I meet all the requirements for becoming a god in this world!

Chapter 259 Ninety Percent

Cheng Laiyun stood there, his back ramrod straight.

The candlelight in the imperial study cast his long shadow on the gold bricks.

After saying "Please issue the decree, Your Majesty," he remained silent, standing quietly with his gaze calmly meeting that of Emperor Jianye.

Emperor Jianye leaned back on his dragon throne, tapped his fingers twice on the armrest, and then stopped.

He looked at Cheng Laiyun, at this man who had crawled out of the Yong'an County prison and crawled all the way to him, and suddenly felt a sense of absurdity.

Cao Ying is a third-rank martial arts practitioner. Cheng Laiyun is a fourth-rank ink practitioner.

A fourth-rank cultivator challenging a third-rank cultivator—in the world of martial arts cultivation, there's only one word to describe it: courting death.

Of course he knew.

Yang Shi'en was a second-rank military officer who died at Chengtian Gate, but that was the result of Xie Yuheng and the gray-robed man's joint suppression. Cheng Laiyun was merely reaping the benefits of a breakthrough in battle.

This kid has participated in several battles of rank three or higher, and he has returned alive every time. He never won by himself.

He has never single-handedly defeated a third-ranked opponent, not even once.

"Even I couldn't protect you, and you're so eager to die?"

When Emperor Jianye said this, he had lost his imperial majesty and spoke as if he were scolding a disobedient nephew.

Cheng Laiyun did not respond to that sentence.

He simply stood there, still with that respectful and composed expression.

It's as if he's already figured out his fate and doesn't need anyone to worry about him.

Emperor Jianye looked at him like this and remained silent for a long time.

Then he suddenly laughed, a laugh that contained a hint of helplessness, a hint of anger, and a hint of indescribable emotion.

He stood up from the dragon throne, walked to Cheng Laiyun, looked him in the eyes, and said three words:

"Very well. I grant your permission."

"Three days later, at Chengtian Gate, I will personally observe the battle. You have won, and the position of commander is yours."

"You lost... but I can still give you the position of deputy commander."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness." Cheng Laiyun bowed deeply.

Emperor Jianye waved his hand, turned around and faced away from him, as if he were looking at the caisson ceiling on the roof of the palace.

Cheng Laiyun walked steadily out of the Imperial Study. As he stepped out of the palace gate, the night wind rushed towards him, and he looked up at the moon in the sky.

Three days later, at Chengtian Gate.

He silently repeated the three words to himself, then strode towards Yongning Street.

In the imperial study, Emperor Jianye stood alone for a moment.

He watched Cheng Laiyun's departing figure.

His eyes gleamed with an unreadable light.

After a long while.

He picked up the teacup on the table and put it down, then picked it up again.

Finally, he said something to those outside the hall:

"The news is about Cao Ying."

Cao Ying arrived very quickly.

He was already waiting in the side hall, and he knew that Cheng Laiyun would be summoned to the palace tonight, and he also knew that this audience with the emperor would not be peaceful.

As he stepped into the palace, he saw Emperor Jianye sitting on the dragon throne. His expression wasn't too bad, but there was a hint of irritation between his brows, something rarely seen on the face of this emperor.

"Your Majesty," he bowed.

Emperor Jianye did not tell him to get up, but simply leaned back in his chair and looked at him, getting straight to the point:

"Cheng Laiyun just told me that he wants to fight you to the death. I have agreed."

"Three days later, I will personally observe the battle in front of Chengtian Gate."

Cao Ying raised her head, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but she quickly returned to normal.

He lowered his head and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I know what I'm doing. I won't let Inspector Cheng be seriously injured."

"Is the injury too severe?"

Emperor Jianye suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with self-mockery:

"Cao Ying, you have served me for more than ten years, and you have always been able to guess my thoughts accurately."

"But you're wrong today. I summoned you not to ask you to show mercy—but to warn you to be careful."

"Cheng Laiyun is not as easy to deal with as he seems on the surface."

"He once survived a fight against a third-rank military officer all by himself."

"Moreover, he was only at the sixth rank of cultivation at that time."

Cao Ying paused for a moment, a serious expression appearing on her ever-composed face.

