Chapter 139: Seeking Aid
Zhang Shaochu continued, "Not long ago, during the quarterly assessment, Ninth Brother overpowered all the others and became the fifth-ranked expert of the Western Courtyard."
"Moreover, Ninth Brother is the greatest spiritual power prodigy in the history of the Martial Market Academy. Those elders all say that if Ninth Brother focuses on cultivating his spiritual power, he has a fifty percent chance of becoming a Saint of spiritual power in the future."
Among the things Zhang Shaochu said, some were already known to the Yunwu Commandery King, but there were also things he was hearing for the first time.
The Yunwu Commandery King narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a hint of peculiar brilliance, and said, "According to what I know, to enter the top five of the Western Courtyard, one needs strength at the level of a Mysterious Ranking martial artist. Ninth Child, do you already possess the combat power to enter the Mysterious Ranking?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Without winning ten consecutive matches in the Martial Market Arena, no one can guarantee they will definitely enter the Mysterious Ranking."
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen was neither arrogant nor impatient, with a steady and composed mind, the Yunwu Commandery King suddenly thought of something and said, "The four commandery kingdoms have mobilized a million troops and declared war on the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom. Within ten days, the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom has lost twelve cities in a row. Now, all the martial artists in the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom say that it was you who killed Prince Huoxing, bringing the disaster of national destruction upon the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom. What do you think?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "If the Great King wants to hand me over to appease the anger of the four commandery kingdoms, I will not resist. If the Great King wants me to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, I will absolutely obey the order. Since I caused the trouble, I will naturally take responsibility for it."
Regarding the death of Prince Huoxing, Zhang Ruochen did not explain, because even if he did, it would be useless.
Hearing Zhang Ruochen call him "Great King," the Yunwu Commandery King's expression turned quite somber, knowing that Zhang Ruochen still held resentment toward him.
"Great King" and "Father King" differed by only one word, yet there was a gap that was difficult to bridge.
The Yunwu Commandery King said, "Even if the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom is truly destroyed, I will never hand over my own son to the four commandery kingdoms for punishment. Your martial arts cultivation is very strong, but it cannot change the overall situation, so I will not send you to the battlefield to kill the enemy."
"However, since you caused the trouble, you must do something for the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom. As for what it is, I will tell you tomorrow. For now, go back and see your mother. She misses you very much."
Zhang Ruochen and Zhang Shaochu withdrew. In the great hall, only the Yunwu Commandery King and Wan Chengzhong remained.
In front of Wan Chengzhong, the Yunwu Commandery King let out a long sigh. "Chengzhong, tomorrow I will take Ninth Child to the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom to seek aid. I will return as soon as possible. During my absence, the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom is in your hands."
Wan Chengzhong said, "No, only the Great King can stabilize the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom. You cannot leave. Let me take the Ninth Prince to the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom to seek aid."
The Yunwu Commandery King shook his head. "The Qianshui Commandery Kingdom is a superior commandery kingdom, more than a hundred times stronger than the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom. In the eyes of the Qianshui Commandery King, the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom is nothing more than a tiny speck of dust, not worth his attention. Even if I go to seek aid in person, I may not even get an audience with the Qianshui Commandery King. If you go, there is even less chance."
The Yunwu Commandery King looked somewhat melancholy. "The four commandery kingdoms are advancing with overwhelming force. With the military strength of the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom, we cannot stop them. To save the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom now, we must seek help from the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom."
"Recently, I learned a piece of news. The Thirteenth Princess of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom is sixteen years old this year and has reached the age of marriage. The Qianshui Commandery King wants to select a talented and outstanding young man to be her consort."
"Now, the news has spread throughout the thirty-six commandery kingdoms of the Demon Ridge. All the kingdoms want to form a marriage alliance with the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom to gain its support. This is the only chance for the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom. Even if the chance is slim, I must fight for it."
Wan Chengzhong suddenly understood. "So, the Great King is actually taking the Ninth Prince to the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom for a matchmaking meeting?"
The Yunwu Commandery King nodded. "With Ninth Child's talent, even among the younger generation of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom, he is definitely at the top level. If the Thirteenth Princess takes a liking to him, then we will be in-laws with the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom. The current crisis of the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom will naturally be resolved."
"Originally, the best candidate was Seventh Child. If Seventh Child went with me to the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom, the chances would be greater. But... ah... let's not talk about that."
Not long ago, the Yunwu Commandery King had sent a message to the Seventh Prince, hoping he could represent the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom in the matchmaking meeting with the Thirteenth Princess of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom.
However, the Seventh Prince replied to the Yunwu Commandery King, saying that the trouble was caused by the Ninth Brother, so the Ninth Brother should bear the consequences. He also refused to return to the royal capital.
Although the Yunwu Commandery King had eight sons (the Eighth Prince had died), only the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Prince had the highest talent, worthy of being called outstanding talents.
Facing a superior commandery kingdom like the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom, the other princes simply could not be presented. Not only would it fail the matchmaking, but it might also bring shame to the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom.
After much deliberation, the Yunwu Commandery King felt that Zhang Ruochen was the best choice. Not only was he of similar age to the Thirteenth Princess, but he was also a top-tier genius, more than worthy of the Thirteenth Princess of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom.
Wan Chengzhong asked with some confusion, "Great King, why didn't you tell the Ninth Prince in advance?"
