Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts
Chapter 482

“Sir.”

Inside a private room of a tavern, Mu Jin stepped in once again.

“Mu Jin greets you, sir.”

Dressed in a pink gown, Mu Jin curtsied slightly, a faint smile lingering on her lips. It seemed that for this woman, she was always like this—always carrying that subtle smile, as if it had never faded.

“How are things going?”

The man remained seated by the window, sipping his wine. On the table were just a few ordinary side dishes to go with the drink.

“Sir, the Jinyiwei is quite lively these days,” Mu Jin organized her thoughts before responding with a smile.

“The matter with Zheng Qiu has already been dealt with. The moment he stepped into the interrogation hall, he immediately knelt down, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy. In the end, Zheng Liu paid a sum of money to the storyteller and his granddaughter. The two forgave Zheng Liu and decided not to pursue the matter further. However, according to the laws of the Wu Kingdom, Zheng Qiu still has to serve six months in prison. He has already been transferred to the Jingzhao Bureau.”

The man nodded. “Zheng Liu was just a disposable pawn we placed in the game. He may not be particularly capable, but he does have a clear grasp of the situation. He understands that his son was merely a trigger—the real players in this conflict are Xu Ming and that Grand Pillar.

If he were to get further involved, there would be no good outcome for him. Given that, he might as well focus on extracting his son from the mess. Now that his son has served his purpose, it’s only natural for him to find a way to get him out.

If nothing unexpected happens, once his son is released in six months, Zheng Liu will probably retire from his post. There’s no need to concern ourselves with him anymore—let him enjoy life as a wealthy man. He has done quite a few things over the years, even if most of them were ultimately useless.”

“Understood,” Mu Jin nodded.

Based on her usual experience, she had considered whether they should get rid of Zheng Liu’s son entirely to erase any traces. But since her master had already dismissed the matter, there was no need. That useless coward had just lucked out.

“Continue—what’s the situation with the Grand Pillar and Xu Ming?” the man asked. “That’s what I care about the most. In my view, the conflict between those two isn’t something that can be easily resolved.”

Mu Jin’s lips curled into a smile. “That’s the most interesting part. At first, the Grand Pillar didn’t take a tough stance against Xu Ming—in fact, he was even somewhat deferential. I was worried our plan might not work out.

But who could have expected that this young top scholar, whether due to arrogance or naivety, refused to give the Grand Pillar any face at all?

Xu Ming insisted on convicting Mo Yuanshan.

Even when the Grand Pillar presented an Imperial Pardon, it was useless.

Back when the founding emperor of Wu Kingdom bestowed that pardon upon the Grand Pillar, he declared that if anyone attempted to convict him, they would have to endure three punches from him.

And yet, Xu Ming actually stood in front of the Grand Pillar and said he was willing to test the Grand Pillar’s strength.

This is a Limit Realm martial artist we’re talking about.

Even if Xu Ming has some martial talent, and even if the Grand Pillar is only allowed to use strength two realms above Xu Ming’s, it’s still a massive gap.

Not to mention, the Grand Pillar’s physical prowess far surpasses Xu Ming’s.

From my perspective, the Grand Pillar might end up killing Xu Ming with a single punch—especially if Xu Ming tries to show off.

No matter what happens, after this incident, the relationship between the Jinyi Bureau and the Grand Pillar will be completely severed.

That princess is also with the Jinyiwei now, so at the very least, the Grand Pillar’s faction won’t have any further dealings with them.

Everything is unfolding just as we planned.”

“Heh…”

After Mu Jin finished speaking, the man chuckled and took a sip of his wine.

“My old brother… How should I put it? As expected, his heart still leans toward the current Emperor of Wu. But I suppose that’s understandable.

After all, our Emperor is indeed a wise ruler. Any reasonable subordinate wouldn’t have much to complain about under his reign, and the common folk seem to quite like him as well.

Not to mention, my old brother is already aging. He doesn’t want to stir up any more trouble. His mindset is probably the same as Zheng Liu’s now—just looking for an opportunity to retire peacefully.

But he is, after all, the only Limit Realm martial artist in the entire Wu Kingdom. No matter what, even to his dying breath, he must stand on Wu’s side.

Even though he agreed to make things difficult for Xu Ming, he still left Xu Ming plenty of room to maneuver.

In the end, he even brought out the Imperial Pardon. That alone shows that, deep down, he actually appreciates Xu Ming quite a bit.

Could it be that my old friend sees Xu Ming as his successor?”

“Wasn’t the Grand Pillar pulling out the Imperial Pardon something you already predicted, sir? But just as you foresaw, even with the Imperial Pardon in front of him, Xu Ming remained as stubborn as ever.

To be honest, even I couldn’t bear to watch.

For a moment, I really thought our plan was going to fail.

If it were me, I would have just agreed to the Grand Pillar’s request and let his son go.”

Mu Jin smiled, a trace of schadenfreude in her expression.

The man shook his head. “It’s not that my predictions were accurate—it’s that I didn’t underestimate this young Top Scholar. In fact, I even wondered if I had overestimated him. But now, it turns out that from beginning to end, this Top Scholar has been making the right choices.”

“I don’t understand,” Mu Jin said, puzzled. “That Top Scholar is being ridiculously stubborn. He’s backed himself into a corner. Why would you say that was the right decision?”

“Heh…”

The man chuckled.

“If you broaden your perspective a little, you’ll understand.

For Xu Ming personally, avoiding direct conflict with Mo Peinan would have been the best choice. After all, the Grand Pillar had already lowered himself so much—he even brought out the Imperial Pardon. Even if Xu Ming had relented, no one would have blamed him.

But from the perspective of the Jinyiwei, it’s a completely different story.

The Jinyiwei is an institution with supreme authority.

