Chapter 402: Chapter 193: Win Glory, Bear Glory

"Relax. At the end of the day, I’m a member of the Royal Family and Relatives. Besides, Batu Mu once led troops to invade Great Yuan. Even if the Court decides to punish me, it will just be for show, to appease the Turkic King. Nothing will happen to me, nor to Mo Shan and his brothers."

"My only worry is that if it gets out that Batu Mu died by your hand, Andre will send his top experts to infiltrate Great Yuan and wait for an opportunity to take revenge on you and your master."

"The only way to clear yourselves of suspicion is to leave Yunchuan City at once and act as if you were never here."

Mr. Du said with the utmost seriousness.

"Lin Guang, listen to Mr. Du," Guo Wei said with a grave expression. "Yunchuan City is full of prying eyes. If we stay here, it will cause a great deal of trouble for him."

The master and his disciple had just dealt Andre a major blow. If he were to find out that Batu Mu had died at Chu Lingguang’s hands, he would certainly not let the matter rest.

"Fifth Brother, I recall you used the Basic Spear Skill and the Flying Leaf Lotus Spear to kill Batu Mu, correct?" Mo Shan asked.

"That’s right."

Chu Lingguang nodded.

"I know the Basic Spear Skill, and I’ve seen the Flying Leaf Lotus Spear manual in our lord’s study before. I happened to learn a few of its moves," Demon Mark said.

"My lord, we’ll do as you suggest," Mo Shan said earnestly. "Batu Mu and his men died at the hands of the four of us. It was Demon Mark and I who joined forces to kill him."

"Good."

Mr. Du nodded. "You must memorize every detail of how Chu Lingguang killed Batu Mu," he said to Demon Mark. "You may have to face Andre in the future."

"Rest assured, my lord."

Demon Mark nodded firmly.

Chu Lingguang opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. He hadn’t expected the death of one man, Batu Mu, to stir up so much trouble. ’What if Mo Shan and his brothers can’t handle the pressure?’

"Sir, if Andre confirms that Batu Mu died at the hands of my four sworn brothers, what will happen to them?" Chu Lingguang couldn’t help but ask.

"Andre will certainly have the Turkic King demand that I hand over Mo Shan and his brothers to pay for Batu Mu’s life. He’ll deny they were fighting over the Spiritual Monkey and might even insist that I sent the four of them to assassinate Batu Mu."

"However, no matter what excuse they come up with, and regardless of any orders from the Court, I will not hand your four sworn brothers over."

"The Spiritual Monkey is right here in the mansion. I have ways to prove they were fighting over it, and I will find a way to quell this disaster."

Mr. Du vowed.

Chu Lingguang didn’t doubt Mr. Du. If Mo Shan and his brothers were willing to lay down their lives for him, Mr. Du had to be a man worthy of their trust. He was simply worried the situation would escalate to a point where even Mr. Du would be powerless to change the outcome.

"Fifth Brother, don’t worry about us," Mo Lei said with a laugh. "We’re still waiting to go to the Qiling Governor’s Mansion and watch you fight Yan Zhen."

"Yan Zhen is a top-tier prodigy. To be honest, none of us think you can beat him, but with your talent and willpower, we believe you can earn the right to face him," Mo Shan added.

Mo Shuang and Demon Mark also looked on with anticipation.

"Alright. I’ll be waiting for you four at the Qiling Governor’s Mansion," Chu Lingguang said emphatically.

And with that, the brothers parted ways.

The master and his two disciples left Yunchuan City that very night, heading back toward the Qiling Governor’s Mansion. Mr. Du stayed behind to handle the aftermath for Chu Lingguang, beginning to set his plans in motion and brace for the coming storm.

Meanwhile, on the Turkic side, Batu Lu transported Batu Mu’s body to the Andre Mansion overnight.

As a precaution, Mr. Du strengthened his defenses, dispatching more sentries into the mountains to monitor the Turkic side’s every move. All his generals remained at their posts, not daring to abandon their duties.

"Master, do we really need to be this worried about a single Turkic man?" Hei Hu asked on the road, confused.

In his eyes, a man Chu Lingguang could kill with a single spear thrust to the head couldn’t possibly stir up much trouble.

"This could be a small matter, or it could be a very large one. We have to be on our guard," Guo Wei patiently explained. "If Andre finds out Lin Guang was the one who killed Batu Mu, Xie Xiaohuan will definitely use this to stir up trouble. One wrong move could lead to a major conflict."

"Even without military action, Lin Guang and I have both caused Andre to suffer heavy losses. He won’t let us go. If he found out we were in Yunchuan City, he would likely pressure the Court to make Mr. Du hand us over."

"Only by leaving Yunchuan City can Mr. Du clean up this mess for us."

"No matter how strong a single person is, they can’t fight the entire Court!"

His master’s final exclamation gave Chu Lingguang pause. He suddenly realized something: the Court placed immense importance on the Martial Arts Examination. As the top-ranked martial artist from South City, he already possessed considerable strength. The future top ranker of the Qiling County Examination was someone of Yan Zhen’s caliber.

’Then what sort of monsters will appear in the Imperial Examination that follows the Provincial Examination, and the Palace Examination after that? With Yan Zhen’s talent, he’ll surely pass every stage, make his way before the Emperor of Great Yuan, and receive a personal appointment from the Emperor himself.’

’And every single Martial Arts Examination produces so many talented individuals.’

’Ultimately, all these talents, no matter how monstrously gifted, are recruited under the Court’s banner. Both Wei Yongguang and Yang Shaorong are personnel of the Court.’

’Just imagine... a Dynasty that possesses so many Martial Arts geniuses. How powerful must it be?’

It was no wonder Guo Wei had sighed like that.

By that same logic, if the mighty Great Yuan Dynasty was so wary of the Turkic people that it established diplomatic relations to avoid war, just how powerful were the Turkic people?

He and Guo Wei were caught between these two behemoths. Their lives and deaths depended on a single whim.

At this thought, Chu Lingguang felt an immense pressure crashing down on him. This wasn’t needless anxiety. It was the stark realization that in the face of the Great Yuan Dynasty and the Turkic people, he and Guo Wei were like two ants that could be crushed at any moment.