The greatest saint of all time!

Chapter 22 The Emperor's Birthday?

Overjoyed to receive praise from his father, Lin Tianjie quickly became modest.

"Father, you flatter me. I was just doing my duty."

Hearing this, Lu Heng felt a mixture of resentment and hatred.

Praising Lin Tianjie is just a veiled way of criticizing him, isn't it?

Lin Ruofu was naturally unaware of the Crown Prince's thoughts at that moment.

He walked to the armchair and sat down, picked up the newly replaced teacup and took a sip, but his eyes were much colder.

"Tell me about Shen Qiansan, and that mysterious person."

Mentioning these two names made everyone's expressions turn somewhat grim.

Lin Ruofu continued, "I originally thought that Shen Qiansan was just an ordinary merchant, but I never expected him to be such a venomous snake."

"I've already had someone investigate his background, but I never expected... he was one of the few who escaped from the Xiao family back then."

At this point, a cold glint flashed in Lin Ruofu's eyes.

Upon hearing this, Lu Heng and Lin Tianjie were taken aback.

"The Xiao family?"

Lin Ruofu nodded: "That's right, he was a retainer in Grand Tutor Xiao's mansion back then."

"I thought he had died in that fire, but I never expected that all these years, he would live in anonymity and become the richest man in Beijing."

"Moreover, over the years, he has been operating in various places and secretly accumulating power, presumably waiting to overturn the case and avenge the Xiao family."

Lu Heng suddenly raised his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Remnants of the Xiao family?"

"The Xiao family... is the third son's maternal grandparents' family!"

"Since Shen Qiansan is a member of the Xiao family, then he and the third brother..."

At this point, Lu Hengru seemed to remember something, and her brows furrowed instantly.

"Uncle! I remember now! That mysterious person!"

"That mysterious person must be connected to the third brother!"

"A few days ago, I sent my Shadow Assassins to assassinate the Third Prince, but they never returned."

"At the time, I thought the third brother was hiding his true abilities and playing dumb to outsmart me, but now that I think about it, how could that good-for-nothing have done that?"

"He must have Shen Qiansan helping him behind the scenes!"

Lu Heng swallowed hard, then suddenly realized.

"Who knows, that mysterious man in black might be the third brother's teacher..."

……

The study in the Shen family mansion.

Lu Xuan sat in the main seat, lost in thought.

Shen Qiansan stood aside, looking at his young master, and after hesitating for a moment, finally asked:

"Your Highness, His Majesty's fiftieth birthday is in a few days."

"What are Your Highness's plans?"

Lu Xuan paused slightly, a look of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"Father's birthday?"

Immediately, the original owner's memories flooded back.

Emperor Lu Tianxing of the Great Yan Dynasty is about to reach the age of fifty.

According to the ritual system of the Great Yan Dynasty, every five or ten years is a major celebration, especially the fiftieth birthday, which is celebrated throughout the land and a general amnesty is granted.

"I see."

Lu Xuan nodded and placed the token on the table.

"According to custom, as a prince, especially a prince who has been granted the title of king, one should indeed prepare a birthday gift and go to the palace to offer birthday greetings."

Although he had no feelings for his adoptive father, the emperor, they were still father and son in name only.

Lu Xuan didn't want to give the Lin family and the Crown Prince a pretext to attack him.

"If Your Highness hasn't decided what to give yet, this old servant has some rare and precious treasures in the storeroom. Your Highness may choose whatever you like."

Shen Qiansan said respectfully.

Lu Xuan waved his hand.

"No need, I will handle the birthday gift matter properly."

"It's just a birthday banquet, a mere formality."

Seeing that Lu Xuan was not interested, Shen Qiansan hesitated for a moment and then dropped another bombshell.

"Your Highness, this birthday banquet is probably not as simple as it seems."

"According to reliable sources, the Ziyang Sect... will send representatives to offer birthday greetings this time!"

"The Purple Sun Sect?"

Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

It's quite normal for the Ziyang Sect, as the powerful backer of the Great Yan Dynasty, to send people to offer birthday greetings.

"Not only that."

Shen Qiansan lowered his voice, his expression somewhat solemn.

"It's said that the person who came this time is an inner sect elder from the Ziyang Sect!"

"This person is named Crimson Fire Daoist. His cultivation has reached the peak of the ninth level of the Returning Origin Realm, and he could break through to the Dharma Aspect Realm at any time!"

"Ninefold Return to Origin..."

Lu Xuan repeated it calmly, his face remaining expressionless.

For him now, the Returning Origin Realm is indeed a strong realm, but only temporarily. In the end, he is just a larger ant.

Seeing that Lu Xuan remained unmoved, Shen Qiansan became somewhat anxious.

"Your Highness, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"If Your Highness can perform exceptionally well at the birthday banquet and gain the favor of Elder Chi Huo, there is a very high chance that you will be accepted into the Zi Yang Sect!"

"Once you become a disciple of the Ziyang Sect, even just an outer disciple, your status and position will undergo a complete transformation!"

"At that time, even if Lin Ruofu had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to openly attack the disciples of the Ziyang Sect!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuan chuckled softly.

"Join the Ziyang Sect?"

"Not interested."

He has no shortage of resources.

He could refine pills that would drive the entire Eastern Wilderness crazy whenever he wanted.

Gongfa?

The so-called supreme martial arts of the Ziyang Sect are not even worthy of carrying his shoes.

As for guidance from one's master...

No one in this world is qualified to guide him.

It would be more appropriate to have Lu Xuan give some pointers to their sect leader.

Seeing Lu Xuan's decisive refusal, Shen Qiansan's lips twitched slightly.

If anyone else had said that, he would have slapped them across the face long ago.

But when Lu Xuan said those words, he felt it was perfectly natural.

After all, this young master is a ruthless person who can injure even a Soul Platform Realm cultivator with a single glance.

However, Shen Qiansan was a seasoned veteran, and he thought things through more deeply.

"Your Highness, with your unparalleled talent, you naturally look down on the measly things of the Ziyang Sect."

"However, joining the Ziyang Sect is not just for cultivation resources."

"More importantly, it was a talisman!"

"Your Highness wants to exonerate the Xiao family and destroy the Lin family. With our current strength, although we can cause the Lin family to suffer losses, it is still too difficult to completely overthrow them."

"Lin Ruofu is the current prime minister, wielding immense power, and is also a top expert in the Heavenly Origin Realm."

"If Your Highness could leverage the power of the Ziyang Sect, the situation would be entirely different!"

"Moreover, the Ziyang Sect is full of powerful experts. If Your Highness can gain a foothold among them, or even control a portion of their power..."

"When the time comes, wiping out the Lin family will be a piece of cake, won't it?"

Shen Qiansan's words struck a chord with Lu Xuan.

He was arrogant.

But he's not stupid.

Now, relying on his combat experience and spiritual abilities from his previous life, he can challenge opponents of higher levels.

But if we really push that old scoundrel Lin Ruofu too far, he'll do whatever it takes...

A Heavenly Origin Realm expert can already communicate with a portion of the primordial energy of heaven and earth and mobilize the power to suppress others.

With his current physical body at the peak of the ninth level of Body Tempering, even with the addition of a soul attack, it would still be too difficult for him to withstand a desperate attack from a Heavenly Origin Realm expert.

It could end up being a lose-lose situation, with both sides suffering heavy losses.

Of course, a cunning old fox like Lin Ruofu would most likely not do something so foolish as to kill a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of his own.

But there's always a chance of something going wrong.

Having an extra layer of protection is always a good thing.

Thinking of this, the resistance in Lu Xuan's eyes gradually faded.