Hearing his subordinate's report, Lu Shuyun's expression instantly darkened.
Two ninth-rank warriors.
One eighth-rank warrior.
Over a hundred third-rank martial artists.
And yet, they still failed to kill a so-called useless prince?
Not only did they fail, but not a single one of them returned alive.
The more Lu Shuyun thought about it, the angrier he became. He slammed his palm onto the table, shattering the bowls and teapots on it into dust.
"Useless! All of them are useless!"
He simply couldn't understand how this mission had failed.
They had already investigated the Northern Prince's forces—aside from Chu Yuqin and Li Feng, there were barely any fifth-rank martial artists in the convoy.
And yet, Blood Moon Tower had still lost.
How could they fail at this?!
What the hell were those assassins even good for?!
Even if the two ninth-rank warriors couldn't deal with Chu Yuqin, one of them should have at least been able to keep her occupied while the other finished off that useless prince.
But they still failed!
And now, Blood Moon Tower had the audacity to demand compensation?
They couldn't even kill a so-called "worthless prince," and they wanted to be paid for it?!
After venting his anger, Lu Shuyun gradually calmed down. His face turned emotionless as he asked, "Did Blood Moon Tower find out why their mission failed?"
The kneeling man immediately replied, "Your Highness, when Blood Moon Tower sent people to investigate, they found that some of their members' corpses had been burned to ashes."
Before leaving, Lu Chen's side had buried their own fallen soldiers, while the assassins from Blood Moon Tower had been piled together and burned.
Although this took extra time, Chu Yuqin had deemed it necessary—especially for the two warriors Lu Chen had killed.
Martial artists could determine how someone died just by examining their wounds.
To prevent Blood Moon Tower from discovering the true cause of death, Chu Yuqin had opted for complete destruction.
Hearing this report, Lu Shuyun grew even more furious.
Not only had the mission failed, but they didn't even know how their own men had died.
Just then, one of his subordinates spoke up, "Your Highness, I suspect there is a grandmaster-level expert hidden within the Northern Prince's convoy."
Lu Shuyun froze for a moment at this suggestion, then fell silent, his expression shifting.
After a long pause, a glint of ruthless determination flashed in his eyes.
"If that's the case, then that useless prince must disappear from this world."
His subordinate continued, "Your Highness, don't worry. Our men have already arrived in Beijun. Even if he has a grandmaster protecting him, over time, they will inevitably let their guard down."
Lu Shuyun said nothing more.
All he could do now was wait.
Fortunately, he had planned for this possibility.
He gazed out the window and muttered to himself, "My dear brother, I hope your luck never runs out."
At the same time, word of Blood Moon Tower's failed assassination had spread throughout the capital.
No one knew who had leaked the information.
The Imperial Palace.
In the imperial garden, the Xia Emperor sat reading a report from his shadow guards, his expression filled with disbelief.
An elderly man with snow-white hair sat before him. Seeing the Emperor's reaction, he asked, "Your Majesty, what has happened?"
The Xia Emperor snapped out of his thoughts and tore the paper to shreds.
"I never expected that my ninth son might have a grandmaster by his side. The Chu family is truly making a bold move."
The old man was briefly stunned.
The Xia Emperor continued, "Grand Tutor, do you think the Chu family is genuinely supporting my ninth son, or is this just a diversion?"
The man sitting before the Emperor was Situ Ce, the National Pillar of the Great Xia Dynasty and its Grand Tutor—one of the Emperor's most trusted advisors.
Situ Ce pondered for a moment before replying, "Your Majesty, I believe this is the personal action of Chu Xiong and does not represent the will of the entire Chu family."
The Xia Emperor chuckled. "Oh? And why do you think that?"
Situ Ce explained, "Beijun is a harsh and barren land. Even if the Northern Prince arrives there safely, it will be nearly impossible for him to develop it, let alone raise an army and build power."
"The Chu family is a family that doesn't belong to the Chu family."
"They would never back a prince who has completely lost his right to the throne."
"If they did, it would cause direct conflict with the other noble factions, which would ultimately lead to the Chu family's downfall."
"But Chu Xiong is different. He is the Northern Prince's grandfather—they share a blood bond."
"I believe Chu Xiong sent protection not for political reasons, but simply because Lu Chen is his grandson."
The Xia Emperor stood up from his stone seat and laughed heartily.
"'A family that doesn't belong to the family'—how interesting! That reminds me of myself… This Great Xia isn't truly mine either!"
The Chu family had long tied its fate to the powerful factions of Jiangnan.
They couldn't afford to unconditionally support a prince with no claim to the throne.
If they did, they would find themselves in direct opposition to other factions, and the Chu family itself would fracture.
Thus, the Chu family wasn't truly a Chu family anymore—it had become something else entirely.
And that realization made the Xia Emperor reflect on his own situation.
Just as the Chu family could no longer act purely for their own interests, neither could he as Emperor.
His every move was restrained by various forces, especially the noble families—including the Chu family.
Duke Mu's Residence.
Mu Changtian's hands trembled as he read the message delivered by carrier pigeon.
The letter was from Li Feng, detailing the ambush by Blood Moon Tower.
When Mu Changtian read that they had sent two ninth-rank warriors and one eighth-rank warrior, his heart sank.
For a moment, he truly believed the Northern Prince was dead.
But at the very end of the letter, Li Feng mentioned that a mysterious expert had appeared and eliminated both ninth-rank assassins.
This puzzled Mu Changtian.
A mysterious expert?
Who sent someone to protect the Northern Prince?
Could they have come from the imperial palace?
Mu Changtian turned his gaze toward the palace in the distance, but quickly dismissed the thought.
The Xia Emperor had never cared for the Northern Prince.
He even saw Lu Chen as a stain on his legacy.
Why would he send someone to protect him?
Meanwhile...
Lu Chen and his convoy continued their journey.
Over the next month, there were no further assassination attempts.
This was largely due to a rumor spreading through the capital.
People now believed that a grandmaster was secretly protecting Lu Chen.
And with such a powerful figure guarding him, none of the noble factions were foolish enough to send more assassins.
Of course, no one thought this grandmaster would stay by Lu Chen's side forever.
There were very few grandmasters in all of Great Xia.
It was unthinkable that one would dedicate themselves solely to protecting a "useless" prince.
Most assumed that this mysterious guardian would leave once Lu Chen reached Beijun.