A thin mist filled the early-morning air. The former Fragrant River Inn had been burned to ashes.
The mighty Blood Rain Guard experts protected the seemingly ordinary carriage and set off for the capital. There were only Old Master Fei, Xinlan, and Fei Qing in the carriage.
“Dad, have some tea.” Fei Qing personally served the tea.
Old Master Fei accepted the tea and took a sip before sighing. “After hearing you say so much, I finally understand how much danger you’ve been in all these years. I’m limited in my view compared to you, but I still want to remind you… It’s lonely at the top. You have to be careful and have backup plans.”
“At my level, there’s no way out. Only by pressing forward can I intimidate the reprobates,” Fei Qing said calmly. “Dad, you don’t have to worry. I’m on His Majesty’s side. His Majesty… is the supreme existence in the world.”
Old Master Fei sighed with emotion. If His Majesty were truly supreme, the former emperor wouldn’t have died young. The current emperor also wouldn’t have ascended the throne as a prince.
“Dad, I’ve followed His Majesty for many years. I was by His Majesty’s side when he was still a prince. Everything I have was bestowed by His Majesty, and I have no way out.” Fei Qing gazed at his father. “The reason why I wanted you in my letter was due to the situation. I was afraid that some opponents would use any means to control you secretly, so I immediately summoned you to the capital when I sensed that the situation had changed. In the capital… With His Majesty taking care of you and the threat of the Martial Arts Academy’s dean, you will still be safe even if I’m down. The Fei family will continue on.”
“Dean Ming from the Martial Arts Academy?” Old Master Fei was surprised.
“Yes, I requested His Majesty to make an appearance before getting Dean Ming to agree… to accept Xinlan as a disciple,” Fei Qing said.
“Take me in as a disciple? Who’s Dean Ming?” Fei Xinlan was puzzled.
Fei Qing said, “The number one expert in the capital!”
“The number one expert in the capital? How much of an expert is he?” Fei Xinlan was very curious.
“See that?” Fei Qing looked out the window. “There are so many Blood Rain Guard experts around us, and there’s even south wing’s Envoy Wang Jiuyan… Despite all the experts working together, Dean Ming can finish each of them with a single strike. Even if all the experts charge forward without fear of death, they will be wiped out.”
Fei Xinlan was stunned. “That strong?”
“By being number one in the imperial capital… Even if there are unfathomable experts hidden in the world, Dean Ming is probably in the world’s top three,” Fei Qing said. “At the very least, I don’t know anyone who’s stronger than him. All these years, he has had two swords on his back, but nobody has forced him to draw his second sword!”
“I paid a significant price to allow you to be his disciple! You have to cherish this opportunity.” Fei Qing looked at his sister. This was also a huge backer he had found for his family.
Fei Xinlan nodded.
“Oh right.” Fei Qing suddenly smiled and said, “Xinlan, you’ve grown up. After you arrive in the capital, you have to consider getting married. If you have anyone you fancy, you have to tell me.”
“I’m in no hurry.” Fei Xinlan blushed slightly. “Let’s not talk about this.”
“I heard from Dad that you specially chose three people as your guards, and two of them are men?” Fei Qing gazed at her sister teasingly. It had been years since they last met, and his baby sister had grown up. However, one could still see inklings of her childhood from her facial features and her eyes. Fei Qing also wanted to make up for the years of his absence.
“Yeah.” Fei Xinlan immediately replied, “It was dangerous on the way to the capital. Many people died. Senior Sister Qiu lost an arm, and Brother Luo luckily survived. Brother Jing is very strong, and he narrowly escaped from the Black Lotus Sect’s Dharmaraja.”
“For these guards, I’ll redress the dead. I won’t mistreat those who survived.” Fei Qing nodded. Having wielded authority, he was already used to the deaths of his subordinates.
“I heard from Old Lu that the guard named ‘Jingming’ is also from Lanyue City? He’s only 30 this year?” Fei Qing asked. Of the three people the girl chose, only Xu Jingming got Fei Qing’s attention. As for Qiu Tong and Luo Baichuan… They were still too weak.
Old Master Fei said, “Yes, Guard Jing has been quite diligent on this journey.”
“He’s a promising talent.” Fei Qing nodded slightly.
“Brother, I’ll be mad if you treat them badly.” Fei Xinlan stared at her brother. “They did their best to protect Dad and me.”
“Don’t worry, Sis.” Fei Qing smiled and rubbed his sister’s head.
…
After chatting with his family in the carriage for a long time, Fei Qing exited the carriage and rode with Wang Jiuyan.
“Brother Jiuyan, forgive me for not entertaining you,” Fei Qing said.
“You haven’t seen your family in years, so there’s plenty to say.” Wang Jiuyan smiled.
Fei Qing said, “I’d like to recommend a talent to you as a token of appreciation.”
Wang Jiuyan was taken aback. “Talent?”
With his status, few people were qualified as talents.
“A martial arts genius,” Fei Qing stated. “Three months ago, he was only a second-rate expert. In the past three months, he advanced by leaps and bounds… Last night, he even escaped from the Black Lotus Sect’s Night Dharmaraja.”
“What?” Wang Jiuyan was surprised. “He escaped from Night Dharmaraja?”
“You are free to do the investigations if you doubt my word. Back then, three first-rate experts had joined forces! The other two were instantly killed by Night Dharmaraja. Only this martial arts genius survived without any injuries while wielding his spear,” Fei Qing said. “With his growth speed, do you think… he will become a new super expert?”