Ye Yin stood in the center of the hidden chamber, his gaze calm yet sharp. Beside him, Dai Mubai paced back and forth, his expression clouded with a mix of worry and uncertainty. The air in the room felt heavy, as if the walls themselves were closing in on them.
"Yin-ge, I'm worried about Zhu Zhuyun's side of things," Dai Mubai finally admitted, stopping in his tracks. His eyes searched Ye Yin's face for some sign of reassurance. "What if she can't hold her position? What if everything we've planned falls apart because of one mistake?"
Ye Yin didn't look up immediately. Instead, he stared at the map spread out on the table before him. He let out a small, confident smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Don't worry too much, Mubai. A nail has already been hammered into her side of the family. How much damage it actually does depends on our next few moves. However, we must be careful. Your brother, Dai Weisi, is not the type of man to let a slight like this go easily. He will fight back, and he will fight back hard."
Just as the words left his mouth, a frantic knocking echoed through the door. The branch manager of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School rushed in. His face was pale, and he was breathing heavily as if he had run a great distance.
"Miss Rongrong, Earl Ye, we have an urgent problem!" the manager shouted, his voice trembling with urgency. "Prince Dai Weisi has made his move. He is using the excuse of hunting for spies and keeping the peace to lock down the city. He has mobilized the city guard and the imperial guard to conduct a massive search. They are everywhere!"
The manager took a ragged breath before continuing. "They are focusing specifically on the areas around our school's branch. The search is incredibly strict. Several of our outer contact points have already been discovered and destroyed. The Prince is telling the public that Shadow Stream assassins were captured, and he's calling it a direct attack on the Star Luo Empire. The city is in a state of panic."
The room fell into a grim silence. The news was worse than they had expected. Dai Weisi was effectively using his royal authority to crush their influence before they could even start their main operation.
Ning Rongrong stepped forward, her brow furrowed in anger. "He's trying to choke us out. By flooding the streets with guards, he's forcing us to stay hidden and cutting off our ways to talk to the outside world. If we can't move, we can't win."
Tang San nodded, his voice deep and serious. "He is being very clever. By acting under the banner of the law and the safety of the Empire, he makes it almost impossible for us to fight back without looking like criminals ourselves. We can't just attack the city guards."
Dai Mubai looked at Ye Yin, his anxiety growing. "Yin-ge, what is the plan? We can't just stay cooped up in this basement forever. Eventually, they will find us, or we will run out of supplies."
Ye Yin didn't seem bothered. He reached out and tapped his fingers lightly on the wooden table. The rhythm was steady and calm. "There is no need to rush. In fact, the bigger the mess he makes, the more mistakes he will leave behind. Besides, did we not just prepare a very special gift for him? I think it is time we let him open it."
He turned to the branch manager, a cold glint appearing in his eyes. "I want you to take the memory crystals we recorded—the ones showing those 'valiant' performances of his Spirit Emperor and Spirit King subordinates. Pick the most embarrassing parts, like the dancing and the strange flips. Send them anonymously to the royal family and the military generals who are already unhappy with Dai Weisi's behavior."
"Make sure the source cannot be traced back to us," Ye Yin added. "But ensure the images are crystal clear. I want everyone to see exactly how 'powerful' his elite forces really are."
The manager's eyes widened, and then a slow, wicked grin spread across his face. "I understand completely, Earl Ye! I will handle it personally. By tomorrow morning, his reputation will be in tatters. I'll make sure it's done perfectly!" With a quick bow, he turned and sprinted out of the room to execute the order.
Ning Rongrong giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Yin-ge, you are truly mean! If Dai Weisi sees those videos, he might actually lose his mind. You're attacking his pride, which is his biggest weakness."
Ye Yin shrugged his shoulders casually. "He chose to start this fight; I am simply finishing it. This isn't just about making him angry, though. It will destroy the morale of his troops. Who would want to follow a leader whose strongest Spirit Masters act like circus clowns? While he is busy dealing with the shame, his enemies within the palace will start to move against him. We just need to wait for the internal chaos to begin."
