Chapter 1488: Major Changes in the Fiend King Court
The three women were all world-cla.s.s beauties, so their standards for beauty were naturally high. Even so, they had to admit that the Elf Princess really did have a stunning oval-shaped face. She had delicate and graceful brows, and her bright eyes seemed almost as if they could speak. She had a straight and refined nose, and her pink lips were curved slightly in a seductive manner. Anyone who saw them would feel the urge to give them a kiss. Her figure was also slender and fair. Under the moonlight glow, a layer of faint light surrounded her, as if she were the main character within the forest.
Yan Xuehen thought, Chu Chuyan, you little la.s.s, what were you thinking back then? You actually took on such a beautiful woman as your maid?
Look, now she’s after your husband!
Zu An finally realized that the current situation was inappropriate when he saw the Rage points coming from the three women through the backend. He quickly pushed the young lady in his arms away a bit, asking, “Snow, why are you here?”
Qiao Xueying suddenly noticed the three women off to the side, sensing that they were looking at her with interrogative stares that were almost tangible. She felt a bit embarra.s.sed. She sorted out her hair, which had become a bit messy after she jumped into Zu An’s arms, and replied, “I knew that you went into the Imperial Tomb, so I was worried about you the whole time. A while back, there was some activity by the Imperial Tomb; there was a rumor that some special secret dungeon opened in the tomb, and that the Fiend Emperor himself personally entered.
“Afterward, the Golden Crow Guards surrounded the Imperial Tomb and didn’t let anyone get closer. Many experts in the Fiend King Court were extremely interested in this secret dungeon, but with the Fiend Emperor’s prestige and the Golden Crow Guards guarding that place, no one dared to do anything publicly. That was why they could only hold back their curiosity and hide in their respective residences. However, they kept paying close attention to what was happening here.
“Then, the Golden Crow Crown Prince came out and caused quite the commotion. Many people began to stir restlessly, but the Crown Prince declared that the Fiend Emperor would come out soon, getting things under control that way.
“At the same time, though, more news began to appear, saying that other people had entered the secret dungeon, and that they seemed to be going against the crown prince. When the crown prince emerged, rumors spread that those people were all dead.”
Qiao Xueying continued with tearful eyes, “But I knew you went inside too. Even though people all said you were dead, I didn’t believe it. After all, we already…”
She gave the other three women a look and didn’t finish her sentence. The ability to share half of their lifespan was the Elf King Race’s greatest secret. If that information were leaked, a huge disaster would befall the Elf race.
Zu An naturally knew what she meant. He couldn"t help but hold her hand, saying, “I’ve made you worry.”
Qiao Xueying blushed and replied, “Everything is fine now that you’ve returned safely.”
Yun Jianyue coughed and said, “What’s the situation in the Fiend King Court right now? If I recall correctly, the princess was detained by the Golden Crow Guards and unable to act freely, right?”
Yu Yanluo, you really are a pushover. She’s stealing your man right in front of you, and yet you’re not even saying a thing. I have to be the one to step in!
Wait, why do I have to do anything? What does this have to do with me?!
Hmph, all of this is for Honglei. I’m guarding her disciple’s man in her place. Sigh, look how much this master does for you.
Qiao Xueying replied, “Both the Fiend Emperor and the Golden Crow Crown Prince went missing, and many things happened in the Fiend King Court, so no one bothered to keep an eye on me. That made it much easier for me to move.”
She had a special skill that could make her presence appear weaker. That was how she had hidden for several days without being discovered.
“But even though the Fiend King Court was astir, people still feared the Fiend Emperor’s strength. That was why nothing too extreme happened, at least until the Golden Crow Crown Prince emerged two days ago.”
“Two days ago?” Zu An’s group repeated in surprise. The Golden Crow Crown Prince had clearly left only a day before them!
“Yes, he exited the day before yesterday,” Qiao Xueying replied. Then, she looked at Zu An with her quick-witted gaze, as if she were scared that he would disappear. The time she had spent waiting was probably the greatest torture of her entire life. She had been worried that Zu An would really die in the secret dungeon, or that he wouldn"t be able to emerge in time and be trapped inside forever.
Zu An’s group exchanged a look, seeing the shock in each other’s eyes.
Yan Xuehen slowly said, “There has actually been precedent for this. Spatial vortexes always have a chance of changing the flow of time. A difference of just two days like this is actually not too unexpected.”
She was knowledgeable, and had quickly thought of several past cases. The party thus sighed in relief.
Qiao Xueying took the chance to secretly size up the women. That rascal Zu An! He can’t get rid of his bad habit of flirting with women no matter where he goes!
