Chapter 1175: Leaving
Two days later, in the middle of the night, the backyard of the Crown Prince’s Residence was brightly lit by lanterns.
In a gazebo in the middle of the lake, Lu Guangdi stood at the side. His facial expression was firm as he pressed his lips tightly, not uttering a single word.
The Crown Prince Leng Jinghua looked utterly helpless, shaking his head. Turning over to face Lu Yurong, he asked, “Yurong, the city’s in chaos, there must be someone pulling the strings in the background… Is it Chu Li?”
Lu Yurong said softly, “Based on logical deduction, it shouldn’t be Chu Li’s doing.”
Her bright eyes seemed to twinkle as he continued, “He had defeated Young Master Lu after all, there’s no need for Chu Li to continue forcing his hand. Young Master Lu’s cultivation has been crippled, there’s no chance for him to pose a threat to Chu Li anymore. Based on his personality, he wouldn’t bother wasting his time continuing to mess with Young Master Lu… I feel like it might be the Tempest Temple.”
“The Tempest Temple…” Leng Jinghua frowned as his face seemingly sunk.
Lu Yurong knew that Leng Jinghua had unsettled business with the Tempest Temple. Using the Tempest Temple was the easiest way to distract him from Chu Li.
No matter how they look at it, this problem was not caused by Chu Li, he did not benefit from it at all. This bargain between the two was not known by anyone else, if neither one of them exposed themselves, no one in the right mind would be able to see this coming.
This was the effect of having a smart person work with another smart person, it could throw the entire world for a loop.
At this point, she had finally tasted the amazing feeling of this collaboration. It was a truly addicting feeling.
Lu Guangdi said, “Your Highness, no matter who it is, I cannot continue staying at Fairy’s Capital. Tomorrow, I’ll voluntarily take my leave and let everyone see it.”
“Rumors will always be rumors, don’t pay it much heed.” Leng Jinghua stated.
He was unhappy.
If he released Lu Guangdi, it would mean that he was cutting off all ties with Lu Zhengjun. Trying to rebuild this relationship would be impossibly hard. For a man if Lu Zhengjun’s stature, how could he be that dense, how could he not see through Leng Jinghua’s true intentions?
In recent years, Lu Zhengjun had always not taken any action against the Tempest Temple. If Lu Guangdi was not here, it would be nearly impossible to hope for Lu Zhengjun to make a move.
As the Crown Prince, his word reigned supreme in the royal court, but in the eyes of the four major sects, it was mediocre at best. In fact, his influence was the lowest amongst the group.
Lu Guangdi exclaimed, “Your Highness, I can tarnish my own name, but I will never allow the name of the Tide-listening Pavilion… the good name of the Tide-listening Pavilion, to be tarnished because of me! If that happens, how am I supposed to face everyone when I head back!”
“So, you’ve made up your mind?” Leng Jinghua asked.
“Yes.” Lu Guangdi made a fist salute. “I shall have to repay Your Highness’ kindness another day. No matter what, I have to go back this time.”
“If that’s the case, so be it.” Seeing that he had already made up his mind, Leng Jinghua knew that there was no use in trying to pressure him.
Lu Yurong suddenly chimed in, “Young Master Lu, even if you leave right now, I doubt it would have any effect. If those people want to defame the Tide-listening Pavilion, they’ll just find another excuse to do so.”
“If I’m not here, even if they find another excuse, it would have nothing to do with me! I can live on without this guilty conscience on my mind!” Lu Guangdi said.
“Well said.” Leng Jinghua said in a low tone, “Alright, Young Lu, once you head back to the Tide-listening Pavilion, try your best to train up and regain your former strength. I’ll gather some Spirit Pills and send them over!”
“Your Highness, you’re too kind, you don’t have to.” Lu Guangdi thanked.
Leng Jinghua shook his head and said, “I am not the type of person who would burn down bridges that easily. Once you regain your cultivation, please return and lend me your strength.”
“Your Highness, I swore to never set foot in Fairy’s Capital ever again.” Lu Guangdi shook his head.
Leng Jinghua smiled. “You can challenge Chu Li once more and just win the wager you lost.”
“…Yes.” Lu Guangdi smiled.
Lu Yurong was secretly laughing to herself, but she did not make a sound.
Lu Guangdi signed a fist salute at her. “Miss Lu, sorry for troubling you this entire time.”
Lu Yurong calmly replied, “It’s no big deal.”
Lu Guangdi continued, “I’m really no match for Miss Lu!”
The beautiful lady made an ambiguous expression as she replied, “Young Master Lu, have a safe trip.”
