Chapter 252 - Solving Trouble

Chapter 252: Chapter 11 Solving Trouble"Who is he?" Lu Hong turned around and asked Leng Yue, "Setting a trap for someone, don’t you think you owe an explanation?"

Leng Yue gave a slight smile, "What are you talking about, little brother? Your sister just found herself drawn to you because she liked you, where’s the trapping in that?"

"Are you saying I’m an idiot or you’re an idiot?"

Lu Hong spoke bluntly, and Leng Yue let out a sigh, "Since the little brother is so unappreciative, I might as well have given my heartfelt sincerity to a dog."

"So, who is he?"

"The strongest son of the City Lord of the sealed city, Yinmo City of the Cang Nation, Magic Wind. He’s forty years old this year, a Fighter at the Second-Transformation Peak, and ranked fourth in the last seven-nation martial arts competition. This year, he’s aiming to break into the top three."

Lu Hong raised an eyebrow, "You sure know how to make me enemies. How should I thank you?"

Leng Yue laughed coquettishly, "If little brother can defeat him, wouldn’t that secure him a spot in the top three?"

"Are you helping me?" Lu Hong rolled his eyes.

"Of course, as long as you can survive tomorrow’s selection, I can help you deal with him in the Fiery Sun Arena." Leng Yue had been declared as forbidden flesh by Magic Wind quite early on, and anyone living in Umbra wasn’t allowed to come half a step near Leng Yue. She was extremely tired of this life of being kept, and that’s why she set her sights on the new face, Lu Hong, though she didn’t hold much hope for this masked man; it was more like venting her frustration.

"Boy, better watch where you’re looking." At this moment, Magic Wind approached with large strides, his glare coldly fixed on Lu Hong, "If you apologize now and swear not to come within ten feet of Leng Yue, I might consider giving you a way out in tomorrow’s selection battle."

"A way out?" Lu Hong looked up at the tall Magic Wind with a slight smile, "Sorry, I happen to like keeping beautiful women company."

And with that, he wrapped his arm around Leng Yue’s slender waist and pulled her into his embrace.

"Oh, little brother, you’re really bad!" Leng Yue, instead of rejecting, cooperated fully, clinging tightly to Lu Hong and provocatively staring at Magic Wind.

"Good! Very good!" Magic Wind sneered, "Tomorrow, I will gouge out your eyes and break your limbs, torturing you to death slowly. Enjoy your last night alive!"

"Oh? Is that so? Thanks for the suggestion," Lu Hong whispered to Leng Yue, "Did you hear that? He’s telling us to enjoy tonight."

"I heard!" Leng Yue’s flirtation nearly made Magic Wind explode on the spot—and since Elder Li’s deterrence from before, he dared not strike again, his face ashen as he glared fiercely at Lu Hong, "You’re seeking death!"

"Hahaha!" Lu Hong laughed loudly, picked up Leng Yue, and left the banquet.

"I’ll make you wish you were dead!" Magic Wind’s roar echoed throughout the entire banquet hall.

Meanwhile, in a side hall of the banquet, the girl Lu Hong had met during the day was about to play the zither when she was startled by Magic Wind’s angry shout and asked the King of Cang beside her, "Father, what’s happening outside?"

The King of Cang smiled slightly, his large hand gently stroking the girl’s black hair, "Nothing much, just that tomorrow’s selection will be even more exciting."

"Can I go and watch it tomorrow?" the girl asked eagerly.

"Xixi, the selection is too bloody. Let’s wait for the next time—if there is any good match, I will certainly take you to see it," the King of Cang looked at his daughter affectionately. His weak-bodied daughter might not be able to handle such a shock.

"No, Father, you always say ’next time,’ but you’ve never followed through."

With a soft cooing and a weak plea, the father was instantly outmaneuvered, "Alright, alright, I will take you to attend the observation tomorrow, but if you feel unwell, you must tell me right away."

"It’s a deal!" Xixi’s face was full of smiles as she hooked fingers with the King of Cang, who only shed his emperor’s cold outer layer in front of his little daughter.

Lu Hong carried Leng Yue all the way out of the Imperial Palace and back to the post station. The events that had happened at the banquet had already reached Castor, who was so scared that he didn’t know where to run off to.

"Ouch!" Leng Yue was still pondering whether to reject Lu Hong’s offer of a joyful night or to have a little fun before the selection fights, when he unexpectedly tossed her onto the ground.

"Little brother, if you pick me up now, I can still forgive you," Leng Yue said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Wasn’t she beautiful? Why should she be treated so crudely? Any woman would find this intolerable.

"Forget it, you old woman, I’m not interested," Lu Hong dropped the comment and walked away.

"Old woman?" Leng Yue’s eyes twitched, "You’ll regret this!"

Back at his estate, Lu Hong sat cross-legged and continued his meditation practice.

The Ancestor Dragon lifted its head and said, "Little brother, that Magic Wind is somewhat capable. You should be careful."

"I know, but I don’t want to expose the power of my vital blood. Umbra may be a realm of its own, but it also has certain connections with the Sacred Empire. If they find out my identity, who knows if it’ll be a blessing or a curse?"

"Then trade it for a favor," the Ancestor Dragon suggested. "Don’t you have a lead on his daughter’s illness? You can use that to bargain with the King of Cang for safety."

"That’s right!" Lu Hong slapped his forehead—as always, the big brother was reliable. "I’ll go right now."

With that, Lu Hong leaped from the estate and headed once more for the Imperial Palace.

The encounter with the returning Magic Wind and his cohorts was unexpected. Seeing Lu Hong dashing back, Magic Wind sneered, "What, have you come to admit your mistake? Let me tell you, you will certainly—"

Before he could finish, Lu Hong blatantly ignored him, brushing past without a word.

