After hearing the Chief Manager's report and carefully reading the old case concerning the Lin family recorded in the secret intelligence, the Ten Thousand Treasures Ancestor's cloudy eyes shifted slightly. A vicious, venomous scheme had already taken shape in his heart.
"Very good." The Ten Thousand Treasures Ancestor's hoarse, aged voice sounded slowly, a cold gleam flashing through his eyes. "To think Lin Fan and Prince Gao's Manor share a blood feud over the extermination of his family. There is much we can do with this."
"Prepare lavish gifts."
His tone was mild, yet carried an unquestionable authority:
"A Millennium Ganoderma, a Deep-Sea Pearl, and three Lifespan-Extending Pills. Then send someone to Prince Gao's Manor with a message. Tell Prince Gao that I have a secret concerning his manor and wish to visit him in person."
The Chief Manager hurriedly bowed in acknowledgment. "Understood. I will begin preparing the gifts at once and send someone to Prince Gao's Manor."
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, the fragrance of medicinal herbs drifted quietly through Lin Fan's courtyard on his private peak in the Azure Elixir Sect. Lin Fan continued refining pills and cultivating day after day, utterly unaware that the old blood-soaked case that had been unearthed was about to become a blade brimming with murderous intent, thrusting silently toward him-and toward the Azure Elixir Sect.
Inside Prince Gao's Manor in Capital City.
A faint fragrance of Agarwood Incense filled the great hall. Smoke slowly spiraled upward, dispelling some of the lingering afternoon heat.
Prince Gao reclined on a cushioned couch draped with snow-white fox fur. He was in his fifties, with sharply defined features and long, narrow eyes that drooped slightly at the outer corners. Little joy or anger showed on his face, but whenever his gaze swept over someone, it