Chapter 51: This Day
Chapter 51: This Day
A short while later, Qian Luoying came back. There was no smell of blood on her, but she carried a sharp killing intent with her.
Everyone knew what she had just done, but they all remained silent before the strongest person in the group.
They all felt more settled in their hearts.
Though they didn’t understand why such a big reversal had happened—why an enemy had instantly become an ally—but who cared? For everyone, this was a good thing, wasn’t it?
Before setting out, the thirteen Golden Body Experts had already prepared to sacrifice themselves.
Now only eight remained. For the survivors, they were already very satisfied.
It was already broad daylight. Several off-road vehicles with excellent performance jolted along the rugged road, getting closer and closer to their destination.
Capital City.
Sun Qingbo, who hadn’t slept all night, finally received news from the front—
The target had escaped!
This news made his heart sink heavily.
Putting down the phone, a faint trace of regret showed on Sun Qingbo’s tired face.
“What? That group escaped? They’ve already entered the Chaos Zone now?” Qin Xu stood up abruptly. His eyes, already bloodshot from lack of sleep, turned completely red. He said furiously, “How did they manage this? How could this happen? This is impossible!”
Sun Qingbo remained relatively calm. He sat there, glanced at Qin Xu, and said, “Calm down…”
“How can I calm down?” Qin Xu glared at Sun Qingbo. “If we had followed my idea, it wouldn’t have been so troublesome! We should have just detained him right here in the Capital City, placed him under house arrest. There were a thousand ways for him to die…”
“Young Master, watch your words…” Sun Qingbo sighed lightly. “He is, after all, your own younger brother.”
A fierce glint flashed in Qin Xu’s eyes. “Among royal children, what family affection is there?”
Sun Qingbo said in a low voice, “You have to pretend, even if it’s faked! Others can say such things, but you cannot!”
“It’s just the two of us here. Why would I pretend in front of you?” Qin Xu panted, his anger not yet subsided. “All of you thought acting in the Capital City was too much. You insisted on outside the city, saying it was foolproof. Now he’s escaped… What do we do now?”
Sun Qingbo was not young anymore. Having stayed up all night, he felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded. Hearing this, he waved his hand weakly. “Even now, I have to tell you, we could not act in the Capital City!”
“How complicated the Capital City is, don’t you understand?”
Qin Xu retorted, “How complicated can it be? The entire Imperial Guard is under our control. Would they dare to rebel directly?”
Sun Qingbo looked at Qin Xu. “Is the City Guard Army system just for show? Do you think the Military Headquarters has no experts? If we had truly chosen to act in the Capital City, I assure you, it would have been a terrifying disaster! Even if we could eliminate him, we would be finished too!”
Sun Qingbo took a deep breath to calm his emotions and said slowly, “Don’t forget, the Monarch hasn’t become so senile that he can’t understand anything. The reason he agreed to compromise this time was partly because Qin Hao’s recent actions were a bit excessive; and partly, wasn’t it also because our relentless pressure forced him to agree? Moreover, we personally guaranteed to him that Qin Hao’s life would not be endangered! Even so, he only made Qin Hao pause his work and go see him!”
Sun Qingbo narrowed his eyes. “It was we who cut off all of Qin Hao’s paths, forcibly changed everything, and finally, through creating a false appearance, forced him to flee!”
“But if you want to turn the act into reality and kill your own younger brother, do you think the throne would still fall to you? Do you think those important ministers in court are just decorations? Or do you think those proud and fierce generals in the various legions of the military would submit to you?”
Qin Xu’s face turned pale then flushed red.
The words were true, and he understood the reasoning, but they stung too much.
There was no choice. If he wanted to ascend to the throne, the help of the man before him was crucial.
Qin Xu also understood in his heart that he was merely the spokesperson chosen by this group.
So even though he was the Monarch’s son, in their eyes, he actually held little status.
Just you wait, until the day I hold great power…
Qin Xu nodded. “You’re right. I was wrong.”
A slight look of relief finally appeared on Sun Qingbo’s face. He nodded. “You have to eat bite by bite, and walk step by step. Our path is destined to be very difficult, as I told you before. Trying to crush the opponent in one go is difficult, almost impossible!”
“Although we failed to completely eliminate them this time, we still achieved a lot. At the very least, for a period of time, Qin Hao will have absolutely no chance to return!”
Sun Qingbo looked at Qin Xu. “Now, all we have left to do are two things!”
“First, contact our people and trap Qin Hao in the Chaos Zone! Don’t let him get out!”
