Chapter 26: What did you say?

"Huh?" Yuchi Hong was stunned by these words and subconsciously asked, "Didn't you just say that Li Yu almost died in that Painting Market? A being that nearly killed him wants to cooperate with him?"

"Chen believes the other party will," Chen Xiao coughed weakly. "I haven't been in the capital long, and my opportunities to interact with His Highness the Third Prince have been limited. However, I can clearly perceive that His Highness Li Yu is a proud man. Such a proud person would never believe he is inferior to the Crown Prince. What he lacks is merely an opportunity—a fair chance. It is a pity that such an opportunity never belonged to him from the start."

"I believe the Third Prince will not refuse this chance. Being as proud as he is, as long as there is an opportunity, he will not believe he is weaker than anyone—not the Crown Prince, nor that hidden 'Ghost Prince.' He would never think he could lose!"

"This..." Yuchi Hong was left dumbfounded. Beside him, Third Master Luo suddenly clapped his hands and laughed. "No wonder the Crown Prince values you so highly, Mr. Chen. You are indeed a clever man."

"You flatter me, Third Master," Chen Xiao replied with a bow.

Third Master Luo took a deep, measuring look at him, then turned to Yuchi Hong. "Let’s go. If Mr. Chen’s guess is correct, Li Yu will likely force his way to the gates before long. We don't have much time left..."

---

At the North Sea City docks, aboard the treasure ship Silver Dragon, just as Chen Xiao had predicted, a green-eyed woman holding a black umbrella arrived to pay a visit to the Third Prince, Li Yu.

Without any attempt at concealment, she presented a secret letter, and Li Yu granted her a personal audience.

Inside the cabin, everyone else had been ordered away, leaving only the formidable Qin Fang at his side. Li Yu watched the woman with green eyes with great interest.

"Is my dear brother not coming in person?"

"Although my master is of the same generation as you in this lifetime, he was once of the same generation as the Founding Emperor. It is unlikely that Your Highness can claim the position of an elder brother. If we speak of seniority, you would not even be qualified to call him 'ancestor'."

"Is that so?" Li Yu laughed. "Then I am truly honored to share a father with such a senior."

The woman’s expression turned icy. "How long does Your Highness intend to continue with such childish provocations?"

"I can't help it..." Li Yu shrugged. "I was schemed against and nearly lost my life. If I can't take revenge now, surely I can at least take some verbal satisfaction?"

"It seems my master was right; Your Highness is indeed a dull man."

"Oh?" Li Yu’s eyes brightened. "It seems my mysterious brother and I have quite a relationship, or he wouldn't know what kind of person I am."

The woman frowned. Indeed, while Li Yu appeared to be a playboy, he was actually deep and calculating, fishing for information even while joking.

"Speak. How does my brother intend to cooperate?"

"Your Highness knows we came to cooperate with you?"

"Are you here to talk of romance with me?" Li Yu sneered. "I certainly don't dare to enter lightly, but I also know that if we remain in this stalemate, my dear brother, having spent so much effort, will not stand by and watch. As long as the Crown Prince lives, he will never have a chance. This is a rare opportunity. Who knows when the Crown Prince will reveal a flaw again if we miss this?"

"Isn't that the same for Your Highness?" The woman also sneered. "If the Crown Prince does not die this time, he will be even more cautious upon returning to the capital. The current Emperor is weak and cannot last many more years. If you miss this, my master has a long lifespan and can wait for the next chance, but you... I fear you would truly have no hope left in this life."

"You have a sharp tongue..." Li Yu was not offended. He watched her while playing with the essence blood of the painting spirit in his hand. "Tell me, what do you want me to do? And what benefits can you offer? Do not just use the argument that I also want this opportunity. If this is a partnership, there must be some sincerity."

"Your Highness may rest assured; my master is naturally full of sincerity." As the woman spoke, she produced a scroll and presented it with both hands.

Qin Fang glanced at Li Yu. After a nod from the prince, he stepped forward to take it. Upon opening it, his pupils constricted.

Inside the scroll were drops of crimson crystals. Even through the parchment, Qin Fang could clearly sense the immense, surging power of blood and energy!

"A grand gesture indeed!" Li Yu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"These drops of essence blood are of the highest purity, condensed from the life force of over a thousand innate martial artists. My master has spent years collecting them. Is Your Highness satisfied with this display of sincerity?"

"No wonder the Founding Emperor was able to seize the world as a farmer's son..." A hint of fervor flashed in Li Yu’s eyes. "Something like the Painting Market is simply the most unreasonable existence in the world."

