Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts-Chapter 454 - The Goal is the Xu Family Estate.

Xu Ming and the young girl locked eyes for a moment, but he quickly looked away and walked off without hesitation.

Watching Xu Ming’s departing figure, the girl’s delicate brows furrowed.

“What’s wrong, Your Highness?” Liu Feng asked.

“Nothing.” The girl shook her head and took a sip of hot tea.

Recalling the gaze of that man just now, for the first time, she felt a lingering sense of unease.

His gaze was like a sharp sword—clean, without the slightest trace of blood.

It was hard for her to imagine how such a piercing and formidable gaze could belong to a man who had just been basking in the flattery of government officials.

“Commander Xu.”

Xu Ming returned to his courtyard.

Inside the small courtyard, besides Wu Yanhan, who also worked there part-time, two deputy commanders of the Jinyiwei, along with eight Qianhu (Thousand-Man Commander) officers, were all present.

However, they weren’t wearing their Flying Fish uniforms but instead dressed in plain clothes.

After all, on a day like this, showing up in official attire would be far too conspicuous.

Though the Jinyiwei hadn’t taken any major action in Wudu yet, their presence alone was enough to strike fear into the hearts of many.

Many officials, upon seeing the guards in their Flying Fish uniforms patrolling the streets, instinctively kept their distance, fearing they might be their next target.

“Hmm.” Xu Ming nodded and stepped forward. “Give me an update—what’s the situation in Wudu?”

After returning from the ancestral rites, both the Xu and Qin families were hosting banquets. Xu Ming should have been at the family estate helping out.

However, he had received a message from Tingfeng Pavilion, which he promptly brought to the Jinyiwei headquarters.

“We have coordinated with the city defense forces. Strict checks are being conducted on all individuals entering and leaving the city. Both our men and Tingfeng Pavilion’s agents are patrolling the streets.

We’ve also stationed guards around the Xu and Qin estates. If the enemy dares to make a move, they won’t escape.”

Yu Ping’an delivered his report concisely.

Earlier, Yu Ping’an had been on duty at the Jinyiwei headquarters when Xu Ming arrived with intelligence from Tingfeng Pavilion.

According to their assessment, remnants of the former dynasty had infiltrated Wudu and were likely planning to cause trouble.

Upon hearing this, Yu Ping’an immediately arranged defensive measures.

Xu Ming did not interfere with his deployment.

He had complete trust in Yu Ping’an’s capabilities—the man was far more than just a scholar.

Xu Ming had once heard a rumor:

The Emperor had asked Prime Minister Xiao who should succeed him in the role of Prime Minister.

Xiao named two people—Xu Pangda and Yu Ping’an.

And Yu Ping’an’s name had been mentioned before Xu Pangda’s.

This alone showed just how highly Prime Minister Xiao regarded him.

Thus, hearing Yu Ping’an’s report, Xu Ming felt reassured.

If Yu Ping’an said the defenses were in place, then they were in place.

Besides, with the Emperor himself residing in Wudu, no major upheaval was likely to occur.

Even if a cultivator of the Ascension Realm were to show up, they would still suffer a crushing defeat.

However, the Emperor was the ruler of a nation. If every minor disturbance required his personal intervention, then what was the purpose of the Jinyiwei?

And in Xu Ming’s view, the Emperor was already aware of the situation.

But since no orders had been issued, it meant the Emperor was watching—to see how Xu Ming would handle it.

“Let me see the map of Wudu,” Xu Ming said.

Li Han immediately spread out a large map on the table.

The bird’s-eye view of Wudu depicted its streets and alleys in meticulous detail. The map also marked the Jinyiwei’s defensive placements.

Yu Ping’an’s arrangements were undeniably well thought out—each layer of defense interconnected with the next, ensuring complete coverage without any blind spots, maximizing the efficiency of their limited personnel.

However...

“Something doesn’t seem right.”

Staring at the map, Xu Ming shook his head.

“I also feel like something is off.”

Yu Ping’an followed up on Xu Ming’s words.

“The remnants of Prince Shan’s faction aren’t fools. They know they can’t stir up much trouble in Wudu. On the contrary, if they were to take action, it would have to be done with extreme secrecy.

I don’t mean to underestimate Tingfeng Pavilion, but even they can’t uncover everything. Yet, their plan seems to have been exposed a little too easily.

And let’s think about this—aside from the ancestral rites at the Xu and Qin estates today, is there any other major event happening?

Even if these remnants wanted to slap the face of the Wu Emperor, wouldn’t the best time be three months from now—on His Majesty’s birthday?”

Hearing Yu Ping’an’s analysis, the others furrowed their brows.

They had to admit—his reasoning made a lot of sense.

In reality, if the remnants of Prince Shan’s faction had come to stir up trouble in Wu, there were only two possible motives.

The first was a genuine attempt at seizing power—an outright coup.

But according to Tingfeng Pavilion’s intelligence, they hadn’t even located the descendants of Prince Shan. Without a legitimate successor, who would take the throne?

Besides, while they had been gathering strength and making preparations, they were nowhere near ready for a full-scale uprising.

If they launched an attack now, they’d be walking straight into a death trap.

The Wu Emperor would be more than happy if they stormed into Wudu—he could wipe them out in one fell swoop.

So the second possibility was far more likely—this was purely an attempt to humiliate the Wu Emperor.

But then another question arose.

Even if they caused trouble during the Xu and Qin families’ ancestral rites, would it really be a significant humiliation?

The impact wouldn’t be that great.

Pulling off a “face-slapping” operation like this wasn’t easy.

And with the Wu Emperor’s 40th birthday just around the corner, wouldn’t that be a much better opportunity?

If they truly wanted to strike a blow to the Emperor’s prestige, wouldn’t causing chaos at his birthday celebration be far more effective?

Everyone was struggling to understand what Prince Shan’s remnants were really after.

“Lord Xu, do you think it’s possible that all this information was deliberately fed to us as a distraction? That they actually have another objective?”

Yu Ping’an lifted his gaze to Xu Ming.

“That’s definitely possible,” Xu Ming sighed. “But we have no idea what their real goal is.”

Yu Ping’an stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“What if their actual target is the Xu estate?”

“Oh?” Guang Yin raised a brow. “What makes you say that?” freёnovelkiss.com

“I don’t know. It’s just a gut feeling.” Yu Ping’an shook his head. “Right now, the only significant event happening in Wudu is the ancestral rites at the Xu and Qin estates. Maybe we’re overcomplicating things—their real goal could simply be this.”

“If that’s the case...”

Xu Ming pointed at the location of the Xu estate on the map.

“Then Prince Shan’s remnants might have already infiltrated the estate.

If their target really is the Xu family, what exactly are they after?”

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