Seeing Lin Ran’s expression, the empress knew that he had understood.
There was a strange silence in the imperial study, as if neither of them knew how to continue this topic.
After half an hour, Lin Ran probed with a strange expression, “Is that Huo something very sinister?”
The empress was stunned for a moment, not understanding why Lin Ran suddenly asked this, but she still shook her head. “He’s a very upright person, but his thoughts are a little extreme.”
“For example, he will kill anyone who says anything bad about Grandpa Sword God.”
When Lin Ran heard this, he instantly relaxed.
If Huo Qiyun was sinister and unscrupulous, Lin Ran would have no choice but to get rid of him.
Lin Ran was at the fifth level of the Half-Saint Realm. In the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, the few old fellows who could fight him were all in seclusion.
No matter how talented Huo Qiyun was, there was an 80% chance that Lin Ran wouldn’t be able to defeat him with one strike. If one strike didn’t work, then two strikes.
Huo Qiyun had been taught by the Ten Miles Sword God for half a year, and Lin Ran had also obtained the inheritance of the Ten Miles Sword God. The two of them were considered from the same sect. Unless he had to, Lin Ran didn’t want to kill him.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Ran suddenly asked, “Wait. If I pack up and set out now, he won’t be able to see me, right?”
“No, you have to be at this state banquet.”
The empress sighed and pointed at the invitation in Lin Ran’s hand. “This idea was suggested by Huo Qiyun. In order to achieve the goal, we need a formidable presence at the scene. Only then will those martial artists behave themselves.”
Lin Ran instantly understood and smiled bitterly. “Didn’t you say that Huo Qiyun is very upright? This idea is simply despicable! It’s obvious that he wants to keep me… No, the Ten Miles Sword God here!”
The empress nodded, but her expression was not as nervous as before. “Actually, you don’t have to worry too much. It’s not like there’s nothing we can do about this.”
Lin Ran was immediately interested. “What’s on your mind?”
The empress suddenly revealed a playful expression. “I was a little uncertain at first, but when I saw how smart Lord Lin was, I felt that this plan is feasible.”
Lin Ran rolled his eyes and didn’t comment on the empress’s evaluation on him.
“You actually don’t have to meet him. As long as you do something, such as releasing your sword intent at the state banquet to intimidate everyone and make him feel that no one else can do this except Sword God, he will naturally believe in your identity.”
Lin Ran thought for a moment and realized that this plan was feasible. However, there was another problem, and that was that Huo Qiyun’s suspicion was not baseless.
To such diehard fans, when they suddenly heard the news of their idol coming out of seclusion, they would either be excited or question the validity of the news, but they would never think that someone was pretending to be their idol.
Unless he was already certain that his idol was no longer alive.
This was a very simple logic. It was impossible for the empress not to notice it. However, she did not mention it at all.
Because Lin Ran did not have any evidence to support this speculation, he did not dwell on it. At this moment, he did not realize that this speculation would become a key in the future.
Let’s not talk about the future for now.
After confirming that Huo Qiyun was not a threat to him, Lin Ran put this matter to the back of his mind.
Recalling that his cultivation had increased drastically last night, Lin Ran changed the topic and asked, “Your Majesty, there’s something I couldn’t figure out all night. Can you give me some pointers?”
The empress was surprised. “Oh? There’s something you can’t figure out?”
At first glance, this question sounded like a compliment, but Lin Ran felt a little embarrassed. He paused for a moment before asking, “Last night, in the treasure vault of the Hidden Sword Pavilion, I saw the Sacred Abyss Sword, but wasn’t that sword buried in Mount Sword? Could it be that the one in Mount Sword is fake?”
“No, the Sacred Abyss Sword in Mount Sword is real.”
The empress shook her head and denied it. Before Lin Ran could ask further, she continued, “The sword in the Hidden Sword Pavilion is also real.”
Lin Ran was a little confused. “What do you mean? Did the Heavenly Saint Emperor have two swords back then?”
The empress shook her head again. “Back then, my ancestor only had one sword.”
Lin Ran pursed his lips and muttered unhappily, “You can trample on my dignity, but you can’t insult my intelligence! Since the Heavenly Saint Emperor only had one sword, how can both Sacred Abyss Swords be real?”
Seeing Lin Ran’s angry expression, the empress smirked. She looked at him with interest for a long time before saying softly with a faint smile, “I never said that there are two Sacred Abyss Swords in the world.”
“Then just now…”
Lin Ran stopped mid-sentence as a guess suddenly popped up in his mind. This guess caused his hands to tremble uncontrollably!
“The Hidden Sword Pavilion and Mount Sword… are the same place?”
Lin Ran asked tentatively. It was unknown if he was shocked or nervous, but his voice was trembling.
The empress smiled without saying anything, but a sly look flashed across her eyes, proving that Lin Ran was right.
Lin Ran covered his face and took a deep breath, cursing himself for being a fool and failing to figure out something so obvious.
The huge boulder in the Hidden Sword Pavilion was made of the same material as Mount Sword, so it must be related to Mount Sword.
If it was just a boulder, it might have been moved from Mount Sword.
However, there were seven to eight miles of stone steps down there. It was impossible for anyone to move something so huge from one place to another. Even the current Lin Ran could not do it.
The only possibility was that the boulder was also a part of Mount Sword. The Hidden Sword Pavilion and Mount Sword were connected, but the connecting part was hidden under the ground.
The Hidden Sword Pavilion was Mount Sword, and Mount Sword was the Hidden Sword Pavilion.
It was said that the Sacred Abyss Sword was buried in Mount Sword, but it had actually been stored underground in the palace!