Golden Scaled Fish in the Cold Pool

Tatata...

The sound of footsteps echoed from the dim tunnel, and two people emerged.

Ye Jingtang's expression remained as calm as ever, but there was clearly a hint more of melancholy between his brows.

Shang Jianli walked silently, like a ghost floating beside him. His face was as cold and aloof as always:

"The most sorrowful thing in the world is when a hero grows old and a beauty's hair turns white. Young Master Ye, you are not yet of age and have seen few such things. It's only natural for you to feel emotional, but don't take it too seriously. If everyone were to lay out their life stories, their experiences would move both you and me. Compassion should be reserved for those who truly deserve it."

"Does Lord Shang also have a story of his own?"

"There is no one in the world without a story. It's just a matter of whether it's big or small, exciting or not."

"Hehe..."

After a few casual words, Ye Jingtang took his leave.

But he hadn't walked far when he saw Wang Chihu running over and calling out from a distance:

"Brother Ye, the prince is summoning you. Come quickly."

Shang Jianli hadn't left yet. Seeing this, he gestured with his hand and said:

"Please, Young Master Ye."

When Ye Jingtang heard that Prince Jing was summoning him, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. After tidying up his clothes a bit, he followed Wang Chihu into the small door beneath the high wall.

A white wall seemed to separate two different worlds.

In front of the wall was the solemn and majestic yamen. But after passing through the small door, the view suddenly opened up. Colorful flowers came into sight. A covered walkway was built over a green lake, leading to a jumble of pavilions and towers. Countless young women in colorful clothes walked among them, as if in an instant he had stepped from the mortal world into a celestial peach orchard.

Ye Jingtang walked through the walkway without looking to the sides, not paying any attention to the brightly dressed female servants in the prince's inner residence.

But unfortunately, he was somewhat appealing to women. As soon as he emerged from the walkway, he noticed dozens of pairs of eyes looking at him from all directions, and he could faintly hear whispers:

"Whose young master is this?"

"So handsome. Could he be the one chosen by our prince..."

"They really match..."

"If the prince doesn't like him, can we have him?"

"You're dreaming..."

The maids in the prince's mansion were so playful. It could be roughly inferred that Prince Jing wasn't a difficult master to serve. Ye Jingtang felt a little more at ease and followed Wang Chihu to the base of Mingyu Tower.

The five-story tower was so imposing and magnificent that one could only truly feel its grandeur and beauty when standing close to it. A person standing below looked like a tiny speck of rice.

At the entrance of Mingyu Tower, there was a maid waiting. Wang Chihu stopped at the bottom of the steps and secretly winked at Ye Jingtang, saying:

"Brother Ye, if you can stand firm in this step, it can save you sixty years of detours. You must be careful."

Ye Jingtang didn't really know how to respond to this. He just cupped his hands in a salute, then lifted his robe slightly and stepped up the steps, following the maid into Mingyu Tower.

The first floor of the tall building was a spacious hall, but there were no ordinary furnishings like tables, chairs, or screens. The middle was an open area, about six zhang long and wide. The floor wasn't made of wooden planks but of black stone of an unknown material, covered with fine scratches.

Surrounding it were eight huge pillars. Behind the pillars was a corridor. Dozens of desks were placed along the wall, on which weapons such as knives, guns, swords, and halberds were displayed.

In the Great Wei Dynasty, the martial spirit was strong. Whether they were men or women, old or young, noble or common, everyone learned some martial arts. So it wasn't strange for the female prince's residence to have some weapons.

At first, Ye Jingtang didn't pay much attention and just followed the pretty maid who kept looking back at him. But when he reached a desk, he stopped in his tracks.

On the mahogany desk, there was a long spear placed horizontally. The shaft of the spear was of an unknown material, dark cyan in color, with a luster like jade.

The spearhead was one and a half feet long, and the black blade was like a mirror, emitting a gloomy cold light in the light. The same was true for the spear socket.

