Chapter 388: Chapter 388: The Ninth Prince
"Why is Lord Lan also on this Flying Ship? The intelligence we received said that only Prince Duan would be escorting us, didn’t it?"
After everyone was seated, Jingtai asked, looking a bit puzzled.
Prince Duan smiled and explained, "A few days ago, as the Flying Ship was passing through Jinshan County, it was attacked by the Martial Soul Hall. Although I and the Imperial Guard fought them off, the incident put the Imperial City on high alert."
"That’s why the Great Xia Dragon Guard requested Lord Lan’s presence. You must understand, this Flying Ship is carrying the top geniuses from every county. We absolutely cannot afford any mishaps."
Jingtai nodded. After a moment of silence, he suddenly rose from his seat and knelt on the floor. "Lord Lan, Prince Duan, your subordinate... is guilty!"
At the sight of Jingtai kneeling, the eight people behind him were startled and quickly knelt as well.
Seeing this, both Lord Lan and Prince Duan frowned.
The Grand Chief Steward of the Lianshan County Great Xia Dragon Guard, a dignified Earth King Realm expert, was voluntarily kneeling to confess his guilt. ’This... is probably no small matter.’
"Get up and explain what happened," Lord Lan said.
"Yes..."
Jingtai stood up and recounted how Profound Snake and his group had repeatedly insisted that the County City had been massacred.
At this point, based on the reactions of Profound Snake and the others, it was almost certain that they had been telling the truth. A large number of Small Spirit Realm cultivators, along with five at the Earth Spirit Realm, had truly attacked Lianshan County City.
And the Small Spirit Realm members of the Great Xia Dragon Guard within the County City would surely have been unable to resist.
The County City might have already been turned into an Asura Blood Field by now!
After hearing this, Lord Lan and Prince Duan’s brows furrowed even deeper.
The massacre of millions of citizens in a County City was an absolutely earth-shattering event in the Great Xia nation. If it was true, then Great Xia and the Martial Soul Hall were destined for a full-scale, all-out war.
And Jingtai and his men could hardly escape the blame!
"This matter... let’s not jump to conclusions. We should go to the County City and see for ourselves first..." Lord Lan said after a moment of contemplation.
In his heart, however, he didn’t hold out much hope.
Based on Jingtai’s analysis, Profound Snake’s group had likely made thorough arrangements. Lianshan County City was, in all likelihood, already done for.
Prince Duan also shook his head slightly, sighing internally. ’What a turbulent time.’
Just then, the door to the room was pushed open. A young man who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen, flanked by two younger men who appeared to be attendants, walked in.
The man was dressed in opulent clothes, and the various jade pendants and accessories on his person were all of the finest quality. A confident smile was perpetually fixed on his handsome face.
However, a faint look of arrogance always lingered in his eyes, spoiling the overall impression.
"Greetings, Lord Lan. Greetings, Imperial Uncle."
After entering, the man greeted Lord Lan and Prince Duan in turn, but completely ignored Jingtai and the eight men with him, acting as if they didn’t even exist.
"Ninth Prince, what are you doing here?" Prince Duan frowned, his tone laced with displeasure.
With Lord Lan from the Great Xia Dragon Guard’s imperial headquarters and nearly all the high-ranking members of the Lianshan County Great Xia Dragon Guard present, for him to push the door open without even knocking was truly a great breach of etiquette.
So this person was none other than the Ninth Prince of Great Xia, Yu Chen.
Jingtai, who was off to the side, couldn’t help but study the man for a moment.
He still remembered Xia He telling him that he had hidden his identity and taken refuge with the Lianshan County Great Xia Dragon Guard precisely because he was afraid the Second Prince and the Ninth Prince would discover his whereabouts.
"Imperial Uncle, I was just passing by the door and happened to overhear a few things..." the Ninth Prince said to Prince Duan with a smile.
He then turned to Jingtai and the others. His gaze swept over Jingtai, then the two Human King Realm Chief Stewards, and finally the remaining six Military Lords, his condescending attitude on full display.
Everyone from Jingtai to the Celestial Wind Army Master frowned.
Experts have their own dignity.
The Ninth Prince’s high-and-mighty attitude naturally filled them with extreme displeasure.
"The great Great Xia Dragon Guard, falling for the Martial Soul Hall’s trap and letting them massacre an entire County City... It’s simply preposterous! You’ve brought utter shame to the Great Xia nation!"
"Millions of common people, all slaughtered by the Martial Soul Hall just like that? What are you Chief Stewards and Military Lords even good for?"
The Ninth Prince was actually berating Jingtai and his men right in front of Lord Lan and Prince Duan, and his words were so blunt and harsh!
The three King Realm experts, Jingtai among them, all clenched their fists, their eyes turning cold.
The Celestial Wind Army Master and the other five men also had grim expressions, watching the Ninth Prince with cold eyes as rage surged within their hearts.
Although the Ninth Prince was a noble Prince of Great Xia, he himself was merely at the minor Earth Spirit Realm. In front of an expert like Jingtai, he was someone who could be crushed with a single flick of the wrist.
If not for his status, Jingtai would have slapped him to death long ago!
However, the fact remained that the Martial Soul Hall had indeed massacred Lianshan County City.
Knowing they were in the wrong, Jingtai and his men said nothing more. They simply glared at the Ninth Prince in silence, their faces dark and their gazes icy.
Unexpectedly, this reaction only made the Ninth Prince even more brazen.
"The duty of the Great Xia Dragon Guard is to protect a county, yet you’ve lost your own stronghold! What face do you have left to remain in Lianshan County? How can the people of Lianshan County ever trust the Great Xia Dragon Guard again?"
"This crime doesn’t just bring shame to the Great Xia Dragon Guard; it brings shame to the entire Great Xia nation!"
"A great war with the Martial Soul Hall is imminent, and yet you’ve caused such a massive screw-up! Once word of this gets back to the Imperial City, every single one of you will surely be severely punished!"
"Unless... someone pleads on your behalf and explains the circumstances, perhaps you could be spared punishment..."
As the Ninth Prince spoke, his tone suddenly shifted. His gaze toward Jingtai and the other eight men became meaningful.
Hearing this, Lord Lan and Prince Duan, seated in the primary seats, both had a flicker of amusement in their eyes.
They both understood.
This Ninth Prince, on the surface, was here to berate Jingtai and his men. In reality, he wanted to use the opportunity of the County City’s fall to the Martial Soul Hall to recruit them.
The Ninth Prince, Yu Chen, possessed great talent in the Martial Dao. At only nineteen years of age, he was already a fourth-grade Martial Spirit, and he also wielded immense power and influence in the Imperial City.
Among the many princes of Great Xia, he was one of the few with the greatest hope of claiming the throne.
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