However, authority isn’t something that can be used arbitrarily—it must be enforced. And enforcement requires the Jinyiwei to establish its prestige in the eyes of all.

If the Jinyiwei wants to use this case to cement its authority, then it cannot take a single step back—not unless it is absolutely forced to. The outcome must be so ironclad that no one can find a single flaw in it.

Even the one in the imperial palace is watching this case closely.

He wants to see how far Xu Ming can push the institution he created.

So this Top Scholar isn’t just being stubborn for the sake of the people or the Jinyiwei. He’s doing it for the Emperor to see as well.”

“Hehehe.”

The man smirked.

“This is the Jinyiwei’s first case.

Not just the people, but the civil and military officials—all of them are watching.

The eight thousand Jinyiwei Guards are watching.

Xu Ming’s actions today will determine how those eight thousand men act for the next twenty years.

Whether the Jinyiwei truly becomes a sharp blade…

It all depends on today.”

—

Inside the main hall of the Jinyiwei.

As Xu Ming’s words fell, the entire hall plunged into silence.

Tang Ningzhi stood up, seemingly wanting to say something, but was held back by Wu Yanhan.

Tang Ningzhi looked at Wu Yanhan, her eyes clearly saying: Xu Ming is just being reckless—he’s seeking death! Are you really going to just stand by and watch him throw his life away?

In her heart, she truly couldn’t understand.

By all logic, this princess of the Wu Kingdom should like Xu Ming very much. And yet now, she wasn’t saying a single word, simply watching as Xu Ming walked toward the worst possible outcome.

Wu Yanhan understood Tang Ningzhi’s thoughts, but in the end, she only responded with a firm gaze.

“…”

Tang Ningzhi pressed her thin lips together, recalling the words Wu Yanhan had said to her before:

“No matter what he does, I will always stand by his side.”

Taking a deep breath, Tang Ningzhi sat back down.

She fixed her gaze on Xu Ming and Mo Peinan.

After calming herself slightly, Tang Ningzhi realized things might not be as bad as she had initially thought.

No matter what, Xu Ming was the Top Scholar of the Wu Kingdom—the brightest hope of its literary world.

Even the Grand Pillar wouldn’t dare kill him so easily.

But what if?

What if Mo Peinan really struck Xu Ming down? What could the Emperor of Wu say? What could anyone say?

The truth was, the Grand Pillar had already given Xu Ming enough face.

Yet Xu Ming refused to back down even an inch, his determination bordering on obstinacy.

If anything were to happen to Xu Ming now, there would be no one to hold Mo Peinan accountable.

At most, the Grand Pillar might suffer some scolding from the common folk.

But so what?

Who among them would truly dare challenge the might of the strongest warrior in the Wu Kingdom?

At the entrance, the gathered crowd of citizens was holding their breath for Xu Ming.

Especially the young women among them—they were truly worried for the Top Scholar.

If anything happened to Xu Ming, they wouldn’t even know what to do.

They would rather see their own fiancés suffer than watch the Top Scholar fall.

After all, if a fiancé was lost, he could always be replaced.

But Xu Ming?

Xu Ming was their untouchable white moonlight.

If he was gone—he was gone.

“Very well!” The Grand Pillar nodded. “I must admit, Xu Ming, you truly have an unyielding spirit. I haven’t interacted with you much, but now I understand why Xiao Mochi holds you in such high regard.”

Xu Ming cupped his hands in salute. “Many thanks for your praise, Grand Pillar.”

Mo Peinan looked at Xu Ming calmly.

“Since you’ve already decided, I have nothing more to say. But Xu Ming, remember—I will not hold back! Your life and death are your own responsibility!”

Xu Ming smiled and nodded. “Naturally.”

“Where do you intend to take my three punches? Surely not here? I’d rather not bring down your entire hall,” Mo Peinan said, glancing around.

“The Jinyiwei has a training ground. That should suffice,” Xu Ming replied.

“Fine, then we’ll use your training ground!” Mo Peinan had no objections.

In fact, he was somewhat looking forward to it.

This Xu Ming was a dual cultivator of both the sword and martial arts—Mo Peinan was eager to see exactly how capable he was. Had his martial prowess been completely abandoned, or did he still have something left?

“Please, Grand Pillar.”

Xu Ming gestured politely.

The Grand Pillar cast Xu Ming one last glance before stepping out of the great hall.

The others naturally followed.

At the Jinyiwei’s training ground, Xu Ming and the Grand Pillar stood facing each other.

Outside the arena, a crowd had already gathered—common citizens, Jinyiwei Guards—all watching in silent anticipation.

Everyone watched the scene unfold with bated breath, their nerves stretched taut.

Tang Ningzhi clenched her fists tightly.

If anything happened to Xu Ming, it would be a complete disaster.

But now, there was nothing she could do to stop it.

She glanced at Wu Yanhan beside her.

Wu Yanhan’s gaze remained fixed on the stage, unwavering from beginning to end.

—

Inside the imperial palace.

“Your Majesty, this is bad!”

Wei Xun came tumbling into the hall, practically rolling to the feet of Emperor Wu.

“Speak. What is it this time?”

Emperor Wu rubbed his temples, his tone filled with exasperation.

His head was already aching as it was.

“Your Majesty, the Grand Pillar took out his Imperial Pardon Token to save his son!” Wei Xun blurted out.

“And?” The Emperor frowned. “Since he took out the token, shouldn’t that have been the end of it?”

“It should have been, Your Majesty! But the Top Scholar… he—he refused to acknowledge the token!”

The more Wei Xun spoke, the more sweat beaded on his forehead.

“Now the Top Scholar and the Grand Pillar are already at the training ground—he’s going to take the Grand Pillar’s three punches!”