"Damn it, I can’t take this any longer!" As Magic Wind was about to attack Lu Hong, he was firmly held back by his companion who said, "Young City Lord, you absolutely must not do this, we at Yinmo City are currently in a precarious situation, and we can’t afford to be disrespectful to the King of the Sacred Empire."

"Brat, you are surely dead tomorrow!"

Magic Wind’s rage slowly dissipated with the wind. Upon arriving at the gates of the Imperial Palace, Lu Hong said to the guard, "I represent Qingxiao City, dispatched to the Seven Kingdoms Martial Conference. Please inform the King, I have an urgent matter to report."

"Sorry, but entrance to the Imperial Palace is forbidden to outsiders after the banquet ends, and moreover, the King shall be accompanying Princess Chen Xi tonight and won’t meet with you." The guard’s rejection was unequivocal, well-acquainted with the King’s temperament. Anyone who would disrupt such a moment of father-daughter warmth was committing a capital offense.

"It’s a matter of great importance, I implore you to convey the message."

"I’ll tell you once more, the King will meet with no one tonight, and we dare not report to him. If we disturb His Majesty’s pleasure, losing our heads would be the least of our worries, not to mention being executed could entail the punishment of our entire families."

"Indeed, it’s not that we don’t want to help; it’s that we truly can’t. Even if you could cure Princess Chen Xi, we wouldn’t dare to report it at this time," another guard added. "Whatever urgent matter you have, wait until the morning. If you come early in the morning, my brother and I will convey your message first thing."

"What if it truly concerns Princess Chen Xi’s illness?" Lu Hong said, "I swear this isn’t a joke. I genuinely have news regarding Princess Chen Xi’s condition."

"This..." The guards were now in a dilemma. Disturbing the King could lead to execution without even the chance to speak, but if they waited until tomorrow morning to report such critical news, the King might very well drag them out for execution for not having informed him immediately.

"What do we do?" The two guards exchanged looks, then struck upon an idea and said to Lu Hong, "Wait here for us, and we will seek out Elder Li to make the decision."

"Alright."

Seeing that Lu Hong agreed, the guards signaled to each other, and seven hundred golden-armored guards tightly surrounded and protected him. They then confidently turned and disappeared into the depths of the Imperial Palace.

Some ten minutes passed, and a chilling sense of murder crept in on the breeze.

"Be careful!"

Thankfully, Ancestor Dragon’s timely reminder allowed Lu Hong to swiftly muster his Pure Steel Battle Energy to form a defense.

The seven hundred golden-armored guards were not as fortunate; under the merciless slashing of the Wind Blades, they were reduced to a pile of flesh in an instant.

"Who is it?!" Lu Hong bellowed, "Who dares to commit murder here at the gates of the Imperial City!"

Under Lu Hong’s gaze, a man floated up into the air, stopping a hundred steps away.

"You are quite special, detecting my Skill so early," the man spoke with a chilling, murderous voice.

"Was it Magic Wind who sent you to kill me?" Within the territory of the Sacred Empire, he had conflicts only with that man.

"Magic Wind? He doesn’t qualify," said the man. "I am here concerning Princess Chen Xi. Lift your head and tell me, how did you come to know of her illness?"

"What if I say what I know is a lie—would you believe me?"

"Of course not. The two guard captains at the Imperial City are both Third Transition Middle Stage experts. In front of them, a mere Second Transition second-level warrior like you cannot lie," the man sneered. "Speak! Who told you?"

"Alright, if I tell you, will you spare my life?" Lu Hong’s mind raced, searching for a way to buy more time. Ancestor Dragon’s warning was clear—this man was a Third Transition Peak powerhouse, and even if Lu Hong triggered the Heavenly God’s Descent, he wouldn’t last a moment.

"No, it will simply make your death more swift," the man said. "Don’t think of wasting time; even if the strong ones from inside the Imperial Palace arrive, I will have killed you before they can reach us."

"Are you sure?" Suddenly, Elder Li’s voice emerged at Lu Hong’s side.

The man was shocked, "Shouldn’t you still be at the Observation Platform?!"

"The Disaster Church’s undercover agent planted in the Imperial Palace came out to monitor me, do you think I could still sit still?"

"Kill!" The man lashed out swiftly, his dark Magic Power swirling violently, transforming into countless black ravens charging toward Lu Hong.

"Daring to cause a commotion before me, your Disaster Church sure has grown audacious!" Elder Li uttered a low shout, waving his hand, and a myriad of thunderbolts exploded, blasting the man backward, spewing blood, as he hastily made his Escape, "Old fool, someday I will surpass you!"

After driving off the Disaster Church agent, Elder Li turned to Lu Hong, "Kid, I’ve seen you at the banquet, tell me why the Disaster Church is after you."

"Because I know about Princess Chen Xi’s illness." In the presence of the powerful Elder Li, Lu Hong quickly drew closer, aiming to gain his favor. In the Sacred Empire, that would surely allow him to walk unimpeded.

"So they left their post to report to His Majesty?" Elder Li’s fury started to subside.

"It seems they said they would tell you first, then you would report to the King."

"Heh, they’re learning." Lifting Lu Hong, Elder Li flew up into the sky, dashing towards the inner palace where the King was located. Along the way, countless arrows were ready on their bowstrings, but upon recognizing Elder Li’s identity, they lowered their guard slightly.

As the two landed at the entrance to the palace, the King’s killing intent had already filled the air. Elder Li dispersed it with a swipe of his hand and shouted, "Your Majesty, your servant has important news!"

"Enter!" the King’s tone was quite unfriendly. Had anyone other than Elder Li approached, it’s likely they would have already turned into corpses at the palace entrance.