“Second, wait.”
Sun Qingbo didn’t say what they were waiting for, but Qin Xu understood.
That day probably wasn’t far off.
Sun Qingbo said, “When that day comes, as long as Qin Hao cannot appear before him, then… there will only be you.”
A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Qin Xu’s eyes. He said, “What about my eldest brother…”
Sun Qingbo frowned slightly. “To show his stance, the Eldest Young Master hasn’t returned to the capital for at least five years, right? If you won’t even spare him…”
Qin Xu laughed. “No, no. What I meant was whether my eldest brother might have any objections… Hehe, nothing else.”
Sun Qingbo looked at Qin Xu deeply and nodded. “Rest assured. The Eldest Young Master is a smart person.”
Qin Xu didn’t continue this topic. He looked at Sun Qingbo and asked, “I’m curious, how exactly did Qin Hao and the others escape? Logically… even if our setup couldn’t crush them, stopping them shouldn’t have been a big problem. Could it be that people from the Black Tortoise Legion intervened?”
Sun Qingbo shook his head. “The Black Tortoise Legion showed no movement. How could they easily get involved in a matter related to the princes fighting for succession?”
“Then where was the problem?” Qin Xu looked puzzled.
“The message I received said they found many bodies and also discovered the burial place of the opponent’s fallen Golden Body Experts, indicating there was indeed a fierce battle between the two sides. But no trace was found of Elder Qian and her two disciples.”
Qin Xu frowned. “That Elder Qian, what exactly is her background?”
Sun Qingbo said, “She must be from a hidden sect. But as for her exact origins, unless she tells us herself, it’s hard to judge.”
Qin Xu said, “Could the problem be on her side…”
Sun Qingbo shook his head slightly. “Logically, it shouldn’t be. Whatever Qin Hao can offer her, we can definitely offer too! Whatever Qin Hao cannot offer, we can also offer. So there’s no reason for her to go back on her word.”
“Forget it. Perhaps Third Brother’s fate wasn’t meant to end,” Qin Xu suddenly smiled. “No matter what, he is my younger brother. If from now on he can stay quietly in the Chaos Zone and not ruin our plans, sparing his life is nothing.”
Sun Qingbo, however, said plainly, “He must die. But try not to let him die within Great Qin’s borders, and it absolutely must not be connected to you.”
Qin Xu was stunned for a moment, then nodded. “I understand.”
This day in the Capital City was calm and uneventful.
This day in Great Qin was calm and uneventful.
Everywhere was so peaceful it was as if nothing had happened.
People still did what they were supposed to do.
On this day, the young Crown Prince Qin Hao, who was supposed to report to the central office, did not show up. But no one asked.
On this day, Gu Tong, who was supposed to return to Spring City and report to the City Guard Army, did not return. But no one asked.
On this day, Ling Yi’s account was frozen again—no reason, no announcement, just frozen. It was simply cruel.
On this day, in the Capital City’s Li family, Li Qianxue’s parents were very anxious, because their precious daughter Li Qianxue, whom they had sent on a blind date, had run away from home…
Also on this day, Ling Yun, who was attending class, was called out by a stranger who gave her a card. Inside were two hundred million!
Ling Yun, who didn’t know the exact amount inside, wasn’t surprised, because just before that she had received a message from an unfamiliar number. The message consisted of a string of garbled code.
She knew immediately what it was and easily deciphered the content.
It was a special coded language that she, her brother, and Su Qingqing had played with since childhood.
In this world, only the three of them could understand it—
I am safe. Don’t worry. Someone will give you a sum of money. Just accept it. Study hard. Wait for me to come back and send you to Zongwu!
Still on this day, the various legions of Great Qin’s Military, including its direct departments spread across the country, tightened security and increased vigilance from top to bottom.
And still on this day, the most terrifying place on this continent… the Chaos Zone, welcomed a group of special guests.
For many people, it was just an ordinary day, no different from yesterday, the day before, or the day before that.
But for the netizens of Great Qin, this day was like a grand feast!
There was so much juicy gossip that people couldn’t keep up, and it was so sweet it might even make their teeth ache.
The internet was buzzing with heated discussion about the Graduation Ceremony that had ended the night before.
What Ling Yi had said to Zhao Tianping on stage was a topic many people enjoyed talking about.
The words Luo Xue had spoken openly on stage were also deciphered by lip-reading experts—
“Take your dirty hands off him, he doesn’t like it!”
This was a direct and public confrontation!
