Since there"s no donation in Q so it will be only 1 chapter this week, okay (* ▔^ ▔ *). TQ Minak Amie for editing. (^ _ ^)
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Late at night, a carriage gradually came to a stop in front of one of Tong’s n.o.ble residences. The attendants in the front and back dismounted. Their arrival and actions were done so quietly that even in the still and dark night, nothing was disrupted.
Kong Liu dismounted his horse and gave a silent gesture towards Zi Yan, indicating him to enter the main entrance together. The door was opened without a sound.
“The Prince has not gone to sleep yet. Please follow me.”
Zi Yan did not speak. His hand held on tightly to the hilt of his sword. He was about to step over an incredibly high threshold, as if he were a fearless warrior about to face off against a beast baring its fangs.
Of course. he understood that He Di was not an easy person to deal with.
He was born as a commoner, but was specially chosen among millions of ordinary soldiers by the great King Rong Tian to be cultivated. If only considering his accomplishments with the sword, he could be considered one of Xi Lei’s best swordsmen. Not even the experienced veteran, General Tong Jian Min, could win against his sword.
Practicing the sword did not include just physical training, but exercising the mind as well. There are times when an expert has to read his enemy’s mind.
However, He Di was an opponent that was difficult to see through. His origin was that of a royal, but he was willing to conspire with pirates in order to obtain what he wanted. His sharp eyes always twinkled with a mysterious and profound light.
Zi Yan’s instincts were as sharp as a sword. To him, He Di was like a greedy viper that was difficult to tame.
He secretly weighed all the possibilities in his mind while steadily following Kong Liu without betraying a single thought.
Qing Li’s hospitality towards He Di could be considered very sincere based on the fact that he had cleared out a small courtyard with a great scenery and made it his temporary residence.
Entering the main entrance, the first thing that could be seen on the left was a vast expanse of artificial rocks and a pond. Pa.s.sing through the doorway of the small courtyard, they were temporarily stopped by guards. Before they could enter the courtyard reserved for honoured guests, He Di’s personal guards demanded Zi Yan to leave his sword.
“Pardon us, honoured emissary… but please leave your sword here before you enter.”
Zi Yan stopped walking; his eyes coldly looked towards Kong Liu who accompanied him.
Kong Liu looked innocently at Zi Yan and said, “The current situation in Tong is extremely complex. Our prince has come from a distant place, so it is inevitable to treat everything with caution. Besides, the emissary has come here to discuss the peace treaty, right? There is no need for a sword.”
“In order to merely exchange a few words about the treaty, is there really a need to search my body over a sword?” Zi Yan calmly scoffed.
“Honoured emissary… is there really a need to delay the meeting over such a trivial matter? To us, the peace treaty is merely a business deal for the purpose of making a profit. But for Rong Tian and Duke Ming, the significance of the treaty is much greater, is it not? I have heard that Master Xiao has commanded Duke Ming to find a trade route to our dual luminous sand within a year in order to prove his worth. The consequence might be quite worrisome if the treaty is compromised, correct?”
Zi Yan tightly gripped the hilt of his sword.
He Di was indeed a snake. Just one bite… and he had already aimed towards his weakness.
Opening a route to the sand was not a negotiable matter for Duke Ming. Not only would Duke Ming have a hard time justifying himself before Master Xiao, even the king will be dragged into it. That would affect their plans to regain Xi Lei since the source of grains for the recruited soldiers would disappear. [TN: Feng Ming: let your husband support you to take over the world...lol]
“Do you wish to return while disregarding the peace treaty or leave your sword and go inside to discuss with our prince face-to-face? I implore the Emissary to make a decision.” Kong Liu flatly threatened.
He really is a bandit!
A streak of light suddenly appeared in Zi Yan’s pitch black eyes, as if fireworks were exploding in the night sky. However, it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The cold, baleful air sent chills to Kong Liu, who could not help but secretly raise his guard.
However, Zi Yan remained in his position, stiff as a stone.
Only the slight heaving of his chest betrayed his momentary anger, and even that gradually disappeared, replaced by calmness.
“His Highness values the alliance with my king and Duke Ming. How could I dare to bring my sword and offend him?” he answered coldly.
Zi Yan removed the precious sword from his waist and handed it over to He Di’s trusted aid, who was posted outside the door. He calmly warned, “That is a gift from my king, my treasured sword. Please look after it carefully.”
Afterwards, he followed Kong Liu towards the room. The curtain was lifted, and his eyes were immediately hit with a strong light. It was like he had just entered a different world.
Standing outside, he could see multiple layers of silk curtains hanging from the windows and blocking light from coming inside. The moment he stepped inside, he noticed many thick candles of different shapes, the biggest one being unexpectedly larger than a child’s arm. There were probably no less that forty or fifty candles.
The flames swayed and illuminated every corner of the room as if it were daytime.
There were rumours that said Dan Lin’s royalty advocated a lavish lifestyle. Sure enough, the rumours were not false.