Chapter 747: White-Clothed Boy (5/10, Requesting Subscription)

Returning to Chunuan City with Dou Hongyi, he looked around and saw that many houses had already been rebuilt, scattered here and there.

Though all were relatively crude wooden houses, at least they marked the beginning of rebuilding homes from the ruins.

Among them, the largest house, with the most luxurious decor, stood right in the center of the ruins, unmatched in both completion and opulence.

Surrounding this house was a dome-shaped black curtain, isolating the inside from the outside—visually blocking any view of the interior, likely an Isolation Array.

When Fang Yue had seen this house two days ago, he had assumed it was built for Dou Hongyi's own use.

Now he understood: it had been prepared in advance, specifically as a dedicated reception site for the Special Envoy.

Amid the surrounding ruins, this house stood out as luxurious and elite, utterly out of place.

At the entrance, two guards and over a dozen patrol guards were deployed—all skilled hands from Qing Si and Lan Shan.

Given that their own side was severely short-staffed, yet these personnel were specially assigned to serve the Special Envoy, it was clear how deeply Dou Hongyi cared about this matter.

Sweet-talk all you want, end up with nothing.

Fang Yue looked at the overly eager Dou Hongyi beside him and shook his head slightly.

The Special Envoy, a high-ranking official long accustomed to the Imperial Palace in Qing Capital, would likely not care even if Dou Hongyi groveled endlessly.

Only if he could produce something truly extraordinary, surprising and memorable enough to leave an impression, might the Special Envoy whisper a few kind words to the Emperor.

"Lord Ye! After you go in, please remember to mention me—no need to get me transferred to Qing Cheng, just let me keep my position as head of Chunuan City, don't let Lan Shan send some overpowered newcomer…"

Before Fang Yue entered, Dou Hongyi grabbed his hand and repeatedly reminded him, reluctant to let go.

Only when Fang Yue reluctantly promised he'd mention him did Dou Hongyi smile broadly and release his grip.

Jing Yan and the other two were barred from entering, forced to stretch their necks at the entrance, peering curiously inside.

"Dou Hongyi, what does the Special Envoy look like? Is he a eunuch… ugh ugh ugh!?"

Jing Yan blurted out without restraint, making Dou Hongyi turn pale instantly as he clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Shh!! Don't speak recklessly!"

The Emperor's current favorite indeed is a eunuch.

But…

Dou Hongyi's expression turned strange.

Because this messenger was not from the eunuch's faction, but from the Seventh Prince's camp.

Had he not known these three had an extraordinary connection with Lord Ye, Dou Hongyi would have died before revealing this.

"Seventh Prince? So the Emperor favors the Seventh Prince most? Is he going to name him Crown Prince?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.

"Who knows? But from what I've heard, the Seventh Prince has always been weak in the Nine Dragons' succession struggle—spending his days wandering mountains, making friends, composing poetry, enjoying music, showing no real interest in the Crown Prince position. Yet now, he's managed to get the Emperor to allow his trusted man to deliver the Imperial Edict."

"This will likely draw the other princes' attention again, making the Seventh Prince a threat they can no longer ignore."

Jing Yan pulled his hand away from Dou Hongyi and sneered—such dog-eat-dog politics meant nothing to them.

Just then, Qing Chen's expression turned serious as he sent a message.

"From what Dou Hongyi implied, the Seventh Prince has long cultivated an image of a carefree hermit to distance himself from the succession struggle. Yet now, for the sake of delivering the Imperial Edict, he's revealed his claws—this is highly unusual. We and Ye Ge are players; aside from Phoenix Organization matters, we have no ties to the Qing Guo royal family. If this isn't about the Phoenix Organization, then it must be…"

Qing Chen paused his message, then sent it simultaneously with Jing Yan.

"Captain Wu!"

"Lord Han!"

Captain Wu?

Qing Chen froze.

Lord Han?

Jing Yan stared.

"..." Both fell silent for a moment, then Jing Yan spoke first.

"Qing Chen, why do you think the Seventh Prince came for Lord Han? Only we know Lord Han is still alive—or might be."

"You're wrong… dead people can still be valuable. The death of a half-step Rain-level powerhouse, even in Qing Guo's royal court, is major intelligence—enough to drive someone to extreme actions. Ye Ge may be powerful, but he's clueless about other things—he won't sense the danger. We need to watch closely."

Qing Chen's words made Jing Yan frown slightly, then nod.

"Makes sense. Let's see what the Special Envoy really wants. If he departs after merely delivering the Imperial Edict and speaks to Ye Ge only in passing, we've overthought it. If not, we'll keep watching—see what tricks he's playing."

"Yeah… by the way, why do you think the Special Envoy came for Captain Wu?"

"Because… Captain Wu's resurrection ability is insane. Don't you think so? Even we players don't have that power—though, I mean back when the game first launched, players could respawn. But compared to Captain Wu's resurrection, that was child's play!"

"So I suspect the Seventh Prince heard rumors, learned of Captain Wu's whereabouts, and wants to do something about him. If so, then Captain Wu's capture by the Phoenix Organization could turn the Seventh Prince into an ally for us."

This was something Qing Chen had overlooked.

Because Qing Chen had once worked for the Phoenix Organization, facing all kinds of monstrous anomalies and peculiar humans.

He'd grown numb to human peculiarities—Captain Wu's resurrection, though unusual, was just another oddity to him, no different from other special traits, never singled out for special attention.

But to outsiders, Captain Wu's ability was nothing short of miraculous!

"Regardless, our theories are still just theories—we must wait and see what happens inside with Ye Ge."

Both turned their gazes inward.

Inside the house, not a single sound could be heard—they understood: it was a soundproofing array, blocking all eavesdropping and surveillance.

…

Inside the house.

As Fang Yue entered the hall, he saw the Special Envoy seated on a chair.

It was a white-clothed boy, sitting awkwardly on the seat.

Though dressed in luxurious attire, he seemed deeply uncomfortable, occasionally shifting his hips restlessly.

Seeing Fang Yue enter, he quickly sat up straight, forcing a serious adult expression onto his youthful face, and spoke in an affected tone.

"You there—are you Ye Baiyi of Qing Si?"

"Yes, I pay my respects to the Special Envoy."

Fang Yue bowed, but the Special Envoy did not immediately proclaim the Imperial Edict; instead, his eyes moved, scanning Fang Yue up and down.

After a moment, he spat out three words.

"Human Realm?"

"... Yes."

(End of Chapter)