Chapter 1158 - An Astounding Secret

Zhou Hailong was so scared that he couldn't think straight.

God, what kind of terrifying existence did he just provoke?

"My my my my my... My Lord.... please spare me," he stuttered and immediately fell to his knees. He didn't dare to run away and could only frantically kowtow to plead for his life.

Zhou Hailong had finally realized that he had definitely encountered a powerful and authoritative person. If Ye Qingyu had the guts to kill even both the Marquis Bloodbone and his son, he could kill Zhou Hailong as easily as he could crush an ant.

"I'll be dirtying my hands if I killed you," Ye Qingyu said with a shake of his head.

"Let's see if Marquis Lin Xuan is willing to forgive you... If you can't obtain his pardon, then you should end your own life," Ye Qingyu said and turned around.

All of the personal guards from Marquis Bloodbone's residence were on their knees.

They were like rats leaving a sinking ship now that they had lost their master.

Moreover, now that they knew Ye Qingyu's identity, they didn't dare to show any sign of dissent. They were all soldiers and the [Military Judge of the Nine Swords] had control over the military law and could also kill without having to obtain prior approval. They had already seen how he killed Marquis Bloodbone and his son, so if they dared to resist him, they knew that he would probably kill them all immediately.

Lin Xuan was completely flabbergasted.

Although he had guessed that the Military Judge would be stepping in to handle this and was possibly doing so in order to target the King of Zhenyuan, he had never expected the Military Judge to be so aggressive and domineering. This was a titled Marquis that he had just killed without batting an eyelid.

Linghu Buxiu seemed calm on the surface but he was secretly astonished.

He suddenly had a feeling that the newly appointed [Military Judge of the Nine Swords] was probably way more ruthless and domineering than his predecessors. The Military Judge was like a peerless sword that had been unleashed onto the world and he was simply invincible.

He guessed that there would be a great change sweeping through the Guardians' Royal City soon enough.

Ye Qingyu walked toward the main gates and said with a salute, "Marquis Lin Xuan, I must apologize for spilling blood in front of your residence."

Lin Xuan's throat was rather dry and he hurriedly said, "Don't worry about it, Military Judge Zhang Longcheng. You were merely carrying out your duties..."

He was starting to sound a little incoherent.

After he reevaluated the newly appointed Military Judge and decided that he was an extremely dangerous man, Lin Xuan did not dare to treat this guest with any disrespect and felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of how rude he had been the previous night at Green Cloud Restaurant.

"I'll assume full responsibility for this incident, so you don't have to worry," Ye Qingyu said with a smile and turned toward the soldiers. "Take the Marquis' corpse back to his residence. Although they have committed unspeakable crimes, they have already paid the price, so I won't go too far and will allow them to have a proper burial."

The soldiers cautiously rose to their feet, still trembling with fear as they took the corpses of Marquis Bloodbone and his son and left.

Zhou Hailong tried to make his escape as well but Ye Qingyu stopped him.

Then, he turned to Lin Xuan and said, "Marquis Lin Xuan, I've come to visit today because I'd like to make some inquiries. Could we head inside to speak?"

"Sure, of course, you may. Military Judge Zhang Longcheng, please come in," Lin Xuan had already calmed down and hurriedly ushered Ye Qingyu into his residence. Since the [Military Judge of the Nine Swords] was after the King of Zhenyuan, ‘an enemy of the enemy was a friend’, so he should make full use of this opportunity.

They entered the Marquis' residence together.

Zhou Hailong followed the group. He looked very despondent and his body was quaking in fear.

Marquis Tingtao's residence was rather large since Lin Xuan had been a titled Marquis for a long time and used to be in a position of influence in the military. However, this residence looked like it was falling into disrepair. The ground was full of fallen leaves and it was clear that no one had been sweeping the grounds. The corridors were empty and silent and seemed very deserted.

"Sigh, now that I've fallen from grace, I didn't wish to bring others down with me, so I sent all the servants and their families away. Only a few trusted soldiers and servants who have been with me for a long time still live here now..." Lin Xuan sighed helplessly as he showed Ye Qingyu around.

"Marquis Lin Xuan, I can see that you're a loyal and righteous man and these are very admirable qualities," Ye Qingyu said sincerely.

They walked past the empty front yard and came to the main courtyard of the residence.

The main courtyard seemed livelier and the moment they walked in, they saw a young maiden with chubby cheeks instructing a thin young man on the ways of boiling herbal medicine. Ye Qingyu immediately recognized the young servant girl as the impulsive young girl who had scolded Wei Heng at the Wanyi Bazaar and he was also surprised to see the young man here —— that was the black-haired Dark One young man who had been selling herbs to save his mother.

He didn't expect to see this young man at Marquis Tingtao's residence.

"Hmm? It's you?" A melodious voice exclaimed in surprise.

The young girl in red appeared and looked at Ye Qingyu in astonishment.

"We meet again," Ye Qingyu said as he winked playfully at her.

The young girl laughed and said, "How are you? Are you alright? Why haven't you left Royal City? You've gotten yourself in huge trouble by provoking the men from the King of Zhenyuan's residence. After you beat Wei Heng up so badly, he must hate you to the core, so how do you still have the guts to show up here? Are you trying to seek refuge in our residence? Let me tell you, I don't think we can much longer either..."

The young girl rambled on.

She was extremely curious about Ye Qingyu and that incident at Wanyi Bazaar had left a deep impression on her. She walked over to him and smacked his shoulder, "He he, I must admit that you're pretty clever. If you seek refuge here, you might just be able to last a few days longer. If push comes to shove, we'll just go all out to fight them..."

"Zhu'er, don't be rude," Lin Xuan quickly stopped her.

