I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 250 Suspicion
Princess Mingyu took Chen Ming's hand and led him to her residence in the backyard. Today was a private banquet, which made them even more intimate. It was clear that she already considered him a friend.

“After you became the head of Jin Yutang, we haven’t heard from you at all, and Yingxue is very worried about you. But after her accident last time, the Jiang family sent people to protect her closely. Unlike before, she can’t go wherever she wants. So, she came to me for help.”

Princess Mingyu explained, "I was quite worried when I didn't see you at Jinyutang yesterday. I thought something had really happened to you. Now that I see you are safe and sound, I am relieved."

Chen Ming felt a warmth in his heart; it turned out to be that little girl, Jiang Yingxue.

His smile became much more genuine. "I really feel bad for troubling the princess to make this trip. I will write a letter tomorrow and send it to Yingxue so that she won't worry."

As the two were talking, they entered the courtyard and sat down on chairs. Maids served them a constant stream of food, snacks, and fruits.

Princess Mingyu advised, "Jinyutang has now become a place of trouble. Since you have already left there, why don't you leave as well to avoid getting involved in trouble?"

"Thank you for the reminder, Princess. However, I have reasons why I cannot leave. Once things are settled, I will not linger here."

Chen Ming had not forgotten the Third Elder, who was proficient in the art of curse killing. He could not leave in peace without eliminating this person.

Princess Mingyu laughed and said, "It seems that elder sister already has a plan. I was the one who spoke out of turn. I'll punish myself with a cup."

As he spoke, he picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it all in one gulp.

Out of courtesy, Chen Ming also downed a glass. The wine was smooth and mellow on the palate, and in a moment, a warm sensation spread throughout his body. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Good wine!"

This wine contains spiritual energy, so it must be some kind of spiritual wine. However, with his current cultivation level, this kind of spiritual wine would have a negligible effect on his improvement.

The two were chatting amiably when suddenly a man's voice came from outside, "You dare to stop me, the young master? Are you tired of living? Get out of the way, I want to see my sister."

"Your Highness, please forgive me, the Princess is entertaining distinguished guests—"

"Distinguished guest? Then I'm even more eager to see you. Get out of my way."

Upon hearing this, Princess Mingyu's brows furrowed with anger, and she said to Chen Ming with a hint of helplessness, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, sister. That's my younger brother; he's always been mischievous."

Chen Ming said, "The young master is a man of strong emotions—"

Before he could finish speaking, the young prince barged in. He was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a black robe embroidered with some kind of dragon pattern in gold thread.

As soon as the boy entered the courtyard, he stared intently at Chen Ming, exclaiming with delight, "Sister, there really is a beauty here! Let me see. This one today is not only beautiful, but also possesses a unique charm—"

"Jingyang!"

Princess Mingyu's face was as cold as ice. She rebuked him with a voice full of anger, "This is the head of Jinyutang. He must not be rude."

The young master named Jingyang shrank back, clearly still somewhat intimidated by his older sister, but he still said defiantly, "What is a little Jin Yutang? I don't even care about a sect with a Celestial Realm expert in charge."

Princess Mingyu said coldly, "It seems I haven't disciplined you enough. Guards, bring the family law!"

Seeing that things were going badly, the prince turned and ran away, shouting, "You're going to hit me for some wild woman? I'm going to tell Grandmother!"

Soon, the person had run far away, and their voice could no longer be heard.

Princess Mingyu's anger vanished, and she suddenly sighed, "My younger brother is already fifteen years old and will inherit the title of Prince Zhenhai next year, yet he is still so unruly and incompetent. I truly don't know what to do..."

Chen Ming comforted him, "The young master is still young. He will naturally become more sensible as he grows up."

He had previously inquired about the siblings from Jiang Yingxue. They were biological siblings, both of royal blood, and were adopted from the younger brother of the Prince of Zhenhai.

It is said that the siblings were favored by the palace, which gave them the opportunity to be adopted into the lineage of Prince Zhenhai.

In his view, the prince was just a little rebellious. At fifteen, he was in his adolescence. How could he not be rebellious?

But what did the prince mean by what he just said?
There just feels a bit off about his sister talking like that.

"It's getting late, I have to go back."

After such an incident, Chen Ming lost interest and got up to take his leave.

Princess Mingyu suggested, "Why don't you stay here tonight, sister?"

"There are still many inconveniences."

Chen Ming thought to himself, if the Second Elder is missing and he doesn't return overnight, Sun Chuxian will suspect that he has run away, and then the Third Elder might have to use the curse to kill him.

He had no desire to experience the power of that mysterious curse technique.

……

Jin Yutang, still in that same study.

Sun Chuxian was reading a secret letter. Before he finished reading it, even with his composure, a hint of joy couldn't help but show in his eyes.

The letter was sent by his grandson from Paradise Island, saying that his master was ready and would arrive in Jiangzhou City soon, and that he needed to prepare a spot in advance.

"The day has finally come!"

At that moment, Sun Chuxian felt a sense of relief.

The spot has been prepared long ago, just waiting for that one person to come. As long as he can successfully break through to the Divine Treasure Realm, everything I have done will have been worthwhile.

