The Prince's Mansion.
"Has that scoundrel Ji Mo been captured? I've prepared seven large vats for him, guaranteeing he'll be comfortably housed. Haha!"
"Why hasn't Ji Mo been captured yet? What are those dog servants doing?"
"What, still no news?"
...
Ying Tianci hadn't slept all night, excitedly awaiting Ji Mo's capture alive, so he could personally sever his limbs and place him in a vat to be made into a "Ren Zhi" (human pig).
He had already decided to keep Ji Mo alive, making his remaining life a living hell. Da Feng Novel Network.
In the main hall, seven exquisitely crafted large vats were originally displayed, but three had been smashed by the furious Ying Tianci.
Beside him, Lan Ling, Wang Guang, and Wu Yong remained silent.
They vaguely felt that something was amiss.
Wang Guang glanced at the remaining four large vats and then at the four people present, his heart sinking.
Inauspicious, very inauspicious!
What if these vats couldn't hold Ji Mo, but instead were meant for the four of them?
Wu Yong stroked the goatee on his chin and said, "The Prince's Mansion is filled with treasures. It's said that the underground treasury is piled high with gold. It's likely that collecting it all requires a lot of time, causing delays."
"Nonsense, I brought a full fifty storage bags. How could there be delays!"
Lan Ling, who had been quiet, suddenly swore. She had already made arrangements and didn't believe collecting treasures would take much time.
Fifty!
Instantly, the gazes of the other three "swished" towards her.
Fifty storage bags! Was she planning to hollow out the very land of the Prince's Mansion? Even Zhou Bapi wasn't this greedy!
Lan Ling, realizing her slip of the tongue, quickly changed her tune and said with a light laugh, "Just a joke. I saw everyone was tense, so I wanted to liven up the atmosphere."
"Indeed, what is Princess Lan Ling's status? How could she covet such worldly possessions?"
Ying Tianci fawned.
He then continued to praise Lan Ling in various ways, trying to curry favor with a sycophantic demeanor.
Thus, the atmosphere in the hall became lively again, filled with laughter and heated discussion on how to deal with Ji Mo.
However, slowly, the smiles on their faces began to fade, and their expressions grew increasingly grim.
Because dawn had broken.
The extermination of Ying Tianbao's entire family was planned for the night precisely because it was an act that couldn't see the light of day.
Now, the sky had brightened, and not a single assassin sent out had returned. Naturally, something had gone wrong!
"Quickly send someone to investigate!"
Ying Tianci, restless, immediately dispatched men to the Prince's Mansion to ascertain the situation.
And coincidentally, at this very moment, an urgent report arrived.
"Ying Tianbao is alive and is heading to the Wangjing Prefecture Office with several carts of assassin corpses to file a report!"
Upon receiving this intelligence, the four in the hall were stunned like chickens.
Ying Tianbao was alive, which meant last night's operation had failed.
And those so-called assassin corpses were undoubtedly the assassins sent out last night.
"How could this be? Nearly a hundred experts, plus a Spirit Emperor, and they all died."
Lan Ling's face was deathly pale, unable to accept this fact.
She couldn't fathom how such a powerful force could have failed.
"It's over!"
Ying Tianci slumped onto his seat.
Most of the assassins were from Yan Zhao, Tian Lin, and Xi Liang, with a portion being his own subordinates. Now, it was highly likely that the identities and origins of these people had been completely exposed.
The recent internal strife had been a hot topic. Now that his subordinates were colluding with enemy assassins, it meant his treason and betrayal of Great Qin had been exposed.
Who would accept a crown prince who betrayed his own country as emperor?
From now on, he would become a rat that everyone wanted to beat.
"Your Highness, please do not panic. There is still a chance for remedy."
At this moment, Wu Yong finally displayed the demeanor of a strategist, offering advice: "Before the situation escalates, immediately issue a proclamation, listing those sent out from the mansion last night as wanted for rebellion. Then, conduct a city-wide search for enemy spies to distance yourself from the matter."
"Master Wu, your strategy might fool some ignorant commoners, but anyone with discerning eyes will see through it. Moreover, Ying Tianbao going to the Wangjing Prefecture Office to report is a clear indication that he intends to expose this matter, solidifying the charge of treason against Your Highness."
Wang Guang analyzed, not believing Wu Yong's plan to be effective.
"The Wangjing Prefecture Office is under Li Xiu's jurisdiction, and Li Xiu is one of our people. He should be able to suppress this matter for now. As long as we quickly kill Ying Tianbao, the final victory will still belong to Your Highness," Wu Yong stated.
"Master Wu's words are reasonable. Let's proceed as such."
Ying Tianci nodded vigorously, agreeing with the approach.
"Reasonable my foot."
Lan Ling stopped pretending and said coldly, "Do you even have brains? What we should be considering now is whether Ying Tianbao will come to kill us?"
Even with such a powerful force last night, they were completely wiped out. Now, they still wanted to kill Ying Tianbao? This was sheer fantasy.
The other three, upon hearing this, immediately grasped the crucial point and began to tremble.
Even the Spirit Emperor had gone and never returned, proving that Ying Tianbao also had an Emperor-level expert on his side. If the other party attacked, how would they resist?
Looking at the three men trembling in fear before her, Lan Ling's face was filled with disdain. She continued, "Why panic? Since Ying Tianbao only went to report and didn't immediately attack, it proves that the other party won't do that. Now, the first thing we need to figure out is what exactly happened last night."
As the Saintess of Panlong Holy Land, Lan Ling had her own confidence, believing that Ying Tianbao was mindful of her Saintess status and wouldn't act rashly, thus she was not afraid at all.
At this moment, she only wanted to know what kind of expert was standing by Ying Tianbao's side.
Listening to Lan Ling's analysis, Ying Tianbao and the other two felt their fear subside considerably.
Wang Guang immediately dispatched the Iron Cavalry Guard to gather information.
Soon, it was discovered that Black Rose had appeared at the Prince's Mansion last night and had broken through to the Spirit Emperor realm.
After all, the powerful pressure during the breakthrough had been sensed by many cultivators.
"So it was Black Rose who killed our people. The Asura Hall took so many benefits from me, yet they still oppose me and ruin my plans?"
Ying Tianci was furious. He had spent a considerable sum to enlist the Asura Hall to assassinate Ying Tianbao, only to have Black Rose defect now!
"The Asura Hall has always adhered to rules. They wouldn't go back on their word. I suspect something is wrong with that Black Rose," Lan Ling analyzed.
After all, a killer organization like the Asura Hall valued promises and couldn't act deceitfully, which would ruin their reputation.
Wang Guang stated with certainty, "I understand. Black Rose must have fallen for Ji Mo's charm. Ji Mo is quite skilled and knows best how to entice women. His Highness the Crown Prince was deeply poisoned by him..."
Before he could finish, Ying Tianci glared at him with murderous intent, wishing he could tear his mouth apart.
The cuckold incident had been leaked.
Lan Ling secretly scoffed at Ying Tianci and said, "Your Highness, contact the Asura Hall immediately and demand an explanation. I will invite more Emperor-level experts, and we will surely ensure Ji Mo has no place to be buried."
If one Spirit Emperor wasn't enough, she would call for several more. She refused to believe she couldn't kill Ji Mo.
As long as they could find a way to get rid of Black Rose, no one would be able to protect him.