Feng Xin was standing the closest to the two, and he looked at Xie Lian with unconcealed shock. Mu Qing's eyes were glimmering, however, and his restrained shock contained a faint underlying excitement.
Shi Qingxuan laid Ming Yi down and said, "Qianqiu, did you make a mistake? If His Highness was the State Preceptor Fangxin, why would it take you until now to recognize him?"
Another voice rang out from the sidelines, "Qingxuan, you don't know? Legends say the State Preceptor Fangxin was aloof, mysterious, and cold. He never showed his face in public and always wore a mask of silver. I'm sure His Highness Tai Hua must've never seen his face."
The one who spoke had his arms crossed and stood on the sidelines. It was Pei Ming. The mere sight of him annoyed Shi Qingxuan, and he swung his whisk.
"If that's the case, that means no one ever saw what the State Preceptor Fangxin looked like. Why must General Pei make it sound like it's a sure thing that His Highness Xianle is this State Preceptor Fangxin?"
When Shi Qingxuan and Xie Lian worked together, it was a ridiculous and hilarious affair, but in the Heavenly Court they were composed, calm, and poised, very mindful of their demeanors.
Just then, a snow-white figure appeared from the back hall.
Upon his arrival, everyone settled down. The chattering officials quickly returned to their respective places and bowed.
"My Lord."
Jun Wu motioned with one hand, and everyone straightened up once more. He walked willfully, and as he passed by Xie Lian, he tapped on his right shoulder. Fresh blood was still dripping down Xie Lian's sleeve, but with that tap, it ceased immediately.
After briefly checking over Ming Yi, Jun Wu stated, "It is nothing serious. Settle the Earth Master first."
Thus, four medical heavenly officials came over to gather Ming Yi up and carry him away. Shi Qingxuan looked as if he wanted to follow, but seeing such tension in the Palace of Divine Might, he couldn't not worry and decided to stay after all.
With hands clasped behind his back, Jun Wu returned to the throne before he spoke again.
"So, tell me. What has happened now? Why is Tai Hua refusing to let Xianle go, and why is Xianle bowing his head?"
Lang Qianqiu took another glance at Xie Lian and saw that he was still silent. As they were surrounded by heavenly officials and there was no need to fear his escape, Lang Qianqiu released his wrist and turned to Jun Wu with a bow.
"My Lord, many centuries ago, this man assumed the name of Fangxin, slaughtered my blood clan, and brought ruin to my kingdom. I demand a duel and ask My Lord to be our judge!"
Within the Palace of Divine Might, even those who had never heard the name Fangxin hurried to research the name within the communication array. It was a good thing Ling Wen was present to answer everyone's query, as what was uncovered was truly an astonishing tale.
"The State Preceptor Fangxin was both the savior and teacher of the Crown Prince of Yong'an, Lang Qianqiu. He was eventually named as one of the Dual Evil Masters because of the infamous Gilded Banquet Massacre of the Yong'an monarchy."
"What's a Gilded Banquet?" Shi Qingxuan asked.
"Lord Wind Master," Ling Wen replied. "This Gilded Banquet was a tradition taken from the nobility of Xianle. It was called as such because every wine cup, every utensil and piece of cutlery, and every other such serving tool was of the highest grade of gold, incomparably extravagant.
"At the very beginning, when the Kingdom of Yong'an was established, they vowed to the world that they would put an end to the culture of excess from the old kingdom. They swore that they would never repeat the same mistakes, that they would focus solely on the people. And yet after only a few decades, the old ways were relearned, including that
culture of excess."
Ling Wen continued, "On the night of the seventeenth birthday of the Crown Prince of Yong'an, the palace threw a Gilded Banquet in celebration. The State Preceptor Fangxin…it was at that feast, with a sword in hand, that he slaughtered every member of the royal family in attendance."
The golden goblets toppled, and blood spilled like wine.
"Because of his late arrival to the feast, only the Crown Prince of Yong'an escaped death. But he too was almost killed."
This coup was no doubt a huge blow to Yong'an. If it wasn't for Lang Qianqiu, whose arduous efforts won the people's hearts, the country would have certainly been plunged into chaos. It was with great difficulty that the upheaval was settled, and soon after, the Yong'an monarchy released a bounty for the capture of the fugitive murderer. When he was at last apprehended, Lang Qianqiu killed that evil cultivator, the State Preceptor Fangxin, with his own two hands. He then sealed the corpse within a triple-layered coffin before condemning it to rest deep within the earth.
