70: Backstabbing

After drinking the juice, another large pikachu waved its paw, causing the cubs to retreat into the shoulder bag. Throughout this time, Ye Lingling, who was sitting on the side, had been ignored.

Sensing the girl's curious gaze, Lu Yuan chuckled softly and muttered to himself, "When you use the word 'tame,' you position yourself as the adversary of the spirit beast, imagining it as an enemy. But when you replace 'tame' with 'friend,' you'll find that it's a much simpler matter... after all."

He shook the glass and pushed it gently towards Ye Lingling, adding meaningfully, "No one would reject the friendship of a strong person."

As he stood up, two shiny golden spirit coins appeared on the table, neatly placed in the center. Walking past Ye Lingling, an ethereal voice reached her ears. "Nice to meet you, too shy..."

A small hand turned the cup, revealing sunken writing on its inner wall, completing the unfinished sentence: "Ms. Ye Lingling." Startled, Ye Lingling turned around, only to find that the boy was no longer there.

Frowning, Ye Lingling looked at the words on the cup's wall, pondered for a moment, and eventually gave up on dwelling on it. She placed the cup back down and slowly walked away. What a strange man!

Little did she know, Lu Yuan, who had already run 800 meters away, was also suspicious about the timing. Had the Heaven Dou Academy team already started competing in the arenas during this time? While he wasn't sure which major arenas they went to in the original story, in the territory of Heaven Dou , the Heaven Doue Academy team was undoubtedly a formidable force.

However, Lu Yuan silently complained about the cunning tactics of the old foxes from the three sects. Nevertheless, he paid little attention to the matter. If he were to face those old foxes directly, he would need to be cautious.

But there was only one Royal Fighting Team, and they weren't even a match for the current Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Therefore, they weren't worthy of his attention or even considered as pawns in his game.

To put it bluntly, they didn't even qualify to be chess pieces in his hands. Observing the darkening sky, Lu Yuan disappeared under the cover of night.

In the Star Luo Empire, within the Prince Mansion, a luxurious abode befitting its noble occupant—the Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire, Davis—stood tall. Like many officials, Zhu Zhuyun believed it was almost inevitable for Davis to ascend to the throne of the Star Luo Empire in the future.

Davis possessed great strength, a ruthless nature, decisive actions, keen perception, meticulous thinking, and a profound background accumulated over many years.

With these qualities, he was already considered a successful individual. Any remaining shortcomings could be resolved gradually with time. However, some matters couldn't wait.

Sitting in her study, Zhu Zhuyun gracefully poured herself a cup of tea and savored it slowly, contemplating her previous views. She had managed to navigate the regulations of the Ste Luo royal family and the support of the Zhu family, allowing her, as the Crown Princess, to adapt effortlessly. No comfortable wasn't enough to describe it.

Davis had opened all accessible departments to her, including his own intelligence department and the privately recruited and cultivated soldiers.

With Davis's permission, Zhu Zhuyun had openly placed her loyal confidants in those departments, drawing strength from them and utilizing Davis's intelligence network to rapidly expand her own power. This act of leveraging resources didn't raise Davis's suspicion.

Suddenly, a tall young man with blond hair entered the room. He noticed his fiancée's melancholic expression and walked over with concern, taking a seat opposite Zhu Zhuyun. "Why? Is it because of your sister?"

Her cold gaze swept over Davis's slightly fidgety hands. Zhu Zhuyun coughed lightly and stopped him with a folding fan, implying there was no need to continue. "According to the investigation, my carefree younger sister has already arrived in the Heaven.Dou territory and found your younger brother. Do we need to carry on?"

She took out a hardcover notebook from nowhere and handed it to Davis, gesturing for him to take a look. Davis reluctantly received it, opened the book, and carefully flipped through its contents. After a while, he finished reading, threw the book onto the table, and fell silent.

He had heard about Zhu Zhuyun's restless sister and had met her a few times. He initially believed that his fiancée was just overly worried and anxious.

However, he didn't expect her younger sister to be so resourceful. Dai Mubai, thta waste, had begun rebuilding himself with the help of Zhu Zhuyun's younger sister.

From the recorded intelligence, it was clear that although the process was slow, Dai Mubai had regained his self-discipline, and he was the first to recover this essential quality. Self-discipline was a formidable trait, and Davis was well aware of its significance.

Throughout the history of the Star Luo Empire's royal family, the self-disciplined individuals either emerged as the ultimate victors or became major obstacles on the path to victory.

A fully restored Dai Mubai and a resilient Zhu Zhuqing were enough to give Davis a headache. Even without the ability to use the martial spirit fusion technique due to their lack of coordination, they posed a threat.

This meant that the favorable situation he had established could crumble at any moment. Seizing the position of the heir apparent was extremely risky, not just for the prince himself but also for those speculators.

However, the reason why there were still so many speculators was that the benefits they obtained were significant. In a winner-takes-all scenario, the losers were left with nothing.

A prince without strength, without spirit, and doomed to fail would find no one willing to follow him. But as soon as the prince demonstrated even a hint of competence, there would be followers eager to align themselves with him.

When the first follower emerged, the second and third would soon follow. At this point, in order to maintain stability, Davis knew he would be forced to confront Dai Mubai head-on. No one could resist the tide of the masses.

Suddenly, Davis clenched his fists, producing a crisp sound of bones cracking. His sharp eyes narrowed, a touch of ruthlessness flickering across his face.

The best way to eliminate a towering tree was to destroy the saplings when they were young. In doing so, there would be no towering trees in the future. "Zhuyun, don't worry. I will handle this matter carefully."

With a gloomy expression, Davis stood up, picked up the hardcover book he had thrown on the table, and placed it in his spirit guide. As he observed the darkening sky, Zhu Zhuyun's sorrowful expression seemed to dissipate. Gracefully, she rose from her seat and said, "It's getting late. I should go back. Your Highness, take care of yourself."

"I'll escort you."

"No, the carriage is already outside. Please stay for a while, Your Highness."

Reluctantly bidding farewell to his innocent fiancée, Davis furrowed his brows tightly, pacing in the study, contemplating how to handle the unstable factor that Dai Mubai represented. He was unsure.

"He's just a fool," a voice full of excitement emerged from the carriage.

Outside the carriage, the stoic-faced coachman mechanically whipped the horse with a rhythmic motion, neither too light nor too heavy.

However, if one were a powerful individual specializing in mental power, they might notice something peculiar about the coachman—the presence of a strange rune emitting a silver glow, firmly embedded in the coachman's eyes.

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