Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 703 - 698: Wantonness Four

Chapter 703: Chapter 698: Wantonness Four

The entire camp was shrouded in silence, with nothing but the wind and the clear chirping of birds in the mountains; no one dared to make the slightest noise.

"Audacious!!!"

It was Prince Qingjing who first came to his senses.

"Who gave the order to release arrows without my command!"

His face immediately filled with rage as he bellowed loud reprimands.

Nobody around him responded.

This trick had been executed by Lin Xin himself, who intentionally used a pebble to hit someone’s crossbow arrow, aiming it towards him.

What he wanted was to show off his skill in front of everyone.

In situations where spell methods were difficult to display, this kind of most direct method was the quickest way to establish authority.

"No harm, no harm," Lin Xin chuckled with a smirk. "Nothing but trivial annoyances like little ants."

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

Such a close-range shot from a crossbow, not to mention a person, even a wild bull could be nailed dead, yet it didn’t even penetrate this man’s skin.

This was nothing short of demon art!

After a moment of silence.

"May I ask if the Taoist has seen the four individuals from the Huai Yang Princess..."

As relations eased, Prince Qingjing coughed softly and quietly inquired about the purpose of Lin Xin’s visit.

"They’re just staying on the mountain. There’s a cave at the peak, just take some men to bring them down," said Lin Xin. With a master-slave contract in place, there was no way they could escape; he was not in a hurry, knowing that when the contract-induced agony struck later, they would obediently come to him.

Prince Qingjing was immediately delighted upon hearing this, realizing that it was an expression of Lin Xin’s goodwill. He quickly sent people to search the mountaintop, and soon four unharmed youths were rescued.

Apart from being a bit weary, the four were fine. The accompanying imperial physician came to examine them and simply prescribed a calming and shock-settling herbal decoction for each.

Prince Qingjing could finally breathe a sigh of relief, having successfully completed the task assigned to him by the Emperor.

What followed was the reorientation of the troops and the surrounding suppression, but of course this was not mentioned; the Red Flower Taoist was now on his side anyway. The people present were all his confidants, and those in the distance could not really see what was happening.

After some coordination.

Prince Qingjing straightforwardly fabricated the story that ’he encountered the Taoist on his way and with his help saved the princess and the others from the clutches of the evil-doers,’ enriching the tale with over a dozen eyewitnesses.

With Lin Xin’s slight manipulation, the Huai Yang Princess and the others also obediently cooperated, playing their parts well.

Thus, the major case in the Capital City was quickly resolved.

After the incident at Fengyi Mountain, the Capital quickly returned to calm.

Prince Qingjing was only staying in the Capital temporarily and soon led his men back to his fief.

Lin Xin accompanied him as well.

He had already chosen a location for establishing his sect—within Prince Qingjing’s territory, on a desolate, unnamed mountain range.

He directly named it on the map as Qing Lake Mountain, with the sect being the Lakeside Mountain Sect.

The Huai Yang Princess and the other three followed him obediently under the guise of touring, accompanying Lin Xin and his entourage back to the fief.

Gradually, rumors also began to spread across Jianghu that the court of Prince Zhou finally recruited a top-tier master of hidden weapons. Those who had seen him in action claimed it was like suddenly seeing countless arms, hence he was dubbed the Thousand-Hand Divine Monarch.

Soon, this nickname reached the ears of both Feng Qing Hall and the Imperial Court.

However, both powers remained silent and motionless, without the slightest stir.

In Jianghu, there was not much reaction either, but Yao Yuanhui and her group arrived at a Feng Qing Hall branch and, under assumed names, began to carefully investigate who leaked the information that night, causing Yao Household to be completely surrounded and suffer countless casualties.

Meanwhile, whispers began to circulate quietly among the counties and states within Prince Qingjing’s domain.

The Thousand-Hand Divine Monarch desired to open a sect on a desolate mountain west of Jinzhou to teach the Longevity techniques and the great Dao of Eternal Youth.

Upon hearing the news, those in the know immediately understood that this was a major force cheering on their own, adding momentum to the cause.

Otherwise, such a message with limited communicability could never have spread across Prince Qingjing’s entire territory overnight.

********************

The autumn breeze was slightly chilly.

In a gray and white courtyard in Jinzhou, the garden was tightly arranged with flowers, and every so often along the enclosing wall hung a bronze disc, each with a different strange symbol attached to it.

The courtyard was large; it took a good hundred and eighty steps to walk from one end to the other.

Inside, Prince Qingjing and four men—Huang Sheng with the Three Commands Spear, Zhao Liang the Yellow River Dragon, Sun Wuji with the Split Diagram Sabers, and Yang Zong with the Declining Sun Sword—were seated in a circle, watching a sparring match between two younger individuals in the middle.

Lin Xin sat by himself on the other side of Prince Qingjing, with his eyes closed in meditation, clearly engaged in Qi Cultivation.

But just by looking at his appearance, no one could tell what purpose his meditation served.

"Taoist Priest... the message has already been spread out, and we’ve begun major construction on the chosen land. But what about the thing you promised me?" Prince Qingjing asked Lin Xin in a low voice while watching the young competitors.

This time the Phoenix Cry Hairpin had an unexpected lead, and both Feng Qing Hall and the person above had made their moves.

"This Phoenix Cry Hairpin is reputed as the king of the world’s first hidden weapon; he who possesses it rules the world. If someone else should obtain it, I fear even the Emperor would be restless," Prince Qingjing whispered.

He was preparing to ask Lin Xin to personally go and investigate.

Lin Xin, however, shook his head slightly.

