Mo Li

"Mu Qingcang!" Feng Zhiyao landed in the courtyard, frowning at the black-clad man before him.

Hearing this, Ye Li raised an eyebrow with interest and smiled faintly. "The Number One Expert of Great Chu... Mu Qingcang? To dispatch even such a peerless master—your master truly holds this princess in high regard." Mu Qingcang's expression remained cold as he replied indifferently, "I don’t understand what the princess means. Night Kill operates on payment—there is no 'master' involved."

Ye Li arched her delicate brows, her eyes shimmering with amusement as she gazed at him. For some reason, Mu Qingcang seemed unable to withstand her gaze and turned his head away awkwardly. Tilting her head slightly, she studied him for a moment before remarking lightly, "The Number One Expert of Great Chu? This princess finds that title somewhat exaggerated, don’t you think?"

"What gives you the right to say that?!" A flash of murderous intent crossed Mu Qingcang’s eyes as he glared at her furiously. Princess Ding could insult his actions or even his character, but she absolutely could not insult the dignity of his title as the Number One Expert of Great Chu. He swept a disdainful glance at the people surrounding him and sneered, "With just these youngsters—" But halfway through his words, he met Ye Li’s mocking gaze and swallowed the rest of his sentence, his face darkening. Regardless of how these people had captured him, the fact remained that they had subdued the Number One Expert of Great Chu with almost no losses. In martial arts, there was no second place—no matter how formidable one’s skills, defeat was defeat.

Ye Li nodded with a faint smile. "It’s true they had some luck in defeating you today. But you’d best believe that even if there were several more Mu Qingcangs, this princess would still capture them all."

Mu Qingcang scoffed derisively, clearly unconvinced. Unperturbed, Ye Li continued, "When I said your title was exaggerated, it wasn’t because you lost to them. It’s because... you’ve grown old."

Mu Qingcang stiffened, his face twisting into a livid expression. He was not yet forty—by martial standards, he was far from old. And yet, he had grown old. Among the four great masters of the world, the eldest was Prince Zhennan of Xiling. Though he had lost an arm in his duel with Mo Liufang years ago, he now wielded immense power in Xiling, his reputation awe-inspiring. Next was Ling Tiehan, leader of the King of Hell Pavilion. Though also a martial artist like Mu Qingcang, the King of Hell Pavilion’s name shook the martial world, and even the nobility of the four nations dared not provoke them lightly. The youngest of the four was Prince Ding of Great Chu, Mo Xiuyao. Though crippled by severe injuries in his youth, he had also earned fame across the land as the Young God of War.

And then there was Mu Qingcang himself. He was older than Ling Tiehan by several years. Though he bore the title of Number One Expert of Great Chu, he could only watch helplessly as he aged within the confines of Night Kill. He could neither conquer battlefields nor roam freely in the martial world. Even when people spoke of his title, they often sighed regretfully: If not for Prince Ding’s misfortune in youth, the title of Number One Expert would have changed hands long ago...

Ye Li gazed at the disheartened middle-aged man before her with a trace of pity, sighing inwardly. Mu Qingcang’s talent and ambition should have made him a formidable warlord, yet he was shackled by circumstances, trapped in an impossible position. The title of Number One Expert of Great Chu was not an easy one to bear.

"Since I’ve been defeated by you, do as you will—kill me or cut me to pieces, it makes no difference," Mu Qingcang said coldly, his eyes dull with resignation.Ye Li waved her hand dismissively and said calmly, "Take him away. Mr. Mu, I respect you as a renowned expert. It would be unwise for you to attempt anything foolish like suicide or escape."

Mu Qingcang snorted lightly and allowed the guards to escort him away without resistance.

Feng Zhiyao finally snapped out of his daze, brushing off nonexistent dust from his clothes as he walked over while rubbing his forehead. "That man... how could he be Mu Qingcang?!"

Ye Li smiled, "Why couldn't he be Mu Qingcang?"

Feng Zhiyao lamented, "But he's Mu Qingcang! The Number One Expert of Great Chu, renowned for his noble character and indifference to power. Back then, even when the Emperor offered him a general's position, he declined, claiming he had no interest in officialdom and was solely devoted to martial arts. So all these years of devotion led him to become an assassin?" Although Night Kill was decent, it paled in comparison to the King of Hell Pavilion, another assassin organization. Ye Li lowered her eyes, her vermilion lips curling slightly. "To wield power when awake and rest on beauties' laps when drunk—such are the pursuits of men. If Mu Qingcang cares neither for power nor beauties, do you really think that's possible?"

"He loves martial arts."

"Tell me, how much superior is his martial arts compared to the other three top experts?" Ye Li asked with a sidelong glance.

Feng Zhiyao touched his nose and fell silent. Mu Qingcang's skills were indeed formidable, but Feng Zhiyao couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed by his title as the Number One Expert of Great Chu. He wasn't significantly better than the other three top experts; in some aspects, he even seemed slightly inferior. The other three were all busy with numerous responsibilities, making Mu Qingcang's reputation seem... overrated. "How does the Princess Consort plan to deal with Mu Qingcang? He's from the Mu family."

"What about the Mu family?" Ye Li asked with a smile.

Feng Zhiyao frowned. "Although we don't fear the Mu family, having another enemy is always troublesome. The Mu family has always remained neutral. If they were to turn against us because of him..."

Ye Li shook her head. "Feng San, doesn't Mu Qingcang's presence here make you think of something? With his background and character, do you really believe he'd oppose the Ding Royal Palace just for money?"