According to the intelligence she had gathered, the Medusa Queen seemed to have already consummated her relationship with Ah Zu.
Sigh, as expected of the number one beauty who bewitched all of the capital’s aristocrats. There really is a lot of pressure just being around her.
Additionally, that Devil Sect Master who spoke up earlier clearly seems to have a special relationship with Zu An. I have to make sure nothing happens here. This woman doesn’t seem to be inferior at all, even while standing next to Yu Yanluo. Most importantly, her chest is really big…
She couldn"t help but look down at her feet, feeling extremely annoyed. The Elf race’s beauty was publicly acknowledged by the world, and their slim and graceful figures were considered exceptional. However, they had one disadvantage that had always been pa.s.sed down, which was that they were ordinary in the chest department.
She secretly moved some distance away from Yun Jianyue so the contrast wouldn’t be that strong.
This is a formidable opponent! The Devil Sect Master’s cultivation is also too high, so I can’t win against her…
Oh, thank goodness Sect Master Yan is here!
She’s Chuyan’s master, and Chuyan and I were once sisters, so we should be on the same side. I should privately get closer to her, and then it’ll be much easier to deal with Yun Jianyue.
Hmph, the Devil Sect Master has already been famous for many years, but how old is Ah Zu? She’s actually a cougar?! Does she know no shame?
“Snow, why are you smiling?” Zu An asked, suddenly noticing the strange expression between Qiao Xueying’s brows. He thought that she was feeling odd and expressed his concern.
“What do you mean, why am I smiling? I’m not,” Qiao Xueying replied, her face heating up. She had been looking forward to Yan Xuehen beating up Yun Jianyue, thinking about ending up all alone with Zu An. She had been so happy that her expression ended up selling her out.
Worrying that the three women would notice something, she quickly changed the topic. “Right, something major happened the day before yesterday when the Golden Crow Crown Prince came back. He publicly accused the Second Prince of sending an a.s.sa.s.sin after him in the Imperial Tomb to disrupt the ceremony. The morning court session broke out into a commotion, as that was an extremely serious accusation. If it could be confirmed, even someone like the Second Prince wouldn’t necessarily be able to avoid execution.”
Zu An chuckled and replied, “But I’m pretty sure there must be no way to confirm it.”
Qiao Xueying nodded slightly, saying, “You’re right. The Second Prince naturally denied it. The officials close to him all voiced their support, asking the crown prince to bring out proof. The crown prince brought out several corpses, but it turned out he had killed them himself. The crown prince said that they had been bought out by the Second Prince, but both sides stuck to their story, and the debate only grew more heated.”
“The dead can"t testify. I don’t think that would be enough to convict the Second Prince,” Zu An remarked, feeling a bit puzzled.
Even though the crown prince’s moral character was lacking, he absolutely wasn’t stupid. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have become the leader of the five great experts among the Fiend races’ younger generation. Why was it that even though he couldn"t convict the Second Prince, he would still cause such a commotion in the morning court session?
“The Golden Crow Crown Prince mentioned that there was someone else who could serve as a witness. He seemed to be some kind of descendant of the Pangolin race. However, he died in the dungeon,” Qiao Xueying said, recalling the rumors she had heard. As the Elf race’s princess, she had far more access to information than an ordinary person. She continued, “As you said, the dead can’t testify, so he can’t convict the Second Prince. Still, the explanation he gave really was too detailed and complete, so people all secretly believe it can’t have been something he made up.
“Besides, seeing as everyone knows the Second Prince has never accepted the crown prince, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he had done it.”
Zu An suddenly realized something. Proof was only important for ordinary people. For some people, they didn’t need to go through all that trouble if they wanted something done. As long as the big shots in the court believed it had happened, there would be no need for proof. At worst, they would just find some scapegoat and it would be enough. Either way, the investigations of the court always ended the way they wanted them to.
It looks like the Golden Crow Crown Prince has decided to go on the offensive against the Second Prince!
“By the way, why are there suddenly fewer Golden Crow Guards outside?” Zu An asked, puzzled. He had searched with his divine sense when they first left the secret dungeon. At the time, the Golden Crow Guards had surrounded the Imperial Tomb with layers upon layers of guards. Now, fewer than half of them were left. If not for that, Zu An’s group wouldn’t have been able to escape from them so easily.
“I don’t know. I noticed that a few troops left in a hurry. Then, Heichi Fei and Ma Tian also took their respective armies with them,” Qiao Xueying explained. She had been there the whole time, but she didn’t really know what happened either.
Suddenly, bursts of fiery light erupted from the Fiend King Court’s direction. Zu An’s expression changed. He said, “There’s something major happening in the Fiend King Court. We should hurry over and see what’s happening!”