The Crown Prince tried to think of how his brother could see a problem at all in his own words. Their father was going to be a strong Immortal. What was so bad about that?
"And you didn't give him the sword?" he asked.
Long Huan shook his head. "Of course not," he said.
"Why not?" the Crown Prince asked.
"Because he's gone mad," the 2nd prince said. "I don't know if it's madness or what exactly, but he's not right anymore. I saw it in his eyes when he asked me for the sword. Have you not noticed it? Or does he hide it well now?"
"I…" the Crown Prince thought about it for a bit. "I don't get to see him that often. He's always too busy in closed cultivation. But still, that's no reason to think father had gone bad or any—"
"He hunted me down when I ran away," the 2nd prince said. "He tried to kill my wife because she fought back. Had it not been for old Zhou, she would've been dead."
"Not only that, he fought with complete disregard for everyone else's life. Everyone was just… a tool to be used. I saw him attack through a person to catch my wife blindsided."
"I don't want to think what would've happened to me, but I doubt it would be anything good. I don't believe he would kill me, but I can see him imprisoning me in the palace for life."
"It was a good thing I ran away," the 2nd prince continued. "I was doing it out of mere instincts, and I realize now that I might have done something good."
That had been what had put his life in danger in the first place, the 2nd Prince had realized that, but he didn't want to think about it.
He turned to look at his brother and found him looking shocked and aghast.
"What did you say about old Zhou?" the Crown prince asked. "He saved you?"
"Yes," the 2nd Prince answered. "He knew he was going to die in the process too, but he acted to save me. I am forever indebted to him."
"Old Zhou saved you? Are you sure about it?" the Crown Prince asked.
Now that he was thinking about it, the Crown Prince remembered that what his father had told him was that his Brother was going on a journey around the world, and Zhou Linfan was going along with him.
He had always been a part of the story that his father had formulated, but it seemed unimportant to the Crown Prince. Now that he was hearing it again, maybe it wasn't so unimportant.
"I'm sorry, who are you guys talking about?" Alex asked. He remembered nobody named Old Zhou in any conversations.
"Old Zhou, he's uhh… Zhou Linfan," the 2nd Prince said. "He used to work in the Palace."
"Zhou Linfan?" Alex thought for a moment. He had heard of that name before, hadn't he? Not just once too. He had heard about his travels with the 2nd prince which was a lie.
He had also heard about Zhou Linfan being a great cook.
"He's the missing head cook from the palace, isn't he?" Alex asked, finally remembering. He remembered not just about him from the Palace, but the Royal School of Cooking as well.
Zhou Linfan was a Level 10 cook.
"Did he die saving you?" Alex asked the 2nd prince.
The 2nd prince said nothing for a moment, looking to his brother for an answer.
"I… don't know if he's dead or not. All I knew was that he was out on a journey alongside Huan," the Crown Prince said. His thoughts were still lost on his father.
Alex started thinking about the information he had received from the Oathbreakers.
Something terrible had happened during that very battle, causing many to leave the military and join the resistance. Was it the sight of a father trying to kill a son for not giving what was his?
Was it the sight of a young girl with a very high potential being poisoned and killed? Or was it the complete disregard for human life?
Attacking someone to catch another person off guard. Using a poison whose presence alone killed two people.
Or maybe it was a collection of everything together that made them worried that they were not doing the right thing. Not everyone felt that way certainly, but it was a significant enough portion that one could be sure they were not entirely wrong in choosing to oppose the Emperor.
Alex took the opportunity to speak again. "If I remember correctly from what the Crown Prince told me a few years ago, the swords you mention are keys to the Azure Dragon's realm, right?" he asked.
The two brothers turned around and slowly nodded.
"You gave your sword to your mother and it was destroyed. What did that sword do again? Teleport?" Alex asked.
"Yes, it helped you teleport," the Crown Prince said.
"Then the White Sword that Prince Huan has should be the one that cuts space, correct?" Alex asked.
"Yes, that's the one I have," the 2nd Prince said, eyeing his brother curiously. He wondered why he would reveal such information to someone else.
"Then I am very much confused," Alex said. "There is a direct teleportation formation to the Azure Dragon's realm, is there not? So what's the need for the sword?"
A sword that cut through space would be handy for anyone wanting to go into or out of any secret realm. The advantage of such a sword was immense. Alex wondered if they saw it that way.
"It doesn't just cut through the spatial barrier around the Azure Dragon's realm, but every other secret realm as well," the 2nd Prince said. "I've given this a lot of thought, but to this day I have failed to see what exactly it is that father could want so desperately that he was ready to kill me if need be."
"I'm sure he wasn't going to kill—"
"He was, brother. I'm sure of it," the 2nd Prince said. "I don't know why, but Mother's death affected him in some way. He's not the same person he was anymore. He changed. I pray that he returns to how he was, but as it stands, I don't doubt he would kill me if it means he would become stronger."
The two brothers started talking with each other, and Alex slowly ignored them. He fell into his thought, imagining how the Dragon Emperor was ever planning to become stronger with a sword like that.
It could be that he just wanted the sword to take away, but the greater possibility was that he thought he needed to use it.
As someone with Dao of Space, he had a better understanding of Space and could create openings in the Secret realm without using any artifact to aid him. If he could do that, how could he use it to become a very strong Immortal?
Considering the Dragon Emperor's fear of death and irrelevancy in the higher realm, whatever he wanted would have to be very strong.
'Does he want to enter some sort of secret realm that houses a lot of treasure?' Alex wondered. 'One that was left behind from the time of the Immortals?'
Did something like the Demon realm back in the Western Continent exist here as well? Or was he not planning on using it on—
Alex froze and his eyes went wide as a very horrifying possibility surfaced in his mind.
