Chapter 618: Chapter 618: Counterfeit
Zhou Yishui arrived, bringing with him Fang Lin, Dugu Nian, and Steward Shen. The group’s presence radiant and powerful.
Anyone who saw Zhou Yishui showed him reverence and humility, except for a select few like Mei Yingxue, who did not exude such awe.
“Greetings, Crown Prince!” The royal family members immediately approached, the princes in front of the rest performing respectful salutes to Zhou Yishui, keeping their posture low.
Though they were brothers in terms of family relations, Zhou Yishui far outranked all the princes combined in terms of status and position.
Zhou Yishui gave a slight nod: “What’s the situation?”
The princes exchanged glances, but it was Prince Yin Xinghe who spoke up cautiously, “Reporting to the Crown Prince, the Unfading Flower of Seven Spirits has not bloomed yet, and there’s a Four Transformations Demon Beast guarding it. We’re waiting for the right opportunity.”
Zhou Yishui grunted in acknowledgment and moved forward without additional comments.
Naturally, the trio Fang Lin, Dugu Nian and Shen followed him closely, their expressions as calm as still water, without giving a glance to the surrounding people.
“Crown Prince,” at this moment, Dugu Ruoxu stepped forward.
Zhou Yishui stopped and a faint smile appeared on his face: “Brother Dugu.”
Dugu Ruoxu glanced at the trio following Zhou Yishui, “Why did you bring them along, Crown Prince?”
Not only Dugu Ruoxu, but others also found it strange. Dugu Nian being around was acceptable as she was the future Crown Princess Consort, but having Fang Lin there was surprising. Everyone knew that Zhou Yishui intended to eliminate him, and yet now he was publicly trailing behind Zhou Yishui, causing everyone confusion.
It was then when Fang Lin spoke up, glaring at Dugu Ruoxu, “I’m now one of the Crown Prince’s men. Do you have a problem with that?”
Dugu Ruoxu furrowed his brows, ignoring Fang Lin, and stared at Zhou Yishui, waiting for his response.
“Fang Lin now serves me, and the past is the past. Brother Dugu, let’s not dwell on it,” Zhou Yishui said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Ruoxu remained dubious. This situation was too strange. Just a few days ago, Fang Lin looked like he would fight the Crown Prince to the death, but now he’s pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince?
Fang Lin chuckled, flashing a triumphant look at Dugu Ruoxu, as if taunting him.
Dugu Ruoxu was furious. He wanted to grab Fang Lin and beat him. But now Fang Lin was serving the Crown Prince, so he couldn’t do anything to him.
A closer look revealed something strange about Dugu Nian and Steward Shen’s expressions, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.
Zhou Yishui led Fang Lin and the others closer, with Mei Yingxue and Chi Yunxiao not too far away.
The Crown Prince stood with his hands behind his back, gazing deep into the ancient battlefield, a thoughtful look on his face. He didn’t bother to look at Mei Yingxue and Chi Yunxiao, seeming rather indifferent as if he didn’t consider these two exceptional talents a threat.
Only Fang Lin was secretly assessing these two, feeling a sense of trepidation deep down.
Whether it was Mei Yingxue or Chi Yunxiao, both were extraordinary talents and not weaker than the Crown Prince Zhou Yishui. Their formidable strength made them their biggest competitors for the Unfading Flower of Seven Spirits.
“Crown Prince, how about we have a match?” Chi Yunxiao suddenly proposed, a hint of combativeness in his eyes.
At this moment, Fang Lin was startled. If they were to duel, wouldn’t the Crown Prince’s secret be exposed?
But Zhou Yishui just smiled at Chi Yunxiao, “Haven’t we already crossed swords before?”
Chi Yunxiao frowned in response, “That was a year ago. I’ve improved leaps and bounds since then.”
Chi Yunxiao was not blustering. A year ago, he was formidable, never losing a battle against any genius in Xuan Country.
His only losses were at the hands of Zhou Yishui and the Undefeatable Naughty Man, but they were narrow defeats, with their abilities almost on par with his.
Now that he’d returned from intense cultivation with greatly increased strength, he felt much more advanced compared to the him a year ago.
Still, Chi Yunxiao wanted to challenge Crown Prince Zhou Yishui. After all, he’d once lost to him and naturally wanted to even the score.
Zhou Yishui shook his head slightly, his face expressionless, “You’ve gotten stronger, and so have I.”
Upon hearing this, Chi Yunxiao’s face darkened. He understood what Zhou Yishui meant – you lost to me a year ago, and you’re no match for me now either.
Such was the confidence of Zhou Yishui. To him, he was invincible, with no individual within Xuan Country his equal.
Everyone watched Zhou Yishui, awe in their eyes. Only someone like him could disregard Chi Yunxiao completely. Anyone else would likely lack the courage to utter such words.
However, when Zhou Yishui spoke, Fang Lin and the others nearly had a heart attack. They were walking on thin ice, caught between fear and suspense.
If they ended up provoking Chi Yunxiao into an all-out attack on the Crown Prince, all would be lost.
The ‘Crown Prince’ was, of course, not the real Zhou Yishui, but an imposter.
Fang Lin and his company would never truly serve the Crown Prince, but to vie for the Unfading Flower of Seven Spirits within the ancient battlefield, they had to come up with a plan.
The battlefield was filled with many powerful individuals like Chi Yunxiao, Mei Yingxue, and Dugu Ruoxu. Provoking any of them was off the table.
Though Fang Lin was reluctant to admit it, he had no choice but to accept the fact that he was leagues behind these fellows.
Therefore, they decided to play a deceptive game. Using the Corpse Ginseng’s unique shape-shifting ability, they impersonated Zhou Yishui and arrived at the outskirts of the ancient battlefield.
The Corpse Ginseng’s transformative abilities were not new, but there had never been an appropriate opportunity to put them to use. This time, the ginseng could finally flaunt its abilities.
Imitating Zhou Yishui was quite challenging, and Fang Lin was worried about whether Old Pickle could pull it off.
But it seemed that he was doing incredibly well. If it weren’t for Fang Lin knowing the truth, he wouldn’t have noticed that anything was amiss.
The Corpse Ginseng could mimic a person’s appearance and aura perfectly. As long as it didn’t engage in combat and with the help of some superb acting, no one would see through their disguise.
Of course, if it got involved in a fight, their game would be up.
Chi Yunxiao’s face was filled with signs of anger. He felt Zhou Yishui was looking down on him and was itching to start a fight.
Just then, a wave emanated from within the ancient battlefield.
“Is the Unfading Flower of Seven Spirits starting to bloom?” Everyone sensed the wave and leaned in, looking closer into the heart of the battlefield.
Chi Yunxiao’s attention switched immediately, focusing now on the ancient battlefield.
“The flower isn’t blooming yet. Rather, the Three-tailed Scorpion is nearing the end of its lifespan, struggling to hold on,” whispered Mei Yingxue, her eyes sparkling with excitement.