Inside Tianyi Tower of the Divine General’s Mansion!
"News just came in. Xiaohuang has won!" Inside Tianyi Tower of the Divine General’s Mansion, Lin Beichen shed his previous worries, his face lighting up with joy.
Hearing this, Qin Xuance, who sat opposite him, smiled faintly. "The Young Master has gotten his revenge, but I’m the one who has to clean up the mess he left behind. Even though they signed a life-and-death contract leaving their fates to the heavens, the person he killed was, after all, the current Dynasty’s Crown Prince. Public outrage alone will be difficult to resolve, not to mention those Scholars and high-ranking officials. Elder Mansion Master, you must withstand the pressure!"
"What is there to fear!" Lin Beichen snorted coldly. "With the fires of war rising on all sides, I’d like to see if those people dare to touch even a single hair of our Divine General’s Mansion. As they say, when a Scholar meets a soldier, reason falls on deaf ears. Why would I fear those cowards!"
Qin Xuance shook his head. Lin Beichen spoke tough, but it was still up to Qin Xuance to handle the aftermath.
Evidently unaware of what Qin Xuance was thinking, Lin Beichen remained immersed in the news of Lin Huang’s victory. Spittle flew from his mouth in his excitement as he patted Qin Xuance’s shoulder. "You previously said Xiaohuang would definitely win, and the result is exactly as you expected. Now you can tell me your reasons!"
Staring at Lin Beichen’s burning gaze, which looked as though he wanted to strip him naked, Qin Xuance coughed awkwardly before replying, "Actually... I just guessed!"
"Then teach me how to guess too!" Lin Beichen glared, locking eyes with Qin Xuance. "Guessed? If Xiaohuang had lost and you gave me that answer, I would’ve chopped you into eight pieces!" he cursed inwardly.
Qin Xuance laughed awkwardly before continuing. "I merely inferred the Young Master’s strength from a few different angles. I wouldn’t dare say it was a sure thing!"
"If you don’t speak up right now, I’ll have no choice but to throw you out of the Divine General’s Mansion!" Seeing Qin Xuance’s old habit of keeping people in suspense acting up again, Lin Beichen became furious. "Scholars learn nothing good, only a bunch of bad habits!"
"The Young Master takes exactly ten inches with each step. That is the first reason," Qin Xuance said.
"What?" Lin Beichen’s eyes widened as he spat out a mouthful of tea. "Taking ten-inch steps can be a reason for your inference? I could also walk ten inches in a single step for you to see!"
"I have studied the profiles of a thousand Martial Artists, including their lifelong battles, living habits, leisure hobbies, and even how they walk, sit, and lie down!" Qin Xuance explained unhurriedly. "And besides Xiao Yishan, the Young Master is the only one who can maintain exactly ten inches per step. Although I still do not understand the underlying reason, given that an expert like Xiao Yishan takes ten-inch steps, there must be some merit to it."
Lin Beichen frowned and nodded in agreement.
"Second, the Young Master never faces people head-on, nor does he ever let others see both of his hands at the same time. This is an innate defensive posture!
"Third, the Young Master’s eyes are always fixed on the shoulders of others. When a Martial Artist attacks, besides gathering power from their waist and legs, their shoulders move first. Someone without ample combat experience would not understand this. I believe even many Martial Marquis Powerhouses in the East Spirit Realm might not necessarily know this!" Qin Xuance explained, listing his points one by one as he sipped his tea.
"And then?" Lin Beichen pressed.
"Fourth, for those who undergo normal Cultivation in Martial Arts, their right arm will be thicker than their left due to swinging a weapon for prolonged periods. However, this is not the case for the Young Master. This indicates that he has Cultivated a Left-Handed Saber Technique. The calluses on his left hand also prove this!" Qin Xuance explained leisurely. "In summary, although the Young Master’s Realm is a bit lower, his combat experience is extremely rich. I’m afraid that not even a battle-hardened General of the Divine General’s Mansion could match him."
"That makes some sense!" Lin Beichen nodded in agreement. Below the Celestial Element, the gap between Realms was not that vast. Sometimes, combat experience could indeed make up for the difference.
