Volume One: The King's Command Chapter Twenty-Four: Yongle of Tianyang Town

Not far from the dilapidated courtyard stood Yongle Lane, its perimeter guarded by at least three layers of Blue Plume soldiers. The main entrance was tightly shut, and rows of warhorses lined up before it. The Embroidered Guards took position atop vantage points, attempting to peer within, but darkness shrouded Yongle Lane, leaving nothing visible.

Nie Xiang let out a light chuckle. “People of Yongle Lane, listen well: hand over the traitorous Fourth Prince, and I shall guarantee your safety.”

Inside, there was still no vocal reply, only faint, rustling sounds. A moment later, the twang of bowstrings rained down like a storm, arrows two feet long pierced through the courtyard walls and wooden doors, felling swathes of soldiers.

“Lord Nie, please order your officials to retreat. They are all civil servants…” Song Shuzai pulled his horse’s reins, withdrawing, his left hand waving behind him to signal the officials of Changle City to vacate the battlefield.

On either side of Nie Xiang, a man mounted his horse and vaulted in near-perfect unison, flying straight into Yongle Lane’s courtyard. Two gleaming swords were drawn, slashing down countless arrows.

Within the courtyard, two more figures soared up: on the left, a burly man wielding a meteor hammer; on the right, a wiry dwarf brandishing twin steel forks. They blocked the swordsmen, engaging in fierce combat, matching every move without losing ground.

The Embroidered Guards followed the swordsmen, descending from all directions into the courtyard. Before their feet could find purchase, the ground erupted with thunderous noise, revealing a massive pit lined with sharp bamboo spears thrust downward.

Those with poor martial skill were instantly skewered, while those who leapt precariously onto the walls were met with short spears hurled from the second floor.

It wasn’t just the main entrance—the ground surrounding the entire courtyard had been hollowed out, leaving only a straight path from the main gate, a yard wide, leading directly to Yongle Lane.

“The Crown Prince surely keeps many useless men. Mind if I help tidy up the house?” A woman’s voice echoed from within the building, and Nie Xiang’s hand gripped his reins tightly.

He knew this voice well. The Fourth Prince surrounded himself with oddities, but none were stranger than the owner of this voice.

“Never thought Lord Wang would hide here as well. Such a small Changle City, yet tonight it is filled with fierce tigers.” Nie Xiang replied, his smile cold and hollow.

“How could I dare compare with Lord Nie, the Crown Prince’s foster father, the emperor’s most respected teacher? I doubt the old emperor ever imagined he’d be cuckolded by a eunuch!”

“You! Insolent! It seems the Fourth Prince has grown wings!”

At these words, the crowd erupted. The woman had spoken so plainly—could it be that the Fourth Prince’s secret was this?

The Crown Prince was born of the Empress, while the Fourth Prince was the favored child of a palace consort. The emperor, having fathered him in his youth, had kept the Crown Prince on the throne for over a decade, and his patience had worn thin.

Numerous siblings grew up under the Crown Prince’s watchful eye; the clever and resourceful were sent away from the capital, and several were quietly dealt with.

Only the Fourth Prince received the emperor’s affection from the start. Though more than ten years younger than the Crown Prince, he was unusually ruthless.

Perhaps sensing the Crown Prince’s ambition, the emperor indulged the Fourth Prince, allowing his influence to grow unchecked for nearly three years. Many officials, sensing the winds of change, paved the way for him.

If the Crown Prince did not act, the situation would soon be under the Fourth Prince’s control. Thus, the Crown Prince hastily left the capital, traveling to all corners of Central Province.

Once he moved, he uprooted everything.

Especially here in Changle City, rumored to be the Fourth Prince’s base. The Crown Prince’s actions aimed to destroy his foundation completely.

“Lord Nie, anger is dangerous at your age. I never said it was you.” Out from Yongle Lane strode a towering woman, over six feet tall, her features exquisitely beautiful, though her body was thick with muscle—her face, however, could rival any celestial maiden.

Such incongruous beauty and physique on one person made her appear quite strange. Nie Xiang, seeing her, knew tonight’s affair would not be easily resolved.

Across the palace, martial experts abounded, and Nie Xiang was among the best. Having broken through to the Heavenly Sun realm, he could sweep aside any Earth Soul cultivator with a mere gesture, never taking ordinary people seriously.

Those who could threaten him could be counted on one hand, and this woman standing before him was one of them.

“Wang Xiuping, don’t think I’ll spare you just because you’re a woman. Yongle Lane must be cleansed tonight.”

“We shall see if you have the skill, Lord Nie. Let me witness the might of your Frost Palm!”

Wang Xiuping’s smile made many Embroidered Guards pale. Her face alone was a stunning beauty, but her clenched fist was the size of an ordinary person’s head.

“Your Earth Soul twelfth-level skill is no match for me. Pledge yourself to the Crown Prince and I’ll spare your life.” As Nie Xiang spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and tightened his belt.

Wang Xiuping stepped forward, launching herself instantly to Nie Xiang’s horse. The wind her movement generated pushed the Embroidered Guards aside, and she punched the horse’s head.

Without further words, Nie Xiang leapt up as his warhorse was obliterated, meeting Wang Xiuping’s fist with his palm.

A silent shockwave spread from the two, disturbing even the Embroidered Guards standing atop the courtyard wall.

Nie Xiang’s palms gathered cold energy, releasing pale blue ice crystals with each strike.

Their fist and palm clashed head-on along the narrow path, and Nie Xiang seemed like a child before Wang Xiuping, forced backward by her heavy blows.

Yet Wang Xiuping’s expression grew grim. With each collision, cold energy invaded her body, rampaging through her meridians.

“Heavenly Sun realm? You’ve truly reached the Heavenly Sun realm!”

The cold inside her accumulated, and Wang Xiuping found her true energy unable to dissolve it.

Her Earth Soul eleventh-level skill, due to her unique technique, could easily withstand Nie Xiang’s twelfth level.

If she could hold out until midnight, her mission would be complete. But after thirty exchanges, she had already fallen behind. The cold of the Heavenly Sun realm carried a hidden heat—alternating cold and hot, her face flushed blue and red.

Nie Xiang’s steps advanced and retreated with precision, his palms opening and closing as he slowly pressed toward Yongle Lane.

“Old eunuch! Don’t get cocky! The Twelve Musicians of Yongle are here!”

Twelve young women in red swung twelve crimson sashes, wrapping Nie Xiang tightly.

Wang Xiuping seized the opportunity, tightening her right fist and striking Nie Xiang’s abdomen with all her strength, her true energy blasting through him and sending a shockwave outward.

“Let’s see if you survive this…” Before Wang Xiuping could retract her fist, blue flames surged along the sashes, and the twelve musicians poured their true energy in, attempting to clash with Nie Xiang.

“Get out of my way!”

Nie Xiang unleashed his full power, bursting through the sashes and sending thirteen people flying with a single strike, kicking Wang Xiuping squarely in the face, shattering her nose.

For the first time, Nie Xiang displayed the full force of the Heavenly Sun realm, simultaneously striking the chest of each musician as they flew.

All thirteen spat blood and landed on the rooftops surrounding Yongle Lane, heavily wounded in a single blow.

Nie Xiang was about to pursue and finish them off when a bright dragon’s roar resounded from beyond the courtyard: a golden five-clawed dragon soared into the sky, flying toward the city outskirts.

“The King’s Order!” Nie Xiang cried out in joy, abandoning Yongle Lane in pursuit of the golden dragon.