Chapter 21: Tang Qiluo’s Identity

Under the overwhelming pressure, the two Mu Family guards kneeling in the courtyard groaned, their eyes rolled back, and they fainted. Ling Tian and his son Ling Zhan also had faces flushed bright red, their bodies swaying unsteadily.

Tang Qiluo, who bore the brunt of it, fared even worse. She let out a faint whimper, her graceful figure stiffened, and she toppled straight backward. A trickle of dark black blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, and her face turned deathly pale.

Mu Xian beside her also felt the blood and energy churning violently within him. His eardrums buzzed, a bloody, fishy taste surged up his throat, and he felt extremely uncomfortable. Suddenly noticing his mother’s strange condition, his expression changed drastically. He had no time to regulate the turmoil inside him and hurriedly opened his arms to support his mother’s body.

“Rumors say Qian Tian Wang is honest, virtuous, tolerant, kind, and cares for his people like his own children. He was often known for his benevolence and righteousness among the commoners he governed. I never expected the real Prince to be such an overbearing, unreasonable, and arrogant person. Disappointing, truly extremely disappointing.” Mu Xian looked up at the middle-aged man in the python robe who was looking down on them from above and questioned sharply, “Is the Prince planning to kill this orphan and widow today?”

The middle-aged man in the python robe originally had a mocking smile all over his face. Upon hearing Mu Xian’s words, his smile instantly froze, and a flash of sharp killing intent flickered in his eyes.

He stared at Mu Xian for a long time. The expression on the middle-aged man’s face kept changing, his eyes gleaming brilliantly like sharp swords pointed straight at Mu Xian’s face.

Facing the man’s sharp gaze, Mu Xian’s expression did not change, nor did his heart race. He stared back at the middle-aged man without blinking, with no trace of anger or fear in his eyes, only mockery and disdain. It seemed as if Mu Xian, not the middle-aged man, held the power of life and death.

“Boy, aren’t you afraid this Prince will kill you to silence you? This Prince can make all this disappear cleanly without harming this Prince’s reputation in the slightest.” Seeing that Mu Xian showed no intention of backing down, the middle-aged man became somewhat annoyed by Mu Xian’s stare. His face turned stern as he spoke.

“If the Prince wants to act, then just act. Why bother talking to us?” Mu Xian snorted coldly, still not giving an inch.

Hearing Mu Xian’s words, Ling Tian and Ling Zhan were extremely anxious. Tang Qiluo in Mu Xian’s arms felt her heart leap into her throat. They desperately wanted to cover Mu Xian’s mouth and make him say less. After all, the middle-aged man’s cultivation was too profound; he could likely crush the entire Mu Manor to dust with a single finger. Angering him brought no benefit and would only bring catastrophic disaster upon the entire Mu Family.

“A great man is one who is not corrupted by wealth and rank, not swayed by poverty and lowliness, and not subdued by force and might. Good, very good. I never thought Mu Yuanshan raised a son with such mettle. Worthy of being the former legend of Yunmen County.” Just as Tang Qiluo, Ling Tian, and Ling Zhan thought the middle-aged man would fly into a rage and Mu Xian was surely dead, the middle-aged man instead threw his head back and laughed heartily. He looked at Mu Xian with appreciation, bowed slightly, and once again disappeared into the carriage.

As the middle-aged man’s figure vanished into the carriage, the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon and the jade carriage immediately disappeared without a trace. The oppressive pressure that filled the air above Mu Manor also receded like a tide.

“Mu Xian, this Prince does not kill you, not because this Prince is merciful, nor because this Prince cherishes his reputation. It is because this Prince hopes you can truly grow up, to become a whetstone for Jun’er, to give him enough setbacks and lessons. If you fail in this, this Prince will surely take your life in the future!” At the same moment the Golden Dragon carriage vanished, the voice of the middle-aged man suddenly rang in Mu Xian’s mind, filled with supreme authority and sharpness.

Hearing this voice, Mu Xian couldn’t help but curl his lip, not taking the words to heart at all.

