On the bamboo mat.
When Qi Xingyan saw Chen Ke enter, he smiled and said, "So you are the scholar from the Chen Clan?"
Seeing Elder Mr. Qi in person, Chen Ke looked extremely respectful. He performed a deep bow and said, "I am."
"I've heard about your situation. I'm surprised the Chen Family still has a sole descendant. It has been over twenty years since I left them, and I haven't been back to my hometown in all that time. It's a pity I never saw your grandfather one last time."
Qi Xingyan sighed with emotion, as if lost in a memory, then turned to the down-and-out scholar and instructed:
"From this day forward, you may enter Shengjing Academy to study."
"You may go."
Chen Ke tapped his head to the ground lightly in gratitude. "Thank you, Elder Mr. Qi."
Then, he left the small courtyard with its purple bamboo grove.
Meanwhile, Lu Changfeng, who had been standing to the side, watched Chen Ke with narrowed eyes from start to finish, not looking away until he had left.
'What is Old Second trying to pull?'
'This down-and-out scholar... he couldn't be a spy sent by him, could he?'
'For my mentor to be so trusting of this scholar... could there be some hidden reason for it?'
For a moment, Lu Changfeng's expression was uncertain.
But his reason told him he shouldn't doubt Elder Mr. Qi, nor should he doubt his decision.
RUMBLE!
The ground of the entire Imperial City suddenly trembled, startling the two men.
They stared at each other, sharing a look.
Qi Xingyan said gravely, "The Dragon Vein is in turmoil. Something has happened."
Lu Changfeng murmured to himself, "Could it be Lu Mingkong?"
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
'No, impossible. Lu Mingkong's death alone couldn't cause the Dragon Vein to become unstable. Don't tell me it's my father, the Emperor...'
Unable to reach a conclusion on his own, he could only look to the man beside him. "Mr. Qi, what are your thoughts?"
Qi Xingyan pondered for a moment before deducing, "The Great Yan Dragon Vein is intrinsically linked to the Great Yan Emperor. It seems an accident has occurred while the Holy Emperor was leading his campaign."
Hearing this, Lu Changfeng felt no sorrow, but joy. His eyes lit up as he said:
"Then, isn't this a golden opportunity for us?"
'If something happened to my father,' he thought, 'then I am the Prince most qualified to inherit the throne of Great Yan.'
He was the Eldest Legitimate Son. If his father hadn't been so indecisive about naming an heir, he would have been the Crown Prince long ago.
He wouldn't have remained a mere Prince for over forty years.
As long as his father lived, he would always be just a Prince.
Given his father's health, he could easily live for another thirty years. By then, he himself would have died of old age before his father.
That was an outcome he refused to accept.
However, upon hearing the Eldest Prince's words, a look of disappointment crossed Qi Xingyan's face. He hadn't expected this to be what the Eldest Prince was thinking. He shook his head and said:
"Your Highness, we must understand that if something were to happen to the Holy Emperor, it would be a catastrophe for all of Great Yan."
"Not only would the Northern Demon Country seize the opportunity to invade, but the Demon Race of the Western Wilderness would also grow restless. Prince Zhenbei, Yang Xiao, commands three hundred thousand Tiger Cavalry Warriors. It is highly likely he would break away from Great Yan's control."
Qi Xingyan even suspected that the threat from Prince Zhenbei was greater than that of the Demon Country and the Demon Race combined.
As the saying goes, one must secure the interior before repelling outsiders.
He had read extensively from historical annals and biographies and knew that the collapse of many a Dynasty began from within.
Although Prince Zhenbei had married off his only daughter to Lu Changfeng, essentially making her a hostage, he still had several adopted sons, each a decorated and fierce general. Among them were top-tier experts of the Middle Fifth Grade.
If his men were to press the imperial yellow robe upon him, would Prince Zhenbei accept or refuse?
So it was hard to say who truly controlled whom.
But Lu Changfeng clearly hadn't considered all this. His expression was agitated as he stood up, preparing to leave Shengjing Academy at once.
