Chapter 50: A Brutal Blow to Lin Pingzhi, and the Discovered Traitor?

"If you choose to rescue them yourself, you will receive a baptism in the Blood Dragon Pool of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry."

"Should you survive it, you will instantly forge a Vajra physique and your martial prowess will increase exponentially."

"Furthermore, two squads of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and three squads of reserve dragon cavalry will assist you in the rescue operation."

"Then—"

Before Lin Pingzhi could ask about the consequences of failure, the bronze-masked figure spoke, "If you fail, the medicinal potency will run wild. You may need to recuperate for several months, and you can only wait for the Secret Guards to intervene."

"You have one day to consider."

Succeed and instantly attain a Vajra physique; fail, and it would merely mean a few months of recuperation.

In this matter, Lin Pingzhi felt no hesitation whatsoever.

Lin Pingzhi cupped his fists and bowed, "Senior, if possible, I wish to choose to rescue my parents myself."

"Someone come."

The bronze-masked figure seemed unsurprised and shouted toward the outside.

"Commander."

"Take him to clean up. When the Blood Dragon Pool opens this afternoon, bring him there," the bronze-masked figure said, casting a careful glance at Lin Pingzhi before shaking his head. "By the way, take him to the Scripture Pavilion of our Great Snow Dragon Cavalry encampment and let him choose a cultivation technique."

"The Lin family's Evil-Warding Sword Technique lacks the internal cultivation method that requires self-castration. Even if the Blood Dragon Pool helps him endure the ordeal, I fear it will still be difficult for him to instantly forge a Vajra physique."

The soldier of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry nodded calmly.

Yet Lin Pingzhi stood frozen on the spot as if struck by lightning.

What had he just heard?

Had the bronze-masked senior who had just interrogated him just mentioned his Lin family's Evil-Warding Sword Technique?

And he had even explicitly pointed out the missing part.

However...

What on earth did it mean to lack the internal cultivation method that required self-castration?!

Lin Pingzhi's expression shattered, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

Beneath the bronze mask, the corners of the masked figure's lips curved into a faint smile. "Alright, I know that your Lin family's current calamity was caused in part by the Evil-Warding Sword Manual."

"A copy of that item is also kept in the Scripture Pavilion. If you wish to know, you can have someone retrieve it for you to see."

As one of the most accessible martial arts manuals in the jianghu...

Back when Zhu Jingzhen had first transmigrated and formed the Secret Guards, he had immediately ordered a copy to be transcribed from the old Lin residence and handed it over to those among the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, Tiance, and Cangyun who suffered from missing body parts to practice.

As the commander of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, the bronze-masked figure naturally knew of this bizarre martial art that had once caused a massive uproar and shocked everyone who had joined the cavalry, Cangyun, and Tiance.

After all, a martial art that allowed one to quickly surpass the ninth grade of martial artists, enter the Vajra realm, and even step into the Profound Realm grandmaster realm within a few years simply by slicing off a piece with a blade—even if one did not practice it, human curiosity would still get the better of them.

After Lin Pingzhi was led away in a daze, several people pushed open the door and entered the room.

"Commander Yan, Brother Lian, Sister Xuemei."

The bronze-masked figure removed her mask, revealing a face blooming with smiles and surpassing the beauty of empires.

"How was it, Commander Lu? Is there any problem with Lin Pingzhi?"

"None detected!"

The woman known as "Commander Lu," having divested herself of the bronze mask, shook her head gently. "Just now, when interrogating Lin Pingzhi about his family background and the purpose and reasons for his trip to Shaanxi, his words and actions all stemmed from his true intentions."

Yan Yimei, Lian Chengbi, Huang Xuemei, and the others all knew that the person before them had possessed the ability to insight into human hearts since childhood.

And His Highness had recently sought out a secret technique for cultivating visual prowess for her—her clear autumn waters gaze possessed an unmatched talent for observing expressions and discerning thoughts; if she claimed to be second, no one in the world would dare claim first.

If she said there was no problem, then there was certainly no problem.

