Novel Full Chapter 1599: 1696: Bowing in Submission
Chapter 1599: Chapter 1696: Bowing in Submission
The long spear failed to touch Fang Lin, falling to the ground when it was still seven or eight inches away from him.
The elder surnamed Mo turned around and slapped the Golden Armour Guard, who had suddenly made a move, flipping him onto the ground with a face full of rage.
Li Jianwu’s expression was uncertain, and he did not seem to be angered by the soldier’s sudden action.
“You idiot! Who allowed you to act recklessly?” the elder surnamed Mo cursed angrily, almost driven to his wit’s end. Just when things had calmed down a bit, such an incident occurred – wasn’t this a clear provocation?
Fang Lin remained unfazed, but a hint of coldness appeared in his eyes as he looked at Li Jianwu and the elder surnamed Mo.
The Golden Armour Guard, slapped to the ground by the elder surnamed Mo, had blood all over his head and face. His injuries were indeed serious. Now, sitting on the ground, his face was full of stubborn defiance.
“The Crown Prince’s men are indeed impressive,” said Fang Lin lightly, his words dripping with unmistakable sarcasm.
“I cannot swallow the insult to the Crown Prince,” declared the soldier with a hard edge in his voice.
Fang Lin was still smiling, but didn’t even cast a glance at the soldier.
The elder surnamed Mo frowned, gazing intently at the soldier, as if something had occurred to him.
Li Jianwu seemed to appreciate this soldier, and just as he was about to speak, the elder surnamed Mo suddenly said, “It seems that Prince Yang Wanshan’s reach is quite long, extending even into the Crown Prince’s Golden Armour Guards.”
At these words, Li Jianwu was startled, and the soldier’s eyes shifted, a fleeting look of panic and tension passing through them.
“Elder Mo, what are you talking about?” Li Jianwu asked, somewhat confused.
The elder surnamed Mo picked up the soldier with one hand. Despite the soldier’s tall and sturdy build, he seemed as light as a chick in the hands of the short and thin elder Mo.
“Crown Prince, this man is likely a spy planted by Prince Yang Wanshan,” the elder surnamed Mo told Li Jianwu. He did not avoid mentioning this in front of outsiders Fang Lin and Cheng Jinhai, and it seemed there was an intent to let Fang Lin hear it as well.
“What?” Li Jianwu was instantly enraged, glaring at the soldier being held by elder Mo, wishing he could draw his sword and execute the man on the spot.
“Elder Mo,” the elder surnamed Mo said, “Crown Prince, let’s not kill him just yet.”
After pausing, the elder surnamed Mo approached Fang Lin and said in a low voice, “Master Fang, this man’s actions were not at the behest of the Crown Prince. Moreover, he is a spy for Prince Yang Wanshan, infiltrating the Golden Armour Guards. I hope Master Fang will not take offense, and on behalf of the Crown Prince, I offer an apology to Master Fang.”
Li Jianwu clenched his fists tightly. Elder Mo’s humble attitude towards Fang Lin was something he found hard to swallow, but even though Li Jianwu was somewhat impulsive and hot-headed, he was not a fool.
Elder Mo was a Grandmaster under the Crown Prince’s command, whose strength was in no way inferior to the high-ranking experts of the royal family. Yet even he was so accommodating towards Fang Lin, which served as a clear indication that Fang Lin was truly not someone to be trifled with.
Fang Lin looked at the soldier with blood all over his face and laughed, saying, “I don’t care about your squabbles or wish to hold grudges. I only hope that neither the Crown Prince nor Prince Yang Wanshan will bother me anymore.”
After finishing, Fang Lin turned and left, showing no desire to further entangle with these people.
Cheng Jinhai also hurriedly followed Fang Lin, scurrying behind him as they both departed.
Li Jianwu’s face was dark with anger, his chest filled with fiery frustration that he could not vent. He immediately drew his sword, intending to kill the soldier meant to be a spy sent by Prince Yang Wanshan, Li Zhongxin.
“Your Highness, we could still use this man for now,” the elder surnamed Mo stopped Li Jianwu, saying to him.
Li Jianwu glanced at the elder named Mo: “With the strength of Venerable Mo, you still dare not make a move against Fang Lin?”
Upon hearing this, the elder named Mo felt helpless in his heart. It appeared the Crown Prince was still holding a grudge because he had to submit to and bow before Fang Lin.
However, the elder named Mo had no choice in the matter. Had it been anyone else, he would’ve made his move without a second thought and captured them.
But this person was Fang Lin, and as an attendant of the Crown Prince’s mansion, the elder named Mo had to consider not only the welfare of the mansion, but also his own safety.
Even if he, surnamed Mo, had the capability to capture Fang Lin, he absolutely could not do so, because behind Fang Lin stood the Sky Swallowing Palace.
One Fang Lin might not be terrifying, but Sky Swallowing Palace was not something he, surnamed Mo, could afford to provoke.
If the Crown Prince’s mansion were to provoke Sky Swallowing Palace, they would be inviting catastrophic disaster, and not even the Tang Emperor could guarantee Li Jianwu’s safety.
Therefore, when dealing with Fang Lin, one must endure and show forbearance. Any rash action would only bring greater calamity upon oneself.
“Your Highness, Fang Lin belongs to Sky Swallowing Palace. Regardless of whether I am able to capture him or not, we must not harm him. Does Your Highness understand?” the elder named Mo patiently explained to Li Jianwu.
Li Jianwu gritted his teeth fiercely, his face twisting somewhat ferociously. Being the eldest imperial son and the current Crown Prince, he, Li Jianwu, had never faced such humiliation.
Yet, there was no way to regain his dignity from this situation, which added to Li Jianwu’s internal frustration and irritability.
The elder named Mo could see Li Jianwu’s extremely foul mood, but there was nothing that could be done. He could only shake his head, harboring even more criticism in his heart toward the Crown Prince.
“Is Sky Swallowing Palace truly so dreadful?” Li Jianwu asked.
The elder named Mo, with a serious face, said solemnly, “At the moment, aside from Sealing Sword Pavilion, even Hidden Kill Hall would find it difficult to threaten Sky Swallowing Palace.”
On hearing this, Li Jianwu said no more, only gripping the saber at his waist tighter.
“Prince Yang Wanshan seeks to take the Crown Prince’s position and has already started making moves. I hope Your Highness can strive to restrain his temperament. With the strength and power you currently command, as long as nothing unexpected occurs, succeeding the throne in the future will not be an issue,” the elder named Mo said. Since he was affiliated with the Crown Prince’s mansion and served as its attendant, of course, he was looking forward to the day when Li Jianwu would ascend the throne and become the Tang Emperor. By then, he, surnamed Mo, would also rise to prominence, becoming a hotshot in Tang Country.
“Understood,” Li Jianwu responded, his expression showing a hint of impatience.
The elder named Mo sighed inwardly, feeling not as confident about Li Jianwu’s future succession as he once was.
…
“Master Fang, why would Li Jianwu seek you out?” Cheng Jinhai asked, following behind Fang Lin.
Fang Lin smiled lightly, “It’s simply a matter of wanting to know if I’ve reached any understanding with Li Zhongxin. In plain terms, it’s just the struggle between two princes, yet I find myself helplessly mixed up in it.”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Jinhai nodded repeatedly, seeming to think what Fang Lin said made a lot of sense.
Returning to the post station, Fang Lin told Cheng Jinhai to not stand guard, pushing the door open and entering himself.
“Young friend, I have been waiting for you for a while now.” Someone was already sitting inside the courtyard.
ps: The second update is here, continuing to write, remember to vote for recommendation tickets.