Chapter 658 - 409: Two Gossipy Cats and an Illegal Intrusion

Chapter 658: Chapter 409: Two Gossipy Cats and an Illegal Intrusion

A faint golden Spiritual Light flashed in He Manyu’s eyes as she spoke seriously, "The entire time that young man was fighting Miss Xiaoqian, I was using my Superpower to observe him.

I can confirm that throughout the entire fight, he wasn’t using his full strength. Instead, he was hiding a significant portion of his power.

If he had gone all out, with Miss Xiaoqian’s current strength, I’m afraid she wouldn’t have lasted even a minute before being defeated."

"There’s that big of a gap between him and Xiaoqian?" Zhao Xin’s eyes filled with shock upon hearing He Manyu’s conclusion.

"Madam, I can’t give you a definitive conclusion about his specific cultivation level. However, based on my observations with my Superpower, his true cultivation should be at the Second Order High Rank." After a moment of thought, He Manyu delivered the shocking assessment.

"Isn’t he about the same age as Xiaoqian? To have cultivated to the Second Order High Rank at such a young age... could he be a member of the royal family?" Zhao Xin said in disbelief, her suspicions about Lin Li’s identity growing.

Since the founding of the Chu Kingdom, countless years of accumulated heritage meant that the average cultivation talent of the royal family was far superior to that of commoners.

Coupled with their access to abundant cultivation resources, a few exceptionally talented young royals could indeed reach the Second Order High Rank by the age of twenty-two or twenty-three.

"Madam, I don’t believe this young man is a member of the royal family," He Manyu said.

"Why is that?" Zhao Xin asked, her doubts about Lin Li’s identity piqued.

"Every member of the royal family in the Imperial Capital is incredibly proud and arrogant. It’s especially bad with the younger generation, and the situation has only gotten worse recently. Even though His Majesty the Emperor has repeatedly criticized them for it, nothing has changed.

But I’ve observed this young man, Lin Li, very closely. He’s kind and approachable.

You can tell he keeps a certain distance from people, whether intentionally or not, but it’s not born from pride or arrogance.

It’s more of a subconscious attitude he has toward people he’s just met or doesn’t know well. That’s perfectly normal," He Manyu said, describing her impression of Lin Li.

"If what you say is true, then it’s indeed unlikely that this young man, Lin Li, is one of those arrogant royals," Zhao Xin mused.

Both of them had encountered plenty of royals during their time in the Chu Kingdom’s Imperial Capital, so they reached this conclusion without any disagreement.

"Arrange for someone to investigate him later. Find out where he’s living," Zhao Xin ordered.

"Yes, Madam." He Manyu nodded. After a few more moments of casual conversation and with nothing else to report, she took her leave.

Once Zhao Xin was alone in the room, she lifted her teacup, took a sip, and murmured to herself.

’This young man, Lin Li... to have reached the Second Order High Rank at his age, his future is limitless.

’If we can convince him to stay, it would be a huge boon for Dongwu City... I’ll have to mention this to the Master later and see what he thinks.’

***

「Blue Star.」

At noon, the sun beat down relentlessly. Between the sweltering heat and it being lunchtime, the streets were nearly empty.

A car was parked on the side of the road, tucked into the shade of a leafy tree diagonally across from the main gate of the Ping’an Garden District.

Thankfully, the shade protected the car from the sun’s harsh glare. Otherwise, even with the air conditioning on, it would have been unbearable for the person inside.

"CHIRR... CHIRR... CHIRR..."

It was late summer, and the cicadas in the trees, as if sensing their time was short, seized their final moments to cry out with all their might.

The dry air from the AC had left him thirsty. Zhu Daqi opened a bottle of water and downed the whole thing in a few large gulps.

GLUG, GLUG, GLUG...

"Ahh~"

’Damn this weather. It’s already September and it’s still this hot. Speaking of which, where are Yan and her friend? Maybe I should call and see what’s going on?’

Having finished the water, Zhu Daqi, who hadn’t eaten lunch yet, felt the hunger pangs in his empty stomach subside a little.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the window next to him. Zhu Daqi turned to see a stunning woman standing outside the car, and a look of delight spread across his face.

CLICK.

He opened the door and got out, calling to the woman, "Yan."

Chen Xiaoyan nodded, and Zhu Daqi’s gaze shifted to the person beside her.

He found himself looking at a middle-aged man who stood nearly six feet tall. The man’s body was rippling with muscle, his head was completely bald, and he wore a black suit and sunglasses, carrying a briefcase in one hand.

"This is a good friend of Liu Menglong’s and mine. His name is Wang Hao, but you can just call him Wang.

He’s here to help us find out what happened to Liu Menglong," Chen Xiaoyan explained.

"Hello, Wang." Zhu Daqi quickly greeted Wang Hao respectfully. For some reason, he got the distinct impression that this man was not someone to be trifled with.

"We can’t afford to waste time. Every second we delay puts Liu Menglong in greater danger.

Tell me the specific details of where this man named Lin Li lives." Wang Hao wasted no time on pleasantries, getting straight to the point.

"Huh?" Zhu Daqi hadn’t expected Wang Hao to want to charge right into the target’s home. The directness caught him completely off guard, and he stood there, stunned.