Author note: Sorry for the short chapter last time, my friends. This is a longer chapter. I hope you like it.
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Yi Feng followed Mei as they walked toward Princess Rou's residence. From time to time, Mei stole glances at him, and each time she saw his handsome face, her cheeks flushed and her heart raced.
'He's so handsome… but we come from different worlds. We can never be together,' she thought with a quiet sigh.
'Enough dreaming, Mei. Wake up to reality,' she scolded herself, her heart heavy with sadness.
Yi Feng watched Mei with an amused smile.
'This maid is really cute when she makes those expressions with her doll-like face,'he thought.
He couldn't help chuckling whenever she secretly glanced at him, her reactions entertaining him.
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After fifteen minutes of walking, Mei and Yi Feng stood before an opulent residence that radiated wealth and status. It was much larger than Yi Feng's dwelling, and the sight briefly stunned him.
'She's a princess of the Hidden Dragon Kingdom, so this makes sense… Still, concealing her identity so well in the academy? I need to be careful. My instincts warn me that she's anything but simple.'
Mei knocked on Rou's resident door and announced loudly, "Young Master, Ye has arrived."
Moments later, the door creaked open. The twin maids, Ya and Xiu, appeared and cupped their fists toward Ye Feng.
"Welcome, Young Master Ye. Please follow us to the lounge. Princess Rou will be with you shortly."
Yi Feng nodded in response and followed them into the lounge. Mei closed the door before trailing behind him.
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In the lounge
Yi Feng sat in the lounge, sipping wine as Mei, Ya, and Xiu served him various delicacies.
Twenty minutes later, Rou entered the lounge accompanied by her two maids.
When Ye Feng looked at Rou, his eyes filled with appreciation. She was dressed in a luxurious pink gown adorned with golden lines along its sides. Her hair was neatly tied in a bun, secured by a golden pin, while a thin silk veil covered the lower half of her face.
Walking elegantly, she settled into the seat opposite Ye Feng and smiled warmly. "Thank you for coming, Young Master Ye. I trust you found my hospitality satisfactory."
Ye Feng gave Rou a charming smile, making her blush instantly.
"Thank you, Princess Rou, for your hospitality. I truly enjoyed myself."
Rou smiled in satisfaction at his words, but her eyebrow lifted in surprise when he continued,
"The reason I accepted your invitation is that I was curious about something. To satisfy that curiosity, I had no choice but to come."
Rou smiled, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Has your curiosity been satisfied, Young Master Ye?"
Ye Feng shook his head sharply. "Sadly, the only way my curiosity could be satisfied," he said, "is if you answered my question honestly—without trying to avoid it, Princess Rou."
For a fleeting second, Rou's gaze sharpened. 'He is good. I thought he only excelled in cultivation. I underestimated him a lot. I didn't think he was this intelligent to trap me like that. I shouldn't have been overconfident in my intelligence.'
Rou took a quick glance at him and saw that he was looking at her like a hawk. ' Trying to deceive him now will be the wrong move. I don't have a choice but to answer his question honestly.".
Rou allowed herself a faint smile. "Go ahead, Young Master Ye. I'll do my best to satisfy your curiosity."
Ye Feng smiled back, a spark of interest in his gaze. "Tell me, what is your connection to the Zhang clan's followers, and what compels you to meddle in their affairs?"
Rou sighed, her thoughts heavy. 'I have no choice but to tell him the truth.' She met Ye Feng's gaze with a steady intensity, then turned toward her maids. "Leave us," she commanded. The maids bowed, their hands cupped in respect, and quietly exited the lounge, leaving the two of them alone.
Rou began detailing the ongoing skirmishes between the Hidden Dragon Kingdom and both the Persian and Andreas Kingdoms, then touched on how the Zhang family maintains connections with the royal family of Andreas and Persia Kingdoms.
Rou also explained that they couldn't confront the Zhang family openly at the moment for three reasons. First, the Hidden Dragon army still relied on the Zhang family's alchemy skills to grow stronger. Second, the Zhang family was one of the noble clans of the Hidden Dragon Kingdom, meaning any action against them would require concrete evidence. And finally, their influence rivaled even that of the royal family. For now, the only option was to gradually chip away at their power.
After Rou explained the situation to Ye Feng, he looked stunned at what he heard. Rou's expression turned serious as he continued, "After what you did to Zhang Bo and Zhang Wei in the Dragon Forest, you unknowingly helped us cut the Zhang family influence in the academy."