Thinking about it this way, whatever Ling Yi had said to Zhao Tianping couldn’t have been nice either.
As for the graduate representative who took the stage afterward, their words were even sharper, directly criticizing Zhao Tianping, the principal of Zongwu Academy!
Those who hadn’t noticed the news online at the time might have been confused, but in reality, the internet had already exploded!
The real identities of seven or eight influential online figures with millions of followers, who had been very active in recent years, were exposed!
These people had long advocated that Great Qin should cut military spending, avoid engaging in aggressive warfare, and focus on economic development. They also argued that the nation should not be blinded by past hatred and should voluntarily give up Eastern Sea City in exchange for peace…
To be honest, many naive young believers bought into these ideas, which was why they had so many followers.
While some believed it, no one had ever imagined that the people who spread such rhetoric day in and day out were actually high-ranking officials in Great Qin!
The most shocking revelation was that the most influential figure, with nearly ten million followers, was actually Zhao Tianping’s secret account!
The evidence was solid and undeniable. Under normal circumstances, Zhao Tianping and his associates wouldn’t even have a chance to defend themselves.
Before, many people might not have known who Zhao Tianping was, but recently, Zongwu had gained immense fame, and everyone had come to know this new principal of Zongwu Academy.
What kind of place was Zongwu?
It was the holy land in the hearts of all talented martial artists in Great Qin!
For nearly twenty years, it had been the cradle that nurtured countless elite individuals!
It was a typical hardline, hawkish academy!
Yet its principal turned out to be a weak surrenderist?
For those who loved drama, this was a sensational scandal.
That’s why the topic remained incredibly hot.
Even though the authorities had issued a statement claiming it was all slander and lies.
Unfortunately, no one believed it.
Few people noticed that Ling Yi and the others, who should have been chased by countless media outlets, had not made a single appearance that day.
There wasn’t even a trace of news about them!
Chaos Zone.
Mei City.
After Ling Yi and the others followed their escorts into Mei City, they arrived at a large, elegant estate in the western part of the city.
Many people were waiting here.
Gu Tong and Qin Hao busied themselves with their tasks as soon as they arrived.
Ling Yi, Li Qianxue, and Qian Luoying and her disciple were each settled in separate courtyards.
After a night of fleeing and intense battles in between, everyone was exhausted.
But Ling Yi fought off his drowsiness and pulled aside one of the caretakers to ask about the Chaos Zone.
Being new here, he needed to understand the place first.
The young man in charge of arranging things for Ling Yi seemed to have been briefed beforehand, as he answered every question without holding back.
The Chaos Zone was vast, covering an area almost a quarter larger than Great Qin!
There were four major cities, each with populations exceeding ten million, named after the Four Gentlemen: Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju.
Besides these, there were many smaller towns and outposts.
At first glance, it didn’t seem much different from other countries.
Over the years, the nations bordering the Chaos Zone, including Qin State, had coveted this territory.
But without exception, they all eventually gave up.
Because this place was simply too complicated.
Conquering it was actually easy, as there was hardly any meaningful resistance.
But governing this land was impossible!
It gathered countless violent criminals, evildoers from all Seven Nations, as well as the forces and representatives of various corporate conglomerates.
There were also influences from overseas nations, big and small, spread throughout the Chaos Zone.
Most importantly, this place was also home to the Yaozu!
It was the only place in the world where the Yaozu could openly appear!
Yes, the Yaozu!
Over a hundred years ago, when the Spatial Rift opened, it didn’t just release powerful Demon Beasts. It also brought forth highly intelligent beings capable of taking human form—the Yaozu!
However, their numbers were small, and they couldn’t form significant power blocs. They were soon driven into the Chaos Zone by human elites.
After so many years of development, people had come to accept these high-intelligence beings, different from Demon Beasts, living in the Chaos Zone.
Here, the factions established by the Yaozu were also very powerful, no weaker than any other group.
Apart from this, the Chaos Zone was home to many sects.
Some had incredibly ancient origins, and there were even rumors that certain sects were connected to the Star Gate Disciples!
Of course, not many people believed such rumors.
In short, the Chaos Zone was a mixed bag of good and evil, a place where villains gathered.
To establish oneself here, one had to have some real skills.
After gaining some understanding of this place, Ling Yi politely bid farewell to the young man who had arranged things for him and returned to his room. Despite the pain from his wounds, he took a shower.
Enduring until now had already been quite a challenge.
After changing into clean clothes, he finally felt like he was alive again.
“Enchantress, can we discuss something?” he asked.