Green Mountain-Chapter 673 - 530: Martial Temple Mountain Gate

July 4th, the 32nd year of Jia Ning.

A two-masted vessel drifted at sea for a long time, the flag of the Tokyo Dao Jiedu Envoy hoisted at the bow, with a young woman clinging to the flagpole, vomiting into the sea.

Yet, she had been seasick for so long that she couldn't vomit out even a bit of food, only the warm water she had just drunk.

Behind the woman, Jiang Pan, the Seeking Dao Realm Official under the Tokyo Dao Jiedu Envoy, worriedly said, "Your Highness, hold tight, don't fall into the sea."

Princess Liyang suddenly turned and glared fiercely at Jiang Pan: "When can we dock?"

Jiang Pan said anxiously: "Your Highness, I did not expect Lu Jin to collude with the sea bandits, intercepting us at sea in advance. Now we cannot go to Lushun or Jinzhou; I have to wait for the Commander's message to determine when and where to dock."

Princess Liyang frowned: "Sea bandits? They are merely merchant ships of the Chen family and the Xu family from the Southern Dynasty, colluding with Lu Jin."

Jiang Pan whispered: "Could it be someone from the Southern Dynasty leaked the information to Lu Jin, so he would know in advance that we were taking the sea route?"

Princess Liyang let out a sneer: "Then you underestimate Lu Jin too much. He's not receiving news in advance; he's accustomed to being prepared for every eventuality, advancing step by step. That's how he is, and his Military Intelligence Department chiefs follow his example."

Jiang Pan asked: "Your Highness, don't be anxious. The Commander should soon learn of Lu Jin's actions and will arrange to respond to you."

Princess Liyang said gravely: "Wait? What's most forbidden on the battlefield is waiting. By the time he knows what's happened at sea, we'd already be surrounded by pirates... ugh!"

She hadn't finished speaking when she clutched the flagpole again, vomiting into the sea.

At that moment, an infantry soldier hurriedly came onto the deck, whispered something to Jiang Pan, looking distressed.

Princess Liyang wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and asked in a deep voice: "What's wrong?"

Jiang Pan hesitated for a moment: "Your Highness, the Council Chief Executive Officer rejects the fish dish for being too salty and wants beef shoulder and lamb… also wants watermelon and grapes."

Princess Liyang's face turned cold: "We are surrounded by the sea with no land in sight; where can we get cattle, sheep, and fruit?"

Jiang Pan whispered: "Your Highness, please be cautious with your words; he is, after all, the Council Chief Executive Officer."

Princess Liyang gazed at the sea, looking weary: "These days, I can't help but think that the route from Baidadan City to the Southern Dynasty Capital was actually quite decent."

Jiang Pan asked in confusion: "What do you mean, Your Highness?"

Princess Liyang smiled: "Although it was an escape then, I didn't have to worry about anything; nor did I have to bear the life and death of so many people. Those who traveled with me were all people I wouldn't regret knowing."

Jiang Pan was even more puzzled.

"Let's go and see what our Council Chief Executive Officer is making a fuss about," Princess Liyang lifted her skirt edge and walked into the cabin. As she entered, she saw Yuan Cheng leaning against the desk, with bowls, dishes, and food knocked over on the ground.

Opposite him were Tokyo Road soldiers kneeling in a row.

Yuan Cheng was wearing a loose white inner garment. Upon hearing footsteps, he grabbed the last porcelain bowl from the table and hurled it.

As Princess Liyang stepped in halfway, she calmly retreated a step to dodge the flying bowl, then gracefully walked into the room, saying slowly: "Lord, we are unsatisfactory hosts on the ship, neglectful."

Yuan Cheng raised his head, casting a sidelong glance at her: "Do you all think that because I was once a prisoner, even if I return to the Jing Dynasty, my power will be gone, so you're deliberately neglecting me? Resorting to such pigswill to insult me!"

Princess Liyang bent down to pick up the shards of bowls and dishes one by one: "Lord Yuan, I traveled thousands of miles, wore out my feet twice, survived over ten assassination attempts, and barely brought you back from the Southern Dynasty, so you can return to Shangjing to take charge of the situation... is this neglect, how so?"

Yuan Cheng sneered: "Yuan Yin, don't think I don't know what you're plotting. You want to leverage me going back to Shangjing, make me your puppet, pave the way for your ambition."

Princess Liyang paused her movements picking up the bowl shards, her fingers turning pale from gripping the porcelain.

After a moment, she nonchalantly stood up, smiling as she said: "Council Chief Executive Officer, let's not speak of my near-death experiences. Ship supplies of fresh water and coal are dwindling; Tokyo Road soldiers refrain from drinking a mouthful of hot water to ensure you have a warm bath every day. Everyone must have some goodwill and retain some gratitude."

Yuan Cheng sat up straight, ready to refute, but Princess Liyang continued without letting him speak, slowly saying: "I know becoming a prisoner has become a knot in your heart, desiring things to be as before, with people at your beck and call, kneeling on the ground offering sumptuous clothing and food; you want to spit, and someone instantly offers their mouth as a spittoon... but the one thing a person cannot do in life is return to yesterday."

Princess Liyang smiled: "Council Chief Executive Officer, the matter of you being a prisoner, if you have the skill to overcome this mental hurdle, you could return to Shangjing to still cross paths with Yuan Xiang and Lu Jin. But if you cannot overcome it, what's the point even returning to Shangjing? A person consumed with anger and inferiority, if they lack power, they only harm themselves. But if they have power and influence, they will harm many… wouldn't you say?"

