Chapter 312: Journeying in Search of Immortals, Unaware of the One Beside

The Third Prince, being young and strong, coupled with his feigned weakness, caught Royal Prince Ye off guard with a sudden kick. It sent him flying, tumbling a few times before landing heavily on the ground. His weapon was flung somewhere unknown.

Seeing this, Ye Zhiqing bit her lip hard, her body trembling slightly, yet she made no move to help her father.

Meanwhile, the two princes each picked up a weapon that suited them, neither advancing nor retreating.

They were well aware of their limits. Even though Ye Zhiqing appeared frail, she was still far beyond what they could contend with.

Moreover, since it was evident that she wanted to distance herself from Royal Prince Ye, they naturally preferred not to provoke her unnecessarily if it meant survival.

“Cough! Cough!” Royal Prince Ye climbed up from the ground, coughing violently. He opened his palm, revealing a smear of fresh blood.

“Zhi’er, I beg you for one last thing—avenge your mother. Kill these two… and our family’s feud will be settled.”

The moment these words fell, the two princes’ eyes widened in shock. The Fifth Prince even spoke out directly:

“Cousin! As the saying goes, ‘One must bear the consequences of their own actions.’ My father committed great evils in his lifetime and has already paid the price—his head was cut off in public!”

“This grudge should be settled now!”

“Uncle harbors too much resentment. If you help him kill us, and he takes the throne, then the people of Great Wu will never see another day of peace…”

Hearing this, Royal Prince Ye sneered:

“My vengeance fulfilled, my resentment will naturally be resolved. But you? One of you massacred refugees, the other colluded with demons to plunge Great Wu into chaos. If either of you takes the throne, that would truly doom Great Wu to eternal ruin!”

“Zhi’er, if you wish to sever ties with me, then I have no hope left…”

“But even if I’m hacked into pieces today, I’ll make sure to take a bite out of them first!”

As he spoke, Royal Prince Ye kept a watchful eye on Ye Zhiqing while taking slow, deliberate steps forward. His stance was one of utter resolve, like a warrior willing to cut off his own arm if necessary. He advanced toward the princes, who stood ready with their blades.

“Enough! Enough!”

Suddenly, Ye Zhiqing let out a sharp cry. Her face had gone deathly pale, her lips drained of color, and her eyes lost all focus.

She clutched her head tightly, as if trying to block out the overwhelming flood of revelations. Her body trembled, and she kept whispering, “Enough… enough…”

“No! It’s not enough! If they don’t die, it will never be enough!”

“I must kill them—to avenge your mother!”

“I must dig up that old dog emperor’s grave, expose his corpse to the sun for a hundred days—to honor your mother!”

“If I can’t do that, then I might as well die here!”

Already on the verge of collapse, Ye Zhiqing, whose mind was like a flickering candle in the wind, wavered further at her father’s words. Her once-stabilized soul began to flicker between illusion and reality.

She wanted to escape. She wanted to leave. She wanted to believe that none of this was real…

If it wasn’t fake, then she herself would rather become an illusion.

Seeing this, Gu Ning’an quickly stepped forward, flicking his fingers lightly against her forehead. The moment his touch landed, Ye Zhiqing’s body softened, and she collapsed into his arms.

Holding her steady, Gu Ning’an turned his gaze toward Royal Prince Ye, who had been watching intently. With a cold smirk, he said:

“Why go this far? Is this truly about revenge, or is it just about the throne? You know the answer better than anyone.”

“Must you push your own daughter to death?”

Royal Prince Ye’s voice was icy. “Mr. Gu! What did you do to my daughter?”

Ignoring him, Gu Ning’an looked up toward the vast, starry sky. He reached out a hand, as if casually plucking fruit from the heavens.

The others watched in confusion, their eyes drawn to his hand.

And then, when they saw a shimmer of starlight coalesce at his fingertips, their eyes widened in disbelief.

That starlight pulsed with a mysterious rhythm, gently dancing in his palm, radiating a soft warmth and a faint glow.

With a slight toss, Gu Ning’an sent the starlight drifting down to the ground. It gradually transformed into a small boat, its entire form shimmering with celestial light.

Placing the unconscious Ye Zhiqing onto the “Star Vessel,” he watched as it slowly rose, carrying her toward Half-Moon Lake.

Before long, under the astonished gazes of everyone present, Ye Zhiqing, lying upon the “Star Vessel,” disappeared completely into the mist-shrouded lake.

Witnessing this scene, the three esteemed figures who had traveled alongside Gu Ning’an finally pieced together the truth.

Why had Gu Ning’an so effortlessly seen through the immortal’s painting left behind at the inn? Why had he treated the Hunling Immortal Sect’s divine liquor as something unremarkable?

Why, even after learning their identities, had he remained utterly indifferent, unafraid to rebuke the Great Wu court?

And why was it that Mr. Gu alone had been able to step onto that bottomless wooden boat—to ascend to the Immortal Isle?

At that moment, everything that had seemed unusual suddenly made sense!

So Gu Ning’an was a cultivator all along, and judging by how effortlessly he plucked a star and turned it into a boat, his cultivation was anything but ordinary!

They had journeyed far and wide in search of immortals, yet little did they know—they had already been traveling alongside one!

Of the three, the Third Prince was the most terrified. Not long ago, he had boldly given Gu Ning’an an ultimatum, offering him only two choices.

But now, it was clear—whether Gu Ning’an was a true immortal or not, to a mere mortal like the Third Prince, he was as good as one.

And for a mortal to threaten an immortal—wasn’t that the greatest joke under the heavens?

The Third Prince’s face turned deathly pale. He had believed himself to be in control of the situation, yet in the end, his soldiers had betrayed him, his allies had been poisoned, and after all the power struggles between the three of them, he had become the weakest, the hapless cicada caught in the trap.

After a long silence, the Fifth Prince—who had treated Gu Ning’an with the most courtesy throughout the journey—was the first to speak. He bowed deeply and said solemnly, “I am Ye Kunxing. I failed to recognize Mr. Gu’s true identity and was disrespectful before. I humbly ask for your forgiveness.”

Even after finishing his words, he remained bowed, maintaining his posture of reverence.

He was a man who knew when to advance and when to retreat, who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and who excelled in reading the situation. Had today’s events not taken such an unpredictable turn, he would likely have been the final victor.

Thud!

A loud sound suddenly rang out—

The Third Prince had dropped to his knees, his forehead striking the ground with force, producing a muffled thump!

Prostrating himself completely, he knocked his head against the ground repeatedly and pleaded, “Mr. Gu! I, Ye Xuliu, was blind and ignorant, blinded by imperial power and ambition, which led me to speak out of turn!”

“I beg you, sir, to spare my life for the sake of a foolish mortal. If I am allowed to return to court, I swear I will devote myself to aiding the refugees!”

Beside him, Royal Prince Ye saw his two nephews humbling themselves one after another, each more desperate than the last. Not wanting to fall behind, he quickly knelt down as well and spoke solemnly, “Mr. Gu, both my daughter’s master and my daughter herself are esteemed cultivators of a noble lineage. I implore you, sir, to grant me mercy for their sake.”

In truth, Royal Prince Ye did not believe he had any real conflict with Gu Ning’an, nor did he feel he needed forgiveness. But in this situation, if both his nephews were already pleading for their lives while he remained silent, wouldn’t that put him at a disadvantage?

Seeing this display, Gu Ning’an simply smiled, shook his head, and said, “I seem to have never once said I intended to take your lives…”