Chapter 10: His Excellency, The Ice Lord1
"Have you heard? His Excellency, the Ice Lord is already Xi Yue's prime minister."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. If what has been said is true, then Xi Yue doesn't need to be afraid of the Qi Lin and Bei Lang alliance attacking us."
"Mm, I too have heard that His Excellency, the Ice Lord is Xi Yue's prime minister. I also heard that on the first day of taking the official position, His Excellency, the Ice Lord killed two officials in front of the emperor, the ministers, and the generals. Additionally, in the first two days, His Excellency, the Ice Lord imprisoned the previous prime minister. I heard that he is going to be executed tomorrow."
"Is what you said all true?"
"Of course it is all true. My second older brother's wife's nephew is a petty official. This information is absolutely true. Furthermore, did you know that recently many official residences have been searched?"
"It seems to be related."
"It seems to be."
"If such things are occurring, then wouldn't Xi Yue fall into chaos?"
"You can be at ease. His Excellency, the Ice Lord has killed all of those evil officials. Otherwise, how could the emperor remain indifferent?"
"Mm, you're right."
"But didn't His Excellency, the Ice Lord say that he would not enter the court as an official? How did he suddenly become the prime minister?"
"His Excellency, the Ice Lord must know about the Qi Lin and the Bei Lang alliance, so he broke his pledge this year. Regardless, His Excellency, the Ice Lord will surely bring peace to Xi Yue."
"Yes, it will surely be like that."
From the words of the common people, it seemed like they worshipped and revered this so-called Ice Lord.
"Eh, that… If I can ask… Who is His Excellency, the Ice Lord? Why would all of you make way for him?" Bai Xi had been listening to everyone talking amongst one another and decided to speak up. She had determined that the carriage in front of her was the one she had encountered that day.
"Huh? Girl, you don't know who His Excellency, the Ice Lord is?" The common people looked strangely at the woman standing behind them, as if not knowing His Excellency, the Ice Lord made her hopelessly stupid. One should know that His Excellency, the Ice Lord was famous in the four countries. How could anyone not know of His Excellency, the Ice Lord?
"I grew up in the mountains and only in the last few days have I come to the capital to look for my relatives."
"Oh, no wonder." They nodded. Some people even enthusiastically explained it to her. "His Excellency, the Ice Lord is a powerful figure in Xi Yue and is a part of one of Xi Yue's oldest families, the Feng family. His Excellency, the Ice Lord is the Feng family's seventh patriarch and is considered a genius among genii. There is almost nothing in the world that he does not know. His appearance is unparalleled, possessing a pair of glittering eyes. His demeanour is cold and detached."
"His Excellency, the Ice Lord is the object of many women's adoration."
"You still haven't mentioned why you would make way for him?" It was good to hear a bit about this Ice Lord.
"His Excellency, the Ice Lord doesn't like it when someone blocks his path. He will kill any who blocks his way," a low voice explained from amongst the crowd.
The corners of Bai Xi's mouth curled upwards. Then, her expression froze. She raised her hand to touch the bump on her forehead, which had swollen. She had really been kicked out of the carriage. But then again, it didn't matter. Even if her forehead had a bump… Very well. She would remember this and return the favour to this Ice Lord.
Bai Xi's expression changed and her aura turned cold. The crowd around her were alarmed. "Girl, you…" The next words were stopped by a burst of yelling.
Ten shadows appeared out of thin air holding swords as they launched a surprise attack on the trundling carriage. The crowd of commoners started to flee in fear, the scene quickly devolving into chaos. The bustling street cleared, but Bai Xi did not leave, watching the scene with interest. On the other hand, Mu Qiu fretted over where the crowd was pushing her.
It was not clear whether the black-clad assassins' skills were too low, or if the carriage driver's level of kung fu was too high, but regardless, the carriage driver was able to deal with the sudden attack deftly. The person within the carriage had yet to make an appearance, but Bai Xi noted that notwithstanding the assassins' skills, none had been able to approach within three steps of the carriage. Any attempts from any angle were flung aside. It was as if the carriage was protected by an invisible shield.
In less than 5 minutes2, almost all the assassins were dead, seemingly by the sword of the carriage driver. Upon closer inspection, however, it was apparent that any who had made it within three steps of the carriage had been thrown to the ground and had never risen thereafter. Bai Xi's eyes narrowed a little. This was no ordinary carriage driver, and the person inside must not be either.
The strong stench of blood pervaded the entire street, now deserted and littered with bodies. The carriage driver sheathed his sword as if nothing had happened and continued to drive.
Bai Xi smiled slightly. She picked up a stone and threw it at the departing carriage. As she expected, the stone did not make its target, but instead, it rebounded with great force.
Upon hearing a loud bang, Bai Xi looked at the stalls behind her which had been destroyed by the stone. Was this the internal force from the ancient times?
Finally, the crowd dispersed, allowing Mu Qiu to find Bai Xi. "Young miss, are you…" The word 'injured' had not yet been spoken when Bai Xi chuckled and said, "Interesting."
"Eh?" Was the young miss scared?
"Let's return to the residence." Bai Xi left the bloody scene. Mu Qiu did not follow until she realised the distance between her and Bai Xi had grown, and then she ran to catch up. She did not notice the corpses strewn across the floor. Otherwise, she definitely would have fainted.
When Bai Xi reached the residence, she heard that her older brother's marriage had been annulled. Apparently, her older brother had personally requested such from the emperor. She would not have expected the emperor to agree, which made her curious as to how her older brother had managed to persuade him.
After setting foot in Xi Yuan, Mu Qiu took in a deep breath and said, "It is truly great. By good fortune, the old master did not find out that young miss left the residence."
"That's not necessarily the case." Bai Xi did not want to frighten little Qiu Qiu, but she could tell that there was a strange tension in the air inside Xi Yuan.
"Eh? Young miss said…" Mu Qiu had only just relaxed, but now her guard was up again. She seemed to have noticed that Xi Yuan was not quite the same. Did the old master really know? Surely not? If it was the old master, then it should not be possible for all of the servants in Xi Yuan to disappear.
"Little Qiu Qiu, there is a visitor in the courtyard. Go and prepare some refreshments so we may receive these guests." In contrast to Mu Qiu's nervous demeanour, Bai Xi only smiled, the expression not quite reaching her eyes. If she did not guess incorrectly, there was more than one guest, and it was absolutely not her dad.
1.(冰殿大人) This translates to something like "master ice temple", but that sounded too strange, so I changed it.↩
2. In Chinese, it says "in less time than it takes for a joss stick to burn", which is roughly 5 minutes.↩