Chapter 426: The Crown Prince's Decision

“Your Royal Highness, you must help me get revenge! Kill that man and avenge me!”

Inside an enclosed room, a woman with an unrecognizable, swollen face knelt on the ground, screaming loudly.

It was Princess Consort Lin Long, who had been brutally beaten and then thrown within an inch of her life.

She had taken healing medicine and recovered somewhat, but was still covered in swelling and utterly disfigured.

In front of her sat a young man, appearing to be thirty-four or thirty-five years old. His face had sharp, chiseled features, resolute as a blade, and the occasional glimpse of his authority revealed his high position.

It was none other than His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Ding Mu of the Xuanyuan Kingdom!

“Revenge?”

He kicked her. Ding Mu’s face flushed with anger, his body trembling slightly. “Do you even know who you’ve truly offended?” he roared. “And you still dare to speak of revenge to me?”

He had been away when Lin Long left the Crown Prince’s residence. Upon returning and hearing the news, he immediately pursued her, wanting to see what had happened, but he was still too late!

Knowing his woman had been beaten half to death, he didn't rashly confront Master Zhang. Instead, he sent people to make inquiries. It would have been better if he hadn't, for what he discovered nearly scared him to death on the spot.

A genius master teacher who had broken countless records, and who also had an unfathomable teacher…

Of all the people your Lin family could have offended, why did it have to be someone so powerful?

Revenge? How could we get revenge?

The matter of Master Su and Master Ling coming to the Master Teacher Pavilion was known to few, and those who knew were all official master teachers, making it hard to inquire about. However, the fact that Liang Qingming was no match for him back then was plain to see.

A single clear shout had caused a peak-stage Grandmaster expert and a Lightning Golden Scale Beast to lose all resistance, and he had simply picked up and thrown everyone. His strength was so immense, his methods so ruthless, that even the entire Xuanyuan Kingdom combined couldn't withstand him!

If I were to truly seek revenge for you, wouldn't it be tantamount to burying our entire kingdom?

Are you joking?

“Of course, I know who he is,” she said. “A two-star master teacher from the Master Teacher Pavilion, with a suspected four-star master teacher as his mentor!” Kicked onto the ground, Lin Long didn't rush to get up, but looked back with a cold sneer.

The Crown Prince knew, and naturally, she had also inquired after her recovery.

“You knew, and you’re still talking nonsense?” he snapped. “A four-star master teacher, at the very least, must be in the Transcendent Mortal realm. Such a powerful figure, not to mention in the Xuanyuan Kingdom, but even in the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, is a prominent individual, someone you and I cannot afford to offend!”

Waving his hand, Ding Mu made his decision: “Alright, let’s put an end to this matter. Don’t ever bring it up again!”

“Don’t make a decision so hastily!”

Lin Long stood up. “Does Your Royal Highness know why my Lin family became enemies with this Master Zhang?”

“Didn’t you kill his student’s entire family, thereby inviting this trouble?” Ding Mu frowned.

“I did send people to kill Qu Chong’s entire family, but does Your Royal Highness know why I did it?” Lin Long said.

Ding Mu’s brows furrowed.

He indeed didn't know about this matter.

Outside rumors suggested it was due to a conflict between Qu Chong’s sister and Lin Lang, but to him, it probably wasn't that simple.

Although Lin Long was protective of her own, she wasn't someone who disregarded the bigger picture. Otherwise, as the Crown Prince of the Xuanyuan Kingdom, he wouldn't have favored her.

In their usual interactions, she wasn't reckless. Why then, this time, did she act so directly, unafraid of the potential complications?

Could there be some hidden reason?

He couldn't help but look at her.

“Your Royal Highness has always wished to join the Flowing Cloud Sect, and I've kept that in mind,” Lin Long scoffed. “In truth, if you truly want to succeed, this Qu Chong is the absolute key!”

“Oh?” Ding Mu was startled.

Although the Xuanyuan Kingdom belonged to the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, the strongest force in the vicinity was undoubtedly the Flowing Cloud Sect!

In seventy-seven consecutive Master Teacher Grand Competitions, they had claimed thirty-six championships—more than half—demonstrating their immense power.

The Myriad Kingdoms Alliance's best result was only twenty-third, merely the fifth from the bottom.

Ding Mu, as the Crown Prince of the Xuanyuan Kingdom, was destined to inherit the throne. However, his ambition extended beyond that to a wider world. He had long desired to join the Flowing Cloud Sect, but the opportunity had never arisen!

If he succeeded and received their training, he would undoubtedly soar, achieving the Transcendent Mortal realm, and even reaching higher levels would not be a distant dream.

However, the Flowing Cloud Sect's threshold was incredibly high; gaining entry was far from easy. Furthermore, as the Crown Prince of a neighboring kingdom, it was almost impossible without a strong recommendation.

“The Qu family may appear to be a decaying, unremarkable family now, but tens of thousands of years ago, they were incredibly powerful! Their ancestor, in particular, once inadvertently saved the life of Saint Min!”

Lin Long stated.

“Saint Min? Are you referring to... Master Min, Saint Min, one of Confucius's Seventy-two Sages?” Ding Mu’s pupils contracted, and his breathing quickened.

Confucius had three thousand renowned disciples, the most powerful of whom were known as the Seventy-two Sages. Saint Min was among them, having participated in the founding of the Master Teacher Pavilion and serving as one of its creators.

Inadvertently saved his life?

The Qu family is truly remarkable, aren't they?

“Precisely! Because of this, they obtained a letter personally replied to by Confucius, which they revered as a supreme treasure and passed down through generations.”

