There are no ancestors at all; I made them all up.

Chapter 46 Behold my methods!
On the terrace, warm jade carpets the floor, and clouds form a canopy.

Lu Qiyuan stepped barefoot across the warm jade bricks, waved away the maids, and personally led Chen Qing to his seat. The table was carved entirely from ten-thousand-year-old warm jade, and on it were delicacies and rare fruits, all of which were rare items.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, do you know the benefits of this place?" After taking his seat, Lu Qiyuan pointed around and said proudly, "This is the first-class money pit and ladder to heaven in Jade Capital! Those who come and go here are either true disciples of immortal sects or direct descendants of nobles! The seeds of thunder magic from the Divine Firmament Sect, the sword fanatic successors of the Myriad Swords Pavilion, and even several members of the royal family who live in seclusion have all lingered here!"

Seeing the glint in Chen Qing's eyes, Lu Qiyuan pressed his advantage: "As long as you nod, within three days, I will make you famous throughout the capital and wash away all your past stains! At that time, resources, cultivation techniques, beauties, and power will be within your grasp! Why bother to be buried with that crumbling tree?" He leaned forward, "Even the spirit bones that were dug out, I can help you get them back!"

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Chen Qing smiled and shook his head, saying, "Does the young marquis know whose debt I am trying to collect?"

Lu Qiyuan laughed loudly: "Who cares who he is! In Yujing, there is nothing that the Marquis of Donghai's mansion cannot buy!" His words were fervent, and his eyes were burning.

Seeing this, Chen Qing didn't beat around the bush. If he stayed out too long, he might be cornered by the Sixth Prince's men, so he said directly, "Young Marquis, when you were in the princess's fiefdom, you wanted to ask Princess Xiyao to be your Daoist partner. Why are you in such a hurry to poach her now?"

Lu Qiyuan picked up a vermilion fruit, chewed it twice, and laughed, "With my status and position, what kind of stunning fairy can't I find? I won't lie to you. Back then, Xi Yao was the tenth princess favored by the Immortal Emperor. If I could get her, it would be a great help to my Lu family! The essence of her Yin and Yang can also help me condense the 'Boundless Sea Dao Seed', saving me a hundred years of hard work."

He clapped his hands, then changed the subject: "But now that the Immortal Emperor has ascended to heaven, the Empress Dowager holds absolute power, and the Sixth Prince is about to ascend the throne! She herself is in grave danger, so why would I risk offending the Empress Dowager for the sake of a dying man?"

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Chen Qing: "Chen Xu, you are a smart man. You should know that a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on! Don't do something as foolish as an ant trying to shake a tree. Even if you are grateful for someone's kindness, how can it compare to the importance of your life?"

Chen Qing sighed and said, "Young Marquis, rest assured, I have come here to ask you about two things."

“I see,” Lu Qiyuan raised an eyebrow. “Which two things? Please tell me.”

"First, we need to find the Crimson Stone." Before Chen Qing finished speaking, Lu Qiyuan's pupils contracted slightly.

“This thing is hard to find; it involves a case from twenty years ago.” Lu Qiyuan’s hand, which was toying with the wine glass, suddenly tightened. “However, I can help you sound out the situation.”

Does it involve an old case? No wonder it's so hard to find.

Chen Qing nodded calmly, then said, "Secondly, does the young marquis know who the one with the Daoist name 'Xuanming' is?"

“Xuanming? A Daoist name?” Lu Qiyuan was taken aback. After thinking for a moment, he said, “If you asked someone else, they probably wouldn’t be able to answer. Fortunately, I have a wide circle of friends. The one you’re talking about might be that qin fanatic at Xuanming Xiaozhu outside the city.”

"Xuanming Cottage?" Chen Qing's heart skipped a beat. "Who lives there?"

"The Seventh Prince." Lu Qiyuan shook his head and sighed, "He spends all his time playing the zither and painting in his villa outside the city. He hasn't shown his face for ten years... Hmm?"

He suddenly stopped, looking Chen Qing up and down suspiciously: "Why ask him? He's too lazy to even manage his own fiefdom, his relationship with Xi Yao is so-so, and his cultivation level shouldn't be high either, so he won't get involved in this matter."

Chen Qing was deeply shaken.

The person associated with the title Xuanming was actually a prince!
Logically speaking, this person is most likely the historical Xuanming Jushi, who was also the second ruler of the Immortal Dynasty!
Suppressing his emotions, Chen Qing asked casually, "Does the young marquis know the name of this seventh prince?"

Lu Qiyuan looked doubtful, but still said, "His Majesty the Holy Emperor is a descendant of the ancient Xu Kingdom, and the royal family of the Immortal Dynasty naturally all have the surname Xu! The Seventh Prince's name is Shang Qing Xia Feng."

"Xu Qingfeng..."

Chen Qing murmured this name.

“In Yujing, you can’t just mention other people’s names,” Lu Qiyuan pointed out the key point.

It seems like you brought it up first, right?

