Night had fallen when Qin Muye and 'Gong Kang' managed to infiltrate Prince's estate with ease, thanks to Qin Muye's financial prowess. The two were not assigned to any arduous tasks. Instead, they ended up helping in the kitchen, which basically meant slacking off.
Qin Muye had, after all, handed over some silver, unlike those who came to work for pay. The housekeeper who arranged for their entrance was quite honest and merely asked them to pretend to work.
When the time came, the two were each to carry a plate of cold dishes upstairs, and as long as they did not make a mistake, they would basically get a glimpse of the goings-on.
This was quite ideal, meeting all their requirements.
On the side, 'Gong Kang' was feeling somewhat frustrated. To him, the estate's security was tight, not easily breached by ordinary folk. But after he saw Qin Muye slip a small bag of silver to one of the housekeepers, the so-called tight security vanished, and they had easily slipped in.
Fortunately, this was good news for him, certainly not bad.
'Still, it's a bit strange. Without me as a decoy, why is it still so calm? Shouldn't they be conducting a city-wide search?' 'Gong Kang' was puzzled by the calm that pervaded the entire estate. Did they not care that people were missing?
Since he was 'invisible under the light,' he wasn't worried about being discovered.
"When do you think the banquet will start?" 'Gong Kang' prodded, with seeming indifference. He had already extinguished the thought of killing Qin Muye.
In his eyes, there was no longer any concern for the future, since he had infiltrated back into the estate. As long as the Blood Sacrifice commenced, there would be no escape for the others. Why bother taking action?
Moreover, he considered Qin Muye to be a rare talent. Had his own identity still been that of the Prince's grandson, he would have recruited Qin Muye without a moment's hesitation. Even though Qin Muye was just a commoner and not a Spirit Master, his network was impressive enough to warrant attention.
"I just asked the housekeeper. It should be soon, within this period of time. Don't be anxious, we are here to broaden our horizons, and we'll definitely get our chance to go up. Just don't mess up when it's time," Qin Muye was not concerned about 'Gong Kang's' probing. It was obvious that the latter planned to use this time to stir up trouble.
How could he not be aware? This was his own home, after all, and he was partly responsible for the Blood Sacrifice ritual.
Even if he didn't know the specifics, the annual banquet and reception times at the estate were fixed, and while outsiders might be unaware, how could he, a scion of the estate, not know?
"Oh, there's still some time, then. I'll go take a walk," said 'Gong Kang,' giving Qin Muye a reason to leave without arousing suspicion. Otherwise, leaving without reason might have raised eyebrows. Thanksforreading—broughttoyouby*.
Qin Muye was shocked. This lad still thought he was the grandson of the Prince and wanted to go for a stroll?
"If you want to die, that's your business, but don't drag me into it. How could you come up with the idea of wandering around in the estate?" Qin Muye retorted.
At that moment, 'Gong Kang' realized the situation had changed. It was no longer as it once was, and he really couldn't just wander around the estate.
There wasn't much to do in the kitchen, but if he wandered elsewhere, he was likely to be apprehended by the guards right away. The kitchen housekeeper might take a bribe, but the other guards probably wouldn't.
So if he actually went out, the likelihood of being discovered was quite high.
His expression darkened, as this would impede all his plans for investigation.
"What, still not giving up? I've told you before, this estate is home to Spirit Masters from the Immortal Realm. They could annihilate us with a mere gesture," Qin Muye said, the words like a thorn in 'Gong Kang's' side.
"I know, just thinking out loud," 'Gong Kang' replied calmly after regaining control of his emotions.
Now, he wasn't his own master, and it wasn't like old times when he could act recklessly. So he had to endure and wait until the Blood Sacrifice ritual began before he could act.
He figured that his grandfather, the Prince, must have found a substitute, like his father, who knew nothing but indulgence. Otherwise, the Prince would not be so unconcerned.
As for the idea of his own exposure? That was even more unlikely. If he had really been exposed, he would have been captured long ago, not still here chatting with Qin Muye.