"It is good that there is no problem. Liu Zhengfeng of the Mount Heng Sect is about to wash his hands in a golden basin. Regardless of whether Lin Pingzhi can pass the assessment of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, we will head to Hunan first. If he can endure it, we will give him time to rescue them himself."

"Conversely, we will act according to His Highness's instructions and rescue Master Lin Zhennan and his wife first."

Huang Xuemei did not stay long; after reminiscing with Commander Lu for a while, she departed.

The corners of Lian Chengbi's lips curled into a faint smile. "For this Lin Pingzhi to manage to travel to Shaanxi and pledge allegiance to His Highness can be considered a stroke of fortune amidst his tragic life."

"And aren't we the same?" Commander Lu asked with a smile.

If not for the grace of their Highness, with her naturally alluring bones and peerless beauty at such a tender age, she would have drifted through the hands of countless lustful men, ultimately ending up either fallen into the dust of the courtesan houses or kept hidden away as a pampered concubine.

How could she ever possess such glory and freedom?

And the same held true for Lian Chengbi.

Without Zhu Jingzhen's recognition and promotion, he would merely have been a pathetic wretch whose family was shattered and destroyed.

Seeking revenge would have been nothing more than an extravagant hope.

Commander Lu suddenly asked, "Brother Lian, why do you suppose human hearts are so fickle?"

Though her eyes could pierce through human hearts, the most unfathomable thing in the world remained the human heart. She could see through Lin Pingzhi's present, but she could not know whether he would change in the future.

Lian Chengbi's expression shifted slightly. "Did you sense something?"

Though this person, holding the dual positions of Deputy Commander of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and Deputy Commander of the Black Armor Secret Guards, rarely stepped outside unless there was a military campaign, she was certainly not someone who would make baseless claims.

Commander Lu picked up the bronze mask from the table, placing it back over her peerless visage, and said softly, "His Highness has treated us well enough. High official posts, generous stipends, supreme wealth, divine martial arts manuals, and rare heavenly treasures—we have everything we could possibly want. Yet some people are still not content."

"We are the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, and we are also His Highness's loyal death guards."

"To bite the hand that feeds and turn traitor—what crime do you say that warrants?"

"People from our own ranks?"

Lian Chengbi's expression truly changed.

The soldiers of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry were all destitute souls who had suffered tragic fates and weathered countless hardships.

Had it not been for the protection and assistance of Zhu Jingzhen and the Prince Su Manor, they might have perished in nameless corners, or their entire families might have been thoroughly exterminated by blood feuds, leaving this world filled with lingering resentment and reluctance.

It could be said that Zhu Jingzhen's grace to every member of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry was akin to a second birth.

To repay the lord's kindness beneath the golden terraces, drawing jade dragon swords to die for the army—

This was the shared consensus of every member of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry.

If someone were truly to betray their Highness and the Prince Su Manor, Lian Chengbi would not mind making that person taste what it meant to wish for death.

"Two from our ranks, three are guards from the Prince Su Manor. They have been in contact with other factions."

"Handle the ones from our ranks as you see fit."

"I do not want to see a look of disappointment on His Highness's face because of this!"

"Hah, human hearts!"

Commander Lu sneered coldly. Leaving behind the glaring names of two individuals written in vermilion ink upon the table, her figure vanished before Lian Chengbi like a ghost.

Lian Chengbi stood on the spot with an iron-blue expression, his fists clenched tightly.

Through years of companionship, he had truly come to treat the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry as his new home and everyone else as family, for they had all lived and died together, entrusting their lives to one another.

Even though of those two names, only one was a formal member of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, it still caused Lian Chengbi profound heartache.

Angrily snatching up the note from the table, he transformed into a bloody streak of light, violently dashing toward the encampment of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry.

Lian Chengbi was going to demand a clear explanation: when had their Highness and the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry ever wronged them, such that they would harbor rebellious thoughts of biting the hand that feeds? If they could not provide an answer, he would show them no mercy.