Storm Clouds Gather

Before the Crown Prince's Residence.

The carriage came to a stop.

Su Chen lifted the curtain and jumped down first.

He turned and extended a hand.

Xue Qinghe took his hand and slowly stepped down.

The night wind blew past.

The flush on her cheeks had not fully faded.

The two entered the residence side by side.

The surrounding guards lowered their heads in salute.

The study door was tightly shut.

Su Chen pushed it open and walked straight to the desk, where he sat down.

The shadows in the corner of the wall trembled slightly.

A mass of black mist silently gathered, taking the shape of a person.

Gui Mei dropped to one knee.

"This subordinate pays respects to Your Highness and greets the Young Master."

Xue Qinghe composed herself, regaining the Crown Prince's usual majesty.

She walked to the other side of the desk.

"Elder Gui, rise. You have been nowhere to be seen these past few days. Have you figured out the situation outside Heaven Dou City?"

Gui Mei rose to his feet, his figure still concealed in the dim light.

"In reply to the Young Master, the waters in Heaven Dou City have become completely muddied these past few days."

"The commotion at the Royal Academy was too great; the entire city knows of it. Prince Xue Xing was reprimanded by the Emperor and stripped of control over the academy. Then the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect showed goodwill toward the Crown Prince's Residence. Xue Xing has not been having an easy time."

Su Chen took a sip of warm water.

"If Xue Xing only had this much backing left, would he deserve to be called an old fox?"

Gui Mei nodded slightly.

"Your Highness sees clearly. Xue Xing has indeed not simply sat back and waited."

"This subordinate did not keep watch on the Prince's Residence these past few days. Instead, I followed the trail through the military camps outside the city and found some things that cannot see the light."

Xue Qinghe's gaze turned cold.

"The troops stationed outside the city? They are the empire's regular army. Without Father Emperor's military token, no one can mobilize them. Has Xue Xing stretched his hand that far?"

Gui Mei lowered his voice.

"The regular army cannot be moved, but there are plenty of retired veterans, death warriors, and bandits secretly kept on payroll."

"Following the clues, this subordinate discovered that Xue Xing had secretly colluded with rebels and death warriors outside the city. He is disguising them as merchant caravans and refugees in batches, smuggling them into Heaven Dou City."

The study fell silent.

Xue Qinghe frowned deeply, her fingers unconsciously tapping the tabletop.

"Bringing rebels and death warriors into the imperial city is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine clans. Has Xue Xing gone mad? Is he planning to force the palace?"

"Not force the palace."

Gui Mei looked toward Su Chen.

"The Emperor is still alive, and the imperial guards of the capital are no ornament. Forcing the palace would mean certain death. These death warriors are targeting the Crown Prince's Residence."

"After suffering setback after setback, Xue Xing has realized that the Young Master is beyond his control. On top of that, Your Highness has displayed astonishing combat strength. Like a cornered dog, Xue Xing intends to set an ambush in the Crown Prince's Residence and wipe out both the Young Master and Your Highness in one stroke."

Xue Qinghe sneered.

"Wipe us out in one stroke? There are hundreds of elite guards throughout the Crown Prince's Residence. Does Xue Xing think he can launch a frontal assault with those death warriors alone?"

Gui Mei's tone was grave.

"Young Master, you must not underestimate him."

"This time, Xue Xing has gone all out. From this subordinate's rough investigation, no fewer than several thousand death warriors have entered the city. Among them are not only battle-hardened desperadoes, but also several Soul Saint-level assassins hired at great expense."

"These people do not fear death and care nothing for the consequences. Once they strike, it will surely be with thunderous force. Even if the Crown Prince's Residence's guards can hold them back, severe casualties will be unavoidable. Blades have no eyes; if the Young Master were injured..."

Xue Qinghe's intelligence network had detected unusual movements, and she could not help worrying.

"Several thousand death warriors, and several Soul Saints. For an assassination on this scale, the intelligence network only caught scattered signs of unusual activity."

"It seems Xue Xing has planted informants in the City Defense Army and erased these people's entry records. No wonder the Prince's Residence has been strangely quiet these past few days."

She turned to Su Chen.

"The defensive formation around the Crown Prince's Residence needs to be rearranged. Should we request aid from Spirit Hall? Have a few elders come and guard us in secret?"

Su Chen set down his teacup.

"What would we bring elders here for? To watch a show?"

Xue Qinghe grew anxious.

"These are several thousand death warriors! And Soul Saints are leading them! They are not those pampered young nobles from the Royal Academy."

"Once we are surrounded, even a war of attrition can wear people to death. We cannot gamble with our lives."

Su Chen rose and walked before Xue Qinghe.

"Turn their scheme against them. Since Xue Xing wants to die, why should we stop him?"

Gui Mei swallowed.

"Your Highness, this is no joke. Although this subordinate is a Title Douluo, if I am caught in a military formation of a thousand men while also protecting the Young Master, I fear it will be difficult to ensure nothing slips through."

