Chapter 54

When the topic of Prince Wang came up, Song Qingshan clearly trembled. He used to be a prince too, but now that his father had been demoted to a marquis, his status as a prince was naturally lost, and he was just a "young master." Although his status was still more prestigious than most of the idle rich, in front of Song Mo Fei, he was already one step lower. Even Song Li, who was known as a complete waste, had now risen above him, surpassing his status! The more Song Qingshan thought about it, the more suffocated he felt, almost to the point of internal bleeding.

However, now was not the time to dwell on this issue. Seeing the princess's face growing increasingly dark, Song Qingshan hurriedly said, "Your Highness, Song Li is not dead. The residents of Langya Town have also suffered little loss, which can be considered a good outcome."

Song Qingshan now realized that the princess's intention at the time might not have been to deal with Song Li, but to use their hands to save the ten thousand residents. He had misunderstood her good intentions, interpreting the rescue mission as an assassination. No wonder the princess's face was cold and her gaze sharp like a blade. It seemed she was truly angry.

"How can it be considered a good outcome if Song Li isn't dead? Brother, you must be confused," Song Mo Fei still didn't understand.

"Stop talking!" Song Qingshan gave Song Mo Fei a significant look, signaling him to shut up. Song Mo Fei usually respected Song Qingshan, and seeing his anxious expression, he knew that something serious must have happened. Therefore, Song Mo Fei tightened his heart and dared not say anything more.

Hearing that Song Li was not dead and that the residents of Langya Town had suffered little loss, Long Ziyi's expression improved slightly. She said coolly, "What exactly happened? Tell me in detail."

So, Song Qingshan recounted the specific process of the events and then said, "We did indeed see Song Li enter the Langya Cave with our own eyes. Although the fire at the core of the earth mysteriously went out later, the time was enough to turn him into ashes. I don't know how he managed to escape. Song Li surviving this ordeal is secondary; what troubles me more is that Father's plan somehow leaked, giving the other side a chance to counterattack, leading to a complete defeat. Father suspects that I leaked the secret. He has never hit me before, but this time he beat me severely! But with my caution, how could I have leaked such a secret? I can't figure out where the problem lies."

Although they lost the support of the cabinet's chief, Huang Tingxuan, it did not damage the foundation of the Loyal Prince. Prince Jing, Song Xingguang, suffered no loss at all. The one who suffered the most from this incident was Prince Kang, who not only had his title demoted but also had to hand over control of the three special agencies, which was a devastating blow. Therefore, Song Qingshan felt the pain deeply, more so than Song Mo Fei.

The most frustrating thing was that they had no idea which link in the chain had failed, or who had leaked the information.

"Is there such a thing?" Long Ziyi had just emerged from seclusion and was unaware of this major event in the court. Hearing this, she frowned and said coolly, "This plan was known only to the Loyal Prince, Prince Jing, Prince Kang, and you." She continued to tap her fingers on the table, pondering, "It's unlikely that the three of them leaked the information. Song Qingshan, I think it's more likely that you leaked it."

"It's not just these few people; Mo Fei also knew." Song Qingshan pointed at Song Mo Fei and casually said, "I told him about the plan at the entrance of the Langya Cave."

Seeing Long Ziyi's gaze turn to him, Song Mo Fei nodded and said, "That's right, I knew. But I didn't tell anyone."

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Song Qingshan, like a bolt of lightning piercing through the dark night sky, revealing a hint of the problem, though not entirely clear. He wanted to grasp this vague idea but couldn't figure out where the problem lay.

Long Ziyi suddenly asked, "You said you discussed the plan at the entrance of the Langya Cave. Was that before or after Song Li entered?"

Thanks to Long Ziyi's reminder, Song Qingshan suddenly saw the light! He finally understood what the flash of insight was about. The crux of the problem was Song Li.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Langya Cave, the fire at the core of the earth had already gone out. Song Qingshan had no qualms about telling Song Mo Fei the highly confidential plan because he never thought that anyone could survive in a cave that had been ravaged by the fire at the core of the earth.

Before the volcanic eruption, they had clearly seen Song Li enter the Langya Cave, and then the fire at the core of the earth spewed out of the cave, with lava raging. In such an environment, even a monster at the Yuanying stage would find it hard to escape. How could an individual's strength possibly match the power of nature? Therefore, they believed that Song Li had definitely been reduced to ashes and was dead beyond any doubt.