He did know that Cheng Laiyun had participated in several battles of the third rank or above, but he had never won on his own.

For him to dare to challenge a third-ranked opponent this time, he must either be crazy or he really has some hidden trump card that the third-ranked opponent doesn't know about.

But what's the trump card?

He's at most at the peak of the fourth rank.

Moreover, he had only recently broken through to the fourth rank.

Does that mean I have to break through to the third rank during the battle?

It's impossible.

The gap between the third and fourth ranks cannot be bridged by luck.

"Your Majesty means..."

"What I mean is that you must not kill him."

"If he dies at Chengtian Gate, who will take over the new policies halfway through their implementation?"

"The Crown Prince recognizes Cheng Laiyun, not you."

"Zhang Linzheng acknowledges Cheng Laiyun, but not you."

"Xie Yuheng acknowledges Cheng Laiyun, but not you."

"The people in the world who were saved from the poll tax by the new policy recognize Cheng Laiyun, not you."

"Cheng Laiyun can lose, but he cannot die."

"If you kill him, I will certainly not be able to save your life."

"Conversely, if he kills you..."

At this point, Emperor Jianye sighed softly and said, "Then you deserve it, and there's nothing I can say."

"Do you understand?"

Cao Ying remained silent for a long time, then slowly raised her head and replied in an extremely solemn tone:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will not lose."

Emperor Jianye frowned, looking at Cao Ying, whose face remained calm:

"Are you so sure?"

Cao Ying knelt on the ground, her head kowtowed at Emperor Jianye's feet, her voice tinged with calm:

"Your Majesty, this servant has been in the Northern Frontier for several years."

"It's not that there's no progress at all."

"The gap of three ranks... I have already crossed it."

"Although not quite at the second rank, it's not far off."

"Just a mere Cheng Laiyun..."

He only got halfway through his sentence.

Emperor Jianye narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Cao Ying.

After a long while, he reached out and gently stroked Cao Ying's hair, as if petting a dog:

"Then you should remember this even more."

"Cheng Laiyun cannot die."

"At the very least..."

"I can't die by your hand."

"This servant obeys the decree." Cao Ying felt Emperor Jianye's hand stroking her head, and a look of enjoyment appeared on her face.

…………

The news that Cheng Laiyun was going to fight Cao Ying spread throughout the capital on the morning of the day the arena was set up.

The news spread like wildfire, flying out of the imperial city, out of the six ministries, and into every street and alley of the capital.

The first to hear the news was Old Man Zhou, the storyteller at Tongfu Teahouse—ever since he turned Cheng Laiyun's undercover investigation in Changle County into a storybook, this old man had become Cheng Laiyun's most ardent supporter.

When he heard the news from the tea drinker, the gavel in his hand froze in mid-air, and he turned sharply to glare at the tea drinker:

"What did you say? Who does Lord Cheng want to fight? A third-rank martial artist? Lord Cheng is only a fourth-rank! Isn't this bullying?!"

The tea drinker shrank back at his shout, spreading his hands and saying that he had just heard about it too, and that the arena had already started to be set up at Chengtianmen.

Old Zhou sat there stunned for a long while, when some people below started to stir:

"Old Zhou, you're a storyteller, shouldn't you make up a little something to cheer on Lord Cheng?"

Old Zhou suddenly stood up, slammed the gavel on the table, and the sound was so loud it could lift the roof off:

"Let's make up a story? We won't talk about anything else today, just cheer for Lord Cheng!"

"Gentlemen, today's storytelling is free of charge—I wish to pray for Lord Cheng's safety on behalf of the old man in Chang Le County who paid the death tax for three years, on the child in Madam Lu's family who grows melon seeds, and on behalf of all the people in the world who have been saved by the new policies!"

The teahouse was quiet for a moment, then all the tea drinkers started banging on the table in unison.

The news spread from the teahouse into the streets and alleys, and from the streets and alleys into every household.

Those people who had been saved from the poll tax by the new policy, those farmers who had been allocated land in the pilot program in Changle County, and those illegitimate sons who had their own fiefdoms for the first time because of the Grace Decree, began to spontaneously gather in the direction of Chengtianmen.

