After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 309 Different thoughts

At the same time, within half a day, a message from the Hidden Kill Pavilion spread like wildfire throughout the capital of Dali, reaching all corners of the martial world at an extremely fast pace.

"The Hidden Killing Pavilion is about to make a move against that Eighth Prince, which may be an opportunity for us."

Inside a room in a mansion in the capital, a figure sat behind a hazy curtain, making it impossible to discern their true appearance.

Outside the curtain stood a dozen or so martial arts experts. Those who knew them would recognize that some of them were former retainers of the Second Prince Li Que.

Moreover, these people were the strongest martial arts masters in the Second Prince's residence, apart from that exiled old man. However, they had come to this secluded courtyard in disguise.

The Jade Scorpion King was among them, and he was the first to speak.

He looked up at the figure behind the curtain. The other person did not exude any martial arts aura, but when he faced the other person directly, he felt a fear that came from the depths of his soul.

The Jade Scorpion King knew very well that the opponent's martial arts cultivation must be extremely terrifying. This invisible aura even awakened a sense of crisis in his subconscious.

Compared to the other party, the exiled old man from the Second Prince's residence was on a completely different level in terms of strength.

At this moment, upon hearing the words of the Jade Scorpion King, a faint, obscure, and indistinct voice came from the figure behind the curtain, saying:

"I am already aware of this matter, but I will not take action this time."

Upon hearing this, the group of martial arts experts in the room exchanged glances, and then all looked at the ordinary-looking middle-aged man standing in front of the curtain.

The middle-aged man, who had been meditating with his eyes closed and hands at his sides, slowly opened his eyes when he saw everyone looking at him. His gaze fell on the Jade Scorpion King, and he said:
"The Hidden Killing Pavilion's move against that Eighth Prince is ultimately to find a successor for the Pavilion Master; they probably don't really intend to kill him."

"Therefore, the Hidden Killers Pavilion is not our ally but our adversary. Going there will only be a death sentence for you."

Upon hearing this, all the martial arts masters showed strange expressions.

At this moment, the middle-aged man, while looking at the Jade Scorpion King, casually took out a wooden box and handed it to the other party, saying:

"You Jade Scorpion King and the others have worked hard infiltrating the Second Prince's residence. Here is a 'True Essence Pill' for you, one pill each."

Upon hearing this, the Jade Scorpion King and the martial arts experts around him were overjoyed. The True Essence Pill was an extremely precious martial arts pill, and one pill could be equivalent to several months of their hard training.

"Thank you, senior."

The Jade Scorpion King and his companions quickly cupped their hands in greeting and then eagerly accepted the wooden box from the middle-aged man's hands.

The Second Prince Li Que treated virtuous scholars with courtesy and gathered martial arts masters, but little did he know that someone was using this to plant spies among his men.

Now that the Second Prince Li Que has been scratched to death by the big black cat, these spies naturally have no need to stay in the Second Prince's residence anymore, so they return to serve him.

"Regarding the matter between the Hidden Killing Pavilion and that Eighth Prince, you can simply observe and wait. If you are needed to take action in the future, I will notify you."

The middle-aged man in front of the curtain glanced around at everyone in the room, then slowly spoke:

"If you have the time, you can go outside the city in three days to see the strength of that Eighth Prince for yourself, so that you will be more prepared for future actions."

Upon hearing this, all the martial arts masters in the room were moved and immediately agreed.

The Eighth Prince and the top assassin of the Hidden Kill Pavilion were a rare duel between experts, and they naturally wouldn't miss such an opportunity to observe.

"That's settled then. You may leave."

The middle-aged man waved his hand, and the group of martial arts masters immediately bowed and took their leave.

After everyone had left, the middle-aged man removed his mask, turned around to look at the figure behind the curtain, and said:

“Father, if you can take his life by surprise while the Hidden Killing Pavilion is fighting Li Musheng, it would be a good opportunity.”

As he spoke, a look of sorrow appeared on the middle-aged man's face, and he said:
"If we miss this opportunity, who knows how long we'll have to wait to get our revenge next time?"

The figure behind the curtain shook his head and said:

"I only have one chance to make a move; either he dies, or I perish."

"Therefore, I need to wait for the best opportunity. Moreover, our plan has only just begun. The only thing we need to do now is to be patient and do only one thing: wait."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man sighed softly and ultimately said nothing more.

……

Dali Palace.

