Chapter Twenty-Two: Utterly Awkward
“Have you heard? The Grand Protector General broke into the Fourth Prince’s residence in the dead of night and was caught—rumor has it he’s to be executed!”
“The Grand Protector General? Didn’t he just take up the post?”
“I’m talking about the previous Grand Protector General, General Fang!”
“No way! Wasn’t General Fang always a supporter of the Fourth Prince?”
…
Wang Changsheng listened to the murmurs coming from the neighboring table, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
It had been five days since Fang Qing left to seek the Fourth Prince; he had not returned even once. Wang Changsheng believed something must have happened to Fang Qing, so he ventured out to gather news.
The imperial city was abuzz with tales that Fang Qing broke into the Fourth Prince’s estate by night, was captured by the prince, and was to be beheaded.
To Wang Changsheng, such rumors held little credibility.
Not only had Fang Qing always supported the Fourth Prince, but even in such a time of turmoil, he continued to maintain contact. Moreover, from what Wang Changsheng knew of the Fourth Prince, he was not the sort to do such a thing.
Yet, born to the imperial family, Wang Changsheng could never be certain.
“I warned him—at times like these, caution is best. He insisted on going, as if courting death!” Wang Changsheng spoke gravely.
“To rescue, or not to rescue?”
His brows knitted, Wang Changsheng’s mind was in turmoil.
Regardless of whether the rumors were true, Fang Qing had indeed been missing for days, and it was certain the matter involved the Fourth Prince. Now Wang Changsheng faced two choices: abandon Fang Qing and leave, find a way to return to the Celestial Realm, and go home; or attempt a rescue, though he had no idea where to begin. Not to mention the powerful beings descending from the Celestial Realm—Wang Changsheng was no match for them, nor even for the cultivators of the Cloud Peak Empire. Otherwise, he would not have been trapped in the imperial city.
“If I truly attempt to rescue him, I might risk my life…” Wang Changsheng could not decide.
To rescue or not—it was a question that weighed heavily.
After settling his bill, Wang Changsheng left the tavern and returned home. When night fell, he donned a suit of black and slipped toward the Fourth Prince’s residence.
Approaching the estate, he immediately noticed the gates tightly shut, though two soldier-like figures still stood guard outside.
“Mid-stage Xiantian cultivation… something’s odd,” Wang Changsheng eyed the guards with suspicion.
The gatekeepers were martial artists of the mid-stage Xiantian realm. Wang Changsheng was no stranger to this place and well knew what such cultivators represented—they were formidable figures.
Ordinarily, there would never be two mid-stage Xiantian martial artists guarding the door.
“Last time I was in danger, the guards were only early-stage Xiantian…” Wang Changsheng’s expression grew more solemn.
Either the estate was truly under attack, or even the Fourth Prince himself was under house arrest! Both possibilities seemed highly plausible.
He slipped to the side of the estate, sensing no threatening aura from within. Wang Changsheng then leapt over the wall, heading into the Fourth Prince’s residence.
“Damn…!!”
As soon as Wang Changsheng’s figure crossed into the estate, he was startled, his eyes wide with shock, a thousand curses racing through his mind.
He landed steadily in the courtyard, standing awkwardly in place.
“There’s no one here…” Wang Changsheng was at a loss.
No sooner had he scaled the wall than he saw that the spot he had chosen overlooked the main hall. At that moment, a group emerged from within, one of whom Wang Changsheng recognized—the Fourth Prince.
The others he did not know by name, but he had seen them before: cultivators from the Celestial Realm. When these figures had descended from the cloud vessel, Wang Changsheng had glimpsed them from afar and would not mistake them.
Wang Changsheng did not think that his night attire rendered him invisible. The reason he could not sense their aura was simply that their cultivation far surpassed his own.
Such coincidence!
And to make matters worse, these people were now staring in his direction, their faces filled with puzzlement.
“Your Highness, it seems the guards of your estate are useless—a grown man just climbed over the wall, and no one noticed!” remarked a veiled cultivator, her tone teasing. Judging by her voice, she was a woman.
The Fourth Prince looked at Wang Changsheng, equally embarrassed.
“Master Wang…” The Fourth Prince stepped forward, awkwardly saying, “If you wished to see me, you could have asked the guards to announce you. This high-flying entrance startled me!”
Wang Changsheng was mortified.
A mistake—an absolute mistake!
