I became a prince in a martial arts world.

"Brother Yu!"

Wei Honggang hadn't misheard; just as they emerged from the woods, three people were already rushing towards them from a distance.

Zhao Yingjie, Zhao Rong, and Li Yunxiu.

When Zhao Yingjie returned to the manor to report the news, Zhao Rong immediately brought him over. Li Yunxiu also insisted on coming after hearing the news. The three of them rode their horses to the edge of the woods, but instead of going into the woods to pursue them, they followed the startled birds in the trees and quickly approached.

"With Zhao Shan and Zhao He's help, Yu-ge'er is still holding on!" Zhao Yingjie shouted.

"Zhao Shan and Zhao He are no match for Wei Honggang. We need to hurry and get back to the young master!" Zhao Rong said in a deep voice.

Li Yunxiu remained silent, only anxiously watching the birds flying above the trees, hoping they wouldn't fall to the ground and the forest wouldn't remain calm.

Seeing the startled birds in the forest fly westward toward the grasslands, the three hurriedly rode their horses toward them. Then, they saw Wang Yu and Wei Honggang emerge from the forest, followed by Wang Yu turning back mid-air and killing Wei Honggang with a single sword strike.

"Brother Yu!" Zhao Yingjie shouted.

Zhao Rong stared wide-eyed in shock, as if witnessing a miracle.

Li Yunxiu looked at Wang Yu, who had just passed by and stood calmly, incredulously. She never expected that Wang Yu, who didn't know martial arts not long ago, would have improved to this extent in such a short time.

Zhao Shan and Zhao He also emerged from the nearby woods. They had been rushing for almost the entire journey and finally arrived after the battle ended.

A fleeting white figure vanished silently from the woods, leaving behind only a deep, unsettling gaze.

……

"Brother Yu, you killed Poison Hand Wei Tuo!?" Zhao Yingjie flew to Wang Yu's side and asked incredulously.

Wang Yu nodded. "He was careless. He didn't expect me to turn around suddenly while he was running away. He was facing the setting sun and couldn't open his eyes because of the sunlight, so I was able to ambush him."

Zhao Yingjie couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Carelessness again. How come everyone you fight is careless?"

Wang Yu laughed and said, "Maybe it's because I look easy to bully."

To be honest, he didn't even notice that Zhao Yingjie and the others had arrived from afar. If he had known, he might have kept his abilities hidden. His cheat ability wasn't about killing to gain experience, so there was no need for him to show off.

"Young Master has been living in seclusion in the capital for ten years, indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun, rarely engaging in combat. Everyone assumes that without a master to guide him, his martial arts have become neglected, so naturally no one cares," Zhao Rong said with a smile.

Actually, he had thought so before, until he tested Wang Yu and found that Wang Yu's internal strength was still good and his swordsmanship was also proficient, and then he realized that Wang Yu had not neglected his studies.

Even so, even with Zhao Shan and Zhao He's help, Wang Yu's ability to kill Wei Honggang was something he never expected.

Then Zhao Shan and Zhao He rushed out from the nearby woods, making it clear that they had not made a move.

"Huh?" Zhao Rong was also dumbfounded.

Li Yunxiu gave Wang Yu a deep look and tried to smooth things over, saying, "In any case, Wei Honggang is dead after all, and it was done by my husband himself, so it's a good thing."

"That's right!" Zhao Yingjie nodded repeatedly, then stepped forward and kicked the dead Wei Honggang. "Poisonous Hand Weituo is worth ten thousand taels of silver on the Zhenxi Prince's wanted poster. We can save that money."

Zhao He, with his keen eye, picked up the fine iron rod beside the corpse and asked Wang Yu, "The Poisonous Hand Weituo is renowned throughout the Northwest for his Vajra Subduing Demon Staff. Does Your Highness wish to collect this fine iron rod?"

Wang Yu's eyes lit up as he finally remembered, and he immediately went forward to touch the corpse.

