Douluo: I'm in Peerless, Fake Gods

The old man bowed respectfully to him.

"Sit down, Uncle Chen."

Uncle Chen hesitated, looking at Xu Jinyu with concern.

"Your Highness, your injuries..."

"I'm fine now."

Xu Jinyu waved his hand and asked, "How did your investigation go?"

"Your trip to the Dreadclaw Soul Master Legion was indeed leaked by that traitor Lin Yu! The Old Prince treated him well back then, but now that our Heng Prince Mansion has fallen, this dog has forgotten loyalty for profit and dared to collude with outsiders to harm Your Highness."

As he spoke, Uncle Chen's voice grew more agitated, his face flushing with indignation!

He had once vouched for Lin Yu's loyalty, and now he felt like he had slapped himself in the face!

Hearing this, Xu Jinyu narrowed his eyes, his deep, dark pupils flashing with a hint of cold light.

"Where is he now? Have you caught him?"

"My subordinates immediately led men to seal off his mansion, but he must have gotten wind of it beforehand. By the time we arrived, he was long gone. We only managed to capture a few of his subordinates."

"Your subordinates did not dare to overstep their bounds. Please, Your Highness, decide what to do."

"After interrogation, deal with them all."

Xu Jinyu waved his hand, his tone calm, his expression unperturbed, showing no sign of abnormality.

"Your subordinate's performance was inadequate. I trusted Lin Yu, which led to Your Highness being in danger..."

"Please punish me, Your Highness."

Uncle Chen lowered his head, taking all the blame for Xu Jinyu's attack onto himself, his voice filled with guilt and self-reproach.

"I am unfit for the position of steward."

"Uncle Chen, I know your loyalty. It's hard to know a person's heart. This matter is not your fault. Our Heng Prince Mansion is facing internal and external troubles, and we have so few capable people around. Can you bear to leave me to manage everything alone?"

Xu Jinyu took Uncle Chen's hand, which was bent in a bow, and gently placed it flat, speaking with warmth and concern.

He had never doubted Uncle Chen's loyalty, for if he had wanted to harm him, there would have been countless opportunities.

Hearing this, Uncle Chen's heart trembled.

"Your subordinate is ashamed, but..."

"That's enough, let's put this matter aside for now."

Xu Jinyu waved his hand, indicating that the topic was closed.

Seeing this, Uncle Chen no longer demurred and asked in a deep voice, "Your Highness, how should we deal with Lin Yu?"

"Deal with him?"

Xu Jinyu sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and said coldly, "Since he has chosen to betray his master for personal gain, he must bear the consequences. Issue an order: all those close to Lin Yu are to be executed! Even if we have to turn the entire Ming Capital upside down, I will have his head!"

"Your subordinate understands." Uncle Chen cupped his hands and accepted the order.

Not having captured the main culprit, Xu Jinyu was in a foul mood!

If it weren't for meeting Su Luoheng and his disciple this time, his corpse would likely have been fed to wolves!

The idea of not punishing relatives and friends was pure nonsense! If you were the one being schemed against and nearly lost your life, could you remain so calm?

Heh...

That would be a true saint.

"..."

Xu Jinyu calmed his emotions slightly and asked, "Are there any leads on who instigated him?"

"Not yet."

Without capturing Lin Yu, their intelligence was limited.

"Find out for me, no matter..."

Before he could finish, Xu Jinyu suddenly thought of something, a hint of helplessness flashing in his dimmed eyes. He waved his hand, "Never mind, the priority is to find Lin Yu."

With the current internal and external troubles of the Heng Prince Mansion, even if they found the mastermind, they would be powerless.

"Your subordinate understands."

Uncle Chen also sighed, a deep sense of powerlessness washing over him.

When the Old Prince was alive, who would dare treat the Heng Prince Mansion like this? But now, as the sun set, outsiders were all eyeing them like a piece of fat meat.

Just as he was about to turn and leave.

"Wait."

Xu Jinyu suddenly called out to stop him, specifically instructing, "Tell everyone in the mansion to keep their mouths shut. This matter of my attack must be kept secret. My father must not find out!"

"Your subordinate understands."

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

"..."

After he left, Xu Jinyu slowly rose and stood by the window, gazing at a certain courtyard within the mansion.

His expression was complex and desolate.

Meanwhile.

Outside Ming Capital, in a dark alley.

