"A conspiracy? What kind of conspiracy do you imagine?" Ye Jingyu also sat down, picked up the teapot on the table, poured a cup, handed it to Ying Xiaoxiao who had rushed over, and poured another cup for himself.

"A conspiracy to kill you." Zhuge Yishi said faintly, his eyes fixed on Ye Jingyu.

"Hm?" Ye Jingyu and Ying Xiaoxiao both looked at him.

"This incident happened too coincidentally. The first murder occurred the day after you took office as the Grand Commander of the Cloud Guard. This is the first point of suspicion. The Ministry of Justice couldn't possibly solve such a strange murder, so it naturally had to be left to the Cloud Guard. And you, as the newly appointed Grand Commander, naturally needed to show your capability, so you would have to handle such a case personally. Of course, if they knew you had that strange brother, they would be even more certain you'd take the lead. The second point of suspicion is what I just mentioned: Han Muxi had absolutely no need to be so diligently helpful in exposing the truth. Moreover, creatures like vampires are described in a Jingguai Zhi passed down in my family. I only learned of them by chance; the average person would never know unless they had seen one with their own eyes," Zhuge Yishi stated calmly.

"You mean..." A look of admiration already appeared on Ying Xiaoxiao's face.

"There might truly be a presence like a vampire near the Crown Prince. He is luring you here this way, and Han Muxi mentioning vampires was merely to draw your attention to such a creature. If my guess is correct, there will be another murder tonight, and that thing will certainly appear. You will undoubtedly pursue it relentlessly. The Jingguai Zhi states that vampires are extremely fast, and only a few people could keep up, including you. They must have set an ambush somewhere, waiting for you to walk into their trap," Zhuge Yishi laid out his speculation.

If Han Muxi could hear these words here, one wonders if she would be too astonished to close her mouth. To deduce the situation with such precision based on two points that barely qualify as suspicious—the calculating skill displayed was simply unmatched in the world.

Of course, this was also inseparable from Zhuge Yishi's vast knowledge. If he didn't know about the existence of vampires, how could he have drawn such a conclusion?

After finishing, Zhuge Yishi and Ying Xiaoxiao both looked towards Ye Jingyu. Gathering intelligence was Ying Xiaoxiao's duty, analyzing information was Zhuge Yishi's task, and making the final decision rested with Ye Jingyu.

"If they want to kill me, how much strength do you think is required?" Looking at the two before him, Ye Jingyu asked calmly.

"At least three Grandmasters, and they must be at the peak realm!" Zhuge Yishi replied very seriously. Ye Jingyu's cultivation was no longer that of a reckless youth who won by sheer luck.

"Not enough. Three Grandmasters can only contain me. To kill me, you need at least five, and all of them must be at the peak realm. Tell me, if this is truly a killing formation, how many Grandmasters will they dispatch?" Ye Jingyu spoke lightly, a confident smile playing on his lips.

Seeing this smile, Ying Xiaoxiao and Zhuge Yishi were momentarily stunned, especially Ying Xiaoxiao. When they first met, Ye Jingyu's strength was similar to his own. Now, while he remained in the Grandmaster realm, Ye Jingyu could contend with five peak Grandmasters alone. The gap was a bit too vast, wasn't it?

"They should have some understanding of your strength, but they absolutely wouldn't expect that it takes five peak Grandmasters to kill you—that level of power is enough to threaten a Martial Saint. Even if they think highly of you, they wouldn't dispatch five peak Grandmasters just for you. However, on our side, Nangong Shang is a Grandmaster, though newly ascended. Zhu Ruo is also a Grandmaster, but he isn't one of ours. Besides them, we don't have another Grandmaster. So, if I'm right, they should send five Grandmasters, perhaps slightly more for insurance, but not much more. However, you mentioned Luo Haitian's great-grandfather was a Soul Immortal. It's possible Luo Haitian has a powerful Soul Master by his side..." The surprise in Zhuge Yishi's eyes flashed and was gone.

"Heh, five Grandmasters, plus a possible Soul Master. They truly think highly of me. But this amount of power to kill me? Heh, they think too little of me," a mocking smile appeared on Ye Jingyu's lips.

"You intend to turn the tables?" Seeing that smile, Zhuge Yishi's expression changed.

"Yes!" Ye Jingyu nodded firmly.

"No, even if you can handle five Grandmasters, there's no guarantee they haven't hidden other experts. Especially that vampire—even if it's incredibly fast, luring experts of your level requires the strength of at least a Prince, who is a master at the Grandmaster level. That's at least six; plus the possible Soul Master, Nangong Shang, you, and Zhu Ruo—it's all too dangerous," Zhuge Yishi flatly rejected Ye Jingyu's risky plan.

"Heh, Grandmasters are not hired lackeys, and that Crown Prince isn't the Bai Family; where would so many Grandmasters come from? I believe your deduction: five Grandmasters, and they certainly won't all be at the peak. At most, add one Soul Master at the Lingxian realm and one bat. Wiping them out will be as easy as turning over my hand," Ye Jingyu's smile was brimming with confidence.

Since the Crown Prince wanted him dead, he would give the Prince a taste of his own medicine. Successfully eliminating these Grandmasters would surely deal a heavy blow to the Prince's strength.

"I truly don't know where you get your confidence," Zhuge Yishi said faintly, still strongly opposing Ye Jingyu's risky endeavor.

"From here." At this moment, an icy voice drifted out from the shadows. Zhuge Yishi and Ying Xiaoxiao both looked over and saw a man wearing all black, with an iron sword strapped to his back, stepping out.

"Bing Ming?" Ying Xiaoxiao's face stiffened. When did he return? And how long has he been here? How did he not sense anything?

Zhuge Yishi merely showed a flicker of surprise...

"Brother Zhuge, one Martial Saint, plus me—can we manage to kill them?" Seeing Bing Ming appear, the smile on Ye Jingyu's face grew brighter. Ying Xiaoxiao’s expression shifted rapidly. Martial Saint—Bing Ming had truly broken through that barrier to reach the Martial Saint realm. Even Zhuge Yishi's face changed at this moment...

(Some people always say there's too much filler. Then I ask, what isn't filler? Excluding the setting, excluding explanations, excluding character psychology, excluding dialogue, is it just dryly writing out plot points rapidly? I genuinely ask those friends who call things filler: if you wrote like that, would you read it? Truly, it's baffling. I really want to ask those friends who say things are filler: what exactly isn't filler? Can you teach me?)