The No.1 Undercover in the Immortal World-Chapter 394 - 384 The True Divine Physician

Lin Yun bid Fang Yu a hurried farewell, and Zhao Lingyu began to discuss the next arrangements.

"First, you’ll come with me to a courtyard in the southern part of the city to settle down. Then, I’ll go to gather information. You two must not leave the other garden; the situation is bound to be tense, but they wouldn’t dare to search my house. You’ll be safe in the courtyard," she said.

Zhao Lingyu’s mind was exceptionally sharp; she was well aware that as a princess, aiding Shenxiao Sect was equivalent to cutting off her own retreat. Therefore, she had to be extremely cautious in her actions, leaving no margin for error.

If she failed, the royal family might deal with traitors even more ruthlessly than with enemies.

However, Zhao Lingyu would not regret the decision she had made.

The situation was indeed risky, but rather than being an idle pawn in a marriage alliance, she preferred to seize the opportunity for a do-or-die effort.

But...

Lin Yun had no intention of taking risks.

Nothing was more important than his own life. Taking risks was out of the question; he would never gamble with his life.

Big Red flew very fast, and it didn’t take long for Zhao Lingyu to reach her separate residence in the southern part of the city. Since she wasn’t married off yet and didn’t have a Princess’s Mansion, her elder brother had bought her this separate residence, where she could live outside the Imperial Palace.

After settling Lin Yun and Jiang Chenyu, Zhao Lingyu instructed her servants, "Prepare for me; I am going to visit my brother."

She spoke with an innocent and carefree tone, full of dependence on her brother. But who would have known that she wished nothing more than to pin down her merciless brother and beat him up?

The ruthlessness of the imperial family was something Zhao Lingyu had learned from her brother Zhao Jing, and if this was the case with her own blood brother, what could she expect from others?

The reigning Emperor had six sons. Two of them had virtually no chance at the throne. Zhao Lingyu’s brother was the eldest prince and had already been granted a title as King Pingnan.

The second prince, Zhao Guang, was titled King Jibei, the third prince, Zhao Yi, as King Pingxi, and the fourth prince, Zhao Mu, as King Pinghai.

The remaining two princes, though of age, had not been granted titles, which clearly indicated their lack of prospects.

From the titles of these four princes, one could discern the Emperor’s ambitions.

Currently, King Pingnan, Zhao Jing, among the four princes, held the greatest power, with more supporters in the Imperial Court.

The competition among the royal brothers started as soon as they were made kings, but this generation’s rivalry was particularly intense because it represented the royal family’s greatest hope.

Historically, the Cultivation World had never seen such turmoil: Shenxiao Sect had lost the Thunderclap Sword, Guanghan Palace had lost both its Palace Master and the Saintess, and Yu Ling Sect had lost its Sect Master, along with the Sect Master’s Spirit Beasts.

With even the Top Three Sects in such a state, the Lower Three Sects were not stable either, with formidable enemies lurking on the outside and the Demon Race causing chaos within. This was both a challenge and an opportunity for the royal family.

The Imperial Clan believed this to be a once-in-a-millennium chance. If not now, then when?

Furthermore, the royal family had been gathering strength over several generations, and they possessed the two paramount treasures of the realm, the Human Emperor’s Book and the Nine States Cauldron. How could they not act?

However, what the royal family didn’t expect was that their supposed swift and decisive campaign would falter right from the start, with Lin Yu and the Flower Fairy acting strangely.

Later on, when they targeted Shenxiao Sect, hoping for a major victory, they ended up suffering a severe setback instead, losing the Nine States Cauldron.

The Emperor was so furious that he spewed blood the same night; the meticulously planned thunderbolt strategy had been thwarted from the outset. How could the royal family’s dignity survive this?

Moreover, having already taken action, there was no room for smoothing things over. Therefore, the Imperial Court was forced into extreme measures.

The confrontation with Shenxiao Sect almost decided the success of their bid to reclaim power. If Shenxiao Sect fell, none of the Seven Righteous Sects would be able to resist the rule of the Imperial Court anymore.

Thus, for Zhao Lingyu, interfering in this matter without success meant a dead end.

She had to perform flawlessly, ensuring that no one could spot a single flaw.

The paramount actress’s performance had begun.

Before long, the Princess’s palanquin left the separate residence and headed for King Pingnan Mansion.

Almost at the same time, King Jibei, Zhao Guang, received such news.

"Zhao Lingyu is conspiring with Lin Yun, planning to acquire the Sky Prison Defense Map. With Lin Yun’s treasure capable of breaking spells and the ability to escape, they plot their scheme."

Upon receiving the news, Zhao Guang was elated.

"An opportunity to distinguish myself has arrived!" he exclaimed joyously.

Zhao Guang’s brother, Zhao Ming, inquired, "What has made my brother so happy?"

"I received word that Shenxiao Sect’s Lin Yun has appeared and is colluding with Zhao Lingyu to stage a prison break. If we capture him now, wouldn’t it be a great achievement?" Zhao Guang commented eagerly.

Zhao Guang was desperate for this chance to prove himself.

The reason was simple: a few days ago, when he was tasked with capturing the Flower Fairy, he had been humiliatingly defeated and failed to capture her. The assignment, which he had managed to secure after considerable effort, was supposed to be an opportunity for distinction, but it had ended in debacle and ridicule.

Although it wasn’t his fault—the enemy was too strong, and not even the four Acolytes could match them—what could he have done? However, to the Emperor, the reasons didn’t matter; Zhao Guang had simply failed to accomplish the task, showing a lack of ability. Zhao Guang realized the crisis he was in and became all the more desperate for a chance to prove his worth.