Lin Long looked at him. “A letter personally left by Confucius, even with only a few words, its immense value goes without saying; Your Royal Highness must understand! If we obtain this and present it to the Flowing Cloud Sect Master, it could secure not just an inner disciple position, but even a true disciple spot, or perhaps even an elder’s seat!”

“This…”

His entire body trembled, and Ding Mu froze.

Confucius, the Teacher of the World.

The greatest figure of all time.

His personal handwriting, imbued with the principles of heaven and earth, had long been cherished by his students and rarely circulated.

An authentic piece of Confucius’s calligraphy, if presented to a six-star master teacher, would likely make the recipient so delighted they would take the giver as a true disciple…

Too precious!

Forget the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance; even if you include the twenty-six surrounding powers of similar status, it's doubtful if a single piece exists… yet the Qu family possesses one!

This…

His breathing quickened, and Ding Mu's mouth felt parched.

“Two years ago, when we annihilated the Qu family, we struck with overwhelming force, intending to wipe them out completely. How could we have intentionally left a survivor?”

Lin Long scoffed, “That fellow thought that by hiding in Tianwu Academy and changing his name to Lu Chong, no one would know. What a joke! If we truly wanted to find him, with the Tracking Mouse, we could track him down even if he had completely changed his appearance and disguised his identity!”

Lu Chong had hidden in Tianwu Academy, living a secluded life, believing the Lin family hadn't found him. It turned out they had known his whereabouts all along, but had simply chosen not to act.

After all, with a terrifying tool like the Tracking Mouse, knowing the scent was enough to locate anyone.

If they couldn't even catch a teenager who hadn't reached the Bone Strengthening realm, the Lin family wouldn't have dominated the royal city for so many years.

“The Qu family members were stubborn; no matter how we interrogated them, we couldn't ascertain the whereabouts of this item. So, we intentionally left a survivor, waiting for him to seek it out himself.”

Her eyes flashed. Lin Long said, “Who knew this fellow could endure so long? For over two years, he made no move. We had planned to act ourselves if he didn't move soon, to capture him and investigate thoroughly. Who knew this fellow would acknowledge a good teacher, one willing to stand up for him…”

As she spoke, Lin Long’s fists clenched, and her face was filled with hatred.

Although she had married far into the Xuanyuan Kingdom and didn't often return, she was very clear about what had happened to the Lin family.

It was precisely for this reason that she had gone to great expense to build a communication wall. She just hadn't expected it to be used not for the discovery of the legendary manuscript, but for the news of the Lin family's destruction.

“A good teacher? I doubt it!”

Liang Qingming interjected from the side.

He was the Crown Prince's trusted confidant and fully believed him, so he didn't hide such confidential matters.

“Yes, it must be this reason!” Lin Long shrieked, her teeth grinding audibly. “Otherwise, even if he has Master Yang as a backer, he wouldn't offend us without cause and ignore the dignity of the Xuanyuan Kingdom!”

If it wasn't for this reason, she truly couldn't fathom why a two-star master teacher with boundless prospects would risk war with the Lin family—even savagely beating her, the Princess Consort of the Xuanyuan Kingdom—all for a student he had only known for a few days.

“Enough, this is not the time to discuss Zhang Xuan's motives!”

Ding Mu cut off their discussion, his eyes slightly reddened. “If the news is true,” he said, “Confucius's personal letter is worth offending not just a genius master teacher, but even the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance!”

The Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, which governed many kingdoms, was indeed powerful, but among the surrounding secondary powers, it only ranked at the bottom.

If the news was true, securing the item would allow them to successfully curry favor with the Flowing Cloud Sect, or even higher powers. Thus, offending the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance would absolutely be a massive gain.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness,” Lin Long hurried. “You must make a decision quickly! I've already sent people to inquire: this Zhang Xuan has decided to leave Tianwu Royal City and has already bid farewell to everyone in the Master Teacher Pavilion. This morning, he headed towards the Tianwu Mountain Range. The Myriad Kingdoms Alliance is to the south, but he went southwest. If my guess is correct, he must be going to seek this treasure. Once they obtain it and successfully bring it to the Alliance, it won't be easy to reclaim!”

She was not a reckless person either. Previously, she had only lost her composure upon witnessing the miserable state of her father and brother, which led to her brutal beating. After regaining her senses, she had made many preparations in advance.

“Once it reaches the Alliance, it will indeed be impossible to seize it. However…”

Ding Mu’s brows furrowed. “His teacher, and the two old men by his side…”

He wasn't worried about Zhang Xuan, but rather his teacher and “Little Su,” who had injured Liang Qingming.

With a Transcendent Mortal realm expert present, let alone seizing the item, they would likely be killed on the spot just by approaching.

“Don’t worry, Your Royal Highness,” Lin Long said. “My people specifically observed; that ‘Little Su’ and the other elder already left yesterday. When Zhang Xuan departed this morning, Master Yang wasn't with him either; he only brought a few students and attendants!”

Master Su and Master Ling's departure wasn't concealed; many people knew about it, making it easy to confirm.

Zhang Xuan and his group departed this morning on a massive Iron-toothed Roaring Sky Beast, personally seen off by Hall Master Jiang. Many also witnessed that Master Yang was not with them.

“Not with them? Good then…” Ding Mu stood up, a ruthless glint in his eyes. “The Tianwu Mountain Range is teeming with savage beasts. If a group of people who haven't even reached the Grandmaster realm were to die in there, as long as it's handled properly, I presume… no one would know the true cause!”

“It’s decided then. Kill them!”