Chapter 942: Alliance Leader, Wang Ping'an

When spring arrived the following year, the weather warmed, and the world came back to life.

The North-South Martial Alliance, however, welcomed a group of uninvited guests.

Advisors representing several of the realm's princes had arrived, bearing congratulatory gifts and offering the alliance immense face.

Had they come one by one, it would have signaled a sincere intent to recruit.

But the King of Wei, Prince Jin, the Prince of Yan, and the imperial court had all dispatched envoys at the exact same time—an act that carried a vastly different meaning.

Calling it recruitment was less accurate than calling it a threat.

In the eyes of these factions, wiping out the North-South Martial Alliance wouldn't be difficult, but wasting military forces on it simply wasn't worth the cost. It was better to knock them down a peg directly; if the alliance could be brought into the fold, that would naturally be the best outcome.

The advisors of the three princes and the official dispatched by the imperial court gathered in the hall.

Ping'an sat in the seat of honor, the room heavy with an inexplicably chilling, murderous air.

The intentions of the four envoys were glaringly obvious.

They wanted him to pick a side.

"How are Alliance Leader Wang's deliberations coming along?" The first to speak was Prince Jin's advisor, his intentions as transparent and steeped in threats as his lord's.

"The North-South Martial Alliance has gathered the martial artists of the jianghu from across the realm, but compared to an army, it remains weak. Alliance Leader Wang had best think it over carefully."

"Do not make the wrong decision."

"Indeed, indeed."

The hall fell silent for a long time.

Finally, the man seated at the head of the hall shook his head and said, "You four, please return."

Prince Jin's advisor narrowed his eyes. "What does Alliance Leader Wang mean by this?"

Ping'an looked at them and replied, "My North-South Martial Alliance will not interfere in your conflicts. So long as there is no enmity between us, we will not step into the fray to take sides. Therefore, please return."

The four men were far from satisfied.

"Is this the result of Alliance Leader Wang's careful deliberation?"

Hearing the lowered, threatening tone of those words, Ping'an frowned.

He raised a hand.

Suddenly, the sharp hum of a blade rang out.

A figure swept across the hall in a blur.

"Shing."

The Prince of Yan's advisor went stiff. He watched the flash of the blade magnify in his eyes, sweeping past him in a fraction of a second.

In that instant, he felt the true terror of death.

A thin line of blood appeared across his face, and a large lock of severed hair fluttered to the floor.

An inexplicable shiver ran through him.

Just a moment ago, that person had truly wanted to kill him.

Ping'an's gentle expression turned ice-cold.

"What kind of place do you think this is?"

Ping'an scoffed. "My Nanbeilou used to be called the Fiend Blood Path. The wild beasts in these mountains were all raised on human corpses."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted back to the Prince of Yan's advisor. "I greatly dislike your tone," he said coldly. "However, I will give you a chance. Kowtow, admit your mistake, and I will let you leave."

Hearing this, the Prince of Yan's advisor flew into a rage. Slamming his hand onto the table, he barked, "Jianghu martial artists, fit to be mentioned in the same breath as us?! You want me to kowtow to you? Heh, your North-South Martial Alliance sure demands a lot of face!"

The other three remained silent, lowering their heads.

Ping'an merely leaned back in his chair, a smile curling the corner of his lips.

The person hidden in the shadows understood the silent command.

A blade slashed forward.

The strike was aimed straight for the neck of the Prince of Yan's advisor.

But at that exact moment, the imperial court official standing to the side suddenly stepped out, thrusting his sword forward.

"Clang!"

The sword was blasted out of the imperial court official's hand.

The webbing between his thumb and forefinger was torn wide open by the impact.

But the momentum succeeded in deflecting the incoming blade, sending the slash chopping into the arm of the Prince of Yan's advisor instead.

"Agh!"

A wretched scream echoed through the building.

The entire right arm of the Prince of Yan's advisor was severed, blood violently spraying from the stump.

His eyes immediately went bloodshot as he roared, "You dare! You actually dare..."

The imperial court official paused, then hurriedly said, "Alliance Leader Wang, surely this is inappropriate."

Ping'an said calmly, "Is the jianghu a place you lot should be meddling in? Are a bunch of sycophants who speak only on the whims of their masters fit to look down upon this jianghu?"

His expression hardened, completely ignoring the official's attempts at dissuasion.

"Kill him."

The moment the words left his lips, the head of the Prince of Yan's advisor—who had just been barking so wildly—hit the floor. It rolled several times, trailing blood across the ground.

The room instantly fell dead silent.

Seeing this, Ping'an looked somewhat satisfied. "You three still haven't left. Do you want this Alliance Leader to personally see you out?"

Prince Jin's advisor and the King of Wei's advisor exchanged a glance.

Both revealed utter helplessness in their eyes.

It seemed there was no room left for negotiation.

The two men stood up and cupped their hands in farewell.

The imperial court official stood stunned for a long time. Looking at the headless corpse on the floor, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He raised his head to look at Wang Ping'an, his lips trembling lightly as he spoke. "Teacher, when did you... become like this...?"

Ping'an looked at the man.

He couldn't be more familiar with this official.

Back when he had served as the Metropolitan Governor, many subordinate officials had deeply admired him, and this man was one of them. During his early years studying at the Hanlin Academy, the young man had frequently visited Ping'an's estate to ask questions and seek guidance. He could be considered half a student to him.

Seeing the teacher who had once instructed him turn into this, the firm convictions the student had held onto for so long seemed to crumble completely.

Ping'an didn't answer. He merely stood up, walked over, and lightly patted the man's shoulder.

"Go back. You shouldn't be here."

The two brushed past each other.

It was as though, from this moment on, they would have no more ties to one another.

The former student stood there in a daze for a long time, his torn webbing serving as a stark reminder of the gap between them.

He let out a long sigh.

Then, he too departed from Nanbeilou.

When he had arrived, he was filled with endless anticipation at the thought of seeing his former teacher. Now, he was leaving with nothing but disappointment.

His teacher had changed.

...

Once they stepped outside.

A man walked alongside Ping'an.

The man beside him asked, "Is it really okay that we killed the Prince of Yan's man?"

"If we don't kill a couple of people," Ping'an replied, "they will always think the jianghu is a place they can casually manipulate."

"But if the Prince of Yan..."

"He won't dare."

Ping'an looked at the man next to him. "Our North-South Martial Alliance does not go out of its way to provoke others. But if someone comes to provoke us, and even spouts arrogant nonsense in our halls, then we must make sure they learn exactly how unreasonable the jianghu can be."

The man paused, his gaze fixed on the Alliance Leader.

For a moment, he felt slightly dazed.

From the very beginning, all these ruthless and thorny matters had been handled by the Second Alliance Leader. The First Alliance Leader was almost always polite and refined in everyday life, which had given this subordinate a false impression.

But looking at it now, the First Alliance Leader was not as soft-hearted as he had imagined. His handling of this matter had been decisive and fierce—a stark contrast to the rumored compassionate, people-loving Metropolitan Governor. They seemed like two entirely different people.

A smile curled the corners of the man's lips.

In that case, he no longer needed to rack his brains trying to get the Second Alliance Leader to return. With the First Alliance Leader possessing such boldness, the North-South Martial Alliance was bound to prosper.

He hurried to catch up with Ping'an.

Only to hear Ping'an say, "Right, clean up that corpse and send it back to the Prince of Yan later. Yes, have my student be the one to deliver it."

"This... Understood."

"Mn."