Ultragene Warlord

of our own? ”

The third prince nodded.
”You ’ve thought about this, then? ”

The Wang clan head smiled.
”The king has made his stance clear.
Regardless of how much evidence the crown prince comes up with, as long as we deny the charges, who can stand against us? ”

”Be that as it may, things are coming to a head.
I feel as if something ’s about to happen—no, that it ’s in the process of happening. ”

The Wang clan head bowed.
”You ’re overthinking things, third prince. ”

”Why did you suddenly strike at the ninth prince? ”

”I think he ’s a bit dangerous. ”

”Hoh? How can a piece of trash without any backing be dangerous? ” The third prince simply had no idea how the Wang clan head viewed him as a threat.

”Isn ’t it dangerous enough that he was willing to oppose us so publicly during his first appearance at court? ” The Wang clan head ’s eyes sharpened, as though they were blades that had been unsheathed.
”I keep thinking that this ninth prince will become a thorn in our sides in the future.
Even now, he ’s in the middle of forging an alliance with the crown prince.
Nipping this problem in the bud is the best way to proceed. ”

The third prince rejected the Wang clan head ’s idea immediately.
”We ’ll have to pay too high a cost to do so.
I disagree. ”

”If there ’s nothing else, may I depart, third prince? ”

The third prince narrowed his eyes.
”I hope you recognize just whom you ’re working with.
Go—prepare for the next hunt.
This year, I have to beat the crown prince. ”

”Yes, third prince! ” The Wang clan head walked out of the third prince ’s quarters and was just about to leave the palace when he saw a man standing before him.

The man ’s hair was slathered with oil.
He was rotund and porcine, and he seemed as round as a meatball.
The fat on his face narrowed his eyes into slits.
The Wang clan head immediately recognized this man as the fifth prince.
His behavior, however, wasn ’t princely at all.
He looked far more like a merchant instead.

”Ah, clan head Wang! I ’ve finally found you. ” The fifth prince waved at the Wang clan head from afar.

The Wang clan head bowed toward the prince, then marched quickly away as though he hadn ’t seen a thing.

Many people knew that the Wangs and Fengs didn ’t like the Qian clan, and that intrinsic dislike extended to the fifth prince whom the Qian clan supported.
Even before the battle for succession, the Wangs and Fengs were united in their distaste of merchant clans like the Qians.

The fifth prince called out, ”Ah, clan head Wang, wait up! Don ’t ignore me! ”

The Wang clan head continued on his way without turning back.
”Fifth prince, please, be mindful of your actions.
Who can say whether or not we ’re being watched here in the palace? ”

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

The fifth prince plastered a smile on his face.
”What could you mean, clan head Wang? Surely no one will report on idle gossip. ”

”Our alliance isn ’t public knowledge.
Be more prudent! ”

The fifth prince smiled again.
His narrow, slit-like eyes glinted coldly.
”Don ’t worry.
I ’ve bribed the nearby  palace maids and guards.
No one will overhear our conversation. ”

The Wang clan head shook his head again.
”Better to be careful. ”

”I ’m simply too anxious to speak to you.
You did very well, clan head Wang—except for the fact that the ninth price didn ’t perish.
You didn ’t let him go intentionally, did you? Or does he really have someone in his employ strong enough to take down the Wang bladewielder? ”

The Wang clan head sighed.
”I was very shocked to hear the news.
My plans all went haywire—I was planning to lay the blame on the third prince, and now… ”

The fifth prince replied, ”Well, we ’ll try again.
The hunt will be an excellent opportunity. ”

”Indeed—I don ’t intend to spare the man who killed the Wang bladewielder, either. ”

The Wang clan head narrowed his eyes as sword energy flared up around him.
Someone who ruined his plans so completely had to suffer for what they had done.

If this plan had been a success, the fifth prince would have been able to take out the third—but the assassination attempt had failed thanks to the appearance of the ninth prince ’s mysterious master.

Thankfully, the third prince still needed the Wang clan ’s aid.
If the third prince had pushed aside the Wang clan in a fit of rage, the Wang clan could have suffered terribly for this mistake.
Only with the third prince dead would the Wang clan be safe from retribution.

However, this incident had forced the Wang clan and the fifth prince ’s hand.
Regardless of the success of the assassination attempt, the Wang clan and the fifth prince were tied together.

If the Wang clan were to break the alliance off, the fifth prince could bring up the Wang clan ’s attempted assassination; similarly, if the fifth prince were to do so, the Wang clan could do the same.

The fifth prince continued, ”I ’ve been trying out the famous sword cultivation techniques of the Wang clan, but they don ’t seem to be anything impressive. ”

The Wang clan head smiled.
”You ’ve chosen the path of wealth.
It ’s easy to accumulate wealth, but converting that into power is a slow process.
Rather than quality, it cares more about quantity—simply surround your sword with whatever treasures you ’re willing to spare. ”

The more the fifth prince sacrificed to the sword, the stronger he would become.

The Wang clan head continued earnestly, ”As long as you ’re wealthy, you can accumulate a whole sea of sword energy and defeat your opponents by exhausting their reserves! ”