89: In my eyes, all the masters in this world are just trash. It’s so lonely!

"That's right," Lu Jiuyuan nodded. "Daoist Mu stirred up the Jianghu, and I followed his steps.

But everywhere I went, the Imperial Guards naturally followed and cooperated, uncovering many things."

"How so?"

"Prince Taiping is loyal, but Prince Taiping's heir has great ambition."

"Is he the one you're trying to bait?"

"That's right. Prince Taiping commands an army of five hundred thousand, which cannot be moved lightly. Without a suitable reason, it's even harder to touch his heir.

We can only let him make the first move. Only when he exposes himself can he be caught, and only then will Prince Taiping have nothing to say."

"To bait him, your injury isn't enough. To rebel, one needs people and money. The military provisions are about to be sent over; they can serve as bait."

"Brother, you must be careful and prioritize your own safety," the Emperor said solemnly. "Since Prince Taiping's heir wants to rebel, he must have the confidence to do so."

"Big Brother, don't worry, I understand," Lu Jiuyuan nodded.

"Brother, you've gone to so much trouble for my sake! There's not much I can do to thank you.

If you have time, come and visit my library. I also enjoy martial arts and have had many Secret Manuals collected. See if there's anything suitable for you; feel free to read and take whatever you like."

"Alright!" Lu Jiuyuan nodded.

The Emperor nodded, then suddenly raised his voice and said, "Brother, recover well. I still have two century-old ginseng roots and a few thousand-year-old snow lotus flowers. I'll have Feng Bao retrieve them and bring them to you."

After speaking, he raised an eyebrow at Lu Jiuyuan and turned to leave.

A short while later, Feng Bao arrived with great fanfare, delivering two century-old ginseng roots and three massive Tianshan snow lotus flowers... "Sword Devil is injured!"

"Ximen Chuixue personally escorted him back to Listening to the Waves Garden in the capital and only left after ensuring his safe return home!"

"Daoist Mu's strength was considerable. For Sword Devil to kill him in one move, he must have paid a significant price."

"Master, to succeed in rebellion, we must first kill the Protector Sword Saint. If we can't kill Lu Jiuyuan, it will be incredibly difficult to intercept those military provisions."

"You want me to emerge from seclusion?"

"That's right. A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Even an injured Sword Devil is not someone any minor character can assassinate.

In all the world, to be able to accomplish this steadily, in my knowledge, there is only Master!" Gong Jiu shook his head and said,

"As long as Sword Devil still has a breath in him, no one can underestimate him.

And no one has the right to underestimate him. Master, I implore you!"

"Alright! I, too, truly want to see just how formidable this expert, recently proclaimed to be at the Peak of the World's Sword Dao, truly is? And how far is he from me?"

The elderly man Wu Ming said with a light chuckle, his hands clasped behind his back.

"The experts in this world are all mere small fry in my eyes; it's truly too lonely.

If this Sword Devil can pique my interest even slightly, then it won't be in vain for me to leave this place and make a trip to the capital."

"Sword Saint Lu Jiuyuan! The World's Greatest Swordsman! And he can make Senior Brother Gong Jiu so wary; it's truly too interesting. If I can't go and meet such a person before Master kills him, wouldn't it be an extreme pity!"

Beef Soup listened to the conversation between her Senior Brother and Master, and great interest rose in her heart... More than ten days flew by in a flash.

A new cook, A Tang, quietly appeared in the mansion. She was quick and efficient, especially skilled at making soup, and was clever and charming.

Her Beef Soup's aroma could waft half a street away. The broth was clear like amber, the meat tender and not falling apart. With one sip, it was fresh, fragrant, and mellow, warming one's heart. Even the pickiest Shangguan Xueer couldn't help but praise, "Good soup!"

A Tang was personally recruited by the butler, Li Zhong. It was said she was a distant relative of his.

With her world-class Beef Soup as a stepping stone, she easily remained in the kitchen of Listening to the Waves Garden.

As for where the beef came from, according to Li Zhong, an old ox from his hometown, contemplating suicide, had hanged itself.

He had bought the entire ox and sent it to Listening to the Waves Garden.

For several days, Lu Jiuyuan recuperated in the quiet room, with Shangguan Xueer personally delivering his meals.

Lu Jiuyuan also drank the Beef Soup; the taste was indeed excellent.

Although he hadn't entered the Imperial Palace these past few days, he had sent Xue'er there a few times, bringing back several Secret Manuals.

One was a hidden weapon technique called Finger Flicking Divine Skill, the inherited martial art of Mr. Jian Er of the Tianqin Sect, who had died by his hand years ago.

The other three were all Internal Skill techniques: one was Frigid Flame Palm, one was Vajra Subduing Demonic Technique, and one was Profound Ice Energy!

