Chapter 156: Secret Plot
The arrival of two invitation letters was entirely within Qin Wuyou's expectations. What he hadn't anticipated, however, was that these two invitations—one from the Crown Prince and the other from the Third Prince—not only arrived simultaneously but also specified the exact same time for the appointments.
Yun Che took the two invitations, quickly scanning through them. Both letters were worded with considerable courtesy and sincerity, first praising Yun Che profusely, hailing him as a dazzling new star among the younger generation of the imperial capital. They mentioned hearing about his battle the previous day with the Inner Palace disciples and being filled with admiration, eager to witness his prowess. Thus, they invited him to attend, respectively, the birthday celebration and the beast-fighting tournament ten days hence at noon, urgently requesting the honor of his presence…
After he finished reading, Qin Wuyou said, "You were probably expecting such invitations yourself. Any disciple who can enter the Inner Palace will face courting from the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. And after yesterday's battle, your fame has soared, overshadowing almost all the Inner Palace disciples. That these two invitations came so quickly doesn't surprise me in the least. What do you plan to do?"
Yun Che casually set the invitations aside and countered, "What do you think I should do, Master Qin?"
Qin Wuyou shook his head. "There's no good choice. You have little backing and no background; you can't afford to offend either of them. Originally, your best option would be to attend both, maintaining an ambiguous and evasive stance—neither rejecting nor accepting either side. But whether by accident or design, the times for these two events are exactly the same. If you go, you can only go to one. Whichever you choose, you'll be directly declaring your allegiance and thoroughly offending the other side. If you go to neither, it can be interpreted as looking down on both of them. If it were me, I'd have absolutely no idea what to do."
Yun Che smiled. "Whether to go to the birthday banquet or the beast-fighting tournament, we still have ten days to think it over. No need to rush. What I'm more concerned about is… I'm just a small disciple of the Cangfeng Mystic Palace. As you said, my strength in that large circle is utterly insignificant. Why would the Crown Prince and the Third Prince extend such enthusiastic invitations?"
"Your personal strength might be low now, but what they value isn't your present power—it's your current reputation and your enormous future potential. You may not realize it, but after yesterday's battle, your name has spread throughout the entire Cangfeng Imperial City. Amid various exaggerated versions of the story, you've been almost mythologized, especially among the younger generation, who have developed a strong sense of admiration and longing for you. Add to that your lack of background and your commoner origins, which easily garner sympathy and support from countless commoner young Xuan practitioners. If you pledge yourself to one side, the influence you already wield will tilt the balance of young Xuan practitioners' inclinations due to your choice. Furthermore, your current performance ensures that your future will be extraordinary. Right now, your strength is low, but in five or ten years, once you've grown, you'll become a tremendous asset. Naturally, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince will spare no effort in trying to win you over."
Yun Che pondered for a long time, then slowly nodded. "I understand."
"Ultimately, the choice is entirely yours. But I must warn you: if you truly join the Crown Prince or the Third Prince's camp, then Princess Cang Yue, no matter how deep her feelings for you, will break ties with you." Qin Wuyou gave Yun Che a deep look, then walked away with heavy steps. If Yun Che were merely an ordinary Mystic Palace disciple, even if he were ten times more talented, he wouldn't be so anxious. But Yun Che's relationship with Princess Cang Yue made it impossible for him to take this matter lightly.
News that Yun Che had received invitations from both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince somehow leaked out. It spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred… Within a single afternoon, it was known throughout the entire Cangfeng Mystic Palace, with people everywhere discussing it.
"Hey! Did you hear? Yun Che has received invitations from both His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Third Prince… How enviable! If he could join either the Crown Prince or the Third Prince's faction, it would mean a lifetime of glory and riches."
"Tsk, just keep envying. A genius like Junior Brother Yun Che being valued by both His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Third Prince is only to be expected. If you could crush an opponent seven levels above you, I guarantee you'd receive the same treatment the very next day."
"Which one do you think Junior Brother Yun Che will choose—the Crown Prince or the Third Prince?"
"Ah, that's hard to say. I've heard the Crown Prince and the Third Prince are now at daggers drawn. If he chooses wrong and his master fails in the struggle for the throne, his entire life might be ruined."
…………
Cangfeng Imperial City, Northern Pacification General's Mansion.
After his battle with Yun Che, Murong Yi had been quite badly injured. Feng Baiyi had sent him home to recuperate that very day. The rumors about Yun Che circulating throughout the city made Murong Yi grind his teeth in rage. In these tales, he played the pitiable and laughable supporting role—or more precisely, the stepping stone.
"Yun Che, I'll kill you… kill you!"
Over the past two days, Murong Yi had roared this phrase no fewer than a hundred times, each time with bone-deep hatred. Having grown up surrounded by flattery and glory, he had never suffered such utter humiliation, nor had he ever felt such overwhelming hatred.
"Brother Murong, I have some news that might upset you."
Feng Baiyi walked in, one eyebrow raised.
"What news!" Murong Yi sat up from his sickbed, his face dark. "About Yun Che?"
