156: A guess

In Geng Nanfeng's view, the current situation in the Ming Dynasty was still far from being decided. The powerful princes were still openly and secretly competing, locked in a stalemate. The Emperor Ming, while seemingly rarely attending court, still held immense power, and the authority that leaked from his grasp was truly minimal!

Indeed, the Emperor Ming still wielded enormous power. Although he rarely attended court, spending most of his time in the palace as an Advanced carpenter, many major national affairs were sent to him by internal officials for review and approval. Without his approval, these major decisions simply could not be made.

As for the collusion and secret struggles between the princes and some court officials, it actually seemed more like a grand play directed by the Emperor Ming. Perhaps he merely wanted to see which of these princes would be capable of succeeding him. However, no matter who won or lost this struggle for the throne, it would not be a foregone conclusion, because everything was still under the Emperor Ming's control. The successor could not be determined until the very last moment!

This was the cleverness of an old fox like Geng Nanfeng. They could always see through various mists to the most essential core, thereby grasping the key to the problem and deciding what actions they should take. After all, this was a matter concerning the life and death of an entire super Family, and there could be no slightest carelessness...

During this critical period of imperial succession, taking the right step meant glory and wealth, while taking the wrong step led to an abyss. One had to be extremely cautious; no amount of care was too much!

Geng Yun thought of the Old Ancestor's instructions and couldn't help but feel a surge of energy. Perhaps this was also a good opportunity for him. If Long Yuan could successfully ascend to the throne in the end, then he would be able to gain a certain say in the Family by virtue of this connection. At the very least, an Elder position would likely be assured!

He looked up and suddenly noticed a silver-white speck appearing in the distant sky. As this speck grew larger and larger, he realized it was Zhu Nan's private plane!

"They're here, they're here... Quickly, everyone in this County, be on high alert!" Geng Yun quickly ordered.

"Yes, County Chief!" His subordinates responded in unison, each standing tall with a fawning smile on their faces.

Soon, the private plane landed smoothly, the cabin door opened, and Zhu Nan's figure appeared in everyone's sight. Geng Yun quickly led a few trusted aides to greet him...

"Greetings, Eunuch!" Geng Yun and the others stepped forward, knelt, and said respectfully.

"Oh, please dispense with the formalities, everyone, quickly rise. This County has worked hard!" Zhu Nan said with a sharp laugh.

"Eunuch, you have traveled thousands of miles, which is even more arduous. Please come with me to the County Government hotel to rest!" Geng Yun said.

"Wait, please trouble this County to send people to help my subordinates move some things. These are all treasures bestowed by Prince Fu to Ninth Young Master, so please do not damage them!" Zhu Nan said.

"Alright! I will arrange for hands immediately!!!" Geng Yun quickly responded.

However, when he saw the entire cabin full of items on the private plane, he was almost stunned. How many people would it take to move all of this?

And even if he could move it all, Long Yuan's place wouldn't be able to hold it...

He quickly discussed with Zhu Nan, and finally, the two decided to find a place to store it first. When Long Yuan needed it later, he could just come and pick it up...

Long Yuan went directly to the selection camp after performing several surgeries. It happened to be lunchtime, so he went to the selection camp's exclusive restaurant to eat. This restaurant was specially opened by Fengyang No. 1 High School for these elite students for the Inter-school Competition, and it was also one of the benefits of participating in the selection camp.

When he arrived, many people were already eating. When they saw Long Yuan, they all shouted "Captain! Captain!" loudly. Long Yuan also smiled and responded, quickly got his food, and Qin Gui, Ye Xuan, Luo Ying, and others all waved to him. He then walked over and sat with them...

The few of them all knew what Long Yuan had gone to do that morning. Ye Xuan was the first to ask, "Long Yuan, how was my brother's surgery?"

Long Yuan nodded and said, "It's done! Very successful!"

Upon hearing this, a trace of imperceptible helplessness flashed across Ye Xuan's face, and she forced a smile, saying, "Then I must thank you very much!"

"It's nothing, we're all classmates!"

"Uh... I wonder how long it will take for my brother to recover?"

"About a month... I mean, if all goes well."

"And if it doesn't go well?"

"Not well? Then it's impossible to estimate; it depends on the specific situation..."

"Mm-hmm, no matter what, you are now a great benefactor to our Ye Family!" Ye Xuan said with a charming smile.

"Hey, I'm a physician. It's only natural for me to perform surgeries and earn money. It has nothing to do with gratitude or enmity. Speaking of which, the remuneration your Ye Family gave this time is quite a lot, I'm even a little embarrassed!" Long Yuan deliberately shifted the topic to the remuneration.

"This... not at all. You saved my brother. In a sense, no matter how our Ye Family thanks you, it wouldn't be too much. Please don't feel embarrassed!" Ye Xuan said with a charming smile.

Luo Ying said with deep empathy, "Sister Xuan is right. Long Yuan has accumulated immeasurable Karma this time. Not only did he save Ye He, but he also saved those three burned women from the Geng Family. It's just a pity that Ye He still couldn't make it to this Inter-school Competition, otherwise our advantage would be even greater!"

Qin Gui snorted from the side, "With Long Yuan, we're fine for the Inter-school Competition! Qianlong Middle School and Fengming Middle School don't have anyone who can fight him!"

"You can't be so absolute. They all have Bloodline Warriors!" Luo Ying said.

"Bloodline Warriors?!" Qin Gui was startled.

"Didn't you see the information our school collected? Qianlong Middle School has Luo Sheng, with the Earth Bear Bloodline, and Fengming Middle School has Valley Fei Yu, with the Flying Jade Spider Bloodline. And both of them already had Martial Artist-level combat power last year. This year, they will probably be even stronger!" Luo Ying said.

Ye Xuan nodded and said, "That's right! These two indeed have considerable strength, but to compare them to Long Yuan, I don't think they're enough. No matter how strong they are, they can't be stronger than Chu Qingxuan from Shuntian No. 1 Middle School. However, Long Yuan must be a little careful. After all, the fighting styles of Bloodline Warriors are a bit strange. If you're not familiar with their fighting methods, you might easily 'capsize in a ditch' if you're not careful..."

"Indeed. I heard that the Cloud Challenge Competition cannot fully reflect a contestant's Bloodline Power, so the challenge results in the cloud cabin cannot be equated to real-world combat results!" Luo Ying echoed from the side.

Long Yuan nodded and said, "Don't worry, Yun Teacher has told me about their characteristics. If these two middle schools still rely on those two to hold the line, then there's no need to worry too much. However, I think the situation might change then..."

"Oh? Are you saying new powerhouses might emerge?" Luo Ying asked in surprise.

"This is just a guess of mine. If Qianlong Middle School and Fengming Middle School, after learning my challenge results in the cloud cabin, still want to defeat our Fengyang No. 1 High School, what do you think they will do?" Long Yuan smiled.

"They..." Luo Ying was surprised, her mouth agape...

...