Chapter 159: Premeditation

Although Wuyunqi was the sworn knight of the Lord’s wife, he had been deeply appreciated over the past decade or so here. Both his status and actual power were far beyond what they were when he first arrived ten years ago. Five years ago, he had moved out of the Lord’s Manor and established his own estate in Saint Landerburg. In fact, in just a few more years, given his noble rank, he would soon possess his own fief and become a true aristocrat!

Although it might not be a prosperous place like the Six Northern Cities, he would finally shed his commoner status. Yet, all these sudden events had now shattered his original illusions!

Approaching his estate, Wuyunqi glanced at Guo Lang and his group behind him, a look of solemnity crossing his face. The origins of this group were extraordinary. First was the astonishing Guo Lang, followed by the little girl beside him. Wuyunqi had witnessed with his own eyes a young male soldier transform right before his eyes into a little girl of about six or seven. Such a bone-shrinking disguise was something he had never even heard of; it was a god-like technique, simply miraculous.

The other two individuals who had rendezvoused with Guo Lang were also no ordinary people. Having spent years mingling in military circles, Wuyunqi possessed a keen sensitivity toward powerful individuals. His rapid ascent to his current position was naturally not achieved solely through the strong backing of Her Royal Highness the Princess.

To become a noble, one still had to rely on maneuvering and hard strength. As an outsider, he naturally lacked so-called hard strength, but a decent noble needed at least a batch of decent knights under his command. The glory duels among knights were a favorite gambling method among many nobles. If you had powerful knights, you could win more resources for yourself—this was how the aristocratic circle played the game.

Therefore, wanting to build one's own sphere of influence inevitably required an eye capable of discerning people's potential. Picking out outstanding knights from the grassroots warrior circle was a true test of one's vision.

Aside from the support of Her Royal Highness, half of Wuyunqi's success today relied on this sharp pair of eyes, which allowed him to gather enough high-quality warriors and slowly climb his way up.

Possessing such discernment, Wuyunqi could naturally perceive the extraordinary strength of Abel and Kelly. Their walking postures and the aura emanating from their every gesture gave him a very unusual feeling, making them feel like beasts hidden beneath human skin, with an almost unbelievably formidable aura!

Perhaps this person... Wuyunqi secretly glanced at Guo Lang, such a thought suddenly flashing through his mind: "Perhaps if he was on the city walls, it wasn't an exaggerated jest. Maybe he really has a way to help me and Her Royal Highness escape this crisis!"

Upon entering the estate, Guo Lang looked around with keen interest. Saint Landerburg was a prosperous city with a high population density. Aside from the Lord’s Manor, there naturally wouldn't be those overly extravagant large manors; those were things constructed by landed nobles only within their own territories.

However, this estate could still be considered luxurious. As soon as they entered the living room, Guo Lang spotted a tall, exquisite fireplace meticulously carved from a white stone resembling marble from his own plane! Paired with delicate fireplace tongs, along with highly artistic sculptural works and large oil paintings on the mantelpiece, the entire fireplace resembled a carefully designed masterpiece of art.

The surrounding decorations were also resplendent and magnificent, preserving a large number of oil paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and many exquisite pieces of furniture. Soft, high-backed sofas added a warm atmosphere to the living room.

In particular, the staircase made Guo Lang's eyes light up. It could be said to be a place well worth savoring and appreciating in detail. The iron railings with graceful curves infused a touch of gentleness into the hard, glossy marble steps, while the classical oil paintings and exquisite huge relief artworks on the staircase walls made the stairwell space manifest a stylish and grand atmosphere.

This guy really knew how to enjoy life. Guo Lang rubbed his chin and smiled, "Very tasteful, Lord General!"

"You don't need to call me Lord General." Wuyunqi shook his head and smiled. "I am not worthy of that title."

Guo Lang: "You are being modest."

"Not modest at all!" The other shook his head, then looked at Guo Lang with a solemn expression: "Now that we are here, Sir, you don't need to beat around the bush with me. Do you have any plans?"

"Plans?" Guo Lang smiled. "What plans are needed? Isn't it enough to just hide straight inside the Lord's Manor?"

