I became a prince in a martial arts world.

"Interesting, that makes sense."

Before anyone knew it, Wei Gutong had appeared at the main table, beckoning to Yan Ziyu and Yuan Feifei, "Our great revenge is indeed worth celebrating. Come and sit down with us."

Then the drums and music began, and the sounds of clinking glasses continued to echo in Qianliu Manor. However, the laughter, noise, and chatter all seemed a bit stiff and unnatural.

Yan Ziyu looked at Wang Yu with scrutiny and appreciation in her eyes. "Your Highness Zhao is very thoughtful."

Although Ding Jianshen's family was doomed even without Wang Yu's intervention, since their crimes were not yet confirmed, the Ding family might still be branded as having offended a master from the Central Plains and suffering a devastating massacre.

Now, with Wang Yu's words, the Ding family was directly accused of colluding with bandits to murder for money. It was only natural for Yuan Feifei to come for revenge. Her revenge was clear and straightforward, leaving no room for further discussion.

In a sense, it even elevated the righteous deeds of Wei Gutong and Yan Ziyu. Although the couple didn't care, they did benefit from it and had a very good impression of Wang Yu.

"It's nothing!" Wang Yu waved his hand. "The Zhenxi Prince's Mansion is committed to ensuring that the people under its jurisdiction live and work in peace and contentment, that trade routes are smooth, and that it is mortal enemies with bandits and thieves."

"Their collusion with bandits is disrespecting me; disrespecting me means looking down on the Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion; looking down on the Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion means going against the people of the world; going against the people of the world means they deserve to die."

The crowd, "..."

Those who could sit in the main hall were all prominent figures in Longshan Prefecture, who had seen all sorts of storms and waves. However, Wang Yu's words still left them speechless, giving them a profound understanding of the rumors that Wang Yu was "eccentric and arrogant."

Without a crazy mind and an arrogant personality, one could say such things so confidently.

Li Yunxiu compared Zhao Yu's behavior in the capital and wanted to advise Wang Yu to tone it down.

Zhao Yingjie looked at Wang Yu with admiration, feeling that his previous boastful performance in front of outsiders was utterly pathetic.

Qianqian suppressed a smile and subtly observed Wang Yu from the side, seemingly trying to figure out what kind of person he really was.

Even Yan Ziyu was somewhat stunned, while Wei Gutong could only laugh wryly.

However, Wang Yu didn't care at all. He looked at the guqin next to Yan Ziyu's hand. Sure enough, it had ice marks and water patterns, which was very different from ordinary guqin. "Ice Spring Melody? What a good name."

"It's a good instrument too."

Mentioning the zither, Wei Gutong's interest surged. "This zither belonged to Yuan Shanggui, a great zither master from a hundred years ago. Master Yuan's zither skills were superb; his rendition of 'Ice Mountain Flowing Spring' is enough to secure his place in history. I am no match for him!"

Li Yunxiu continued, "'Ice Mountain Flowing Spring' is both a zither piece and a martial art. Master Yuan used the music to enter the Dao and achieve the Innate Realm, passing it down to the Yuan family lineage. Unfortunately, no one in later generations has mastered this skill."

Wei Gutong shook his head in dissatisfaction and pointed at Li Yunxiu, saying, "Masters of the innate realm are not rare, but 'Ice Mountain Flowing Spring' is comparable to the ancient elegant music 'High Mountains and Flowing Water,' and is worthy of being passed down for thousands of years. The difference in their importance is evident."

Li Yunxiu raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement.

"Compared to the musical score of 'Iceberg Flowing Spring,' its martial arts are actually not extraordinary. Yuan Shanggui was able to enter the Innate Realm because of his own innate talent. Later generations do not have this talent, so it is naturally difficult for them to enter the Innate Realm," Yan Ziyu explained to Li Yunxiu.

Li Yunxiu understood, and then heard Yan Ziyu continue, "My husband has a past relationship with the head of the Yuan family. A few days ago, he paid a visit, only to find that the Yuan family had been wiped out. He followed the trail to a cliff and unexpectedly saved Feifei, which led him to Longshan Prefecture."

