knife

Chapter 168 Bloodline is My Greatest Advantage
Pick up some fish food and scatter it into the pond. In a moment, ripples appear and countless koi carp flock to it. Some of the bolder ones leap high out of the water and catch the food falling from the sky.

Those that jump are several sizes larger than those in the water.

As expected, the bold get rich.

A long wooden corridor connects to the center of the lake, and on the long benches of the waterside pavilion, Tiele leans against a pillar, reclining there.

A delicate little jar sits atop the railing, and Tiele occasionally takes out some fish food from it and throws it into the water.

At the other end of the bench, Tiele's large feet were resting in a woman's lap, and the woman was carefully trimming Tiele's feet with a small pair of scissors.

Opposite him sat a man in his early fifties, dressed as a Qin dynasty person, wearing a green robe and a soft turban, with a neatly trimmed beard. Although he had a knife tucked into his waistband, it couldn't hide his scholarly air.

"That damned Li Bao, did he really say that?" Tiele pulled out a handful of fish food and scattered it into the lake. Some fish leaped into the air, but Tiele flicked his finger, and one of the fish food pellets in his hand shot out like lightning. With a thud, the fish flipped in the air and fell straight back down, belly up. "Those that jump out like that usually die very quickly!"

"This man, relying on being Master Fu's grand-disciple, spouts nonsense. But he does have some skill!" Gao Qunshu laughed. "Second Prince, the First Prince immediately lost his temper after leaving the palace, intending to slap this brat to teach him a lesson, but unexpectedly, instead of teaching him a lesson, he was taught a lesson himself!"

"Huh? This Li Bao can actually beat Big Brother?"

“He used poison, and it was extremely vicious. If Attila and Fu Cheng hadn’t been there, His Highness would have been badly injured, if not killed!” Gao Qunshu said.

"Oh dear, so this guy really is a man of courage and integrity!" Tiele said with some regret, "If he had really killed my elder brother, I would have had to thank him properly!"

"How should I thank you?" Gao Qunshu asked with a smile.

"Of course we should tear him to pieces to avenge our eldest brother!" Tiele laughed and asked in return, "Otherwise, how should we thank him? By the way, didn't the third brother take this opportunity to make a fuss about this? Yandu is his territory."

"His Highness the Third Prince accompanied Li Bao to the medicine warehouse and picked out quite a few good things. It's said that the two of them were very close, with their arms around each other's shoulders!" Gao Qunshu said.

"So, it seems the third brother is planning to trip up the eldest brother or me again." Tiele pondered for a moment and said, "But since Li Bao was still alive and kicking and doing free medical consultations at the Great Clinic today, it means the third brother also suffered a setback with him. Can we check if there's anyone missing from the third brother's side?"

“We can investigate, but there’s no guarantee we’ll find anything!” Gao Qunshu said. “Although I’ve dug a hole in the fence of the Third Prince’s house, it’s not a big hole. Right now, we can only peek from the outside and can’t go inside to investigate!”

"It's already pretty good!" Tiele laughed. "Now that we have this hole, it will be easier to expand further in!"

"That's true." Gao Qunshu smiled and said, "I still remember when I was a child, every year after the persimmons were harvested, my parents would make persimmon cakes and then neatly arrange them in the cupboard. My brother and I would make a small hole in the outside and take out the persimmon cakes from inside every day to eat. Finally, when the New Year came, many guests came to our house, and my mother prepared to take out these persimmon cakes to entertain the guests. Guess what happened?"

"Of course it collapsed with a loud crash!" Tiele laughed. "I imagine Mr. Gao and your brother must have gotten a good beating!"

Gao Qunshu nodded, but did not smile: "Thinking back on that beating, it still feels warm. The screams and cries of my brothers and me, as well as the laughter of our father and the guests, are still vivid in my mind every time I wake up in the middle of the night."

This time, Tiele remained silent.

After a moment of silence, Gao Qunshu said, "I suggest Your Highness take a look at this person first and don't act rashly. I have a feeling that this person is very strange. Besides, we should still give face to Valley Master Fu and Fu Cheng. Although they are from Qin, they enjoy a great reputation in the field of medicine. Even in our Great Yuan, there are many people who respect them!"

"I'm not that petty!" Tiele said calmly. "The fate of the Great Yuan Dynasty is of paramount importance. How could a commoner like me possibly influence it with just a few words? Even if Father has someone in mind, if the tide turns and the current surges, can Father go against it? No! Unless he wants to plunge the Great Yuan into chaos!"

“That’s exactly right!” Gao Qunshu said, “The Third Prince is clever, but he likes to make a fuss over these little things.”

"He thought that by being extremely secretive, he could fool everyone. He really thinks everyone else is a fool!"

"We can't even fool us, how could we fool His Majesty?" Gao Qunshu laughed. "If you try to steal too many times, someone will eventually catch you red-handed! Your Highness, why don't you invite this Li Bao to your residence for a visit?"

