Inside Peaceful Loft.
Donna and herpanions had already met with Prince Jace, and Ethan was also present.
In thergest private room on the third floor of Peaceful Loft, low, long guest tables and cushions were arranged in two rows on either side.
Seated on the cushions were several men dressed in court attire, clearly officials from the grand hall.
Surprisingly, the courtesans of Peaceful Loft were seated alongside these officials as equals.
The four officials wore grim expressions, though it was unclear whether they were angered by being grouped with the courtesans or by some other matter.
Seated in the main seat was a strikingly handsome young man dressed in white, a truly exceptional prince.
This young talent was currently ying a guzheng, his brow furrowed in concentration.
The music was elegant and serene, calming the listener''s heart.
This was the Twelfth Prince, Jace!
Only Donna and the Celestial Star Swordmaster entered the private room.
Prince Jace continued ying until thest note faded away.
He then pressed down on the strings, turned to Donna and the Celestial Star Swordmaster with a smile, and gestured for them to enter.
"Wee, esteemed guests from the far north. Please, have a seat."
"..."
Donna and the Celestial Star Swordmaster frowned slightly and looked around.
All the seats were upied.
They exchanged nces, about to find a ce to stand.
Prince Jace suddenly pped his forehead and eximed in mock distress, "Oh dear, my apologies. I was so engrossed in my music that I didn''t notice the room was full."
He shook his head with a wry smile.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Prince Jace turned to Donna and the Celestial Star Swordmaster apologetically.
"Please wait a moment."
As his words left his lips, his previously refined demeanor transformed into one of ferocity.
With a sh of his Storage Ring, he drew a longsword, his Competent Force radiating outwards!
The four officials paled at the sight and immediately dropped to their knees, begging for mercy.
However, Prince Jace remained unmoved by their pleas.
He slowly killed two of the officials as their terrified colleagues watched on.
The room echoed with pleas for mercy, but the remaining two officials could only tremble and beg for their lives.
The courtesans, however, seemed unfazed, their expressions nk.
Blood sttered on Prince Jace''s face.
He casually wiped it away and smiled at Donna and the Celestial Star Swordmaster, who were frowning deeply.
"There, now we have seats. Please."
...
"This world is full of fools. Yesterday, I sent for a few of my subordinates, telling them there was an important position avable in Fairview City. I instructed them toe to Peaceful Loft in their court attire."
The courtesans, unafraid, began clearing away the bodies and wiping the blood from the floor.
The two surviving officials, weeping and terrified, scrambled out of Peaceful Loft.
Prince Jace took a handkerchief from a servant and wiped the blood from his face, as if nothing had happened.
"Those four were the most foolish. I asked them what they would do if they were given the position. They spoke eloquently, their every word about serving the country and its people, but they offered no real solutions. The two who are dead now, I had intended to appoint them as magistrates in charge of psychic affairs in Fairview.
One was to unify the psychic cultivation techniques, and the other was to eliminate all dissenters."
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"Ever since I became a prince and set my sights on the throne, I''ve encountered countless fools trying to take advantage of me."
As he spoke, a courtesan served Prince Jace tea.
He took a sip and turned his attention to the young woman in the yellow robe before him, her brows slightly furrowed.
"Donna, your ckwood n has not dared to show its face for a century. And now you emerge and seek me out. I do hope you''re not here for the same reason as those two fools. Otherwise, I''m afraid Peaceful Loft will cease to be a ce of peace."
"I require information."
Donna stated calmly.
...
"How did the ckwoods gain an audience with Prince Jace?"
As night fell, Brody, who was waiting anxiously outside Peaceful Loft, grew increasingly impatient.
The people from Cloudview County had been inside for most of the day.
He knew a fair bit about Prince Jace.
Rumor had it that the prince was a creature of habit.
With the national advisor''s support over the years, his schedule was practically public knowledge.
He would fish by the river from dusk till dawn, indulge in food and wine at Peaceful Loft during the day, and attend court at noon.
Brody could only recall a handful of times when Prince Jace had deviated from his routine in the past century.
The most recent instance was when Jace''s younger sister was forced into a political marriage with the Golden Empire by the Empress.
And now, Prince Jace had altered his schedule for the ckwoods?!
Laughter even emanated from within Peaceful Loft.
"What could they possibly be discussing?"
Brody clenched his fists.
After all these years, the ckwoods had resurfaced, and their purpose was undoubtedly to eliminate Heavenly Path!
The memories of being repeatedly visited and ckmailed by the ckwoods over a century ago came flooding back, filling him with resentment.
What infuriated him the most was that Donna, the body cultivator who was once aplete lunatic, hadn''t charged at him with reckless abandon as he had anticipated.
He had even prepared to conceal his true cultivation level and then unleash his Basic Mastery psychic powers to crush Donna.
But now, everything had caught him off guard.
Meanwhile, on Kylin Mountain, Austin, observing through Brody''s eyes, was also deeply troubled.
Over a century had passed, and he had heard tales of the ckwoods'' ferocity.
They were known for their direct confrontations and brutal tactics.
Even their schemes revolved around violence.
But now, their every move seemed unreadable.
He had just confronted Nathan not long ago, and now the ckwoods, instead of being wary of Lance, had sought out Prince Jace!
"The special gift Nathan mentioned..."
Austin murmured, and then a terrifying thought struck him.
"Jace! ckwood!!!"
A barrage of messages from his projections flooded his mind, causing his veins to bulge and his face to contort in rage!
...
The imperial capital was a city that never slept, its streets illuminated by countlessnterns.
Donna and the Azure Cloud group strolled through the streets without a care in the world, their faces filled with joy.
Brody continued to follow them.
If they dared to leave the imperial capital, they would face his most relentless pursuit!
However, Brody was rooted to the spot, as if petrified.
In Donna''s hand, he saw... an energy locator!
"How could this be? Prince Jace, how could he give such a thing to the ckwoods?!"
He was certain that all his other projections were witnessing the same thing, and feeling the same shock.
For the first time, Brody felt true fear.
After consuming the ancient god blood and realizing he was being watched, he had broken free from the Grand Tutor.
He had escaped one cage only to enter another – that of the national advisor, Lance!
To gain Lance''s trust, he had to offer something of value, and this energy locator...
It could lock onto the energy signature of all his reincarnated bodies through his original soul, revealing the approximate locations of his projections!
Only with this assurance could Lance trust him and offer him protection within the Emerald Empire, shielding him from Grand Tutor Gilbert''s grasp.
Without it, Lance would never have allowed him to grow to his current strength.
Now, the ckwoods possessed his lifeline, the key to his survival.
His numerous projections scattered throughout the Emerald Empire would have nowhere to hide!
This also meant... he had be Prince Jace''s abandoned pawn!