"That Young Master Gao isn't stupid and won't be easily provoked, so relax," Li Hongzhao said, glancing at him sideways, "Look how scared you are!"
Chu Zhiyuan said, "I'm as timid as a mouse—"
"Alright, alright!" Li Hongzhao quickly interrupted him, "Then fine, no need to avoid him."
She knew what Chu Zhiyuan was going to say next, words that would only irritate her.
It was better not to hear them at all.
A moment later, footsteps sounded, and a maid outside said, "Your Highness, Young Master Gao has arrived."
"Please, come in," Li Hongzhao said.
Chu Zhiyuan remained seated at the table.
The door opened, and Gao Jiuqu stood outside, cupping his fist in salute, "Your Highness Ninth Princess, I am Gao Jiuqu, greetings."
Li Hongzhao smiled faintly, "To invite Young Master Gao so abruptly is because I have long admired your name. Having the opportunity to meet you, I naturally want to witness your talent and charisma."
She was cold and aloof, arrogantly looking down at Gao Jiuqu.
Gao Jiuqu, however, took it in stride, knowing this was the demeanor of someone from a noble family.
He saw that Chu Zhiyuan was also present and smiled, cupping his fist, "Young Master."
Chu Zhiyuan stood up, cupping his fist and smiling, "Brother Gao, what a coincidence."
"Young Master and Her Highness are…?" Gao Jiuqu looked at the two in surprise.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "It's just a chance encounter."
Li Hongzhao smiled faintly, "Today is indeed quite a coincidence. First, I ran into an acquaintance, and now I've run into Young Master Gao. Please, have a seat."
Gao Jiuqu was doubtful.
He was also perceptive and vaguely felt that the relationship between the two was not that simple.
It felt like undercurrents were stirring, seemingly containing fire and conflict.
He knew very well about the martial arts contest between Chu Zhiyuan and Li Hongzhao.
However, he wasn't clear about the specific relationship between the two, only roughly knowing that they were enemies rather than friends.
Looking at the subtle expressions of Chu Zhiyuan and Li Hongzhao, he knew that he was right. The two were indeed competing secretly, fighting each other.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Brother Gao, I heard that the Seventeenth Prince is coming down the mountain and will be visiting our Great Jing?"
"… Young Master knows about this?" Gao Jiuqu was surprised and quickly said, "His Highness Seventeenth Prince is only here to visit His Highness Eighteenth Prince."
Li Hongzhao glanced sideways at Chu Zhiyuan.
"Is Young Master going to Jihai Town?"
"Brother Gao knows about that too?"
"Upon hearing the news, with Young Master taking action and the Phoenix Camp being deployed, it will naturally be an easy task, a minor matter."
Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Let's hope it goes so smoothly. The Daliu Camp is causing too much trouble."
Li Hongzhao snorted, "The Daliu Camp is causing too much trouble, and the General Ding Shaoqiang is also incompetent. In my opinion, both sides should be punished and held accountable."
Chu Zhiyuan said, "What does Brother Gao think?"
Gao Jiuqu cupped his fist and said, "I don't yet understand the specific situation and dare not speak rashly."
Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "That's a prudent statement, unlike some people who rush to speak nonsense as soon as they hear the news."
Li Hongzhao snorted, "Military matters don't concern themselves with specific details. They only look at the big picture. If there's a mistake, there must be punishment!"
Military matters are different from ordinary people's cases. They emphasize rules and military discipline.
Regardless of the inside story, if military discipline is violated, there must be punishment.
Everyone has their own difficulties and reasons. Should everyone be sympathized with?
Wouldn't that be chaotic?
Gao Jiuqu said, "If it's a case of officials forcing the people to rebel, leniency should still be considered."
Li Hongzhao snorted, "If officials force the people to rebel, then both the officials and the people should be punished."
"Wouldn't that be a case of not distinguishing right from wrong?" Gao Jiuqu disagreed, "The people forced to rebel would be too wronged."
Li Hongzhao said, "But what if it's not the people, but the soldiers?"
