Chapter 192 - Seize Love by Force

The ancestral ritual of Lian’s family unfolded amidst a tumultuous clamor, the scale of the event was such that it was unmatched in Nanyao City for many years.This grand ceremony, nominally to honor the ancestors, was in fact a declaration of the immutable status of the Lian family as the holy land of weapon forging.

Proclaiming to the world that the Lian family still possessed the ability to forge legendary weapons.

Lian Que, as the forging master of Longing, was the undisputed protagonist of the day.

From beginning to end, he knelt on the high platform, like a clay doll or wooden puppet, subjected to people’s offerings and adornments.

Jiang Wang, as a guest, watched the entire proceedings from the side, comfortably seated in his chair, silently savoring the expressions on Lian Que’s ugly face.

From self-satisfied joy to numb exhaustion, all within just one morning’s time.

The tedious rituals of the entire morning had just barely completed the first phase.

It was only then that Lian Que was permitted to move.

As the creator of Longing, he personally wrapped and tied the tassel around the sword.

Once properly done, the Lian clan members brought forward a scabbard specially crafted for Longing,

and Lian Que sheathed the sword.

Longing, like a dragon swimming in the vast sea, let out a clear, long cry.

The treasured sword hibernating in its scabbard, shining with subdued light.

Now, it was Lian Zhuping’s turn to take Longing and carefully place it on the offering stand.

After praying to heaven and earth, the formal ancestral worship segment began.

Amid all the hustle and bustle, and another set of rituals, another four hours passed before Lian Que could rub his legs, stand up, and prepare to retrieve Longing to hand it over to Jiang Wang, completing the last segment.

Just at that moment, a voice, growing from distant to near, suddenly announced, “Prince Fourteen has arrived!”

The crowd swiftly parted to make way, bowing in respect.

Lian Que’s brow furrowed upon hearing this, quickening his pace.

Yet an elder, without a change in expression, blocked in front of the offering stand and coldly admonished, “The Prince has graced us with his presence, and you fail to greet him promptly?

Where is the decorum?”

Lian Que shuffled to the left and squeezed forward, “You love to greet, you go greet.

With a famous weapon before me, I’d rather complete the ritual first.”

“Insolent!” the elder bellowed in anger, “Just because you’ve luckily forged a famous weapon, do you dare to be so disrespectful?

Do you still have the family and the court in your eyes?”

Even if Lian Que were slow-witted, he knew something was amiss and did not argue with the elder.

Instead, he turned to look at Lian Zhuping, “Clan Leader!

Is this your doing?”

But Lian Zhuping did not speak, still bent over in salute, “Greeting Prince Fourteen!”

Jiang Wang, watching from a distance, sensed that something was off and was about to step forward to inquire, when a palanquin already approached the front of the platform.

The palanquin bearers, all ten of them, were said to be of the Tongtian Realm cultivation.

The curtain of the palanquin lifted, revealing a purple-robed man with his face dusted in gold powder.

It appeared to be Emperor Qi’s fourteenth son, Jiang Wuyong.

The people of Qi esteemed purple as the noblest color, and many of those donning purple were members of the royal or noble class.

He stepped down from the palanquin without paying attention to the crowd, only caring to walk up to the high platform.

With a royal air, his sleeves billowing and steps measured.

As he reached the high platform, his gaze immediately fell upon Longing on the offering stand, his expression pleased, “What a fine sword!

My heart is content.”

With that, he proceeded to move forward.

Lian Que stepped in front of him, neither servile nor overbearing, “Your Highness, this sword already has an owner.”

Before Prince Fourteen could speak, the same elder from before reached out to grab Lian Que, “Is it your place to speak?

With Prince Fourteen present, how dare you be so presumptuous!”

Lian Que turned and threw a punch, the Heaven and Earth Gate opened wide, and a gale stirred as if a fiery furnace leaped within his body.

“You immortal Lian Luyue, will you ever cease?”

The Lian family’s forging masters were not known for their prowess in battle, and this elder was only at the peak cultivation of Ascending Dragon Realm.

When the fist and claw collided, they were surprisingly evenly matched.

Despite not expecting Lian Que to fight back, Elder Lian Luyue’s face could not hide his disgrace, exploding with rage, “You disrespectful younger generation!”

