Chapter 106: The Scapegoat

"That being said, you are the Heir of Beiling, yet you have no idea where the military tally is located," Su Qingmeng looked at Li Yunji, puzzled. "Did Lord Li not leave any clues behind?"

Li Yunji sighed softly. "None at all."

"When the old man returned to Beiling, he was already on his last breath."

"Before he passed, he didn't utter a word. He spent his days locked in his room, staring blankly at my mother's portrait."

Li Yunji’s gaze deepened, as if traversing time and space to return to that sorrowful moment.

"Could it be hidden in the Prince's Mansion?" Chuji suddenly interjected.

Li Yunji shook his head and chuckled lightly. "If it were hidden in the mansion, my second uncle would have found it long ago."

Given Li Yi's temperament, it wouldn't be out of character for him to have turned the entire mansion upside down. The fact that the Beiling Army remains divided into two factions today shows that the tally is not in Beiling.

"Then where could the tally be?" Su Qingmeng asked again, a flicker of unease crossing her eyes.

"Who knows?" Li Yunji turned and walked back toward his room. "However, the fact that the tally has vanished is not necessarily a bad thing."

Should the military tally fall into the wrong hands, it would pose a grave threat to Li Yunji's current situation. To reclaim the military power of Beiling from Li Yi and Zhou Li, the tally is his only winning card.

...

The next morning.

At the North City Gate, a sliver of sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling over the ramparts. A patrolling soldier passing through the gatehouse suddenly stopped, his heart filled with wariness as he watched a swaying shadow on the ground.

He drew his blade abruptly, looked up, and felt a chill run down his spine.

Before his eyes hung the corpse of a woman, suspended from a hemp rope, swaying in the breeze.

At the General's Mansion, Li Yi was quickly informed of the news. His brows furrowed tightly as he asked Yang Xun, "Has the origin of the body been identified?"

Yang Xun nodded. "It is from the Witch Tribe of Mobei."

Li Yi paused his tea-sipping; the liquid in his cup rippled slightly. "And the killer?"

"The killer must be a master of the sword," Yang Xun said in a low voice. "The sword marks are precise; it was a single, fatal strike."

"My subordinates estimate the individual is at least a fourth-rank cultivator."

Li Yi’s gaze was cold. He finished his hot tea and spoke calmly, "Su Qingmeng..."

No sooner had the words left his lips than Su Qingmeng appeared at the entrance. Two guards with blades were unable to stop her, stumbling into the hall in disarray.

"General Li, the Heir's Consort insisted on forcing her way in," one guard complained.

Li Yi frowned slightly and waved for them to withdraw. He stood up and walked toward Su Qingmeng, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Miss Su, you have intruded upon my residence. May I ask what brings you here?"

"The Witch Tribe member hanging at the city gate—I killed her," Su Qingmeng said coldly, though with a hint of reluctance. She stood by the door with her arms crossed over her sword, her gaze sharp as a blade, locking onto Li Yi.

Li Yi was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "So that’s it."

"Miss Su has slain a bandit and rendered a great service. I shall certainly report this to the Emperor so that you may be duly rewarded!"

"That won't be necessary," Su Qingmeng retorted sharply. "I have come today to hold someone accountable."

Li Yi’s smile vanished, his eyes turning sharp. "Accountable? Who?"

Su Qingmeng shifted her gaze to Yang Xun. "Commander Yang, are you aware of your offense?"

Yang Xun was bewildered. *What does this have to do with me?*

Still, he squeezed out a smile and cupped his hands. "May I ask the Heir's Consort, what offense have I committed?"

Su Qingmeng snorted. "As the Commander of the City Guard, you remained completely oblivious while bandits entered the city to assassinate the Heir."

"Had I not devised a small ruse, using the Heir's feigned death to lure out the assassin, the culprit would likely still be at large!"

"Is such negligence not worthy of punishment?"

Yang Xun’s expression shifted. *Are you kidding me?*

*Isn't this whole mess because Zhou Cheng insisted on picking a fight with Li Yunji? Shouldn't you be demanding an explanation from Zhou Li? Why are you picking a fight with me here?*

He glanced at Li Yi, only to see him looking completely indifferent. He realized then that he was destined to be the scapegoat.

Taking a deep breath, Yang Xun knelt with a thud. "My negligence, I accept the punishment."

Li Yi looked on coldly and said sternly, "In that case, go back and take fifty lashes."

*Again?!*

*This keeps happening every few days. Do they take me for a Mobei savage?* Yang Xun gritted his teeth but dared not utter a sound. All his frustrations condensed into a single sentence: "I accept the order!"

He stood up and left, his steps heavy.

Su Qingmeng looked satisfied and turned to leave, but Li Yi called out to her, "Miss Su, was the ruse of the feigned death truly your own idea?"

Su Qingmeng paused, answering coldly, "What else?"

"Miss Su is truly resourceful, possessing the demeanor of Chancellor Su. I am impressed," Li Yi said with a light chuckle.

Su Qingmeng did not respond and walked away. Li Yi watched her retreating figure, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

...

The Beiling Prince's Mansion. Study.

Li Yunji closed his eyes, savoring the changes that the fifth rank of the martial path had brought to his body, his face glowing with a look of contentment.

"Is it really this smooth?" Li Yunji opened his eyes slowly. "And just like that, I'm at the fifth rank."

"Cultivation doesn't seem all that complicated after all."

Eleven grinned. "Only you, young master, would dare say such a thing."

The pain of a martial artist breaking through realms is not something everyone can endure. If one were to ask those who had broken through, they would surely find those days unbearable to look back upon. Just the thought of it made one's scalp tingle.

"Didn't you say it would take three years and three months to reach the fourth rank?" Li Yunji counted on his fingers, laughing. "Did you miscalculate?"

Eleven replied nonchalantly, "That was under the assumption of normal cultivation."

"Do you consider my cultivation normal?"

As he spoke, Eleven also began counting on his fingers. "First, there was Gu Xian'er helping you break through to the sixth rank through dual cultivation, and now, the effect of the Nine-Nether Vine to reach the fifth rank."

"These are all your opportunities, young master!"

Li Yunji nodded in agreement. "That makes sense!"

He smiled, a glimmer in his eyes. He only hoped the next opportunity would arrive sooner, to help him break through to the fourth rank and shatter this damn Chastity Curse.

As he pondered, his thoughts drifted further away. He chuckled softly and murmured, "Eleven."

"I recall you saying before that a second-rank master can shake the heavens and move the earth."

"What about the first rank?"

Li Yunji was curious. As far back as he could remember, he had never heard of a first-rank master emerging anywhere. It was as if they were merely legendary figures, as unreachable as myths.

"A first-rank master is no longer a mere mortal. They are but one step away from ascending."

Eleven’s expression was calm, yet his words carried a sense of mystery.

"Ascending? Becoming an immortal?" Li Yunji asked curiously. "Wouldn't that mean they could live as long as the heavens and earth?"

"Naturally." Eleven raised his eyebrows, a hint of indescribable pride in his tone. "If you, young master, can reach this realm, you will transcend the mortal world and join the ranks of the immortals."

Li Yunji’s eyes brightened. *So, one can really become an immortal?*

But his excitement quickly dimmed. After all, it had been so many years, and he had never heard of anyone actually becoming an immortal. Thus, he remained skeptical.