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墨書 Inktalez
The Underground City has dozens of entrances, with the strictest inspections occurring at the large city gates. In contrast, the smaller entrances are much more relaxed; a little bribe or an introduction from an acquaintance can easily grant access.
Of course, the main reason for this leniency is that Princess Zhulan and her companions are few in number and include children in their teens. Who would suspect that such a group is here to vie for power in the Underground City?
With the help of a merchant familiar with the area, Lu Chen and his companions easily entered the Underground City and settled into a residential house.
The Underground City spans over ten to twenty miles, and the residence where Lu Chen and his group stayed looked no different from the surrounding buildings. However, inside, it was quite luxurious, clearly prearranged for their arrival.
This merchant was one of Princess Zhulan's informants, well-acquainted with the terrain and situation of the Underground City, making him a local expert.
Upon entering the residence, Lu Chen met two notable individuals: two young men around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, named Tu Youchun and Tu Youxia.
The Tu Family is one of the Seven Great Families of the Demon King Dynasty. Among the younger generation, the Five Tiger Siblings stand out prominently, renowned alongside Sang Tuling from the Sang Family, the Jia Yi Twin Heroes from the Yuan Family, and the Twelve Golden Hairpins from the Su Family—everyone knows them.
Tu Youchun and Tu Youxia are two of these siblings, along with their sister Tu Youqiu and brother Tu Youdong, with Tu Shijie being the last.
Introduced by Princess Zhulan, there were no lengthy pleasantries exchanged; they simply greeted each other briefly.
Tu Youchun and Tu Youxia were dressed in casual attire—light blue and white clothes—with their hair tied up in traditional styles, resembling scholarly figures. Upon hearing that Princess Zhulan and her group had arrived, they immediately came out to greet them.
"Princess, you have finally arrived," Tu Youchun said with a smile, then his sharp eyes turned to Lu Chen, narrowing as if assessing some kind of monster.
"Cousins Youchun and Youxia, I apologize for troubling you. How is my mother? Is there any news?" Princess Zhulan asked with a smile that quickly faded into concern.
Tu Youchun shook his head, his tone slightly heavy. "There is no news yet. However, you need not worry about the princess's safety for now. Youqiu has already infiltrated the palace. With her and Tu Youdong protecting her, there should be no problems."
Hearing this from Tu Youchun eased Princess Zhulan's worries considerably. She nodded and then asked, "What about Cousin Four Seasons? Where has he gone? Why haven't I seen him?"
Upon hearing this, Tu Youchun and Tu Youxia both smiled wryly. Tu Youchun said, "You know the character of Four Seasons, Princess. He can't stay in one place for long; he’s probably already at Kalan Prince's residence gathering information. The problem is, his whereabouts are unpredictable, and we don't know when he will return to report."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was slightly taken aback. Tu Shijie, being the eldest among the Tu Family's Five Tigers, seemed to have the greatest ability and courage, yet he dared to venture into the Prince's residence at such a critical time to gather intelligence.
One person daring to infiltrate such a place, especially at this moment, would make even Lu Chen hesitate, worrying about whether he could return safely.
However, Tu Shijie seemed quite formidable and appeared unconcerned about these details. Judging by the tone and expression of Tu Youchun and his brother, they seemed completely untroubled.
It should be noted that the Prince's residence was certainly under strict surveillance by now, with countless experts hidden inside. Trying to enter would undoubtedly be fraught with difficulties, and avoiding detection would make it even harder to get out later.
"Indeed, my cousin Four Seasons is like that; no one can do anything about him. We might as well let him go. We still need to discuss serious matters," Princess Zhulan remarked, leading everyone into the interior of a modest yet dignified reception room.
Before long, everyone took their seats in the reception room, which accommodated around six or seven people. Among those Lu Chen brought along, only Old Mu and Lian Dashuang remained by his side; the others had voluntarily stepped out to keep watch.
This residence appeared safe, but vigilance could not be relaxed. Lu Chen was not at ease with others keeping watch; he felt secure only when his own people were doing such tasks.
In the reception room, exquisite tea sets were already laid out, with steam rising from white jade teacups as a faint aroma of tea filled the air.
"Fortunately, Princess, you returned just in time. Kalan Prince will announce his decree in three days and then ascend to the throne. Time is of the essence. If you hadn’t come back, my brothers and I might have had no choice but to assassinate Kalan Prince," Tu Youchun said.
They couldn't think of a better solution and couldn't mobilize troops either; thus they could only risk everything to assassinate Kalan Prince. Once Kalan Prince was dead, Melan Prince and Princess Zhulan would have to step up to take charge.
