Chapter 166: Chapter 165: Candor

A member of the Wushan bloodline with immense cultivation talent and a pure lineage was simply too important to Lurans.

So, after he finished with his main duties, he came to Ronin to ask him personally.

As for Ronin, he knew that once his true strength was exposed, it would absolutely attract everyone’s attention, and that naturally included Lurans.

However, the question of how to explain his strength had always been a difficult problem for him.

The only thing that put him at ease was that the person asking was Lurans. His grandfather wouldn’t harbor any thoughts of cutting him down for standing out.

“Grandfather, the truth is, just a few days ago, my strength was still at the Advanced Level Peak.”

Ronin thought for a moment before deciding to tell him the truth. “But now, I’m a genuine Bronze Level Knight.”

As he spoke, he directly circulated his Fighting Qi.

Lurans only needed a moment to sense it and understand. The density of this Fighting Qi surpassed that of a typical Advanced Level Knight; calling it Bronze Level was a perfect fit.

“Excellent!”

He seemed to grip his cane with some trepidation, lifting it and then setting it back down.

Perhaps because he was overwhelmed with excitement, he failed to control his strength. The cane slammed heavily onto the floor, and the wood groaned under the pressure.

“Excellent! Excellent!”

Lurans could finally no longer conceal his excitement and burst into laughter. “Hahaha!”

“After lying dormant for thirty years, the Wushan Clan finally has a chance to rise to power once more!”

His face was now radiant, all signs of fatigue and illness swept away. “Ronin, in you, I see the shadow of your uncle, Gremes!”

Lurans paused for a moment before continuing, “However, you are even more outstanding than your uncle was!”

Ronin had still underestimated the impact and joy his strength would bring his grandfather.

“Thank you for the praise, Grandfather.”

Ronin smiled. “Actually, if it weren’t for the assassination attempt on Blanche, I wouldn’t have wanted to reveal my strength so soon. After all, things seem a bit unstable in the Wushan Territory right now.”

Lurans took a few deep breaths to calm his excitement.

“The Wushan Territory currently has disloyal vassals within and is surrounded by powerful enemies without. It is indeed unstable, just as you said.”

He was well aware of the situation in the Wushan Territory, and his tone carried a hint of despondency.

“However, if you had revealed your talent sooner, even if you had only hinted at it to me, I wouldn’t have sent you off to Mountain Forest Town.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Mountain Forest Town.”

Ronin argued, “Becoming the Baron of Mountain Forest Town allowed me to disappear from the public eye for the last half-year, at least. Otherwise, I might have suffered an assassination attempt like my father.”

At this, he couldn’t help but shake his head. “I have no desire to lose a leg like my father, or an arm like Baron German.”

Lurans was taken aback.

He seemed to understand why Ronin had hidden his strength and was even willing to go to Mountain Forest Town—it was all for the sake of peace and safety until he grew strong enough.

“You are wiser than I imagined.”

A flicker of memory seemed to surface in Lurans’s eyes. “Back then, if Gremes hadn’t been so conspicuous with his talents, perhaps he wouldn’t have been ambushed.”

Thirty years ago, at the age of twenty-four, Gremes’s combat power was comparable to that of a Bronze Level Peak Knight.

Many believed that in just a few years, the Wushan Territory would produce a Knight even more powerful than Lurans—one who could possibly reach the Silver Moon or even Proud Sun Level.

For any Kingdom or Great Lord, Low Level Knights could be ignored. But High Level Knights, especially those at the Meteor Level and above, were top-tier combatants who could not be taken lightly anywhere.

As for the Silver Moon Level, such individuals were known as one-man armies!

A single Silver Moon Level Knight was equivalent to an entire army. Unless faced with a Transcendent of the same level, it was nearly impossible to defeat such a being.

It could be said that Gremes’s performance put pressure on many nobles who did not wish to see the Wushan Territory prosper.

That plot was very likely driven by this reason as well.

Lurans didn’t press Ronin about when he had awakened his Fighting Qi Spirit Seed, or when he had become an Advanced Level Knight.

Because none of those questions mattered. What mattered was that his grandson was now at the Bronze Level.

“What do you plan to do next?”

Lurans changed the subject. “I see that Blanche’s attitude toward you is quite favorable. Perhaps this political marriage will be a success.”

“At that time, His Majesty the King might bestow a title upon you. You could take the opportunity to pledge fealty to His Majesty Bruno, become a noble of the Kingdom, and have the chance to obtain an even larger territory.”

Although a Baron of the Wushan Territory and a Baron of the Oduin Kingdom are both Barons, the object of their allegiance is different.

“Does becoming the King’s vassal mean I have to give up Mountain Forest Town?” Ronin asked.

Lurans nodded. “Naturally.”

Ronin already considered Mountain Forest Town his second home. Besides, he had discovered sericulture and kaolin there. How could he possibly be willing to give it up?

Moreover, a territory granted by the King came with a great deal of uncertainty.

If the territory was located in an even more chaotic region, it would be better to remain securely in the north of the Wushan Territory.

“In that case, I would still prefer to pledge my allegiance to you, Grandfather,” Ronin said with a smile.

“That is, of course, also an option!”

Lurans laughed. “Besides Mountain Forest Town, the only other territory in the northern part of Wushan is Sain Territory. I can grant them both to you then, which will be more than enough for you to manage and develop.”

Speaking of which, he recalled Ronin’s earlier assertions regarding Sain Territory.

“What kind of leverage do you have on that Reisen? Are you absolutely confident you can take him down?”

After this incident, Lurans felt much more at ease with Ronin. He was only asking now mainly out of curiosity.

He suspected that there were still things about Ronin that he didn’t know.

Ronin pondered for a moment, and Lurans didn’t rush him.

After a while, he finally spoke. “Grandfather, do you think this assassination attempt might be related to the Skull Society, the ones who tried to assassinate Father?”

Lurans shook his head. “I’ve heard Toru’s report. Currently, there’s no evidence pointing to the Skull Society. To be precise, the investigation into this assassination is unlikely to yield any results.”

“If, in the end, we can only pin the blame for the assassination of the princess on the Beast Fighting Arena’s vetting staff, it will only make Wushan Castle look incompetent.”

Ronin said, “We need a more compelling scapegoat.”

“A scapegoat?”

“Someone to take the fall.”

Lurans’s eyes lit up with understanding, having grasped the vivid meaning of this new term. “You want Reisen of Sain Territory to be this scapegoat?”

Ronin nodded.

“On the seventh of this month, I was attacked by the Skull Society in Mountain Forest Town. But that assassin knew too little about me. Not only did the assassination fail, but I also captured him alive.”

As he spoke, he took out the testimony given by Shadow and handed it to Lurans.

Fury toward the Skull Society flashed in Lurans’s eyes.

He hadn’t expected this organization to not only target his son but also his grandson. They were truly trying to wipe out his entire bloodline!

When he read the contents of the letter, his anger flared even hotter.

“The Sain Clan has followed the Wushan for two or three generations! To think that Reisen would commit such a disloyal act!”

Lurans handed the testimony back to Ronin. “What about the assassin? Did you bring him?”

“No, he’s still being held under guard at Mountain Forest Castle.”

Ronin folded the testimony again and put it away. “However, I brought another witness. He can also prove that Reisen wanted to kill me and took action to do so.”

“Oh? Who?”

Ronin glanced at the doorway. “Tom, come in.”

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