Even if that girl surnamed Yuan dies suddenly, what can the Jiang family do then?

Thinking of this, Sun Chuxian suddenly had a bad feeling. Why hadn't the Second Elder returned to report yet?

"Someone is coming."

He called the people outside in and asked, "Has the Second Elder returned yet?"

"They haven't returned yet."

"Let me know as soon as he gets back."

After Sun Chuxian saw the man off, his ominous premonition grew stronger. Suddenly, he thought to himself, "This is bad!"

The Second Elder had always been obedient to him, and he always carried out the tasks assigned to him perfectly. So the Elder had become somewhat complacent about him.

The second elder has not returned yet; I fear he has long harbored ulterior motives.

"What is he plotting?" The Taiyue Sword!
Sun Chuxian instantly knew the answer.

Kill him and seize the sword—kill two birds with one stone.

With Yuan Ziyi dead, the Jiang family will not let this go easily. They will definitely use this as an excuse to force Jin Yutang to take a big bite out of them.

"Damn it, you ruined my plans!"

A surge of intense killing intent welled up within Sun Chuxian, and he finally became truly enraged. "Do you really think I can't kill you?"

"Someone, please bring the Third Elder over."

He dared to keep the Second Elder by his side; how could he not have a backup plan?
"Yes."

No sooner had the people outside left than someone else came to report, "Elder, the Sect Leader has returned."

"..."

Sun Chuxian was stunned, thinking he had misheard. "What did you say?"

The subordinate outside said, "The sect leader has returned. However, she returned alone, saying that she was attacked by unknown assailants on the road and all of them died in the line of duty. She specifically sent me to report this, hoping that the Grand Elder would give the dead a proper burial and provide compensation to their families."

"Sect Leader...are you injured?"

"He doesn't appear to be injured."

"I understand. I will do as the sect leader instructs."

"Yes."

Sun Chuxian, however, felt somewhat surprised and uncertain.

What's happening here?
The Second Elder had not returned for a long time, but the Sect Leader returned unharmed.

What went wrong here?
Could it be that the Second Elder has absconded?

Or perhaps the Jiang family had been secretly protecting Yuan Ziyi and killed the Second Elder?
Or is it that Yuan Ziyi has always been protected by a powerful expert...?

Sun Chuxian considered countless possibilities, but he never considered the possibility that the Second Elder might have been killed by Yuan Ziyi.

I never even entertained that thought.

In his mind, a second-rank is just a second-rank. Even if he wields a peerless divine weapon, how can he possibly contend with a first-rank?
As for the Blood Demon Sect's first-rank experts, no legitimate first-rank expert would take such evil and heretical practices seriously.

The only truly terrifying member of the Blood Demon Sect is that one Demon Lord. As long as this Demon Lord remains unresurrected, the rest are nothing to fear. It's not uncommon for these useless individuals, who rely solely on their superior cultivation level, to be killed by those of higher cultivation levels.

……

"Elder, what urgent matter do you have that you summoned me here so late at night?"

The Third Elder rushed over upon hearing the news. She acted extremely respectfully in front of Sun Chuxian, treating herself as a subordinate.

Sun Chuxian's attitude towards her was also very gentle. "Third Elder, there's no need for such formalities. I invited you here today to confirm something with you."

"What is it? Elder, please give your instructions."

"The Second Elder went out to handle something, but he hasn't returned yet. I want you to confirm whether he is alive or dead."

"This is easy."

The Third Elder took out a black bowl from his robes and chanted incantations. A chilling aura emanated from the bowl, causing the temperature in the study to drop to freezing.

She bit her finger, dripped a drop of blood into it, and then took a small bag from her waist.

There were also more than a dozen small bags hanging from her belt, tied tightly.

The Third Elder took a hair from his small bag, placed it in the black bowl, and chanted incantations again. His eyes also shone with a deep, dark light.

A moment later, with a loud bang, the ghostly energy in the black bowl dissipated, the black light in her eyes faded, she let out a long sigh, and another wrinkle quietly appeared on her wrinkled face.

She said with a solemn expression, "The Second Elder is dead."

He actually died!

The elder's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you know who killed him?"

The Third Elder shook his head and sighed, "My cultivation is too shallow; I can only judge whether he is alive or dead."

"Thank you for your trouble, Third Elder."

The elder took out a porcelain bottle from his robes and handed it over.

After the Third Elder accepted it, she said, "If there are no other instructions, I will take my leave."

"Please do not reveal the news of the Second Elder's passing to the Third Elder."

"I know."

Then, the Third Elder left.

The elder's gaze was deep and thoughtful as he looked out the window.

He muttered to himself, "I underestimated you."

Regardless of how the Second Elder died, it's inextricably linked to the new sect leader. This woman must have an extremely powerful expert by her side, capable of killing the Second Elder on the spot.

Generally speaking, in a battle between top-tier experts, even if one cannot win, one can always escape.

This means that the expert beside the sect leader is at least at the peak of the first rank.

They're probably after Jin Yutang's spot too!

"However, now that we've already revealed our presence, we have nothing to fear!"

(End of this chapter)