Chapter 49: Not My Disciple

Conversely, Mr. Xiao was not surprised by this at all.

Although he had no idea what level Li Ye's literary talent actually reached—having never seen him display it before—Mr. Xiao understood Li Ye's temperament very well. Since the Sixth Prince had agreed to the wager, there was no way he would possibly lose.

He immediately listened closely.

The servant recited both poems from beginning to end.

Both Long Ruoyun and Mr. Xiao wore expressions of utter shock.

The more they listened, the more incredible it felt.

"Th-this was written by the Sixth Prince?"

"Since when did he possess such extraordinary literary talent?"

Long Ruoyun was completely dumbfounded.

Li Ye's performance left him immensely surprised, far exceeding anything he could have imagined.

Mr. Xiao sighed with deep emotion, "Who would have thought? Having known the Sixth Prince for so long, there was still something unknown to this old man."

"This time, Shi Wushuang has truly suffered a heavy blow. The aura of the peerless genius of the realm is likely to dim quite a bit."

As a Martial Saint of the Dayuan Dynasty, Long Ruoyun naturally hoped that Li Ye would win.

After recovering from his shock, his face bloomed with a happy smile.

"Thinking about it now, Qin Qingxue is truly foolish! To abandon the very Sixth Prince who single-handedly elevated her to prominence, only to turn and throw herself into another's arms—

and worse yet, into the embrace of a disciple from the Cloud Ridge Pavilion who harbors ill intentions toward the Dayuan Dynasty. She is simply courting death."

Mr. Xiao said leisurely, "Qin Qingxue was your disciple as well, why don't you do something about her!"

"Hmph, she was never my disciple. It was merely the Sixth Prince who requested that I guide Qin Qingxue in her martial arts training.

Someone like her is simply not worthy of being taken in by me as a pupil.

Let alone joining the Cloud Ridge Pavilion and taking another as her master without my permission.

From now on, this old man has no connection to her whatsoever."

Disgust filled Long Ruoyun's face whenever Qin Qingxue was mentioned.

...

Detailed intelligence regarding the tea party was also delivered to Emperor Li Xuantian.

Upon hearing the chief eunuch's account, Li Xuantian was equally astonished.

He stared at the two poems before him, unable to snap out of his daze for a long time.

"These were composed by the Sixth Prince?"

"There is absolutely no mistake. Our undercover agents heard them with their own ears at the scene, and they have already spread far and wide.

The Sixth Prince is truly magnificent, completely overshadowing Shi Wushuang.

No one has ever managed to steal the spotlight from Shi Wushuang before."

The chief eunuch said with a face full of joy.

"This son of mine is truly extraordinary. If he is not pushed, he will never reveal his true strength."

"Indeed! No wonder His Highness the Sixth Prince has never regarded Shi Wushuang as a threat.

His literary talent alone already surpasses him."

"Good, very good. I'd love to know just how many more hidden skills the old sixth possesses."

Continue having the secret agents follow him, and deploy extra manpower for his protection.

Under no circumstances should we allow the Cloud Ridge Pavilion to grow desperate and launch a reckless assassination attempt against him."

"Understood, this servant will make arrangements immediately."

"Very well, you may withdraw first!"

"Understood, this servant takes their leave!"

When the imperial study was completely empty of all other presence,

Li Xuantian stared at the verses in his hand, a fierce killing intent erupting in his eyes.

"The Crown Prince and the Third Prince are truly two fools! To be played in the palm of their hands by people from the Cloud Ridge Pavilion.

They let you brothers slaughter one another while outsiders sit back and reap the spoils.

They are foolish beyond belief.

Of what use are you two to me?"

Sitting inside their carriage on the return journey, Shi Wushuang and Qin Qingxue both wore exceptionally grim expressions.

Deeply worried, Qin Qingxue tried to comfort him, "Young Master Wushuang need not take today's events to heart. Perhaps Li Ye made preparations long in advance,

hiring some reclusive talent to compose those two poems beforehand, intending to make a sensational splash at just such an occasion.

