1045 Brothers, Half a Catty and Eight Taels

The mechanism was activated, and there was no trap. The man who pressed the mechanism breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and shouted to the outside: "There is a secret passage. Bring a torch and come in. It's hard to see clearly.

When the boss heard this, he immediately ordered someone to bring torches in. The room was brightly lit, and it was just an ordinary study, with nothing special about it.

"It is indeed a secret passage. Leave half of the people to guard it, and the others follow me in." The Ninth Prince's villa was indeed exquisite. They were considered experts, but it took so many people half an hour to find this place.

The leader led everyone into the secret passage one by one, and the people who stayed behind watched at the entrance of the secret passage to prevent any accidents. But at this moment, a creaking sound was heard, and the entrance of the secret passage suddenly closed...

"Quick, go and see what went wrong."

"Who is it? Come out."

Those who stayed behind suddenly panicked, raised torches and looked around, and suddenly found a man in black sitting in front of a desk with his back to them.

When did this person sit there, and why didn't they notice him when they came in?

The people who stayed behind looked at each other, a hint of panic flashed in their eyes, then they nodded and rushed towards the man in black at the same time.

"You two really want to kill me?" The chair turned, and the man in black revealed his true face.

"Black-clad, silver-faced man, are you Lan Jiuqing?" The people who stayed behind were startled, but in that instant, Lan Jiuqing's sword was unsheathed...

With a snap, Lan Jiuqing first extinguished the torches in their hands. The room suddenly became dark. Lan Jiuqing leaped into the air, using the force of the desk to fly forward. Before the opponent could make a move, he thrust his sword into the opponent's heart.

"The people under the emperor's command are getting worse and worse." Lan Jiuqing's words were not only used to mock the other party's uselessness, but also to point out the other party's identity.

The person who stayed behind didn't think much about it. Seeing that his identity was exposed, he said angrily: "Lan Jiuqing, why are you so arrogant? Don't forget who you were in the beginning. You were beaten like a stray dog ​​by Master Fu. If you weren't lucky enough to run fast, grass would have grown on your graves."

"Lord Fu? Fu Lin? Why hasn't he come? I came here tonight to wait for him." With Lan Jiuqing's strength, taking these people's lives would be a matter of a blink of an eye, but he chose to take it slowly, attacking them one by one, and saying a few words from time to time, as if he was intentionally trying to trick them.

At first, the people who stayed behind didn't think much of it, but when Lan Jiuqing asked more and more questions, they realized that Lan Jiuqing asked too many questions today, and they immediately shouted to their companions: "Don't talk to him, he is trying to trick us."

"What a pity that you found me. Since you are of no value, there is no need for you to survive." Lan Jiuqing moved like a tiger jumping into a flock of sheep. He stabbed his sword into the opponent's body and pulled it out quickly. Blood beads fell down along the tip of his sword. With a snap, it shattered...

When Lan Jiuqing jumped out of the crowd, those people were still standing. It was not until Lan Jiuqing wiped the blood off the sword that they fell down one by one.

"Third Prince, it's time for you to come out." Lan Jiuqing said to the bookshelf.

Of course the bookshelf would not answer him, and Lan Jiuqing did not get angry. He put away his sword and walked forward, pushing the bookshelf open with force. The bookshelf suddenly slid to the left like a door. When it was opened, there was a small room inside, and a man was sitting in the room.

That man was the Third Prince whom the Emperor wanted to take away.

The news the emperor received was not wrong. The Third Prince had indeed arrived in the capital earlier than the Ninth Prince and was placed in a separate courtyard by the Ninth Prince. However, the emperor's people had no hope of taking the Third Prince away.

"Lan Jiuqing? What is your relationship with the Lan family of the previous dynasty? What is your purpose?" The Third Prince was behind the bookshelf and knew exactly what had happened.

"The Third Prince is indeed perceptive. No wonder the current emperor is so wary of you. I said I am here to help you sit in that position, do you believe it?" Lan Jiuqing's words sounded like a joke, but he said it in an extremely cold tone, which made people think again.

The Third Prince did not answer. He looked at Lan Jiuqing scrutinizingly, and after a long while he said, "So, you are really a descendant of the Lan family of the previous dynasty?"

The Third Prince had heard of Lan Jiuqing's reputation, but this was the first time he had seen him in person. The Third Prince didn't know much about Lan Jiuqing. As a man of the world, the Third Prince didn't take Lan Jiuqing seriously.

"Since Third Prince has guessed it, why bother asking?" Lan Jiuqing did not deny it. The bloody sword was pointed at the Third Prince with an imposing manner.

The Third Prince did not show it on the surface, but in fact he was still affected by Lan Jiuqing's murderous aura, and felt a little uneasy. He met Lan Jiuqing's cold eyes, and subconsciously avoided them, saying: "So, you came here for the Kyushu map in my hand?"

Kyushu map?

The Third Prince has a map of Kyushu?

How come it's been so long since the Ninth Prince captured the Third Prince, but he hasn't found any news at all?

Lan Jiuqing remained calm on the surface, but countless thoughts flashed through his mind. He never imagined that the Third Prince actually had a map of Kyushu in his hand. This was truly... a coincidence.

Lan Jiuqing did not feel guilty at all, and nodded coldly: "Third Prince is indeed smart. Since you know why I am here, please cooperate with me. Third Prince should understand that I am just a rough man."

Lan Jiuqing believed that the Third Prince was not lying to him. There were very few people who knew the map of Jiuzhou. If the Third Prince said it at this time, he must have it in his hands.

"The Kyushu map is only useful if all nine are collected. It's useless if I have only one. So what's the harm in giving it to Lan Jiuqing? It's just..." Seeing that the bait he threw out was useful, the Third Prince put on an unfathomable look, waiting for Lan Jiuqing to take the bait.

"Just what?" Lan Jiuqing gave him face and took the bait.

The Third Prince was secretly delighted, but he remained calm on the surface, saying calmly: "It's just that... I gave the map of Kyushu to Young Master Lan, what will Young Master Lan give me in return?";

"Repay you? How about leaving you an intact body?" Lan Jiuqing thrust the sword forward, only a fingernail's distance away from the Third Prince. The Third Prince was startled and sat up straight involuntarily. Seeing that Lan Jiuqing had no intention of killing him, he relaxed.

"Young Master Lan is such a joker. As you are from the previous dynasty, you should understand the importance of the Kyushu Map. It is not too much to exchange my life for a Kyushu Map, right?" The Third Prince stated his conditions.

To Lan Jiuqing, the Third Prince didn't ask for much, he just wanted to leave alive, but to the Ninth Prince, this condition was too high.

If the Third Prince disappeared at this moment, the Ninth Prince would be charged with deceiving the emperor. If he didn't want to die, he had to rebel...

I have to say that as brothers, they are very similar. Whether it is the emperor, the third prince or the ninth uncle, they are all equally cruel and have no brotherly love for their brothers...