......
The entire court of civil and military officials, the countless powerful factions, the princes and princesses whose hearts were filled with trepidation—upon hearing those three words, 'An Wuyang'—were all stunned.
It felt as if a great hamr had just swung into their brains at that very mont—*wham*! Just one hit, eighty!!!!
"An..."
"An Wuyang? Isn't that the Filial Prince's na? How does Lu Ding know the Filial Prince?"
"And judging by the aning, he's actually Prince An's sworn father? They don't look that far apart in age either."
"Have you gone senile? It's clearly a joke between friends."
"If the Filial Prince and the Corpse-Shattering Taishui are friends, then..."
It's over.
It's bad!
We're in trouble!!!
This thought surfaced in everyone's hearts.
Originally, the Filial Prince rely had a high bloodline concentration, possessing no power, no influence, no background, and posed little threat to the position of Crown Prince.
But now, with Lu Ding's appearance...
Every single civil and military official in the court felt like screaming out loud.
Why!!?
Why him!!
Why would he have a connection with Lu Ding!!!
Wasn't he a prince lost among the common people?
Great Jing and Great Han are so far apart, how did he even get to know Lu Ding?
It could have been any other competitive prince, why did it have to be An Wuyang!?
At this mont.
Inside the Filial Prince's Manor.
Earlier, when Lu Ding was making a commotion at Four Dukes Mountain, drawing the gaze of the entire Great Jing Royal Capital, the Fourth Prince of Great Jing, An Xingyun, quietly ca to visit An Wuyang.
"Wuyang, long ti no see."
An Wuyang thought for a long ti before rembering when he had last seen this Fourth Prince.
The two had only t once before.
What followed was feigned politeness.
Yet his courtesy only led to An Xingyun pushing his luck further.
"Wuyang, to make a long story short, I've co this ti to propose a cooperation. You have no power, no influence, no support, and though you possess the bloodline, you have nowhere to use it. I have power, influence, and support—the Fourteen Tribes of Jinwu stand behind ."
"Unfortunately, my bloodline is impure. As the saying goes, it's not fit for the grand stage. The Great Jing throne cannot be inherited by soone with foreign blood."
"So, let's cooperate. How about you swap your blood with ?"
"When the ti cos, I'll possess your utterly irreplaceable bloodline, plus the support of the Fourteen Tribes of Jinwu. Who else in all of Great Jing is fit for the Crown Prince position but ?"
"Once I beco Crown Prince, you'll be my sworn brother, An Xingyun. I'm willing to treat you as my own younger brother. In the future, you'll enjoy wealth and honor, a life free from worry and care—I'll provide for you."
The more he spoke, the more excited An Xingyun's expression beca. "If you agree, I can swear to the heavens that I will absolutely not harm you."
Of course, he couldn't harm An Wuyang.
It's just that afterwards, An Wuyang would have to beco his personal blood bank for life. If An Wuyang died, his own bloodline would revert to its original impure state.
An Wuyang listened, utterly dumbfounded.
He wanted to get angry!
But he was helpless, as he couldn't win.
Now that Lu Ding was almost here, he thought he should endure a little longer.
So he directly spoke to see the guest out: "Fourth Prince, you jest. Today, I still have..."
Before he could finish, the Fourth Prince's expression changed. "I am not joking with you."
"Do you think I ca to find you today for no reason!?"
"Right now, the attention of the entire Great Jing is drawn by the commotion at Four Dukes Mountain. No one will pay attention to your Filial Prince's Manor. They are all anxious about the impending arrival of Lu Ding."
"I'm speaking to you nicely right now. Don't force to get rough, otherwise, when blood is spilled and a few drops are wasted, nobody will be happy."
"If you're willing to cooperate, that's best. If you're not willing to cooperate, then..."
As he spoke, several powerful individuals appeared outside the reception hall, dragging in Eunuch Liu, whose face was bruised and swollen.
"Your Highness, I'm fine! You must not agree to him!!!"
*BANG!!!!*
A Spirit Refinent Qi Refiner wearing a fur cap struck Eunuch Liu again, making him cough up blood.
An Wuyang clenched the teacup in his hand fiercely, gritting his teeth as he said, "I can agree to you, but can you give a few days? Three days!?"
Three days would be enough to hold out until Lu Ding arrived. Would you still dare to suck my blood then!?
I'll have you sliced into a thousand pieces!!!!
An Xingyun shook his head. "Wuyang, you may not yet understand the situation. I cannot wait three days. I ca here secretly today."
"We must strike while the iron is hot. If we don't succeed today, once Father Emperor reacts, all my efforts will be for nothing. Moreover, Lu Ding unintentionally helped by drawing the attention of all Great Jing this ti. I should thank him."
"There's much to do. So, we must finish our business today. That way, I'll have ti to prepare and, after his arrival, shine with the most perfect posture."
"Earning the admiration of both Lu Ding and Father Emperor."
As he spoke, An Xingyun pulled out from his chest a palm-sized, half-transparent, worm-like creature with a needle-like mouthpart and placed it on the table.
"Three breaths of ti. Either you place this on your chest yourself, and we all save face."
"Or, after three breaths pass, I'll help you do it myself. Once we tear up decorum, the treatnt I just promised you might have to be downgraded a bit..."
After saying this, he took a small sip of the tea that An Wuyang, out of politeness, had ordered served, and said, "One..."
An Wuyang sat on the stool.
His heart was filled with unwillingness. Three breaths... after three breaths, it would be as if the heavens had abandoned him. Lu Ding was almost here.
Was he really going to beco a pathetic, stray dog just before eting him?
Although Lu Ding would definitely avenge him once he arrived.
An Wuyang truly did not want him to see himself in such a state.
He didn't seek to appear overly dignified when eting Lu Ding, but at the very least, he shouldn't be in such a wretched state, right?
Thinking back to their journey in Wei Gao, how glorious each of them had been.
How long had it been? Now the difference was like heaven and earth.
An Wuyang couldn't accept it. He wasn't jealous of Lu Ding's teoric rise; he only hated his own incompetence, his lack of monstrous talent, his inability to control his own destiny.
Whether in the past or now.
His fate was always controlled by others.
Either sealed in an underground palace in long slumber, or suddenly unearthed, and now about to have his blood drawn and swapped...
"Two..."
An Xingyun's voice continued to ring out.
An Wuyang's aura surged around him. He had prepared himself for a desperate fight.
Even if it was just a little more ti, he was unwilling to compromise and endure humiliation again. Even if he died, he would stand firm!!
He knew that Lu Ding would never tolerate acts of cowardice!
An Wuyang did not want to be looked down upon by his own friend!!!!
An Xingyun smiled disdainfully, as if he hadn't sensed An Wuyang's aura at all.
He was just a minor cultivator within the Five Decays of Heaven-Man realm. Although An Xingyun himself was also within the Five Decays of Heaven-Man realm, he had formidable followers by his side.
Even if the sky fell today, it couldn't save An Wuyang.
"Three!!!"
The mont the word 'three' left his mouth.
Just as An Wuyang was about to erupt in a desperate fight.
At that very mont.
Lu Ding's voice ca through.
"An Wuyang!!"
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