"Brother," said Meng Yuxiang anxiously. "I'm a little scared. The last time the Chu Kingdom throne changed hands, it was chaos. Even Qiguo Manor was razed to the ground."
Large family clans were experienced and knew that power and wealth could be erased very easily.
"What's there to be afraid of? No one will dare touch you," said Qin Yun. Following that, he took out a protective charm and handed it to his sister. "Carry this protective charm with you. If you ever encounter danger, just tear it and I'll come to your side."
Meng Yuxiang was immediately delighted when she heard that. She quickly took the charm and kept it close to her body.
"All you need to care about is taking it easy. In a few days, the new king of the Chu Kingdom will be decided and everything will return to normal," consoled Qin Yun.
"Okay." Meng Yuxiang nodded. After obtaining the protective charm and her brother's assurance, she did feel a lot more relieved.
The snowstorm continued.
The five-year-old girl Tong'er and the one-year-old boy Meng Huan, who had just learned to walk, were playing in the snow. The maidservants and Gong Yan'er watched over them.
Qin Yun smiled as he took it all in.
The mood in Sovereign Capital clearly became more anxious. The number of constables that patrolled the city also increased. Even the brothels and restaurants suffered a loss in business.
The nobles in Sovereign Capital also became more careful, acting as though they were treading on thin ice.
In a blink of an eye, another five days passed.
It was the twenty-sixth night of the last month of the year.
Not far away from where Qin Yun stayed was a new outpost of Centaurea Valley.
"King Chu has passed away. Quickly spread the news," instructed Elder Qu Ying.
"Yes." The three female disciples were astonished but they responded respectfully.
"Elder Qu Ying stood up and went out. She headed for the nearby manor where Qin Yun stayed.
"Elder Qu." The Zhou Mountain Sword Sect disciples responsible for manning the entrance stopped her. They knew she was a Connate expert so they were very polite.
"I want to meet Young Master Meng. Something major has happened," said Elder Qu Ying immediately.
"Alright." The two disciples were somewhat perplexed but they quickly reported the matter.
Soon.
Qin Yun woke up and met Elder Qu Ying in a side hall.
"Elder Qu, might I know why you are here so late into the night?" Qin Yun looked at her.
"Young Master Meng," said Elder Qu Ying. "My Centaurea Valley has just received news that King Chu has passed away."
"Oh?" Qin Yun nodded slightly. "Centaurea Valley sure is at the forefront of the news. Even my Zhou Mountain Sword Sect does not know anything about it."
Elder Qu Ying smiled and said, "My Centaurea Valley is only slightly better when it comes to gathering news. King Chu's passing is an important matter so I came to inform you first! I still have other matters to attend to. I won't disturb you any further."
"Alright, go on." Qin Yun smiled as he nodded. He imagined that all the forces of Centaurea Valley in Sovereign Capital were in for a sleepless night.
Elder Qu Ying quickly departed.
Qin Yun continued drinking tea in the side hall. At the same time, he released his Dao domain! Everything within a ten kilometer radius was covered by his perception. The Quelling Duke's Duan family was about seven kilometers away from him so it was naturally within his range!
"Elder." Dong Wan and Liu Qingsha greeted. Both of them were also informed that Elder Qu Ying had visited late in the night.
"Centaurea Valley came to inform me that King Chu has passed away," said Qin Yun.
"What?" Dong Wan and Liu Qingsha were alarmed.
"Alright, both of you just need to peacefully guard this area. There's no need to bother with external affairs," instructed Qin Yun. "Go and awaken the other disciples. Guard the area well. Sovereign Capital might be quite chaotic tonight."
"Yes." Dong Wan and Liu Qingsha respectfully acknowledged the order before taking their leave.
Qin Yun continued using his Dao domain to probe.
If one probed with one's psyche, powerful experts could sense it. As for a Dao domain, it was relatively difficult to detect unless the other person's Dao was on par with Qin Yun's. In all of Sovereign Capital, only Li Ruji, second on the God roll, might fit that description, and he was in the imperial palace. Although he had an extremely strong body, his Dao was inferior to Qin Yun's.
Furthermore, the imperial palace was more than ten kilometers from where Qin Yun was.
"Interesting. Two Heaven roll experts are together?" Qin Yun discovered such a scene. Events within ten kilometers that could catch Qin Yun's attention were at the Connate realm at the very least.
The area surrounding Quelling Duke Manor was where the nobles lived.
Eighth Prince and his master, Mr Zhou, lived there as well.
Mr Zhou's name was Zhou Fu, and he was an itinerant cultivator. Eighth Prince managed to acquaint himself with Mr Zhou by fortuitous luck and became his disciple. Later on, Mr Zhou reveal his true strength. Only then did people learn of him. He was an expert on the Heaven roll, ranked sixteenth!
In a study in Mr Zhou's residence.
"Elder Zhou, should we take the opportunity to deal with Meng Yiqiu tonight? If we want to wipe out the Zhou Mountain Sword Sect, we need to get rid of Meng Yiqiu first." Two men stood respectfully beside Mr Zhou. "Icefiend, Firefiend and Sect Master Xiao died at his hand. It's very difficult to kill him. We can leverage the situation and cause civil strife in the Chu Kingdom. Even if Meng Yiqiu isn't killed, it will cause animosity between him and the Chu royal family."