"Hoo--hoo--"

A man ran hastily from the other end of the alley, sweat beading on his forehead, his breathing heavy and ragged. His clothes were disheveled, and he looked quite disheveled.

"Damn it... good thing I'm quick-witted!"

He wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a long sigh of relief.

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

This fellow was also exceptionally sharp. He had sensed the wrong atmosphere in the mansion beforehand. When he connected that with the lack of news from the Jingyang Mountain Range, he guessed that an accident had likely occurred. Thus, he made a decisive move, not even returning home, and fled overnight with a few trusted subordinates.

If he hadn't run fast enough, he would have been cornered by people from the Heng Prince Mansion in Ming Capital.

He had finally arrived here after a dusty journey.

Standing at the entrance of the alley.

Lin Yu cautiously scanned his surroundings. After confirming no one was around, he furtively slipped into the alley.

He then wound his way through the winding alleys for several turns before stopping in front of a dilapidated and inconspicuous gatehouse.

"Knock, knock, knock--"

"Knock-- knock, knock--"

Three short and two long knocks, a steady rhythm that was particularly clear in the silent alley.

This was a special code for communication.

Only this frequency of knocking would elicit a response.

As expected, as soon as the knocking stopped, the tightly shut courtyard gate creaked open.

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

ps: This is an extra chapter~

Chapter 70: The Mastermind

After waiting in the main hall for a while.

A tall, thin man in black emerged from the shadows. His features were sharp, his gaze piercing. He looked ordinary, yet he exuded an inexplicable pressure.

"My Lord, you've finally arrived!"

Lin Yu's eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward.

"Why are you here?"

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

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

"Hmm?"

Lin Yu's face fell upon hearing this. He immediately knelt on the ground, wailing, "You've really set me up this time... Didn't you say you could definitely keep Xu Jinyu in the Jingyang Mountain Range? Now that he's back, he's immediately investigating me. If I hadn't run fast enough, I would have been captured long ago."

"What?!"

The man in black's expression turned serious, and he asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure he's back?"

"I'm sure he's alive!"

Although Lin Yu had a bitter expression, he was very certain.

Only he and Steward Chen knew about Xu Jinyu's trip to the Jingyang Mountain Range. Now that his home was surrounded by people from the Heng Prince Mansion, what other reason could there be for his exposure besides Xu Jinyu's return...

Their assassination plan had failed!

Thinking of this, the man in black's brows furrowed, and his expression became grave.

"My Lord!"

"My Lord!"

Lin Yu, with a face full of sorrow, pleaded for help. "I'm at my wit's end now and can only come to you for refuge... I hope you can help us, considering how diligently we've served you."

"..."

Listening to the incessant noise beside him, the annoyed man in black found it irritating.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at Lin Yu, who was complaining bitterly. A glint of killing intent flashed in his gloomy gaze: he was no longer valuable to the Heng Prince Mansion once his identity was exposed and he had left.

"Where are your other subordinates? Were they all dealt with by people from the Heng Prince Mansion?" he asked casually.

"No, no, my brothers are still hiding outside... All thirty-odd of us are counting on you now, sir."

Lin Yu said with a chuckle.

Upon hearing this, the killing intent in the black-clothed man's eyes dissipated.

Lin Yu couldn't be touched for now.

They were both shrewd individuals, and some things didn't need to be explicitly stated for him to understand the other's intentions.

"..."

Seeing that his objective had been achieved, Lin Yu proactively lowered his stance, smiling apologetically, "I don't ask for much, I just want a way out for my brothers."

"You stay here honestly for now."

"This residence is very safe, and no one will find you. As for your request, I will go back and report it."

"Then I'll trouble you, sir. My brothers and I will await your good news." Lin Yu's face lit up with joy. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief, knowing his life was temporarily safe.

Facing the only path to survival, he didn't want to fall out with the man.

But if he were pushed to the brink, he would have no choice but to fight to the death.

Those brothers outside were his bargaining chips, but fortunately, he had won his gamble.

Although the black-clothed man was annoyed at being threatened by a nobody, he truly couldn't touch Lin Yu right now. While he hadn't gathered much intelligence on Lin Yu, exposing him would also be a troublesome affair.

Ming Capital, the Imperial Palace inner city.

In the southeast corner stood a magnificent palace; this was where the residences of the various princes of the Sun Moon Empire were located.