Chapter 92 – Declined
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Hu! After Zhu Yan returned to his residence, a ball of flame burst into sparks in front of him. This was a message sent by a sound transmitting talisman from the Tenth Prince, Yang Zhen. The Tenth Prince wanted him to come see him tonight at his palace.
Zhu Yan could hear his underlying tone. The Ten Prince did not sound happy!
Zhu Yan knew for certain that if the Tenth Prince wanted to see him, it was because of that moment when Lin Ming had openly challenged him. The scouts he had sent to observe the situation must have reported back to the Tenth Prince.
Win over Lin Ming? Stop dreaming!
Zhu Yan reached out a hand and crushed the smoldering ashes in front of him. The voice of the Tenth Prince came to a screeching halt.
Zhu Yan slowly rose up and poured himself a glass of wine. He raised the glass and drained the whole thing. Slowly, his eyes became quietly cold, like a placid lake.
“There is still a month. Do you think that Lin Ming has already won?”
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As Lin Ming returned to his residence, he also received sound transmitting talismans simultaneously from the Tenth Prince and the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince’s message was from Muyi.
In the sound transmitting talisman, Muyi sent his congratulations and invited Lin Ming to the Crown Prince’s palace to visit and have a drink.
As for the Tenth Price, he also invited Lin Ming over and also asked if Lin Ming could take a view at a rare human-step manual that he had.
These two sound transmitting talismans, in truth, had already violated the regulations of the Seven Profound Martial House. The Martial House had stipulated that any and all outside influences could not disturb disciples in the middle of the school period, even if it was a sound transmitting talisman sent from the outside. However, the present events were of an important matter with the princes competing for the throne, so naturally the Martial House was able to bend the rules a little to accommodate them.
“It seems that both sides want to win me over… I have antagonized too many people and made too many enemies. My own strength is weak… I may be safe in the Seven Profound Martial House, but if I go out, I might be assassinated! Although I created a story that I have some formidable master at my back, this kind of fake thing might not necessarily deter others. If I take a side for the time being, then they can also protect me. Muyi has been gracious and generous towards me and we are friends, and the Crown Prince helped me one time so I owe him a favor. If I join them, that would be a good choice. As for the Tenth Prince, he is a child of the concubine empress of the Zhu Family…” Lin Ming didn’t care much about politics, but he knew about the Zhu Family’s situation, and that the Tenth Prince was Zhu Yan’s cousin. The Zhu Family had used this relationship to climb up the ladder; their influence was growing day by day and rising in the ranks.
It was impossible for Lin Ming to take the Tenth Prince’s side. He immediately declined him!
As for giving face to Muyi, that was something that he absolutely had to do, but now was not the time…
“I thank your highness the Crown Prince for your great and kind invitation, but I already have a promised date in a month and must seize every second and minute, thus I cannot keep my appointment with you. One month later, I will come visit and pay my thanks to your hospitality at that time.
In the Eastern Palace of the Crown Prince, Muyi received Lin Ming’s sound transmitting talisman. He traced his beard and said with a smile, “Lin Ming said that he would come to visit in a month.”
“Oh? This Lin Ming is really so diligent that he doesn’t have a free evening?”
Muyi replied, “Your highness must know that the man that cultivates the path of martial arts must be fastidious and keep their thoughts and heart pure. Lin Ming wholeheartedly pursues the martial arts peak; if his heart doesn’t have any distracting thoughts, then his growth will also be very fast. If he were to come for a drink even for a night, then there would be some unavoidable disturbances in his mind and it would take perhaps a day or two to adjust back.”
“So that’s how it is. No wonder this Lin Ming’s cultivation progressed so quickly. His heart of martial arts must be make up a large part of the reason?”
“Yes. Normally if someone’s heart of martial arts is weak, when they only have some achievements, they have major powers from far and wide trying to win them over. They are very easily tempted by things like wealth and beauty. This kind of person will always lack great talent, and can only be a follower! However, that Lin Ming’s strength improved so quickly is not just due to his pure heart of martial arts, but also because he has a formidable master behind him.”
Initially, Lin Ming had asked Muyi to keep his secret of being an inscription master private, but he had not said anything to Muyi about keeping this formidable shadow master of his a secret.
