Chapter 356
Chapter 356
Su Jianting was indeed a powerful man. Every time Princess Ning Yan swung her sword at Big Dummy, the rebound sent her flying.
"Did Big Dummy use any specific forms when he swung that iron club?"
"No. He just swung it wildly, with brute force."
Yun Mengze's jaw dropped once again.
"Young Master Yun, I'm suddenly feeling like there's no point in learning martial arts."
Yun Mengze patted Thirteen's shoulder and said.
"You're not the only one who feels that way."
Damn it all. When people like us learn martial arts, we desperately study secret manuals and forms. We practice a single sword technique hundreds of thousands of times, pouring our heart and soul into perfecting it, terrified of making the slightest mistake. Only after more than a decade of constant practice do we become formidable. But Big Dummy? It's like he's saying, 'Manuals? What are those? Forms? Never heard of them.' He just closes his eyes, picks up his iron club, and swings it around randomly, yet he's beaten dozens of Western masters to death. He even made a top expert like Su Jianting run away crying. The thought so infuriated Yun Mengze, the Imperial Grand Secretary, that he threw his prized sword far away.
'Practice, my ass. I'm done. A lifetime of training, and I'm still not as good as that guy swinging blindly with his eyes closed.'
Yun Mengze sat on the ground and lamented.
"Sigh, I'm truly useless. What's the point of living like this?"
"But Young Master Yun, haven't you made a name for yourself and slept with all the beauties of the world?"
Thirteen only spoke a little in front of Yun Mengze; before Shen Lang, he was almost always silent.
'My master is so petty and loves to show off. The Imperial Grand Secretary, Yun Mengze, has such a noble status, yet he doesn't act arrogant at all.'
Yun Mengze patted Thirteen's shoulder and said.
"You're not doing too bad yourself. You managed to win over a unique woman like Huang Feng. Have you slept with her?"
Thirteen, his face beet red, shook his head. Yun Mengze sighed.
"You're just like your master, too earnest and unable to let go of one woman."
At those words, Thirteen felt like crying.
'I can accept Young Master Yun calling me earnest, but to say the same about my master... that's just a lie.'
Yun Mengze sighed and said.
"Big Dummy is impressive, but you've met someone even more, more, more impressive, haven't you?"
Thirteen nodded. That "more, more, more impressive" person was the female demon, Qiu Yao'er.
"How impressive is she?"
"It's hard to describe. It's like... even when surrounded by a thousand men, it's the thousand men who feel like they're about to piss their pants in fear."
"Is she beautiful?"
"So beautiful it makes you wonder if this is what a celestial fairy would look like. She's one of a kind in this world."
"My little brother truly is amazing, to be able to sleep with a woman like that."
Thirteen wanted to say that his master hadn't "slept with" her, but had been "slept with by" her, and that he hadn't conquered Qiu Yao'er at all. No man in this world could conquer Qiu Yao'er. She was unparalleled, a woman without a match. In her eyes, even Shen Lang was nothing. But how could Thirteen dare to say such things?
"You've seen the Divine Maiden Xue Yin and Qiu Yao'er, haven't you? Who do you think is more beautiful?"
Thirteen thought for a moment before answering.
"Qiu Yao'er."
"Why?"
"The Divine Maiden Xue Yin's beauty is something that can be achieved through effort, but Qiu Yao'er's is a natural, heaven-sent beauty."
"You've seen them both use their martial arts. Who do you think is more formidable?"
"That's difficult to say. In terms of the level reached through martial arts training, the Divine Maiden Xue Yin is likely much higher. But their temperaments are completely different. For example, the Divine Maiden Xue Yin's presence is like an arrow from a master archer; no matter how the enemy tries to dodge, they cannot escape death. In contrast, Qiu Yao'er's presence is like a tsunami or an earthquake; you can't hide from it, nor would you even dare to try."
"I see. One kills a single person, while the other has the presence to crush countless people."
"As expected of someone who has read a few books."
"In a few more years, Big Dummy will probably become like that too."
* * *
As soon as Big Dummy entered the secret underground chamber, he was treated like a hero. Jin Mucong asked in astonishment.
"Is that it? It's over already? There wasn't any of the heart-pounding action I imagined. I can't write my novel now. There's no climax!"
Xiao Bing caressed her belly and let out a long sigh.
"Big Dummy, you're really amazing. The best."
For a moment, Big Dummy grew shy and completely embarrassed. Xiao Bing said to him.
"Big Dummy, hurry and sit down. Have some tea."
And when Bing'a poured him a cup of tea, Big Dummy felt even more awkward.
"Bing'a, don't... When you act like this, I, I feel so..."
Once again, Big Dummy couldn't describe his feelings and acted extremely awkward. Bing'a was usually harsh with him, cursing him out if he ate or drank too loudly. Her gentleness now was completely unfamiliar. Realizing what he was thinking, Bing'a shouted as if scolding him.
"I told you to drink the tea, so drink it. Hurry up!"
Big Dummy flinched, quickly took the teacup, and took a sip. Then he meekly placed the cup on the table, sat up straight with his back erect, and placed his hands between his knees. He looked like a well-behaved elementary school student.
* * *
Before the sun had even risen, the King was already up, even gently patting his consort.
