Chapter Thirty-Two: The Human Heart

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"Something’s not right..."

As soon as Lu Sheng and the others entered the city, they immediately sensed something amiss.

"The guard at the Yuchi Mansion has been lowered," several attendants from the Crown Prince’s residence realized.

Previously, the Yuchi Mansion had been heavily guarded. Although most of the Beihai troops had been drawn away to confront Li Yu’s forces, the martial law around Yuchi Mansion seemed unusually lax. Apart from a few guards at the gate, there wasn’t a single patrol squad inside the mansion.

"It’s not just a reduction in guard..." Long Cheng closed his eyes slightly and listened carefully. "Everyone has withdrawn."

He could hear no footsteps patrolling within several kilometers.

"Withdrawn?" The Crown Prince’s attendants were stunned. Lu Sheng frowned. "Could it be that His Highness the Crown Prince has already..."

The Yuchi Mansion had been holding out, waiting for the Crown Prince to turn the tide. At this critical juncture, withdrawing early would be unexpected—unless the Crown Prince had lost all hope.

Thinking this, they quickened their pace. Yet even when they were still about thirty feet from the Crown Prince’s eastern courtyard, Long Cheng and Qin Fang sensed two breathing presences there.

"Chen Xiao?"

Entering the Crown Prince’s chamber, there were only three people: the servant girl tending the charcoal fire, the ailing Crown Prince in bed, and Chen Xiao seated beside him.

"General Long Cheng?" Chen Xiao looked up and quickly rose to salute.

Long Cheng frowned slightly, feeling an inexplicable sense of discord about Chen Xiao.

"Where is the Yuchi family?" Lu Sheng asked with a furrowed brow.

They had assumed that with the Crown Prince gone, the Yuchi family would have fled. But the Crown Prince was clearly breathing steadily and appeared unharmed. The absence of any Yuchi family members was strange.

"Something must have happened to the Yuchi family," Chen Xiao sighed. "But they didn’t inform me. After all, to the Yuchi family, I’ve always been an outsider."

Long Cheng and the others frowned. Suddenly, both he and Qin Fang glanced sharply northward, their faces filled with disbelief.

"What is it?" Lu Sheng frowned.

"A Grandmaster..." Long Cheng swallowed hard.

The Long family had produced a Grandmaster only once—three centuries ago. That ancestor became a Grandmaster and lived only eighty years but secured the family’s prosperity for two centuries thereafter. Despite pouring countless resources into cultivation, the Long family had never produced another Grandmaster. Yet here, a barbarian clan from Beihai seemed to have stumbled upon such a fortune?

"Is it Yuchi Peng?" Lu Sheng and the others asked hurriedly.

"Not likely..." Qin Fang frowned. He had met Yuchi Peng several times, and this aura didn’t match the man.

"Let’s go!"

Without hesitation, Long Cheng led the charge northward. The others hesitated only briefly before following.

Inside the room, only the servant girl, the Crown Prince, and Chen Xiao remained.

Watching the lively commotion fade so quickly, Chen Xiao felt no surprise. He slowly closed the door, then sat beside the Crown Prince’s bed. "Your Highness, please drink this soup first..."

"Thank you for your effort, my loyal minister," the Crown Prince said bitterly.

He had seen clearly that once everyone confirmed he was alive, no one spared him another glance—not even the once faithful Long Cheng.

His father had taught him to read people for years. How could he not see that these subordinates had already planned their retreat?

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"It seems my third brother has already made plans..." After sipping the chicken soup Chen Xiao fed him, the Crown Prince sighed. "Why don’t you try to find a way out, just like them?"

"Li Yu is a man of questionable character. Besides, so many scions of noble families have flocked to him. What favor would I gain by joining? I’d rather bet everything on one final gamble. What do you think?" Chen Xiao replied.

"You are an interesting man," the Crown Prince laughed bitterly. "I’m just afraid you’ll be disappointed."

"You need not be so pessimistic, Your Highness. In such despair, the sudden appearance of a stranger like Lord Zhang surely means your fate is not sealed."

"Is that county magistrate really trustworthy?"

"The predictions of the Master of Secrets never fail. If he is indeed the one spoken of in your calculations, Your Highness will surely overcome this crisis."

"Very well!" The Crown Prince looked at him seriously. "No matter what I think inside, since you have not abandoned me now, I will entrust you. If I can still ascend to that position, you shall be my Left Chancellor!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Chen Xiao immediately knelt and bowed deeply.

"Go, then!" the Crown Prince said softly. "I await your good news."

"Yes!"

Chen Xiao rose. When he turned, the Yuchi servant girl nearby was stunned, dropping the charcoal she held to the ground.

The man who had just been a young, handsome youth had now transformed into an old man.

If anyone from the Crown Prince’s residence had witnessed this, they would have been shocked. This was no Chen Xiao—it was the legendary Master Tianye, whom they had long sought to recruit!

Watching the figure slowly depart, the Crown Prince’s eyes were heavy with exhaustion.

If there had been better options, why would he have relied on such a man?

Tianye was the earliest first-rank sorcerer to pledge loyalty to him. By all rights, he should have been given more prominence. Yet from the moment he became familiar with this master, the Crown Prince had remained wary.

