Chapter 44: Could He Have a Master Guiding Him from the Shadows?

In a side hall, Xu Mu met Liu Xun, the Prince of Liang.

This man appeared to be around fifty-seven or fifty-eight years of age, with greying temples and an imposing countenance. Although dressed in casual attire, he exuded an extraordinary and majestic bearing.

This was the first time he had ever seen a real ancient prince of the realm.

The royal aura emanating from Liu Xun was incomparably noble.

In his impression, the temperament of that cheap excuse for a father of his could not even compare to the Prince of Liang.

The entire Xiliang Province served as the personal fief of the Prince of Liang.

Yet, despite being a prince with an exalted status, his actual political power was not particularly vast.

The imperial court had explicit regulations stipulating that regional princes were strictly prohibited from interfering in local internal administration.

Even so, a prince remained a prince; devoid of real administrative power though he might be, he still possessed supreme imperial authority.

Within the borders of Liangzhou Province, even that grand duke who guarded the northwestern frontier—the true holder of primary practical power in Liangzhou Province—had to lower his head by three fractions upon meeting the Prince of Liang.

"Your junior, Xu Mu, pays his respects to Your Highness the Prince of Liang," Xu Mu said, cupping his hands in salute.

Ordinarily, as a mere concubine-born son, Xu Mu would not have been qualified to see Liu Xun in person.

However, Liu Xun had recently looked into Xu Mu's background, and it matched the old drunkard's account closely: this person's character had undergone a dramatic transformation compared to before.

Ever since his divorce from Su Tong's granddaughter, he had seemed like a completely different man.

Especially after his son paid a visit to the Xu residence and suddenly began clamoring to practice martial arts, Liu Xun's interest in this young man had grown increasingly strong.

In Xu Mu's youthful face, Liu Xun caught a glimpse of the shadow of the man he had loathed for a lifetime.

"Is your father still well?" Liu Xun inquired.

"This junior would rather hope he is not entirely well," Xu Mu replied bluntly.

Hearing this, Liu Xun's interest was piqued.

"Oh?"

"No doubt Your Highness is already aware of this junior's situation. My mother has recently passed away, yet that ungrateful old wretch has remained entirely indifferent, showing neither concern nor care. Indeed, I have no desire to remember any kindness from him. If one day I manage to return to the capital, I shall strike that old wretch's name right off the ancestral genealogy! Lest he continue to disgrace the family reputation of the Xu clan!"

Upon hearing these words, Liu Xun could not help but chuckle, breaking into a hearty laugh.

He had never held that man in high regard either, and hearing Xu Mu speak thus made him feel as though he had found a kindred spirit.

Come to think of it, it was only natural. That man surnamed Xu had abandoned Xu Mu and his mother in Liangzhou to fend for themselves for three full years, causing even the money for Xu Mu's mother's medical treatments to be beyond their reach.

How could Xu Mu possibly not resent that man?

"If the old wretch you speak of were to learn of what you said today, I fear you would never be allowed to cross the threshold of the Xu family home for the rest of your life," Liu Xun said with a smile.

"A true man born between heaven and earth should cherish grand ambitions. When I, Xu Mu, make something of myself in the future, I will never rely on him for even the slightest bit of help," Xu Mu declared.

These words were spoken with magnanimity and grandeur.

Yet Xu Mu had previously been renowned throughout Liangzhou as a good-for-nothing; how could he have experienced such a sudden awakening?

Had his own son been capable of harboring such grand ambitions like Xu Mu, how wonderful that would have been.

Unlike Xu Mu, his son was his only child, born with everything anyone could ever wish for.

Whatever his son desired, even the stars and the moon in the sky, he could pluck them down for him.

Xu Mu speaking in this manner was naturally designed to cater to the prince's preferences.

Yet what he contemplated was not far off; he was preparing to undermine and scheme against his cheap father.

Separated by a thousand miles, no matter how Xu Mu schemed against him, he would hold back no punches, and moreover, that old wretch could not interfere with Xu Mu in the slightest.

"By the way, there is something I wish to ask you. What is the story behind Liu Ji soaking in the body-tempering medicinal bath?" Liu Xun asked.

"His Highness the Heir Apparent is a once-in-a-generation martial arts prodigy whose innate bone structure is utterly unprecedented and unheard of. In the future, His Highness might very well capture the top rank in the martial examinations," Xu Mu stated.

