"The Chu family, though powerful, has a weak foundation and cannot withstand my iron hooves. They will be destroyed sooner or later."
Chu Chen shook his head and sighed. He hadn't expected the Prince of Nanyang's ambition to be so great, daring to plot against the direct descendants of the imperial family! The Prince of Nanyang actually wanted to rebel!
"No, I must inform the family as soon as possible, otherwise, the consequences will be endless." Chu Chen thought, then immediately left the back mountain and rode towards the Chu family.
Returning to the Chu family's backyard, Chu Chen went straight to the council hall. Upon pushing open the door, he saw a group of elders gathered together.
"Chu Chen, why are you only returning now?" Seeing Chu Chen return safely, Chu Zhentian breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought Chu Chen had been harmed.
The other elders cast doubtful glances, as they didn't know what Chu Chen had rushed out for earlier.
"I was handling an important matter, which caused the delay," Chu Chen explained, then recounted his visit to the Prince of Nanyang's mansion.
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped. They knew the Prince of Nanyang was a venomous snake, and now that Chu Chen had offended him, there would likely be endless trouble in the future.
"Are you alright?" Chu Zhentian asked with concern, feeling quite guilty.
Chu Chen shook his head and smiled, "What could happen to me? The Prince of Nanyang can't do anything to me."
"You, your temper is too stubborn. The Prince of Nanyang is not like your grandfather and father. You are still too young. Don't provoke him easily, or the consequences will be endless," Chu Zhentian warned, knowing Chu Chen's unyielding nature.
"I understand," Chu Chen nodded, then asked, "Father, how is Chu Yunxiong?"
"He is seriously injured and now unconscious. I fear the worst," Chu Zhentian sighed deeply.
"I see," Chu Chen felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, Chu Yunxiong had fainted, otherwise, he wouldn't have known how to explain.
"Patriarch, Young Master Chu Chen is fine now. We shall take our leave," two masked figures said respectfully.
"Thank you both for saving my life," Chu Chen said gratefully. He now knew that these two masked figures were assassins sent by the Prince of Nanyang. Chu Chen knew these people were specifically sent to take his life, but he hadn't expected an unexpected intervention to resolve this crisis for him.
...
"Your Highness, that brat from the Chu family has been killed by us," the Prince of Nanyang said to a black-robed youth in the darkness.
The black-robed youth stood with his hands behind his back, tall and burly, with explosive muscles. His entire face was covered by black cloth, leaving only a pair of cold, sharp eyes. This black-robed man was the commander of the Battle Soul Legion of the Northern Ling Kingdom!
"Are you sure they were trying to kill Chu Chen?" the black-robed man asked, suspecting the Prince of Nanyang had misidentified the target, given the assassins who tried to kill Chu Chen that night.
"Absolutely certain. They admitted it themselves. That night, our movements were exposed, and I worried Chu Chen would be on guard. So, I sent the two of them to protect him secretly, but unfortunately, it still failed," the Prince of Nanyang said, bowing his head.
The black-robed man nodded slightly. "You did well. You are both responsible for this failed mission." The Prince of Nanyang lowered his head, not daring to meet the black-robed man's eyes.
"I will give you three more days. If you still cannot kill Chu Chen, you will await punishment," the black-robed man said indifferently.
The Prince of Nanyang shivered and quickly replied, "Please rest assured, your subordinate will not fail the mission."
"Begone," the black-robed man waved his hand.
"Yes! Your subordinate takes his leave!" The Prince of Nanyang quickly turned and left, not daring to delay.
After the Prince of Nanyang left, the black-robed man muttered to himself, "Chu Chen's threat is growing stronger. We cannot delay any longer; he must be dealt with quickly."
"Chu Chen has developed rapidly during this period. We cannot let him continue to grow, or he will become my greatest threat. He must be eliminated quickly, lest we raise a tiger that will bring disaster in the future." The black-robed man's gaze became sharp, and he then turned and left the council hall.
After the black-robed man left, an old man in grey robes in the council hall could not help but speak, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Nanyang doing this is too insane. He actually wants to rebel!"
"Rebel?" Another white-haired old man sneered. "Do you think he has the courage? He is merely testing the imperial family. Such a good-for-nothing will never achieve anything great!"
"But Your Majesty, the Prince of Nanyang doing this will inevitably lead to public criticism and affect Your Majesty's reputation. It is not appropriate," another elder frowned.
At this moment, the black-robed woman beside them suddenly spoke, "Everyone, there is no need to argue. The Prince of Nanyang was invited by me. How he acts is not for you to question!" With that, the black-robed woman stood up and walked out of the council hall.
Watching the black-robed woman's retreating back, everyone fell silent.
The next morning, Chu Chen, accompanied by his attendants, went to the Prince of Nanyang's mansion. He wanted to talk about cooperation with the Prince of Nanyang and settle the score for their assassination attempt last night!
Prince of Nanyang's Mansion.
"Reporting to the Prince, Young Master Chu Chen of the Chu family requests an audience," the butler said, bowing.
"Hmm, let him in," the Prince of Nanyang, seated on his chair, waved his hand, clearly somewhat surprised. He had expected Chu Chen to take at least a few days to recover, but he didn't expect him to be healed so quickly.
A moment later, Chu Chen followed the butler into the room. He looked around and then cupped his fists towards the Prince of Nanyang.
"Greetings, Your Highness. I have come to discuss cooperation with you."
"Oh? You are willing to cooperate with this Prince?" The Prince of Nanyang looked at Chu Chen in surprise. He hadn't expected Chu Chen to agree to cooperate with him.
"Your Highness is an ally of our Chu family. Without your help, our Chu family's situation would likely be even worse," Chu Chen said slowly, his expression gradually becoming solemn.
The Prince of Nanyang nodded. "How do you wish to cooperate?"
Chu Chen smiled slightly. "Since Your Highness intends to win over the Chu family to join you, you must naturally pay a price. I believe Your Highness understands my meaning."
"Heh heh, are you extorting this Prince?" The Prince of Nanyang burst into laughter. Although he was laughing on the surface, his eyes flickered with a sinister glint, and he seemed somewhat angered.
"Your Highness misunderstands. I did not mean that," Chu Chen said calmly. "I know Your Highness keeps many desperadoes under his command. I happen to be preparing to form an elite army recently. If Your Highness could send some experts to assist me in training, I guarantee this army will possess sufficient combat power."
What Chu Chen said was precisely what the Prince of Nanyang needed.
"Why should this Prince believe you?" the Prince of Nanyang asked.