Chapter 422: The Prince Regent's Mansion

In the center of Great Xia City, in an area adjacent to the royal palace, stood a magnificent mansion estate. The mansion was heavily guarded, with patrols moving back and forth, and many sharp gazes cast out from the darkness, forming an inescapable net that shrouded the entire Prince Regent's Mansion.

This place was precisely the Prince Regent's Mansion. In a sense, the power represented by this mansion currently even surpassed that of the royal palace not far away.

Gong Shenjun stepped down from his carriage outside the mansion and walked straight inside. Wherever he passed, those he encountered bowed their heads in respectful greeting.

"Your Highness."

"Welcome, Your Highness."

Gong Shenjun was long accustomed to the greetings along the way. With a calm expression, he passed through the crisscrossing corridors and courtyards of the mansion, finally arriving at a study overlooking the lake. The study was simple and lacked any sense of luxury. Although there appeared to be no guards around the study, Gong Shenjun knew that within the entire mansion, this place had the strongest defenses.

Here, even ordinary Marquis-level powerhouses might not be able to approach the study.

However, Gong Shenjun arrived before the study without any obstruction. Before he could knock, the door opened automatically. He walked inside and saw the Prince Regent at the desk, flipping through ancient texts and making notes.

The Prince Regent was in casual attire. He looked up at Gong Shenjun, who bowed respectfully: "Father."

The Prince Regent waved his hand with a smile: "There is no need for such formalities at home."

"Your performance in the ticket tournament this time was quite good." He set down the book, his face showing appreciation.

Gong Shenjun shook his head and said: "The opponents I encountered were not strong. Compared to Zhongnan, that Liang Kui is far behind. And Zhongnan's defense is the strongest I have ever seen among our peers; even the dynasties within our academy cannot compare to him."

"If I were to face Zhongnan, I fear I might not be able to break his defense within the time limit."

The Prince Regent laughed: "After all, it is just a competition, not a life-or-death battle. If the occasion were different, so-called 'strongest defense' would just be a target and would not pose much of a threat."

He beckoned for Gong Shenjun to come to his side, then tossed a file he was holding onto the table.

Gong Shenjun glanced at it and saw the eye-catching words: House Luolan.

"The surprising thing about this ticket tournament is not Jiang Qing'e, but rather that Li Luo, whom I didn't pay much attention to before."

The Prince Regent patted the file in front of him and smiled: "I have been looking at the intelligence on House Luolan for the past half year. This Li Luo is not simple. House Luolan, whose situation was once precarious, has been turning things around bit by bit ever since he revealed his dual resonance in Nanfeng City. Especially after he arrived in Great Xia City, the situation of House Luolan has been completely stabilized. Now, their subsidiary, Xiyang House, is developing rapidly, and its scale has begun to surpass what it was when Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan were in charge."

"And all of this is Li Luo's doing."

The Prince Regent smiled: "Everyone used to look at that dazzling fledgling phoenix of House Luolan, but they ignored Li Luo, this hidden dragon. But thinking about it, that makes sense. With parents like Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan, it would be the height of stupidity to truly treat their son as a waste."

"But everyone used to think exactly that," Gong Shenjun said earnestly.

The Prince Regent was stunned, then laughed. It was indeed true; after all, a "blank resonance" was enough to cut off all of Li Luo's prospects.

As for Li Luo suddenly turning his life around, it was something no one had expected.

"What do you think of this Li Luo?" the Prince Regent asked.

Gong Shenjun pondered for a moment and said slowly: "He has great potential. And he is different from Jiang Qing'e and his parents; he likes to hide himself. If it weren't for the many coincidences that pushed him out, I fear I would still find it hard to believe he could be this outstanding."

"With him and Jiang Qing'e in House Luolan, I feel that returning to their peak is only a matter of time."

The Prince Regent nodded and said with deep meaning: "But what House Luolan lacks most is time."

He paused and smiled: "You seem to like Jiang Qing'e very much? Father has said before, as long as you truly have the ability to bring her back, I will permit your marriage."

