Ch 16 – Terror

“Do you like honey tea?” Yu Xi had been visiting Tau every day lately, only chatting with him about everyday matters.

And Kersz always accompanied him, which caused Tau immense suffering.

He subtly implied that perhaps Kersz was being held captive by Yu Xi. Kersz clearly detected the disparagement in his words, but he insisted that he was simply a space pirate with no accomplices. He didn’t need to report to anyone, and there were no missions that he was required to complete.

Kersz claimed that he was a freelancer, and that he was taking some time off lately.

He had indeed threatened Tau’s father, but hadn’t set a specific timeframe for the assassination. In any case, Kersz wasn’t in a hurry.

Tau was very dispirited.

“Your sleep has been awful lately” Yu Xi was very worried about Tau, fearful that all of his care would result in the human’s death. “You eat very little, and you don’t like to move around much. You can’t go on like this.”

Tau stared at Yu Xi.

He now had a general idea of Yu Xi’s character. Tau actually was trying to win him over, since Yu Xi likely possessed all of the technological achievements of those humans who had evolved to their limit.

But Yu Xi didn’t seem to have much faith in him.

Tau found this very strange. He didn’t understand why Yu Xi trusted Kersz more than him.

Kersz was nothing more than a mentally fragile, neurotic space pirate. Even if Yu Xi shared his technology with the man, he wouldn’t know how to use it.

All Kersz knew was destruction.

“Mr. Yew Shi.” Tau didn’t give up.

Yu Xi could only sigh when he heard this. He didn’t even mock Tau’s pronunciation, because he knew that Tau was addressing him respectfully in order to persuade him to cooperate with the Supreme Governor.

“You love humans so much. How can you let so many of them suffer without trying to do anything about it?” Tau asked him.

“I am doing something. I won’t let you starve or freeze to death,” Yu Xi said. “There are too many people for me to help them all.”

“If it’s beyond your capabilities, you can hand over that ancient human technology to the human government,” said Tau. “Allow them to take on the responsibility. They can improve the lives of today’s humans.”

Without even thinking, Yu Xi shook his head: “They won’t.”

Kersz let out a derisive chuckle, but didn’t interrupt.

“How do you know they won’t?” Tau pressed.

“Because judging from the state of your technological development, you’re capable of ensuring that every human’s basic needs are met.” Yu Xi gestured toward Kersz. “What reason is there for the profession of a human miner to exist?”

Yu Xi recalled Kersz saying that today’s androids were extremely capable, but those companies still chose to use human miners because androids were expensive and cost a lot to maintain.

They would rather pay more compensation to the families of dead miners, since the combined compensation for more than a dozen people was only equivalent to the cost of one android.

“And you can’t afford to eat.” Yu Xi found this quite baffling. “Your food supply is monopolized, and only a select few can afford it. But the conditions for planting food aren’t that demanding. You’re capable of terraforming planets, yet you’re incapable of growing plants?”

He didn’t bring up the topic of synthetic meat, since he wasn’t sure if this human society was capable of producing it.

“You already possess the objective conditions to ensure that all of humanity can live well,” Yu Xi said, holding his teacup. “But now there’s an orphan like you, and a rebel like Kersz.”

“This is just because of the selfishness of a select group of people,” said Tau.

“And the final result is what you see here.” Yu Xi didn’t intend to hand over the technology of the ancient humans to any civilization in this world. Not even another group of humans. “The things belonging to the ancient humans will only make the current situation worse.”

“But….”

Yu Xi cut Tau off: “The humans I used to know also went through such a stage, and they figured out the path they needed to take on their own. Only people themselves can determine the direction of their destiny.”

“You’re just saying that to avoid taking responsibility,” Tau said indignantly.

“I am not responsible for your people.” Yu Xi found Tau very strange. He wasn’t even a human-created robot vacuum cleaner here, so what responsibility could he possibly bear?

“Since you feel that you have no responsibility, then you have no right to restrict my freedom.” Tau set down his cup. “I’m leaving this place.”

“I don’t think that’s a wise choice for you.” Kersz put down his cup as well. “If he lets you go, I’ll shoot you right afterward.”

“If it wasn’t for Yu Xi protecting you, you’d have been dead long ago,” Kersz reminded him.

“This isn’t very good, is it?” Yu Xi whispered. “That sounds like a threat.”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. Once you release him, you shouldn’t interfere any further.” Kersz rested his arms on the back of the sofa. “And it doesn’t just sound like a threat. It is a threat.”

“Kersz, you’re helping an alien robot kidnap humans!” Tau raised his voice.

Kersz: “What else should I be doing? Spreading love and justice?”

“Are you really so unhappy living here with me?” Yu Xi asked him.

“This place of yours is very good, but I don’t belong here,” Tau explained.

“You don’t belong outside either, ah. You don’t even have a proper identity,” said Kersz. “Do you think that what your father does is for the sake of humanity? Do you really believe that?”

Tau remained silent.

“I’ve always known that you Illegitimates have father and mother complexes. You don’t care whether your masters’ actions are right or wrong, and live your lives entirely for their benefit.” Kersz clicked his tongue.

“What kind of logic is that?” Yu Xi didn’t understand.

“The personalities of Illegitimates are screened, and the unsuitable ones are ‘disposed of,’” said Kersz. “For them, loyalty to their master is a matter of course. A few hundred years ago, something rather absurd happened because of this.” He lowered his voice, as if to deliver a piece of gossip.

“What happened, ah?” Yu Xi perked up.

Tau, left on the sidelines: ……

“Back then, there was an Illegitimate whose feelings for his master were so intense that he developed a rather peculiar possessiveness toward him.” Kersz raised his eyebrows slightly.

Yu Xi immediately understood: “Love?!”

Kersz nodded: “But then that master got married. Unable to bear it, and under extreme psychological pressure, the Illegitimate killed his master.”

Yu Xi covered his mouth with a gasp.

Kersz continued: “Then that Illegitimate managed to actually clone his master, and made more than one. He chose the most obedient one and destroyed the rest, just like what people do to Illegitimates.”

“My god.” Yu Xi stared at Tau.

Tau shrank back: “I wouldn’t do such a thing to my father.”

Yu Xi asked: “Then do you like your father?”

Tau: “I revere him.”

Yu Xi gave an ‘oh.’

“Then you don’t want anything to happen to your father, do you?” All Yu Xi needed to know was that Tau really cared about his father. It didn’t matter what form that care took.

Tau: “Ah?”

“That’s a threat!” Tau grabbed a pillow and hugged it to his chest.

Yu Xi looked to Kersz, somewhat helpless.

Kersz immediately jumped in: “It’s not you threatening him, it’s me.”

Yu Xi felt that this was a bit unreasonable.

Kersz added: “If you let him out, he’ll definitely die at my hands. To avoid that, you have no choice but to use every means to keep him here.”

Yu Xi breathed a sigh of relief. This sounded more reasonable.

“If you really can’t adapt, I can temporarily take the place of your father. I don’t mind,” Yu Xi said.

Kersz: “……” It was clear that Yu Xi ‘not minding’ was an understatement. He was actually looking forward to it.

“You can also call me ‘Dad.’” Yu Xi tried to take Tau’s hand, but Tau immediately snatched it away.

Yu Xi let out a sigh: “I’ve never raised a child, but I think I’ll be a compassionate father.”

“No need. Thank you.” Tau proceeded to refuse.

Yu Xi spent some time attempting to persuade him, but in the end, he sighed and left with his hands behind his back.

Kersz didn’t follow him out. Worried that he would take action against Tau, Yu Xi warned Kersz that if he dared to kill the other human, he would place him in solitary confinement for three whole days.

Kersz smiled and acquiesced.

Once Yu Xi left, Kersz picked up his cup again: “Stay here.”

Tau eyed him warily.

“We’ve been friends for a few years at this point, so I think I know you pretty well,” said Kersz.

“You really think you know me?” Tau found this amusing.

He was constantly wearing a mask, and the personality and identity of the “Tau” Kersz knew was all pre-designed. How could Kersz ever come to know the real him?

He didn’t even know himself.

“I know you quite well,” said Kersz. “First of all, ‘Tau’ is a seasoned veteran from a third-class planet, a slick-talker who’s good at getting things done.”

“Whether as ‘Tau’ or the stereotypical Illegitimate, you wouldn’t be foolish enough to actually make Yu Xi release you.” Kersz took a sip of tea, then let out a heavy sigh. “After so many days, you should have a good grasp of Yu Xi’s character.”

“Even if you have doubts about the personality he outwardly presents, you’ll quietly go along with him. Perhaps you’ll be able to convince him to kill me, or coax or trick him into giving you the technology in his hands.”

“How can someone over seventy years old be so presumptuous ~” Kersz’s tone became languid once again.

Tau froze.

“Now tell me, do I know you?” Kersz asked him.

Tau didn’t respond.

“I also have a guess. Would you like to hear it?” Kersz asked again.

Tau remained silent.

“I think you actually have a death wish, because all of this is causing you more suffering than direct torture would.” Kersz gestured around the room. “All of this clashes with your simple, straightforward, brainwashed thinking, doesn’t it?”

“What ‘kidnapping?’ Cut it out with the performative anger. Someone like you, who doesn’t even consider himself to be human, is actually talking about human rights?” Kersz sneered.

“You people are the best at being lackeys. Being kidnapped, tortured, or even killed are all within your comfort zone.”

“But that’s clearly not what’s happening now.” Kersz got to his feet. “You’re in so much pain that you wish Yu Xi would send you to your death right this instant – because that’s the world you’re familiar with, isn’t it?”

Tau didn’t react. His current state was a result of specialized training, so that others would be unable to discern what he was thinking.

“So you’re not pretending to be a clueless hothead anymore? This is more like you ~” Kersz walked to the door. “Get some rest. Don’t make your new dad worry ~”

The door opened, and Tau watched Kersz leave.

In the wake of Kersz’s departure, Tau remained where he was, completely motionless.

Tau didn’t know if there might be cameras watching him.

He slowly lowered his head. His hands were sweaty, and he clenched and relaxed his fists.

Kersz was right. Tau was afraid.

Tau hadn’t even been this terrified when Kersz exposed his identity.

Death was an inevitability for most of his kind, and he was nothing special.

But after that moment, everything spun out of Tau’s control.

Someone was doing things to Tau that he couldn’t understand. These things didn’t hurt him, but they still elevated his fear to an unprecedented level.

He longed to return to a safer, more familiar environment – even if it resulted in his death.

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Chapter 15 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 17

Ch. 75 – Discount

“Cough, cough…..” After spraying water everywhere, Feng Ye coughed a few times before regaining his composure.

Hao Chen, on the other hand, was fanning himself calmly, lacking any sense of shame over his inappropriate words.

Although Fang Yang felt that the logic of this explanation was a bit odd, he couldn’t find any fault in it for the time being. Just at that moment, his stomach growled again.

Since this wasn’t a dine-and-dash meal, he began to eat with peace of mind.

And while Fang Yang concentrated on his food, the two people on opposite sides of the table began a silent war.

Feng Ye shot Hao Chen a warning look, telling him not to talk nonsense. And Hao Chen smiled back, using his unwavering shamelessness to absorb the entirety of Feng Ye’s glare.

Feng Ye narrowed his eyes and increased the intensity of his attack, but Hao Chen continued to smile calmly, not taking him seriously at all. 

With a bang, Fang Yang placed his empty porridge bowl on the table, then wiped his mouth with satisfaction. This sound was like a clarion announcing the end of a war, bringing a conclusion to the struggle between Feng Ye and Hao Chen.

Unsurprisingly, this war ended in Feng Ye’s defeat.

Hao Chen stood leisurely with a victorious smile on his face, and asked Feng Ye as he left the table: “We didn’t go shopping for clothes for Fellow Daoist Feng Ye yesterday. How about we go and have a look around now?”

Feng Ye sent him a look, wondering what this fish had up his sleeve. But he didn’t have anything important to do in any case, and wouldn’t know where to go if he went shopping alone, so he nodded in agreement.

Fang Yang said goodbye to the two of them: “Cao Zirui is still waiting for me at the inn. I said I’d go back to see him in half a shichen, so I’ll leave first.”

Feng Ye and Fang Yang waved to each other as they once more split into two groups.

Feng Ye initially thought that Hao Chen was using clothes shopping as an excuse to plot against him, but unexpectedly, Hao Chen didn’t do any such thing. He simply brought Feng Ye to the largest clothing shop in North Sea City.

Even though it was a ready-made clothing store, the clothes sold here were anything but ordinary. They were all magic garments made of strong materials, with the cheapest ones costing thousands of spirit stones.

Feng Ye glanced around, and was deeply injured by the long strings of zeros on the price tags.

Although breakfast had been paid for due to Hao Chen’s recognizable face, Feng Ye had already spent half his savings to buy a pot of water before his arrival, and only had one spirit stone left in his pocket.

If all of the zeros on the price tags could be omitted, only then would he be able to afford it. But this was not to be.

However, Hao Chen had no awareness of his financial situation. Not only did he bring Feng Ye with him, but he acted like a rich man and called for the shop owner as soon as they entered the store.

Hao Chen said grandly: “What decent goods do you have here? Show them to us.”

The shop owner came out from behind the counter with a bow, saying to Hao Chen with an obsequious smile: “Honored…..Honored Lor…..”

When Hao Chen’s eyes instantly sharpened, the shop owner reacted swiftly, changing his address from “Honored Lord” to “Honored Customer.”

It seemed that this fish’s identity was known to everyone in North Sea City, which was why he was able to act with such great confidence.

Feng Ye had already seen through Hao Chen’s deception, but he said nothing and just continued to quietly watch him perform.

Hao Chen gave the shop owner a look of praise, and the other party breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had escaped disaster. He’d heard about the miserable end of the loudmouthed Crab Eighteen, who was said to have been made into a steamed crab.

The shop owner hesitated before continuing: “My shop only uses the finest materials. Ordinary robes on the market, while having decent defensive capabilities, are made solely out of materials that prioritize defense at the expense of comfort.”

“Clothes are meant to be worn, after all. Defense is important, but comfort is equally important. Take a look at the fabrics I have here.” The shop owner casually pulled down a piece of clothing hanging on display and said: “This is made of mermaid-woven silk. It’s light and thin, and won’t get wet or burn, comfortable to wear and with excellent protection. It is a great value for the cost.”

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, what do you think?” Hao Chen didn’t express his thoughts after hearing the shop owner’s introduction, but turned his head to question Feng Ye.

Feng Ye had come to a stop not far from Hao Chen upon entering the store, leaving room for him to perform. When Hao Chen addressed him, he stepped forward cooperatively.

There was no script for this play, so Feng Ye just went with how he felt. He touched the so-called mermaid silk and remarked sincerely: “It feels nice.”

It was indeed very nice. The mermaid silk was so soft and fine that it won over natural silk by a few points. In addition, because it wouldn’t get wet in the water or burn in a fire, it was very convenient for traveling in the sea or on land.

You got what you paid for – it felt nice, and the price was pretty impressive too.

Feng Ye glanced at the price tag and immediately posed a question: “Why is there such a price difference when they’re all made of mermaid silk?”

The expensive ones cost tens of thousands, while the cheap ones only cost thousands. It was no exaggeration to say that the price difference was astronomical.

The shop owner didn’t answer immediately, but gave Fang Yang a careful once-over. He looked like a normal human being. His strength wasn’t very high, and his face was even less pleasing to the eye.

But for a person who was mediocre in every aspect, his Lord actually condescended to hide his identity and remain by his side, even taking him clothes shopping. What was the relationship between his Lord and this person?

The shop owner’s mind was in turmoil. He couldn’t think of an answer at the moment, but no matter what, he couldn’t afford to offend the person his Lord had brought.

Therefore, he quickly answered: “Honored Customer may not know, but although this is all mermaid silk, it is divided into different levels. Mermaid silk woven by mermaids who have lived for decades costs only a few hundred spirit stones per piece, so the clothing made with it isn’t expensive either.”

“A mermaid who lives for hundreds of years can weave mermaid silk for thousands of spirit stones per piece. In short, the more advanced a mermaid’s cultivation, the better the quality of her silk, and the more expensive it is. The most expensive mermaid silk in this store was woven by a mermaid who cultivated for nine hundred years. This right here costs ten thousand spirit stones per piece of fabric.”

The owner took the most expensive garment down from its display cabinet, handing it to Feng Ye when Hao Chen made a gesture.

Feng Ye compared the feeling of this garment to the one he’d touched before, and it was indeed very different. It appeared that the shop owner’s words were true. After touching, he returned the garment to its owner intact.

When the shop owner saw this, he thought Feng Ye was disappointed with the quality of his materials. This was his Lord’s person, after all, so he must have very high standards.

The shop owner said quickly: “Although this shop is small, nine hundred year mermaid silk is the finest material circulated even in the heavenly realm’s North Sea. As for those over a thousand years old, those can’t be bought outside, only…..”

The shop owner couldn’t help but glance at Hao Chen when he said this, and Hao Chen responded with a threatening smile.

The shop owner immediately withdrew his gaze and continued with restraint: “Only our Lord of the North Sea possesses it. The production of thousand-year-old mermaid silk is extremely limited, and once it is produced, it is supplied to our Lord. It is rarely released to the outside world, and can be said to be priceless. Garments made of thousand-year mermaid silk are comparable to heaven-grade magic weapons in this world. So generally speaking, this nine hundred-year mermaid silk is the best available on the market.”

Feng Ye understood the shop owner’s underlying meaning, and explained: “I’m not looking down on your materials.”

“Then if you don’t mind it, would you like to try it on?” the shop owner said enthusiastically.

Feng Ye waved his hand in refusal. The reason was simple: he couldn’t afford to wear it. Unlike Hao Chen, he was very self-aware and had a clear understanding of his poverty.

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, why don’t you try it on?” Hao Chen also joined the persuasion team. “Although it’s not the best material, it’s at least better than what you’re wearing.”

Although his robes were ragged and torn, revealing a few well-defined muscles, he looked sexy rather than slovenly. The problem was that not just Hao Chen could see this – others could as well, so it was best to cover up.

Hao Chen astutely kept that part to himself.

Feng Ye glanced at the shop owner, then at Hao Chen, who held the garments with an enthusiastic look on his face. He gave the shop owner a polite smile, then very naturally grabbed Hao Chen’s wrist and led him toward the door.

He failed to notice the shop owner’s horrified expression when he took Hao Chen’s wrist so naturally. He was just focused on whispering to Hao Chen: “Fellow Daoist Hao Chen, have you forgotten how much money you have on you?”

This fish was always so ignorant to his penniless state that he needed Feng Ye to remind him.

“This…..” Hao Chen skewed his eyes, the next bout of nonsense already on the tip of his tongue.

However, Feng Ye headed him off: “You and the owner hit it off at first sight, and he’s going to give you a free meal?”

Hao Chen choked. Feng Ye had snatched away his excuse.

But it didn’t matter. If Feng Ye blocked off one path, he would find another. After all, he was a creature of both water and land.

Hao Chen gave a mysterious smile, waving his mini fan as he said: “No, no, I’m just really good at getting discounts.”

Under Feng Ye’s puzzled gaze, Hao Chen leisurely made his way back to the shop owner.

He pointed to the most expensive piece of clothing in the store and asked: “How much is this one?”

Although the shop owner was still immersed in shock from the sight of someone holding his Lord’s hand, he immediately snapped back to his senses at Hao Chen’s question: “This is…..50,000 spirit stones.”

“Oh.” Hao Chen nodded pretentiously, then held up a finger: “Will you sell it for one spirit stone?”

The shop owner was momentarily stunned, then met Hao Chen’s eyes and nodded: “Sold!”

Hao Chen turned around and smiled at Feng Ye watching on the sidelines. His expression said: Told you I’m good at getting discounts.

Feng Ye: “…….”

Fair enough.

However, although Hao Chen had won the clothing, he didn’t intend to purchase them just like that. Instead, he asked for a reward from Feng Ye: “Shouldn’t Fellow Daoist Feng Ye give me something in return since I helped him get such a huge discount?”

There it is. The cunning wolf has finally revealed his tail, thought Feng Ye.

He had known Hao Chen must have ulterior motives to be so enthusiastic about buying clothes for him, and that he was probably plotting something. So before Hao Chen could tell him what he wanted in thanks, Feng Ye promptly declined: “No need, I don’t really want it.”

Hao Chen: “……”

He swallowed the excessive request on his lips and said: “Actually, I wasn’t going to ask for very much…..”

But the more he spoke, the more vigilant Feng Ye became: “No, it’s really not necessary.”

Hao Chen was about to say something else, when a sudden shout from afar interrupted their conversation.

“Honored Lor—” Old Crab Nine rushed to the door of the clothing store, panting, and received a glare from Hao Chen. He came to a sudden realization and switched his words: “H-honored Proprietor Crab says that the case from yesterday hasn’t been fully investigated yet, and he needs you there to investigate further.”

“What else is lacking?” Unhappy about the interruption to his plan, Hao Chen’s tone was particularly unfriendly.

He was having a great time shopping with his sweetheart when he was suddenly called back to work by his subordinates. It would be strange if he wasn’t unhappy.

“Um…..” Old Crab Nine blew nervous bubbles. It was inconvenient for him to speak bluntly with other people around, so he could only say vaguely: “It is a very important matter. You must return.”

Hao Chen frowned. He had never been very involved in such matters. Apart from maintaining the safety of the North Sea, all other matters, big and small, were handled by his subordinates. What could be so important that it required him to go back?

Everything was fine in the North Sea, and there had been no disputes in heaven recently. What could have happened? He suspected that this crab was making a big deal out of nothing, but just to be cautious, Hao Chen decided to accompany Old Crab Nine back.

He gave Feng Ye an apologetic smile: “I must go with him to handle something. Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, continue your stroll and I’ll come find you later.”

Feng Ye’s gaze had been on Old Crab Nine since the moment he appeared, and he responded to Hao Chen’s words with a nod.

Hao Chen followed the crab outside. Once they were out of the store and away from Feng Ye’s gaze, Hao Chen sent Old Crab Nine a threatening glare: “You had better actually have something important for me.”

Old Crab Nine’s claws trembled in fear, and he affirmed repeatedly: “I do, I do.”

Hao Chen withdrew his gaze, still somewhat skeptical. What could be going on?

If it turned out that the crab was just kicking up a fuss, he would make seafood stew.

A fish and a crab walked back to the main hall in the center of North Sea City without stopping. Proprietor Crab was waiting in the hall with another crab beside him, and they stepped forward to greet him.

These crabs looked pretty much the same, and Hao Chen was unable to tell them apart. With no idea who the lackey at Proprietor Crab’s side was, he got straight to the point: “What do you need from me?”

Proprietor Crab didn’t reply immediately, and instead nudged the crab beside him with his claw: “Eighteen, report to our Lord at once.”

“Okay, Cousin,” Crab Eighteen replied.

“Wait, eighteen?” Hao Chen suddenly cut in before Crab Eighteen could make his report. “Crab Eighteen?”