"Mr. Qi, we must prepare sooner or later. We can't just sit here and wait for death! That fellow, Lu Guangjing, is treacherous and cunning. He would never let an opportunity like this slip by! Even if it's just for self-preservation, we must act!"
"I will go and inform General Pei of this news at once!"
Watching the Eldest Prince's departing back, Qi Xingyan sighed once more.
...
Meanwhile, several streaks of light shot across the sky above the Imperial City.
"You little girl from the Taoist Sect, you're courting death!"
"Not even the Celestial Master's Mansion can protect you!"
"Surrender now!"
A woman in a green Daoist robe stood atop a Flying Sword, her wide sleeves billowing in the air. Even while being pursued, her cold and stunningly beautiful face remained as serene as ever.
Yun Qinghe turned to the Daoists and Sword Cultivators behind her and sneered, "Are all the cultivators from Great Yan's Three Academies and various schools so useless? I haven't even started trying yet."
"Insolence!"
"Don't be so brazen!"
The Flying Swords and Golden Light Spells from behind her attacked in a relentless barrage.
But Yun Qinghe blocked them all with a single sweep of her sword.
As a Ninth Realm Golden Core Qi Cultivator of the Taoist Sect, she was a once-in-five-hundred-years Cultivation genius of the Celestial Master's Mansion. Her skills were heaven-defying. With the Nine Revolutions Golden Core, sealed by the Celestial Dao, in her possession, she had no need to fear even Tenth Realm Great Sages, Arhats, or Martial Venerables.
Dealing with these Tributors who had just broken through to the Middle Five Realms was naturally not a problem.
She activated all her Taoist Qi and threw out a series of green Talismans, her speed increasing by another notch. In an instant, she had shaken off the pursuing Cultivators.
'I didn't expect the Court to act so quickly.'
She landed on the bank of a river in the Imperial City. This was the Bian River, which flowed through the entire Imperial Capital and also formed a natural moat. For this reason, the Bian River was also known as the Celestial River.
It was then that Yun Qinghe noticed two people up ahead.
The first was a slovenly Daoist carrying a wicker basket on his back. The corners of his robes were tattered, his stubble was unkempt, and his eyes were covered by a black cloth, suggesting he was blind. Yet, he was pulling basket after basket of river shrimp and large fish from the Bian River.
In his basket, several black catfish swam about leisurely, but their whiskers were unusually long.
The other was a bald Monk squatting by the river, observing the water. A deep scar ran across his face from the top of his head to the corner of his mouth, giving him a terrifying appearance.
If not for his monastic robes, one might have mistaken him for a ferocious Demon.
Seeing these two seemingly ordinary yet strangely behaved men, Yun Qinghe grew vigilant. She said in a flat tone:
"You two, drop the act. You may not appear to have any Cultivation, but your presence here is suspicious enough."
"Hehehe."
The blindfolded, slovenly Daoist chuckled softly and turned, somehow knowing exactly where Yun Qinghe was standing.
"When you break the rules, you must face severe punishment. Do you understand this principle?"
Yun Qinghe raised her sheathed sword to her chest, her expression nonchalant. "My rules are the only rules that matter."
Hearing this, the slovenly Daoist's smile vanished. He raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
SNAP!
VWOOM!
Yun Qinghe's mind trembled. The world spun, and in an instant, her surroundings changed completely.
She was in a vast expanse of white, with a relentlessly churning river beneath her feet.
'Where is this?' she wondered.
'Could it be his Divine Skill Method?'
"This is my sect's Basket Dimension." The ethereal voice came from the horizon, echoing endlessly.
ROAR!
Suddenly, an earth-shattering roar erupted, and the entire river surface trembled!
SPLASH!
An enormous, ferocious head emerged from the river. Its body was like a majestic mountain, and its eyes were like a snake's, with vertical green pupils.
Seeing this, Yun Qinghe's eyes narrowed.
'This is... a Flood Dragon.'
'The things in the basket weren't black catfish at all, but several Flood Dragons.'
...