Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Night Cat asked doubtfully, "Isn't he afraid that you'll disregard the princess's life and death and insist on taking him away?"

Xiao Ce smiled faintly: "That's called confidence."

Night Owl smiled, and the two rode closer on horseback.

Upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves, Qianlong slowly dismounted!

He saw Xiao Ce dismount and look around.

"Your Highness Xiao Ce, you're really quite bold... coming here with just the two of you," Qianlong said to Xiao Ce.

Seeing Qianlong's reaction, Xiao Ce laughed and said, "Aren't you even bolder? This area is Xiao Zhan's territory, and you only came here with two other people."

Qianlong said with a forced smile, "I'm different from you. I have a protective charm."

Xiao Ce glanced at him, looking at the Mr. Qianlong in front of him, and was also sizing him up.

Xiao Ce did not respond.

He said to Mr. Qianlong, "Let's stop with the small talk and get down to business."

Mr. Qianlong smiled faintly: "Very well, Your Highness the King of the Northern Desert, you certainly have a straightforward manner... I like it..."

As he spoke, Qianlong gestured to Xiao Ce to invite him.

Then, seeing the Night Cat following behind, Qianlong said, "Your Highness, King of Mobei, let's talk one-on-one."

Xiao Ce nodded and glanced at Night Cat.

Night Owl, understanding perfectly, stood aside.

Xiao Ce followed Mr. Qianlong inside and glanced into the carriage.

"Mr. Qianlong, just say what you want... What do you want?"

Qianlong smiled and said, "Your Highness, King of the Northern Desert, from my observation, you are also a smart man... Between smart people like us, there's no need for idle talk..."

"You should retreat to the Northern Desert King's Mansion first and not get involved in the affairs between us and Xiao Zhan. If possible, you should join forces with us to eliminate Xiao Zhan."

Xiao Ce laughed as he listened: "Alright, what are the benefits of me agreeing?"

Qianlong was somewhat surprised that Xiao Ce agreed so readily, saying, "Your Highness, you truly are a straightforward person. I will ensure Miss Yin Pan'er's safety..."

Xiao Ce's gaze sharpened as he asked, "Is that all?"

Qianlong's expression immediately turned serious, and he said to Xiao Ce, "Of course..."

Xiao Ce continued, "Under what circumstances will you return the person to me?"

Qianlong revealed a sly smile.

"If you can hand over everything from the Northern Desert Prince's Mansion to us, then Miss Yin Pan'er will naturally be safe and sound."

Xiao Ce looked at Qianlong with disbelief: "Are you kidding me?"

Qianlong said with a cold face, "I never joke! If I say this, it means I'm absolutely certain!"

Xiao Ce was amused by Mr. Qianlong: "What? Do I look like a person of loyalty and righteousness?"

Mr. Qianlong nodded: "That's right, you could say that. Of course, it's not that I think you would do it, but I'm saying that you have no choice but to do it!"

Xiao Ce looked at Mr. Qianlong, who seemed like a riddle teller, with a puzzled expression, and didn't respond.

Qianlong continued, "Your Highness, the Northern Desert King's Palace is currently managed by Yin Weiyong, isn't it? And Yin Pan'er has been operating there for so long; surely everyone there is under her control? Those people, while they recognize you, they also recognize her, right?"

"If you can't help her... then I'll control her to disrupt your Northern Desert Royal Palace. Trust me, since I've said this... I have the confidence to do so. Of course, I won't leave you with nothing. As long as you submit to us and relinquish your military power, you can still manage the Northern Desert Royal Palace..."

Xiao Ce said to Qianlong, "What if I don't listen to you..."

Qianlong smiled slightly: "Then, the negotiations have failed... I will continue in my own way... I have many ways to make Yin Pan'er wish she were dead, and then she will listen to me... Believe me, you will not like the feeling of being betrayed by yourself."

Qianlong continued, "Not only that, but you and Yin Weiyong will both receive parts from Yin Pan'er at different times..."

