Chapter 63: This Debt of Gratitude

Looking at Li Shanshan's currently bewildered expression, Su Yang could not help but feel a helpless sense of resignation. This little girl certainly had a carefree heart to be able to sleep soundly under such circumstances. However, Su Yang also knew this was entirely due to himself; had he not been unconscious for several days, Li Shanshan would not have been so utterly exhausted.

With this thought in mind, Su Yang replied very gently, "Yes, I'm awake. Thank you..."

Hearing this, a blush crept onto Li Shanshan's small face. Soon realizing she was still held in Su Yang's embrace, she somewhat bashfully broke free. Yet when she saw that she was currently suspended in mid-air, with ruins stretching out beneath her feet, she asked with a blank expression, "What... what happened?"

"Su Yang, are you alright?" Elder Yu's voice rang out once more as she hurried over to Su Yang's side.

"I'm fine, Elder Yu," Su Yang said with a slight smile.

Although he had been ambushed, Su Yang did not believe this was Elder Yu's fault. After all, to dare strike within the Prince's Estate of Liang, the mastermind behind the scenes was undoubtedly extraordinary.

Could it have been arranged by the Watching Moon Sect?

Su Yang could not help but harbor suspicions.

"Phew, as long as you're fine, as long as you're fine." Seeing Su Yang looking so full of vitality, Elder Yu finally set her mind at ease.

If anything were to happen to Su Yang, how would she ever explain it to the Sect Master?

"Hmph! What on earth are you bunch of useless trash good for? You actually allowed assassins to sneak into this Prince's estate?" An angry roar reverberated both inside and outside the Liang Estate.

It was none other than the Prince of Liang, who appeared before everyone's eyes with a gloomy expression.

The corpses of the slain assassins had been lined up in an open space, and the Liang Estate experts who had been on guard duty lowered their heads, their entire bodies trembling. They dared not retort, nor did they dare utter another word...

"Prince of Liang, this is my fault. Had I not been too careless, I wouldn't have let the assassins slip in," Elder Yu proactively took the blame upon herself.

"Hmph, regardless, I will thoroughly investigate this matter. To dare commit murder in my Liang Estate—what colossal nerve!" The Prince of Liang's face was livid. He never imagined that anyone would actually dare to come to his territory to assassinate Su Yang; it was sheer arrogance and utter disregard for him.

Fortunately, Su Yang was unharmed. Had Su Yang met with an untimely end, his relationship with the Xuantian Sect would have completely deteriorated, and remaining neutral at that point would likely have been impossible.

Su Yang also descended from the air, approaching the Prince of Liang to say, "Your Highness, it's just a trivial matter, there's no need to fly into a rage."

"Look, aren't I perfectly fine?"

Seeing Su Yang full of vigor, the Prince of Liang naturally felt much more at ease, while simultaneously marveling at Su Yang's formidable recovery ability.

His battle with Elder Wuqing was still vivid in his memory. For anyone else, even if they survived, they would surely have sustained severe injuries and been bedridden for years. Yet Su Yang, standing right before him, had completely recovered after being unconscious for merely five days. It was truly terrifying.

He was truly worthy of possessing the Supreme Bloodline!

"My apologies, little brother. It was this Prince's negligence. Fortunately, you're fine; if anything had truly happened to you, Sect Master Xuan probably wouldn't have let this Prince off the hook either. Hahaha!" The Prince of Liang chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Just as Su Yang and the Prince of Liang were conversing, Elder Yu had already walked over to the corpses of the men in black, removing their masks one by one. They were all completely unfamiliar faces.

This caused Elder Yu to furrow her brow and murmur, "They don't look like people from the Central State."

At that moment, a Liang Estate expert suddenly spoke up, "Chief Steward, this subordinate seems to have seen one of these men somewhere before..."

"Oh? Who is it?" Elder Yu hurriedly asked.

The Liang Estate expert stared at the corpse with the scar across its face, pondered for a moment, and then stated with absolute certainty, "Reporting to the Chief Steward, this man is known as Scar-faced Tiger, a rather notorious assassin from Youzhou. When this subordinate was stationed in Youzhou years ago, I caught a glimpse of him."

"Scar-faced Tiger? Hmph! Since that's the case, investigate this fellow's identity thoroughly for this Chief Steward." Elder Yu's face was chillingly cold, radiating frost.

