**Chapter 303: Senior Brother, Take the Big Picture into Account**
Ye Anping looked at Liang Zhu with calm eyes, wanting to confirm if Liang Zhu was the nameless guard who had saved the Second Princess back then.
Although this matter had no impact on his plan, he also hoped to have a heart-to-heart with Liang Zhu.
When he first met Liang Zhu, he only thought of him as a cold assassin, nothing special. However, after meeting him at Chi Long Mansion, he saw the other side of this cold assassin, a father.
Ye Anping wasn’t very fond of socializing, but he genuinely wanted to be friends with Liang Zhu.
“Brother Liang, during the Heavenly Sacrifice of the Second Princess back then, a guard switched the real Imperial Sect’s Second Princess and escaped with her from the Central Domain. Was that person you?”
Liang Zhu narrowed his eyes slightly and interrupted, “Sixth Brother, where did you find out about this?”
Ye Anping smiled faintly. “I heard about it.”
“Heh heh…” Liang Zhu snorted coldly, looked him up and down, his sixth brother, and said, “Everyone in the Central Domain who knew about this is dead. Back then, Xing Tian Division killed everyone involved in the Heavenly Sacrifice to keep the news under wraps.”
“So… you were that person?”
Liang Zhu shook his head. Seeing the six cultivators around the pill furnace trying to sneak away, he immediately formed a sword finger and struck, instantly incinerating the six with several lightning spells, leaving them burnt on the outside and cold on the inside.
“Since you already know about it, why are you asking me?”
“I just wanted to confirm it.” Ye Anping spread his hands. “I’m not omniscient. Although I know a lot, I only know the general idea.”
“Hoo…” Liang Zhu exhaled softly. “Indeed, Ating is the Second Princess of the Imperial Sect. I was the one who brought her to escape from the Central Domain.”
“I see… How did you save her?”
“The Second Princess’s personal maidservant found me back then and gave me a stillborn baby, asking me to switch the infant with Ating. I agreed.”
“A stillborn baby?”
“Mm… I don’t know where the stillborn baby came from, but I can guess.” A hint of sadness flashed in Liang Zhu’s eyes. “This should be the Empress’s doing. Only she and the Central Domain Emperor knew that I was responsible for escorting the Second Princess to the altar back then.”
This was a detail Ye Anping didn’t know.
He listened and pondered, resting his chin on his hand. The Central Domain Empress had no plot in the game. After the Central Domain Emperor’s fall in the final Imperial Sect incident, the Empress seemed to have left the Central Domain, disappearing to an unknown place.
However, if this plot were to develop this way…
The Empress might have gone to find the Second Princess, and in the end, she might have found that “nameless guard” and raised the Second Princess, who had already reached her coming of age ceremony, together with him…
Thinking of this, Ye Anping blinked and raised his eyebrows.
“Heh heh… Brother Liang, it seems Ating will have a godmother this year.”
“?”
Liang Zhu couldn’t follow his train of thought and asked, frowning, “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing.” Ye Anping shrugged slightly. “It’s getting late. My junior sister and the others are probably waiting impatiently.”
Liang Zhu watched Ye Anping turn and head towards the entrance. He strode after him, thought for a moment, and then asked, “What are you doing in the Central Domain?”
“If I don’t come, some old woman will spank my butt later.”
“?”
“Old woman?”
Liang Zhu didn’t understand and hesitated for a moment.
“Who?”
“That’s a secret. As for what I’m doing in the Central Domain?” Ye Anping thought for a moment and pouted, “Rebelling, I guess?”
“Rebelling? Are you planning to move against the Central Domain Emperor? He’s a Void Realm cultivator.”
Ye Anping glanced at him. “How dare I, just a common dual-spiritual root young cultivator, contend with the Central Domain Emperor? I’m just a common dual-spiritual root young cultivator.”
“Then…”
“But I have helpers.”
“Helpers?”
“Mm.”
Liang Zhu frowned. Helpers who could confront a Void Realm cultivator? Where did he find such powerful helpers?
“Who?”
“The Demon Emperor, Hu Mu.”
Liang Zhu’s eyes widened. “Who?”
“A grumpy fox spirit. Do you want me to say it like that?”
“… …”
Liang Zhu was speechless. He narrowed his eyes. He knew Ye Anping’s calculations ran deep. He had seen how Ye Anping had calculated against Li Feng back in Chi Long Mansion, but… the Demon Emperor?
However, after a moment of silence, he relaxed. He snorted coldly and said, “Heh, it seems my second, third, fourth, and fifth brothers died without injustice.”
“?”
Ye Anping glanced at Liang Zhu, feeling that he was being sarcastic, but he didn’t say anything, continuing to walk out of the cave.
As they walked out of the cave, the scenery finally opened up.
The waterfall in the bamboo forest was much more pleasant than the oppressive “Pill Room” inside.
Ye Anping took a deep breath of the fresh air and was about to continue walking when he heard the Returning Star Bell in his Storage Bag ring lightly again.
*Jingling~~*
He was a little helpless. He looked around but couldn’t see anything, only the waterfall, rocks, and some weeds and shrubs.
Liang Zhu saw Ye Anping suddenly looking around and asked, “What’s wrong? Is someone there?”
“The Immortal Thief, probably? She must have been eavesdropping the whole time.”
Ye Anping replied, then cleared his throat and raised his voice to ask, “Miss Immortal Thief, would you care to show yourself for a chat?!”
Unfortunately, there was no response. He could only hear the Returning Star Bell ringing incessantly.
Since Su Wan’er wouldn’t come out, he wouldn’t force her. After all, after hearing what he and Liang Zhu had just said, she would undoubtedly continue to pose as “Miss Su” and travel with them.
Liang Zhu’s expression eased a little after seeing the scenery in the bamboo forest. After walking for a while, he asked, “What should I do next?”
Ye Anping paused. Worried that Su Wan’er was still eavesdropping, he looked around and simply gestured for Liang Zhu to crouch down.
Liang Zhu slowly bent down and asked, “What?”
“After returning to Tianan City, you go back to Xing Tian Division and send the Core Formation early stage female cultivator who was following us into the Heavenly Prison in Tianan City.”
“…Huh?”
“At that time, blame the death of the Pacification Commissioner named Jiang He on her. This way, you’ll have two merits: one for capturing the villain who killed the Pacification Commissioner, and another for capturing the Immortal Thief. After that, you should request to see the Deputy Commander of Xing Tian Division.”
“And then?”
“Tell him what you saw and heard in Yuanquan Town. He’ll understand what needs to be done. That person is an upright and honest official, the only one in the high ranks of Xing Tian Division who doesn’t know about the existence of the Reverse Star Pill.”
Liang Zhu frowned upon hearing this. Combined with the mention of the Demon Race by Ye Anping, he could vaguely guess what he was planning.
“You mean…”
Ye Anping continued his sentence: “Mm, when the Demon Race approaches Tianan, I need someone to open the gate for me, someone to open the city gates and invite the Demon Emperor in. And when the Central Domain Emperor is struggling for his last breath, I need him to lead Xing Tian Division to suppress the Tianan Soul Formation, allowing an old woman to slap the Central Domain Emperor without any worries.”
“…Old woman?”
Ye Anping nodded, but after thinking about it, he still reminded him, “It’s fine if I call her an old woman, but you shouldn’t. She should be arriving in Tianan City soon. You should see her when you return to Xing Tian Division.”
“… …”
“Remember, don’t call her an old woman in front of her.”
… …
