At the same time, across the entire Great Li imperial capital, within less than half a day, a piece of news from the Hidden Kill Pavilion had spread far and wide and was racing through the martial world at remarkable speed.
"The Hidden Kill Pavilion is about to move against that Eighth Prince. This may be an opportunity for us."
Inside a room of a certain residence in the capital, a figure sat behind a hazy gauze curtain, their true face impossible to make out.
Before the curtain stood more than a dozen martial world experts, several of whom anyone with knowledge of them would have recognized as former guests of the Second Prince Li Que's residence.
These were in fact the most powerful among the Second Prince's martial retainers, save for that old exile, and yet now they had concealed themselves and come to this secluded little courtyard.
The Azure Jade Scorpion King was among them, and it was he who had spoken first.
He raised his eyes toward the figure behind the curtain. The person emitted no martial pressure whatsoever, yet when he faced them directly, he felt a fear that rose from the depths of his very soul.
The Azure Jade Scorpion King understood clearly that whoever this was, their martial cultivation had to be at an extraordinarily terrifying level. That invisible aura had awakened something in his subconscious, a primal sense of danger.
Compared to whoever sat behind that curtain, even the old exile from the Second Prince's residence was in an entirely different league.
At those words, the assembled martial experts exchanged glances and then all looked toward an ordinary-faced middle-aged man standing before the curtain.
The man had been standing with his eyes closed and his hands at his sides, and only when he felt their gazes did he slowly open his eyes and look at the Azure Jade Scorpion King, saying, "The Hidden Kill Pavilion moving against that Eighth Prince is ultimately about finding the next Pavilion Master. They likely have no real intention of actually killing him."
"So in truth, the Hidden Kill Pavilion is not our ally in this, but our rival. If you go, you will only be walking into your own deaths."
At those words, all of the assembled martial experts showed unusual expressions.
The middle-aged man then fixed his gaze on the Azure Jade Scorpion King and casually produced a wooden box, holding it out toward him, saying, "You and the others endured much hiding away in the Second Prince's residence. These are Primordial Origin Pills, one for each of you."
At those words, the Azure Jade Scorpion King and the nearby martial experts immediately brightened. Primordial Origin Pills were extraordinarily rare and precious martial refinement pills, and a single one was worth months of hard cultivation.
"Many thanks, senior," the Azure Jade Scorpion King and the others said immediately, clasping their hands in a bow, and then eagerly reached for the wooden box the middle-aged man offered.
The Second Prince Li Que had shown generosity to those of talent and gathered martial world experts around him, never knowing that someone had used this to plant informants at his side.
Now that the Second Prince had been killed by the big black cat, there was no longer any reason for these informants to remain at his residence, and so they had returned to their true allegiance.
"You need only watch and wait as the affair between the Hidden Kill Pavilion and that Eighth Prince unfolds. If there comes a time when I need you to act, I will notify you."
The middle-aged man before the curtain swept a look over the assembled figures in the room, then slowly continued, "If you have time to spare, you may also go outside the city in three days and witness the Eighth Prince's strength firsthand. It will give you a better sense of what you are dealing with in future."
At those words, all of the martial experts in the room showed a flicker of interest, and immediately gave their agreement.
A clash between that Eighth Prince and a top Hidden Kill Pavilion assassin was an extraordinarily rare thing to witness, and they had no intention of passing up the chance to observe.
"That is all for now. You may go."
The middle-aged man waved a hand, and the assembled martial world experts clasped their hands and took their leave.
Once everyone had gone, the middle-aged man removed the false face he wore, then turned toward the figure behind the curtain, saying, "Father, while the Hidden Kill Pavilion and Li Musheng are engaged with each other, if you were to strike from the shadows and take his life by surprise, it could actually be an opportunity."
As he said this, a look of grief appeared on the middle-aged man's face, "If we miss this chance, who knows how long it will be before another comes? When will we ever be able to take our revenge?"
The figure behind the curtain shook their head and said, "I will have only one chance to act. Either he dies, or I am finished."
"And so I need to wait for the best possible moment. Our scheme has only just begun, and the only thing that needs to be done right now is to hold back and do a single thing: wait."
At those words, the middle-aged man let out a quiet sigh and said nothing further.
...
Great Li imperial palace.
With the Hidden Kill Pavilion's news now out, the several princes who had been sheltering in the palace for the past few days gathered together once again, a rare occasion.