At the same time, she wondered inwardly: Who on earth would go to the lengths of deploying operatives all the way from Youzhou to assassinate Su Yang? Could it really be an arrangement by the Watching Moon Sect?

"Understood, this subordinate will investigate right away!"

Upon hearing this, the Liang Estate expert hurriedly requested leave and departed.

The Prince of Liang walked up to Elder Yu, his tone exceptionally icy as well, "Regardless of who is uncovered, show no hesitation. This Prince is determined to dig out the mastermind behind this."

"Though this Prince generally minds my own business, that does not mean my Liang Estate can be trampled upon by anyone."

"This Prince may have banked the stove fire, but it hasn't been extinguished yet."

Seeing that the Prince of Liang was genuinely enraged this time, Elder Yu could not help a slight tremor running through her body. She had served in the Liang Estate for decades, yet she had never seen the Prince lose his composure to this extent.

"Rest assured, I will investigate it as soon as possible," Elder Yu replied.

News of the incident at the Liang Estate had already reached many surrounding factions.

Some rejoiced, some marveled, and others felt deeply disappointed.

Within the imperial palace, the person holding three iron beads wore a very relaxed expression. In his view, the failure of the plan was entirely within expectations; his sole objective was merely to muddy the waters in the Central State.

As for whether the Prince of Liang could track the deed back to him, it mattered little. Even if he were discovered, what could they do about it?

Unless they dared to make an enemy of the Great Xia Dynasty, they would simply have to swallow their anger and keep it to themselves.

"Next, let us watch the Third Prince perform."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the palace, upon learning that Su Yang had been the target of an assassination attempt, the Third Prince appeared thoroughly composed, as if he had anticipated such a scene.

Holding a brush to paint, he murmured to himself, "Royal Uncle, it seems you are starting to grow anxious as well. However, this Prince will not fall into your trap."

The news of Su Yang's assassination attempt quickly swept across the entire Central State. While many speculated on who had given the order, the general consensus pointed toward the Watching Moon Sect.

After all, at that moment, the Watching Moon Sect was the one that desired Su Yang's death the most.

However, Bai Ruyue had already departed the Central State along with two elders, returning to their own sect.

Upon returning to the Liang Estate, Sect Master Xuan also learned of Su Yang's assassination attempt. He was deeply shocked that anyone would dare commit murder within the Liang Estate; the mastermind behind it undoubtedly possessed formidable strength, otherwise who would dare risk offending the Prince of Liang?

At the same time, he was astonished by Su Yang's rapid recovery. Not only had he healed, but he had even managed to turn the tables and kill multiple assassins. That was simply too fierce...

"Your Highness, I truly apologize. I almost brought trouble to your doorstep," Xuan Tian, the Prince of Liang, and Su Yang were gathered in a single room, and Xuan Tian looked at the Prince of Liang with a smile.

"You speak of the wrong thing, Sect Master Xuan. If Su Yang hadn't recovered so quickly on his own, I truly wouldn't have known how to face you," the Prince of Liang said with a wry smile.

Su Yang remained silent throughout.

"Su Yang, regarding the matter involving Wang Yiyi, I hope you can understand. As things stand, it seems my son is unworthy of her. However, since this Prince has already given his word, I must salvage a bit of face somehow."

"How about this—shall we let Wang Yiyi bear a bad reputation instead?" the Prince of Liang asked with narrowed eyes.

Hearing this and knowing what calculations the Prince of Liang was making, Su Yang smiled and replied, "Your Highness, you are the lord of an estate after all, and you surely know better how to handle this. Shanshan is merely a gentle woman, so I think there's no need to resort to such measures, right?"

"Hahaha, well, you rascal. You really don't give this Prince any face at all."

"Very well, very well. Let us consider this whole affair as the result of this Prince acting too rashly without thorough consideration. As for the betrothal, let it be as though it never happened."

"However, this young lady seems utterly devoted to you, hehe. I hope you will cherish her well," the Prince of Liang said with a smile.

"Rest assured, this junior knows what to do." Ever since the battle involving Ye Beicheng, Su Yang had come to understand a single truth: some people are only truly appreciated after they are nearly lost.

Therefore, no matter what, he could not辜负 (fail to live up to) Li Shanshan's deep affection.