The uproar over Ian Song killing Beigong Shang's guards hadn't even died down when another incident involving him exploded, spreading through the capital at lightning speed.
"Tsk tsk, Ian Song really has guts. He even dares to kill people from the Prince Muyeno Estate!" someone exclaimed.
"Is the Prince Muyeno Estate really that powerful?" a young cultivator asked, puzzled.
"Speaking of the Prince Muyeno Estate, you have to go back more than ten years. Do you know who was the number one wastrel in the capital back then?"
"Could it be Prince Muyeno?"
"That's right. Back then, Prince Muyeno wasn't just the number one wastrel—he was privately called the First Scourge of the Capital, notorious for countless outrageous acts.
But the Empress doted on him, so no one could do anything about it. Maybe he found it too easy to cause trouble for others, because he even went into the palace and raped one of the Empress's advisers!"
"Whoa, this guy was that wild? He even dared to lay hands on someone close to the Empress?" The crowd was fascinated by this scandal.
"You bet. That finally enraged the Empress. She wanted to behead Prince Muyeno on the spot, but after some people pleaded for mercy, she spared his life, crippled his cultivation, and exiled the entire Prince Muyeno Estate to the Bitter Cold Lands, forbidding them to ever return!"
"If the Prince Muyeno Estate was exiled forever, how come they're back now?"
"I heard that before Prince Muyeno died, he wrote a letter to the Empress admitting his faults. He was extremely sincere and begged her to let his son—the Young Prince Muyeno—bring the Prince Muyeno Estate household back to the capital. More than ten years have passed, and the Empress's anger has mostly faded. Plus, that Prince Muyeno, for all his wild ways, could always amuse the Empress. Now that he's gone, even if he made countless mistakes, it's all water under the bridge. So, the Empress remembered his good points and allowed the Young Prince Muyeno to return to the capital with his people. And as soon as the Young Prince came back, he went straight to see the Empress, showing that she still thinks fondly of Prince Muyeno. She might even be planning to make the Young Prince the new Prince Muyeno!"
"So if that's the case, isn't Ian Song in danger now?"
"Isn't that right?" someone else sighed. "Honestly, you can't really blame Ian Song for this. Just a few days ago, he spent a fortune to buy what used to be the Prince Muyeno Estate. Now the Young Prince Muyeno returns, and instead of negotiating, he sends people to forcibly take it back, wanting to reclaim a manor worth over two hundred thousand top-grade spirit crystals without spending a single crystal. And the Prince Muyeno Estate people are so arrogant—they killed one of Ian Song's servants as soon as they arrived."
"Heh, isn't that just bullying with their status?"
"Exactly. But Ian Song isn't some pushover either. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to kill one of the Prince Muyeno Estate's Soul-Split guards. I heard Ian Song once said, 'Ma Jiu is a man of my Song Residence, and as his master, I must take responsibility for him. Too bad I don't have the power to bring people back from the dead, so all I can do is avenge him!'"
"That Ian Song really does have loyalty and guts. For a servant who'd only been with him for a short time, he didn't hesitate to go to war with the Prince Muyeno Estate and kill one of their Soul-Split guards."
"Right now the Young Prince Muyeno is still inside the Imperial Palace meeting the Empress, so he probably hasn't heard the news yet. Once he leaves the palace, he'll likely go straight to Ian Song to settle the score!"
"Eh, since that's the case, what are we waiting for? Let's hurry over to the Song Residence and watch the show!"
In no time, a huge crowd of cultivators gathered around Ian Song's manor, waiting to see the drama unfold.
Prince Muyeno Estate.
Vergil Beigong listened to his subordinate's report with a dark, brooding face. When the report ended, he just sneered, "Hmph, I was planning to give that guy a big surprise, but who would've guessed he'd go and piss off that little disaster, Young Prince Muyeno!"
"Should we still go ahead with our plan?" the subordinate asked nervously.
Vergil Beigong waved his hand. "No rush. Let's watch for now! Honestly, we probably won't even need our plan. That little disaster is just like his old man—small-minded and always out for revenge. Whenever he causes trouble, he doesn't care about the consequences. Otherwise, his dad wouldn't have gotten crippled and kicked out of the capital by the Empress. Anyway, this is going to be a great show. Make arrangements—I want a front row seat!"
Nangong Manor.
Brandon Nangong had also heard the news, and a mocking smile played at his lips. "Ian Song, oh Ian Song, did you really think that slapping Vergil Beigong once made you invincible? Now you've managed to offend the Prince Muyeno Estate too. You're practically begging for trouble!"
Thousand-Night Palace.
Sandy came rushing in and whispered the news to the Silver Fox Princess.
Hearing this, the Silver Fox Princess frowned slightly, her elegant brows knitting together.
Sandy probed, "Princess, that Young Prince is a real little tyrant. Now that Ian Song has killed someone from his estate, things are going to get ugly. Should we step in and help him?"
"No need!"
The Silver Fox Princess replied coolly. Lately she'd been having strange dreams, and the story kept progressing. Just last night, she dreamed that Ian Song had rebuilt the Qi Kingdom and become its Grand General—and she herself couldn't help but admire him. That made her feel deeply uncomfortable.
Song Residence.
Raina Quinn's scouts returned with their findings. After reporting everything about the Prince Muyeno Estate, everyone except Ian Song looked worried.
"Young Master, what should we do?" Raina Quinn asked anxiously.
"What else? If soldiers come, we'll meet them with soldiers; if water comes, we'll block it with earth!" Ian Song replied nonchalantly.
"But Young Prince Muyeno is still imperial blood. And I've heard the Empress might let him inherit the Muyeno County King title!" Raina Quinn said, her voice thick with worry.
"All right, go do whatever you need to do. Don't worry about this!" Ian Song waved everyone out, leaving only Lila Li and Wendy Lin in the hall.
"Are you really okay, husband?" Lila Li asked.
"I'm fine."
"But Young Prince Muyeno is the Empress's great-grandson!"
Ian Song smiled. "As long as I don't kill him myself, the Empress probably won't get involved. To someone as important as her, I'm just a small fry. She wouldn't bother to come after me in person. Who knows, maybe she secretly hopes I'll teach the Prince Muyeno Estate a lesson—after all, the disaster Prince Muyeno caused ten years ago was huge!"
As evening approached, Soren Wu strutted out of the Imperial Palace with Steward Wu at his side, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
The Empress had already hinted that he'd soon inherit the Muyeno County King title.
Suddenly, Steward Wu narrowed his eyes and stared at Gavin Gong, who was waiting nearby. "Gavin Gong, what are you doing here?" he asked in a deep voice.
"Greetings, Young Prince, greetings, Steward Wu. Here's what happened..." Gavin Gong quickly explained how their attempt to reclaim the Song Residence had failed—and how one of their Soul-Split guards had ended up dead.
"Useless! You couldn't even handle a simple job!" Soren Wu roared, then switched gears, "But Ian Song is even more outrageous—he dares to occupy my estate! He must have a death wish. Gavin Gong, gather every man we have. I'm going to flatten the Song Residence and wipe out the whole Song clan!"