There was no organization or call to action; they simply heard that Lord Cheng was going to have a duel with a third-rank martial artist and thought they should go and watch.

What are they watching? Maybe they're watching Lord Cheng win, or maybe they're watching Lord Cheng lose, but regardless of the outcome, they feel they should be there.

…………

Hai Wuyai came out of the duty room with the official document in his hand. He saw a group of craftsmen from the Ministry of Works carrying bluestone slabs and lining up towards the city gate from the direction of Chengtian Gate. When he asked, he learned that they were there to set up a competition by imperial decree. The official document in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

He turned and ran towards the duty room, his chubby face trembling. He burst into the hall, his voice so loud it jolted Zhu Yuanzhi, who was dozing, right off his chair.

"Zhu Yuanzhi! Zhu Yuanzhi, get up right now! Something terrible has happened! The boss wants to fight Cao Ying!"

"His Majesty has personally approved it! The decisive battle will be held publicly at Chengtian Gate in three days, and the winner will assume the position of commander!"

Zhu Yuanzhi got up from the ground, straightened his official hat which had been askew, and swayed twice with his thin, bamboo-like body, his voice trembling:

"What did you say? Cao Ying? That Grand Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat who killed the Demon King in the Northern Border?"

"Yes...it's him..."

"That Cao Ying who came just a couple of days ago?"

"Yes……"

"Holy crap!! A third-rank martial arts master!!"

"The boss is only a fourth-rank official! A fourth-rank official fighting a third-rank official? Has the boss gone mad?"

As Zhu Yuanzhi spoke, he tried to rush out, but Hai Wuyai grabbed him.

Hai Wuyai's hands were trembling, but he still forced himself to speak in as steady a tone as possible:

"What's the point of you going to see the boss? He mentioned it to His Majesty himself in the Imperial Study last night. Do you think he'll listen to you?"

"Instead of panicking here, we should go and organize the files of Laiyuntang—if the boss wins, these files will be the first batch of official documents for the new commander."

"If the boss loses... at least we can't let the successor find fault with our Laiyuntang."

Zhu Yuanzhi stared at him blankly for a long time, then turned around and walked into the archives without saying a word, and began to sort out the files one by one.

His fingers were trembling, but each file was stacked neatly.

……

The news spread from the Regent's Office to the Six Ministries, and the Ministry of Works was the first to be in an uproar.

Xu Jiayin was hunched over her desk drawing a blueprint for a new mechanism; the ink wasn't completely dry yet, and a plate of caramelized melon seeds sat beside her.

Ling Ziyun rushed in from outside, his half-black, half-silver hair a mess. He didn't care about his usual dashing demeanor, and hurriedly whispered:

"Junior Sister Xu, Cheng Laiyun is going to fight Cao Ying in a tournament. It's a fourth-rank versus a third-rank match, and the final battle will be held in public at Chengtian Sect in three days."

The inscription pen in Xu Jiayin's hand stopped in mid-air. She didn't look up, but simply placed the pen gently on the pen holder.

The plate of caramelized melon seeds was pulled to the ground by her sleeve, and it smashed into several pieces with a "thud," scattering the shells all over the floor.

Without uttering a word, she summoned her flying torch and rushed out of the Ministry of Works, heading towards the Cheng residence.

…………

The Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince was sitting in his study reviewing the progress of the new policies when Xiao Zhuozi trotted in from outside and reported the news of the beating.

The prince dropped the folding tablet he was holding onto the table: "A fourth-rank official fighting a third-rank official? Has he gone mad? Cao Ying spent five years in the Northern Border, and he's actually killed a demon king with real sword and spear!"

"Cheng Zhongjie... he has absolutely no record of fighting a third-rank expert!! Not even once! How could he—"

He suddenly stood up and headed towards the Regent's Office, but after taking only two steps, he suddenly stopped.

He recalled Cheng Laiyun's composure before each major undertaking...

"wrong."

"Zhongjie is the grandson-in-law of the Prince of Zhenbei."

"He must have other cards in his hand."

"If I go to him now... it might be bad."

