Chapter 217 - 110: Zhu Li: What’s Wrong with the Three of Us Being Together?

Chapter 217: Chapter 110: Zhu Li: What’s Wrong with the Three of Us Being Together?

Kan Luotang helping Zhao Ci turn things around and seize first place in the Martial Arts Competition had considerably dampened his joy.

But he understood that no matter how bitter or jealous he felt, these were matters concerning others.

Now that Kan Tianji had publicly announced the marriage arrangement, the girl who loved to wear white dresses could never possibly be his.

Tormenting yourself over other people’s affairs was the most foolish thing you could do.

What he needed to do,

was focus on handling the upcoming house competition.

He’d discovered during this Martial Arts Competition that Prince Ying’s Mansion was unexpectedly strong.

Zhao Ci himself was infuriatingly strong. And while he had two deadweights in his mansion, with Kan Luotang now on his side, things would likely become extremely difficult.

The Kan Family’s legacy included mastery of thunder techniques, Arrays, and divination. They were even a cut above the Zhuge Clan.

’The threat is too great!’

’I have no idea what Father is thinking.’

’It’s as if he’s afraid the war for succession isn’t chaotic enough. The Fourth Prince wasn’t enough, so now he’s thrown Zhao Ci into the mix.’

"Hiss... Huh?"

Zhao Yong snapped his head around to see a middle-aged man dressed entirely in black, his face devoid of expression.

It was the "shadow" the Crown Prince had assigned to be his contact.

"Your Highness!"

"A message from the Crown Prince?"

"Yes."

The shadow nodded, his face a mask. "The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince are in agreement. This house competition has become too chaotic. The Tenth Prince must be eliminated as soon as possible."

Zhao Yong’s eyebrows shot up. "That’s exactly what I was thinking!"

His stereotype of Zhao Ci as a weak mediocrity had long been shattered.

On the trip to the Northern Three Prefectures, not only had Zhao Ci avoided being entrapped by Zhang Delv, he’d turned the tables and fleeced him for forty thousand taels of silver. On top of that, he had earned the goodwill of the low-ranking officials there.

And he had somehow managed to thwart the assassination ambush specifically engineered by the Demon Sect.

The power he displayed during this Martial Arts Competition was even more of a headache.

The Crown Prince Faction and the Fourth Prince Faction were usually as incompatible as fire and water, but that depended on the circumstances.

He could clearly sense Zhao Xie’s wariness of Zhao Ci.

’I just didn’t expect... the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince to reach an agreement so quickly.’

"Excellent!"

The shadow gave a faint smile. "The Crown Prince is confident that you can handle this."

Zhao Yong nodded slightly. "Don’t worry."

The Imperial Clan Court forbade killing one’s own kin, but it permitted many forms of competition during the house competition.

As long as no one delivered a killing blow, allied with outsiders, or violated the Great Yu Laws, any competitive action was permitted.

They would even issue missions that multiple mansions could accept together, just to watch them fight tooth and nail.

The goal was to make the various mansions grow quickly through intense internal competition, while also deepening the bond between the Householder and their Mansion Officials, which in turn made it easier to influence the great clans through them.

’If I were to join forces with the Fourth Prince’s mansion, then no matter how strong Zhao Ci is, he’d have to keep his head down.’

’As long as the Crown Prince isn’t proposing some idiotic plan to cooperate with the Demon Sect, I have no reason not to agree.’

Watching the shadow’s figure disappear, a faint smile touched Zhao Yong’s lips. The pressure in his heart eased considerably.

He then took the Low-Grade Imperial Extreme Pill from within his robes.

After waiting for so long, he could finally undergo his first bone tempering.

He set the Elixir Bottle aside and began circulating the Emperor’s Extreme Body Refining Technique. Once his body reached its peak state, he could begin tempering his bones.

If he was lucky enough to temper his bones to the second grade, then when he opened his Physical Body Divine Treasure, he might be able to condense a Celestial Grade Divine Pattern.

He wouldn’t be that far off from the Xiang Tiange of yesteryear.

After a few full circulations,

a dense well of Imperial Extreme True Qi filled his body.

He took a deep breath and prepared to open the Elixir Bottle.

But at that very moment, Eunuch Li’s shrill, clear voice rang out from outside the door.

"Ninth Prince! His Majesty summons you!"

"Huh?"

Zhao Yong froze, quickly shoving the pill back into his robes.

He hurried to the door and opened it, asking with curiosity, "It’s so late. Hasn’t my Father Emperor retired for the night?"

Eunuch Li beamed. "With three matters weighing on his mind, how could His Majesty possibly sleep?"

Zhao Yong’s curiosity was piqued. "What three matters?"

"First, the Ninth Prince won the Martial Arts Competition. As a father, His Majesty has been thinking of how to reward you."

"And the second?"

A thrill went through Zhao Yong.

"Second, while observing the competition today, His Majesty noticed that your tendon tempering has reached major completion and that you must be about to begin bone tempering. Your Highness has cultivated on your own for a long time, so His Majesty wishes to act as your Dharma Protector."

"My father... he’s actually..."

Zhao Yong’s eyes grew hot. He was so moved he almost burst into tears. "And the third?"

The smile on Eunuch Li’s face suddenly turned mocking. "Third, His Majesty wishes to ask why Your Highness colluded with the Demon Sect to slaughter his own brother!"

Zhao Yong: "!!!"