Chapter 1 A Special Envoy

Returning to Chu Nuan City with Dou Hongyi, a scattered number of houses had already been rebuilt.

Although they were crude wooden houses, it was a start to rebuilding their homes from the ruins.

And among them, the largest and most luxuriously decorated house stood in the very center of the ruins. Its completion and the luxury of its decoration were the best.

This house was surrounded by a dome-shaped black curtain, isolating the inside from the outside. The inside of the house couldn't be seen with the naked eye, so it must be some kind of isolation formation.

When Fang Yue saw that house two days ago, he thought it was built for Dou Hongyi himself to live in.

Now he understood that this was prepared specifically for the special envoy's exclusive reception, having received the news long ago.

Compared to the surrounding ruins, this house was luxurious and high-end, making it seem out of place.

At the entrance, two guards were stationed, along with a dozen patrolling guards, all experts from the Qing Si and Lan Shan.

Even with the severe shortage of manpower on their side, these people were specially dispatched to serve the special envoy, showing how much Dou Hongyi cared about this matter.

In the end, a simp gets nothing.

Fang Yue looked at the enthusiastic Dou Hongyi beside him and shook his head slightly.

Even if Dou Hongyi tried his best to curry favor, a person of high status like the special envoy, who had lived in the Qingdu Imperial Palace for a long time, probably wouldn't look up to him.

Unless there was something truly unique that could leave an impression on the special envoy, it would be impossible for him to say a few good words for Dou Hongyi in front of the Emperor.

"Lord Ye! After Lord Ye goes in, please remember to mention me more. I don't need to be transferred to Qing City. Just help me secure my position as the head of Chu Nuan City and prevent Lan Shan from parachuting in some powerful guy..."

Before Fang Yue went in, Dou Hongyi grabbed Fang Yue's hand and repeatedly reminded him, reluctant to let go.

It wasn't until Fang Yue said with annoyance that he would try his best to mention him that Dou Hongyi smiled and released his hand.

Jing Yan and the other two were stopped outside and could only crane their necks and curiously look inside.

"Dou Hongyi, what does that special envoy look like? Is he a eunuch... Mmmph!"

Jing Yan asked without any restraint, scaring Dou Hongyi's face pale. He quickly covered Jing Yan's mouth.

"Shhh!! Don't talk nonsense!"

The current favorite of the Emperor was indeed a eunuch.

However…

Dou Hongyi's expression became strange.

Because this time, the message was not delivered by the eunuch's subordinates, but by someone from the Seventh Prince's faction.

If he didn't know that these three had an extraordinary relationship with Lord Ye, Dou Hongyi wouldn't reveal this even if it killed him.

"The Seventh Prince? Does that mean the Emperor favors the Seventh Prince the most? Is he going to pass the throne to the Seventh Prince?" Qing Chen asked in confusion.

"Who knows? But as far as I know, the Seventh Prince has always been in a relatively weak position in the struggle for the throne. He usually travels around, makes friends, writes poems, enjoys music, and has never shown much enthusiasm for the position of crown prince. I didn't expect that with a single move, he would get the Emperor to allow his confidants to deliver the imperial decree.

I'm afraid that the Seventh Prince, who had finally faded from the limelight, will once again be noticed by the other princes and seen as a threat."

Jing Yan pried open Dou Hongyi's hand and pouted. They didn't care about this dog-eat-dog business.

Just as he was thinking, Qing Chen's expression gradually turned serious, and he sent a message.

"Listening to Dou Hongyi's words, the Seventh Prince has been creating an image of a carefree hermit to fade out of the succession battle. But now, he's showing his edge for the sake of delivering an imperial decree. This is very unusual. Ye-ge and us are all players. Apart from the Phoenix Organization, we have nothing to do with the Qing Kingdom's royal family. If they're not here for the Phoenix Organization, then it can only be…"

Qing Chen stopped his message here and then sent a message at the same time as Jing Yan.

"Captain Wu!"

"Lord Han!"

Captain Wu?

Qing Chen was stunned.

Lord Han?

Jing Yan was dumbfounded.

"…" The two were silent for a moment, and then Jing Yan spoke first.

"Qing Chen, why do you think the Seventh Prince is here for Lord Han? The only ones who know that Lord Han is still alive, or possibly alive, are us."

"You're wrong… Sometimes, the dead also have value. The news of the fall of a half-step Yu-level expert is a big piece of information, even for the Qing Kingdom's royal family, worth some people taking risks to do extreme things. Ye-ge is very strong, but he's a bit slow in other aspects. He can't see the problem. We have to keep an eye on him."

Qing Chen's words made Jing Yan frown slightly and nod.

"That makes sense. Let's see what the special envoy means later. If he leaves and his exchange with Ye-ge is just a normal delivery of the imperial decree, then we're overthinking it. If not, then we'll keep an eye on him and see what tricks he's going to play."

"Yeah… By the way, why do you think the special envoy is here for Captain Wu?"

"Because… Captain Wu's resurrection ability is outrageous. Don't you think so? Even we players don't have that kind of ability. Of course, I'm talking about the time when the game first started. Back then, players could resurrect, but compared to Captain Wu's resurrection power, it's nothing!

So I suspect that the Seventh Prince heard the rumors and, after learning about Captain Wu's whereabouts, wants to do something to Captain Wu. If that's the case, then Captain Wu being captured by the Phoenix Organization could make the Seventh Prince our ally."

Qing Chen had overlooked this aspect.

Because Qing Chen used to work for the Phoenix Organization, he faced all kinds of monster-level aberrations and special humans.

He was a bit numb to the special constitutions of humans and equated Captain Wu's resurrection ability with those people with special constitutions, without treating it differently.

However, in the eyes of outsiders, Captain Wu's ability is simply heaven-defying!

"In any case, our speculation is just speculation. We still have to see what's going on with Ye-ge inside."

The two's gazes turned inward at the same time.

Inside the house, it was so quiet that there wasn't a sound. They understood that this was a soundproof formation, isolating eavesdropping and other means of monitoring.

…

Inside the house.

As soon as Fang Yue entered the hall, he saw the special envoy sitting on a chair in the hall.

It was a white-clothed youth, sitting stiffly on the seat.

Although he was wearing luxurious clothes, he seemed uncomfortable all over, occasionally awkwardly shifting his hips.

When he saw Fang Yue enter, he quickly sat up straight, put on a serious look on his childish face, and pretended to be like an adult.

"Is that Qing Si Ye Baiyi who has come?"

"Yes, greetings, Special Envoy."

Fang Yue saluted, but the special envoy didn't rush to announce the imperial decree. Instead, he moved his eyes and sized Fang Yue up and down.

After a moment, he spat out three words.

"Human Realm?"

"...Yes."