Chapter 57: Yuntai Clan Mansion, Martial Market Academy
"Your Majesty the Queen, you are overestimating the Ninth Prince, and that is why you have lost your composure. Otherwise, Zhao Lin, Yao Su, Zhao Xiawu, and Han Qingluo would not have all fallen victim to the Ninth Prince's schemes." Lin Chenyu said, sitting at the lower seat.
That day, Lin Chenyu and Lin Ningshan were summoned into the palace by the Queen to discuss countermeasures.
Lin Chenyu was the servant of the Seventh Prince, and Lin Ningshan was the Seventh Prince's fiancée. Now, the entire Lin Clan had been tied to the same chariot as the Queen.
One prospers together, one falls together.
The Queen, after all, was also a martial arts expert. She gradually recovered from her initial panic and snorted coldly, "You say I overestimate the Ninth Prince? You're wrong! I underestimated him, which is why I was outmaneuvered, leading to the deaths of all four disciples. How old is he, and he's already this formidable? If he's allowed to grow, what then?"
Lin Chenyu said, "Actually, to kill the Ninth Prince, there's no need for the master to return personally, nor even for us to act directly. Why not hire an assassin from the Black Market?"
"That makes sense!"
The Queen's eyes lit up. "Handle this matter yourself. If you succeed, the Lin Clan will not lack for rewards in the future."
"This kind of trivial matter, Your Majesty shouldn't trouble yourself with it. Leave it to us servants to handle. I guarantee we can take the Ninth Prince's head in the shortest possible time." Lin Chenyu said with a flattering smile.
Lin Chenyu and Lin Ningshan knelt before the Queen, bowed respectfully, and then left the Queen's bedchamber.
The Queen's maiden family, the Xue Clan, was itself a seventh-rate clan, with a Heavenly Extreme Realm expert stationed there. The Seventh Prince himself was an earth-shattering prodigy.
In the eyes of the Lin siblings, serving the Queen and the Seventh Prince would surely lead to meteoric rise. The Lin Clan could also bask in the glory and become a major family in the Yunwu Commandery.
...
The Ninth Commandery Princess sighed. "It's a pity. The one who went to break the prisoner out and the other two who went to kill you all committed suicide by poison. Even their bodies were corroded by the toxins, making it impossible to identify them."
The deaths of the Queen's three disciples were, of course, all due to Zhang Ruochen's schemes.
Those three were all death warriors who had taken poison to kill themselves.
Their deaths were identical to Han Qingluo's.
"It's said that the one who went to break the prisoner out was an Earth Extreme Realm expert. She killed over two hundred Imperial Guards. If not for General Luo Tong and General Xiao Ling stepping in, she might have escaped. Unfortunately, she died too, and we can't trace the mastermind behind her." The Ninth Commandery Princess said.
Zhang Ruochen showed a thoughtful expression and smiled, "Being able to mobilize an Earth Extreme Realm expert means the mastermind is likely a very terrifying existence."
Zhang Ruochen had always suspected that the one trying to kill him was within the palace.
So, at noon today, he had specifically gone to check the personnel changes in the palace over the past two days. And indeed, he had found a clue.
Just last night, the Queen's four personal maids had all been executed by the Queen for angering her.
How could it be such a coincidence?
Thus, Zhang Ruochen speculated that those four maids were not actually executed by the Queen; they were likely the four female assassins who had committed suicide by poison last night. The Queen had simply found a suitable excuse to make them disappear.
Of course, these were all just Zhang Ruochen's guesses. Without solid evidence, he couldn't prove that the female assassins were sent by the Queen.
The Queen held a high position and had the backing of the seventh-rate Xue Clan.
With Zhang Ruochen's current strength, if he were to start a war with her without full certainty, it would be like smashing an egg against a rock.
"The Queen's power is too vast. Even the Yunwu Commandery King has to yield to her. For now, I must endure. If I don't, I'm walking to my death." Zhang Ruochen was absolutely certain that the Queen was the mastermind behind it all.
But for now, he couldn't do anything about her.
In the end, it was because his own cultivation was too weak.
Zhang Ruochen frowned deeply, thinking, "If the Queen intends to kill me, even staying in the palace isn't safe. But leaving the palace would only be more dangerous."
Just as Zhang Ruochen was pondering, the Ninth Commandery Princess said, "Ninth Brother, the fatal sword cultivator who was brought back yesterday has woken up. Should we go see him?"
"Really? Then let's go see him." Zhang Ruochen smiled.
Zhang Ruochen did not share his suspicions with the Ninth Commandery Princess. The more she knew, the worse it would be for her.
At that moment, A Le lay on the bed, his entire body wrapped in white gauze, looking like a mummy.
Although he had woken up, his eyes were hollow, no different from a dead man.
"Ninth Prince, after he woke up, he hasn't moved at all, not even blinked. Could it just be a momentary revival before death?" The maid Yun'er bowed to Zhang Ruochen and whispered.
Zhang Ruochen walked to the bedside, glanced at A Le, and gently shook his head. "He's alive, but his heart is dead. For a martial artist, a wounded heart is harder to heal than a wounded body. Have you applied the bone-knitting ointment? Once his hands and feet heal, send him away."
Having said that, Zhang Ruochen walked out.
Zhang Ruochen stopped thinking about the Queen and focused on training, hoping to break through to the Mysterious Extreme Realm as soon as possible.
Once he reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm, Zhang Ruochen could cultivate the Space Domain and Time Imprint. By then, his combat power would skyrocket and become much stronger.