The Yunwu Commandery King smiled slightly. "Given his personality, if he knew I was taking him to the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom for a matchmaking meeting, would he agree? Regardless, this matter was caused by him, so he must do something for the commandery kingdom."
After a brief reunion with his mother for one night, the next day, Zhang Ruochen followed the Yunwu Commandery King and headed to the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom.
Zhang Ruochen did not know the real reason for going to the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom; he only knew it was to seek aid.
The Yunwu Commandery King's mount was a fourth-rank barbarian bird, the Golden Feather Eagle.
The Golden Feather Eagle was raised in the Golden Eagle Hall, consuming twenty barbarian beasts every day. Its body was over eighty meters long, and each golden feather weighed over a hundred jin. Its body seemed to be cast from gold, emitting a dazzling radiance.
Back then, the Yunwu Commandery King and Wan Chengzhong had joined forces and spent half a year subduing the Golden Feather Eagle.
The Golden Feather Eagle's top speed was close to the speed of sound.
However, to reduce the consumption of true qi, the Golden Feather Eagle only flew at a speed of two hundred meters per second. Even so, its flight speed was astonishing, surpassing the vast majority of Earth Extreme Realm Great Perfection martial artists.
A total of twenty-five people accompanied the Yunwu Commandery King on this trip to the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom.
Besides Zhang Ruochen, there were twenty-four others. Among them, four were Earth Extreme Realm generals, and twenty were Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Perfection martial artists.
Those twenty Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Perfection martial artists were all wearing fourth-rank True Martial Treasure-level armor and carrying twenty boxes of treasures.
Inside the boxes were spirit crystals, True Martial Treasures, and various other precious medicinal herbs.
Everyone sat on the back of the Golden Feather Eagle, flying hundreds of meters above the ground, heading east.
The Golden Feather Eagle flew for a day and a night, crossing tens of thousands of li, and finally entered the territory of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom.
After another half day of flight, they arrived at the Qianshui Royal Capital.
The Qianshui Royal Capital was extremely majestic and vast, its city walls taller than mountains. Looking out, there was a dense cluster of ancient buildings.
Compared to the Qianshui Royal Capital, the royal capital of the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom was like a remote small town.
After entering the Qianshui Royal Capital, the Yunwu Commandery King first took Zhang Ruochen to a manor. This manor was a property of the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom, with over a dozen servants guarding it.
After settling the treasures they had brought, the Yunwu Commandery King took Zhang Ruochen to visit a high-ranking official of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom, intending to use that official's connections.
That high-ranking official was a Minister of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom, holding great power and possessing an extremely vast influence in the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom.
Every year, the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom sent large amounts of silver coins and spirit crystals to that Minister, thereby gaining his protection.
Zhang Ruochen was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Why don't we give all the treasures directly to the Qianshui Commandery King and ask him to send troops to help suppress the four commandery kingdoms?"
The Yunwu Commandery King said, "The national strength of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom is more than a hundred times that of our Yunwu Commandery Kingdom. In the eyes of the Qianshui Commandery King, our Yunwu Commandery Kingdom is nothing but a speck of dust, not worth his attention. Without connections, we cannot get an audience with the Qianshui Commandery King. Do you know who Minister Ning is?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head.
The Yunwu Commandery King said, "Minister Ning is one of the ten most powerful ministers of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom and the head of the Ning Clan, a fifth-rate family. The strength of the Ning Clan alone is several times greater than that of a medium commandery kingdom like the Four Directions Commandery Kingdom."
A family being several times stronger than a medium commandery kingdom—the strength of the Ning Clan was indeed terrifying.
"If the Ning Clan wanted to destroy our Yunwu Commandery Kingdom, they wouldn't need to act themselves; a single word would suffice. The lower commandery kingdoms around the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom would definitely join forces to deal with us and carve up our territory."
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned serious. "Is this the reason why the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom sends large amounts of spirit crystals and treasures to Minister Ning every year?"
The Yunwu Commandery King smiled. "It's not just our Yunwu Commandery Kingdom. All thirty-six commandery kingdoms of the Demon Ridge have backers in the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom. For example, the backer of the Four Directions Commandery Kingdom is the Right Chancellor of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom. Without the tacit approval of that Right Chancellor, the Four Directions Commandery Kingdom would not dare to attack the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom lightly."
Maintaining the stability of a commandery kingdom was no easy task. One must have a backer to ensure long-term peace and order.
Soon after, the Yunwu Commandery King and Zhang Ruochen arrived outside a massive mansion.
An old steward dressed in a blue robe walked out of the main gate, a smile on his face. "Yunwu Commandery King, long time no see."
The Yunwu Commandery King did not put on airs as a king. He slightly cupped his hands and smiled. "Steward Ning, I trust you have been well."
As he spoke, the Yunwu Commandery King handed an exquisite golden box to the old steward.
The old steward took the golden box, opened it to take a look, then closed it, his smile becoming even more cordial.
The Yunwu Commandery King lowered his voice and asked, "Is the Minister at the mansion?"
"The Minister is currently receiving the Commandery King of the Fire Dragon Commandery Kingdom. Yunwu Commandery King, please wait in the side hall for a moment. The Minister should see you soon," the old steward said.
Hearing the old steward's words, the Yunwu Commandery King's eyes narrowed slightly, and he sighed inwardly. "The Thirteenth Princess's selection of a consort has stirred up all the commandery kingdoms. Everyone wants to form a marriage alliance with the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom. The competition is bound to be fierce. What can be done?"