His sharp gaze locked onto two of them, and he asked flatly, "Second Prince, are these your personal guards?"
"Hmm?" Ye Qiao was momentarily caught off guard.
"What are their names?" Jiang Chen pressed.
"Jiang Chen, you're the holder of the prestigious Tian Gui Knight Order—why are you so interested in two of my guards?" Ye Qiao smiled. "They've been with me since childhood. No names, no surnames."
"No names, no surnames? Even a dog has a name. Second Prince, that's not a very honorable way to treat your subordinates."
Ye Qiao's face darkened. "Jiang Chen, what exactly do you mean?"
"What do I mean?" Jiang Chen chuckled. "Second Prince, once we get out of here, I hope you won't have nightmares at night. I hear the Gold-Munching Mouse tide is absolutely terrifying."
A flash of killing intent flickered through the corner of Ye Qiao's eyes, but he ultimately suppressed it. He was different from
Ye Qiao, on the other hand, was cut from different cloth. He was far better at using his wits and far more adept at reading the situation.
In terms of pure strength, his group had at least a ninety percent chance of steamrolling
Moreover, this was open terrain. Once fighting broke out, he couldn't guarantee every last member of Ye Rong's group would be killed. If even one person slipped through the net, the consequences would be unthinkable.
The scheming between princes allowed for countless underhanded moves in the shadows—as long as nothing was discovered, as long as there was no evidence, it didn't matter much.
But open killing? Unless you could guarantee the operation was absolutely flawless, leaving no trace whatsoever—once word got out, everything Ye Qiao had worked for would collapse.
What's more, Ye Qiao harbored the same concern Ye Dai had—namely, Consort Dan.
While Ye Qiao's interest in women was considerably more restrained than Ye Dai's, he too coveted Consort Dan—though not to the same fanatical degree.
His desire for Consort Dan stemmed from two reasons. First, she was undeniably the most beautiful woman in the Royal Capital, with a presence that surpassed all others. But far more important was her background: marrying Consort Dan meant winning the Grand Tutor's support.
With the Grand Tutor's backing, one possessed everything.
Ye Rong chuckled. "Second Brother, you look so relaxed—your harvest must be quite bountiful this time. Guess I'd better not fall behind. I'll head out first."
"Heh heh, of course, of course." Ye Qiao sounded somewhat distracted.
"Second Brother, if you run into Big Brother, remember to say hello for me." Ye Rong smiled and led his group away.
…
Now then—Jiang Chen's party had traveled roughly a dozen li when he suddenly came to a halt.
"Fourth Prince, I caught a faint trace of blood scent on those two personal guards—identical to the scent of the Gold-Munching Mice. Those two are definitely the culprits who set the trap against us."
"Are you certain?" Ye Rong's earlier words probing Ye Qiao had actually been backed by a ninety percent certainty that this was Ye Qiao's doing.
But no matter how sure he felt, he ultimately lacked direct evidence. Ye Qiao's presence in that area was suspicious, yes, but without concrete proof, all he could do was probe.
"I'm a hundred percent certain. Fourth Prince, you go ahead first. This matter isn't over. Even if I don't kill the Second Prince, I'm absolutely going to take out those two personal guards—to send the Second Prince a message. So he won't get any bright ideas along the way."
Ye Rong was tempted. "You're going alone? What about letting Qianli go with you?"
"No need. Let Qianli stay with the group—he's the strongest, so he can look after you along the way. I only need to deal with two guards. I can't claim a hundred percent confidence, but seventy or eighty percent—yeah, I've got that."
"Jiang Chen, since you've made up your mind, I won't stand in your way. But you'd better not touch Second Brother—could bring trouble on yourself. When I get back, I'll file an official complaint against him. He'll have plenty to deal with."
That was what he said, but in truth, Ye Rong secretly hoped Jiang Chen would take out Ye Qiao as well. He just couldn't say that out loud.
Jiang Chen cupped his fist, gave a nod, then tapped his toes against the ground and vanished into thin air, speeding off in an instant.
Once he was clear, Jiang Chen changed direction and released the Gold-Munching Mouse King. "I've found the one responsible for killing your offspring. Go sense it for yourself—true or not. You should be able to detect the blood qi of your children, right?"
The Gold-Munching Mouse King was livid. "Where?"
"About twenty or thirty li from here. You surround them from this direction. I expect they'll try to flee the way we originally came out!"
The Gold-Munching Mouse King sneered. "Flee? That area is my territory! They think they can escape? They won't get away!"
Jiang Chen chuckled. "Let's not waste time. I'll take a detour and get there first to secure the exit—that way they'll have nowhere to run."
The Gold-Munching Mouse King nodded. "Good idea. I'll send ten divisions of my offspring to surround them from all sides, and we'll move at top speed to seize the mountain valley route. That way, they'll have no escape."