Thinking of this, Xu Yuan felt the urge to try and save the Emperor using the information in "Cangyuan Chronicles," but then he suddenly realized it was already too late to save him.
Whether the information in "Cangyuan Chronicles" could be of any use was a matter for later, but as things stood, the Emperor couldn’t possibly reveal the true state of his health to them.
If he did, it would essentially set the Prime Minister’s Mansion a timeline to start the war.
After a long silence, Xu Yuan laughed twice:
"Yes, Father, Changtian understands."
Mount Tianyuan, the bamboo forest behind the mountain.
The sound of clinking was incessant, and the wind pressure of the Giant Sword’s swing almost toppled the surrounding bamboo.
A brawny old man swung the Giant Sword rapidly, and with a clever flick, an Ink Sword flew high into the air, followed immediately by a crushing blow.
The girl in black had nowhere to dodge, and blinked in disappointment.
The Giant Sword came to a steady halt just an inch from the girl’s cool countenance, the powerful wind pressure blowing her raven black hair into wild disarray.
Sheathing his sword, Ran Jianli let out a hearty laugh and carelessly patted the shoulder of the girl in front of him:
"Hahahaha, Qingmo, you’ve improved a lot. Even though you haven’t used Origin Qi, you can now last five rounds under your master’s command. Will you continue, or not?"
Ran Qingmo pursed her lips without a word, silently turned around to pick up her Ink Sword, then headed straight for her small bamboo cottage.
Ran Jianli’s mouth was instantly stiff as he shouldered his Giant Sword; after planting it into the ground, he quickly followed the girl, asking cautiously from the side:
"Qingmo... your master can’t just let you win during sparring, right?"
"Are you angry, Qingmo?"
"Don’t be angry. Didn’t the mistress ask for you to come back because she missed you?"
"Say something... When your mistress comes back, she’ll say that your master bullied you again."
Ran Qingmo stopped in her tracks, shook her head, and said, "I am not angry with Master."
With that said, she continued towards her bamboo hut and with a "bang," closed the wooden door behind her.
Touching the back of his head, Ran Jianli grinned and inhaled sharply, talking to himself:
"What’s up with this girl... She never used to get this dispirited after losing a sparring match before."
"What are you, you old fool, standing outside Qingmo’s door for?"
Suddenly, a beautiful voice came from the small path in the bamboo forest outside.
Ran Jianli turned around to see a middle-aged woman entering. Time had left some traces on her face, but she remained beautiful and gentle.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Ran Jianli walked over to pull out his Giant Sword, asking with hesitation:
"Luo Wei, you’ve come at just the right time. Our clever disciple seems to have become a bit odd after just one trip outside today."
Luo Wei glanced at Ran Jianli, then looked towards their disciple’s little bamboo cottage:
Ran Jianli rambled on:
"After Qingmo went out, she just kept practicing with me. After losing a hundred times or so, she stormed off in a huff."
Ran Jianli hurriedly explained to his wife:
"Luo Wei, you know Qingmo’s temperament. She wouldn’t get angry even after losing for an entire day in the past."
Luo Wei rolled her eyes and took out a newspaper from the Sumeru Ring, slapping it onto Ran Jianli’s muscular chest:
Ran Jianli took it with a puzzled look, his previously carefree expression disappearing instantly, a hint of solemnity in his eyes:
"Li Yaoxuan and Xu Yinhè are still going to make a move, huh...."
While the silent war continued in the frozen Northern Frontier, a piece of news quickly spread throughout Dayan via the imperial newspaper.
Li Qingyan was engaged to Xu Changtian.