Had Liu Ji not been his own biological son, he almost would have believed it.

Although Liu Ji had half a foot planted in the Body Tempering realm, how easy was it to place first in the martial examinations?

In the Great Xia Dynasty, the top martial scholar was the supreme honor in the realm of martial arts.

Even members of the imperial family yearned to attain this distinction.

Back in the day, Liu Xun himself had taken the exams; although he had passed as a jinshi scholar, he remained a long way from becoming the top martial scholar.

Without entering the Grand Master realm, one could not even touch the threshold of the palace examinations.

If his son could cultivate to the Minor Grand Master realm in the future, he would thank the heavens and earth.

Furthermore, Xu Mu was clearly nothing more than a practitioner in the Body Tempering realm, yet his tone was aged and preachy, sounding precisely like an otherworldly master.

Wait, the Body Tempering realm?

Wasn't Xu Mu famously a useless coward, competent in neither literary nor martial pursuits?

How had he suddenly reached the Body Tempering realm?

"Tell me, was it you personally who arranged for Liu Ji to soak in that body-tempering medicinal bath?" Liu Xun probed.

"Precisely."

Liu Xun had assumed it was arranged by Xu Xiuyi, but he had not expected it to be orchestrated by Xu Mu himself.

"Moreover, I happen to possess a cultivation technique quite suited for His Highness the Heir Apparent, one that I can impart to him for his practice," Xu Mu added.

"The Five Thunders Art?" Liu Xun asked, somewhat surprised.

That was the signature heirloom technique of the Xu clan; surely it could not be taught to outsiders, could it?

"What kind of garbage is the Five Thunders Art? This lord... this junior feels that the Five Thunders Art is entirely unworthy of His Highness the Heir Apparent's status. What he ought to practice is—"

"Name your price."

Liu Xun directly cut off Xu Mu's speech.

He was thoroughly aware of everything Xu Mu had been up to lately.

This kid was quite adept at making money, having managed to extract a full eight thousand liang of silver from Liu Ji alone.

Now Liu Xun finally understood the true purpose of Xu Mu's visit today.

First, he helped Liu Ji temper his body, and then he came knocking on the door to pitch a cultivation technique.

"You misunderstand, Your Highness. I did not come to peddle anything; I merely came to pay my respects to Your Highness in person."

"So you mean it's free? A mere eight thousand liang of silver could never purchase a technique superior to the Five Thunders Art. Besides, does your Xu clan even possess a technique superior to the Five Thunders Art?"

"Uh... perhaps there will be one in the future."

"You rascal, you are quite clever indeed—somewhat resembling that old wretch. You truly are his spawn."

"Your Highness, why are you cursing unprovoked?"

"This prince is praising you."

"Saying I resemble that old wretch is nothing short of an insult to me!"

The two men steered the conversation back to the topic at hand.

The moment Xu Mu began berating his cheap father, Liu Xun's conversational floodgates burst wide open.

After chatting for a long while, Xu Mu felt the time was right.

"Your Highness, would this junior be permitted to pay a visit to His Highness the Heir Apparent?" Xu Mu requested.

"Someone come, escort Young Master Xu to see the Heir Apparent."

"Your Highness, this junior takes his leave."

"Go on."

After Xu Mu departed from the side hall, the old drunkard walked in.

"What do you think?" Liu Xun asked.

"He truly possesses mediocre aptitude with no discernible talent for martial arts. Yet, what is interesting is that the technique this kid practices really does not seem to be the Xu clan's Five Thunders Art," the old drunkard remarked.

"Even you can tell that much?"

"The Five Thunders Art is fierce and tyrannical, unsuitable for just anyone to cultivate. This kid's physical foundation is extremely frail; he is virtually incapable of practicing the Five Thunders Art," the old drunkard explained.

"Could it be that he has an expert master guiding him from the shadows?" Liu Xun mused, a sudden thought occurring to him.

"Perhaps it is an enemy of the Xu clan, intending to use Xu Mu to deal with the Xu family," suggested the old drunkard.

Hearing this, Liu Xun's eyes lit up instantly.

"Does that not mean Xu Mu could potentially be regarded as one of our own people in the future?"

The old drunkard took a sip of his wine, smiling without a word.

He, too, had taken into consideration the rift between the Xu father and son, which was why he had urged the Prince of Liang to pay closer attention to Xu Mu.

If Xu Mu truly turned out to be a dragon among men, they would have gained a valuable friend.