You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?

Chapter 240 240: 36. Newly-appointed Duke of Heng Country_2

"Qi Tianxing gritted his teeth and cupped his hands, saying, 'Then, Your Highness, I will take my leave first.'

The Twelfth Prince glanced at him and smiled, 'It doesn't matter if you fail. Now that you are a disciple of the Myriad Swords Hall Master, cultivate well, and there will be a future for you.'

'Yes.' Qi Tianxing immediately walked away quickly.

After Qi Tianxing left, the withered old man sighed regretfully, 'Your Highness, isn't it somewhat wasteful to have invested so much in Qi Tianxing, and yet he can't become the Duke of Heng?'

'There's nothing we can do about it.'

The Twelfth Prince said indifferently, 'Given the situation, make use of him as much as possible. After all, he's a disciple of the Myriad Swords Hall Master. Although just a nominal disciple, he still has some use.'

'Yes.' The withered old man nodded, then helplessly said, 'The Seventeenth Prince is indeed deeply hidden. Those Minister Elders are well aware that Your Highness is supporting Qi Tianxing and offering so many benefits, yet the Seventeenth Prince can still persuade those Minister Elders?'

'Being the last prince does make him special...'

The Twelfth Prince squinted his eyes and suddenly said, 'Did you find anything when you investigated my Seventeenth brother's past life?'

'Naturally, I investigated.' The withered old man said helplessly, 'But based on the Seventeenth Prince's performance in the Inner Hall examination this time, none of the Saint-level martial arts masters I investigated fit the bill—at least none since the founding of Great Yong.'

The Twelfth Prince was silent for a moment and said, 'Then investigate more ancient times and... don't limit it to the Human Clan.'

'Not limited to the Human Clan?' The withered old man was taken aback, 'Could he be from the Demon Clan?'

The Twelfth Prince did not answer. He was silent for a while before he spoke softly, 'During the forty-nine years of the Emperor's Inspection, it is rumored that His Majesty, after inspecting the human world, left Great Yong and went to the Eternal Night.'

...

The Duke Heng's Mansion.

'Master Zhao, what do you mean by this?'

In the East Garden, Qi Tianxing gritted his teeth, looking at Master Zhao, and said in a low voice, 'Didn't we agree on this? What do you mean by going back on your word now?'

Master Zhao said expressionlessly, 'Apologies, Third Young Master, let's pretend we never made any agreement.'

'What exactly did the Seventeenth Prince promise you?' Qi Tianxing stared intently at Master Zhao, 'You must understand, I am backed by Prince Cheng! Do you think the Seventeenth Prince can contend with Prince Cheng?'

Master Zhao remained unmoved and simply said, 'Third Young Master, please leave.'

'Fine, fine.' Qi Tianxing took a deep breath and said, 'Whatever the Seventeenth Prince promised you, I'll match it!'

Master Zhao's face remained cold, though he silently smiled bitterly inside.

But he could not say anything, only replying coldly, 'There's no need for any more discussion, Third Young Master. Besides... the Twelfth Prince once plotted against the Eldest Young Master, and he is essentially an enemy of the Duke Heng's Mansion.'

'Enemy?' Qi Tianxing laughed in anger, 'You were never part of the main line. The Eldest Young Master's misfortune is actually beneficial for you. And now you feed me such righteous reasons? Isn't that laughable?'

Master Zhao's face turned cold, and he said in a low tone, 'Third Young Master! Mind your words. Master Zhao here is a Minister Elder of the Duke Heng's Mansion, not a servant for you to scold at will!'

Qi Tianxing stared intently at Master Zhao, his expression frozen in anger, creating a tense and cold atmosphere.

After a moment, he snorted coldly and turned to leave.

He already saw that Master Zhao had decided to abandon him, so what more was there to say?

Thus, it was better to try and win back the other Minister Elders.

...

Meanwhile, Lin Yue, accompanied by Baili Fengzhi, almost visited all the residences of the Minister Elders on the list.

'Master Yuyang, as it happens, I know the Sect Leader of the Tian Yi Daoist Sect. What do you think he would do if he knew about the affair between your son and his little disciple? Would he recognize you as in-law, perhaps?'

'Fairy Wu, you were aware of the Eldest Young Master's outing back in the day, weren't you? Don't be alarmed, I'm not accusing you of deliberately scheming against the Eldest Young Master. You probably didn't expect that just for a small benefit from Qi Tianxing, it would lead to such a disaster. But... you surely wouldn't want this secret to reach the Duke Heng, right?'

