at the same time.
West of the Imperial City, Drunken Immortal Abode.
The atmosphere inside the private room was heavy and somber.
The Second Prince, Ling Chenglie, sat in the main seat with a solemn expression, his knuckles unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.
The people from the Yin Puppet Sect have already left.
The information he received from the other party has left him unable to find peace.
Father is not in seclusion.
Instead, he was poisoned and on the verge of death!
The news struck him like a thunderbolt.
No wonder, since Father Emperor announced his seclusion ten years ago, he has never shown his face again.
No wonder, over the years, the actions of the imperial sister Ling Xueyao have been strange and abnormal in every way.
Even the usually gentle and humble eldest brother knew about this matter long ago and had already begun to make arrangements in secret.
And he was the last to find out.
Sun Meng stood to the side, his beard and hair slightly ruffled, and spoke in a deep voice, "Second Prince, what should we do now? According to what the Puppet Sect just said, the First Prince has already made contact with the Heavenly Sword Sect. In addition, among the five royal retainers, Zhao Yuangeng and Yan Song are already close to him. I'm afraid... this struggle for the throne..."
Ling Chenglie stopped tapping his fingers on the table.
He slowly raised his head, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes replaced by ruthlessness.
Now that Father is dying, there is no need to worry about so-called brotherly affection anymore.
"Since my eldest brother has chosen the Heavenly Sword Sect, why shouldn't I?"
His voice was icy. "I agree to the Puppet Sect's conditions."
Upon hearing this, Sun Meng's expression tightened, and he couldn't help but advise, "But Your Highness, the Puppet Sect's conditions are far too harsh. Not only do we have to supply them with massive amounts of cultivation resources every year, but we also have to... cede the territory of three cities to them for direct jurisdiction."
"Harsh?" Ling Chenglie let out a cold laugh.
"Just agree to it."
He picked up the tea that had long since gone cold from the table and drank it all in one gulp.
"Once I ascend the throne, the situation will be settled. At that time, I can simply use the excuse that the clan elders intervened, make all sorts of excuses, and offer some resources as compensation to appease them."
Sun Meng was still somewhat uneasy. "But the Puppet Sect is, after all, one of the seven major sects, and they are known for their domineering ways. If they go back on their word afterward, they probably won't let it go easily."
"So what if they won't let this go?" Ling Chenglie slammed his teacup down, his eyes full of disdain. "Does the Puppet Sect really dare to openly wage war against the Great Qian Imperial Family for a mere three cities?"
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked towards the inner palace.
"Moreover, I possess a secret that even my eldest brother doesn't know."
Sun Meng's gaze sharpened. "Your Highness refers to..."
Ling Chenglie did not answer immediately.
He confirmed that the private room's protective array had completely isolated the inside from the outside before turning around and lowering his voice to say, "The forbidden area of the inner palace."
Sun Meng's pupils suddenly contracted.
As a royal retainer who had served Ling Chenglie for many years, he naturally knew that deep within the inner palace lay a forbidden area that no one was allowed to approach.
That place is shrouded in an ancient array all year round. Apart from the current emperor and that royal elder, even the princes cannot step into it, and they have no idea what is hidden inside.
"Within this forbidden area lies the true foundation of my royal family," Ling Chenglie said slowly, his voice carrying a hint of excitement and madness that even he himself was unaware of.
"Everyone outside believes that the Great Qian Imperial Family has been gradually declining over the past century, with only the clan elder, a Dao Mysterious Realm expert, struggling to keep it afloat. But when I was young, I accidentally wandered into the outer perimeter of the forbidden area, and although it was just a fleeting glimpse, I personally witnessed a terrifying sleeping spirit beast."
Sun Meng's breath hitched. "That spirit beast... what realm is it?"
Ling Chenglie shook his head. "I can't see through it. But I still remember that aura. The pressure it emitted unconsciously while asleep was several times more terrifying than that of the current clan elders."
Sun Meng was deeply shocked, and for the first time, his face showed undisguised horror.
