Chen Ping's Sword

The firelight suddenly flared up.

In a corner cluttered with dirt and stones, a figure stood up, holding a fire starter in their hand.

A thin, helpless, and cold figure, with a painted face, eyes full of tears.

Chen Ping noticed that Hua Lian’er was even dirtier, as if she had cried secretly.

"Seventh Brother, is that you?"

Hua Lian’er exclaimed with joy and ran out, almost stumbling.

Chen Ping quickly went up to support her with a hug, feeling her soft body collapse into his arms, and soon his clothes were wet with the sound of sobbing.

"You know everything already?"

Chen Ping stroked her head, but in his heart, there was some confusion.

He had guessed some things, but didn’t quite understand why the Hu People would make such a fuss to capture a little girl.

It made little sense.

"Little Table and Little Stool refused to leave, so I hid, thinking they wouldn’t find me, and they could remain safe... Wuwuwu..."

Even though she was crying sorrowfully, Hua Lian’er kept her voice down with effort, afraid of being overheard.

"Little Stool is dead, but I’ve avenged him... Little Table is fine; I’ve had him change his appearance and hide, and no one will pay attention anymore."

Chen Ping didn’t know how to console this helpless girl.

As they say, she didn’t kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of her...

This matter was somewhat regrettable, something she had to work out by herself, not something a light word of comfort could dismiss as if nothing happened.

"My father is King Jinghai. He guarded Jiangnan for fourteen years. There used to be a saying that the chaos in Xingqing Prefecture was determined by King Jinghai, but that was in the past."

After crying for a while, Hua Lian’er calmed herself a bit and sat on the pile of dirt, reminiscing about the past.

Chen Ping listened in silence, not speaking.

"Three years ago, when an edict came from Yujing to remove the military powers of the garrisoned princes across the land, the atmosphere in Xingqing Prefecture became strange. Especially after some prince uncles were rumored to have raised flags in rebellion and were swiftly quashed, Father became somewhat silent and reserved.

However, he didn’t say much, just handed over military power, indulging in pleasure every day... Until, until the Eastern Barbarians’ Sea Bandits invaded, and the Government was powerless, causing heavy casualties among the people. Only then did he take up his long sword again, rushing around to slay the invaders."

Regarding the matters of King Jinghai, Hua Lian’er obviously did not know much either.

She must have been well protected when she was in the Prince’s Mansion.

She even barely understood martial arts, so how could she be expected to care deeply about national affairs?

When the Beizhou Hu people invaded, and smoke rose from everywhere with millions of refugees pouring into Jiangnan, Hua Lian’er was still that carefree little commandery princess in the Prince’s Mansion.

However, life had changed a bit.

When her mother donned armor to head to the border, and her father rallied people to set out to sea, she knew that the peaceful and serene days of the past were gone forever.

"Father and Mother always treated me extremely well, and in the Prince’s Mansion, there weren’t many troubling matters... It’s just that Big Mother always looked at me with strange eyes.

Brother Ji Xuange always smiled at me, often bringing me little gifts... But I knew that in his heart, he didn’t favor having me as a sister."

Hua Lian’er chattered on about some past events.

Talking about her feelings toward everyone in the mansion.

She mentioned how she saw her guard captain invited to drink by the eldest young master Ji Xuange...

And then how she saw the maid’s strange expression, and noticed Zhuang Hongyi leading some people in black stealthily approaching her residence...

"This is a plan to beat the grass to startle the snake."

Chen Ping’s expression was odd, evident even under the faint glow of the fire starter.

"Seventh Brother, do you also think I shouldn’t have escaped from the Prince’s Mansion?"

Hua Lian’er felt a bit defeated, sighing with her head down: "But I dared not gamble... Big Mother and Mother were cordial on the surface but secretly used many methods against each other.

When I was little, I encountered some dangers a few times, but it was never found out whether it was an accident or man-made."

"Father really cared for me, never denying any request, and would spend time chatting with me every once in a while...

Once, after drinking, he even said if Brother was as sensible and obedient as I was, he wouldn’t have so many worries in life..."

"What is your Big Mother’s background?"

Hearing this, Chen Ping suddenly felt something was off.

Even if it was a prince, it was just a commandery prince, and a prince who had lost military power, shouldn’t have any succession issues among the children.

That made no sense either.

No matter how favored Hua Lian’er was, she was still a daughter.

What threat could she pose to the Prince’s heir Ji Xuange?

Unless there was another reason.

"Big Mother is from the Hexi Cui Family, a very wealthy household. I heard their horse trading reached Beizhou, and even the Hu Nobles take notice.

Their family has pearls and jade like sand... By the way, the Hexi Cui Family is also one of the Thirteen Noble Families, with many experts within."

Chen Ping scratched his head, still considering the Thirteen Noble Families; if it were in his previous life, they wouldn’t have meant much as noble families had long scattered and only a title remained.

But in ancient times, such noble families were not simple.

They were the local warlords with private armies.

Some even claimed that while dynasties last a hundred years, noble families last a millennium.

Such forces would often hedge their bets.

Back when they arranged the marriage alliance with King Jinghai, it must have been a calculated move on their part.

