Chapter 99: Lu Qingming
Chapter 99: Lu Qingming
From beginning to end, Hu Xiaoxian sat obediently to the side, quietly listening to the conversation between the others.
Although it gave her a bit of a headache, it wasn’t without gain. At the very least, she understood one principle more clearly —
The most cunning, the most complex, the deepest schemers in this world… were none other than humans!
What do they mean by “cunning as a fox”?
Foxes were so simple!
How were they cunning?
Compared to you humans, the Fox Clan was simply a pure little white flower, okay?
Understanding the true purpose of this mission to Chu State, Ling Yi agreed without hesitation.
The key was that his cultivation resources were almost depleted. Although Qin Hao had personally guaranteed more, that was still his own family’s property.
He heard that Chu State was the truly abundant land… yes, the richest place on the continent.
Perhaps he could find an opportunity to broaden his horizons.
In the evening, Qin Hao hosted a banquet. Among the attendees were several younger members of the Cabinet.
These people were all very polite toward Ling Yi, even harboring a hint of admiration.
As the Crown Prince’s best brother, famous from a young age, shrouded in an aura of mystery yet uninterested in a political career, seemingly low-key but passionate and daring enough to avenge his father in public… and the key point, he was handsome too!
All these factors combined made Ling Yi easily become an idol in the eyes of the elite.
What you could surpass was called a goal; what you almost couldn’t surpass was called an idol.
Becoming an idol in the eyes of this group was no easy feat.
Even though Ling Yi himself didn’t like these labels.
But there was no helping it. Who didn’t live in the eyes of others?
Being admired was always better than being hated.
In another country, there was another, even bigger idol.
His name was Lu Qingming.
Lu Qingming looked very young. Judging by appearance alone, he seemed only in his thirties.
The key was, he was also very handsome.
He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a tall and slender build. Sitting there unmoving, his presence was as steady as a mountain, imposing and dignified.
Most people didn’t even dare to lift their heads to look him in the eye, much less speak loudly to him.
“When Great Chu unifies the land, I will retire completely, leaving the mundane world and returning to my Sect,” Lu Qingming said with a smile.
Sitting opposite him was a similarly handsome young man, and the two were drinking tea.
Beside Lu Qingming stood a Crimson-skirted Maid. Her hands were delicate and fair, her movements elegant, as she brewed tea for the two.
Hearing Lu Qingming’s words, the young man smiled and said, “People might believe that if you said it to others, but when you say it to me, I don’t believe it.”
“Oh?” Lu Qingming, dressed in blue-green robes, smiled and asked, “Why don’t you believe it?”
The young man glanced at the Crimson-skirted Maid and teased playfully, “Even though you look young, sir, you’re close to fifty. Your cultivation has reached the peak. Logically, your heart should have long been as calm as water. Yet isn’t there still a young, beautiful girl like Sister Qianqian accompanying you?”
The Crimson-skirted Maid looked at the young man. “If you’re good with words, just say a bit more.”
The young man laughed heartily. “See, sir hasn’t said anything, and you’re already displeased. But am I wrong? Qianqian, you tell me. How often are you with sir? A few days once? Or a few times a day?”
“Get lost!”
The Crimson-skirted Maid flushed, glared at him fiercely, spat out the words, and slammed the teapot onto the tea tray angrily. “Brew it yourself! No one is serving you!”
With that, she turned and strode away.
Bang!
The door was forcefully shut.
Lu Qingming glanced at the young man somewhat helplessly. “What did you have to say that you had to make her leave before telling me?”
The young man chuckled. “Miss Qianqian is pure and kind-hearted. It’s better she doesn’t hear the dirty thoughts in my head.”
Lu Qingming said softly, “If the thoughts in your head are dirty, then what are the thoughts in my head?”
The young man said, “Naturally, sir’s mind holds the fate of the nation and the world. If anyone dared to talk nonsense about someone who cares for his country and the world, I would never let them off!”
Lu Qingming smiled and changed the subject.
“I killed Shen Xiaowu. There are many interpretations outside. What’s your view?”
The young man grinned. “Is sir testing me?”
Lu Qingming looked at him with a smile.
The young man said, “Shen Xiaowu’s greatest ability was not his personal cultivation, but that he turned Zongwu into a real, proper cultivation academy for Great Qin!”
Lu Qingming nodded lightly.
