A clash between princes, setting the pieces in motion

An Xuchen continued, "I thought I would fail my mother and perish in this imperial capital."

"It was my lord who appeared and saved me, who gave me a chance to live, a chance to follow him as he rose in the future, and a chance to kill that damned sixth prince!"

"From that moment, I decided that once I killed the sixth prince, I would follow my lord alone."

"Xu Chen's life no longer belongs to An Xuchen from now on. It belongs only to my lord."

A sickly devotion shone in An Xuchen's eyes.

Ye Wushuang could not help feeling a chill down his back. Why did that last sentence sound so yandere?

Silence fell, everyone shaken by her words.

They were clearly the plainest words, the simplest account, yet they conveyed the most intense emotion.

Ye Wushuang was somewhat at a loss for words. Suffering truly was the wellspring of literature.

After hearing An Xuchen's account, Shen Lingyue rose furiously to her feet.

She frightened Xie Qianli beside her so badly that he stopped eating and sat obediently to one side.

"Smack!"

Shen Lingyue slammed her hand onto the table and said angrily,

"That damned emperor lets his sons run wild. No wonder Father doesn't support any of them."

The World-Subduing Marquis had followed the previous ruler of the imperial dynasty to conquer the lands they held today, devoting his entire life to the army.

Yet the people he protected behind the lines were being exploited by their own imperial princes.

Precisely because he knew what these princes had done, he had taken no side and supported none of them.

The eldest prince, second prince, and ninth prince all possessed formidable methods and strength, yet none had a heart for the people.

The remaining princes lacked sufficient backing and were brutal, only ever acting tough at home and exploiting the people of their own cities.

Ye Wanwan hurriedly grabbed Shen Lingyue. "My dear sister, this table is made of azure-sky white jade. It cost a fortune to acquire! Go easy on it. Calm down."

Ye Wushuang's gaze was also ice-cold. It could be said that he had already sentenced the sixth prince to death in his heart.

Ye Wanwan gently stroked An Xuchen's back, comforting her in a low voice.

Shen Lingyue, meanwhile, brimmed with righteous indignation, vowing to give those princes who exploited their people a savage beating.

Just then, a maid came forward to find Ye Wanwan.

She spoke quietly to Ye Wanwan:

"Pavilion Master, the fifth prince's and sixth prince's men have run into each other on Star River Bridge out in the street. They're about to clash."

Ye Wanwan lowered her head in thought for a moment, then a mischievous smile curled her lips.

The moment Shen Lingyue saw that mischievous smile, she knew Ye Wanwan was plotting against someone again.

"Xiaowan, what wicked idea have you come up with this time? You're smiling so happily," Shen Lingyue said, turning toward Ye Wanwan.

Hearing this, Ye Wanwan put on an aggrieved look. "My great general, is that really how you see me? You've wronged me."

Ye Wanwan turned to Ye Wushuang and said, "Little brother Heavenly Son, let your big sister take you to watch a good show."

"Then I'll play along this once," Ye Wushuang replied with a smile.

Standing by the window, he had looked toward a bridge not far from the Ten Thousand Fragrances Pavilion and had already seen the two groups facing off.

One side even included that familiar face, the elderly member of the imperial family serving the sixth prince.

Without a doubt, the sixth prince's forces had clashed with another faction.

Ye Wanwan fetched a black veiled bamboo hat and handed it to Ye Wushuang.

"Little brother Heavenly Son, hurry and put it on. If someone with an ulterior motive happens to recognize you, this show won't be nearly as entertaining."

Ye Wushuang put on the hat, concealing his presence and face.

Beside him, however, Shen Lingyue's eyes lit up. Ye Wushuang's looks had already stunned her when they first met.

Now, with this hat on and a longsword in hand, he looked every bit a wandering swordsman of the martial world, exactly her ideal type.

Afterward, Ye Wushuang and the others went downstairs, ready to depart.

Several Cloud Billow Dragon Steeds had already been prepared downstairs. These divine steeds carried traces of spirit dragon blood and were brimming with Spiritual Qi. They could even ride clouds and mist, truly marvelous creatures.

It could be said that these dragon steeds were symbols of status.

Spirit horses like these had a price but no supply. Even ordinary scions of princely and marquis households would struggle to acquire one.

Ye Wushuang leaped onto a steed, only for the Cloud Billow Dragon Steed to tremble slightly, not daring to take a step.

Ye Wushuang understood the dragon steed's predicament. The presence of Taiyi's Primordial Sacred Dragon bloodline had frightened him.

After all, even a true spirit dragon would not merit so much as a glance from a Primordial Sacred Dragon.

Ye Wushuang had Taiyi withdraw his bloodline pressure, then rode the dragon steed forward.

Behind him, Ye Wanwan and the others followed, with Ye Wushuang at their center.

Meanwhile, the two princes spoken of, the fifth prince and sixth prince, were also on their way to Star River Bridge.

After hearing that their forces had encountered the other side on Star River Bridge, they hurried there, intending to catch the other side off guard.

On Star River Bridge, the two groups faced each other. Neither would back down, and a clash was imminent.

A man exuding Nether Qi stepped out from the sixth prince's group.

This man bore some resemblance to Ming Ye. He was Ming Ji, the heir of another prince, who had come to help the sixth prince seize the position of crown prince of the Heavenly Star Imperial Dynasty.

"Kekeke, a bunch of ants dare to spout nonsense here? This is your Heavenly Star Imperial Dynasty's territory, after all. If your prince were here, I might not dare act, but the likes of you dare run wild here?"

Ming Ji raised his hand, and Nether Qi spread.

The men at the very front of the fifth prince's group did not even have time to react before the Nether Qi coiled around them, drawing scream after scream.

"You Human Race member leaking black qi certainly talk big."

A man with qilin horns growing from his head also stepped out from the fifth prince's side.

Heavenly thunder boomed, directly dispersing the strands of Nether Qi.

This man was Lin Chen, a heaven's chosen of the Ancient Qilin Cave's Heavenly Thunder Branch. His true form was a Purple Lightning Qilin.

His clan had sent him to help the fifth prince secure the position of crown prince of the Heavenly Star Imperial Dynasty.

The various factions had all sent people to take part in the nine princes' struggle for succession in the Heavenly Star Imperial Dynasty.

Ye Wushuang's group had already arrived and was watching the scene from beside the bridge.

Ye Wushuang chatted casually with Ye Wanwan beside him. "These are turbulent times. It seems all these factions want a share of the soup."

"These factions certainly wouldn't help the princes so readily. They must have paid a steep price and made some promises."

Ye Wanwan replied.

Ye Wushuang turned to Xie Qianli beside him and smiled. "Truly dogs biting dogs. To think our old opponents, the Nine Nether Imperial Dynasty and the Ancient Qilin Cave, would clash first."

Xie Qianli also grinned wickedly. "Hehehe, none of those princes are any good anyway. Let the two sides fight it out first."

"Watch this great lord reap the fisherman's gains at the end, then give them a savage beating."

Ye Wushuang merely smiled mysteriously. "You won't have to lift a finger to fight. When the time comes, you only need to put on an act with me. Without the effort of blowing away a speck of dust, we can make them bite each other like dogs."