On one hand, it was to compensate for his lack of hidden weapon techniques, and on the other, he wanted to broaden his horizons.

Although the names were ordinary, the martial arts collected by the Emperor were all of quite good quality.

Compared to the nameless Internal Skill he obtained from Lu Xiaofeng, they were not much inferior.

In the Jianghu, they could all be considered first-rate. If a person with suitable Aptitude practiced them, they could achieve first-rate Peak abilities.

In these ten-odd days, although he had been hiding in this room, feigning injury, the constant comparison and research had yielded no small gains.

"Xiao Jian, this new cook's skills are truly excellent. The taste of this Beef Soup is simply divine!"

Shangguan Xueer carried two steaming bowls of Beef Soup and placed them on the small table in front of Lu Jiuyuan.

Then, she skillfully took out a set of tools, all sorts of poison-testing instruments.

She was extremely vigilant about Lu Jiuyuan's diet. She was never afraid of Lu Xiaojian facing someone in a direct confrontation, because she knew Lu Xiaojian was invincible.

But she feared someone poisoning him in a sneak attack. How many heroes and valiant figures in the Jianghu didn't die in direct confrontations, but rather succumbed to treachery?

Even within Listening to the Waves Garden, in her own home, she maintained a degree of caution and vigilance.

Even the butler, Li Zhong, didn't know that every day, Shangguan Xueer carefully inspected the food delivered from the kitchen.

What's more, as soon as this A Tang appeared, Lu Jiuyuan had already instructed Xue'er to pay close attention to her.

Lu Jiuyuan was meditating with his eyes closed. Hearing this, he opened his eyes and glanced at the bowl of soup. The broth was clear, and the aroma was enticing, truly alluring.

He nodded slightly: "It smells fragrant."

After finishing the inspection and putting away the tools, Shangguan Xueer giggled and scooped a spoonful:

"But it's just too dangerous. If she were one of us, having soup every day would be great.

I'll try some too. Hmm... the heat and ingredients are just right. This really shows skill."

"Oh?" Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"What's wrong?" Lu Jiuyuan asked calmly.

Shangguan Xueer didn't answer immediately. Instead, she took out the set of tools again, selected a small bottle from it, and dripped a drop into the spoon.

A very faint, almost imperceptible, grayish hue slowly appeared on the surface of the soup in the spoon.

Shangguan Xueer's face instantly darkened. The innocent and playful look in her eyes vanished without a trace, replaced by utter coldness.

"Good soup... it really is good soup!" Her voice was clear, yet carried a strong murderous intent.

"Perfectly cooked, exquisite ingredients, even the poison was administered so subtly. If not for my ability to discern poisons, aided by the thousand-year medicinal spring, I would have almost been fooled!"

Her fingertip held the silver spoon that had just been dipped in the medicinal spring. The grayish hue at the bottom of the spoon was clearly visible in the candlelight.

Her gaze, sharp as a knife, pierced directly towards the doorway, where, at some unknown point, a charming figure was already leaning against the door.

It was the cook A Tang, or rather, Beef Soup.

The meek and pleasing expression on her face had long vanished, replaced by a mixture of surprise, amusement, and a smile.

She lightly clapped her hands, as if enjoying a good show: "Oh my, truly one cannot judge a book by its cover.

They say Listening to the Waves Garden is full of hidden talents, even a little maid serving people actually possesses such discernment and means?

To even detect my carefully concocted anesthetic? Impressive, impressive."

Her voice was still sweet, but it sent shivers down one's spine.

"Who are you? What is your relationship with Li Zhong?

Where is Li Zhong?"

Shangguan Xueer's voice was icy cold. She slowly stood up, her small stature exuding an astonishing Aura, like a provoked little tiger, staring intently at Beef Soup leaning against the doorway.

She tilted her head, her pure and innocent big eyes now gleaming with the playful light of a cat toying with a mouse:

"You're looking for Li Zhong? He was always our man.

Everyone has weaknesses. With weaknesses come leverage. Once you have leverage, there's no one you can't control.

As for now," she shrugged, making a throat-slitting gesture, her smile still sweet, "he's useless once used. He's probably feeding rats in some ditch now."

"You!" Shangguan Xueer's eyes blazed with even greater fury, her fingertips already gripping several poisoned silver needles.

"Don't move, little girl. In terms of martial arts and hidden weapons, I am ten times stronger than you!" Beef Soup chuckled softly: "If you don't move, fine. If you move, you will die!

That invalid in bed cannot save your life!"

"Cough cough! Actually, I'm not an invalid!" Lu Jiuyuan said in a deep voice: "I am the Sword Saint!"