There aren't many people in the martial arts world who are skilled in music. Wei Gutong is most skilled at playing the guqin, and the Yuan family has also passed down their guqin music. It's quite normal for them to know each other.

Back then, it was Wei Gutong who took the initiative to visit the Yuan family and ask to hear the music of "Ice Mountain Flowing Spring". As a result, the head of the Yuan family not only played it on the spot, but also gave him the score of "Ice Mountain Flowing Spring" as a gift. Strictly speaking, Wei Gutong still owed the Yuan family a favor.

Zhao Yingjie jokingly said it was a pity that Ding Xian hadn't found out about the Yuan family's circle of friends. If he had known that the head of the Yuan family was on very good terms with Mr. Gu Tong and had a powerful backer like Gu Tong Ziyu, he probably wouldn't have dared to make a move.

"That's not necessarily true." Yan Ziyu shook her head. "Since Rong Qingying is instigating things behind the scenes, Ding Jianshen and Ding Xian's martial arts skills are clearly insufficient to resist her secret techniques."

"Rong Qingying..." Li Yunxiu said with some doubt, "Forgive my ignorance, but I have never heard of this person's name before."

Rong Qingying was able to fight Yan Ziyu without being at a disadvantage, which clearly shows that she is also a master of innate skill. However, Li Yunxiu was not known by name, which means that she does not often travel in the martial arts world.

"Have you ever heard of the Thousand Sounds School?" Yan Ziyu asked.

"The Thousand Sounds Sect?" Li Yunxiu pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Could it be the Bewitching Sect, a branch of the Demonic Sect?"

The moment the name of the Demonic Sect was mentioned, the banquet, which had just been a charade of clinking glasses and exchanging toasts, fell completely silent. However, since it involved secrets of the martial arts world, those who were even slightly closer perked up their ears to listen.

Such opportunities to hear the secrets of the martial arts world are rare, and this will be enough to serve as a topic of conversation later, something to show off when meeting friends in private.

Yan Ziyu nodded, "The Thousand Sounds Sect is the Bewitching Sect, and the Bewitching Sect is the Thousand Sounds Sect."

Li Yunxiu laughed and said, "It is said that the Thousand Sounds Sect is a self-designation of the members of the Demonic Sect."

"That's not quite it." Wei Gutong shook his head. "The Demonic Sect was called the Holy Sect a few hundred years ago. It's only been called the Demonic Sect in the last one or two hundred years. It's mainly because there are good and bad people in the sect, and many of them do shady things. In addition, they got involved in the world's conflicts forty years ago and bet on the wrong thing. That's why they were almost completely destroyed and have been unable to recover."

"Oh?" Li Yunxiu was, after all, from a minor aristocratic family. Although he had received a lot of education, he knew little about the secrets of the martial arts world.

"Leaving aside everything else, just consider Mei Yanqiu, the previous leader of the Qianyin Sect. I have heard her playing the zither, and she is a truly elegant person, certainly not a dark and treacherous one," Wei Gutong said.

Yan Ziyu said, "It's a pity that there are good and bad people in the sect, especially that Rong Qingying, who is an elder of the Qianyin Sect. She seduces the seven emotions and has tempted many martial arts people to commit evil deeds. When Mei Yanqiu was alive, he could stop and punish her to some extent. Now that Mei Yanqiu has passed away, she is completely unrestrained."

Wang Yu grinned slightly. "She's already so capable, why would she want to seduce others to do evil?"

"I don't know either," Yan Ziyu shook her head and said, "Maybe it's for martial arts training, or maybe it's just a malicious thought, and she's happy to see others being played by her."

Wei Gutong and Yan Ziyu clearly didn't want to talk about the Demonic Sect anymore, so they changed the subject.

"Is the rumor about Prince Zhao's character wrong? Could it be that he has been feigning madness for the past ten years or so?" Yan Ziyu asked curiously.

