"– Lu Xuan!"
Below the stage, Zhou Wuji rushed forward in shock, quickly taking out a pill from his robes and administering it to him.
The golden light gradually receded, the holy emperor's phantom behind Zhou Yuan disappeared, and the golden scales extending from the corners of his eyes vanished like snowflakes.
He then slowly landed on the ground.
"Why are you so heavy-handed? Didn't we agree it was just a spar!"
Zhou Wuji's face was anxious, and he glared at Zhou Yuan with hatred in his eyes.
He hadn't told anyone about Lu Xuan's arrival in the capital, not even Zhou Tian. Although the battle with Zhou Yuan was Lu Xuan's own idea, and he had merely gone along with it, he was still in his own residence!
Moreover, Lu Xuan was the grandson of that old marshal. If he couldn't even protect Lu Xuan, his prestige in the army would plummet in the future. Without military support, how could he, who had been away from the imperial city for six years, contend with his few brothers who had deep-rooted foundations!
"I'm truly sorry, I didn't mean to." Zhou Yuan clicked his tongue and shrugged innocently.
In this matter, even if Lu Nantian himself came, he would have a point. What was he talking about not holding back? He hadn't even used his hands!
"Don't worry, it's just that the impact was too strong, and he fainted. It won't harm his sea of consciousness." Zhou Yuan crouched down and whispered to Zhou Wuji with a smile, "Eldest Brother, haste makes waste. Why don't you understand?"
"Regarding the incident on Linxing Street, I advise you to stop investigating. You are the one behind the Pavilion Master of the Weaver Pavilion. Don't think I don't know."
Upon hearing this, panic flashed through Zhou Wuji's eyes.
The so-called Weaver Pavilion was a force he had established five years ago. At first, he only wanted to create a small intelligence agency, occasionally selling intelligence from the military or the court to various forces in the martial world to make some profit.
But he never expected that his confidantes would all be talented individuals. Relying on his status, they wantonly expanded their influence, their business growing larger and larger. They established strongholds in many places, and their intelligence network spread throughout the Great Zhou, arousing the apprehension of many intelligence organizations.
After several contests, the Weaver Pavilion firmly established its foothold in the martial world, advancing to become a second-rate sect.
The rise of the Weaver Pavilion was extremely inglorious. Just for selling military secrets alone, he could have been sentenced to death according to the law.
What's more, the Weaver Pavilion's business was unimaginably extensive. Many court officials had conducted anonymous transactions. Although he eventually found out about them, he had never approached any of them, as it wasn't time yet.
It could be said that he held many people's weaknesses in his hands, and these weaknesses could allow him to do many things.
However, if Zhou Yuan revealed that he was the Pavilion Master of the Weaver Pavilion, these weaknesses would not only become invalid, but countless people who had done business with the Weaver Pavilion might seek revenge out of fear, especially those ministers in the court. They would never allow a prince who knew their secrets to become emperor, as they would be the first to die!
"Third Brother is talking about Lin'an Street and the Weaver Pavilion. I don't understand." Zhou Wuji suppressed the shock and fear in his heart, slowly stood up, and looked at Zhou Yuan with a calm gaze. "Ever since I returned to the imperial city, all my thoughts have been on state affairs and this banquet."
"It's best that Imperial Brother doesn't understand."
Zhou Yuan reached out and tidied Zhou Wuji's collar, putting on a show of fraternal affection in front of everyone. Then, he cupped his hands with a smile and said loudly:
"Although I would love to continue drinking with Eldest Brother, time is unfortunately too tight today. Mother awaits me to accompany her to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers."
"Imperial Brother, we shall meet again another day!"
With that, Zhou Yuan left with a smile.
"We bid farewell to His Highness the Third Prince!"
All the ministers and generals bowed on their knees, respectfully seeing Zhou Yuan off. Everyone's face was filled with deep reverence.
Zhou Wuji watched this scene unfold, his face so grim that he couldn't speak. He looked at the red dates Zhou Yuan had left on the table before departing, as if he had made a decision, and a hint of ferocity suddenly flashed across his face.
...
In the messy warehouse behind the Crown Prince's mansion.
The soldier from the army woke up once midway, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at Xu Mu. Xu Mu sensed the gaze, reached out, and knocked him unconscious again, then threw him into the cellar where the cabbages were stored.
"—Creak!"
A woman in black opened the warehouse door and walked in, looking around.
"Stop hiding, it's me."
"You're back." Xu Mu lay on the roof beam, looking at Li Zao with a smile. "How was it? Did you get to speak with Zhou Yuan?"
Li Zao shook her head and replied, "No, we were too far apart. I only heard him speak."
