Into the Tiger's Lair

Eastern Ling Dynasty, Imperial Capital.

The long street stretched like a dragon, lined with rows of shops on both sides. Various pedestrians came and went in a continuous stream, among them many high officials, noble lords, and extraordinary cultivators wielding weapons.

In this imperial capital, extraordinary individuals could be seen everywhere. Ordinary citizens were long accustomed to this and rarely paid attention to passing pedestrians.

However, today, the knowledgeable citizens of the imperial capital all began to stop and look back.

At the center of their attention, a person was stepping onto the long street.

The man had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, with his black hair cascading down like a waterfall. Holding an ancient longsword in his hand, his entire body exuded a transcendent and unearthly aura. As he slowly walked through the busy market, he stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens.

Looking at such a stylish sword immortal, many people's eyes revealed amazement.

Before the various passersby could take a few more glances, the black-armored Eastern Ling Imperial Guards had already ridden over on horseback to clear the way. The crowds on both sides of the long street were separated by the guards.

Only the white-robed sword cultivator stood alone on the empty street.

Then, a gilded carriage drove up steadily and stopped in the middle of the long street. The demonic beasts pulling the carriage emitted a terrifying aura, shocking the passersby on both sides.

When they saw someone eagerly jump down from the luxurious carriage, the surrounding crowd erupted into shocked whispers!

"The Sixth Prince?!"

"Greetings, Sixth Prince!"

Just as the passersby on both sides were bowing and greeting like a landslide and tsunami, the luxuriously dressed young man who jumped off the carriage had eyes only for the white-robed sword cultivator. After revealing a look of pleasant surprise, he strode forward to bow and exchange greetings!

"Senior!"

"It really is you!"

"I never expected that we would meet again. Today, I must play the host and repay your kindness from back then!"

The enthusiastic bowing and greeting had already stunned the surrounding onlookers.

Looking at the young man's slightly excited appearance.

Yi Feng also deliberately revealed a trace of surprise and responded with a tactical bow.

"So you are actually a prince of the Eastern Ling Dynasty..."

"I was just passing through this city. I didn't expect to meet you."

Although Yi Feng already knew the other party's identity and had deliberately come to approach him, acting skills were indispensable to prevent the other party from becoming suspicious.

Ouyang Yu did not seem to think much about it. He smiled, nodded a few words, and turned sideways to welcome him.

"So Senior is just passing by. This is truly destiny!"

"No matter what, it is rare for us to meet again. I will absolutely not let Senior leave easily. I must play the host to repay Senior's kindness from back then!"

Saying that, he pulled Yi Feng forward, heading straight for the luxurious carriage.

Yielding half-heartedly, Yi Feng boarded the carriage and left with him.

Soon after.

A grand banquet was held at the Prince's estate. Yi Feng was the guest of honor and was highly praised by the Sixth Prince, Ouyang Yu. They talked, laughed, and drank together intimately during the banquet. This special regard drew the continuous attention of the experts and officials present.

Yi Feng did not show any flaws, secretly paying attention to everything in the Prince's estate.

It had to be said that this place was indeed worthy of being the estate of a prince of the Eastern Ling Dynasty. The display of treasures went without saying, and the luxury of the banquet exceeded the imagination of ordinary people, with all kinds of rare spiritual fruits visible everywhere.

What was even more astonishing was that this Prince's estate was full of experts. Just the Infant Source Realm cultivators accompanying them at the banquet numbered a full seven!

Cultivators of this level could completely establish a second-tier sect, yet they were all willing to serve in the Prince's estate. This showed how profound the foundation of the Eastern Ling Dynasty was, and that the Sixth Prince, Ouyang Yu, was very good at winning people's hearts...

Entering the tiger's den for the first time, Yi Feng felt no small amount of pressure and became increasingly cautious.

Even though he answered fluently throughout the whole process and showed no flaws in his performance, he still did not dare to be arrogant. Even after the banquet dispersed and he was led to a guest room to sleep, he did not dare to relax his vigilance.

Similarly, Ouyang Yu did not trust him as much as he appeared to on the surface. When his whereabouts were first exposed in the imperial capital, he had already sent people to investigate his background and origins.

After all, a sword cultivator of Yi Feng's level suddenly coming to the imperial capital of the Eastern Ling Dynasty was by no means an ordinary trivial matter. Anyone would care about it.

When the crowd dispersed.