"There’s no rush for the moment, let’s wait until Fengqing Hall and the people from the Imperial Court make a move, then we’ll see. Hidden weapons are for people to use, and there has never been a ’No. 1 Hidden Weapon King’ in the world. I’m afraid there’s more implied in that saying."

Actually, he had been planning to join in on the excitement, but with the deadline of a month approaching, he intended to return to check on the state of his domain and also to compare the flow of time between the two worlds.

The vast difference in nature’s spiritual energy would likely affect even the passage of time.

People have already been dispatched to search for the Boundary Stone, which King Qing Jing indeed did not lie about.

But when it can be found now depends on luck.

If one wants to find it earlier, it seems one must rely on Yao Yuanhui.

Where the fate of heaven and earth converges, one should be able to discern some of the patterns there.

"Princess Huai Yang and the other three have come again, and I’m afraid they are here to seek out the Taoist Priest," King Qing Jing also expressed confusion. What trick did this Red Flower Taoist use to have these four people so persistently seek him out, and not dare to disclose what happened after they were kidnapped, only cooperating in fabricating a set of lies?

"I, the poor Taoist, will be traveling afar soon; they’re here to deliver items for the journey."

Lin Xin naturally wouldn’t openly admit that he had instructed the four individuals to gather various treasures from heaven and earth.

King Qing Jing shook his head, holding Red Flower Taoist in high respect and not daring to be negligent. Especially with him stationed at the Prince’s mansion, a Grandmaster Level expert was present, which made him feel much more at ease and secure.

"Yet this Phoenix Cry Hairpin... the fact that it could stir two mighty forces, there must be a story behind it."

Lin Xin then spoke slowly, "After I finish my affairs, you can accompany me on the journey."

Upon hearing this, King Qing Jing was overjoyed and nodded vigorously to him.

He had invested a great deal of human, financial, and material resources to build the Sect of Lakeside Mountain, to spread its fame, and even to establish Disciple Halls in various populated regions under his domain, all to create momentum for Red Flower Taoist.

It was also to make the other two major forces understand that he was no longer the ordinary force one could bully like before, but truly had the status to speak with them on equal terms.

The title of Thousand-Hand Divine Monarch was also spread by his command.

From the Red Flower Taoist’s two interventions, it was evident how extremely proficient he was with hidden weapons; with a flick of his hand, dozens would fall, a method so otherworldly that it was unimaginable by mortals.

Coupled with his terrifying Horizontal Kung Fu, immune to blades and spears, he would be equivalent to a hundred or even a thousand foes on the battlefield!

Giving him the title of a Divine Monarch was not inappropriate.

"Alright, my good disciple has arrived. Prince, Red Flower will take his leave first."

Lin Xin suddenly opened his eyes and said softly.

"Please, do as you like," King Qing Jing nodded and responded.

In reality, he was also keen for Red Flower to leave first. With his presence, Huang Sheng and the others were all walking on thin ice, thoroughly intimidated by this demonic power. Even Huang Sheng could not withstand a single catch by him, and the others were even more vulnerable.

During these days, this group of experts tried every means possible to probe Lin Xin’s depth, but unfortunately, after probing, they felt the same as at the beginning: unfathomable.

Once Lin Xin left the courtyard, the atmosphere among all the experts present relaxed significantly, and the noise in the area became somewhat more lively.

"Prince, this Red Flower Taoist..." Three Commands Spear Huang Sheng opened his mouth with some concern.

He admitted he was no match for Red Flower and inside this Prince’s mansion, no one could contend with him. If one were to inadvertently anger him, the threat would be too great...

"Never mind." As a figure of stature, King Qing Jing naturally understood what he wanted to say. "Since Red Flower Taoist chose to collaborate with the little prince from the start, he’s not the kind to renege on his word; he is not such a petty person."

Lin Xin, already far away, overheard this conversation and nodded slightly to himself, thinking King Qing Jing was quite clear-headed, a decent partner for collaboration.

As for the partner he originally intended to work with, the current Emperor, he had also gone to take a look and found him to be utterly incompetent. The Empress on the other hand seemed to be wise and industrious; if not for her, holding up the Imperial Court, this world could fall into chaos at any moment.

His decision to cooperate with King Qing Jing was not a bad one after all.

After leaving the courtyard, he followed the winding path, crossed a small bridge, passed through the inner court, and stopped in front of a rockery.

The guards kept a respectful distance around him, creating a buffer against any noise and maintaining vigilance.

Before long, Princess Huai Yang, Zhou Yan, in her white dress, arrived together with the other three.

The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel’s two children, Chen Xing and Chen Cailing.

The son of a Marquis and the little commander in Silver Armor, Zhao Kunpeng.

All four looked slightly haggard but in good spirits, obviously fatigued.

Approaching him, upon seeing Lin Xin behind the rockery,

All four of them greeted him with great respect and saluted in unison.

"Honored Master."

"Have you brought the items?" Lin Xin nodded slightly and inquired.

The four did not dare show any disrespect and appeared extremely cautious.

"To report, Honored Master, we’ve gathered what we could find, though we’re not sure if these are precisely the items you mentioned," Huai Yang replied softly.

This beautiful and fierce woman had been put through much by Lin Xin lately.

Because she was the most stubborn and headstrong, at first she flatly refused to submit.

So, she had directly experienced what it meant to be helpless against one’s will.

ps: I invite everyone to follow my official account. Open WeChat, go to the top right corner and search — Author Roll Away. You can follow me there, where I’ll occasionally post information about this book and the latest updates. I will also periodically organize votes that may influence the future of some key characters and the direction of the plot.