101: Chapter 101 The First Prince

Tap... tap-tap.

Footsteps echoed in the darkness, growing faster and faster.

A middle-aged man in green robes looked left and right before pushing open the front door with a click.

"My lady, you go in first."

The man turned back to look at the woman beside him. She nodded and, cradling the child in her arms, walked straight toward the courtyard.

The middle-aged man turned back, and after confirming no one was behind him, shut the door with a snap.

"Phew, it's finally a bit safer now. Those people probably lost our trail."

The woman settled the child in her arms and sat down on a nearby stool.

Once inside the residence, she was clearly much more at ease, and her breathing stabilized.

"Husband, hiding like this isn't a solution. Xiao Lin is at the age to start private school. What are we going to do if this continues?"

Kang Youtian paused and sighed helplessly:

"The Capital is in chaos right now. The priority is to restore Teacher's official position. If he gets out, he can definitely change this situation."

Kang Youtian thought so, but his wife's attitude was clearly not as optimistic.

Her tone grew cold and her voice rose: "Kang Youtian, you're running all over for your teacher, but look at your family! Hiding and living in fear of those people's retaliation..."

"Take my advice: take the money from the other side and let's live a stable life."

"Besides, that Teacher Su of yours has been locked in the Heavenly Prison for so many years; he's probably nothing but bones by now!"

Kang Youtian was stunned. He wanted to speak, but the words were stuck in his throat, and he didn't know what to say.

He truly owed his family too much over these past few years.

Ever since his teacher was slandered by treacherous officials and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison for offering wise counsel, the corrupt atmosphere within the Great Wei Court had worsened.

Emperor Wei Ming was obsessed with cultivation, pursuing the illusory path to immortality.

He almost completely ignored worldly affairs, delegating the court's power to eunuchs and ministers.

The remaining princes were even less pure of heart, each harboring their own sinister designs.

Undercurrents surged throughout the court.

For a time, everyone lived in fear, and no one dared to stand up, allowing the chaos to run rampant in the Capital.

He had originally given up the struggle,

but recently, the First Prince issued an announcement, claiming he would restore the positions of some incorruptible officials who had been falsely accused.

Only then did his hope reignite.

Kang Youtian could only comfort the two before him:

"It's almost time. Once the secret letter is delivered to the First Prince, everything will return to the right track."

"Then Xiao Lin can attend the best private school in the Capital, and might even have the chance to study at the Wenxin Hall Holy Land..."

The woman's expression softened slightly. She was only complaining momentarily and didn't mean it maliciously.

Having been together for years and reached this point, how could they easily give up?

Suddenly.

High on a distant roof beam, a tile suddenly shattered.

A cold voice drifted through the night:

"Mr. Kang, you've certainly thought of everything. Unfortunately, I'm afraid you won't live to see it."

Kang Youtian sensed something was wrong and hurriedly looked toward the sound.

Upon seeing the newcomer's face, he went cold all over, a chill shooting straight to the top of his head.

On the roof tiles, a man clad in black, holding a long silver blade, was staring down at them coldly.

"Are you sent by the other side?"

Kang Youtian's face turned grim as he watched the man warily.

"Mr. Kang, don't ask so many questions. Just go to your grave quietly."

The man in black leapt down, holding his long sword before him.

With a heavy gaze, Kang Youtian turned and shouted to his family:

"Run!"

"I'll hold him off."

Before his words could fade, the door behind them was kicked open with a bang.

Several figures in black filed through the doorway, surrounding them.

For a moment, let alone running, they didn't even have a place to stand.

These men in black carried a murderous aura, and the commotion frightened the child on the stone stool into crying.

The woman from before turned pale and tightly gripped her sleeves.

They were all ordinary people who had never practiced martial arts; they had no way to fight back, let alone strike.

Kang Youtian picked up a stick from the ground and shielded his family behind him.

"Let my family go, and I'll go with you."

"Mr. Kang, the higher-ups specifically ordered that, fearing you'd be lonely in the afterlife, the whole family should stay together."

The leader of the men in black chuckled and gestured forward.

"Kill them."

As the command fell, the figures surrounding them swung their blades forward.

Despair filled Kang Youtian's face as he slowly closed his eyes.

But after waiting several seconds, the expected pain did not come.

Hmm?

Kang Youtian opened his eyes in confusion, only to see everyone around him standing still like statues.

They remained in their previous poses, creating a very eerie scene.

What exactly happened?

Kang Youtian felt his skin crawl when he suddenly heard a voice by his ear.

"What is your relationship to Su Yuanshan?"

The voice was like a sudden clap of thunder; though it came from afar, it sounded as if someone were speaking right next to him.

"Su... Su Yuanshan is my teacher."

Kang Youtian didn't dare hesitate and quickly explained his situation.

The owner of the voice paused for a moment before one last sentence drifted over and then vanished.

"You may leave."

Leave?

Kang Youtian glanced at the surrounding men in black, and in the next instant...

Snap.

A sudden change occurred.

All the men in black suddenly collapsed to the ground, dead with blood leaking from their seven facial orifices.

These assassins who were hunting them... just died like that?

Kang Youtian stared blankly at the scene, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

Not until his wife beside him shook his body.

Kang Youtian finally came to his senses, knelt on both knees, and kowtowed:

"Thank you for your help, Senior!"

He then dared not linger and hurriedly left the courtyard.

...

...

In a small courtyard several hundred meters away.

A young man slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence to encounter Su Yuanshan's student here."

Chen Ran withdrew the Sky Net, and his surrounding perception quickly receded like a tide.

He stood up and glanced toward the east; that was where his neighbor lived, who on the surface was just an ordinary schoolteacher.

As it turned out, he actually had such a history with Su Yuanshan in the Heavenly Prison.

If what that man said was true, the current First Prince wants to restore a group of slandered officials?

Through the Sky Net, he had learned much information he hadn't known before.

For example, if this matter proceeded smoothly, Su Yuanshan might actually be able to leave the prison one day and have his official position restored.

He hadn't saved those two for any gain or transaction.

These black-clad assassins were extremely powerful to ordinary people, but to him, they were merely bugs that could be crushed with a single breath.

Su Yuanshan was no villain; even if he died in the Heavenly Prison, the heavenly book of prison suppression would not settle any rewards.

On the contrary, the Cultivation Technique he had once taught him had provided genuine help.

If he could help this old friend get out of prison in passing, he was more than willing.

"However, for that First Prince to take the initiative to push such an order, his ambitions likely run deep."

Thinking of this, Chen Ran pondered:

"I hope the struggle for imperial power within the Capital won't affect me. The Great Wei Court should at least be able to hold on for a few more years..."