Ouyang Yu conversed with his confidants in the main hall. There was no trace of drunkenness in his eyes, and he looked like a completely different person from the unrestrained and peaceful appearance he had during the banquet just now. His words and demeanor fully displayed his authority.

"Have you investigated the origins of Senior Feng Yi?"

As soon as he finished speaking, several people below bowed in succession.

"Reporting to Your Highness, according to the intelligence we have gathered so far, this Senior Feng Yi has lived in seclusion in a small village on the border of the two countries for many years and has almost never walked in the world. Saving you back then seemed to be a coincidence, and it is unknown why he came here today."

"Perhaps, as he said, he was just passing by."

"This senior is Your Highness's distinguished guest. It is inconvenient for us to probe with our divine sense, so it is temporarily difficult to confirm this senior's cultivation. We still need to test him in the future."

"Your Highness, as you said, this person once used invisible sword qi to save you back then, so he must definitely be a sword cultivator. Today, I saw him with my own eyes, but his aura was restrained without any sword intent leaking out. I'm afraid his comprehension of the Dao of the Sword has become even more profound! If such a rare top-tier sword cultivator can be recruited for our own use, he will definitely be able to help Your Highness achieve your great cause!"

Hearing everyone's words, Ouyang Yu's eyes revealed a burning look.

After pondering for a few breaths, he became much calmer. He did not immediately draw a conclusion, but just nodded deeply and gave an order.

"Yes, what you all said makes sense."

"However..."

"Every time this Senior Feng Yi appears, it is full of coincidences. I always feel that it is difficult to trust him for the time being. The grand plan for the future allows for no mistakes. Even if his cultivation is peerless, we still need to investigate in detail before making a decision!"

Hearing this, everyone bowed respectfully with eyes full of admiration.

"Your Highness is wise!"

As everyone left, many elite imperial guards also emerged from the Prince's estate, heading in all directions in the darkness to give orders and gather various information about Feng Yi.

At the same time, martial arts experts also appeared in various places, investigating everything about Feng Yi.

Over the following month or so.

A massive intelligence organization shuttled back and forth along the border between the two countries.

In the Prince's estate far away in the imperial capital of the Eastern Ling Dynasty, the surface seemed calm. Ouyang Yu also treated Yi Feng with great respect, always calling him his benefactor. But in reality, he was on guard in his heart, secretly sending people to investigate constantly, and there were many probes in his words.

What seemed like an occasional unintentional remark actually contained surging murderous intent!

Fortunately, Yi Feng was always able to cleverly avert danger and never revealed any flaws. Coupled with the fruitless investigations in various places, he was finally gradually trusted by Ouyang Yu...

Two months later.

Yi Feng was appointed as the Chief Guest Elder of the Prince's estate. After a few instances of playing hard to get and declining, Ouyang Yu trusted him even more. He spoke up on the spot and submitted a memorial to the throne, requesting that Yi Feng be appointed as a Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary of the Eastern Ling Dynasty!

From then on, Yi Feng finally settled down beside Ouyang Yu. At the same time, he also had the qualifications to accompany him in and out of the imperial palace to meet the Emperor of the Eastern Ling Dynasty.

For a time, his glory was limitless, drawing the envy of others.

But beneath this surface wealth, Yi Feng felt increasingly as if he were walking on thin ice. The more he saw the foundation of the Eastern Ling Dynasty, the more he understood that he had to remain vigilant and cautious at all times.

Even if he occasionally gathered some intelligence, he could only barely send it out when he took the opportunity to go out and repeatedly confirmed that there was no danger.

Days fraught with danger always kept one's nerves taut. Yi Feng had no time to attend to other things and could only do his best to navigate between the royal family and the many experts.

Only in the dead of night when no one was around.

Gazing at the bright moon overhead, Yi Feng finally dared to recall the beautiful silhouette buried deep within his heart.

"From now on, we will leave the martial world behind and wander the ends of the earth together..."

Their promise still echoed in his ears as if it were only yesterday. The thought of his beloved gazing into the distance, eagerly awaiting his return, filled him with a renewed sense of purpose.

"As the bright moon rises over the sea, we share this moment from the ends of the earth."

That profound longing transcended the barriers of time and space. Looking at the moon and thinking of her filled Yi Feng with hopeful anticipation.

He believed that if he could just hold on a little longer, he could thwart this brewing war and restore the delicate balance between the two empires.

When that time came, he could return to their little village without a single worry, leaving worldly affairs behind to roam the world with the woman he loved.

Little did he know...

This farewell would last for thousands upon thousands of years.