Quan Quan lays all his cards on the table.

The gulf between a martial artist and a grandmaster lies in their cultivation, their state of mind, and, more importantly, the insights gained through experience. This is why, no matter how Zhang Ling struck, he could not inflict the slightest injury upon the man before him. Having unleashed two ultimate techniques at once, Zhang Ling had exhausted his vitality. Fortunately, his protective armor absorbed some of the palm's force, allowing him to barely withstand the blow. Now, however, he was only able to remain standing by using secret arts to stimulate his nerves, preventing him from collapsing into unconsciousness. He could only lean on his broken blade, "Tidal Surge," watching helplessly as the man decided whether to kill him or let him live.

The libertine man stood motionless, his gaze unfocused and distant, contemplating the origins of the various martial arts Zhang Ling had just displayed. He recognized many, yet others were entirely new to him. After a moment, he spoke slowly: "The overbearing blade technique of the Blade King of Song? It seems you are actually a disciple of the Academy; that explains it. The sword style contained in the move you just used must also be a top-tier technique at the Sword Immortal level. You are quite impressive. To be so young and yet proficient in so many styles, and not bound by convention, integrating them so fluently and naturally—it shows you are not only diligent but also highly intelligent. Even an ordinary second-rank expert would not have lasted this long against me. It is a pity that your experience is too shallow, and most of your techniques are merely at the threshold of mastery. Most importantly, since you are a disciple of the Academy, I cannot let you live, no matter what."

A sense of powerlessness washed over him once more. The hidden mechanism weapons he had saved as a contingency were now unusable. Zhang Ling wanted to speak to stall for time, but when the words reached his lips, he lacked the strength to utter them. He could only close his eyes and resign himself to fate. As he clearly felt the palm wind approaching, a deep, resonant voice suddenly shouted: "Chu Xingran, stop!"

Upon hearing this familiar voice, the man named Chu Xingran did indeed cease his attack. He merely discharged most of his force and pushed Zhang Ling aside, retreating with great reluctance. Though he obeyed the speaker, he showed no respect for the man.

Zhang Ling crawled on the ground, looking up at the newcomer. The two men he had been waiting for had finally arrived. He could only say that he had temporarily saved his life; however, since the objective was not secured, it seemed he would have to flee to distant lands. The Grand Chancellor looked at the stranger on the ground—who had even changed his clothes—and then at the scabbard and the "Tidal Surge" blade on the ground nearby. He remarked, "Are you Zhang Ling?"

Seeing that the jig was up, Zhang Ling peeled off his human-skin mask and smiled awkwardly: "Greetings, Excellency!"

Ren Pingsheng hurriedly ran over to support Zhang Ling, and the two walked to a side pavilion to sit on stone stools. The Grand Chancellor looked at Chu Xingran and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

Chu Xingran chuckled lightly: "This kid is not bad. A mere third-rank expert, yet he managed to hold out against me for so long."

The Grand Chancellor retorted angrily: "I asked why you attacked him!"

Chu Xingran turned his head away, showing no intention of explaining. Suddenly, however, he looked around in alarm. Armored soldiers were sweeping through the grounds, rapidly occupying every corner of the Chancellor’s residence without leaving a single gap, while simultaneously clearing out all irrelevant officials. The only ones left were three generals and the two in the pavilion. As the Imperial Guards took their positions, the Emperor, clad in golden armor, finally made his appearance. The Commander of the Imperial Guards, Yan Han, and the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Palace, Zhao Weizhong, followed closely behind. Everyone stood in battle readiness; only Zhang Ling was filled with bewilderment, though he felt a bit more at ease.

The Grand Chancellor and the three generals merely cupped their hands rather than kneeling—a privilege granted by the late Emperor in recognition of their merits. The foremost among them asked: "I wonder what brings Your Majesty here? Why the grand mobilization?"

Chen Liuren looked at the old eunuch. The eunuch understood and stepped forward, producing a scroll to read: "The Grand Chancellor Xiao Qinhe has colluded with the Vanguard General of the Xianzhi Army, He Fengquan, the Regional Commander of Hongyun Province, Du Ronghai, and the Garrison Commander of Jinyu City, Li Ru, among others, with the intent to launch a rebellion during the Ancestral Worship Ceremony and install the Crown Prince, Chen Jinyu, to assassinate the monarch and usurp the throne."