This was a man of deep scheming and mysterious origins. Though a scholar by examination and without family backing, he had somehow become a sorcerer and risen to great heights. Many thought his expertise lay in spirit mediumship, but in truth, he specialized in illusions!

A sorcerer skilled in illusions serving the Ministry of Justice for years without reporting to the court—who knew what lengths he had gone to reach this point?

For instance, this time, he did not hesitate to kill Chen Xiao and take his place. Though Chen Xiao was one of his own, to avoid danger and enter Beihai under a safer identity, he killed without hesitation.

Such an ally was undoubtedly dangerous. Yet now... the Crown Prince had no choice but to place his last hope in this perilous figure.

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"This is..."

Long Cheng’s steps were the swiftest. Within mere breaths, he reached the high wall of the northern courtyard and witnessed a scene that made his breath hitch.

The northern courtyard lay in havoc as if ravaged by a hurricane. The devastation was wrought by human hands—an indistinct figure relentlessly assaulting a tall man standing at the storm’s center.

Long Cheng immediately recognized the man at the storm’s heart: Yuchi Peng, the once-in-a-century prodigy of the Yuchi family and currently the most prominent Duke of the military.

Yet confusion arose instantly. He had thought the Grandmaster aura belonged to Yuchi Peng himself, but it was clearly not so. Then who wielded such Grandmaster power?

The speed of the blurred figure was so great that even an expert like Long Cheng could not clearly discern them. It was hard to imagine Yuchi Peng evading such velocity. At this moment, Yuchi Peng seemed like a leaf caught in a hurricane, vulnerable and helpless despite the fierce gale.

"That must be the possessed one mentioned in the intelligence," Qin Fang whispered beside Long Cheng.

"Lord Luo San?" Long Cheng squinted, finally recognizing the figure after a long gaze.

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"Luo San, the congenital cripple?" Qin Fang was stunned. Could a possession by an evil spirit transform a physically impaired man into a Grandmaster?

Both men felt a shock within. The intelligence from Hua Ling had been incomplete, and they had not known why the possessed host would submit to such a malevolent spirit. Now, the cause seemed clear.

Saints or sages alike, all men have selfish hearts. If it were merely a spirit that caused death, why would anyone obey it? There must be tremendous rewards, irresistible temptations—that is the natural explanation!

"I see now..." Qin Fang understood the entire cause and effect after observing for a while.

"Killing others strengthens this spirit itself. Such an evil must not be allowed to exist!" Long Cheng said coldly.

"But who can restrain it?" Qin Fang frowned.

At that speed, not even the soldiers outside the city could catch it. If it truly wished to flee, neither he nor Long Cheng could even catch its shadow.

An evil spirit with a Grandmaster’s body—how terrifying is that? Worse still, it causes dreadful plagues. How could such a thing exist in this world?

No wonder even the Lord of Hua City could not tolerate it and insisted it must die here.

"The Duke might not necessarily lose..."

"Are you certain, General?" Qin Fang frowned, watching the scene inside. Amid the storm, Luo San’s speed was incomprehensible; he did not touch anything, yet the force he generated caused immense destruction. Undoubtedly, a single strike would utterly obliterate Yuchi Peng.

"The opponent is cunning..." Long Cheng said softly. "He uses speed to mask his martial inadequacies, breaking skill with force, and speed with technique. The old saying, ‘the fastest martial art is unbeatable,’ holds true in principle, but if speed alone guaranteed victory, martial arts would be a mere joke."

Qin Fang glanced again and saw that although Yuchi Peng seemed in peril, he always dodged at critical moments. His elegance and grace allowed him to anticipate moves in advance. In their struggle, he had never been touched even once.

If this continued...

"The Duke is the warrior closest to Grandmaster rank, and this thing before us is his best match. What a rare opportunity..." Long Cheng’s eyes gleamed with envy.

Qin Fang smirked slightly. If it were such a good opportunity, why were they just watching? If he were confident, he could use this chance to break through alongside them.

But the truth was, he had no such confidence.

"Is that the little girl you mentioned?" Long Cheng suddenly looked toward the opposite side of Gao Qiang, where a worthy observer stood.

Qin Fang nodded. "Yes... she’s the person beside Magistrate Zhang. Her swordsmanship rivals Master Yi."

"Just a girl?" Long Cheng narrowed his eyes. Opposite him, Murong Yunjie seemed to have noticed them and cast a cold glance their way.

"Interesting..." Long Cheng nodded, then said, "If Yuchi Peng falls, the three of us should act together. Maybe we can capture that monster."

"Depends on how much the monster is weakened..." Qin Fang said gravely. "If the Duke can severely injure it, there might be a chance."

"And if the Duke wins..." Long Cheng said softly, "How confident are you in stopping that little girl?"

"Hmm?" Qin Fang was startled, then frowned. "If that girl attacks the Duke alone, her chances of winning should be low, right?"

"I mean... how certain are you that you alone can hold her off?"

Qin Fang was initially puzzled but then understood. He looked at Long Cheng with some surprise.

"You mean you want to strike the Duke yourself?"