Chapter 126: Chapter 117: Peaceful Times, a Youth Enters the Capital, the Ninth Prince Takes the Stage

The next day, in the Great Yan Capital City.

The neighborhood streets were as quiet as ever. Old women cracked melon seeds at the alley’s entrance, and rugged Martial Artists, new to the Capital City, marveled at the prosperity at the Emperor’s feet. Meanwhile, Lu Mingyuan, disguised as a Blood Glutton Shadow Warrior, moved through the Imperial Capital, monitoring the movements of its many Princes.

The deaths of three Princes had already drawn immense attention from the Cabinet Court. The number of hidden sentries guarding the Prince Mansions had increased significantly. At the same time, the common folk of the Imperial Capital were discussing whether the current Holy Emperor had angered the heavens, thus bringing down such a great disaster and causing the deaths of so many of his children.

The Third Prince was under house arrest in Prince Chu’s Mansion, practicing martial arts daily in an attempt to break through to the Middle Fifth Grade.

The Eighth Prince had made no obvious moves for now, but Lu Mingyuan could clearly sense that Lu Yunqing was gradually gathering more capable people under his command. They were coming and going from the Prince’s Mansion daily, and Lu Mingyuan couldn’t tell what they were plotting. So, he decided to use the same old trick: send a few Shadow Warriors to feign allegiance and investigate.

The only information he got was that Lu Yunqing seemed to be brooding over the deaths of the three Princes, and his mood was foul.

Secondly, the Shadow Warriors who had infiltrated Prince Jin’s Mansion were already showing some results. There were a full ten of them now, but they only held C Level qualifications. Yang Erlang was still the only one with a B Level qualification.

There were far too many C Level Experts under the Second Prince, most of them treated as cannon fodder. They couldn’t play a significant role. It would likely take some time before any of them could become Lu Guangjing’s confidants.

However, Lu Mingyuan was already getting a preliminary glimpse of the influence and execution power of Qingqiu Temple among the Human Divine Mansions.

Recently, several businesses under the Second Prince had spontaneously combusted in the middle of the night. At the same time, there were rumors of transport ships from Jiangnan, heading north under Prince Jin’s banner, being swamped by rising river waters. There were also tales of his Tributors being killed by savage beasts while slaying demons and gathering medicinal herbs in the mountains and forests.

It took Lu Mingyuan some time to realize that the Kitchen God had probably made a move, or perhaps they had offended a River God.

For now, he didn’t know how Lu Guangjing would retaliate.

These incidents weren’t major on their own, but they weren’t minor either. When they piled up, they became quite troublesome.

Lu Mingyuan guessed it was Qingqiu Temple’s handiwork. However, there was no direct evidence, and finding any would be difficult. It was basically a cold case with no leads.

The Mountain and Water Deities of the Great Yan Dynasty were autonomous. Their subordinates—Junior Gods like the Earth God, River God, and River Goddess, who were akin to minor officials, and even the Ghostly Spirits and Monsters, Water Monkeys, and Mountain Monarchs that didn’t even qualify as Junior Gods—were all left to the True Gods to govern themselves.

They were expected to manage their own territories, maintain stability, and ensure the people lived and worked in peace. As long as they served Great Yan, there weren’t many other restrictions placed on them.

As for the Seventh Prince, Lu Yunwan, that portly, round-bellied man, he spent his days building connections with prominent Immortal Influences. Many Sects from the Daoist Nine Heavens and Ten Lands were attracted by the terms he offered. For example, he had befriended the East Sea Sect, one of the Ten Lands, which controlled the East Sea Blessed Land and was a major producer of Clam Demon Pearls and Celestial Shark Armor. He did this by offering them open sea transport routes and a share of shipbuilding profits. This method, while purely tangible, was effective at winning over many people.

All of this was information Lu Mingyuan had gathered from the servants at the Langya Royal Mansion.

At the same time, Lu Yunwan was backed by a huge merchant guild that covered various industries.

Luxury goods like incense, soap, furs, and tea were its main sources of income. It also dealt in necessities like cloth and rice. However, economic lifelines such as iron, salt, and yeast for brewing were controlled by the Great Yan Ministry of Revenue, so he couldn’t touch them.

Besides these industries, Great Yan had another extremely profitable business: the sale of land.

