If the Imperial Court continued in its current pathetic state, Lian Li felt it might not be long before they completely lost control over the border armies—though, from the look of things, it didn’t seem like they had much control left anyway.
Of course, this mainly depended on the intentions of the Lei family.
In particular, while foreign tribes occasionally harassed the borders during the winter, the region was actually quite stable.
After staying here for a few days, Lian Li could clearly sense that while resources might not be as abundant as in the Central Plains, the spirit of the common people here was far stronger and much more vibrant.
Although many of the commoners in the Central Plains had fled to rely on the great righteous sects, the sense of security provided by a martial arts sect could not compare to that of a reliable official organization.
Lian Li only pondered these matters in his heart; he did not intend to speak of them to Yun Huizhou.
After all, if these words were spoken aloud, they were essentially no different from treason.
It would bring trouble upon himself and trouble upon the Lei Family Army at the border.
And to put it bluntly, engaging in such affairs was far more dangerous than wandering the martial world.
At the thought of this, Lian Li couldn’t help but shiver.
Noticing his movement, Yun Huizhou asked with concern, “What is it? Do you feel cold?”
Lian Li shook his head. He endured it and endured it, but in the end, he couldn’t help himself. He leaned into Yun Huizhou’s ear and whispered a single sentence: “I was thinking about the Dragon-Slaying Art.”
“Dragon—” Yun Huizhou instinctively started to repeat the word.
However, as soon as the first syllable left his mouth, Lian Li’s hand slapped over his lips, covering them tightly.
“Shh…” Lian Li’s other hand made a throat-slitting motion at his own neck. He said, “Keep it down. This is a head-rolling matter.”
Hearing him say this, Yun Huizhou also realized what he meant by the “Dragon-Slaying Art.”
He gave Lian Li a look filled with complex emotions and then said, “You kid, you’re certainly daring with your thoughts.”
Lian Li shook his head hurriedly, fearing Yun Huizhou might misunderstand and think he had any ambition to become the dragon after slaying one.
Yun Huizhou also knew this wasn’t something that could be discussed casually on the street. Fortunately, the two had finished their stroll, so they returned to the inn.
Lian Li originally thought the matter would end there.
But once Yun Huizhou had tightly closed the doors and windows, he sat down opposite him and asked, “Why were you suddenly thinking about that?”
Hearing him bring it up again, Lian Li flinched. With a woeful expression, he said, “I just compared the spirit of the people here in the border city with those in the Central Plains, and suddenly felt that the current dragon…”
Lian Li only dared to say such things in front of Yun Huizhou. If anyone else heard—even those he was close to, like Zhao Honglan or Qu Tingquan—they would have covered his mouth to interrupt him and then changed the subject.
If it were someone he wasn’t on good terms with, he might very well be reported and then dragged off to be beheaded.
Yun Huizhou, however, remained quite calm after hearing this. Instead, he began to discuss the matter with him quite seriously.
“So, in truth, there are many who wish to become the new dragon; they are simply waiting and watching. After all, there is still a young dragon sitting up there.”
Lian Li understood Yun Huizhou’s meaning. Although the young Emperor had been stripped of power and made a figurehead, he was still the legitimate imperial line and sat upon the throne. If those with ambitions started an uprising without a proper justification, they would be labeled rebels.
Others would then take action under the guise of “purging the rebels.”
It was hard to say who would win in the end, but the one who moved first would certainly be the first to be surrounded and attacked by everyone else.
This was likely why Cai Yong had not dared to take that seat directly for over twenty years, instead keeping a young Emperor on the surface.
After all, the moment he sat upon it himself, he would give every other ambitious member of the imperial bloodline a reason to act.
In particular, there was the Lei Family Army at the border. If Cai Yong moved, the Lei family would also have a reason to move.
Lian Li sighed and said, “Fortunately, we are just people of the martial world.”
Yun Huizhou smiled and said, “So, don’t keep thinking about these things. Those in those positions will do the thinking for themselves. At the very least, the common people aren’t without legs; if life is bad, they will run to a place where they can live well.”
The two dropped the subject.
During their rest in the border city, the two did not forget their original purpose for coming here: finding a horse for Lian Li.
However, it had only been a month or so since the New Year. Foals would not begin to be born until April at the earliest. Even if they entered the grasslands now and found a herd, they wouldn’t find a suitable young horse.
But if Lian Li wanted to, he could also try to directly tame an adult wild horse.
Lian Li was truly tempted when Yun Huizhou suggested this after receiving news of a wild horse herd from General Lei.
While raising one from birth was good, directly taming a strong, adult wild horse from the grasslands was also damnably attractive.
However, the same problem remained: they could find a herd, but whether there would be a precious steed within it that could rival Ta Bing was uncertain.
After some discussion, the two felt that since they now had news of a wild horse herd, they still had to go into the grasslands to take a look.
Just as they were preparing to enter the grasslands, a gyrfalcon found them once again.
The moment they saw the gyrfalcon appear, Lian Li and Yun Huizhou exchanged a look, both seeing the same thought in each other’s eyes.
The matter of finding a horse would have to be pushed back again.
Lian Li sighed softly and said, “Why does it feel like every time I want to catch a horse, something inevitably happens? It’s as if the heavens won’t let me find a precious steed of my own.”
He led Yun Huizhou to the stables and stroked the small yellow horse he usually rode, saying, “So, my destiny is just Da Huang?”
Yun Huizhou also reached out to pat Da Huang’s head, saying, “But Da Huang is no longer young. At most, he can accompany you on such arduous journeys for another two years before he needs to retire. It’s not that he can’t be ridden, but compared to now, his physical condition will be much worse.”
Lian Li knew what Yun Huizhou said was true. In fact, he was quite attached to Da Huang; after all, Da Huang was now essentially his exclusive mount.
He also couldn’t bear to have Da Huang carry him around every day at such an old age. Of course, Lian Li would still be happy to see Da Huang wandering and running laps in the woods near Drunken Dream Island on his own.
After the two shared a moment of sentimentality in front of the stables, they went to the South Island Master’s room.
Since they had seen the gyrfalcon arrive, the South Island Master should have finished reading the message by now. They had to go and hear what had happened elsewhere.
As soon as they entered the South Island Master’s room, he dropped a bombshell on them.
“Rumors are currently spreading everywhere in the Central Plains regarding that sentence Monk Suixin spoke.”
“Where the Dragon Qi gathers, a supreme treasure must appear?” Lian Li asked.
The South Island Master nodded in affirmation and then handed over the slip of paper.
