The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

The Jiedu Envoy was young, promising, and treated his wife exceptionally well. For a time, he became the gold standard for husbands in the eyes of everyone in Ling Province.

Bai Yuan gazed at the thin layer of snow, all that remained on the wall after melting.

Spring had arrived in Ling Province, but Xuan Yang was just entering the depths of winter.

As the Right Chief Imperial Censor, he was the de facto head of the Imperial Inspection Office in the absence of a Left Chief Imperial Censor. Although his power had diminished after being away from Xuan Yang for a year, regaining full control of the office was only a matter of time.

He didn't even need to go to the Capital City himself; Zhou Minghan, the Left Deputy Chief Imperial Censor he had promoted, had already purged all the dissenters within the Imperial Inspection Office.

He also brought news from the capital.

As expected, the Emperor, Li Chengyuan, was ill.

The ever-diligent Li Chengyuan had, uncharacteristically, not held morning court for three months. His appearances could be counted on one hand. Aside from three supreme, god-like figures, even officials of the Six Ministers' caliber found it difficult to get an audience with him.

The great sects of the Central Plains and Jiangnan were all stirring restlessly.

If they could just prop up an emperor who was friendly to the Jianghu, they could enjoy another several hundred years of comfortable development.

There were currently seven men the Emperor had named as Princes. Only one was of Li Chengyuan's own blood; the rest were all adopted sons chosen from the Li Family.

By all rights, the most likely to inherit the throne was the Fifth Prince, Li Dai, who was on the Hidden Dragon Ranking and had recently broken through to the Mingxin Pass.

Li Dai had a steady temperament and exceptionally high talent. No matter how one looked at it, he was an extremely suitable candidate to inherit the throne.

Of course, although Li Dai was outstanding, he was not without rivals. The Eldest Prince, Li Kang, and the Third Prince, Li Wei, had also broken through the Mingxin Pass long ago. Besides, being emperor wasn't just about one's fighting ability.

However, everyone speculated that the reason Emperor Li Chengyuan had delayed naming a Crown Prince was twofold: on one hand, the Emperor was still in the prime of his life; on the other, the one Li Chengyuan truly wanted to enthrone was the Seventh Prince, Li Tai.

What father wouldn't want his own biological son to inherit his legacy?

Although they all shared the Li Family bloodline, there was still a difference between close and distant kin.

Li Tai was only twenty years old, making him much weaker than his older brothers, but with Li Chengyuan's strong backing, he was developing quickly.

If events were to unfold normally, as long as Li Tai could mature safely, he would have at least a seventy percent chance at the throne.

But now, with Li Chengyuan suddenly falling gravely ill, his position was bound to be incredibly difficult.

In a word: chaos!

In their fight for the throne, those Princes would very likely seek help from the major Jianghu sects, but they also faced the constant risk of backlash.

Although Bai Yuan was in Ling Province, he had already received olive branches from no fewer than three Princes.

They were the Eldest Prince, the Third Prince, and the Sixth Prince.

With Bai Yuan's current status and power, he would be a formidable asset to any side he joined. Not to mention, he also represented the stance of Xu Dingchun's faction, one of the three most powerful forces in the Imperial Court today.

However, Bai Yuan did not declare his allegiance easily.

With the situation unclear, the more chaotic the Capital City became, the more valuable his position as Jiedu Envoy was. Naturally, he would wait for the highest bidder.

Besides, he still had Master Xu Dingchun and Old Dong above him. Even if it was time to pick a side, it wasn't his decision to make.

Xiao Qiaoniang watched the pensive Bai Yuan.

She and Bai Yuan had long shared a deep connection; she knew exactly what her husband was thinking. She spoke softly, "Brother Yuan, are you still hesitating over which Prince to choose?"

Bai Yuan gently stroked Sister Qiao's lovely hair. "I'm not choosing any of them."

Xiao Qiaoniang was a little surprised, but she didn't press him further.

'Her husband knew what he was doing. Since Bai Yuan had already made a decision, she didn't need to overthink it. All she had to do was trust him.'

Bai Yuan said, "Sister Qiao, the carriage is here. Let's go."

An opulent, spacious carriage was parked at the entrance of the Bai Mansion. Bai Yuan led Sister Qiao into the carriage.

At the groom's command, the carriage started to move slowly.

Bai Yuan had been using this carriage whenever he went out recently, so many of the common folk in Huanglong Prefecture recognized it. Passersby on the street cast looks of awe and reverence.

