Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Chapter 1131 Subduing Yan Xiaoyi in One Move!

Gao Yao returned to his seat, took out a rough map from his pocket, and spread it on the table. The map was marked with Nanqing, Beiqi, Dongyi, and some other markings that Li Yunrui had never seen before.

"This is......"

"This is a map of the world's situation that I have compiled based on information from various sources." Gao Yao pointed to the map. "Your Highness, please take a look. Southern Qing appears powerful, but in reality, it is riddled with internal conflicts. Between Emperor Qing and Fan Xian, between Emperor Qing and Your Highness, between Fan Xian and Your Highness, between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince... Once these conflicts erupt, Southern Qing will fall into civil war."

Li Yunrui nodded; she naturally knew all of this.

“And my plan is,” Gao Yao continued, “to gradually redirect these conflicts outward.”

"Directing it outwards?"

“Not bad.” Gao Yao’s finger moved across the map. “The Northern Qi is also riddled with factions. The struggle between the young emperor and the empress dowager is no secret. Although Grandmaster Si Gu Jian is in charge of Dongyi City, there is no successor. Once Si Gu Jian passes away, Dongyi will surely be in chaos.”

"You mean..."

“I mean, rather than letting the conflicts erupt within Nanqing, let them become the driving force for external expansion.” Gao Yao’s voice was full of temptation. “Your Highness can imagine that if Nanqing can unify the world, you will no longer be the Eldest Princess, but… Her Highness the Eldest Princess, or even higher.”

Li Yunrui's heart raced slightly. Unifying the world—this was Emperor Qing's ambition, but wasn't it also hers? If she could witness the unification of Southern Qing in her lifetime, she could prove to Emperor Qing that she was no less capable than Ye Qingmei!

Li Yunrui's fingertips tapped lightly on the armrest of the rosewood chair, the wood grain gleaming with a dark golden luster in the candlelight. Her gaze never left Gao Yao's face, his excessively youthful features bearing a half-smile, as if he had everything under control.

She tried to remain calm, but the turmoil within her was like a surging tide.

The newly appointed Grandmaster is a mystery, and his actions are unpredictable.

Li Yunrui had sketched the image of this grandmaster in his mind countless times: perhaps an old monster who had lived in seclusion in the deep mountains for many years, perhaps a secret trump card cultivated by the Northern Qi, or even a barbarian master who had suddenly emerged from the Western Hu.

But she never imagined that the other party would appear in front of her in this way and on this occasion—the mysterious boss behind Gao's Restaurant, a person who built a business network spanning three countries in just two years with his business acumen.

“Mr. Gao,” Li Yunrui finally spoke, his voice calm and unwavering, “your proposal is very tempting. But you should know that to achieve what you’ve said, simply knowing a grandmaster and having business acumen is far from enough.”

She paused, picked up the celadon teacup beside her, the clear tea reflecting the glint of her eyes: "Especially those Grandmasters, they transcend worldly affairs and are unrestrained. Ye Qingmei was incredibly talented back then, yet she never truly controlled any Grandmaster, did she?"

The rim of the teacup touched her lips, and the warm liquid slid down her throat, making her thoughts clearer: "If I want to cooperate, I need to confirm the Grandmaster's attitude. If possible, I hope to meet him."

This was a test, but also the first step she had to take. Li Yunrui knew all too well that in the heart of the power vortex of the Qing Kingdom, one wrong step would mean utter ruin.

She already controlled the imperial treasury, had many supporters in the court, and her secret connections with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince formed an intricately woven web. But she had never truly mastered the power of the pinnacle of martial arts—the Grandmaster level, a power capable of changing the fate of a nation.

Gao Yao slowly put down his teacup, the porcelain cup clinking against the table with a crisp sound.

His movements as he stood up were slow, yet possessed an indescribable rhythm, as if each step was perfectly timed. Li Yunrui's pupils contracted slightly; she noticed that the swaying of Gao Yao's robes as he rose did not stir up a single breeze.

Yan Xiaoyi tensed all his muscles almost simultaneously. As a top-tier expert of the ninth rank, his perception of danger far surpassed that of ordinary people. The moment Gao Yao stood up, he felt an invisible pressure surge like a tide, so heavy that it made it difficult to breathe. His hand had already quietly moved to his waist, where his signature weapon—the Cloud Piercing Arrow—was hidden.

"Commander Yan, there's no need to be nervous." Gao Yao's voice remained gentle, but his movements were so fast that they exceeded the limits of sight.

Li Yunrui only saw a blur flash by, and by the time she reacted, Gao Yao was already standing beside Yan Xiaoyi. Yan Xiaoyi's reaction was incredibly fast; his right hand shot out like an eagle's claw, and the true energy of a ninth-rank expert condensed into a faint blue light in his palm. If this claw landed firmly, even fine steel would be left with five finger marks.

But Gao Yao's hands were faster.

His hand landed seemingly lightly on Yan Xiaoyi's left shoulder. In that instant, a dull thud resounded in the air, as if a thousand-pound weight had crashed to the ground. Yan Xiaoyi felt as if a mountain had crushed him, his right knee slamming uncontrollably into the ground.

"Click——"

The paving stones shattered with a crash, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outwards from where Yan Xiaoyi was kneeling. Yan Xiaoyi's face turned deathly pale instantly, and a mouthful of blood gushed from his mouth, blooming into a glaring red flower under the lamplight. He struggled to lift his head, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock as he looked at Gao Yao.

At the ninth rank, he was only one step away from becoming a Grandmaster. Yan Xiaoyi had fought against the Shadow of the Overwatch Council, confronted Shang Shanhu on the border of Northern Qi, and even had a brief encounter with Hong Sixiang during a secret mission. He was well aware of the gap between himself and a Grandmaster, but he never imagined that the gap would be so vast—so vast that the other party could render him powerless with a mere touch.

Li Yunrui stood up abruptly, the sandalwood chair sliding backward with a screeching sound as it scraped against the floor. She stumbled back three steps until her back hit the cold wall. The candlelight flickered in her eyes, reflecting an undisguised horror deep within her pupils.

Yan Xiaoyi was her greatest asset in martial arts. Throughout the entire Qing Kingdom, only a handful of people could reliably defeat Yan Xiaoyi—the four Grandmasters certainly could, perhaps the mysterious figure from the Overwatch Council could, and Eunuch Hong in the palace should also possess that strength. But these were all seasoned monsters with decades of experience, while Gao Yao before her...

“You…” Li Yunrui’s voice trembled for the first time, “You are the newly promoted Grandmaster.”

This was not a question, but a confirmation. All the clues connected at this moment: the background of Gao's Restaurant's ability to navigate among powerful figures from various countries with ease, the seemingly coincidental but actually ingenious business strategies, and the absolute military force displayed at this moment.