252 Ripping Off the Mask: Ren Qining's Background

r King Ding, but now that he’s not in the capital, do you really believe being a Queen Consort could amount to anything" Ye Li silently watched the stunning woman looking down on her. Since their firs...252. Raising the Stakes - Ren Qining's Background

252. Raising the StakesRen Qining's Background

Murong Xiaoyao left the Murong family, and Ye Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. The two of them had left the Murong residence; along the way, Murong Xiaoyao’s brows were furrowed deeply, clearly troubled.

"Xiaoyao, what happened" Ye Li asked softly. Murong Xiaoyao frowned and recounted what he heard at the Murong family's place just now.

He didn’t hear much because of his fear towards Murong Xiong; he couldn’t get too close to him. However, he clearly heard Murong Xiong say, "You are Lin Yuan." Perhaps due to Murong Xiong’s arrogance and self-confidence in his martial arts being unparalleled under the heavens, he didn't suppress his voice as much. Ye Li was also somewhat surprised by this outcome, “Ren Qining is a descendant of the previous imperial family… Could it be that he's related to Tan Jizhi” Although their ages are close, the previous dynasty had already been overthrown for two hundred years. If there were suddenly two descendants from the fallen dynasty appearing at the same time, it would indeed seem strange.

Murong Xiaoyao shook his head and said, "No. It's impossible for them to both be called Lin Yuan if they're brothers. Moreover, when Ren Qining mentioned Tan Jizhi just now, he had a very disdainful tone."

If they were truly blood-related brothers, even if they disliked each other intensely, they wouldn’t speak in such a manner. The way Ren Qining spoke about Tan Jizhi clearly implied that the latter was worth less than even a slave.

"It looks like we need to thoroughly investigate this previous imperial family," Ye Li said with a smile. Murong Xiaoyao nodded in agreement, “Let's go back and inform your elder brother of this matter.”

When the news brought by Murong Xiaoyao and Ye Li was known to Qingchen, he did not show any signs of panic. Seeing how calm and composed the young lord looked, Prince Ding immediately felt that he had overstepped his bounds.

Ye Li worriedly asked Xu Qingchen, “Elder Brother”

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "Don’t worry, Ren Qining won't affect the overall situation."

Murong Xiaoyao held Ye Li and rested his chin on her shoulder as he chuckled, "Ren Qining is certainly brimming with confidence. Young Lord Qingchen doesn’t want to marry Miss Murong; now that there’s a descendant of an imperial family who willingly marries her instead"

Xu Qingchen lightly tapped the edge of the table in an absent-minded manner, his smile as tranquil and serene as a pear blossom, "Does Ren Qining have any capability to face the threats from Western Liang's Great Chu city and Yanwang Pavilion directly" Murong Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow, clearly challenging him back, "What if he does" Xu Qingchen’s eyelids flickered slightly, and he said indifferently, "If he truly has such ability, he could simply raise his banner to reclaim the throne. Why would he need to marry Miss Mingyan Murong"

Murong Xiaoyao helplessly pinched his nose as he thought talking with a smart person was utterly uninteresting, “Then what do you think he will do”

Xu Qingchen said, "Move the Murong family's assets swiftly and save as many lives as possible."

Ye Li asked, "Will Murong Xiong accept this arrangement" His temperament seemed to be that of a man who grew old but still maintained his fiery spirit; how could he possibly agree with such an outcome. Even if the Murong family was saved at large, they would still lose a lot.

Xu Qingchen said, "Ren Qining isn't a god either. If the Murong Family does not wish to be obliterated completely, they can only accept his proposal. As for this person… Although he’s not much of a worry this time around, Your Royal Highness should perhaps pay more attention to him in the future. I have a premonition that this individual is ten or even hundred times more troublesome than Tan Jizhi."

Murong Xiaoyao had never truly taken Tan Jizhi seriously; and now with Princess Anxi ascending the throne and Shuman Lin’s death, Tan Jizhi was probably hiding somewhere like a drowned dog. However, since someone as observant as Xu Qingchen noticed this person, Murong Xiaoyao naturally wouldn't take him lightly.

