raknovel Chapter 88 : Strength Is Truth
Chapter 88 : Strength Is Truth
Chapter 88: Strength Is Truth
“Disciple?”
Li Yunqing’s expression paused slightly, then she instantly understood.
Even without using any techniques, her full-force sword strike had been casually erased by that old eunuch with a single palm—this showed just how powerful a Grandmaster was.
She could escape, but she absolutely could not kill a Grandmaster.
Since there was someone powerful to rely on, she would naturally rely on them.
She withdrew her desperate stance, turned around directly, and for the first time, a look of grievance appeared on her face as she bit her lip and said, “Master, they’re bullying me!”
The Sword Saint already owed her a favor.
She had never mentioned it before because she knew that relying on others would ultimately mean being controlled by others.
She could not force the Sword Saint’s personal will.
Moreover, the most crucial point was that she had never formally taken him as her master, so he had no standing to interfere in her marriage.
Now that the Sword Saint saw her unwillingness and stepped forward without hesitation—
This could only mean that, at times, people of the martial world truly valued loyalty and righteousness.
They were not like those in families, sects, or officialdom, who had to weigh all kinds of interests.
At this moment, she naturally would not hold back—even if she had to pretend, she would act aggrieved.
Hearing this, the Sword Saint revealed a smile and looked at Li Yunqing.
In the past, Li Yunqing always appeared gentle and serene. Though clearly a young girl, people unconsciously overlooked her age.
She was clearly a soft and gentle woman, yet she had never shown the slightest trace of delicacy or dependence.
Instead, she dared to face imperial authority directly, boldly drawing her sword without the slightest retreat.
Though her waist was slender, she was stronger than most men.
Now, with that single “Master” and the faint grievance on her face, she finally showed a trace of a young girl’s demeanor.
“Your master will naturally seek justice for you,” the Sword Saint of Cangshan said.
“Sword Saint… she hasn’t taken you as her master, has she?”
The Sixth Prince’s voice stuttered slightly, his heart pounding violently.
These past few days, he had lingered around the Sword Saint, trying to become familiar and build some connection.
He had already investigated clearly—Li Yunqing had not taken a master. Without that relationship, the Sword Saint should not interfere in her marriage.
As long as the imperial decree arrived, her becoming his secondary consort would be set in stone.
Once married, husband and wife would be one body, and he could naturally ask the Sword Saint to act for him once.
He might even bind the Sword Saint to his side.
But the current turn of events was completely unexpected.
Who would have thought that such a soft and obedient-looking girl would dare to resist imperial authority without hesitation?
Who would have thought that the Sword Saint of Cangshan would step forward and interfere in someone else’s marriage?
The situation now made him uneasy.
It felt like he had calculated everything, only for it all to collapse—no, worse, to lose everything.
If the Sword Saint opposed this, he would very likely be abandoned by the Emperor.
The royal family was powerful and had a Divine Realm expert, but a fully grown Sword Saint—especially one who had unleashed that heaven-shaking strike—who would dare underestimate him?
“Do I need to inform you when I take a disciple?”
The Sword Saint spoke, the smile in his eyes fading as he glanced lightly at the Sixth Prince.
Li Yunqing had cultivated his Path of the Sword Heart—this was already a fact. Calling her his disciple—who would dare object?
Even the Emperor could not.
“Pfft!”
The moment the Sword Saint’s gaze swept over him, the Sixth Prince felt his chest sink.
It was as if an invisible mountain had slammed into him—he spat out a mouthful of blood.
He staggered backward before collapsing onto the ground.
His aura rapidly weakened.
“Momentum of Heaven and Earth!”
The Sixth Prince trembled inwardly. Just a single glance had severely injured him.
Such a gap left no room for resistance.
He could not even comprehend how, with such a vast difference between the Qi Realm and the Profound Realm, the Sword Saint had dared to raise his sword against a Profound Realm Demon King.
What kind of courage and bearing did that require?
Seeing this, everyone fell silent.
With the Sword Saint intervening, this matter was almost certainly decided.
For a moment, everyone looked at Li Yunqing with complicated expressions.
Such a peerless talent, now protected by the Sword Saint—her future achievements were unimaginable.
“Who gave you the confidence to arrange my disciple’s marriage without my consent?”
“I want an explanation for this matter!”
“If you cannot provide one, I will personally go to the capital and demand an answer from the Emperor.”
The Sword Saint spoke, his tone resolute and unquestionable.
If it were an ordinary person, they could not resist imperial authority—once a decree was issued, no matter how they struggled, their fate was sealed.
But the Sword Saint was a Profound Realm Grandmaster.
Even the Emperor, if he wished to arrange a marriage for his disciple, had to consider his opinion.
Even for the great generals in the capital who held military power, the Emperor had to carefully weigh their willingness before granting marriages.
The strong were supreme.
Without strength, one had no voice.
When suppressed by the strong, one could only bow their head.
“Sword Saint of Cangshan, I will report this matter truthfully to the Emperor.”
The old eunuch spoke calmly, his aged expression unchanged, yet he did not dare act again.
The eunuch delivering the decree and the Sixth Prince both lowered their heads.
The strong could not be insulted.
Even though Yu Xuanfeng was a prince, without sufficient strength, he dared not act recklessly before a Grandmaster.
If a Grandmaster grew angry and killed him, then so be it.
Even his father, the Emperor, would have to weigh the pros and cons carefully before deciding whether to punish the offender—
or simply abandon the prince and place all blame on him.
