Sable initially thought of Long Tao's plan to be unbeatable. But the talk just now made him realize a new perspective of looking at the situation. The whole plan was built straight upon the choice Nightshade would be making. Just as Long Tao said, If he chose to attack the princess with all their forces, he included, she would be dead by now. The choice of the division was the condition that led to the downfall of the assassins.
"Look at it from a different perspective. What if they would have attacked tomorrow instead of today? The situation would be totally unpredictable as well. Another pillar leading to our success is that they chose to attack today itself." Sable didn't speak out this time. He took his time understanding the situation and looking at it from more critical angles. Although Long Tao's plan was ingenious, he had prepared for just one of the outcomes. Anything deviating from that would have been a probability game.
Two figures appeared soon enough. "You people are here. How was the party." One of the figures lifted his hands to show two heads which were cleaved off the body. Long Tao gave out a smile. As he thought two more people to take care of the kill. "These two are the people I would like you to meet Sable." Sable looked at the two figures and contemplated it.
"He is the 2nd prince of the Chu kingdom. The other one is one of my new accomplishments. You might have heard of his name to be quite famous in Chu country. Tiger Zheng" Sable was shocked upon knowing the identity of the two people. One was the prince of the Chu kingdom, and the other was the most infamous bandit leader in the Chu borders. Tiger Zheng was quite famous due to his strength which was at Qi General level 3.
Sable bowed down to greet both of them. "This is the guy who was going to back you up in case of need. His name is Sable." The 2nd prince was also surprised. He had heard that name before somewhere. As he tried to remember it, he got a jolt of surprise. The man who led the rebellion after the attack on the mines. "How does brother Long knows Sir Sable?". "He is an acquaintance I met by chance during my mission of assassination in the Chu country." Long Tao answered normally.
"I am pleased to make an acquaintance of the 2nd prince. You might have heard of my name, against the rebellion in the mine's region. Hope the imperial highness would pardon my act. "The second prince was even more surprised at seeing Sable openly admitting the fact. "No need to have your guard up the prince. I wouldn't have let you two meet if not for having a friendly relationship with each other. He would like to be an ally of yours. I think you would appreciate the help you might need to ascend the throne."
There was a strange rumor around the capital was that the second prince was just a fighting addict. He didn't have any interest in the throne of eth country. But after interacting with him for such a long time, Long Tao already saw through the pretense. He was in fact was someone who was quite interested. The only thing he was lacking for showing his fangs out was allies who would back him in the court itself. Long Tao wanted the guy to be the leader. He was quite integral to the plan he had.
The second wanted to guard himself "I didn't quite understand what you meant form that sir Long. "Long Tao showed a light expression. "Please drop the façade prince. Both you and I know how much you desire the throne itself. And I think you are quite eligible out of the three. Your first brother is an over-enthusiastic bastard who is too arrogant. The third brother of yours is an alchemist. The last thing he would come here to do is to handle the kingdom. As per the sister, she is either too delicate or extremely cunning to have maintained that image of hers. In either of the case, she would be unfit to rule. That leaves you."
"Honestly, I would like to betty money on you being the best choice for the throne. Too bad your father doesn't see it. "The second prince was quite surprised for the evaluation of Long Tao. This guy was bad news. He was too susceptive to nature and was able to detect his personality. There was no use to showcase it as of now. But he wanted to clarify something. "Although brother Long's evaluation is quite appreciated by me, why would you think of supporting me. Don't you fear I will grab your subordinates and work against you."
Long Tao gave a narrow glance to the three people. "You three, heehaw. Why don't you add your father on top of that? I assure I would still be able to kill you all as of now. Want to try dying." The air around suddenly got incredibly heavy. The prince for the first time felt his life in mortal danger from an enemy who was just looking at him. It was not suppression of cultivation. Rather it was Bloodlust that overwhelmed the three of them. Bothe Sable and Tiger Zheng were reminded of who they were standing in front of.
"No reason to get a scare prince. You always need to take all the factors into consideration as a leader of the kingdom. There is a need for allies, and the people I am providing you with are alive due to my merciful attitude towards them. Their lives are something which is given by me. If they ever dare to forget that, there will be a hell lot to pay. Also, I don't think you are capable enough to entice them more than me. Let's make a bet shall we. I dare you to try and entice them. If you can, I will leave you guys to your devices. "Long Tao rose and left for his room, leaving three figures in deep contemplation.
The next day-
This was the last day of the peace talks. The king himself was present to oversee the whole matter. "I have already heard the reports on your side princess. I would like to have a peaceful relationship with the Jiao country now that our neighbor is starting to make some weird moves. I will help you with this peace proposition, but I have a condition. "
"What is it?' Jiao Mingue asked the King. "before stating it I would like to fulfill my promise with brother Long here. Shall we proceed towards the arena." He signaled at Long Tao to accompany me. The whole Chu royal court went to the arena to experience the battle. The king was a sword user. After a long time, Long Tao was finally fighting with a figure who was stronger than him. He bowed out of respect. " I hope to gain some pointers regarding my art, your majesty." The king laughed out and lifted his sword. He was a long sword user.
The fight formally began, with Long Tao charging out first. He can't let the opposite party take the initiation. It would be bad for him. So, he decided to charge in the first instance. The clashes were normal. Both of them were refraining from using QI and just using their bodies to attack along with the weapon in hand. But a stalemate was soon reached. "I think we are equivalent in terms of skill my lord.". The king laughed "Let's get a bit serious." The stalemate was broken soon.
To everybody's astonishment, it was Long Tao who was in a disadvantaged position. He couldn't think of a single way to overcome the King's power. He tried using more of his force, but his situation kept getting worse. They separated after some time. "Do you know what your biggest weakness is Long Tao? It's your overconfidence when fighting someone of the same realm as you. You rely on QI and body strength so much, that you have lost control of your own body. You can't control your footwork properly. Footwork lays the most basic foundation which leads to one's mastery over the sword. You need to understand and respect that."
Long Tao felt enlightened from this brawl. He requested the king for a few more rounds and the two continued for hours until it was already sunset. "we would be stopping here brother Long. I hope you have gained something from this fight because I sure have. I did learn that there are always people who are above you. Let's have a fight again sometime in the future." Long Tao was quite satisfied with the brawl today. The Chu king was like an angel pointing out every fault he had and instructing him. He managed to gain multiple insights into his arts.
"I have thought of eth condition princess." The princess got attentive after hearing these words. "I would like to have a marriage between families. There is no better way to establish friendship than a connection by blood."
