Chapter 186 I Must Kill
Manny’s appearance and his abrupt question caused Fang Xingjian to be momentarily stunned. However, he did not show any transformations to his expression, and merely sat behind his desk as usual. He turned to Manny’s direction with his both eyes closed tightly and asked, “You’re looking to have a chat with me so late at night?”
Manny smiled, as if he was unconcerned with his earlier question. Merely, when the smile finally left his face, he became extremely solemn, with no traces of the previous smile.
“Originally, I had not wanted to approach you with this matter, but it is even more awkward for the old man to come.
“But someone has to do it.”
Fang Xingjian frowned and asked, “What on earth is it about? Stop going around in circles and just say it.”
Manny smiled bitterly and said, “Kaunitz is the only son of Tresia Clan’s clan head.”
Almost at the same moment Manny finished this sentence, he felt a strong surge of killing intent gus.h.i.+ng over. Such a feeling was as if someone had put a blade at his neck, making his heart palpitate, and he felt very uncomfortable.
‘Old man, you’ve really gotten me in trouble.
‘Why do I have to do this?
‘This can’t do, I must ask for an additional one hundred gold when I get back.’
Initially, they had also considered not telling Fang Xingjian. However, as long as Fang Xingjian was not deaf, he would eventually find out. Rather than letting him be the last person to find out, they might as well tell him earlier.
Manny gulped and continued, “Kaunitz’s uncle, someone who disappeared ten years ago, is a Conferred Knight. We’ve only just heard about this as well. This is obviously the Tresia Clan’s final trump card.
“By right, this does not mean anything, since even a Conferred Knight cannot be recklessly covering up for his nephew.
“But five years ago, he went to the Imperial Capital and three months ago and became one of the five Deputy Commanders of the Imperial Guards. All of these were achieved by the help of the First Prince.
“Based on our understanding, it was because he was unable to leave behind any heirs that he was made a hidden card by both the First Prince and Tresia Clan’s clan head.
“You know, the leaders.h.i.+p positions in the Imperial Guards are viewed differently by the royal family.”
Seeing that Fang Xingjian still remained silent, Manny felt that the atmosphere was growing increasingly tense. He let out a cough and continued.
“Kaunitz is already a cripple now. Mongul Royal Academy’s Headmaster Oliver broke the tendons in his arms and legs. Now, his five attributes will never exceed 10 points, and he’s not even able to circulate his Waves and mental cultivation method. He is truly a cripple now, and there’s not much difference whether he’s dead or alive.
“Moreover, he has been striped of his position as a Knight and banished to become a commoner.
“Tresia Clan’s clan head’s request is very simple: to spare Kaunitz and let him carry on the family line.
“In exchange, Kaunitz’s uncle Adri will betray the First Prince, and as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, he will become one of us, coming under the Second Prince.”
The Second Prince was the strong backer behind Huang Lin and Jackson, the person they swore their loyalty to. In the past, Fang Xingjian had guessed this, but he had not expected it to be confirmed under this situation.
“Xingjian, if Adri joins us, you know well what benefits it would bring us, including helping the Second Prince gain control in the Imperial Capital and dealing the First Prince a setback, and the only price to pay is handing a cripple over to them.
“The Tresia Clan has a.s.sured us that Kaunitz will not take a single step out of the house in this lifetime.”
Seeing that Fang Xingjian was so silent that it felt creepy, so Manny patted him on the shoulder and said, “Xingjian, look at the bigger picture.”
Fang Xingjian’s brows relaxed and his eyelids drooped down. He looked as if he was a ten thousand year old mountain of ice. “From the very start, since I was young, I have only wanted to devote all of my focus onto swinging my sword, seeking the highest level in the path of sword arts.
“But the world is unfair. In this world, people who devote all their attention to working on something while being oblivious to the world tend to not succeed in life.
“Everything is related to connections, plots and conspiracies, the way of the world… With the human heart mixed together with too many distractions, how would one be able to appreciate the unrivaled view at the very top?