“Good.”
The Sword Saint replied succinctly. “I will also bring my disciple to seek an explanation.”
The old eunuch fell silent, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Meanwhile, the Sixth Prince’s heart sank.
“It’s over!”
Once this matter reached the Emperor, the outcome was almost certain.
Given the Sword Saint’s strength and achievements, his father would absolutely abandon him.
After all, the Emperor had many sons.
Above him were five exceptionally outstanding elder brothers.
“Brother Li, you’ve been startled.”
“Brother Li, we must interact more in the future!”
As the eunuch, the Sixth Prince, and the others left in disgrace, many members of noble families stepped forward to greet Li Yansong.
With such an extraordinarily talented daughter, they were willing to lower themselves.
Not to mention that she now had a powerful master.
The Li Family’s future was promising.
Li Yansong finally let out a breath of relief, his back drenched in cold sweat, yet he still forced himself to converse with everyone.
Although the matter was grave, if successful, his daughter’s wish for autonomy in marriage would be fulfilled.
That could be considered a good thing.
As a father, it was also the first time he realized that his obedient daughter had such a resolute side.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
Li Yunqing bowed deeply to the Sword Saint and said solemnly, “Thank you, Master, for resolving this.”
Having someone to rely on felt reassuring—calling him “Master” was not a loss.
If he had not stepped in, she would have had to fight.
If she could defeat the old eunuch, she would only need to kill to ensure her family’s safety.
If she could not, she would have to leave alone and entrust the Li Family to Jiang Jing.
As long as she lived, she believed the royal family would never gamble the entire dynasty against the Li Family.
The royal family was the strongest family in the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty, while the Li Family was insignificant.
There was a saying—“those barefoot fear not those wearing shoes.”
Her talent was now on full display.
No one would gamble the entire royal family against such a small clan.
At most, they would detain and monitor the Li Family to restrain her.
The Sword Saint turned his head, seemingly seeing through her thoughts. “If you want to prevent this from happening again, the only permanent solution is to go to the capital.”
“In front of the entire world, make a scene and force the Emperor to yield.”
“Whether you go or not is your choice.”
“If you do not wish to go, I can resolve this defiance of the decree for you. But what happens afterward will be up to you.”
Hearing this, Li Yunqing fell silent.
She naturally understood the principle—strike once to prevent a hundred strikes.
If everyone knew that she would rather confront imperial authority and make it known to the world than submit—
Then once she succeeded, no one would dare force her into marriage again.
Including hidden sects and great families—if they wished to take her by force, they would have to think carefully.
This was using imperial authority as a stepping stone, to show the world.
To make everyone understand the cost of forcing her.
If she did not go, the Sword Saint could resolve this matter alone.
But what about the next time?
Her talent was already exposed.
If she wanted to prevent this from happening again, she had no choice but to go.
As for hiding—
The world would not destroy itself just because she chose to hide.
She was growing stronger, and so were others.
The world was vast and ancient—who knew what monsters still lurked?
If she endured this, others would only see her as weak and try to take advantage.
Sooner or later, she would have to face this.
And clearly, the sooner, the better.
“I’ll go!”
After a moment of thought, Li Yunqing made her decision.
She did not want to hide, to wander and evade, or let her family suffer because of her.
Becoming stronger was to gain the right to say “no” to everything she did not want.
To live better.
Unless absolutely necessary, she would never choose to hide.
Moreover, this world was not only inhabited by the Human Race—there were Evil Gods and demons. Becoming stronger quickly was the priority.
And she could also take this opportunity to travel, and perhaps visit Ghost Granny—she might even obtain a complete martial inheritance.
“Good.”
The Sword Saint nodded, glancing at her appearance. “After this trip to the capital, no one will dare force you again.”
“But… with your talent and beauty, you are destined to be entangled with men.”
“That is not something I can stop—unless… you marry.”
Li Yunqing paused briefly, then understood.
This was likely the burden of being both beautiful and extraordinarily talented—something ordinary people could not comprehend.
As a woman, this was unavoidable.
Marriage was absolutely out of the question.
She could not control others’ hearts, but she could control her own.
No matter how exceptional or handsome someone was—if she did not feel anything, did not respond, and held firm to her heart, that was enough.
When she became strong enough, she would make the world understand what it meant to be unattainable.
“The royal family has a Divine Realm expert. Will going to the capital be dangerous?”
Li Yunqing voiced her concern.
Even Profound Realm Grandmasters were so powerful—she could not imagine the strength of the Divine Realm.
“Do you remember the Great Yu Calendar?” the Sword Saint asked instead.
“The 387th year of the Great Yu Calendar.”
Li Yunqing answered instinctively.
“A Divine Realm expert has a lifespan of three hundred years. Even with the royal family’s resources, extending it to four hundred years would already be the limit.”
“Once the royal family’s Divine Realm expert reaches the end of their lifespan, and no new one emerges, chaos will inevitably erupt across the land.”
“The royal family will not gamble the fate of the entire dynasty for the sake of a single woman.”
Hearing this, Li Yunqing immediately understood.
The royal family’s Divine Realm expert likely only had a dozen or so years left.
They could not act freely.
“So it’s just making a scene in the capital?”
“With Master here, there’s nothing to fear.”
With that thought, all her worries vanished. She bowed and said solemnly, “I will trouble you with this, Master.”
“It’s nothing—just a battle.”
The Sword Saint smiled, a hint of anticipation in his expression.
“In this world, strength is truth!”