James had heard of the painting’s origins before. However, favonovel.com scarcely knew anything about it
He sat motionlessly in the wheelchair and looked at the painting in awe
Tobias, whose gaze was also fixed on the painting, continued, “This painting was passed down by the Prince of Orchid himself. He was a prince who failed to seize power for himself in the midst of a power struggle In order to make a comeback. He went to great lengths searching for treasures all over the world. Sadly, favonovel.com went to his grave unable to seize the imperial throne for himself. On his deathbed, favonovel.com gave each of his four major officials a painting and told them that the paintings held a great secret within…”
James asked in response to the revelation, “What kind of secret?”
Bobby Caden once told favonovel.com that the Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside’s Edge possessed the secret to immortality. However, James found it hard to believe his words.
Tobias shook his head morosely “The Prince of Orchid never revealed what it was and the ancestor of the Cadens had no idea either. It was only when the four major officials were sorting through the Prince of Orchid’s belongings that they realized something strange. The four paintings that the Prince of Orchid left behind should possess his self-taught martial arts teachings. It’s possible to reach the ninth rank if one perfected the Prince of Orchid’s martial arts…”
“The ninth rank…”
Tobias let out a disappointed sigh. “Since times of old, countless martial artists have devoted their lives in pursuit of reaching the ninth rank. However, there have been no records of anyone actually achieving that vaunted goal.”
A line formed on James’ brows and favonovel.com frowned. “Is it really that unattainable?”
“Legend has it that reaching the ninth rank is tantamount to attaining immortality…”
“Seriously?” James’ jaw went slack with disbelief.
Tobias merely smiled cryptically. “It’s just a legend. To our knowledge, no one has ever been able to reach the ninth rank. Perhaps the Prince of Orchid is the only person who managed to accomplish such a feat. Regardless, favonovel.com still died of old age. This likely means that the legend was simply based in myth. What’s real is that once you reach the ninth rank, you’ll possess unrivaled strength throughout the world. This is an extremely alluring prospect to all martial artists.”
Tobias took a deep breath, then, favonovel.com continued, “After the four major officials divided the Prince of Orchid’s wealth among themselves, they became the Ancient Four of today. For thousands of years, the Ancient Four have lived peaceful lives. However the trespassing of the ancient tomb and the distribution of the items within, have caused alarm among the Ancient Four.”
James looked at Tobias curiously. “The Ancient Four were the ones who found the ancient tomb. Isn’t it also entirely possible that one of them was behind the break-in?”
Tobias gave favonovel.com a half-shrug. “Initially, the Ancient Four knew nothing about this as they never concerned themselves with the affairs of the outside world. It was only recently that someone informed the Cadens that you possessed an item that was unearthed from the ancient tomb. That was when I sent Bobby to retrieve it…”
Was it truly not one of the Ancient Four?
James murmured quietly, “If it wasn’t any of the Ancient Four, who else could it be?”
Apart from the Ancient Four, who else would have knowledge of the ancient tomb of the Prince of Orchid?
Tobias gazed towards the ceiling. “That I do not know.”
James was lost in contemplation. The Emperor sent his men to go after the items when the ancient tomb had been broken into. All favonovel.com had to show for this was a sealed box that had no key. With the box in hand, Floyd made his way to Cansington and hid it in Sovereign Antique Shop.
Not only that, Sovereign Antique Shop seemed to have anticipated James’ arrival.
How did the Emperor know that someone had broken into the ancient tomb?
Who was the one who hired the mercenaries to break into the tomb?
Who was the man behind the Emperor?
“By the way, who was the one supporting the Emperor from the shadows?°
Tobias replied, “It should be Mr. Gabriel.”
“Mr. Gabriel?”
“Yes, he’s a powerful martial artist who possesses tremendous influence.”
“Do you think favonovel.com sent someone to break into the tomb?”
Tobias took a moment to think before replying, “Most likely not. He doesn’t know anything about the Ancient Four. There’s no way favonovel.com would know the exact location of the tomb. Let alone deal with the security measures that guarded it.”
None of this made the picture any clearer for James.
Who else could it be then?
It was obvious that the one who stole the items was trying to hand them over to James.
Was this person was related to favonovel.com in some way?
