When Wang Chen heard Wang Yan telling him to get closer to Meng Hongchen, he almost thought he had misheard.
But then, after thinking it over, he realized what was wrong.
The Wang Family had already thrown in their lot with the Second Prince. Now, as a direct descendant of the Wang Family, if he suddenly went to cultivate a closer relationship with Meng Hongchen of the Hongchen Family…
Wouldn't that easily lead outsiders to misunderstand, believing that the Hongchen Family, the Wang Family, and the Second Prince were secretly allied?
In that instant, Wang Chen understood the Patriarch's intent. This was nothing less than an attempt to drag the Hongchen Family into the water.
Yet, looking at Wang Yan lounging lazily in his chair—barely interested, summoning him here just to say one sentence before waving him away—Wang Chen couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Still, this wasn't the time or place to pursue those doubts. He buried his questions for now.
Though his mind raced with countless thoughts, Wang Chen's expression betrayed nothing. Instead, he displayed just the right amount of visible surprise and confusion.
His large black eyes clear and bright, he asked cautiously,
"Ancestor, this…?"
Wang Yan squinted down at him from the reclining chair, tapping the armrest with his fingers, the crisp sound echoing softly.
Normally, he loathed explaining himself to anyone. But considering Wang Chen was not yet twelve, he grudgingly indulged him with a few words.
"Just visit the Hongchen Family more often and spend time with that girl, Meng Hongchen. That's all."
With a casual wave of his hand, Wang Yan dismissed him, clearly not interested in letting him linger any longer.
Seeing his ancestor's disinterested gesture, Wang Chen knew better than to stay. He bowed respectfully, offered a proper farewell—"This grandson takes his leave"—and walked out of the hall.
Once Wang Chen was gone, Wang Yan slowly rose from the chair. From his storage-type soul tool, he retrieved a green pill brimming with vitality and swallowed it.
Immediately, his aged, wrinkled face gained a faint flush of color.
Watching the boy's youthful back disappearing beyond the doorway, Wang Yan's eyes grew distant, filled with reminiscence.
Once, he too had been that young.
But in the blink of an eye, a century had passed. His youth was long gone. Black hair had turned white, a once-straight frame had grown bent, and skin had shriveled and slackened. He had become an old man.
As Wang Chen's great-grandfather, he was now one hundred and seven years old.
Though he was a peak Soul Douluo and an eighth-tier Soul Engineer, he could clearly feel the truth—his body had perhaps five more years at most. With the aid of life-force-rich elixirs, he might stretch it another three or four.
A soul master who failed to break through to Titled Douluo had a lifespan little different from that of ordinary people.
And in his youth, Wang Yan had been indulgent, squandering his vitality on wine and women. Even with medicinal replenishment later, the damage could never be fully undone.
The only way to shatter this fate was to break through to Titled Douluo.
But with each passing day, his body grew weaker, his blood energy more depleted.
The chances of condensing a soul core—the key to stepping into Titled Douluo—were slipping further and further away.
Without a robust physique and powerful spiritual strength, the impact of condensing a soul core would simply tear him apart.
In his current state, it was virtually impossible.
And so, the end of his life loomed closer and closer.
No one could remain calm before the shadow of death.
As an eighth-tier Soul Engineer and a marquis of the empire, Wang Yan loved everything this world had to offer. He did not want to die.
So he gambled—madly. He wagered the clan, his future, his very life. He would back the prince, help him seize the throne, and in return seize the imperial family's top-tier resources, using them to reach Titled Douluo and extend his life.
For that breakthrough, he would stop at nothing.
Whoever blocked his path—he would kill.
Meanwhile, in the Hongchen Family.
After finishing a delightful breakfast, Meng Hongchen carefully dressed herself.
She slipped white stockings over her slender legs, slid her delicate feet into black leather shoes, and put on a blue dress that framed her budding, graceful figure.
Cheerfully, she left home and headed toward Mingdu's most bustling commercial street.
But the moment she stepped outside, a middle-aged woman in soul tool armor quietly followed her.
This was Number Three, the one Jing Hongchen had arranged to personally guard Meng Hongchen and, more importantly, to obstruct any attempts she made to meet Wang Chen.
Number Three was a formidable expert—her cultivation had already reached the Soul Sage realm, and she was also a seventh-tier Soul Engineer, a talent Jing Hongchen had raised from childhood.
Were it not for the tense situation and Meng Hongchen's increasing tendency to visit the Wang Family, Jing Hongchen would never have dispatched such a powerhouse to guard her.
Soul Sages were rare. In any nation, they were precious assets.
Although Jing Hongchen was both the Dean of the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy and the Hall Master of Mingde Hall, the number of high-level experts truly under his personal command was limited.
Many of the senior researchers in Mingde Hall and the academy's Soul Sage or Soul Douluo instructors were not his subordinates, but the empire's.
They only followed his orders because he currently held both titles, appointed by the Emperor himself.
If the day came when Jing Hongchen lost his position, those people would no longer heed him.
Public talent and private talent had to be clearly distinguished.
And if he ever dared to commit treason, he would never risk using the empire's men against the empire itself. They could just as easily turn on him.
But someone like Number Three, raised entirely under his hand—she was a true confidante, one he could trust.
Meng Hongchen cast a glance at her shadow, silently huffing.
"Don't think that just because you're stopping me from seeing Brother Wang Chen, I have no way to contact him. Hmph!"
Soon, Meng Hongchen reached Mingdu's busiest commercial street. After strolling for a while, she stopped in front of a luxurious building: Treasure Pavilion (Baibao Lou).
Treasure Pavilion was a soul engineer's paradise.
Its business was simple: buying and selling medicinal herbs, soul beasts, rare metals, and soul tools.
It also hosted monthly auctions—featuring high-level soul tools, cutting-edge core array blueprints, and top-grade rare metals. A feast for any soul engineer.
In Mingdu, its fame was unmatched. Yet few knew the truth—that behind Treasure Pavilion stood several ninth-tier Soul Engineers of Mingde Hall.