The Female Lead Brought Her Lover to the Wedding Banquet and Broke Off the Marriage; I Slaughtered Her Entire Family - Chapter 30:

Chapter 30: First Probe into the Dragon’s Pool:

Cup after cup of wine was offered in toast, as Lin Chen exchanged casual conversations with the Crown Prince, chatting about everything from customs on the borders to strange legends, carefully avoiding politics and any mention of the Lin family.

“Young Master Lin, you’ve made a name for yourself at such a young age. You are truly a fine son of our Great Zhou,” the Crown Prince set down his wine cup, speaking sincerely. “I rarely leave the palace, but I always keep the talented youths outside in mind. The Lin family has guarded the frontier for generations, no easy task. My father often speaks of your family’s merits.”

Lin Chen raised his cup in return, “Your Highness flatters me. The Lin family serves at His Majesty’s grace and must give our utmost loyalty.” His words were smooth, neither drawing closer nor pushing away.

The Crown Prince smiled and lightly shifted the topic, “I heard that on your journey south, you encountered some rather interesting things? I’m quite curious about those ancient legends. I wonder if you could…”

Lin Chen cut him off directly, “Just wild rumors from remote places, not worth believing. On the contrary, the grandeur of the Imperial Capital far surpasses the frontier and has been quite an eye-opener for me.” He deftly steered the conversation away again.

Throughout the meal, there was constant subtle maneuvering beneath the surface. The Crown Prince kept casting bait, trying to gauge Lin Chen’s ambitions. Lin Chen, like a slippery fish, never took the hook.

After the meal, when Lin Chen took his leave, the eunuch personally escorted him and his men back to the posthouse, even arranging the finest courtyard for them.

That night, Lin Chen sat in his room, contemplating his cultivation techniques, searching for a way to channel the chaotic Bone-Melting Pill energy within him. Suddenly, the sharp clatter of hooves and the clanging of weapons rang out outside.

He pushed the door open. Just beyond the courtyard, a freight carriage had gone out of control, charging straight toward the Lin family’s guards. The two Grandmaster guards, one to the left and one to the right, shifted slightly and dissipated the carriage’s momentum. In the same instant, two strikes shot from their fingers, hitting the crazed horse square on the forehead. The horse screamed, its legs buckling as it collapsed.

The driver, sensing something wrong, turned to flee, but another guard shadowed him and pinned him to the ground in moments.

“Search,” Lin Chen ordered with a single word.

Before long, the guard pulled a small black feather token from the driver’s clothes. “Young Master, it’s the mark of the Black Crow.”

Lin Chen approached, feeling the unconscious driver’s neck, then inspecting the broken axle of the carriage. “Clumsy work. More like testing the waters,” he remarked and instructed, “Clean it up. Quietly.”

The guards dragged the man and horse away into the darkness. Lin Chen stood with his hands behind his back. Clearly, news of his arrival and rumors of the “thing” he might be carrying had already stirred some into action. The Black Crow… persistent as ever.

In the following two days, similar “accidents” happened twice more. Once, a meal was poisoned with a tasteless, colorless slow-acting toxin, which Lin Chen detected using his silver needles. Another time, someone attempted to sneak into his room at night, only to trigger the defensive ward he had set, and was captured on the spot. The intruder turned out to be another Black Crow deathsworn, tight-lipped to the end, killing himself by crushing the poison capsule hidden in his tooth.

Lin Chen sat in his room, a map of the Imperial Capital’s power distribution spread before him—latest intelligence delivered by the Black Crow organization. The Crown Prince’s territory, the factions of the other princes, the networks of the great noble families, and the known Black Crow strongholds were all clearly marked.

“The Black Crow is probing me, or rather, weighing how heavy this chess piece of theirs really is,” Lin Chen’s fingertip traced slowly across the map. “The Crown Prince appears courteous but is waiting to see what happens. The other factions… hmph.”

He summoned a Black Crow liaison and gave low-voiced instructions, mainly ordering them to reverse the surveillance on the Black Crow’s strongholds and sabotage them when opportunities arose.

After settling the external matters, Lin Chen got up and headed to the secluded room where Lin Fan was imprisoned. Pushing the door open, a stifling air greeted him. Lin Fan was tied to a chair, his head drooping, his body occasionally twitching.

Lin Chen placed the turquoise seed and the black ore on the table in front of him. Then, he retrieved a jade slip found among Fang Tang’s possessions, its material somewhat unusual, and stuffed it into Lin Fan’s hand.

“Look at these things. Use your bloodline to sense the jade slip. Tell me what’s inside.” Lin Chen’s voice was flat but carried the undeniable force of the Black Soul Lock.

Lin Fan’s body convulsed violently. His hollow eyes fixed on the jade slip, veins bulging on his forehead. Strange guttural sounds rumbled from his throat, more beast than man. Azure light flickered wildly beneath his skin, resonating with some imprint on the jade slip.

“Forbidden… land… royal… Autumn… Mountain…” Lin Fan squeezed out a few words with difficulty before spitting a mouthful of blood and collapsing unconscious.

Lin Chen frowned slightly and wiped the blood off the table with a cloth.

A royal forbidden land? Autumn Mountain?

This jade slip was indeed connected to the Qing Ming inheritance or some other secret, and it was near the Imperial Capital.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside. The head guard reported from the door, “Young Master, a messenger from the palace has arrived. You are invited to the royal Autumn Hunt at the Western Hills in three days.”

Lin Chen took the invitation and glanced at it. The guest list included not only royal family members and court ministers but also several generals who should have been stationed outside. Among the names was one “Marquis of Pingyang”—a figure mentioned in the Black Crow’s intelligence, known for secretly colluding with the Black Crow organization.

Lin Chen’s fingers pinched the edge of the invitation, the gilded royal insignia reflecting a cold light under the lamp.

This Autumn Hunt was clearly about more than just hunting beasts.

At the Western Hills Hunting Grounds, flags fluttered densely, almost obscuring the sky. The clamor of armored horses and soldiers, though basked in the warm autumn sun, carried a lazy lethargy.

The royal procession wound its way in, the most prominent being the dragon carriage. The Emperor dismounted, his figure appearing somewhat frail, his wide dragon robe hanging loosely from his body. Yet when his gaze swept the grounds, the oppressive aura he exuded was as chilling as ever, without a hint of warmth.

The Crown Prince followed behind, his face wearing the perfect expression of humility, though from time to time, he would cast discreet glances at his brothers.

The Third Prince maintained a look of indifference. The Fifth Prince, however, seemed unable to remain composed, fidgeting slightly.

Lin Chen stood quietly at the back of the officials’ group, observing it all.

The Imperial Capital was indeed a place steeped in intrigue.

“Woooo—” The long horn sounded, signaling the start of the hunt.