"Exactly." Feng Baiyi pinched his chin, his eyes sinister. "I hear that today he received invitations from both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince—to attend the Crown Prince's thirty-third birthday celebration and the beast-fighting tournament sponsored by the Third Prince."
"Snap, snap…"
Murong Yi said nothing, but his fingers emitted the crisp sound of cracking knuckles.
"Both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince have extended an olive branch to him, and both are inviting him to such grand occasions—clearly showing how much they value him. Though they've courted Inner Palace disciples before, they've never invited anyone to such important events. This makes it difficult for us to give Yun Che any open trouble. Even if your father were to step in, it would be impossible now—it would undoubtedly be a slap in the face to both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince." Feng Baiyi said flatly.
"He must die… must die!" Murong Yi roared in agitation. The violent movement pulled at his wounds, causing him to cry out in pain.
Feng Baiyi glanced at him. "In that case, we'll have to do it covertly and quickly."
"Baiyi, you have to help me with this! I've never suffered such humiliation in my entire life. Every shred of dignity and glory I've built since childhood was stomped into the dirt by that bastard Yun Che! How can I swallow this? How can I let him trample my pride and still enjoy such glory!" Murong Yi's entire body trembled, his eyes filled with anger and deep venom. "Baiyi, you have to help me!"
"Don't worry. We've been brothers for years. How could I stand by and do nothing while you suffer such humiliation?" Feng Baiyi said leisurely. "Actually, you were too impatient in yesterday's battle. At first, when you exchanged blows unarmed, it was basically a stalemate. His talent is truly astonishing—at the second level of True Xuan, he could exert a Xuan force intensity close to yours. But with a seven-level gap, while he could match your power, there's no way he could match the depth and endurance of your Xuan foundation. If you had continued the unarmed fight, he would have gradually faltered and been defeated without a doubt. But after failing to gain the upper hand for a while, you chose to use weapons."
"Facing someone seven levels below me and not being able to gain an advantage—how could I not be impatient!" Murong Yi retorted through gritted teeth. He fully agreed with Feng Baiyi's words. Looking back now, if neither had used weapons, he would have won for sure. The victory might have been somewhat unsightly, but it wouldn't have resulted in such a disgrace.
"Actually, Yun Che's heavy sword isn't all that fearsome. It's just that so few people use heavy swords that you had no experience fighting one. Otherwise, how could you have let his very first sword strike knock your Silver Dragon Spear away and even injure you internally… And once you lost the Silver Dragon Spear, you panicked, and that led to your collapse. I saw it clearly from the sidelines. Yun Che's heavy sword attacks are indeed overwhelmingly powerful, but the sword is extremely heavy and its attack speed is very slow. Each attack leaves a big opening. With your movement techniques, you could easily dodge and then exploit those openings for a quick counterattack. In that scenario, Yun Che would have no chance of winning. But your first weapon clash was a head-on confrontation, challenging him at his strongest point—how could you not lose?
"Besides, that Overlord Giant Sword weighs three thousand nine hundred jin. Even for you or me, wielding it is extremely taxing. Those three sword strikes of Yun Che's were probably near his limit. So, your defeat yesterday had little to do with Yun Che himself; the problem was you. If you fought him again after listening to my advice, there's absolutely no way he could beat you. And if it were me…" Feng Baiyi's eyes flashed coldly, and he sneered. "I could take his life in at most three exchanges."
Recalling the scenes from yesterday's battle, the more Murong Yi thought about it, the more he felt Feng Baiyi was completely right. A mix of regret and hatred welled up within him, and he ground his teeth. "You're right. If I had another chance, I could never lose… But right now, I'm covered in injuries and can't even get out of bed. Otherwise, I would personally… tear him limb from limb!"
"Don't worry. I'll get that score settled for you. Within five days at most, I'll bring you Yun Che's head and make sure all your anger and resentment vanish without a trace." Feng Baiyi said with a cheerful smile.
"Really!?" Murong Yi's eyes widened with excitement. Then he frowned. "But now that Yun Che has received invitations from the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, if we make a move…"
"Relax. I'll handle this flawlessly. And to be absolutely sure, I've also brought in another person."
"Who?" Murong Yi asked immediately.
"Xue Lang." Feng Baiyi narrowed his eyes.
"Xue Lang… Xue Lang, ranked seventh on the Inner Palace Heavenly Xuan List? He's actually willing to act?" Murong Yi's face showed surprise.
Feng Baiyi nodded calmly. "You know the man as well. Give him enough profit, and he'll do anything. For this job, he's asking for eight hundred Purple Mysterious Coins. After all, Yun Che's influence is extraordinary now—killing him carries a certain risk. It all depends on whether Brother Murong is willing to part with that sum."
"Absolutely no problem!" Murong Yi's voice was low. "As long as we can kill him without leaving a trace and vent my hatred, I wouldn't hesitate even for eight thousand Purple Mysterious Coins, let alone eight hundred!"
"Excellent!" Feng Baiyi stood up, his voice turning cold and low. "Brother Murong, just wait for my good news… Hah, I can't wait to see that arrogant fool kneeling at my feet, begging for his life. Hahahaha…"
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