Taiyi Dao Fruit

"Sigh."

In the tattered room, the Princess sat on the bed, letting out a long sigh.

From the bottom of her heart, she wanted to trust Feng Manlou, even though she had seen the Candle Dragon's Eye. However, the root of her suspicion wasn't this, but whether Feng Manlou's mental state would change.

Trust fundamentally stems from friendship — if friendship doesn't exist, then neither does trust.

With this thought, the Princess's mind was in turmoil, her emotions difficult to discern.

On the other hand, if that sneaky fellow today had nothing to do with Feng Manlou, then who was he?

Subconsciously, the Princess thought of the Old Demon and her young lover who came to probe today.

The intention of probing from these two was something the Princess naturally couldn't fail to see. It just so happened that this incident occurred right when they arrived, which was too coincidental, causing the Princess to have doubts.

Although she had no evidence, suspicion needs no reason.

If it wasn't Feng Manlou who did this, then it was possible that those two dogs did it together.

"Yes, it's me."

Almost simultaneously as the Princess thought of this possibility, a voice sounded.

The Vermilion Bird garment suddenly burst into vermilion flames, and the Princess's face showed a stern look. The room seemed to be scorched as if burned, leaving charred marks.

Compared to the previous sweeping glance, the Princess's current sweep was much more brutal, even directly destroying everything her divine thought touched, attempting to find the hidden person's trace through this method.

However, there was still nothing.

The whole room was scorched by the flames, and even the temperature of the palace rose rapidly, yet the presence of the other party was still undiscovered.

"Phew—"

In the fierce hot wind, the divine thought retracted, and the Princess sat composed amidst the flames, coldly saying, "You and Tianxuan have both dared to deceive me. Do you think I am made of clay?"

During the search, the Princess had already identified the voice, questioning who else it could be if not her cheap brother-in-law?

Feng Manlou really had found himself a good brother.

And Tianxuan, those bastards joining forces to cause trouble, was simply intolerable.

"Ah~ dare not say 'deceive'."

That voice echoed again, seemingly from all around, yet as if right beside her, "If it weren't for elder brother's reckless actions, I wouldn't have resorted to this desperate measure, sister-in-law. Don't falsely accuse me."

"Reckless actions?" The Princess snorted coldly, indicating disbelief.

"Isn't it reckless? Trying to unseal the Emperor, letting him return, this move would completely negate our efforts, we must be cautious."

Jiang Li positioned himself on the moral high ground initially.

His words indeed called for caution.

The court needed the Emperor Dao Fruit to return, but did not need the Emperor himself to return. Moreover, even if the Emperor Dao Fruit returned now, it might not be a blessing for Jiang Li's side.

Thus, although the connection between Feng Manlou and the Great Venerable was clear, Jiang Li and Tianxuan never spoke about bringing the Emperor Dao Fruit back. Even the Princess never mentioned it to Feng Manlou.

Jiang Li's statement was indeed not incorrect, allowing him to first occupy the moral high ground and begin to point fingers.

"Sister-in-law, don't deny it; you borrowed the Dragon Armor Divine Chapter from Master. How could Master not pay attention, especially after elder brother was punished to kneel on the Fire Lotus? Master and I could both predict the potential situation."

Jiang Li continued, directly blocking the Princess's denial.

Of course, regarding Feng Manlou's attempted efforts to make Jiang Li the Emperor, he mentioned none of this, placing the matter squarely as official business.

"Now that you know the situation, are you satisfied?"

The Princess's expression changed, her sharpness increasing, obviously displeased to have family matters known by Jiang Li. Yet, on the other hand, having things known by someone considered family like Jiang Li was better than outsiders knowing, and certainly better than it truly being an incarnation of Feng Manlou spying on the diary.

This slightly eased the Princess's heart.

But there was no need to show this.

She was still sensing her surroundings, trying to locate Jiang Li's whereabouts.

Jiang Li appeared unconcerned by the Princess's sensing efforts, responding promptly, "Whether satisfied or not doesn't matter much to me; what's important is relieving sister-in-law's worries. Additionally, I have a small idea that might help solve sister-in-law's problem."

"Oh? Let's hear it." The Princess continued her search but with a tone now softened by interest.

She had sparred with Tianxuan for years. Though Tianxuan did concede intentionally, the Princess was not merely a woman of martial prowess; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to control the Southern Heavenly Department for years and stabilize the situation swiftly post-regency.

The Princess could indeed display a bit of acting skill with ease.

"It's quite simple."

Jiang Li confidently said, "What worries you about elder brother is nothing more than a change in his mental state. As long as you control him, there's no need to worry about any changes."

"Knock him down and suppress him in the Heavenly Prison. Dare his mental state change, just beat him, and he'll naturally not dare."

Princess: "..."

This so-called idea indeed sounded unreliable, and at first, the Princess even thought it was suggested by her usually flaky Prince Consort.

But upon careful thought, it indeed seemed feasible.

Not to say literally beating Feng Manlou into not daring to change his mental state, but rather having him, or rather, the Great Venerable, under control. Granted they could overpower the Great Venerable.

So who could overpower the Great Venerable, or at least have that potential?

"Little talent I am, I believe I have the capability to exchange a few blows with the Great Venerable in the future, perhaps helping sister-in-law achieve her wishes." Jiang Li confidently recommended himself.

Indeed, if anyone in the current world had the potential to become a Supreme, or even surpass the Supreme, it would undoubtedly be Jiang.

"You're confident enough," the Princess said with a light snort, yet did not oppose Jiang Li's words.

"So, would sister-in-law be willing to lend a helping hand?"

Jiang Li pressed on, saying, "Regarding elder brother, both sister-in-law and I are of the same mind. We do not wish to become his enemy, nor do we want the current situation to be destroyed."

"So, you want me to keep an eye on Manlou for you?" the Princess directly stated Jiang Li's aim.

Provide information on Feng Manlou to facilitate Jiang Li's estimation of the Great Venerable's will and avoid a sudden strike at a critical moment by the Great Venerable. Like this time, should Feng Manlou truly unseal the Emperor, the favorable situation might sharply deteriorate, and Jiang might find himself in the yellow robe, settled in the Divine Capital for life, committed to the Great Zhou.

But it couldn't be stated so bluntly.

"No, I simply hope sister-in-law can grasp the situation and take control of the variables," Jiang Li artfully expressed another meaning for the same action.

"Then I must thank you for your thoughtfulness."

The Princess laughed somewhat sardonically, yet voiced no opposition.

One must admit, Jiang Li, taught by that woman Tianxuan, demonstrated rhetoric quite akin to her, even with a tendency to surpass the teacher.

Indeed, the Princess was tempted.

But how to proceed didn't require Jiang Li's further guidance.

"If there's a need, I'll inform Tianxuan," the Princess said.

'Choosing to trust Tianxuan and not me? You two arch-enemies have indeed grown fond of each other through fighting.'

Jiang Li, hearing this, sighed inwardly, yet was unsurprised. He replied with a smile, "Naturally."

Nevertheless, getting connected with the Princess was sufficient.

With the agreement reached, the tense atmosphere eased, and the Princess, still glancing around, unable to spot Jiang Li, said, "Now that we've reached an agreement, shouldn't you come out?"

Her curiosity about Jiang Li's hiding method was quite piqued, and understanding its secret could prevent future failures in locating him.

This time, had Jiang Li not spoken up, the Princess wouldn't have known he hadn't left.

Yet, Jiang Li, who had been so eloquent, fell silent now.

After a long while, when the Princess suspected he had quietly left, Jiang Li's voice sounded again.

"Sister-in-law, open your mouth, I'm coming out."