The Mask

When Xu Yuan returned to the courtyard that Xu Yuan Bai Zhao prepared for him and the other two, Xu Xinyao was sitting in front of the pavilion in the courtyard, talking quietly with Ran Qingmo.

However, upon seeing Xu Yuan push open the door, Xu Xinyao immediately stopped talking, seemingly not wanting him to hear.

As Xu Yuan approached, he asked with a smile:

"What are you talking about?"

Xu Xinyao stood up, her eyes crinkling with a smile:

"You want to know about the private conversations between girls, Third Brother?"

"Yes, I do."

Approaching the table, Xu Yuan casually sat down, placed the box containing the human skin mask on the table, and said with a smile:

"Of course I want to. Ran Qingmo, what were you guys talking about just now?"

Ran Qingmo, who had been looking somewhat confused, hesitated slightly before shaking her head and saying:

"Xin Yao told me that I can't tell you this."

"Oh?"

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "What's so mysterious about this?"

"Cough!"

Xu Xinyao Qingqing her throat to interrupt, changing the subject, and smiled with her eyes crinkling:

"Third Brother, what's in this box?"

"."

Xu Yuan didn't delve into what the two women's spies had just said. He whispered to the Saint's Remnant Soul, "Seal you for a while," and then casually sealed the five senses of the Saint's Remnant Soul.

He opened the box and whispered:

"One human skin mask for you and one for me, to wear during the negotiations."

"What?"

Xu Xinyao looked at the two compartments in the box with a surprised expression. "With masks?"

Xu Yuan picked up the teacup on the stone table, poured himself a cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Father's meaning."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xinyao's eyes showed a thoughtful expression, but she quickly asked:

"Why?"

Xu Yuan put down his teacup, tapped his fingers lightly on the stone table, and continued speaking without answering immediately:

"In addition, Father also gave me command of the 40,000 Black Scale Army, and according to Yuan Hao, I can unconditionally order him to destroy the Wanxiang Sect if I want to."

"."

Ran Qingmo blinked, somewhat puzzled.

Xu Xinyao frowned and said in a low voice:

"Third Brother, why are you telling me this?"

She didn't believe that her Third Brother was telling her this to ask for her opinion.

Xu Yuan sighed deeply and said in a low voice:

"I want to ask you, what exactly happened to my second brother?"

Throughout the various storylines in Cangyuan, Xu Chang'an, the Second Young Master of the Prime Minister's Estate, has never appeared, so Xu Yuan is unable to glean any useful information from him.

The news of his second brother's death in this life was only learned one day when he was indulging in pleasure at a brothel. He was told that his second brother had passed away and he should hurry back to the mansion.

It was impossible for the dandy to come into contact with these things at the beginning, but Xu Xinyao had already returned home after studying, and with his current status, he should know some inside stories.

Upon hearing the term "second brother, "Xu Xinyao paused, her beautiful eyes dimming for a moment before she asked, somewhat puzzled:

"Third Brother, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Xu Yuan did not answer immediately, but instead asked:

"I have some suspicions in my mind, so I wanted to ask."

Xu Xinyao hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"My elder brother asked our father about this matter, but our father didn't say much. He just said that it was his fault. When my elder brother pressed him for details, our father seemed a little angry, so my elder brother left the manor directly."

"."

Xu Yuan frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"What did Xu Changge go to do?"

Xu Xinyao shook her head:

"I don't know."

Xu Yuan continued to ask:

"Are you sure Father got angry because my older brother kept asking questions?"

Xu Xinyao thought about it carefully and said in a low voice:

"He wasn't exactly angry, his voice was very serious."

Having said that,

Seeing the complicated expression on Xu Yuan's face, Xu Xinyao asked softly:

"Third Brother, is the death of second brother related to this matter?"

"No."

Xu Yuan's tone was complicated. "However, I roughly know who attacked Second Brother."

"."

Xu Xinyao's beautiful eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this, and her delicate hands clenched slightly.

Who is it?

"Everyone."

"Ah?"

"."

Xu Yuan took a deep breath, glanced at the human skin mask on the table, and said, word by word:

"Everyone outside of our Prime Minister's Estate."

"."

Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt appeared in Xu Xinyao's beautiful eyes:

"Everyone?"

Xu Yuan looked down at his palm:

"My second brother's death was most likely due to his excessive brilliance."

Xu Xinyao's beautiful eyes held a hint of doubt:

"Too sharp? But isn't my elder brother even sharper?"

"Xu Changge?"

Xu Yuan leaned against the wooden railing behind him:

"Xu Changge's cultivation level is too high. He was already at the Origin Beginning ten years ago. None of us family members know his exact cultivation level now. If outsiders want to kill him, they would need at least two or three Mortal Shedding to be safe."

"Moreover, Xin Yao, compared to her eldest brother, those people are actually more afraid of her second brother."

"."

Xu Xinyao's beautiful eyes showed even greater confusion.

Xu Changge became famous throughout the world, while Xu Chang'an was only moderately well-known.

Xu Yuan sighed and asked:

"Xin Yao, you should remember what your second brother was doing before, right?"

Xu Xinyao thought for a moment and said:

"It seems that my second brother has been following our father ever since he returned from his travels."

Xu Yuan nodded:

"Yes, you weren't back when he returned from his travels. I was in the Imperial Capital the whole time, so I know that my second brother was in charge of contacting many important guests, even Grandpa Hua Hong and Aunt Lou Ji."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xinyao understood what her Third Brother meant:

"Third Brother, are you saying that Father wants to groom Second brother to succeed him?"

Xu Yuan recalled the figure that always held a stick and blocked his way:

"After all, my second brother has always loved reasoning with people since he was little."

After saying that, there was a long silence.

Ran Qingmo bit her lip, looking at Xu Yuan as if she wanted to say something comforting, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Xu Yuan took the human skin mask out of the box:

"Now everyone in the world hopes that our Prime Minister's Estate will decline, so my second brother must die. Once he dies, no one in our family will be able to take over Father's position."

"You know the structure of our Prime Minister's Estate. It basically revolves around Father. If we can't control the people below, it's easy for it to fall apart."

"But what about my older brother?"

Xu Xinyao said in a low voice.

In her memory, apart from Xu Yuan, her two older brothers were omnipotent.

Xu Yuan's mind conjured up the image of Xu Changge, and he shook his head in denial:

"My older brother can't do it."

"Although he can keep his subordinates in check, he is too indifferent and lacks patience. At best, he will only become the next maternal uncle. If he takes over the Prime Minister's Estate, it will most likely decline slowly."

"That's probably why my father had no other choice back then."

"The sects, the Aristocratic Clan, and even the Emperor in the Golden Throne Hall —they all want Second Brother dead."

What the world fears is not Xu Changge, but the emergence of another Xu Yinhe from the Prime Minister's Estate.

After saying that,

Xu Yuan put on the human skin mask.