The whole spear had no engraved patterns or inscriptions, but in the eyes of a martial artist, it was like a peerless beauty lying there.

And most importantly, there was a wooden plaque under the desk, with the name of the spear engraved on it:

Minglong

After learning about the "Minglong Tu" from his adoptive father, Ye Jingtang had also inquired about the origin of this strange book. It was said that in history, there was a founding monarch who met a strange person during troubled times and obtained a strange book. First, he entered the realm of martial arts perfection, then pacified the eight wastelands and united the six directions, and in his old age, he ascended to immortality riding a dragon. Therefore, this strange book was later called the "Minglong Tu" by later generations.

And the matching spear used by that founding monarch in his battles to conquer the world was also given the name "Minglong" by later generations. It was the first of the ten famous spears and had been a private collection of emperors in all dynasties, never having been shown in the martial arts world.

As a martial artist, when Ye Jingtang suddenly saw this "legendary" piece of equipment, it was inevitable that he would stop and take a few more looks to distinguish its authenticity.

He might have been too engrossed. While he was carefully observing, a voice suddenly came to his ears:

"Do you like it?"

The voice was clear, solemn, and cold, carrying an irresistible authority. Just hearing the voice, one could imagine a serious image of someone who was "formidable without showing anger".

But this voice actually came from a woman's mouth.

Luo Ning's mature and charming voice was ethereal and a bit softly charming, sounding like a mature female martial artist who had come out of seclusion.

And this mature and domineering voice was condescending, fearless, and unyielding, with a strong air of a domineering female CEO...

Ye Jingtang hadn't heard any footsteps. Slightly startled, he turned his head to look and saw that there was an additional woman in front of the maid who was leading the way.

The woman wore a jade crown on her head, a python robe in silver and white. She had a belt inlaid with gold and jade around her waist, and a green dragon pendant was hanging from it.

The style of the woman's clothes was obviously men's clothing, but it had been slightly modified to be more form-fitting. Her waist was tightly cinched, and the collar was very large, bulging due to two mounds, making the five-clawed golden python on it look like a "chubby dragon".

The woman was very tall, about on a level with Ye Jingtang's eyes. Among women, she was truly outstanding.

But what was remarkable was that the woman's figure was very well-proportioned, with a standard nine-head body. Her limbs were slender, and her waist was just the right size. Where it should be slender, it was slender, and where it should be plump, it was very plump!

As for her appearance, the woman had three-dimensional eyebrows and eyes, skin as white as mutton fat, eyebrows like willow leaves, and her lips under a straight nose were painted with bright red lip rouge, which was extremely eye-catching but not the least bit coquettish. It could be said that she was a truly magnificent and imposing beauty. Using the word "beauty" to describe her was too soft; it felt more appropriate to use the word "handsome".

When Ye Jingtang suddenly saw such a beautiful woman with striking red lips, he was indeed surprised, but he didn't lose his composure. He raised his hand in a salute:

"I am Ye Jingtang. I pay my respects to His Highness Prince Jing."

Dongfang Liren was quite close, standing right behind Ye Jingtang. Seeing that he showed no strange expression when he turned around and saw her, she looked quite approving:

"You remain calm in the face of danger and are indifferent to honor and disgrace. Your mental state is good. You may dispense with the courtesy."

Ye Jingtang recognized the woman's identity from the python robe, but he really hadn't expected that Prince Jing was so young. He retracted his hand and stood up straight. Instead of looking at Prince Jing's face, he looked at the "Minglong Spear" and answered the previous question:

"I just stopped to take a look out of curiosity. I don't know how to use a spear, so I can't really say I like it."

Dongfang Liren picked up the long spear and examined it in her hand:

"The Minglong Spear is an old item that is several hundred years old. No matter how powerful it was back then, after going through countless battles and being passed down to the present, it can no longer be of great use and is just used as an ornament in the imperial palace. This spear is a replica, but the material is even better than that of the genuine one."

