42: Chapter 42 Fourth Life, All-in Failure? Watch Me Turn the Tide (19)

First Prince Xiao Jing's Mansion, study.

The atmosphere here was even more oppressive than it had been in the court just moments ago.

First Prince Xiao Jing's core team had gathered once again, their faces showing the relief of having survived a disaster, but even more so, confusion and unease.

"Your Highness, the Third... the Heir's methods this time are too ruthless. The Second Prince's faction is likely to be uprooted entirely," Estate Chancellor Zhou Wenyuan sighed, his tone complex.

"Lin Lantian has been exiled to the Demon-Suppressing Great Wall. It may look like he was spared, but he will wish he were dead. The Heir... is no longer the man he was yesterday," another scholar whispered. "What... what are we to do in the future?"

First Prince Xiao Jing sat in the main seat, his expression calm, even carrying a strange sense of relief.

He listened to their discussion and waved his hand.

"There is no need to discuss this further," he said, rising slowly, his gaze sweeping over the retainers who had followed him for many years.

"You all saw what happened last night. Father's decision, the attitude of the ancestors, and those earth-shattering methods from last night. They all prove that Heir Xiao Heng ascending the throne is an unstoppable trend. I am inferior to him."

The crowd was stunned, wanting to say something, but they were stopped by First Prince Xiao Jing's gaze.

"I am not speaking out of anger, nor am I showing weakness," First Prince Xiao Jing said with a smile, a hint of liberation in it.

"Previously, trapped in this corner of the Tianhuang Princes Mansion, I only had eyes for the power of the mansion and the petty squabbles between brothers. At most, I only looked as far as Huangyan Prefecture. Last night, hearing about the 'Human Alliance' and the 'Demon-Suppressing Great Wall', and seeing the Ancestor's ability to turn clouds and rain with a flip of his hand, I realized just how vast the world is!"

"Is my life, First Prince Xiao Jing's, destined to be confined to this tiny space, fighting with my brothers for scraps, living a mediocre life? Or to end up in ruin like the Second Prince?"

His eyes grew brighter, and he said, word by word: "No, I am not reconciled to this. Even if I cannot become the King of Tianhuang, I will go to that wider world and fight for a future! Even if I die on the battlefield, it is better than wasting my life here!"

"Your Highness, you..." Estate Chancellor Zhou Wenyuan was shocked, yet also somewhat relieved; this was the First Prince Xiao Jing he had pledged his loyalty to.

"My mind is made up," First Prince Xiao Jing said decisively. "Later, I will go to see the Heir, and to the Supreme Prince, to express my intentions. You are all my loyal retainers of many years, with outstanding talents. I will plead with the Heir to treat you well. As long as you serve him wholeheartedly, given the Heir's magnanimity and his current need for personnel, he will not make things difficult for you. From now on, serve The New King well."

After speaking, he bowed solemnly to these stunned retainers.

The group hurriedly returned the bow, their hearts filled with mixed feelings—loss, reluctance, and a strange sense of respect for First Prince Xiao Jing's actions.

They knew that the gentle, refined, and power-hungry First Prince Xiao Jing had transformed after the upheaval of this night. He had chosen a path that was much more difficult, yet also much broader.

Heirs Courtyard, study.

Wang Shi was standing beside Heir Xiao Heng, whispering about the details of the subsequent purges and pacification, while the Grand Supreme King in White sat quietly to the side, seemingly dozing.

Suddenly, an attendant came to report that First Prince Xiao Jing requested an audience.

Heir Xiao Heng was slightly taken aback, exchanged a look with Wang Shi, and nodded: "Invite the First Prince in."

First Prince Xiao Jing walked into the study alone. He had changed out of his ornate robes into simple, practical attire. The calculation behind his previous gentle demeanor was gone, replaced by a sense of openness and decisiveness.

He first bowed respectfully toward the direction of the Grand Supreme King in White: "Unworthy descendant First Prince Xiao Jing pays respects to the Ancestor."

Then, he turned to Heir Xiao Heng and bowed just as solemnly: "Your subject, First Prince Xiao Jing, pays respects to the Heir."

Heir Xiao Heng stood up and personally helped him up: "Big brother, no need for such formalities. There are no outsiders here; you and I are still brothers. I wonder what important matter brings you here, big brother?"

