Chapter 157: Be Careful of His Majesty
Days later, Abbess Clearlotus fully grasped the Purple Lightning Talismans heritage, and Abbess Moonchaser took her back to the Moon Monastery.
Fang Qingyao made sure to remind Fang Chen to take care of the orphans and the vulnerable living in the Compassion Halls before leaving with Abbess Moonchaser. She already saw them as her family after spending some time with them.
Only a few unaffiliated cultivators continued to linger in Great Xia.
Young master Fang, now that we have resolved the threat of the Blood Spirit Cult, Im allowed to leave now, right? Li Daoye looked incredibly relieved.
Where do you intend to head next? Fang Chen asked.
The world is huge. Ill head wherever my heart leads me. I dont plan on returning to the Eight Trigrams Sect any time soon lest my father force me to marry into some clan, Li Daoye replied.
Feel free to return to Great Xia to take a look. Fang Chen nodded. Ill escort you.
While the two of them were making their way out of the Fang Manor, they bumped into Xia Yun, Liu Suifeng, and Tantai Qingxuan.
Do the three of you need something from me? Fang Chen smiled.
The three of them clasped their fists and greeted Fang Chen.
Xia Yun first glanced at Li Daoye before speaking with a suppressed voice, Daoist Fang, to be honest with you, the three of us traveled here for a dilapidated blessed land. By any chance, are the two of you interested in it?
Dilapidated blessed land?! Li Daoyes eyes lit up as he vehemently nodded. Yes, yes! I am very interested in it.
It was a pity that he was not the one whom the three of them wanted to invite, so they pretended not to hear him and instead looked at Fang Chen.
Dilapidated blessed land? Fang Chens eyebrows shot up. What kind of blessed land is it, and whats in it?
Xia Yun pondered about it before replying, We bought a tattered map from a market a while back. The cultivator who sold us the map said that it indicates a blessed land left behind by a cultivator, just that the map is too tattered for them to decipher, so they decided to sell it instead. The map was only worth a couple of low-grade ki stones, so the three of us bought it.
It was at this point that Xia Yun couldnt suppress his smile anymore. I took a look at the map and knew right away that its in Chillwater. The terrains indicated on it are close to Great Xia.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m
Its thanks to Senior Xia that we were able to decipher the map. Theres a chance that the map is a fake, and our efforts are in vain, but as the terrains depicted on the map are accurate, we thought that it might be worth further looking into it, Liu Suifeng added. Youre free to join us if youre interested in it.
Upon arriving at the Fang Manors guest room, Tao Yu suddenly sighed. The Third Prince wont be returning any time soon, right?
You know that the Third Prince is still alive? Fang Chen was surprised. I intentionally spread news about Xia Jis death. How can Tao Yu be certain that Xia Ji isnt dead yet?
The Third Prince wouldnt die that easily. Tao Yu chuckled. I have seen the Third Prince performing mystical feats since a long time ago. Now that I think about it, he might have already joined a cultivator sect then. I was the one who tipped off the Third Prince that Xia Yu intended to move his hidden piece in Greenpine to assassinate him.
Oh Fang Chen stared at Tao Yu for a few seconds before suddenly laughing at the absurdity of it all. Shaking his head, he asked, In other words, you have been serving the Third Prince all along?
Thats right. Tao Yu nodded. A mysterious smile emerged on his lips. The Third Prince said that you will never figure out that Im his man no matter how smart you are. Not only so, but the Third Prince also has many other eyes in the capital. I wonder if Imperial Duke Fang has noticed them.
Im guessing that fellow intentionally told you to keep it to yourself until now, so that Id make a fool out of myself? Fang Chen burst into laughter. All right, get straight to it. You wouldnt come here just to tell me this. What else do I not know?
Li Daoye was perplexed listening to this conversation. It made him wonder about what kind of person the Third Prince was.
The Third Prince told me to warn you about His Majesty. Tao Yus face suddenly turned grim.
Warn me about His Majesty? Doubt flickered across Fang Chens eyes.
Before he could think deeper into it, Tao Yu continued, The Third Prince seemed to have noticed something back then. You were part of the reason he chose to become a hostage in Greenpine, but it was also an excuse for him to temporarily leave Great Xia.
At this point, Tao Yu heaved a sigh. We always thought that, other than Xia Yu, the only one who could threaten the Third Prince in the capital is you. We picked on you because we were afraid that you would accumulate too much power and claim the throne. It looks like we were overthinking things. Your ambition is not constrained to Great Xia.
Fang Chen wasnt bothered by that. Instead, he asked with a frown, Xia Ji told you to warn me against the emperor. What did he discover?
I dont know. The Third Prince didnt tell me. Tao Yu shook his head. He clasped his fist and said, Its about time. I should get going now. Imperial Duke Fang, may we meet again if fate permits.
Go ahead. Fang Chen nodded.
Shortly after Tao Yu left, Fang Chen settled into his chair and fell into deep thought. He ran through everything that had happened in recent days, hoping to catch even the slightest clue as to what could have been amiss.
Li Daoye patiently waited by the side without making a noise.
Around an hour later, Fang Chen suddenly looked toward the imperial palace and sneered, That vicious thing! He pushed his son forward as a scapegoat. That foolish Xia Yu didnt know that he was being played like a fiddle even in his final moments.