"Yin Pan'er is just the beginning... definitely not the end."

"Your Highness, it's definitely better for you to be my friend than my enemy..."

At this moment, Qianlong's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he said, "Your Highness, King of the Northern Desert, aren't you a straightforward person? This shouldn't be hard to consider... You'll have your benefits if you become friends with me..."

Xiao Ce suddenly burst out laughing upon hearing this.

Qianlong looked sharply at Xiao Ce and said, "What are you laughing at?"

"My Ninth Imperial Uncle's death is related to you, isn't it?"

Qianlong wasn't surprised; a hint of excitement flashed across his face. "It seems His Highness the King of Mobei is indeed a clever man. Talking to clever people is so reassuring..."

"That's right! So, you should know that I want none of the dead to come back to life... I..."

puff!

Before Qianlong could finish speaking, Xiao Ce vanished in a blur.

Then Xiao Ce's cold, frosty face appeared before him, especially his eyes, which seemed to come from the deepest hell.

He felt a sharp pain in his chest.

He looked down and saw a cold blade piercing through his heart and exiting through his back.

He stared wide-eyed at Xiao Ce, his face filled with disbelief.

He wanted to say something, but he only felt a burning sensation in his throat, and a mouthful of blood gushed out.

Xiao Ce's gaze turned icy: "This stab was done on behalf of my royal uncle!"

Xiao Ce drew his sword out and then quickly thrust it back in.

"This stab was done in advance for Yin Pan'er!"

Mr. Qianlong gripped Xiao Ce's hand tightly in agony, his eyes filled with the fear of impending death.

"Let me tell you a story. In my past life, I was the chairman of a listed company. Once, my family was kidnapped by a group of robbers."

"They threatened me, demanding money from me! I did. But after giving it to them once, they asked for it again!"

"In the end, they still killed my family!"

“From that moment on, I knew that kidnappers are not human! To compromise with them is to condone their actions!”

“If I had killed them when I handed over the money, my family might have had a chance to survive.”

"So, from that moment on, I made up my mind that I would never be threatened by anyone again. If anyone threatens me with the people I love, I will kill him! If he kills my family, I will kill everyone connected to him!"

As Xiao Ce spoke, he twirled the knife in his hand several times.

At this moment, Mr. Qianlong showed no expression other than fear...

Pure fear...

And regret...

Then, it convulsed a few times and died completely.

Without saying a word, Xiao Ce wiped his hands on his body.

He then called out towards the outside of the carriage, "Night Owl, am I done here? How about you...?"

Night Owl quickly replied, "Your Highness, I'm done here too!"

Xiao Ce opened the door and saw that the driver had also been killed.

"Call everyone else out and clean up these two bodies."

As Night Owl spoke, he blew a loud whistle, and soon after, many people who had been lying in ambush descended from the trees all around.

These people were among the top-ranked members of the Heavenly Battalion.

Therefore, Xiao Ce had also been in contact with them.

These people said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, everything around is fine..."

Xiao Ce's gaze was cold as he wiped his hands with a handkerchief.

"Go and get rid of all the bodies inside, including this car."

They nodded, and soon someone got into the carriage and carried the body out...

Xiao Ce then had another idea, and ordered them to search this Mr. Qianlong to see if they could find anything.

The Tianzi Camp men standing nearby began searching people's bodies.

Standing beside Xiao Ce, Night Cat found it hard to accept and said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, when he died, did you ever think that he would die?"

Xiao Ce laughed and said, "Of course not. To be honest, I originally intended to use him. But since he's determined to die, I have no choice but to grant his wish!"

The special forces soldiers found nothing on Qianlong and then got back into the carriage.

They quickly found a sandalwood box.

"Your Highness, there is a box here containing some items... We have inspected it and found no danger. Would you like to see if you need it? If not, please destroy it..."

The sandalwood box wasn't large, but Xiao Ce could tell at a glance that the contents inside were extraordinary...

Because the patterns on the sandalwood box are very beautiful.

Night owls should be cautious; let him drive.