He stood at the threshold, took a deep breath, and then said without turning his head:

"Bring out that jar of aged wine bestowed by the late emperor from the lonely cellar. I will take it to Chengtian Gate in three days."

"If he wins, I'll drink with him until dawn; if he loses—I'll still drink with him until dawn."

Xiao Zhuozi bowed in agreement and backed out of the study.

The crown prince stood alone at the threshold, looking in the direction of Chengtian Gate, his knuckles white from clenching his hands behind his back.

…………

Xie Yuheng's residence.

In the backyard pond, the old scholar was sitting on a blue stone fishing, his fishing rod lying across his knees, the float not moving an inch.

The butler stood three steps behind him and finished reporting on the matter of the arena.

Xie Yuheng didn't turn around, but gently lifted the fishing rod to take a look—the bait had long been eaten, but he didn't care and casually put the rod back in its place.

"I see."

"I understand."

…………

Ministry of Works, Ministry of Personnel.

Yu Qing was sitting at his desk, with a half-finished official document laid out in front of him. His cinnabar brush rested on the inkstone, the ink already dry.

When his colleagues told him the news, he didn't react at all. He simply picked up his vermilion brush, dipped it in ink, and continued writing.

After writing three lines, he paused, looking at the few words he had written on the official document—each stroke of the pen trembled slightly, as if someone was forcibly suppressing a shaking hand as they wrote it.

"A fourth-rank official fighting a third-rank official. It took me a full eighteen years to go from fourth-rank to third-rank."

"He broke through to the fourth rank less than a month ago."

He put down his vermilion pen, leaned back in his chair, then suddenly stood up and strode towards the door of the study.

"Someone, go to the Hidden Edge Pavilion of the Ink Sect and retrieve a few volumes of the Secret Records of Inscriptions. Just say that I want them—retrieve all the ones that can be used by those of the fourth rank or above."

"Also, call Yun Ce over and have him wait at the training ground. I need to give Lai Yun a last-minute lesson."

…………

The Regent's Office in the rear hall.

Zhang Lin was sitting at his desk, with his ever-present chessboard in front of him. He held a white chess piece in his hand, which he kept suspended in mid-air for a long time without dropping it.

A dark shadow stood behind him.

When Zhang Linzheng spoke, his tone remained as calm as ever, as if he were discussing official business that had nothing to do with him:

"Three days later, at Chengtian Gate."

"I want you to do one thing—no matter what happens in the arena, no matter whether Cheng Laiyun is in the lead or at a disadvantage, you must not make a move."

"But if Cao Ying still decides to kill after the outcome is already decided..."

Thinking of this, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes:

"Use your supernatural powers to bring Cheng Laiyun down from the arena."

The dark figure bowed and replied, "I obey."

He turned and left the back room without making a sound, just as composed as he was before each of his teleportations.

…………

The backyard of the Cheng family mansion.

Gao Heyun stood under the old locust tree, holding the Northern Border Longsword in her hand. She had been polishing the blade all afternoon, and it was so shiny that it could reflect the moonlight.

She looked up at Cheng Laiyun and asked only two words: "How many percent?"

Cheng Laiyun thought for a moment, then stroked his chin:

"About 90%."

Gao Heyun didn't reply, but simply sheathed the knife and turned to walk towards the main house.

"Remember to use that jade pendant."

"Not enough, I want more."

……

Cheng Laiyun raised an eyebrow slightly.

He knew what jade pendant Gao Heyun was referring to.

It is the jade pendant that conceals the full-force attack of Xie Xuan, the Prince of Zhenbei.

He chuckled lightly, "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"

Xu Miaozhen sat by the window in the main room.

She lowered her head and gently placed the teacup on the window.

The moonlight streaming through the window fell perfectly on the silver ring on her ring finger.

Cheng Laiyun personally put that on her on their wedding day.

She said softly, "Laiyun, the tea is cold."

"Finish your drink and get some rest."

Cheng Laiyun looked up at Xu Miaozhen's face, which was bathed in moonlight and radiated a hint of spring.

My lower abdomen feels a bit hot.

He smiled as he stood up, walked slowly to Xu Miaozhen, and then reached out to lift her up in his arms.

"Let's go and rest."

…………