However, he didn't find anything. There were no martial arts manuals, no miraculous medicines, and he even had very little money.

Wang Yu sighed. Reality is not a game. If he were in a game, killing such a small boss despite being much stronger would definitely be a huge win.

Li Yunxiu, who had witnessed Wang Yu touching the corpse of the Flower-Picking Prince, and Zhao Yingjie, who had touched the corpse of Naratna, and others, were already used to it.

Li Yunxiu laughed and said, "Wei Honggang isn't some wandering swordsman. He never expected to die out there. Of course, he would keep his important belongings at Qishan Jingang Village. Why would he carry them with him?"

Wang Yu rubbed his hands together, really wanting to take a trip to Jingang Village.

Zhao Rong knew Wang Yu's thoughts and dissuaded him, "The Qishan bandits don't even rob medicinal herbs, and they don't have the ability to refine medicine. Moreover, Wei Honggang came from the Vajra Temple, so he might not have copied and kept martial arts manuals. And even if he did, it wouldn't be convenient for him to practice."

The Great Vajra Temple is extremely domineering. If someone practices their martial arts but cannot explain their origins, they will capture that person and imprison them in the temple until they die.

While we are not afraid, there is no need to invite trouble. Besides, the young master's "Reflecting Fiery Light" and "Seven Forms of the Setting Sun" are by no means inferior to the martial arts of the Great Vajra Temple.

Zhao Yingjie chuckled and said, "Actually, if someone in the martial arts world suddenly learns 'The Flowing Fire Returns,' we won't let them get away with it."

"Okay." Wang Yu nodded, abandoning the idea.

He will still go to Jingang Village, but not to search for elixirs and martial arts manuals. Instead, he will completely conquer Jingang Village and eliminate the Qishan bandits.

……

Upon returning to the location of the carriage, the bandits had already left, leaving only four monks behind.

Seeing that Wang Yu had returned safely, Qianqian jumped off the carriage, ran over, and threw herself into Wang Yu's arms. Then she looked him up and down, as if checking if he was injured.

Wang Yu raised his palm, flipped it lightly, and said, "Killing a mere bandit is as easy as turning my hand!"

A playful glint flashed in Qianqian's eyes, but she still cooperated with a soft exclamation, "Brother Yu is the best!"

Zhao Rong looked at the four monks who had approached and frowned, asking, "Who are they?"

Zhao Yingjie immediately whispered what had happened.

"The Poisonous Hand Weituo has been executed, you are safe!" Wang Yu said, waving his hand.

The monk in the lead, named Fadu, breathed a sigh of relief, then hesitated, seemingly wanting to ask something but holding back.

"Oh, right!"

He didn't ask Wang Yu, but Wang Yu asked him instead, "What exactly is the Snow Lotus Jade Marrow Pill?"

Fadu looked at Wang Yu speechlessly, but still replied, "This is a Tian Shan snow lotus that my uncle obtained from the Western Regions. He used it with more than ten kinds of aged medicinal herbs to refine a batch of Snow Lotus Jade Marrow Pills. Only two pills were produced in one batch. This one was to be sent to the Great Vajra Temple, but it was... was..."

"But I saved your lives. As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Is a twenty-eight-story pagoda not as good as a single pill?" Wang Yu asked.

Fa Du couldn't answer, and then he saw Wang Yu casually ask, "There are only two pills in total, why are you sending one to the Great Vajra Temple?"

Fadu honestly replied, "Baolun Temple is located near the Western Regions. It was built a hundred years ago by the predecessors of Dajingang Temple and is originally a branch temple of Dajingang Temple. The two temples have had many exchanges, and we have even practiced at Dajingang Temple."

Wang Yu looked at Zhao Rong, who replied, "Baolun Temple is located in Ningxi Prefecture of Anxi Circuit, near the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions. Its main purpose is to spread Buddhism to the kingdoms of the Western Regions."

