The tower 5

Wang Geming turning away from his dying stepbrother to look at the nervous retinue, took his time and let them answer his question.

Xiao Fan on the side of this retinue also waited there in peace, he and Wang Geming knew these men would make the right decision of joining them rather than trying to say true to their last Master, The Third Prince would be dead no matter what, so why should they stay with him?

And indeed when one of the people opened up, he gave a satisfactory answer to Wang Geming ¨W-we will join the Second Prince...¨ The man didn't want to say this, but he still did.

The Third Prince still lying on the floor hearing his men switch sides just like that was shocked, yet a moment later, he wasn't for he realised what Wang Geming and Xiao Fan had known. There was no reason for them to stay loyal to him.

¨Any more last words?¨ Wang Geming now in a merry mood, turned back to stare at his stepbrother on the floor.

Hearing him still being taunted the Third Prince spoke ¨I hope you'll never become the Emperor¨ After which he didn't struggle more with trying to stay alive and let the pain come to him, which in turn killed him.

¨One Prince less to resist you¨ Xiao Fan walked over to the Third Prince, and while saying this, he was starting to drag the lifeless body of the victim.

¨One less isn't much. Father has a lot of us Princes and Princesses, so killing off one doesn't change much, even less so when his mother has more sons. Most of the power of that family still stays so...¨ Wang Geming for sure was happy, but at the end of the day, he didn't gain much while he killed his brother.

¨Still, it is a start¨ Xiao Fan had by now searched the Third Prince out off anything valuable and was about to throw the man into one of the light pillars.

To this, Wang Geming only nodded at Xiao Fan, who while dragging the corpse was looking at him, and then after doing so, he focussed onto the men he had gained from this event.

¨For now, you go and see where my other men are. And of course, you can never talk about what happened here, or...¨ He at the end poked his sword, it was a clear threat.

¨Understood!¨

¨Understood!¨

¨Understood!¨

All the men in the line said ¨Understood!¨ in one voice, marking their understanding.

¨Good, now go¨ Wang Geming didn't use more time on these line soldiers, and after giving the orders, he then came over to Xiao Fan, who was being sure that the Third Prince's body disappeared wherever these light pillars were taking it ¨Now back onto finding how we can get ourselves out of here?¨

¨I suppose something helping us to do that should be found close to here. My guess is still the same. One of those places the guardians are guarding holds something, maybe something similar to these light pillars¨ Xiao Fan had had this notion for some time already, yet Wang Geming hadn't heeded this advice so far.

¨Hmm, after this place, your thinking does make more sense¨ Wang Geming had to admit that what Xiao Fan was saying might be true, he anyway hadn't heeded his call for the reason he wanted to rush here before doing anything else.

¨Then let us get going¨

¨Sure¨ Wang Geming then walked with Xiao Fan outside the tower. The immediate outside of the tower was a small clearing in which it would be easy to fight and see your enemies while farther away from the tower it was again a forest.

¨Maybe that one¨ Xiao Fan pointed out a gathering of half a dozen guardians at one spot near the point where the clearing became a forest.

¨It would make sense, to have something like a ¨teleporter?¨Near this tower¨ Wang Geming gave those light pillars the name ¨teleporter¨ as it fits their purpose and function of moving people around the place in a short period of time.

¨Good name. And yes, that I was thinking off, but who knows¨ Xiao Fan said as he drew out his sword.

¨No need¨ Wang Geming with his hand stopped him from advancing ¨I'll handle them¨ Then the Prince took the point and rushed towards the group of large stony figures.

¨Hey! I just want to fight!¨ Xiao Fan exclaimed from behind and contrary to the order he also ran towards their target. He needed combat experience, and this Prince wasn't even gaining any himself as he didn't try to fight them in a fashion that would enhance one's skills. The Prince still used the tactic ¨I'm stronger, so I kill you¨ Meaning that he rushed and then without thinking swung his sword around him until nothing was moving anymore.

Yet against Xiao Fan's wishes when he got there, the Prince had already eliminated all the guardians and was now contemplating what they were trying to guard here, for the area they had been sitting on revealed nothing, it was empty, nothing in sight.

¨It seems that here is nothing¨ Wang Geming spoke.

However, as he spoke, Xiao Fan coming to him noticed something weird in his clothes. The lower end of his robes was shining? They hadn't shined before he thought and then realised.

¨Prince, could you move to the side a little¨ Having his idea, he politely asked Wang Geming to move from the spot he was standing on.

¨Why?¨ Wang Geming asked yet did as he was asked to.