"Meng Yiqiu is ranked on the Heaven roll. Even I am not confident I could take him down." Mr Zhou's beard and hair were white. He gently shook his head. "Don't complicate things. We must ensure that Eighth Prince ascends to the throne tonight. As for Meng Yiqiu? Let's wait until the future to wipe them all out at once."
"Yes," said the two respectfully.
"Go." Mr Zhou waved his hand. "Act exactly according to plan."
The duo immediately and silently departed through a secret passage.
Mr Zhou walked out of the study and, with a tap of his foot, noiselessly left the manor. The streets were quiet and since it was late into the night, there was no one out. The only sources of light were the lanterns hung on the aristocrat's manors.
"Oh?" Mr Zhou suddenly stopped.
In the middle of the streets up ahead was a stocky elder wielding a spear. He stood there like a volcano that was about to erupt. He exuded a horrifying sense of intimidation.
"Grand General Xue." Mr Zhou was alarmed as he cupped his hands slightly. "Why are you here so late into the night?"
Xue Chong was presently ninth on the Heaven roll!
He was also the only Heaven roll expert that was absolutely loyal to the Chu royal family! As for Meng Yiqiu and Yu Zige, it wasn't easy for the Chu royal family to get them to do their bidding.
"Hmph." Xue Chong's eyes were filled with bloodlust. "Old fool Taishu, why the deception? Do you think that no one can identify you after you changed your appearance?"
Mr Zhou's expression changed before he chuckled. His voice became a lot more piercing. "I have been trying my best to avoid you. All I did was meet you once in Sovereign Capital but I never expected you to recognize me. It's been a hundred and thirty years. During this period, my strength has also improved greatly. I have changed my cultivation formulations too. My aura is different from what it was and I even changed my appearance. Yet, you still managed to recognize me."
"Taishu Chen! You are from the Wei Kingdom but you actually fooled the world and became His Highness the Eighth Prince's master." Xue Chong sneered. "You can fool others but you can't fool me."
"Cut the crap." Mr Zhou's figured instantly turned spectral, like he was a hawk that was swooping down on its prey.
"Kill!"
Xue Chong stirred tumultuous blood waves with his spear. He charged forward bravely like he was on the battlefield.
This battle was extremely intense and terrifying. The aftershocks collapsed several manor walls. However, the aristocrats living in the area continued hiding. No one dared to go outside and watch.
Both parties exchanged more than ten strikes before Mr Zhou fled.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
In terms of speed, Mr Zhou clearly held the advantage. He darted around rapidly in the dark streets of Sovereign Capital until soon, he shook off Xue Chong.
"Cough." Grand General Xue Chong stood in his spot with a spear in hand. He held his chest and coughed twice, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His eyes suffused coldness. "I was only fifty to sixty percent confident about his true identity. But I have confirmed it after our clash. This Taishu Chen is a Wei Kingdom expert but he took on another identity and even infiltrated my Chu Kingdom. Hmph, now with his identity exposed, there is no way he can continue staying by the Eighth Prince's side."
"However, that old fool sure is strong. Years ago, I was just slightly weaker than him. Now, I'm still slightly weaker than him." Xue Chong shook his head. "His true strength is probably within the top five of the Heaven roll."
Mr Zhou escaped rapidly to a spot more than five kilometers away.
"Hmph! If I was given enough time, I would definitely have taken that Xue Chong's life," thought Mr Zhou. "However, if I stayed any longer, that Li Ruji could very likely have appeared."
God of War Li Ruji, second on the God roll, an existence that had stepped into the Dao!
Mr Zhou had only a ten to twenty percent chance of escaping if he encountered Li Ruji.
"Oh?"
Mr Zhou's expression changed suddenly.
There was a young man sitting on a boulder beside a river up ahead. He was drinking from an alcohol calabash.
"Taishu Chen. I've been waiting for you for such a long time." Qin Yun put down his alcohol calabash and smiled.
Mr Zhou had a hideous expression. "Meng Yiqiu!"
There were few in Sovereign Capital that left him worried. He had encountered Grand General Xue Chong just moments before, and now there was Frost Sword Meng Yiqiu right in front of him.
"Do you have what it takes to face me?" Mr Zhou carefully surveyed his surroundings. Could Li Ruji already be here?
"Don't worry. There's no one else here," said Qin Yun.
Mr Zhou was slightly taken aback.
No one else?
Meng Yiqiu planned to deal with him alone?
"Taishu Chen, you must be the Wei Kingdom leader in Sovereign Capital, aren't you? Were you the one that sent Icefiend, Firefiend, and Immortal Sage Physician Xiao Chun to attack me?" asked Qin Yun. "Was it you who arranged to have my master killed?"
"The assassination was indeed approved by me. Why? Are you trying to seek revenge?" Mr Zhou sneered. "Meng Yiqiu. You are too young. If you had several more decades, I might be a little more afraid of you. As for now? Hehe…"
Qin Yun stood up.
Schwing. He drew Frost Sword out swiftly.
"Yes, revenge." Qin Yun nodded.
"Hahaha, I won't entertain you." Mr Zhou instantly flew away like a hawk that spanned its wings.
Sou!
Qin Yun moved as well, and his speed was much faster than Mr Zhou's.
"What!?" Mr Zhou was alarmed.
A sword beam flashed!
Qin Yun dropped down and sheathed Frost Sword. The escaping Mr Zhou plummeted from midair and plopped to the ground. He was no longer breathing.