Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8-Chapter 205 - 134: Kill

The people present were clearly the small, core group of power brokers at the very heart of the Liyang Dynasty. The matters they discussed behind closed doors could even decide the Emperor’s fate. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The Grand Elder, holding a game piece, retorted irritably, "The Third Elder is just in seclusion, not dead. You want to use his most beloved granddaughter as a bargaining chip? Are you trying to make him break with us completely?"

The middle-aged man was the Grand Elder’s son and Empress Su Ying’s paternal uncle. He frowned at the words, and after a moment’s thought, he realized just how flawed his plan had been.

He hastily corrected his attitude and asked, "Then what should we do?!"

The Grand Elder didn’t answer. He placed the game piece on the board, then said, "We can’t handle this matter ourselves. But didn’t you say it yourself? That girl, Su Ying, is sensible. Tell her about this. She should know what to do."

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, grasping his father’s meaning. He stood up with a smile. "That’s an excellent idea. It both clears us of any connection and achieves the same goal. I’ll go arrange it at once!"

Given Su Ying’s character, if someone was sent to clearly lay out the pros and cons, she would most likely be willing to make a sacrifice for the benefit of the Li Yang Dynasty.

Afterwards, they just needed to dispose of the messenger without a trace. That way, even when the Third Elder emerged from seclusion, he wouldn’t be able to pin it on them.

The middle-aged man stood up, ready to leave.

But the Grand Elder stopped him again, adding coolly, "This must be done cleanly. Also, while you’re at it, seize the young man who injured people from the two great sects. We can hand him over tomorrow at the same time."

After he finished speaking, the Grand Elder waved his son off, signaling that he could go.

But as the middle-aged man turned, he discovered a handsome young man of about fifteen or sixteen standing in the nearby bamboo grove. He had no idea when the man had appeared.

The young man wore a black robe, with a high-bridged nose and a well-proportioned figure. Standing amidst the bamboo, he seemed to blend into his surroundings, not emitting the slightest ripple of an aura.

Two of the men present were figures in the Grandmaster Realm, people who would be considered preeminent masters in the outside world.

The middle-aged man himself was an expert of the Innate Realm.

Yet even so, none of them had sensed anything unusual, despite the young man sneaking into the bamboo grove less than ten meters behind them.

At first, the middle-aged man thought he was hallucinating from sheer tension.

But even after he wiped his eyes with his sleeve, the young man remained, standing motionlessly in the distance. Staring intently, he could see what looked like a smile playing on the man’s lips.

The middle-aged man snapped to his senses, a mix of terror and shock in his voice. "Who are you? Why are you in this restricted area of the Imperial Palace? What is your purpose here?"

He sounded as if he’d seen a ghost in broad daylight.

His cry startled even the Grand Elder and Second Elder, who were in the middle of their game. They quickly dropped their pieces, shot to their feet, and looked in the direction the middle-aged man was staring.

When they saw Li Chang’an standing at the edge of the bamboo grove, the two Elders were every bit as shocked and astonished as the middle-aged man.

In fact, because their Cultivation was more profound and their awareness of their surroundings more refined, they found Li Chang’an’s presence all the more terrifying and unfathomable.

The Grand Elder clutched a game piece and looked at Li Chang’an. "Friend," he asked, "who are you? What business brings you here?"

Li Chang’an appeared young.

But the Grand Elder clearly dared not underestimate him in the slightest.

After all, in his mind, no one in this world, short of a Martial Arts Mythology, could possibly sneak up behind two Grandmasters undetected.

The Second Elder beside him was clearly just as afraid. He sized Li Chang’an up, his gaze sweeping over him again and again, but he could not determine the level of Li Chang’an’s Cultivation.

Looking at the two Elders before him, Li Chang’an replied with a smile, "Weren’t you two just ordering someone to go to the Library Pavilion to capture me? Now that I’ve delivered myself to your doorstep, why are you asking who I am?"

Hearing Li Chang’an’s reply,

the Grand Elder and Second Elder exchanged a look of bewilderment.

Clearly, they didn’t understand his meaning at first. They mulled it over for a moment, and only when they heard him mention the Library Pavilion did they suddenly realize.

The Second Elder said in disbelief, "You’re the young man who injured the Direct Disciples of the Buddhist and Demon Sects? The Martial Champion Scholar from Chun’an County three years ago?"

At their level, the Grand Elder and Second Elder rarely paid attention to the younger generation.

The only reason they knew of Li Chang’an was because his actions three years ago had been so shocking, and also because of the recent investigation and the talk they had overheard.

Seeing Li Chang’an in the flesh, both of them were naturally stunned.

Li Chang’an nodded. "My name is Li Chang’an. Elders, I came here today hoping to discuss something with you."

The Grand Elder and Second Elder exchanged another glance, each seeing the confusion in the other’s eyes.

They desperately wanted to attack Li Chang’an right then and there.

But Li Chang’an’s demeanor was unsettling. They couldn’t figure out what he was up to. After a moment’s thought, the Grand Elder said, "Say what you want to say. When you’re finished, I have a question for you as well."

Li Chang’an began, "Elders, Your Majesty does not wish to negotiate with the Buddhist and Demon Sects, nor will she accept any compromise. Your Majesty says that if the Li Yang Dynasty compromises this time, it will compromise the next time, and the time after that. The Three Great Sects will not rest until they have devoured Li Yang completely!"