Chapter 0278: Seeing Through the Scheme

Chapter 0278: Seeing Through the Scheme

Xia Yusen and his group were furious beyond measure. They were intermediate Rune Masters, capable of maintaining the great formation. They had never been so humiliated before.

"Alright, if you don't pay up, then we're out of here! Let’s see who you can get to maintain the great formation. When the city is overrun by demon beasts, it’ll be your fault, Prince!" Xia Yusen threatened with a cold laugh.

Meng Feiling hurriedly pulled Qin Yun, her eyes filled with helplessness. Although she disliked these men, they were crucial for maintaining the great formation, which was vital for the safety of the entire royal city's population of millions.

If Xia Yusen and his group left, and no one maintained the formation, the city would be in danger if demon beasts attacked.

"If you want to leave, then leave! The world doesn’t revolve around you guys when it comes to maintaining the great formation!" Qin Yun said casually. He was a senior Rune Master himself and could handle the formation that the intermediate Rune Masters maintained.

Meng Feiling remained silent, trusting that Qin Yun had other solutions. After all, Qin Yun was stronger and a Rune Master, besides being the Crown Prince of Tian Qin. He would definitely find a way to keep the formation running.

Xia Yusen and his group were stunned when Qin Yun told them to leave. They had expected Qin Yun to apologize and compensate for the damaged shield.

A few elders appeared in the distance.

"Xiao Yun, our Meng family elders have arrived! Father and Grandfather aren't here; they're in charge of handling matters in Zhenyao Royal City!" Meng Feiling whispered.

Xia Yusen and his group also saw the Meng family elders in the distance and felt relieved. They were familiar with these elders and believed they would prioritize the bigger picture and keep them around.

The leading elder from the Meng family was tall and slim, with a youthful appearance despite his age. His clean white robe made him look even more spirited.

The elder was the younger brother of Meng Feiling's grandfather, named Meng Tao.

"Great Uncle!" Meng Feiling called out.

Qin Yun also hurriedly walked over to greet the five elders.

"Qin Yun, the remarkable son of Qin Long?" Meng Tao looked at Qin Yun and nodded.

"That's me!" Qin Yun smiled. Although he was a prince, he had great respect for these elders. After all, they had defended the borders for many years, repelling the beastmen army many times, bringing stability to the Tian Qin Empire.

"You're here just in time. This prince is quite arrogant and actually wants to drive us away!" Xia Yusen rushed forward, showing his damaged Golden Shield and explaining what had just happened.

After hearing this, the Meng family elders grasped the situation. They were quite surprised by Qin Yun's capability to damage the well-crafted mid-grade spiritual artifact, the Golden Shield, to such an extent.

Seeing the hesitant looks on the Meng family elders' faces, Xia Yusen decided to pile on the pressure. "Elders, think carefully! Don't let the prince's stubbornness lead to the city's downfall and the deaths of millions! Previously, in Qifeng City, they were disrespectful to us. After we left, the city fell, and demon beast hordes broke through!"

When Qin Yun heard "Qifeng City," his heart trembled!

Qifeng City, a city protected by the Runes Hall, had fallen because someone opened the city gates from inside, deactivating the formation.

Xia Yusen and his group had been responsible for maintaining the formation in Qifeng City!

Connecting the dots, and seeing Xia Yusen's malicious behavior, Qin Yun couldn't help but suspect that they were the ones responsible for Qifeng City's downfall. And now, they were planning to target Zhenyao Royal City!

Meng Tao frowned as he looked at Qin Yun. "Prince, why don’t we meet halfway? Let us compensate for the damaged shield, and you allow them to stay and maintain the formation, alright?"

"Elder Meng, are you saying that I have the authority to decide their fate?" Qin Yun asked, assuming the elders wouldn't listen to him.

"You are the Crown Prince, the future emperor of Tian Qin. Qin Long has been here before and instructed us to follow and trust you," Meng Tao sighed. "I hope you won't disappoint us!"

Qin Yun nodded and said, "Since that's the case, then please follow my instructions! First, order the strict guarding of all city gates. Close the gates; only allow entry, no exit. Assign the strongest forces to guard the gates, preferably Martial Warriors!"

"Second, arrest Xia Yusen and his group!"

The elder members of the Meng family, Meng Feiling, and Xia Yusen's group were all stunned.

They couldn't understand why Qin Yun had issued such orders!

"Little Yun, are you joking?" Meng Feiling whispered, noticing that the elder members of the Meng family were also filled with doubt about Qin Yun's orders.

"Please follow my instructions!" Qin Yun said seriously with a stern face.

Meng Tao thought for a moment and said, "Crown Prince, could you explain why you're giving such orders? Especially the arrest of Master Xia Yusen and his group. I have many doubts and some dissatisfaction. They are the Runes Masters we invited to maintain the Grand Array. The Grand Array is crucial to the fate of the entire city. Moreover, it's hard to find Runes Masters these days. If we arrest them, who will maintain the Grand Array?"

