Chapter 44: Royal Conspiracy and Murderous Intent

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“Senior, who is the Huntian Emperor?”

Bai Yao felt the weight of that name but couldn’t quite articulate it, so she could only ask Xinyin through Heart Lake.

“Xuanye, Huntian, and Cangfu—these are the three great emperors of the human race…”

Skylark spoke with his rarely used aged and solemn tone.

“They are three peerless experts who symbolize humanity’s journey from the Tai Yuan Realm out into the vast seas of the heavens. The Huntian Emperor is the second of them.”

After listening, Bai Yao’s gaze swept over that bronze dragon behind the youth, feeling that this object lacked any of the spiritual luster a treasure should possess.

‘Heh… Well then, another Young Prince.’

Bai Yao laughed at herself inwardly, though her childish face remained as calm as still water as she quietly bowed in a shallow salute.

“We pay our respects to Your Highness. How should I address you by name?”

“Lady Bai Ling… what do you think of this object behind me?”

The young prince didn’t respond to Bai Yao, instead pointing again at the Huntian Copper Dragon behind him through the curtain.

“Your Highness,” Bai Yao’s brow furrowed slightly as she straightened her small frame, “isn’t this something I should be concerned about?”

“You—”

Somehow, although Bai Yao’s attitude held not a trace of arrogance, it still irritated this Young Prince who had rarely been talked back to by peers since childhood.

Knowing full well that for cultivators this curtain was nothing more than a meaningless ceremonial prop, he stopped caring and directly pulled the curtain aside, wanting to point at this girl who wasn’t much older than him yet dared to defy him.

But just as he raised his finger at Bai Yao, the anger about to burst forth died out.

Then, this Young Prince who looked only eleven or twelve years old blurted out, “You… would you be willing to become my… Princess?”

The youth spoke haltingly, and those last two words were clearly spoken only after mustering great courage.

Bai Yao was still in Heart Lake asking Skylark about the origin of the Huntian Copper Dragon when she heard this sudden strange remark.

She stood frozen on the spot, her mind completely filled with giant question marks.

‘Seriously, what was this little brat thinking?’

After three breaths of awkward silence, Bai Yao understood the situation from the gleam in this Young Prince’s eyes—whose name she still didn’t know.

‘Sigh, the Hidden Sword Technique can hide my aura, but it can’t hide this face of mine… Could it be this Young Prince of Xu Kingdom has never encountered a girl his age before…’

Bai Yao barely suppressed the twitching of her face, forcibly swallowing the profanity that nearly slipped out.

Having come this far through bloodshed, she had never cared about her identity as a woman, almost forgetting that her face was no less stunning than Liu Linglin, who was renowned as a beauty of national importance.

Moreover, the contrast between Bai Yao’s slightly seductive aura—a result of the Hidden Sword Technique—and her clear, delicate features was extremely rare in the orderly mortal kingdoms.

Add to that this era’s mockery of chastity as foolishness and its embrace of debauchery as transcendence, it wasn’t surprising at all that this Young Prince had taken a liking to her.

“The prince jests. I am already married and shall not marry again. Moreover, I do not even know the prince’s name—this act does not align with proper etiquette.”

Bai Yao didn’t dwell on it long and quickly refused in a calm yet polite tone.

After all, she was truly the Principal Wife of Xia Manor in Xuan Kingdom.

Saying she was already married wasn’t a lie.

Already married?

Not betrothed, but actually already married?

Seeing that this girl who appeared to be around his own age claimed she was already wed, the Young Prince felt as if struck by lightning, collapsing back onto his cushion.

“I am… one of the eight kings of Xu Kingdom, Prince Ning, ranked eighth, Ji Xian.”

The Young Prince’s tone was clearly dejected.

“Lady Bai, the Chenfeng Escort Agency has prepared a chamber for you. What I am about to say is of utmost importance. After you hear it, go rest in your room. This matter must not be leaked.”

Must not be leaked, and she was arranged a room in an escort agency guarded by a Grandmaster?

Meaning that accepting this task meant she would be under house arrest until it was completed?

Bai Yao smiled faintly and nodded in willing agreement.

Before long, Bai Yao emerged from the attic of the western courtyard and was led by a maidservant to her room to rest.

After Bai Yao left, the attic door closed once more.

The room’s light was dim, with only eight flickering candle flames, as if they might go out at any moment.

“Your Highness, why go through the trouble of telling this girl about His Majesty the Emperor’s death and the eight kings vying for the throne?”

From the shadows beyond the candlelight, a young figure slowly stepped out with the voice—it was actually Zhou Wangchuan.

“I naturally know how grave this matter is, but…”

The youth’s voice was still somewhat immature, yet incomparably stubborn.

“I like her! Whether or not she’s truly married, I will take her as my wife or concubine, just like contending for the throne of Xu Kingdom!”