Qin Muye scoffed at "Gong Kang"'s thoughts. Still not giving up the fantasy at this time?
From the very beginning, he was unable to free himself from Prince Yi's control. The reason he wasn't caught was simply to avoid pushing him to the extreme, just like how he was able to escape from the strict surveillance.
Qin Muye never intended to point this out, since it wasn't him who was unlucky, and before this, this guy had wanted to kill him. Qin Muye certainly didn't have such a magnanimous heart to just let it go.
It was true he hadn't made a move, but that was because he felt Qin Muye could be used, not because of a guilty conscience. If it had been due to a change of heart, Qin Muye might really not have set him up.
"You should really give up on such ideas. You truly have a knack for seeking death," Qin Muye said.
"..." Qin Muye's sarcasm left "Gong Kang" speechless and feeling that this man really didn't know how to speak properly. However, since he was in a dire situation, he didn't show it.
Time passed by the minute and soon, the kitchen became even busier.
"The cold dishes are ready, the two of you hurry over," the kitchen housekeeper shouted to Qin Muye and "Gong Kang".
A cold light flashed in "Gong Kang"'s eyes, and he cursed inwardly, dog servant. He didn't recognize this kitchen housekeeper. Speaking of which, there were quite a number of housekeepers in Prince Yi's estate, which was vast with businesses far and wide – nearly a thousand housekeepers, not to mention servants and the like.
On regular days, he dealt with the head housekeepers, who were akin to managers of various matters with considerable authority in their hands.
And the area of Prince Yi's entire estate was even larger, with some places he had never visited, such as the kitchen; he had never been there, as a simple order was all it took.
"Here we go, hurry up, what are you dazing about for?" Qin Muye tugged at "Gong Kang"'s sleeve, snapping him back to reality.
Soon, they were each assigned a dish. Just for the cold dishes, there were three hundred servants delivering them, and it was estimated that they wouldn't finish in one trip. At least four trips would be needed, equivalent to setting up at least twelve hundred tables to start with. The actual number would be a bit more since some servants had to carry two cold dishes each.
Of course, the two of them would only go once, because after all, they had paid to come in for the experience, not to be true servants. One or two times was fine, but if they went too many times and something went wrong, what then?
Making money also required knowing the right measure.
The two followed the crowd in, where a great number of Spirit Masters sat, most from the Refining Spirit Sect and a small part from the Spirit-controlling Sect, with their Spiritual Beasts, making it look like a zoo.
"Gong Kang" suppressed his discomfort, set down the cold dishes, and followed the large group back. Halfway along, he vanished from the group with a flicker, inconspicuously breaking away from the procession.
Now that he had achieved his goal, he naturally wouldn't follow these servants back to the kitchen, because if he really went back, then they would be arranged to leave Prince Yi's estate, which certainly wasn't something he could accept. Thus, with a good opportunity to leave, it was natural to seize the moment.
Qin Muye also silently broke away from the group once he noticed "Gong Kang" had left.
"Tsk, this kid is really willing to gamble. Following him now should yield some gains," Qin Muye said slowly, trailing behind "Gong Kang". It seemed that the other was trying to head towards the core area of the Blood Sacrifice.
The banquet had already started, and the Blood Sacrifice had also begun, just not obviously so since it had just started. To reach the bloody hue communicated by the original form, it would take several hours at least. Such a large-scale operation needed time to build up; otherwise, a direct full-force start would be too much even for Prince Yi to handle.
Moreover, since it's called a sacrifice, it couldn't be completed in an instant. There had to be a full process.
As for the preparations made by Prince Yi's estate today, they were naturally setting the stage.
Following "Gong Kang" through twists and turns for nearly half an hour, they finally reached their destination.
"To be honest, 'Gong Kang' must be blinded by rage to not have noticed that along the way, there wasn't even a single guard," Qin Muye mused.
"Also, I have to say, Prince Yi's estate is indeed a whole level larger than King Lu's residence. You have to admire their style..."
After comparing the two royal estates, Qin Muye felt that Prince Yi was not only good at feigning folly but also had a knack for amassing wealth.