Chapter 141

Chapter 141: The Scheme

Near Qingyang Academy, in a quiet and secluded tea house, Tang Siyuan sat nervously, her body tense as she faced a middle-aged man across the table.

Her mind raced with disbelief—never had she imagined that she would be summoned by someone of such high standing.

“Director Song, may I ask why you’ve called for me?”

The man in question was Song Qun, the Director of Auditing for the Empire’s Ministry of Transportation, holding the title of Deputy Chief.

More importantly, he was Tang Siyuan’s father’s superior.

The Song family, unlike the modest Tang family, was a prominent aristocratic house in the Empire.

Notably, Song Qi, a key figure in the family, served as the Chief Secretary to Qin Ming, the Empire’s Chancellor.

As part of the Qin family’s inner circle, the Song family held undeniable sway.

Compared to such a lineage, the Tang family—while respectable—was insignificant, like an ant before an elephant.

Tang Siyuan recalled her father’s attempts to gain favor with Song Qun. On one occasion, her father had managed to exchange pleasantries with the man during a visit but was politely dismissed after only two minutes.

Now, Song Qun had personally requested to meet her.

The thought alone made her hands tremble.

“I heard you’re quite close to Gu Anran,” Song Qun began, his voice calm but carrying an inherent authority that made Tang Siyuan’s nerves tighten further.

“Gu Anran?” Tang Siyuan’s confusion grew.

Why was Gu Anran suddenly involved?

Unaware of the events that had transpired during the Divine Revelation Auction, the Tang family lacked access to the elite circles of the Empire’s aristocracy.

Tang Siyuan nodded quickly.

“Yes, she’s my roommate. We’re quite close,” she replied, her voice slightly shaky.

Song Qun smiled faintly, though his eyes betrayed no emotion.

“I need your help with something concerning her.”

He leaned in and spoke a few words in a low voice.

Tang Siyuan’s eyes widened in shock as his words sank in. Her hands instinctively clenched the edges of her seat, and her face turned pale with fear.

The implications of what Song Qun had just said were terrifying.

It became clear to her that this wasn’t just about Gu Anran—it was about Wen Xu.

Tang Siyuan wasn’t entirely naïve. Born into a small aristocratic family, she possessed enough political awareness to recognize the scale of what was unfolding.

This was a conspiracy targeting the Wen family.

Her heart pounded wildly. She was fully aware of what political schemes like these entailed—bloodshed, ruthlessness, and countless victims caught in the crossfire.

Though she had harbored minor ambitions, Tang Siyuan was, at her core, an ordinary university student, unprepared for such a treacherous game.

Song Qun’s gaze remained steady as he placed a black card on the table and slid it toward her.

“This contains 40 million credits,” he said flatly.

“Additionally, your father, Tang Lin, will be promoted to Deputy Director of the Auditing Office.”

The sight of the card made Tang Siyuan’s heart race even faster.

For a small family like the Tang clan, 40 million credits was an astronomical sum.

Even more enticing was her father’s promotion—a direct leap to a prestigious rank within the Ministry of Transportation.

But the weight of Song Qun’s request loomed over her, leaving her deeply conflicted.

Betraying Gu Anran… Could she really go that far?

Noticing her hesitation, Song Qun spoke again, his voice calm but deliberate.

“If you play your role well, I can arrange for you to meet Young Master Qin Xian.”

Tang Siyuan froze, her breath catching in her throat.

“Q-Qin… Qin Xian?” she stammered, her disbelief evident.

She couldn’t believe her ears.

Qin Xian, the heir to the Qin family, was a figure she revered as an untouchable deity.

To Tang Siyuan, Song Qun himself was a man of immense power, a figure whose influence overshadowed her family entirely.

Yet even Song Qun owed much of his status to his affiliation with the Qin family.

And now, he was offering her the chance to meet Qin Xian directly?

Her father, Tang Lin, had once boasted endlessly about dining with a distant branch member of the Qin family. That minor connection had been enough to fill Tang Lin with pride.

But this—this was Qin Xian himself!

Tang Siyuan’s mind raced with possibilities.

If she could meet Qin Xian, perhaps… just perhaps… she might earn his favor.

The thought was intoxicating.

If she became someone special to Qin Xian, her life—and the fate of the Tang family—would change forever.

All hesitation vanished in an instant.

Tang Siyuan nodded firmly.

“Alright,” she said, her voice resolute.

Her earlier guilt toward Gu Anran faded entirely.

In its place was a burning ambition and an overwhelming desire to seize this opportunity, no matter the cost.

Song Qun smiled faintly, satisfied.

With Tang Siyuan’s agreement, the gears of the Qin family’s plan began to turn.

The Void Hunting Trial

The Void Hunting Trial was a legendary event.

Created by the Empire’s founding emperor, Ying Zu, it utilized the Dragon Palace Divine Revelation Monolith and other Revelation Monoliths to unlock special permissions within the Divine Revelation System.

This event opened a vast trial space filled with data-reconstructed Void Beasts.

The trial preserved the combat memories of Void Lords and Void Generals, formidable entities slain by the Founding Families.

Participants fought these creatures in battles carefully scaled to match their levels, gaining invaluable experience and rewards.

The trial offered incredible rewards: vast experience, rare loot, and even equipment directly forged by the Divine Revelation System itself—items of legendary purple grade or higher.

It was second only to the God-Demon Trial in prestige and difficulty.

Access to the Void Hunting Trial was exclusive.

Only the most exceptional young talents from the Imperial Capital’s noble families and S-ranked students from elite academies were eligible to participate.

In the past, the royal family had used the trial to recruit promising individuals into the Imperial Guard, strengthening their hold over the Empire.

However, since the Emperor’s disappearance, the event had been overseen by the military.

The upcoming trial promised to be no different—a stage for the Empire’s brightest to shine.

But in the shadows, dangerous schemes brewed, and the stakes were higher than ever.