Chapter 836

Of course, this idea is correct, but the process is probably not what they imagined.

"Brother Ye, the carriage has arrived."

"Mm, let's get on."

Glancing at the crowd watching the spectacle, and the Blue Guards trying to push through but held back by the Green Guards, Fang Yue and Tian Ruichi and the others filed into the carriage one after another.

Hai Dongye immediately mounted his horse and rode ahead to clear the way for Fang Yue and the others.

The Green Office holds a decent status in Jingcheng, one of the four major government organizations.

Even the White-Clothed Green Guards command great prestige among commoners; few dare to offend them lightly.

With Hai Dongye leading the way, Fang Yue's carriage moved smoothly without obstruction.

Inside the carriage, Jing Yan and Tian Ruichi and the others occasionally lifted the curtain to gaze at the scenery outside.

Fang Yue, however, had no interest in the view; he stared at the Soul-Snatching Jade Pendant in Tian Ruichi's hand and said, "The item your master gave you is flawed."

"Yes."

"... Aren't you going to investigate further? After the Helmsman's death and the destruction of the Han Jiang Giant Ship, if blame falls, it will land on you."

"... My master would never harm me. The Seventh Prince will protect my life."

"But if you were to tell the full truth..."

Hearing this, Tian Ruichi suddenly looked up, locking eyes with Fang Yue, then slowly shook his head.

"My master is more important than I am."

"... Fine, then I won't bring this up again. Let's discuss something else: suppose, suppose we had used the Soul-Snatching Jade Pendant as leverage to negotiate with the Helmsman. According to your master's plan, we were meant to support the Flame Sect on behalf of the Fourth Prince. When we arrived, the Helmsman would have been deceived by the Jade Pendant and killed."

"Without the Han Jiang Giant Ship, and trapped in the Flame Sect, how do you think our situation would have been?"

"... I trust my master's arrangement."

Damn, then I've got nothing to say.

Fang Yue felt frustrated.

From what he'd observed, Tian Ruichi wasn't some blind loyalist—why was he so stubborn?

Fang Yue sighed. Since Tian Ruichi had said this much, as an outsider, he had nothing more to add.

After giving instructions to Lin Ling and the others about gathering information, Fang Yue also turned to gaze out the window.

The situation in Jingcheng was far more prosperous than that of Chunuan City.

On the streets, people came and went, a ceaseless river of crowds.

Some shouted, some argued, some fought, some cursed... The scent of daily life surged forward.

Silently withdrawing his gaze, Fang Yue closed his eyes to rest.

He didn't notice that, the moment he looked away, a boy dozing beside a broken chessboard at the city gate suddenly snapped his eyes open.

"The thread... is drawing near... chaotic, fine... faint..."

The boy with the broken chessboard murmured to himself, closed his eyes, then suddenly smiled faintly, packed up his stall, and turned back.

After taking just a few steps, an old beggar hurried after him, maintaining a precise synchronized distance, lowering his voice to say:

"Lord, latest report: the Han Jiang Giant Ship that just arrived at the Jingcheng docks has sunk. According to eyewitness accounts, the dispatched Special Envoy, 【Fengzhen Sword】 Tian Ruichi, was present at the docks!"

The Han Jiang Giant Ship sank??

Qing Qianyang, who had just been walking, froze mid-step, his face filled with shock.

"How? That old man lived for ages—how could he die so casually?"

"Details are unknown, but the ship did sink."

"Find out what happened—and also, check where that old man Tian Jian is now."

"Yes!"

The old beggar suddenly quickened his pace, overtaking Prince Qing Qianyang, and vanished into the crowd.

"Yese Liming... Tian Ruichi... Things are getting interesting."

After several turns, Prince Qing Qianyang suddenly stopped, looked up at the sky, his eyes hollow, as if his consciousness had entered another dimension.

Moments later, he regained clarity.

"So that's how it is. Fourth Brother has quite the skill—but isn't he rushing things a bit?"

"He's just arrived in Jingcheng, and you're already moving against him—isn't that inappropriate for a host?"

As if lost in thought, Prince Qing Qianyang stood still for a long while. A little girl passing by him suddenly lowered her voice in the instant they crossed: "Lord, Tian Jian is in the wild, in the Ling'an Straw Area—he's now returning to Jingcheng, likely for his disciple."

Disciple? No, I think he's coming for that guy.

Fourth Brother, Flame Sect, Tian Jian, Yese Liming... When they first entered the Destiny Chart, their fate threads were faintly linked—what is the connection between them?

Wait! Flame Sect, Ice Extremity Sect, tail, Yese Liming, refugees... Could it be...

His brow relaxed. Prince Qing Qianyang spoke softly, changed direction, and walked straight toward the You Family.

According to his subordinates' reports, You Sisi, the You Family's youngest daughter, has awakened—things might become interesting.

"You Sisi, do you want to save the one you long for? Then you must obey me."

A faint smile curled his lips. Prince Qing Qianyang felt something good was about to happen in the next two days.

Qi Huang Fu.

The Seventh Prince usually resides in the Imperial Palace, but that doesn't mean he has no residence elsewhere in Jingcheng.

This Qi Huang Fu is his primary resting place when he's active within Jingcheng but outside the Imperial Palace.

Other princes naturally have similar residences—even multiple ones.

But few, like the Seventh Prince, live here frequently rather than in the Imperial Palace.

Even the First Prince, who loves tinkering and wandering, lives inside the Imperial Palace.

However, today, when Fang Yue and the others' carriage stopped at Qi Huang Fu, the news they heard was that the Seventh Prince was not inside Qi Huang Fu.

"How could that be? Isn't the Seventh Prince usually at Qi Huang Fu?"

"These past days have been a bit special, you should know that as well."

Tian Ruichi immediately recalled that the Seventh Prince had been going to the You Family very frequently lately, and to be closer to the You Family, he had also occasionally stayed at the Imperial Palace.

It's just that in the days before he left, the Seventh Prince's main residence was still the Qi Huang Fu outside, not the Seventh Prince's Hall inside the Imperial Palace.

"The Seventh Prince isn't here?"

Fang Yue was a little disappointed; he was still quite curious about this Seventh Prince.

Also, if he wanted to find the Phoenix Organization, finding a prince to help gather information would be a good choice, but whether these princes were trustworthy was an unknown.

Fang Yue still remembered that note that had dealings with the Phoenix Organization, reading "Everything is ready, only the east wind is missing," and the signature at the end was Qing Qianyang.

As for the Seventh Prince who had sent Tian Ruichi to pick him up, he felt relatively more favorable toward him.

But offering unsolicited attentiveness is either lecherous or thieving.

Of course, the Seventh Prince certainly hadn't reached that level, but whatever his purpose was in sending his trusted aide Tian Ruichi to escort him to the capital, there was clearly some reason behind it.

(End of chapter)