Wang Yu laughed heartily, "In the capital, there are either a bunch of incompetent fools who hold their positions without contributing anything, or a bunch of arrogant and ignorant playboys. Why bother pretending to be stupid when facing these good-for-nothings?"

The feigned madness was indeed a perfect explanation for Wang Yu's inability to fully imitate Zhao Yu, which led to inconsistencies in his behavior. Li Yunxiu had considered this excuse before.

But if that's the case, it means that Zhao Yu was already a cunning and scheming young genius who could deceive the entire court of officials with his acting skills when he was less than ten years old!

Not to mention that Li Yunxiu didn't think the original Wang Yu had this ability, even the Wang Yu after the transmigration wouldn't dare say that he could show this level of cunning and intelligence.

Therefore, this excuse should not be used. It would be better to use the excuse that the father died suddenly and that he temporarily took on a great responsibility and grew up in a short period of time. This excuse would not only show that he had different qualities from Zhao Yu, but also allow him to occasionally show his true colors of being "eccentric and arrogant".

Yan Ziyu didn't think much of it. After all, Wang Yu was living in seclusion in the capital. Since he wouldn't encounter any trouble, he naturally wouldn't show off his abilities. With the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion as his backing, as long as it wasn't a serious crime like treason, he really didn't need to give anyone face.

Thinking of this, Yan Ziyu nodded, "Your Highness is insightful."

The people at the table all bowed, saying, "Your Highness is truly insightful!"

Wang Yu laughed heartily, then waved and called out, "Everyone, keep eating! Don't be shy!"

As he spoke, he placed a piece of pork on Yuan Feifei's plate. "Food is essential for life. You'll get hungry if you skip a meal. Now that Miss Yuan has avenged her great enemy, her family should be relieved in the afterlife. I'm sure they wouldn't want to see her losing her appetite and being depressed all the time, would they?"

"Thank you, Your Highness," Yuan Feifei said, but her brow remained furrowed with worry. "It's all because of me. If I hadn't brought Ding Xian home..."

"Sigh!" Wang Yu waved his hand, interrupting Yuan Feifei's self-reproach. "Instead of reflecting on yourself, you should blame others. Besides, this matter has nothing to do with you."

"Huh?" Yuan Feifei asked, puzzled.

Wang Yu said, "Didn't Madam Ziyu just say that there's Rong Qingying behind the Ding family? They've been eyeing the Yuan family for a long time. If you don't bring Ding Xian home, they'll naturally have other methods."

On the contrary to your self-blame and guilt, you were able to escape from the cliff fall and then received help from Senior Wei and his companion, avenging the Yuan family. You should actually be feeling proud and elated.

Wang Yu concluded, "The Yuan family's downfall wasn't your fault, but their revenge depends entirely on you!"

Yuan Feifei looked slightly bewildered. "Is that so?"

It doesn't feel right, but it sounds reasonable.

Yan Ziyu stroked Yuan Feifei's hair. "Of course it is like this. If you still felt guilty before, after Rong Qingying appeared, that last bit of self-blame should dissipate. This matter is indeed not your fault."

"Thank you, Auntie," Yuan Feifei said softly.

Li Yunxiu smiled slightly and put a piece of food on Yuan Feifei's plate. "You don't look well, little sister. You must have been feeling down lately. Now that you've cleared your mind, eat more."

Qianqian smiled and placed a piece of fish on Yuan Feifei's plate, saying, "Get a good night's sleep tonight."

Li Yunxiu invited, "If you gentlemen don't mind, you can stay at the Prince's residence. It's much more comfortable than the inns outside."

Wei Gutong nodded, "Then I'll take the trouble."

……

The wedding banquet at Qianliu Manor concluded amidst celebration. Everyone was satisfied except for the manor owner and his wife, who did not express any opinions.

Zhao Yingjie stayed behind with two guards to clean up the mess. This mainly involved directing the farmhands to collect the bodies of Ding Jianshen and his family, and then tallying up the number of Ding's collateral relatives, land, and wealth for later handover.