“Elder, calm your rage!” Lian Zhuping, of course, could not allow the situation to escalate further and immediately intervened, stepping in between to separate Lian Que from Lian Luyue.

At the same time, he scolded Lian Que, “You better behave yourself!”

“Who’s misbehaving?” Lian Que, his ugly face flushing with anger, “This famous weapon has nothing to do with you.

It has already been used in the ritual, and that was Jiang Wang being generous.

What right do you have to decide its fate?”

“Aren’t you a member of Lian’s family?

Isn’t everything you learned from Lian’s secret teachings?

Didn’t Lian’s family supply all the resources you used for forging the sword?

Isn’t the furnace you used to forge the sword the ancestral furnace passed down by Lian’s family?” Lian Zhuping demanded sternly, “Now tell me, how is it not related to Lian’s family?”

“From the beginning, I was forging a sword for Jiang Wang!

He was involved throughout the whole process.

A legendary weapon is heaven-forged, human effort is limited!

This sword belongs to Jiang Wang, it always has!

It doesn’t belong to you, and it doesn’t truly belong to me!”

Elder Lian Luyue coldly interjected, “Indeed, you initially promised to forge a weapon for him, but you never specified which weapon.

Just put Longing aside and wholly dedicate yourself to forging another sword for him, that won’t be breaking your word.”

Lian Que looked at him in shock and anger, “Can words be spoken so easily, and actions done so lightly?

Do Lian’s family honor not matter anymore?”

Slap!

Clan Leader Lian Zhuping slapped Lian Que to the ground, “Are those words yours to say?”

“Enough,” Jiang Wuyong said with a smile, “I only came to see the new legendary weapon from Qi Country’s forging holy land.

Why so much agitation?

Step aside and let me take a closer look.”

Elder Lian Luyue immediately made way, “Please, Your Highness, enjoy the sight.”

Jiang Wuyong stepped forward calmly when a voice sounded from behind, “You’d better stop right there.”

The voice was not loud, but extremely firm.

“And who might you be?” Jiang Wuyong turned around, his expression playfully scrutinizing Jiang Wang.

With the Heavenly Abode Secret Land event having ended not long ago, and his specific trip for “Longing”, it was impossible for him not to know Jiang Wang.

Asking such a question was purely an expression of contempt.

Even the God’s Inner Mansion, for the Court of Qi Country, was not considered a big shot, let alone just a seed from the God’s Inner Mansion!

“You don’t need to know who I am.

You just need to understand…” Jiang Wang stood up from his seat, stretching out his hand to point at the sword artifact “Longing” on the offering stand, “That is my sword artifact!”

Upon the offering stand, “Longing” suddenly rang out on its own!

Jiang Wuyong was not angry but delighted instead, and couldn’t help but praise again, “What a fine sword artifact!”

“Mine,” Jiang Wang reiterated.

“Yours?

The ground you stand on is the land of Qi, your body resides in Qi Country.

Everything in Qi Country bears the Jiang surname!” Jiang Wuyong said indifferently, “Passed down from ancient sages, it is the imperial Jiang surname of the Qi imperial family.

Not from some unknown branch… You think you also deserve to bear the Jiang surname?”

“Indeed, everything in Qi Country bears the surname Jiang, it’s just a pity that it’s not the Jiang of Jiang Wuyong.” Accompanying these words, a very plump man entered the scene, his eyes almost a sliver from being squinted.

He seemed to have hurried over, his clothes slightly wrinkled.

His portly figure didn’t quite seem to command an aura of deterrence when he spoke.

Yet, as he made his way through, the crowd parted for him.

He looked at the fourteenth prince, Jiang Wuyong, with a smile and not a trace of reverence in his demeanor, “Do you dare represent Qi Country, aren’t you afraid of your brothers and sisters spanking you?”

It was none other than Zhongxuan Sheng!

He was dealing with affairs in Linzi of Qi when he heard the news of Jiang Wuyong heading to Nanyao City.

Immediately dropping what he was doing, he personally gave chase.

And he arrived just in time at Nanyao City, to personally support Jiang Wang!

Even before speaking up, he had already discreetly communicated with Jiang Wang.

Thus, as soon as he finished his statement, Jiang Wang very cooperatively questioned, “Is this not the fourteenth prince, how dare you speak to him that way?”