Hao Chen’s eyes narrowed as he realized who this crab was, and that Proprietor Crab had dared to disobey his orders. He scoffed and said in a frigid tone: “I thought I told you yesterday to have this loudmouthed crab steamed.”

“Well…..” Proprietor Crab explained guiltily: “Honored Lord, I did intend to do as you commanded, but didn’t get a chance. This is a good thing, because Eighteen was taking a stroll on the beach when he ran into a bigshot.”

“What bigshot?” Hao Chen’s tone was a little disapproving.

What kind of person could be considered a bigshot compared to him?

“Honored Lord, please have a look.” The other crab immediately presented a pearl between his pincers. 

He carried this pearl with him for the purpose of recording images, and had happened to record what he’d witnessed the previous night.

Hao Chen took the pearl and held it in his palm. He casually injected a bit of spiritual power into it and watched the image that appeared midair.

The first person to appear was someone he knew – Xue Ren of Lingxiao Sword Sect.

Could this be the bigshot the crabs were talking about? Hao Chen’s eyes suddenly turned cold.

Proprietor Crab hurriedly defended himself: “Honored Lord, please keep watching.”

Hao Chen held off on getting angry. He would finish watching before settling the score with these crabs.

A second person soon appeared in the image, a man wearing black robes and a mask.

Crab Eighteen had begun recording upon seeing the man arrive, because he keenly sensed that this man was very dangerous and wanted to use it as an example for his cousin to pay more attention to security in North Sea City. He never expected to catch such a big fish.

No, not a fish. This was a……

Hao Chen watched the image in boredom. Due to Crab Eighteen being a distance away, the sound of the waves was so loud that he couldn’t hear any of the conversation between Xue Ren and the man in the black robes.

Trying so hard to act all mysterious. Hao Chen regarded the black-robed man with disdain.

Hao Chen himself was open and honest, and would use his original appearance when he secretly descended to the mortal realm. Unlike this black-robed man, who hid his face.

However, Hao Chen’s disdain vanished without a trace when he saw the black mist emerging from the black-robed man in the image.

His expression finally turned serious, and the fan he was casually waving came to a stop. He could only hold his breath as the black mist began to take on a shape.

Then, he watched as a man walked out of the black mist, his face just as handsome as the one recorded on the jade slip.

But that face was no longer as cold as when it had appeared up in the clouds one hundred years ago. In this moment, the ruthless man sent Xue Ren – and Hao Chen outside the image – an inexplicably malicious smile.

Crash went the rolling waves.

The man seemed to say something, but Hao Chen was unable to hear it.

His mind wasn’t on the man’s words. He simply stared at that face and muttered a name: “The God of War…..Yinglong.”

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Chapter 74 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 76

Chu Jiubian walked through the palace gates. Just as he was about to grab his umbrella, another hand snatched it before he could.

He paused, turning his head to look at the person who had come up beside him.

“ ? ” Chu Jiubian frowned slightly.

Qin Xiao had already opened the umbrella, and said casually: “I’ll see you off.”

Chu Jiubian gave him a long look. His brow finally relaxed, and he let out a soft chuckle.

He stepped out of the connecting corridor with Qin Xiao keeping pace beside him, the larger part of the umbrella tilted over his head.

They walked at a leisurely pace, and although they were under the same umbrella, their shoulders were a fist’s distance apart, with neither of them crossing the line.

They traveled in silence until they reached Yaotai Residence. Chu Jiubian stopped and turned to Qin Xiao, asking: “Are you going to help me wash up?”

“Do you need me to?” Qin Xiao asked instead of answering.

“No.”

Qin Xiao just smiled and said: “See you tomorrow then.”

Chu Jiubian nodded, then turned and made his way toward the main house without looking back. Xiao Xiangzi and the others saw him when he arrived at the door, and they all busied themselves preparing water for him to wash up.

He went to his bedroom, where the servants were industriously arranging a tub of water for him.

Chu Jiubian had the habit of bathing every day, which Xiao Xiangzi and the others had long known.

“Young Master, your hand is injured. Would you like my help washing?” Xiao Xiangzi asked worriedly.

“No need. You can wait in the outer room.”

“Yes.” They all withdrew.

Chu Jiubian paced to the window and pushed it open.

Although this window didn’t face the gate directly, he could still see the entrance.

There was no one there.

Chu Jiubian closed the window and walked to the clothing rack.

He took off his official robes and tossed them on top, keeping only his trousers as he sat down in front of the mirror.

He didn’t need to comb his hair or wear any hair ornaments, so there were only two combs and some body lotion sitting on his dressing table.

However, the lotion was rather oily, and Chu Jiubian hadn’t used it before.

He looked at himself in the bronze mirror. Although it wasn’t as good as a modern mirror, it still clearly reflected his delicate face and flawless body.

He raised his left hand, lightly tracing his fingertips across the thin skin of his chest.

There were no visible traces anymore, but he could still feel some unevenness under his fingertips in the places that had been covered in scars.

A sharp pain shot through his index finger, and Chu Jiubian watched as a deep red stain slowly crept down the chest of the person in the mirror.

He blinked softly and drew his finger away, then wiped the blood with his palm, smearing it everywhere.

Chu Jiubian stared at the blood on his fingertip and palm with a frown. Then he got up, went to the bathtub and took off his trousers, and got inside.

The blood on his chest washed away in the water, leaving no traces behind.

But a drop of bright red blood slowly dripped from his index finger where his hand was resting on the edge of the tub.

Chu Jiubian lowered his head and submerged his face in the water, his long silver hair fanning out across his thin back.

“System,” he asked in his mind, “Do you have any medication for mental illness?”

On the rooftop, a man stood silently for some time with an umbrella in his hand, then turned around and vanished in the blink of an eye.

*

*

The council chamber.

Qin Chaoyang had just sent all of the memorials that required a response to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, where Eunuch Hong’s people would help write replies to the local officials.

With Chu Jiubian around before, memorials would usually be approved on the same day.

However, these memorials had been piling up ever since the two of them had gone to provide disaster relief. With Chu Jiubian’s hand injured, it would be quite difficult for Qin Xiao to handle them all alone – he might not be able to finish them even if he worked through the night.

After tidying up, he went outside and looked out at the courtyard to calculate the time.

Qin Xiao had gone to see Chu Jiubian off, and had been gone for half a shichen.

From Yangxin Hall to Yaotai Residence, given His Lordship’s pace, he should have returned long ago even if he had encountered a delay.

In an instant, he snapped his head toward the roof.

Then he turned to look into the council hall and, sure enough, found someone standing next to the dim oil lamp.

Qin Chaoyang entered the hall: “My Lord, will you continue reviewing memorials?”

Qin Xiao folded the umbrella and placed it on the table. Rainwater flowed from its tip and rapidly soaked one of the table’s legs.

“Any news?” Qin Xiao asked.

Qin Chaoyang understood at once, and replied with his eyes lowered: “No information was found about the young master, but the High Priest of the Northern Desert seems to have some sort of connection with him. However, the common people were unaware of the details. It is even unknown whether the High Priest is a fabrication created by Jiang Shuoye, so it is impossible to be certain.”

“And Jiang Shuoye himself is even more tight-lipped. Apart from the fact that the High Priest is an immortal who enters dreams to impart knowledge, he hasn’t revealed anything else.”

Qin Xiao sat down and picked up an ink stick, then began to unhurriedly grind ink.

His features were hidden in shadow, making it impossible to determine his expression.

Qin Chaoyang looked up at him and said in a low voice: “Why doesn’t My Lord ask the young master directly?”

They were now in the same boat, and his lord and the young master had obviously developed a basic level of trust. They had even embraced each other on the palace road the night before.

Since they were already so close, if Qin Xiao directly asked about Chu Jiubian’s relationship with the High Priest, the other party might not continue to keep it secret.

Having ground the ink, Qin Xiao dipped his brush in it and began to review memorials.

Qin Chaoyang said nothing more, and simply concealed himself in the shadows.

He was ignorant when it came to sentiment, and he imagined that even his lord possessed little knowledge in that regard.

*

*

Yaotai Residence.

After Chu Jiubian finished bathing, he told Xiao Xiangzi and the others to retire early, then went to bed himself.

Now that the flooding was over and there was nothing else to worry about, he could get back to his work.

“System, send Situ Zhaoling to the Divine Realm.”

[Believer Situ Zhaoling has been detected as summonable. Summoning in progress.]

[Summoning successful.]

Chu Jiubian opened his eyes and found himself already seated on the divine throne.

A phoenix cried out in the distance, and a girl dressed in traditional Nanjiang attire swooped in on the back of one of the golden birds, looking radiant.

Upon landing, Situ Zhaoling quickly bowed to Chu Jiubian: “This subordinate greets the High Priest.”

“Please sit,” said Chu Jiubian.

Situ Zhaoling was surprised to find six chairs lined up behind the long table: “Why are there so many chairs? Are they for the High Priest’s followers?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, does that mean I’ll get the chance to meet them?”

“En.”

Chu Jiubian didn’t say much, but Situ Zhaoling was capable of talking a lot on her own, so the atmosphere wasn’t awkward at all. On the contrary, it made the Divine Realm, with only the two of them inside it, seem rather lively.

Looking at the six chairs, Situ Zhaoling didn’t dare imagine which “chosen one” she would be, and asked: “Where shall I sit, High Priest?”

With a thought, Chu Jiubian made the third chair from the right undergo a gradual change, transforming from white jade to a light purple, with swaying hyacinths faintly visible within it.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful!” Situ Zhaoling immediately stepped forward and stroked the faintly-scented chair. She liked it so much!

Her favorite color was light purple, but weaving and dyeing techniques were underdeveloped in this era, and there was no fabric of this color in the entirety of Great Ning, so she had to settle for dark purple dresses instead.

Otherwise, she would definitely have her whole family wear this color. They would look so beautiful when they went out!

She sat down on the chair and found it to be softer and more comfortable than it had been previously.

“Thank you, High Priest.” She smiled as she gazed up at the giant silhouette of the god.

Chu Jiubian had met with this girl several times, and she was always dressed in purple. It seemed his guess about her favorite color was correct.

“Do you like this color?” Chu Jiubian asked, feigning ignorance.

Situ Zhaoling nodded vigorously: “This subordinate likes it very much! Many thanks, High Priest!”

Chu Jiubian just smiled and said: “I have something I need you to do.”

“Please command me, High Priest. This subordinate is willing to offer her life in sacrifice.”

With a wave of Chu Jiubian’s hand, a book landed on the table in front of Situ Zhaoling.

He had long noticed that the people of the Great Ning Dynasty wore clothing in monotonous colors. Not to mention the common people, even the wealthy and powerful only wore black and white, or the same few colors over and over again. 

Red, green, blue, and purple, all in dark shades.

Gold was reserved for royalty, and others were unable to wear it no matter how much they might want to.

Thus, Chu Jiubian had long wanted to introduce superior dyeing techniques to this era – not aimed at common linen, but at silk.

The vast majority of silk products in Great Ning came from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. The Imperial Court had even set up a dedicated textile bureau to manage the silk business in those areas.

However, Jiangsu and Zhejiang lay within the fiefdom of Zuiliang-wang Bai Liyan. The textile bureau was ostensibly a business belonging to the Imperial Court, but this prince actually took 40% to 50% of the profits.

This wasn’t good for Chu Jiubian, nor for the Imperial Court.

Nanjiang was also very suitable for silkworm-rearing and silk-reeling, and most of the silk in the southern parts of Great Ning was produced there.

It was just that there was no comprehensive management plan, and the region hadn’t developed industrial chains like in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. They also lacked sufficient technology, so not only was the silk of poorer quality than that of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but the output and price also remained low.

The book Chu Jiubian gave to Situ Zhaoling not only contained methods for dyeing silk with other colors, but also methods for improving the quality and quantity of the silk produced.

It even gave a clear explanation of how to form an industrial chain.

If Situ Zhaoling did as instructed, he would be able to establish a reputation for Nanjiang silk.

Situ Zhaoling picked up the book and began to turn the pages.

She read very quickly as she flipped through the book, and very soon, she had skimmed most of the important content. Her heart was pounding.

If everything contained in this book could be achieved, then the silk fabrics of Nanjiang would surely become even more eye-catching than even those of Jiangsu and Zhejiang!

There was even a color chart in this book. She couldn’t begin to imagine how beautiful those colors would be when made into fabric and tailored into dresses.

Not to mention a woman like her, even men were sure to love it.

Situ Zhaoling knew very well how extravagantly the wealthy and powerful spent money when it came to these silken fabrics, so what she saw in this book was actually an endless expanse of silver!

They would centralize management of all of the silk workshops in Nanjiang, create different departments, and assign them different functions. This would make things much more efficient. 

The next step was to expand its scale, increase production, and at the same time, make improvements to quality using the methods in this book.

Then a separate textile workshop would be established, specifically for mixing and dyeing…..

Situ Zhaoling had basically envisioned the entire industry chain, and the clinking and clattering of coins ringing in her ears made her feel somewhat dizzy.

At the same time, she also knew what the High Priest wanted her to do.

She stood up and bowed deferentially, saying: “This subordinate will definitely live up to your expectations and bring you lots and lots of money.”

Although she was usually a bit loud and impulsive, and not very mature in her actions, she was still adept at reading people – so she didn’t ask the High Priest what he needed the money for. Just being obedient was enough.

This Believer’s circumspection put Chu Jiubian in a good mood.

After expressing her loyalty, Situ Zhaoling then said anxiously: “High Priest, our Nanjiang does possess its own caravans, so selling goods in the southwest and northwest is relatively easy. But transporting goods from Nanjiang to Northern Zhili or the Jiangnan region would take an extremely long time, and might delay your important business.”

“It won’t be a problem, just go and get started,” Chu Jiubian said.

In fact, Situ Zhaoling had indeed raised a large problem.

The Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions had canals that allowed for silk to be directly transported northward, but the Nanjiang region was very remote, making the sale of silk in the north very difficult.

But this didn’t pose a problem for Chu Jiubian.

Items could be traded in the Divine Realm. He could easily have Situ Zhaoling bring the Nanjiang silk into the Divine Realm, then have Wang Qichen, his noble young master from the capital, help with selling it.

This also saved on transportation costs, making it basically pure profit.

Chu Jiubian would set aside a portion of the money for Nanjiang, and send the rest to Jiang Shuoye.

Even after Wang Qichen started up his mass-production paper mill, he would keep a portion of the profits for Wang Qichen and give the rest to Jiang Shuoye.

In this dog-eat-dog world, strengthening one’s military power was the true key to survival.

Qin Xiao was able to protect Bai Lihong’s throne even though he had nobody in the court – wasn’t this because of the soldiers and generals under his command?

Chu Jiubian currently possessed 80,000 Mobei Army troops and the fierce General Jiang Shuoye, but it wasn’t enough.

As far as he knew, Huguang-wang alone had 100,000 soldiers, at least on the surface, and who knew how many hidden in the dark.

Other vassals kings, along with the militarily strong Lu and Qiu families, may only have a few  thousand troops on the surface, but they secretly maintained an unknown number of private soldiers.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao were currently on the same side, but as their methods became more radical, these other forces would grow increasingly restless.

They might just end up banding together.

The unification of these forces should not be underestimated.

And after they eventually defeated and scattered these forces, Chu Jiubian would inevitably be forced to confront Qin Xiao. At that time, he would need to possess enough power and military strength to protect himself.

In short, Jiang Shuoye’s steel mill must be expanded quickly to produce stronger and sharper weapons as soon as possible. The more, the better.

So Chu Jiubian needed money, and Situ Zhaoling and Wang Qichen both needed to make a profit quickly.

“This is also a gift for you. Try to cultivate it.” Chu Jiubian gave her some cotton seeds and planting methods.

However, the cultivation of this crop required repeated trials, and the growth requirements varied from location to location, so it would take a long time to figure out.

Chu Jiubian steadied his mindset and decided to take it one step at a time.

With no further business, Chu Jiubian had the System send Situ Zhaoling away.

Just as he was about to depart as well, the System said: [Host, this System has preserved the conversation between Jiang Shuoye and Wang Qichen. Would you like to view it?]

Only then did Chu Jiubian remember this event.

When he was in Hexi Prefecture before, he’d left the Divine Realm before the two of them because Qin Xiao had come to find him, and the System had recorded the content of their conversation.

“Let’s see it,” said Chu Jiubian.

He actually thought that the two of them wouldn’t have much to say to each other, and would likely exchange a few awkward pleasantries before leaving.

The character cards of these two appeared before his eyes, then merged together to become a large screen.

Chu Jiubian saw the two of them sitting in their seats, with an empty chair between them.

Because the High Priest had left in a hurry and hadn’t told them to leave, they sat there in awkward silence for some time.

Jiang Shuoye sat tall and straight, his expression stern, and did nothing at all.

Wang Qichen sent him a sideways glance, then looked up at the enormous silhouette of the god.

“High Priest? Are you still there?” he asked.

His response was the low, distant roar of a dragon.

Jiang Shuoye said: “The High Priest must have something to take care of. Please be patient.”

He was a prudent person and had sensed Chu Jiubian’s departure from the Divine Realm long ago, but since he hadn’t been given any instructions, he simply waited.

Wang Qichen looked over at him: “Has this happened before?”

“No.”

“Then why don’t you seem concerned at all?” Wang Qichen raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps the High Priest had a last minute meeting with another god. There’s no reason for us to wait here like fools, is there?”

Jiang Shuoye glanced up at the silhouette of the god, somewhat hesitant.

“Then let’s wait another quarter shichen,” he said.

Wang Qichen: “Alright. But how will we get out afterward?”

“I don’t know.”

The System detected the keywords “get out” and sent them out immediately. Otherwise, these two simple-minded people might have really waited for a quarter of a shichen.

It seemed he would need to make some things clear the next time he saw these two. If such a situation happened again, they should just leave rather than waiting around like idiots.

“Right, how many card draws do I have now?” Chu Jiubian asked.

[Host, your accumulated points now allow you to draw three more cards.]

Chu Jiubian had previously drawn an extra duplicate card.

His points would continue to increase, and he would soon have the opportunity to draw an additional card, so he might as well draw these three now.

Chu Jiubian needed people who could participate in the Imperial Examinations and enter the Imperial Academy, so it would be best to draw cards related to the scholarly arts or craftsmanship.

“I’ll draw a card,” Chu Jiubian said.

[Okay, Host. A card deck has been prepared for you, please draw one. (You can only draw one card at a time.)]

Last time, Chu Jiubian had drawn two in one go. One was a duplicate, and one was Wang Qichen.

The System had learned well.

Chu Jiubian tried to haggle with it, but this time, the System knew that Chu Jiubian was set on his purchase and maintained a firm attitude, not budging an inch.

“Fine, I’ll just draw one.” Chu Jiubian was left with no choice, and drew one card.

“……”

This was already his third “wealth” card!

The System shuffled the cards, of which there were now six.

Chu Jiubian was genuinely afraid of drawing a fourth wealth card, and rubbed his hands together before making the next selection.

Great, now it was a “Charisma” card.

Another one he had already drawn.

Could he be this unlucky?

Chu Jiubian closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself, silently chanting, new card, new card, before drawing the last one.

The card was flipped over, and a flash of golden light revealed the words written on it: [Connections].

It was actually a [Connections] card!

Chu Jiubian was delighted; this was a keyword he hadn’t considered before.

Her surmised that this network of connections wasn’t the same as Wang Qichen’s, which included his large clan. This was likely to include connections between a variety of people.

If that was the case, wouldn’t it be much easier for Chu Jiubian to place his own people in the Imperial Academy?

Couldn’t he just have the Believer on this card make the arrangements?

This was a godsend. The System really was going easy on him.

Chu Jiubian said: “Let’s see who we have here.”

[Suitable Believer cards have been preserved for Host. Please select one to summon.]

The keyword cards vanished, only to be replaced by two Believer cards.

Why were there so few candidates this time?

Chu Jiubian had a bad feeling about this – like he would once again only have one card he could choose.

When the first card was revealed, his pupils immediately contracted.

As expected, the Regent who was haunting him like a ghost was once again in the selection pool.

[Ning-wang Qin Xiao, courtesy name Fengqi, age 25. You think he’s just a powerful minister sitting high in the halls of power? Not so – he has the strongest network of connections. With him on your side, you will control the majority of the jianghu!  (Not recommended ! ! !)]

Chu Jiubian had the belated realization that he had never known Qin Xiao’s courtesy name.

So it was Qin Fengqi?

And what did the card mean by “the majority of the jianghu?” How did Qin Xiao know people in the martial arts world?

Chu Jiubian’s questions were resolved in less than two breaths, because he found the answer on the second card.

[Qin Chuan, courtesy name Mingce. Leader of the Wulin Alliance, age 23. As the second legitimate son of the Qin family who has never been publicly acknowledged, he operates in the shadows while Ning-wang Qin Xiao operates in the open. One holds a high position in the Imperial Court, while the other lives in seclusion in the jianghu. With him, you will hold a large portion of the jianghu’s power, as well as an intelligence network spanning the entire nation. (Recommended!)]

Chu Jiubian instantly felt a chill run down his spine.

No wonder Qin Xiao always received news so rapidly. It turned out that his younger brother was a martial arts leader famous throughout the land! 

No wonder!

Chu Jiubian had previously heard Xiao Xiangzi mention the “leader of the Wulin Alliance” while gossiping. At that time, he had thought it fortunate that such figures from the jianghu didn’t serve in the Imperial Court. Otherwise, they would become objects of contention among various forces.

But now, he realized that the world of the jianghu was already taking part in this power struggle, and stood behind Qin Xiao.

That world-renowned Grand Marshal Qin was indeed a master strategist.

He had raised up both of his grandsons to become outstanding individuals.

Qin Xiao possessed exceptional political acumen and ruthless methods, so Grand Marshal Qin had kept him in the capital and made him known to the public, instructing him to act as a dissolute dandy in order to lower everyone’s guard and further protect the Qin family.

If someone were to attempt to harm the Qin family, Qin Xaio’s prowess would allow him to protect its members even after death.

And even if he failed to protect them, there was still Qin Chuan on the outside. As a direct descendent of the Qin family, he would be able to preserve their bloodline.

Whether or not Grand Marshal Qin had foreseen this situation, once Qin Xiao and Bai Lihong came to power, Qin Chuan became their most valuable intelligence network and backup plan.

Chu Jiubian couldn’t help but think of the late Empress Qin Feng.

These three siblings, plus Bai Lihong, seemed to have inherited Grand Marshal Qin’s talents. Each of them could be a “protagonist” in their own right.

Were all of them main characters?

Something flashed through Chu Jiubian’s mind, but he was too slow to grasp it.

[Would Host like to summon Believer Qin Chuan?]

“No need.” Chu Jiubian firmly declined.

Qin Chuan and Qin Xiao shared a connection, and given the intellect and talent of Qin Xiao and Qin Feng, it could be deduced that Qin Chuan must also be very capable.