Ye Feng's eyes widened in sudden realization. "The expulsion of the Zhang clan followers from the academy," he said, his voice tinged with disbelief. Rou gave him a charming smile and inclined her head. "Instructor Zhao is loyal to the royal family—you must have met him." Surprised, Ye Feng remained silent, letting her words sink in as he continued to listen.
"Given what you did to Zhang Bo and Zhang Wei in the Dragon Forest, I was certain the Zhang family would spare no effort to eliminate you, so I instructed Instructor Zhao to step in whenever necessary."
A shadow passed over Ye Feng's face. "She used me… as a pawn? How dare she?"
Rou's tone was cold. "I invited you to discuss an alliance. Together, we will wipe the Zhang family influence from this academy."
Ye Feng let out a cold chuckle that caught Rou off guard. Rising to his feet, he began to walk away, his voice icy and firm: "I refuse, princess. Enjoy your day. I'll see myself out."
Rou froze, disbelief washing over her. After all he had suffered at the hands of the Zhang family, she had been certain he would join her in taking them down—but she had been wrong.
Rou's voice trembled with urgency as she asked the question she'd longed to hear answered: "Why? After all you and your eldest brother endured at the hands of the Zhang family, don't you hate them?"
Ye Feng spun around, his gaze locking onto her. His eyes were like twin blades, slicing through the air—and through her very soul. A chill ran down her spine at the sheer weight of his stare.
Ye Feng spoke coldly to Rou, his words sharp as ice. "Listen carefully, princess, because I will not repeat myself. I despise scheming women like you—those who manipulate others as pawns to achieve their goals."
Rou trembled under his piercing gaze, fear coursing through her. "The one who harmed my brother… has already faced justice at my hands. I have avenged him."
Rou swallowed hard, her throat tight with fear as Ye Feng's words cut through the tense air. "I don't care who rules the Hidden Dragon Kingdom, or the struggle between the Zhang family and the royal family," he said, his voice steady but cold.
Rou opened her mouth, but no words came. Ye Feng's gaze remained unwavering as he added, "As long as my clan is safe… and the people I care about are safe, that's all that matters to me."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and started walking. Then, without looking back, he spoke again, each word deliberate and final: "I would say it was a pleasure meeting you again… but that would be a lie. I hope we never meet again, princess."
She suppressed the fury rising in her chest, clenching her hand. Her voice, sharp and cold, cut the tension: "how about we make a deal?"
Ye Feng stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening as he turned to Rou. "A deal?"
Rou nodded, her gaze cold and unwavering. "Yes," she said. "I know you're no different from the other cultivators—greedy, craving resources to strengthen your cultivation. I have a plan to eliminate the Zhang followers in the academy. But for it to succeed, you must play your role flawlessly. Do this, and I will reward you."
Ye Feng's lips curved into a confident smirk. "I'll only lend you a hand if my rewards are given in advance: 10 bottles each of Soul Nourishment Pills, Pure Cleansing Pills, and Saint Concentrating Pills. Other than that… consider my help off the table."
Rou gritted her jade-like teeth and clenched her fists at his words. After a moment of steeling herself, she made a decision. "Fine. Tomorrow, I'll send one of my maids to deliver your rewards in advance, along with detailed instructions you must follow."
Ye Feng smiled, a faint glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes, and turned to leave Rou's dwelling.
After Ye Feng left, Rou cursed laudly "Curse you, Ye Feng.".
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When Ye Feng was meeting with Rou in her dwelling
On the south side of Azure Dragon Academy, in a large dwelling, 30 middle-aged men academy staff were in a large lounge inside the dwelling.
Many young women were totally naked and serving the 30 academy staff wine and delicacies.
The academy staff squeeze the young women's plump and round breasts. pinch their rosy nipples, slap the round bottom part of their body.
Some academy staff were kissing their cherry-like lips, grabbing their waists, and running their hands all over the young women's bodies.
Some were even rubbing the young women's private parts with their fingers and sucking on their nipples.
The moans of the young women were heard laudly as the academy staff were enjoying their time with these young women.
Suddenly, the door leading deeper into the dwelling burst open, and three handsome middle-aged men walked to the lounge.
The three men were wearing the azure robe of the academy staff of the Azure Dragon Academy.
One of them has long silver hair tight in a ponytail, black sharp eyes, a white complexion, and a slim muscular physique, and he is quite tall. His face shows an extreme amount of pride and arrogance.
