Tracing Bloodlines, Lance Quinn’s Identity Is Suspicious

The Emperor had merely suffered a fright; after three days of rest, he recovered almost completely. The first thing he did upon waking, of course, was to go after Ninth Royal Uncle and hold him accountable.

The Emperor wasn’t a fool. Ninth Royal Uncle had stirred up such a huge commotion at the Windchaser Inn—there was no way he’d believe Consort Xi’s death had nothing to do with Ninth Royal Uncle.

Thinking of Consort Xi dying right beside him, with the palace guards clueless and himself spending the night hugging a corpse, the Emperor felt a chill on his neck, as if death could strike at any moment.

If Ninth Royal Uncle could infiltrate the palace and silently kill the woman at his pillow, then killing him would be just as easy.

No, no matter what, Ninth Royal Uncle cannot be allowed to live.

That was the Emperor’s thought—but carrying it out would not be so simple.

On the morning of the fourth day after the Windchaser Inn incident, the Emperor was mostly recovered. The first thing he did at court was to question Ninth Royal Uncle about what happened at the banquet.

Ninth Royal Uncle flatly denied everything, acting completely calm as he shifted the blame onto Westlyn—claiming that the Emperor of Westlyn, angry over Terrence’s defeat, had retaliated against Prince Rowan and the ministers.

Ninth Royal Uncle’s argument was logical and detailed. Apart from lacking hard evidence, his reasoning made it seem almost certain Westlyn was responsible, and many uninformed officials agreed.

Shameless! Absolutely shameless!

Prince Rowan, Prince Jason, and the officials who attended the Windchaser Inn banquet all stared at Ninth Royal Uncle in shock. How could he claim ignorance? If no one else knew, surely Ninth Royal Uncle did.

Ninth Royal Uncle, how can you lie so calmly, without even blinking or blushing? This is truly lying with your eyes wide open—an ability ordinary people can’t match.

Even Prince Rowan, Prince Jason, and Felix Fuller looked at Ninth Royal Uncle with strange expressions.

Ninth Royal Uncle’s thick skin and black heart had reached a level ordinary people could never hope to match.

Of course, the Emperor didn’t believe Ninth Royal Uncle’s story. But he also couldn’t produce any evidence to prove that Ninth Royal Uncle was behind it.

If the Emperor had questioned the incident the very next day, or if Prince Rowan and Prince Jason had investigated right away, maybe they could’ve found a clue. But instead...

During those three days, the Emperor was gravely ill, and Prince Rowan and Prince Jason stayed by his side, performing their filial duties. They worried he’d die and hand the throne to the Crown Prince. Though they sent their men to investigate, those men were no match for Ninth Royal Uncle.

Three days passed, and Ninth Royal Uncle had already cleaned up all the traces. The Emperor’s investigation led back to the late Emperor—all the people involved were leftovers from the previous reign.

Now... even the Emperor didn’t dare dig any deeper.

With the Windchaser Inn incident, there was no evidence left to find. Unless the Emperor wanted to tear things open with Ninth Royal Uncle, he could only raise the matter high, then gently set it aside.

Truthfully, the Emperor did want to tear things open with Ninth Royal Uncle—but... every time he thought of Consort Xi dying so quietly at his side, he hesitated.

He was afraid Ninth Royal Uncle would use the same trick on him. If he managed to defeat Ninth Royal Uncle but died himself in the process, what would be the point?

Prince Rowan and Prince Jason were furious, but the Wang and Cui clans stayed silent, and even the Emperor’s closest adviser, Felix Fuller, said nothing. No matter how loudly Rowan and Jason protested, it was useless; morning court ended in a heavy silence.

As soon as court ended, the Emperor cursed, "Outrageous! Ninth is getting more and more out of hand—he doesn’t even respect me anymore."

"Calm yourself, Your Majesty." The eunuchs and maids could only repeat this one line, which made the Emperor even angrier. Just then, a young eunuch came to report, "Sir Felix requests an audience."

"Let him in." The Emperor didn’t know why Felix Fuller was coming, but still had him brought in.

Felix Fuller performed a brief bow, then stated his purpose: "Your Majesty, I’ve been investigating the Windchaser Inn incident these past few days. Although Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t deny his involvement, he’s always meticulous and left no evidence. Still, Your Majesty can rest assured—the Wang, Hsieh, and Cui clans are convinced he’s responsible. Even without proof, they’ll retaliate to preserve their noble face."

Felix was hinting to the Emperor not to rush after Ninth Royal Uncle. Ninth Royal Uncle was already beset by trouble, having offended three great clans, Prince Samuel Zhai’s household, and several powerful ministers. His slaughter at the banquet was a ‘kill a thousand, lose eight hundred’ move.

Felix Fuller always knew what the Emperor wanted to hear. As soon as he finished, the Emperor’s mood visibly improved.

Ninth Royal Uncle had offended so many people; none of them would let him grow unchecked. Even without imperial intervention, he’d be in for a rough time.

With the Windchaser Inn incident temporarily set aside, the Emperor recalled the attack on Ninth Royal Uncle and asked, "Was it related to the Former Dynasty? Did you find anything?"

Previously, the Emperor suspected something was off about the ambush on Ninth Royal Uncle. But seeing Ninth Royal Uncle’s reckless revenge, he now had little reason to doubt.

If it hadn’t truly been a brush with death, Ninth Royal Uncle wouldn’t have gone mad, offending everyone and exposing his hidden strength.

"I’ve tracked down some leads. There are indeed Lan clan descendants active in the jianghu. Your Majesty, do you know the number-one swordsman Lance Quinn, who made a splash in the jianghu two years ago?" Felix Fuller glanced up, watching the Emperor’s expression.

"Lance Quinn? What’s wrong with him?" The Emperor frowned, clearly not connecting him to the Lan clan descendants.

The Lan and Phoenixfield clans had been hunted by all four kingdoms. Even if some survived, they wouldn’t dare reveal their surname. The Emperor had checked Lance Quinn’s background—it was spotless, with no ties to the Former Dynasty’s Lan clan.

Felix Fuller realized the Emperor truly didn’t know and felt a stab of disappointment, then relaxed and answered respectfully, "Your Majesty, I suspect Lance Quinn is a descendant of the Former Dynasty’s Lan clan—and may even carry royal blood."

"Lance Quinn—his background was investigated, and nothing was found." The Emperor’s words sounded less confident now.

"Your Majesty, Lance Quinn’s history truly has nothing to do with the Former Dynasty. But I suspect the current Lance Quinn isn’t the original at all, but someone from the Former Dynasty who replaced him and survived under his name." Felix Fuller actually had an even bolder theory, but with no evidence, he kept it to himself.

"Your Majesty, I investigated the village where Lance Quinn grew up. The villagers said that back then, there were several Lan households and only two boys of the right age. Neither had been formally named yet—one had a crippled leg, the other loved books and hated martial arts. In other words, Lance Quinn almost certainly took one of their identities."

There really was such a person in the world, but someone else stepped in and took over his identity from childhood—it’s nearly impossible to trace.

The Emperor fell into deep thought, propping his head with his hand, his face clouded with gloom.

The Former Dynasty, the Lan clan... Lance Quinn.

Just thinking about it gave the Emperor a headache. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Send men. Kill Lance Quinn. Investigate everyone connected to him over the years, and kill them all."

Better to kill by mistake than let a single one slip away.

Whether Lance Quinn was truly of the Former Dynasty didn’t matter—he had to die. As long as there was a chance, he must die...

"Yes, Your Majesty." Felix Fuller got exactly what he wanted and was very satisfied.