Upon seeing the High Priest, such a person would inevitably associate him with Chu Jiubian.

It was too dangerous. 

Chu Jiubian had no intention of exposing his identity to Qin Chuan for the time being.

However, his “connections” skill was vital, and Chu Jiubian needed an intelligence network. That way, even if Qin Xiao kept something from him, he could still get the information from Qin Chuan.

The only prerequisite was that Qin Chuan must trust and believe in him completely.

Furthermore, he must not be led to believe that the High Priest would harm Qin Xiao. Otherwise, even with his identity as a god, he wouldn’t be able to compare to the blood relationship between brothers.

He needed to make preparations to reveal that the High Priest and Qin Xiao shared the same goals. Only in this way would Qin Chuan trust him completely.

[Host, someone is knocking at your door.]

Chu Jiubian immediately withdrew from the Divine Realm and sat up in bed.

Sure enough, there was a knock on the door. Chu Jiubian instantly knew that it was Qin Xiao.

At this hour, he hoped nothing terrible had happened again!

Chu Jiubian quickly got up and put on his shoes, then went to the outer room. As soon as he opened the door, a surge of damp coldness rushed inside.

Ignoring the chill, he asked with a frown: “What’s the matter?”

Qin Xiao sent him a glance and stepped forward.

Chu Jiubian automatically stepped back, only to see the man enter and close the door behind him.

Chu Jiubian: “ ? ”

Qin Xiao grasped his wrist and examined his hand. Sure enough, the bandages on his finger were gone and the wound was openly exposed, with dried blood between the nail and flesh.

Qin Xiao was silent for a moment or two before asking: “Doesn’t it hurt?”

---

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Chapter 51 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 53

Ch 15 – Robot Photo

Tau didn’t quite understand what was happening to him. His identity had been discovered, so Kersz should either kill him or try to use him against his father.

It made sense. Since Tau wasn’t dead, he was prepared for Kersz to try to use him. Right now, he was only valuable because of his relationship with the Supreme Governor.

Tau had no idea how Kersz and that inexplicable robot intended to break down his mental defenses.

Yu Xi didn’t come to see him. While Tau was locked in his suite, an announcement informed him that Yu Xi had gone to take care of his own business.

Tau believed that this was a delaying tactic. They wanted to amplify his anxiety, as people often behaved irrationally under extreme stress.

But did this tactic also involve playing cartoons?

Tau’s assigned suite was a little overly luxurious, containing its own small living room, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a gym.

After going inside, a semi-transparent projection showed him how to use all of the objects here. And most importantly, it showed him food.

Yes, the projection showed Tau how to eat. It indicated that there was no nutrient solution here, but that more nutritious and enjoyable food would be provided.

Tau initially intended to go on a hunger strike, but then he discovered that there really was no nutrient solution provided.

From the moment he took his first bite, Tau once again sank into deep suspicion.

Was this a strategy to win him over gently?

Was this in Kersz’s nature? Kersz only wanted to torture him until he broke down physically and mentally.

Maybe it was the robot’s idea? Who exactly was that robot? And how had he managed to acquire such a high-tech starship?

Tau’s mind was a flurry of questions, but for now, all he could do was exist like this…..three meals per day, early to bed and early to rise, reminders to exercise, daily health checks, and even holographic games to play when he was bored.

This excessively affluent lifestyle left Tau completely bewildered. All of his preparations were rendered useless, which only heightened his anxiety.

Tau was unable to sleep, and when the transparent projection informed him that Yu Xi was coming to visit him, he felt a rush of relief, as if the blade hanging over his head had finally fallen.

He finally understood what Yu Xi intended to do.

Yu Xi brought Kersz along to visit Tau. At the door to his suite, Yu Xi repeatedly instructed Kersz not to be mocking or malicious, and to try to appear kind and gentle.

“I won’t mock him,” Kersz assured Yu Xi.

Yu Xi didn’t quite believe him.

Kersz gave him a gentle smile: “As you’re well aware, I’m a master of pretense.”

“Very good, keep smiling like that. After all, you need to promote my planet,” said Yu Xi. “There’s lots of delicious food and fun things to do there.”

Kersz cleared his throat, then said to Yu Xi: “Earth is covered in plants, food is readily available, the technology is more advanced, and there are more fun games to play. Most importantly, we no longer need to run ourselves ragged.” His tone was sincere, and his low-pitched voice exuded temptation.

“You’re amazing!” Yu Xi patted Kersz’s shoulder.

Kersz put his hands behind his back and smugly puffed out his chest: “I’m just speaking the truth.”

“You always have such a sweet mouth~” Yu Xi was ready. He reached out and knocked on the door, activating the communication system: “Hello, Mr. Tau. May we come into your room as guests?”

They waited for a while, and the door finally opened. Tau was both confused and wary. It seemed that ever since he met Yu Xi, he never knew how to deal with any given situation.

Kersz smiled gently at him: “Mr. Tau~”

Tau: …..

Yu Xi asked again: “Will you let us in?”

Tau retorted: “Do I have the right to refuse?”

Kersz glanced at Yu Xi: “It seems we’re not welcome.”

Yu Xi was a little disappointed, but he still respected Tau’s choice: “We’re sorry to have bothered you. We’ll be leaving now.”

Tau was even more befuddled, but he was quite certain that he didn’t want to wait any longer. He wished that the blade hanging over his head would fall soon, and that whether he lived or died, he would at least be given an explanation: “Wait. Come in.”

Yu Xi’s initial disappointment gave way to delight: “Thank you! !” He pulled Kersz into the room, and once inside, he even looked around and praised the beauty of Tau’s home.

Tau: ?

The three of them sat down on the sofa, and a spherical butler robot brought them drinks.

Tau waited for Yu Xi to interrogate him.

“What is your favorite color, ah?” Yu Xi asked in a conversational tone.

Tau: “Silver.” He didn’t keep silent this time.

“Oh, right, your hair is silver.” Yu Xi nodded. “Your eyes are purple. Do you like purple too?”

Tau nodded.

“Have you been enjoying the food these past few days? Do you have any feedback?” Yu Xi asked again.

“It’s delicious, thank you.” Tau was still on edge.

“Do you want to live like this forever?”

Here it comes!

Tau’s muscles tensed: “What do you mean by that?”

“What I mean is that you can forget your past, forget your father, and forget your mission. You can live your life happily on a certain planet, with no worries about food, shelter, clothing, or transportation, with plenty of entertainment options to fill your life with.” Yu Xi said, “Of course, you don’t need to give anything in return. I know it sounds like a scam, but once you spend enough time on my planet, you’ll realize I’m telling the truth.”

Tau’s brow furrowed.

Kersz spoke up in a timely manner: “I can vouch for him. When you go there, you’ll no longer be controlled by anyone. You’ll be free, and you might even find love when there are more humans in the future.”

Tau saw Kersz’s smile and felt a chill run down his spine.

There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

“I don’t want to.” Tau shook his head in refusal. He didn’t understand what Yu Xi was trying to do. In fact, the best course of action was to agree first and then figure out Yu Xi and Kersz’s intentions before trying to free himself.

But the overly comfortable life he had enjoyed these few days had caused Tau great distress. He disliked passively waiting in such an environment. “I will not betray my father.”

“To your father, you’re nothing more than a pawn to be sacrificed at will,” Kersz reminded him.

“Perhaps I will be sacrificed, but if I die when it’s time for me to die, it will be a worthy death.” Tau clenched his fists.

Yu Xi: …..

Yu Xi exchanged a few brief pleasantries with him, then said goodbye with a smile and pulled Kersz away.

They left Tau’s suite, and when the door closed again, Yu Xi could no longer hold back: “Is there something a little bit wrong with his head?”

Kersz understood Yu Xi’s meaning: “Please cut him some slack. After all, he is an Illegitimate.”

“I know he’s an illegitimate child. An illegitimate child should harbor even more resentment toward his so-called father, but why does he seem to have an unusually deep relationship with him?” Yu Xi asked.

“That’s very normal. He was trained on the Supreme Governor’s private planet from childhood. He’s been brainwashed.” Kersz had met many ‘Illegitimates.’ “They’re superfluous humans outside the law. They’re not protected by any of the human alliances, and their lives are far removed from the concept of ‘humanity.’”

“Their feelings toward their masters are highly abnormal. They regard their masters as the only truth, and their own lives as worthless.” Kersz glanced back at the tightly closed door. “God knows how many of their companions’ deaths they witnessed on their way to adulthood. Death is a common occurrence to them, something that can happen at any time. They don’t value their own lives much at all.”

These humans seemed very familiar to Yu Xi: “They’re like a group of interstellar suicide soldiers.”

“Suicide soldiers? In any case, I generally don’t try to reason with them.” Kersz ran his hand lightly across his throat. “I just take action, because they’re completely immoveable.” 

“Then if I capture their fathers, wouldn’t it be like capturing the queen bee of a swarm and luring in all the worker bees?” Yu Xi pondered.

Kersz looked at Yu Xi.

Yu Xi requested his opinion: “What do you think?”

Kersz gave Yu Xi a thumbs up: “You’re clever. Almost a little devious.”

“Is it possible for me to reform him by treating him a little better?” Yu Xi felt that kidnapping the Supreme Governor was too risky due to his special identity amongst humans.

“It’ll be a bit difficult. Those toxic beliefs are deeply ingrained in their minds.” Speaking of this, Kersz proudly patted his chest. “Their natures are dark and twisted from childhood, unlike us sunny, cheerful kids.”

“Sunny and cheerful?” Yu Xi doubted this statement.

“Yeah, sunny and cheerful. Wait just a second.” Kersz opened his ID profile and found a video of himself as a child.

Kersz clicked the video, and Yu Xi saw a big-eyed child pointing at pictures on another screen, introducing them to his imaginary friend.

“These is Star Beasts. They lives in stars. They glows, and they puffs out fire and smoke.” The child’s pronunciation was still a little fuzzy.

“Heavens! !” Yu Xi covered his mouth in astonishment as he watched the adorable child in the video who believed in fairy tales.

At the end, the child hugged his doll to his chest and smiled sweetly.

“I want this video! I really want this video!” Yu Xi exclaimed with great excitement.

“Then you can trade me one,” Kersz said. “A photo or video of you.”

Yu Xi thought for a moment, then nodded sharply: “Okay!”

Yu Xi began to search through his memory bank for photos. When he found one of himself from the past, he was a little embarrassed: “I might not be wearing any clothes.”

“Ah?” Kersz felt his ears getting hot.

Yu Xi first copied Kersz’s video, then sent his own photo over.

What Kersz saw was a fat orange cat looking at the camera with a disdainful expression.

Kersz: ?

Yu Xi pointed at the round disc under the cat: “This is a photo of me at work. I still didn’t know anything at that time, so I wasn’t wearing any clothes.”

Kersz: …..

He took a close look at the photo, wherein the fat cat was pressing down on the robot vacuum while seemingly regarding them with lofty scorn.

“My, my dustbin is even facing the camera…..” Yi Xi felt that his photo was a bit excessive. “I hope you don’t misunderstand me. I’m a decent and proper robot.”

So this photo was actually risqué?

Kersz was helpless. He felt like he’d gotten a great picture, but all he could focus on was the fat cat looking down on him. 

It was a little baffling, but he really wanted to make sense of it, ah.

He really wanted to appreciate this photo from Yu Xi’s perspective.

What was so titillating about it? He wanted to know!

---

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Chapter 14 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 16

Ch. 74 – Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

“Guest, you’ve been staring at the menu for quite some time. Have you made your choice? If you can’t make up your mind, why not order our signature seafood porridge? It’s incredibly delicious.” The waiter made a suggestion to the cultivator in slightly tattered clothes, who was sitting by the window.

This person had been sitting here since early morning, staring at the menu. It was unknown what it was about the menu that mesmerized him so, but he still hadn’t made a selection.

Feng Ye glanced at the waiter. He could see the complaints hidden under that polite smile, and couldn’t help but reply silently, What else could I be mesmerized by but the prices on the menu?

The cheapest bowl of porridge here cost three spirit stones. Although the ingredients were said to contain spiritual energy, such a high price was still a bit of a rip-off.

If he had the money, Feng Ye wouldn’t mind being ripped off. Coming to North Sea City was a rare opportunity.

The problem was that he didn’t have the money.

In other words, if the sect wasn’t paying for his nightly accommodations, Feng Ye would have been sleeping on the streets last night.

But although the sect provided accommodations, it was not the same for food. Feng Ye had initially thought that since he still had two spirit stones, although he was poor, he at least wouldn’t starve to death.

However, this was before he saw the menu.

If a less-than-rich breakfast could be sold at such a high price, lunch and dinner were out of the question. He might actually starve to death.

Of course, it wasn’t actually that serious. Although those at Qi Refining stage had not yet adopted the practice of inedia, it wasn’t a big deal to skip a few meals. And Feng Ye wasn’t a Qi Refining cultivator anyway.

Eating was a small matter, but saving face was more important.

Feng Ye felt a little embarrassed after occupying a seat for half the day without ordering any dishes. But since he couldn’t afford anything on the menu, he just held it for a long time without making a selection.

But facing the problem of this waiter now, he had to make a decision.

Just as Feng Ye was about to stand up and say that he had something to do and would forgo a meal, he suddenly caught sight of a small line of words at the bottom of the menu. Because he had been holding the menu with his right hand, his palm had been covering it up. 

Feng Ye’s eyes lit up at the sight of these words: Pot of boiled water – one spirit stone.

They charged spirit stones for a simple pot of boiled water. This establishment was so blackened that no other colors could be seen.

But Feng Ye grasped at this straw in order to save face. There was finally something on the menu that he could afford, and he said to the waiter: “Give me one of these.”

Just when the waiter thought that this dawdling customer had made a decision and looked over happily, he saw the words Feng Ye was pointing to: “A pot of boiled water.”

“That’s it?” the waiter asked in disbelief.

“That’s it.” Feng Ye nodded affirmatively.

The waiter: “…..”

When he saw the cultivator wearing such tattered clothes, he had thought that it was some new fashion in the human world. Human trends were always changing, after all, forever mystifying these sea monsters.

Only now did he realize that it wasn’t a fashion trend at all; it was simply a lack of money.

With a thud, the teapot landed on the table in front of Feng Ye.

“Here is your boiled water.” The waiter maintained his excellent customer service, smiling as he delivered it and smiling as he retreated.

How much he complained about this unprecedentedly poor fellow in his heart, only he knew.

Feng Ye picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup. He wasn’t thirsty, but this pot of boiled water had cost him half his savings, so he should drink it before he left.

Although the prices at this restaurant were high, the quality of the dishes was excellent. It was called boiled water, and it was indeed boiling to the point that it was impossible to drink.

Feng Ye could only blow on the teacup, waiting for the water to cool while he observed the scenery outside the window with some boredom.

He was on the second floor of the building, and below him was the market, which was gradually becoming lively. As the sun rose higher, cultivators who had been resting once again went to the market in high spirits.

The beauty of shopping lay in the word “browsing.” It wasn’t necessary to buy anything, but one must walk around and have a look.

This was the case with Fang Yang and Cao Zirui. They belonged to the same sect, and had stayed at the same inn the previous night. As soon as dawn arrived, Fang Yang ran to wake Cao Zirui, and after an early meal, they went out browsing.

It must be said that Feng Ye was genuinely happy that Fang Yang had made a new friend in Cao Zirui. Otherwise, the person Fang Yang woke up early would have been him.

That naive, innocent child still didn’t realize that the God-Summoning Token was a scam, and had no idea that he’d taken out a loan to purchase a hunk of scrap metal.

This bought Feng Ye more time to come up with a story. This wasn’t actually difficult, but Feng Ye couldn’t break past the psychological barrier. After all, he wasn’t as shameless as Hao Chen.

Had Hao Chen been the one to encounter Feng Ye’s ordeal, it wouldn’t have been a problem for him. He would have simply deceived that silly person, taken the money, and left without another word.

Speaking of Hao Chen, there had been no news of the fish since he was taken away by the crab squad the day before, allowing Feng Ye a rare night of peace and quiet.

I wonder if the crabs discovered his true identity…..

Just as Feng Ye was thinking this, he suddenly spied a familiar face among the crowd walking down below.

Speak of the devil. The moment Feng Ye thought about Hao Chen, he appeared.

Feng Ye didn’t call out to him, but almost at the same time Feng Ye noticed him, Hao Chen raised his head.

Hao Chen smiled when their eyes met, and he turned to walk inside the building.

As his figure disappeared from Feng Ye’s sight, the thump, thump, thump of ascending footsteps reached his ears.

Feng Ye turned his gaze from the scenery outside the window to the stairs.

“Is Fellow Daoist Feng Ye having breakfast?” Hao Chen greeted him immediately upon arriving on the second floor. 

As he spoke, he went straight toward Feng Ye’s table by the window.

Then, without an invitation, he directly took the seat opposite Feng Ye.

Feng Ye sent him a glance, then lowered his head to blow on the teacup of boiling water with an unhurried “En.”

At this reply, Hao Chen was quick to ask: “What did Fellow Daoist Feng Ye eat?”

The table was clear apart from a pot of boiling water. It looked as if he had either finished eating or hadn’t started yet. Hao Chen actually didn’t care much about breakfast. As soon as he exited the hall, Proprietor Crab had treated him with great care and prepared the most luxurious of dishes for him. Naturally, he was well-fed and satisfied.

He was just asking for fun. Some of the most common ways for humans to greet each other were “Have you eaten” and “What did you eat?” He had picked this up to use casually, laying the groundwork before getting to the main topic.

Faced with this question, Feng Ye didn’t raise his head, continuing to stare at the boiled water in the teacup. Seeing that it was almost cool, he gulped it down and looked up, replying seriously: “Boiled water.”

Hao Chen: “……”

He was briefly taken aback before something occurred to him. He then recalled that while he himself was satiated and well-fed, Feng Ye was still struggling to make ends meet.

Hao Chen couldn’t help but tap his mini fan. Now that he had discovered that North Sea City belonged to him, Feng Ye was visiting his territory for the first time and he, as the host, had not been the most hospitable.

Although Feng Ye most likely didn’t know his identity, Hao Chen was very aware of his own position. He knew that he must show courtesy to this person no matter what, so he immediately called the waiter over and glanced at the menu, directly ordering: “Bring all of your signature dishes.”

Thinking that he had run into a big customer, the waiter happily took the menu and went downstairs.

And Feng Ye looked expressionlessly at the smug, praise-seeking look on the fish’s face. He couldn’t help but take a stab at Hao Chen, reminding him: “Fellow Daoist Hao Chen ordered so much. Do you have the money for it?”

Hao Chen: “……”

Silence.

In reality, he had much more than enough. North Sea City belonged to him. How could he be broke?

It was just that…..he had been penniless before, but today he was spending money like water. There was no legitimate excuse for him suddenly becoming rich.

But this didn’t bother Hao Chen. After a moment of silence, he swiftly came up with a reason: “The owner and I hit it off downstairs. He and I got along very well, so he said I can eat as much as I want for free.”

Feng Ye: “…..” How long had this guy been downstairs? Less than a few seconds. Could this lie be any more half-assed?

However, in spite of this perfunctory attitude, Hao Chen’s lie actually received the cooperation of the store owner.

Thanks to the efforts of the crab clan, news of Hao Chen’s arrival had spread throughout North Sea City overnight. Of course, this was limited to the monsters native to the North Sea. The humans were completely unaware.

All shops big and small had been given instructions, and had seen the portrait of their Lord. Therefore, the shop owner noticed him as soon as he walked into the establishment.

Seeing the obvious disbelief on Feng Ye’s face, Hao Chen called up the store owner to testify on his behalf.

Hao Chen repeated what he’d said to Feng Ye, then asked the shop owner: “Am I right?” There was an inexplicable undercurrent of danger in his tone, as if he would turn hostile if the other party denied it.

“Right, right, we hit it off right away.” The shop owner got the hint and nodded hurriedly.

It was just that…..his tone was still overly deferential.

Feng Ye: “……”

“Okay.” Feng Ye held his forehead and didn’t expose this fish’s act.

It would take a while before the food was served, so Feng Ye asked casually: “How did you deal with your wrongful arrest yesterday?”

He knew he wasn’t going to hear the truth, but it was still entertaining to listen to Hao Chen’s stories.

Hao Chen smacked the edge of the table with his fan. He had been waiting for Feng Ye to ask!

Before coming to see Feng Ye, he had already prepared an excellent, detailed story, mainly consisting of how much injustice he had suffered after being arrested in Feng Ye’s place yesterday, and how much effort he put in to escape.

Although he hadn’t been wronged, and Proprietor Crab had been so earnest that he almost cooked himself into a dish to entertain him. And Old Crab Nine’s target had been Hao Chen in the first place. It was purely coincidental that he’d appeared during Feng Ye’s dispute with the sea otters.

But Feng Ye was unaware of this, and Hao Chen wasn’t going to enlighten him. He planned to use this tale to trick Feng Ye into feeling guilty.

Just like he was in the Floating Island Secret Realm. When Hao Chen thought about it later, Feng Ye letting him hold onto him throughout the night was a product of his soft-heartedness, but it also contained an element of guilt.

As long as Feng Ye felt a bit guilty toward him again, it would allow Hao Chen to take advantage of him with justification.

Hao Chen’s animated expression was like that of a storyteller in a teahouse. While a storyteller held a clapping board, Hao Chen held his fan. The sounds they made were equally loud.

Just as he was about to begin telling his carefully-prepared story, the words on the tip of his tongue, he was suddenly interrupted by a thump, thump, thump sound.

Someone was walking up the stairs, very quickly and loudly.

Hao Chen chose to wait for the noise to stop before he spoke.

Feng Ye subconsciously glanced toward the stairs, and found Fang Yang standing there with a serious expression.

Needless to say, the naive, innocent boy must have come to the restaurant to ask his shixiong for an explanation.

Before Fang Yang actually came upstairs, Feng Ye’s short-lived excuses had been sabotaged by his guilty conscience.

All of a sudden, he asked Hao Chen an extremely asinine question: “Where is your fan?”

“Why?” Hao Chen lowered his head to glance at the fan he was holding.

Feng Ye followed his gaze and said directly: “Lend it to me.”

Having said this, he grabbed Hao Chen’s wrist and raised the fan in front of his face, as if no one could see him if he was hiding behind it.

Hao Chen was briefly stunned. Then he looked toward the stairs and noticed Fang Yang’s unusually serious face, and realization hit him in an instant.

Although he didn’t know what had happened between Feng Ye and this naive boy, he reacted very quickly.

Slowly fanning himself a couple of times, he considerately raised his sleeve to shield Feng Ye behind it. His sleeve wasn’t very wide, and the fan only covered a portion of Feng Ye’s face, but everything important was concealed. Except…..Fang Yang recognized him solely by his ragged clothing. He walked straight to the table where the two of them were sitting, placed his hands on the table, and called out sternly: “Shixiong.”