"This…" Gao Jiuqu hesitated, "It still depends on the situation."
Li Hongzhao smiled faintly, "Young Master Gao, you can't command an army like that."
Ruling an army and ruling the people are different.
Gao Jiuqu said helplessly, "It seems I'm indeed not the person to command an army."
Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "The saying goes, 'Kindness doesn't lead soldiers.' If Brother Gao were to lead soldiers, you wouldn't be able to bear it, and you wouldn't be able to get past that mental hurdle. Your state of mind would collapse."
"Yes," Gao Jiuqu nodded.
He knew his own limitations and was indeed not suitable for leading an army. His heart couldn't harden.
Chu Zhiyuan said, "If the Seventeenth Prince comes and really wants to find me, then give this to the Seventeenth Prince." Suddenly, a light flashed at his waist, and the Bright Moon Saber was unsheathed, lightly slicing towards the table.
A corner of the table fell silently and was caught by the Bright Moon Saber, gently placed in front of Gao Jiuqu.
Gao Jiuqu was puzzled.
He felt that this saber strike was light and without any hint of aggression, and the speed wasn't fast either.
However, he couldn't react, as if he had suddenly become slow.
If this saber strike had been aimed at him, he probably wouldn't have been able to avoid it.
This saber strike was indeed unusual!
The more he thought about it, the more unusual it seemed.
Chu Zhiyuan returned the saber to its sheath and smiled, "Let the Seventeenth Prince take a look at this table corner."
"What's there to see in this?" Li Hongzhao asked, puzzled, picking up the table corner with her jade hand.
The triangular table corner, all three corners were sharp, and all three sides were smooth.
Her expression changed slightly, and her white clothes suddenly billowed, her face turning pale.
Her phoenix eyes became dazed and lost in thought.
The table corner slipped from her jade hand.
The Bright Moon Saber appeared silently, placed horizontally, just in time to catch it and put it back in its original position.
Gao Jiuqu looked at Li Hongzhao in surprise.
He knew that she had just activated the power around her body, but she had obviously failed to block it.
Seeing her pale face and flushed cheeks, he knew she was injured.
How was she injured?
Was it because of this table corner?
Thinking of this, he focused his attention on the table corner, but he didn't feel anything unusual.
So he picked it up like Li Hongzhao and looked at it intently.
Suddenly, a long saber appeared before his eyes, bright and clear like a bright moon in the sky.
The long saber was cutting down on his head.
He tried his best to dodge but couldn't avoid it, wanting to block it but couldn't block it.
The saber light fell, and his eyes immediately went black.
His chest felt nauseous, his blood surged, and his internal organs were all churning, so uncomfortable that he couldn't wait to faint.
Chu Zhiyuan watched him quietly.
Li Hongzhao had already recovered and glared fiercely at Chu Zhiyuan, "You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
Chu Zhiyuan looked at Gao Jiuqu with a smile, "I didn't ask you to look at it, did I?"
"… Shameless!" Li Hongzhao snorted, "This is a sneak attack!"
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and didn't refute.
Li Hongzhao's snow-white teeth were tightly biting her red lips, and she said hatefully, "This is the saber technique you've been practicing recently?"
Chu Zhiyuan sized up Gao Jiuqu and smiled, "How's the power?"
"… It's best at being caught off guard, a sneak attack!" Li Hongzhao's fiery red lips were bitten even tighter.
Chu Zhiyuan chuckled and shook his head without speaking.
Li Hongzhao's mouth was too stubborn.
A mouthful of blood suddenly welled up in the corner of Gao Jiuqu's mouth and seeped out.
Li Hongzhao was surprised.
Gao Jiuqu was a Grandmaster Completion, and his cultivation was far superior to her own. Why was his injury more severe than hers?
Her cultivation was inferior to Chu Zhiyuan's, so it wasn't surprising that she was injured by Chu Zhiyuan's saber intent, but Gao Jiuqu's cultivation was even better than Chu Zhiyuan's, yet he was also injured by the saber intent.