After some thought, Murong Xiaoyao frowned and said, "We’ve sent people to investigate all over Great Chu Western Liang and even Nanzhao. We didn’t find any information about Ren Qining at all. This person seems to have appeared out of thin air. Since he has such confidence in rescuing the Murong family, his subordinates must possess a considerable force; how could we not find anything"

Ye Lique pondered for a moment before speaking, "If it's not because we haven't thoroughly investigated, then he must… be outside the territory we've searched."

Moshouyao was taken aback, "Not in Great Chu and Xi Ling... Could it be that it's Beirong No, that doesn't make sense. The people of Beirong are naturally xenophobic, and besides, it's extremely difficult for Central Plains people to survive outside the pass. Then..."

There was a moment of silence in the room as all three looked at each other and said in unison, "Northeast!"

The northeast of Great Chu, like other border regions, was also called a land of barbarians by people. The Central Plains referred to it as the Northern Frontier. Originally, there were many small tribes gathered there who fought among themselves; Great Chu didn't care about them while Beirong lacked the ability to manage them. Unlike the vast grasslands of Beirong, the terrain of the Northern Frontier was mountainous and forested.

Ever since the Dingwang Mansion separated from Great Chu, in recent years, it seemed that various barbarian tribes in the Northern Frontier were gradually unifying and starting to nibble away at the borders of Great Chu. If this had been in the past, Moshouyao would have long paid attention there, but after severing ties with Great Chu, Moshouyao's focus was naturally on the northwest and border areas around various countries. He neither wanted nor needed to concern himself with how Great Chu dealt with it.

"Investigate!" said Moshouyao sternly.

"Understood," answered someone from the shadows. Moshouyao's expression darkened, "If Ren Qining dares to bring barbarians into the pass... this prince will make his Lin family die out and have no descendants!" No matter what opinions Moshouyao had about Great Chu or even if it changed dynasties right away, none of that concerned him. But the prerequisite was that a Central Plains person would be ruling. Generations of education made people inherently reject foreign tribes from the borderlands. As the saying goes, 'Those who are not my kindred will surely have different intentions.' The commoners in Central Plains wouldn't mind who became emperor as long as they could live their lives happily, but if it was a foreign tribe ruling them, that would be entirely different.

Ye Lique gently patted Moshouyao's arm; his gloomy expression gradually eased. He looked at Xu Qingchen apologetically and said, "This prince lost composure, Brother Xu, forgive me."

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly, "Your Highness is being overly modest. I am also not very pleased." Xu Qingchen had received orthodox traditional education from a young age; he was even more opposed to foreign tribes than Moshouyao. Therefore, the Xu family never intermarried with foreign tribes. Even when dealing with Princess Anxi, Xu Qingchen didn't hesitate when it came time for action.

"Should we inform Great Chu about this" Xu Qingchen asked Moshouyao hesitantly.

Moshouyao snorted lightly and said, "Send someone to tell that fool Mo Jingqi. Whether he believes it or not is none of my business." Xu Qingchen nodded in agreement.

"Since Master Ren is so confident, I also want to see how fast he can move. Servants, notify Prince Zhuannan and Pavilion Lord Ling; we'll act tomorrow!" said Xu Qingchen with a cold smile.

"Understood!"

Once they truly broke off relations and started taking action, the movements were swift. A decree from Prince Zhuannan sealed all of the Murong Family's shops across Xi Ling, but originally the prince was against it. This would inevitably cause significant shock to Xi Ling's economy and livelihoods, but when Qingchen said with a pleasant smile, "So Your Highness wants to wait until Ren Qining has emptied out the entire Murong Family before acting", the prince had no choice but to accept Qingchen's proposal for early action. If Ren Qining was indeed from the previous dynasty, those who would be against him wouldn't only be Great Chu or Dingwang Mansion; Xi Ling also played a significant role in the fall of the previous dynasty.

"Xu Qingchen!" Outside the Murong Family's door, Mu Rong Xiong and the head of the Murong family were glaring at the graceful man before them with hatred. Murong Mingyan was weeping bitterly with an extremely resentful look in her eyes.

