Stranger Danger

"Everything is in place, Master Feng. All we need now is your east wind."

Jewel Tree Prince looked at Yu Hongfeng, eyes shining with a deep, indifferent gleam.

Yu Hongfeng was caught off guard. "What east wind? What do you need me to do?"

Jewel Tree Prince said, "Your mission is very simple. You simply need to bring Yu Hongluan to Emerald Garden."

"You want me to bring Yu Hongluan here?"

This time, Yu Hongfeng understood him perfectly. "Catch the leader, catch them all?"

"That is correct, wise Master Feng," Jewel Tree Prince admitted with a smile.

Yu Hongfeng hesitated, "I can do that... but..." "There are no buts," Jewel Tree Prince interrupted him before he could finish. "You won't be in danger, and no accidents will happen. With me here, everything will go perfectly!"

Yu Hongfeng was still hesitant, however.

"Don't you want to become the island lord? Don't you want to make those who look down on you grovel at your feet? Don't you want to join the higher-ups?" Jewel Tree Prince asked slowly while looking at Yu Hongfeng.

"Of course I do," Yu Hongfeng answered without hesitation.

"If you do, then do as I say," Jewel Tree Prince replied.

The picture Jewel Tree Prince painted made Yu Hongfeng excited for a bit, but he eventually calmed down and became hesitant once more. "Is capturing Yu Hongluan enough though?"

"Of course." Jewel Tree Prince analyzed, "Yu Hongluan is the island lord of Floating Island. If we capture her, then Floating Island would naturally fall into our hands."

"When it is time, you will become the lord and master of Floating Island. The thirty six islands and seventy two islets will become fishes on our chopping block as well. When the time comes, you will become the crownless king of all. You will rule at the top, while everyone else will serve below."

"In fact, the Profound Moon Dynasty, the Sun Worship Divine Kingdom, Southern Sea Sword Sect, Xixa Abode, Floating Light Celestial Island and more will eventually fall into our hands. When the time comes, you will be the master of the Profound Alliance and the king of the humans. Everyone will need to listen to your orders, everyone will need to bow their heads before you, everyone will need to treat you with the utmost reverence..."

The more he listened, the more his eyes reddened, and his breathing grew heavy. It was as if he had completely lost his rationality.

"Okay! Okay! I'll get it done right now!"

Yu Hongfeng rose to his feet and hurriedly walked toward the exit. "I'll invite Yu Hongluan to the Emerald Garden right now."

"Wait, Master Feng." But Jewel Tree Prince stopped him. "Yu Hongluan is not a witless fool. If you invite her like this, she will surely suspect something and grow cautious. It would be detrimental to our plans."

"Yes, yes, you're right."

Yu Hongfeng calmed down as well. "Although Yu Hongluan is my younger sister, we do not share a good relationship with each other. It's been a long time since we last met, in fact. I'm the one who usually seeks her out at her place, while she rarely comes to Emerald Garden. She will definitely grow suspicious if I invite her without thought."

"Also, she's normally quite busy. She won't accept my invitation unless she has good reason to."

"Yeah, I need a reason."

Seeing Yu Hongfeng scratching his head in thought, Jewel Tree Prince said lightly, "I've already come up with a reason for you."

Yu Hongfeng asked urgently, "Tell me!"

"It's simple. You simply need to tell Yu Hongluan that you have found the truth and a clue regarding your father's disappearance."

Jewel Tree Prince declared confidently, "Yu Hongluan would definitely show up if she hears this. With luck, she might even come alone."

"That's a great idea!"

Yu Hongfeng's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Yu Hongluan had never let go of the old man's disappearance despite all these years. She had never stopped trying to find out the truth and reason behind his disappearance. If she hears that I have a clue, then she will show up no matter what."

"Your wisdom truly is unparalleled, Jewel Tree Prince! Hahaha!"

"You flatter me."

Jewel Tree Prince let out a chuckle. "I will make all the preparations. The moment Yu Hongluan sets foot in the Emerald Garden is the day you and I succeed."

"Time is wasting. I'll send someone to invite Yu Hongluan right now," Yu Honfeng said urgently.

"Patience. Let us pass the time with a drink or two."

Jewel Tree Prince raised his wine cup in toast. "The best time to kill is when the sky is dark, and the wind is loud. There is no hurry."

"You're right!"

So, Yu Hongfeng sat down again and shouted, "Men, bring me the best wine I have; the Celestial Fall! Today, I will drink with my honored guests to my heart's content!"

"Hahaha..."

......

"Jewel Tree Prince? One of the thirteen princes of the Rakshasa Kingdom?"

Inside the Emerald Garden, Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou were standing underneath a laurel tree and listening to Jewel Tree Prince and Yu Hongfeng's conversation with smiles on their faces.

"Tsk tsk. Who would have thought that Yu Hongluan's own brother would collude with a Rakshasa prince to steal her hard-earned dynasty? Truly, the family thief is the hardest to guard against!"

Ye Qing rubbed his nose with a sneer.

Back at the port, Feng Qingyou had discovered the disguised Jewel Tree Prince and his fellow Strangers by accident. However, she couldn't be sure because there were way too many people at the time, nor could she say if this was a good thing or a bad thing. So, she left a mental imprint on them so that they could perform an investigation later.

Immediately after they arrived here following the mental imprint, they had been treated to a most wonderful show. Sometimes, it was all a coincidence. Sometimes, it was all fate.

"Familial relationships have always been a fickle thing before interest."

Feng Qingyou replied plainly as if she had seen this a thousand times already. "Most importantly, this Yu Hongfeng is just an idiot who's too greedy for his own good."

"Indeed. He truly is a greedy idiot." Ye Qing scoffed. "A big fucking idiot."

Plotting with the tiger wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but to believe the promises of the tiger? Just how stupid could he get?

Yu Hongfeng was hopelessly stupid. The fact that he was colluding with a Stranger despite being a human himself was already stupid. That his goal was to steal his family member's assets was even stupider.

If Yu Hongfeng was simply planning to use the Jewel Tree Prince and his fellow Strangers until they became useless and kill them mercilessly after the fact, then Ye Qing might have had a more favorable impression of him. He might be immoral, but at least he was competent.

But no, the thought had never crossed Yu Hongfeng's mind, nor was he guarded against the possibility of betrayal at all. He actually believed the false dreams and total lies the Strangers had painted and thought that controlling Yu Hongluan was all that was necessary for him to become the island lord of Floating Island and eventual king of the thirty six islands and seventy two islets!

It was such a ludicrous promise that even a child probably wouldn't fall for it, but not only did Yu Hongfeng believe it, he believed it wholeheartedly. He never even considered the possibility that his "friends" might go against their word and turn against him.

Ye Qing had seen many stupid people, but this was the first time he encountered someone so hopelessly stupid.

It was a miracle that such a stupid man managed to live in this world for so long.

He truly had a good father and younger sister.