Chapter 375 A Startling Change
Utterly petrified, the crown prince stuttered, “No, no, no! Lord Taibai, listen, your father, Li Gang, is one of my most trusted men. I’ve also supported you to be a lord. Today’s event was all Yingshan Snow-eagle’s idea. There was no way I could stop him. Please let me go…”
When facing death, the crown prince who always held himself above the others started to cry. His tear-stained, horror-contorted face was not much different from the look on a burglar before his execution.
“To be a lord? Like I wanted that!” Li Mu stared at the crown prince as though he was a r.e.t.a.r.ded man.
“No, no, no! Don’t kill me! I’m the crown prince. I don’t want to die. I’m still very young…” The crown prince implored, his limbs flailing about.
He had yet inherited the throne or had a taste of being the emperor.
“Look that them. They were younger than you. But you still ordered them death penalty…” Li Mu looked at the bodies of the Ning couple and retorted.
The crown prince froze in shock.
Li Mu shook his head and grunted, “So, men like you are better to be dead, in case more people became your victims. If you ever take the throne, how many people will plunge into the depths of suffering because of you?”
Li Mu resolutely dashed the last hope the crown prince clung to before pumping the Taoist True Fire into his body to burn him alive.
But what surprised Li Mu was that the soul of the crown prince had also been infiltrated by the dark force. Although the dark force inside him had not grown so strong as to form a little cyan man like the case with the Emperor’s Broadsword, his soul had been more deeply corrupted than Huang Shengyi’s.
What was more bewildering was, the crown prince had not shown any sign of possessing the dark force even before his death.
That was to say he might have had no idea that his soul had been tainted by that dark force. Otherwise, why didn’t he employ it to fight back?
The desire for survival he showed before being killed was rather strong after all.
Li Mu started musing.
In the Western Qin Empire, no one could be more prestigious than the crown prince except for the emperor himself. In those particular days when the emperor was in closed-door training, the crown prince had temporarily taken charge of the state affairs. He was the practical ruler of the empire. So, generally, the royal family of the Western Qin must have given him the highest protection. Then, who in the world could furtively plant the seed of the dark force in the crown prince even without he himself knowing it?
Was it Yingshan Snow-eagle?
Unlikely!
According to Xu Sheng’s prior tip-off, though Yingshan Snow-eagle was callous and bloodthirsty, he was a loyal dog to the emperor and never contravened his orders. Even when the emperor asked him to be a eunuch and work in the imperial palace, he did not hesitate but willingly castrated himself.
A man like him might not hold the crown prince in high esteem or reverence, but he would never ever do anything against him.
Then, who could it be?
The “divine master” Yingshan Snow-eagle mentioned?
What kind of man that “divine master” was?
How dare he plot against the crown prince of the Western Qin?
Li Mu reckoned the whole thing was probably not as simple as he had thought.
By the time, the army attacking the Yue Mountain Faction had been put to rout.
More than half of the imperial army had been killed by the Yingshan Snow-eagle. The rest of the survivors had all taken flight as well.
No matter how excellent the army was, in such a situation, the only option they had was to retreat.
At that point, the experts from various sects and the surviving imperial Executives just wished they had another pair of legs to help them run. They summoned every ounce of their strength and fled as far as they could. Indeed, Li Mu’s maniac slaughter had frightened the life out of them.
All the staff on the last Flying Whale Shuttle had all made their getaway.
Then, Li Mu strode over, lifted the protective tactical deployments, and consoled Bai Xuan, Lei Yinyin, and the other hostages, especially those students from Fengming Academy having been captured together with Lei Yinyin. Those young men were totally stupefied.
“Brother Li!” Lei Yinyin gazed up at Li Mu, her eyes welling with admiration.
As a huge fan of Li Mu, from the moment she was captured, she believed by heart that her Brother Li would come to her rescue. And what had happened just proved that Li Mu could do that despite those staggering difficulties.
Li Mu raised a hand, gently patted the girl’s head, and said, “I’m sorry I got you into this.”
Shaking her head like the rattle-drum, Lei Yinyin said, “Don’t. Don’t be. Being able to meet you again feels like a dream to me. I’m so thrilled. I’d like to have that ten times more.”
Li Mu laughed. Then, he also comforted the other students from the Fengming Academy.
Although they had just undergone an appalling experience, they all s.h.i.+vered out of excitement when Li Mu spoke to them. As they were all from Chang’an City, they knew well about Li Mu’s fame. So, they had very high regard for the poetry and martial arts whiz in Chang’an.
After all, Li Mu was quite reputed among the folks.
“I’m so sorry, Mother Bai.” Li Mu turned to Bai Xuan.
She had truly suffered a disaster for no reason.
Bai Xuan breathed a sigh and said, “The world is in a mess now. People’s lives are cheap as the ants’. After what happened to me today, I reckon the Holy House is about to break up, too. Well.” Her voice was soaked in varied emotions, demonstrating her downheartedness.
Li Mu then suggested, “Why not take advantage of this opportunity to leave Chang’an for Taibai County? Ting’er always says she misses Mother Bai.”
Yes, the world was in a mess.
Even though Li Mu did not have many friends on that planet, Bai Xuan was one for sure.
On that day, Li Mu had killed Yingshan Snow-eagle, Yan Ruyun, and the crown prince as well as loads of imperial Executives. He had destroyed the Flying Whale Shuttles, too. Considering all that he had done, he would perhaps be blamed for the death of those important men and the fiasco of the imperial army. If Bai Xuan and the others kept living in Chang’an, it was inevitable that later they might be burnt in the crossfire. Therefore, Li Mu thought they’d better go to Taibai County to dodge the blows.