But this land wasn’t sold to the common people. It was sold to Sects, especially small and medium-sized ones. They could exchange inherited Cultivation Techniques, Treasures, or dedicated service for Tri-Colored Copper Coins issued by the Court. With these coins, they could purchase a mountain peak rich in Spiritual Qi within Great Yan’s borders to establish their own Sect.

Not all Sects were qualified to be established, nor could all forces survive for long. Large factions would devour smaller ones, and smaller ones might also fade away over time, their incense offerings dwindling until they closed their doors for good. The long-lived ones might last for centuries, while the short-lived ones could vanish in a few decades. When a Sect disappeared, the Great Yan Court would reclaim the land it had sold and put it up for sale again.

This was a huge source of revenue, beneficial to both the Dynasty and the Three Religions’ Influence. The Three Religions would cultivate talent for Great Yan and uncover Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands and Celestial and Earthly Treasures. In return, the Dynasty would provide the Three Religions’ Influence with support in the form of manpower, resources, and status.

Generally speaking, only a faction that possessed at least one Blessed Land was qualified to call itself a Sect.

There were three tiers of mountain peaks: Grotto Heaven, Blessed Land, and Treasure Mountain. Each tier was further subdivided into grades: A, B, C, D, and so on.

A top-tier power like the Celestial Master’s Mansion, with a Daoist lineage stretching back tens of thousands of years, had survived through periods of rise and fall without collapsing. It possessed eighteen Blessed Lands and controlled two C-grade Grotto Heavens and one B-grade Grotto Heaven. The scale of its wealth was incomparable to that of an ordinary Sect.

Lu Mingyuan had to admit it: this younger brother of his was a natural-born businessman.

He didn’t flaunt his wealth, maintaining a low-key and unextravagant profile. All his money was spent where it needed to be.

Money isn’t everything, but there’s nothing that money can’t do.

Other people recruited Guest Scholars and waited for Cultivators to come to them.

He, on the other hand, offered extremely high salaries to hire people.

No small number of people were drawn by his reputation.

The Langya Royal Mansion had a considerable number of Tributors, all with impressive strength. Most were Tributors from the Buddhist Heaven, including Seven Realm Great Mages and Venerables of the Eighth Realm. The strongest figures in the Buddhist Heaven were the seven Buddhas of the Seven Heavens, whose power was no less than that of the Daoist Ancestor Saints.

The Buddhist Dao cultivated merit and advocated for Refining the Heart.

Among the Guest Scholars Lu Yunwan recruited were many Great Mages comparable to Grandmasters, Buddhist Venerables who could contend with Sea-Viewing Realm Martial Artists, and even a Nine Realms Dharma King Tributor who had reached Golden Body Perfection.

In Lu Mingyuan’s eyes, this was a faction that would one day be no less powerful than the Second Prince’s.

Among the many Princes, three were already out of the running. The only one from whom he had yet to see any clues was the obscure Ninth Prince.

Everyone had forgotten him.

Almost no one ever mentioned him.

And no one cared to know his name.

Because his status was far too low.

He was merely the son of a Palace Maid, born by accident. Even though this Palace Maid was later granted the title of Talented Person, it couldn’t change the fact of their low standing.

Lu Mingyuan even believed that this Ninth Prince was talked about less in the Capital City than he himself was.

A Shadow Warrior he controlled passed by the Jiangling Royal Mansion, then silently departed.

The Ninth Prince had remained completely inactive. His days were as plain as water; he had no worries about food or drink, and he didn’t even visit brothels. He was like a Puppet.

However, after the Shadow Warrior left, a plainly dressed, clean-cut youth appeared at the gate of the Inner City with a faint smile. He looked all around at the sights of the Imperial Capital, including the Black Armored Imperial Guard defending the gates, like a country bumpkin.

“So this is the Great Yan Imperial Capital. It’s certainly much more impressive than the Jiangnan Villa in Nan Zhou.”

The youth crossed the street and stepped onto the wide, neat official road paved with bluestone slabs. With his fingers tapping, he gazed at the rows of shops, the arched bridges with their flower boats, and the black-eaved neighborhoods. He stared at everything around him. Though he looked like a teenager, his eyes held a profound depth that could see into the hearts of people, like a ten-thousand-year-old glacial pool, bottomless and cold.

