The Person Behind It

The old man bowed respectfully to him.

"Have a seat, Uncle Chen."

Uncle Chen hesitated, then looked at Xu Jinyu with concern.

"Your Highness, your injuries..."

"They're no longer serious."

Xu Jinyu waved a hand, then asked, "How did your investigation go?"

"The one who leaked your whereabouts when you went to the Dreadclaw Soul Master Legion was indeed that traitor Lin Yu! The Old Prince treated him so well back then, yet now that the Heng Prince Mansion has fallen from power, that bastard has forgotten all loyalty for the sake of profit and dared to collude with outsiders to harm Your Highness."

As he spoke, Uncle Chen grew more and more agitated, his face flushing with indignation!

He had once insisted that Lin Yu was utterly loyal and could never go wrong. Thinking back on it now, it felt like a slap in the face!

At this, Xu Jinyu narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold glint flashing through his deep, shadowed pupils.

"Where is he now? Did you catch him?"

"I immediately took men to seal off his residence, but he must have heard something in advance. By the time we arrived, he wasn't inside. We only caught a few of his subordinates."

"I didn't dare overstep. I await Your Highness's orders."

"After questioning them, deal with them all."

Xu Jinyu waved a hand. His tone was calm, and his expression remained unruffled, betraying nothing.

"This subordinate failed in his duties and trusted Lin Yu, putting you in danger..."

"I beg Your Highness to punish me."

Uncle Chen lowered his head and took all the blame for Xu Jinyu's ambush upon himself, his voice heavy with guilt and self-reproach.

"I'm not fit to serve as steward."

"Uncle Chen, I know how loyal you are. You can know a person's face, but not their heart. This isn't your fault. The Heng Prince Mansion is beset by troubles within and without, and the few people around me are all useless. Could you bear to leave me to manage everything alone?"

Xu Jinyu took Uncle Chen's bowed hand and gently straightened him, speaking with warmth and concern.

He had never doubted Uncle Chen's loyalty for a moment. If he had wanted to harm him, he'd had countless opportunities.

At this, Uncle Chen's heart trembled.

"This subordinate is ashamed, but..."

"Enough. We'll put this matter aside for now."

Xu Jinyu waved a hand, indicating that they would leave it there and not discuss it further.

Seeing this, Uncle Chen stopped insisting and asked in a grave voice, "Your Highness, then what should we do about Lin Yu?"

"Do?"

Xu Jinyu gave a cold laugh, a hint of chill flashing in his eyes. "Since he was willing to betray his master for personal gain, he should bear the consequences. Give the order: kill everyone close to Lin Yu! Even if we have to turn the entire Ming Capital upside down, I want his head!"

"Understood." Uncle Chen cupped his hands and accepted the order.

They hadn't caught the culprit, and Xu Jinyu was in a foul mood!

If he hadn't encountered Su Luoheng and her disciple this time, his corpse would probably have been wolf food by now!

What nonsense, saying that one shouldn't involve the family and friends of the guilty! If it were your own life on the line after someone plotted against you, would you still be so calm?

Heh...

Now that would be a great sage.

"..."

Xu Jinyu gradually calmed himself and asked, "Do we have any leads on who was behind him?"

"None for now."

Without catching Lin Yu, they had little intelligence to go on.

"Find out, no matter—"

Before he could finish, Xu Jinyu suddenly thought of something. A trace of helplessness passed through his dim eyes, and he waved a hand. "Forget it. Finding Lin Yu is the priority."

The Heng Prince Mansion was beset by troubles within and without. Even if they found out who was behind this, there was nothing they could do about it.

"Understood."

Uncle Chen sighed too, feeling a deep sense of helplessness rise within him.

When the Old Prince had still been in good health, who would have dared treat the Heng Prince Mansion this way? But now the sun was setting in the west, and everyone outside had their eyes on the fat piece of meat that was the mansion.

Just as he was about to turn and leave,

"Wait."

Xu Jinyu suddenly called him back and gave him a pointed reminder. "Tell the people in the mansion to keep their mouths shut. Keep my ambush secret. Under no circumstances can my father find out!"

"Understood."

Uncle Chen nodded and accepted the order, then slowly withdrew from the room.

"..."

After he left, Xu Jinyu slowly rose and walked to the window, gazing toward a courtyard somewhere within the mansion.

His expression was complicated and forlorn.

Meanwhile.

Outside Ming Capital, in a dark alley.

"Huff—huff—"

A man hurried in from the other end of the alley, sweat on his forehead and his breathing ragged. His clothes were disheveled, and he looked rather wretched.

