I Have a Sword

Ye Guan stood before one of the city gates of the Great Zhou's Imperial City. As expected of the capital, the city was both magnificent and imposing.

The sheer size of the city made one feel like an insignificant ant, inspiring a sense of awe and reverence in one's heart.

However, Ye Guan had seen much of the world, so he wasn't particularly impressed.

Just then, a man emerged from within the city gate and rushed at them. He was none other than the Right Elder.

The Right Elder walked up to Ye Guan and Zhou Yuan. He cupped his fist and greeted, "Young Master Ye."

He dared not be negligent toward Ye Guan, as he was the only one who could help his young lady.

This was also why he hadn't let the Left Elder come here. He found the Left Elder's explosive temper to be quite troublesome.

Ye Guan nodded slightly and said, "Take me to see Lady Zhou."

The Right Elder promptly responded, "Please follow me."

Ye Guan nodded and walked ahead. The Right Elder glanced at Ye Guan, feeling shocked.

Eighty percent divinity! He reached eighty percent divinity in such a short period of time. How does he even cultivate? The Right Elder was stunned, but he quickly suppressed his shock and moved forward.

When they entered the capital, Ye Guan looked around. The streets were bustling with people; it was a prosperous city indeed.

Soon, the three found themselves in a mountain range within the city. The mountain range stretched endlessly, disappearing into the horizon.

The Great Zhou Imperial Mausoleum was considered a forbidden area of the Great Zhou, and it was because it housed the tombs of past emperors and core members of the Imperial family.

The Right Elder led Ye Guan and Zhou Yuan to a set of stone steps. A massive stone hall was at the summit of the stone steps.

The Right Elder said, "Young Master Ye, please."

Ye Guan nodded and walked up the stone steps.

As the Right Elder stared at Ye Guan, he couldn't help but become curious and ask, "How does your young master cultivate? He made so many breakthroughs in such a short period of time. It feels like he's playing a game rather than cultivating."

"If you want to know the meaning of the word 'genius,' then just look at him," Zhou Yuan replied, "He's the meaning of the word itself."

The Right Elder had no idea what to say.

Zhou Fan was sitting by the window with a book in hand. She seemed to be reading it with great interest.

Zhou Fan was no longer cross-dressing, and she allowed her long, ink-black hair to flow freely down her back.

Overall, she had an elegant but gentle appearance.

Just then, footsteps echoed in the hall.

Zhou Fan turned and was taken aback to see the visitor.

Ye Guan walked up to Zhou Fan and smiled. "Lady Zhou, we meet again."

"Why are you here?" Zhou Fan asked. Then, she added, "Was it the Right Elder?"

Ye Guan said, "I'm sorry. I had no idea that you'd suffer this much because of me."

Zhou Fan looked at him and said, "Apologizing between friends can be hurtful; you know that, right?"

Ye Guan laughed. "Then I take it back."

Zhou Fan chuckled and seriously asked, "Actually, you could have easily resolved that issue on that day, right? I didn't even have to make a move?"

Ye Guan nodded quietly.

"If the Evil Dao Alliance were targeting me, would you intervene?" Zhou Fan asked. Before Ye Guan could answer, she laughed and shook her head. "I can't believe I asked such a childish question."

Ye Guan replied, "Lady Zhou, can you still not move on from that?"

Zhou Fan was silent.

"There's a saying about how people ought to judge others for their actions rather than intentions," Ye Guan remarked with a smile. "I agree with that saying. Even I would have ulterior motives when it comes to befriending others, and I might even use a strategy to win them over. I think it's normal, so can we move on from that?"

Zhou Fan looked at Ye Guan for a long time before smiling. "Alright."

Ye Guan nodded. "If you want to compete for the throne, I can help you. If you want to leave, I can take you away."

Ye Guan had decided not to beat around the bush!

Zhou Fan looked at Ye Guan without speaking.

Ye Guan said, "I'm serious."

"Actually, things are pretty good as they are now," Zhou Fan said, smiling. She looked up and said, "I have my books to accompany me every day, and I have a leisurely life of doing nothing but watching the clouds rise and fall in the distance. I haven't been in any conflict since I got here. I guess you can say I'm living a pleasant life."

Ye Guan was silent.

Zhou Fan turned to look at Ye Guan and smiled. "I'm telling the truth."

Ye Guan suddenly asked, "Do you still have the transmission talisman that I gave you?"

Zhou Fan blinked. "Of course."

Ye Guan said, "Can I see it?"

Zhou Fan fell silent.

The two of them looked at each other; no words were exchanged, but they understood each other's thoughts.

Ye Guan felt a complex mixture of emotions, but mostly he was touched. It seemed that Zhou Fan had no intentions of getting him involved or dragging him into the muddy waters of the Great Zhou's war of succession.

After a while, Ye Guan shattered the ice, saying, "Lady Zhou, you and I both know that you've gone past the road of no return. You can no longer escape; if you were to attempt to escape, people wouldn't allow you to do so. I'm talking about your opponents. If they end up obtaining power, you and your family will suffer a horrible fate. Of course, those who have been supporting you all this while will suffer as well. If you want to survive, there are only two paths available for you to take—fight doggedly and become the true heir of the Great Zhou, and the second is to abandon everything and leave the Great Zhou."

Zhou Fan was quiet. After a while, she picked up the teapot in front of her and poured a cup of tea for Ye Guan, smiling. "Try it. This is a spirit mist tea that I grew myself."

Ye Guan picked up the teacup and took a sip. It was slightly sweet as it went down his throat; overall, it had an excellent flavor.

Zhou Fan asked with a smile. "How is it?"

