Ling Yi Was Toxic

"Heaven Dou City", the Crown Prince's Residence.

"Has Ling Yi arrived at the border?"

Inside the study, Xue Ye looked at the memorial in front of her and asked without looking up.

"Back to Your Highness~"

Xu Yixiu, the bodyguard standing respectfully to the side, immediately clasped his hands in a salute and said in a respectful voice, "Mr. Ling Yi arrived at the camp outside ' Kelo City ' three days ago."

"Did nothing go wrong on the way?" Xue Ye asked casually again.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Xu Yixiu was taken aback, but then immediately understood and replied without hesitation, "No, Mr. Ling Yi had a smooth journey without any trouble."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Xue Ye finally looked up from the memorial in her hands, raised her head to look at Xu Yixiu, and asked to confirm, "Really? It went so smoothly?"

Although Xue Ye's gaze was calm, Xu Yixiu felt immense pressure at this moment. He forced himself to remain calm and kept his voice steady as he replied in a measured tone, "Your Highness, the news that came back is indeed true."

"I see~" Xue Ye nodded noncommittally, "That's good, that's good..."

"You may leave."

"Yes--!"

Xu Yixiu acknowledged the order, bowed again, and walked backward to the door of the study before turning to leave.

Inside the study, Xue Ye didn't look at Xu Yixiu's departing figure, but continued to read the memorial in her hands.

Unfortunately, the content that I could previously understand is now completely unreadable.

As she was looking at it, Xue Ye suddenly slammed the folded document, whose edges she had already torn, onto the desk in front of her.

At the same time, in the Heaven Dou Great Soul Fighting Arena.

Inside VIP Box No. 16, Heavenly Horse Marquis Fei Bai was watching the two pairs of Soul Ancestor Soul Fighting it out below with nothing to do.

Suddenly, the door to the private room was opened from the outside, and a figure stepped in.

Fei Bai immediately turned around to look, while secretly mobilizing his Soul Power. Only after seeing the person's appearance clearly did he quietly disperse the gathered Soul Power.

The newcomer was dressed in a magnificent purple-gold brocade robe, with a belt around his waist inlaid with more than ten large gemstones of various colors that was particularly eye-catching, so much so that people would subconsciously overlook his adorable round face.

"Could you please change into something more inconspicuous?"

Fei Bai rolled his eyes at the newcomer and said somewhat irritably:

"At the very least, you could at least put that thing off your waist—"

"Are you so afraid that others won't know that we met here?"

"Whoosh—!"

The newcomer's fair and fleshy hand trembled, and the folding fan in his hand opened, revealing a painting of a lady on it. He said nonchalantly, "What's there to be afraid of? Sometimes, the more you try to hide something, the easier it is for others to make assumptions."

"On the contrary, someone as straightforward as me, as long as I give an explanation later, there basically won't be any problems, isn't that great—"

"Fine, I can't argue with you~" Fei Bai shook his head helplessly and stopped talking to the newcomer about the other person's attire.

"Alright~"

The newcomer casually closed the door to the private room behind him, walked over to the sofa opposite Fei Bai, sat down, fanning himself with a folding fan, and asked, "So, what brings you here all of a sudden?"

"You know, I'm currently following in the footsteps of the old man, taking over all his messy affairs, and I'm really busy—"

"Unlike you, all you have to do is train those ten thousand royal knights."

"Shit!"

Faced with the visitor's complaints, Fei Bai immediately retorted with a curse, "You're always eating and drinking with those people with your dad, or going to brothels to have fun. What are you busy with?!"

It's just taking over your father's network of connections and those military matters...

"Let's see if you still have the skills you had back in the academy!"

"Hey--!"

Despite Fei Bai's resentment, the newcomer continued to wave his folding fan at the same frequency, his round face displaying a leisurely expression as he chuckled and said:

"I am but a level 61 Power Attack System Battle Soul Emperor. I hope Marquis Fei Bai find this amusing."

Holy crap!

Upon hearing Fei Bai's eyes widened instinctively, and he said in disbelief, "You fucking broke through?! Really? Jiu Gao, we've known each other for so many years, don't brag—"

"Of course it's true!"

Jiu Gao slammed his folding fan shut, tapped it lightly on his chest, and chuckled, "Just half a month ago, I hunted down this Sixth Soul Ring in the Sunset Forest. It's still fresh in my mind—"

As he spoke, to match his words, two yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Ring appeared at Jiu Gao's feet, a total of six.

"Wow!" Fei Bai stared blankly at the six Soul Ring beneath Jiu Gao. "It really is..."

