Exposing the Fraud

Cold sweat broke out on Qi Hao's back. Wei Canglan's trust in them had clearly begun to waver, and he hurriedly forced himself to say, "Grand General, Master Ying came from afar to save Young Master Wei. If he is still suspected, it will truly chill people's hearts."

After hearing Qi Hao's words, not only did Wei Canglan fail to dismiss his suspicions, he felt that something was even more wrong.

If they had nothing to hide, why were they acting so flustered?

And Tuntun, a Source Beast comparable to a Primordial Realm expert, showed that Mu Chen and the others did not fear him at all. This made him realize that these people were not here to toy with him.

If what they said was true, then as a dignified Primordial Realm expert, he had truly been played like a fool. His expression darkened terribly.

"Bring me silver needles," Wei Canglan said coldly, casting a glance at Master Ying and Qi Hao.

The two were birds of a feather. If Master Ying had a problem, Qi Hao would not get away with it either.

Mu Chen and the others watched the show. Wei Canglan might have been a little foolish, but he still had courage. At the very least, he was not so foolish that he could not distinguish what was urgent from what was not.

Wei Canglan acted personally. When the silver needle was pulled from Wei Bin's body, its tip was pitch-black. Wei Canglan was naturally no stranger to that aura—it was the Miasma Demon Poison he loathed to the core.

"Master Ying, explain yourself." Wei Canglan's icy gaze seemed as though it wanted to devour him. His fury could no longer be suppressed. He took several strides forward and slapped a hand onto Master Ying's shoulder.

Just moments ago, he had been deeply grateful. In Qi Hao and the others' eyes, he must have looked like a ridiculous clown.

Master Ying's face instantly turned pale, sweat pouring down him. It felt as though his shoulder blade was about to be crushed.

There was no way to escape. Controlled by a Primordial Realm expert, Master Ying immediately went ashen-faced.

"Have Prince Qi escorted away to rest. Throw this swindler into the prison." Wei Canglan moved his hand, and with two cracking sounds, Master Ying's arms were dislocated at the joints.

Qi Hao clenched his fists and left unwillingly. After plotting for so long, everything had been ruined by Zhou Yuan and the others.

What the hell was wrong with this? The Great Zhou Mansion had planned for years as well, only for Zhou Yuan to foil them too. What rotten luck.

The Grand General's Mansion was no longer an option. They would settle things properly later in the Black Abyss.

"My earlier conduct was disrespectful. Do any of you have a way to save my son?" Wei Canglan, his face filled with grief, suddenly thought of Mu Chen and the others. At that moment, he lowered his stance completely, devoid of a Primordial Realm expert's majesty. Right now, he was only a father.

"Zhou Yuan can save him."

Mu Chen directly recommended Zhou Yuan. He could leave this sort of laborious work to Zhou Yuan.

Since they wanted to win Wei Canglan over, that was Zhou Yuan's business. He had no need for a Primordial Realm expert like Wei Canglan.

Zhou Yuan's mouth twitched. You hand all the troublesome work to me. You really are my good senior brother.

Still, forget it. This was originally a matter between the royal family and the Grand General's Mansion. It was most appropriate for him, the prince, to handle it.

Yaoyao glanced at Mu Chen. In truth, Mu Chen was more suited for this. His Late Void Realm spirit was more than enough. But since he had already recommended Zhou Yuan, that was fine too. A Mid Void Realm spirit was enough to inscribe that Source Rune; it would just tire Zhou Yuan out more.

"Ten days to prepare—you can wait that long, right?" Yaoyao said.

Wei Canglan was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded. He had waited so many years already. What were ten more days?

"I will arrange guest rooms for you immediately. If you need anything, just tell the maidservants." Wei Canglan's attitude was extremely warm. At this point, he could only trust them.

Wei Qingqing's expression was exceedingly complicated. She had believed Qi Hao before, but now she knew he was a fraud. All his previous concern had been an act, and monstrous anger surged within her.