Feng Zhiyao froze, his expression darkening slightly. It wasn't that he couldn't see it—he simply didn't want to. Though not a blood relative of the Ding Royal Palace, he had grown up almost like a brother to Mo Xiuyao. He knew exactly how much the Ding Royal Palace had sacrificed for Great Chu—efforts that included his own contributions. So whenever he saw former allies turning against the Ding Royal Palace without hesitation, what he felt wasn't just disappointment and anger, but also an overwhelming sense of betrayal.

Ye Li said indifferently, "They are merely serving the ruler they feed from."

Feng Zhiyao shook his head, brushing aside his displeasure as he raised his brows with a smile. "What are the Princess Consort's plans?"

Ye Li smiled. "What plans could there be? If the Mu family can pay the price, we'll return Mu Qingcang to them to avoid straining relations. If they can't... well, there's no need to leave a formidable enemy alive, is there?"The sounds of battle outside had completely ceased by the time the fifth watch approached, with a faint hint of dawn appearing on the distant horizon. Ye Li led her people out of the main courtyard, the thick scent of blood permeating the air. Standing at the moon gate outside the main courtyard, the sight before them was a river of blood and a field of corpses. Qingluan and Qingyu, following behind Ye Li, couldn't hold back and rushed to the side to vomit. Ye Li closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, only a cool, detached light remained in her gaze.

"Greetings, Princess of the State!" The people standing with swords and blades throughout the courtyard turned in unison toward the white-clad woman at the gate, their voices respectful.

Ye Li's expression was solemn as she nodded slightly. "You've all worked hard tonight."

Zhang Qilan, drenched in blood, replied earnestly, "Protecting Ding Royal Palace is the duty and honor of the Mo Family Army. You flatter us, Princess."

"Reporting to the Princess, the Emperor has arrived," the outer gate steward hurried over, his demeanor composed despite the urgency.

Ye Li was surprised and raised an eyebrow. "The Emperor is here?"

The steward nodded. "Indeed, His Majesty's carriage is already within two li. Shall we go out to greet him?"

Ye Li smiled faintly. "Since His Majesty has come to Ding Royal Palace in the dead of night, how could we, as his subjects, not go to welcome him? Head Steward Mo, take some people out to greet His Majesty first." Head Steward Mo acknowledged the order respectfully and led the group out. Ye Li looked at the remaining people in the courtyard and said with a faint smile, "Everyone, let's go welcome the Emperor as well."

Outside the grand gates of Ding Royal Palace, the corpses that had littered the wide street had been swiftly removed, but the bloodstains were not so easily cleaned. The dark red stains under the lantern light appeared eerily cold. The imperial carriage, escorted by a large contingent of Imperial Guards, slowly approached. The attending eunuch lifted the curtain, and Mo Jingqi, clad in imperial regalia, stepped out. As he looked down at the blood-soaked ground, his face paled slightly. Frowning at Head Steward Mo, who stood respectfully by the roadside, he asked, "Where is the Princess of the State?"

Head Steward Mo replied calmly, "The Princess was slightly shaken and is not yet presentable. She will arrive shortly to greet Your Majesty. Please forgive the delay."

Mo Jingqi paused, then smiled. "It is good that the Princess is unharmed. With King Ding away from the capital, it would be difficult for me to explain if anything had happened to her."

As Mo Jingqi was assisted down from the carriage by the eunuch, Head Steward Mo took a step back and bowed. "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Please, come inside."

Naturally, Mo Jingqi was not alone. Following the imperial carriage were the capital's high-ranking officials and nobles. Regardless of their true thoughts, their faces all bore expressions of concern, fear, and relief. Head Steward Mo observed them with aged eyes devoid of warmth. Mo Jingqi turned to the officials and said, "In that case, let us all go in to see the Princess of the State." Zhang Qilan stepped forward and frowned. "Your Majesty, with the King away from the capital, is it appropriate for so many officials to enter Ding Royal Palace at once?"

Mo Jingqi's eyes flickered as he stared at Zhang Qilan. "General Zhang? I recall you command tens of thousands of troops near the capital. Why are you here?"Zhang Qilan did not evade the issue and said solemnly, "Before His Highness departed, he entrusted the safety of Ding Royal Palace to me. Recently, the palace has been extremely unsettled, so I led my troops back to the capital to guard it. This matter... I submitted a memorial to His Majesty, but I never received a decree in response. However, the security of Ding Royal Palace is as weighty as Mount Tai, so I had no choice but to return to the capital first and await His Majesty's punishment."

Mo Jingqi felt as though he had swallowed a mouthful of old blood. Zhang Qilan's memorial had likely been mixed in with the pile of reports about the continuous assassination attempts on Ding Royal Palace. Such memorials were so tiresome that he had lazily tossed them aside without even reading them. But now, he couldn't openly deny or punish Zhang Qilan in front of everyone, because Zhang Qilan had submitted a memorial beforehand. If he claimed ignorance, it would imply he intended to leave Ding Royal Palace to its doom. Even if that was his true intention, it was something he couldn't let others know.

Forcing a smile, Mo Jingqi said, "General Zhang, you exaggerate. Your dedication to the nation sets an example for all military officers of Great Chu. Today, your efforts in protecting Ding Royal Palace are commendable, and in due time, We shall reward you generously."

Before Zhang Qilan could express his gratitude, a graceful woman's voice came from inside the door, "His Majesty is wise. On behalf of General Zhang, Ye Li thanks Your Majesty."

－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－

Today, I ran around for job interviews~ Only managed to eat dinner after 8 PM and hurriedly wrote this~ Crying, I'm right in the middle of a recommendation period ahhh~