Chapter 1128: News

　　“Brother Chu, you can tell me what’s on your mind now,” Fa Yuan said right after he invited Chu Li to take a seat at the stone table in the Buddhist hall, not even waiting for tea to be served.

　　Chu Li told him about what had been going on with the Ning Brothers.

　　Fa Yuan frowned and said, “Since this matter involves secret guardians of the Secret Guardians Hall… I’m afraid I won’t be able to tell you much. The Exorcists are in charge of handling matters like this.”

　　Chu Li looked at him with a faint smile.

　　A look of resignation appeared on Fa Yuan’s face. “Fine, I’ll ask around and give Brother Chu an answer tomorrow. Nonetheless, Brother Chu has nothing to worry about. We never take lives if we can help it.”

　　Chu Li scoffed and muttered, “Crippling their martial arts is bad enough.”

　　Fa Yuan smiled faintly and replied, “As long as their lives aren’t at risk, nothing else should matter!”

　　“If you guys cripple the martial arts of the three brothers, I’ll have to cripple the martial arts of three Grandmasters from Tempest Temple in return,” Chu Li said.

　　Fa Yuan replied, “It seems like Brother Chu doesn’t trust me.”

　　He knew that Chu Li had made such a threat out of fear that he would give an order to cripple the three brothers’ martial arts. After all, they were secret guardians of the Imperial House and were adversaries of Tempest Temple. Having three fewer adversaries could never be a bad thing.

　　Chu Li huffed and said, “That’s because you’re a Tempest Temple disciple.”

　　“Alright then. If they haven’t been crippled of their cultivation, I won’t harm them,” Fa Yuan replied with a faint smile.

　　Chu Li finally nodded with satisfaction. “Very well. I shall take my leave now.”

　　“Is Snow Lunar Pavilion okay?” Fa Yuan asked.

　　Chu Li’s expression turned grim.

　　Fa Yuan was astonished. “Did something really happen to them? … Brother Chu, you’ve scared those people into submission after showing your temper. None of them dared to fool around anymore.”

　　Chu Li sighed and replied, “I arrived too late and lost a good friend… Du Feng has really caused a lot of trouble!”

　　He felt heavy with guilt as he thought about Shu Qingdie again, and wished he could kill Fu Qingya a few more times.

　　“Amitabha…” Fa Yuan joined his palms in reverence and chanted Buddha’s name in a solemn and serene manner.

　　At that moment, a novice Buddhist monk came in to serve them tea and glanced at Chu Li curiously before slowly leaving the hall.

　　Chu Li said, “Never mind. Let’s not talk about this anymore… Why are you still here at Mercy Temple?”

　　“I’ll be cultivating in Mercy Temple for some time,” Fa Yuan replied.

　　Chu Li asked, “What’s Tempest Temple planning to do now?”

　　Fa Yuan was the top figure of the younger generation of Tempest Temple disciples, so he had to travel around to resolve various problems in the martial arts world. Thus, there should be something he was aiming to achieve by staying at Mercy Temple for a prolonged period.

　　Fa Yuan shook his head and smiled.

　　Chu Li had a thoughtful look on his face as he asked, “Is this related to the Emperor’s decision to install a crown prince?”

　　He had discovered this news by reading Fa Yuan’s mind.

　　Fa Yuan looked at him in surprise.

　　Chu Li secretly sighed in amazement at how well-informed Tempest Temple was as he had not heard of this news before. Installing a crown prince was a matter of great importance. The moment a crown prince was installed and his status became fixed, everything would come to a close.

　　If anyone else were to become the crown prince, they might not necessarily be capable of holding on to their position and successfully becoming the Emperor later on. Nonetheless, King Jing was exceptionally competent and was greatly supported by the courtiers, so it would be very hard for others to overturn the situation and change the outcome once he became the crown prince.

　　If King Jing was installed as Crown Prince, then King Ping would actually have to give up all hope. Even if he regained his military power, he would have no chance of overturning the situation unless he plotted a rebellion. However, the Ji Dynasty would meet its end if he did so.

　　Fa Yuan said, “King Jing will be installed as Crown Prince. This outcome is set.”

　　“This outcome is set…” Chu Li slowly repeated.

　　Fa Yuan went on saying, “When he becomes Crown Prince, his martial arts will improve rapidly and he will reach the highest point of the Grandmaster’s Boundary. When that time comes, aside from Enlightened Masters, hardly anyone will pose a threat to him.”

　　Chu Li gradually nodded.

　　He was not aware of this fact.

　　Fa Yuan said, “Nonetheless, there may still be variables affecting the situation. I’m afraid there might be people who are planning to assassinate King Jing at this time since it’ll be impossible to assassinate him once he’s installed as Crown Prince. These people will certainly seize this last chance and go all-out during the period before his installation.”

　　Chu Li paused for a moment before asking, “When will he be installed as Crown Prince?”

　　“The specific date hasn’t been set yet,” Fa Yuan replied while shaking his head. “The Emperor has been thinking about this matter.”

　　Chu Li slowly nodded as he rose to his feet and said, “I won’t meddle in affairs that aren’t related to my position. I’m not a courtier anyway, so it doesn’t matter to me who becomes the Emperor.”

