First Immortal of the Sword - Chapter 2729 - The Competition for the Throne
Chapter 2729 – The Competition for the Throne
The yellow-robed man with the jade belt was tall and powerfully built, with a majestic air and a blood-red birthmark between his eyes.
This was Qin Shangque, the eldest prince of the Great Qin Empire and a wondrous genius at cultivation. He’d been blessed with good fortune from a young age, and he’d entered Sky Profound Court to cultivate as a young boy. There, one of the sect’s patriarchs broke precedent to accept him as a legacy disciple.
Today, Qin Shangque was already a Divine Wandering Realm Dao Lord famed throughout the Great Qin Empire, as well as the entire Blue Peak Continent’s world of cultivation.
The thin old Daoist beside him was an inner court elder of Sky Profound Court. His title was Yu Tong, and he was Qin Shangque’s Dao Protector.
“Over the past few days, I sent our informants throughout the Blue Peak Continent to inquire about Pu Xuan and Su Xuanjun. There was no word about either of them in any faction, big or small,” said Yu Tong. “According to the eldest princess, the two of them aren’t from the Blue Peak Continent. It seems that’s most likely true.”
Qin Shangque laughed. “A powerful outsider would have no need to come here to scrounge for food.”
Throughout the ages, outsiders visiting the Blue Peak Continent had mostly been second-rate rogue cultivators or drifters unable to establish themselves elsewhere.
The reason was simple. The Blue Peak Continent was, after all, the least important of the Eternal Heavens Domain’s continents.
“Prince, this is a competition between imperial scions. We cannot afford the slightest negligence!” warned Yu Tong.
Qin Shangque instantly fell silent.
The rules of the Great Qin Empire were somewhat unusual. The ruling Qin Family replaced its emperors once every ten thousand years.
Less than ten years remained until the next new emperor was chosen.
In the days leading up to the selection, the imperial house would choose among the imperial scions. When the current emperor abdicated, the selected heir would take on his crown, imperial robes, and authority.
If it were just a matter of mundane authority, none of the imperial scions would have cared, but the throne of the Great Qin Empire was different. This was because the fortunes of the Great Qin and Sky Profound Court were inextricably tied.
Thus, the emperor didn’t just preside over the Great Qin Empire; they presided over the entire cultivation world of the Great Qin!
Even Sky Profound Court attached great importance to this, and they’d send their forces to support the imperial family’s rule!
A lot was on the line in the competition between imperial scions.
“Senior Apprentice Brother, rest assured. I’ll naturally give it my all!” Qin Shangque said solemnly.
His master was one of the sect’s patriarchs. Thus, his seniority was quite lofty, to the point that Yu Tong was effectively a member of the same generation as him.
Yu Tong subtly inclined his head. “Giving it your all still isn’t enough. There are two things you must do in the near future. First, you must figure out where Su Xuanjun and Pu Xuan came from. Second, you must earn the patriarch of the Qin Family’s acknowledgement!”
Qin Shangque smiled. “Not long ago, the patriarch met with me in private. We just spoke only of our daily lives and drank three cups of tea, but that’s nonetheless an honor my brother and sister have never enjoyed.”
Yu Tong nodded approvingly. “Excellent.”
Qin Yuan was one of the pillars of the imperial family. Even the current emperor had to weigh Qin Yuan’s opinions carefully.
It was no exaggeration to say that if Qin Yuan supported one of the possible heirs, there’d be no suspense about the outcome of this competition!
“As for Su Xuanjun and Pu Xuan…” Qin Shangque laughed bitterly. “One of the two outsiders is injured and deep in seclusion, while the other just lounges about his residence all day. Even if I wanted to send someone to investigate, my agents wouldn’t find any opportunities to learn anything.”
Yu Tong pondered briefly. “I’m certain an opportunity will arise. You’d best prepare thoroughly for it.”
Qin Shangque smiled. “To tell the truth, Senior Apprentice Brother, I’ve long since decided who to entrust this matter to!”
Yu Tong froze, stunned, then clapped Qin Shangque on the shoulder. “Excellent!”
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the imperial palace.
Second Prince Qin Liuhe was fishing in a pavilion built in the center of a lake.
He wore loose Daoist robes and a loose Daoist topknot. He looked young, and he sat with his legs crossed, holding a fishing rod in one hand and a jug of wine in the other. He looked utterly relaxed.
“Liuhe, I heard that the eldest princess ran into danger in the Golden Spirit Hidden Realm,” said the hale and hearty old woman in gray standing beside him. “When your father heard the news, he bristled with fury, but in the end, he said and did nothing at all. He even sealed all word of the incident.”
She paused. “Don’t you want to know what happened to her?”
Qin Liuhe threw back his head and drank, his gaze focused on the surface of the lake. He shook his head like a rattle drum. “I don’t want to know. I’m not interested.”
The old woman sighed, visibly exasperated. “You’re in competition for the throne, so why are you so…”
But before she could finish, Qin Liuhe sighed. “Granny, I said it, didn’t I? I’ve never been interested in competing for the throne, so… quit nagging, okay? My ears are growing calluses, and worse, you might scare off the fish.”
The old woman said irritably, “You useless little softshell turtle! You’ve got no ambition at all. I was a fool to have become your Dao Protector.”
Qin Liuhe burst into laughter. “If I’m a ‘little softshell turtle’, doesn’t that make my father… a big softshell turtle? Qin Shangque is my older brother, and Qi Suqing is my older sister. Are they… softshell turtles, too? Are you saying…”
But before he could continue, the old woman smacked him on the back of the head. “Loose lips lead to disaster. You’d best mind your tongue!”