The combat experience Lin Huang had previously displayed had also genuinely surprised Lin Beichen. He had pondered for a long time but couldn’t figure out how a boy who had only been Cultivating for a year could possess such rich experience. He wondered if the boy engaged in life-and-death battles with others even in his sleep.
"There is one more point. Although the Young Master was a playboy for the past few years, he also developed a decisive personality aligned with the Tyrant Path. For someone who places their life on the line while Cultivating, it is easy to imagine that in combat, the Young Master would frequently resort to tactics that inflict a thousand points of damage on the enemy at the cost of eight hundred to himself."
Hearing this, Lin Beichen actually fell somewhat silent. What Qin Xuance said was not unreasonable. He knew that although Lin Huang was relatively gentle in front of him, the boy possessed a streak of madness deep in his bones! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have devoted himself entirely to Cultivating Martial Arts after Lin Cangxue’s Martial Soul was shattered.
Watching Lin Beichen’s thoughtful expression, Qin Xuance merely smiled leisurely. He had just listed a whole bunch of reasons, but there were actually two more that he had kept to himself.
First, he had failed to deduce Lin Huang’s Life Chart!
This was the very first hurdle he had encountered since he taught himself the Inference Skill. Even if his skills were unrefined, it was enough to explain a lot of things. Moreover, while he couldn’t deduce Lin Huang’s Life Chart, he had successfully foreseen Crown Prince Lingyun’s premature death!
Second, his eyes could see everyone’s Martial Soul. Yet, he didn’t even dare to look at Lin Huang’s Martial Soul. He had a premonition that if he ever tried to pry into it, his eyes would be permanently blinded.
These two points had played a crucial role in Qin Xuance’s deduction... When things act so abnormally, there must be a demon at work!
By the time Lin Huang returned to the Divine General’s Mansion, it was already late at night. The moment he had stepped out of the plaza earlier, he had been dragged to Tianxiang Tower by Fatty Bai under the guise of a celebration! A celebration for the two of them entering Piaoxue Palace, and a celebration for Lin Huang defeating Crown Prince Lingyun and surviving a great disaster!
However, due to his recent injuries, Lin Huang felt slightly nauseous and didn’t eat much. Instead, it was Fatty Bai who stuffed his belly until it was as round as a ball. That single meal had cost Lin Huang another ten thousand silver taels. It was only because both of them came from wealthy families that they could afford to eat and drink so extravagantly.
Halfway through their drinking session, Bai Pojun appeared. He grabbed Fatty Bai by the ear and hauled him back to the Bai Family’s home, not forgetting to shoot Lin Huang a fierce glare before leaving. Bai Pojun felt he had gone through great lengths to get Fatty Bai into a Sect, only to find that the boy still couldn’t escape this Lin Huang kid. He believed the Bai Family’s sole heir was going to be utterly ruined by him.
Watching their retreating figures, Lin Huang smiled wistfully.
When Fatty Bai had previously refused to enter a Sect, others might not have known the reason, but how could Lin Huang not? With the fires of war rising everywhere and Great Chu mobilizing its troops, Bai Pojun, as the Minister of the Ministry of War, would inevitably step onto the battlefield one day. Fatty Bai’s refusal was naturally because he wanted to stay by Bai Pojun’s side. Even if he only served as a Spear Guard, he would feel at ease, as he could at least protect Bai Pojun’s safety.
On the other hand, Bai Pojun’s intention was naturally for Fatty Bai to enter a Sect. Otherwise, staying by his side meant the boy would eventually have to step onto the battlefield, potentially ending up returning as a corpse wrapped in horsehide. Although this father and son duo didn’t see eye to eye normally—with Fatty Bai always happily causing trouble for his old man—the deep-seated familial love between them was more real and profound than anyone else’s.
After returning to the Divine General’s Mansion, Lin Huang wasn’t in a hurry to rest. Dragging his alcohol-scented body, he stepped into Tianyi Tower for the first time.
"Congratulations, Young Master, on achieving fame in a single day and avenging your great enmity!" Seeing Lin Huang’s arrival in the tower, Qin Xuance cupped his hands and praised him.
Lin Huang snorted twice. "You think I don’t know what you’re thinking? You’re probably cursing me mercilessly in your head."
