Chapter 701: Backed Into A Corner
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Wind brewed in the company of the clouds, rising rapidly, and dying down as fast as it had come. The unprecedented martial world turbulence that had started in Tiantang City had ended in the same location.
Although many people had died in the process and Tiantang City's east district had fallen into ruins during this time, Tiantang City itself did not seem to have suffered much damage.
The tattered land of ruins could easily be reconstructed. It was not exactly bad news for the houses and buildings to be brought down onto the ground. Without destruction, there would be no construction. Now that the destruction was complete, the construction process was greatly anticipated.
The renovated east district would then become cleaner and tidier than the other city districts. It was expected to be a more uniform area in terms of style and atmosphere.
This was, instead, something good to Yutang.
As for the many casualties, ninety-nine percent of them were from the martial world. Whether they were martial artists or assassins, they did not have much to do with Yutang. On the contrary, there were no fewer than a hundred thousand people who owed Yutang a favor for sending their remains back to their homeland after the battle.
At the very least, Yutang had gained much in terms of reputation.
More crucially, the assassin organizations that Yutang had been worrying about had been wiped out in this battle! Among the hundreds of thousands of known killers who made a living out of assassination, only five people had managed to escape!
Furthermore, these five people were released after being granted a reprieve. Therefore, there would be no further concerns about assassinations in the realm of Yutang.
From now on until a very, very long time later, it would become a common fact that commissioning assassins was a challenging task to jumpstart in the entire continent.
Subsequently, this situation was incredibly good news to all the officials and tycoons across the continent. After all, the more fame and fortune one had, the more fearful they were of dying. Illnesses and assassinations had always been the millionaires' worst fears. Now that half of their fears would no longer plague them for a long time to come, how could they not cheer in ecstasy?
Due to this very reason, after this incident, Yutang's reputation had risen to a substantially high stage, be it among the empires or the ungoverned territories.
The only one who was unhappy and unfortunate was probably Yutang's crown prince, His Highness, himself.
"I've sent men to grab the dragon hide treasure map? I've wiped out countless top-notch assassins three times over?"
The crown prince was dumbfounded upon hearing the report. His handsome face turned pale. "When have I issued an order like this? How is it possible?"
"The crown prince's six troops?" His Highness was confounded. "It's true that they belong to the crown prince's residence, but it's only for show. Since when can I, the crown prince, instruct those people? These troops are secured by father – why would they ever obey my commands? If I could deploy them, wouldn't I have…"
He was merely being honest. While the crown prince's six troops consisted of tens of thousands of men, they were the most elite combat power within the Yutang military. Their cultivation base, discipline, weapons, or equipment were all among the best of the best. However, they had only carried a title.
The crown prince had never thought to use this squad. He dared not use this squad. No one from the squad ever really listened to His Highness.
If that had been the case, how could these militants have exterminated so many premier assassins with three rounds of bows and arrows? This was a miraculous feat, despite it being an ambush, despite the timely attack, despite the fact that their targets were already exhausted and injured!
Had these people actually obeyed the crown prince, he would probably have woken up laughing from his dreams and yearned for this to be reality.
In spite of this…
"Guard, send General Li over. I have something to ask him!" His Highness' expression turned menacing.
"Your Highness, General Li says that… he is currently occupied with military affairs. Your Highness' arrangement is completed and the trip here will take much time. He asks that Your Highness need not be overly courteous, there is sufficient time in the future to reward him."
The crown prince was apoplectic with rage. "What I arranged is completed? Need not be courteous? Reward?"
"Bastard!"
His Highness sprung up with a growl, "This is a baseless accusation! He's framing me, making things up! This is defaming the prince – this is – this is a huge blame placed upon me! How could there still be a future for me?"
The crown prince was almost hysterical.
How could he admit to things like this? If he had actually wanted to do so, he would never make it so clear and overt!
'You've completed your task and the future is yet to come… Forget the fact that I didn't instruct you to do so – even if it had been my order, why would you let the five most terrifying assassins go?'
'I was the one who commissioned them!'
'Now the story has turned to make me out as the one who wants to kill them – and I've already killed ten thousand of their brothers!'
'This irreconcilable grudge has been pinned on me directly – I won't even be able to wash it off by jumping into the Lunar River!'
'From now on, everyone in this world need not worry about assassinations, but this crown prince has to live in fear day and night because I need to watch out for them!'
'At all times and at all places, I may be assassinated by Hen Bieli, Hong Zhan or even all five pinnacle killers!'
His Highness growled and prowled in a rage, cursing out loud.
To this day, the crown prince was basically a general without an army. Other than a few feeble scholars, he really did not have any powerful forces behind him. His aides had been killed, one after another; his teacher had been murdered as well. Anyone of his guards who could be considered an expert was also butchered.
As he continued to muse, it came as a surprise to the crown prince that it seemed that the only one by his side whom he could discuss things with was the crown princess. Unknowingly, the talents around him, the eastern palace heir, had withered to naught!
"Your Highness, this incident is obviously a trap set up by His Majesty, King Xiaoyao and the military side." The crown princess was clearly wearing distress on her face. "Other than not knowing if His Majesty is totally oblivious or has granted permission discreetly, the military and King Xiaoyao must have personally participated in this whole debacle."
"Why is this so?" The crown prince asked, lost.
"Don't you see the current state of things yet, Your Highness? Everything they've done is none other than clearing the path for someone else. Your Highness is the legitimate heir to Yutang's throne – how can you not be their biggest obstacle right now?" replied the crown princess.
"Correct. This must have been planned by Yun Yang, Tie Zheng, and the others. They want to force me to an impasse. How dare they… How dare they…" agreed His Highness.
The crown princess lowered her head and said, "Looking into the truth of this no longer helps the situation you are in now. Your Highness… the case is clear; the good days are gone. It is destined that the position as the eastern palace heir cannot be secured. Forcing it to happen may cost lives. Your Highness, your mistress asks for you to devise a method to gracefully retire as soon as possible. It's more important to stay alive."
The crown princess looked defeated but she was more lucid than the crown prince, knowing that her man no longer had a future carrying Yutang's prime position. Insisting on it would only mean the end, without any luck to overturn their fate.
Recalling the time when she had just become the crown princess, she had dreamed more than once to be the maternal model to the world, standing shoulder to shoulder with the crown prince. Today – no, since a long time ago, she no longer bore such a hope.
The crown prince sighed. "The problem is… even if I'm willing to be the scapegoat and resign from the position as the crown prince now, I can barely hang on to my life. The ones they freed are the pinnacle assassins of this world – the five aces… Worst of all, I am the biggest mortal enemy of these five killers!"
"This battle has ended my future – and my life!" It was like the crown prince had aged instantly. "I have been backed into a corner!"