Qin Liuhe laughed bitterly.
The old woman fell briefly silent, then said, “Some things are worth competing for. I’ve already paid a visit to Sky Profound Court and helped win you the support of some of its old-timers…”
Qin Liuhe suddenly shushed her and shook his wrist, pulling a golden-tailed fish out of the water with a great big splash.
“A Golden Dragonwhisker Carp! That’s a good omen!” Qin Liuhe laughed, hurriedly reeled it in, and held it aloft, a huge smile on his face.
When the old woman saw this, she forced the words on the tip of her tongue back down and whispered, “A good omen indeed!”
Meanwhile, in the courtyard.
Su Yi heard footsteps. He didn’t even need to open his eyes to know who it was. Qin Suqing is back.
Over the past two weeks, the eldest princess of the Great Qin Empire had visited twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.
Every time, she came with a fresh supply of recovery medicine.
Unfortunately, Pu Xuan was deep in seclusion, so she never got to see him.
This time would be no exception.
“Still no movement?” asked Qin Suqing. She was dressed in a plain, pale blue dress, and her long hair was tied up. Her features were exquisitely beautiful.
“Mm,” said Su Yi. He shifted positions, getting more comfortable in his chair before continuing, “Is it really necessary to visit twice a day like this?”
Qin Suqing sat across from him and laughed. “I know what you’re thinking. You think I’ve taken a fancy to Senior Pu Xuan, but that’s really not it.”
She gazed into the sunset and murmured, “I’m not entirely lacking in self-awareness.”
In Qin Suqing’s eyes, Pu Xuan was dashing, elegant, and extraordinary. What woman wouldn’t like him?
But she knew that there could never be anything between them.
Su Yi smiled and took a sip of wine.
“Senior Pu Xuan doesn’t just have a lofty cultivation base. He has a lofty disposition, too. He’s like the clouds over the horizon; you can see him, but you cannot reach him,” said Qin Suqing. “I know that someone like him couldn’t possibly stay in the Blue Peak Continent long term.”
She turned to look at Su Yi, blinking her bright, beautiful eyes. “You’re far more approachable.”
“Approachable, huh…?” Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “I see. You praise Pu Xuan to the high heavens, then turn around and praise me for being approachable. Ouch!”
Qin Suqing pressed her lips into a smile. “Don’t misunderstand, Fellow Daoist Su. Uncle Luan and I both agree that you’re blessed by fortune, and that you’re sure to establish yourself in the Eternal Heavens Domain one day.”
She meant every word, too.
“Su Xuanjun” was a newbie from a lower realm, and he’d bumbled his way into an inauspicious zone, but he didn’t just escape with his life; he even turned disaster into good fortune, acquiring no small quantity of treasure in the process.
Even Pu Xuan, an Immeasurable Realm expert, thought highly of him. The way Qin Suqing saw it, “Su Xuanjun’s” cultivation might have been lacking, and he might have been ignorant of the Eternal Heavens Domain’s affairs, but he was clearly blessed by fate!
Su Yi seemed to realize what she was thinking. He laughed dryly. “In other words, ‘fortune favors the foolish, and you’re a fool,’ right?”
“You said it, not me!” Qin Suqing said with a charming smile.
After chatting a while longer, Qin Suqing got up to leave.
But then, Su Yi said suddenly, “If you need help, just ask directly. No need to be embarrassed.”
Qin Suqing froze, then smiled and shook her head. “I’m the eldest princess. What difficulties could possibly stop me?”
With that, she bade farewell and left.
Su Yi leaned back in his wicker chair, silently watching dusk set in over the lotus pond.
Qin Suqing might not have said anything about it, but there were so many servants in the residence that Su Yi had long since learned of the storm brewing in the Great Qin’s imperial family.
All of it was due to the competition between imperial scions.
It might have looked like it was “just” a throne, but it was actually a competition for authority over both the nation and the Great Qin Empire’s cultivation world, as well as the fate of Sky Profound Court!
As the eldest princess, Qin Suqing was one of the more viable contenders.
Su Yi had offered to help, not because he was after any sort of reward, but because he wanted to make sure he didn’t owe Qin Suqing any favors when he left.
But it seemed she was unwilling to let him and Pu Xuan get swept into the competition between imperial scions.
Just as night was about to fall, Qin Suqing suddenly returned, stopped beside Su Yi, and transmitted, “There’s something I’ve been pondering for a while, and I think I’m obligated to let you know.”
They were in a courtyard covered in formations, yet Qin Suqing was nonetheless transmitting her words rather than speaking them. Su Yi instantly realized that whatever this was, it wasn’t simple.
“Please, go right ahead,” said Su Yi.
“I’m certain that someone leaked word of our trip to the Golden Spirit Hidden Realm; Fire Dragon Temple, Bluebird Palace, and the Yu Family would never have targeted us like that otherwise,” said Qin Suqing, her eyes suddenly cold. “In other words, someone in the Great Qin didn’t want me to return from the Golden Spirit Hidden Realm alive! And I’m sure their goal was to prevent me from competing for the throne!”
Su Yi rubbed his forehead. He and Pu Xuan were the ones who’d brought Qin Suqing and Luan Yunzhong back to the Great Qin Empire safely.
Didn’t that mean that whoever was behind the attack on Qin Suqing’s life already bore a grudge against him?