"Are you joking?" The other rolled his eyes. "With Sir's discernment, you cannot possibly fail to see what the Fourth Prince will do after breaching the city tomorrow, can you?" His expression grew gloomy. "He will definitely massacre the city!"

"Well... that should be the case!" Guo Lang remained unfazed. "But Her Royal Highness is, after all, of royal blood. His Highness the Fourth Prince won't explicitly give an order to deal with her, right?"

"Neither will he explicitly give an order to protect her!" Wuyunqi said with a cold face. "As long as he doesn't forbid entering the Lord's Manor, there will naturally be soldiers with ideas. During a city massacre, to put it bluntly, everyone is venting their bestial desires. Do you really think soldiers whose eyes have turned red from killing will have zero thoughts when facing the noble bloodlines of the Lord's Manor? As long as someone incites them even a little, I don't need to spell out what will happen next, do you?"

"A mere mob," Guo Lang said with a calm expression.

"A mob?" The other's voice grew somewhat agitated. "Once someone incites them, the surrounding soldiers who have gone mad from killing might all be stirred up. Do you know how many people will besiege the Lord's Manor by then? A hundred? A thousand? Relying merely on the two or three dozen knights in the Lord's Manor, they will be torn to shreds in an instant!"

"You didn't understand my meaning!" Guo Lang looked at the somewhat agitated Wuyunqi with a smile. "When I said a mob, I meant everyone except the elite knights in His Highness the Fourth Prince's hands. Whether there are a hundred or a thousand of them, to me, they are all a mob!" As he spoke, a black short sword suddenly appeared in his hand out of nowhere, and Guo Lang casually swung it with a cold expression!

The powerful sword qi instantly cleaved the exquisite, tall fireplace in two, along with the entire wall, which was sliced open by Guo Lang from a distance. The wall made of hard stone was cleaved like paper, causing Wuyunqi to widen his eyes and freeze completely on the spot!

My god! What was this? The power of a god? The hitherto composed Wuyunqi, even when seeing Guo Lang display the extraordinary on the city walls, had maintained a ripple-free expression. This came from his knowledge and the cognitive cultivation he had accumulated over many years, giving him a strong capacity to endure.

Yet, steady as he was, seeing this mystical scene, he couldn't help but cry out in astonishment. Everything was far too extraordinary!

"A god?" Guo Lang smiled and shook his head. "Lord General, gods certainly do not possess merely such trivial power. Your horizons are far too narrow."

Wuyunqi remained dazed for a long time before finally looking at Guo Lang, bowing deeply with a respectful expression. This was the respect anyone would display toward the strong. A mixture of surprise and excitement tainted his tone: "Sir is right. We truly were frogs at the bottom of a well, far too insignificant. But I am somewhat puzzled: since Sir possesses such power, why must you—"

"Seek your help?" Guo Lang asked with a smile.

"Yes!" Wuyunqi looked at Guo Lang very solemnly. Although intimidated by the other's formidable power, the necessary information he needed to understand had to be figured out.

"I said from the beginning, I was driven to no other choice!" Guo Lang was very candid. "I cannot confront the other party alone; even escaping is somewhat difficult."

"You are referring to the Fourth Prince?" Wuyunqi was somewhat startled. In other words, had the Fourth Prince grown so powerful that even this formidable entity before him was left helpless?

Guo Lang sighed. Looking at the dim night outside beyond the cleaved fireplace, he spoke in a lingering tone: "Lord General, you were once a man of the Ross Empire, and also the sworn knight of the Princess. How much do you know about this His Highness the Prince?"

"Yes!" Wuyunqi nodded with a solemn expression. "In the past, Her Royal Highness and this younger brother of hers had the closest relationship, so I do know a thing or two."

"Then do you think His Highness the Prince's behavior over the past two years has been normal?"

"Abnormal!" Wuyunqi shook his head with a gloomy face. "I find it hard to imagine. Whether considering his personality or the power of his maternal clan, I find it hard to imagine how he could achieve such great success in just a few short years. Could it really be that he has been reborn?"

"Reborn..." Guo Lang stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the faint night, a lingering purple light flickering in his eyes!