Chapter 128: Has Hu Yan’s Body Been Found?
The sudden voice in her spirit sea made Bai Zhi pause. It took her a second to realize it had been Hu Yan speaking, not the system.
She still wasn’t quite used to Hu Yan being in her spirit sea.
Thinking of the question Hu Yan had just asked, Bai Zhi replied, "Mm, yes, it counts for all five of you."
At that moment, Bai Zhi didn’t understand the significance of what Hu Yan had said. Only much later would Hu Yan do something that left Bai Zhi so embarrassed, speechless, and red-faced with regret over the words she spoke today!
’She would wish she could go back to this day and erase that sentence!!’
However, Bai Zhi was oblivious to the future. When Hu Yan simply gave a faint "mm" in response, she didn’t give the matter any more thought.
The Beastman on the stage was led down due to his injuries. As he passed by Yan Yichen and Yue Junxiao, his gaze lingered on them for a long time, as if to burn their faces into his memory.
Yue Junxiao glared back fiercely. ’As long as we train hard enough when we get back, sooner or later we’ll be able to crush him without relying on anything else!’
Bai Zhi took a step forward, shielding them behind her, and released a sliver of her spiritual power as a deterrent.
Upon discovering that Bai Zhi’s spiritual power was actually SS-level, the opponent was instantly reminded of the moment he had been controlled earlier.
He had originally thought it was Zelda or another High-level Superpower User, but now it seemed highly likely that the female standing before him was the one responsible.
At this thought, the Beastman’s gaze turned complicated, a mixture of envy and jealousy.
’These two young Beastmen have such a powerful female at their age, and they’re even under the Sel Family’s protection... unlike me...’
But the feeling was fleeting. For people like him, such emotions were unnecessary.
Because the arrow from Yan Yichen was lodged in his chest and needed to be removed before he could use a Treatment Pod, he gave the three of them one last deep look before quickly following his escorts from the scene.
Yan Yichen and Yue Junxiao had both been glaring back at the opponent. Their hearts began to race when Bai Zhi stepped forward, shielding them with her comparatively small and slender frame as she threatened their foe.
But Yue Junxiao immediately turned Bai Zhi around to face him, his expression grave. He looked her right in the eyes and said, "While Yi Chen and I are both happy that you want to protect us, you shouldn’t have revealed your spiritual power in front of him."
Yan Yichen nodded vigorously, his expression just as serious. "That’s right. If they find out about your superpower, everything we’ve done will have been for nothing."
Lang Qiu frowned. "They’re right. It hasn’t reached that point yet, but it’s always better to be cautious."
’Zelda hadn’t expected Bai Zhi’s spiritual power to be SS-level. Just a few days ago, it was clearly only S-Class. How did she reach SS-level in just a few short days!’
When he’d seen Bai Zhi retract her spiritual power earlier, he had dismissed it as Hu Yan’s, so he hadn’t paid close attention. But just now, he was absolutely certain: Bai Zhi herself possessed SS-level spiritual power.
It was no wonder they were so nervous.
Her being merely S-Class was enough to make several great families send people to Blue Star looking for her. If they found out Bai Zhi was now SS-level, the peace would surely be shattered.
With this in mind, Zelda decided he needed to give Hu Yan and the Sel family a heads-up.
Zelda glanced around before saying, "Let’s get out of here first. A number of people noticed, but not so many that it will be difficult to handle."
At his words, the group quickly left the scene.
Since both combatants were injured, replacements were sent onto the stage.
But the people closer to the front had seen the whole thing clearly. They couldn’t believe it—that female was an SS-level female!!
No wonder those two Beastmen would rather reject such a high-quality female than dissolve their marriage contract. It looked like this new female must be even more exceptional, with a more powerful background, for them to be so devoted.
Bai Zhi had no idea that in the minds of those Beastmen, she was already considered a powerful female from a strong background. At that moment, she and her companions were simply rushing home.
Yan Yichen’s injuries were not light. Although he had already received some basic first aid, some of his wounds could only be healed in a Treatment Pod.
Only later did Bai Zhi learn that not long after, Zelda had sent people to take care of the Beastmen who had witnessed her spiritual power.
But the events of the day still reached the Eldest Prince’s ears.
「In the Imperial Palace.」
A man with silver-white hair who bore a slight resemblance to Hu Yan leaned against a window, a wine glass in hand. He took a sip of wine as he listened to his subordinate’s report.
Sunlight spilled onto his silver-white hair, adding flecks of gold to the strands and making them seem to glow.
The Eldest Prince frowned upon hearing about "manifested spiritual power." He turned and asked, "Are you saying that manifested spiritual power appeared at today’s annual Beastman competition? Did anyone see who it was?"
His subordinate answered respectfully, "No, but everyone at the scene speculates that it was Your Highness who made the move."
The Eldest Prince paused thoughtfully for a few seconds. "Has Hu Yan’s body been found?"
The subordinate replied, "No. So many years have passed; the Third Prince is surely long dead. Why else would he not have returned after all this time?"
A strange sense of unease settled in the Eldest Prince’s heart. "As long as his body isn’t found, I can’t be at ease. Only our Nine-tailed Fox clan can use manifested spiritual power. Go and confirm if Father Emperor left the palace today. If he didn’t... then we must find the person who used manifested spiritual power today. I’m afraid... he has returned."
Although the subordinate believed it was impossible for the Third Prince to be alive after being gone for so many years, the Eldest Prince had a point. The appearance of manifested spiritual power today was indeed something that needed to be investigated thoroughly.
"Oh, and Eldest Prince—Zelda has been seen with a certain female constantly as of late. He even took her to the Beastman competition today. Furthermore, according to reliable intelligence, that female is SS-level."
The Eldest Prince was clearly surprised to hear that Zelda was with an SS-level female. "Is this information reliable?"
"Yes. But what’s strange is that the female clearly has more than one Beastman by her side. Their relationship seems quite intimate. We speculate they are her Beast Husbands."
The Eldest Prince raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. He laughed, "Well, that is strange. Zelda is actually willing to share a female with other Beastmen? I always thought he was like Hu Yan, completely uninterested in them. If I’d known he had a taste for females with high spiritual power, I would’ve sent a pair his way. This would explain why he’s been so unwilling to form a marriage contract, despite all the females on the Main Star trying to win his favor."
"Go and find me a few beautiful females with high spiritual power. Find a suitable opportunity to send them to Zelda." The Eldest Prince’s tone became meaningful. "I have made numerous overtures to him over the past two years, but he’s rebuffed every one. If I can win him over to my side, recruiting others will become much easier."
"You are wise, Eldest Prince."