When Wang Chen heard Wang Yan telling him to deepen his relationship with Meng Hongchen, he almost thought he had misheard.
But after a moment's thought, Wang Chen immediately realized something was wrong.
The Wang family had now sided with the Second Prince, and as a direct descendant of the Wang family, if he were to approach the Hongchen family's Meng Hongchen at this time…
Wouldn't that easily make outsiders suspect there was some kind of connection between the Hongchen family, the Wang family, and the Second Prince?
Wang Chen instantly understood why Wang Yan wanted him to get closer to Meng Hongchen — it was clearly an attempt to drag the Hongchen family into the mess.
However, seeing Wang Yan lying lazily on his recliner, barely paying attention, and only summoning him to give a single brief order before waving him off,
—it didn't seem like Wang Yan cared much about it. That made Wang Chen somewhat puzzled deep down.
Still, this wasn't the right time or place to question him, so Wang Chen could only suppress his doubts for now.
Though his mind was racing with countless thoughts, Wang Chen's expression remained perfectly calm, showing not the slightest hint of what he was thinking. Instead, he feigned an appropriate look of surprise and confusion.
His clear black eyes blinked with innocence as he asked softly,
"Ancestor, this…?"
Wang Yan, reclining on the chair, narrowed his gaze at Wang Chen's puzzled face. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest, producing crisp tok-tok sounds.
Normally, he hated explaining himself to others, but upon recalling that Wang Chen was still not yet twelve years old,
he restrained his impatience and gave a short explanation:
"Just visit the Hongchen family more often and spend time with that little girl, Meng Hongchen."
After finishing, Wang Yan flicked his hand at Wang Chen, signaling for him to leave. Clearly, he had no intention of letting him stay any longer.
Seeing Wang Yan's disinterested, dismissive attitude, Wang Chen also decided not to linger.
He cupped his hands respectfully, performed all the proper formalities, said, "This grandson takes his leave," and then exited the hall.
Once Wang Chen had gone, Wang Yan slowly sat up from his recliner, then retrieved a green, life-filled pill from his soul tool and swallowed it.
After taking the pill, his aged, wrinkled face became noticeably more flushed and lively.
Gazing at Wang Chen's departing youthful silhouette, Wang Yan's eyes reflected a trace of nostalgia.
There was a time, long ago, when he too had been young like Wang Chen.
But in the blink of an eye, a hundred years had passed. His youth was gone, his black hair had turned white, his once-straight posture had become stooped, and his skin had grown dry and sagging. He was old—very old.
As Wang Chen's great-grandfather, Wang Yan was already one hundred and seven years old.
Although he was an eighth-level Soul Engineer and a peak Soul Douluo, he could clearly feel it—
his body could only last about five more years. Even if he took medicinal pills refined from materials full of life force, he might only gain another three or four years at best.
For soul masters who failed to reach the Titled Douluo level, their lifespan wasn't much longer than an ordinary person's.
Moreover, when he was younger, he had been indulgent and licentious—wasting a great deal of his vital essence. Even after taking various restorative pills later on, he was never able to fully recover.
If he wanted to break through his lifespan limit, he had only one path left: to become a Titled Douluo.
However, as the days passed, his body grew weaker and weaker, his blood and vitality declining further with each sunrise.
His chances of breaking through to Titled Douluo were fading into near impossibility—because to reach that level, one must condense a soul core.
Without an exceptionally strong spiritual power and physical body, one couldn't endure the violent impact of soul core condensation.
In his current physical condition, it was almost impossible.
Thus, his life was nearing its end.
In the face of death, no one can remain indifferent.
As an eighth-level Soul Engineer and a marquis, Wang Yan was deeply attached to everything in this world. He did not want to die.
And so, he went mad—betting everything on one desperate gamble.
He staked his entire clan, his own life, and everything he possessed, to support the Second Prince's bid for the throne—hoping to use the imperial family's top resources to break through to Titled Douluo and extend his life.
For that breakthrough, he was willing to use any means necessary.
Whoever stood in his way—he would kill them!
At the same time, in the Hongchen Family—
After finishing her breakfast, Meng Hongchen freshened up and dressed herself.
She slipped white silk stockings over her long, slender legs, slid her delicate feet into black leather shoes, and donned a blue dress that accentuated her developing figure.
Cheerfully, she left the Hongchen estate and walked toward the most prosperous commercial district of Mingdu, not far from her home.
However, shortly after she left, a woman wearing a Soul Tool battle armor, plain-faced and middle-aged, began following her closely.
This woman was none other than Number Three, the agent Jing Hongchen had personally assigned to both guard Meng Hongchen and prevent her from meeting Wang Chen.
Number Three was extremely powerful—her cultivation had reached the Soul Sage level, and she was also a Level 7 Soul Engineer—a talent personally trained by Jing Hongchen since childhood.
If not for the current unstable political situation—and Meng Hongchen's increasing tendency to visit the Wang family—Jing Hongchen, afraid of being dragged into the imperial succession struggle,
would never have assigned a Soul Sage-level expert to protect his granddaughter full-time.
Soul Sages were rare; in any country, they were regarded as elite assets.
Even though Jing Hongchen was both the Dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and the Master of the Mingde Hall, the number of high-level powerhouses he truly controlled wasn't large.
Many of the senior researchers at Mingde Hall and the academy's Soul Sage or Soul Douluo teachers did not actually belong to Jing Hongchen—they were under the Sun Moon Empire's jurisdiction.
He was merely their superior because the Emperor had appointed him as the head of Mingde Hall and the Dean of the Academy.
Therefore, as long as he held that position, they followed his commands. But if the day ever came that he was dismissed, they would no longer obey him.
Public officials and personal subordinates were counted separately.
If Jing Hongchen ever intended to do something treasonous, he wouldn't dare use the academy's or Mingde Hall's powerhouses—because they might turn on him the moment he did.
That was why he only truly trusted people like Number Three, who had been trained by him personally from childhood.
Meng Hongchen glanced sideways at Number Three, who followed her like a shadow, and muttered inwardly,
"Hmph! Just because you won't let me see Brother Wang Chen doesn't mean I can't find another way to contact him!"
Before long, Meng Hongchen arrived at the busiest commercial district in Mingdu.
After strolling around for a while, she stopped before a luxurious building named Treasure Pavilion (Baibaolou).
Treasure Pavilion was an establishment that catered exclusively to Soul Engineers.
Its business was simple—it specialized in buying and selling medicinal materials, soul beasts, rare metals, and soul tools.
It also hosted monthly auctions, featuring high-grade soul tools, advanced core array blueprints, and top-tier rare metals—a true feast for soul engineers.
In Mingdu, Treasure Pavilion was extremely famous.
But few knew that behind it stood several Level 9 Soul Engineers from Mingde Hall.