Kang Xiao and Kang Luo felt their heads ring. Their minds went completely blank!

Zhang Tianlun and Zong Sibo were struck dumb as a dog. They wondered if they'd heard wrong.

Kang Luo looked like a man jolted awake from a nightmare. He stared hard at Li Jie and roared, "What kind of insane talk is this?"

Li Jie was terrified. "Your Highness, it's true!"

Kang Luo shouted, "Nonsense! Ning Chen is at Peak Forest Gorge. How could he possibly turn up in our Nanyue imperial city?"

Kang Xiao cut in right after him. "Li Jie, this is nothing to joke about... To attack Nanyue, Ning Chen would have to come in through Jianxuan Pass, and we've had no word at all that Jianxuan Pass has fallen.

You know very well: anyone who spreads false reports and shakes our army's morale is to be killed without pardon!"

Li Jie dropped to his knees with a thud. "Eldest Prince, the message was sent by His Majesty."

The color drained from Kang Luo's face. His head buzzed!

If his father the emperor had sent the message, it couldn't be wrong.

Li Jie went on, "Ning Chen didn't come in through Jianxuan Pass. He borrowed passage through the Gaoli Kingdom, took Qimu City first, then Biluo City, and finally fought his way into the imperial city.

The capital guard couldn't hold. All it could do was cover His Majesty and the civil and military officials while they abandoned the city and fled.

Your Highness, the imperial city has fallen!"

Kang Luo's face went a frightening white. Waves of dizziness hit him, he swayed, and he dropped to the floor on his backside, staring blankly. He was on the edge of falling apart!

Kang Xiao looked deeply worried.

He'd been banished as a young man and ended up drifting through the Great Xuan. He had no real feeling for the Nanyue royal family... except for Kang Luo. The two brothers had always been close.

Kang Luo stared into space and mumbled to himself, "It's my fault, all my fault... If I hadn't taken the…