Chapter 422: Wang Fu

In the center of Great Xia City, adjacent to the royal palace, lies a district containing a magnificent manor estate; the manor is strictly guarded, with patrol squads marching back and forth, and many sharp gazes projecting from the darkness to form an all-encompassing net that covers and envelops this Wang Fu.

This place is the Regent's Wang Fu; in a sense, the power represented by this Wang Fu at present even surpasses that of the royal palace not far away.

Gong Gong Shenjun descended from his carriage outside the Wang Fu and proceeded straight into the manor; along the way, everyone passing by bent their bodies at the roadside to respectfully welcome him.

"Your Highness."

"Respectfully welcoming Your Highness."

Gong Gong Shenjun was long accustomed to the welcoming cries along the way; his expression remained calm as he passed through the crisscrossing corridors and courtyards within the Wang Fu, finally arriving at a study by the lake. The study was simple, devoid of any extravagance; although no guards seemed to be visible around the study, Gong Gong Shenjun knew that within the entire Wang Fu, this place possessed the strongest defensive power.

Here, even a general Fenghou (Marquis) powerhouse might not be able to approach that study.

However, Gong Gong Shenjun arrived before the study without any obstruction; before he could knock, the door opened automatically. He walked inside and saw the Regent sitting before the desk, flipping through classics and making some records.

The Regent wore casual clothes; he looked up at Gong Gong Shenjun, and the latter respectfully bowed: "Father King."

The Regent smiled and waved his hand: "No need to fuss with such formalities at home."

"Your performance in this Ticket Competition was actually quite good." He set down the book, his face showing appreciation.

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

"If I had encountered Zhongnan, I fear I might not have been able to break his defense within the time limit either."

The Regent laughed: "After all, it was merely a contest, not a life-or-death battle; if the setting were different, so-called strongest defense would merely be a target and would not constitute much of a threat."

He waved his hand, summoning Gong Gong Shenjun to his side, then tossed a document from his hand onto the table.

Gong Gong Shenjun glanced at it and saw the three prominent characters: Luo Lan Fu.

"In this Ticket Competition, the one who was surprising was not Jiang Jiang Qinge, but rather that Li Luo, who was previously not paid much attention to."

The Regent patted the document before him and laughed: "These past two days I have reviewed intelligence on Luo Lan Fu from the recent half-year; this Li Luo is no simple matter. Originally, the situation of Luo Lan Fu was precarious, but after he revealed his Dual Phase in Nanfeng City, it began to turn around bit by bit. Especially after he came to Great Xia City, the situation of Luo Lan Fu has almost completely stabilized. Now, its subsidiary Xi Yang Wu is developing vigorously, and its scale has already begun to surpass that during the time of Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan."

"And all of this was done by Li Luo."

The Regent smiled: "Previously, everyone looked at that dazzling young phoenix of Luo Lan Fu, but ignored the hidden dragon that is Li Luo. However, thinking about it makes sense; Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan were such figures; their son, if truly treated as trash, would be the most foolish."

"But previously, everyone thought that way," Gong Gong Shenjun said seriously.

The Regent was speechless, then laughed helplessly; indeed it was so, after all, a single "Empty Phase" was enough to cut off all of Li Luo's future prospects.

As for Li Luo suddenly turning the tables, truly no one had expected it.

"What is your view on this Li Luo?" the Regent asked.

Gong Gong Shenjun pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "He has great potential. Moreover, he is different from Jiang Jiang Qinge and his parents; he likes to hide himself. If not for those numerous coincidences pushing him out, I fear even now I would find it hard to believe he could be so outstanding."

"With him and Jiang Jiang Qinge in Luo Lan Fu, I feel that restoring it to its peak is merely a matter of time."

The Regent nodded and said with some depth: "However, what Luo Lan Fu lacks most is time."

He paused, then smiled: "You seem to like Jiang Jiang Qinge very much, don't you? Father King has also said that as long as you truly have the ability to bring her back, I will permit your marriage."