At the very least, when the Queen sent people to kill him again, he would have the power to defend himself.
In the Yunwu Commandery, Yellow Extreme Realm martial artists were only at the bottom.
Mysterious Extreme Realm martial artists were considered to have initially stepped into the ranks of the strong.
Only Earth Extreme Realm martial artists were considered true top-tier experts, capable of standing alone and being called martial arts masters.
As for Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artists, each was a martial arts myth, elusive and representing the pinnacle of power in the Yunwu Commandery.
If a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist wished, they could wipe out the entire Lin Clan in a single night. As long as they had a legitimate reason, the official forces of the Yunwu Commandery would not pursue the matter.
To a certain extent, Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artists had transcended the law.
Of course, those Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artists who indiscriminately killed and were bloodthirsty would still be hunted and wanted by the official forces, becoming fugitives.
Apart from some reclusive Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artists, there were only fourteen renowned ones in the Yunwu Commandery. Each was a great figure, dominating their region, and with a stomp of their foot, they could shake the entire Yunwu Commandery.
That day, under the protection of a squad of guards, Zhang Ruochen went to the Martial Market and bought another batch of pills.
He spent fifty thousand silver coins to buy twenty Sanqing Qi-Gathering Pills.
He also spent sixty thousand silver coins to buy one Mysterious Blood Pill.
The Mysterious Blood Pill was a top-tier third-grade pill. When a martial artist was breaking through to the Mysterious Extreme Realm, taking one Mysterious Blood Pill could increase their success rate by fifty percent.
However, the Mysterious Blood Pill was too expensive, worth one hundred and twenty thousand silver coins. Even the princes and commandery princesses of the Yunwu Commandery couldn't afford it. Qingxuan Pavilion gave Zhang Ruochen a half-price discount, and he still had to spend sixty thousand silver coins to buy one.
Now, every time Zhang Ruochen went out, he was accompanied by a hundred-man guard.
Among them, the guard captain was named Ge Qian. He had once been the Yunwu Commandery King's personal guard captain and had reached the Earth Extreme Realm. In the Yunwu Commandery, Ge Qian was definitely a top-tier expert.
With Ge Qian protecting him, they naturally encountered no danger along the way and soon returned to the palace.
In the palace, the main hall.
"Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince is a martial arts prodigy, no less talented than the Seventh Prince. Having General Ge Qian protect him closely can ensure his safety. However, this also has significant drawbacks." An old eunuch said in a low voice.
The Yunwu Commandery King said, "What do you mean?"
The old eunuch said, "An eagle raised in a completely safe environment, how high can it fly? The palace is still too comfortable, which is not conducive to the Ninth Prince's growth."
The Yunwu Commandery King nodded slightly. "You have a point. When the Seventh was fourteen, he joined the Yuntai Clan Mansion as an outer disciple. Two years ago, he even became an inner disciple with the top score."
"Speaking of which, the Ninth's cultivation has already reached the Yellow Extreme Realm Great Perfection. I believe he will soon break through to the Mysterious Extreme Realm Initial Stage. He might even catch this year's enrollment period for the Yuntai Clan Mansion."
To become an outer disciple of the Yuntai Clan Mansion, the basic requirement was to reach the Mysterious Extreme Realm before the age of thirty.
The Yuntai Clan Mansion was a fourth-rate sect, established in the Demon Ridge, at the border of the Yunwu Commandery, Fire Dragon Commandery, and Four Directions Commandery. It was the largest sect in the nine commanderies west of the ridge.
Mysterious Extreme Realm martial artists could only become outer disciples of the Yuntai Clan Mansion.
Earth Extreme Realm martial artists could become inner disciples.
Of the fourteen Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artists in the Yunwu Commandery, six had once been disciples of the Yuntai Clan Mansion. It could be said that becoming a disciple of the Yuntai Clan Mansion was a matter of pride in the nine commanderies west of the ridge.
The old eunuch shook his head gently. "Your Majesty, this old servant thinks it's not appropriate. Since the Seventh Prince has already joined the Yuntai Clan Mansion, it might not be a good thing for the Ninth Prince to join as well."
"You have a point."
The Yunwu Commandery King's eyes showed a hint of deep thought. He nodded lightly. "The Martial Market Bank has also set up a Martial Market Academy in the Demon Ridge. It not only recruits disciples from the nine commanderies west of the ridge but also from the nine commanderies east of the ridge, south of the ridge, and north of the ridge."
"Liu Chuanshen mentioned to me that he thinks highly of the Ninth and wants to recommend him to train at the Martial Market Academy."
The old eunuch's eyes lit up. "If the Ninth Prince can make a name for himself at the Martial Market Academy, he might become a high-ranking member of the Martial Market Bank in the future. That would be very beneficial for our Yunwu Commandery."
The Yunwu Commandery King smiled. "The Martial Market Academy's recruitment conditions are even stricter than the Yuntai Clan Mansion's. It's harder, and ordinary people can't get in."
The old eunuch smiled. "Your Majesty worries too much. The Ninth Prince is the number one on the Yunwu Commandery's Yellow List, and he has the recommendation of Liu Chuanshen, the head of the Yunwu Commandery branch of the Martial Market Bank. This old servant believes the Ninth Prince has at least a seventy percent chance of getting into the Martial Market Academy."
"Haha! I think he has a ninety percent chance!" The Yunwu Commandery King laughed heartily. "Once he breaks through to the Mysterious Extreme Realm, I'll ask him about his intentions. Will he join the Martial Market Academy or the Yuntai Clan Mansion?"