Chapter 128: Be Careful or the Sect Master Will Chop You

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Be Careful or the Sect Master Will Chop You

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Jiang Yuan, dressed in plain clothes, stepped out.

This Jiang Yuan was born with crystalline skin and bones, fine eyebrows and captivating eyes, a pair of phoenix eyes that exuded a sharpness amidst charm, not possessing the delicate weakness of ordinary women, but instead appeared gallant and dashing.

Jiang Yuan did not perform the customary bow like other women but instead clasped her hands towards Zhong Lin and said, “Greetings, Senior Brother Zhong. I didn’t expect that the one escorting us to the Capital this time would be you.”

“You know me?”

“Senior Brother, you must be joking. Who in the Sword Cauldron Sect does not know you, Senior Brother Zhong? After all, Fourth Grade Alchemists are even rarer than Upper Third Grades Martial Artists, and besides, you’re so young.” Jiang Yuan said with a light smile.

The man who had just been talking to Zhong Lin widened his eyes in shock, looking at Zhong Lin.

A Fourth Grade Alchemist?

Did I hear that right?

The civilization of Martial Arts has flourished alongside the Dao of Alchemy; the two complement each other.

Alchemists are inherently rare; a Third Grade Alchemist would be invited as a distinguished guest in any power, let alone a Fourth Grade Alchemist. Moreover, a Fourth Grade Alchemist is equivalent to an Upper Third Grades Martial Artist, regarded as very noble. Even if they go to the Capital, even the Princes of the Royal Family would bow, and the Emperor would not dare to trouble them.

No one expected the escort this time to be a Fourth Grade Alchemist, and so young.

It can only be said that it truly is a great sect; only such a sect can cultivate such outstanding disciples.

Zhong Lin looked at Jiang Yuan and sighed, “Junior Sister Jiang, you do realize that the Capital City is a pool of muddy waters right now, and going back at this time will bring misfortune rather than good. Why must you wade into this muck? Wouldn’t it be better to stay at the Mountain Gate?”

The smile on Jiang Yuan’s face faded, and with a wave of her right hand, the leading man behind her understood and quickly left with the guards, leaving only Zhong Lin and her.

“Senior Brother, you may not know, but the situation in Great Chen is bleak. My father is old and now gravely ill, perhaps unable to hold on past this year. My brothers, the Princes, are all ambitious and covet the throne. As soon as my father passes, chaos will consume Great Chen. As a daughter of the Imperial Family, how can I sit by as Great Chen fragments and our ancestors’ legacy is destroyed?” Jiang Yuan said solemnly.

The power struggle within the Royal Family is extremely brutal. Although Zhong Lin hasn’t experienced it personally, he has seen it enough in movies in his previous life.

The Nine Dragons Fight for the Crown, the Xuanwu Gate Incident, the Jingnan Campaign…

If the few Princes engage in some plots against each other, it’s still fine, as it would at most cause small-scale casualties. What’s feared is a ’Rebellion of the Eight Princes’ happening in Great Chen. Although there are no Five Barbarians around Great Chen, Lu Country and Cheng Country are beside it, and if Great Chen were to fall into chaos, they wouldn’t mind taking advantage of the situation.

“No, that’s not right.”

Zhong Lin realized that this world is different from the previous one, as there are experts in Martial Arts here.

“Junior Sister Jiang, wouldn’t your Imperial Ancestor stand by and watch internal turmoil erupt within Great Chen?”

Sorrow overwhelmed Jiang Yuan’s eyes, and she said in an even lower tone, “This is why I must return; our Imperial Ancestor is about to pass away.”

Zhong Lin frowned deeply, inwardly sighing. In the Martial Arts Ninth Grade, even reaching the First Grade Pure Essence Realm only grants a lifespan of three hundred years. Three hundred years sounds long, but it eventually ends.

Who knows how long you can live after breaking into the First Grade and becoming a Martial Arts Grandmaster, like the Sect Master?

It must be even longer!

Shaking his head to dispel these unrealistic thoughts, he focused his gaze on Jiang Yuan.

“Understood. Junior Sister Jiang, have you chosen your target? Which Prince do you plan to support to ascend the throne?”

Jiang Yuan didn’t answer Zhong Lin’s question; instead, she gently smoothed the disarray of her hair, tucking it behind her ear, then looked down at her own palm.

“So many people have asked me this? My father asked, my mother asked, my Ancestral Grandfather asked, even my brothers had people ask me, and now Senior Brother asks too. Senior Brother, do you think I must support a Prince?”

“Hm?”

“Why can’t I support myself instead?”

When Jiang Yuan said this, her entire aura transformed, no longer appearing weak, but radiating with an authoritative majesty.

Zhong Lin raised an eyebrow, looking at Jiang Yuan with a strange expression.

Goodness, everyone thought Jiang Yuan was going back to support a Prince to stabilize Chen Country, but it turns out she plans to emulate Wu Zetian and become Empress herself!

Impressive.

The entire dense forest seemed to fall silent under this retort, with not a single sound to be heard, even the insects’ chirps disappeared.

Jiang Yuan toyed with her hair, lifting her head to look directly at Zhong Lin.

“Senior Brother doesn’t seem surprised?”

“Not really.”

“Does Senior Brother not think I’m committing blasphemy?”

“Not at all. If men can be Emperors, women naturally can be too,” Zhong Lin nodded and said.

“Really?”

Jiang Yuan’s eyes burned brightly.

“Of course, just like in Martial Arts Cultivation, the achievements of women are no less than those of men. In our Sword Cauldron Sect, two of the nine Great Elders are women.”

Zhong Lin was speaking the truth. The nine-year compulsory education from his previous life left him without any bias against women. In his mind, the only differences between men and women were biological and job roles.

Moreover, in this world of Martial Arts Cultivation, women’s prowess wasn’t any lesser than men’s; there were female figures among many experts, just that their numbers were relatively smaller than men’s, mainly due to physiological differences.

“Senior Brother, would you help me? I can promise, once I ascend the throne, I will not disappoint Senior Brother. Whether it be gold, power, beauties, or cultivation resources, I will spare no effort to fulfill your desires—even myself, if Senior Brother is willing.”

Jiang Yuan gazed at Zhong Lin with blazing eyes. This Senior Brother of hers was indeed a genius, only seventeen years old, two years younger than her, yet already an Upper Third Grades Martial Artist and a Fourth Grade Alchemist. The only one who could compare was the Senior Brother who had been in closed cultivation for years.

If she could bring Senior Brother Zhong Lin into her camp, her path to the throne would face one less obstacle.

Zhong Lin twitched at the corner of his mouth. The fervor in Jiang Yuan’s eyes made him slightly uneasy, but it also affirmed her indeed possessing the demeanor to be an Empress. To win over talent, she was even willing to use herself as a bargaining chip.

Impressive.

Zhong Lin waved his hand and said, “Thank you for your kindness, Junior Sister, but I’ll pass. I have no interest in becoming an official. My life’s goal is to climb the peaks of Martial Arts and enjoy the scenery along the way. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear your words just now; be wary, or the Sect Master might punish you.”

Jiang Yuan’s face turned pale, a fear rushing to her heart.

In her haste to win over Zhong Lin, she forgot his status; if she poached such a genius and the Sect Master found out, she’d be in serious trouble.

Jiang Yuan hurriedly apologized.

“Alright then, it’s about time we head out, lest we miss the appointed hour.”

Jiang Yuan didn’t dare delay and summoned the leading man back.

“Senior Brother, would you like to ride a horse or share a carriage with me?”

“Prepare another carriage for

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