"Hehe~" Jiu Gao was very satisfied with Fei Bai's expression at this moment. He opened the folding fan again and started fanning himself, while smiling and saying, "Don't be fooled by the fact that we are both Power Attack System Battle Soul Emperor. Your Soul Power is level 65, and mine is level 61. If we really fight, your ' Unicorn Heavenly Soul Horse ' may not be able to defeat my ' Heavenly Wolf Howling Wind Bow '!"

"Cut--!"

Fei Bai glanced sideways at Jiu Gao, his gaze lingering on the man's rather round face and waist before feigning disdain, saying, "Surname Tianlang? More like a fat wolf!"

That's what he said, but Fei Bai knew in his heart that, given their fighting styles, he, as a melee fighter, was actually countered by Jiu Gao's ranged combat style.

Of course, if the battleground is restricted, such as in a private room like this, and the opponent is in close combat, then the situation will be reversed.

Fortunately, back in the academy, the two were basically on the same team, and their ranged and melee attacks complemented each other perfectly, making up for each other's weaknesses.

Jiu Gao, who understood this as well, didn't pay attention to Fei Bai's words and continued fanning himself, asking, "Alright, let's get to the point. What do you want from me?"

My partner's condition has been getting worse lately. If something happens to him... I need to be prepared to take over from him, so I won't be caught off guard.

After all, fighting could break out at any time with the border troops, and I'm responsible for allocating various military equipment and resources.

"I saw how easily the old man handled it before, but after I took over recently, I realized that this thing is not so easy to operate..."

Jiu Gao, with the Martial Soul "Heavenly Wolf Howling Wind Bow", is a level 61, Power Attack System, Six-Ring Battle Soul Emperor, and the eldest son of Jiu Fang, the Minister of Military Affairs of the Heaven Dou Empire.

He is also the Weiyi candidate to succeed as Minister of Armaments.

Because Jiu Gao, as the eldest son, was established as the heir early on, unlike his seven younger brothers who each received different ranks of nobility, Jiu Gao has never had his own title and is only waiting to inherit his father Jiu Fang's dukedom.

At that time, Jiu Gao, who is only forty years old, will become one of the most influential people in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Fei Bai, understanding this, looked at Jiu Gao with a sigh, "You're so lucky, you've risen to the top in one step. From now on, when we meet, we'll all have to call you 'Grand Duke Jiu Gao,' just like Mo Li..."

Fei Bai's father was a marquis, so after inheriting the title, he continued to command one of the five 10,000-strong cavalry Heaven Dou Royal Knights " as a marquis.

The ancestors of Fei Bai, Jiu Gao Mo Li, and Mo Li all followed the Xue Family's ancestor and made great contributions in establishing the Heaven Dou Empire. In addition, their own strength and influence were not to be underestimated. After the successful establishment of the country, they were granted hereditary titles based on their merits.

Suppressing the sigh in his heart, Fei Bai's expression turned serious. He first glanced at the closed door of the private room, knowing that his and Jiu Gao Gao's personal guards were stationed outside, but he still subconsciously lowered his voice:

"Old Jiu, tell me, what exactly does our Crown Prince mean this time?"

"You know, the border troops always have a limited share of the war profits, and there's a clear rule about how much each family gets. This time, they actually broke the unspoken rules that have been in place for so many years and gave Ling Yi 20% of it all at once. Aren't they worried about..."

Fei Bai didn't say what he was going to say, but Jiu Gao, who was sitting opposite him, could guess what it was.

For the first time since entering, Jiu Gao's brows furrowed. He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, looking up at Fei Bai in front of him. "I understand what you mean~"

"If it were a month ago, I might have been just as baffled as you by Xue Ye's actions."

"But now, following the old man and interacting with those uncles and elders, I've learned some things."

"Tell me about it~" Fei Bai's eyes lit up, staring intently into Jiu Gao's eyes.

"You should know about Ling Yi's connections and reputation among the lower ranks of the border army, right?" Jiu Gao suddenly asked.

"Of course!" Fei Bai nodded. "This isn't a secret. Apart from those high-ranking officials who aren't particularly fond of him, at least half of the middle-level managers, like Ai'er Timosi, have a pretty good relationship with Ling Yi. And many of the rising stars who have gradually emerged in recent years were once on friendly terms with Ling Yi..."

"Hiss--!"

As he spoke, Fei Bai suddenly gasped, his eyes widening involuntarily as he looked at Jiu Gao in front of him. "You mean—?"

"What are you thinking about?" Jiu Gao rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Those are border troops!"