Zhao Weizhong then took a stack of letters from a soldier and said: "The letters between the Grand Chancellor Xiao Qinhe and various generals are all here. The evidence of the crime is irrefutable."

The moment the eunuch Zhao Weizhong produced the letters, everything finally became clear to Zhang Ling. The Emperor had simply used him as a decoy to draw Chu Xingran away, while he had already arranged for others to steal the letters. Zhang Ling glanced toward the Chancellor’s side; the Grand Chancellor remained calm and composed, slowly saying: "The Crown Prince had no knowledge of this."

Chen Liuren nodded: "You may rest assured that, aside from the Crown Prince, I have already had those you colluded with to prepare for the uprising removed from the capital."

The Grand Chancellor did not speak and walked straight toward the pavilion. Zhang Ling thought he was about to be sent on his way and hastily stood up to move, but the Grand Chancellor just smiled at the sight and said, "Sit down."

Zhang Ling had long heard that Xiao Qinhe was a tiger-like minister of unparalleled power; if the man wanted to make a move, he wouldn't be able to escape anyway, so he sat down with resignation. The Grand Chancellor looked back at Chen Liuren and, pointing at Zhang Ling, said: "So he was the bait. Your Majesty intentionally sought him out just to distract me so you could intervene elsewhere. However, I wonder, if your men hadn't obtained the evidence, would he have logically become the scapegoat?"

Chen Liuren did not answer directly: "You would not have killed him."

The Grand Chancellor smiled contemptuously: "On what grounds?"

Chen Liuren pointed it out: "He is the son of General Mingze."

Once these words were spoken, everyone present—except for the Grand Chancellor—was shocked. Even the standing Imperial Guards, upon hearing the name "General Mingze," felt an uncontrollable tremor in their hearts, though their bodies remained motionless. They all tried to catch a glimpse of what the widow of the man whom all soldiers in the world admired looked like. Even Ren Pingsheng stared at Zhang Ling with wide eyes. Zhang Ling, who had wanted to pour a cup of wine to calm his nerves, knocked it over instead, failing to notice the strange looks these people were casting his way.

The Grand Chancellor looked back at Zhang Ling and realized with a start: "So that’s it. Out of so many people in the Academy, you didn't choose anyone else, but chose him. Actually, it’s not that you value him, but that you wanted to drag Prince Chen into the fray, didn't you!"

This time, Chen Liuren did not reply. The Grand Chancellor looked at Ren Pingsheng and asked: "Do you know about this?"

Ren Pingsheng shook his head.

In such a tense atmosphere, the Grand Chancellor finally let out a sigh of relief and said with a gentle smile: "That’s good!"

Subsequently, the Grand Chancellor took a thumb-sized green flute from his sleeve and handed it to Ren Pingsheng. After Ren Pingsheng took it, the Grand Chancellor stood up, snatched the wine cup from Zhang Ling, poured a cup of wine, held it with both hands, and bowed deeply to Ren Pingsheng. Just as Ren Pingsheng was about to stand up to avoid it, he was scolded by the Grand Chancellor to sit back down. After a pillar of the state finished bowing to a fledgling youth, he drained the clear wine in one gulp, then walked out of the pavilion to lock eyes with Chen Liuren.

Seeing this, Chu Xingran sprang to his feet—not to look at Xiao Qinhe, but to stare fixedly at the young man holding the green flute. He knew that Xiao Qinhe giving the flute to him meant he was abdicating his position. Most importantly, it meant he would henceforth have to switch his allegiance to protect this young man. Xiao Qinhe felt unwilling and wanted to go up to argue with the Grand Chancellor, but the Grand Chancellor scolded: "Stay right there and don't move!"

Chu Xingran was filled with resentment, but it was always like this; in the end, he obeyed the Grand Chancellor’s words and remained motionless.

Chen Liuren finally asked: "Why did you rebel?"