Section 76

"Do you think the ills of this world can be solved just by empty talk? Those powerful nobles, those parasites—will they obediently listen to you and give up the power in their hands?" Li Chengping pressed forward step by step, his tone aggressive. "Naive!"

Fan Xian was left speechless by Li Chengping's retort, his face turning pale and then flushed.

He knew that what Li Chengping said was the truth, but he still could not accept such an extreme method.

"Is it... is it not possible to use more gentle methods?" Fan Xian asked, unwilling to give up.

"Gentle methods?" Li Chengping acted as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. He threw his head back and laughed wildly, his laughter filled with mockery and disdain. "Fan Xian, you are truly stupid to the core!"

"In this world, it is the law of the jungle—the weak are prey to the strong. If you try to reason with them, they will only think you are weak and easily bullied!" Li Chengping grabbed Fan Xian by the collar, his eyes terrifyingly cold. "If you want to change this world, you must use iron-fisted methods. You must make the blood flow like a river, kill until they are terrified, and kill until they submit!"

Fan Xian was stunned by Li Chengping's Aura, his whole body turning cold, as if he were in an ice cellar.

Chapter 69: Massacre at the Crown Prince's Mansion! The Capital is Shaken!

Looking at Li Chengping's cold face, a strange fear suddenly welled up in his heart.

This man was truly insane.

"I... I need to think about it more," Fan Xian said with difficulty, his voice trembling.

Li Chengping released Fan Xian's collar, a trace of disappointment in his eyes. "Come find me again once you have thought it through. My time is very precious."

Fan Xian felt as if he had been granted a reprieve; he stood up to take his leave and fled from Prince Ping's Mansion as if escaping.

Li Chengping watched Fan Xian's retreating figure as he fled in panic, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Fan Xian, oh Fan Xian, you are ultimately still too naive," Li Chengping muttered to himself, his eyes filled with calculations.

"However, that is fine. Take it slow; I have plenty of time. You, at least, count as a sharp blade."

"Cao Zhengchun," Li Chengping suddenly said.

Cao Zhengchun immediately stepped forward and bowed, responding, "This servant is here."

"Go tell Fan Jian that I will personally visit his home in the next few days to propose marriage." Li Chengping's mouth curled into a cold arc, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Also, prepare yourself. As for the Crown Prince... it is time to make a move."

The night was as thick as spilled ink.

The Crown Prince's Mansion, usually brightly lit, was now eerily silent.

Hei Niao snuck in like a phantom.

His figure blended into the night, soundless and traceless, as if he were the night itself.

The blade was cold and bloodthirsty.

It sliced through the air, bringing with it a low whisper of death.

"Puchi!" "Puchi!"

Blood instantly stained the white ground red.

The maids, the steward—before they could even let out a scream, they had already fallen into a pool of blood.

Over twenty lives vanished in an instant.

The air was filled with a heavy scent of blood.

The Crown Prince, Li Chengqian, was intoxicated in the embrace of a beautiful concubine in the land of tenderness.

The sudden sounds of shouting and killing awakened him from his sweet dream.

"What is that sound?" Li Chengqian sat up abruptly, his sleepiness gone, panic-stricken.

"Your Highness, it is bad! There are assassins!" The personal eunuch scrambled in, his voice shrill and tearful.

Li Chengqian's face turned deathly pale. "Assassins? Where did these assassins come from?"

Before the words left his mouth, a black shadow appeared before him like a phantom.

Li Chengqian was so scared that his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering; he backed up repeatedly and fell onto the ground.

"You... who are you? How dare you trespass into the Crown Prince's Mansion!" Li Chengqian roared, his voice fierce but his inner self weak, trying to cover up his inner fear.

Hei Niao sneered, his voice as cold as if it came from Hell. "The person coming for your life."

"You... who sent you? I am the current Crown Prince, the future Emperor! If you dare to touch a single hair on this Prince, your entire clan will be executed!" Li Chengqian invoked his status, trying to intimidate the other party.

Hei Niao acted as if he had heard a joke and scoffed. "Execute the entire clan? Your Highness, you had better worry about yourself first."

"Protect me! Protect me!" Li Chengqian let out a scream like a slaughtered pig.

In an instant, hundreds of armored soldiers surged into the room like a tide, surrounding Hei Niao.

Seeing this, Li Chengqian suddenly regained his confidence. He climbed up from the ground, pointed at Hei Niao, and roared, "Audacious madman! How dare you attempt to assassinate this Crown Prince! Today, I will definitely have you torn into ten thousand pieces!"

Hei Niao looked around at the soldiers holding sharp blades, yet showing hesitation on their faces, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Those who move, die." Hei Niao's voice was not loud, but it carried a chilling coldness that made one's heart tremble.

The soldiers looked at each other, the swords in their hands trembling slightly.

No one wanted to die in vain.

Seeing this, Li Chengqian became furious. "Useless! A bunch of useless trash! What use do I have for you? Whoever dares to take a step back will have their family executed to the third degree!"

"Charge for this Prince! Kill this assassin! There will be heavy rewards!" Li Chengqian roared hysterically.