"Even if the Heaven Dou Imperial Family wanted to get involved, they haven't achieved much over the years. As long as the top families don't cause trouble, even if only half of the middle-level officials are on friendly terms with him, or even if all the lower-level officials are his people, Ling Yi alone can't cause any trouble!"

"This is the Douluo Continent! Might makes right!"

"Not to mention, do you think those border troops are blind?"

"Could Ling Yi really have infiltrated to this extent? He Ling Yi as well be the emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire! But is that even possible?!"

"And then you said..."

Fei Bai wiped the spittle that Jiu Gao had sprayed on his face and muttered something indignantly.

"What I mean is to make you understand," Jiu Gao said with a hint of disappointment, "Ling Yi has such a high reputation and network of connections in the border army, but our Crown Prince, as the heir to the [Heaven Dou Empire], and soon to become the emperor, doesn't receive the same treatment. How do you think he feels?"

"Let me ask you, if Ling Yi appeared alongside you in front of your ten thousand royal cavalry, and everyone's first reaction was to greet Ling Yi and obey his orders, how would you feel?"

"They've gone too far!" Fei Bai slammed his hand on the table in front of him instinctively, shouting angrily, "Let's see who dares to challenge us?!"

Jiu Gao (￢_￢)

As soon as he said it, Fei Bai realized what he had done and blushed when he saw Jiu Gao glancing at him sideways.

"Look~" Jiu Gao grabbed the closed folding fan, pointed at Fei Bai in the distance, and said disdainfully, "If you can't stand it, then someone with a strong personality like Xue Ye will naturally find it even more unbearable."

"Don't forget, back in the academy, how did Jiang Jiameng, the vice-captain of Xue Ye Ye's team, end up going to the [Star Luo Empire]?"

"His Majesty (Xue Rong) is unaware of this matter, outsiders are unaware, so how could we not be aware?"

"Xue Xing was so terrified by that Xue Ye that he never dared to compete with his Brother San again."

"But this is also Xue Xing's luck. Just wait and see. Once our Crown Prince ascends to that position, apart from Xue Xing, the fate of the other princes will probably be..."

What he was afraid of, Jiu Gao didn't say, Fei Bai didn't ask either; he just kept a sullen face and didn't speak.

But in his heart, he recalled the time a few years ago when Xue Ye first started dealing with Ling Yi.

Xue Ye had said back then, "Those intolerant fellows from the [Water Wood Duchy] are too petty. They dare not give Ling Yi, a talent, a proper position. Instead, they expel him for fear of his high reputation. They are truly unworthy of respect..."

How long has it been? Xue Ye's attitude has changed so drastically, which really caught Fei Bai guard.

"Tsk tsk tsk—"

Jiu Gao had also thought of this, clicked his tongue and exclaimed, "You know what, you really have to admit, there are very few people in the entire Douluo Continent who would dare to say they could control a talent like Ling Yi."

"This guy is terrifying. Wherever he goes, he can blend in with everyone. Look at his [Green Wood Merchant Association], in just a few years, it's almost caught up with the influence of the [Spirit Hall]!"

"The Spirit Hall, with its thousands of years of history and so many Titled Douluo- level elders and retainers, what does the Green Wood Merchant Association have?"

"Ah Yi is really amazing~"

Hearing Jiugao's emotion, Feibai said with some pride.

Upon hearing this, Jiu Gao rolled her eyes at Fei Bai without saying a word.

"What?" Fei Bai asked, somewhat puzzled by the gaze, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"By the way, you haven't met Ah Yi yet, have you? Should I introduce you later? Ah Yi loves making friends..."

"Don't!"

Faced with Fei Bai's suggestion, Jiu Gao waved his hand without hesitation and refused, saying, "I don't want to see him. He's a poisonous person. If I were to confide in him like you all, who knows, one day I might actually help him pull Xue Ye off the throne and put him on it—"

"Since my great-grandfather's generation, our family has been the Minister of Military Affairs of the Heaven Dou Empire. We helped Ling Yi rise to power, and there's no way our family can go any higher. After all, the talent of our family's Martial Soul spirit bloodline is what it is. If our status is raised too high, we won't be able to hold on to it in the end. It would be a huge loss if we fell down."

Jiu Gao's sober Fei Bai: "You're getting more and more absurd. It's a good thing Xue Ye isn't here, otherwise he wouldn't have wanted to use the border troops to get rid of Ah Yi, but would have had someone kill him outright—"

After Jiu Gao's previous guidance, Fei Bai finally understood his previous doubts. He wasn't stupid; he was just blinded by his own perspective because he was in the thick of it. Now that Jiu Gao had helped him break through that barrier, he naturally realized what was going on quickly.

Goodnight everyone~