"Hmm?" Tiele glanced at Gao Qunshu: "You're like someone slapped me, and I'm going to offer the other half of my face? I can't do that, and it's too deliberate; people will laugh at me!"

"The First Prince has made a move, and the Third Prince has also made a move. It's only because the Second Prince has remained silent that people are gossiping!" Gao Qunshu said. "What I mean is, Your Highness should invite Li Bao here and talk to him face to face about your plans for the future!"

"with him?"

"You say it's for him, but it's actually for His Majesty's ears!" Gao Qunshu said, "That's how you, Second Prince, are distinguished from the First and Third Princes. When else would you have such a formal opportunity to discuss your plans for the future of the Great Yuan with His Majesty?"

Normally speaking, this would mean harboring malicious intentions to usurp the throne, which would certainly be unacceptable to the emperor.

But by explaining this perspective to Li Bao, a very reasonable explanation emerged.

"It's true!"

“Moreover, His Highness is currently in poor health. Attila has treated him many times, but there has been little improvement. We dare not invite Fu Qingzhu, as we do not have such great influence. However, we can invite Fu Cheng, right? When the invitation is sent, we can attach Li Bao’s name after Fu Cheng’s, which will be even less conspicuous!” Gao Qunshu said. “Let’s do it that way!” Tiele laughed, “Sir, you are very thoughtful.”

"Then let's go and handle this matter!" Gao Qunshu stood up. "Your Highness, please take care of yourself!"

"I'm all better now!" Tiele waved his hand and said, "There's not much to worry about. After this incident, my martial arts cultivation can advance to another level. That Rejuvenation Pill wasn't for nothing."

Watching Gao Qunshu's departing figure disappear into the bushes, Tiele withdrew his gaze, looked at the swirling koi in the pond, and sighed.

During the months I was recovering from my injuries, the changes in the situation outside the Great Wall were truly dazzling.

In the blink of an eye, Li Dachui went from a lowly bandit leader to the deputy protector of the Anxi Protectorate of the Qin State outside the pass.

Although he was subordinate to Xiao Changche, Tiele knew very well that the real mastermind of the Anxi Protectorate was none other than Li Dachui.

If Xiao Changche truly possessed such talent, she wouldn't have had to live such a stifled life these past few years.

Thinking about how he hadn't even figured out who his real opponent was all these years, Tiele couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

You're making a big splash outside, working hard and achieving great success, but in the darkness, a vicious wolf is baring its teeth and snatching the delicious meal that's practically in your grasp.

However, the fact that he didn't kill himself is probably the biggest failure for the other side!
As long as he's not dead, he's still at the table. We still have a chance to fight!

Li Dachui, don't laugh too soon!
You are now at the table, and have the right to cut and divide the food, but you have also lost your greatest advantage: plotting in secret.

From now on, everyone can compete fairly.

How much room do you still have to use your evil tricks?

He took a deep breath, but his chest and abdomen still ached slightly. When his true energy reached that area, it immediately stagnated, and he could feel a faint pricking sensation.

Damn it, Heaven-Slaying Demon!
The domineering and unparalleled Fatian is ruthless to himself, and even more ruthless to his enemies.

Whether it's his own Sea Condensation Technique or Granny's Blood Jade Skill, while they are indeed formidable, they are completely ineffective in healing. Forcing them would only cause the hidden dangers within his body to erupt immediately.

That damned Xiao Changche, he really went all out. One day he'll fall into my hands and I'll show him the power of the Linghai Technique.

What Tiele and Gao Qunshu said earlier—that this was a blessing in disguise—was indeed true.

Their family's martial art, the Sea Condensation Technique, like the Heaven-Slaying Technique, has a fatal weakness. This is why the Tiele people have never dared to use their full strength in its cultivation.

The Heaven-Slaying Technique damages the brain, while the Sea-Condensing Technique damages the body; the two are quite comparable.

This time, Xiao Changche's fatal blow shattered the true energy of the Condensing Sea Technique. However, he then obtained the Rejuvenating Pill to reshape his body. After that, the Condensing Sea Technique had little effect on him. When he cultivated again, Tiele had no more scruples and could advance triumphantly.

Is the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan difficult?

Father Emperor has one more year to live.

This saddened Tiele greatly.

In Tiele's view, if his father could live longer, he would be able to see the effects of his plans over the years, which would be more advantageous for him in his struggle for the throne.

What hinders one from vying for the highest position is never one's ability, but rather one's identity.

I imagine the Emperor understands this as well, and this is probably what he is hesitating about.

But the half of Qin blood in my body isn't something I can choose!

Moreover, Tiele believed that his half-Qin blood would be a great advantage when the Yuan army set foot on Qin territory in the future!

How could the entire Yuan Dynasty fail to see this point?

If the Yuan Dynasty wants to remain in the north, then his position is indeed awkward. But if they want to dominate the world, he is their greatest advantage!
(End of this chapter)