Feng Ye made one last attempt, continuing to shield his face as if Fang Yang had recognized the wrong person.

Hao Chen also cooperated very well, covering Feng Ye’s face with his fan and sleeve as he asked Fang Yang: “Young xiongdi, I’m afraid you’ve recognized the wrong person. In fact, he has an older brother who looks exactly like him…..”

Fang Yang: “……” His serious expression fractured in the wake of this fantastical lie.

Feng Ye, blocked behind Hao Chen: “……”

This person was even less reliable than him, so he had to take up the reins again.

Feng Ye’s reasoning returned to him, and he gave a dry cough, reaching out to press down Hao Chen’s sleeve that was concealing him.

Escaping wouldn’t solve the problem, so Feng Ye decided to bravely face it head on. In a sense, what he’d done the previous night was the same as Hao Chen – both of them making up stories.

Before Hao Chen had a chance to tell the story he’d made up, Feng Ye told his to Fang Yang first. He gave a long speech about the miserable backgrounds of the two sea otters, how he couldn’t bear it and thus helped them sell counterfeit goods.

Fang Yang had to wipe his eyes after hearing this. Sniffling, he said to Feng Ye: “Shixiong, you did the right thing. If it were me, I would have helped them too. They’re just too pitiful. Not only do they have to take care of their sick second brother, but they also have a vicious stepmother and stepfather who don’t give them food.”

The two sea otters did have a sick second brother, but no stepmother or stepfather. The last part was all Feng Ye’s artistic embellishment in order to show that his selling of counterfeit goods was not unjust, but simply an act of helping the weak.

Although the logic behind it wouldn’t hold up to scrutiny at all, what mattered was that Fang Yang believed it.

Even when Feng Ye said that he would repay the one thousand spirit stones later, Fang Yang proactively refused: “This is my way of helping them too, Shixiong. You don’t need to pay it back.”

“Besides, I at least got a token,” Fang Yang sighed, taking out the God-Summoning Token.

Having said that, he still felt a little bad that he had spent a thousand spirit stones on a piece of scrap metal.

Feng Ye thought for a moment, then patted Fang Yang on the shoulder and comforted him: “Look at it this way. Although the chances of success when using a token without a god’s name on it are extremely low, what if you succeed?”

“That seems to make some sense…..” Fang Yang was slightly comforted.

After listening to Feng Ye’s story and gleaning the general truth, Hao Chen suddenly cut in with a smile: “This disposable magic instrument can only be used in a matter of life or death. Even if it fails, at least you would have prayed before you died.”

Fang Yang: “……” This sounded even more reasonable!

The three of them talked for a long time, and the dishes Hao Chen had ordered were delivered one after another. Although Fang Yang had already eaten breakfast, young people who were still growing tended to get hungry quickly.

Feng Ye invited him to eat with them, so he moved a stool over and joined their meal.

Before picking up his chopsticks, Fang Yang looked at the sumptuous dishes on the table and had to ask: “You ordered so many dishes…..isn’t it expensive?”

He had read the menu. Fang Yang, who was one hundred spirit stones in debt, was very frugal. Although he still had a few hundred in his pocket, he had only ordered the cheapest bowl of porridge that morning and wasn’t full at all, which was why he was hungry again so quickly.

The few hundred in his pocket, combined with the money Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage had…..was it enough to pay for even a fraction of the food on this table?

Thinking of this, it was a little difficult for him to use his chopsticks. This felt like a dine-and-dash, as if the owner would soon chase him down and beat him up. 

Fang Yang’s expression was easy to parse, so Feng Ye repeated Hao Chen’s words about being friends with the owner at first sight.

Hao Chen nodded repeatedly, and added once Feng Ye was done speaking: “Just like me and Fellow Daoist Feng Ye. We hit it off at first sight when we first met at Lingxiao Sword Sect.”

As Hao Chen spoke, he sent a smile at Feng Ye. Feng Ye poured himself a cup of water and pretended not to notice.

Neither of them noticed anything wrong with this sentence, but Fang Yang did.

“First met? Lingxiao Sword Sect?” Fang Yang wore a puzzled expression. “Weren’t you already close friends who’d known each other for a long time?” When the two of them saw each other at Lingxiao Sword Sect, hadn’t Hao Chen come to visit his close friend?

Feng Ye: “……”

Hao Chen: “……”

It was over. They’d forgotten about their deception.

Faced with Fang Yang’s puzzled expression, Feng Ye was momentarily unable to come up with a suitable excuse. Thus, he picked up his teacup with a guilty conscience and tried to divert Fang Yang’s attention by drinking.

After a moment’s thought, Hao Chen suddenly came up with an exceptionally wondrous explanation: “Reuniting after a short time is even sweeter than a newlywed marriage.”

Although they were old friends, they hadn’t seen each other for a long time and felt like newlyweds when next they met, full of freshness, as if they were meeting for the first time. Therefore, they hit it off at first sight.

Feng Ye spat out the water in his mouth.

---

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Chapter 73 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 75

With the position of Deputy Minister of Works vacant, everyone coveted such a lucrative and powerful role.

Xiao Huaiguan naturally wanted to promote his own person, but now, everyone had a chance except for the Xiao family.

Deputy Minister of War Qiu Songbo stepped forward and said: “Your Majesty, this official does not believe that Official Wang’s suggestion is appropriate.”

“Where is it inappropriate?” Bai Lihong asked.

“Official Liu Junqi is the protégé of Minister Wang. The fact that Official Wang is promoting him for Deputy Minister of Works raises concerns about nepotism.”

Wang Yu immediately retorted: “When selecting officials, we must choose the most capable and virtuous, and avoid recommending relatives or friends.”

“Liu Junqi, as a senior official in the Ministry of Works, is ever-diligent and has never slacked off, and performed exceptionally well in the disaster relief efforts in Hexi Prefecture. He is certainly qualified for this position. Perhaps Minister Qiu is judging a gentleman by his own petty standards.”

“It is impossible to see into a person’s heart. Official Wang speaks such genteel words, but who knows what is really on his mind? Besides, Liu Junqi is currently out of the capital, and the Ministry of Works cannot be without someone in charge.” Qiu Songbo bowed toward the dragon throne. “Your Majesty, this official believes that Meng Wenxiao, an official with the Ministry of Works, is capable of temporarily taking up the position of Deputy Minister.”

“Isn’t this blatant nepotism by Deputy Minister Qiu?” Deputy Minister of Revenue Wang Pengyi gave a light scoff and stepped forward. “Your Majesty, this official also believes that Liu Junqi will be a capable Deputy Minister of Works.”

Minister of Justice Qiu Heng looked up and swept his gaze over Qin Xiao’s expression, but didn’t see anything unusual. However, just as Qiu Songbo was about to say something, he turned his head slightly and gave him a look.

Qiu Songbo was given a shock, and swallowed back his words.

The court fell momentarily silent as everyone lowered their heads with their own thoughts in mind.

Now that the Xiao family was weakened, the Wang family had become the most prominent among them.

Looking at the court, their family already had four people in positions of power: Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan, Deputy Minister of Revenue Wang Pengyi, Official Wang Yu from the Ministry of Personnel, and Deputy Minister of Justice Wang Ruzhen.

If a protégé of Wang Zhiyuan such as Liu Junqi were to become the Deputy Minister of Works, the Wang family would have influence over five of the six ministries in the Imperial Court. 

Upon realizing this, everyone understood that the Wang family had quietly grown in power.

They were also the most reputable and esteemed clan among the four great families. If their development continued unchecked, the Imperial Court would likely become the Wang Family Court!

What occurred to them would naturally have occurred to Qin Xiao as well, so they all felt that Liu Junqi had no chance of being promoted.

However, Chu Jiubian stepped out of the queue at this moment. His cool and aloof voice was particularly distinctive.

“Your Majesty, this official also believes that Liu Junqi is capable of this task.”

He felt gazes coming at him from all directions, but lowered his eyes and pretended not to notice.

Bai Lihong had been told by Xiansheng and Jiujiu yesterday that once Xiansheng made a recommendation, he should give the nod. 

The child’s clear voice echoed throughout the hall: “Then the Grand Tutor’s request is granted.”

From initially only being able to utter phrases like “rise” and “what do you have to report?” during morning court, it had only taken a little over a month for him to learn how to say more complex things at just the right times.

For a child who was only three years old, this rate of growth was astonishing.

Qin Xiao spoke at last: “Since there are no objections, Official Liu Junqi will be promoted to Deputy Minister of Works.”

Since the emperor had spoken and Qin Xiao had made his final decision, the others had no way to refute him – but their suspicions only deepened.

Were Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian not afraid of the Qiu family’s growing power?

Or perhaps they had reached some sort of agreement with Liu Junqi, the new Deputy Minister of Works?

Liu Junqi had truly put in a lot of effort on this disaster relief mission to Hexi Prefecture. Who knew if he had actually received some sort of guarantee?

In an instant, everyone seemed to unintentionally turn their gazes toward the Wang family members – especially Minister Wang Zhiyuan.

Wang Zhiyuan, however, remained calm and unmoved.

Now that morning court had ended and all of the most important matters had been discussed, everyone had their own thoughts in mind and intended to go home to hash out their future plans.

“Your Majesty, this subject has another matter to discuss.” The young man’s indifferent voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it startled everyone into looking up.

The officials who had stepped forward to plead their case had long since returned to their positions, leaving only Chu Jiubian remaining in place.

“Please speak, Grand Tutor,” said Bai Lihong.

“In recent days, there have been many matters to attend to in court. From the magistrates of Guizhou and Guangxi who previously delayed disaster relief efforts, to Xiao Wendao and Lu Yuan, who embezzled money intended to repair the dams, and then Zhou Boshan, who used common people to block a dam – all of them were wicked and corrupt officials.”

Chu Jiubian spoke in a cool tone and made no effort to raise his voice, but with each sentence spoken, the court grew even quieter than before.

One could hear a pin drop.

Nobody knew what his purpose was in saying these things, but their intuition told them that it wasn’t anything good.

Chu Jiubian continued: “There are countless officials such as these, which lays bare the flaws in our dynasty’s official selection system.”

The moment the words “official selection system” were uttered, everyone’s expressions changed drastically. 

A series of nearly-tangible gazes immediately shot toward Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian raised his eyes slightly and met Qin Xiao’s deep gaze.

“What insight does the Grand Tutor have?” Qin Xiao’s voice was low and stern.

Chu Jiubian said unhurriedly: “Everything under the sky belongs to His Majesty, and also to the people. The Imperial Court belongs to His Majesty, but should also belong to the people.”

“This official believes that the selection of officials in our dynasty should not be limited to scholars, but should be expanded in order to give all common people an opportunity to enter officialdom.”

Qin Xiao said: “Currently, the recommendation system for selecting officials emphasizes both virtue and talent, and is open to all common people. Anyone who possesses these qualities is able to be recommended for officialdom by their superiors who are at the level of prefect or above.”

Chu Jiubian: “If the power to recommend officials is held by those at prefect level or above, there will be suspicions of nepotism. For example, Prefect Zhou Boshan of Hexi Prefecture was recommended and promoted by Governor Lu Yuan, but was neither talented nor virtuous. On the contrary, many talented merchant families have people who embody these qualities.”

“Indeed.” Qin Xiao nodded. “During the disaster relief effort, this lord also met many talented and virtuous people. But due to their poverty, they are unable to provide their superiors with enough money to buy official positions, which is why they remain unaccomplished.”

“What Lord Ning-wang says is true.” Chu Jiubian replied immediately after. “Therefore, this official believes that such an official selection system does more harm than good, and should be changed.”

“How should it be changed?”

“Selection through an Imperial Examination System,” Chu Jiubian said. “The Imperial Court will set up different subjects students are to be tested on. Anyone in Great Ning will be eligible to take the exams, and those who pass will become officials.”

The two of them sang in unison, and each line of their song was like a tidal wave crashing onto the minefield of the Imperial Court.

The two tacitly went quiet, and as expected, nobody in attendance was able to sit still.

Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan was the first to step forward, saying in a deep voice: “Your Majesty, Lord Ning-wang! The Grand Tutor’s idea is tantamount to shaking the very foundations of our nation! His words must not be heeded!”

For hundreds of years, the official selection system had been firmly controlled by the powerful and influential families.

The proposal made by Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao would not just shake the foundations of the nation, but also undermine the very basis of the noble families’ control over the Imperial Court.

Immediately afterward, Minister of Revenue Su Sheng stepped forward from the ranks: “This official seconds Minister Wang’s rebuttal!”

Then, one after another, the other five ministers minus the absent Jian Hongzhuo stepped forward.

These ministers usually only spoke up at critical moments, but they had no capacity to bother with such behavior now, and jumped out one by one.

Now that they had all made their stances known, the remaining officials bowed in unison and said: “These humble officials second the rebuttal.”

For a moment, apart from Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian, only Bai Lihong on the throne and Hong Fu to the side held their heads high. Everyone else bowed deeply in a rare display of unity.

Bai Lihong stared in wide-eyed surprise, then looked up at Hong Fu beside him.

Hong Fu shook his head with a smile, and the boy nodded obediently and remained silent. 

It seemed that whatever followed had nothing to do with him; Jiujiu and Xiansheng would handle it alone.

Silence returned to the hall, but suddenly, a low chuckle rang out.

Everyone’s minds subconsciously turned to Qin Xiao, but when they listened closer, they found that it was coming from Chu Jiubian.

This ethereal Grand Tutor maintained a perpetual aloofness toward everyone, and would at most wear a polite smile on his lips, but he had never laughed out loud like this before.

“Why are you all reacting so strongly?” Chu Jiubian asked in a mild tone. “Could it be that what Lord Ning-wang and I spoke of just now was wrong?”

“My Lord’s example of Zhou Boshan is a generalization based on a single instance,” said Wang Zhiyuan. “The recommendation system has been in place for centuries, through which countless talents have been selected for the court. Among the officials in court today, who hasn’t entered officialdom through these means?”

“Indeed, who hasn’t entered officialdom through these means?” Chu Jiubian turned his head to look at him. “Minister Wang, take a look at how many Wang family students and disciples are standing behind you.”

Wang Zhiyuan’s brow furrowed slightly: “Many talents have emerged from the Wang family’s student body. There is nothing wrong with them entering officialdom.”

“Since the implementation of the official recommendation system, half of those recommended as candidates for officialdom have come from prominent families, and most talents have been students from those families.”

Chu Jiubian swept his gaze over the ministers standing beside him, and his voice grew colder: “Do the officials selected through the recommendation system belong to the Imperial Court, or to you?”

“Grand Tutor, be careful with your words!” Minister of War Lu Youwei said in a deep voice. “The officials selected through the recommendation system are naturally chosen for His Majesty and the court. The process has its own regulations, so how can it be considered nepotism? Grand Tutor, don’t look down on us mortals simply because you consider yourself to be an immortal.”

“Minister Lu. Everyone,” Chu Jiubian said, turning his head to look at the crowd. “You say that the process has its own regulations, but it hasn’t been long since the matter of Zhao Qianhe selling official positions. Would you like me to read out the list of who bought those positions?”

At least half of those people were connected to the four great families.

Naturally, they all knew that Chu Jiubian was right. No one understood the drawbacks of the recommendation system better than them.

But they would not admit to it, much less allow Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao to change the system!

Imperial power was constantly growing in strength these days. If the Imperial Court were to take back the power to select officials, the consequences would be dire.

Chu Jiubian glanced up at Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao then said: “Enough.”

Their original goal was not to start the Imperial Examinations right this minute. If they forced the matter, these noble families would go crazy, and if they were pushed to the brink and united in a fight to the death, their side would experience more losses than gains.

They had already been sufficiently provoked; Qin Xiao should step in as the peacemaker, give each side a good scolding, and make them stand down.

Qin Xiao looked at Chu Jiubian and said gently: “The Grand Tutor means well, but the Imperial Examination system could threaten the foundations of the state at present, so let’s put it on hold for now.”

Everyone else was stunned, and reflexively stared at the two of them.

What were they up to now?

Could it be that these two hadn’t reached a private agreement after all?

Qin Xiao then focused his attention on the ministers, and his tone chilled considerably: “His Majesty is wise, and my colleagues in the court are all equally intolerant of evil. At present, there are problems within our administration. Some subordinates have grown restless, and have brought monsters and miscreants into my Great Ning’s officialdom. Surely, gentlemen such as yourselves would like to eliminate parasites such as Zhou Boshan.”

He was being unusually flexible and lenient, but everyone felt a chill run down their spine.

And their vigilance heightened even more.

“But after the parasites are removed, people will be needed to fill the gaps.”

Qin Xiao said: “Why don’t we establish an “Imperial Academy,” and select talents from the public through examinations? By further assessing their characters over time, we will truly be able to select individuals with both virtue and talent to fill those vacancies.”

This was a significant step back for him. If he didn’t directly abolish the recommendation system, then the noble families would still have many ways to promote their own people.

But establishing an Imperial Academy with the intention of supporting scholars from poor families was naturally for the purpose of competing with them.

Everyone’s thoughts raced.

Very quickly, they calculated all of the pros and cons.

As long as the recommendation system existed, the foundation of the noble families would remain.

As for the Imperial Academy —

Nowadays, those with the means to study and comprehend Confucian principles were mostly from families with some financial resources.

These families strove desperately to make a name for themselves, all in the hope of attracting attention from prominent families and being recommended for official positions.

Therefore, as long as these prominent families established some kind of “clan school” for outsiders, these scholars would flock to them and completely disregard the Imperial Academy.

And who among the truly impoverished had the means to access books?

Even if a group of uneducated people were to enter the Imperial Academy and receive training from Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian, it would still take a considerable amount of time for them to develop enough to become officials.

However, even if they did enter the court, they would be unable to contend with the great families whose roots were deeply embedded in the bureaucracy.

Everyone knew that Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian were preparing for a protracted war, and since that was the case, they just wouldn’t give them an opportunity.

They had all planned to take things slowly, but now that they were being put under such pressure from the two of them, they couldn’t help but become impatient.

They could no longer allow Imperial power to develop unchecked. They should use stronger tactics sooner rather than later.

“This official has no objections,” Chu Jiubian said abruptly, breaking the court’s silence.

Imperial Censor Qi Zhili, his eyes gleaming with a strange light, loudly echoed from within the ranks: “This official seconds the measure!”

He had joined the others in opposing the previous measure, partly out of concern that the great families might resort to desperate measures.

But if this Imperial Academy program was established now, it would be the best starting point for suppressing the prominent families!

His heart beat faster at the thought of this.

If these self-concerned bigwigs could be removed from their posts, a new dawn would break across Great Ning!

A few others chimed in, all of them low-ranking officials from the Ministry of War – and also Qin Xiao’s men.

“This official seconds the measure.” Suddenly, Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan spoke up.

At once, most of the Xiao family and Ministry of Personnel officials joined in to voice their approval.

And so it went, one after another, until at last there were no objections.

Qin Xiao gazed out at the crowd. Among those bowing and making obeisance, Chu Jiubian stood out starkly with his upright posture.

The young man stood tall and elegant, with some of his silver hair spilling over his shoulders. Dappled light reflected in his usually indifferent light-hued eyes, dispelling the original barrenness to make way for the slow sprouting of a vigorous life force.

But in just two breaths, that force retreated like the tide, returning to a state of calm stillness.

Like a flower that had just begun to bloom, then withered and died without warning.

Qin Xiao’s breath momentarily caught in his throat.

All of the countless complex thoughts in Chu Jiubian’s mind fell silent.

He felt his heart pounding at the thought of the Imperial Academy, the future of Great Ning, and the lives of tens of millions of common people.

As if waking from a dream, Chu Jiubian struggled to break free from his “role.”

He remembered that his original purpose was not to save the rotten Great Ning Dynasty. The Imperial Examinations and Imperial Academy were merely means for him to cultivate power and ensure his survival. He was not a genuine, benevolent god, but a false one skilled in subterfuge. 

He also recalled that he was in the world of a novel, and had fallen into the trap of method acting. He shouldn’t have gotten so caught up in the role, seeing himself as a savior, nor should he have become entangled with the novel’s characters.

He looked up at Qin Xiao, this powerful official who would stop at nothing to gain power.

He would abandon and sacrifice everything for that power, and would put on the most perfect disguise in order to gain influence and status.

Chu Jiubian was currently his most important asset, so Qin Xiao would do everything he could to keep him by his side.

Whether it was testing his preferences or pretending to be a benevolent ruler who cared for the common people, perhaps all of his previous actions had been for the sake of using that so-called “love tribulation” to make Chu Jiubian unswervingly loyal to him.

That could also be the reason for that unexpected kiss last night.

And why he had said “just this once.”

Qin Xiao had sensed Chu Jiubian’s subtle, ambiguous feelings for him, and had no choice but to make that sacrifice in order to appease him.

Yes.

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes.

How could anyone possibly care about someone like him?

How much sincerity could there be in the vortex of power?

Even Chu Jiubian only had a slight liking for Qin Xiao. It had nothing to do with feelings – he was simply someone with exploitative value.

Everything could be an act, something that Chu Jiubian, as an actor, knew very well. If he could talk about a “love tribulation” without giving any explanation, and act affectionately toward Qin Xiao, the man could naturally reciprocate by pretending that he cared about him.

Very good.

It was good that it was “just this once.”

It was perfectly normal for mutual respect and appreciation to arise during a game of strategy, but when faced with the prospect of gains or losses, they could still rationally analyze the actions and outcomes that were the most beneficial to them. Only when there were emotional ties would they have misgivings.

Therefore, a purely cooperative relationship made it easier to take action when weapons were drawn.

In order to survive, Chu Jiubian could only rely on himself, the System, and his Believers. Not on Qin Xiao or Bai Lihong.

Whether it was the Imperial Examination System or the Imperial Academy, it didn’t matter who approved of them.

The important part was for Chu Jiubian to place his own people in the government and promote them to advantageous positions.

In this way, he would be better able to protect himself.

Chu Jiubian stepped beyond his framework, and even his own ego, to calmly analyze everything. His face remained composed and expressionless, his eyelashes slightly lowered. For a moment, he didn’t notice the commotion of the outside world.

Only when his hands were grasped and lifted did he look up, only to meet Qin Xiao’s very close deep, cold eyes.

“What are you thinking about?” Qin Xiao asked.

Chu Jiubian then realized that court had ended some time ago, and that all of the officials had left, except for Bai Lihong and Hong Fu, who had gone back to the inner hall.

At present, only he and Qin Xiao remained in this vast hall.

“I was thinking that I should start training those teachers,” Chu Jiubian said in a tranquil tone. His attitude toward Qin Xiao was the same as it had been the day before.

“Is that so?” Qin Xiao gripped his wrists with both hands. The veins stood out on the backs of his hands, but he didn’t dare to actually use any force. “That’s what you were thinking about?”

“ ? ”

Chu Jiubian looked down at his hands with a frown.

