Scared Away

"Tsk, tsk. What overconfidence."

Daji covered her mouth and giggled. Qin Yu had not even reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, yet he dared to recruit Guan Yu. As for status, Qin Jun was also a prince. No matter how they compared, Qin Yu could not measure up to Qin Jun.

Though she had not spent long with Qin Jun, she had witnessed it all: his cultivation had soared as though riding a rocket, and two Void Transformation Realm experts had pledged themselves to him one after another.

That alone was enough for Qin Jun to sweep through the entire Gan Yue Kingdom.

As for why she had chosen to serve Qin Jun, even she could not say for sure. Somewhere deep down, she seemed to have already decided on him. The feeling was wonderfully strange.

When she first saw Qin Jun, she had actually felt the urge to serve him. Looking back on it now, it truly seemed incredible.

Her time with Qin Jun had also made her like him more and more. Before she knew it, this mature yet improper young man had entered her heart.

"Hmph. There was a glint of malice in that prince's eyes. He was clearly extremely displeased with me. Why would I serve a master like that?"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes. Qin Jun could not help giving him a thumbs-up as he flattered him. "As expected of the peerless Second Master Guan. Your judgment is sharp!"

Peerless and unrivaled!

Guan Yu was immensely pleased. His weathered red face bloomed like a chrysanthemum, and the way he looked at Qin Jun grew increasingly approving. Now this was a good lord!

At that moment, Qin Yu's furious shouting came from outside the inn. "With the kingdom facing calamity, you people are still sitting here drinking! What use is high cultivation? Without benevolence or righteousness, you can never be called heroes!"

His words only made Qin Jun burst into laughter. "Must serving the kingdom mean serving you? Are you the emperor?"

Qin Jun deliberately spoke in a strange, affected tone, preventing Qin Yu from recognizing his voice. Yet it enraged Qin Yu so much that he shoved away the two Imperial Guards supporting him, ready to charge inside and fight Qin Jun for three hundred rounds.

The guests in the inn, whose atmosphere had originally been somewhat tense, instantly erupted into laughter.

That was right. Why should serving the kingdom mean working for Qin Yu?

Your father has not even died yet, and you are already this arrogant. If you truly ascend the throne someday, would you not be able to conscript whoever you pleased?

Most of the cultivators gathered at Luoya Inn were lone wanderers who valued freedom. Qin Yu's behavior disgusted them.

"I'll give you five breaths to get lost!"

Guan Yu shouted coldly, his voice like thunder exploding from level ground, making everyone shudder.

Qin Jun could not help thinking of Guan Yu's third brother, that eunuch Zhang Yide who had shouted down Changban Bridge—ptui, that Yan man Zhang Yide!

However, Zhang Fei had not become a god, so he certainly could not compare with Guan Yu now.

Outside the inn, Qin Yu and his men were nearly scared out of their wits. Guan Yu's killing intent had especially locked onto them, making them feel as though they stood in an icy cellar. Having lived in the peaceful royal capital for years, neither Qin Yu nor even the Imperial Guards of the palace had ever experienced such terrifying killing intent.

With every passing second, that killing intent multiplied, leaving them utterly unable to take another step forward.

Five breaths was an incredibly short time. As the last moment approached, Qin Yu could no longer withstand the killing intent and hurriedly shouted, "Retreat! Retreat, now!"

With that, he turned and ran, terrified that Guan Yu would come out and kill him.

Just like that, the Fifth Prince, who held immense power throughout the court, had been scared away in the royal capital. If word spread, it would certainly cause a huge uproar.

Under the night sky, the commoners and cultivators along both sides of the street watched Qin Yu and his group flee in confusion.

"What happened? Isn't that the Fifth Prince?"

"Even the Imperial Guards are with him. Why are they in such a panic?"

"Isn't that direction Luoya Inn?"

"I heard the Fifth Prince went to trouble Young Master Jun."

"Tsk, tsk. Judging by their posture and expressions, they clearly suffered a loss."

The cultivators discussed animatedly, each of them seeming to have been injected with excitement. Ever since Young Master Jun appeared, the Fifth Prince, whose wings had already grown full, had repeatedly suffered setbacks. The cultivators could smell juicy gossip.

Perhaps this Young Master Jun would become the Fifth Prince's formidable rival in the future!

Meanwhile, Luoya Inn was filled with praise. Everyone cheered for Guan Yu, and even the innkeeper could not help looking at him with admiration.

Having met countless people in his life, this was the first time he had seen such a domineering man. Even when facing someone most likely to become emperor in the future, Guan Yu still gave no face.

Most crucially, Guan Yu's killing intent had terrified him even though it had not been directed at him.

This man is definitely a peerless fierce general comparable to Great General Nan Meng!

The innkeeper was inwardly shocked. Since Guan Yu had served in the military before, his iron-blooded soldier's bearing was especially obvious. Coupled with his build and appearance, he was absolutely suited to be a fierce vanguard general.

But when he recalled the information about Qin Jun that he had recently investigated, his eyes suddenly lit up.

It seems this boy truly harbors ambitions for the throne!

The innkeeper gave Qin Jun, who was chatting and laughing merrily with Guan Yu, a deep look. His admiration for him grew even stronger.

"Haha, Second Master Guan truly is Second Master Guan. You scared them so badly they fled with their tails between their legs!" Qin Jun marveled.

Guan Yu merely smiled and stroked his beard. Although he said nothing, his expression clearly showed how pleased he was; his nostrils were practically pointed at Qin Jun.

Daji rested her chin in both hands and smiled seductively. "Second Master truly is formidable. His bearing is the greatest I have ever seen."

She was not merely flattering him. Having cultivated for several centuries, she had seen quite a few powerful human experts, but none possessed an aura comparable to Guan Yu's.

Qin Jun rubbed his hands together and laughed. "Keep drinking and eating. Ignore that clown."

"Right, right."

Yan Mo Bei, who had been unable to get a word in, finally found an opportunity to speak, though he could only echo Qin Jun.

You Fenghuang, standing in the third-floor corridor, had witnessed everything that had just happened. As she watched Qin Jun laughing and joking below, her beautiful brows remained furrowed.

"Miss, what are you thinking about?"

The maid behind her asked curiously. Though this maid looked delicate and tender, she possessed cultivation at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer and could be considered a genius.

"I'm wondering which faction stands behind Young Master Jun," You Fenghuang said softly.

Over the past few days, she had also sent people to investigate Qin Jun's identity. It turned out that Qin Jun was the current Third Prince. He had been demoted after committing an offense, but someone had rescued him, after which he returned to the royal capital in a killing spree. Most astonishingly, his cultivation had already reached the Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer.

The Gan Yue Kingdom had no such genius. Even Zhuo Junjie, the greatest genius, had not possessed such high cultivation at Qin Jun's age.

By this reasoning, Qin Jun truly had the support of a mysterious faction. Take Daji, for instance—rumor had it that she was a super expert capable of instantly killing Golden Core Realm cultivators.

She would never believe, even if beaten to death, that Qin Jun could attract a super expert's allegiance through personal charm, especially when he had been at his lowest.

"Miss, don't think too much about it. Our mission is to establish a branch, not recruit talent." The maid shrugged and smiled. "Besides, Young Master Jun has not even made it onto the Human Rankings. How could he compare to you, Miss?"

"He will definitely enter the Human Rankings and make a name for himself," You Fenghuang murmured as she gazed at Qin Jun downstairs.

At those words, the maid could not help staring at Qin Jun in shock. This was the first time she had heard her mistress evaluate someone so highly, and he was even younger than You Fenghuang.

Happy New Year's Eve~