　　Fa Yuan chuckled and shook his head. “Brother Chu, you’re on friendly terms with His Royal Highness King Jing. Him becoming Crown Prince won’t affect your work in any way, so there’s indeed no need for you to be anxious about this.”

　　“Could it be that you people from Tempest Temple are getting anxious over this?” Chu Li asked.

　　“Not really,” Fa Yuan replied. “After all, there’s no enmity between His Royal Highness King Jing and Tempest Temple.”

　　“But given how nervous you guys seem right now, I find your words rather hard to believe,” Chu Li said with a smile. “Is it possible that Tempest Temple is planning to assassinate him?”

　　“We would never do that!” Fa Yuan quickly waved his hands in denial.

　　Chu Li began walking away. “I was just making a blind guess. If that’s not the case, then never mind.”

　　…

　　In the backyard of King Jing’s Imperial Residence, Lu Yurong was dressed in a white tunic as she sat silently in a gazebo over a lake and stared at the fish swimming in the lake below, her thoughts drifting aimlessly.

　　The seven other women who had always remained by her side were going about their own business in different parts of the backyard. Some of them were in the flower garden and a few were in the gazebo while the rest were in the waterside pavilion.

　　The sound of footsteps approaching could be heard as Lu Guangdi strolled over in a blue tunic. He had a bright smile on his handsome face as he stepped onto the cloister and slowly walked into the gazebo before giving a fist salute and bowing to her. “Greetings, Miss Lu.”

　　Lu Yurong waved a hand and did not bother to look at him.

　　Lu Guangdi stared at her pale, jade-like face and found her incredibly beautiful and charming. As the rippling light on the lake’s surface was cast on her face, her almond-shaped eyes gleamed enchantingly while her red lips looked increasingly tender and alluring. He was overwhelmed with desire and felt a strong urge to pull her into his arms and hug her tightly without having to let go of her ever again.

　　Nonetheless, a trace of rationality remained in his mind and enabled him to restrain himself. He knew that the moment he reached out to touch her, he would not be met with her graceful and sweet-smelling body but a furious storm of attacks. Even if he managed to survive, he would likely be skinned.

　　“What’s the matter?” Lu Yurong asked coolly while staring at the lake’s surface.

　　Lu Guangdi replied, “I heard Chu Li has returned, so I’d like to go and challenge him.”

　　“There’s no need to bring disgrace upon yourself,” Lu Yurong said.

　　Lu Guangdi chuckled and replied, “You can’t be certain that I won’t be able to defeat him when I haven’t even fought him before.”

　　Lu Yurong turned her head and gave him a sideways glance as she asked, “Can you defeat me?”

　　Lu Guangdi shook his head.

　　When he previously engaged her in battle, he ended up covered in dirt and suffering an embarrassing defeat. He had always relied on his mind-reading ability to win a fight, but since his ability did not work on her at all, his martial arts skills were proven to be inferior to hers.

　　Lu Yurong muttered, “I’m no match for Chu Li.”

　　Lu Guangdi smiled and replied, “Everyone has weaknesses. Just because Miss Lu has defeated me doesn’t necessarily mean that I won’t be able to defeat Chu Li.”

　　“Your confidence is built upon your ability to read the minds of others, right?” Lu Yurong asked.

　　Lu Guangdi was stunned.

　　He never expected Lu Yurong to be able tell that he possessed a special skill.

　　Lu Yurong said, “With your current capabilities, you can never go up against Chu Li!”

　　“Miss Lu, why must you boost someone else’s morale? Is Chu Li that scary?” Lu Guangdi shook his head and laughed as he said, “Indeed, he’s quite famous, but he may not necessarily be that powerful.”

　　Lu Guangdi was unconvinced. After all, even if Chu Li’s martial arts skills were superior to his, he felt that he might still be able to defeat Chu Li. With his special skill, he would be able to increase his chances of winning by seizing the right moment to launch his attacks. Madam Chu had been capable of restraining the effects of his special ability, but things might be different with Chu Li.

　　Lu Yurong scoffed and asked, “You think your special skill will work on him?”

　　Lu Guangdi was stunned into silence again.

　　Lu Yurong said, “You won’t be able to read his mind at all. In fact, you won’t even manage to make more than ten moves in front of him. Don’t embarrass King Jing’s Imperial Residence!”

　　Lu Guangdi frowned and remained silent.

　　It seemed like Chu Li was capable of restraining his mind-reading ability as well. Damn it!

　　Lu Yurong spoke again, “Chu Li isn’t like Xiao Qi. He’s vicious and ruthless. If you go and challenge him, you’ll be crippled of your cultivation even if you manage to survive. Tide-listening Pavilion has placed all their hopes on you. You should be more careful no matter what you do!”

　　“Miss Lu, you don’t have to worry about that. I have a pretty good light-body technique.”

　　Lu Yurong scoffed. “To him, your light-body technique would look no different than walking.”

　　“Miss Lu, why do you think so highly of Chu Li?” Lu Guangdi asked with a smile. “Don’t tell me you have feelings for him?”

　　Lu Yurong was dumbstruck for a moment. Then, she looked at him with a frown. “You really have a wild imagination! … Alright now. Just be obedient and stay in the Imperial Residence. Don’t leave this place!”