"THE LADY IS ALREADY HERE?"
The housekeeper nodded, slightly lowering his head. "The lady is currently resting in a room, and she told This Servant that once the elder arrives, This Servant will tell you to meet her right away."
Elder Leo delightedly nodded. He had told the Sect Master about his idea for this empire and hoped for a representative to come here to support him. He assumed the Sect Master would summon the Great Elder, but it was the lady who arrived. It only showed that the Sect Master was pleased with his plan.
He went to the lady's room, feeling elated. After knocking three times, he heard the lady's voice telling him to enter.
"Milady," he said as soon as he walked into the room. Then he noticed the Sect Master's trustworthy guard standing behind the lady's seat.
"Elder Leo," the lady said, bringing her teacup down to the table as she acknowledged the elder's presence. She smiled. "It's been a while. Your countenance looked pale. When was the last time you had a good rest? No matter what happens, you should take care of yourself."
Elder Leo was moved. "I'm alright, milady. The competition is around the corner. I have to make sure that those who passed the assessment learn magic as soon as possible," he remarked.
The lady gave a perfunctory nod. "The top three would represent this empire, even our sect; my father wishes to express his belief in you, elder."
Elder Leo nearly smiled. "Thank you, milady; I will not let the sect master down."
When Elder Leo left the room, the lady's eyes became frigid. "What's this about the Pei Family again?"
"An ancient family of the secular world, based on my investigation."
"An ancient family? Yet, no one heard of them even in the Earth Realm; if there is truly an ancient family here, the sects and clans in the Earth Realm would have already been aware of them, but there was no record about them," she narrowed her eyes. "Do not underestimate this family."
The man in the back nodded. "However, Elder Leo appears to be determined to exterminate this family."
"Let him be," she grumbled. "Let this be his life lesson."
"Milady seems certain that the elder would lose," the man observed.
"Never underestimate a woman's intuition," she said, taking a sip of tea. "If it's the Pei Family," she said, "then this empire is worth our time and investment."
---
"Your sect master's daughter is here?" Emperor Jun uttered in astonishment. "Then we should host a banquet to welcome her; our empire cannot afford to ignore this lady."
Elder Leo shook his head. "Our lady detested throwing her weight around; it would be better to meet her than to prepare a grand banquet for her; otherwise, you will offend her more than you intended."
"Then, when can we meet her?" Crown Prince Ace interjected. He was intrigued. At the same time, he wanted to show off. That was a sect master's daughter. In the future, she would become the master of the Medicine Sect. As a result, he needed to form a relationship. Aside from that, he had a fascination with that lady (despite not seeing her). It would be better if he could get her recognition and admiration.
Elder Leo took a look at the stupid lad and sneered. With only a glance, he could know what was going on inside the lad's thoughts. He acknowledged that this crown prince had talent and skill. It wasn't enough, though, to be paired with their sect lady. If there was someone he could approve of, it would be his direct disciple, Lance.
"It depends on our lady; she just arrived here and needs to rest; I will notify you as soon as she wants to meet," Elder Leo stated casually.
Emperor Jun's expression was almost scowling. He was about to say something but quickly swallowed it. He was displeased. Regardless of the fact that she was a renowned guest, she was still in his empire. She had to follow their rules and honour him as the emperor. He was feeling the dreadfulness that the Pei Family had instilled in him once more.
"Crown Prince Ace and Olivia are improving every day," Elder Leo said suddenly, making Emperor Jun feel a little better. "I am confident that they will make the top three and join the competition against the other sects."
Crown Prince Ace gave an insolent smile.
"However, you should be cautious of your brother, Prince Zak; his magical energy is plentiful, and if the Pei Family wants him to compete in the preliminary competition, there's nothing we can do."
Crown Prince Ace's smile vanished in an instant, and Emperor Jun's face grew cold.
"Is he really that good?" Emperor Jun inquired. He wasn't pleased that his son was powerful. Even if that son has the ability to defeat other contenders, he cannot make himself proud. Why did he even allow that boy to live? It was the most regrettable thing he'd ever done in his life! He should've throttled him to death when he was born!
"He's still a boy," Crown Prince Ace assured everyone, including himself. "And there's no guarantee that the Pei Family could train him to his full potential; they lacked Elder Leo's knowledge and resources, after all."
Elder Leo smiled icily. "I think you've forgotten what I said a few days ago," he mocked. These father-and-son duos were idiots! He was one point from losing his temper with them! "The fire that destroyed half of your palace was orchestrated by that Pei Family girl, who appears to have powerful backing!"
"Who could that be?" Emperor Jun wondered, concerned. He had previously hinted at his intention to discontinue collaborating with the Pei Family. Now there was no turning back! The imperial family would be ruined if the Pei Family obtained someone more powerful than Elder Leo!
Elder Leo shrugged his shoulders. It caused the father-and-son duo's faces to sink. "I have no idea," he said. But, before the emperor could say anything, he hastily added, "However, I have someone in mind."
"Who?"
"Hugo."
Emperor Jun was perplexed. "My brother?"
Elder Leo gave a nod. "He's the only person we know who cared about the Pei Family, and he's known Duke Pei since he was a child; he's also the only person who can provide the Pei Family with a powerful background."
"Fifth Imperial Uncle is that powerful?"
Emperor Jun frowned and whispered, "Just what kind of family does Empress Hannah have?"
"A powerful one," replied Elder Leo. "Empress Hannah's family is one of the clans that even the sects of the Earth Realm cannot afford to mess with."
"Then what should we do?" a panicked Emperor Jun inquired. Was it too late to change his mind now?
Elder Leo made a horizontal motion with his hand on his neck. "Kill the one who is protecting the Pei Family."
Crown Prince Ace and Emperor Jun were taken aback.
"Are you sure? Will Hugo not retaliate against us?
"Hugo is still in the Earth Realm, preoccupied with his maternal family's predicament, which will take time to resolve. He won't have time to care about what's going on in this empire, and once everyone in the Pei Family is dead, he won't be able to do anything. Will he destroy the empire just for the sake of his friendship with them? He would be overcome with grief, but I doubt he would want to make an enemy out of us and the other sects."
The other two were deafeningly quiet. That made perfect sense. Regardless, they couldn't relax until the problem was resolved.