According to what Wang Changsheng knew, the Fourth Prince had no cultivators at his side. Otherwise, he would not have been helpless before the Eldest Prince, and if there were any, their cultivation would likely be at the first or second layer of the Opening Vein realm, nothing he need fear.
But no matter how he calculated, Wang Changsheng had not anticipated that the powerful beings from the Celestial Realm would be present at the Fourth Prince’s estate.
And now he had blundered right into their midst!
The Fourth Prince turned to the Celestial cultivators, bowing deeply. “This Master Wang is an old acquaintance, and my savior as well. We are so familiar, it is only fitting that he enter in such a manner befitting a distinguished guest!”
The Fourth Prince was helping Wang Changsheng explain himself.
Wang Changsheng was quick to respond. “I merely came to borrow some travel money from His Highness, never expected to encounter such esteemed seniors. Greetings to you all!”
“You know us?” one woman smiled.
Wang Changsheng bowed. “When you descended from the Celestial Realm, I caught sight of your cloud vessel from afar and was filled with envy!”
He spoke honestly; there was nothing to hide.
“Oh?” The woman teased, “You know of the Celestial Realm? You must be a fellow cultivator from above!”
“Hardly!” Wang Changsheng replied, “I could not survive in the Celestial Realm and so came to the Mortal Realm to eke out a modest official post and live out my days.”
They paid him no further mind. Such men as Wang Changsheng were common—unable to prosper above, they came to the Mortal Realm to wield power. Moreover, with his cultivation at the second layer of the Opening Vein realm, he was beneath their notice.
“Your Highness, we shall return to the cloud vessel,” the lead woman declared.
As she spoke, Wang Changsheng immediately recognized her as the leader who had descended that day.
“Farewell, esteemed seniors!” The Fourth Prince bowed deeply.
Wang Changsheng followed suit.
“By the way!” the lead woman said, “Since fate has brought us together, Master Wang, do not miss the discourse in three months’ time!”
She did not wait for Wang Changsheng’s answer, but departed with her companions.
Once their figures had vanished completely, Wang Changsheng finally exhaled in relief—they had exerted tremendous pressure on him.
“What is this discourse in three months?” Wang Changsheng watched them leave and turned to the Fourth Prince. “What is going on?”
“The discourse is actually a search for the culprit,” the Fourth Prince replied, helplessly. “You haven’t received the notice? In three months, every cultivator from the Mortal Realm will gather in the imperial city of the Cloud Peak Empire!”
“What culprit?” Wang Changsheng was puzzled.
“Something has gone missing. I don’t know exactly what,” the Fourth Prince smiled bitterly. “My rank is too low to know the details—likely only my father knows.”
He paused, then said, “You came for General Fang, did you not?”
Wang Changsheng nodded. “Yes, my junior has been missing for nearly five days. He said he would seek you, and there are rumors in the city that Fang Qing…”
“I’m aware of those rumors,” the Fourth Prince said gravely. “Fang Qing did indeed act in front of my estate that day—many witnessed it, which is why the city is abuzz.”
“What happened to Fang Qing?” Wang Changsheng asked.
“He was captured!” the Fourth Prince replied with resignation. “By the Eldest Prince!”
He proceeded to explain the entire affair.
Fang Qing had come to see the Fourth Prince, but the Eldest Prince’s men were already in the estate. Fang Qing arrived at an unfortunate moment.
Fang Qing was a staunch ally of the Fourth Prince. The Eldest Prince’s men were there to pressure the prince, and seeing Fang Qing appear—no longer Grand Protector General, stripped of his protective status—they moved to seize him.
Fang Qing and the Eldest Prince’s men clashed in front of the Fourth Prince’s estate, their cultivation at the Opening Vein realm made the battle far more dramatic than mere martial artists, drawing many onlookers from the capital.
So, Fang Qing fought the Eldest Prince’s men, not the Fourth Prince’s. Fang Qing was captured, and those who watched assumed he had been seized by the Fourth Prince, spreading the rumor.
“So Fang Qing is now in the hands of the Eldest Prince’s men?” Wang Changsheng’s expression grew serious.
“Yes,” the Fourth Prince nodded. “The Eldest Prince holds great power, and that day two cultivators came, both stronger than General Fang. My men stood no chance!”
It was more than just no chance—several of the Fourth Prince’s guards had been killed. If not for concerns over the royal family’s reputation, the prince would have announced it long ago.
“I invoked my status as prince to invite these seniors here, hoping I might persuade them to help rescue General Fang…” the Fourth Prince said, helpless once more.