"Delicious."

Zhou Fan smiled, her smile resembling a hundred blooming flowers. She then poured herself a cup of tea and said, "Becoming the heir of the Great Zhou means having access to countless cultivation resources, and I'm sure you know just how important cultivation resources are for a cultivator. Throughout the history of the Great Zhou, every single succession war has always been fierce and brutal. However, there was once a woman who voluntarily gave up her claim to the throne and distanced herself from the conflict.

"Upon her return, no one in the Imperial family was her match. The Great Zhou wanted her to become the heir, but she dismissed it with a laugh, saying that she couldn't care less about the throne. In the end, she left gracefully after dumbfounding everyone."

Zhou Fan paused to take a sip of her tea before continuing, "I've been thinking about many things since I arrived here. The Imperial family is fraught with schemes and deceit. Young Master Ye, you were right when you said that it's normal, but by scheming and employing deceit, we deceive not just our targets but our true selves as well. What kind of person do we want to become? Every day, we scheme against others until we slowly lose our true identity and intentions."

Ye Guan remained silent.

Zhou Fan looked at Ye Guan and smiled. "Do you know why I like you?"

Ye Guan was taken aback.

Zhou Fan smiled. "Not that kind of like."

Ye Guan shook his head and laughed.

"I feel ashamed to stand in front of you, and it's all because every helping hand you've lent to me so far has been genuine, which is in stark contrast to mine," Zhou Fan said. She then shook her head and smiled. "It's not that I'm dwelling on this issue, but I just realized that I've been slowly losing my true self, becoming the person that my parents and the forces behind me wanted to see. I've gotten really tired of it."

Ye Guan asked, "What about the forces behind your mother's family?"

Zhou Fan smiled, "It's not a big deal. It's not just my fourth brother competing for the heirship; my second brother is competing as well. If I give up, my scheming second brother will definitely try to win over the forces behind me. In fact, some people of them have already jumped ships."

"I guess I'll take you away from the Great Zhou."

"I'm here to obey His Majesty's edict. If you take me away, you'll become an enemy of the Great Zhou."

"Enemies? Then, so be it." Ye Guan stood up and started walking toward the grand hall's entrance.

Zhou Fan watched him without saying a word.

Just then, Ye Guan stopped and said, "Lady Zhou, if you trust me, come with me. If you don't, stay here, and I'll come back to rescue you in ten years."

Zhou Fan was silent for a long while before smiling brightly. "I trust you."

With that, she stood up and walked up to Ye Guan.

Ye Guan smiled and led Zhou Fan outside.

As soon as they walked out, a man approached them from far away. The man was wearing a brocade robe, and he had a delicate, handsome face.

The brocade-robed man's gaze fell directly on Ye Guan, "You must be Ye Guan?"

Ye Guan turned to look at Zhou Fan.

Zhou Fan smiled and said, "My second brother and fourth brother know that you're here, but they're cautious people, so they won't make an enemy out of you that easily. However, they're going to use some tricks, sending others to test you. That way, they can gauge your strength while keeping themselves out of trouble. They'd also be able to win over a faction at the same time. It's a win-win decision."

Ye Guan said seriously, "Surely no one would be stupid enough to let themselves become a pawn, right?"

The brocade-robed man heard them loud and clear.

The brocade-robed man's face darkened. However, he calmed himself down and walked up to Zhou Fan and Ye Guan. He stared straight at Zhou Fan and said, "Lady Zhou, I know what the second prince and the fourth prince are trying to do, but I didn't come here to be their pawn. I just wanted to tell you that I like you. If you're willing to be with me, my Wang family will protect you with everything we have."

Zhou Fan smiled. "I appreciate your kindness, Young Master Wang."

The brocade-robed man hesitated and asked, "Does that mean that you agree?"

Ye Guan was speechless.

Zhou Fan replied, "No."

The brocade-robed man’s expression froze. Then, he turned to Ye Guan and asked, "Is it because of him?"

Zhou Fan smiled faintly and asked, "Young Master Wang, did you come here on your own?"

The brocade-robed man nodded. "Yes, I came here by myself."

"Then, go back home." Zhou Fan sighed softly, "Otherwise, you'll get your entire family killed."

The brocade-robed man was dumbfounded.

Zhou Fan said nothing more and turned to Ye Guan with a smile. "Let's go."

Ye Guan nodded and was about to leave with Zhou Fan.

The brocade-robed man's mouth fluttered open. He was about to say something when an old man appeared in front of him and slapped him hard.

Slap!

The brocade-robed man was sent flying, landing heavily on the ground. The brocade-robed man was aghast by the ambush.

The old man stared at Zhou Fan and bowed slightly. "Ninth Princess, I apologize for my son's behavior."

Zhou Fan smiled. "It's fine."

The elder bowed again and glanced at Ye Guan before turning to the brocade-robed man. T

he brocade-robed man was about to speak, but the elder slapped him again and scolded, "You disgraceful fool! Do you really think that you can swim in these muddy waters? How did I, a smart man, end up with such a blockhead of a son? I'm really convinced that you're my neighbor's son rather than my son!"

Bang!

The brocade-robed man was sent flying once again.

The old man went silent and grabbed the brocade-robed man before leaving in a hurry.

Ye Guan shook his head with a smile and then took Zhou Fan’s hand, leading her down the stone steps.

Just as they were about to take the first step, an invisible pressure enveloped them.

Then, an aged voice echoed throughout the heavens and earth. "Criminal Zhou Fan, taking that step means defying His Majest's edict. You will be punished for it."

Zhou Fan turned to look at Ye Guan.