Chapter 209
Chapter 209: How High?
Pink Clad Girl stood frozen, a steamed bun in her left hand and sauced beef in her right, until realization sparked in her eyes. She yelled furiously: “Why should I?”
Li Mu Sheng pointed calmly toward his large horse and replied: “My horse is far more valuable in silver than your pack mule. You’re already benefiting, yet you complain so much. Such ingratitude from someone so young!”
Having said this, Li Mu Sheng ignored the indignant girl stomping her feet on the ground. He took the map from his horse’s back, then smoothly mounted the pack mule instead.
“Grandfather, look at him!” The girl shot an angry look at Hemp Robed Elder beside her. Their gazes quietly met, and the elder narrowed his eyes thoughtfully toward Li Mu Sheng.
At that moment, Li Mu Sheng glanced at the map in his hand. It was filled with dense markings and complicated paths, making him furrow his brows. He paused briefly, then turned to address the scar-faced man kneeling on the ground, trembling with fright: “Weren’t you headed to deliver birthday gifts to some lord of Seven Saint Peak? As it happens, I have business there too. You’ll lead the way for me.”
Hearing this, the scar-faced man lifted his pale face, trembling even harder as he glanced fearfully toward Hu Rui An, who stood not far away. Earlier, he had personally witnessed Hu Rui An effortlessly slaying the Fallen God Peak disciples and knew all too well the terrifying strength behind that calm demeanor.
This Li Mu Sheng seemed young, but his status was clearly even higher than Hu Rui An’s. Perhaps he wasn’t as strong, yet the scar-faced man dared not underestimate him. He immediately replied, voice shaking: “As long as the Young Master spares our lives, we’ll obey every command.”
He stumbled awkwardly to his feet, his legs still trembling. But he suppressed his terror and barked at his fellow disciples kneeling around him: “What are you fools waiting for? Get up, we’re leaving now!”
The frightened disciples cast anxious glances at the bodies of the Fallen God Peak disciples lying nearby. Fearful and pale-faced, they rose mechanically, moving stiffly like lifeless puppets toward their carriage. Without another word, they urged their horses forward, passing around the obstacles and continuing along the road.
The scar-faced man glanced nervously at Li Mu Sheng, who sat calmly atop the pack mule, before mounting his own horse and quickly following after his disciples. Li Mu Sheng nodded approvingly, then patted the mule’s neck gently, prompting it to trot forward slowly.
Seeing this, Hemp Robed Elder suddenly turned toward Hu Rui An and asked cautiously: “Your Excellency truly trusts your Young Master to journey alone?”
Hu Rui An looked quietly at him, but offered no explanation. Noticing this, the elder’s cloudy eyes flickered briefly, but he did not pursue the matter. Instead, he lifted Pink Clad Girl onto the large horse, took hold of its reins, and resumed walking down the road.
Hu Rui An, along with Wu Shang and the others, quietly watched Li Mu Sheng’s retreating figure. Murong Xiao Ya and Shen An Ran peeked out from the carriage, their gazes fixed silently on Li Mu Sheng as he disappeared into the distance.
“Rest assured,” Hu Rui An eventually spoke up. “With Your Highness’s strength, even if he can’t defeat those old masters at Fallen God Peak, he can surely escape unharmed.”
Wu Shang and the others exchanged uneasy glances but remained silent.
…
Hu Rui An’s group waited patiently in place for half a day, effortlessly defeating several waves of Fallen God Peak reinforcements until finally, masters from the Heavenly Brocade Guard sent by Fu Qi Wen arrived.
“Where is the Eighth Prince?” the newcomers asked urgently upon seeing no sign of Li Mu Sheng.
Hu Rui An, however, refused to disclose Li Mu Sheng’s whereabouts. “I will personally report this matter to the Commander. Right now, we must meet with the rest of the Heavenly Brocade Guard. I also have here a damaged map of Fallen God Peak’s defenses; perhaps it may help somewhat.”
Though the Heavenly Brocade Guard expert frowned, he couldn’t press Hu Rui An for answers. He nodded briefly, then led the group away to the Heavenly Brocade Guard encampment.
Commander Fu Qi Wen, after leaving the Imperial Capital, had taken the water route toward Lan Province. Along the way, he had also visited several retired masters of the Great Li Heavenly Brocade Guard. These were his former superiors, whom he’d personally written to while still in the capital, urging them to come out of retirement.
To tackle Fallen God Peak, Fu Qi Wen had exhausted every available means. Most of the imperial forces couldn’t be mobilized, so he had secretly reached out to trustworthy martial sects affiliated with the Heavenly Brocade Guard. He even attempted to contact sects harboring grudges against Fallen God Peak. Unfortunately, most martial sects preferred caution, not believing the Heavenly Brocade Guard capable of toppling one of the Four Great Sects of the Great Li Martial World. They refused to risk their lives for a hopeless cause, with only a very few agreeing to help.
“How reckless! How could you let His Highness go alone?” Fu Qi Wen’s deeply lined forehead wrinkled further in anger upon hearing Li Mu Sheng’s whereabouts from Hu Rui An.
Looking up, Hu Rui An was startled to see Fu Qi Wen, whose hair had only been partly gray before leaving the capital, now entirely white. In just this short journey, the man seemed to have aged a full decade or more.
Hu Rui An quietly sighed, then gently replied: “Lord, there is something you might not know. His Highness isn’t as weak as we previously assumed.”
Fu Qi Wen eyed him sharply, a hint of surprise flickering across his face. He knew this trusted subordinate wouldn’t speak carelessly. Calming himself slightly, he asked in a serious tone: “Then tell me clearly—just what sort of capability does the Eighth Prince possess, daring to march alone against Fallen God Peak?”
Hu Rui An respectfully lowered his head slightly, raising his gaze slowly toward Fu Qi Wen. After a thoughtful pause, he finally said: “Actually… Your Highness’s Martial Dao cultivation level is extraordinarily high.”
Fu Qi Wen furrowed his brows tighter, squinting suspiciously at Hu Rui An: “The Eighth Prince has high Martial Dao cultivation? Just how high? Why haven’t I noticed?”
Hu Rui An pondered carefully for a moment before answering solemnly: “According to His Highness himself, about as tall as a dozen-story building.”
Fu Qi Wen stared at him blankly, momentarily speechless. Before he could respond, Hu Rui An glanced up cautiously, then added: “In my humble opinion, Your Highness’s strength is at least equal to yours, Lord, if not slightly greater.”
At these words, whatever retort Fu Qi Wen had been about to utter caught in his throat, replaced by a look of pure astonishment as he stared wide-eyed at Hu Rui An.