“With so many people getting paid for not doing their job, joining forces with crooks, I can’t even practice my sword in peace.
“This is a bad feeling, a very bad feeling.”
At that moment, Manny abruptly stood up. Although he did not understand many indirect words mentioned by Fang Xingjian, including corpses, demons, and thoughts, he seemed to feel as if there was a ferocious beast right before his eyes, baring its fangs and claws at him, waiting to choose a person to devour.
He looked at Fang Xingjian with a grim look and said, “Xingjian, don’t be rash. And, in apology, they are willing to compensate you with five thousand gold. This is sufficient for you to buy one of the best level 19 Inferior Divine Weapons.”
Fang Xingjian’s aura gradually reduced and disappeared. He once again appeared to be a harmless student, as if what Manny had seen earlier was but an illusion.
Fang Xingjian smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I won’t be rash.”
Manny nodded, but still felt a bit worried. He had already decided to send someone to keep an eye on Fang Xingjian for twenty-four hours, seven days a week to prevent him from creating trouble.
After Manny left, Fang Xingjian let out a cold laugh.
In the past, Fang Xingjian had also been an ordinary person. He too had once thought of cultivating by himself in silence, secretly becoming stronger and eventually reaching the very top.
But ever since he was harmed back in Demonic City, thrown into a foreign land, and modified by the purple flames, he had lost all of his emotions, leaving behind only feelings of fury and vengeance. However, he was able to have a clearer mind, especially after his mental cultivation method had mutated. His thoughts and his heart had grown increasingly clear.
The society’s resources were in the grasps of those in the upper echelon. Therefore, regardless of which line they were in, the people who wished to climb up and become stronger would naturally need to solicit with the people in the upper echelon. They would also need to observe the societal rules set out for them. While they were given benefits, they would also need to be suppressed and exploited. This was unavoidable.
It did not matter if these rules were underhanded or aboveboard, kind or cruel.
The world’s darkness was like a cage, imprisoning his heart. He wanted to seek out real peace, true freedom of the heart. To do that, he could only slash with his sword, killing all the external demons before his eyes, seeking true satisfaction.
He gradually stood up, and with just one step, he left the villa like a breeze. Accompanied by streams of sword Qi all over his body, he took another three consecutive steps, appeared outside Kirst Royal Academy and headed for Kirst City.
Kaunitz was someone he must kill.
But this would mean that he would be fully cutting off all ties with many people and would have affected the so-called bigger picture. He may even be pursued by many strong warriors from Kirst. However, with Fang Xingjian’s value, they would not go as far as killing him.
But imprisoning Fang Xingjian would also affect his partic.i.p.ation in the Regional Selection.
Therefore, before he kills Kaunitz, he planned to spend all the ten thousand gold he has on hand, buying equipment, medicine, and supplies.
Ten thousand gold was sufficient to last him for the next three months. At most, he could go into hiding for three months after killing Kaunitz and then partic.i.p.ate in the Regional Selection when the time comes.
All official Knights had the rights to partic.i.p.ate in the Regional Selection. And once one pa.s.sed the Regional Selection to become a Conferred Knight, acts of killing a useless b.u.m like Kaunitz would be nothing.
His mental cultivation method circulated increasingly faster in his consciousness and his mastery in it grew at a crazy rate, hoping to get yet another breakthrough under such tremendous pressure. Especially now that Fang Xingjian had just reached a bottleneck with regards to attaining Heaven’s Perception, he only felt that the ether particles’ existence was growing increasingly clearly as his mental cultivation method circulated endlessly.
However, something like a layer of fog was still clouding up his heart, causing him to be unable to truly attain a breakthrough.
He had a feeling that as long as he kills Kaunitz and completely put an end to their relations.h.i.+p, his mind would be relaxed and he would have an extremely high chance of attaining a breakthrough, reaching the realm of Heaven’s Perception and have a chance of aiming for the second transition.