Snake Lance and Pufferfish

It wasn't a physical entity, but seemed to be made of pure light energy. Its head was held high, and its eyes shone like burning golden suns. Simply hovering there, it radiated a terrifying pressure that could suffocate an ordinary Soul Master.

The next second, a blood-red Soul Ring quietly rose from beneath her feet. Qian Renxue had already been stunned by this Martial Soul, but when she saw the ring, her gaze froze and she stood rooted to the spot, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"A Hundred Thousand Year... Soul Ring..." Qian Renxue's voice was dry and hoarse, trembling with disbelief.

She was clearly only a Soul Elder with a Soul Power level barely above thirty, yet her First Soul Ring was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. How was that possible?!

Whose First Soul Ring could be a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?! There had never been any record of such a thing. It was simply too hard to believe!

"Ye Yang, who... are you, really?!" Qian Renxue stared at the blood-red Soul Ring, lost in a daze. What secrets did this person hold? This was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!

Meanwhile, back at the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, after giving Xue Beng a thorough dressing-down, Ye Yang returned to the Crown Prince's bedchamber in an excellent mood.

Giving a prince a dressing-down—before this, it was something he wouldn't even have dared to imagine himself doing.

But now, he was the Crown Prince. He could do whatever he wanted. Here in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, he was second only to one person and above thousands.

As for whether Xue Beng would retaliate? Ye Yang wasn't worried in the slightest. Even if he did, so what? Did he dare kill him?

If he really dared, then Ye Yang would just have to ask whether the Emperor Armor inside his head would agree.

After picking up a few more attributes along the way, Ye Yang returned to his bedchamber.

Sitting in a chair, he stroked its luxurious armrest and called out leisurely, "Snake Lance, Pufferfish."

He knew that Snake Lance and Pufferfish had been watching his actions that day. To keep them from realizing that he and Qian Renxue had switched bodies, he only needed to call them out, and that would explain everything.

After all, apart from people from Spirit Hall, only Qian Renxue knew they existed.

The next second, two figures emerged quietly from a corner.

"Your Highness." Snake Lance, a thin man, bowed. "What are your orders?"

Pufferfish beside him also bowed. The two exchanged a glance, and the heavy stone in their hearts quietly settled.

His actions that day had indeed made them uneasy. They had never seen His Highness behave so brazenly before, so naturally they worried that something had gone wrong.

But since His Highness had called them out, it was probably all part of his plan.

Sure enough, Ye Yang spoke the next second. "You must be wondering why I did what I did today, right?"

At once, Snake Lance lowered his head. "We wouldn't dare. We're only responsible for His Highness's safety. We would never presume to interfere with His Highness's plans."

Snake Lance's words carried two meanings. If he wasn't curious, why bring up plans? And if he was only responsible for His Highness's safety, why say so much?

Ye Yang saw their confusion and nodded. "Actually, I gave today's matter a lot of careful thought before acting."

"Xue Beng—I've realized this Fourth Prince isn't as good-for-nothing as he seems. His earlier behavior was all just a way to let his guard down around me."

That was right. Ye Yang planned to expose the fact that Xue Beng was only pretending to be a wastrel. Only then would the two men believe his actions made sense.

"What!" Snake Lance was astonished. The notion that Xue Beng was a wastrel had become deeply ingrained. Even he had believed it.

"That's right. I know you're surprised. I was shocked too when I found out. To pretend to be a wastrel for so many years at such a young age is truly astonishing."

"But this is the truth." Ye Yang nodded. "He probably guessed that I had something to do with the deaths of the Second and Third Princes, so he pretended to be a wastrel to make me stop wanting to kill him."

Hearing this, Snake Lance immediately said, "Who would have thought Xue Beng had such nerve? Your Highness, shouldn't we deal with him right away to prevent future trouble?"

Ye Yang didn't answer. He only said, "Xue Beng really is no simple man. He's been enduring and biding his time for so long. In the future, he'll certainly pose a considerable threat to Spirit Hall."

"Your Highness, if even you say that, then all the more reason we should deal with him." Snake Lance spoke with firm conviction. Out of loyalty to Spirit Hall, he couldn't let such a man grow stronger.

Yet Ye Yang shook his head. "No. Not only can't we deal with him, we have to let him live and keep pretending to be a wastrel."

Snake Lance was baffled. "Why, Your Highness? Wouldn't killing Xue Beng be better than letting the danger take root?"

Ye Yang replied helplessly, "Wouldn't I like to do that? But Snake Lance, you have to remember that Xue Ye has only two princes left: me and Xue Beng. A princess would never be able to inherit the throne."

"The deaths of the Second and Third Princes were already shrouded in mystery. Xue Ye had started suspecting me back then. It took all these years for him to finally let his guard down a little."

"But if Xue Beng dies too, what do you think Xue Ye will make of it?"

Ye Yang looked at Snake Lance, his tone grave. "As Crown Prince, Xue Beng is the only person who can threaten my position now. If he dies too, then there'll be no chance of my position as Crown Prince ever being shaken."

"But at the same time, Xue Ye's suspicions of me will reach their peak. After all, I'm the most likely person to have killed Xue Beng. Who would bother killing a wastrel?"

After hearing Ye Yang's analysis, Snake Lance's furrowed brows relaxed slightly, though the sharpness in his eyes remained. "Your Highness, your foresight is impressive. This subordinate is in awe. But keeping him alive will always be a hidden danger. What do you think we should do?"

"That's what I was doing today," Ye Yang said softly. "Since he wants to pretend, then we'll let him. The harder he plays the wastrel, the better."

"What do you think a wastrel would make of what I did today?" Ye Yang suddenly asked.

Snake Lance thought for a moment, then shook his head helplessly. "Please enlighten me, Your Highness."

"To drive someone to despair, you must first drive him mad. I'm forcing him to become a true wastrel. And as a wastrel, he'll certainly report what I did to that old fox Xue Ye."

"That way, Xue Ye will definitely ask about it in court tomorrow, and I'll be able to use the opportunity to deal with him."

"As long as he dares retaliate, I can keep smearing his name. By then, even if he no longer wants to play the wastrel, he'll have no choice. That'll also put an end to Xue Ye's suspicions of me." Ye Yang spoke softly.

[ Ding! Strategy proposed. Mental Power +1 ]