Gong Gong Shenjun sighed helplessly and said: "Since Li Luo appeared, my already slim chances have become even more impossible. We all underestimated the bond and emotion between Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge; their engagement is not merely a decoration."

"Moreover, I originally thought Li Luo was just an ordinary person; the more I interacted with him, naturally I could make him feel ashamed of himself, and Jiang Jiang Qinge should also be able to understand my excellence."

If someone else said this, it would probably be self-praise, but when Gong Gong Shenjun said it, there was a natural feeling, because he was indeed very excellent; regardless of status, cultivation talent, or depth of scheme, he far surpassed his peers.

He is currently the most top-tier person among the younger generation of Great Xia.

"However, unfortunately, Li Luo's performance over the past half-year has made me feel slightly embarrassed."

Gong Gong Shenjun shrugged and said: "So I probably have no chance."

The Regent laughed: "You admit defeat so quickly? This does not sound like your character."

"One must face the facts, and although I admit defeat, I did not say I would completely give up," Gong Gong Shenjun said.

The Regent gently patted the Luo Lan Fu document with his palm and smiled: "Then do you need Father King's help? Jiang Jiang Qinge indeed has extraordinary potential; if this young phoenix can fall into our Wang Fu, Father King will be very happy."

Hearing this, Gong Gong Shenjun smiled and said: "I still want to try first whether I can truly win her heart."

"Young people ultimately still like to fantasize."

The Regent neither agreed nor disagreed, but did not elaborate further on this topic; instead, he changed the subject: "The Jin Yu Xuanxiang Dao has not been obtained?"

Gong Gong Shenjun nodded helplessly.

The Regent seemed to have expected this, sighing: "Although this blade was merely Pang Pang Qianyuan's personal sword from his early years, it ultimately witnessed his path to kingship; its spiritual nature is strong, and even you would find it difficult to subdue it. Very well, then let it continue to be stuck in the academy's treasure vault as a decoration."

"But it was pulled out by Li Luo."

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

"Although it is somewhat incredible, the fact is indeed so."

The Regent's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table; after a long while, he finally laughed: "This Li Luo is truly somewhat interesting."

In the end, he said no more, merely waving his hand, and Gong Gong Shenjun withdrew from the study.

The study returned to silence.

The Regent closed his eyes slightly; after a long while, he calmly said: "It seems the personal sword cannot be obtained."

The study seemed to grow dark at this moment; in the shadows, someone opened deep eyes, and at the same time, a wavering voice, seeming both far and near, sounded: "Just a mere Xiangshi realm cultivator."

The meaning was implied.

"Li Luo is certainly not worth mentioning."

The Regent shook his head and said: "But the Holy Cup Battle is not far away; Li Luo is currently a student of key concern at Sheng Zhu Xuan Star Academy. If something happens to him at this time, the academy will not sit idly by; under a large-scale investigation, Zhou Zhe will inevitably arise, disrupting our original plan."

The Regent's gaze looked toward the deep eyes in the darkness, and a pressing voice sounded.

"In the past, you always said our plan was perfect; it shouldn't be that missing a personal sword would have much impact, right?"

The figure in the darkness seemed to flutter like a candle flame, then a hoarse laugh sounded: "Very well; it was merely a whim, wanting to make an extra move; having it or not indeed makes little difference."

"As for you..."

A sound of smiling seemed to come from the figure in the darkness.

"After so many years, have you still not decided to join us?"

The Regent's face was somewhat dim under the lamplight; he picked up the teapot, poured two cups of tea, placed one beside him, and sipped the other slowly, his gaze flickering uncertainly, yet he remained silent for a long time.

In the darkness, a hand reached out and picked up the teacup. On one finger of that hand was worn an archaic, dark-red ring, and on its face was engraved an eye—except the whites of this eye were black, while the pupil was white. Stared at for long, it seemed as though that eerie eye was slowly closing, until black and white merged into one, like yin and yang annihilating each other.

At the same time, a vague, low murmuring seemed to rise within the darkness.

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