Ye Qingyun and his master were still discussing how they could escape alive.
Little did they know.
Qin Zizai, hidden nearby, had heard every word of their conversation loud and clear.
Qin Zizai was a late-stage Holy Lord powerhouse, several degrees more terrifying than Huo Yun Xie Shen had been.
Even Huo Yun Xie Shen had been unable to detect Qin Zizai's whereabouts,
let alone True Person Ziwei and her disciple.
Everything Ye Qingyun experienced inside the prison was firmly within Qin Anlan's grasp.
For Ye Qingyun to have achieved what he had today,
aside from possessing extraordinarily terrifying luck that let him stumble upon heaps of fortuitous opportunities anytime, anywhere,
the most important factor was still the help of True Person Ziwei and Old Man in the Ring.
Without True Person Ziwei and without Old Man in the Ring,
for a loser like Ye Qingyun to rise against the odds would have been nothing more than a fool's dream.
Qin Anlan had considered directly taking the ring from Ye Qingyun.
But after thinking it over carefully, he immediately dismissed the idea.
For one thing, Old Man in the Ring was an opportunity unique to Ye Qingyun.
Even if Qin Anlan snatched him away, he would be of no use.
Secondly.
Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate possessed vast quantities of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, with piles of things they could never use up.
Qin Anlan truly had no interest in the shabby junk Ye Qingyun had used.
Since he could not seize Old Man in the Ring, Qin Anlan could simply use another method to steal him.
For instance.
Ye Qingyun's gorgeous master.
True Person Ziwei.
"Using a sowing-discord scheme to drive a wedge between master and disciple is indeed a good choice."
"But for a villain like me to use such a method against a Child of Destiny, wouldn't that be a little too evil?"
"No, no, no. Everything this Young Lord does is for Villain Points, for eliminating those hypocritical Children of Destiny."
Qin Anlan spoke with righteous solemnity, placing the lofty hat of justice upon his own actions.
He had learned it all from those Children of Destiny. Everything they did was supposedly right.
Yet villains like Qin Anlan,
were wrong no matter what they did.
The more he thought about it, the more Qin Anlan intended to put it into action at once.
Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrived.
Just then, Tu Xiu came to report, "Reporting to Young Lord, True Person Ziwei, an elder of Heavenly Firmament Academy, requests an audience."
True Person Ziwei had come directly to his door.
Qin Anlan narrowed his eyes.
She was presumably here because of Ye Qingyun.
Qin Anlan had just been preparing to carry out his sowing-discord plan and drive a wedge between master and disciple.
Who would have thought it?
True Person Ziwei had actually delivered herself to his doorstep.
It seemed that he and that female lead truly had hearts that understood each other with a single spark.
Not bad.
Though True Person Ziwei was Ye Qingyun's master,
Qin Anlan did not even need to think to know it.
People like Ye Qingyun, who would devour anything raw or cooked alike, were the brainless sort of Children of Destiny.
In the end, he would likely not even spare True Person Ziwei, directly turning her into a female lead.
Inside the main hall.
Upon a raised platform.
Qin Anlan sat in the seat of honor, while True Person Ziwei took a seat below.
He had long heard of True Person Ziwei's reputation, but this was his first time meeting her in person.
Though True Person Ziwei was already four or five hundred years old,
age meant little on the path of cultivation.
Saint-level powerhouses possessed lifespans of ten thousand years.
Holy Lord-level powerhouses, and even greater beings of higher cultivation, possessed lifespans of hundreds of thousands of years.
By that measure, True Person Ziwei was merely a little girl of four or five.
As expected of Heavenly Firmament Academy's Number One Female Expert, she truly was a peerless beauty.
Yet Qin Anlan's eyes held not the slightest hint of lust.
There was only ordinary appreciation.
As though he had seen an exceptionally beautiful peony, Qin Anlan merely marveled at its splendor.
But should it become necessary, Qin Anlan would not mind crushing the flower with a ruthless hand and personally destroying that magnificent peony.
While Qin Anlan was sizing up True Person Ziwei, she was also observing him.
Because of Ye Qingyun, True Person Ziwei did not hold much goodwill toward Qin Anlan.
After all, only a few days ago, her disciple had been thrown into the death row prison by Qin Anlan and subjected to terrible suffering.
Even if Ye Qingyun had brought it upon himself,
True Person Ziwei still found it difficult to feel favorably toward Qin Anlan.
Yet Qin Anlan's calm gaze made True Person Ziwei involuntarily revise her impression of him.
Over the past several centuries, she had seen no shortage of talented young men.
On the surface, those men were dignified and upright, wearing the appearance of refined gentlemen.
Yet deep down, whenever they looked at True Person Ziwei, their eyes would involuntarily reveal traces of the fire of desire.
They merely dared not show it because of True Person Ziwei's status and strength.
But Qin Anlan's current conduct was completely different from those hypocrites.
"This Young Lord has long heard of True Person Ziwei's reputation."
"Though you and I both reside in the Capital City, this can be considered our first formal meeting."
Qin Anlan swept his gaze over True Person Ziwei's exquisite face and smiled faintly.
"The Young Lord of the Divine Marquis was born noble and deeply favored by the Emperor. Who knows how many people envy you to death?"
True Person Ziwei's words were indeed true.
She too had been born into one of the Great Clans and could be considered a child of an influential family.
Otherwise, no matter how gifted True Person Ziwei was, she could not possibly have reached the Peak Saint stage within only a few hundred years.
Even so, she was in no way comparable to Qin Anlan.
Qin Anlan carried the bloodline of the Qin Clan as well as the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan.
Even Emperor Xuanyuan doted greatly on Qin Anlan, his nephew.
There was even a palace deep within Xuanyuan Imperial Palace built specifically for Qin Anlan.
True Person Ziwei had come only to swallow her pride
and beg Qin Anlan to spare her disciple, Ye Qingyun.
She had not intended to converse much with Qin Anlan.
However.
As Qin Anlan chatted about this and that, the two of them engaged in casual conversation.
True Person Ziwei unexpectedly discovered that she and Qin Anlan got along rather well.
Qin Anlan had unique insights into many matters.
From court affairs above to all manner of Spells and Divine Abilities below,
Qin Anlan spoke with extraordinary eloquence.
He clearly had everything well in hand.
Though True Person Ziwei had lived several hundred years longer than Qin Anlan and accumulated countless more experiences,
at this very moment, before Qin Anlan,
she even felt ashamed of her own inadequacy.
Moreover, Qin Anlan was easygoing and put on none of the airs of the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis.
His attitude was gentle.
It made others involuntarily develop a measure of goodwill toward him.
Before you continue