Xie Lian didn't answer, his pupils constricting slightly.
Some of the onlookers were bewildered, whispering, "What Imperial Master? Who is Imperial Master?" Others, more attentive, immediately understood: Lang Qianqiu was the crown prince of Yong'an, and his contemporary, the Imperial Master of Yong'an, was the other of the two demon masters, Imperial Master Fangxin. And now, Lang Qianqiu grabbed Xie Lian and called him "Imperial Master." Wasn't that a literal implication...that Xie Lian was the demon master who brought disaster upon the nation—Imperial Master Fangxin?
But Xie Lian was the crown prince of Xianle Kingdom, a kingdom destroyed by Yong'an. How could he possibly become Yong'an's imperial preceptor? The priests all sensed that today's journey might have precipitated something truly catastrophic. They all held their breath, their gaze fixed on the figures at the center of the Divine Martial Hall. Lang Qianqiu, still clinging to Xie Lian tightly, his chest heaving violently, managed to speak, "You... I clearly killed you with my own hands, sealed you in the coffin myself. You... you?!"
He took a breath and said, "Master, you are truly powerful!"
His Highness Taihua was renowned in the Upper Heaven for his cheerful and cheerful demeanor. He was always without scheming, never giving anyone a hard time. He had never before displayed such an expression, a mixture of sorrow, anger, hatred, and resentment, as if he would pounce on Xie Lian if he could only answer "yes." Feng Xin, standing closest to the two, stared at Xie Lian with unconcealed shock. Mu Qing's eyes trembled, a hint of excitement tinged by his restrained shock. Shi Qingxuan put Mingyi aside and said, "Qianqiu, have you misunderstood something? If His Highness the Crown Prince is the Imperial Preceptor Fangxin, why did you only recognize him now?"
At this time, a man beside him said, "Qingxuan, this is what you don't know. The legendary Imperial Preceptor Fangxin has always been aloof, mysterious, and arrogant. He never reveals his true face, always wearing a silver mask. Your Highness Taihua has probably never seen his true face before."
The man who spoke, standing off to the side with his arms folded, was none other than Pei Ming. Shi Qingxuan, displeased at the sight of him, flicked his whisk, and launched into a rebuttal, "If that's the case, then no one has ever seen what Imperial Master Fangxin looks like. Why, General Pei, does he act as if His Highness Xianle is Imperial Master Fangxin?"
He and Xie Lian's movements were bizarre and amusing, but once they reached the Heavenly Palace, they changed their demeanor, becoming extremely self-assured and conscious of their image in every move, displaying a certain demeanor. At that moment, a snow-white figure emerged from the back of the hall. Aside from the few people in the center, the several priests who had been chattering in the hall quickly took their places and bowed, saying, "Emperor."
Jun Wu raised his hand slightly, and everyone straightened their backs again. Jun Wu walked over, looked at Ming Yi for a moment, and said, "Let's settle the geomancer first."
Then, four Medicine Master priests came up to help Ming Yi up and led her away. Shi Qingxuan seemed to want to follow him down to take a look, but after looking at the situation in the Divine Martial Hall, he was still worried and stood still. Jun Wu brushed past Xie Lian and patted his right arm. The blood had been dripping down Xie Lian's sleeve, but after the pat, it immediately stopped. Jun Wu returned to the throne above with his hands behind his back and said, "Tell me, what happened? Why is Taihua holding on to Xianle so tightly, and why is Xianle lowering her head?"
His arrival reassured everyone present. Lang Qianqiu glanced at Xie Lian again, seeing he remained silent. Surrounded by priests, he wasn't afraid of him escaping. He slowly loosened his grip, turned to Jun Wu, and bowed, saying, "Emperor, hundreds of years ago, this man, under the alias Fang Xin, ascended the throne of Yong'an's Imperial Master, murdered my family, and brought disaster to my nation. I...I intend to fight him. Please, Emperor, be a witness today!"