He rushed to explain, "My Lord, this is my daughter, Lin Nanzhu. I have failed to discipline her since she was a child and now she has grown to become like a little tomboy and she can be a little stubborn and unruly. Please don't hold it against her."

"Ha ha, Marquis Lin Xuan, don't stand on ceremony. Your daughter is very plucky and brave and has a heroic spirit. She is like a female heroine who exudes a valiant air and I truly admire her," Ye Qingyu said with a chuckle. "Marquis Lin Xuan, you've got a good daughter."

"My Lord, you flatter her. Please come in," Lin Xuan stared at his daughter and led the way into the main hall.

Lin Nanzhu stared at Ye Qingyu in astonishment. She was bursting with curiosity but she could only step aside when her father shot her a look. She was still dying to know more about him. Could he be some influential figure?

She turned around to see Zhou Hailong who had followed the group inside.

Her face immediately blazed with anger.

"Hey Zhou Hailong, what do you think you're doing here? How dare you have the gall to enter my residence? Why? Are you still after my hand in marriage? Bah! Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? I'd rather marry a beggar on the streets than marry you... get lost."

Then, she immediately looked like she wanted to beat him up.

She had grown up by her father's side and had naturally cultivated the martial way.

Zhou Hailong quaked in fear and quickly fell to his knees, "Miss Lin Nanzhu, this is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I'm here to atone for my sins. Please spare me... I had acted in a despicable manner and I was wrong... Please forgive me. I swear I wouldn't do this again..."

He had capitalized on the support given to him by the Marquis Bloodbone's and King of Zhenyuan's residence and demanded that Marquis Tingtao hand over Lin Nanzhu's hand in marriage in exchange for the harassment on Marquis Tingtao's residence to stop. He was now filled with regret for his past actions now that he had ended up in such a state.

Hmm?

What was going on?

Lin Nanzhu was baffled by his actions.

In the main hall.

Lin Xuan personally brewed tea for all of them and after he served them, the trio started to chat amongst themselves.

"My Lord, may I know what's the purpose of your visit today..." Lin Xuan asked directly. Now that things had turned out like this, there was no need to beat around the bush.

Ye Qingyu said earnestly, "I'd like to find out more about the Fire Province from Your Grace and I hope that you'd be able to share your information with me."

Lin Xuan nodded.

He had guessed as much.

His expression turned grim and heaved a long sigh. It seemed like this request had brought back some memories. He didn't speak for a while and looked very hesitant, as though he was wary of something.

"Brother Lin Xuan, now that things have turned out this way, you don't really have much of a choice. Why don't you place your faith in Lord Zhang Longcheng? He might just be able to help you out," Linghu Buxiu advised Lin Xuan. "These days, the King of Zhenyuan has become more arrogant and domineering, so only Military Judge Zhang Longcheng and Commander Nie Tiankong would have the authority to see justice done. Why are you still being so hesitant?"

Ye Qingyu looked quietly at Lin Xuan but did not make any move to pressure him.

Lin Xuan heaved another long sigh.

He suddenly rose to his feet and started pacing around the main hall. He wore a conflicted expression on his face that hadn't been there earlier and finally turned around to face both of them after some time and said, "Military Judge Zhang Longcheng, Brother Linghu Buxiu, this isn't about what I'm willing to share, but the information that I've found out is truly much too bizarre and baffling... Moreover, this has serious implications and could potentially implicate all the bigwigs in Royal City, I... sigh..."

He heaved another sigh and seemed like he was between a rock and a hard place.

Ye Qingyu and Linghu Buxiu exchanged a look and they both saw the surprise and shock in each other's eyes.

Marquis Tingtao Lin Xuan was not an indecisive person, so could the fact that he was so conflicted actually mean that he had come to know about some astounding secret? A secret so earth-shattering that made the King of Zhenyuan so determined to kill him? This also could be why all the other noblemen in Royal City had turned their backs on Marquis Tingtao even after he returned to Royal City.

"No matter what this secret is, one cannot turn back time and since you're already involved, there's no way for you to back out now. Thus, why don't you share this with us?" Ye Qingyu asked.

Lin Xuan sighed and he finally looked like he had come to a decision as he said resolutely, "I owe the both of you a debt of kindness, so I don't want to bring harm upon you. However, if I reveal this great secret to you, you'd both be dragged into this with no way out as well and you might even end up being killed because of this secret. The soldiers under my command were pursued and killed because of this secret and died without even getting a proper burial. So I must pose this question to the both of you, are you sure you're ready to listen to this secret?"

Ye Qingyu nodded without any hesitation.

But Linghu Buxiu sensed something terrible behind Lin Xuan's words and hesitated for a moment before he suddenly rose to his feet and said, "If that is the case, I'd better leave this place first... Marquis Lin Xuan, please go ahead and share this with Lord Zhang Longcheng alone." Linghu Buxiu had always placed self-preservation first and since this matter wasn't of utmost importance to him, there was no need for him to place himself in harm's way.

After Linghu Buxiu left, Ye Qingyu created a powerful barrier formation all around the main hall before he finally said with a smile, "Marquis Lin Xuan, please feel free to share with me what you know."

Lin Xuan looked at Ye Qingyu with a complicated expression and nodded as he said, “Very well. Since Lord Zhang Longcheng wishes to hear about it, I'll tell you about it. I've had some contact with the rebel known as Xiaofei at the Fire Province and also came to know of an astounding secret. This is the reason why the King of Zhenyuan has been trying to kill me and the true reason behind the deaths of countless men under my command."

"Please continue," Ye Qingyu said calmly.

Lin Xuan's jaw clenched before he said, "I discovered that the Sinners were innocent while the Guardians camp are the true sinners."

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