Chapter 0428: Palace

At the heart of Xia City was the royal palace, and in the shadow of the magnificent building was an unremarkable villa on the royal grounds. Guards patrolled vigilantly, and there was an intangible web of power that protected it from less physical assaults.

This was the Regent's palace, and the power that his house wielded was presently even higher than the royal palace.

Gong Shenjun alighted from his carriage, striding up the well-maintained pavement back to the villa. Servants bowed as he passed.

"Your Highness."

"Your Highness, welcome back."

These words, spoken however sincerely, were but chatter in his ear that he had come to take for granted. Cutting across the lush, carpeted hallways, he emerged in a study that overlooked the lake. The room was sparsely furnished, without much in the way of luxury. Not a soul was to be seen, although Gong Shenjun knew that it might well be the most well-guarded place in the entire palace.

This was a study that not even ordinary Dukes could hope to approach.

Gong Shenjun stepped in front of the study, and the door swung open silently before he needed to knock. He walked in without breaking pace, and saw the Regent taking notes from a couple of books at the table.

The Regent glanced up from his work at Gong Shenjun, who bowed respectfully. "Royal Father."

Regent barked a short laugh. "No need for that at home."

"You did well in the ticket match," he said with pride, laying his books aside.

Gong Shenjun shook his head. "My opponent was not that strong. Liang Kui is quite a bit weaker than Zhong Nan. Blue Abyss' greatest shield is much better than their greatest spear. Not even our Wang Chao can compete against him.

"I might not have been able to break his defenses in time either."

Regent gave a low laugh. "It is but a competition, not a fight to the death. No one wins a real battle just by defending. The boy is built for soft, coddled matches. He poses no real threat."

He beckoned for Gong Shenjun to come beside him, then he threw the document in his hand down onto the table.

Gong Shenjun looked at it, and saw "House Luolan" written on it.

"It was not Jiang Qing'e who surprised us the most in this ticket match. It was Li Luo."

The Regent tapped the cover page thoughtfully. "I've been looking through information on House Luolan in the past six months. This Li Luo is not an easy one. House Luolan is no longer on a precarious beam out above the choppy seas. Ever since his dual resonances were revealed in the City of Southwind, his rise has been unstoppable. House Luolan has stabilized its situation, and the Suncreek Villa flies high under its banner. The house is showing signs of overtaking its heyday with Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan at the helm.

"I see Li Luo's hand in all of this."

Regent smiled slightly. "Everyone was dazzled by House Luolan's phoenix, but the hidden dragon is just as much of a force to be reckoned with. Still, only a fool would imagine that the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan would end up an invalid."

"Just about everyone's a fool, then," Gong Shenjun said gravely.

The Regent chuckled in admission. It was so. Blank palaces... it was a death sentence that no one had doubted.

Imagine killing a fish, packing it in brine until it was well pickled, then smoking it and leaving it out in the sun to bake... and it was swimming happily again when you came back.

"How do you see Li Luo?" the Regent asked.

Gong Shenjun considered the question for a moment. "His potential is superb. Besides, he's not like Jiang Qing'e or his parents. He prefers to remain low profile. If not for circumstances pushing him to the fore, I would still be one of those fools who did not believe in his talent.

"With him and Jiang Qing'e in charge, I think it’s only a matter of time before House Luolan takes the lead."

The Regent nodded thoughtfully. "But what they lack is time."

He paused and smiled. "You like Jiang Qing'e, yes? I've said this before as your royal father: if you can court her back successfully, you have my permission to marry."

Gong Shenjun sighed heavily. "I have not seen even an iota of a chance since Li Luo appeared. All of us have underestimated the connection between those two. Their engagement is no sham.

"Besides, I thought Li Luo was just an ordinary person before. I thought that I would be able to get close to them, and outshine Li Luo naturally, showing Jiang Qing'e my good side."

Those were arrogant words coming from anyone else, but Gong Shenjun spoke them matter-of-factly, stating them without any arrogance. He was indeed excellent in every aspect that you could ask for. Status, talent, riches—he surpassed all of his peers.

He was the jewel of the new generation in the Xia Kingdom.

"But unfortunately, Li Luo's performance in the last half a year cannot be topped." Gong Shenjun shrugged. "I think I don't have a chance anymore."

"Admitting failure so readily? That's not like you."

"One should always face reality straight on. Besides, I might admit to failure, but that does not mean I've completely given up."

The Regent patted the folio on the table again with a sly smile. "So you need your father's help? Jiang Qing'e's talent is exceptional. That phoenix in our nest would brighten our house greatly."

Gong Shenjun smiled. "I want to see if I can win her heart first."

"Youngsters," the Regent snorted. "Heads always in the clouds."

"And it seems like the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade did not end up in your hands?"

Gong Shenjun nodded irritably.

"It was a mere possession of Pang Qianyuan's, but it witnessed his path to King. Its sentience is very strong. Even you would have trouble subduing it. Just as well. Let it remain in the school vault, then."

"Li Luo took it."

The Regent went dead still, his eyes widening as he searched Gong Shenjun's handsome face. "Li Luo... took it?" he whispered.

"As unbelievable as it sounds, yes. That's what happened."

The Regent drummed his fingers agitatedly on the surface of the table. "Li Luo is getting more interesting by the moment."

He gestured wordlessly, and Gong Shenjun left the study accordingly.

The study fell back into silence.

The Regent half closed his eyes. "No more partner weapon, then," he said aloud.

The study seemed to dim, and a pair of dark eyes shone out from the gloomy corner. "A mere Resonant Master..." the voice whispered.

"Li Luo is not worth the attention."

The Regent shook his head. "The Holy Grail Meet draws near. Li Luo is heavily favored by the Astral Sage College. The school will not sit idly by if anything happens to him now. Relations will be strained in the investigations for sure. It will ruin the greater plan," he said, looking straight at the pair of eyes.

A dissatisfied silence hung in the air.

"You used to praise our plan as perfect," the Regent said, raising his voice. "Surely your faith is not shaken just by the loss of one partner weapon?"

The figure in the shadows flickered and swayed like a candle in the wind, and a raspy laugh floated forth. "Let it be. Merely a cherry on the top. It matters not. And what about you..."

Unspoken amusement, almost taunting.

"After all these years, have you not yet found the resolve to join us?"

The Regent's face was weathered in the candlelight. He took up the kettle and poured two cups of tea. He set one aside and sipped delicately from his own. There was a considering look in his eyes, and he said nothing for a long time.

A mottled hand reached out of the shadows to take the other cup. On one of its fingers was a vermilion ring, with an eye on its polished surface. This eye had a white iris instead of the usual black, while the sclera was black instead of the usual white. It stared balefully outwards, as black and white gradually seeped into each other until the entire face was gray. The whispering voice came at him again, out of the shadows.

"Light and dark are born the same, good and evil die the same."