Chapter 301: “Baseless Accusation”

Upon hearing Gu Ning’an accurately reveal their identities, the three “distinguished” individuals were momentarily stunned.

Judging by his tone, it seemed as though he had seen through them from the very beginning.

But if that was the case, why had he dared to so brazenly criticize the Great Wu court earlier, even making treasonous remarks about how Great Wu would soon change its name and ruler?

If he had known their identities all along and had only pretended not to, using the opportunity to mock them to their faces, then why was he now choosing to expose them directly?

Did he truly believe they wouldn’t kill him?

Both Princes and the Royal Prince alike displayed expressions of confusion to varying degrees.

The Third Prince was the first to recover. With one hand resting behind his back and the other placed before his abdomen, he responded indifferently, “I did not expect Mr. Gu to have already seen through our identities. If you have something to ask, speak quickly—do not waste time.”

Gu Ning’an smiled and said, “This fabric doll I buried was given to me by a boy of about ten years old… He told me that if I ever made it to the place where the immortals reside, he wanted me to bury the doll here.”

“He believed that if the doll was buried at the immortal’s doorstep, it would mean that he, in some way, had ‘found’ an immortal. To see an immortal was a blessing, and if he was fortunate enough to do so, then perhaps his next life wouldn’t be as miserable…”

At this point, Gu Ning’an patted the mound of earth and continued, “I imagine the refugees who came here seeking immortals must have felt the same way. Seeking salvation through the immortals was the only option they could think of.”

“But why did you send people to slaughter them?”

“Are you afraid that if the immortals see their plight, they will lose faith in you?”

Gu Ning’an’s question sent shockwaves through the three noblemen.

They knew each other well—so well, in fact, that they could easily predict each other’s moves.

From the moment that naive refugee mistook them for benevolent people and revealed that the other refugees were heading to the immortal sect for help, the three of them had already marked those refugees for death.

On this journey, the Fifth Prince had uncharacteristically not brought any troops with him. Thus, the order to exterminate the refugees naturally fell to the Third Prince.

And the reason for doing so? That had everything to do with the purpose of their visit to the Hunling Immortal Sect.

Great Wu was on the verge of collapse. The political landscape within the court was in turmoil—elders of the royal family and several princes had been killed in succession, leaving only the Third and Fifth Princes as the final contenders.

The ministers of Great Wu had convened and demanded that both princes swear an oath upon Great Wu’s national fate, vowing never to harm one another before a new ruler was chosen.

This clearly indicated that, although the ministers had no concrete evidence to determine who had hanged the Second Prince from the city gates, they were certain that the mastermind behind it was either the Third Prince or the Fifth Prince.

Thus, they forced both princes to swear the oath.

Furthermore, the court had reached a unanimous conclusion—Great Wu was plagued by demons, and whoever could secure the support of the immortal sect would ascend the throne.

That was why the princes had traveled so far to the Hunling Immortal Sect, seeking an immortal’s judgment on which of them deserved to rule.

Of course, the court and the Hunling Immortal Sect had never been particularly close. Prior to the immortal sect taking in Royal Prince Ye’s youngest daughter as a disciple, the court’s knowledge of the sect was purely superficial.

It was only after the immortals accepted the young lady of Royal Prince Ye’s House that ties were formed between Great Wu and the immortal sect.

Thus, as the father of the young lady taken in by the immortal sect, and as a Royal Prince of Great Wu, Prince Ye had no choice but to join this journey.

And so, the decision to slaughter the refugees headed for the immortal sect became an unspoken agreement between the three.

At the very least, on the surface, both princes sought the immortals’ approval.

If the refugees survived and, like those who had previously perished in the wilderness, openly cursed and condemned the Great Wu court, what if the immortals deemed the rulers of Great Wu unworthy?

That was why those refugees had to die.

Now, with Gu Ning’an laying everything bare, the Third Prince—who had given the order—felt a surge of murderous intent rise within him.

He turned his gaze to the mist-covered lake, forcibly suppressing his urge to kill. He forced a smile and said, “Mr. Gu, what makes you say such a thing? The people of Great Wu are our subjects—why would we send troops to slaughter them?”

Before Gu Ning’an could respond, the Fifth Prince rose from his seat by the lake, glaring at his older brother with barely restrained fury. In a deep voice, he said, “Third Brother, you deployed two thousand iron cavalry to patrol the surrounding area. On our way here, I noticed tracks left by cavalry on both sides of the wilderness road.”

“I imagine those tracks were left when the cavalry were hunting down the refugees?”

“Fifth Brother! Must you insist on throwing baseless accusations at me?” The Third Prince’s expression darkened.

The current situation was extremely unfavorable for him. The two thousand cavalrymen were real, and the order to kill had indeed come from him.

After all, those two thousand troops were under his direct command—they would never obey the Fifth Prince’s orders.

And yet, not only had that white-robed gentleman somehow seen through everything, but now his own younger brother, his rival for the throne, had also stepped forward to expose him!

Given the circumstances, if he were to face the immortals now, wouldn’t he already have lost half the battle?

Hearing his words, the Fifth Prince said coldly, “Third Brother, whether or not these accusations are baseless remains to be seen. I believe the immortals has the means to determine the truth of this matter.”

“Uncle, please summon Cousin. Once we have met with the immortal, we can ask the immortal to pass judgment on the matter.”

At these words, Royal Prince Ye did not move immediately but instead turned his gaze toward the Third Prince.

The latter’s face was ashen. After a moment of contemplation, he finally spoke, “Uncle, please summon my cousin first.”

“Hmm.” Royal Prince Ye gave a slight nod and retrieved a jade talisman from his belt.

Holding the talisman, he called out softly, “Zhi’er, Zhi’er, your father is here to see you. We are at Half-Moon Lake…”

As soon as his voice fell, a wisp of spiritual light shot out from the talisman and disappeared into the dense white mist.

“We’ll wait a moment,” he said, putting away the talisman. Folding his arms, he closed his eyes, making it clear that he had no intention of saying anything further about the situation.

The Third Prince turned toward the lake, focusing on his breathing to steady his emotions.

The only one who seemed at ease was the Fifth Prince. He hadn’t expected that the gentleman he had brought along on a whim would end up assisting him so greatly at such a critical moment.

If Third Brother decided to kill Mr. Gu afterward, perhaps he should lend him a hand.

With this thought in mind, the Fifth Prince stepped forward to help Gu Ning’an fill in the soil. But just as he bent down, he saw the other man clapping the dirt off his hands as he stood up.

At a glance, he noticed that Mr. Gu’s hands were perfectly clean—not a single trace of dirt was left under his fingernails.