The Storm Was Brewing

Jiang Yuyu cried out inwardly, Whose general is this? He's actually this fierce! I thought I was already invincible under heaven, but it turns out there's someone even fiercer than me.

The key was, who had given him the nerve? Even with King Qi backing him, Jiang Yuyu wouldn't have dared say those words. He couldn't even have come up with them.

In his short life, he'd actually heard such a golden line. He had to remember it—and put it to use.

He gave Mu Zibai a thumbs-up. Mu Zibai met his eyes, as if to say, Just business as usual.

King Qi and Wenren Longhong both drew in a sharp breath. Their original plan had been for Mu Zibai to find a way to provoke Prince Guang, then leave the extortion to them.

This wasn't just provocation. It was practically making Prince Guang fly into a rage.

Thankfully, Prince Guang was deep and steady, able to keep his temper in check. Anyone with a slightly shorter fuse would have been itching to march over and slap Mu Zibai twice by now.

"Very good." The veins on Prince Guang's forehead bulged. It was rare to see such a drastic change in his expression.

King Qi said with a smile, "He's just a child who doesn't know any better. If anything he said offended you, it was entirely unintentional."

Prince Guang chuckled. "Was it?"

Mu Zibai silently replied inwardly, It was on purpose. Unfortunately, Prince Guang couldn't hear him.

King Qi sidestepped the topic. "One hand pays, the other delivers. You should know the rules. Don't go getting younger as you age, old friend, or you'll really have to sit at the children's table."

"Very good. I'll remember that." Prince Guang swept his gaze over everyone, then added, "I'll come again tomorrow."

With that, Prince Guang took Ao Ying Tian and prepared to leave.

At that moment, Mu Zibai called out to him. "Hey, if you're late tomorrow, the dragon sinew might already have been made into a belt."

"What's your name?" Prince Guang asked.

Mu Zibai smiled. "This junior is Mu Ziyu of the Capital City's Mu family. My father is Mu Hedao."

"Good. I'll remember you, Mu family boy." Prince Guang gave Mu Zibai a meaningful look.

"It's an honor to be remembered by you, senior." Mu Zibai smiled faintly and watched Prince Guang leave.

As soon as Prince Guang was gone, Wenren Longhong immediately asked King Qi, "What do you think?"

"From that little test just now, something's off. I'm afraid they really do have another scheme in the works. We'll have to be careful." King Qi furrowed his brow. "It went too smoothly. That's not their style."

"Looks like we'll have to prepare ahead of time. We still don't know what methods they'll use." Wenren Longhong was worried.

King Qi looked at Mu Zibai and chuckled. "A promising young man. You dared to face Prince Guang without so much as blinking. You've got more courage than I did at your age."

Mu Zibai slowly lifted a foot, trying to take a step, but his leg was trembling so badly he couldn't move.

His face hadn't changed, but his legs were shaking. Of course he was scared. Who wouldn't be? He wasn't as powerful as King Qi. If King Qi weren't here, he'd be nothing but a buffoon.

He'd only been borrowing King Qi's authority to bluff.

"Mu Ziyu?" Wenren Longhong chuckled too.

Prince Guang certainly wouldn't know all the details. He must not know Mu Zibai's real identity, and he didn't know much about the Mu family either. Shifting the blame onto the Mu family like that—now that was brilliant.

"Quite a clever move." Jiang Yuyu rested a hand on Mu Zibai's shoulder.

"They'd figure it out as soon as they investigated. I was only playing a few little tricks. Nothing worth mentioning." Mu Zibai shook his head.

At that moment, he keenly felt how lacking his strength was. Facing a powerhouse like that, without enough strength, anything he did would be nothing but clowning around in front of him.

If King Qi hadn't been backing him, he probably wouldn't even have dared to speak.

Mu Zibai had dared to speak that way to test Prince Guang's true intentions. They'd agreed on it beforehand.

