Lin Fan's expression was grave. He knew that Long Pu was about to unleash a fatal blow.
"Amitabha."
Long Pu raised his head and smiled bitterly. "Why must you esteemed benefactors force my hand?"
"Master Long Pu, this concerns the Zheng family's great undertaking. You cannot stand idly by!" Zheng Xingchao said, then dropped to his knees with a thud.
Xie Wei also knelt down.
With the two leaders in this posture, the others, whether willing or not, could only kneel in unison.
Lin Fan and Zheng Yue quietly retreated, hiding behind the colonnade.
They did not even kneel to the king, so how could they possibly kneel to the ill-intentioned Long Pu.
Lin Fan glanced sideways and saw that the Li siblings had also hidden themselves.
"Alas!" Long Pu sighed heavily. "Please rise, everyone."
Zheng Xingchao insisted on kneeling, his hands clasped in a gesture of respect. "If the Master refuses to lend aid, we shall remain here, kneeling, and will not rise."
"Master, you cannot refuse to save us!"
"The Zheng family's throne was usurped for several hundred years. The time to set things right is now!"
"Countless people are anticipating this day!"
The crowd was impassioned.
Long Pu showed a distressed expression and said hesitantly, "I have a method, but it goes against the natural order..."
"Heaven and earth bear witness. I, Zheng Xingchao, will bear all consequences. Master, you are merciful, and your actions are for the good of all under heaven. The Buddha will surely not blame you." Zheng Xingchao looked at Long Pu expectantly.
Long Pu's indifferent eyes slowly shifted, looking towards Lin Fan and Zheng Yue.
Seeing this, Zheng Yue's face instantly turned as pale as paper. She stumbled back several steps.
Fortunately, Lin Fan grabbed her hand in time, or she would surely have fallen.
Zheng Xingchao also looked over, his brow furrowed. "Master Long Pu, does this method involve my Yue'er?"
"That is correct," Long Pu said. "Your daughter possesses the 'Dragon-Slaying Auspice,' which happens to counteract dragon energy."
"Dragon-Slaying Auspice?" Li Yusheng frowned, looking at his sister Li Yurou.
Li Yurou gently shook her head. She had used too much of her vital energy earlier to observe the king's fortune and could not perform fortune-telling again in a short time.
Therefore, she could not judge whether Long Pu was telling the truth or not.
The siblings looked at Lin Fan in unison.
"Heh heh," Lin Fan chuckled coldly, his gaze fixed on Long Pu. This old fox was truly cunning!
Long Pu remained expressionless and continued, "I have a secret technique. After one hundred and eighty days of practice, it can help your daughter absorb Naree's dragon energy."
"As one wanes, the other waxes. Your daughter's dragon energy will greatly increase, and she is destined to ascend the throne," Long Pu added.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Xingchao felt a pang of unease.
The day he had long awaited had finally come. He had expected to ascend the throne soon, but who would have thought that his daughter, whom he had always overlooked, possessed the Dragon-Slaying Auspice?
Did this mean he had no chance?
Zheng Xingchao lowered his head, his face exceedingly grim.
A smile played on Lin Fan's lips. Neither of these old men was good. Long Pu, in particular, was manipulating everyone like monkeys with ease.
Lin Fan and the Li siblings were present, and if Long Pu had lied about the king's fortune, it would have been easily exposed.
Lin Fan had never expected the old man to take such a drastic, counter-intuitive approach.
This put Zheng Yue in a perilous situation.
If the secret of Zheng Yue's ability to slay dragons were to be discovered by the royal family, it would undoubtedly bring disaster.
Furthermore, within the Zheng family itself, would the elder branch allow Zheng Yue to become queen?
They had shamelessly bullied Zheng Yue's mother for years. If Zheng Yue became queen, they would not expect a good outcome for themselves.
As for Naree, with her dragon energy now prominent, not only would the royal family pay close attention to and protect her, but the Zheng family would also ensure she came to no harm. After all, she was the only one who currently possessed dragon energy.
If there was truly no other way, Zheng Xingchao would have to let his daughter try to seize the dragon energy from her, to ensure the Zheng family's dominance over Siam.
This was clearly a blatant scheme!
"Very well, we shall proceed as Master Long Pu has suggested." Zheng Xingchao slumped dejectedly, looking ten years older in an instant.
"Wait!" Just then, Lin Fan stepped forward and called out.
To everyone's surprise, Lin Fan walked up to Long Pu and said, "I am unworthy, but I have a different opinion."
Long Pu seemed to have anticipated this and calmly replied, "This old monk is eager to hear it."
"Master Long Pu, pray tell, what is the Dragon-Slaying Auspice?" Lin Fan asked assertively.
"In the mortal realm, there is the imperial aura, which resembles a dragon, supreme, powerful, and exalted. This is dragon energy. However, all things are born of mutual generation and restraint. Among the myriad beings, there are those who are outstanding and possess the Dragon-Slaying Auspice, known as 'Tan Xia'. The fifth young lady of the Zheng family is such a Tan Xia," Long Pu explained.
Everyone listened, their heads swimming, not fully understanding the meaning.
But this did not stop them from nodding repeatedly.
How could the highly respected Master Long Pu speak nonsense?
Most people shared this sentiment.
Li Yurou tried to recall, and only in rare, fragmented ancient texts did she find mentions of such a saying. However, these were mere glimpses, with no detailed descriptions of what kind of fortune "Tan Xia" represented.
"Master Long Pu, can 'Tan Xia' truly steal dragon energy from others?" Lin Fan questioned.
"Precisely," Long Pu stated unequivocally.
"Very well, I also wish to know, is it possible to reverse the process, and have Naree, instead, seize the 'Tan Xia' from Miss Zheng?" Lin Fan sneered.
At that moment, Long Pu's body trembled noticeably.
"The mutual generation and restraint of all things are the supreme principles of heaven and earth. Benefactor Lin, we see wolves eat sheep, but have you ever seen sheep eat wolves?"
"Heh heh..."
Lin Fan repeatedly let out cold laughs.
To make his own daughter a queen, this old monk was spewing falsehoods and even harbored ill intentions. What a devout Buddhist he was!
"Master Long Pu, forgive my poor eyesight, but Miss Zheng clearly possesses dragon energy. Where does this 'Tan Xia' come from?" Lin Fan asked loudly.
"Master Lin, you must not be disrespectful to Master Long Pu." Zheng Xingchao's tone was filled with rebuke. He was inclined to believe Long Pu, as the Zheng family was aiming for the throne, and the idea of someone in the family possessing the Dragon-Slaying Auspice made more sense.
Lin Fan ignored Zheng Xingchao and turned to Li Yusheng. "Brother Li, it's time for your performance."
"Me?" Li Yusheng was instantly bewildered.
Lin Fan had not mentioned anything about Zheng Yue to him before they came.
Li Yurou poked his back and whispered, "Keep in step, keep in step."
Li Yusheng immediately came to his senses and said sternly, "Brother Lin and I share the same view. Miss Zheng possesses the appearance of a Golden Dragon, true and upright dragon energy, with no falsity whatsoever."
"Hiss!"
"How can this be?"
"Li Yusheng is the top disciple of Lin Xingnan. He should have genuine skill and wouldn't misjudge."
"Then... who should we believe?"
Now, the crowd was unsure whom to trust.
Lin Xingnan had dominated the martial world for decades. In his lifetime, his prestige and reputation far surpassed Long Pu's today.
Many had witnessed his skills firsthand and were filled with awe.
Therefore, Li Yusheng's words carried more weight than Lin Fan's.