Second Prince Chen Yi stood outside the door of the tea house’s private room, took a deep breath, and adjusted his clothes and crown once more.
Ensuring his posture was sufficiently respectful without losing his royal dignity, he finally raised his hand and lightly knocked on the door.
"Enter," Ning Xian’s cold voice drifted from within.
Chen Yi pushed the door open and stepped inside, his gaze quickly sweeping across the room.
He saw two people sitting by the window.
One was a woman in a plain white dress, her aura as cold and ethereal as an immortal. She held a cup of clear tea, her gaze resting indifferently upon him.
The other was a handsome young man dressed in simple, dark martial attire. He was idly playing with the lid of a teacup, seemingly bored.
When Chen Yi entered, the man only gave him a lazy glance.
Chen Yi made a quick judgment in his heart:
This woman’s aura was restrained and unfathomable; she was clearly the one with the higher cultivation and the one in charge.
Although he couldn't gauge the depth of the man’s strength either, his casual posture made him look more like a junior.
He did not dare to be negligent. He bowed deeply toward Ning Xian and spoke with sincere tones, "I am Chen Yi, the second prince of the Tianlan Kingdom. Greetings to the two immortal lords."
"I was unaware that the immortal lords had graced our capital with your presence. Please forgive my failure to welcome you properly."
Ning Xian set down her teacup, her gaze falling on him, but she did not speak immediately.
Chen Yi’s heart tightened slightly, and he quickly added, "Might I ask which immortal mountain or blessed land the two of you hail from? If you do not find it beneath you, I am willing to host you as honored guests and offer my full devotion!"
In this critical moment of the struggle for the throne, any powerful cultivator’s assistance was vital to him.
Ning Xian finally spoke indifferently, "Qingyun Sect."
She wasn't afraid of her identity being exposed; she was only afraid the trouble she stirred up wouldn't be big enough.
.......
Qingyun Sect!
Chen Yi’s heart leaped violently, followed by a surge of ecstatic joy!
This was a truly top-tier sect of the Southern Wilderness!
He had heard that within its gates, Foundation Establishment disciples were as common as dogs, Golden Core cultivators walked everywhere, and there were even Transformation Realm ancestors watching over it!
Disciples from such a colossus—even if they were just ordinary inner disciples—were far beyond the rogue cultivators or members of minor sects he had previously recruited.
If he could win over these two...
No, even if he just established a small connection with the Qingyun Sect, his weight in the eyes of his father and the court officials would be completely different.
As for the throne, it would be practically within his grasp!
"The arrival of the immortal lords is truly the good fortune of Tianlan! This place is far too simple; how could it be fit for guests? If the immortal lords do not mind, please move to my manor."
.......
As Chen Yi spoke, Fang Xuan seemed to sense something. He turned his gaze toward the window, happening to lock eyes with a pair of desperately anxious eyes in the shadows of the street corner opposite them.
It was the third prince, Chen Fan, who was hiding in the shadows with his heart in his throat.
When Chen Fan saw Fang Xuan look over, the man even gave him a faint, mocking smirk, making him so anxious he nearly jumped out of his skin.
'Immortal lord! You must not agree...'
'If these two are recruited by Chen Yi, I won't have even the slightest chance left.'
'If I had known... If I had known earlier, I should have offered a much more aggressive reward.'
......
Chen Fan shook the thoughts from his head, unable to do anything but continue staring at the upper floor with longing eyes.
Fang Xuan found the scene quite interesting.
Two princes—one acting in the light, and one worrying in the dark.
As he watched with great interest, Ning Xian’s voice transmission suddenly rang in his mind:
'Go watch Chen Fan.'
'I’ll go with this one and handle him quietly first.'
Fang Xuan understood.
'Alright,' he replied simply with a transmission of his own.
.......
Ning Xian seemed to consider it for a moment. Under Chen Yi’s increasingly expectant and nervous gaze, she finally spoke, "Fine."
Chen Yi was overjoyed and quickly stepped aside to lead the way. "Immortal lord, please! The carriage is already waiting downstairs!"
He had actually managed to recruit another cultivator at such a critical juncture.
When he returned, his military strategist would surely praise him greatly!
Hahaha!
.......
Watching his senior sister depart, Fang Xuan finally meandered downstairs.
He crossed the street and walked straight into the shadows of the opposite corner.
"Im... Immortal lord!"
When Chen Fan saw him approach, he was so nervous he was nearly incoherent.
"What’s the rush?"
Fang Xuan glanced at him and gestured for him to follow.
Chen Fan looked bewildered, but he obediently followed Fang Xuan back to the second floor of the tea house, returning to the very same private seat they had just occupied.
Fang Xuan ordered a new pot of tea and several plates of pastries before sitting down by the window.
Chen Fan, however, was restless.
Watching Fang Xuan calmly drink tea and eat snacks, and then looking out the window at the soldiers who had long since vanished, he felt as if his heart were being roasted over a fire.
"Immortal lord... That other immortal lord... She really went to the second brother’s manor? This... this..."
"Yeah, she went."
Fang Xuan took a bite of an osmanthus cake and spoke vaguely.
"Just wait."
Wait for what? Chen Fan was practically on the verge of tears.
But he didn't dare ask more. He could only pick up his teacup, but his hand shook so violently that most of the tea spilled out.
......
Time passed bit by bit.
About an hour later.
The people on the street still came and went, the noise unabated.