“Wangchuan, spare no expense to investigate Bai Ling’s origins and background…”

“Prince Ning, in this old minister’s view, it’s best to let it go…”

At this moment, an aged voice came from the shadows, and another figure stepped out—none other than the chief escort of Chenfeng Escort Agency, a Hundred Refinements Grandmaster of the late stage, Lin Que.

“That little girl’s cultivation technique is quite bizarre—able to refine away others’ Sword Intent into nothingness.”

“When I was young and traveling through Ji Di, I saw a technique like this on a demonic sect prodigy from Zhong Tu Shen Zhou.”

“Any disciple from a celestial sect in Zhong Tu Shen Zhou traveling abroad is not someone people like us should provoke.”

“Moreover…”

“Moreover, the fates of those recruited by Master Wangchuan were already sealed…”

At this point, another man’s voice came from the darkness.

The one who stepped out of the shadows was a robust man of about thirty, wearing coarse hemp robes with a sword hanging at his waist.

More importantly, this person’s cultivation was actually also at the late Hundred Refinements Realm like Lin Que, and his aura was even more vigorous and powerful.

The man clasped his fists, his words respectfully courteous, yet the tone within was filled with undeniable authority.

“Our great Xu Kingdom was founded on commerce. The eight kings contending for the throne is all about competing at the Tianye City Auction for the eight bronze dragon statues of the [Huntian Instrument] left by the Huntian Emperor.”

“According to the plan, these wandering cultivators with unclear origins are all merely…”

“Lü Tianzhi!”

The young Ji Xian slammed the table and stood, pointing directly at the hemp-robed swordsman while calling his name outright, yet he couldn’t manage another word.

“Your Highness, should you not address me as Master Lü?”

However, the hemp-robed man was completely unmoved by the youth’s shout, his tone still calm and stern.

The Young Prince froze on the spot, holding it in for a long while before hesitantly uttering, “Junior Tutor.”

Lü Tianzhi revealed a satisfied smile before continuing.

“Of the eight great families now, the Zhou and Lü families have sworn loyalty to you. The matter of seizing the throne will surely succeed.”

“There are plenty of fish in the sea. Besides, demonic sects favor raising disciples through gu-like methods.”

“This girl surely has no guardian watching over her—she is hardly a threat.”

“I ask Your Highness to prioritize the greater picture.”

Lü Tianzhi’s full aura as a Hundred Refinements Grandmaster spread out, and that single phrase “the greater picture” pressed the young Ji Xian back down onto his cushion, slumped.

Zhou Wangchuan and Lin Que exchanged a glance, both silently bowing with clasped hands, saying nothing more.

The youth slowly climbed back up, resumed sitting on his cushion, his hands clenched into fists that creaked audibly, yet he could only force calmness and speak with a trembling voice.

“Fine… if that’s the case… then execute the original plan…”

---

In a courtyard in the western wing of the Chenfeng Escort Agency, withered yellow leaves were falling thickly in the tenth month.

Bai Yao sat alone cross-legged inside the room, having no heart to appreciate the courtyard scenery beyond the window.

Days like this, confined within a room, were something she had experienced plenty of at Xia Manor.

Back then, it was early spring warming up, with new trees and fresh sprouts just emerging.

Now the trees had grown into shade, and even as the leaves withered, they no longer feared the scorching sun.

“A bit careless—a moment of softness and I boarded a pirate ship.”

‘I wonder if this [Huntian Instrument] assembled from eight bronze dragons really has anything to do with the Huntian Emperor…’

“But as for that other late-stage Hundred Refinements Grandmaster hidden among them, these people’s intentions are all too obvious.”

With Bai Yao’s current cultivation, she naturally couldn’t detect a Grandmaster deliberately concealing their aura—but that didn’t mean Skylark, a former great power who created the [Violet Yang Grand Harmony Art], couldn’t.

“Little ancestor, if I didn’t think you were planning something reckless, I wouldn’t bother telling you about threats that aren’t even Human Immortals.”

A wisp of Gray Mist condensed, and Skylark landed on Bai Yao’s shoulder, beginning to chatter away.

“I’m warning you—those who court death will die.”

“Don’t think about fighting a Grandmaster head-on.”

“Without unlocking the Hidden Sword Technique, you won’t last three moves.”

“Don’t worry, Senior. I know my own limits.”

“If this flying vessel truly is a pirate ship, I’ll find a way to deal with that mysterious Grandmaster.”

Bai Yao instinctively reached for her waist as she had in the Dongtian Dream Realm, feeling for a sword that didn’t exist.

‘These bastards—since they’ve already set their minds on killing me, then if all of them get killed, that’s only fair and reasonable.’

Bai Yao didn’t say these words aloud, merely revealing a smile that was utterly inhuman and Six Relatives Acknowledged as she muttered to herself.