Chapter 334: Chapter 150: The 3rd Prince’s Gift

No matter how you looked at it, it was a major loss for the Third Prince.

He had given a gift and a promise, all without asking Shen Bai for any help in return.

Ouyang Wu looked at his little brother with disdain. "Who can really grasp the thoughts of these great figures? Just focus on practicing your sword. Don’t get tangled up in these matters. Do you still not understand the family’s intentions?"

Ouyang Sword scratched his head. "I really don’t get what the family means. All I know is that when I said I wanted to study swordsmanship under a master, our father was more than willing."

Shen Bai said, "The Ouyang Family’s intention is to be able to save something in case they back the wrong side."

Even with his naive personality, Ouyang Sword finally understood. A series of expressions flickered across his face.

Sending him away to study the sword was a way of telling everyone that he wasn’t involved.

If any problems arose, his branch of the family would be preserved.

Ouyang Sword didn’t react with any exaggerated movements or tone. He accepted it.

In truth, this was the family’s arrangement. He knew very well that no matter how much of a fuss he made, it would be useless.

Ouyang Sword thought for a moment, then asked, "Brother Shen, you still haven’t told me why the Third Prince would take such a huge loss."

Shen Bai shook his head. "It seems like a loss, but in reality, he’s also gained a great advantage. These princes are truly formidable. Their cunning is beyond most people."

’When I used to read novels,’ Shen Bai thought, ’the princes were often cast as villains who would mindlessly antagonize the protagonist, only to be killed by them in the end.’

’But now that I’m experiencing it for myself, I realize none of these princes are pushovers.’

The Third Prince knew that Shen Bai was proud and would never agree to be recruited. It might even earn the Prince his disgust. Therefore, if he couldn’t have him, he wouldn’t let anyone else have him either.

By giving so many benefits, he was telling Shen Bai one thing.

’I’ve given you all these benefits without asking for anything in return. Surely you can make this one promise.’

’I’ve even given you a promise in return. This is as solid as a deal gets.’

Ouyang Wu nodded. "Lord Shen, you see these things more clearly than my little brother does."

Shen Bai shook his head. "It’s not that I see things more clearly. It’s just that when you’re in the thick of it, you sometimes have to take a broader view."

Ouyang Wu’s gaze fell on the wooden box. "Lord Shen, are you willing to accept this?"

Shen Bai smiled, took the wooden box, and tucked it away. "I accept. Please go back and tell the Third Prince that a decision made by me, Shen Bai, will not be changed. Tell him to rest assured and focus on his own affairs. I will absolutely not help the other two princes."

Ouyang Wu breathed a sigh of relief. "In that case, I can finally complete the task the Third Prince assigned me."

As he spoke, he looked at Shen Bai with a complicated expression in his eyes.

A person’s strength can change their relationships, drawing in connections from increasingly higher echelons of society.

Shen Bai was a living example.

If Shen Bai had been in Shengyun County, he never would have received such high regard from the Third Prince.

Even when Shen Bai later went to Fenglin State, and Ouyang Wu made contact with him, the Third Prince had merely given a cool acknowledgment.

But later, it wasn’t until news of Shen Bai’s various deeds spread that the Third Prince finally began to see him as an important figure.

This was a decision the Third Prince had made after several days of consideration.

Ouyang Wu couldn’t help but admire Shen Bai. He had truly risen from humble beginnings to his current position of power and influence.

Ouyang Sword looked left and right, appearing as if he only half-understood, but he nodded along anyway, pretending he understood perfectly.

Seeing this, Ouyang Wu couldn’t help but laugh and say, "You rascal, did you put all your talent points into Swordsmanship? Dad was right. If you were to join us in these affairs, it probably wouldn’t be long before you brought the Ouyang Family to ruin."

Ouyang Sword gave an awkward laugh, unable to refute him at that moment.

Shen Bai stood up and said, "Now that everything is settled, I should be heading back."

The internal exam was tomorrow, so Shen Bai planned to go back and grind his Skill Level first.

With something like Skill Level, every little bit you could grind mattered. His time each day was quite tight.

Shen Bai didn’t want to waste anything at a time like this.

Ouyang Wu nodded. "Then I won’t see you out, Lord Shen."

"No need."

Shen Bai cupped his hands in a salute and prepared to leave with Ouyang Sword.

But before he had taken more than a few steps, Ouyang Wu suddenly seemed to remember something. He slapped his forehead and walked over to Shen Bai.

"Lord Shen, wait. I just remembered something."

Shen Bai asked, "What is it?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Ouyang Wu said, "Lord Shen, in Fenglin State, did you happen to offend someone from Xinhua Academy?"

Shen Bai nodded. "That’s right. I ruined one of their plans, and they seem to hold a grudge against me for it. Tell the Third Prince that Xinhua Academy has a plan they intend to carry out in Yunxi State. He must be careful."

Ouyang Wu nodded. "We already found that out through our intelligence network. Moreover, we also discovered an extremely useful piece of information. Since you’re here, Lord Shen, we might as well tell you, seeing as you also have a feud with Xinhua Academy."

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes. "What information?"

’Honestly, I have no leads right now,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind sending Wang Tianxing to his grave.’

But now Ouyang Wu was telling him there was intelligence, which immediately piqued Shen Bai’s curiosity.

If he could really analyze this intelligence for useful clues and happen to find a trail leading to Wang Tianxing, then Shen Bai could cut out a lot of steps.

After a moment of thought, Ouyang Wu said slowly, "According to our intelligence, the academy seems to have planted a mole for the internal exam. And that mole, it seems, is one of this year’s exam participants."