As she spoke, she held the spear in one hand and offered it to Ye Jingtang:

"Give it a try?"

Ye Jingtang didn't take it and said with a hint of shame:

"I don't know how to use a spear. I really don't dare to waste such a precious thing. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Dongfang Liren took back the long spear and placed it back on the desk. Then she walked along the many circular corridors:

"I love martial arts. This building not only houses famous weapons from all over the world but also many martial arts secrets passed down through the dynasties. Since I was a child, I've wanted to 'combine the strengths of all schools'. Unfortunately, people in the martial arts world have strict rules. They only pass on their true skills to their disciples and not to outsiders, not even giving me any face."

Ye Jingtang followed her, pondering slightly:

"Does Prince Jing want to learn my saber technique?"

Dongfang Liren stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Ye Jingtang:

"You're quite smart. Are you willing to part with it?"

Ye Jingtang was naturally willing. His goal was to go to the palace to search for the "Minglong Tu". Compared with the "Minglong Tu" and the connections of Prince Jing's Mansion, what was a saber technique that had already been revealed?

"No matter how good a saber is, it depends on who uses it. People don't dare to teach their true skills to outsiders mainly because they're afraid that outsiders will surpass them. My saber move has already been revealed and can't be a trump card. If I teach it to others, if they can use it better than me, they can still defeat me with other moves. If they can't use it as well as me, whether they know this saber move or not, they won't be able to defeat me in one round. So why not teach it to the whole world?"

Dongfang Liren nodded slightly: "You're teachable. Wu Xianren Fengguancheng doesn't reject any grandmaster who comes to ask for advice. He's just afraid that the other party won't understand. His thoughts might be the same as yours. Unfortunately, so far, no one has been able to compete with Fengguancheng on the same stage. I hope you can do so in the future."

"Prince Jing thinks too highly of me. I don't have such great ambitions, just a bit of self-interest. I only know this one saber move. If Prince Jing takes a fancy to it, could you teach me a move or two later..."

Dongfang Liren understood his meaning - a trade of equivalents - and she turned around:

"No problem. Do you want to learn the 'Order to Slay the Dragon' of Junshan Terrace?"

?

Ye Jingtang was truly surprised when he heard this.

Xuanyuan Chao, the Saber Champion, was his adoptive father's enemy. If he could learn the "Order to Slay the Dragon", in the future, he could use Xuanyuan Chao's saber technique to defeat Xuanyuan Chao and teach Junshan Terrace how to use the "Order to Slay the Dragon"..."

Just thinking about it made Ye Jingtang's heart race. But then he said a bit awkwardly:

"I only know one saber move. It's probably not enough to exchange for the 'Order to Slay the Dragon' of the current Saber Champion..."

"You have some self-awareness."

Dongfang Liren walked to the desk, gently raised her hand, and picked up a beautifully crafted old saber, examining it back and forth:

"You only know one starting move and can't even establish your own school. It's definitely not possible to exchange for the complete 'Order to Slay the Dragon'. You need to bring at least a complete advanced martial art to exchange for it before I'll teach you."

Ye Jingtang had expected that there was no such good deal and felt a bit helpless:

"I really only know this one saber move. I'm still thinking about the rest, and I really can't say when I'll figure it out."

"It will be at least ten years before you perfect this saber move, and I don't have the patience to wait."

"Then what does Prince Jing mean?"

Dongfang Liren flicked her finger, and the precious saber unsheathed. Near the saber guard, the characters "Tianhe" could be seen engraved, and it was highly likely to be Qiu Tianhe's saber.

"Are you interested in the 'Tianhe Saber' technique?"

"..."

When Ye Jingtang saw this precious saber, he suddenly understood Prince Jing's intention - she wanted to learn the "Tianhe Saber" technique, but Qiu Tianhe definitely wouldn't teach it, so she wanted to use his hand to learn it from Qiu Tianhe.

