides,’ Ling Xiao had absolute confidence in his thods. ’As long as the seal on Xie Xiaoyan’s ridians remains, she won’t dare reveal that the two Outer Hall Masters died at my hands!’
’I’m sure that whatever-it’s-called Baihua Sect won’t suspect . After all, both of their Hall Masters had the power of a Demon Sword Master, while I... am rely a Great Sword Master. And while rumors are spreading in the south that Lord Ling Xiao of Penzes injured a Sword Sect master, it’s just a rumor in the end. No one would believe it’s true, except... for those who were there.’
Li Tianluo slapped his own forehead and said with a laugh, "Silly , haha. Brother Ling must not know about the Baihua Sect. But, Brother Ling, you should have at least heard of the hidden families and sects, right?"
Ling Xiao nodded. If he said he hadn’t, Li Tianluo would never have believed him.
"The hidden families and sects are divided into first-rate, second-rate, third-rate, and unrated. Brother Ling should know this. The Baihua Sect is a third-rate sect!" Li Tianluo said with a light chuckle. "Anyone who doesn’t know about the hidden families and sects would probably laugh when they hear that, but I’m sure Brother Ling won’t!"
Ling Xiao put a perfectly tid look of surprise on his face. "The Baihua Sect... is a third-rate sect?" In reality, not only was Ling Xiao not laughing, but his understanding of the power of the hidden families and sects had just deepened. ’It seems,’ he thought, ’that all those masters at the Sword Emperor level and above, who almost never appear in the world... must be hidden there!’
Li Tianluo nodded and sighed. "For us secular people, cultivating to the level of a Mad Sword Master is already considered incredible. Reaching the level of High-tier Demon Swordsn, like General Ling and my father, is a feat only one in tens of thousands can achieve. And as for the Old Marshal’s level of Demon Sword Master, heh, there are probably no more than five hundred such people in the entire Lanyue Empire! But if you include the hidden families and sects... that number is more than ten tis higher! You can see how formidable they are. Speaking of which, Brother Ling, you’ll have to work even harder! Don’t let that woman Xie Xiaoyan surpass you. Her reputation at the academy was ruined, and if you told she didn’t want revenge, I doubt even you would believe it, heh."
Ling Xiao gave a calm smile. "Thank you for your concern, Brother Li."
Li Tianluo sighed softly. "At the very least, Brother Ling, you must build up your own power! On that point, while I cannot help much, I will do my best to put in a good word for you with my father!"
Ling Xiao gave Li Tianluo a deep look and smiled, but in his heart, he was thinking: ’Li Tianluo, oh, Li Tianluo, do you have any idea that not long ago, your dear father sent a Sword Sect master to kill ?’
Upon entering the city, the difference from an ordinary town was imdiately palpable. The streets were clean and sparsely populated, lined with uniform barracks. A grim, murderous atmosphere hung in the air—an aura that could only gather in a place inhabited by a large number of soldiers!
As Ling Xiao’s group looked around, Li Tianluo walked alongside them, explaining the function of each area. Ling Xiao nodded continuously. ’This Li Wutong really is a brilliant general, to be able to build this place to such a degree,’ he thought. ’No wonder the Crown Prince has always seen you as a major threat. For a child of the Royal Family, having a brother like that is certainly not a good thing!’
Ling Xiao suddenly thought of his own older brother. ’If I could one day build Penzes City to be this impressive, Lingzhi... he would only be proud of , right?’
’Being born into the Royal Family is truly a tragedy!’
Ling Xiao thought to himself as he followed Li Tianluo into the heart of the base. The residence of the Southern King, Li Wutong, was right before them!
It was a row of houses no different from ordinary barracks, with drab gray tiles and neat bluestone paving the ground. Though orderly, it gave off an oppressive feeling.
Two guards stood at the entrance, their gazes fixed forward even as Li Tianluo approached. Li Tianluo smiled at Ling Xiao’s group and said, "My father is quite strict with his rules. Please wait here a mont while I go in and announce you!"
Ye Wen Ni was looking around when suddenly, a familiar figure flashed past a corner.
Ye Wen Ni’s heart... suddenly leaped into her throat.
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