If King Qi had been the one to do it, two masters probing each other would have left Prince Guang with no openings. But with Mu Zibai, the outcome was different.

King Qi had anticipated that. He understood Prince Guang's personality, and Mu Zibai had done well—surprisingly well.

"I just don't know what the Dragon People are planning next," Wenren Longhong said worriedly.

King Qi replied, "Judging from Prince Guang's behavior, I'd say it'll be in the next few days. There's no harm in preparing our defenses early. Are you in a hurry to go back?"

"Not in a hurry."

"Good. Then stay and help me." King Qi turned to Mu Zibai again and asked, "Where are the dragon sinew and dragon horn?"

Mu Zibai took out the dragon sinew and dragon horn and handed them to King Qi.

"Here's what we'll do: I'll hold on to these for now. Tomorrow, after I've made the exchange, I'll give them back to you. How does that sound?"

"Fine."

"Good. Longhong and I will stay here tomorrow. You can head back with the warship. I'll have people set up defenses in the South Sea. That way, if anything unexpected happens, we'll be ready to respond."

"Dad, are we really going to war?" Jiang Yuyu asked uncertainly.

King Qi pondered for a moment, then said, "The Dragon Palace must have an ulterior motive. We don't know exactly what they're planning, but they're bound to be trying to harm Great You's interests. There's no harm in preparing ahead of time."

"But what if the Dragon Palace can keep its cool and doesn't make a move during this period?" Jiang Yuyu asked.

King Qi smiled. "I know the Dragon Palace too well. I'm only afraid they won't be able to sit still. But they wouldn't dare go to war with Great You head-on. I'm curious myself what methods the Dragon Palace has up its sleeve.

"The enemy is in the dark, and we're in the open. They're already rattling the grass to scare the snake. If they know we're on guard and still dare to act, then it can't be anything simple. So we must be careful."

Afterward, King Qi and Wenren Longhong stayed on the island to wait for Prince Guang to return the next day, while Mu Zibai and the others prepared to head back with Jiang Yuyu.

"Can you really beat two Dragon People in the Profound Armor Realm?" Jiang Yuyu asked, looking unconvinced as he sized Mu Zibai up. His arms and legs were so thin, and he was only in the early stages of the Profound Armor Realm—not particularly powerful either.

Jiang Yuyu could rack his brains all day and still not figure out how Mu Zibai had won.

"Take a guess." Mu Zibai smiled. Don't ask. Just guess.

Jiang Yuyu was in the Profound Armor Realm too, but he'd been there for nearly two or three years. If he had to fight a Dragon Person at the same level, he could only guarantee that he wouldn't get thrashed too badly. Winning was out of the question.

"Come on, tell me how you won. Any clever tricks? Teach me one, and I'll trade you a treasure for it." Jiang Yuyu raised an eyebrow.

Mu Zibai: "..."

A treasure? What kind of treasure could he have?

"Let's hear it," Mu Zibai asked curiously.

Jiang Yuyu pulled an illustrated book from inside his robe. Mu Zibai's eyebrows twitched, and he thought, Holy crap.

"This is a rare, one-of-a-kind book. I've only got this one. How about it? Not bad, right?" Jiang Yuyu pulled Mu Zibai aside, afraid someone else might see.

Mu Zibai fell silent, then said, "Brother, you've got the wrong idea about me. I'm an upright man. I only read the Spring and Autumn Annals."

He turned and walked away.

"Think it over! I've got another one too."

When he turned around, King Qi was standing right in front of him. Gritting his teeth, he asked, "Another what?"

"Dad? What a coincidence." Jiang Yuyu gave an awkward smile and hid the rare book behind his back.

King Qi flicked his hand, and the book flew into his grasp. He glanced at it, his brow immediately furrowing. He was just a hair away from blowing his top. If they hadn't had outsiders here, he would've pulled off his belt and given Jiang Yuyu a sound thrashing.