"Damn... good thing I'm quick on the uptake!"

He wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a long breath.

This man was the culprit Xu Jinyu was looking for: Lin Yu.

The fellow was sharp, too. He had sensed in advance that something was amiss at the mansion. When he realized that no news had come from the Jingyang Mountain Range for some time, he guessed that something might have gone wrong. So he acted at once, fleeing overnight with a few trusted men without even returning home.

If he hadn't run fast enough, the Heng Prince Mansion's men really would have trapped him in Ming Capital.

After a long and tiring journey, he had finally made it here.

Standing at the mouth of the alley,

Lin Yu warily scanned his surroundings. Only after confirming that no one was around did he sneak into the alley.

Then he wound his way through the twisting lanes for several turns before stopping in front of an unremarkable gatehouse that looked shabby and run-down.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

"Knock, knock—knock, knock—"

Three long knocks and two short ones, delivered at an unhurried pace, rang out with unusual clarity in the silent alley.

It was a special code used to make contact.

Only a knock in this particular rhythm would get a response.

Sure enough, the moment the knocking stopped, the tightly shut courtyard gate creaked open.

Lin Yu immediately breathed a sigh of relief and hurried inside.

Chapter 70: The Person Behind It

After waiting in the main hall for a while,

a tall, lean man in black stepped out of the shadows. His features were sharp and his gaze keen. He looked ordinary, yet gave off an inexplicable air of pressure.

"My lord, you've finally arrived!"

Lin Yu's eyes lit up, and he hurried over to greet him.

"Why have you come?"

The man frowned slightly and demanded coldly, "Didn't I tell you not to come here before the plan was complete? If you're exposed, ten lives wouldn't be enough to save you!"

"My lord, you can't blame me for this..."

"Hmm?"

Lin Yu immediately put on a long face, dropped to his knees, and wailed, "You people have really put me through the wringer this time... Didn't you say you'd definitely be able to keep Xu Jinyu in the Jingyang Mountain Range? Now he's come back and traced everything straight to me. If I hadn't run fast enough, they'd have caught me already."

"What?!"

The man in black's expression changed with shock, and he asked gravely, "Are you sure he's back?"

"I'm sure he's still alive!"

Though Lin Yu wore a pained expression, he spoke with certainty.

Only he and Manager Chen knew that Xu Jinyu was going to the Jingyang Mountain Range. Now the Heng Prince Mansion's men had surrounded his home. If Xu Jinyu hadn't returned and exposed him, what else could have happened?

Their assassination plan had failed!

At the thought, the man in black knitted his brows, his expression turning grave.

"My lord!"

"My lord!"

Lin Yu looked grief-stricken and pleaded for help. "I'm at the end of my rope. I can only come to you... I beg you, considering how we've done our utmost for you, please give us a hand."

"..."

Listening to the incessant whining, the already irritated man in black found it grating.

He narrowed his eyes at the complaining Lin Yu, a murderous glint passing through his gloomy gaze. Now that Lin Yu's identity was exposed and he had left the Heng Prince Mansion, he was of no further use.

"What happened to your other subordinates? Did the Heng Prince Mansion's men take care of them all?" he asked casually.

"No, no. My brothers are still hiding outside... There are more than thirty of us, and we're all counting on you, my lord."

Lin Yu chuckled.

At this, the murderous intent in the man in black's eyes faded.

For the moment, he couldn't touch Lin Yu.

They were both clever men. Some things didn't need to be spelled out for him to understand what Lin Yu meant.

"..."

Seeing that he had gotten what he wanted, Lin Yu lowered his stance and said with a fawning smile, "I don't ask for much. Just give my brothers a way to live."

"Stay here for now."

"This residence is safe. No one will find you. As for your situation, I'll go back and ask for instructions."

"Then I'll trouble you, my lord. My brothers and I will await your good news." Lin Yu's face brightened. At last, he breathed a sigh of relief. He knew his life was safe for the time being.

Faced with his only way out, he didn't want to ruin things by haggling.

But if they tried to wipe them out, he could only fight to the bitter end.

The men outside were his bargaining chip. Fortunately, his gamble had paid off.

The man in black was furious at being threatened by a petty schemer, but he really couldn't touch Lin Yu now. Although the fellow didn't know much sensitive information, his exposure would still cause trouble.

Ming Capital, the Imperial Palace's inner city.

In the southeast corner stood a resplendent palace. This was where the princes of the Sun Moon Empire lived.