Chapter 83: Disguise, Ambition

Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Disguise, Ambition

Fang Xu chuckled. He cupped his hands and flattered, "It’s all thanks to the Crown Prince’s guidance. I will go and inform our guest right away, then await the Crown Prince’s arrangements."

"Go," Li Xun said, waving his hand. "During this time, there haven’t been any Martial Artists harassing Zhiyuan Hall, right?"

Fang Xu hurriedly cupped his hands. "With you and His Highness giving the word, those Martial Artists wouldn’t dare harass Zhiyuan Hall even if they had the courage of a lion!"

A hint of a smile appeared on Li Xun’s face. "Naturally. Alright, you are dismissed."

Fang Xu cupped his hands and left.

After returning to Zhiyuan Hall, he briefly explained the job to Mrs. Wang, who was overjoyed. She was fiercely independent by nature—otherwise, she would never have married Wang Ergou in the first place. With a renewed source of income, she wouldn’t feel like a burden anymore, leeching off Fang Xu.

By evening, Xing Rong had found an inn in town. After settling her accommodations, she returned to Zhiyuan Hall to ask for Crown Prince Li Xun’s response.

Fang Xu relayed Li Xun’s intentions. Thrilled, Xing Rong immediately bowed respectfully to Fang Xu and promised to prepare a generous gift for him once the Blood Food Shop opened.

Two days passed in a flash.

Early that morning, Fang Xu roused from his cultivation. He immediately picked up the Golden Silk Armor beside him, channeling the power of his Acupoint Secret Treasure in an attempt to store the Soft Armor inside.

Black energy surged forth, and the Golden Silk Armor instantly vanished from his hands.

"Success!" Fang Xu thought. He happily gazed at the Golden Silk Armor suspended within his fourth Acupoint Space, but his expression suddenly froze.

The Golden Silk Armor had sustained some minor deformation and damage when he punched it earlier. Yet now, having just entered the Acupoint Space, it was slowly repairing itself under the influence of a mysterious force.

"Not bad at all!" Fang Xu thought, feeling even happier at the sight.

Withdrawing his consciousness from the Acupoint Secret Treasure, he immediately went to the Martial Arts Arena in the courtyard to begin his training. After running through the Nine Ape Staff Technique, his entire body felt refreshed, dripping with a satisfying sweat.

CLAP!

CLAP!

Just as he was putting away his staff and preparing to go back and wash his face, light applause drifted in from the main entrance of Zhiyuan Hall. Fang Xu turned around. Seeing Li Xun at the door, he immediately cupped his hands. "Greetings, Crown Prince."

After paying his respects, Fang Xu’s expression abruptly changed. Yun Wan had once instructed him that he must absolutely never let Li Xun see Chu Muyun! At this hour, Fang Xu reckoned that Chu Muyun should already be awake, and Lu Qingluo was likely up as well. Lu Qingluo’s beauty was on par with Chu Muyun’s. If Li Xun were to see the two of them...

Seeing Fang Xu remain bowed and motionless, Li Xun frowned slightly. "What? Aren’t you going to invite me in to sit?"

Fang Xu straightened up, hesitating. "This..."

Seeing Fang Xu bite his tongue, seemingly reluctant to let him into the inner courtyard, Li Xun turned his head and peered inside. The morning light spilled over a young girl sitting in a wheelchair. She rolled the wheels, then struggled to stand up. The stubbornness on her beautiful face was heart-wrenching to witness.

Li Xun froze.

"Crown Prince..." Following Li Xun’s gaze and seeing that Chu Muyun was indeed out of bed, Fang Xu’s heart instantly sank to the bottom of his stomach.

Li Xun ignored him and walked straight toward the inner courtyard.

Inside, Lu Qingluo had just woken up and was preparing to practice her Spear Technique. Seeing Li Xun approaching, her face also underwent a drastic change. Fang Xu followed close behind Li Xun. He wanted to stop him but feared angering him completely.

"The meridians in your legs are completely destroyed. If you want to stand again, you will have to endure a lot of suffering," Li Xun said coolly, looking at Chu Muyun.

Chu Muyun raised her head, curiously studying the child-like Li Xun in front of her. She then looked at Fang Xu, as if silently asking who this person was.

Fang Xu braced himself and said, "Mu Yun, hurry and pay your respects to the Crown Prince. Crown Prince, this is my younger sister."

Hearing Li Xun’s identity, Chu Muyun immediately tried to bow in a panic, but her body swayed precariously.