Ye Jingtang had heard about the past between Qiu Tianhe and his adoptive father today. It was hard to say whether his adoptive father was right or wrong, but in his opinion, there was nothing wrong with what Qiu Tianhe had done. If there was a chance to rescue him properly, he definitely wouldn't stand by and do nothing.

After some consideration, Ye Jingtang shook his head and sighed:

"The 'Tianhe Saber' technique is famous in the martial arts world. If I have the opportunity, I naturally want to learn it. But Qiu Tianhe is in prison. If I learn the saber technique, I'll owe him a debt of gratitude. Knowing that my teacher's life is in danger, if I ignore it, I'll be an ungrateful person. If I try to rescue him, Your Highness will probably lock me up too."

Dongfang Liren sheathed the precious saber and placed it back on the desk:

"I can tell that you value loyalty and righteousness from the fact that you traveled a long way to bring your family property to the capital. I naturally won't ask you to do such a difficult thing. Qiu Tianhe was captured and has not been executed yet. Do you know why?"

Ye Jingtang shook his head.

"In the second year of Chengan, Qiu Tianhe kidnapped the imperial maiden candidate Xuanyuan Shuye. Xuanyuan Shuye is the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Junshan. She was originally going to be made an imperial concubine. After she was kidnapped, there was a vacancy among the empress and two imperial concubines. So the wedding envoy selected a woman from a noble family nearby to enter the palace."

Dongfang Liren turned around, held her head high, and stood upright:

"That woman entered the palace and was deeply favored by the emperor, giving birth to two princesses. Can you guess which two princesses they are?"

"..."

Ye Jingtang looked at the graceful Prince Jing in front of him, quite surprised:

"Is it Your Highness Prince Jing and..."

Dongfang Liren nodded and continued walking along the corridor:

"Although it was by chance, Qiu Tianhe can indeed be considered to have 'contributed to the rise of the emperor'. I don't want to kill him. Firstly, I want to learn his saber technique; secondly, it's hard for me to feel be averse to towards his 'rebellious act'.

"If you learn his saber technique, respect him as an elder, and are willing to work for me, for your sake, I can submit a memorial to the emperor and show mercy outside the law, allowing Qiu Tianhe to leave the dungeon. But don't expect him to regain his freedom. Although his death penalty can be waived, his living punishment cannot be escaped. Allowing Qiu Tianhe to find a small courtyard near the Black Yamen to spend his remaining years is already the greatest leniency for him."

Ye Jingtang was silent for a moment regarding this proposal:

"What does Prince Jing want me to do?"

"Hmm..."

Dongfang Liren stood still with her hands behind her back, turned her head, and looked at Ye Jingtang's extremely handsome face and tall, sturdy figure, deep in thought.

?!

Ye Jingtang straightened up a bit, feeling that this passionate female prince meant - Do you want to be a princess consort?

"Uh..."

"Hmph~"

Dongfang Liren turned her face away, showing Ye Jingtang the back of her head:

"Don't think too much. I'm second only to the emperor and above all others. I've seen all kinds of talented people. Your superficial martial arts skills are not worthy of my attention. I'm in charge of the Black Yamen and responsible for hunting down the evildoers in the martial arts world. What do you think I can ask you to do?"

Ye Jingtang knew that there was no such good thing and forced a smile:

"I understand. Those who recklessly take human lives are fierce bandits, and everyone has the right to punish them. If I have the opportunity to encounter them, even if Your Highness doesn't ask, I will rid the people of these scourges."

"Empty words are not enough. How can I trust you?"

Dongfang Liren slightly raised her hand: "You dared to take on the case of the Wingless Owl, which shows that you have some confidence. First, let me see your abilities."

What?

I have no confidence at all!

Ye Jingtang thought to himself that it was not good. The criminals he had in hand just now were all fierce bandits in the martial arts world. For the sake of