Already no match for Zhao Jing and now risking the loss of his father’s trust, his fight for succession seemed even more hopeless.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ming’s face took on a profoundly inscrutable expression as he sighed, "Such a good opportunity, yet my brother only seeks to capture Lin Yun. It seems like a terrible waste."

"Oh? Does little Ming have some insight?"

Seeing his brother like this, Zhao Guang knew he must have a plan.

This little brother of his had always been clever from a young age.

Because the two were brothers from the same mother, they had always been supportive of each other; Zhao Ming had not been titled as a king, which was good in its own way. United brothers can cut through metal.

If Zhao Ming were also to be titled as a king, the two of them would become targets for all. It would also foster competition between them.

Many of Zhao Ming’s suggestions were heeded by Zhao Guang, and as brothers, they were more trustworthy. A lot of information was only shared with Zhao Ming, making him the best strategist.

"Big brother, have you ever heard the story of the divine physician Ma Que? Ma Que had two older brothers, the eldest could foresee illnesses before they manifested, and the second could suggest treatments at the earliest stages of an illness. Ma Que, however, would only step in when a person’s illness was critical, which is why of all the renowned healers in the world, only Ma Que is known, even though his brothers’ medical skills were superior, yet they remained unsung."

Zhao Guang: "..."

I hate these strategists who like to quote classics to make a point, why can’t you just speak plainly!

What, do you think I’m too dumb to understand?

After this feigned ignorance passed, Zhao Ming then said, "By acting now, big brother, you would only be able to catch Lin Yun. Ninth Princess is the biological sister of our eldest brother. During the previous court session, there were plans to marry her off to the Sword Sect, as a princess in a marriage alliance. Without solid evidence and sufficient charges, it’s unlikely that she could be implicated."

Zhao Guang nodded in agreement.

Indeed, even if everyone knew Zhao Lingyu was collaborating with the Shenxiao Sect, as long as they hadn’t succeeded, imprisoning her wouldn’t affect the marriage alliance nor have any repercussions on Zhao Jing.

Capturing Lin Yun alone, what use would that be?

The Imperial Court has already captured many Shenxiao Sect disciples!

Though Lin Yun was the cause of their trouble and held a somewhat special status, he wasn’t special enough. The Shenxiao Sect might rescue a great number of disciples, but they might not sacrifice too many for just one Sect Master disciple.

"Catching only Lin Yun is like chicken ribs, tasteless when eaten, but a pity to discard. However, if big brother were to wait and see, allowing Ninth Princess to succeed, then she naturally wouldn’t escape. With a little maneuver from you, turning this blaze onto eldest brother, not only that, when the situation spirals out of control, and you step in with decisive measures to wrap things up, wouldn’t the merit be far greater than merely capturing a single Lin Yun?"

"Brilliant!"

Zhao Guang couldn’t help but nod in admiration. Zhao Ming’s proposal was to have him play the role of Ma Que, who could prevent things before they happened, but there would be no benefit in that.

If you’re going to act, it’s better to wait until the ’illness’ becomes severe, then you can make a name for yourself.

"What should we do next then?"

"Naturally, we should support Ninth Princess’s prison break in secret while framing our eldest brother. If we then catch the culprits, a great achievement is within reach."

"What a clever plan!"

Zhao Guang was delighted. Zhao Ming surely possessed the talent of a hidden dragon!

In the south of the city, at Ninth Princess’s private estate, Jiang Chenyu voiced her worries to Lin Yun: "Do you really think Ninth Princess can be trusted? Aren’t you afraid that she lured you here to the Capital City as a trap to capture you?"

"Of course, that’s not something to worry about."

Lin Yun smiled slightly, showing utter confidence.

"You have so much faith in her?"

Jiang Chenyu spoke with a slightly sour tone.

Lin Yun couldn’t help but pinch her smooth cheek, mainly because he was idle and had nothing better to do than to ’fish’ around.

"It’s not about whether I trust her or not, but no matter what she does, our plans will remain unaffected. Besides, I do trust her."

Given Zhao Lingyu’s ambitions, she can only seek wealth and honor in the face of danger.

Following the herd, she would merely become a tool in a marriage alliance.

Jiang Chenyu felt displeased when Lin Yun pinched her face, mostly because Lin Yun expressed trust in Zhao Lingyu.

Puffing up her cheeks, she looked quite cute.

"Humph, if you’re so confident and end up being betrayed, don’t cry about it. If our prison break is leaked and you don’t manage to rescue your fellow Sect disciples, you’ll be risking yourself as well."

Jiang Chenyu muttered incessantly like a wife quarreling with her husband, actually seeking his attention with her complaints.

Her face seemed to say: Come comfort me! I’m upset!

However, Lin Yun didn’t intend to coax her.

She was just a mere salted fish, after all.

Lin Yun poked her puffed cheeks with his finger, and as they deflated, Jiang Chenyu stubbornly puffed them out again. Lin Yun found this amusing, so he patiently explained, "Don’t worry about me, everything is under control."

Jiang Chenyu’s face turned crimson immediately.

What are you controlling, take your hands off!

It’s still daytime!

Jiang Chenyu shyly pushed Lin Yun away, her anger forgotten.

Lin Yun couldn’t help but reveal a mischievous smile.

See, just a mere Jiang Chenyu, easily managed.

Lin Yun found himself reminiscing about Fang Yu.

She was someone he couldn’t control, wondering if she understood the hint in his eyes.

They mustn’t rashly enter the Capital City...