First Prince Xiao Jing straightened up and looked at Heir Xiao Heng with clear eyes: "Third brother—no, Your Highness. I have come for two reasons. The first is to apologize. In the past, I was in the wrong, holding onto obsessions and competing with you. Looking back now, it is truly laughable, and I am ashamed before Father and our ancestors."

Heir Xiao Heng shook his head: "Big brother, you speak too heavily. Past matters were due to our respective positions; there is no need to mention them again."

First Prince Xiao Jing said: "No, they must be mentioned. Only by mentioning them can I truly let them go." He paused, his voice becoming firmer.

"The second reason I came is that I wish to entrust the capable people under my command to Your Highness. Estate Chancellor Zhou Wenyuan, Li Daoran, and others all have talent. In the past, they only served me, but they have no disloyalty toward the Princes Mansion. Now that I am willing to leave, I implore Your Highness to put aside past grievances and employ them based on their talents. They will certainly be able to assist Your Highness in governing Huangyan Prefecture."

Heir Xiao Heng's gaze flickered, and he looked deeply at First Prince Xiao Jing: "Big brother, you are actually leaving? Where do you intend to go?"

First Prince Xiao Jing took a deep breath, suddenly turned, and faced the Grand Supreme King in White once more. This time, he knelt directly, touching his head to the ground, his voice resonant and powerful, carrying the determination of burning his bridges behind him:

"Ancestor, above! Unworthy descendant First Prince Xiao Jing knows that my talent and virtue are insufficient to inherit the throne, and I am unwilling to lower myself under my brother's command, wasting years and causing trouble for no reason. Hearing the name 'Demon-Suppressing Great Wall' last night, I finally realized how vast the world is and where a man's true place of service lies! Although I am untalented, with cultivation only at the peak of Iron Skin, not yet having entered Copper Bone, I still have a heart full of hot blood and martial arts skills. I wish to emulate our ancestors and guard the borders for our human race!"

"I implore the Ancestor, when you escort the criminals to the Demon-Suppressing Great Wall this time, to take your grandson along! Your grandson is willing to start as a lowly soldier, to go through fire and water, fighting on the border, for our Tianhuang Princes Mansion, for our Xiao family, to fight for a future of killing enemies and achieving merit on the Demon-Suppressing Great Wall, so as not to waste this life! I beg the Ancestor to grant this request!"

The study was silent.

Wang Shi's eyes flashed with surprise and admiration.

Heir Xiao Heng looked at his elder brother kneeling on the ground with complex feelings—surprised, yet it also seemed expected, and there was a touch of connection through their shared bloodline.

The Grand Supreme King in White, who had been sitting quietly with his eyes closed, finally opened them slowly.

His eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through the world, fell on First Prince Xiao Jing and gazed at him for a moment.

Suddenly, he let out a clear, hearty laugh!

"Hahaha! Good! A 'good' one for 'unwilling to lower myself' and 'fighting for a future'!"

His laughter carried undisguised admiration. "This is what a descendant of our Tianhuang Xiao family should be like! With hot blood, with backbone, and even more importantly, with vision! A hundred times better than those fools who only know how to stare at their own small plot of land and squabble!"

First Prince Xiao Jing's body shook upon hearing this. He looked up, his eyes bursting with pleasant surprise.

"Since you have this determination, I will grant your request!"

The Grand Supreme King in White restrained his smile and said seriously: "You need not worry. Do you think that with the millennium-long heritage of our Tianhuang Princes Mansion, why is the main line so lacking in descendants? Why is it that in your father's generation, apart from him, there is little news of the other brothers and sisters? Why do so many talented members of the collateral branches go out to train after coming of age and rarely return?"

His gaze was distant as he slowly revealed another hidden foundation of the Princes Mansion: "Because this Demon-Suppressing Great Wall, the front line of the bloody war between our human race and the demon race, is the true training ground and foundation of our Tianhuang Xiao family."

"For generations, any capable and responsible descendant of our Xiao family, after reaching a certain level of cultivation, mostly chooses to go to the Demon-Suppressing Great Wall. Your uncles and aunts are currently serving in important positions at several key passes of the Great Wall, and many collateral family members are also serving in the Great Wall's armies. There, one of our Xiao family's elders, who has undergone seven blood exchanges, sits in command, and there is the 'Huang Battalion' composed of thousands of our Xiao family's sons!"

Heir Xiao Heng and First Prince Xiao Jing listened with surging hearts. So, the foundation and power of the Princes Mansion were far beyond what was visible before them. That towering Demon-Suppressing Great Wall was actually another "home" for the Xiao family!