She then turned over to Leng Jinghua and said, “Uncle-in-law, Young Master Lu’s journey back might be quite dangerous, we should assign a top-level escort to see him back.”
Leng Jinghua was stunned at the proposition. After deliberating slightly, he nodded slowly. “Fair point.”
He was actually quite disappointed with Lu Guangdi, especially since he knew that he could no longer rely on this kid to gain Lu Zhengjun’s aid. Even if this brat managed to regain his cultivation, Lu Zhengjun would never allow him to return to the Crown Price’s Residence again.
His act just now was merely meant to be words of comfort for Lu Guangdi, it was purely a means to gain the boy’s trust one last time. In reality, he had already planned on abandoning Lu Guangdi.
Lu Yurong stared deeply into the Crown Prince’s eyes.
Even if Leng Jinghua did not understand why she proposed that idea, he did not bother to question her. He just nodded and said, “Yurong, pick a few experts then.”
“Understood.” Lu Yurong nodded. “Let’s have Elder Xu and Elder Hu be his escorts.”
“You shouldn’t!” Lu Guangdi hurriedly shook his head.
He knew that Elder Xu and Elder Hu was Leng Jinghua’s hidden bodyguards. Usually, they hid from sight, their existence was almost completely unknown to the public, but the people within the courthouse knew of their true strengths. They were the Crown Prince Residence’s top tier masters.
Leng Jinghua took a good look at Lu Yurong before instantly nodding without any hesitation. “Alright, it’s decided then!”
“Your Highness!” Lu Guangdi frantically waved his hands. “You’re really being too generous. I’m now nothing but a crippled useless man. The only grudge I have against me is with Chu Li, and I’ve already been dealt with by him. Other than that, I had no grudges or conflicts held against me, no one would bother to harm someone like me.”
Lu Yurong spat out two words, “How naive!”
Lu Guangdi looked at her in an unsatisfied manner.
Lu Yurong continued, “Their target isn’t you, it’s uncle-in-law.”
Lu Guangdi frowned and went into deep thought. However, no matter how he looks at it, he was still confused over this young lady’s statement.
On the other hand, Leng Jinghua seemed to have realized what she was getting at. He nodded and said, “Yeah, Yurong’s got a point here. Don’t get dragged down just because of me. Now that that’s settled, I won’t be able to send you off tomorrow, I still have to go to the courthouse tomorrow. I’ll have Yurong go in my place.”
Lu Yurong replied, “No worries, uncle-in-law.”
…
The next day, at the break of dawn, Lu Guangdi slowly walked out of the Crown Prince’s Residence. Accompanying him were two elders who were holding on to the reins of three horses.
The two elders’ appearances looked as average as they could be, giving off a mediocre aura. From their appearances, they looked completely plain and in no way are giving off the impression of being masters. In fact, they looked more like common servants.
Lu Yurong signed a Fist Salute at the gate of the Crown Prince’s Residence, bidding them farewell.
Lu Guangdi looked at the doll-like Lu Yurong, who was clad in a white tunic and a white face veil, seemingly depressed and not willing to leave her. However, he had no choice but to bid her farewell, thinking off when they would meet again.
As a breeze blew on the scene, Lu Yurong tunic flowed with the wind. It made her look even more like an otherworldly goddess that had descended upon this mortal realm.
Lu Yurong’s eyes seemed to be gleaming as she calmly locked eyes with him. Making a fist salute, she said, “Young Master Lu, please take care on your way back. When you reach the Tide-listening Pavilion, do remember to write back to the Crown Prince’s Residence to report your safe arrival. After all, His Highness likes you quite a lot.”
“…Alright.” Lu Guangdi nodded as he made another fist salute. Holding back his emotions, he steeled himself as he slowly turned around, walking away from the Crown Prince’s Residence.
The streets were as busy as usual. When he saw the bustling scene, it felt as if he was locked in a jail cart being dragged away to his sentence, it killed him inside.
He made his way over to the Southern City Gates. Right as he approached the gate, he looked back once more.
The majestic Fairy’s Capital firmly stood still, he felt like this place had looked this way for as long as he could remember, with only the people moving and out of the city.
He sighed nostalgically. As the two elders pulled the horses over, they urged, “Young Master Lu, let’s make a move.”
Lu Guangdi silently nodded as he hopped onto the horse. Suddenly, he stopped himself, frowning as he looked over at the sidewalk a short distance away from his location.
His eyesight was quite good, he saw Chu Li standing over at the parting pavilion at the side of the road nearby.
Chu Li was dressed in white robes. Accompanying him was a beautiful woman looking as elegant as a sculpture. She stood next to him as they looked over in Lu Guangdi’s direction.
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