Xia Yusen said smugly, "Qin Yun, don't abuse your power! I know you have grudges against us, but don't endanger the entire city of millions because of personal grudges! You're a foolish and incompetent prince. If you become the emperor of Tian Qin, the empire will soon be destroyed!"

"We are the top intermediate Runes Masters and won't allow you to insult us! We demand an apology from you, or we'll leave Demon Suppressing King City immediately!"

The elder members of the Meng family remained silent, waiting to see how Qin Yun would respond.

"If you're indeed the top intermediate Runes Masters, then show us your intermediate Runes Master badges!" Qin Yun said coldly, looking at Xia Yusen. "I don't recognize you as top intermediate Runes Masters!"

Xia Yusen immediately took out a silver badge, which gleamed, confirming it as a genuine intermediate Runes Master badge.

"What about them?" Qin Yun pointed to the other middle-aged men.

"This..." Xia Yusen stammered.

Qin Yun sneered, "Are they really Runes Masters?"

Xia Yusen angrily said, "Of course they are Runes Masters! They're just low-key and haven't taken the exams at the Runes Hall, so they don't have badges! But they are very capable intermediate Runes Masters!"

Qin Yun laughed loudly, "I don't believe your nonsense! There are many benefits to passing the Runes Hall exams, and it's the most direct way to prove your strength. Without badges, don't waste your breath. I think you're all frauds! As soon as you arrived at the Meng family, you bullied the maids here. Runes Masters like you are not needed!"

Xia Yusen was furious and shouted at Elder Meng Tao, "Elder Meng, you should drive Qin Yun away! This foolish prince has ulterior motives. Seeing how powerful your Meng family has become, he fears it might threaten his authority in the future. So, he wants to destroy your thriving king city! This person is not worthy of your loyalty!"

The elder members of the Meng family all frowned deeply!

Meng Feiling was enraged and shouted, "Shut up! Little Yun isn't the kind of person you say he is! He doesn't covet power and treats people well. As for you, bullying our maids here, with your conduct, how dare you criticize others!"

"This... we're in a difficult position!" Meng Tao sighed, unsure of how to handle the situation, and said, "Let's wait until Elder Meng returns!"

Elder Meng was Meng Feiling's grandfather, also known as the Zhenyao King.

"Elder Meng, you must follow my instructions, or Demon Suppressing King City will be in danger!" Qin Yun hurriedly said.

"But... if we arrest them, who will maintain the Grand Array?" Meng Tao, although dissatisfied with Qin Yun's approach, couldn't argue further.

Seeing that Meng Tao didn't follow Qin Yun's orders, Xia Yusen was pleased and relieved.

"I will maintain the Grand Array!" Qin Yun said, taking out a golden badge. "I am a senior Runes Master. If they can maintain the Grand Array, so can I. Moreover, I have a good relationship with the chief elder of the Rune Hall Headquarters. I'll send him a message via pigeon immediately, asking him to send the best Runes Master team as soon as possible!"

Qin Yun's golden badge gleamed brightly, leaving everyone stunned!

Meng Tao and the other elder members had seen much in their lives and could tell that the golden badge was genuine. It emitted such bright golden light that it could only be Qin Yun's genuine senior Runes Master badge!

Meng Feiling hadn't expected that Qin Yun wasn't just stronger in cultivation but had also become a senior Runes Master. At that moment, she was not only shocked but also extremely excited and thrilled!

"This... this is impossible! How can you, a seventeen-year-old, be a senior Runes Master? You must have gotten this badge by some trick!" Xia Yusen shouted. It had taken him most of his life to become an intermediate Runes Master.

Becoming a senior Runes Master was even harder, so he found it hard to believe Qin Yun was a senior Runes Master!

"Great uncles, is this really a genuine badge?" Meng Feiling was also somewhat skeptical, as it was truly unbelievable.

Qin Yun handed the badge to Meng Tao, saying, "Please inspect it, Elder Meng. I absolutely have the ability to maintain the grand formation!"

Meng Tao took the badge, examined it carefully, and then passed it to the other elders for them to check together.

After their thorough examination, they confirmed it was indeed a genuine badge!

Still, they found it hard to believe that Qin Yun was a senior Runes Master!

Xia Yusen shouted, "Don't let Qin Yun fool you. If he were a senior Runes Master, this would have been big news everywhere, and the Star Profound Martial Academy wouldn't have kicked him out!"

The senior members of the Star Profound Martial Academy knew Qin Yun was a senior Runes Master, but they hesitated to spread the word, as admitting they had expelled a young senior Runes Master would be embarrassing.

"Here's what I'll do: I'll refine a top-grade spiritual weapon right here to prove I'm a senior Runes Master! That way, Elder Meng, you can trust me and follow my plan!" Qin Yun said while pulling out the necessary tools from his storage space.