First Prince Li Xuan, Fifth Prince Li Qing, Fourth Prince Li Zi, and Sixth Prince Li An all met in a side hall.
After the palace maids and eunuchs were dismissed, Fifth Prince Li Qing swept a look over Li Zi and Li An, then spoke first, "I trust both Fourth Elder Brother and Sixth Brother have already heard the news about the Hidden Kill Pavilion's challenge to the Eighth. What are your thoughts?"
At those words, Li Zi glanced at Li An, then said with a darkened expression, "All I know is that if Li Musheng ends up sitting in the Hidden Kill Pavilion Master's seat, we princes will likely spend the rest of our lives confined to the inner palace without ever setting foot outside."
As he saw it, the Hidden Kill Pavilion was an assassination organization with a fearsome reputation across all five nations. If Li Musheng were to become Pavilion Master, a single word from him within the Pavilion could send countless assassins after their lives.
At that point, they could forget about going out at all. They would not even be safe in their own residences, and only cowering inside the Great Li imperial palace would offer any hope of survival.
At that moment, Sixth Prince Li An also furrowed his brow and nodded, saying, "The Eighth's martial cultivation is already terrifying enough on its own. Now with the Hidden Kill Pavilion as a weapon at his disposal, he would be even more formidable than before. In the days to come, there may be no one in the entire world able to stop him."
At those words, First Prince Li Xuan glanced at Li An and Li Zi, drummed his fingers on the armrest beside him, and said with a thoughtful expression, "What both of you have said is also what concerns me. Leaving aside Li Zhi, there are now only the four of us princes and the Eighth."
"And yet not one of us alone can stand against him. Even together, I doubt we could overcome him."
As he said this, he shook his head, "The Great Li throne will most likely belong to no one but him in the end."
At those words, Fourth Prince Li Zi suddenly sprang to his feet in fury, saying, "If Father passes the Great Li throne to him, I will absolutely never accept it. If he becomes emperor, he will without question be a tyrant, and all of Great Li will be destroyed under his hand."
Beside him, Li An glanced at Li Zi and shook his head, "Fourth Elder Brother, those are words best kept in your own heart. If the Eighth were to hear them, the Second's fate..."
Li An did not continue, and Li Zi's expression went through a rapid series of changes before he finally sat back down resentfully and let out a sharp snort.
Seeing this, Fifth Prince Li Qing and First Prince Li Xuan exchanged a glance, and then Li Qing's gaze shifted and he suddenly spoke, "Everyone knows the Eighth's temperament. But whatever the case, we absolutely cannot simply sit and wait for our doom. Even if we cannot confront him directly, we must take some kind of action."
At those words, both Li Zi and Li An looked toward him, and Li Zi furrowed his brow slightly and asked, "What does Fifth Brother suggest?"
Fifth Prince Li Qing waved a hand and narrowed his eyes, saying, "I would not call it a suggestion exactly, but what I know clearly is this: the four of us are in the same boat. United, we have an advantage. Only by joining forces right now do we have even a thread of a chance against the Eighth."
At those words, Fourth Prince Li Zi and Sixth Prince Li An exchanged glances, and both fell into a thoughtful silence.
At that, First Prince Li Xuan also spoke, "The Eighth is powerful and acts without any restraint. Even with the four of us united, we have only the slimmest of chances. If each of us acts alone, we likely have no chance at all."
Both Li Zi and Li An went quiet for a moment. Li An's face twisted in a look of deep conflict and distress, and he said, "Forgive your younger brother for being cowardly and useless. I have never had any desire for the throne from beginning to end, and I truly have no wish to involve myself in any court affairs."
As he said this, he looked at Li Qing and Li Xuan and added, "And even if I were to join, I have no people and no resources under my command, so I would be of no real help to any of you. Whether I am here or not makes little difference."
At those words, Fourth Prince Li Zi shot Li An a look, and a flash of exasperation crossed his eyes. He found him a truly hopeless case.
First Prince Li Xuan and Fifth Prince Li Qing were already aligned with each other. If the four of them were to unite, only by having himself and Li An standing together could he hold any weight against those two.
With Li An backing out now, he alone would be left on his side, and he would likely end up being swallowed whole without even scraps remaining.
"No. This is not up for discussion. You must join us."
Li Zi looked at Li An with a serious expression, then seemed to realize his tone was coming across too forcefully, and softened his voice, saying, "We four brothers stand and fall together. Even if you cannot contribute anything, how could we as your elder brothers bear to leave you behind to face Li Musheng alone?"