Qin Xiao was holding them up at chest height, and his pale skin contrasted sharply with the trails of blood winding across it.

Chu Jiubian was momentarily stunned.

It turned out that at some point, he had scratched off several of his fingernails. Blood flowed down, coating his hands.

His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he instinctively tried to clench his hands into fists to hide his injuries, but Qin Xiao held them still.

Chu Jiubian looked up into his deep, cold eyes. The pressure on his hands loosened, and he stopped struggling. 

Qin Xiao then took out medicine and bandages from his pocket and carefully treated the wounds.

Neither of them spoke again.

*

*

Outside Fengtian Hall.

Deputy Minister of Justice Wang Ruzhen descended the long staircase and hurried a few steps to catch up to Wang Zhiyuan. He whispered: “Minister, may I speak to you in private?”

Wang Zhiyuan was accompanied only by his grandson, Wang Pengyi.

Wang Pengyi knew that Wang Ruzhen was giving him a hint, so he moved to leave, but Wang Zhiyuan stopped him and said: “We’re all family here. Just speak your mind.”

Wang Ruzhen glanced at Wang Pengyi.

The Wang family may seem like a powerful force now, but internally, it was subtly split into two factions.

One faction was led by the family head, Wang Huanzhi, while the other faction was led by Young Master Wang Qichen.

Wang Ruzhen himself was loyal to the family head, but his cousins Wang Pengyi and Wang Qichen had a good relationship that stemmed back to their childhood, so there were some things he really didn’t want Wang Pengyi to know.

But now that Wang Zhiyuan had declared them all “family,” he could no longer insist, and said: “Grand Tutor Chu just suggested that Liu Junqi be promoted to Deputy Minister of Works. Could there be something going on here…..?”

Before he finished speaking, he raised his eyes to observe Wang Zhiyuan’s expression.

Wang Zhiyuan remained indifferent: “I know my student Liu Junqi well. He is upright and honest, and entered officialdom for the purpose of doing practical things for the common people. He is uninterested in all the rest.”

What family ties, what political infighting? Although Liu Junqi was a bit simple and naive, he was indeed a good child who served the people and the country.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao were willing to promote him because they had witnessed his abilities and ambition. Using him was no different than using a pure and loyal minister.

Therefore, it was completely unnecessary for Wang Ruzhen to worry that he had a business deal with Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao.

Wang Zhiyuan understood this, and Wang Pengyi beside him understood it even better.

It was he who had facilitated Liu Junqi’s apprenticeship with Wang Zhiyuan, and only he knew that this person had been sent to him by Wang Qichen.

In other words, Liu Junqi was Wang Qichen’s man.

Wang Pengyi was overjoyed by his promotion.

This subtly elevated Wang Qichen’s position within the family, and if things really came to the point where they had to break ties with Wang Huanzhi, they would be better able to protect themselves.

“With My Lord’s words, we can rest assured.” Wang Ruzhen smiled faintly.

Wang Zhiyuan gave no response. His steps were steady, but a dark glint flickered in the back of his eyes.

The capital had truly been thrown into chaos.

*

*

Yangxin Hall.

Bai Lihong sat in the head seat as he practiced writing large characters, and would glance toward Chu Jiubian from time to time with his little face all wrinkled up.

Xiansheng was really prone to injury. He didn’t know how it happened, but after the morning court session, the fingers on both of his hands were injured!

Xiansheng had said that when gods were injured after descending to earth, it was called “divine retribution.”

Bai Lihong didn’t understand, but that didn’t stop him from hating the so-called “divine retribution.”

Despite his reluctance, he still wanted Xiansheng to return to heaven where he couldn’t get hurt. But Xiansheng had said that he wanted to remain here for him while he grew up…..and Bai Lihong changed his mind again. He wanted Xiansheng to stay.

But how could he keep getting hurt like this?

Ai.

The young boy gave a quiet sigh with his face in his hands, wishing he could bear the pain for Xiansheng.

But he was so little. He wondered how many of the injuries he could take…..

Chu Jiubian was unaware of the child’s troubles. He crossed his legs and flipped through the memorials, setting aside the pointless ones.

All of these only required drawing a simple circle on them, and he would do that for the Emperor in a while.

The remaining useful reports, such as those on local finances or the appointment or removal of officials, he took a close look at and set aside. Qin Xiao would reply to each of them later.

He set down another memorial and turned his head to look at the person beside him.

The two of them had previously faced each other across the aisle, each with their own table to review memorials. But now, the two tables had been pushed together, with their chairs side by side.

After Qin Xiao finished reviewing a memorial, Chu Jiubian said: “I can still hold a brush.”

Qin Xiao paused, then set down the memorial and selected another one, silently rejecting his suggestion.

“Then are you going to feed me when we eat later?” Chu Jiubian asked.

Qin Xiao hummed in agreement.

Really?

Chu Jiubian couldn’t tell whether he was serious or not.

When lunchtime came around, Qin Xiao sat down beside him, picked up a bite of food with his chopsticks, and held it to Chu Jiubian’s lips: “Eat.”

Chu Jiubian: “…..I can eat by myself.”

He reached for the chopsticks as he spoke, but Qin Xiao dodged and stubbornly held the food to his lips.

Bai Lihong sat opposite them, slurping as he ate. He would occasionally glance at the two of them and giggle, then continue to eat.

Xiansheng’s hands were injured, so it was a matter of course that Jiujiu would feed him.

Chu Jiubian stared at Qin Xiao in silence, but he couldn’t find a trace of warmth in the other’s eyes, only calm indifference.

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes and ate the food that was offered to him.

The same thing happened at dinner.

Chu Jiubian didn’t try to grab the chopsticks this time, and just ate what Qin Xiao gave him.

But strangely enough, every bite Qin Xiao fed him was exactly what he wanted to eat.

After dinner, Qin Xiao reviewed more memorials while Chu Jiubian sat silently beside him.

The council chamber was now empty aside from the two of them. A dim oil lamp flickered on the table.

Chu Jiubian took a high-powered flashlight out of his spatial storage and turned it to its lowest setting, illuminating the entire room.

Qin Xiao saw the sudden flash before his eyes and turned his head to look.

Amidst the light and shadow, the young man gently pressed the light source against his cheek, his face appearing somewhat hazy and dreamlike.

He was so close, yet seemed so far away.

Chu Jiubian’s gaze moved slowly, as if it was a tangible thing, from the high bridge of the man’s nose to his slightly pursed lips, and then to his prominent Adam’s apple.

When he looked farther down, the light in the room abruptly dimmed.

Qin Xiao had reached out to block the light, holding his palm against it.

Chu Jiubian’s eyes hadn’t had a chance to adjust to the darkness, and he vaguely glimpsed the other man moving closer to him.

His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately turned his head. The kiss landed on his ear, sending a shiver down his spine.

The atmosphere became slightly tense.

Qin Xiao didn’t back away, and Chu Jiubian could feel the other’s hot breath against his ear and neck.

“Are you angry?” Qin Xiao’s voice was very soft, even gentle.

Chu Jiubian kept silent for a moment before finally saying with a smile: “Lord Ning-wang, this isn’t necessary.”

He stood up and put away his flashlight, moving toward the exit: “No need to see me off.”

---

T/N: CJB has some trauma to work through, the poor guy. He’ll get there eventually!

---

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Chapter 50 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 52

Ch 14 – Charming Corn

Yu Xi found it strange. He didn’t like arguing, and hated disputes, but after the fight, he still found Kersz pleasing to the eye in spite of it all.

“I want humans. You’re human too, but you’re different.” Yu Xi took Kersz’s hand and gently patted the back of it. “My feelings toward you are also a little different.”

Kersz: …..

That may be true, but wasn’t Yu Xi being a little too blunt?

Kersz felt that something was wrong with his own state of mind, and attributed it to the conflicts that shaped his relationship with Yu Xi.

Strictly speaking, Kersz didn’t have any real friends, but he’d had a lot of imaginary friends when he was a child.

Yu Xi’s objective was so simple and straightforward that Kersz didn’t feel the need to erect any defenses in front of him. Of course, it was also possible that Yu Xi harbored some ulterior motives, and everything now was just a facade.

But Kersz had witnessed Yu Xi compress an entire galaxy. How could human society be worth Yu Xi’s concern?

Kersz felt that this was probably his first time making a friend. Ironically, after losing his previous innocence, he finally had a chance to make a genuine friend.

There was nothing about him that Yu Xi could possibly want…..

Okay, maybe Yu Xi did have some ulterior motives. He intended to use Kersz to kidnap more humans, but this sort of scheming was much more sincere and genuine compared to that of those inhuman and treacherous people in power.

Kersz was happy to have met him, but it was a happiness that he thought was best kept to himself, so that their relationship could gradually and silently become closer.

Basically the opposite of what he was doing now, laying side by side in bed with Yu Xi, listening to Yu Xi express how much he liked him.

“I find you exceptionally beautiful,” Yu Xi continued. “Your facial features are very good-looking. Has anyone ever told you that your eyelashes are very long?”

“Someone mentioned it when I was a kid,” Kersz replied dryly.

“So long. So beautiful.” Yu Xi stretched out a finger and touched Kersz’s eyelashes a couple of times.

Kersz moved backward slightly.

“What are you doing?” Yu Xi reached out and grabbed Kersz. “You weren’t like this before. Every time I got even a little close to you, you acted like you were ready to fall into depravity at any moment.”

“I was just teasing you.” Kersz was extremely uncomfortable. He still wanted to back away, but felt that doing so would upset Yu Xi. He didn’t know what to do.

“You shouldn’t have teased me like that.” Yu Xi disapproved of Kersz’s behavior. “There is a difference in strength between us. If I really wanted to do something to you, you wouldn’t be able to stop me, and then you’d be unhappy.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily be unhappy. I can accept anything.” Kersz didn’t look Yu Xi in the eyes again. He liked that cyan-blue color, but he was also afraid of it.

“You would be unhappy. Anyone would be unhappy about being suppressed.” 

Yu Xi didn’t think this was a very healthy way to start a relationship: “We almost ended up hating each other.”

Kersz found Yu Xi’s concerns particularly interesting: “But you’re not interested in my body at all. You just condemned me for being frivolous.”

“I am interested,” Yu Xi corrected him.

Kersz went silent.

Yu Xi gave him an earnest look: “You have a very good physique.”

Kersz: “Thank you for the compliment.”

“It’s truly excellent. Very robust, and seems like it wouldn’t break easily.” Yu Xi corrected himself after speaking, “Not just seems – it really is tough. You survived some terrible injuries back then.”

Kersz had no reply to give.

“I developed a feature to make myself happy, but I’ve never used it. I’m always tempted to take action when you proposition me, but I know it wouldn’t be right.” Yu Xi was a little smug, proud of his sense of morality.

Kersz gave an “oh.” Then he placed his hands on his chest, seemingly lost in thought.

“Perhaps your physical condition is related to your profession, but I haven’t seen a strong and healthy human being in a very, very long time.” Yu Xi explained, “The more developed humans became, the less important muscles were. Everything could be replaced by mechanical parts, and people’s aesthetics changed as they developed.”

Ultimately, the appearance of an ‘early human’ became a peculiar niche aesthetic, because this type of body was really too inconvenient.

“Seeing a strong human brings many thoughts to mind.” Yu Xi sighed. “Very sturdy. Very steadfast.” He had a feeling that Kersz would be a very capable worker.

Oh, Kersz was indeed a very capable worker. He used to be a miner.

“Kersz!” Yu Xi’s eyes lit up. “Would you like to try farming?”

“Farming? You mean like growing those vegetables?” Kersz was very interested in food. “Sure.”

“And rice,” Yu Xi added.

“When do we start?!” Kersz’s attention was successfully diverted.

“A month will be about right. Oh, and I also have an ox-shaped robot over there that can help you.” Everything on that planet was automated, and the animals were all machines controlled by Yu Xi.

“Ox-shaped?”

“Oxen are used for plowing fields,” Yu Xi explained.

“That’s amazing!” Kersz exclaimed.

“You can wear a white tank top then. Working the fields is tiring.” Yu Xi had never actually seen a person and an ox working the fields, as he had originally been a robot vacuum cleaner and the family that bought him didn’t own any farmland.

But Yu Xi had watched a lot of TV dramas from that era, and felt that Kersz was particularly suited to the role.

The sun, an old ox, and a profusely sweating farmer.

Yu Xi shifted his position under the covers and let out a comfortable sigh.

It was all his.

Kersz’s curiosity was piqued by Yu Xi’s satisfied expression: “What are you thinking about right now?”

Yu Xi lowered his voice, covering his mouth as if divulging a secret: “Did you know? You can go into a cornfield and do naughty things.”

Yu Xi was thinking of some wild, primitive scenarios.

“Corn? Is there really so much space in a cornfield?” Kersz asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Cornstalks would definitely be bent under the weight,” said Yu Xi.

Kersz exclaimed in shock: “What a waste! Is that corn even fully grown yet?”

Yu Xi: “…..Can you stop thinking about food all the time?”

“I just think we should show a basic level of empathy. That corn is growing perfectly well. Why should we trample it?” Kersz couldn’t quite bring himself to accept it.

“You treat corn much more nicely than you treat other humans,” said Yu Xi.

“Because corn doesn’t have a brain. Between the two of us, you being friendly to humans is enough,” Kersz replied.

“You’re so unromantic.” Yu Xi let out a sigh. “If I was a bad guy, maybe I’d force you to do it and trample your favorite food. And when you accused me of wasting food, I’d stuff it all into your mouth.”

“It sounds like you’re seriously considering the possibility.” Kersz chuckled a little.

“I really am,” Yu Xi confessed, clutching the blanket tightly.

Kersz: “…..Wow.”

“All living things have some bad thoughts in their heads, but as long as they aren’t put into practice, you can pretend that those bad thoughts never existed,” Yu Xi explained. “And I’m not going to put them into practice.”

Kersz felt like his mind had completely spun out.

“Am I wearing clothes in your fantasy?” Kersz asked him.

“Of course. You can’t beat me, and you’re sobbing in a corner,” Yu Xi shared excitedly.

Kersz came to the sudden realization that Yu Xi’s current fantasy was not romantic in nature. Yu Xi was simply thinking about bullying him.

He began to think about Yu Xi’s previous words. He was quite certain that Yu Xi had said something about having feelings when Kersz deliberately came onto him, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint which of his words expressed those ambiguous thoughts and which ones were describing Yu Xi’s wildly imaginative mindscape.

This robot was truly an enigma.

“Kersz,” Yu Xi suddenly called out again.

“Yeah?”

“Perhaps we should discuss the matter of that child, Tau. He may not be accustomed to being away from his father.”

Yu Xi: “It will take a joint effort between the two of us to integrate him into our family.”

Kersz: …..

Great, now it was a parenting channel.

“He must have some troublesome emotional trauma.” Yu Xi sighed.

“He’s not a child to me. He’s over seventy, and I’m only in my early thirties.” Kersz had no interest in taking care of Tau. He simply knew what Tau cared about and wanted to torment him with it. “He’s not old enough yet to go to a nursing home, and I haven’t passed the caregiver certification exam.”

Yu Xi exclaimed: “You’re so mean to him! If he were a corn cob, you would never talk about him like that!”

“Only you would use such a metaphor.” Kersz was a little sleepy.

Yu Xi caught the fatigue in his words, so he reached out and pulled Kersz into his embrace: “Okay, my good friend. Let’s sleep together.”

“Heh. Good friend,” Kersz muttered subconsciously as he shut his eyes.

Yu Xi added: “I’m so glad I’ll be able to see you the moment I open my eyes tomorrow.”

Kersz mumbled again, but this time it was just meaningless sounds.

Yu Xi smiled and simply sensed the human’s temperature and heartbeat for a while. Then he stretched out a finger and poked Kersz’s body.

After playing to his satisfaction, Yu Xi then squeezed his head next to Kersz’s: “I’m so happy. It feels like a dream.”

Yu Xi closed his eyes, and really did start to dream. This time, the dream was no longer about the old house and the big fat cat sitting on him.

He dreamed that a group of humans opened their arms to hug him, but he couldn’t possibly hug them all, and new humans kept sprouting out of the ground.

There were so many humans. He was about to be overwhelmed by them.

Yu Xi joyfully embraced the humans, falling into a sweet dilemma.

Kersz, dreaming next to him, was also in a dilemma.

The words Yu Xi had spoken to him were absorbed into his dreamscape. Kersz felt that he was doing farmwork, but since he had never actually done farmwork, his dream was abstract and illogical.

But his dream of being pinned down in a vegetable field by Yu Xi was very vivid.

This could probably be attributed to the fact that he had seen too many inappropriate videos.

When he was a miner, his coworkers absolutely loved this type of stimuli. Unlike Kersz, who was a madman obsessed with killing and revenge, they lived for the moment, never knowing what tomorrow might bring.

Under perilous conditions, the human desire to copulate was particularly strong.

Kersz wasn’t neutered, and his little companion mouse couldn’t completely evolve him into a desireless saint.

He had a little bit of knowledge in this area, and thanks to the generous sharing of his coworkers, his knowledge expanded even more.

Therefore, this dream was exceptionally detailed.

He could feel the goosebumps on his skin as Yu Xi’s fingers brushed against it.

He could also feel his muscles reflexively tensing and relaxing at the scrape of fingernails.

Yu Xi’s actions were hardly friendly.

Just like Yu Xi had said, he gripped Kersz’s neck from above, pinning him facedown. Kersz also had something stuffed in his mouth.

“Shh, don’t cry, don’t cry~” Yu Xi leaned down and whispered in his ear, “All the good food is yours. Come on, chew slowly and swallow.”

Yu Xi guided him step by step, one hand still pressing down on Kersz’s neck and the other stroking soothingly through Kersz’s hair.

Kersz tried to protest, but he couldn’t swallow the lump in his mouth.

In the end, he coughed violently – but just as he was about to spit the thing out of his mouth, Yu Xi suddenly covered his mouth with both hands.

Kersz struggled, but he was utterly unable to break free.

Kersz felt like he was suffocating. He was about to die. His vision started to go out of focus.

“You can’t~” Yu Xi whispered in his ear.

Can’t what?

Kersz awoke with a start.

Yu Xi was already up and sitting on the edge of the bed, recording something on a semi-transparent screen.

When he noticed that Kersz had woken up, Yu Xi greeted him with a smile: “I’m so happy to see you today.”

Instead of smiling back at him, Kersz cried out in shock: “Am I a masochistic pervert?!”

Yu Xi: “What did you dream about?”

Kersz: “…..Corn.” He felt that there were some things that shouldn’t be said.

Upon hearing this answer, Yu Xi leaned back slightly. He had just heard Kersz making some indecent noises when he was half-asleep.

Yu Xi silently deleted a few lines of text from the computer. This file was a record of Kersz’s behavior, which Yu Xi used to study him.

Yu Xi retyped.

[Kersz considers himself to be a masochistic pervert….]

[He seems to be a die-hard corn fanatic.]

[Humans are truly magical.]

Yu Xi paused briefly, then typed out another line of text.

[Truly, truly magical.]

---

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Chapter 13 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 15

Ch. 73 – Hermit Crab

“What is this North Sea City all about?” asked Hao Chen.

“My Lord, you were so busy with your affairs that you probably don’t remember. Three hundred years ago, Prime Minister Turtle wanted to increase trade with the human realm, as well as make it easier for the people of the North Sea to settle there, so he chose this island to establish North Sea City.”

“Then he appointed me, the cousin of the second uncle of a distant cousin of the eleventh lord under the command of Third Sea Commander Crab, to come to the human world and manage North Sea City. This was reported to you, and you agreed at the time,” Proprietor Crab explained.

Hao Chen pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Due to the excellent reproduction ability of the crab clan, the relationships between relatives were so complicated that he had no hope of keeping track.

However, since this giant crab was able to mention the Third Sea Commander, he must be telling the truth.

As for why Hao Chen couldn’t remember…..this was actually normal for him. After all, he didn’t even know how much wealth he had, so how could he remember such a minor thing?

It was likely that he hadn’t listened carefully to Prime Minister Turtle back then, and just casually agreed.

Now that he was aware of North Sea City’s origins, Hao Chen stood up and straightened his sleeves, praising his subordinate: “You’ve done a very good job. My identity must be kept secret. Do not inform my traveling companions.”

“Yes,” Proprietor Crab responded.

Hao Chen left his seat, but not to look for Feng Ye. Now that he was in his lair, he had some things to take care of. He must contact Prime Minister Turtle.

North Sea City was his people’s refuge in the human realm, so there would naturally be methods here to contact the North Sea. In order to please this lord who rarely visited, Proprietor Crab had already made all of the preparations he could think of.

In the hall where they were speaking, there was a coral shelf in the center. And on that shelf was a pearl the size of a watermelon, many times larger than the pigeon egg pearl in Fang Yang’s hands.

Pearls could indeed be used to refine medicines, but small ones were sufficient for such things. Generally, pearls larger than a fist would be used for other purposes. 

Because of their translucent constitution, pearls were excellent mediums for displaying images. Some pearls were refined into magic instruments that recorded images, while others were made into communicators.

The large pearl before him was the latter. Not everyone had the ability like Hao Chen to find a calm lake and open a communication channel between the two worlds. North Sea City had always relied on this large pearl to communicate with the world above.

In any case, there was a ready-made communicator in front of him, and Hao Chen was too lazy to bother with other routes. But before contacting Prime Minister Turtle, he suddenly recalled something.

“Is Crab Eighteen your cousin?” Hao Chen asked the giant crab nearby.

“Yes, he is my eighteenth cousin.” Despite not understanding why his Lord was asking about his little cousin, Proprietor Crab answered honestly.

Hao Chen gave a meaning-laden “oh” and waved his hand: “He runs his mouth too much. Go and cook him up for me.”

Proprietor Crab: “……”

A shocked bubble blew from his open mouth, floating upward before bursting with a pop.

Proprietor Crab snapped back to his senses. Although he didn’t know how his little cousin had offended their Lord, he immediately pleaded for mercy on Crab Eighteen’s behalf: “My Lord, my cousin didn’t know who you were and offended you. I’ll teach him a lesson when he gets back, please forgive him.”

Hao Chen donned a thoughtful look, and just when Proprietor Crab thought he was going to reconsider, Hao Chen suddenly said: “Steam him then.”

After saying this, he turned around and placed a hand on the pearl. He input a small amount of spiritual power to activate the communication array inside the pearl, not sparing another glance at the giant crab behind him.

It was very clear that his decision was non-negotiable.

Hao Chen still couldn’t forget that Crab Eighteen had exposed his dark history in front of Feng Ye. He wouldn’t have done anything if he hadn’t had to contact Prime Minister Turtle. But when the topic of this turtle came up, he inevitably thought of the fact that Prime Minister Turtle was not, in fact, a turtle, and remembered that series of foolish behavior.

He also knew that calling a tortoise a turtle was foolish, but he did it anyway. What else could he have done but join his subordinates in shamelessly claiming that Prime Minister Turtle was indeed a turtle? 