Moving from the spot, Xiao Fan could see how Wang Geming's robes weren't shining anymore, and now his hunch was becoming stronger as he came close to the spot and got on his knees. When on his knees, he then hovered his hand around the spot, Wang Geming had been standing on, and like he thought something was shining light to his hand. Furthermore, the light... the light was the same colour as the light was in those light pillars inside, a thing which instantly gave Xiao Fan some kind of a confirmation that this spot should hold a teleporter!

¨Come here, come here¨ Xiao Fan having this idea, quickly motioned with his hand for the Prince to come closer while also telling him to do so, he had something good to show.

¨What is it?¨ The Prince came to the spot, yet didn't get down.

¨Just come down here, or I can't show you¨ Xiao Fan motioned with his hand again and his tone this time was a little hasty. Xiao Fan was very excited.

Wang Geming listened, but being a prince he didn't get on his knees which would mess the nice robes he had on; instead of that, he got into a deep squat where he was just as low as Xiao Fan.

Not minding this at all, Xiao Fan began to show and speak ¨Look at my hand¨ He turned his hand around showing how the light was hitting it ¨Doesn't that light look familiar to something else we have seen in here?¨ His face then got off the hand and looked towards the Prince.

¨You mean that there is something inside the ground?¨ Wang Geming was becoming interested since he did get what Xiao Fan was going for with this.

¨Indeed there could be... a teleporter to the outside maybe?¨ Him saying this had the smirk of a winner on him.

¨Hehehe¨ Wang Geming was also getting really excited, so excited that he didn't care as he began to carefully dig up the dirt with his sword.

On the other side of the hole, they were digging Xiao Fan didn't mind either as he laughing like Wang Geming was, used the Rising Ruler to dig out the dirt that was blocking the light. Both men were very focussed on doing this, so focussed that when the men of Wang Geming came back with new men, they didn't care as they dug and dug, not minding if a small army of cultivators was watching them dig a hole.

Not until they had dug a few meters deep did they look upwards, though they didn't look upwards because of one of them had noted the existence of the others, they looked up because both saw when the last dirt was off the teleporter how a light pillar shot up some five meters into the air, making them notice the men.

¨What?¨ Xiao Fan not remembering any of these faces was alarmed, for a good reason.

Yet Wang Geming next to him in the hole, stopped him from grabbing his sword ¨They are my men! My men, your allies!¨ He wanted to block anything that could be seen as a hostile move between his men and Xiao Fan since the last thing he wanted to see was a fight breaking out between his men and his valuable aide. Even a small misunderstanding was too much for him as wanted his men to trust Xiao Fan, who would be soon leading some of them if needed.

Thankfully Xiao Fan got the idea and lowered his defences against these people.

Wang Geming sighed before talking to the man who was the leader of his retinue of men ¨How many men have you found?¨

¨So far fifty of us have come here, including these men of the Third Prince that seemed to have joined you? Did something happen to the Third Prince?¨ The man stated the number of Wang Geming's men who had found their way here, yet he also asked about these weird additions they had. After all, it was his duty to take care of the men.

¨We haven't seen the Third Prince and those men of his who joined us? I don't know; maybe something happened to the Third Prince¨ Wang Geming casually lied.

¨Something has happened to the Third Prince?¨ Although the man wasn't working for The Third prince was he concerned for the safety of every Prince was upon them. All of them were the Emperor's men, and on his payroll, so a lot of them weren't so much loyal to the Princes and rather were loyal to the Emperor who paid them.

¨I don't know, I haven't seen him¨ He shrugged this question off. Best for him would be to keep quiet, even suggesting something had happened could be taken the wrong way in court so keeping one's mouth shut was the right idea, at least now as his men weren't loyal to him a hundred per cent.

¨And this is Mask?¨ The next topic on his mind was, of course, vet the person who had gotten so close to his Prince, no one he didn't know should be close to the Third Prince.

¨I can vouch for him¨ The Prince wouldn't let these men ask any question from Xiao Fan, or more specifically he knew that letting the person who would be asking questions do so would be a huge mistake.

¨Then I say welcome to the team Mask¨ The man didn't ask more question from Xiao Fan, who hadn't answered even to one, the Prince himself had vouched for him so he would offer a hand to this person.

A hand which Xiao Fan took and climbed out of the pit they had dug ¨Thank you. I'll be looking forward to working with you¨ He spoke as he had gotten up.

¨Just don't do anything stupid near the Prince and we'll be fine¨ The man wasn't so warm as Xiao Fan had thought as instead of agreeing or something he kept his distance from him.

'Note to self. The Guard Captain doesn't like you' Xiao Fan thought as he turned towards The Third Prince ¨So who is going to be testing the teleporter this time?¨ He asked the question both of them were thinking off.

While the people around them were simply confused.