His actual name is Zhang Bowen, the cousin of Zhang Bo and Zhang Wei. However, the Zhang clan hid his identity in order for him to infiltrate the Azure Dragon Academy and build friendly relations with the spies from the Persian Kingdom and Andreas Kingdom. His order from the clan was to assist the spies in any way possible. The name he goes by now is Song Chao. Only the two spies know his actual name. and identity
Next to Bowen is a long, purple-haired, middle-aged man. The man has purple eyes. He has the same slim physique as Bowen and the same complexion; his name is Zimo. His face is refined, reflecting his intelligence. He is the spy sent by the Andreas Kingdom to infiltrate the Azure Dragon Academy and collect information on the young talent of the Hidden Dragon Kingdom.
On the left side of Bowen is a muscular middle-aged man; he had a tan complexion, black short hair, and a long moustache. His face looks ferocious, and his eyes have ferociousness too.
His name is Tao, and he is a spy from the Persian Kingdom. He was sent to gather information on the young talent in the Hidden Dragon Kingdom too.
Bowen walked with the two spies and smirked arrogantly when all the academy staff and the naked woman stopped what they were doing when the three of them entered the lounge.
He looked sharply at the academy staff and asked, "Now tell me, I hope you finish off Ye Feng, the Zhang clan head. Keep demanding his head from me.".
All the academy staff looked away, not daring to look him in the eyes. The two spies narrowed their eyes when they saw the academy staff reaction.
Bowen got enraged at that: "You imbeciles how hard it is to get rid of Saint Master realm junior, ha." One of the academy staff said, "Brother Chao, calm down. The problem is that instructor Zhao and his friends always arrive when we are going to give him the finishing blow, and we end up fighting against him and his friends." Bowen, Tao, and Zimo listened carefully to what the man was saying.
The man has blond, long spikey hair, blue eyes, a fair complexion, and a slim build. He wasn't handsome; he looked ordinary. His name is Hong.
Hong continued, "The headmaster always arrives when our men are fighting Zhao and his friends, thanks to all the commotion they create when they are fighting our men. The headmaster then shattered some of our men's Saint Weapons and expelled everybody involved in the attack.".
The two spies narrowed their eyes at what Hong said, and Bowen got angry at Zhao. He then looked at the academy staff in front of him and said, "You morons, use your head before you attack. Ye Feng must have friends, bribe his friends with monster cores, and order his friends to get Ye Feng to one of the secluded training grounds that is far away from the Azure Dragon Eye tower.".
All the academy staff's eyes widened at what they heard from Bowen. He sighed at them, looked seriously at the academy staff, and said, "The Zhang clan reward for Ye Feng head had tripled.". All the academy staff looked speechless at the news, but Bowen continued, "I don't want us to waste more time than necessary on a mere Saint Master real junior; you will all attack him at once. The one who kills Ye Feng will not only receive the Zhang clan reward, but I will give him three of my toys of his choosing for a month". He pointed at the naked young women who are standing next to the academy staff.
All the academy staff who heard this looked at the naked women; their eyes shone with desire, and they gave a lustful grin.
They nodded to Bowen, and Bowen waved his hand lazily. "You all may leave. I want Ye Feng dead as soon as possible." They all nodded to Bowen and left.
After they left, Zimo looked at Bowen seriously and said, "We need to talk. Send those whores away.".
Bowen waved his hand at the young women, and they quickly left the lounge.
Zimo said seriously to Bowen, "Listen carefully, Bowen; our plans have been delayed. Thanks for the mess your cousins created. We can't delay our plans any longer, or me and Tao are going to risk being exposed as spies.".
When Tao heard this he got serious he narrowed his eyes too along with Bowen who asked Zimo "what do you suggest we do?"
Zimo sighed "I would have loved it if we won Ye Feng over, but your cousins screw this up for us." Bowen gritted his teeth and clenched his fist when he remembered that he was in this mess because of what those two did in the Dragon Forest.
Zimo continued, "The only option we have right now is to kill him as soon as possible; he must die this time. Failure is not an option. You saw his talent firsthand in the Azure Dragon Pagoda, the Dragon Forest, and the Fighting Arena. If someone like him is allowed to grow and mature, he will be our nightmare when we invade the Hidden Dragon Kingdom.".
Both Tao and Bowen narrowed their eyes at the thought of Ye Feng growing into his full potential. Bowen then made up his mind: "Alright, I will be joining the others when they attempt to assassinate Ye Feng.".
Zimo nodded with a smile. "That is a wise choice, but I will ask you to be careful of instructor Zhao; he has been keeping an eye on me and Tao a lot lately.".
Bowen narrowed his eyes and thought, "This is not good if they discover they are spies from the Andreas Kingdom and the Persian Kingdom. Things might turn bad for the Zhang clan.".
Bowen then got up and said, "I will be leaving in order to prepare to assassinate Ye Feng. I will see you both later.".
Both Zimo and Tao nodded and left too after Zhang Bowen left.