However, the roots of the monarchy had been gravely damaged. It saw an inevitable, gradual decline until it was at last replaced by the next dynasty.
Lang Qianqiu's glare was locked firmly on Xie Lian. "I never understood why you did what you did. You said it was because you couldn't stand seeing us on the throne, but I didn't believe it, and I never thought you wanted to overthrow the monarchy and take our place. But now I finally know why."
The heavenly officials gasped, muttering to each other.
"It was revenge!"
"Ain't that just it?! The Kingdom of Xianle had fallen, so he had to ruin Yong'an too. The Yong'an people killed his own royal parents, so he had to murder the royal parents of the Crown Prince of Yong'an. An eye for an eye. It's pure vengeance!"
"But the ones who wiped out Xianle weren't from Lang Qianqiu's generation. Such retribution was completely unreasonable…"
"And here I thought the Laughingstock of the Three Realms was just a fool; turns out he's actually quite an aggressive character. Becoming a State Preceptor in an enemy state as his cover, slaughtering the entire monarchy in one go. Incredible…"
Xie Lian could feel Jun Wu's eyes on him and closed his own.
He heard Jun Wu say a moment later, "Tai Hua, you firmly believe Xianle to be Fangxin, but do you have proof?"
"The State Preceptor Fangxin was the one who taught me swordsmanship. How could I not recognize him the moment he struck?!" Lang Qianqiu replied.
The hushed whispers grew even more excited.
"Even if he needed to keep his cover intact, wasn't teaching the crown prince swordsmanship a little unnecessary?"
"Since his third ascension, we haven't seen him touch a sword even once. It's no wonder, he's afraid to blow his cover…"
Lang Qianqiu stated, "I recently went to Ghost City and faced Crimson Rain Sought Flower…"
As the crowd listened to him explain what transpired in Ghost City and about Hua Cheng, many of the officials shuddered just hearing him mentioned. Lang Qianqiu continued his story.
"When I was twelve, I was once kidnapped during an outing. The kidnappers dragged me into the streets, and when the guards caught up, there was a violent brawl. A street busker was dragged into the chaos and, bruised as he was, he broke up the fight with a mere tree branch. With it, he easily parried two swords and rescued me.
"The kidnappers and the guards had all suffered grave injuries, and so it was this busker who helped me escape and escorted me all the way back to the palace. Out of immense gratitude, His Majesty my father and my mother the queen fervently tried to retain him and discovered his tremendous ability in swordsmanship. So he was ultimately invited to become our State Preceptor. He taught me the art of the blade for five years, and I'm more than familiar with his style. How could I be mistaken?"
"Your Highness Tai Hua," Mu Qing said quietly, "you said yourself that what you saw was only a fleeting image. No one has confirmed it except you. Thus, these accusations are only by your word."
Mu Qing's argument sounded like it was in Xie Lian's favor, but the truth was more complex than that. Mu Qing must've determined that Lang Qianqiu was quite convinced of his take on the evidence, and the more he doubted the truth, the more adamant Lang Qianqiu would be to prove himself. This was not the least bit helpful to Xie Lian's situation.
Sure enough, Lang Qianqiu demanded of the crowd, "Fine. Bring me a sword, please!"
There were many martial gods within the hall who carried swords, and hearing his call, a sword was immediately thrown in his direction. Lang Qianqiu caught it and thrust it in front of Xie Lian.
"Take it. We'll duel right now, no holding back, using everything we've got. We'll see whether we have the same style and whether you taught me!"
Everyone thought demanding a duel in the Palace of Divine Might was insolent, but when they thought of the Gilded Banquet Massacre and how a dignified crown prince's entire family was slaughtered in cold blood, they could understand his provocation.
Xie Lian's injury was still on Shi Qingxuan's mind, and Shi Qingxuan tried to reason with Lang Qianqiu. "Qianqiu, His Highness blocked that attack from Hua Cheng for you and injured his right arm. How can he duel with you?"
