As dusk fell, Chen Ke strolled leisurely out of the Western Hills, carrying two pheasants and a wild rabbit in his hand.
After handing the prey over to a servant, Chen Ke returned to his room and fell fast asleep on the bed.
He was exhausted after being away for a whole night and day.
To test his death attribute, he killed more than thirty orcs on Jigong Mountain, including the powerful bear-man.
At Xianxia Pass, he first defeated two hundred orcs in Eagle Beak Gorge, then wiped out the orcs' vulture squadron, and finally killed the commander of a three-thousand-strong orc army.
The two guys who stole his head in the end also stabbed a hole in his shoulder.
He had already lost a lot of blood, and now he was even weaker; it wouldn't be long before he recovered.
He slept until noon the next day when he was woken up by Liu Guanyuan, who was visiting.
Chen Ke quickly washed up and headed towards the small living room.
The Haotian Academy in Shuzhou is already on holiday, which is why Dean Liu is so free.
"Chen Ke, just yesterday, on her way back, the Qin princess was ambushed by three thousand orcs!" Liu Zimeng's face was extremely serious as he spoke.
Chen Ke was extremely nervous: "Is the princess alright?"
Liu Zimeng looked at Chen Ke with a strange expression: "Because someone warned the princess beforehand, not only was the princess unharmed, but she also ambushed and killed three thousand orcs."
Chen Ke breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "I knew it! The princess is so smart, and she's surrounded by experts. How could the orcs possibly succeed?"
Liu Zimeng stared wide-eyed, but couldn't detect the slightest flaw in Chen Ke's expression.
This kid is getting more and more experienced.
Although Liu Zimeng really wanted to ask all the questions that were on his mind, he held back.
Everyone has their own secrets, especially those who practice spiritual cultivation.
A certain supernatural power, a certain method of cultivation, a certain powerful magic weapon, a certain intricate origin and background—all these things are not to be told to outsiders.
Let alone Chen Ke, ask yourself, didn't Liu Zimeng also have his own secrets?
Besides, Chen Ke's secret did not harm anyone else, so why should they keep asking?
In addition, Chen Ke is not a bad person by nature, and he is so young, so he must have his reasons for not speaking.
One day when he wants to speak, he will naturally say it.
Liu Zimeng continued, "The Hidden Dragon Pavilion received a rapid report that the Third Prince of the Purple Eagle Dynasty, while on his way to the Great Xia City, inadvertently learned of the Beastmen's conspiracy. Therefore, he urgently dispatched his men to secretly assist the princess in eliminating the Beastmen's Vulture Legion and assassinating the commander of three thousand Beastmen."
The Purple Eagle Dynasty?
Chen Ke looked surprised. Could it be that the two people who stole his head were the Third Prince's men?
Liu Zimeng explained, "This time, the third prince of the Purple Eagle Dynasty was invited to Daxia City, but actually it was for the sake of the Qin princess!"
Chen Ke was even more surprised: "A marriage alliance?!"
Liu Zimeng nodded: "Once the Qin princess and the third prince are married, the Great Xia Dynasty, Qin Kingdom, and Purple Eagle Dynasty will unite to form a powerful defensive line in the north to stop the orcs from moving south."
Chen Ke suddenly realized that he was now basically certain that the two guys who stole his head were definitely the Third Prince's men.
Damn it, they stole my credit and my things, and then they turned around and tried to please my fiancée.
Is this something a human being would do?
Liu Zimeng solemnly reminded him, "Chen Ke, the idea of a three-nation joint defense has a lot of appeal in the Great Xia court. You need to be careful!"
Chen Ke nodded with a wry smile. He understood what Director Liu meant; he had now become a stumbling block.
The most solid way to form a united front among the three kingdoms was to rely on kinship and blood ties, allowing them to lower their guard and unite as one.
To achieve a three-way alliance, a marriage between the third prince of the Purple Eagle Dynasty and the princess of Qin must be arranged.
For this marriage to happen, Chen Ke must step aside.
To some extent, the already weakened Purple Eagle Dynasty needed the success of this marriage alliance even more.
Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why the Third Prince wanted to seize that head to curry favor with the Qin princess.
They're capable of murder to cover up wrongdoing and taking credit for others' work; what else are they incapable of?
No wonder Director Liu came specifically to remind him that it wasn't just the people in the imperial court who were making trouble for him; the third prince of the Purple Eagle Dynasty was also likely involved.
Chen Ke bowed and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Dean Liu. This student will be careful."
Liu Zimeng comforted him, "Chen Ke, don't be too nervous. Both His Majesty and the Empress Dowager approve of your marriage to the Qin princess. As long as you keep a low profile during this period and don't give others any ammunition to attack you, the situation won't worsen."
As he spoke, Liu Zimeng handed Chen Ke a detailed document about the third prince of the Purple Eagle Dynasty.
Chen Ke looked at the word "Top Secret" on the cover of the document and his heart stirred.
Does Liu Guanyuan's visit represent the attitude of the Hidden Dragon Pavilion?
After putting away the documents, Chen Ke suddenly remembered something: "Dean Liu, I have found some more spirit stones and raw spirit stones here. I would like to trouble you to exchange them for me."
Liu Zimeng said happily, "It's nothing. If you can cultivate diligently, the headmaster and Senior Mirror Serpent will be very pleased."
Chen Ke got up and returned to his residence. He took out ten fire-attribute spirit stones and ten wind-attribute spirit stones, and also took out a box of raw spirit stones. He returned to the living room and handed them all over to Manager Liu.
Liu Zimeng was surprised, but when he thought of the Chen family's terrifying wealth, he understood.
Chen Ke took out low-grade spirit stones, which are rare on the market but not impossible to buy.
Of course, items that can be bought on the black market are usually priced exorbitantly, something Liu Zimeng wouldn't even dare to dream of.
After escorting Manager Liu to the manor gate, Chen Ke returned to the courtyard and opened the "top secret" file.
It's always good to be cautious; it's still necessary to learn about things that need to be learned.
This third prince is his biggest rival in love.
The file folder was opened, and Chen Ke held the portrait of the Third Prince with a strange expression on his face.
This face looks familiar; it's like I've seen it somewhere before.
Chen Ke continued reading and quickly grasped the meaning.
The information contained nothing more than records of the Third Prince's origins and background, as well as some ridiculous royal secrets.
What Chen Ke really noticed was that the Third Prince Yin Tianzheng's master was actually the Langya Sword Pavilion, a cultivation sect with thousands of years of history.
Last year, when Yin Tianzheng was seventeen years old, he broke through the thirty-sixth level and reached the Refining Mansion Realm.
Chen Ke felt a strange pressure. Despite his recent rapid progress in cultivation, he was still far behind those true young masters.
Not to mention, the cultivation geniuses of those prestigious sects on the Kunpeng Continent disdain mingling in the mortal world and seem to live in another world altogether.
These people are probably even more terrifying in strength.
His current perspective is still limited, and he doesn't yet have any interaction with these privileged individuals, but that doesn't mean there won't be any in the future.
Putting aside anything far off, could he withstand the full force of the Eight-Winged Goddess's attack?
"It seems the plan to go to the Divine Dragon Pavilion needs to be brought forward, and my martial arts skills should also be updated." Chen Ke closed the dossier, having made up his mind.