Chen Qing remained expressionless and continued, "It's quite surprising that this Prince Xu Qingfeng is so low-key. As a prince, does he not even have any ambition for the position of the ruler of the Immortal Dynasty?"

"Watch your words!" Lu Qiyuan's expression changed slightly, then he said, "Seventh Prince is of a detached nature, rarely shows himself, and has no ambition. By the way, how did you learn of the title 'Xuanming'?"

Chen Qing replied evasively, "I heard about this name by chance and was just curious."

Lu Qiyuan glanced at him, then said without asking any further questions, "The Jade Capital is a complex place; it's best not to pry into some things." With that, he poured a cup of spirit wine and pushed it towards him, "Try this 'Azure Sea Tide Dew,' collected from the deep, cold spring of the East Sea. It's the only one of its kind in the Jade Capital. Now that you're here, just enjoy yourself and don't cause any trouble."

Chen Qing raised his cup and took a small sip. A refreshing and mellow taste penetrated his lungs and then transformed into a warm current that flowed to his limbs and bones.

"Indeed fine wine." "Hahaha!" Lu Qiyuan clapped his hands and laughed. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he suddenly excused himself and went to a quiet room at the back of the hall.

A man was already sitting inside, dressed in simple Confucian robes; it was his close friend, Zhou Renjing.

Lu Qiyuan pushed open the door and went straight to the point: "Brother Zhou, do you have a brilliant plan to subdue this man?"

"Even with his spirit bones dug out, his will remains unchanged; the trials of the Xuanyu Prison have not diminished his wisdom." Zhou Renjing said slowly and deliberately, "Brother Lu's appreciation for talent is something I understand. However, this man's edges have not been smoothed out, and his heart still belongs to his former master. I think his purpose in coming here today is to find the Crimson Stone and ask the Seventh Prince, but these are all pretexts. His real purpose is to pave the way for Princess Xiyao!"

Lu Qiyuan frowned slightly: "Precisely because of their loyalty, if we can win them over, we can demonstrate our skills!"

“No,” Zhou Renjing said solemnly. “A loyal person is bound to be proud and arrogant! Ordinary wealth, power, beautiful women, and precious treasures cannot catch his eye. If we cannot suppress his arrogance, even if we forcibly keep him, we will not win his heart!”

Lu Qiyuan was silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Should we let him hit a wall? Let him suffer a bit?"

Zhou Renjing paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "You want to win him over and make him loyal. If you try to force him to stay by scheming, it will only turn into enmity if it is exposed later."

Lu Qiyuan squinted and asked, "Then what do you think, Brother Zhou?"

Zhou Renjing immediately said, "If we can use the princess's matter to win him over, wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone? With this help, the foundation of the East Sea will be solid, and we can also plan for the rise of the Jade Capital."

Lu Qiyuan stared at Zhou Renjing for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Excellent! What a brilliant two-birds-with-one-stone strategy! What a brilliant plan for the East China Sea!" His eyes gleamed. "Renjing, Renjing, your intricate schemes almost fooled even me! But..."

He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice: "The Empress Dowager is very powerful. Saving the princess would be tantamount to provoking her. This path is not viable."

Zhou Renjing sighed, "If that's the case, Chen Xu is resolute and cannot be swayed by profit or fame; he is difficult to win over."

“Not necessarily!” A glint flashed in Lu Qiyuan’s eyes. “His coming to find the Crimson Stone and asking the Seventh Prince may not be without deeper meaning! Besides…” He lowered his voice, “He has lost his spiritual bone. If I can find it for him, it would be a favor.”

Zhou Renjing frowned slightly: "Spiritual bone? The princess's mansion has been searched without success. It is probably hard to find now. It may have been refined by someone or hidden in a place that is difficult to reach."

"Ha!" Lu Qiyuan sneered, "How many people does the Princess's residence have? With the connections and wealth of the Marquis of Donghai's residence, they can mobilize them all, pave the way with money, and intimidate people with power. In this Jade Capital City, apart from a few forbidden areas, there is no mouth that cannot be pried open and no information that cannot be found!"

With a wave of his hand, he declared with boundless pride, "Half a day at most! I'll find that red-veined stone for him too!"

Zhou Renjing hesitated, then finally said only, "Your Highness's heroic spirit is truly admirable. However, the spirit bone is entangled with past events, what if..."

"What if what?" Lu Qiyuan interrupted him nonchalantly, "Could it be more dangerous than rescuing the princess and confronting the Empress? Just wait and see!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Qiyuan had already stood up abruptly.

"Somebody come!"

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Three figures emerged like ghosts from the shadows of the pillars, kneeling on one knee.

"Give me my Fish-Dragon Tokens!" Lu Qiyuan tossed out three palm-sized, shark-shaped, dark blue tokens. "Within six hours, I need to know the whereabouts of Chen Xu's Spirit Bone, as well as clues to all the Crimson-Patterned Stones in Jade Capital City!"

"Here!"

The moment the token was in hand, the three figures vanished in a blur.

Lu Qiyuan turned around and raised an eyebrow at Zhou Renjing.

"Watch my methods!"

　The second update is coming soon...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)