Chen Fan had finished three pots of tea and visited the outhouse five times.
He stared fixedly in the direction of the second prince’s manor, his eyes bulging.
Finally, Ning Xian appeared unhurriedly at the street corner, walking toward the tea house.
Chen Fan suddenly stood up, his heart pounding wildly.
Fang Xuan also set down his teacup and looked toward the stairs.
Ning Xian walked up to the second floor and arrived at the table, her voice as flat as ever. "They’ve all been dealt with."
Chen Fan: "!!!"
De... dealt with? What was dealt with?
As he watched the two of them talk about "dealing with" a prince so casually, cold sweat poured down his back.
He suddenly felt that his previous little schemes of recruiting immortal lords and using their power to seize the throne were laughably childish.
In front of these two, his status as a prince and his political machinations were likely as flimsy as paper.
"Senior Sister, what’s next?" Fang Xuan asked.
According to his senior sister’s "three-day speedrun plan," dealing with one prince should only be the beginning.
Ning Xian took a sip of tea and spoke, "Follow me to the Chun Restaurant."
Fang Xuan: "...??"
Seeing his hesitant expression, Ning Xian explained further.
"You aren't allowed inside. Just wait outside."
.......
The Chun Restaurant was naturally one of the most prosperous and famous money-dissipating holes in the capital of the Tianlan Kingdom.
As the lanterns were first lit, it was the busiest time.
The sounds of silk and bamboo instruments were decadent, and the chirping of voices never ceased.
When they arrived at the flower street where the Chun Restaurant was located, Ning Xian did not head for the main entrance. Instead, she circled around to the back of the building to a relatively secluded open space.
She glanced at Fang Xuan, appearing as if she wanted to say something.
Fang Xuan spoke before she could. "Senior Sister, I’ll just wait here."
Hearing this, Ning Xian relaxed, turned, and left.
Fang Xuan held his black sword and leaned against the trunk of an old tree. He watched the direction in which Ning Xian had disappeared and smiled helplessly.
That look in his senior sister’s eyes was clearly meant to say "no peeking" and "no wild thoughts," but she had been too embarrassed to say it out loud.
Well, he was happy to indulge her little stubborn streaks.
.......
Chen Fan stood trembling next to Fang Xuan, trying his best to stay calm.
The events of tonight were far too shocking; his mind was still in a daze.
His second brother... was just gone, like that.
What was the female immortal lord doing in the backyard of the Chun Restaurant? Was it really safe here?
He stole a glance at Fang Xuan, who stood holding his sword with a relaxed expression. This immortal lord seemed very unbothered...
.......
The night grew deeper. The clamor from the Chun Restaurant seemed to reach a peak before gradually showing signs of subsiding.
Fang Xuan idly counted the stars in the sky, wondering what his senior sister was doing inside for so long.
Capturing someone? Interrogating them? Or just...
Before his thoughts could finish—
"BOOM!!!!!"
A world-shaking explosion erupted from the direction of the Chun Restaurant.
Immediately following that, under Chen Fan’s horrified gaze, the magnificent five-story Chun Restaurant, which had been ablaze with lights, was instantly shredded by sword qi.
Dust and smoke billowed into the sky.
......
Fang Xuan also frowned, his hand tightening slightly on his sword.
Hadn't she said there was only a Void Core state preceptor hiding inside? This commotion didn't seem right.
If a Void Core had this much power, it would be as if they were trying to level the entire street.
Sure enough, a second later, a slightly disheveled white figure flew backward out of the smoke, landing lightly in front of Fang Xuan. It was Ning Xian.
Her breathing was slightly ragged, and her plain white dress was stained with a bit of dust, but there were no obvious injuries.
However, her cold face was currently set in a deep frown, her eyes solemn.
"Senior Sister?" Fang Xuan stepped forward.
Ning Xian spoke rapidly, "The plan has changed. It’s not just the state preceptor in there. An elder from the Tianyan Sect is also present, early-stage Transformation Realm."
......
Tianyan Sect? Early-stage Transformation Realm?
Fang Xuan’s eyes narrowed.
He knew of the Tianyan Sect; it was one of the major sects in the Southern Region, with strength comparable to the Qingyun Sect.
Ning Xian continued, "That state preceptor was also from the Tianyan Sect. I didn't want to wait any longer, so I dealt with him right in front of the elder."
Fang Xuan: "......."
Senior sister was indeed still the same senior sister.
......
When Chen Fan heard the words "Transformation Realm," his legs turned to jelly. He had to grit his teeth to keep from collapsing on the spot.
Trans... Transformation Realm? That was a legendary existence.
He steeled his heart and said in a trembling voice, "Immortal... Immortal lords! You two go first! I... I’ll use my status as a prince to try and stall him for a bit!"
"I’ll say... I’ll say it was a fight between me and my second brother that accidentally injured the state preceptor..."
He spoke with absolutely no confidence, his voice shaking throughout.
But he had no choice. If the immortal lords died, his uprising would fail, and he would have no way to survive.
He might as well take a gamble. Perhaps... perhaps the other party would show some consideration for the imperial family’s face.
Though even he didn't believe it.
Fang Xuan glanced at him, somewhat surprised that this little prince could show some backbone at a critical moment.
However...
Fang Xuan simply kicked him aside.
Chen Fan slammed into a tree, his eyes rolled back, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.
What use could his status as a secular prince possibly be?
He shouldn't go throw his life away and mess up the plan.
.......
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