Only after confirming that Qian Tian Wang had truly left did Mu Xian let out a sigh of relief. It was then that Mu Xian discovered all his clothes were soaked through with sweat, and his hands hidden behind his back ached faintly from clenching his fists too tightly.

Although Mu Xian had just appeared calm and completely unafraid of Qian Tian Wang, in truth, he had been just as incredibly nervous. After all, Qian Tian Wang’s strength was far too powerful, completely beyond his current ability to handle. The slightest misstep could have cost him his life.

The reason Mu Xian dared to stand up to Qian Tian Wang was not due to youthful arrogance or hot-bloodedness, but because memories about Qian Tian Wang had suddenly surfaced in his mind.

The records about Qian Tian Wang in the texts from over twenty thousand years later were pitifully few, only a mere few hundred words. The reason Mu Xian remembered Qian Tian Wang was because Qian Tian Wang had once created a work called the “Nine Dragons Heavenly Yi Treatise.”

This “Nine Dragons Heavenly Yi Treatise” pushed the interpretation of the “Book of Changes” to its extreme, to the point where Qian Tian Wang was later revered as the Sage of Yi. Mu Xian was fond of Divination Studies, so naturally he would not miss the “Nine Dragons Heavenly Yi Treatise,” and thus incidentally learned about this person, Qian Tian Wang.

Those few hundred words not only summarized Qian Tian Wang’s life but also included his personality and habits.

Qian Tian Wang’s real name was Tantai Mingchu. He was the Sixth Prince of the Sheng Zhou Dynasty. His character was exactly as Mu Xian had said earlier: honest, virtuous, tolerant, kind, caring for his people like his own children, often charitable to the commoners under his governance, and renowned for his benevolence and righteousness. However, he had one fatal flaw: he spoiled his son excessively. And Qian Tian Wang’s son, Tantai Yanjun, was too much of a troublemaker for his father, which doomed Qian Tian Wang to tragedy.

Originally, Qian Tian Wang’s Territory was the most remote and impoverished Royal Territory in the Sheng Zhou Dynasty, but under Qian Tian Wang’s governance, it developed rapidly. Within just a few decades, it became an exceptionally prosperous Royal Territory where the commoners lived in peace and contentment, and powerful figures were as numerous as clouds.

If it had continued like this, Qian Tian Wang might have one day become the emperor of the Sheng Zhou Dynasty.

Unfortunately, before Qian Tian Wang even harbored thoughts of rebellion, his son Tantai Yanjun could not wait to raise the banner of revolt. It was only when the Dynasty’s army pressed down on the border that Qian Tian Wang, who was in secluded cultivation, was jolted awake. One side was meticulously prepared, the other hastily responding to the battle. The outcome of the war was predictable.

Although Qian Tian Wang was not a good father, he was undoubtedly a good Prince. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many commoners and powerful figures willing to swear allegiance to him and follow him.

Qian Tian Wang was righteous, open-hearted, generous, and most appreciated people with backbone. The more spineless someone was, the more he looked down on them. This was also why Mu Xian, despite his inner fear of Qian Tian Wang earlier, refused to retreat or compromise.

Even though he understood Qian Tian Wang’s temperament and had formulated a strategy accordingly, Mu Xian still felt lingering fear and trepidation.

After all, the records in the texts were collected and compiled by later generations and inevitably had discrepancies with reality. What if the actual Qian Tian Wang was a completely different person from the one recorded in the texts? Then Mu Xian’s life would have been over.

“Xian’er, Xian’er, what’s wrong? Are you alright?” While Mu Xian was staring blankly in the direction where Qian Tian Wang had disappeared, Tang Qiluo in his arms was terrified.

It was summer. Tang Qiluo and Mu Xian wore thin clothes to begin with, and they were pressed close together. Mu Xian’s clothes were completely soaked, and even his body felt cold. Tang Qiluo could naturally sense this.

Noticing the unusual state of Mu Xian’s body and seeing him staring blankly into the air, Tang Qiluo even forgot her own inner fear. She couldn’t help but repeatedly call out to Mu Xian, finally even shaking his body forcefully.