But the key issue was this: they thought Song Li was dead, but he wasn't. This meant that when Song Qingshan and Song Mo Fei were discussing the shocking conspiracy at the entrance of the Langya Cave, Song Li was listening inside the cave.

It was him! Song Qingshan almost couldn't resist banging his head against the wall. Why did he have to talk about this at the entrance of the Langya Cave? It seemed he was too careless, far less cautious than his father, Prince Kang. However, was Song Li even human? How did he survive in such an environment?

"Song Li, that kid, is quite capable! Even the fire at the core of the earth couldn't harm him!" Long Ziyi's eyes darted around, and she became even more curious about Song Li!

Of course, she didn't know that the entire counter-plan was also orchestrated by Song Li. If she knew, she would be even more curious.

"Song Li, that scoundrel, I'm going to destroy him!" Song Qingshan lost his usual calm, his face full of madness. When had he ever suffered such a defeat? He had always been the one to scheme against others, and no one had ever dared to scheme against him. Because of Song Li, his father was demoted to a marquis and lost control of the three special agencies, his status plummeting. And he, Song Qingshan, was beaten into a pig's head by his father in a fit of rage! This was the first time in his life he had been hit by his father, and it was all because of Song Li. Song Qingshan blamed everything on Song Li, no wonder he was so enraged.

"Destroying Song Li is no big deal. I'll go to his residence and capture him to kill him!" Song Mo Fei sneered. He was used to being arrogant and didn't take the Song family seriously. To put it bluntly, this guy was slow to react and still thought the capital was the same as before.

"Both of you, calm down." Long Ziyi narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "Didn't you hear what I just said? You have always underestimated Song Li. Why did this plan fail? Wasn't it because you misjudged the situation, thinking Song Li was dead, and thus didn't guard against eavesdroppers? But the fact is, he didn't die. I ask you, if you were in the Langya Cave and the volcano erupted, what do you think your chances of survival would be?"

Song Mo Fei and Song Qingshan looked at each other, then awkwardly coughed, unable to say a word.

What were their chances? Not even a sliver of a chance. Under the high temperature of the fire at the core of the earth, all the tourists on Langya Mountain were instantly turned to ashes, let alone in the Langya Cave so close to the source of the fire. Even if they managed to hide in a corner and avoid being burned, how could they escape the raging lava?

"You don't have a chance, right? Let me tell you, I don't have a chance either. We can't, but Song Li can. All the evidence shows that he indeed survived the fire at the core of the earth and walked out of the Langya Cave alive! Although I still don't know how he did it, he did it!" Long Ziyi's gaze was sharp, her tone icy, "If you continue to look at this person with a mocking eye, you will suffer even more defeats!"

Song Mo Fei and Song Qingshan were a bit out of control. They were usually composed and elegant, but they had never been so out of control before. Perhaps their usual composure was just an illusion. Because they were always at the top, no one could threaten their status, so they appeared very composed. Now, a freak like Song Li had suddenly emerged in the capital, rising faster than a meteor. He could even escape from a volcanic eruption and became a key figure in the conflict between the Holy Emperor and the Loyal Prince, determining the outcome of the entire battle. Because of him, the cabinet's chief was imprisoned, and a noble prince almost became a prisoner. If such a feat had been accomplished by a major figure close to the Holy Emperor, they might feel a bit better. But the one who did it was Song Li, whom they had always looked down upon, which was too frustrating!

Song Mo Fei and Song Qingshan felt their stomachs churning, as if they had eaten a fly, feeling extremely nauseous!

"Doing what others cannot, Song Li is indeed different!" Long Ziyi said coldly, "Remember, Song Li is no longer a mouse under a cat's paw. You must treat him as an equal opponent! In the future, you cannot move against him without my permission, understood?"

"Complying with the princess's command," Song Mo Fei and Song Qingshan answered in unison.

Seeing that Song Mo Fei still had a hint of不服 (discontent) in his expression, Long Ziyi said coolly, "Song Mo Fei, do you still think Song Li is the same waste of a young master as before? Don't forget, Song Xinghai is now the noble Prince Ming, and Song Li has the same status as a prince as you! The Holy Emperor clearly regards Song Xinghai as a trusted confidant. Without a complete plan, you cannot easily move against the people of Prince Ming's residence. Song Li is no longer the kind of waste that can be beaten or killed at will. You must understand this. Otherwise, you might cause an irreparable mess, disrupting the Loyal Prince's entire plan."