Essence blood could be traded—this alone made the Painting Market terrifying. Moreover, it was the perfect tool for an emperor. The world was in such turmoil precisely because martial artists were too powerful. Those who relied on martial arts defied the law, and overly powerful martial artists rarely liked to obey rules—even those set by the imperial court. Just like Master Yi, one of the Five Great Grandmasters, who openly mocked the Emperor, yet his own father could do nothing about it.

If all the martial artists in the world could be controlled by the court, how would the mere barbarians of the four seas dare to covet the Central Plains?

If one could control the Painting Market, one could use essence blood to control martial artists. The Founding Emperor had been far too conservative; he had actually wanted to close the Painting Market down.

"The most unreasonable thing in the world?" The woman smiled slightly upon hearing this. "That is only because Your Highness has not seen enough. There are more terrifying things in this world than you can imagine."

"Oh?" Li Yu was immediately intrigued. "The secret imperial records contain many oddities, but I do not believe there is anything in this world more terrifying than the Painting Market."

"Your Highness..." the woman said softly, "The Great Jin has only existed for a thousand years. The secrets recorded by your Li family are nothing in the grand scheme of this world."

Li Yu: "..."

"Let's get back to business..." The woman seemed unwilling to continue the topic, shifting the conversation. "Your Highness needs to do nothing but enter North Sea City as soon as possible and expose what the Yuchi family has done."

"Is that so?" Li Yu put away the scroll Qin Fang had handed him. "And what exactly has the Yuchi family done?"

"Forbidden arts!" the woman said coldly. "To resurrect the Crown Prince, they have sacrificed all the commoners of North Sea City!"

Li Yu was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. "There is such a thing? The Yuchi family is truly insane!"

"But that makes sense..." Li Yu stood up after his laughter subsided. "The Yuchi family is currently rowing against the current; they can only move forward, not back. If it were me, I would also choose to use any means necessary to save the Crown Prince. So that’s it... no wonder, no wonder!"

"However, Your Highness must be careful of one thing."

"What thing?"

"The source of that plague cannot be released..."

"Oh?" Li Yu stopped smiling, his brow furrowed. "You mean to say that even you cannot control the plague that has left the Yuchi family helpless?"

"If it were something easily controlled, it would not have left the Yuchi family helpless," the woman sighed. "Didn't Your Highness just ask if there was anything in this world more terrifying than the Painting Market?"

"That is one of them. If that thing cannot be snuffed out within North Sea City, believe me, the destruction it will cause once it gets out will be far beyond anything the Painting Market could ever do!"

Li Yu: "..."

---

"Are you certain this record is correct?" Yuchi Hong’s brows were deeply furrowed after receiving the record keeper's report.

"Bring it out and let us see," Third Master Luo said directly.

Yuchi Hong hesitated for a moment, then finally showed the list to everyone present.

"This..." The Crown Prince’s advisors were all stunned.

According to the list, General Yuchi Peng returned to North Sea City fourteen days after receiving the news, and only began showing symptoms of physical discomfort at the end of the month. Yet, during the time General Yuchi Peng was back presiding over the situation, the person he had the most contact with was his own eldest son, Yuchi Jing!

"Big Brother..." Yuchi Hong shook his head. "Impossible!!"

Third Master Luo looked at Zhang Rui. "It doesn't necessarily mean that whoever he had the most contact with is the one possessed by the evil spirit, right?"

Zhang Rui nodded. "Yes, that is not necessarily the case."

"But on the list, the people the Patriarch saw the most were indeed his close relatives."

Everyone nodded. Besides the eldest son Yuchi Jing, those who could be seen daily on the list included the Fourth Master Yuchi Lie and the Patriarch’s wife, Lady Yan—all of whom were very important people in the Yuchi family.

It stood to reason; as the family head who had been stationed at the border in the North, once he returned to find such a disaster in his home, his primary concern would naturally be his family. It was only natural that the people Yuchi Peng would look after day and night were his own kin.

"The host is unaware of the evil spirit's possession, right?" Chen Xiao asked, looking at Zhang Rui.

The expressions of those present turned grave. If that were the case, they were in trouble. The suspects on the list were all important figures in the Yuchi family. If the host was unaware, it would be extremely difficult to identify the evil spirit among them, because one could not resort to extreme measures. And without extreme measures, it would take time to identify the spirit—but time was the one thing they lacked most!

The Third Prince, Li Yu, could break in at any moment. If he exposed the forbidden arts before the Crown Prince was saved, there would truly be no chance of a comeback.

Just as everyone was agonizing over how to persuade the Yuchi family to sacrifice their own for the greater good, Zhang Rui’s next words left them all completely dumbfounded!

"No..." Zhang Rui looked at them quietly. "If that evil spirit possesses someone, the host... is fully aware of it!"

"Eh?"

"You... what did you say???"