Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

"Greed..." Emperor Qing repeated the word in a low voice, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Yes, the world is bustling, all for profit; the world is in turmoil, all for gain. What about Grandmasters? As long as they still have obsessions in their hearts, as long as they still have things they want to protect or destroy, they are no different from the stupid fish in this water."

Emperor Qing flicked his wrist slightly, and the fishing line drew a graceful arc in the air. The float lightly touched the surface of the water, creating delicate ripples.

"However, fishing is all about patience." Emperor Qing's gaze turned incredibly deep. "The fish probes the water from the bottom, while the angler waits on the shore. It's a contest of who loses patience first. Once the fish bites the hook, no matter how fiercely it struggles underwater or how big the waves it creates, in the end... it can only be slaughtered."

Fan Xian lowered his head, cold sweat trickling down his forehead and dripping onto the grass. He knew...

Your Majesty's words were definitely not about fishing.

Beneath the calm surface of the lake, turbulent currents are surging, and deadly secrets are brewing.

Outside the villa, the five thousand Imperial Guards and the garrison's cavalry continued their tireless patrols day and night. As time passed, the extreme tension began to backfire; many soldiers' eyes were bloodshot, and they were on the verge of mental collapse.

This eerie calm was like an invisible net, enveloping everyone and tightening its grip until it was suffocating.

……

Meanwhile, in Kyoto, at the residence of the Second Prince.

Unlike the deathly oppressive atmosphere of the Taiping Villa, the Second Prince's residence had an eerie tranquility, even a hint of incongruous warmth.

Inside the study, the fragrance of sandalwood wafted through the air, dispelling the chill of early autumn.

Princess Li Yunrui was sitting quietly behind the large desk that originally belonged to Li Chengze.

Today, instead of wearing the magnificent palace dress that symbolized royal majesty, she changed into an elegant moon-white long dress, her long hair casually tied up with a jade hairpin, losing some of her sharpness and gaining a touch of mature gentleness.

She sat there quietly, head bowed, holding a thick account book in her hand, like a mistress of the house carefully calculating household expenses.

Beside her stood a Luo Wang assassin shrouded in a black robe.

The assassin remained motionless like a statue, his breathing barely audible. Only the occasional glint of cold light beneath his mask proved that he was an extremely dangerous being.

Li Yunrui's fingers were slender and fair as she gently turned the yellowed pages of the account book.

However, if anyone were to get close, they would discover that this so-called ledger did not contain any gold, silver, or grain, but rather a series of shocking names.

The names of the chief officials of the major government offices in Kyoto, the powerful generals in the garrison divisions, and even the deeply hidden chief eunuchs in the palace... each name was marked with a bright red circle or cross in vermilion.

This is a book of life and death. It is a list that determines the bloody storm that will rage in Kyoto once the dust settles at Taiping Villa.

However, Li Yunrui's gaze was not focused on the names that determined the fate of countless people.

Her gaze was somewhat unfocused, her eyes staring blankly at a single ink dot on the ledger, as if she were seeing a distant place through that dot. (The world created by the invincible demon king F is found in "Joy of Life: I, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!")

Her hands were trembling slightly.

"Si Gu Jian... Ku He... and my good brother..." Li Yunrui's red lips parted slightly, uttering extremely soft murmurs.

The image of the man in the flowing dragon robe, who always looked at her with an all-knowing, indifferent gaze, uncontrollably surfaced in her mind.

"Are you really going to die?" A hint of confusion, a hint of madness, and a hint of fear that she herself was unaware of flashed in Li Yunrui's eyes.

She knew all too well how terrifying Emperor Qing was.

That man was like an insurmountable mountain, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts. He was cunning and ruthless; he was willing to sacrifice anyone, including himself, for his own ends.

"No, he will definitely die!" Li Yunrui bit her lower lip hard until she tasted blood. Her eyes regained their venomous and resolute intensity. "So what if he's a Grandmaster? Si Gu Jian's sword, Ku He's true energy, and Cheng Ze's inhuman monsters... With all that power combined, even if he's a god, he'll perish at Taiping Villa today!"

She slammed the ledger shut, her chest heaving violently.

"Once he's dead, this world will be ours." Li Yunrui took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in her heart. She turned to look at the ghostly assassin from the Luo Wang organization beside her, her voice regaining its usual coldness and arrogance.

"Have the nets all been cast?"

"Your Highness," the assassin's voice was hoarse and cold, devoid of any emotion, "all nine gates of the capital are now under our covert control. The heads of the First and Fourth Bureaus of the Censorate are being closely monitored by our people. As soon as a signal comes from the Taiping Villa, they won't live more than half an incense stick's time. As for the Imperial Palace... although the Commander of the Imperial Guards is His Majesty's man, the families of his three deputy generals were all 'invited' to safety last night."

Li Yunrui closed his eyes with satisfaction, a cold smile curving his lips.

"Very good. How about Chengze?"

"Your Highness and the Commander-in-Chief have already led the 'Six Sword Slaves' to secretly infiltrate the outskirts of Taiping Villa. They are just waiting for the two Grandmasters and... the target to be exhausted together before launching a thunderous attack."

"A lose-lose situation..." Li Yunrui murmured, repeating the four words, before suddenly letting out a nervous laugh.

Her laughter echoed in the empty study, carrying a kind of suppressed madness.

"Ye Qingmei, oh Ye Qingmei..." She suddenly raised her head, looking at the gloomy sky outside the window, her eyes filled with a complex expression of jealousy and pleasure. "The foundation you left behind, the man you loved so deeply, today, they will all be destroyed by my hands. Do you see? I, Li Yunrui, am the one who will have the last laugh!"

She slowly stood up, walked to the window, and pushed open the window.

A gust of cold wind, carrying damp moisture, blew in and ruffled her hair.

It's getting darker and darker.

Dark clouds seemed poised to crush the magnificent city of Kyoto. A muffled rumble of thunder rolled across the distant horizon, like a warning from the heavens.

"I hope this trip goes smoothly..."

Li Yunrui clasped her hands together in front of her chest, as if in prayer.

……

Taiping Villa.

The lake, which had been calm for five days, suddenly rippled with an unusual ripple.

Emperor Qing, who was sitting on a recliner with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.