This was originally at tacit secret of the North Sea, but then that loud-mouthed Crab Eighteen had broken the news. Hao Chen’s shamelessness had met its limit. Although disposing of Crab Eighteen wouldn’t improve his own situation, he wouldn’t be able to swallow his anger if he didn’t get rid of him.

“Yes…..” After a moment’s silence, Proprietor Crab finally responded with great reluctance.

But no matter how reluctant he was, there was nothing he could do. This was his Lord’s command, and he had no choice but to obey. 

He bowed with a sigh and departed, leaving Hao Chen and Prime Minister Turtle on the other side to discuss matters alone. 

Hao Chen didn’t spare a thought for the giant crab’s feelings. He heard Proprietor Crab leave, and as the palace door closed, the blurry image in the pearl finally became clear.

Prime Minister Turtle appeared in the image and slowly saluted Hao Chen.

Hao Chen stopped him just as he had previously, unwilling to waste time. The owner of the Turtle Shell Shop had clearly been a real turtle, and moved very swiftly. But Prime Minister Turtle was not a turtle, and moved very slowly.

Hao Chen couldn’t figure this out.

Because he had been unaware of his subordinates’ good intentions, where in order to save face for him, they all firmly agreed that Prime Minister Turtle was indeed a turtle.

And in order to show that he was really a turtle, Prime Minister Turtle deliberately imitated the habits of one. Everyone said that turtles moved slowly, so he deliberately slowed down his movements, developing his sluggish demeanor over time. 

Regrettably, Hao Chen had never realized this, and only thought that it was a personal problem of Prime Minister Turtle’s.

And at this moment, he was still in the dark.

Hao Chen intermittently tapped his mini fan and asked: “Have you learned anything about the matter I told you to investigate last time?”

Last time, Hao Chen had tasked him with finding out if there was anyone named “Feng Ye” residing in heaven. Although he had experienced much in the past few days, less than a week had passed at the most, and he actually didn’t have hope that Prime Minister Turtle would achieve results in such a short amount of time. 

Prime Minister Turtle didn’t give him any surprises. He shook his head: “No. The people I sent haven’t reported back yet.”

As expected.

Hao Chen pondered for a moment before asking another question: “By the way…..what is the latest news on Yinglong’s activity in the Southern Sea?”

He didn’t believe that Feng Ye was Yinglong, but Feng Ye was investigating Jianmu. Since Yinglong had been involved in the Jianmu incident, it was possible that his shadow was still present in the current situation.

Thus, he asked Prime Minister Turtle this question.

“Hm…..” Prime Minister Turtle was somewhat taken aback by this question, and thought for a moment before replying, “There has been no word of major movement from him. He seems to be remaining quietly in the Southern Sea.”

These words made no difference. Although things may seem quiet on the surface, he may have gone somewhere in secret to stir up trouble.

“Don’t stop investigating. Keep a close eye on Yinglong’s movements and notify me immediately if anything happens,” Hao Chen commanded.

“Yes,” Prime Minister Turtle responded.

After discussing serious matters, they should talk about something…..less serious. Hao Chen unfolded his mini fan, and before he could speak, Prime Minister Turtle spotted the half-length fan and opened his mouth in shock: “My Lord, your…..”

This small fan looked like an ordinary folding fan that could be purchased at a street stall for a few copper coins, but Prime Minister Turtle knew the details of this seemingly ordinary folding fan very well. It was distinctly made from one of his Lord’s tail feathers.

But presently, this folding fan which should have been indestructible was broken. And the cut was very smooth, as if it had been severed by some kind of sharp weapon.

But what could be capable of severing the tail feathers of the Lord of the North Sea? Prime Minister Turtle couldn’t believe it, and even suspected that he was hallucinating.

Hao Chen nodded bitterly. This helped Prime Minister Turtle confirm that he wasn’t just seeing things, but did nothing to explain why it had broken: “Go to the storeroom and get another fan for me. And make it quick, I’m leaving North Sea City in two days.”

After all, North Sea City wasn’t a human territory, and all of the major sects only planned to stay there for three days. Today was almost over, so there were only two days left.

Two days later, I’ll naturally follow Feng Ye back to Lingxiao Sword Sect, thought Hao Chen, who was posing as a disciple of Tiangong Pavilion. 

He hadn’t even been to Tiangong Pavilion once, but he was about to visit Lingxiao Sword Sect for the second time.

Prime Minister Turtle had held his office for many years, and when it came to understanding Hao Chen’s temperament, if he wasn’t the best in the North Sea, then he wasn’t far behind.

Thus, he immediately understood that his Lord had no intention of explaining. He knew better than to ask, and simply nodded in agreement. 

“There is one more thing.” Hao Chen’s expression had changed. There was a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, and there was no telling what good thing he’d thought of.

Looking at Hao Chen’s expression, Prime Minister Turtle found it very similar to the restless young creatures of the North Sea during mating season. Like he was smugly planning some sort of gift for his lover, and couldn’t help but smile foolishly as he imagined what his lover would do upon receiving it.

No, no, no, how could he think of his Lord in such a way?

The moment this notion came to mind, Prime Minister Turtle strangled it in the cradle. His Lord was an adult. How could he be as immature as an impetuous child?

Moreover, Hao Chen had spent a long time in the North Sea, and his heart had adopted the same characteristics, containing ice and snow that had never melted in thousands of years. The rippling spring breeze had never blown across this northernmost sea.

My Lord is not so foolish as to let his heart be moved by someone, Prime Minister Turtle thought with certainty.

However, Hao Chen’s next words decreased his certainty.

Hao Chen had taken very little time to discuss the previous matter, ending it in just a few words. But speaking of this last matter, he rambled on for a long time and covered every detail, instructing Prime Minister Turtle late into the night with no sign of stopping.

The lights in the main hall were brightly lit, as well as those in the small side hall next door.

Hao Chen and Prime Minister Turtle held their meeting in the main hall, while Proprietor Crab and his crab relatives met in the other.

“Our Lord has finally come to North Sea City. This is a golden opportunity for us to show off our ability. We will notify all vendors and tell them to ensure that for the next two days, our Lord has a comfortable visit and shopping experience,” Proprietor Crab said with an uneasy heart to all of the crab relatives he had summoned together.

While sending Old Crab Nine to notify them, he had also issued a call to all of the other crabs on the island, urging them to take care not to offend their Lord.

However, he had still been a step too late.

Proprietor Crab spoke for a long time, and when he felt that he had given all of the instructions he needed to, he waved his claws and adjourned the meeting. But just before the crabs left, he suddenly called out: “Eighteen, stay for a moment.”

Both of Crab Eighteen’s claws were stiff. When Proprietor Crab was holding the meeting just now, he had shown all of the crabs a portrait of their Lord in case any of them didn’t recognize him.

Only then did Crab Eighteen realize that he had already met their Lord, and revealed the secret that was not really a secret in front of him.

He had been standing there trembling in fear the whole time, and barely heard what was said during the meeting. And when he heard his cousin suddenly call out to him, he knew something was wrong.

His cousin’s expression confirmed his guess. Proprietor Crab approached Crab Eighteen and let out a sigh.

This sigh sapped away Crab Eighteen’s courage. He asked tremblingly: “Does our Lord blame me…..”

Proprietor Crab heavily spit out bubbles to express his affirmation.

“Then how is he going to deal with me…..” Crab Eighteen was practically shaking like a sieve.

Proprietor Crab said nothing out loud, but his expression said it all.

Crab Eighteen’s eight claws suddenly lost their strength, and he fell to the floor. He lay there and closed his eyes, as if about to faint from terror.

“Don’t faint yet!” Proprietor Crab quickly intervened. Using his claws, he pulled Crab Eighteen up from the floor and said earnestly: “Eighteen, ah, young people always make small mistakes. You must learn from them.”

“I would like to learn from this, ah, but I won’t have the chance, Cousin…..” Crab Eighteen said with a look of despair as he was forced to his feet.

“That’s not necessarily the case.” Proprietor Crab glanced around as he spoke. After making sure all of the other crabs had left, he suddenly whispered to Crab Eighteen: “You should have heard about the three treasures of our crab clan.”

Crab Eighteen blew out bubbles. As a race with a long history, the crab clan possessed three treasures that kept them safe. And as a member of this clan, he had naturally heard of them.

“One of the three treasures is a Cloaking Shell, which can block any tracking and detection spells,” Proprietor Crab continued.

Crab Eighteen was baffled: “Cousin, why are you bringing this up? The three treasures are all kept by Commander Crab. What do they have to do with us?”

“Let me finish!” Proprietor Crab impatiently tapped Crab Eighteen’s shell with his claw, shutting him up before continuing, “Three hundred years ago, when Prime Minister Turtle sent me to the lower realm, Commander Crab was worried about my safety and gave me this Cloaking Shell. Now…..”

Proprietor Crab suddenly went to the cabinet in the corner of the side hall, opened the lock, and took out a white conch shell that wasn’t even as big as his claws.

He handed the conch shell to Crab Eighteen: “Become smaller, then crawl into this conch and pretend to be a hermit crab. That way, even our Lord won’t be able to find you.”

“Cousin…..” Crab Eighteen held the conch shell with tears in his eyes.

He was moved, but firmly refused: “I can’t. If I leave, how will you explain it to our Lord?”

Proprietor Crab waved a claw, extremely casual: “You’ve heard about our Lord’s memory. He was just a little angry because you offended him, and he’ll forget everything once he gets some sleep.”

Crab Eighteen: “……” He had to admit that their Lord was really such a fish.

“Every policy from above has its countermeasures from below. Even if our Lord still remembers such a small matter, I will tell him that you were executed on the spot and your body fed to the fish.” Proprietor Crab patted his little cousin’s shell, signaling him not to worry about him.

Since this was the case, Crab Eighteen had no more worries. It was best to start early rather than procrastinate, so he took the conch shell and said goodbye to Proprietor Crab: “Then I’ll leave first, Cousin. I’m going to find a place outside to hide, and I’ll return when our Lord leaves.”

“En, go quickly,” Proprietor Crab said as he took action, escorting Crab Eighteen all the way out of the hall.

“Be careful, don’t let anyone see you!” Following Proprietor Crab’s urging, Crab Eighteen disappeared into the night and left the market.

Although the night market in North Sea City wasn’t as lively as the one during the day, there were still quite a few pedestrians walking the streets.

Crab Eighteen remembered his cousin’s advice and carefully avoided them. He walked wherever there were fewer people until he reached the beach, where there were only the rising and falling tides and oddly-shaped reefs.

It was fine during the day, but for humans, it was dangerous to come here at night when visibility was poor and they might take a tumble into the reefs. So for now, nobody else was around.

Crab Eighteen planned to enter the sea from here and dive deep down, where he would hide himself in the conch shell for the next few days.

However, before he could enter the sea from the rocks, someone happened to be walking toward this beach, which was supposed to be deserted.

It happened so suddenly that Crab Eighteen had no time to find somewhere to hide. He swiftly took out the Cloaking Shell given to him by his cousin, set it on the ground, then shrank himself and crawled into it.

All traces of Crab Eighteen vanished in an instant.

The only sound here was the relentless roar of the waves.

With a plunk, Xue Ren kicked the white conch shell at his feet into the sea.

The conch shell sent up a brief splash, then was swallowed up by the waves and disappeared without a trace.

But when the waves slowly receded, the white conch shell appeared again, lying intact on the beach.

When Xue Ren saw this, bad memories were called to mind.

Cao Zirui was just like this conch shell he had kicked into the sea. He was destined to sink below the waves, but unexpectedly, he appeared again when the waves receded!

Thinking of this incident put Xue Ren out of sorts. Although he had promptly placed the blame on a demonic cultivator, the frustration of failure and the heartache of losing a heaven-grade magic weapon often lingered in his heart.

He’d been in a poor mood all day, and hadn’t done any proper shopping at the market. He just came to the beach to relax in the middle of the night.

The more out of sorts he was, the unhappier he became.

It was said that when you liked someone, everything you saw reminded you of them. But it turned out that the same was true for someone you hated.

Xue Ren confirmed this through personal experience.

He wanted to slice Cao Zirui into pieces. Why should his shidi get to have everything? Their master’s favor, once-in-a-century talent, Lingxiao Swordsmanship, and so on and so forth – all of it was handed to Cao Zirui!

What’s more, their master even wanted to pass the position of sect leader on to him!

This was something that Xue Ren absolutely could not tolerate. He had been his master’s disciple for over twenty years. Ever since he entered Foundation Establishment, people had always said that he was young and promising, and was destined to become the sect leader’s successor.

Xue Ren had modestly refuted them, saying that he was still far from qualified. But in fact, he agreed with them and thought that he was destined to become the next sect leader.

Even though his master had never promised him anything, Xue Ren had already set his mind on it. He was his master’s only disciple. If he didn’t pass the position on to Xue Ren, then who else was there?

He started learning at age fifteen and entered Golden Core stage at age thirty-five. He was the best among his peers, and fully deserved the title of ‘genius.’

He should have enjoyed great success, continuing to maintain his reputation as a genius and taking over the duties of the sect leader once he reached Nascent Soul stage.

But this life of his that was so enviable to others had been upturned by Cao Zirui.

In just one year, Cao Zirui had stolen away everything that belonged to him.

But why?

Did Cao Zirui have extra eyes or extra arms?

Why was it so easy for him to snatch away everything that belonged to him!

The more Xue Ren dwelled on it, the angrier he became. He raised a foot and kicked the reef beside him.

This kick had great force behind it, and the reef instantly shattered to pieces.

Xue Ren stood in place, his chest rising and falling. His emotions were still out of control. His anger surged at the thought of Cao Zirui, who still appeared so innocent after taking away all that had been Xue Ren’s.

This time, even his costly assassination plan had failed. Although his master didn’t seem to have any suspicions, it would be inadvisable for him to take action again anytime in the near future.

There was nothing he could do except vent his anger on this deserted beach.

Xue Ren slowly calmed his breathing and prepared to go back. His relaxation was unsatisfactory, so he might as well return.

However, he had only taken a step when he came to an abrupt stop.

Waves rolled in, crashing against the rocks on the shore.

On the reefs, which should have been empty, there stood a human figure.

He was unable to see the person’s face due to it being covered by a black robe. All Xue Ren could make out was an iron mask that gleamed cold and metallic under the moonlight.

Xue Ren was given a slight shock by the man’s sudden appearance.

He seemed to be only at Foundation Establishment stage, and the Golden Core-stage Xue Ren shouldn’t have felt any fear. But Xue Ren was still terribly frightened, because he had no idea when the man had approached.

Even in his anger, he wouldn’t have ignored the movement around him. He knew very well that he hadn’t heard any sound in the slightest.

Including the breathing of a living person.

The man was like a ghost, appearing out of nowhere. His black robes fluttered in the breeze, dark pupils staring out at Xue Ren from beneath his mask for an unknown period of time.

The other party had come here for him. Xue Ren knew this clearly.

It was unknown if he was friend or foe, human or demon.

When he saw that the other party had no intention of speaking first, Xue Ren ventured to ask: “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

He hid his hands in his wide sleeves as he spoke, preparing a magic spell in his palms in order to take action at any time.

The man stared at Xue Ren and didn’t speak a word.

Crash. Another wave slammed past.

Just when Xue Ren thought he was going to ignore him, the man spoke. His voice was harsh and unpleasant, as if scoured by fire: “I’ve come to help you.”

“Help me?” Xue Ren repeated in surprise.

Presently, his expression turned mocking and he gestured at himself: “Do you know who I am? I’m the eldest disciple of Lingxiao Sword Sect’s sect leader. I have everything I could want. Who do you think you are, wanting to help me?”

“Hehe.” A low chuckle sounded from the man’s direction. Unlike the previous hoarse voice, this one was low and magnetic.

Xue Ren and this man were the only ones here, so he could only be laughing at him. But the difference between the two voices was too great – they didn’t even sound like the same person.

However, he had heard that there were those adept at ventriloquism, and could perfectly imitate a weathered old man, a young child, or a graceful maiden.

Perhaps this person is just a psychopath who enjoys changing his voice, Xue Ren thought.

“Do you also have the sect leader position?” the deep male voice asked with a smile.

Xue Ren’s expression was startled, and then turned dark. This fellow just kept bringing up irrelevant things.

But this showed that he was truly here for Xue Ren. He even knew their sect’s internal situation so clearly, hitting the nail on the head.

“What else do you know?” Xue Ren asked back in a poor tone.

He always appeared as a kind, humble shixiong in the presence of others. No one knew that he cared so much about the sect leader position, but the person in front of him did.

Xue Ren could only suspect that this person knew even more secrets.

“Not much.” It was still that casual, deep male voice. “Just that you sent someone to the Floating Island Secret Realm to set a trap for your shidi, but your persecution failed and you lost everything.”

Xue Ren’s face completely distorted. The matter he thought he’d covered up had actually been revealed.

No matter whether the other party was a human or a ghost, he couldn’t allow him to leave tonight.

But before he took action, he needed to find out how the other party knew so much.

“What nonsense are you talking about? I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Xue Ren refuted coldly. He keenly made no direct admission, but instead set a trap to get the other party to elaborate.

“Hehe.” The man chuckled again, seeing through Xue Ren’s plan at a glance. However, he didn’t expose it, and gave a hint instead: “Burning Sky Bow.”

Burning Sky Bow?! Xue Ren’s mind raced. Could it be that this magic weapon was connected to the other party somehow? If he knew what had happened with the Burning Sky Bow, then the secret plans between him and Lu Chengye were no longer a secret.

The man didn’t care about the turmoil stirring in Xue Ren’s heart. After giving this hint, he continued: “Xue Ren, do you think you can rest easy just because there is no evidence against you? How foolish.”

Xue Ren didn’t reply, but his flickering eyes revealed a trace of uncertainty. He had actually been uneasy this whole time, fearing that his master would figure it out.

But although he had run through it over and over, he couldn’t think of any hard evidence that pointed directly to him. Even if this person before him revealed the truth, he could retaliate by claiming it was slander. It wouldn’t be enough to bring him down. So after a moment, the look in his eyes grew firm again.

Seeing this, the man asked with a chuckle: “So what if there is no evidence. Does your master need evidence in order to doubt you?”

The man feigned sympathy as he said: “Your master has always been partial to your shidi. Now that he’s grown suspicious, it is impossible for him to pass the position of sect leader to you. Xue Ren, you have served your master for over twenty years, but in the end, your fellow junior disciple will reap the fruits of your labor. How pitiful….hehe.”

These words clearly portrayed pity, but coming from this man’s mouth, they were as sarcastic as could be.

Xue Ren clenched his fists so hard that they made a cracking sound. The man’s words were right on target, accurately identifying the reason he wanted Cao Zirui dead.

At this moment, he was once again filled with killing intent. He intended to silence the mouth of his unknown creature.

But before he could do anything, the hoarse voice that had spoken briefly at the beginning appeared again: “I can help you secure the position of sect leader.”

These words gave Xue Ren pause.

His heart moved.

If this person could actually help him attain the sect leader position, then he wouldn’t mind cooperating with him. He was worried that he wouldn’t have another opportunity to attack Cao Zirui.

However, if he wanted to help, whether he had the ability remained to be seen.

Although the other party was acting mysterious, his cultivation level was evident. He was only at Foundation Establishment stage. Such a low-level cultivator claimed that he could help him secure the position of sect leader of Lingxiao Sword Sect?

He was overestimating his abilities.

So Xue Ren asked with disdain: “You? I’m afraid you’re not qualified.”

Deep laughter sounded again as he finished speaking, and a dark mist suddenly began to spread out around the man.

Xue Ren couldn’t help but take a step back in the face of this bizarre scene. He watched as black mist continuously emerged from the man’s sleeves and collar, as if it was a living thing with teeth and fangs.

There was still a distance of more than ten meters between them, but the sight of this black mist filled him with an inexplicable sense of fear.

The eerie black mist gathered around the man and slowly took on the shape of a person.

And the low laughter also shifted from the man to that black mist.

Only then did Xue Ren realize that the two different voices were not the result of ventriloquism. There were actually two different people!

The human figure formed by the black mist became increasingly clear, with facial features just like those of a real person.

Xue Ren’s eyes widened. His mouth opened and closed, but he stammered and couldn’t speak, horrified when he saw the face under the black mist.

It was the same face as the god who’d stood high above the clouds one hundred years ago.

“Am I qualified?” the god who had emerged from the black mist asked with a smile.

---

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Chapter 72 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 74

Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian made very little noise upon their return, with only five carriages and about thirty soldiers accompanying them.

Entering through the city gates, they passed down Convenience Street.

Despite the light rain, there were still quite a few people out and about.

When they saw the convoy approaching from a distance accompanied by government troops, the common people instinctively hid behind their stalls. No few of them had already knelt in a practiced manner, and others followed suit one after another until they covered the ground.

Then someone raised their voice and said: “That’s the Qin family’s carriage.”

The common people raised their heads and slowly climbed to their feet.

There were many established rules in the capital, and the common people remembered them very well.

Two of these rules were of paramount importance: firstly, when they saw the carriages of the wealthy and powerful, they must step back and give way, and when they saw the carriages of officials or the four great families, they must kneel down and kowtow.

The second rule pertained to the Qin family.

The Qin family had issued an order as soon as the Grand Commandant and his family moved to the capital, saying that the Qin family members were no different from common people, so there was no need for them to show deference or give them leeway.

The same applied on Convenience Street. If a Qin family convoy passed by, the common people didn’t need to pay attention to it, as long as they didn’t deliberately go up and cause trouble.

Although the head of the Qin family was now Ning-wang Qin Xiao, this rule remained unchanged, and the common people naturally wouldn’t rush to disobey it.

Furthermore, news from Hexi Prefecture had been circulating in the capital recently. The common people heard about how Qin Xiao had managed the dams and how he had provided the refugees with food and drink. These were both good things.

Public opinion about Qin Xiao had improved somewhat.

But the common people had also heard other things, such as how many people Qin Xiao had killed after arriving in the region, and that he had even used the punishment of lingchi!

This undoubtedly confirmed the fact of Qin Xiao’s tyrannical nature, and the common people now both feared and respected him.

Therefore, when the convoy passed down the street, the people didn’t speak, just standing quietly to the side with their heads bowed.

Hearing how quiet it was outside, Chu Jiubian couldn’t help but lightly lift the curtain, and was faced with this scene.

The fear and awe on everyone’s faces was difficult to conceal.

“When my grandfather was alive, the common people would smile and bow when they saw the Qin family’s carriages and horses, and the bolder ones would even speak a few words.”

Chu Jiubian lowered the curtain and turned to regard the man sitting opposite him.

Qin Xiao’s expression was tranquil, as if he was just narrating something that had nothing to do with him.

“Do you want to be loved by the common people?” Chu Jiubian asked.

From admiration to fear and awe, as the Qin family became increasingly powerful, the gap between them and the common people had grown increasingly wide.