The carriage traveled out of Huanglong Prefecture, continuing for a long time on the Official Road before finally stopping in a valley filled with plum blossoms.

The weather was clear today, the perfect time for appreciating the plum blossoms.

When Bai Yuan and Xiao Qiaoniang stepped out of the carriage, the figures of young men and women could be seen everywhere in the valley, many of them in pairs.

This was indeed an excellent place for a man to bring his sweetheart.

The groom asked respectfully, "Lord Bai, shall I clear these people away?"

On the surface, he was just a groom, but his strength was quite impressive—he was an Advanced Martial Artist. However, serving as the groom for a Second-Grade Official could hardly be considered a waste of his talents.

In the Three Shuofang Continents, Bai Yuan's status was comparable to that of the Emperor. Clearing his path whenever he went out was standard procedure.

Bai Yuan waved his hand. "No need."

"Yes."

The groom held the carriage and horses, staying put. Bai Yuan walked with Xiao Qiaoniang into the plum grove. Some of the more discerning young men and women recognized them and didn't dare to stare, only sneaking furtive glances.

Bai Yuan held Sister Qiao's hand and walked slowly. Gazing at the red plum blossoms blooming on the branches, he felt a flicker of inspiration.

"At the wall's corner, a few sprigs of plum; Braving the cold, they bloom alone. One knows from afar it is not snow, For a subtle fragrance is borne on the air."

A smile played on Xiao Qiaoniang's lips as she blinked. "Brother Yuan, I never knew you could compose poetry. It sounds rather lovely."

'She knew that although Bai Yuan had attended a private school, his literary skills were nothing to write home about. It was impressive enough that he could read; composing poetry was out of the question.'

'Back when she had first married into the Bai Family, Bai Yuan had been so inattentive to his studies that his teacher nearly expelled him from the school. If his parents hadn't shown up with three jin of pork to apologize, Bai Yuan would have been sitting idle at home much sooner.'

Bai Yuan chuckled slyly. "Your husband has plenty of talents. Would you like to have a taste?"

Hearing the double meaning in Bai Yuan's words, Xiao Qiaoniang's cheeks flushed red, becoming even more delicate and vibrant than the plum blossoms beside her.

"You're just talking nonsense."

Just as Bai Yuan was about to continue their intimate moment, a man's voice rang out. "Lord Bai, that poem is truly a masterpiece rarely seen in this world! The poem reflects the man; Lord Bai's noble and resolute character has this humble one's admiration."

Bai Yuan glanced at the young scholar who had interrupted his mood.

Standing with the young scholar was a woman in a pale yellow dress, who was quite attractive.

Far too many people in Ling Province wanted to curry favor with him right now. This young scholar was clearly trying to seize the opportunity, using the poem as a pretext to gain his attention.

'Noble?'

Everyone in Ling Province—no, in all of Xuan Yang—knew that he, Bai Yuan, was cold-blooded, merciless, and a mass murderer. The word "noble" had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Besides, Bai Yuan had no interest in being a noble person.

The young scholar was perceptive enough to realize, from the way Bai Yuan just gave him a cool glance without a word, that things were not going well.

This was a Second-Grade Official before him; a single word could condemn him to a fate beyond redemption.

The young scholar couldn't help but curse himself inwardly for trying such an opportunistic trick.

Some of the other young people nearby saw the situation, their eyes filled with schadenfreude.

They had also wanted to use this chance to get acquainted with Bai Yuan, hoping for an opportunity to rise to prominence. But the young scholar had beaten them to it, and now, seeing his predicament, they felt fortunate.

Just as the young scholar was racking his brain for a way to salvage the situation—

a voice slowly sounded, "Donor Bai, do you still remember our agreement?"

Bai Yuan looked toward the voice and saw a man in white robes, exuding an ethereal aura, leaning against a plum tree. It was a look that had surely captivated countless young women. Standing beside him was Yue Xiaobai, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Daoist Shi. Xiaobai."

Bai Yuan stared in surprise at this figure who looked like an Exiled Immortal. This was none other than Shi Yan, the foremost figure in the Dragon Tiger Sect beneath the Celestial Master.

Shi Yan had actually traveled all the way from Jiangzhou to Ling Province.

'I wonder what he's here for.'

A slight smile touched the corners of Shi Yan's lips. "Ah Yuan, since you've already had your breakthrough, how about we have a fight first?"