The implication is that it has no impact on the Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion, so the Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion naturally won't pay attention.

"Alright, I understand. You're all safe now, you can leave." Wang Yu said to Fadu, then got into the carriage and called everyone to return to the city together.

Fadu hesitated again, but ultimately didn't dare to ask, and watched the convoy drive away into the distance.

"Senior brother!" A monk nearby chimed in, "He ate the Snow Lotus Jade Marrow Pill. How are we going to explain this to the Great Vajra Temple?"

"How should we explain? Of course, we'll tell the truth!" Fadu said helplessly. "The one who took the pill was Prince Zhao Yu of Zhenxi. Do you think we can make him vomit it up?"

The other three fell silent. Not to mention them, even the Great Vajra Temple couldn't get Zhao Yu to vomit.

"We're out of pills, are we still going to the Great Vajra Temple?"

"Of course we should go. At the very least, we need to make things clear. As for how to handle the aftermath, Abbot Zongshan will decide."

So the four monks traveled far away.

……

Upon returning to the Prince of Zhenxi's residence, they sent word that Wei Honggang had died. Everyone then washed up and had dinner together to welcome Wang Yu and the others back.

Wang Yu instructed Zhao Yingjie to prepare a room on the side of the main courtyard to store his spoils of war. Although he only had a pair of eagle-beak hoes and a fine iron rod at the moment, he believed there was hope for the future.

Zhao Rong was also very pleased. You see, the Qishan bandits were hiding in the Qishan Mountains. Their stronghold was extremely well hidden, with traps and hidden weapons, and thousands of bandits gathered there. The reputation of the five major bandits of Qishan had been known for more than ten years, and Zhao Zheng had not been able to kill a single one of them. But now, Wang Yu had killed the most notorious one of them, Wei Tuo.

Although Zhao Zheng was injured and the Qishan bandits posed little threat, which is why he didn't focus his attention on the Qishan bandits, not killing them is still not killing them.

Judging from today's battle alone, it has undoubtedly set a good precedent for Wang Yu to take control of the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion.

After dinner, Li Yunxiu naturally followed Wang Yu back to the main house and inquired about the situation of Wang Yu's inspection of the northern route. Although she had heard a lot at the dinner, she still asked Wang Yu to tell her again and asked many details.

"So you killed Shi Mo's personal disciple."

Li Yunxiu looked at Wang Yu with a complicated expression. "Was that move you used to kill Wei Honggang today... Yan Guilai?"

"right."

"You've only had the 'Swallow Carrying Spring' manual for a little over a month, yet you've already mastered the ultimate secret technique of this light-body skill?"

"Um."

"Moreover, it has only been two months since you started practicing martial arts, yet your internal strength is already quite remarkable."

"I took a lot of medicine."

Is that something that can be explained by taking medicine?

But Li Yunxiu had no way to explain it, so she could only admit that perhaps Wang Yu really was a martial arts prodigy.

Li Yunxiu looked deeply at Wang Yu, her heart churning, and asked softly, "If..."

Before the words were even finished, footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by a soft voice, "Brother Yu."

Li Yunxiu's face darkened. He opened the door and saw Qianqian standing gracefully in the courtyard, dressed in a moon-white dress. The moonlight behind her made her look like an ethereal fairy.

"Is something wrong, sister?"

"I was startled by that brute today, and I want Brother Yu to keep me company."

Li Yunxiu snorted, having finished speaking with Wang Yu, then gave Wang Yu a cryptic look before turning and leaving.

Qianqian timidly walked into the main house and smiled sweetly at Wang Yu.

Wang Yu had a general understanding of Qianqian's personality—always teasing but never offering any real benefits—and suggested, "Shall we take a walk in the back garden?"

Qianqian shook her head, her waist slender as she leaned gently against Wang Yu, one hand lightly resting on his chest. She looked up, her eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of allure, and asked softly, "You're not Zhao Yu, who are you?"