“Em… Wouldn’t it be inappropriate if I go there?” Bai Xuan was a little taken aback.
In her knowledge, Taibai County was an ideal realm Li Mu built up, but she was once a prost.i.tute, who then became a madam and gained a status in the Musical House. If she came to live among the folks… she was afraid of defiling the chaste ma.s.ses. So, she had never really considered settling down in Taibai County.
Li Mu, however, failed to detect all the scruples Bai Xuan had and asked, “Why would it be? You are my friend.”
Bai Xuan suddenly felt like crying.
The word “friend” was already a luxurious concept in her world, let alone a friend like Li Mu. Although Bai Xuan had merely a limited understanding of the martial arts circle, there was one thing she could tell on that day— Li Mu had performed another stunning battle. If that combat achievement ever came out, the world would be shocked, wouldn’t it?
“Sure,” Bai Xuan nodded vigorously and said, “I’d certainly like to visit Ting’er.”
As they talked, Qiu Yin, Xu Sheng, Xu Yue, and the other experts of the Yue Mountain Faction had all walked past the All-side Starlight Deployment and came to the Flying Whale Shuttle.
All of them were staring at Li Mu as if he was some kind of monster.
The man he just killed was Yingshan Snow-eagle, the Emperor’s Broadsword!
His name alone would put innumerable martial arts giants panic-stricken or go insane. That was the bloodthirsty G.o.d of killing! Yet, he was beaten by Li Mu, one punch after another, and exploded at the end. Both his body and soul were destroyed. He sure had died a hard death.
About four days ago, Li Mu was still at a disadvantageous position when dueling with Yingshan Snow-eagle. So, what on earth had happened during the last four days?
“Since this battle, bro, you will rank among the Nine Superbs.” Head of the Yue Mountain Faction heaved with a sigh. By then, he found he could not see through Li Mu anymore. The man was so young but so powerful. Xu Yue could not help wondering if he was human at all.
“The Nine Superbs were already yesterday’s talk. From now on, no matter how many Superbs there will be, bro, you will be one of them.” Xu Sheng exclaimed.
He had witnessed Li Mu transform from a mere Natural Expert to a potent pract.i.tioner who could beat up Yingshan Snow-eagle. And how long did that process take? Less than a year. He found the track of Li Mu’s progress unbelievable. Days ago, he had regarded Li Mu as a junior follow who needed his advice and instructions. But on that day, he realized he was no longer Li Mu’s match.
Qiu Yin, yet, was chuckling.
He felt sincerely happy for his third brother.
But at the same time, he sensed the peer pressure.
Regarding the three sworn brothers, the big brother, Guo Yuqing, had been almost unbeatable in the first place. By then, the third brother, Li Mu, had also become invincible. Only Qiu Yin, who was satisfied with his achievements in the Western Qin at one time, was surprised to find that he had failed to protect the legacy his master left behind when troubles came.
He knew he must work harder.
Afterward, the group went back to the field of the Yue Mountain Faction.
Some disciples went out to sort out the battlefield.
They also buried those killed imperial soldiers.
As they walked into the camp of the imperial army, the sight they saw was just too spooky. Dried bodies had piled up, as though it was a burying ground. That last move Yingshan Snow-eagle took was indeed too outrageous.
That heavily demolished Flying Whale Shuttle, the only one among the three that survived the battle, became Li Mu’s spoil of war. Li Mu chose to deposit it in the Yue Mountain Faction for the time being. Xu Yue, Head of the faction, promised him that he would send his men to repair it before delivering it to Taibai County.
That battle imposed huge impacts upon the Western Qin Empire.
A Sage had died. The crown prince had been killed in the battle. The Flying Eagle Battalion of the imperial army had almost been wiped out. Yan Ruyun and a good number of experts had been annihilated. The first two losses, in particular, were two devastating blows to an empire. The Western Qin Empire had already been swaying in the storm of internal strife and foreign invasions. But that battle put the empire in an even worse situation.
But, of course, that was not a problem Li Mu and the others needed to worry about.
Because the battle meant a lot more to the Yue Mountain Faction.
Since then, there was no leeway between the Yue Mountain Faction and the Western Qin Empire. After all, they murdered the crown prince. That left no room for amicable negotiations. The Western Qin Empire would definitely launch punitive moves against them.
However, having the complete All-side Starlight Deployment at hand, the Yue Mountain Faction had no fear.
Not to mention that it was the Western Qin’s royal force first started the battle so as to destroy the Yue Mountain Faction. The royals could not have expected they would just sit there and let their heads be chopped off, could they?
“As to the danger the Yue Mountain Faction is facing, I won’t look the other way, either.” Li Mu announced.
Since the Yue Mountain Faction had something with Qu Yuan, Li Mu felt obliged to protect them.
That promise made all the members of the Yue Mountain Faction rest a.s.sured. In their eyes, Li Mu was already a solid backup.
The sunset dyed the sky blood-colored.
The main peak of the Yue Mountain was sitting in ruins.
Li Mu and the others were standing in front of the main hall, looking out across the field.
Waves of exhaustion stole over him. Li Mu felt the fatigue he had rarely experienced. He knew it was because he had consumed too much strength and qi in the fierce fight against Yingshan Snow-eagle. After all, the amount of energy to put the Zhenwu Boxing, especially the Grasping the Bird’s Tail, in full motion was too enormous.
He could really use some rest.
But as he made to turn around and say a word to Xu Sheng and Qiu Yin, all of a sudden, he caught sight of something in the sky in due west, and a hint of terror climbed onto his face.