Rather than giving a yes or no answer, Qin Xiao said: “Now that this lord is in such a position, what I need is awe and fear.”

Chu Jiubian’s heart stirred, and he gave a silent smile.

Human nature was inherently evil, rife with selfishness, greed, and fickleness. It was just that some people made use of reason and morality to suppress these negative impulses.

But most people didn’t have such strong self-control.

Even people who appeared kind and gentle on a daily basis could change when faced with an imminent threat to their own interests, and would instinctively make the choice that was most beneficial to themselves.

It was even more so for the people of Great Ning. They only had their own small plots of land to think about, and were more easily incited and misled by appearances.

Therefore, their “reverence” was more due to their fear of punishment and power.

At present, Qin Xiao represented the emperor and the Imperial Court. His ideal state was to be both loved and esteemed, and to be regarded with fear and awe by the common people.

If he couldn’t have both, then it was better to be feared.

The carriage quickly left Convenience Street and drove along the wide main street of the imperial city, heading toward the Imperial Palace.

The palace gates were wide open, and Bai Lihong was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed unwaveringly outside the gates. He was unable to conceal the anticipation and anxiety on his little face.

Jiujiu and Xiansheng had been gone for ten whole days!

Since the day he ascended the throne, he had never been separated from them for such a length of time. These past few nights, his yearning for his Jiujiu and Xiansheng had superseded his yearning for his mother.

When he learned that they were coming back today, Bai Lihong ate an extra small steamed bun in the morning.

And since there was no morning court session today, the child had no worries at all and could simply look forward to their return. 

If Hong Fu hadn’t coaxed him not to, he would have been waiting here since noon.

Hong Fu and Qin Chaoyang stood guard not far away, glancing out the palace gates every now and then.

“It’s nearly time. By my estimation, they’ll be here soon,” said Eunuch Hong.

Qin Chaoyang nodded: “They entered the city gates just now, but there are so many common people in the city that the carriages and horses will be moving slowly.”

Hong Fu glanced at the restless child, and his expression softened.

He stepped forward and said: “Your Majesty, let’s go back to Yangxin Hall and reunite with the lords there. For now…..”

There were many eyes lurking within the shadows, so Bai Lihong should be careful not to appear too close to Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian.

Hong Fu had begun reminding him that morning, afraid that the child would feel aggrieved upon seeing his family and rush over for a hug.

Bai Lihong didn’t find this troublesome, and nodded obediently: “I understand.”

“They’re here, they’re here!” An Wuji ran through the palace gates and joined the other two where they stood behind Bai Lihong.

And behind them were a dozen palace servants, including Xiao Xiangzi. There was joy on every one of their faces.

They were accustomed to having the two lords leading and looking out for them. With both of them absent during this period, even with Qin Chaoyang and Hong Fu there, everyone felt uncertain and were hesitant and timid in their actions.

Seeing the two of them return now, they were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Bai Lihong’s heartbeat sped up. Although he stood upright with a rigid expression on his face, his cheeks were already flushed with excitement.

The carriages stopped upon entering the palace gates, and as everyone eagerly waited, the curtain of the lead carriage was lifted up.

Qin Xiao, dressed in dark blue robes, stepped out of the carriage and looked in their direction. And Chu Jiubian, dressed in silver-white robes, followed closely behind.

Without exchanging a glance, the two strode quickly over.

Their robes fluttered as they walked with synchronized steps, their demeanors elegant and dignified.

When they approached, Qin Chaoyang and the others bowed in greeting, saying: “Greetings, My Lords.”

Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian then bowed to the young emperor and said: “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

The child immediately said: “No need for formalities. Quickly, come back with me first and rest for a while.”

He tried his best to remain calm, but his young voice still carried a hint of tearfulness.

Chu Jiubian looked up to find that the boy’s eyes and nose were red, and that he was keeping his eyes open wide to hold back his tears.

How pitiful.

A hint of a smile flickered in Chu Jiubian’s eyes, along with a well-hidden tenderness.

Bai Lihong remembered Eunuch Hong’s words and knew that they couldn’t say too much outside.

So he turned around and strode quickly to the palanquin, where he sat down and said: “Return to Yangxin Hall.”

The palace servants immediately lifted him up and carried him inside.

Qin Chaoyang stayed behind to make arrangements for the convoy, while An Wuji commanded his men to take the convoy troops back to rest. Everyone else followed the palanquin out.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao walked alongside the palanquin at quite a fast pace.

Qin Xiao tilted his head and carefully examined the child. Seeing that his face still had a roundness to it, he knew that Eunuch Hong and the others had indeed taken good care of him.

Yangxin Hall wasn’t located far into the Imperial Palace grounds, so they were quick to reach it.

As soon as the palanquin was lowered, the child hurriedly began to climb down. Hong Fu rushed forward to protect him, but Bai Lihong was careful and didn’t suffer a bump or scratch.

He strode quickly through the gates of Yangxin Hall on his short legs, then turned around, his eyes shining as he looked toward the entrance.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao followed him inside.

Bai Lihong knew it was safe once they were inside Yangxin Hall, and he immediately lost his composure. His sternness vanished, and with reddened eyes, he ran over and hugged his Jiujiu and Xiansheng’s legs.

It was lucky they were standing so close, or he wouldn’t have been able to hug one leg each.

Qin Xiao lowered his eyes and placed a hand on the child’s head, uncharacteristically refraining from saying anything that would spoil the atmosphere.

Chu Jiubian knew that Qin Xiao must have had a hard time being away from Bai Lihong for so long, otherwise he wouldn’t have left Qin Chaoyang in the palace with him.

And although Chu Jiubian himself had deliberately tried to keep his mind off of matters in the capital, he would occasionally wonder what the child was doing at any given moment.

Bai Lihong’s little mouth trembled as he looked up at them, tears streaming down his face.

“It’s been ten days! Miaomiao missed Xiansheng and Jiujiu so much!”

Qin Xiao gently rubbed his little head: “Why are you crying? We’re back now, aren’t we?”

Chu Jiubian lightly grasped the child’s arms to remove them from his and Qin Xiao’s legs, then crouched down at eye level with the child.

The boy was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Fortunately, Hong Fu had known this would happen and hadn’t allowed anyone else inside.

Chu Jiubian took a handkerchief and gently dabbed away the child’s tears, saying in a soft voice: “We’re back, Your Majesty. Don’t be afraid.”

Even with many familiar faces around, to this child left behind in the deep palace, they couldn’t compare to Qin Xiao.

He must have been very afraid these past few days.

Bai Lihong had indeed been afraid.

He kept telling himself to be strong and not to worry about Jiujiu and Xiansheng, but he was still afraid.

Fearful of sleeping alone, he had Hong Fu bring in a soft couch to accompany him in the palace.

Because Bai Lihong dreaded attending court, even An Wuji, who never attended, had been going these past few days, and would stand in the line of officials and make funny faces to amuse him. Regardless of right or wrong, he also deliberately provoked the officials, which prevented them from bullying Bai Lihong while Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian were away.

Of course, even someone as disruptive as An Wuji wasn’t enough, as there were always those who didn’t buy into his act.

At this point, it was up to Hong Fu to decide how to respond.

He was now the director of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, which made him a third-rank official, and he certainly had a great deal of influence in court.

It was fortunate that both of them were there, or Bai Lihong would have had an even harder time these past few days.

But even so, Bai Lihong still felt afraid. This feeling was completely different from when Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian were present. He was never sure what to do.

However, for fear that Hong Fu and the others would worry, he kept pretending like he wasn’t afraid.

But seeing Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian now, and hearing Chu Jiubian comfort him with the words “don’t be afraid,” the child couldn’t hold back any longer and threw himself into Chu Jiubian’s arms. Tears rolled down his face like beads from a broken string, instantly soaking the other’s shoulder.

Chu Jiubian’s heart melted. He picked the boy up and walked toward the inner hall.

Qin Xiao watched them leave, and paused for a moment before following.

The child didn’t stop crying even after entering the hall.

If he cried too much, he would get a headache. Chu Jiubian said: “Your Majesty, your uncle and I brought you a gift.”

“A gift?” the child sobbed. “What kind of gift?”

Qin Xiao had poured water for the three of them, and glanced at Chu Jiubian when he heard this.

Given the situation in Hexi Prefecture, how could they have had the leisure to buy a gift?

Chu Jiubian just smiled and said to the child: “Your uncle has it.”

The child looked at Qin Xiao expectantly.

Qin Xiao: “……”

Just as he was wondering if he should make something up, he heard Chu Jiubian say to him: “Stretch out your hand.” 

Qin Xiao met his smiling eyes. His fingertips curled slightly, and then he raised his hand with the palm facing upward.

In the next moment, the young man’s pale, slender hand landed in his.

Chu Jiubian gazed at the man’s slightly lowered eyelashes. He lightly tapped the other’s pulse point with the tip of his middle finger, and that hand closed to grip his own.

A moment later, Qin Xiao released his grip as if his momentary loss of composure had never happened.

Bai Lihong had stopped crying, and was peering curiously at their hands.

“Your Majesty, blow on them,” Chu Jiubian said.

Bai Lihong was puzzled, but he obediently did as he was told and blew on their hands.

Then, he watched as Xiansheng slowly lifted his hand away from Jiujiu’s. 

His uncle’s hand moved upward with it briefly before stopping. A round, chubby wooden doll had appeared in his palm, colorful and with an endearingly smiling face.

“Wow!” Bai Lihong covered his mouth with one small hand.

Chu Jiubian withdrew his hand with a smile: “Your Majesty, please take a look.”

Having forgotten his tears, the child happily reached out and grabbed the doll. But when he did so, only the top half of the doll came away, while inside the bottom half was a smaller version of the same doll.

“Huh?” the child looked at what was in his own hand, and then at what was in his uncle’s. Then he reached out again, only to find that there was another doll inside the smaller one.

His eyes lit up, and he curiously reached out to take one, and then another one.

Qin Xiao looked up at Chu Jiubian.

“This is called a nesting doll,” Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Xiao just smiled.

And kept smiling.

What was so funny about a nesting doll?

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes and saw that Bai Lihong’s tears had completely stopped. Now, he no longer had his Jiujiu and Xiansheng in his eyes – he was only interested in the nesting dolls.

The moods of children came and went quickly. After being coaxed by the two adults and given a new toy, he quickly became cheerful again.

However, he still clung to the two of them. He needed to eat with both of them, and he also needed them to sleep with him.

But they couldn’t just move a couch over and sleep there like Hong Fu, so they agreed to wait until he had fallen asleep before going back to the room.

Bai Lihong immediately beamed with joy. With the nesting doll by his pillow, and the small blanket his mother had left him clutched in his arms, he curled up on the bed and closed his eyes.

Chu Jiubian sat on the edge of the bed, while Qin Xiao sat on a chair beside him. Neither of them spoke, just quietly keeping the boy company.

Bai Lihong lay with his eyes closed for a while, and then silently opened them. Seeing that Jiujiu and Xiansheng were still there, he gave a white-toothed smile before shutting his eyes again.

His emotions had been quite volatile today, and he fell asleep quickly.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao stayed for another quarter of an hour before getting up and quietly leaving the inner palace.

Hong Fu, who was standing guard outside, greeted the two with a smile when they came out.

“Go and rest,” said Qin Xiao.

Hong Fu agreed softly, and then went into the inner palace on light feet, intending to stay with His Majesty for another day or two.

The two left the main courtyard and made their way toward the palace road outside of Yangxin Hall.

It was still raining slightly at night, and the two of them shared one umbrella. Their shoulders were very close, and would occasionally brush.

Qin Xiao didn’t ask if he could see Chu Jiubian home, and Chu Jiubian didn’t rebuff him, but they tacitly continued to walk.

The palace road was long and quiet, with only dim oil lamps dotted here and there.

It seemed as if the only sounds were the raindrops falling on the umbrella and the soft splashing of water beneath their feet.

The palace road had an end, and Chu Jiubian could see where it turned off at the corner.

If he took that turn and kept walking straight, he would reach Yaotai Residence.

He lowered his eyes and saw that he was stepping in tandem with Qin Xiao, their pace very slow.

A faint, woody scent reached his nose – it was a fragrance unique to Qin Xiao, which Chu Jiubian found a little appealing. 

The person next to him stopped when they reached the corner, and Chu Jiubian stopped as well.

His gaze was directed downward, but he could catch glimpses of the man out of the corner of his eye.

One more step forward and they would turn off the palace road. But neither of them moved.

After a lengthy silence, Qin Xiao finally spoke: “Do you know what I was thinking when the light went out?”

Chu Jiubian raised his eyes and turned his head to look at him.

The man’s eyes were deep and dark, his expression concealed in shadow. Only his high, straight nose and lips were faintly illuminated by the dim yellow light.

He was referring to that night in Huai County.

“What were you thinking?” Chu Jiubian’s tone was somewhat soft. His habitual cold aloofness had faded, to be replaced by an unspoken ambiguity.

Qin Xiao turned to face him, the umbrella still tilted in Chu Jiubian’s direction.

“Just this once,” Qin Xiao said.

Chu Jiubian blinked, and in the next moment, there was an arm around his waist.

He was pulled forward until his chest pressed against the other man’s firm body.

The umbrella was lowered slightly, obscuring their heads and faces.

The hand at his waist slid up to the back of his head, tilting his face up with the slightest effort.

Chu Jiubian wrapped his arms around the man’s lean waist and lightly gripped the back of his robes with both hands.

The other’s hot breath brushed his lips, and Chu Jiubian’s eyelashes trembled slightly. He instinctively tried to turn his head away, but the hand on the back of his head tightened its grip further.

The other man’s warmth soaked into him, and his mouth was easily pried open. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and there was a buzzing sound in his ears.

An indescribable fiery sensation rushed through Chu Jiubian’s body, causing him to involuntarily tremble.

He kept his eyes closed, and was unaware of the struggle and restraint in the other man’s eyes.

But he knew what Qin Xiao meant by “just this once.”

With the overall situation still uncertain, Qin Xiao had no right to indulge in romance. He simply sensed that Chu Jiubian shared his sentiments, which resulted in this one-time occurrence.

He just wanted to indulge himself this one time.

Ages seemed to pass, and Chu Jiubian’s throat bobbed as water droplets ran down his neck to soak his collar.

It went on for so long that he could feel the other’s increasingly burgeoning desire beneath his robes.

At last, the pressure against his lips and the back of his neck vanished.

Chu Jiubian opened his eyes. But before he could see anything clearly, the other party had already taken his hand, placed the umbrella in his palm, and pushed him forward.

“Go.” The man’s voice was deep and hoarse.

Chu Jiubian gripped the handle of the umbrella tightly. Then he took a step forward and turned down the palace road.

Not far ahead, Xiao Xiangzi happened to be standing in front of Yaotai Residence with an umbrella, having come out to check on the situation. When he saw Chu Jiubian approaching, he ran forward with a big smile: “The young master is finally back! We servants have missed you terribly.”

Chu Jiubian just smiled and said: “I brought you all some little trinkets. Come pick them up from me in a bit.”

“Many thanks, Young Master!” Xiao Xiangzi said with a giggle. Then he glanced at Qin Xiao standing far down the palace road and quickly added: “Why isn’t His Lordship using an umbrella?”

“Ignore him.” Chu Jiubian didn’t even turn his head.

Xiao Xiangzi looked back every few steps, but he didn’t go against Chu Jiubian’s wishes. After all, his shifu had said previously that they must obey their lord and His Majesty, but now, both their lord and His Majesty listened to the young master.

Today was an off day, but tomorrow, they had to attend court.

Early in the morning, Chu Jiubian once again changed into his familiar crimson-purple official robes.

It was raining again today, and even more heavily than yesterday. By the time he arrived at Yangxin Hall, the hem of his robes was already a little wet.

Bai Lihong was waiting for him to have breakfast, and Qin Xiao was also in attendance.

Chu Jiubian glanced at him, only to find that the other man was avoiding his gaze.

The young emperor ate his breakfast with great enthusiasm, and even when he went to court, he didn’t look as miserable as he had been these past few days. On the contrary, he walked with a proud, confident air, as if he had powerful backers.

Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian followed behind the palanquin procession, each holding an umbrella.

They stood half a step apart, and didn’t speak all the way to Fengtian Hall.

Inside the inner hall, Eunuch Hong poured some warm water for Bai Lihong to drink, then led him on a small walk to aid digestion and took him to relieve himself afterward.

He would have to sit for some time during the morning court session, and it would be embarrassing for the child to require someone to take him to relieve himself.

Chu Jiubian didn’t linger, and headed straight to the outer hall, where he stood in his usual spot.

Qin Xiao watched him leave, then dithered for a moment before following him out.

Seeing this, Chu Jiubian sent him a look.

Their eyes met. Qin Xiao subconsciously glanced at the young man’s soft, slightly cool lips, then down at his prominent Adam’s apple, before looking away completely.

He walked down the steps, then looked at Chu Jiubian from a distance again.

Instead of looking back at him, Chu Jiubian turned his head to look outside the hall.

A procession of six ranks of officials, led by the ministers, slowly ascended the steps. Upon reaching the hall, everyone folded up their umbrellas and tidied their robes before entering.

It had been ten days since they last met. Chu Jiubian swept his gaze over these people, and those who met his eyes smiled politely and nodded in greeting.

Even Deputy Minister of Works Xiao Wendao didn’t act any differently than usual.

Meanwhile, everyone was also observing Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao.

They had all received news of the events in Hexi Prefecture, and once again witnessed the abilities and methods of these two men.

Setting aside the fact that Qin Xiao had dared to kill so many officials in one go, the punishment of lingchi alone was enough to make them tremble with fear.

There was also the matter of the food shortage in Hexi Prefecture, and everyone had been waiting to see if Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian would bow down to Anhuai-wang because of it.

The message they received, however, was that “the Grand Tutor, a reincarnated god,” not only provided food, but also warm clothing.

The people in the capital were unaware of the inside story, and could only attribute this to another of Chu Jiubian’s “miracles.”

The flood had been a conspiracy from the beginning, and everyone was a pawn of the “third party” hiding in the shadows.

But now, apart from suppressing the Xiao family, that third party had been unable to accomplish their goals at all.

On the contrary, not only had Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian gained control of Hexi Prefecture, but they had won the hearts of the common people as well.

Even the common people in the capital had changed their opinions of Qin Xiao.

The well-informed Qiu family had even heard that the common people throughout the entire region of Northern Zhili, as well as several provinces bordering Hexi Prefecture, were singing the praises of the Imperial Court’s benevolence. Many of them also defended Qin Xiao’s lingchi punishment, saying that he was not cruel – Zhou Boshan had deserved to die, and even lingchi had been too lenient of a death for him.

In the end, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian had reaped almost all of the benefits of this operation.

Hong Fu paced to the side of the dragon throne. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he announced loudly: “Court has begun!”

All of the officials bowed their heads in unison as Bai Lihong walked to the dragon throne and sat down. “Rise,” he said, and the morning court session commenced.

“Your Majesty, this official has a report to make.” Deputy Minister of Revenue Wang Pengyi stepped out of the ranks and bowed deferentially.

Everyone knew that the attacks on Jiannan-wang and the Xiao family were about to begin.

“The collapse of the dams in Hexi Prefecture destroyed farmland and caused the deaths of over ten thousand common people!” Wang Pengyi’s brow furrowed, and he felt a tightness in his chest at the thought of those reports describing the situation in Hexi Prefecture.

Staring intently at Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan, he said in a profound voice: “This tragedy was not caused by a natural disaster, but by Jiannan-wang’s failure to repair the dams! This official implores Your Majesty to severely punish Jiannan-wang in order to appease the common people!”

Before anyone else could speak up, Xiao Wendao stepped forward and bowed deeply: “This subject believes that his matter has nothing to do with Jiannan-wang.”

Chu Jiubian glanced to the side with an unconcerned expression.

The Xiao family would naturally protect Jiannan-wang, as he was their most advantageous bargaining chip in their aim for power – but someone must take the blame for this incident.

Moreover, this matter was of such great significance that it was impossible to simply make those officials in Hexi Prefecture take the blame and be done with it. The Xiao family would be forced to make sacrifices.

And the only one who could be sacrificed at this time was Xiao Wendao.

“Your Majesty, the collapse of the dams in Hexi Prefecture was caused by the embezzlement of funds by Governor Lu Yuan and Prefect Zhou Boshan. They took advantage of Jiannan-wang’s young age, believing him to be ignorant of water conservation projects, which resulted in this tragedy. Jiannan-wang is truly an innocent victim in all of this.”

His intention was to completely exonerate Jiannan-wang.

“What Deputy Minister Xiao said is quite interesting.” Wang Pengyi gave a light scoff. “When you requested that Jiannan-wang take on this task, you stated that he was not too young, and that it would be a good way for him to hone his skills. Now that something has happened, why is he suddenly an ignorant child?”

“Jiannan-wang is merely guilty of oversight,” Xiao Wendao continued. “Furthermore, considering that this was his first time handling a major task, it is understandable for there to be some mistakes and omissions.”

Wang Pengyi: “So the deputy minister means to say that this matter cannot be blamed on Jiannan-wang? Then will the common people who were thrown into the dam by Zhou Boshan have died in vain? And how will the destroyed farmlands and the silver and grain expenditures by the Imperial Court be accounted for?”

“Of course that isn’t what I mean.” Xiao Wendao bowed again toward the dragon throne. “Your Majesty, this matter was caused by the governor and the prefect of Hexi Prefecture. Now that one of them committed suicide out of fear of punishment and the other was executed by Lord Ning-wang using the punishment of lingchi, this can be considered as recompense for the common people.”

He intended to let the matter drop, since both culprits were dead and the rest could be attributed to inadequate oversight.

And as for the court’s overspending, what did that have to do with the Xiao family?

“Deputy Minister Xiao makes it sound so simple.” Imperial Censor Qi Zhili stepped forward with a cold expression. He first bowed to the emperor, then looked at Xiao Wendao. “With just a few words, two local officials have become the culprits.”

“This humble official would like to ask – as the Deputy Minister of Works, isn’t the matter of dam repair under your jurisdiction? Aren’t the people under you at your beck and call? They are inextricably attached to you, so how could they dare embezzle funds and disobey their superiors? Could it be that you instructed them to do so?”

“Deputy Minister Qi must provide evidence when saying such things,” Xiao Wendao retorted at once. “Those subordinates each had their own goals, which I failed to notice in time. This was nothing more than inadequate supervision and poor selection of personnel; how can I be accused of instructing them?”

Qi Zhili scoffed coldly: “Zhou Boshan was a member of your Xiao family.”

“He was a son-in-law!” Xiao Wendao said loudly. “My Xiao family is upright and honest. One of our daughters simply misjudged him and married a wicked man. Deputy Minister Qi, please do not try to drag our Xiao family into this.”

Qi Zhili started to argue further, but Qin Xiao said: “That is enough.”

The court went silent.

The Xiao family intended to throw a tantrum and act shamelessly to the very end. They were truly innocent victims this time, which was why they were kicking up such a commotion.

