Upon hearing Wei Tianlin’s words, Yan Sifu burst into laughter and casually tossed the chess piece in his hand aside.
"Patriarch Wei, you’re too polite. I merely took advantage of a situation, nothing more."
At this moment, a maid came forward to clear the chessboard and served fragrant tea. The two of them sipped tea and chatted about everything under the sun, enjoying a pleasant conversation.
If an outsider were to witness this scene, they’d certainly be quite surprised.
After all, one of the people present was the Patriarch of the influential Wei Family, and the other was a prince of Great Yan.
These two should have been at odds, yet here they were, conversing like longtime friends, their relationship extremely harmonious.
After chatting for a long time, Yan Sifu suddenly set down his teacup, looking at Wei Tianlin with a half-smile and said,
"I’ve heard there’s been an interesting rumor spreading in the court today."
"Oh? What interesting rumor?" Wei Tianlin picked up a pine nut from the plate, tossed it into his mouth, and asked as he ate.
"That Shang Jingchuan, who returned from Yunxiao County, has been appointed as Capital Prefect by the Holy Emperor. It’s laughable because he had always boasted about becoming a minister, and now it’s become a joke."
"Haha, is that so? I hadn’t heard about it," Wei Tianlin laughed.
"Brother Wei truly doesn’t know?" Yan Sifu asked.
"Why would I lie to you about this? I genuinely didn’t know."
Seeing the sincere look on Wei Tianlin’s face, Yan Sifu inwardly chuckled coldly.
He didn’t believe this matter could be that simple.
However, on the surface, Yan Sifu showed no trace of his thoughts.
They’re both seasoned old foxes, so naturally, they’ve refined such acting skills.
He nodded and said, "Then Shang Jingchuan must have somehow displeased the Holy Emperor."
"Hehe, actually this might not be so bad. After all, I’ve heard Shang Jingchuan has some talent, and now that he’s working under Prince Qi as Capital Prefect, I’m sure Prince Qi will find value in his abilities," Wei Tianlin said with a smile.
When he mentioned the word ’value,’ Wei Tianlin’s tone became quite strange.
Yan Sifu also understood what Wei Tianlin was implying.
The conflict between his daughter Yan Fei and Shang Jingchuan’s daughter Shang Luoluo had already spread throughout the upper circles of the capital.
Especially when Yan Fei had been forced to kneel and apologize publicly, which had become a joke.
It was easy to imagine what Yan Sifu’s attitude toward Shang Jingchuan would be.
"There’s no need for you to worry, Brother Wei. I have my own discretion." Yan Sifu said and then rose to take his leave.
After he left, Wei Tianlin resumed his seat and continued to drink tea.
In the blink of an eye, he was once again face-to-face with the Paradise Sect Leader.
"That old fox Yan Sifu must have noticed something," the Sect Leader said in a somber tone.
"Let him notice. Did you really think you could keep it from him?" Wei Tianlin said nonchalantly.
"But won’t this cause trouble for the Noble Consort Rong we’ve placed in the palace?" The Sect Leader asked, hesitatingly.
"Don’t worry. This time we’ve given Yan Sifu a generous gift for free. He won’t have time to meddle. Besides..."
Wei Tianlin gave a mysterious smile, "Do you really think Yan Sifu is so loyal to the Emperor?"
The Sect Leader sat up with interest, "You mean to say..."
"Exactly, he probably hopes the Emperor becomes even more foolish. It would be best if he died now."
"After all, according to royal bloodlines, with Yan Tingshan having no offspring, Yan Sifu is the next in line after his death."
The Sect Leader nodded thoughtfully, eventually giving Wei Tianlin a peculiar look. "So that’s why he dares to associate with you in secret, defying public opinion?"
"Exactly. Although the two of us seem opposed on the surface, we actually share a common enemy, and that’s the current Holy Emperor."
Shang Luoluo simply didn’t go back but instead slept in the same room as Zui’Er.
Zhao Ya then went to the backyard to start his practice.
First, he warmed up with the Five Tiger Fist, then strengthened his organs with the Eight Vajra Longevity Skill, and finally worked on his body technique and Golden Body Technique.
As for the Great Vajra Fist and the Great Stone-Throwing Hand, these martial arts were too powerful. Even in this spacious backyard, there wasn’t quite enough room to perform them.
If he were to go all out, these carefully cultivated rare flowers and plants would likely suffer.
Thus Zhao Ya decided to wait for an opportunity to go out of the city and find a deserted place to practice these two martial arts.
After finishing his martial practice, Zhao Ya drew the Meteorite Iron Saber, washed the blade with clear water, and began to examine it closely.
Before he knew it, this Meteorite Iron Saber had been with Zhao Ya for several years.
Over the years, Zhao Ya had fought battles far and wide with this saber, slaying countless bandits and rebels under its blade, achieving great merits.
Logically, as his power increased, so too must his weapons be upgraded.
This Meteorite Iron Saber was no exception. When he first acquired it, Zhao Ya was only at the Second Realm of cultivation.
So this Meteorite Iron Saber was considered a divine weapon for Zhao Ya at the time.
But now, Zhao Ya was just a step away from entering the Fifth Realm, and the once dazzling Meteorite Iron Saber was starting to show a hint of weariness.
But Zhao Ya had no intention of replacing it.
For he had grown accustomed to this saber, and just gripping it lightly gave him a sense of blood connection, as if this saber had become an extension of his own body.
Zhao Ya lovingly caressed the blade before gently swinging it.
A flash of the blade, and a flower in full bloom in the distance silently split in half,
If there were a master of swordsmanship present at this moment, they would undoubtedly marvel at Zhao Ya’s exquisite control over the blade wind.