Chapter 43: All Are Insiders

After dinner, Dai Xiyu and Zhu Zhuqing walked out of the duke's mansion together and boarded the carriage prepared by the maidservant.

The carriage swayed gently; after about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the shaking suddenly stopped.

Dai Xiyu's expression calm, he asked the driver outside: "What's wrong?"

From the gate of Star Luo City to Starlight Forest, the total journey is about one incense stick's time.

However, the carriage had just left the duke's mansion; it's obviously impossible to reach Starlight Forest in such a short time.

After Dai Xiyu finished asking, he waited over a minute, but the driver still didn't respond.

Seeing this, he exchanged a glance with Zhu Zhuqing, and the two rose together, opened the door, and got out of the carriage.

The carriage door opened, their feet touched the ground, and Dai Xiyu stepped forward—indeed he saw several familiar figures.

At this moment, the carriage was already surrounded by over a dozen people; facing the carriage door were Dai Weisi and Dai Mubai.

Dai Xiyu then turned his head and looked at the driver's seat.

The driver had already run off into the distance, leaving the driver's seat empty.

Looking again at Dai Weisi, Dai Xiyu asked with a light smile: "Dai Weisi, what do you mean by this?"

Seeing Dai Xiyu's appearance, Dai Weisi likewise smiled and said:

"Xiyu, I originally didn't pay you much mind, but since you've revealed your strength yourself, I can no longer leave you be."

Dai Xiyu's pupils turned blood-red; after looking around, he asked somewhat amusedly:

"Do you really think that with just these few people you can kill me and Zhuqing?"

At this point, Dai Mubai couldn't hold back and shouted angrily:

"Dai Xiyu! Don't keep thinking highly of yourself. If we weren't prepared, do you think we'd dare to move against you?"

Having said that, Dai Mubai's expression turned arrogant, and he let out a cold snort:

"Dai Xiyu, let me be frank: all the servants around you are our planted insiders, and you've already been drugged by us, so you cannot use your soul power at all."

"Surrender now—I will certainly cripple your soul power today to avenge the humiliation of the day before yesterday!"

Hearing this, Dai Xiyu looked at Dai Mubai and said somewhat amusedly:

"Dai Mubai, you're still so naïve—do you really think Dai Weisi only wants to abolish my soul power?"

Dai Mubai stared for a moment, furrowed his brows, and asked: "What do you mean?"

At that moment, Dai Weisi beside them burst into loud laughter and said:

"The struggle for the crown prince is a matter of life or death—either you die or I perish. Dai Xiyu, today I will surely bury you here!"

Dai Mubai listened to the two's conversation and for a moment couldn't react.

In his current mindset, crippling the soul power is already the utmost measure.

Yet he never expected that what these two brothers had in mind was nothing short of completely killing each other.

The great disparity in their views caused Dai Mubai's arrogant aura to instantly die out, leaving him silent and speechless.

At this very moment, Dai Mubai couldn't help but wonder: if he were to lose the future struggle against Dai Weisi, would he also be killed by Dai Weisi?

Death is ten thousand times more terrifying than losing one's soul power.

Meanwhile, seeing Dai Weisi's confident air, Dai Xiyu calmly said: "Dai Weisi, you are indeed ruthless, but you are terribly mistaken."

Upon hearing this, Dai Weisi's smile faded, he frowned, and asked: "What are you saying?"

Dai Xiyu stood with his hands behind his back, smiling, and said: "Your mistake lies in trusting those around you too much."

Dai Weisi let out a cold snort, sneering: "Second brother, you're at death's door and still dare to dream of sowing discord..."

He hadn't finished speaking when Dai Weisi suddenly widened his eyes.

Not only him, but even Dai Mubai beside him looked in terror toward the area behind Dai Weisi.

Everyone looked in that direction and saw behind Dai Weisi a slender youth whose dagger plunged into Dai Weisi's back.

Blood spattered, staining Qin Yang's face a demonic crimson.

Dai Weisi grabbed the dagger with his backhand, suddenly turned, and retreated several steps with a thudding sound.

His face somewhat ferocious, he snarled: "Qin Yang, you... why..."

Qin Yang's breathing was a little ragged, his expression no longer as natural as before, and he spoke in a trembling voice:

"Don't blame me, Your Highness—your and the Second Prince's strength differ by leaps and bounds. The Second Prince can offer me far more than you can, and he has promised to help me rise to become a marquis surpassing my father."

The more he spoke, the more excited he became; madness flickered in his eyes as he trembled while saying:

"So, Your Highness, just go die in peace—I will follow the Second Prince from now on, and my future will surely be bright!"

Dai Weisi found it hard to believe, gritting his teeth and saying: "Whatever he can give you, I can give you the same!"

However, Qin Yang remained unmoved, showing no sign of wavering.

He only trusts what he can see; in his view, Dai Xiyu's strength has soared, far surpassing Dai Weisi.

Moreover, even if he didn't defect today, Dai Xiyu couldn't possibly die here; his future prospects are certainly brighter.

Taking a deep breath, Dai Weisi's soul rings rose beneath his feet, and with slight force he pulled the dagger out with his right hand.

"Fine, you're ruthless enough, Qin Yang—but still not ruthless enough, or else your hand wouldn't have shaken and missed the mark."

"It was truly a close call—you almost pierced my heart. But even if you've betrayed me, what does it matter?"

Dai Weisi's face flushed, his eyes sharp as he looked at Dai Xiyu and said:

"I have long prepared a backup; the people surrounding you are all Soul Ancestor experts!"

"Even if you were stronger, now that you've been poisoned you can't exert yourself. Facing seven Soul Ancestors, you can't escape even with wings!"

Having said that, Dai Weisi shouted sternly: "Release your martial souls and kill him!"

As his words fell, the other seven who had surrounded the carriage instantly activated their martial souls.

These people were all drafted by Dai Weisi from the Star Luo Army, precisely to ensure Dai Xiyu dies here.

In fact, Dai Weisi would have preferred to pick people from the nobility.

However, the noble powerhouses that could be found all favored Dai Xiyu more and were unwilling to get involved in murky water.

Apart from the nobles, the military simply had the most soul masters.

Although Dai Weisi was a prince, after all he was not yet the crown prince, his authority was limited, and he could not mobilize the strong palace guards.

These few four-ring Soul Ancestors before him were already the limit of what he could currently achieve.

However, at this moment something unexpected happened to Dai Weisi.

Among these seven people, three secretly moved behind the other three, unleashed soul skills, and with a swing of their blades cut them down.

Accompanied by a "puff" sound, blood spattered, and three heads rolled onto the ground.

The next moment, the three simultaneously attacked another person, and with a single move they beheaded him on the spot.

Three against one, among ordinary soul masters without any special enhancements, it was completely a one-sided crushing.

Seeing this scene, Dai Mubai was dumbfounded, retreated several steps consecutively, and couldn't help vomiting.

Not only Dai Mubai, even Zhu Zhuqing, who had prepared beforehand, turned pale and felt nauseous.

(End of chapter)