Yuan Cheng flew into a rage: "You wretched woman, when did it become your place to lecture me?"

Princess Liyang ignored him and picked up a piece of fish from the shattered porcelain and ate it, chewing slowly. After a moment she sighed: "Indeed, it's not tasty, but we are down and out now. We must band together like wild dogs to scavenge for food; if we can't even stomach this, how can we survive?"

With that, she held the broken porcelain piece and approached Yuan Cheng.

Yuan Cheng angrily said: "What are you doing bringing it near me? Get it away!"

The next moment, Princess Liyang wielded the broken porcelain piece and slashed Yuan Cheng's neck, calmly watching as blood sprayed out, splattering on her face and body.

Jiang Pan's expression changed, he rushed forward a few steps, but it was too late.

He turned to Princess Liyang: "Your Highness?"

Princess Liyang said calmly: "Everyone believes that only Yuan Cheng's return would be able to contend with Yuan Xiang and Lu Jin, while I disagree. So many people are waiting for Yuan Cheng to return to take charge, yet they don't realize they are waiting for a waste. Jiang Pan, surely Yuan Xiang has also realized by now that his opponent is Lu Jin, not us. He is old, but Lu Jin is still a vigorous tiger; Yuan Xiang needs us."

Jiang Pan lowered his gaze: "The Commander once said that everything is up to you... but with Yuan Cheng dead, how do we explain it to the court?"

Princess Liyang wiped the crimson blood from her face, quietly watching Yuan Cheng take his last breath. She turned and left the cabin: "This isn't the first important figure I've killed, nor will it be the last. Take his head back and say Yuan Cheng was killed by sea bandits."

She returned to the ship's side, holding onto the mast and gazed into the distance.

For some reason, after killing Yuan Cheng, she no longer felt seasick, only that a drifting stone in her heart had finally settled.

Jiang Pan came up behind her and respectfully asked, "Your Highness, what should we do next?"

Princess Liyang softly replied, "Let me think, if it were him, what would he do in such a desperate situation."

Jiang Pan curiously asked, "Him?"

Princess Liyang suddenly pointed east: "We're not going to Lushun and Jinzhou anymore, we're going to Korea."

Jiang Pan's expression changed: "Go to Korea?"

Princess Liyang pondered for a moment: "To Mirror City Port in Korea."

Jiang Pan took out a parchment map from his bosom: "Your Highness, if we land at Mirror City Port, we might be questioned by Korea."

Princess Liyang sneered: "Since when does Korea dare to trouble envoys from the Southern and Northern Dynasties? They avoid us as much as they can; we will leave from Mirror City Port."

Jiang Pan hesitated again: "If we leave from Mirror City Port, we'll have to cross over Changbai Mountain to return to the Jing Dynasty… pass through the Temple of Martial Arts."

Princess Liyang looked at the sea with determination: "I'm going to the Temple of Martial Arts. Yuan Cheng is dead, and the Jiang Family is fragmented. If we don't bring back new leverage to Shangjing, we might as well not return."

"But the Temple of Martial Arts is already backing Lu Jin."

Princess Liyang's eyes were obscure and unclear: "Who says the Temple of Martial Arts will always stand behind Lu Jin?"

...

...

The double-masted ship sailed for eleven days before docking at Mirror City Port.

As Princess Liyang expected, the Korean Ministry of Rites didn't dare to show their face, allowing Princess Liyang's party to enter the territory and head straight for Changbai Mountain.

Princess Liyang dressed in men's attire, traveling lightly and quickly ascended the mountain from the northern slope. It took her two days and nights to finally see the North Gate of the Temple of Martial Arts.

Different from the southern slope.

At the end of the long stairs on the southern slope stands a high archway, with a plaque hanging above it reading "The Mightiest Under Heaven", and the left and right couplets say 'I am one not within the limits of heaven, free to see the mountains and waters.'

The northern slope has only one stone tablet, on which someone inscribed four large characters with Sword Intent: "Intruders Will Die."

But Princess Liyang only glanced up at it, then continued upward.

Jiang Pan and the others exchanged a look, and in the end, they gritted their teeth and followed her.

Princess Liyang stepped on the moss-covered stone steps and walked a few more steps. Just as she reached the stone tablet and was about to take another step forward, a blade flew from the sky and nailed itself in front of her, blocking her path.

She looked up to the end of the stone steps, which disappeared into the clouds, with no one in sight.

Someone in the clouds spoke: "Scram."

Princess Liyang did not retreat, only speaking loudly: "Princess Yuan Yin of the Jing Dynasty is here to pay respects to the Mountain Gate of the Temple of Martial Arts, unafraid of death."

The person in the clouds was silent for a moment, then lightly tossed another word: "Scram."

After that, there was no more movement.

Princess Liyang did not advance nor retreat.

Jiang Pan looked at Princess Liyang's back. He had initially thought that she had secretly obtained information in the Southern Dynasty about the whereabouts of the inheritor of the Sword Seed Path, keeping it secret until now to use it as a bargaining chip with the Temple of Martial Arts.

But now it seemed that Princess Liyang did not have that intention.

He sighed softly: "Your Highness, I don't think the Temple of Martial Arts will let us ascend to the Mountain Gate."

Princess Liyang calmly said: "Then we will wait here until they are willing."

The sun set and the moon rose.

The moon set and the sun rose.

She waited at the mountain gate for three whole days and nights, yet no one from the clouds atop the Temple of Martial Arts paid her any mind.