He then turned his attention to the rest of the group, his tone becoming more authoritative. "Mubai, Zhuqing, use your connections with General Lei Meng and the Old Prince. Keep the communication lines open but do not take any direct action yet. Just watch and listen. We need to know exactly when the tide turns."
"Understood!" Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing replied together, their voices filled with new determination.
"Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Dugu Yan," Ye Yin continued, "you three are in charge of our security. Dai Weisi might get desperate enough to send assassins or a small army to this branch. We cannot be caught off guard."
"Don't worry, we've got this," Tang San said, his hand resting on the hilt of his weapon. Xiao Wu nodded beside him, her eyes sharp.
Dugu Yan licked her lips, a dangerous smile on her face. "It's a good thing I just finished making some new poisons and traps. I was looking for a few test subjects to try them out on. Let them come."
Finally, Ye Yin looked at Ning Rongrong. "Rongrong, use your school's business network to hit him where it hurts: his money. Create trouble for his trade routes and cut off the supplies to the industries he owns. Make his life a living nightmare."
"Leave it to me!" Ning Rongrong replied with a confident wink. "By the time I'm done, he won't have a single copper coin left to pay his guards."
With their tasks assigned, the group dispersed. Ye Yin sat back down and closed his eyes. He released his vast mental force, spreading it out like an invisible net over the entire Star Luo Imperial Capital. He could feel the heartbeat of the city, the movement of the guards, and the growing tension in the air. A storm was coming, and he was the one holding the lightning.
---
Inside the lavish mansion of Dai Weisi, the atmosphere was far from calm. The Prince sat at his desk, clutching several memory crystals that had been delivered to him in secret. As the images played out in the air, his face turned from red to a deathly pale white.
He watched in horror as his top-tier Spirit Masters—men who were supposed to be his greatest weapons—performed ridiculous dances and tap dances like common street performers. The clarity of the crystals was perfect; there was no denying who they were.
With a roar of pure rage, Dai Weisi slammed his fist down. The expensive sandalwood table shattered into splinters under his strength. "Ye Yin! I will kill you! I will tear you apart with my bare hands!"
He looked like a wounded beast, his eyes bloodshot and the veins in his neck bulging. He knew that if these images reached the public or the Emperor, his chances of taking the throne were over. He would be the laughingstock of the entire continent.
"Find out who did this!" he screamed at his trembling subordinates. "I want the head of whoever spread these images! I will kill their entire family!"
But the nightmare was only beginning. One by one, messengers rushed into the room, each bringing news more devastating than the last.
"Your Highness! There is a riot at the west city mines! Our men are being beaten back, and the work has stopped!"
"Your Highness! Our supply convoy for the army was robbed! Everything is gone!"
"Your Highness! The royal relatives are demanding a meeting with the Emperor! They say your actions are bringing shame to the crown!"
Dai Weisi felt like he was drowning. Every piece of news was a new weight pulling him under. He realized now that he wasn't just fighting a person; he was fighting an invisible net that was slowly squeezing the life out of him.
"Get out! All of you, get out of my sight!" he yelled, throwing a chair at the wall. When the room was finally empty, he stood alone in the wreckage of his study, panting like a tired animal. He knew Ye Yin and Dai Mubai were behind this, and the thought made him want to burn the entire city down.
However, the final blow came the next morning. A rumor turned into a fact that shook the city to its core: the Second Prince, Dai Mubai, had returned.
He didn't come back in secret. He appeared in the center of the Imperial Capital square, dressed in his full royal robes, standing tall and proud. His golden eyes shone with a power and confidence that many had forgotten he possessed. Beside him stood the beautiful and icy Zhu Zhuqing, and behind them stood several powerful officials and elders, showing their support for the true heir.
Using a spirit tool to make his voice carry for miles, Dai Mubai spoke to the gathered crowd. "People of Star Luo! I have returned not to start a war, but to bring back the honor of our home! Some have used their power for greed and have brought shame to our royal name. Today, that ends!"
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