The young man continued, “He also turned the Zongwu students into true iron-blooded warriors. This was something Qin State never had before. He even nurtured a youth like Ling Yi. If he hadn’t died, in a few more years, Qin State might have really become powerful.”
Lu Qingming nodded. “Good, you see it clearly, but many don’t understand.”
“Or they pretend not to understand despite knowing.”
The young man said coolly, “They’re just idle parasites. Why bother with them, sir?”
Lu Qingming smiled. “Many people back home with rather high status think that for me to personally take action and use an ambush to assassinate Shen Xiaowu was a disgraceful thing.”
The young man laughed. “What do they know? If Shen Xiaowu hadn’t been somewhat capable and hadn’t run fast enough, sir would have probably taken Ling Yi out too!”
Lu Qingming sighed softly. “Yes, and because of that, we lost a Wang Fu. What a pity! He was a promising seedling who had the potential for Dao Enlightenment.”
The young man said coldly, “So this time, as long as Ling Yi dares to come, we must keep him here. Great Chu has fine mountains and waters; there are plenty of places to bury him.”
Lu Qingming said, “He must be killed, but before that, we still need to clarify a few things.”
The young man stood up with a smile. “Sir, don’t worry. I won’t be so reckless. If we are to kill him, I’ll make sure he dies convinced and leaves everyone speechless!”
Lu Qingming looked at the young man with satisfaction. After a long moment, he said with a bitter smile, “It would actually be better if you weren’t a prince.”
The young man shook his head. “You’re lying. If I weren’t a prince, I definitely wouldn’t be cut out for cultivation either! My thoughts are too complex, I’m too wicked, I overthink things. I’m not suited for that path.”
Lu Qingming laughed heartily and pointed at him.
After the young man left, the Crimson-skirted Maid reappeared before Lu Qingming, fuming with anger. “Why didn’t you explain?”
Without looking up, Lu Qingming took a leisurely sip of tea. “Explain what?”
“You and I are completely innocent. Why should we endure his teasing? It doesn’t matter for me. No one knows me anyway. But you’re different. You’re the Grand State Preceptor of Chu. You’ve never been close to women in your life. Why deliberately let people think you’re a lecher?”
The Crimson-skirted Maid was very angry, glaring at Lu Qingming as she questioned him.
Lu Qingming looked up at her and smiled. “How do you know I’m not close to women?”
The Crimson-skirted Maid was slightly taken aback, staring at Lu Qingming wordlessly.
Lu Qingming said calmly, “Besides, if I had absolutely no flaws, they’d be afraid of me.”
The Crimson-skirted Maid was stunned. She frowned and thought for a long time before saying, “But you don’t have to slander yourself this way! You could be greedy for money, a gambler, even a drunkard. Why must you be a lecher?”
Lu Qingming laughed. “Because that’s what people are most interested in.”
“…”
Black lines filled the Crimson-skirted Maid’s head. She felt she completely failed to understand this man.
But that wasn’t strange. For a young girl who grew up in a Sect, pampered and held in the palm of someone’s hand, how could she possibly understand these secular struggles?
“Alright, have you finished today’s practice? You are not allowed to slack off,” Lu Qingming looked at the Crimson-skirted Maid. “Your master entrusted you to me, so I have to be responsible for you. Hoping to come here to laze around and play is impossible.”
“Ah, you’re all so annoying!” the Crimson-skirted Maid said angrily. “My master is like this, my adoptive father is like this, and now even you are like this! Someday, if I see someone I like, I’ll just give myself to him and elope with him!”
Lu Qingming: “…”
“Oh, right, that Ling Yi is pretty good! I saw the photos and videos. Hehe, he’s super handsome, and he has a grudge against you guys… Haha, this is fun, I pick him!”
Lu Qingming stared at her in shock, the corner of his mouth twitching. He said flatly, “Don’t mess around.”
“Hehe, we’ll see!”
As if thinking of something amusing, the Crimson-skirted Maid was no longer angry. Smugly humming a song, she left the room.
In the room.
The State Preceptor of Great Chu, the national idol who, despite his reputation for lust, still had countless women wanting to offer themselves to him, rubbed his head and let out a soft sigh.
He muttered, “Who stopped the Beast Tide in Spring City? The one who took action… was frighteningly strong. Someone like that shouldn’t appear in a place like Spring City!”