"If there is even the slightest mishap, this subordinate would not be able to atone to His Holiness the Pope even with ten thousand deaths."

Su Chen turned his head and glanced at Gui Mei.

"Who needs protecting?"

"Elder Gui, you have worked hard investigating these past few days. Do not interfere with what comes next. Just watch from the side."

Gui Mei froze.

"Your Highness means to handle this alone?"

"Are a pack of worthless rabble worthy of making me treat them like a great enemy?"

Su Chen returned to the desk, dipped a finger in tea, and drew a circle on the tabletop.

"The terrain of the Crown Prince's Residence is a natural jar."

"Xue Xing wants to catch a turtle in a jar, yet he does not know which turtle is truly entering the jar."

Xue Qinghe looked at the water marks on the table.

"Are you confident? Several thousand people are no small number."

Su Chen chuckled.

"When there are many people, sometimes it only means their deaths will be more spectacular."

"How is your cultivation of the Void Illusion Divine Art?"

Xue Qinghe drew a deep breath.

"The bloodline purification has gone smoothly, and my aura has stabilized. Even without using a spirit bone, I can disguise myself perfectly."

"That is enough."

Su Chen wiped away the water marks.

"If Xue Xing dares to act, he must have calculated the gaps in the Imperial Knights Corps' patrols. He may have even bribed the surrounding City Defense Army, giving those death warriors the time of one incense stick."

"One incense stick's time—to kill, destroy the evidence, and fabricate the scene."

Gui Mei nodded.

"Your Highness is exactly right. This subordinate learned that the attack is likely set for midnight tomorrow."

The corners of Su Chen's mouth rose.

"Midnight tomorrow. Not a bad choice of time."

"Elder Gui, before midnight tomorrow, send away all the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled around the Crown Prince's Residence. Leave only the core guards."

Gui Mei clasped his hands.

"This subordinate obeys."

Xue Qinghe was still somewhat uneasy.

"Do we truly not need to mobilize other forces? Dugu Bo now obeys the Crown Prince's Residence. If we have that old poisoner lay down a poison formation outside the residence, those death warriors will not even reach the gate."

"No need."

Su Chen shook his head.

"A poison formation would stop people, but it would also stop Xue Xing's evidence of guilt."

"Only by letting them truly storm into the Crown Prince's Residence, with blades at our throats, can the charge of rebellion be made irrefutable."

"Doesn't Xue Ye cherish this younger brother? Then let the Emperor see exactly how his good brother brought several thousand rebels into the imperial city and attempted to slaughter the current Crown Prince."

Xue Qinghe suddenly understood.

"We will use Xue Xing's blood to cut off those wavering factions within the royal family."

"But how can we ensure we survive the siege of these death warriors?"

A faint golden light appeared at Su Chen's fingertips.

Sword Intent flowed around his fingers.

"The path of cultivation is about defying heaven. Would a mere few thousand mortal soldiers be worthy of becoming an obstacle?"

"Tomorrow night will be a good time to test the results of this period of cultivation."

Gui Mei looked at the heart-stopping Sword Intent at Su Chen's fingertips and recalled the countless miracles he had witnessed before in Sunset Forest and at the Royal Academy.

The worry in his heart eased somewhat.

This Holy Son had never acted without confidence.

Since he dared accept the challenge, he surely possessed a thunderous method.

"This subordinate will make arrangements for the evacuation at once. I will also keep a close watch on the Prince's Residence's movements. I will not let even a fly escape."

Gui Mei's figure flashed, turning into a mass of black mist once more and merging into the shadows at the corner of the wall.

Only the two of them remained in the study again.

Xue Qinghe watched the candle flame flicker on the desk.

"Once the crime of rebellion is established, Xue Xing will surely die. Even if Xue Ye wishes to protect him, he will not be able to silence the masses."

Su Chen walked to the window and pushed it open.

The night wind rushed in, dispersing the stifling heat in the room.

"The voices in court are easy to deal with. The difficult part is the sects."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will not move for now. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Lineage has just suffered a loss, and Yu Tianheng's Dao heart has been shaken. They will not be able to stir up trouble anytime soon."

"Tomorrow during the day, we will visit Moon Pavilion."

Xue Qinghe was startled.

"Moon Pavilion? That is Tang Yuehua's territory. It is also Clear Sky Sect's listening post in Heaven Dou City. What are we going there for?"

"To seek an opportunity."

Su Chen looked at the night sky beyond the window.

"Killing is only a means, not the goal. A breakthrough in one's state of mind requires something refined to balance it."

"I hear Tang Yuehua's zither music is unrivaled in Heaven Dou. Let us listen and see just how much substance this so-called pride of the Clear Sky Sect truly has."

Xue Qinghe walked to the window and stood beside him.

"Tang Yuehua holds herself in high regard and rarely receives guests, much less plays the zither specifically for someone."

"Whether she receives guests or not is not for that woman to decide."

"From now on, Heaven Dou City will have only one rule: the rule of the Crown Prince's Residence."

"Good. Tomorrow, we will go to Moon Pavilion first."