Chapter 6: Prince Ding

Chapter 006: Prince Ding

Qin Zi'er stood calmly, her gaze not following the others toward Prince Su. The obsession and love she had once held for him seemed as if they had never existed at all.

Prince Su cast a faint glance at Qin Zi'er. Seeing her indifferent and tranquil expression, his brows furrowed imperceptibly. He said coldly, "An assassin would not vanish without reason. If the assassin is not here, then every corner of this Prime Minister's estate must be searched thoroughly."

Upon hearing this, Qin Guangze immediately ordered a complete search of Fuliu Courtyard.

The estate guards had just scattered to begin turning the courtyard upside down when a shout rang out from not far away.

"Prince Ding has arrived!"

The expressions of those present shifted, and they all turned toward the courtyard gate. Several men walked in from outside, and leading them was Prince Ding, dressed in a suit of black.

Why would Prince Ding come to the Prime Minister's estate at a time like this? A mere assassin couldn't possibly alarm him, could it? The crowd was filled with doubt, each wondering if the assassin who had broken into the estate had a more complex identity, or perhaps if there was a grand conspiracy behind it that they were unaware of, prompting Prince Ding to come and apprehend the culprit himself.

Qin Zi'er had, of course, heard of Prince Ding's great name. There was no one in the entire Xirui Kingdom who did not know of him, though Qin Zi'er had never seen him before.

The Prince Ding estate commanded the 300,000-strong Ding Army. The Ding Army had existed since the founding of the Xirui Kingdom, and they took orders only from Prince Ding; even the Emperor could not command them.

It could be said that in Xirui, or even across the entire world, no one dared to underestimate the Prince Ding estate. One might disregard any other prince or noble, but no one dared to show the slightest disrespect to Prince Ding.

The current Prince Ding was a man of extraordinary strategy, exceptional intellect, and unfathomable martial arts. At sixteen, he had made a name for himself in the war against the Tianlang Kingdom, where his 100,000 Ding soldiers achieved a total victory over 300,000 Tianlang troops, earning him the title of "God of War."

With his handsome features, supreme power, and superior intellect, even though rumors repeatedly claimed he was cold, ruthless, and indifferent to women, it could not stop the women of the world from flocking to him and secretly giving him their hearts.

The crowd moved toward the gate to welcome him. Qin Zi'er glanced unobtrusively at the man approaching. The courtyard was brightly lit, but because of the distance, she could not clearly see his face. Yet, as he stepped closer, the air pressure around them dropped lower and lower. Qin Zi'er even felt the others unconsciously holding their breath, as if they feared that a single deep inhalation would cast them into an abyss of no return.

A frigid aura permeated the entire courtyard. As the man approached with measured steps, an overwhelming sense of dominance followed. His entire being radiated the aura of a powerful ruler; wherever his gaze fell, it was with the condescension of one looking down upon all living things, making those kneeling on the ground feel instinctively as small as a grain of dust.

"Greetings, Prince Ding!" the crowd kneeling on the ground chanted in unison. Even Prince Su did not dare to be the least bit improper in his etiquette.

The footsteps stopped. A powerful pressure descended from above. Qin Zi'er was no sheltered, weak woman; she had encountered many heads of state and political figures in her time, yet no one had ever brought such immense pressure to bear upon her. The sheer force of his presence made Qin Zi'er deeply understand at that moment what it meant to have the aura of a king, and what it meant to be born with natural dominance.

"Rise!" The cold, deep voice caused the temperature in the courtyard to drop several more degrees. Though it was merely two simple words, they left everyone feeling chilled to the bone, as if frosted over.