Xu Qingchen smiled calmly as he respectfully bowed to everyone present and said, "Senior Mu Rong, Head of the Murong Family, Master Ren." Ren Qining's expression turned gloomy; he had made many secret arrangements these days but hadn't expected Xu Qingchen's actions to be so swift.

He looked again at Prince Zhuannan and Ling Tiehan standing beside Xu Qingchen and smiled, "Sure enough, Master Qingchen is extraordinary. I heard that Pavilion Lord Ling and Prince Zhuannan have some grievances; never would I have thought they could stand together now. Is this also due to your efforts

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "The world is bustling for profit; the world is clamoring for gain. Sir Ren must be amused." Xu Qingchen was being straightforward, admitting that they coveted the Mu family's vast wealth. What were they going to do about it

The patriarch of the Mu family stepped forward and pointed at Xu Qingchen angrily. "Mr. Qingchen, I believe we have treated you quite well. Are you not afraid of divine retribution for your actions"

Xu Qingchen sighed helplessly. "I apologize, Patriarch Mu. Although my relationship with the Ding Prince is deep-rooted, there's no way I would sell myself to the prince just because he asked me to. However, if our actions lead to hardship in the Northwest, that would indeed be my fault. Therefore... I had no choice but to do so, and I hope Patriarch Mu can understand."

The patriarch of the Mu family was so furious that his chest heaved up and down as though he might burst into a fit of coughing blood. Ling Tieshan and Lei Tengfeng couldn't help but chuckle under their breaths. They knew the ins and outs of the situation, and while Xu Qingchen's words sounded polite, to Ling Tieshan and Lei Tengfeng it was clear: "My lord doesn't want your granddaughter; you're forcing my lord to marry her. If he doesn’t marry her, your Northwest trade will be cut off, so I have no choice but to wipe out the Mu family."

"Arrogance!" Mu Xiong roared and charged towards Xu Qingchen who stood at the forefront.

This time, Mu Xiong had returned with great confidence. Based on his reputation and martial arts skills, everyone should have respected him and followed his orders. Being allowed to enter the Mu family as a son-in-law was an immense honor and favor. Yet he encountered Xu Qingchen who did not appreciate it at all. Not only was their marriage unfulfilled but even the Mu family itself was now in peril.

Ling Tieshan and Prince Southern Command both stepped forward to block Mu Xiong's path, delivering a palm strike as they did so. Xu Qingchen’s bodyguards had already pulled him back several steps. When their palms met, gale-force winds erupted. Those around them couldn’t stand it and retreated. Ling Tieshan and the Prince Southern Command each took two backward steps to watch Mu Xiong land on his feet. Ling Tieshan sneered, "Senior Mu gained fame decades ago; does using your martial arts on an unarmed man count as a feat Could the title of top martial artist in the world be undeserved"

"Dare I!" Mu Xiong roared and struck at Ling Tieshan without hesitation.

Ling Tieshan didn’t realize his words had hit a nerve. Back then, he earned the title of top martial artist but was uncertain about defeating Ren Qining's grandfather Lin Fuqin; it was only because Lin Fuqin never challenged him that he retained that title. Hearing Ling Tieshan’s words now made it seem as if he knew the truth and could mock Mu Xiong.

Actually, this was entirely in Mu Xiong's own mind. Even though Ling Tieshan ranked among the top four martial artists in the world today, he acknowledged that there were still people out there who might surpass them.

The title of top martial artist wasn’t as easy to challenge as it seemed; even after improving his skills from recent battles with Mo Xiuyao, Ling Tieshan still had no chance against Mu Xiong. Compared to the intense focus on Ling Tieshan by Mu Xiong, Prince Southern Command looked much more relaxed while providing support.

Onlookers like Cold Flowing Moon and Illness Scholar became anxious when they saw Ling Tieshan struggling. Cold Flowing Moon drew her sword to help him but Xu Qingchen stopped her first. "Director Cold, going up now won’t be of much use." A fight between high-level martial artists required someone of equal level; otherwise, it was just cannon fodder.