"Oh, what a pity. He's quite an interesting speaker." Xu Mu clicked his tongue, recalling what Zhou Yuan had said to him at the Star-Picking Holy Court, then inexplicably chuckled, and then asked Li Zao with gossip in his eyes, "So, what do you think of him?"
Li Zao frowned. "What?"
"Is he handsome or not? Do you like him?" Xu Mu jumped down from the roof beam, asking excitedly.
Li Zao heard this, and her brows furrowed even deeper. She didn't answer immediately. After a moment, she said seriously:
"Zhou Yuan, with his clear eyebrows and bright eyes, red lips and white teeth, delicate features, and a natural nobility in his every move, speaks with sophistication, possesses a sharp mind, courage, and wisdom. He loves the country and its people, and his talent and strength are extraordinary. Even under the disadvantage of a congenital situation, he still completely defeated the Crown Prince."
"At today's royal birthday banquet, the Crown Prince completely became his foil."
"So you like him!" Xu Mu said excitedly.
"No." Li Zao shook her head and said seriously, "I am absolutely certain that I don't like someone like him."
Upon hearing this, Xu Mu's spirit deflated like a pricked balloon. He looked at Li Zao in confusion and asked, "Then what kind of person do you like?"
Li Zao was startled. What kind of man did she like? In fact, she wasn't sure herself.
If time could turn back a few years, she might have said that she liked the boy from the Moon God Sect whom she had personally pushed off the cliff. But now, thinking about it carefully, her feelings for him were probably just like those of siblings.
His care for her, her trust and reliance on him, and her guilt for deceiving him with her hidden identity – that was all.
Li Zao pondered for a long time, and the faces of various young talents she had met over the years flashed through her mind. Those people were all inferior to Zhou Yuan, even far inferior, yet she didn't like any of them.
However...
Li Zao looked at Xu Mu's black attire and couldn't help but think of the battle in the Sword Pavilion where he lost to Zuo Mingqiu. She still didn't know how he had learned the Funeral Plum Art.
However, after her defeat, she had looked up at Zuo Mingqiu at the bottom of the pit for a long time. He had said indifferently and arrogantly that since she had taken a blow for Mei Si, he had taken one for her, and she could leave.
She hadn't seen Zuo Mingqiu's face at the time, but she could clearly see the distant, cold eyes hidden beneath his bamboo hat.
Very few people looked at her with such eyes.
So, she thought Zuo Mingqiu was somewhat handsome.
"I don't know what kind of person I like either." Li Zao's icy cheeks inexplicably felt a little hot, so she quickly banished those strange thoughts from her mind and said calmly.
Xu Mu stared at Li Zao with suspicion, feeling that her reaction was somewhat off.
Being stared at made Li Zao feel a little guilty, so she said somewhat vexedly, "No matter what kind of person I like, I will never like someone like you."
"A joke! Do you think I have a crush on you?" Xu Mu took a few steps back in horror, then said with exaggerated expression, "Young lady, don't overthink it. I already have someone I like."
"Her? She's a thousand times more beautiful than you!"
Xu Mu said with a smile, and Nan Gong Huai Tian's peerless face beneath her veil unconsciously appeared in his mind, causing his heart to ripple.
Although Li Zao could be described as an "Ice Fairy," and her beauty was indeed exceptional among all the women he had seen, compared to Nan Gong Huai Tian, he felt that this plum blossom paled in comparison.
"Oh?" Li Zao was not angry at this evaluation, but her eyes held a hint of depth as she looked at Xu Mu and said, "A woman a thousand, ten thousand times more beautiful than me. On the entire continent, there is probably only the supreme of the Hundred Clans Alliance, Nan Gong Huai Tian."
"You like Nan Gong Huai Tian. Does she like you?"
"Of course..." Xu Mu said halfway, then suddenly came to his senses, a trace of caution flashing in his eyes. He then continued to smile and said, "She might not even know me. How would I know if she likes me or not?"
Li Zao seemed to have seen through something and chuckled softly:
"You really don't know each other? Why do I feel like you do know each other?"
Xu Mu's face darkened:
"What does this have to do with you? Children should know less about adult matters!"
Li Zao covered her mouth and turned away with a smile. Before this, she wasn't entirely sure of Xu Mu's identity, but now, she felt she had guessed it with about eighty to ninety percent accuracy!
"Women are indeed terrifying." Xu Mu clicked his tongue. He and Li Zao were now in the same boat, so he wasn't that afraid of his identity being exposed. However, he decided that he should have less contact with Li Zao in the future.
"What should we do with this person?"