If Kalan Prince died, everything would become manageable; Melan Prince would not be able to compete with Princess Zhulan for legitimacy.
Hearing this, Princess Zhulan furrowed her brow. Although she had returned, overcoming Kalan Prince would not be an easy task.
Now, with the support of the Four Ministers, Kalan Prince has already been secretly waging war against the Underworld. Each of the Four Ministers is performing their duties and utilizing their abilities, keeping everything under their control.
In the current Imperial Capital City, nearly ninety-nine percent of the power is already in the hands of Kalan Prince. This only includes the surface-level power; it is estimated that the entire royal palace has already become part of Kalan Prince's possessions.
In addition, there is the Luban Temple, a vast martial arts sanctuary. The sect leader, Miao Sheng Maiyi, is skilled in both law and martial arts, with unfathomable cultivation that ordinary people cannot contend with.
Imagine how difficult it would be to deal with such a powerful Kalan Prince. The Melan Prince, supported by the Minister of Works, has already conceded defeat without even starting to compete.
The Melan Prince and Minister of Works are pretending to be ill or dead, effectively surrendering to Kalan Prince in a disguised manner. They cannot match Kalan Prince's strength, so this is an unavoidable situation.
It’s not just Melan Prince; anyone who understands the situation and knows their own capabilities would adopt such a method. Otherwise, they would only face eventual reckoning and might not even be able to preserve their lives.
“Alas,” Princess Zhulan sighed, her delicate face full of helplessness. “I have no better solution. The Naval Minister's troops cannot be transported here. Under Kalan Prince's arrangements, we are like eggs colliding with stones; our chances of winning are pitifully low, almost to the point of certain defeat.”
“What are we afraid of? Better to be shattered than to remain whole. I don’t believe that Kalan Prince can have three heads and six arms. If we Five Tiger Brothers charge together, we must take him down. No matter what happens, the throne cannot just be handed over to him without a fight,” Tu Youxia said fiercely as he stood up, gritting his teeth. If assassination fails, he would rather fight Kalan Prince to the death.
“Calm down, Youxia. Things are not as simple as you think,” Tu Youchun said as he pulled Tu Youxia back down, urging him to sit and speak calmly. They must avoid any reckless actions that could ruin their plans.
Princess Zhulan felt a bit awkward; her face flushed slightly. Tu Youxia was naturally hot-tempered and fearless, always refusing to back down.
“Princess, you are wise and resourceful; surely you have a better plan?” Tu Youchun asked as he looked at Princess Zhulan.
Princess Zhulan sighed again, her beautiful white face showing both bitterness and a smile as she shook her head. “With fewer against more, our strengths are vastly unequal. I truly cannot come up with a better idea. Perhaps when it comes down to it, we will indeed have to resort to what Cousin Youxia suggested: better to be shattered than to remain whole.”
“It’s really a pity; time waits for no one. In this situation, we truly cannot come up with a better plan,” Tu Youchun sighed, his tone filled with helplessness.
“Lu Chen, why are you just standing there in silence? You are well-versed in the Human Book and often act unpredictably but manage to surprise people at critical moments. What do you think? Do you have any ideas?”
Princess Zhulan turned her head and stared intently at Lu Chen, hoping he could offer her some advice.
At that moment, Lu Chen was quietly sitting in the Armchair, gently sipping from a jade tea cup, looking completely at ease.
Seeing this, the brothers Tu Youchun and Tu Youxia shifted their attention to Lu Chen, who merely smiled lightly, his expression calm as if he were not worried at all.
Especially upon hearing the words "Human Book," they immediately perked up. The Human Book was a legendary text, second only to the Earth Book and regarded as the foremost among all books.
Years ago, there were rumors that the Human Book had fallen into the hands of the Su Family, but it had somehow been lost. Now it seemed that this mysterious individual before them had obtained it, which surprised the Tu brothers.
"The Human Book teaches about military strategy on the battlefield, real warfare, but it does not provide guidance on how to handle situations like this. As Princess Zhulan mentioned, the disparity in strength between us and the enemy is too great; there is simply no good solution available," Lu Chen said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Princess Zhulan and the others looked disappointed. They had hoped that Lu Chen's serious demeanor would lead to some clever idea.
On the other side, Tu Youchun and Tu Youxia wore expressions of disdain, especially Tu Youxia, who was on the verge of standing up to point at Lu Chen and berate him.
After a moment's pause, Lu Chen gently set down his tea cup and said, "However, there is an old saying: 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'"
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