"Royal Father is the pillar of Great Xia. If he falls, it will inevitably trigger a struggle for the imperial throne, plunging Great Xia into chaos.
"I have no desire to fight for the throne, nor do I wish to see brothers butcher one another. That is why I set out to sea in search of medicine. If this East Sea voyage allows me to find an immortal medicine of longevity to extend Royal Father's lifespan, then these three ships will have been well worth it."
"I met the First Prince twice. From how he seemed, he didn't appear interested in the throne at all."
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had met First Prince Jiang Qun once during the Grand Qingzhou Festival. Back then, he had used the alias Xia Qun and served as the deputy to the Qingzhou provincial governor.
Then came the Dao Seeking Sect celebration, where the First Prince appeared representing Great Xia.
"Some say Eldest Brother is biding his time, amassing power in secret. There are even rumors that Royal Father's dwindling lifespan has something to do with him."
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou exchanged a glance. It seemed matters in the Imperial City were far more complicated than they had imagined.
The Second Prince suddenly realized the topic had grown somewhat heavy, and that he had spoken too much. These were not matters Lu Yang and his companions ought to know. Changing his demeanor, he chuckled. "Well, why talk about all this? The East Sea boasts such vast, magnificent views—why brood over such vexing troubles?"
The great ships hoisted their sails and embarked. The azure sky and deep ocean seemed to blend at the horizon, forming a seamless vista of sky meeting water. Sunlight scattered across the water like crushed gold, shimmering and reflecting a dazzling world of light and shadow. Gazing at it for a while was indeed soothing to the spirit.
However, Lu Yang felt little for the East Sea's beauty. His mind was currently occupied with East Sea water—and an immortal-level mermaid darting all over the place.
"Could this be young friend Lu Yang?"
An elderly man appeared beside Lu Yang, completely soundless.
Earlier, when Lu Yang watched the Second Prince disembark, the prince's attendants had all been at the Body Integration stage. Only this elderly man had been unfamiliar to him, leading Lu Yang to suspect he was at the Tribulation Transcendence stage.
Now, having received confirmation from the Immortal Fairy, he knew the man was indeed at the Tribulation Transcendence stage.
"And you are...?"
"This old man is Cang Mingzi. I once had the fortune of exchanging blows with Fellow Daoist Yun Zhi."
Lu Yang understood at once. No wonder a dignified Tribulation Transcendence old monster was being so polite to him, even addressing him as "young friend." He had taken a beating from Eldest Senior Sister!
"Fellow Daoist Yun Zhi has cultivated for under a millennium, yet she has already attained a transcendent and saintly realm. It truly puts this old bag of bones to shame."
"Senior Cang Ming is too kind. Who knows how many people envy your cultivation base?"
"It was merely ground out slowly through time, nothing more. As Fellow Daoist Yun Zhi's junior brother, and blessed with such outstanding talent, you will surely have a place of your own in this struggle of the Golden Age."
Seeing Lu Yang in the prime of his youth, Cang Mingzi sighed with emotion. Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he sauntered off, swaying his head.
"What do you think?" Meng Jingzhou suddenly asked out of nowhere via voice transmission.
Lu Yang sighed, replying via voice transmission as well: "The Second Prince wants to make friends with us far too badly. If I'm not mistaken, we're probably going to suffer a shipwreck soon."
Although the Second Prince tried hard to appear indifferent to the throne, he had just said he wasn't sure whether his eldest brother would vie for it, and that the third prince was also eyeing it like a tiger.
That "also" gave away that the Second Prince coveted the throne as well.
Meanwhile, between the two of them, one was the future Dao Seeking Sect Master and Yun Zhi's junior brother, and the other was the eldest young master of the Meng Family.
If he could win both of them over, the throne would practically be his for the taking.
The fastest way to forge a deep friendship, naturally, was to go through danger together and survive a disaster.
"I wonder if he'd still have the guts to recruit us if he knew we're both from the Heavenly Court Cult."
Chapter 825