435: Two old foxes

A gleam flashed in Prince Zhao's eyes as he asked, 'I also heard that you single-handedly captured all the dozens of experts who attacked Dingyuan City last time and sent them to the North Division. Among them were two Martial Commanders and several foreign experts. How did you manage that?'

'When I went to investigate their hidden lair, I discovered they were fighting amongst themselves over an uneven distribution of spoils. Many of them had already lost their combat ability, so I took advantage of the situation and rounded them all up!' Long Yuan laughed.

'Is that true?!' Prince Zhao asked with a playful expression, clearly not believing him.

'Truer than pearls!'

'Haha, it seems our Long Yuan is a lucky general after all...' Prince Zhao couldn't help but burst into laughter. Long Yuan chuckled and agreed, not saying much more. He didn't care if Prince Zhao believed him or not, as long as he didn't reveal the truth.

Although Prince Zhao was not as devil-may-care or cynical as Prince Dai, he was extremely easygoing and lacked the airs of a Great Ming Prince. He looked like a short-haired young man in his thirties. He patted Long Yuan on the shoulder and said, 'I just returned from the imperial court meeting convened by the Emperor. The situation is extremely dire. A large number of Fusang People are fleeing towards our Great Ming, with countless Sea Clan members chasing them from behind. I fear they will reach our Great Ming coast within a few days. Our entire defense line is currently ramping up its intensity. Since you've just arrived in Shuntian Prefecture, don't go back. It will be much safer to stay here!'

Upon hearing this, Prince Dai immediately chimed in, 'Exactly, exactly! Shuntian Prefecture has so many fun places. Your Uncle will take you around to have a blast and enjoy the prosperity of the Imperial Capital, haha!'

Xu Ruoying's eyes lit up, and she giggled, 'Where are you going? Can I come along?'

'Go away, go away! You little damsel can't go to places where we men go. If you make Long Yuan unhappy, you'll have to take the blame...' Prince Dai said with disdain.

'Hmph, I'm going regardless. I can't let Long Yuan get lost in the red-light district's den of vice. I still need to rely on him to hit my performance targets!' Xu Ruoying said angrily.

'Hahaha, alright, alright. Where will there be any days of wine and song from now on? The curfew order will be issued tomorrow. Apart from those related to the war, other activities will be greatly reduced or even disappear entirely!' Prince Zhao laughed.

'What?! A curfew?!!!' Both Prince Dai and Xu Ruoying were stunned.

'Indeed! The Sea Clan is about to attack, and we don't know the intensity of this wave. If it's the same as the attacks on Snow Eagle Country, War Bear Country, and Flying Lion Country, then our Great Ming's situation will likely not be optimistic. Therefore, we must cancel those entertainment activities and concentrate our efforts on the war!' Prince Zhao explained.

'Then who will compensate for my company's losses?' Prince Dai asked indignantly.

Everyone looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh. Prince Zhao tapped Prince Dai on the head and said, 'You brat, at this critical juncture, you're still thinking about playing and making money. If all Great Ming people were like you, who would resist the Sea Clan invasion? What about the lives and livelihoods of the vast number of commoners?'

'Aha, I was just venting my frustration. Don't worry, with a great enemy approaching, I certainly support the war at the front line!' Prince Dai laughed sheepishly.

'As long as you understand! At a time like this, don't do anything out of line. Leaving others with leverage would lead to endless trouble...'

'Then it's fine if I drink with Long Yuan tonight, right?' Prince Dai said, dissatisfied.

'It's fine, it's fine. The curfew order won't be issued until tomorrow. Why not change the venue? Come to my Tiangong Headquarters. I have some things I want to discuss with Long Yuan!'

After saying this, Prince Zhao, regardless of what the others thought, grabbed Long Yuan and started walking out. Prince Dai and Xu Ruoying had no choice but to follow closely...

