Chapter 180: Framing Lando |
Under the moonlight as clear as water, several points of flickering light danced in the air, whether they were insects or glowing plant seeds was unknown.
A veiled woman in an elegant dress walked slowly on the slope, and before long, she arrived in front of a grave on the hillside.
“Master, disciple Feng Ruoyun seeks an audience,” Feng Ruoyun bowed.
Suddenly, a wisp of black smoke emerged from the grave, and then, the grass next to the broken tombstone silently slid away, revealing a deep passage.
Feng Ruoyun entered the passage, and the grass returned to normal in an instant.
Underneath this grave was a gloomy underground structure, pitch-black and cold, occasionally adorned with ghost masks emitting a chilling gloom.
Feng Ruoyun continued forward, turning several corners until she arrived at a deep crevice. A faint black smoke floated within the crevice, and within the smoke, the outline of a huge body appeared and disappeared.
“Master, the assassination failed. Three Death Guards have died, but it is unclear what happened. Even if that student with the name Shi Liumang is Qi Bei Nord, it would be impossible for him to kill three Death Guards,” Feng Ruoyun said.
“I am already aware. Bai Tang has also died. It took the efforts of You Laoba to protect someone at the cost of his life. The one who must be protected even at the sacrifice of You Laoba’s life is undoubtedly Lilith’s son. Moreover, the divine apparition has disappeared, which means that Lilith’s seed of divine soul is either dissipating or being absorbed,” an ancient voice came from within the crevice.
“There is no need for that now. The Nord family has some skills. Since Qi Bei has already entered the Golden Leaf City, we will use the blade of the Temples to eliminate this bastard. My disciple, spread the news in the Golden Leaf Empire, expose Qi Bei’s disguised identity, and expose him to the public eye. I believe many people will be very interested in him,” the voice from the crevice said.
“Yes, Master,” Feng Ruoyun nodded.
“Alright, you may go,” the voice said.
“Master, I…” Feng Ruoyun hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something.
“Shut up! I said you can go, so go. Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask,” the voice angrily interrupted, causing the black smoke in the crevice to roll and tumble. Feng Ruoyun took a step back, and a circle of bloodstains appeared on her veil.
…
In the Golden Leaf Empire, the manor where the Sunset Royal Academy exchange group was located was adorned with colorful magical lights, creating a beautiful and dreamlike scene. On the lawn and in the garden, white jade tables were set up with crystal cups, various drinks, and a wide variety of pastries.
Young men and women moved around, holding their wine glasses and engaging in conversations with others in groups of two or three. They all looked elegant and noble.
The students of the Sunset Royal Academy, faced with these top young nobles of the Golden Leaf Empire, became intoxicated and excited, enjoying their conversations. Some of the young men and women even began to flirt.
In the so-called social gatherings of the upper class, ambiguity, excitement, and love often accompanied the event.
Lando held a wine glass and conversed gracefully with different people. His words and actions were considerate of the students from the foreign exchange group, leaving a favorable impression on many of them.
Qi Bei stood by, calmly observing. This Fourth Prince was indeed one of the strongest contenders for the throne, displaying exceptional social skills.
Huo Siqin stood beside Qi Bei, while Feng Ruoyu stood on his other side.
The two most beautiful women at the event unexpectedly stood beside such a simple looking man, which was quite disheartening. However, until now, no one had been foolish enough to approach them.
Those invited to the event knew that Prince Lando was interested in the spiritually gifted beauty among them. Since she was the prince’s preference, they naturally wouldn’t make a move.
As for the mediocre-looking student standing in the middle, he was destined for tragedy, so the people present thought. Despite Prince Lando’s current elegance, they all knew how ruthless and merciless he could be. Anyone who provoked him would not end well.
There seemed to be one exception, the mad tiger Huai’an of the Nord family. Huai’an had beaten Lando to a pulp years ago because of Qi Bei, and so far, Lando hadn’t been able to do anything about it. However, everyone knew that the Nord family was currently in a precarious state. If the Nord family were to fall, the mad tiger would naturally become a dead tiger as well.
Just then, Lando approached Qi Bei and his companions with a glass of wine. He snapped his fingers, and a servant holding a tray approached with a tray of filled wine cups.
“You’ve come from afar as guests, and I hope you enjoy yourselves. Let’s toast first,” Lando said with a smile, emptying his cup and then looking at the three of them.
Qi Bei remained motionless, and Feng Ruoyu and Huo Siqin didn’t move either.
“What’s the matter? Are you not giving this prince face?” Although Lando was smiling, his gaze was already icy cold.
Feng Ruoyu raised her head and smiled sweetly, saying, “We wouldn’t dare not give face to the Fourth Prince. If we didn’t, I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to leave this manor.”
Feng Ruoyu’s voice was loud, attracting the attention of many people.
“If you joke around, I won’t be able to spare you, even if Uncle Feng pleads for me,” Lando chuckled, clearly having already investigated Feng Ruoyu’s identity.
Feng Ruoyu smiled and reached out to take the wine glass from the tray when suddenly she stumbled, and more than ten cups of wine on the tray all fell and shattered on the ground.
“Oh, sorry, sorry. Why is the grass so slippery here?” Feng Ruoyu innocently remarked, only she could say such a thing on the dry grass.
Lando squinted his eyes and said, “It’s okay, I have plenty of fine wine in this manor. Bring more wine.”
Soon, another servant approached with a tray. Breaking the cups once could be accidental, but breaking them again would be intentional.
And just then, three pet dogs suddenly rushed over and licked the spilled wine on the ground.
However, soon after, the three pet dogs began to whimper and wobble, and within moments, they collapsed on the ground lifeless.
“The wine is poisoned! Fourth Prince, what a cruel heart you have. Just because Ruoyu refused to be your dance partner, you wanted to poison us to death,” Qi Bei shouted in a mournful voice.
“Little Hua, Little Yu, Little Hei…” At that moment, a girl of noble descent ran over, looking mournfully at the three pet dogs on the ground, but she didn’t dare to look at Prince Lando.
Lando’s face turned pale, and he stared intently at Qi Bei and his companions. With his intelligence, would he resort to such a trick as poisoning, especially with such a potent poison? It was no different from openly killing someone. Why would he go to such lengths?
Clearly, someone was framing him. From start to finish, only Feng Ruoyu had touched those wine cups. It must have been her who poisoned them.
However, deep down, Feng Ruoyu was also puzzled. At first, she thought it was Lando who had poisoned the wine, but upon further reflection, she felt something was amiss. He wasn’t that foolish.
So… Feng Ruoyu glanced at the angry and grieving rogue. Could it be him? It would be a good counterattack strategy.
If this news spread, the impression of Lando among the people in the capital would undoubtedly turn sour. It would be a significant blow for him, who was vying for the throne.