In the Divine Martial Hall, even those who had never heard of Imperial Master Fangxin quickly used their psychics to research him. They were shocked to learn what he was up to. Imperial Master Fangxin was the savior and mentor of Yong'an Crown Prince Lang Qianqiu. He was listed as one of the two masters of the demonic arts because of the famous Gilded Banquet, where he massacred the Yong'an royal family.
The Gilded Banquet was originally a popular feast among the nobility of Xianle. It was named so because the wine vessels, food utensils, and musical instruments used were all exquisitely crafted from gold, creating an unparalleled sense of luxury. After the founding of the Yong'an Empire, it initially declared to the world that it would resolutely abandon the extravagant customs of the previous dynasty and never repeat the same mistakes, devoting itself solely to alleviating the sufferings of the people. However, decades later, despite having learned everything, the old ways remained.
On the evening of Prince Yong'an's seventeenth birthday, a gilded banquet was held within the imperial palace. It was during this gilded banquet that the Imperial Preceptor, Fangxin, wielded a single sword and slaughtered the entire Yong'an royal family present. Golden cups overturned, blood red as wine, the scene a scene of utter brutality. Only Lang Qianqiu, arriving late, escaped, though he narrowly avoided being silenced.
After this shocking incident, the Yong'an Imperial Family was severely weakened. If it weren't for Lang Qianqiu's unwavering support and dedicated efforts, unrest would have been inevitable. After finally stabilizing the situation, the Yong'an Imperial Family summoned extraordinary individuals from around the world to hunt down the fleeing murderer. Finally, they captured him. Lang Qianqiu personally killed the legendary Taoist master, sealed his body in a coffin, nailed it shut, and buried it in the ground.
Lang Qianqiu stared at Xie Lian intently, his voice trembling, "I've never understood why you did that. You said you couldn't bear to see us sitting in this position, but I never believed you. I didn't think you were trying to usurp the throne at all. Now I finally understand what you meant."
The priests were all dumbfounded, muttering to themselves or communicating privately: "This is revenge!"
"Isn't it revenge? After Xianle Kingdom was destroyed, he wanted to destroy Yong'an Kingdom as well. The people of Yong'an killed his father, the emperor, and his mother, so he also wanted to kill the father, the emperor, and his mother, the emperor and his mother, Crown Prince Yong'an. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
"But it wasn't Lang Qianqiu's generation that destroyed Xianle Kingdom. His anger is totally unreasonable."
"I thought the laughingstock of the Three Realms was born a fool, but it turns out he's a ruthless character. He went to the enemy country to serve as the national teacher and secretly stirred up trouble. With one move, he slaughtered the entire royal family. How impressive..."
Xie Lian knew exactly what was going on in the other person's mind. His expression was as gloomy as deep water, and he showed no reaction, but a huge wave was stirring in his heart.
Lingwen stepped forward and whispered a few words to Jun Wu. Xie Lian sensed Jun Wu's gaze and closed his eyes, avoiding it. After a moment, Jun Wu said, "Taihua, what's your basis for believing Xianle is Fangxin?"
Lang Qianqiu's eyes were red as he said, "The one who taught me swordsmanship was Imperial Master Fangxin. How could I not recognize him the moment he made a move?!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the undercurrent surged even more: "It would be fine if they just muddied the waters, but why bother teaching the enemy nation's prince swordsmanship?"
"No wonder I haven't seen him touch a sword since his third ascension. He's afraid of being exposed."
Lang Qianqiu said, "I went to the Ghost Market this time, and just now, I fought with Hua Cheng..." Hearing him mention the Ghost Market and Hua Cheng, many priests shuddered again. Lang Qianqiu continued, "However, before the swords met, a shadow suddenly rushed forward and deflected the swords with two strikes.
"This sword, stopping a fight without injuring either side, only inflicting the wound. I'm all too familiar with it. When I was twelve, I was out and about, captured by a gang of thieves. They grabbed me and fled into the street. My guards chased us, and we engaged in a fierce exchange of blows. After a while, a street performer, his face bruised and swollen, suddenly reached out with a branch. With just two strikes, he deflected the two swords and saved me.