News of the Hidden Kill Pavilion spread, and the princes who had been hiding in the palace for several days gathered together again, a rare occurrence.

The eldest prince Li Xuan, the fifth prince Li Qing, the fourth prince Li Zi, and the sixth prince Li An met in a side hall.

After dismissing the palace maids and eunuchs, the Fifth Prince Li Qing glanced at Li Zi and Li An, and spoke first:

"I'm sure the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince have already heard about the challenge between the Hidden Killing Pavilion and the Eighth Prince. I wonder what their thoughts are on this?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zi glanced at Li An, then his face darkened as he said:
"All I know is that if Li Musheng were to become the head of the Hidden Killing Pavilion, we princes would probably be confined to the inner palace for the rest of our lives and never be able to leave."

In his view, the Hidden Killing Pavilion was a notorious assassin organization in all five kingdoms. Once Li Musheng became the pavilion master, he could simply issue an order from within the Hidden Killing Pavilion and countless assassins would come to take the lives of the princes.

By then, they wouldn't be safe even staying in their own residences, let alone going out shopping. The only way to survive would be to cower in the Dali Palace.

At this moment, the Sixth Prince, Li An, also nodded with a furrowed brow and said:

"The Eighth Prince's martial arts cultivation was already extremely terrifying. Now that he has control of a powerful weapon like the Hidden Kill Pavilion, he will be even more powerful. In the future, I'm afraid no one in the world will be able to stop him."

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince, Li Xuan, glanced at Li An and Li Zi, tapped his fingers on the table beside him, and said thoughtfully:

“What my two brothers said is also what I was worried about. Now, apart from Li Zhi, there are only the four of us and the eighth prince left in the Great Li Dynasty.”

"However, none of us alone can possibly contend with them, and even if we join forces, we probably still cannot defeat them."

He shook his head and said:

"The throne of Dali will likely belong to him in the future!"

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince Li Zi abruptly stood up and angrily said:

“If Father were to pass the throne of Dali to him, I would absolutely not agree. He would undoubtedly become a tyrant and the entire Dali would be destroyed in his hands.”

Li An, standing nearby, glanced at Li Zi, shook his head, and said:

"Fourth brother, you'd better keep these words to yourself. If the eighth brother hears them, what will become of the second brother..."

At this point, Li An didn't continue, while Li Zi's expression shifted for a moment before he finally sat down again, letting out a heavy snort. Seeing this, the Fifth Prince Li Qing and the First Prince Li Xuan exchanged a glance, then their eyes flickered, and they suddenly spoke:

"Everyone knows about Lao Ba's temperament, but no matter what, we absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait to die. Even if we can't confront him head-on, we still have to take some action."

Upon hearing this, both Li Zi and Li An turned to look at him. Li Zi frowned slightly and said:

"What insightful opinion does Fifth Brother have?"

Fifth Prince Li Qing waved his hand and squinted, saying:
"I wouldn't call it insightful, but I know very well that the four of us brothers are now in the same boat. Only by working together can we benefit. Only by uniting this time will we have a chance to win against that eighth brother."

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince Li Zi and the Sixth Prince Li An exchanged a glance, and then both showed thoughtful expressions.

At this moment, the eldest prince, Li Xuan, also spoke up:

“Now that the Eighth Brother is powerful and acts recklessly, the four of us joining forces only have a slight chance. If we act independently, we may not even have that slight chance.”

Li Zi and Li An were both silent for a while. Li An looked troubled and worried, and said:

"Forgive my weakness and incompetence, but I have never had any desire for the throne and have truly no desire to be involved in any affairs of the court."

As he spoke, he looked at Li Qing and Li Xuan and said:
"Moreover, even if I join, I have neither men nor money under my command, so I will be of no help to you brothers. It makes no difference whether I am here or not."

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince Li Zi glanced at Li An, a flash of annoyance in his eyes, thinking that he was truly hopeless.

The eldest prince and the fifth prince were practically inseparable. If the four of them joined forces, only he and Li An could barely contend with the two of them if they stood together.

Now that Ang Lee has retreated, he is left all alone, and he fears that he will eventually be devoured by the two of them, leaving not even a trace.

"No, this isn't something to discuss; you have to get involved."

Li Zi looked at Li An with a serious expression, then, as if realizing that his tone was a bit harsh, he softened his voice and said:
“We four brothers advance and retreat together. Even if you can’t be of much help, how could we, as the elder brothers, bear to abandon you and leave you to face Li Musheng alone?”