Hearing this, Lang Qianqiu suddenly reached out with his left hand and struck down heavily on his own right arm. There was a loud crack, and a mist of blood erupted from his right shoulder. Blood spurted profusely as the limb fell limp. Onlookers could see with no inspection that it was a severe injury, and everyone was shocked.
Xie Lian was also taken aback. He finally lifted his eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Lord Wind Master is right," Lang Qianqiu said. "You did injure your arm saving me, and so I return an arm in kind. But just as it's true that you saved me, your murder of my clan is also the undeniable truth. I know of your dexterity and that you can use a sword in either hand without the slightest effect on your skills. We'll duel with our lefts. If you're a man, pick up the sword!"
Xie Lian looked at the sword, then looked at him. In the end, he shook his head slowly. "I swore many years ago to never kill with the sword again."
His words made Lang Qianqiu remember that night, and the scene that greeted him when he arrived at the banquet: that black-robed man, his eyes frighteningly bloodshot, pulling a longsword from the dead body of his father with his left hand. The sound of it was like meat being butchered.
Shi Qingxuan swung out his whisk, and it wrapped around the sword to hold it in place. "I think there must be some sort of misunderstanding here. If that State Preceptor Fangxin always wore a mask, then anyone could've pretended to be him to commit murder. What does My Lord think?"
Everyone turned their gaze to the jaded throne.
"Xianle," Jun Wu spoke.
Xie Lian bowed. "Yes, My Lord."
"Do you concede that Tai Hua's accusations are true?" Jun Wu asked.
"I concede," Xie Lian replied.
The "I concede" was uttered frostily, the complete opposite of Xie Lian's usual manner of speaking, and the faces of Feng Xin, Mu Qing, and Shi Qingxuan all changed colors.
Jun Wu nodded. He then questioned further, "The State Preceptor Fangxin who committed the Gilded Banquet Massacre—was that you?"
After a moment of silence, Xie Lian raised his head, his expression one of determination. "That's right. It was me!"
His answer was loud and clear and left no opportunity to turn back.
"So you admit it. Good," Lang Qianqiu said.
As was previously explained, there were innumerable heavenly officials with mortal blood on their hands in the Upper Court. But truthfully, not many had their old blood debts escalate to this point. After all, most killed mortals didn't have descendants of Lang Qianqiu's caliber in their families, descendants who could demand justice from the murderer from the position of an esteemed heavenly official.
Pei Xiu was under the protection of General Pei, but in the end, he still couldn't escape exile. Xie Lian had no one to stand behind him. This would all depend on whether Jun Wu still valued his past affection toward Xie Lian and whether the Emperor had the heart to protect him.
Many still couldn't comprehend what sort of feelings Jun Wu held toward Xie Lian. During his first ascension, the Crown Prince of Xianle was of course treated with the utmost favor. But the two had a huge fight during his second ascension, and Xie Lian even stabbed Jun Wu a few times before he was defeated. This third ascension, the two had been at peace with each other, as if those past conflicts had been forgotten. Jun Wu had even built a brand-new palace for Xie Lian, located in the nicest area of the Heavenly Capital. It was truly difficult to understand. Thus, countless pairs of ears perked up, waiting to hear how the Emperor would sentence Xie Lian.
Unexpectedly, before Jun Wu had the chance to pass a verdict, Xie Lian spoke. "Xianle has a presumptuous request."
"Speak," Jun Wu responded.
"I humbly ask My Lord to remove my godhood and banish me to the Mortal Realm," Xie Lian said.
Some of the heavenly officials were shocked, and at the same time somewhat amazed. No one wanted to be banished, after all. It wasn't easy to ascend, and to work so hard and climb so high only to plummet… Just thinking about it made one want to sigh in lament. There was simply no way they'd dare ask for banishment from Jun Wu so straightforwardly.
At the same time, some of the other heavenly officials couldn't care less. In this sort of situation, it might be better to give up than to vehemently deny everything. Xie Lian had been banished twice already—a third time probably meant nothing to him. He should be used to it by now.
Lang Qianqiu, however, objected. "I don't need you to banish yourself. Ascension is based on ability alone. I only want a duel."
"I don't want to fight you," Xie Lian said.
"Why not?!" Lang Qianqiu shouted. "It's not like we've never fought before. Life or death, the outcome doesn't matter, let's just put an end to this!"
Xie Lian said plainly, "No reason. But fight me and you will surely die."