Chapter 101 - Nothing May Happen to Him!

Meanwhile, at another palace in the nine heavens, Leng Jin Yu stood in front of the gates and took a deep breath. He had finally resolved to go see the god of war about the things Hong Bao had told him the previous day.

Just when he wanted to enter a man's silhouette appeared on the other side.

Qiang Yan stopped and raised his eyebrows. "Leng Jin Yu? Did you come to see me?" He had been on his way to see his brother-in-law, the heavenly emperor, to make sure he didn't go crazy while his son was in the mortal realm attempting his trial. Seeing this newly ascended deity in front of him was quite unexpected.

Leng Jin Yu pressed his lips together and nodded. "There is something I have to tell you."

"Oh? Come on in then."

"I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

Qiang Yan waved his concerns away. "I was on my way to His Majesty but I guess that can wait. You probably wouldn't have come if it wasn't important?"

Leng Jin Yu nodded gravely.

Qiang Yan watched his expression and couldn't help feeling a bit worried. I've seen him just yesterday and he seemed quite calm then. How come he's looking now as if something bad happened?

He led him into his study and poured both of them a cup of tea but unlike the last time Leng Jin Yu didn't pick it up. His whole body was tense. If he wasn't someone with a strong mind, he probably would have blurted out everything by now.

He still felt a bit torn, though. He knew it was the right thing to do but Hong Bao's accusation still rang in his ears. He had never had to make such a grave decision.

Qiang Yan sat down opposite him, took his own cup and leveled a gaze at him. "So, what happened to make you so worried?"

"You probably know about this better than me but it seems the fate's scribe was working on the crown prince's mortal fate recently?"

Qiang Yan's heart dropped. He had a very, very bad feeling about the direction this was going. "Yes", he said with a tilt in his voice as if he wanted to ask a question instead.

"It seems like … something went wrong."

Qiang Yan dropped his teacup. The hot liquid flowed over the table and dripped down to the floor but he didn't even notice. There wasn't much that could throw the god of war off course but this was one of those things.

"What happened?", he asked flatly. Please, let it be salvageable! Nothing bad may happen to him! He had watched that boy grow up. He wouldn't be able to take it if he was hurt or … even worse. And there were still his sister and brother-in-law who would probably go crazy if anything had happened. That was their only child they were speaking about!

"It seems that his fate went off track. He couldn't pass any trial —"

Qiang Yan leaped to his feet. "I have to tell the heavenly emperor!" He hurried to the door, about to run to his brother-in-law's palace.

Leng Jin Yu stood up slowly and turned around to face him. "I know it is not my place to say this but I would advise against this."

His words stopped Qiang Yan one step out the door. "Why?" He was anxious to tell his brother-in-law but his reason still let him halt. He might not have heard everything. Alarming his brother-in-law without knowing all the facts wouldn't be a good idea. The heavenly emperor might just get a nervous breakdown, considering this concerned his beloved son.

"First of all, there is nothing the heavenly emperor could do right now besides summoning the fate's scribe and lecturing him. As far as I know, the fate's scribe has tried to salvage the situation several times but failed continuously. It stands to reason that someone is intentionally sabotaging him or targeting the crown prince. Therefore, I believe that the most pressing matter now should be to ask the fate's scribe directly for all available information and find the culprit. After that information is found the heavenly emperor should be informed."

Qiang Yan furrowed his brow. What Leng Jin Yu said sounded logical but … this was his nephew they were talking about. His sister's only child even after all those years of marriage. His brother-in-law loved him so much … If he found out that something had happened and nobody had informed him … He didn't want to imagine the outcome.

"The heavenly emperor is his father. Even if he can't help at the moment, he should be informed."

Leng Jin Yu didn't answer. Qiang Yan averted his gaze, hesitated and finally went back to his seat. He couldn't see clearly at the moment. The fact that it was his beloved nephew they were talking about here clouded his judgment. If that was any other person he would probably not speak with the family until he had found out every information needed. He should do the same now.

"Fine. Then let's pay him a visit."

Leng Jin Yu nodded. Together the two men got up and made their way out of the god of war's temple. They had just reached the front hall when a guard ran toward them. The man stopped in front of Qiang Yan and cupped his fists. "Reporting! His Highness, crown prince Jing He, was embroiled in an assassination attempt. The incident was made known through one of the dragon folk. The attempt could be thwarted but we weren't able to apprehend the perpetrator."

Qiang Yan's face lost all color and he turned around to Len Jing Yu but he could only see the same disbelief written on his face. How had that suddenly happened? The crown prince's fate going off track was surprising enough. But now somebody had even tried to assassinate him?

This couldn't be some desperate attempt of the fate's scribe to adjust his nephew's fate, could it?

Qiang Yan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Calm yourself. It was just an attempt. Whoever it was hasn't succeeded. You can find out everything and inform your brother-in-law after that.

Unfortunately, just as Qiang Yan had calmed himself down, another guard ran over and this man was so distraught that he didn't even manage to stop in front of Qiang Yan and instead fell to the ground. "Reporting! Someone stole the soul-devouring dagger!"

This … couldn't be a coincidence, right? Forget asking the fate's scribe! Forget investigating anything! Qiang Yan didn't wait any longer. He turned around and ran all the way to the heavenly emperor's palace. He needed every man available. This could pertain to the survival of their whole race.