Within a year, King Qi's Mansion would surely launch a rebellion against the royal family. Yet because of this debt of gratitude, the Grand General's Mansion might remain on the sidelines.

Taking this opportunity, Zhou Yuan stated his conditions. First, they would help him obtain the Fire Spirit Ear and Jade Infant Fruit. Second, he wanted the Origin Devouring Stone from the Grand General's Mansion.

After pondering for a while, Wei Canglan agreed to Zhou Yuan's conditions. Wei Bin was his only son. Though the Origin Devouring Stone was precious, it could not compare to his own child.

"Qingqing, take them to rest," Wei Canglan said, his tone much gentler.

Wei Qingqing nodded. Her beautiful eyes were filled with curiosity and anticipation. This prince had gone from Eight Meridians Not Yet Manifested to the Qi Nourishing Realm—he was a miracle. Perhaps he could miraculously cure her younger brother as well.

In the courtyard outside the guest rooms, Zhou Yuan found Yaoyao with a bitter smile on his face.

"Senior Sister Yaoyao, can I really do this?"

"Zhou Yuan, a man can't say he can't," Mu Chen said with a smile.

Zhou Yuan rolled his eyes and said speechlessly, "I'm still underage. I can only be considered a youth right now. You would obviously have a higher success rate if you did it, so why make me do it?"

"This is your matter. The Great Zhou Dynasty will need a Primordial Realm expert like Wei Canglan to take its side in the future, so naturally you, the prince, should handle it," Mu Chen said seriously.

Zhou Yuan did not argue. King Qi's Mansion was likely unable to sit still any longer and could launch a rebellion at any time. If Wei Canglan stood with them, the situation would improve considerably.

"These are the materials you'll need. Prepare them. When the time comes, I'll teach you a Grade Two Source Rune. It will be enough to deal with the Miasma Demon Poison." Yaoyao took out a sheet of white paper and wrote down several materials.

After Zhou Yuan read it, his expression changed. These were practically all highly poisonous substances. Just looking at them made him want to run away. Once mixed together, they seemed no less dangerous than the Miasma Demon Poison.

"Fight poison with poison. If you could control the Resentful Dragon Poison, Zhou Yuan, you could directly use it to devour the Miasma Demon Poison," Mu Chen said.

The Resentful Dragon Poison was overwhelmingly more toxic than the mere Miasma Demon Poison. But if Zhou Yuan dared to activate it, he could easily get himself killed. His realm was still too low to withstand an outbreak of the Resentful Dragon Poison.

Zhou Yuan spread open his palm, revealing the writhing Resentful Dragon Poison. It was indeed the great trouble in his heart. That was why he longed to grow stronger—so that one day, he could resolve the Resentful Dragon Poison completely.

"Your Highness, do you need me to arrange an escape route?" Lu Tieshan shared Zhou Yuan's earlier thoughts. If Wei Canglan flew into a rage, he truly would not be able to stop him.

He also knew that if they left now, Wei Canglan would not stop them. Though they would lose Wei Canglan's support, preserving their lives was more important.

"No. Trust Senior Sister Yaoyao," Zhou Yuan said, shaking his head.

Senior Sister Yaoyao might be a little cold, but she had never led him into a trap. Nor would she joke about something like this.

Hearing that, Lu Tieshan could only steel himself and gather those scalp-tingling materials. He hoped that once Wei Canglan learned of them, he would not attack them outright.

"Senior Sister Yaoyao, my life is in your hands," Zhou Yuan said, taking a deep breath, though he was still somewhat nervous inside.

"Don't worry. I won't trick you," Yaoyao said irritably. If not for the fact that you are Grandpa Hei's disciple, I wouldn't be helping you at all.

Wishing all my brothers a happy Mid-Autumn Festival. May the moon be full, your families be whole, and may you enjoy happiness and good health.