'Elder Xu, I know where your son is hiding. I've already sent someone to find him so you can confirm it yourself. However... if Elder Xu wishes to see his son, you must promise me one thing.'

As for those who had leverage, Lin Yue directly used it to coerce them, forcing them to change their Jade Cicadas.

Cultivators, having come this far in cultivation, have inevitably made mistakes in the past.

Most people were able to hide them well.

Lin Yue certainly wouldn't miss taking advantage of this.

The competition between princes was inherently ruthless and merciless; having an advantage and not using it would be suicidal.

Of course, there were also many without leverage, but everyone had weaknesses and desires he could exploit.

However, in terms of background, he surely couldn't compete with the Twelfth Prince.

So, those who only desired treasures were out of his reach, and he merely had to give up on them.

Nevertheless, after talking to all the Minister Elders individually, over half of them changed their stance to support Qi Yinmo.

That was already sufficient.

Moreover, among the Minister Elders, Jun Changge had a good relationship with him, often conversing freely with him, and this time also supported Qi Yinmo.

...

Time passed slowly, and the sky darkened as dusk approached.

The appearance of the three plum trees in the courtyard had changed significantly since the morning, with numerous Jade Cicadas attached to Qi Yinmo's plum tree, causing buds to sprout.

In contrast, the number of buds on Qi Tianxing's plum tree was significantly smaller.

At this moment, Qi Yinmo's plum tree had fifty-three buds compared to Qi Tianxing's thirty-two buds.

Including the five buds on the Fourth Young Master's plum tree, there were a total of ninety buds.

This meant that, except for Elder Gu's Purple Gold Cicada, all other Jade Cicadas had attached themselves to the plum trees.

'This... The Fifth Miss has twenty-one more buds on her plum tree than the Third Young Master.'

'No matter who Elder Gu chooses, it wouldn't surpass the Fifth Miss...'

'It's almost midnight.'

'Does that mean the Fifth Miss is already destined to become the next Duke of Heng?'

Many Minister Elders and members of the Qi Family were watching the plum tree scene from a distance, in heated discussions, almost unable to believe that the final winner was the Fifth Miss.

Suddenly, the crowd stirred and then quieted down, creating an open path.

In the ensuing silence, they saw Qi Tianxing, somewhat pale, silently pass through the crowd and walk to the plum tree, pressing his lips as he stared at Qi Yinmo's plum tree, speechless for a long time.

Suddenly—

'Whoosh!'

A streak of purple-gold light flew through the air, transforming into a Purple Gold Jade Cicada, landing on Qi Yinmo's plum tree.

One by one, buds adorned the branches.

Everyone understood that at the last moment, Elder Gu also chose Qi Yinmo.

Suddenly, the Jade Cicadas shattered into light.

In the bleak cold wind, plum blossoms quietly unfolded.

The result was decided.

'In the end, it was all for nothing...' Qi Tianxing slowly closed his eyes, then turned and left.

...

'The result is out, and the next Family Head, who will succeed the position of old Duke Heng, is my youngest daughter, Qi Yinmo.'

Under the light of the Long Bright Pearl, the old, smile-filled face of Duke Heng swept across the crowd in the main hall, 'Tonight, I will hand over the bloodline inheritance insignia to Yinmo.'

He looked at Qi Yinmo below him, solemnly saying, 'Yinmo, the millennium legacy of the Duke Heng's Mansion will depend on you in the future. I hope you do not let us down.'

Qi Yinmo knelt, with some youthfulness on her face, which was more serious as she slowly said, 'Yinmo will do her utmost.'

From the main seat, Lin Yue watched Qi Yinmo below, a slight smile emerging on his face.

As the future Duke Heng, after inheriting the bloodline divine power of the Duke Heng, Qi Yinmo was fated to grasp the Dao of Heaven and Earth, to become a Saint.

Moreover, her personal connections and influence were extremely formidable, even making the princes wary.

It was not easy to push Qi Yinmo to this step, and it would be troublesome if someone else took advantage of it.

This power must be tightly held in his hands.

'Lord Qi.'

In the main hall, Lin Yue suddenly spoke, 'This palace has a request.'

So it comes... Duke Heng sighed inwardly, pretending not to know, saying, 'Your Highness exaggerates. Just say what you need.'

Lin Yue smiled, 'This palace quite likes Yinmo. During this year together, we have developed mutual affection. By coincidence, Wanqiu's Heart Phase Cultivation Method requires familial ties to maintain heart realm, and she and Yinmo are extremely close.'

Under the watchful eyes of all, he kept a calm facade and said calmly, 'Lord Qi, why not let Yinmo marry me as well?'"