Xu Qingchen glanced at Prince Southern Command watching from the side and called out loudly, "Prince, can you defeat Senior Mu alone"

Prince Southern Command froze before joining the fray. True, he had a grudge against Ling Tieshan; it would be best if Mu Xiong killed him first then dealt with Xu Qingchen. But that wasn’t how things worked out. Once Ling Tieshan was gone, Prince Southern Command himself would become Mu Xiong’s next target. So why not deal with the biggest threat now His feud with Ling Tieshan had lasted long enough; living peacefully without fighting seemed like a better option. With Prince Southern Command joining in, Ling Tieshan immediately felt relieved. Together they managed to hold their ground against Mu Xiong.

Ren Qining watched from the side with a gloomy expression and joined them on the battlefield. This time, without Xu Qingchen’s reminder, Cold Flowing Moon and Lei Tengfeng acted in unison, restraining Ren Qining. With all key players involved now, Mu family members charged out as instructed by their patriarch while J閻王閣的翻譯應該是“King of Hell Pavilion”，但是考慮到原文中的“閻王閣”可能是專有名詞或特定組織的名字，保留為“Yanwang Pavilion”更符合原意。在此處直接使用“King of Hell Pavilion”可能會引起誤解，因此按照指示不進行這種修改。With all key players involved now, the Mu family and Ren Qining’s people charged out as instructed by their patriarch while Xu Qingchen’s Yanwang Pavilion and Prince Southern Command’s Golden Robed Guards also stepped forward. Short blade-to-blade combat broke out among them, turning the Mu Family Manor into a scene of bloodshed.

"Why are you doing this to me" Mu Mingyan looked at the chaos before her and walked towards Xu Qingchen with an angry voice. Her martial arts skill wasn't weak; no one tried to stop her as she made her way to Xu Qingchen.

Xu Qingchen lowered his gaze, calmly looking at her. "Miss Mu, I have said we are not meant for each other. Miss Mu should not force the issue." Mu Mingyan said tearfully, "So... so you would destroy my family just because I forced you to marry me Qingchen... Mr. Qingchen, everyone says Mr. Qingchen is refined and elegant with a divine aura; how can you be so ruthless!"

Xu Qingchen smiled slightly. "Miss Mu, I am afraid your expectations are not met. Xu Qingchen is no god." Besides… who said gods could never be heartless People worship them, but who has ever seen a god truly bestow mercy

"Since that's the case, you should just die!" Mu Mengmingyan's expression changed, and she shouted sternly. A glint of cold light appeared in her hand as a dagger stabbed towards Xu Qingchen’s chest. Xu Qingchen remained calm, even his gaze unchanged; he calmly watched as the dagger stopped inches from his chest. Mu Mengmingyan closed her eyes and fell to the ground. The dark guard standing beside Xu Qingchen maintained a composed expression and respectfully reported: "She hasn’t died." Xu Qingchen lowered his head to glance at the unconscious Mu Mengmingyan, nodded, and someone nearby stepped forward to drag her away.

Both Leng Liuyue and Lei Tengfeng were not weak in martial arts skills, but they were still far from being able to defeat Ren Qining for first place in the Martial Arts Congress. Soon after, Lei Tengfeng was kicked out first; without Lei Tengfeng, Leng Liuyue naturally found it hard to manage on her own. Originally, she excelled not in swordsmanship but in lightness kung fu and concealed weapons; after several rounds, she too was pressed into a corner by Ren Qining. The sick scholar stood by the side watching the two fighters with tension, deeply regretting his lack of martial arts skill which rendered him powerless to help. At this moment, Leng Liuyue and Ren Qining were too close for distance; even if he wanted to use poison to assist Leng Liuyue, it wouldn’t be possible. The Yama Pavilion’s specialty was assassination, and they would always be at a disadvantage when facing their opponents head-on.

Xu Qingchen frowned as he watched the battle situation before him. With a wave of his hand, four dark figures swept over to surround Ren Qining, giving Leng Liuyue an opportunity to retreat from the battle circle. The moment these four people joined in, the tide turned immediately. Individually none of them were better than Ren Qining or even Leng Liuyue when it came to martial arts skill; however, their unadorned moves that directly targeted vital points and perfect coordination as if they had rehearsed countless times threw Ren Qining into disarray.