“Mother, I’m fine. I was just lost in thought.” Seeing his mother’s anxious and worried gaze, Mu Xian shook his head and answered softly. Then he noticed his mother’s pale face and the dark black bloodstain at the corner of her mouth. His heart immediately jumped to his throat. “Mother, are you alright?”

Seeing that Mu Xian spoke with full vigor, completely unlike someone who was injured, Tang Qiluo finally let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, the fear she had just forgotten suddenly surged back into her heart.

“Xian’er, you… do you know Qian Tian Wang?” Hesitating for a moment, Tang Qiluo asked softly.

“Mother, you don’t even know Qian Tian Wang, so how could I possibly know him? I merely guessed his identity based on the Golden Dragon carriage and his words.” Mu Xian shook his head and answered with a smile.

Hearing that Mu Xian did not know Qian Tian Wang, a look of disappointment appeared on Tang Qiluo’s face. She gave Mu Xian a reproachful look and chided him softly, “Xian’er, you must never be as reckless as you were today. Today, Qian Tian Wang was in a good mood and didn’t take it out on you. If he were in a bad mood, provoking him like that might have cost you your life.”

As she spoke, Tang Qiluo’s delicate eyebrows knit together again.

Because Qian Tian Wang had earlier exposed Tang Qiluo’s identity as a member of the Snow Fox Clan, even mentioned the North Ice Palace, and sharply questioned her intentions, it made Tang Qiluo feel as if the sky had fallen. She almost fainted from fright on the spot.

One must know that the Sheng Zhou Dynasty was a dynasty dominated by the Human Race. The entire Dynasty deeply hated the Demonic Race. The Snow Fox Clan, led by the North Ice Palace, had assassinated too many princes and generals of the Sheng Zhou Dynasty. This made the Sheng Zhou Dynasty list the North Ice Palace as an enemy, and the Snow Fox Clan became a Demonic Race that the Dynasty was determined to exterminate.

Tang Qiluo was not only from the Snow Fox Clan, but she was also the Saintess of the North Ice Palace. Twenty years ago, Tang Qiluo led a group of North Ice Palace experts to ambush a border general of the Sheng Zhou Dynasty, but they fell into a trap meticulously laid by that general. This resulted in the near-complete annihilation of the North Ice Palace team led by Tang Qiluo. Although Tang Qiluo herself managed to escape the encirclement, she was severely wounded, fell into a coma, and lost all her cultivation.

At that time, Mu Yuanshan, a disciple of the Xuanmen Palace, was traveling down the mountain to gain experience and happened to encounter the critically wounded Tang Qiluo. Mu Yuanshan helped treat Tang Qiluo’s injuries and carefully nursed her for a month, allowing Tang Qiluo to recover.

After regaining her mobility, Tang Qiluo secretly left Mu Yuanshan and returned to the North Ice Palace to report. Little did she expect that as soon as she entered the palace, she was directly captured by the palace guards. It was then that Tang Qiluo learned her position as Saintess had long been usurped by someone else. She was falsely accused of being a traitor colluding with the Human Race, and all the blame for the failed assassination of the Sheng Zhou Dynasty’s border general was pinned on her.

Tang Qiluo originally thought she was surely doomed to die. Unexpectedly, Mu Yuanshan had secretly followed her all the way to the North Ice Palace and, risking almost certain death, rescued her.

Back when Mu Yuanshan was taking care of Tang Qiluo, she had already secretly developed feelings for him. However, hindered by the divide between human and demon and the mission she bore for the North Ice Palace, she forcefully suppressed her emotions. When she discovered that Mu Yuanshan did not mind her Snow Fox identity at all and even risked his life to rescue her from the North Ice Palace, she completely fell for him.

After marrying Mu Yuanshan, Tang Qiluo never dared to practice any North Ice Palace techniques, nor did she dare to appear casually in crowded places, for fear her identity would be discovered and cause trouble for Mu Yuanshan and herself.

What Tang Qiluo never dreamed of was that after living in cautious seclusion for twenty years, treading on thin ice, to the point where even she almost forgot her Snow Fox identity, someone still managed to see through it. And that person was none other than Qian Tian Wang, the master of the very Qian Tian Wang’s Territory where she was hiding.