Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 167 - 87: The Number of Destiny

Chapter 167: Chapter 87: The Number of Destiny

Jiuyue was the first to step out of the great hall, and after descending the stairs, even kicked a stone flying, thankfully not crashing into the forehead of an innocent passerby.

This was enough to show how truly angry she was, angry enough to skip even the Bai Yu chicken banquet.

"Be careful, you’re still a patient."

Watching the little fox stamp her feet, Duan Mingyuan suddenly found it somewhat amusing and reminded her as he followed behind.

"Mr. Mingyuan, did you see that? They actually had the heir to the throne wear that kind of clothing and perform that kind of dance!"

Just thinking about the Second Prince dancing gracefully in performance attire made Jiuyue feel suffocated; she also saw the ill-disguised smiles on the Extraterrestrials’ faces, to whom the Second Prince seemed to be nothing more than entertainment for their amusement.

This stirred up many bad memories for her.

Although she had no affection for the Second Prince, watching the future heir of the Prime Monarch be so insulted, she suddenly felt a rage where she could not vent, "What sword dance—it’s clearly a means of insulting someone!"

What was even more infuriating was that the Second Prince had actually agreed, donning that ridiculous attire and, before the eyes of all, playing the clown in a circus to please the Extraterrestrials.

The power brokers of the Imperial Court turned a blind eye to such insults and instead clapped and cheered as if they truly viewed the sword dance as a precious treasure, regarding the Second Prince as the young Prime Monarch, but the young Prime Monarch would never dress in dance clothes to amuse the Extraterrestrials.

In the academy, under Duan Mingyuan’s influence, Jiuyue also flipped through the annals that recorded the accomplishments of the Prime Monarch.

The young Prime Monarch pointed his sword towards the heavens, not like now, with ribbons attached, slowly floating above the grand hall.

"Mr. Mingyuan, aren’t you angry?"

Seeing Duan Mingyuan’s calm expression, Jiuyue couldn’t help but ask.

She thought Duan Mingyuan’s temper was really too good, no, rather too stable; she had never seen him wildly elated or furiously angry over anything, even when committing murder and disposing of bodies, he never displayed overly strong emotions.

"Angry? Why should I be angry?"

"Those Extraterrestrials look down on people!"

"What’s so new about that?" Duan Mingyuan patted Jiuyue’s head to help stabilize her emotions, then asked, "Jiuyue, why do you think the Third Prince insisted we attend this banquet?"

The Third Prince wanted him to judge the chaos within the Imperial Court through his own eyes.

"Of course, to make us see the detestableness of the Extraterrestrials, maybe your anger would be enough to cut down that Qing Hua!"

Jiuyue clenched her fists; she really wanted to do just that, but unfortunately, her strength was not enough, and she couldn’t yet beat a formal member of "Long Branch".

"Quite the opposite."

Duan Mingyuan shook his head, "The Third Prince is advising me not to take action."

With a straightforward nature, Jiuyue was easily provoked by the actions of the Extraterrestrials, but Duan Mingyuan did not believe that the Third Prince’s invitation to the banquet was merely to witness something he already knew.

"Eh? Why?"

Jiuyue paused, no longer thrashing about in anger, and began to ponder thoughtfully.

"Because, for the Imperial Court now, taking action would not solve anything."

The Third Prince wanted them to witness not the insult itself, but how the power brokers of the Imperial Court responded to the insult—with no sense of being humiliated at all, they instead genuinely applauded and cheered for the sword dance.

Because this was recognized as a treasure by the emissaries from heaven.

They had never seen the Prime Monarch in his youth, but if the emissaries from heaven said that the Second Prince had the bearing of a young Prime Monarch, then it must be true.

Times had long since changed.

In the era of the Prime Monarch, when he pointed his sword toward the heavens, countless exceptional individuals from all over responded, throwing themselves into battle without hesitation, yet now, if someone dared point a sword at the heavens, the power brokers of the Imperial Court would rush to hand this criminal to the heavens, seeking forgiveness from above.

"He is telling us that even if we were to slay the emissary from heaven, it would not change the current state of the Imperial Court."

After centuries of baptism, the domestication had been thoroughly completed.

"Mr. Mingyuan’s words are extremely true," came the response.

The one who continued the conversation was an old man with snowy white hair, hunched over. He made his intentions clear, "The Third Prince sent me to meet you here. Please follow me, both of you. The Third Prince would not let honored guests leave with empty stomachs; he has specially prepared a banquet elsewhere for you."

"I know you!"

Jiuyue recognized the old man at once, "You’re Yi Wuyang, the inventor of the divination machine at the theater!"

When Cai Die was dressing her up backstage at the theater, Jiuyue, having nothing better to do, fiddled with the divination machine. There was also an accompanying manual backstage that introduced the basic principles of divination, and it mentioned the descendant of the Yin Yang Technique of this era, Yi Wuyang—this gentleman was 131 years old, living a bit longer than Chancellor Mo Song and the oldest among the descendants of the Yin Yang Technique practitioners.

"Ho-ho, indeed, it is I," the old man chuckled.

Their destination was a grand hall in the southeastern corner. From the time the group had first arrived at the Imperial Court, the grand hall had been heavily guarded. In the context of a game, it would belong to the areas that are temporarily unexplored, areas that could not be accessed until after a plot had been triggered and a corresponding NPC had been unlocked, allowing you to dismiss the group of iron guards blocking the entrance of the grand hall.

Upon entering, Jiuyue immediately smelled the familiar aroma of meat. The table was laden with Bai Yu chicken, which made her mouth water.

Although she had stormed off in a huff, she couldn’t help feeling regretful.

The Bai Yu chicken was a product from another planet, and having missed this opportunity, she didn’t know how long it would be before she could see it again.

She took her seat with satisfaction, and with the guidance of the delicious food, the annoyance in her heart gradually faded away.

According to her personality, her anger came quickly and left just as fast.

Her father also cautioned her in the "Auspicious Fox Cultivation Notes" that a superior Ruihu never holds grudges overnight.

"This is the Prime Monarch’s sleeping chamber, and people from the company can’t reach here temporarily," Yi Wuyang informed them.

"Does the Third Prince seek my assistance with something?" Duan Mingyuan deduced the other’s intention and asked outright.

The banquet here, though lacking performances that humiliated people, could hardly be deemed a relaxed affair. "Does it involve the Elder Princess?"

"Mr. Mingyuan, do you believe in destiny?" Yi Wuyang asked.

As he spoke, Yi Wuyang suddenly stretched out his hand and tightly grasped Duan Mingyuan’s wrist.

Sights are often more persuasive than words.

As the Barrier prolonged, Duan Mingyuan saw some unusual scenes.

Enveloped in raging flames, the Royal City was stained red with blood, parts of bodies strewn everywhere. Looking up the staircase, members of "Long Branch," whom he had never seen before, stood like a tall wall before the grand hall.

Before dawn arrived, the rebellion had already drawn to its conclusion.

Cold mechanical creatures held a head in their hands, while at their feet lay a headless body on the ground.

"Even without peering into fate, one could predict such an ending," Yi Wuyang’s aged voice floated through the air.

This was the fate of all who pointed their swords at the messengers of the heavens.

"You want me to stop the Third Prince," Duan Mingyuan said.

"No," Yi Wuyang shook his head. "After this battle, the Prime Monarch will fall, and under the company’s support, Second Prince Ying Xin will become the new king. Afterwards, the Third Prince hopes you could take the Elder Princess and Miss Cai Die back to the Cloud Sea Academy and never set foot in the Imperial Court again."