"We will never abandon you, we will never give up on you, this is our promise to you as your elder brother."

“You may not trust yourself, but you absolutely cannot distrust us, your kind and honest elder brothers.”

As he spoke, Li Zi turned his gaze to the First Prince Li Xuan and the Fifth Prince Li Qing, narrowing his eyes as he said:
"I suppose my elder brother and fifth brother share the same thoughts as me."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuan and Li Qing were both slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting that Li Zi could speak so fluently and without batting an eye.

But soon, the two realized what was happening, nodded, and spoke to Li An one after the other:

"Sixth brother, there is no need to worry. With us brothers here, we will naturally do our best to protect you."

"In the future, we will not only be brothers, but also allies, and we will surely support and help each other."

For Li Xuan and Li Qing, their goal was to firmly grasp all those they could unite with.

Needless to say, the Fourth Prince Li Zi was previously closest to the Seventh Prince Li Zhi and controlled a considerable amount of the assets and influence left behind by Li Zhi.

Taking down the opponent is their most important objective.

As for Li An, to be honest, he has always avoided getting involved in any matters concerning the court, and everyone has seen that.

Although many people had previously suspected that he was doing this on purpose, hiding his true abilities, the years have passed, and the various tests and actions of the other party have completely dispelled those thoughts.

In the eyes of both Li Xuan and Li Qing, Li An was a completely useless and incompetent prince!

The reason why Li Xuan and Li Qing cooperated with Li Zi and tried their best to win over Li An was ultimately only for Li Zi's sake.

Because they knew that if Ang Lee didn't board the ship, given Ang Lee's cautious nature, it would be very difficult for them to win him over.

At this moment, seeing that the three princes treated him so sincerely, Li An stood there as if in a daze.

Immediately, a look of emotion appeared on his face. He reached up and wiped his slightly reddened eyes, his voice choked with emotion as he said:
"The ancients were right. It is true that true friendship is revealed in times of adversity. I am grateful to my three imperial brothers for not looking down on me and for never abandoning me."

As he spoke, Ang Lee looked ashamed and said:

"Although I am utterly useless, I do not wish to disappoint my brothers. If you give me any instructions in the future, I will do my utmost."

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince Li Zi felt a sense of relief and immediately reached out to pull Li An along, saying:

"Sixth brother, it's enough that you have the intention. We, as your elder brothers, are not snobbish. Even if you can't help in any way, we will never discriminate against you."

Seeing this, the eldest prince Li Xuan and the fifth prince Li Qing's eyes twitched slightly. They exchanged a glance, then immediately put on smiles, went to Li An's side, patted him on the shoulder, and said:

"That's more like it. We're all brothers, no need to stand on ceremony."

"As long as the four of us brothers work together, we will be able to fight against that eighth brother sooner or later, instead of having to hide like this, not even daring to go out on the street, and not daring to go home."

Upon hearing this, Li An glanced at the three of them, then nodded emphatically and said:

“What my three imperial brothers say is absolutely right. In the future, if there is anything I can do to help you, please feel free to use me.”

As he spoke, he solemnly bowed and saluted the three people in front of him.

However, in the instant he lowered his head, a look of helplessness mixed with extreme mockery flashed in his eyes.

"Sixth Brother, there's no need for that. We're brothers!"

Li Zi and the other two reached out to help him up, and for a moment, they all showed warm, brotherly smiles.

But deep in their eyes, each of them harbored their own thoughts.

Moreover, some people are extremely cunning, so much so that even their smiles at this moment are just another disguise.

The four princes of Dali, who seemed to be getting along well despite their shared hatred of the enemy, finally established an alliance.

Afterwards, the group chatted enthusiastically for a while, and the atmosphere among them became even more harmonious than before.

Finally, the four discussed the news about the three major sects of the Great Li Jianghu forming a martial arts alliance to oppose the Great Li court.

After everyone expressed their opinions on the matter, in the end, they all undoubtedly pointed the finger at Li Musheng.

They believed that the whole thing was caused by Li Musheng, and that he should naturally be the one to resolve it. In fact, this was also a way for them to deal with Li Musheng.

They were no match for Li Musheng, but the three major sects were perfect for it.

This is a plan to kill two birds with one stone!
(End of this chapter)