So, no matter what they are scheming.

In any case, when it comes to interests, they definitely won’t be aligned with King Jinghai.

It’s very likely that there are many differences between them.

Considering the fact that the family of Princess Jinghai engages in business and has close ties with Beizhou, can it be assumed that they actually do not care whether Nanli is overthrown? Nor do they care whether the Beizhou Hu Cavalry can seize Xingqing Prefecture.

In any case, they are benefiting from both sides.

Maybe they even have their own preferred candidate to support.

There is a great possibility that it’s the Heir of Jinghai.

This may be exactly the part that King Jinghai is dissatisfied with.

He doesn’t want to become merely a title and a symbol under someone else’s control.

One day, he might be forced to abdicate his power.

"Where’s your mother?"

"My mother is the legitimate daughter of the previous Sect Leader of the Qingwei Sword Sect, she is now one of the Four Great Elders, her swordsmanship is extremely strong, known in Jianghu as Master Qiuye.

She also has many friends among her fellow disciples in the sect; this time, with the Beizhou invasion, she gathered many members of the Qingwei Sword Sect and went to the Celestial Gate Pass to fight against the Rushing Wolf Cavalry alongside Uncle Yuann and Uncle Qin."

"Is your mother hot-tempered?"

Chen Ping’s heart stirred.

From the few words of Hua Lian’er, he pieced together a thrilling story of family strife in a great house.

He roughly understood how many troubles there were behind the scenes of this Prince who guarded Jinghai.

"How do you know? When my mother was young, she was known in Jianghu as the [Fiery-Handed Immortal Princess], not only was her sword technique excellent, but she also hated evildoers passionately. Although her temper was fierce, and she was ruthless, she was deeply loved by the people."

At this point, Hua Lian’er’s eyes sparkled with deep admiration.

She missed her mother.

"Hua Lian’er, tell me, if you were to die at the hands of the Beizhou Barbarians, humiliated and dishonored, how would your mother react?"

"She would definitely raise an army and come back for revenge, and she would definitely settle scores with my stepmother...

My brother, who always appears righteous on the surface, is actually extremely malicious inside. Just from what I secretly overheard, he tortured to death more than ten innocent women...

If something happened to me, my mother would absolutely blame the Cui Family for failing to protect me, and she wouldn’t stop until she took a few heads to vent her anger."

Hua Lian’er said with some uncertainty.

As she spoke, a realization dawned on her.

"And your father? Will he turn against your stepmother and break with the Cui Family?" Chen Ping felt his thoughts becoming clearer.

"Most likely not."

Hua Lian’er seemed somewhat despondent again.

"Father, although carefree by nature, is very loyal to the Court and would never at this time again create a strong enemy. He might persuade my mother, not wanting to push the Cui Family towards the Beizhou Barbarians, and might even try to appease my stepmother..."

"I understand now, Hua Lian’er."

Chen Ping nodded, finally realizing what was going on.

"My name is Ji Mingyue, my mother usually calls me Xiaoyue, you can call me that too, Seventh Brother."

Hua Lian’er suddenly interjected, talking about unrelated names.

"Alright, Xiaoyue, listen carefully, your safety now isn’t just about the Prince’s Mansion, it concerns Xingqing Prefecture and even the lives of millions in the Vice Capital area.

Currently, our forces are weak, and the enemy’s are strong, Xingqing Prefecture can no longer be stayed in."

Chen Ping’s expression turned slightly solemn.

"With each passing day, the intensity of the search in the city will only increase, and I have no faith in the Xingqing Prefecture Government at all...

Among them, there may be those who communicate with the Hu People, and they can pursue and capture us from both overt and covert fronts simultaneously.

If we stay in the city, we will soon be caught in a ten-sided ambush, and being captured or killed would just be a matter of time."

"Seventh Brother, wherever you go, I will follow."

Hua Lian’er was not scared at all.

In fact, she had been mentally prepared for this situation.

Though she said this, there was a deep sense of expectation in her eyes.

Chen Ping could tell what the young girl was thinking.

"You can’t go to your mother."

"Why not?" Hua Lian’er was puzzled.

"Think about it, if you go to the Celestial Gate Pass, let alone meeting your mother immediately... even if you meet her, your experience of being chased there definitely can’t be hidden, given your mother’s temper, what will she do?"

"That’s right, she would definitely be enraged and would bring people back to settle things, killing a few people to make a statement."

Hua Lian’er nodded in agreement.

"Only by finding your father and having him intervene to quell the emerging chaos in Xingqing Prefecture can anyone avoid making accusations. This also wouldn’t let the Celestial Gate Pass be lost."

"Your mother must be formidable." Listening to Hua Lian’er’s matter-of-fact speech, Chen Ping suddenly realized, "What ranking does she hold on the Earth List?"

"The sixth, didn’t I mention? She’s just three spots below Fairy Fubo and excels at the [Seven Stars Step] and the [Bright Moon Sword], even fought with Yuwen Zhao from Beizhou for a thousand moves without defeat, and later, due to exhaustion from prolonged fighting, stepped back to regain her strength, while Yuwen Zhao did not dare to pursue."

Hua Lian’er said proudly.