"You must have had a hard night. Rest well."
The consort nodded sweetly. Last night, Ning Yuanxian had worked like an ox plowing a field, so he must have been tired too. Ning Yuanxian put on his royal robes, left the consort's palace, and returned to Consort Bian's chambers.
"My dear consort, rub my eyes and then put in a few drops of eye medicine."
Lying on Consort Bian's lap, Ning Yuanxian finally felt his mind and body calm down. When he opened his eyes, they were completely bloodshot. He hadn't slept all night. He couldn't meet his officials looking like this. A great crisis had arrived. Su Nan, using the name of Gu Duhuan, had thrown the capital into chaos. How many homes had burned last night? A few thousand? How many people had burned to death? Thousands? In truth, none of that was particularly important.
The most important thing was that Su Nan's actions had made the State of Yue appear weak in the eyes of other nations. A mere few hundred men had turned the heart of Yue upside down. Do you know what the king of the jungle fears most? Appearing weak to others. Whether that weakness is real or perceived, it creates an extremely dangerous situation. Lions, tigers, wolves, and hyenas from all around will madly rush in to tear the king of the jungle apart.
Su Nan could have easily escaped in secret, so why did he cause such a disturbance in the capital? It was to expose the truth that the State of Yue was "weak." Only then would the states of Wu, Chu, and Qiang all rush in for a piece. In such a perilous situation, one must not get angry, indulge in vanity, or worry about saving face. One must calmly navigate this crisis.
When exactly did this crisis begin? It probably started with the decisive battle on the border. The young King of Wu's victory over him had already made the State of Yue seem a little weak. And now, with Su Nan revealing his true colors in the capital, the facade of Yue as a great power has been completely torn away. The priority now is to stop the bleeding as quickly as possible and make all surrounding enemies tremble in fear. Whether they are lions, tigers, or even hyenas like the State of Qiang and the Four Barbarian Tribes, they must be made to fear. Only then can the tragedy of a joint attack on Yue be prevented. No matter how strong Yue was, it could not withstand a coordinated assault from all sides.
A king's true ability is revealed when facing a crisis. Can this crisis be minimized? Or will the situation continue to worsen, growing ever larger? It all depends on the king's will and spirit. Ning Yuanxian, the true moment to test you has come. While one couldn't say the fate of Yue itself is at stake, it is just as crucial a moment. If he overcomes this crisis, the State of Yue will continue to grow stronger. If he fails, it will become like the State of Wu twenty years ago. And if Yue is forced to cede territory this time, it won't be just nine commanderies like Wu, but most of Tianshu Province and the four commanderies to its north.
"Your Majesty, the Duke of Wei Wu has arrived!"
Eunuch Li Zhun announced. Hearing this, King Ning Yuanxian collected himself and immediately headed for the study.
* * *
"Your subject, Bian Wu, greets Your Majesty!"
The number one man in Yue's military, King Ning Yuanxian's true pillar of support, Duke Wei Wu, bowed his head without a hint of negligence. Ning Yuanxian did not put on a show of stopping him. If it had been Su Nan before him, he would have rushed forward to pretend to help him up. After waiting for Bian Wu to complete his courtesy, Ning Yuanxian clasped his hands, bowed, and spoke.
"Elder Brother, you have worked hard."
Hearing this, Bian Wu, who was about to rise, stopped and remained kneeling on the floor.
"Please, sit."
Ning Yuanxian sat down first. Only then did Bian Wu rise and take a seat in a lower-ranking chair. With the King of Wu's thirty thousand troops marching south, he had been organizing military affairs and accelerating war preparations. Then, he had immediately come south for an audience with Ning Yuanxian.
"Senior Brother, a great crisis has befallen my kingdom. I constantly warned myself never to underestimate Su Nan, yet it seems I still did. Just as that scoundrel Shen Lang said, Su Nan was plotting a grand conspiracy, painting a massive picture. He was in league with Wu and Chu from the very beginning. My defeat in the battle at the border made the world think the State of Yue was weak. And now, Su Nan has brazenly escaped the capital, starting a great fire that burned thousands of our people to death. This has thrown our capital into great turmoil and made Wu, Chu, Qiang, and others believe that our State of Yue is unbearably weak, without even the strength for a single battle.
From now on, the situation will worsen daily. If we do not stop the bleeding in time, a scenario where the world surrounds and attacks our State of Yue will arise. The State of Wu to the north, Chu to the west, Qiang and the Su Clan to the southwest, the Four Barbarian Tribes and the Nanguo Kingdom to the south—they will come at us from all directions. I absolutely cannot allow this most dreaded situation to occur."
After listening to all of Ning Yuanxian's words, Bian Wu replied.
"Yes!"
King Ning Yuanxian let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair, looking somewhat weary, as he spoke.
"Senior Brother, how can the difference between men be so great? Emperor Jiang Li destroyed countless nations in his thirties, became invincible in his forties, and nearly unified the world. I am already in my fifties, yet I have accomplished nothing."
Bian Wu said.
"Your Majesty, it is said that it is more difficult to protect what your predecessors have built. Besides, was His Majesty Jiang Li not one of a kind?"
"Indeed. His Majesty Jiang Li was one of a kind. Who could possibly compare to him?"