Lu Qingming narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly. “They say it’s related to Ling Yi… But that shouldn’t be! Shen Xiaowu joined a sect when he was young, but it wasn’t an extraordinary one, and it had long declined. How could there be someone at the Primordial Spirit Realm?”
“If there really was one, why wouldn’t they come looking for me?”
“And while Ling Yi has excellent talent, he can be called a top-tier genius, but he hasn’t reached the absolute peak level. It’s also unlikely that a Primordial Spirit powerhouse would value him so much, right? How could so many mysterious things happen around him?”
As he spoke, Lu Qingming stood up and walked to the window, looking outside.
In the courtyard, a group of seven or eight-year-old children, wearing thin clothes, were diligently practicing their basic skills in the early winter cold.
“You can make my Dao Heart uneasy, that’s enough for you to be proud of.”
“When we meet, no matter what secrets you hold, they won’t escape my eyes.”
Mumbling to himself, Lu Qingming turned and walked to the wall. He formed a hand seal, and an Energy Gate appeared out of thin air. He stepped through it.
Even though he had reached the Peak Dao-Entry, he never neglected his cultivation.
What he pursued wasn’t even the Primordial Spirit Realm.
But higher! Higher! Higher!
Great Qin’s Capital City.
In the Imperial Garden.
Hu Xiaoxian was wandering around the courtyard that Qin Hao had arranged for them.
After walking around for a bit, she came back and whispered mysteriously to Ling Yi, “I discovered there’s a super scary Formation Array here!”
Ling Yi glanced at her. “This is an important royal site. It would be strange if there were no Formation Arrays.”
“Oh, you’re right,” the little fox spirit nodded, then looked at Ling Yi. “Are we really going to Chu State?”
Ling Yi hummed in agreement. “Yes, we are.”
The little fox spirit looked at him. “But it will be very dangerous there! Your biggest enemies are there. If you go right under their noses, how could they possibly let you off?”
Ling Yi looked at her. “If they want to play dirty, we’ll play dirty. If they want it fair and square, then fair and square it is.”
He glanced at the little fox spirit. “Besides, I have you, right?”
“Me?” Hu Xiaoxian pointed at herself, looking surprised. “You mean me?”
Ling Yi nodded.
“I can’t do it! I’ve hardly ever fought!” the Little Fox looked at Ling Yi pitifully. “How about, Young Master, you go this time by yourself? I won’t go and cause trouble?”
“Fine,” Ling Yi agreed casually. “You can leave anytime.”
Hu Xiaoxian was stunned, then put on a serious face. “How could that be? Without me, who would take care of you, Young Master? Who would prepare the Golden Body medicinal baths for you? Don’t worry, if there’s real danger, I’ll definitely run first!”
“…”
To be able to justify cowardice so righteously and in such a fresh, refined way, she really was a clever little thing.
The diplomatic mission from Great Qin to Chu State was confirmed the next day.
The chief envoy was a newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Cabinet named Qi Gaofeng. He had previously served as City Lord in a border city of Qin State. He was a very low-key but highly capable person.
The Aged Monarch ultimately did not make Qin Hao the chief envoy.
After all, no one had high hopes for the outcome of these talks.
There wasn’t much to discuss in the first place; it was just a bullying tactic from Chu State’s side.
Let alone the Crown Prince, even if the Aged Monarch visited in person, there wouldn’t be a good result.
So this was a classic mission where whoever went would take the blame. Having the Crown Prince shoulder it really wasn’t suitable.
Fortunately, Qi Gaofeng, who had just been transferred to the Cabinet, volunteered to take on this blame-bearing role.
What can one say? Daring to shoulder this blame, regardless of his motives, definitely showed a “willingness to take responsibility.”
From another perspective, for a mission doomed to have no good outcome, if a turnaround or reversal occurred, it would absolutely be a great achievement.
However, those qualified to take such a gamble usually wouldn’t risk it lightly; and those daring enough to gamble mostly weren’t qualified.
Qi Gaofeng was one of those with both the courage and the qualifications. So after the list came out, this previously little-known new Deputy Prime Minister immediately attracted a lot of attention.
Qin Hao was the deputy envoy. People like Gu Tong and Ling Yi were also on the list, with no specific positions listed, considered as part of the entourage.
The time was also set. The Private Jet would depart early the next morning.
Ling Yi’s return to the Capital City this time didn’t disturb anyone else.
But in the evening, he received a phone call that surprised him somewhat.