Although he was Ling Chenglie's confidant, this was the first time he had ever heard of such a top-secret royal secret.
A guardian spirit beast even more terrifying than a Dao Mysterious Realm elder.
This is the true source of the Great Qian Imperial Family's confidence.
Ling Chenglie the shock on Sun Meng's face, Ling Chenglie's coldness deepened.
"Therefore, it's fine to agree to the Puppet Sect's conditions for now. As long as the royal forbidden area remains, and as long as that spirit beast is still around, the mere Puppet Sect can't cause any trouble."
His eyes gleamed with a mad light, as if he could already see the day he would ascend the throne.
"Send a message to the Puppet Sect: their conditions... I have agreed!"
The princess's bedroom, inside the cultivation room.
The candlelight flickered, casting shimmering shadows on the walls.
The room was filled with a faint fragrance of spiritual herbs, a special aura generated by the resonance of spiritual energy when the cultivation technique was activated.
Ling Xueyao leaned against the bed, her hair slightly disheveled and her cheeks slightly flushed.
Those usually aloof phoenix eyes were now veiled in a thin mist, revealing a vulnerability quite different from their usual appearance.
An hour has passed.
This "training" was far longer than she had imagined.
Chu Yunfei's spiritual energy was profound and continuous, surging into her meridians one after another, like spring tides crashing on the shore, one wave after another.
She could feel that several meridian points in her body that had been blocked for many years were being opened up one by one by that force.
His cultivation level was rising, and the spiritual energy in his dantian was becoming increasingly abundant.
However, this feeling of having her entire body's energy controlled by someone else was extremely uncomfortable for her, who was used to being in control of everything.
" Chu Yunfei... I... that's enough..."
Her voice was a little weak, but she still maintained the last bit of dignity.
"Your Highness, is this a plea for mercy?"
Chu Yunfei's deep voice rang in her ear, unhurried and composed.
Ling Xueyao turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
The feeling of having her vital energy controlled by a man made her extremely uncomfortable.
In particular, he could have clearly slowed down the pace, but instead chose this extremely domineering approach.
"You bastard, aren't you going to stop yet?"
The spiritual energy surged again, this time even more fiercely than before.
Caught off guard, Ling Xueyao instinctively gripped the brocade quilt beneath her, her knuckles turning white.
A sudden gust of night wind rose outside the window, carrying a few fallen petals into the room, causing the candlelight to flicker violently.
"Your Highness, what did you just call me?"
" Chu Yunfei, don't go too far!"
Ling Xueyao gritted her teeth, her voice tinged with annoyance.
She was met with a brief silence, after which the surge of spiritual energy not only did not weaken but actually intensified.
Ling Xueyao's consciousness went haywire for a moment. Her dantian was filled to its limit with spiritual energy, and she barely had the strength to lift a finger.
"Your Highness, is this going too far?"
"Begging for mercy? That's not how you beg for mercy."
Ling Xueyao bit her lower lip hard, her heart battling between shame and strange feelings.
That bastard did it on purpose.
She took a deep breath, and her voice finally softened.
"Please... my husband... it's enough..."
That single word, "Husband," was so soft it was almost swallowed up by the night wind.
Chu Yunfei's hand paused slightly.
He stared at the tear-streaked face before him in the moonlight, momentarily lost in thought.
The once aloof and powerful princess of the Great Qian Dynasty now had her eyes lowered, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and her lips bitten until they turned slightly white.
That blend of stubbornness and vulnerability is indescribable, yet it's captivating.
Chu Yunfei did not respond.
His offensive strategy shifted abruptly, and the path of his spiritual energy flow changed dramatically, taking on a completely different approach.
Ling Xueyao's spiritual energy suddenly dissipated, and she was about to catch her breath.
A more dense and enduring spiritual energy suddenly spread from the depths of the dantian, flowing slowly along the meridians, causing a tingling and numb sensation wherever it passed, an indescribable strangeness.
She trembled, and when she came to her senses, she sensed Chu Yunfei's spiritual power.
" Chu Yunfei, shut your mouth!"