Xiao Ce did not argue.

I immediately recognized a set of monk's robes, but these robes seemed different from the ordinary ones.

The craftsmanship is exquisite. Given this level of skill, the fact that they could produce such a garment speaks volumes about the effort they put in...

Xiao Ce felt that the face looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen it before.

"Isn't this the kind of clothes that the Hidden Dragons always wear!"

Xiao Ce only came to his senses at this moment; it was actually the first time he had ever seen such a hidden dragon.

However, I have heard other people describe it as such.

The night owl quickly discovered the jade pendant and the letter inside the parchment.

He first examined the blood-red jade pendant repeatedly, and after confirming that there was no problem, he handed the jade pendant to Xiao Ce.

Immediately, Night Owl began to examine the letter.

Xiao Ce sensed that this piece of blood jade was extraordinary from the moment he examined it, because the patterns inside seemed to be alive.

The special forces soldiers ran over and told Xiao Ce that the carriage had been inspected.

There's absolutely no problem. Should we destroy them together?

Xiao Ce nodded.

Their method of destruction was simple, and undoubtedly the most effective: they piled them up and burned them.

The fire, once lit, added a touch of warmth to the cold night.

At this moment, Night Cat excitedly exclaimed, "Your Highness... Your Highness..."

Xiao Ce turned his head and saw Ye Mao holding the letter and looking at him.

The usually calm and collected night owl was unusually excited at this moment.

Xiao Ce looked at the paper in his hand, then took it and began to read it.

The more Xiao Ce looked, the more interesting his expression became. At first, he didn't understand why Night Cat was so excited...

However, I understand now!

The letter roughly states that a senior dragon here has to leave and needs to hand over the responsibilities to the slain junior dragon.

According to the letter, the members of the Hidden Dragon organization do not know each other; they only recognize each other by their appearance, not by their personalities.

Therefore, if Xiao Ce wanted to, he could completely replace this person and infiltrate the Hidden Dragon organization to become its leader.

Xiao Ce laughed and said, "This is a wonderful surprise... If I wanted to, wouldn't I be a new generation of hidden dragon now?"

Night Owl nodded first, then expressed doubt: "But, Your Highness, could this be a trap...? Everything has gone too smoothly... I feel like it's a setup they've set for us..."

Night Owl's words did indeed serve as a reminder to Xiao Ce.

However, after thinking for a while, Xiao Ce looked at the raging fire on the side, where two corpses had been moved into the carriage and then set on fire.

"This world is actually just a giant makeshift operation."

Night Owl looked at Xiao Ce with a puzzled expression.

Xiao Ce said, "That Qianlong must think he's very smart... and without a doubt, his past must have been smooth sailing, successful in everything he did... so he underestimated me... and overestimated himself..."

"His death served as a wake-up call for me... that I must never underestimate my opponent..."

"Including this letter! What seems like a huge windfall might actually be a huge trap!"

Night Owl nodded repeatedly. Xiao Ce was able to remain calm and reflect throughout, no wonder he was able to have a smooth journey.

"Then, Your Highness, what do you intend to do?"

Xiao Ce smiled slightly and said, "Although I can't go... I can send someone from the Twelve Fiends to take on this role... Do you have any suggestions?"

Night Cat glanced at Xiao Ce: "Your Highness, if you trust me, I think I can..."

The night owl's self-recommendation surprised Xiao Ce.

"Oh? You're willing? Aren't you engrossed in alchemy?"

Night Cat said, "That's when Your Highness doesn't need help. So, my alchemy is naturally the best place for me. The more useful medicines I research, the more I can help Your Highness on the battlefield and among the common people."

“However, Your Highness, given your current situation, you definitely need someone more than ever... I specialize in stealth and infiltration... Among the Twelve Fiends, I'm afraid no one is more suitable than me... Therefore, I'm recommending myself! Your Highness, I believe I can do the job.”

Xiao Ce said, "So you're going to imitate that Qianlong from before, take his identity, and then carry out what's next?"