In a flash, Li Xun appeared beside her and supported her. "There is no need for formalities."

Chu Muyun sat back down in her wheelchair with gratitude, then looked at Li Xun. "To answer the Crown Prince, I feel that as long as there is a hope of recovery, I must try. Who would willingly remain a cripple for the rest of their life and be looked down upon by others?"

Li Xun spaced out for a moment, his mind inevitably flashing back to all the hardships he had endured over the years to practice the Martial Dao. Born a dwarf, he had been looked down upon and mocked since childhood. His father had hired many healers and Martial Dao Experts for him, but they all concluded that due to his physical condition, studying the Martial Dao would be exceedingly difficult.

Yet, he refused to give up. Keeping it a secret from his father and everyone else, he tempered his body every day while bearing immense pain. Ultimately, his talents blossomed after stepping into the realm of a Martial Disciple. Taking advantage of his short stature, he cultivated the Assassination Art. From then on, he advanced by leaps and bounds. Now, at the age of twenty, he had reached the peak of a Martial Master, becoming a martial arts prodigy rarely seen in the Yu Kingdom in a century.

"Having a heart that refuses to be ordinary is a good thing." Snapping back to reality, Li Xun offered a word of praise before turning to Fang Xu. "Were you trying to stop me because of these two?"

Fang Xu didn’t dare to speak.

Li Xun smiled faintly. "I assume Yun Wan has told you many rumors about me?"

Fang Xu hurriedly shook his head. "Miss Yun has never said a bad word about you!"

Unconvinced, Li Xun waved off the excuse. He glanced at Chu Muyun, then turned to face the rising morning sun, falling deep into thought.

A long time passed.

"In the beginning, my brothers never considered me a rival. They didn’t even treat me as a human being," Li Xun began softly.

"After my rise in the Martial Dao, they sensed a threat and started targeting me repeatedly.

"After surviving multiple assassinations, I came to understand a truth: when you aren’t strong enough to completely dominate the board, you must show weakness to the enemy.

"Because of that, I became bloodthirsty, lustful, and tyrannical. In short, to outsiders, I am simply a psychologically twisted lunatic driven mad by his own physical defects."

He paused, slowly turning to look at Fang Xu. "The entire Central State knows that my relationship with most of the court officials and the various factions in the Central State is exceedingly poor.

"It is because I snatched their daughters, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters, only to torture them to death!

"I want them to hate me. Only when they hate me more will I be safer."

In a rare moment of vulnerability, Li Xun opened up about his past to Fang Xu.

"Crown Prince..." Fang Xu cupped his hands, at a loss for words.

From Li Xun’s perspective, being born into the royal family meant living in a vortex of conflict. It wasn’t wrong for him to want to become stronger, nor was it wrong to want to protect himself. However, murdering people and sullying his own reputation just to ensure his survival seemed a bit excessive.

"Alright, I have only told you this matter. If word gets out and ruins my grand plans, you know the consequences," Li Xun spoke indifferently, restoring his usual icy demeanor.

Fang Xu’s heart chilled, and he immediately cupped his hands. "Rest assured, Crown Prince, I will definitely keep my mouth shut tight!"

"What about the person from the Xing family?" Li Xun asked, shifting the topic. "Take me to see her."

At a restaurant in town.

After Fang Xu introduced Li Xun’s identity to Xing Rong, she bowed respectfully. "I pay my respects to the Crown Prince."

Glancing at Xing Rong, Li Xun frowned. "You are neither a Direct Lineage heir of the Xing family nor the Patriarch of the Xing family. What use is there in coming to see me?"

After saying this, he stood up, ready to leave. A minor character couldn’t represent the Xing family. He wasn’t about to waste his time on her.

Seeing this, Xing Rong grew anxious and immediately spoke up. "As long as the Crown Prince is willing to help, it’s not impossible for me to become a Direct Lineage heir of the Xing family, or even the Patriarch!"

These words caused Li Xun to pause his steps. He slowly turned around to look at her.

Xing Rong hurriedly dropped to one knee. "If the Crown Prince does not disdain me, I am willing to follow your every command!"

Looking at the woman kneeling before him, Li Xun smiled. "Having ambition is a good thing, but you must also have the strength to back it up," he said. "Tell me, what is your current situation in the Xing family?"

Xing Rong hurriedly stood up and laid bare all the forces she had plotted and gathered over the years. Her sole aim was to impress this investor—Li Xun—so that he would place his bets on her.