"The bandits and the guards fought to a draw, and the street performer took me on a scramble and brought me back to the palace. My father, the emperor, and my mother, the empress, out of gratitude, invited him to stay and became the Imperial Preceptor. He taught me swordsmanship for five years. His strikes were familiar to me. I wanted to learn this particular sword technique, but he refused, saying that as the Crown Prince, I didn't need it. But it was because of this one strike that he became the Imperial Preceptor of Yong'an. How could I possibly admit my mistake?"
Xie Lian remained silent. At this moment, Mu Qing whispered, "Your Highness Taihua, you said you saw a small afterimage, but it seems no one else saw it except you. That's just your one-sided statement."
Some were surprised that Mu Qing would actually speak up for Xie Lian, while others understood clearly. Xie Lian's attitude was so strong. Without a single word in response, it was likely that Lang Qianqiu's accusations were all true. Mu Qing's words at this moment, seemingly defending Xie Lian, were actually malicious. The more he questioned, the more Lang Qianqiu would become more critical, which wouldn't help Xie Lian's situation at all. As expected, Lang Qianqiu said, "Alright! Please bring me the sword!"
Many of the Martial Gods in the hall carried swords. At his shout, some immediately unsheathed their blades and tossed them over. Lang Qianqiu grasped the sword, held it in front of Xie Lian, and said, "Here you go! Let's have a duel now. We'll hide nothing and go all out. Let's see if our swordsmanship is the same, and if I'm the one you taught me!"
Everyone thought his sword fight in the Divine Martial Hall was rather reckless. However, considering the bloodbath at the Gilded Banquet, where his entire family had been slaughtered, their excitement was understandable. Furthermore, Jun Wu remained silent, so they didn't know whether to stop him. Shi Qingxuan, still concerned about Xie Lian's injury, said, "Qianqiu, the Crown Prince's right hand is in such a state after he blocked Hua Cheng's sword strike for you. How can he possibly fight you?"
After hearing this, Lang Qianqiu suddenly stretched out his left palm and hit his right arm hard.
With a crackling sound, his right arm erupted in a cloud of blood, becoming blood-soaked and hanging limply. Even without examining it, one could tell the injury was serious. Seeing him suddenly injure himself, the priests were all shocked. Xie Lian was also startled, looking up and asking, "What are you doing?"
Lang Qianqiu said, "Master Feng is right. You did injure your arm saving me, and I'm returning it to you now. But you saved me, and killing my clan is also true. I know you can wield a sword with both hands, and your swordsmanship is superb. Let's compete with our left hands. If you're a man, take up the sword!"
Xie Lian looked at the sword, then at him again. Finally, he slowly shook his head and said, “Many years ago, I made a solemn vow never to kill with a sword again.”
Hearing this, Lang Qianqiu recalled the night he arrived at the scene and witnessed the black-robed figure yanking the longsword from his father and mother. His eyes instantly flushed a frightening red, and his left hand, gripping the sword, rattled. Shi Qingxuan swung his whisk, wrapping it around the sword and suppressing it. "I suspect there's some misunderstanding here. Since Imperial Master Fangxin has always been wearing a silver mask, perhaps someone is impersonating him and harming others. Let's consult the Emperor first."
Everyone turned to the jade throne above. Jun Wu said, "Immortal music."
Xie Lian bowed and said, “Yes.”
Jun Wu said in a deep voice: "Do you agree with what Taihua said?"
Xie Lian said, “I admit it.”
The word "recognize" was cold and completely different from his usual tone. Feng Xin, Mu Qing and Shi Qingxuan's expressions changed when they heard it.
Jun Wu nodded and continued, "The Imperial Master who slaughtered the gilded banquet, was it you?"
After a moment of silence, Xie Lian suddenly looked up and said, "Yes. It's me!"
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