Chapter 1156: Insight into Everything

One shifty-looking individual was carrying a box of glittering gold ingots, clearly indicating a very generous reward for this escort mission. The other shadowy escorts had also stopped, signifying that the cargo would ultimately fall into Xu Yang and Old Wu's hands.

"Here is your reward. Leave the cargo, and you may depart now."

Old Wu was indifferent; in his eyes, it was merely a relatively well-paid job, and he had no other motives. Just as he was about to accept the heavy bounty, Xu Yang suddenly waved his hand, stopping him.

"Old Wu, I remember you telling me that the order came from the Grand Tutor, who serves the Third Prince. Why didn't the Grand Tutor appear in person? Instead, he sent a dozen unidentified individuals to receive something so valuable. Don't you think carelessly handing over this cargo goes against your professional ethics?"

Xu Yang's sudden analysis left his companion, Old Wu, a bit bewildered. However, Old Wu knew well that Xu Yang was the only one who could truly protect him in the face of danger.

Seeing Xu Yang's reaction, Old Wu immediately echoed his sentiment, swallowed, straightened his posture, and tore his gaze away from the heavy, golden ingots.

Finally, the dozen masked figures in silver armor reacted. Their cold gazes immediately fixed on Xu Yang's face. "What else do you want? This is Brocade Villa, and we have our rules. With your status, how are you qualified to meet the Grand Tutor? This is merely an escort mission. Do you two really intend to enter the villa for tea and a rest? Take your reward and leave quickly, or else..."

The silver-armored warrior spoke with immense arrogance. However, Xu Yang gave him no second chance to show off. Before he could finish speaking, Xu Yang transformed into a streak of light and vanished completely.

When he reappeared, the Jade Bone Divine Sword in his hand had already completely shattered the dozen silver-armored warriors before him. The immense power refined their physical bodies into nothingness, turning them into nourishment that fueled Xu Yang's intrinsic killing intent. As their life forces completely vanished, Xu Yang slowly withdrew the Jade Bone Divine Sword.

His fluid movements, in Old Wu's eyes, were merely a few flashes of light and shadow, yet they had already completely dealt with dozens of top experts.

"Never mind. It seems Brocade Villa doesn't really care about this cargo. Let's open it and see what's inside, then we'll personally escort it to the mountain gate."

Old Wu didn't ask further questions, but he understood perfectly that Xu Yang was merely trying to find an excuse to enter Brocade Villa. Unfortunately, the waves of people who came to stop them failed to grasp Xu Yang's true intentions, thus sealing their fate and becoming stepping stones for him.

With a loud boom, Xu Yang unleashed a palm strike in front of Old Wu, directly shattering the gold-rimmed, meter-square treasure chest into smithereens.

However, what Old Wu and Xu Yang never expected was that the shattered treasure chest contained a crystal coffin, and within it lay a young woman of breathtaking, ethereal beauty.

Yet, the state of the woman's body allowed Xu Yang to immediately identify her as deceased, having likely passed away many years ago.

"It's the Third Prince's most beloved consort! Princess Qingcheng!" After witnessing this scene, Old Wu was utterly stunned into silence. He stood frozen for a long while, his eyes fixed on the beautiful woman in the coffin.

Old Wu wasn't captivated by her beauty but by Princess Qingcheng's exceptionally special identity. Not only was she the Third Prince's lifelong beloved, but it was also rumored that she was the Sixth Prince's first love, making the situation quite awkward.

Xu Yang revealed a playful smile. "Interesting. The Sixth Prince's first love? The Third Prince's legitimate consort? And she's become the primary subject of our escort mission. I'm curious as to why they've orchestrated such a play."

Princess Qingcheng was a legendary beauty throughout the Central Royal Clan and even Yingzhou Continent in her time. Her loves and grievances with the various princes of the Central Royal Clan were widely recounted among the populace. "This is also my first time seeing her face, but legend has it she had a mole on her chin, and that's how I identified her as Princess Qingcheng herself."

After hearing Old Wu's explanation, Xu Yang couldn't help but ask again, "Why would a woman of such noble status perish like this? How did she lose her life in the first place?"

Old Wu shook his head helplessly. "I'm not sure of the exact details, but rumor has it that the Third Prince and Sixth Prince had a disagreement over crucial interests, leading to armed conflict. Princess Qingcheng, unable to bear seeing either man harmed, ultimately chose to sacrifice her own life to resolve their feud. Since then, it's said that the Third Prince and Sixth Prince's forces completely united to jointly oppose other princes."

"So that's what happened! Listening to you, I seem to have gained some clues. Currently, it's a sensitive time, with various princes stirring. During this period, it's impossible for the Third Prince and Sixth Prince to openly conduct any transactions to avoid external surveillance."

"Imagine, if you were the Third Prince and I were the Sixth Prince, and we wanted to cooperate, we would have to conduct an underground transaction using deceptive means. So, what kind of token could we exchange to truly deceive everyone?"

Old Wu wasn't a fool either. He looked deeply at Xu Yang, shivered, and slowly uttered two words: "A corpse!"

Xu Yang nodded with a smile. "Exactly. The deceased hold great importance, especially a woman of special status like Princess Qingcheng. If I were the Sixth Prince and wanted to secretly hand something crucial to you, the Third Prince, while also blocking all other surveillance, this would undoubtedly be the best medium."

"And if my judgment is correct, various assassins will soon arrive here. Then, at the crucial moment, the Third Prince, representing Brocade Villa, will personally take action to give us an explanation, drive back those assassins, and, in front of them, reveal to everyone what the Sixth Prince's cargo truly contains this time."

Upon hearing this, Old Wu immediately understood what Xu Yang intended to convey.