In fact, with Lin Ming’s current reputation, even if he were to publicize his status as an inscription master, it would not be dangerous. It would even add to the chips in his hand! Not to mention that he had the Crown Prince and Muyi’s protection now, his status of being a talented disciple of the Seven Profound Marital House was already an enormous deterrent.
“Of course… what sort of master is this behind Lin Ming? The Crown Prince asked as his eyes lit up.
Muyi saw this look of the Crown Prince and clearly knew what thoughts he had. He smiled and said, “Your highness should not expect to count on this person. I guess that this senior is at least at the Large Success of Xiantian stage. He might have even already surpassed the Xiantian stage; the height of the realms he has reached is already beyond our understanding. He would not meddle in the earthly matters.”
“Surpasses Xiantian!” Yang Lin’s heart shook as he heard this. “What sort of realm is above a Xiantian master?”
Muyi forced a wry smile. He said, “I do not know the martial arts path beyond that. For those that do not come from an ancient clan or sect, the martial artist who learns by themselves is just like living in a dense fog, they simply do not know where or what to explore. After the Xiantian stage, I am not clear what sort of realm it is…”
Yang Lin let loose a light breath and said, “Teacher, please do not belittle yourself. You already have such achievements though you are not from a sect or a clan; you are already a rare talent. I only have one point that is unclear; if this Lin Ming has such a formidable master behind him, why would he go to the Seven Profound Martial House?”
Muyi said, “Well about this I also have some doubts. To the martial arts path beyond the Xiantian stage, I do not completely understand. Perhaps if one wants to reach the higher boundaries in martial arts, they need to experience for themselves the world and accumulate life experiences, and that is why Lin Ming then came to Sky Fortune City.”
“Mmm. Whether or not I can win over Lin Ming, I must at least become friends with him. Next month when Lin Ming comes, I will personally greet him and give him a proper banquet!”
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“This Lin Ming, he actually rejected me!”
At the Cloud Prince’s palace, the Tenth Prince Yang Zhen received the sound transmitting talisman that Lin Ming had replied with, and his face immediately sank. “Zhu Yan, you really did a good deed. For a mere woman you have offended such a powerful enemy, you have really disappointed me!”
Zhu stood in front, silent and without words. Originally when he had succeeded in snatching and obtaining Lan Yunyue, Lin Ming had only been a little unimportant guy, nothing more than a bug beneath his heel. No matter what happened, he could easily deal with him. To take a woman from such an useless person, what could go wrong? Who could possibly expect that Lin Ming would grow so quickly into such a powerful enemy?
Of course, he did not explain these matters nor did he need to. Yang Zhen had asked him here today to let loose his volatile temper. Zhu Yan was very clear; his current status and his Zhu Family’s status was all because of the Tenth Prince. The Tenth Prince was his master, and in front of him, he could not revolt.
“I borrowed your Zhu Family’s strength because I thought you could assist me in dealing with my hurdle, but now you have only added to the chaos! I had the absolute confidence to win over Lin Ming, but now!”
“Zhu Yan, you followed me because you wanted to do great things and have great accomplishments! Only the stupidest, the absolute stupidest people would kill the world for just a woman! That Lan Yunyue, you will divorce her!”
As the Tenth Prince said this, Zhu Yan’s brow slightly wrinkled. He said, “Your highness, even if I divorce Lan Yunyue, it is impossible for me to ease my relationship with Lin Ming. Do you believe that Lin Ming will forgive this betrayal and join together with Lan Yunyue again? This battle of mine and Lin Ming’s was because of Lan Yunyue, but now, it already has nothing to do with Lan Yunyue any longer.”
“I do not need you to preach to me! I already know that Lin Ming will not want Lan Yunyue again. But, if you divorce her, it will be a sign of showing weakness and humbling yourself before Lin Ming. Afterwards you can apologize. Only like this can we possibly sit down and discuss the future together. Only like this will I have the possibility to offer him generous conditions and bring him to my side! No longer an eternal enemy, only eternal benefits. I will choose for him beauties that far outstrip Lan Yunyue, heavenly beauties who are as obedient as a cat. I will give him great wealth and top cultivation methods. How could he not side with me? What the Crown Prince can give him is nothing compared to what I can!”
“You want me to show weakness and humble myself before Lin Ming…?” Zhu Yan’s mouth twitched and his fists clenched together until they were white. For someone like him who had an arrogant personality, to show weakness and humble himself, it was worse than killing him!