Chapter 313: Chapter 218: Who Dares to Assassinate the Crown Prince! Now That You See the Crown Prince’s Decree, Why Do You Not Kneel?

Lu Mingyuan’s eyes narrowed. He sensed that this assassin was not as simple as he seemed. Deciding against further questions, he reached out and pressed his hand toward the sallow-faced old man’s forehead, preparing to seize his memories and find the answers himself.

The man was clearly aware of Lu Mingyuan’s intentions. He mobilized his True Qi, surging it into his Qi Sea. The next moment, a destructive power erupted from his body.

’He’s actually trying to self-detonate his Qi Sea.’

Lu Mingyuan’s brow furrowed, and he rapidly retreated.

At the same time, Zhong Yuli pointed forward. A single thread of light instantly pierced the sallow-faced old man’s abdomen, right where his Qi Sea was located, creating a shattered zone of Spiritual Qi.

The self-detonation was instantly neutralized, causing only a slight tremor in the surrounding space without any significant destructive force.

"Crown Prince, they’ve all committed suicide by poison."

Chi Ming Red reached out and picked up the head of an Imperial Guard. He studied it for a moment before setting it down. "However... there is still a clue," he said in a deep voice.

It wasn’t just him. Lu Mingyuan had noticed it too.

A white lotus tattoo had appeared on the bodies of the many dead Death Warriors.

After inspecting the bodies and finding the markings, Zhong Yuli immediately came to a conclusion.

"These are traces of the White Lotus Ancient Sect. I never expected such an Evil Cult to appear in the Great Yan Capital City. They obviously want to entice the Crown Prince to join the White Lotus Ancient God."

"The White Lotus Ancient Sect?"

It was the first time Lu Mingyuan had heard the name of this power. He murmured it to himself.

"That’s right. The White Lotus Ancient Sect is an ancient underground power in the Central Plains, most prevalent in the Great Sui Dynasty. It is an Evil Cult that often deludes the masses and manipulates its followers, plaguing entire regions to harvest their Destiny."

"Logically, the White Lotus Ancient Sect shouldn’t be appearing in Great Yan."

Chi Ming Red’s voice rumbled. "I will report this matter to the Holy Emperor, investigate it thoroughly, and give you an explanation, Crown Prince."

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan smiled. "In that case, I’ll have to trouble you, Lord Chi."

If it weren’t for the inner thought he’d heard just now, Lu Mingyuan might also have believed the White Lotus Ancient Sect was behind this.

’It seems there’s more to this matter than meets the eye.’

Lu Mingyuan glanced at the old man’s face and the numerous corpses.

An idea began to form in his mind.

...

Qinghong Pavilion was located deep within a bamboo forest in the Inner City’s red-light district. With its small bridges over flowing water, it was tranquil and secluded, a stark contrast to the bustling Great Yan Imperial City.

Luo Ying sat in the pavilion. In a rare change of attire, she wore a long dress made of Cold Ice Snow Gauze. Her skin was as smooth as cream, her features delicate, and her jet-black ponytail was neatly combed.

Her current identity.

She was the second daughter of the Qinghong Pavilion’s Dong Family, whose household owned eight brothels. She was said to be skilled in zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting.

’Why aren’t they back yet?’

Luo Ying paced back and forth, her expression fraught with anxiety.

Soon, a beautiful woman returned to report.

"Miss, Elder Li has returned. He’s been lingering outside and refuses to enter the pavilion. It’s as if he’s hiding from the Imperial Guard..."

"Have them come in at once."

Luo Ying’s brow furrowed.

"Yes."

A moment later, a sallow-faced old man leading a group of black-robed Cultivators slowly stepped into the bamboo forest.

The sallow-faced old man kept looking around as he walked, his gaze darting in all directions. From time to time, a viscous fluid seemed to ripple across his face.

Luo Ying immediately pressed him for answers. "How did it go? Did you leave behind any evidence? How many masters does Lu Mingyuan have protecting him?"

The sallow-faced old man replied, his expression impassive,

"My Lord, everything went smoothly. There was just one small, minor incident."

"An incident?"

For a moment, Luo Ying didn’t understand what he meant.

TAP. TAP.

Just then, another figure emerged from the bamboo forest.

"Lord Ying. It’s been a while."

True Qi erupted from Luo Ying’s body. She was a hair’s breadth from running the man through and scrambling his brains, but out of sheer curiosity, she stopped her long sword’s tip just before it touched the handsome, martial man’s forehead.

Luo Ying finally couldn’t restrain herself and demanded sharply, "Yang Erlang! Why are you here?!"

Yang Jian smiled faintly, as if he had predicted she wouldn’t strike. He casually moved her long sword aside with two fingers, produced a golden token from his sleeve, and said softly,

"Lord Ying, everything happens for a reason. Some things are beyond one’s control."

"Is that..."

The moment Luo Ying saw the token, her pupils contracted.

Seeing her expression, a small smile played on Yang Erlang’s lips. He chided softly, "Luo Ying. Now that you have seen the Crown Prince’s Decree, why do you not kneel?"

In a rare display of fury, like a woman scorned, Luo Ying said coldly, "Fine... Yang Erlang. To think I considered you the Great Protector, and you go and throw your lot in with the Crown Prince’s faction!"

"And what’s so wrong with the Crown Prince’s faction?"

Yang Erlang asked back with a casual smile, unconcerned.

"You betrayed me?"

Luo Ying’s expression turned grim as she looked at the sallow-faced old man and the large contingent of Endless Pavilion Cultivators.

However, she received no reply.

The sallow-faced old man at her side was expressionless. His eyes were vacant, his complexion dark and sunken, his face cast in shadow.

The scene was inexplicably eerie.

"Lord Ying, why don’t we sit down and have a proper chat?"

Yang Erlang said with a polite smile.

"What do you want to say? There’s nothing left for us to talk about."

Luo Ying’s brow furrowed. She felt that this Yang Erlang must have some ulterior motive for coming here.

Moreover, she noticed that Yang Erlang’s cultivation seemed to have improved a great deal.

...

I failed to get two Chapters out today. Seeing the number of active readers drop from four thousand to two thousand really killed my motivation. I’ll keep working hard tomorrow. I’m going to try and speed up the plot’s pacing, skipping over less important story beats so you all don’t feel like it’s dragging.

The middle section of a story is always my weak point. I’ve never written anything a million characters long before, so I still need to adjust the pacing.