Ultragene Warlord

Zhang Lie was the most likely backer the third prince could think of.

The other princes had all cultivated long-lasting relationships with their respective backers over a prolonged period of time, and it would be foolish for him to attempt to tear a rift in those relationships over the short term.

On the other hand, the ninth prince's master was a rising star, a soaring meteorite, one who had immediately made his name known after the royal hunt.

According to the third prince's investigation, the ninth prince's master was so strong he could even topple a fifth-level beast with one blow and strike the second prince down in an instant.

The person who had saved the crown prince from the second prince's assassination attempt, and who had caught the second prince alive, was precisely Zhang Lie.

If the third prince could wrest him away from the ninth prince's side, it wouldn't be impossible for him to compete against the other princes—or even to replace the crown prince.

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The third prince had trained in swordsmanship from a young age, and he believed there would be much in common between him and Zhang Lie. He hadn't expected that Zhang Lie would refuse him outright.

Zhang Lie rolled his eyes at him. "You intend on treating me like a replacement for the Wang clan, don't you?"

The third prince laughed awkwardly. "Master, surely not! The Wang clan is nothing compared to the likes of you."

"Well, I'm not interested."

The third prince refused to back down. "But Master, I'm interested in you! If you're going to support a prince, why not support a better candidate like me instead?"

Zhang Lie looked him up and down. "And what about you is better?"

"I've been carefully developing my power within the capital for decades, and I bring much more to the table than my ninth brother can. All I'm lacking is a strong backer! Conveniently, with the second prince's death, much of his accumulated power and connections is up for grabs. If we work together, we're sure to be able to claim them all."

Zhang Lie chuckled. "You seem very certain of yourself. Are you sure you'll be able to wrest it all?"

"What do you mean, Master?"

"We can discuss a potential collaboration later, but it'll be after the next court session."

"I understand, Master! It's important to take the time to think through matters carefully, after all." The third prince beckoned for his guards to leave the gifts behind.

Zhang Lie shook his head. "Take back these gifts. I haven't promised you anything."

The third prince demurred. "This isn't for taking me as a disciple, Master, but rather for saving my life within the hunting grounds. If you're willing to take me on as a disciple, I'll certainly prepare something even more lavish."

The third prince bowed and left with his guards.

Zhang Lie unwrapped the gifts to find a few vats of alcohol, some spiritual herbs, and various articles of clothing made with the fur and leather or peak-grade lifeforms.

Zhang Lie then turned behind him and called out, "As a prince who intends to become the king of the realm one day, you'd better not develop the bad habit of eavesdropping on people."

The ninth prince ducked his head as he crept out from behind a building. "I can't fool you, Master."

Zhang Lie retorted, "If you could, I wouldn't be qualified to be your master."

"Did you plan all this during the hunt, Master?"

The ninth prince was referring to how Zhang Lie had saved the third and fifth princes.

Zhang Lie rolled his eyes. "Don't forget—you agreed to it too."

The ninth prince had to admit that that was true. 

"Why? What are your thoughts about this?" Zhang Lie added.

The ninth prince bowed. "Master, I could hardly stop you from doing what you want. If nothing else, I'm thankful for your pointers and your care all this time. I've learned a lot from you, and your lessons will stay with me for my entire life."

"Ha! Well, I like your personality. Don't worry. The third prince might be a decent candidate, but guiding you to the throne is a far more interesting prospect."

The ninth prince relaxed with a sigh of relief.

"Saving the princes was just a passing kindness, nothing more."

The ninth prince asked, "Master, why did you say you would consider collaborating with him, then?"

"If it works out, it would be a partnership between you, me, and him, not just me and him."

The ninth prince frowned. "Is there some benefit to doing so? What am I not seeing, Master?"

Zhang Lie smiled mysteriously. "You'll find out in the next session of court. I think your father's about ready to make his move."

"Master, can't you tell me directly?"

Zhang Lie ignored the question and instead asked, "Do you know any of the cooks around here?"

"You're going to poison someone, Master?"

Zhang Lie rapped the ninth prince's head with his knuckles. "I'm not going to wrap myself up in courtly intrigue! I just want to have someone prepare the peak-grade lifeforms that we brought back from the hunt. I'm tired of roasting my own meat."

The ninth prince rubbed his head as he replied, "I heard that, except for my father and my eldest brother, everyone else has to bribe the cooks if they want anything good prepared for them."

He didn't know whether it was true; after all, he had never had money before.

"It's convenient that the third prince has just brought us these gifts, then, isn't it? Bring these to the kitchens and have them make us a feast tonight."

The ninth prince walked over to the kitchens, only to have the cooks refuse his gifts. "We could never accept your money, ninth prince! It's our duty to prepare the carcasses the princes have brought back from the hunt."

He was wholly unused to receiving such friendly smiles and polite gestures from the cooks, who had previously treated him with contempt and disdain. "Please, take these gifts. We've brought back quite a few more carcasses than the other princes."

Afterwards, Zhang Lie praised the ninth prince for what he had done. "Very good. Insisting on giving them the gifts was the right choice."

The ninth prince found himself unaccustomed to the difference in treatment he was suddenly receiving overnight—not just from the cooks, but also the palace maids and guards.

In the past, the ninth prince had been an outcast in the palace, and he had never received such deferential treatment.

Zhang Lie rolled his eyes at him. "Information travels quickly within the palace. We've just returned, but half the palace knows what happened during the royal hunt by now.

The servants that survive within the palace have all already developed information networks of their own, after all."

"You mean it's related to what happened during the hunt, Master?"

"That's obvious. You performed outstandingly during the hunt and was recognized by the king of the realm himself, and everyone in the palace knows it. It's only natural that their attitude toward you would shift as a result. More simply, the palace revolves around the king of the realm. However well he treats you will be how the servants treat you, too."

The ninth prince scratched his head. "I'm a little unused to it..."

Zhang Lie warned, "You have to get used to it sooner or later. You're aiming to become the king of the realm, aren't you? People's attitudes to you will shift daily based on your actions, and you need to be able to respond appropriately."

The ninth prince nodded, thanking Zhang Lie for his advice.

Very quickly, the kitchen staff came by the ninth prince's quarters with plate after plate of delicacies. Zhang Lie swallowed a gulp of saliva and quickly sampled each plate as it arrived.

With a pair of chopsticks in his left hand, he picked up a thin slice of stir-fried peak-grade dragonsnake, which was coated in a thin layer of spices which exploded with flavor in his mouth.

Then, he grabbed a roasted demonwolf drumstick with his right hand. The gamey taste of the meat was completely covered up by either the seasoning or the method of cooking the meat, and Zhang Lie devoured it all within moments...