Everyone was aware that the vassal kings were involved in this matter, but they couldn’t be dragged into this mess for the time being, so they could only place the blame on the Xiao family. The Xiao family themselves also knew that this was the case.

They made a sacrifice, but were still unresigned and hoped that Xiao Wendao could be saved.

But Qin Xiao wouldn’t allow this opportunity to slip by.

He took a sheet of paper from his sleeve, unfolded it, and held it forward: “Minister Xiao, take a look at your son-in-law’s confession.”

Xiao Wendao’s expression changed, and even the persistently silent Xiao Huaiguan raised his cloudy eyes to look at Qin Xiao.

Xiao Wendao stepped forward and took the confession. The more he read, the paler his face became.

The dried bloodstains on the paper made him especially nauseous.

Indeed, if Qin Xiao could resort to the punishment of lingchi, what difficulty could he have forging a confession from Zhou Boshan?

Upon seeing this confession, everyone could guess its contents without reading it themselves. It must be that Zhou Boshan had tried to implicate Xiao Wendao, shifting the blame for all of the trouble he had caused onto him. 

“Does Deputy Minister Xiao plead guilty?” Qin Xiao said in a mild tone.

Xiao Wendao’s face was ashen, and he had lost his previous ability to argue logically and persuasively.

He gritted his teeth hard and looked down the steps.

In the first row stood Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan, whose expression remained unchanged. He sent him a brief glance, and then lowered his head.

Xiao Wendao gripped the confession tightly in both hands.

After a few breaths, he descended the steps, then turned and knelt down to kowtow toward the dragon throne.

His forehead hit the ground with a dull thud: “This official did indeed instruct Lu Yuan to embezzle and substitute superior materials with inferior ones. However, the matter of Zhou Boshan using the common people to fill the dam had nothing to do with me!”

At last, Xiao Huaiguan broke into another heart-wrenching coughing fit. Then he slowly stepped forward and said: “Your Majesty, Deputy Minister Xiao was momentarily confused and was led astray by greed, but he would never dare to disregard human life. He also made many contributions and performed great deeds for the country and its people during the late emperor’s reign.”

“It has been five or six years since he repaired the waterway in Pingkang County, and the river transport is still running smoothly. He also satisfied the irrigation needs of the people along the river, which is a great achievement. Considering his contributions and hard work, perhaps he can be given a chance to make amends?”

Embezzling funds would at most result in dismissal from office, but Xiao Huaiguan’s words were hinting toward a mere demotion and pay cut.

But if he was found guilty of disregarding human life, even the death penalty would not be excessive.

Xiao Wendao was exceptionally capable, and the Xiao family naturally wouldn’t allow him to die. If they were pushed too far, they might drag the vassal kings into this, which wouldn’t be good for any of the forces in the capital.

Therefore, a demotion was the best possible outcome.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao had previously discussed this exact scenario: putting the Ministry of Works back into Jian Hongzhuo’s hands.

Everyone in attendance knew that the matter could only end here, so none of them spoke up.

“Deputy Minister of Works Xiao Wendao embezzled funds intended for dam repairs, which caused the dams in Hexi Prefecture to collapse, flooding fertile farmland and resulting in heavy casualties,” Qin Xiao’s tone was indifferent. “But taking into consideration his contributions to the court, he will be granted leniency outside the bounds of the law and be demoted to a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Works, along with a three-year salary deduction as a warning to others.”

Xiao Wendao had begun his career as a fourth-rank official, and after finally reaching a second-rank position, he was…..

He closed his eyes and said in a heavy voice: “This official thanks Your Majesty for having mercy!”

A sixth-rank official had no right to attend court.

Xiao Wendao climbed to his feet, head down, and backed away.

In his peripheral vision, official robes in crimson-purple, scarlet, and dark blue receded one after another until he reached the palace gates.

He turned around, took a deep breath, and stepped outside.

Without lingering, he strode down the steps of Fengtian Hall with a straight back.

A momentary hush fell over the court.

Xiao Huaiguan returned to his place and lowered his eyes with a silent exhale.

He was old, and even his most capable junior had been implicated and demoted, forced to leave the center of power. From now on, the Xiao family would face great difficulties.

Qin Xiao spoke again: “Jiannan-wang failed in his supervision. Given his young age, he is ordered to remain in seclusion to reflect on his mistakes, and will be allowed out again when he has grown up more.”

These words were undeniably sarcastic, and many in the court had to conceal their laughter.

Not giving a time limit for his reflection was tantamount to house arrest. However, Xiao Huaiguan had no intention of pleading for leniency at this time. The Xiao family had indeed been enjoying great prosperity before, so it was better to settle down for now.

He had realized that Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian intended to suppress all of their great families, one by one.

It was currently the Xiao family’s turn to suffer and be made an example of, but it would be someone else’s turn next.

“Your Majesty.” Wang Yu, a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel, stepped out of the ranks. “This official has something to report.”

Chu Jiubian turned his head. This Official Wang was his subordinate, and it was he who had previously introduced Chu Jiubian to the various departments in the Ministry of Personnel, so they were quite familiar with each other.

This man had always been very reticent, and this was the first time Chu Jiubian had seen him speak up in court.

“What does my subject wish to report?” Bai Lihong asked in his childish voice.

Wang Yu said respectfully: “The position of Deputy Minister of Works is currently vacant, and Minister Jian is not in court. The Ministry of Works cannot operate without leadership, so this official urges Your Majesty to appoint a replacement.”

Qin Xiao and the young emperor had discussed this problem this morning, so Bai Lihong asked: “Does my subject have a candidate to recommend?”

“This official believes that Liu Junqi is suitable for the position of Deputy Minister of Works, although he is not currently in the capital.”

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Chapter 49 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 51

Ch. 72 – A Loan

Once Hao Chen’s form rounded the corner, Feng Ye and the two sea otters snapped out of their daze and subconsciously exchanged glances.

The moment their eyes met, the sea otters were given a shock. Old Crab Nine had arrested the wrong person, and the bad guy was still here. What should they do?

The two of them stared up at the giant Feng Ye. In terms of fighting strength, the two of them combined couldn’t even match him. 

They couldn’t beat him, but…..they were unwilling to just let him go. Who else would compensate them for their spirit stones?

Although they had only wanted one thousand spirit stones, those stupid humans had raised the price to almost ten thousand. If Feng Ye hadn’t come to make trouble, they would have happily returned home with that amount.

It was all this bad guy’s fault!

The more they thought about it, the more wronged the two sea otters felt, and their fear was swept away by grievance. They rushed over at once, hugging Feng Ye’s calves on each side as they cried: “Wah wah wah, compensate us with spirit stones!”

Feng Ye: “……”

He gazed down at his two leg pendants. The two were clinging to his trousers with their hands and feet, looking more like koalas than sea otters.

“Wah wah wah!” the sea otters continued to sob.

Feng Ye covered his ears, feeling a headache coming on. Their wails were piercing, but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything to these juveniles. Momentarily at a loss, Feng Ye just stood there in a bind.

“Hic.” One sea otter cried so hard that he hiccuped, then resumed howling again.

Feng Ye’s expression was blank. He could feel both of his trouser legs becoming soaked with the sea otters’ tears. But they showed no signs of stopping, as if they were made of water.

When he finally couldn’t bear it any longer, he took a step back and started to negotiate: “I can compensate you.”

The two sea otters immediately stopped crying. But they didn’t remove themselves from Feng Ye’s calves, just staring up at him.

“But I don’t have any money,” Feng Ye said immediately after.

“You’re a liar!” the sea otter on his left leg accused.

“It’s obvious that the humans who come to North Sea City are all rich!” the sea otter on his right leg chimed in.

Feng Ye presented them with facts and reason, gesturing to his ragged clothing as he said: “Do I look rich to you?”

There was dead silence.

The two sea otters were instantly disheartened. Feng Ye didn’t look like he was rich. On the contrary, he looked so poor that he needed financial help from them.

The two of them at least had thick fur, but Feng Ye only had his thin, tattered robes. He was so thin that he didn’t even have a layer of fat to keep him warm. It would only take two days for him to freeze to death in the sea.

So what could they do? There was no one to compensate them for their loss, and the token couldn’t be sold. At this thought, the sea otters looked at each other and opened their short-bearded mouths again in preparation to resume their sobbing.

“Don’t cry again!” Feng Ye quickly called out. Their crying had just about annoyed him to death.

The sea otters subconsciously shut their mouths and gave Feng Ye anxious looks.

“I have a solution.” Feng Ye shook his calves as he spoke. “Get off my legs first.”

“No! You’ll run away if we let go!” the quick-witted sea otter on the left refused.

“Tell us first!” the sea otter on the right echoed.

Feng Ye sighed helplessly: “I don’t have any money, but I can help you sell this token to someone else. Then won’t you be well-off?”

“But no one will buy it after you said all that!” the two sea otters accused together.

“But the only people who heard it were those standing in front of the stall. There are so many people in North Sea City, and it’s impossible for all of them to know. We just need to sell it somewhere else,” Feng Ye explained.

The two sea otters looked at each other and stretched their necks to mutter a few words between them. Then they raised their heads as one and agreed: “We’ll do it your way.”

The sea otter on his left leg jumped off Feng Ye’s calf and quickly cleaned up the stall.

Feng Ye lowered his head to look at the one on his right leg and asked: “You’re not getting down?”

The otter said sternly: “Humans are too cunning, so I have to keep an eye on you. You’re not allowed to leave until the token is sold.”

Feng Ye: “…..” Who exactly is the cunning one between us, ah?

The sea otters definitely didn’t think it was them. The one cleaning up the stall finished quickly, and Feng Ye led the sea otters toward the other side of the market.

After walking for half an incense stick’s time, Feng Ye estimated that they’d gone far enough and came to a stop. The sea otters found an empty spot in a corner and set up their stall again. Feng Ye sat there with the sea otters on either side of him, like guardians or mascots.

The sea otters were looking forward to recreating the lively scene from before, where a large number of people had come to inquire about the token and bid competitively for it.

However…..it was getting close to evening, with a fiery red sunset slowly sinking in the sky, and other than the cold wind blowing through from time to time, there was no one in front of their stall.

The two sea otters couldn’t help but regard Feng Ye with suspicion where he sat between them. Feng Ye crossed his arms, his expression unchanged.

He had actually anticipated such a desolate scene. Humans weren’t stupid, and they knew the two sea otters were deceiving them. The others must have warned their fellow disciples. If word spread from one to ten, and then ten to a hundred, who wouldn’t know about it? 

Unless these sea otters wanted to wait another ten years for the next group of people to visit North Sea City, they could only hope to run into a sucker.

Feng Ye actually had no intention of helping these sea otters sell their scrap metal token. He was just really fed up with their crying, so he employed a delaying tactic.

Feng Ye had a very good plan, but he never could have imagined that a once in a century sucker would appear like this.

“Shixiong!” Fang Yang suddenly spotted him and ran over excitedly to say hello.

Feng Ye stared at Fang Yang running toward his stall, as well as Cao Zirui running closely behind him. He was slightly surprised, but then he thought, North Sea City is large, but this is a small island. Although he and Fang Yang had gone in two different directions, it was normal for them to meet again after going around in a circle.

He smiled in response. Then he looked at their two-person team and asked: “Where’s Crab Eighteen?”

Tour Guide Crab Eighteen, who was supposed to be following these two naive people, was nowhere to be seen. Feng Ye was a little uncertain.

“Crab Eighteen was suddenly called away by his people just now. He returned the tour guide money to us and then left,” Fang Yang explained. Just like Feng Ye had, he couldn’t help but complain: “The crab that called him away looked exactly like Crab Eighteen, yet they knew each other’s names. I don’t know how they can tell each other apart.”

Feng Ye nodded in agreement. He, too, would like to know how.

“By the way, where’s Hao-dage?” Fang Yang asked.

There was one less crab on their side, and one less person on Feng Ye’s, as well as…..two extra otters? Fang Yang stared left and right at Feng Ye’s Dharma Guardians.

“He, ah…..” Feng Ye’s eyes drifted for a moment, and he replied: “He was invited for tea.”

Hao Chen had been mistakenly arrested. Although Feng Ye was very much bewildered, he had no intention of rescuing Hao Chen. This fish had been watching the show at his expense for so long, and it was time for him to pay the price.

Plus….North Sea City was nominally Hao Chen’s territory, so what could really happen to him? If anything bad happened, it would happen to the crabs who arrested him.

He had no worries at all since he knew Hao Chen’s true identity. If he told Fang Yang and company that Hao Chen had been arrested by the Crab Squad, these two foolish boys might worry unnecessarily. Thus, Feng Ye gave this answer.

But who would invite Hao Chen for tea as soon as he arrived? Feng Ye’s lie wasn’t terribly heartfelt and didn’t stand up to scrutiny, but since he was telling it to Fang Yang, there was no need to be very thorough.

As expected, Fang Yang suspected nothing and gave an affirmative nod. Although Cao Zirui had some doubts, he wasn’t familiar with Hao Chen and never spoken to him, so he didn’t ask any further questions.

The two sea otters, who were still depending on Feng Ye to sell their token for them, didn’t expose his lie. But they did conclude to themselves: Humans are indeed cunning!

They actually treated being arrested as being invited for tea!

After explaining their respective reductions in traveling companions, Fang Yang turned his attention to the stall in front of him and the guards on the left and right: “Shixiong, why are you selling things? The two next to you…..?”

“They…..” Feng Ye was a little hesitant. It was a long story, and he didn’t know where to start.

Before he could continue, the two sea otters gave enthusiastic introductions.

“I’m called Otter One.” The otter on the left stretched out his paw to Fang Yang.

“I’m called Otter Three.” The otter on the right also stretched out his paw.

“Ah, my name is Fang Yang.” Fang Yang quickly gave his own name and reached over, grasping the paws of both sea otters in a friendly and cordial greeting.

Otter One and Otter Three? Then where is the second one? Feng Ye wondered, having only found out their names just now.

He had no time to ask, because after shaking hands, the two sea otters and Fang Yang began to chat animatedly and Feng Ye was unable to get a word in.

“What are you selling?” Fang Yang peered at the stall in front of Feng Ye, which contained a sole bronze token.

The two sea otters worked together as they repeated the advertising routine they had performed in front of a crowd.

Fang Yang’s reaction was exactly the same as the previous group of people. His mouth dropped open in astonishment, and he stared at the tiny token in disbelief. This was such a powerful magic instrument?!

Cao Zirui’s eyes shifted slightly. If this summoning token was really so magical, it would indeed be a magic instrument of considerable power.

“Shixiong, is what they said true?” Due to suffering a loss when he bought the pearl before, Fang Yang had learned his lesson and no longer believed the one-sided statements of vendors. But since his conscientious tour guide Crab Eighteen was gone, he turned to ask Feng Ye.

“It’s…..” As Feng Ye spoke, the two sea otters simultaneously raised their heads, their bean-sized eyes filled with menace, as if they were willing to burst into tears again if Feng Ye said no.

“…..true,” Feng Ye said, going against his conscience to protect his ears.

Fang Yang’s eyes lit up like the rising sun, and he excitedly asked for the price: “How much is it?”

“One thousand spirit stones.” 

Feng Ye crossed his arms and nodded cooperatively on their behalf, as if he was earnestly helping them sell the item.

In fact, the two sea otters fully believed that business had come to their door, not realizing that although Fang Yang was slightly wealthier than them, he couldn’t afford one thousand spirit stones. So even though Feng Ye had lied to him, he wasn’t worried about Fang Yang getting cheated. His circumstances didn’t allow it.

Fang Yang wore a look of regret: “I can’t afford it.”

He had just sold all of the Yuanling grass in his storage bag and now had about three hundred spirit stones, which was still seven hundred short of a thousand.

The two sea otters’ heads drooped in dejection. Their hope had been in vain.

Feng Ye gave the two of them a pretentious shrug, indicating that he was powerless.

Just when the two sea otters were so sad that they were about to hug each other and cry, Cao Zirui said abruptly: “One thousand spirit stones. I’ll take it.”

As he spoke, he tossed a large bag of spirit stones onto the stall.

Blinded by money, the two sea otters immediately pounced on the spirit stones, picking them up to count their riches.

Fang Yang stared at Cao Zirui’s generous payment and got a bad feeling. It was fine if Cao Zirui had purchased it for himself, but he feared that…..

What he feared came true. Cao Zirui picked up the bronze token from the stall and offered it to Fang Yang, just as he had done with the pearl before.

He already had enough magic instruments. The God-Summoning Token sounded powerful, but he didn’t need it, so he generously gave it to Fang Yang.

However, Fang Yang immediately refused: “I don’t need it!”

There was an unprecedented gravity in that silly, naive face: “I may have saved you, but you saved me too. We don’t owe each other anything, and good friends don’t keep debts like this. If you keep stuffing things at me, it just means you don’t consider me a friend.”

It was Cao Zirui’s first time seeing his friend so serious. He was stunned for a moment before trying to explain: “I, I didn’t…..”

Fang Yang was his first and only friend. Cao Zirui wanted to explain himself, but his anxiety made him stutter.

But Fang Yang understood what he wanted to say. He had only refused so sternly so that Cao Zirui wouldn’t buy things for him like this again. Presently, he softened his expression and put a hand on Cao Zirui’s shoulder, saying with a smile: “I know what you mean. But I really don’t want you to keep giving me things. This isn’t how it should be between friends.”

Cao Zirui stared at him for a moment, then assured with a nod: “I understand.”

At last, Fang Yang breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at the bronze token in Cao Zirui’s hand and said to the two happy sea otters who were counting their money: “We don’t want it anymore. Can we return it?”

Upon hearing this, the two sea otters instantly entered combat readiness. One covered the spirit stones with his body, and the other stood in front of him with short arms outspread, saying: “No returns or exchanges after sale.”

“We can’t return it, ah…..” Fang Yang was somewhat troubled. It was all because of him that Cao Zirui had purchased it, so it was his responsibility in the end.

Fang Yang thought of a solution: “How about this. Give me the token and I’ll consider it a loan from you that I’ll pay back later.”

Cao Zirui naturally had no objections, as he had wanted to give it to Fang Yang in the first place.

Feng Ye, however, did have objections. He had just watched the plot undergo a magical development. Fang Yang, who was poor and had no chance of being cheated, had actually taken out a loan to purchase this scrap metal.

Due to his conscience, as well as the fact that he knew Fang Yang didn’t have much money at all, he couldn’t help but try to warn him: “Actually, this token……”

The two sea otters glanced over, tears glistening in their eyes.

Feng Ye: “……”

“What is it?” Fang Yang asked when Feng Ye’s words cut off.

“…..Nothing.” Feng Ye swallowed the warning on his lips.

He absolved his conscience of guilt, telling himself that this didn’t count as deceiving Fang Yang, because it was the otters who had told him everything. Feng Ye had just…..well, yeah, he had deceived him too.

Feng Ye would never be able to emulate Hao Chen’s shamelessness.

Fang Yang put away the summoning token he had bought with a loan, then asked Feng Ye: “Shixiong, are you leaving now? Do you want to keep shopping with us?”

Feng Ye, who was temporarily afraid to face Fang Yang due to his crisis of conscience, immediately declined: “No, I have something else to do.”

“Then we’ll leave first.” Fang Yang waved to Feng Ye and pulled Cao Zirui away.

Feng Ye sent their backs a melancholy look. This matter would certainly not remain secret for long. When Fang Yang found out that the God-Summoning Token was a scam and came to hold him accountable, how would he explain himself? 

Actually, there was still a chance to recover the fraudulent money. Feng Ye glanced at the sea otters, who had finished counting their money and were about to pack it up and take it away. Before they could leave, Feng Ye abruptly grabbed the money bag on one’s back, forcing them to stop.

The sea otters turned around. Having received the money, they no longer wanted to deal with this human. But this human seemed to have no intention of letting go.

And they didn’t know if it was because it was completely dark and Feng Ye was in the shadows, but although there was no drastic change in his expression, he seemed sort of inexplicably scary.

The sea otters couldn’t help but shudder, and one asked tremblingly: “W-what is it?”

Feng Ye didn’t answer, but instead asked back: “What do you need a thousand spirit stones for?”

For these two to be so obsessed with the number ‘one thousand,’ they must have a purpose for it.

“How is it any of your…..” Otter Three had only spoken a few words when he swallowed them back upon meeting Feng Ye’s deep, somewhat chilly gaze.

Due to their inexplicable fear, the two sea otters honestly confessed: “Otter Two is sick. We needed money to buy medicine.”

“One thousand spirit stones?” Feng Ye asked again.

The two sea otters nodded in unison.

“So it’s like that.” Feng Ye responded with understanding. He finally released his grip on the money bag, and the low pressure that had intimidated the sea otters vanished without a trace.

Before they could leave for good, Feng Ye reminded them: “You might have to take necessary measures in an emergency, but cheating and deceiving others isn’t the right way. Don’t do it again.”

The two sea otters nodded quickly and then fled with haste.

Standing in place, Feng Ye heaved a helpless sigh. He’d just had one thousand spirit stones slapped on him, and he needed to make up a story for when he met up with Fang Yang again.

At the moment Feng Ye was starting to think of an excuse, Hao Chen was sitting inside the most luxurious building in the center of North Sea City.

He sat up high in the first seat, and below him stood a giant crab twice the size of Crab Eighteen, who was half a man’s height.

This was none other than Proprietor Crab, nominal master of North Sea City.

Proprietor Crab fawned over Hao Chen: “My Lord, I noticed you as soon as you entered the market, but you were traveling with others. I worried that you didn’t want to reveal your identity, so I specially sent Old Crab Nine and others to invite you over.”

It turned out that there was nothing wrong with Old Crab Nine’s eyesight, and that the guards had appeared so quickly not because of North Sea City’s robust security, but simply because they had been heading toward Hao Chen.

A thought suddenly occurred to Hao Chen, and he asked: “You noticed me?”

He believed that his disguise was flawless. Even Feng Ye couldn’t see through to his true identity, and it was even more impossible for this large, Nascent Soul-stage crab.

But he also had a single flaw — he was using his original appearance. After all, compared to the risk of exposing his identity, being handsome was more important.

So the only reason Proprietor Crab could have recognized him was if he had seen him before.

But Hao Chen had no impression of this giant crab, nor did he have any impression of North Sea City. He still didn’t quite know whether it was under his ownership or not.

“I did, I did,” Proprietor Crab answered quickly. “Three hundred years ago, before I was sent down to the mortal world, I had the good fortune to glimpse you from afar. This sight often lingers in my mind. I could never forget your majestic figure…..”

Proprietor Crab paused when Hao Chen made a shushing gesture. Such a description of him sent a chill down his spine, and Hao Chen couldn’t help but shiver.

It turned out that whether words were pleasant to the ear or not depended on the person speaking them.

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T/N: I seriously wanted to call this new crab Mr. Krabs.

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Chapter 71 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 73