"We never abandon anyone, and we never give up. That is the promise we make to you as your elder brothers."
"You may not trust yourself, but you cannot distrust elder brothers as sincere and loyal as us."
As he said this, Li Zi shifted his gaze to First Prince Li Xuan and Fifth Prince Li Qing, narrowing his eyes and saying, "I am sure Elder Brother and Fifth Brother feel exactly as I do."
At those words, Li Xuan and Li Qing were both momentarily caught off guard, clearly not having expected Li Zi to spout such heartfelt-sounding words without so much as a flicker of discomfort.
But both quickly caught on, gave a nod, and turned to Li An one after the other, saying, "Sixth Brother need not worry. With us elder brothers here, we will naturally do everything in our power to look out for you."
"In the days to come, we will be not only brothers but allies, standing by each other and watching each other's backs."
For Li Xuan and Li Qing, their purpose was to draw every person they could into their camp and hold them firmly.
Fourth Prince Li Zi needed no explanation. He had previously been closest to the Seventh Prince Li Zhi, and held considerable assets and influence left behind by Li Zhi.
Bringing Li Zi onboard was in fact their primary purpose.
As for Li An, speaking frankly, the man had always kept himself out of every court matter, and all of them had watched this for years.
Many had previously suspected it was a deliberate act, biding his time while hiding his true ability. But after so many years of probing and observing everything he had done, all of those suspicions had been entirely put to rest.
In the eyes of both Li Xuan and Li Qing, Li An was a completely and utterly hopeless case of a prince.
The reason they cooperated with Li Zi and made such a point of insisting on bringing Li An in was purely for Li Zi's sake, since they knew that without Li An coming aboard, Li Zi's cautious nature would make him very difficult to secure.
And at that moment, Li An, finding all three princes treating him with such apparent sincerity, sat where he was looking somewhat dazed.
Then a look of genuine emotion crossed his face, and he reached up to dab at the corners of his eyes, which had gone a little red, and said in a choked voice, "The ancients did not deceive me. Adversity truly reveals true friendship. I am deeply grateful that the three of you do not look down on me and refuse to abandon me."
As he said this, Li An looked ashamed and said, "Though I am good for nothing, I cannot bear to disappoint my elder brothers' expectations. Whatever you need of me in the future, I will not refuse."
At those words, Fourth Prince Li Zi immediately relaxed inwardly, and reached out to take Li An's hand, saying, "Sixth Brother, the heart is what matters. We elder brothers are not the kind of people to be swayed by advantage. Even if you cannot help us at all, we will never look down on you for it."
At the sight, First Prince Li Xuan and Fifth Prince Li Qing both twitched slightly at the corners of their eyes, exchanged a glance, and then immediately put on smiling faces, came over to Li An's side, and clapped him on the shoulders, saying, "That is the spirit. We are all family here, no need to be formal."
"As long as the four of us work together with one heart, sooner or later we will be able to stand against the Eighth, and no longer have to live like this, hiding and sneaking about and afraid to set foot outside our own doors."
At those words, Li An looked around at all three of them, then gave a firm nod, "All three Elder Brothers are absolutely right. In the future, whenever I can be of use, please do not hesitate to call on me."
As he said this, he clasped both hands together and bowed low before the three of them in a solemn gesture of respect.
But in the instant he lowered his head, a look flashed across the depths of his eyes, one that seemed both helpless and deeply, darkly amused.
"Sixth Brother need not be so formal. We are all brothers here," the three of them said, reaching out one by one to help him straighten up, and in that moment every face wore a warm and brotherly smile.
But in the depths of each man's eyes, entirely different thoughts were turning.
And for at least one of them, the thoughts went very deep indeed, so deep that even the smile on his face right now was merely another layer of disguise beneath his disguise.
The four Great Li princes, united in a common cause and looking outwardly harmonious, had at last established their alliance.
After that, the four of them chatted warmly for a while, and the atmosphere between them grew noticeably more easy and comfortable than before.
In the end, they also discussed at length the news of the Three-Sect Alliance forming the Martial World League to oppose the Great Li court.
After each sharing their views on the matter, without exception every point of blame was ultimately directed at Li Musheng. They all agreed that this situation had arisen because of him, and so naturally it should be his problem to resolve. In fact, this was itself one of their methods for dealing with Li Musheng.
They could not take him on themselves, but the three great sects were another matter entirely.
It was a plan that killed two birds with one stone.