Gong Shenjun sighed helplessly and said: "Ever since Li Luo appeared, my already slim chances have become even more impossible. We all underestimated the bond and affection between Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e. Their marriage contract is no mere decoration."

"Moreover, I originally thought Li Luo was just an ordinary person. The more I interacted with him, the more I could naturally make him feel ashamed of his inferiority, and Jiang Qing'e should have been able to understand my excellence."

If someone else said this, it might sound like bragging, but when Gong Shenjun said it, there was a natural feeling to it, because he was indeed outstanding. Regardless of status, cultivation talent, or depth of character, he far surpassed his peers.

He was the top person among the younger generation in Great Xia today.

"But unfortunately, Li Luo's performance over the past half year has made me feel a little embarrassed."

Gong Shenjun shrugged and said: "So I might not have a chance."

The Prince Regent smiled: "Admitting defeat already? That doesn't sound like your character."

"One must face the facts. And although I admit defeat, I didn't say I have completely given up," Gong Shenjun said.

The Prince Regent gently patted the file on House Luolan and smiled: "Then do you need Father's help? Jiang Qing'e does indeed have extraordinary potential. If this fledgling phoenix could land in our mansion, Father would also be very happy."

Gong Shenjun smiled upon hearing this and said: "I still want to try to see if I can truly win her heart first."

"Young people always like to fantasize."

The Prince Regent was noncommittal, but he did not dwell on this topic, instead changing the subject: "Did you not get the Golden Jade Profound Elephant Blade?"

Gong Shenjun nodded helplessly.

The Prince Regent seemed to have expected this, sighing: "Although this blade was only Pang Qianyuan's personal weapon in his early years, it ultimately witnessed his path to becoming a King. Its spirituality is strong; even you would find it difficult to subdue it. Very well, let it continue to be stuck in the academy's treasury as a decoration."

"But Li Luo pulled it out."

The Prince Regent looked up, his eyes fixed on Gong Shenjun's heroic face, and said slowly: "Li Luo pulled it out?"

"Although it is unbelievable, that is indeed the case."

The Prince Regent tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table. After a long while, he finally smiled: "This Li Luo is truly interesting."

In the end, he did not say anything more, simply waving his hand, and Gong Shenjun exited the study.

The study returned to silence.

The Prince Regent closed his eyes slightly. After a long while, he said calmly: "It seems the blade cannot be obtained."

The study seemed to darken at this moment. In the shadows, someone opened deep, dark eyes, and a flickering voice, sounding both far and near, arose: "He is only a small Resonance Master."

The implication was clear.

"Li Luo is, of course, not worth mentioning."

The Prince Regent shook his head and said: "But the Holy Grail War is not far off. Li Luo is now a student of focus for the Astral Sage College. If something happens to him at this time, the college will not sit idly by. A massive investigation would inevitably cause complications and disrupt our original plans."

The Prince Regent gazed at the deep eyes in the darkness, his voice filled with pressure.

"You always used to say our plan was perfect. Surely the lack of one blade wouldn't have that much of an impact, would it?"

The figure in the darkness seemed to flicker like a candle flame, and then a hoarse laugh arose: "Very well. It was just a whim to play an extra move. Whether we have it or not, it truly doesn't have much impact."

"But you..."

The person in the darkness seemed to offer a smile.

"After all these years, have you still not made up your mind to join us?"

The Prince Regent's face was somewhat dim under the lamplight. He picked up the teapot and poured two cups of tea, placing one to the side. He sipped his own slowly, his gaze flickering, and he fell into a long silence.

In the darkness, a hand reached out and picked up the teacup. On one of the fingers of that hand was a dark red, ancient ring. Engraved on the ring face was an eye, except the white of the eye was black, and the pupil was white. After staring at it for a long time, it seemed as if that eerie eye was slowly closing, and finally, black and white merged into one, like the annihilation of yin and yang.

At the same time, a mysterious, low murmur seemed to arise in the darkness.

"Light and darkness share the same source; good and evil return to one."