“I also wish I didn’t dare, but I have no other choice,” Xiao Yan smiled bitterly. “From the moment I plotted against Xiao Jing, I left myself no way out.” Whether seizing the throne or conquering the world, whether now or in the future, he needed Yun Ya’s help, because the person before him was…

He pushed the scroll forward, his face solemn: “From now on, let us be honest with each other and scheme for the world together. If you don’t reject me, I can swear a blood oath.”

The gleam in the young Second Prince’s eyes was familiar to Yun Ya—it was called ambition. Decades ago, he had seen the same in the younger Xiao Pingzhang’s eyes.

“No need. Oaths aren’t reliable. I will help you manage the Kingdom of Wei.” He wasn’t as excited as Xiao Yan, merely picking up the scroll from the table. “You’re giving this to me?”

Xiao Yan was overjoyed and made a gesture of offering: “As you wish.”

He had given the painting to Yun Ya as a gesture of sincerity.

Yun Ya took the painting and examined it carefully again, giving a slight smile: “It’s quite a good likeness.” True fire emerged from his palm, and with a “whoosh,” he burned it to ashes.

He dusted off his hands, and just like that, the scroll that the King of Wei had treasured and kept secret vanished from the world.

Now, perhaps only Xiao Yan before him knew the secret of his identity.

Xiao Yan’s face was radiant, and Yun Ya’s smile gradually deepened: “I hope you won’t regret your choice today.”

“I won’t regret it,” Xiao Yan said decisively. Yun Ya seemed to see Xiao Pingzhang’s shadow in him again. This father and son had many similarities.

He sighed lightly and was about to turn away when suddenly he remembered: “Right, our army’s momentum is good now. Xiao Jing must be getting anxious.”

Xiao Yan understood his implication: “But the war shouldn’t drag on. According to our intelligence, the Kingdom has already sent people to contact Xiao Jing. If he gets the Kingdom’s support, it will be much harder for us to deal with him.”

Xiao Jing had been governing the Anxia region for many years, with the Kingdom as a neighbor, making it easier to establish secret communications. If the Kingdom used him to extend its reach into Wei’s politics, it would defeat this generations-old strong enemy without shedding a drop of blood.

But if Xiao Jing suffered defeat after defeat, in the end, he might have no choice but to accept the Kingdom’s aid. Then the civil strife in Wei would continue indefinitely.

Unity, peace, and stability would all become pipe dreams.

Therefore, whether Xiao Jing had committed regicide and patricide, or whether he was wrongly accused, no longer mattered. If he wouldn’t surrender, then eliminating Xiao Jing as quickly as possible had become the top priority for the entire Kingdom of Wei!

Yun Ya nodded: “It’s time to use our trump card. We must end this quickly.”

Beyond the side door was a long corridor, with sea race guards standing outside the corner.

Feng Miaojun had inquired before—this path led to the upper-level boxes, but that area was reserved for the powerful and wealthy, with no entry for commoners.

What defines a commoner? Nobodies like her.

Fu Lingchuan and Princess Changle had status and could walk out openly through here, but Feng Miaojun couldn’t.

What to do?

Just then, a maid carrying fruits approached from the opposite direction. She was a clam spirit who had taken human form, slender in build, slightly shorter than Feng Miaojun. For someone skilled in disguise like Feng Miaojun, this wasn’t difficult, but the problem was that the clam spirit’s cultivation wasn’t deep, so two thin shells on her back hadn’t fully transformed, looking from a distance like a pair of white jade round wings.

No matter how skilled she was, Feng Miaojun couldn’t conjure those clam shells.

After some thought, she asked the liquid metal monster White Board: “Can you transform me into her with confidence?”

White Board shook its head: “Piece of cake.”

In its original form, it not only lacked fur but even a fixed shape, yet it could still use powerful illusion techniques to transform into a furry snow weasel. Adding two clam shells as a visual effect to the mistress’s back was hardly a challenge.

So, after a dozen breaths, Feng Miaojun had transformed into the clam woman.

She waited a while longer before walking out along the corridor. The demon guard at the door glanced at her without a word.

Thus, Feng Miaojun followed the spiral corridor upward.

The spiral space was divided into upper and lower levels. The lower level was the bustling hall, while the upper level housed private boxes with excellent privacy. The floor was covered with red felt, exotic flowers and plants lined both sides, with a guard every fifty steps, and patrols passing by every quarter hour.

Feng Miaojun hung the token found on the clam spirit at her waist, just as she had observed, and the guards, seeing it, wouldn’t stop her.

She silently walked through two spirals, passing dozens of rooms, finally finding the box numbered one hundred and twenty-five.

At this moment, the box door was tightly closed, with two guards standing outside.

From their attire, these two were genuine humans.

Two richly dressed merchants stood at the door, negotiating with them, but these two doorkeepers didn’t even blink, treating it as mere background noise.

Feng Miaojun moved closer and heard that these two had come to pay respects to Lord Yangshan, only to find that his arrogance matched his reputation, not even bothering to see them.

In the end, they had to leave in disappointment.

Given Lord Yangshan’s status and temperament, he wouldn’t easily receive unknown figures. Feng Miaojun watched silently, waiting until the two walked far away before approaching. Sure enough, when she was still ten feet from the box, the guard raised his hand to stop her: “What are you doing?”

She calmly bowed slightly: “A gift from the Fishing Lodge. Each box receives a serving of fruit.”

The guard looked at her silver tray, saw that it indeed contained rare fruits, and said: “Stop here. I’ll take it in.”

Feng Miaojun smiled and handed the tray to him.

This box indeed wasn’t so easy to enter.

Not long after, the guard came back out, his hands now empty. Seeing her, he said: “It’s been delivered. You may leave now.”

Feng Miaojun nodded and was just about to turn and leave when the box door suddenly opened, and two people walked out.

Feng Miaojun’s gaze swept over them, and her breath suddenly halted.

But her composure was extremely strong, and this momentary abnormality vanished instantly, unnoticed by others.

She could never have imagined that these two were none other than Fu Lingchuan and Princess Changle!

Had they left the hall and come directly to find Lord Yangshan?

This was truly interesting—the two groups she was most concerned about actually had a connection.

But upon reflection, she became calm. Fu Lingchuan and his companion had lived in the Yan Kingdom’s capital for so long, that they likely knew the famous Lord Yangshan. From the current situation, they probably even had some rapport, otherwise, would Lord Yangshan’s door be so easy to enter?

Having completed her task of observing Lord Yangshan, Feng Miaojun turned to leave while thinking about how to follow these two again. At this moment, she suddenly heard Fu Lingchuan say: “Please wait.”

Outside the door, apart from the two guards, there seemed to be only her.

Feng Miaojun paused, hardly believing her luck. She turned around and asked uncertainly: “Are you calling me, young master?”