Leng Liuyue coughed lightly, wiped the blood from her lips with a casual gesture, and praised: "The Qilin of Ding Wangfu is indeed well-deserved." Leng Liuyue had previously dealt with the dark guards of Ding Wangfu before, so she could easily tell that these four were completely different. A quick thought in her mind made her understand their identities.

Xu Qingchen was also satisfied; Lie’s words proved accurate—capturing one of the top four martial artists nationwide, Mu Qinger, and capturing Ren Qining was naturally not difficult either.

Ren Qining could not finish his battle in a short while. Seeing this, everyone turned their attention to Mu Mengxiong's side. Both Leng Liuyue and the sick scholar had watched Ling Tiehan and Mo Xiuyao’s martial arts contest a few days ago; compared with what they saw today, it was far less impressive. Although they couldn’t clearly see the moves in that match, they could clearly feel the sword energy and combat intent involved, but this fight here wasn't fast at all—each move was clear and straightforward, even if not elegant, delivering solid blows and sweeping sword energy, a deadly fighting style.

Ling Tiehan and Southern Zhen Wang had pre-existing issues, so their cooperation was far from seamless. Experienced as Mu Mengxiong was, he could easily see through this. Seizing an opportunity to feign weakness, he first struck Ling Tiehan with one palm then focused entirely on Southern Zhen Wang; even when standing alone to bear the brunt of his attacks, the latter only managed a few hundred moves before yielding.

Mu Mengxiong looked coldly at the wounded Ling Tiehan and Southern Zhen Wang, sneering: "Do you younglings really wish to challenge your elders" Ling Tiehan looked back at him coldly; it was true that they were badly injured, but Mu Mengxiong wasn't unscathed either. He just didn’t suffer as severely compared to them.

Mu Mengxiong paid no attention to Ren Qining's side and instead turned to Xu Qingchen with a cold smile: "Xu brat, what do you think now Relying on these two younglings to wipe out our Mu Family is nothing but wishful thinking!"

Xu Qingchen was not in any hurry; he smiled calmly: "Your martial arts prowess exceeds my expectations as a junior. However… given the situation, do you still believe that the Mu Family can survive Are they stronger than Southern Zhen Wang's 3000 Golden Robe Guards or Western City’s one million troops" Mu Mengxiong turned pale: "Before those forces arrive, all of you will die!"

Ling Tiehan laughed: "We'll see who dies. You should be focusing on your health instead of meddling in others' affairs."

Mu Mengxiong stared at Ling Tiehan and sneered, while Southern Zhen Wang looked thoughtfully between the two.

Mu Mengxiong laughed long and loud to the sky, pointing at Xu Qingchen: "I’ll see how this renowned Qingshen Master saves his own life!" Taking a step forward, Mu Mengxiong easily avoided Ling Tiehan and Southern Zhen Wang in front of him, lunging towards Xu Qingchen. This attack was something even Xu Qingchen couldn’t dodge; let alone Xu Qingchen himself, the dark guards around him along with Leng Liuyue and others found it hard to move under the pressure coming their way. Ling Tiehan's expression changed: "Qingshen!"

A white figure shot up from behind like a startled swan, a sword light slicing through the sky instantly. A凜冽劍氣猶如實質橫空斬下，冷流月等人頓時感到身上一輕連忙飛身後退，徐清塵也同時被兩個暗衛帶著退到了更遠的地方。原本徐清塵站立的地方，卻是一個挺拔卓絕的白色身影，一頭白髮如雪手中長劍同樣熠熠生寒。

"Mo Xiuyao!"

Now then… Isn't Ren Qining's identity somewhat unexpected It’s not as if they’ve stirred up a hornet's nest from the previous dynasty; Lin Yuan has only ever been one person all along. So...rcing through his throat. Blinking his eyes, he found himself unable to do anything other than releasing Dr. Lin and collapsing backwards.Dr. Lin looked down at the middle-aged man lying on the ground...