At the North Division of the Jianxuan Envoy Department, Director Chang Hanshan returned from the court meeting and heard an unbelievable piece of news: the major case of the looting of Dingyuan City a few days ago had actually been solved!

After inquiring carefully, he learned that it was Long Yuan who had solved the case and had rounded up all the criminals, sending them all to the North Division!

What he found even more incredible was that among these people, the average cultivation Realm was above Martial General. There were also two Martial Commanders and several foreign mecha pilots. Such a gathered combat force could practically wipe out some medium-sized countries. Yet, they had been captured and brought to justice by Long Yuan alone. This made him wonder if he was suffering from auditory hallucinations.

After finally accepting this fact, another wanted criminal was sent over: the Fusang secret agent Gao Shi Wan Miao, who had been hiding in Hexiang Garden and had even placed a signal gu inside Prince Dai's body. Fortunately, Long Yuan had detected it and captured her in one fell swoop!

If the Jianxuan Envoy Department had handled a case like this, they wouldn't know how much manpower and time it would take, and in the end, they might not even be able to catch the criminals. Yet, Long Yuan's individual effort surpassed the countless resources invested by the Jianxuan Envoy Department.

'Where is Long Yuan now?' Chang Hanshan asked Deputy Director Ding Peng.

'We went to Juxian Terrace to take custody of Gao Shi Wan Miao. Long Yuan is currently drinking with Prince Dai and Xu Ruoying...' Ding Peng said.

'Come with me to Juxian Terrace immediately. Don't let Long Yuan run away!' Chang Hanshan said loudly.

'Director, why do you say that? Could it be that Long Yuan...' Ding Peng paused, suspicious.

'What are you thinking? I mean we must keep Long Yuan in our North Division. We absolutely cannot let that brat Yu Xun keep Long Yuan in the Southern Division. Long Yuan is currently still a Guest Elder of the Southern Division!' Chang Hanshan said.

Ding Peng understood instantly and couldn't help but say with a smile, 'Director is wise! A young hero like Long Yuan must, of course, stay in our North Division! Moreover, I see that Xu Ruoying of the Xu Family seems to have a rather close relationship with him. I wonder if there is a situation we are not yet aware of?'

Chang Hanshan was slightly taken aback, 'Isn't she working at Prince Dai's company? Long Yuan is also a singer, and I heard Xu Ruoying is his agent, right?'

'Yes! Almost everyone in the country knows this. But I also saw quite a few rumors online today saying that the two are dating, playing at being a couple, and so on...' Ding Peng said.

'Nonsense! Long Yuan has just turned 17 and is still a middle school student. How could he be dating Xu Ruoying? I suspect some people are fanning the flames in the dark. It might even be the Xu Family playing tricks behind the scenes!' Chang Hanshan snorted.

Ding Peng was shocked to hear this and suddenly realized, 'The Director makes sense! It seems the Xu Family thinks highly of Long Yuan and is deliberately creating scandals to bring him into the Xu Family...'

Chang Hanshan was indeed an old fox; he saw through the Xu Family's tactics at a glance. He rolled his eyes and said, 'Long Yuan must stay in the North Division. It just so happens that my precious granddaughter Chang Wan'er is 14 this year, is already a Martial Master, and is an immortal seedling. She is a perfect match for Long Yuan. When the time comes, I'll have them team up to carry out missions!'

Ding Peng cursed inwardly. The Director wants to keep the benefits within his own family. You have a precious granddaughter, but don't I? It wouldn't be bad to snag the status of a concubine for her later. Thinking of how Long Yuan, at such a young age, had already single-handedly taken down two Martial Commanders and dozens of Martial Generals, such combat power could be called the ceiling of the Great Ming. He had to establish a relationship with him no matter what. However, he still had some concerns and said, 'Director has a good eye! But according to our secret investigation, Long Yuan is very likely Prince Fu's ninth son, Zhu Deyuan. Prince Fu is quite a good-for-nothing...'