Xu Mu dragged the military man they had knocked out of the cabbage cellar. The man was still unconscious.
Li Zao narrowed her eyes, her expression icy. Then, she took a dagger from her sleeve and walked directly towards the man.
"You don't have to kill him, do you? After all, he's a life." Xu Mu frowned slightly, looking at Li Zao. Although lives were cheap in this world, he wasn't a bloodthirsty person.
This person hadn't done anything wrong. He was just lustful, but what man wasn't? He didn't deserve to die!
Li Zao said nothing. She walked beside Xu Mu, gripped the dagger, and was about to strike.
Xu Mu didn't stop her, but slightly closed his eyes, seemingly unable to bear to witness the scene.
"– Spare, spare, spare, spare my life!!!"
Just as Li Zao's dagger was about to fall, as if sensing the icy chill emanating from it, the man lying on the ground, who had been unconscious, suddenly woke up. A radish was stuffed in his mouth, his eyes wide with terror, and he cried out indistinctly.
"You're not unconscious? Didn't I acupoint you?" Xu Mu raised an eyebrow, looking at the man with surprise.
He had clearly acupointed him with a sleep point and sealed his meridians. They should not have been released.
Li Zao looked at the man with cold eyes, said nothing, and still intended to bring down the dagger.
But at this moment, an accident occurred again.
"—Creak!"
With a sound, the warehouse door opened.
Xu Mu and Li Zao's hearts tightened simultaneously. The person lying on the ground also widened his eyes.
The one opening the door was a young man with delicate features, dressed in a simple robe that nonetheless exuded nobility.
Zhou Yuan.
Six pairs of eyes met.
Zhou Yuan frowned as he entered. He glanced at the man bound hand and foot on the ground, who was at the peak of the third stage. Then, his gaze lingered briefly on Li Zao and Xu Mu in turn. His throat bobbed slightly.
It seemed like he couldn't win?
"Sorry, wrong place."
Zhou Yuan's expression remained unchanged. He took a step back and was about to close the door and retreat.
But at this moment, a shadow wearing a bamboo hat suddenly appeared behind him.
Zhou Yuan's body stiffened. Just as he was about to speak, the shadow had already made its move.
The speed was so fast that it made his eyes blur.
"Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa!"
A series of fierce strikes caught Zhou Yuan off guard. Sacred radiance appeared in the corners of his eyes, but before he could unleash it, it was shattered by the even more terrifying dark gold lightning dragons emanating from the person in the black hat.
"Boom—"
A dull sound echoed through the space. Zhou Yuan stumbled. The person in the black hat seized the opportunity and used a spiritual rope artifact to bind Zhou Yuan's arm to himself.
Then, he pushed him forward fiercely. The latter lost his balance and flew directly into the warehouse door.
In mid-air, Zhou Yuan still wanted to resist. Within him, a terrifying and sacred power seemed to be about to erupt.
But before a tenth of a breath passed, Xu Mu and Li Zao simultaneously appeared in front of him.
Xu Mu caught Zhou Yuan, giving him a solid bear hug, using all his strength.
The latter's bones were about to be crushed, his internal organs seemed to be squeezed out of his throat, and his meridians were squeezed dry, cutting off the supply of his abilities from the root.
Combined with Li Zao's terrifying frost, half of Zhou Yuan's body was instantly frozen into ice. The terrifying divine power was immediately forced to dissipate.
"—Bang!"
The door was closed. Zhou Yuan collapsed onto Xu Mu's chest, his face pale, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
In his right hand, which was not completely frozen, a small, extremely precious red wooden jade tablet quietly appeared.
Xu Mu noticed it, and his pupils contracted sharply.
Back in the Sword Pavilion, the Seventh Prince had crushed this object and summoned a wisp of Emperor Zhou's clone. With a single finger, he had shattered the grand formation in the cave. And this was in the imperial city. If Zhou Yuan crushed this thing, who among them could survive?
"Don't crush it! I am Zuo Mingqiu!"
Zuo Mingqiu grabbed Zhou Yuan's frozen right wrist and exclaimed.
This shout indeed worked. The whole place fell silent.
Li Zao's beautiful eyes sparkled as she looked at Zuo Mingqiu. She had guessed correctly.
Xu Mu's face turned ashen. It was over. Zuo Mingqiu was exposed, so his identity could no longer be hidden.
Zhou Yuan's struggles paused for a moment, and then he erupted with a terrifying surge of strength, causing Xu Mu to stagger. The latter forcefully turned his head and roared at Zuo Mingqiu:
"Of course I won't crush it! Because I guessed it when you sneak-attacked me with lightning dragons, you bastard! Hurry up and let go of this prince!"
...