It was merely a coincidence that we ran into it."

Shi Wushuang shook his head. "That is utterly impossible. Whoever is capable of writing poetry of that caliber would never surrender it to another.

The moment such a work is revealed, it is bound to shock the literary world and be passed down for generations.

No one could possibly resist such temptation."

"Yet, based on my understanding of Li Ye, he has never displayed such a high level of literary talent before."

"You are mistaken. That precisely proves just how terrifying the Sixth Prince is!

His retaliation against us has only just begun.

He will never let us off!"

Shi Wushuang said, gritting his teeth.

He then turned his head, staring intently at Qin Qingxue:

"I will leverage the Crown Prince and the Third Prince to help you regain military command as soon as possible.

You must also rack your brains and find a way to make the Emperor grant you command of the troops swiftly.

Only by holding military power can you make the Third Prince and the Crown Prince value you even more."

"I don't think it's as serious as you make it out to be! Li Ye may have good literary talent, and though he holds some military authority in his hands now,

he has zero interest in commanding armies.

He's merely fond of doing business."

Qin Qingxue still remained unconcerned.

"Listen to me and you won't go wrong. Once you possess military power, the Cloud Ridge Pavilion will give you their full backing

and help you find opportunities to perform greater military exploits.

As long as your strength is sufficient, you won't need to pay the Sixth Prince any mind at all."

"Very well, I will listen to you! My master is a Martial Saint who holds an immensely lofty position within the imperial court.

With just a single word from my master, the Emperor will definitely let me lead troops."

"Alright, let's go see your master immediately!"

"Right now?"

"Yes!"

"Very well then, let's go to my master's residence! However, my master often travels far and wide; whether he has returned yet or not, I cannot say for certain.

We can only go and try our luck,"

Qin Qingxue said.

Qin Qingxue completely missed the flash of gloomy darkness that crossed Shi Wushuang's eyes when she mentioned the words "Martial Saint."

One of the major obstacles preventing the Cloud Ridge Pavilion from seizing control of the Dayuan Dynasty was precisely this Martial Saint.

As long as he was around, no one could successfully assassinate Li Xuantian.

The carriage turned around and headed toward the place where Long Ruoyun resided.

Long Ruoyun's dwelling was located on the very outskirts of the capital. Although remote in location, it was exceptionally serene.

He had built a sprawling estate there, surrounded by breathtakingly beautiful scenery.

Qin Qingxue walked forward and stated her identity.

The guards at the gate went in to announce their arrival.

They returned shortly after, instructing Qin Qingxue and Shi Wushuang to enter.

Delighted, Qin Qingxue said, "When did my master return? My luck is truly fantastic."

The guard replied, "He only came back today!"

The guard led the two of them to a pavilion, where Long Ruoyun was found lying lazily on a recliner, savoring fine wine.

Mr. Xiao had already departed.

Stepping forward, Qin Qingxue bowed respectfully and said, "Qingxue pays her respects to Master!"

"Shi Wushuang, a disciple of the Cloud Ridge Pavilion, pays his respects to the senior Martial Saint," Shi Wushuang followed suit and saluted.

Long Ruoyun did not even lift an eyelid.

He completely ignored Shi Wushuang.

Instead, he said indifferently, "This old man never agreed to take you as a disciple, so do not address me so casually."

The expression on Qin Qingxue's face froze. She hurriedly said, "Master imparted martial arts to me, which is how I achieved the accomplishments I have today.

Why won't Master acknowledge me as a disciple?"

"You have misunderstood! It was the Sixth Prince who requested that this old man give you some pointers—that is entirely different from taking you in as a disciple.

I am seeing you today precisely to make this clear.

Since you have already parted ways with the Sixth Prince, this old man naturally has no further need to instruct you.

From now on, you are forbidden from proclaiming yourself to be this old man's disciple, nor are you to come and disturb me again.

You may leave now!"

Having said that, Long Ruoyun focused entirely on sipping his fine wine, ignoring them completely.