Qin Xuance coughed plainly and didn’t bother hiding it. "You certainly got your revenge, but I’m the one left to clean up the mess. I really shouldn’t have listened to Elder Xiao and gotten tricked into joining the Divine General’s Mansion."
"You chose this yourself." Emboldened by the alcohol, Lin Huang gave Qin Xuance no face whatsoever. "The Divine General’s Mansion invited you here; they didn’t bring you here to act like a pampered young lord."
"Why do I feel like your servant? You’re out there showing off your might, acting as the glorious Young Master, while I’m stuck behind the scenes working day and night, tiring myself half to death!" Qin Xuance laughed self-deprecatingly.
"But I consider you a friend," Lin Huang grinned, patting Qin Xuance’s shoulder. "Since we are friends, these matters shouldn’t be a big deal to you."
Qin Xuance brushed the hand off his shoulder, his eyes wide with exasperation as his words caught in his throat. He wondered what Lin Huang meant by saying it shouldn’t be a big deal. The two generations of the Lin Clan were perfectly happy playing the hands-off Shopkeeper, leaving him to brainstorm, strategize, and formulate tactics. Was killing Crown Prince Lingyun a trivial matter? They went around acting high and mighty every day, leaving him exhausted as a dog. People needed to have a conscience when they spoke!
Complaints aside, Qin Xuance handled matters with Lei Li’s decisiveness, keeping everything in perfect order. Long before Lin Huang arrived, he had already dispatched a series of orders. He had carefully considered the commoners’ condemnation, the officials’ impeachment, the Emperor’s intentions, and the reactions of the garrison outside the city. Qin Xuance had thoroughly deduced every possibility following Lin Huang’s killing of Crown Prince Lingyun, thereby formulating countermeasures.
Setting aside the garrison mutinying outside the city, and ignoring the public exposure of Crown Prince Lingyun’s various past sins, the seventeen consecutive top-priority military dispatches alone had thrown the entire Dynasty into a state of panic, leaving them no mind to care about Crown Prince Lingyun’s matter.
"Let me tell you something." Lin Huang sat in front of Qin Xuance, his alcohol-flushed face looking somewhat solemn.
"Don’t. My ears are ringing!" Qin Xuance refused. Ever since he met Lin Huang, he couldn’t say for sure if there were bad things, but there definitely hadn’t been a single good thing!
"Are you sure you don’t want to know? This concerns your ambitions. Although the East Spirit Realm isn’t large, it is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. If you wish to unify the East Spirit Realm and end the conflict between the Ten Great Dynasties, it won’t be easy!"
"How did you know..." Qin Xuance blurted out, his voice abruptly cutting off. "No one in this world should know about my idea of unifying the East Spirit Realm!" he thought, thoroughly shocked.
"I consider you a friend. Naturally, I know what my friend is thinking!" Lin Huang said with a completely serious expression, smoothly bluffing Qin Xuance.
Qin Xuance’s mouth twitched. "What exactly do you want to tell me?" he asked impatiently.
Lin Huang took a sip of hangover tea. "There is a young man in the Great Zhou Dynasty named Songg Zhimou. Have you heard of this person?"
"Songg Zhimou?" Qin Xuance shook his head.
"You might want to keep an eye on him. That guy is not simple. Be careful not to capsize in a mere ditch when you run into him in the future," Lin Huang chuckled faintly.
"You’re not just bluffing me, are you?" Qin Xuance twirled his interwoven fingers. He prided himself on understanding the East Spirit Realm far better than Lin Huang did. Anyone with even a bit of fame would have their detailed profile resting on his desk. Yet, he had never even heard of this Songg Zhimou.
Lin Huang only smiled without speaking. He only knew about Songg Zhimou because Qin Xuance had personally told him in his previous life. Otherwise, there would be no way for Lin Huang to know. According to Qin Xuance, Songg Zhimou was the one who handed him his only defeat!
Seeing that Lin Huang didn’t seem to be joking, Qin Xuance nodded. "I will remember this name!"
"There’s one more thing I need to talk to you about!" Lin Huang spoke again.
Qin Xuance massaged his forehead, realizing he had fallen for the bait and walked right into another of Lin Huang’s traps. "I should have known that this guy giving me a name wouldn’t lead to anything good!" he lamented inwardly.