Forced by necessity, the soldiers had no choice but to brace themselves and charge at Hei Niao.

A trace of coldness flashed in Hei Niao's eyes; he was like a wolf entering a flock of sheep.

Blade light flickered, and flesh and blood flew everywhere.

Screams and wails reached the ears, making one's skin crawl.

Hei Niao's movements were like lightning, his sword skills divine.

Every swing of his blade took a life.

Blood stained the ground red, gathering into a small stream, flowing slowly.

In front of Hei Niao, the hundreds of armored soldiers were like paper, unable to withstand a single blow.

In the blink of an eye, more than half had already fallen.

Looking at the scene in front of him, which was like Hell, Li Chengqian completely collapsed.

He slumped on the ground, his face ashen, his eyes filled with despair.

"No... don't... don't kill me..." Li Chengqian's voice trembled, and he no longer had his previous arrogant Aura.

"Stop the nonsense. If the King of Hell wants you to die at the third watch, who dares to keep you until the fifth?"

Hei Niao did not waste any more words; his blade flashed, about to end Li Chengqian's life.

Just at this moment, an old voice exploded like a thunderclap.

"Stop!"

A figure appeared in front of Hei Niao like a teleportation, blocking his blade.

It was the Great Grandmaster, Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun's beard and hair were all white, his eyes as sharp as a falcon's, and his whole body exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Your Excellency has quite a lot of nerve, daring to trespass into the Crown Prince's Mansion to commit murder!" Ye Liuyun's tone was cold, carrying a trace of anger.

Hei Niao sheathed his blade and stood, looking calmly at Ye Liuyun. "Old man, who are you?"

"This old man is Ye Liuyun," Ye Liuyun said proudly. "The Crown Prince is the heir to the nation; how can we allow the likes of you to act so recklessly?"

Seeing Ye Liuyun appear, Li Chengqian felt as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw. He scrambled to get behind Ye Liuyun and cried out, "Old Master Ye, save me! Save me!"

Ye Liuyun frowned and looked at Hei Niao, his tone softening slightly. "Your Excellency, is there some misunderstanding about this matter? Why not stop here? This old man can take responsibility, and we will let bygones be bygones."

Hei Niao scoffed. "A misunderstanding? Ridiculous! I remember now... your surname is Ye? It seems you are that Old Ancestor of the Ye family whose entire clan was to be executed? It seems you are this Crown Prince's reliance?"

"Unfortunately, today, the Crown Prince must die!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian's face turned deathly pale again, and he looked at Ye Liuyun in terror. "Old Master Ye, save me! You must save me!"

Ye Liuyun's face darkened; he had not expected the other party to be so arrogant, not putting him in their eyes at all.

"Your Excellency, this old man has advised you with kind words, yet you remain stubborn. Do you really think that this old man cannot do anything to you?" Ye Liuyun's tone turned cold, faintly carrying a trace of a threat.

Hei Niao's eyes were cold, meeting the challenge head-on. "Old man, stop trying to scare people with the name of a Great Grandmaster. My Prince wants to take the Crown Prince's dog life, and no one can stop him!"

"If you, Ye Liuyun, insist on getting involved in this matter, then I will kill you along with him!"

Hei Niao's extremely arrogant words completely enraged Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun's face was livid, and he laughed in extreme anger. "Good! Good! Good! Truly, you are extremely arrogant!"

"You mere rat, having luckily stepped into the realm of a Great Grandmaster, do you really think you are invincible in the world?" Ye Liuyun roared, his Aura surging, his robes snapping in the wind, and a terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire scene.

Hei Niao's expression remained indifferent, and facing Ye Liuyun's pressure, he was not moved in the slightest.

"A rat? You old dog, what are you, to dare to call me that?" Murderous intent surged in Hei Niao's eyes, and with a movement, he shot out like an arrow released from a bowstring.

The speed was simply inconceivable!

Ye Liuyun's pupils contracted suddenly, and his heart was shocked.

Such fast speed!

He never expected that Hei Niao's speed would be so terrifying, simply transcending common sense!

Hei Niao instantly bypassed Ye Liuyun, his target pointing directly at Li Chengqian!

Li Chengqian was so scared that his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, letting out a desperate scream and scrambling to escape backward.

However, his speed, in front of Hei Niao, was simply like a snail.

Hei Niao caught up with Li Chengqian in an instant, grabbed him by the back of his neck, and lifted him up as if he were a chicken.

"Spare... spare my life... don't kill me..." Li Chengqian was streaming with tears and snot, and he had even lost control of his bladder and bowels; where was there any trace of the Crown Prince's dignity left?

Hei Niao sneered and stepped on Li Chengqian's face, stomping him hard onto the ground, as if he were stepping on a dead dog.

"The Crown Prince? Does a piece of trash like you deserve to compete for the throne with my Prince?" Hei Niao's voice was filled with mockery and disdain.

Seeing this, Ye Liuyun was instantly consumed by rage, his hair and beard standing on end, and he roared, "Madman! How dare you!"