Zhongxuan Sheng deliberately covered his mouth with his hand, leaning towards Jiang Wang, pretending to whisper, “The imperial lineage is certainly noble.

But our Monarch has nine daughters and seventeen sons.

Besides the Crown Prince, the few who are recognized as outstanding are the third princess, the ninth prince, the eleventh prince, and there is no place for a fourteenth prince.”

“But I am different!

Right now, in the entire Zhong Xuan Family, it’s only Zhongxuan Zun and myself vying for control, which makes me the owner of half of the Zhong Xuan Family.

But Jiang Wuyong he holds only the identity of a prince.

Although the royal family is noble, only one person is supreme.

This one surely doesn’t even have a single hair to his name, what do I have to fear from him?”

He feigned subtlety, pretending to whisper, but his voice was clear enough for the whole crowd to hear.

Jiang Wuyong’s face, coated with gold powder, became alternately flushed with anger and pale.

But Zhongxuan Sheng’s words were indeed the truth, at least they were for his part, Jiang Wuyong.

The battle for the throne was incredibly fierce; with his strength, how could he dare to admit that he wanted to represent Qi Country?

Luckily, as a prince, he naturally had loyal retainers to protect him.

“This is a sword artifact belonging to Lian’s family.” A Lian family elder, Lian Luyue, spoke up, “For the fourteenth prince, it’s not just a matter of admiration, even if he wanted to collect it, my Lian family is utterly loyal to the imperial family, and would have no reason to refuse.”

At this moment, Lian Que had already gotten up from the ground, the anger in his eyes had never dissipated, and at this point, his rage seemed almost tangible, as if it was bursting forth from his eyes.

He slashed his palm with his fingers, raised his bleeding left hand high, and proclaimed loudly, “I swear by the honor of a swordsmith!

This ‘Longing’ belongs to Jiang Wang!

It has nothing to do with me, Lian Que, and even less with the Lian family!

The Lian family has no right to decide its fate!”

Lian Luyue rebuked him, “The Clan Leader is still here!

It’s not your place, Lian Que, to make declarations!

Stand down and silence yourself!”

“Heh, heh, heh.” Zhongxuan Sheng let out a cold, unending laugh.

At first, Jiang Wang had refused to heed advice, unwilling to maximize benefits, insisting on returning the token.

Zhongxuan Sheng hadn’t said much then.

Eventually, Lian Que forged a famed weapon, and all seemed well.

But then, Lian’s family had stirred up many troubles, arranging a grand ancestral offering ceremony and pulling this senseless sword presentation.

Those with the Lian surname seemed to be regressing, which was something Zhongxuan Sheng had long disapproved of.

Now, showing no mercy, he spoke coldly, “No need to put on a farce here, no matter how the Lian family performs, I’d just like everyone to remember one thing: whoever dares to take what belongs to Jiang Wang, I, Zhongxuan Sheng, will go all out, and make sure to slap their faces!”

As one of the heirs to the Heavy Mystery family, the weight of Zhongxuan Sheng’s words was beyond doubt.

“I am not putting on an act with them!” Lian Que suddenly shouted, his expression one of indescribable grief and indignation.

He looked around from his high position.

What he saw was the Lian clan’s lack of understanding, the anger of Lian elders.

He saw the mockery of outsiders and disdain from the likes of Zhongxuan Sheng.

Indeed, how could he not be informed?

Everyone would think that.

As the only swordsmith in nearly fifty years from Lian’s family who had forged a famed weapon, and the one who had personally made “Longing”.

When the Lian family intended to present the sword to Jiang Wuyong, how could Lian Que not be privy?

That’s what everyone would think.

Just like back then, everyone believed he had survived the Heavenly Abode Secret Land by groveling for mercy.

No one would listen to his explanation.

No one would trust him.

All the accusations of Lian’s family’s dishonor, betrayal, and shame were also cast upon him.

What he thought at this moment was unknown to anyone.

People could only see, they watched with wide eyes—

With a look of sorrow and indignation, Lian Que examined his surroundings, finally only addressing Jiang Wang, “Brother Jiang, I cannot bear such great humiliation!

Nor can I stand to see you humiliated!”

Then, in a dramatic turn, he struck his Heavenly Spirit with his own hand!