“That’s my sword! Give it back!”

In the middle of a market street, a group of children in varied clothing were standing around. One of them, a small child with rosy cheeks and hair tied in a topknot, was helplessly shouting at a boy a head taller than him, his voice on the verge of tears.

The bigger boy held the Wooden Sword, swinging it around a few times. He clearly thought he looked very cool. Pouting, he said:

“Just let me borrow it for a few days. I won’t break it.”

With that, he turned to the kids beside him and said, “Come on, let’s go play ’Swordsman Slaying Demons’! You guys can be the demons!”

The group of children ran off, laughing and playing.

The clean-cut youth, hands clasped, stepped forward and asked with a faint smile, “What are you crying about?”

“He stole my toy,” the top-knotted child said, his eyes welling with tears.

“That’s simple. Just snatch it back.”

“But… but I can’t beat him,” the top-knotted child replied between sobs.

The clean-cut youth’s smile widened slightly. “Then wait until tonight, when he’s not paying attention, and steal it back.”

“But there are grown-ups at his house! How can I go there? Besides, stealing is wrong.”

The clean-cut youth’s smile grew a little wider. “It was originally your thing. The adults are easy to deal with. Just knock over an oil lamp and set their pigsty on fire. They’ll naturally be too busy to notice you. Then you can just climb through a window and take your thing back.”

The top-knotted child’s eyes went wide, clearly not expecting such a solution.

“Big brother, what’s your name?”

“You can call me… Brother Yu.”

Having finished instructing the child, the clean-cut youth swaggered off.

Entering the Imperial City, he glanced at the sealed-off Prince Zhao’s Mansion, then passed by the desolate ruins of Prince Zhuang’s Mansion, which was shrouded in a foul miasma. He clicked his tongue and said, “So this is the place where the ghostly presence leaked out recently. And they even let the Demon Dao escape. Great Yan really is quick to suppress the news.”

At the same time, he murmured under his breath:

’So many eyes watching from the shadows.’

’A pity about this avatar of mine. It can only use a tenth of my true power. Otherwise, no one in this Imperial Capital would be my match.’

His left hand formed a subtle Literary Seal to conceal his aura. Then, with a single leap, he soared a thousand meters into the air, coming to a stop above the entrance of Prince Jin’s Mansion, standing in the void.

But he only spared it a glance before flying straight ahead.

He didn’t stop until he reached the courtyard gate of the Ninth Prince’s Mansion.

“Come out.”

the clean-cut youth said, his voice raspy.

An ordinary-looking young man with regular features and average height walked out of the Prince Mansion. Upon seeing the clean-cut youth, his face filled with terror. He walked over to the youth, at a complete loss for what to do.

“Lu Yunhuang, long time no see.” The clean-cut youth’s expression suddenly changed, and he let out a soft laugh.

“Teacher.”

The Ninth Prince, Lu Yunhuang, bowed slightly, his expression reserved.

’The clean-cut youth had great faith in Lu Guangjing’s actions and the loyalty of the Infinite Faction under his command. But as a person, how could he not leave himself a trump card, a way out? He trusted Lu Guangjing for now, but who could predict how things might change in the future? He didn’t expect Lu Guangjing to achieve anything grand, like ascending the throne as emperor. It would be enough if he could simply draw sufficient attention in the struggle for succession.’

’His backup plan existed simply because he liked to have an escape route.’

The clean-cut youth smiled and said, “You are indeed far more obedient than Lu Guangjing. That’s a rare and valuable trait.”

“Alright, I’m here now, so you can rest easy. It must have been difficult for you, staying by Lu Guangjing’s side for so long, all your brilliance overshadowed by his. But in a way, that’s a good thing.”

“At least for now, no one pays you any mind.”

Lu Yunhuang’s face was deathly pale as he nodded vigorously.

The clean-cut youth stood in the void, looking towards the plumes of black smoke rising over the Inner City. A knowing, playful smile touched his lips.

“Lu Yunhuang, do you know why clever people always leave themselves an escape route?”

“I do not,” Lu Yunhuang replied, shaking his head honestly.

The clean-cut youth slowly descended, his body steady as he landed. He said faintly, “The good in the mortal world can be measured, but the evil in the mortal world is always beyond expectation.”

“This is the first lesson I, Xun Yu, will teach you.”

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep