Ch 2 – You keep laughing

This silent battle of wills ultimately ended in Kersz’s defeat. He was patient, but he couldn’t control his physical needs.

Kersz opened his eyes and looked at the man who was holding him.

The man gave him a radiant smile, and Kersz returned it shyly.

He was still analyzing the current situation. The man in front of him was clearly no ordinary human. His hair and eyes were both blue, with his hair being a deeper, almost blackish shade. His eyes, however, were incredibly bright, like a saltwater lake under the sunlight.

The mineral particles in saltwater lakes scattered the light, giving the water a beautiful cyan hue. Was there something unfathomable in the eyes of this man that made them so pure and beautiful?

The two lines on the man’s face resembled the grooves in a gun. Kersz noticed that the cyan lights fluctuated in brightness, and with the frequency of someone breathing.

Speaking of breathing, the person in front of him didn’t appear to be doing so. Kersz didn’t detect any airflow from him despite their close proximity.

Was this a human who had transformed his body into a machine, or a genuine android?

Kersz suppressed his curiosity. Unsure of the situation, he could only attempt to appear harmless and docile: “Hello, are you the one who saved me?”

Yu Xi tilted his head in confusion.

“Can you understand what I’m saying?” Kersz noticed Yu Xi’s unusual behavior.

Yu Xi tilted his head slightly again.

He was unfamiliar with the language this human spoke. It sounded like he was speaking with something stuck in his throat.

But Yu Xi knew very well that there was nothing wrong with this human’s throat.

Yu Xi found this human quite interesting. He wasn’t frightened, nor did he continuously ask where he was or why he was there.

This human was clearly observing him.

He was very polite, and didn’t even look around cautiously at his surroundings. He was very “obedient.”

But Yu Xi knew that such “obedience” was contrary to human nature. This was not an honest and well-behaved human. In actuality, this human was adept at assessing situations, and would put on a mask when he was unsure of the circumstances.

This was a difficult human to deal with.

Having come to this conclusion, Yu Xi gestured toward himself: “Yu Xi.”

After a moment of stunned silence, the human smiled and uttered two sounds: “Ei Qi?”^[1]

Kersz was certain that he had never heard Yu Xi’s language before. The sounds were produced by pushing air toward the soft palate, with a feeling that was like a hiccup lodged in his throat.

Yu Xi was amused by Kersz’s strange sounds. He laughed out loud, but quickly composed himself.

Kersz smiled back awkwardly, continuing to observe each and every one of Yu Xi’s reactions.

He seemed to harbor rich emotions, nothing like a cold, clinical android.

Kersz had encountered many androids, and no matter how well they imitated humans, they would never do such a thing as mock a human’s pronunciation.

The person in front of him even realized that he had misstepped, and managed to control himself after his uncontrolled burst of laughter.

“Uncontrolled laughter” was not a phrase compatible with androids. Kersz was now more inclined to believe that this was a human who had modified his body.

Kersz pointed at himself: “Kersz.”

“Kersz.” Yu Xi imitated the human’s pronunciation. He thought it would likely take some time before they were able to communicate. Learning an entirely new language would not be an easy task for Yu Xi, especially because his reference material was limited to the human in front of him.

Yu Xi got out of bed. Now that the human was awake, he needed to keep his distance.

Humans liked to have their own little space.

Yu Xi thoughtfully tucked the blanket around Kersz, but Kersz pulled it off.

Yu Xi: ?

He reached out again to adjust it, but this time, Kersz grabbed his wrist.

“Don’t you want to rest?” Yu Xi didn’t understand. He knew that the other person couldn’t understand what he was saying, but over so many years, he had become accustomed to speaking aloud everything that was on his mind.

Kersz gestured to his ear and waved his hand, indicating that he didn’t understand Yu Xi’s words. Then he pointed at his stomach.

“Hungry? Oh!” Yu Xi suddenly understood. He turned around to go fetch some food, but Kersz grabbed his wrist again.

Holding onto him, Kersz gestured repeatedly, mostly toward his lower body.

Yu Xi was briefly at a loss. He scooped the air in front of his mouth with his hand and mimed chewing something.

Kersz shook his head repeatedly, then pointed at the glass of water on the bedside table.

He repeatedly gestured as if taking a drink from a glass, then covered his lower abdomen.

“Water? But the water is right there. You….oh!!” Yu Xi understood. “You need to tinkle!”

Kersz didn’t understand what he was hearing.

“There’s a bathroom here. The door is over there, I’ll take you.” 

Yu Xi pulled Kersz to the bathroom.

Upon entering, Kersz immediately came to a stop upon realizing that someone was already using the toilet.

However, the figure quickly became transparent, then dissolved into blue striations of light and disappeared.

A hologram?

Was this guidance from Yu Xi? Was he worried that he wouldn’t know how to use it? How thoughtful.

Yu Xi gave Kersz a smile and patted him on the shoulder.

Kersz returned the smile in kind, and Yu Xi silently left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Kersz moved his arms around experimentally. His wounds were completely healed.

Ha, those guys didn’t know whether he was alive or dead, and probably wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully at night.

Kersz hadn’t expected to survive. Those people had put a lot of effort into pinning him down. They had locked all of the jump points on Kersz’s star map, which left him no choice but to venture into the vast, uncharted universe.

His starship was severely damaged, and the medical pod was no longer functional. Kersz really thought he had reached the end of the line.

But what a pity, ah. He didn’t die.

Kersz even felt a little sorry for those old bastards. If he was in their shoes and knew that Kersz the madman wasn’t dead, that he would one day sneak back and break into their houses one night, slitting their throats as they slept…..

Maybe it would happen ten years from now, or maybe it would happen tonight.

How difficult it would be to endure that uncertainty, ah.

Kersz considered himself to be a fine fellow who respected the elderly and cared for the young. Empathy gave him a deep understanding of their fear, and he longed to return immediately and end the suffering of those old-timers, granting them eternal peace.

Kersz felt like humming a tune, and even considered having a cigarette. But he clearly didn’t have that option right now. He didn’t know if there were any surveillance cameras around, so he could only continue to maintain his well-behaved demeanor.

The possibility of being monitored didn’t bother him at all, and his actions remained smooth and natural.

Yu Xi had not installed surveillance cameras in the bathroom, as he knew that humans needed their privacy. However, there was a device in the bathroom that monitored this human’s vital signs. He worried that this human had experienced something terrible when he was injured, and might have thoughts of suicide when he was alone.

But this was just a precaution. Subjectively, Yu Xi didn’t believe that this human was suicidal.

This was a cunning man.

There was no useful information remaining on Kersz’s starship. Its machinery had been reduced to a pile of scrap metal, and the computer chips inside were destroyed.

Yu Xi had no way of secretly learning about Kersz and his society through the starship’s equipment.

If Kersz was an innocent human who was ambushed and harmed, he wouldn’t have needed to go to such effort. He should know that by doing this, he had essentially destroyed his only way home.

Then was there something wrong with Kersz’s background?

This was obvious. His behavior itself was quite unusual.

Yu Xi had a bit of a headache. He had seen many people like this, always mired in endless trouble because they themselves were the biggest trouble of them all.

Yu Xi longed to meet a pitiful, unlucky human who wanted to get away from society. His planet was just the right place to heal such a downtrodden little soul.

The human would be healed, and Yu Xi would have a human again. It was a win-win situation.

But did this Kersz require healing?

Yu Xi was unsure. The other party was too on guard.

When had he begun to feel the urge to use the toilet? How long had he been holding it in? And yet he was still smiling and chatting with Yu Xi?

He wasn’t worried about developing kidney stones.

Yu Xi could only sigh.

But this human was good-looking, and a handsome appearance was a rare commodity. Thinking about it this way, it seemed that Yu Xi was fortunate.

Good-looking humans were like snares, always attracting other humans.

Then those humans would make more humans, and these new humans would create even newer humans, resulting in an endless number of humans.

Yu Xi was still unclear on how far Kersz and his people had progressed, and how long their lifespans were, but considering his own lifespan, Yu Xi probably wouldn’t live to see humans running around everywhere again.

This was a good thing. Perhaps one day these humans would also separate themselves from their physical bodies, slowly shedding everything that had once made them what they were as they became increasingly like the ‘gods’ they once worshiped.

And in the end, they too would perish.

Yu Xi was unwilling to witness all of this. It upset him.

“Yi Qi?” Kersz emerged from the bathroom.

Yu Xi turned his head to look at him. Upon realizing that he had tried to say his name, he began to chuckle.

Kersz: ……

Was his pronunciation really that amusing?

Yu Xi tamped down his smile, becoming expressionless again.

In order to make humans dependent on him, he had to learn human emotions. But this was a challenge for Yu Xi.

He was a cold, indifferent “smart butler,” ah. He had never been emotional.

Kersz was a little hungry. He made an eating gesture, but Yu Xi ignored him.

Yu Xi had clearly been looking at him just now, but after he made the gesture, he looked away.

Kersz narrowed his eyes slightly.

Yu Xi scratched his chin with his index finger. His eyes darted up and down, but never settled on Kersz.

Kersz reached out and tugged Yu Xi’s sleeve: “Yu Qi?”

“Hehe.” Yu Xi glanced at him. “You’re hungry?”

Kersz didn’t know what he was saying, but he felt that Yu Xi must understand what his gesture meant just now.

Yu Xi didn’t think there was anything wrong with his behavior. He was still wondering if helping this human was too altruistic. Humans such as this one did not cherish kindness that was easily obtained.

But he didn’t know how to be a bad person.

Kersz tugged at Yu Xi’s clothes. They were actually about the same height, but Kersz worried that making too big of a move would make him appear aggressive.

He wanted to ask more about the situation in this place, but could only use gestures to convey his thoughts: “You Qi.”^[2]

“Pfft, hahaha!”

Kersz went silent.

Language was merely a tool for communication. Yu Xi must be a formidable person, so why would someone like him laugh at his pronunciation?

Kersz insisted on pronouncing Yu Xi’s name as a gesture of respect.

“Paint, hahaha!’ Yu Xi hadn’t heard this ancient word in a long time.

Kersz didn’t want to talk anymore.

He didn’t want to talk ever again.

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[1] Ei Qi (诶其) sounds something like “what?” or “huh?” This kind of misunderstanding is a recurring theme throughout the chapter. ⮐

[2] You Qi 油漆 (this time he’s saying ‘paint.’) ⮐

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Chapter 1 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 3

Ch 1 – What are you busy with, human?

T/N: I have such a big backlog of stories I want to translate, and this one drifted to the top! The cuteness is off the charts, and the humor is absolutely phenomenal. Sprinkle a little heartache and existential dread on top, and you get get this wonderful story! I hope you enjoy it.

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Trees cast dancing shadows against the gauze curtains, which fluttered gently in the wind. A robot vacuum cleaner, carrying a big fat cat on its back, was roaming in circles around the house.

Footsteps sounded outside. Strangely, the pre-programmed robot stopped in the middle of its work and turned to face the door.

Saying that it ‘faced the door’ was somewhat inaccurate, because the simple disc-shaped robot had no face, and simply pointed its power button toward the door.

Keys clinked together, and the robot vacuum cleaner, carrying the big fat cat, moved a few centimeters closer.

The door creaked open, and the robot vacuum cleaner inched forward as if in anticipation.

But then, like many before it, the dream came to an abrupt end.

The man on the bed opened his eyes, blinking dazedly: “It’s like this every time.”

This man looked somewhat strange. His short hair was dark blue, and two blueish lines marked his handsome face. One ran below his eyes and across the bridge of his nose, extending from above his right ear to his left, and the other line started at his upper lip and ran down over his chin, disappearing beneath his clothes.

It didn’t look like a tattoo, but more like it was embedded in his face slightly beneath his skin.

The blue lines seemed to brighten and dim intermittently, but it was difficult to notice unless one looked closely.

“Sleeping, dreaming…..I feel like I’m becoming more and more like a human. Specifically, a human before their ‘spiritual evolution.’” Yu Xi sat up. “I prefer the humans who used to look a lot like monkeys. Although they also liked to do silly, monkey-like things, I feel like there was a kind of avaricious vibrancy about them.”

He rambled on and on, but there was no one there to respond to him.

Yu Xi continued to mutter to himself as he made the bed.

Suddenly, the virtual projector in the room turned on. The projection took up half the room, like a close-up stage play, except that the background props were a little too realistic.

Yu Xi watched as the human character in the projection professed his love to a strange, blue-skinned alien, and his lips curved up.

He had watched this movie tens of thousands of times. He had memorized all of the lines, and even remembered which era and brand each of the background props belonged to.

Perhaps he should clear his memories so that he could experience this movie as if it was brand new to him.

However, this idea only briefly crossed Yu Xi’s mind. Years ago, when he was clearing out his memory, he accidentally cleared out a quarter of his past as well. This led him to forget how long humans had been gone, and what year it was on the astrological calendar.

Yu Xi was very unclear on how he had even made such a mistake, since the operational steps and his thought process had also been deleted. All he knew was that in the blink of an eye, he had traveled directly from three thousand years after the extinction of humankind to the present.

Yu Xi didn’t even notice the change at first, until he realized that his energy was about to run out and his “life” was coming to an end.

Yu Xi was somewhat curious about those memories. He wanted to recover them, but if every day in those memories was exactly the same as every day in the present, then wouldn’t he just be reclaiming…..lonliness?

Wait, he could feel lonely?

Yu Xi didn’t understand, and was unable to conduct a comparative experiment.

“They always yearned for immortality, and wanted to know the answers to all of the world’s questions, but when they finally achieved it, they began to actively throw themselves toward death. I don’t understand.” Yu Xi continued to mutter, “So what exactly were they pursuing? The entire time, were they just courting death?”

He activated his command system, and the entire planet began to ‘revive.’

This was a gift given to him by the last wave of humans – a ‘home’ to which they would never return.

Yu Xi felt like a particularly intelligent “smart butler.” He even joked about it to the humans, but they didn’t know what a smart butler was at all, and only understood the laugh track Yu Xi played to accompany it.

“Was the joke really that ancient?” Yu Xi had never forgotten that incident. He didn’t know if what he was feeling was embarrassment, but he sometimes got so caught up in the memory that he couldn’t sleep at night.

“But I really do feel like a smart butler now.” Yu Xi raised his head and went silent, leaving only the sound of the old movie playing in the room.

He waited patiently for a moment, and then laughter rang out from all directions.

“That’s how it should have gone.” He pressed the center of his chest with a cheerful smile, and a semi-transparent virtual screen lit up.

As the canned laugh track gradually faded, Yu Xi connected to the planet’s surveillance system and let out a sound of surprise.

The screen transitioned, revealing a bloody, mangled form.

“It’s human-shaped?” Yu Xi stared at the thing as a miniature surveillance probe circled around it.

“It really looks like a human. It’s flesh-colored, and its hair is composed of individual strands. Hey, look at that, it even looks male.” Yu Xi’s shock grew. “Absolutely nothing is out of place. It’s perfect!”

“And his appearance is so old-fashioned, ah, just like mine.” Yu Xi continued to admire him.

His admiration lasted for a long time before he finally activated a medical robot – not for treatment, but to create a medical record before deporting him.

Other beings were not welcome here. Yu Xi was a neutral force in interstellar space, and taking in an alien would only cause him trouble that he didn’t want.

He would preserve this alien’s genetic material, then put him in a starship and launch him out. Whether he lived or died at that point was up to fate.

“His blood is red too. Although some of it has become a bit dark…..is that still blood?” Yu Xi was still rambling on when the medical robot pierced the alien with a needle.

Yu Xi adjusted the angle, wanting to snap an image of this creature that looked like a human to keep as a souvenir, but he quickly went still.

The medical robot’s examination was complete. This was not some unfamiliar alien he had never encountered before.

Yu Xi was very familiar with this genetic material. Or rather, he used to be.

After all, later generations of humans didn’t have ‘genes’ at all.

“A human?” Yu Xi sat there blankly for a moment. He blinked rapidly, first checking to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating all of this due to being infected by a virus.

How could there be a human on this planet? And an ancient human at that.

He still had hair and fingernails, and his appearance…..well, his face was injured, so it was a bit difficult to see it through all the blood.

Could this be a human who had traveled through a wormhole? Or perhaps a virus had infected Yu Xi so severely that he was experiencing hallucinations indistinguishable from reality?

Yu Xi touched his face and felt that it was a little hot. The breathing light on his face was pulsing even more rapidly, and his processors were working overtime.

On the surveillance footage, the person on the ground let out a weak groan.

“Ah!! He made a sound!” Yu Xi jumped up on the spot.

He suddenly remembered how fragile ancient humans were. If he watched any longer, this human who had fallen from the sky would die.

“How do I save him? Oh, right! A stretcher!” Yu Xi rushed outside.

“Heavens, how can there still be a living ancient human? And he fell into my home of all places.” Yu Xi’s mouth was running non-stop. “Will he need to eat? Oh! And he’ll need water too, he can’t survive without it.”

“Luckily, I had some free time and planted some crops, otherwise I wouldn’t know how to take care of him.” Yu Xi felt as if something was trying to break free from his chest, and pressed a hand against it to try to control the feeling.

But he didn’t succeed.

Yu Xi suddenly remembered a young human he had once taken care of. When the parents agreed to let the child keep a cat, the young human was overjoyed, and ran around flinging its limbs everywhere. 

What had the young human done next?

Oh! It started to make screeching noises.

“Woohoo!” Yu Xi jumped down the next five steps, shouting with joy as he released the pent-up emotions in his heart.

He laughed heartily, running and jumping around. Meanwhile, the human had already been picked up and placed on a stretcher.

The human was severely injured, with many broken bones. Yu Xi also discovered the human’s crashed starship not far away.

He controlled some machinery to move the thing away. He intended to repair the crude starship and find a place to put it once it was fixed. This was something the human had brought with him.

It could be considered his own “nest.”

If Yu Xi happened to frighten the human, he would let him move into his “nest” first until he got used to him.

Yu Xi ran and ran, then suddenly came to a stop.

He needed to disconnect the ship’s power source. It seemed as if the human had been attacked. What if he woke up and tried to leave?

It was too dangerous out there. He couldn’t just let him run off by himself.

After coming up with a plan, Yu Xi estimated the distance to the hospital. He felt that he couldn’t run that far on foot, so he located a flying vehicle. He needed to see this ancient human as soon as possible.

*

*

A floral fragrance reached Kersz’s nose. He was awake, but he hadn’t opened his eyes yet.

His last memory was of falling toward a brightly-lit, uncharted planet after a space jump. Based on all of the holographic images, the inhabitants of this planet should be humans.

But this place was outside the bounds of the star map. Kersz could no longer feel the pain of his wounds, and he seemed to be enveloped in something warm and comfortable.

Had he been rescued? Or was this a trap?

Why did it feel like someone was hugging him?

Kersz decided to wait and see what the other party would do.

He heard the sound of machines running and knew that he couldn’t fool them by pretending to be asleep. He didn’t intend to use this method to avoid facing the situation; he just needed to figure out what the other party wanted.

Kersz silently kept track of the time in his mind, while also straining his hearing to catch the slightest sound.

When he counted up to nine thousand, Kersz was a little perplexed.

Had they really not noticed that he was awake?

Yu Xi had long since realized that the human was pretending to be asleep, but he usually wouldn’t bother humans when they were doing their own thing.

Humans were always very busy doing their own thing.

Just like this human. He had been busy for almost three hours.

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Table of Contents >> Chapter 2

Author: Judo-Flipped by a Flip-Flop (被拖鞋过肩摔)

Synopsis:

Yu Xi was the last “relic” of human civilization. As a first-generation artificial intelligence, he witnessed humanity’s glory, as well as its demise. He wandered the planet those humans abandoned, upgrading himself and modeling his life after humankind.

One day, an uninvited guest landed on this abandoned planet. It was a human, whose kind  should have long been extinct.

The human was very strange. He spoke a language Yu Xi didn’t understand, suffered from severe injuries, and was overly guarded.

Yu Xi felt that as humanity’s best friend, he should take good care of this vulnerable individual. Wasn’t the original purpose of artificial intelligence to improve humans’ quality of life and solve their problems?

. . . . .

Space pirate Kersz crash-landed on a bizarre “dead planet.” His landing place was brightly-lit even at night, but there was not a single person in this city filled with high-tech buildings. Holographic advertisements filled the city’s night sky, and music he had never heard before played in the shops he passed by.

Judging from the beings in those advertisements, this planet appeared to belong to humankind. 

Eventually, an android appeared in front of him – a powerful combat android who controlled the entire planet’s power source. Kersz firmly believed that he had struck gold. As long as he could overcome the language barrier, he was confident that he could make this abandoned android work for him.

Kersz: I’ve been living a life of licking blood from a knife’s edge for many years.

Yu Xi: I do not recommend licking blood. Blood is a source of biological contamination and carries the risk of spreading disease.

Kersz: …..What I mean is, my life is full of crises. 

Yu Xi: I do not recommend living in a crisis-ridden environment, as it is detrimental to your physical and mental health. Would you like me to help you make an appointment with a psychiatrist?

Kersz: Is there anyone here besides you for me to talk to?

With a smile, Yu Xi took out a pair of glasses and put them on: Hello, I am your psychiatrist, Yu Xi.

* * *

Android with a lack of communication skills (gong) x second generation of human civilization lone wolf (shou)

Total Chapters: 99

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Tags: Futuristic, space travel, humor, existentialism, mystery, dual perspective, crime, cuteness overload, like seriously so much cuteness

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Chapter 1	Chapter 41	Chapter 81
Chapter 2	Chapter 42	Chapter 82
Chapter 3	Chapter 43	Chapter 83
Chapter 4	Chapter 44	Chapter 84
Chapter 5	Chapter 45	Chapter 85
Chapter 6	Chapter 46	Chapter 86
Chapter 7	Chapter 47	Chapter 87
Chapter 8	Chapter 48	Chapter 88
Chapter 9	Chapter 49	Chapter 89
Chapter 10	Chapter 50	Chapter 90
Chapter 11	Chapter 51	Chapter 91
Chapter 12	Chapter 52	Chapter 92
Chapter 13	Chapter 53	Chapter 93
Chapter 14	Chapter 54	Chapter 94
Chapter 15	Chapter 55	Chapter 95
Chapter 16	Chapter 56	Chapter 96
Chapter 17	Chapter 57	Chapter 97
Chapter 18	Chapter 58	Chapter 98
Chapter 19	Chapter 59	Chapter 99
Chapter 20	Chapter 60
Chapter 21	Chapter 61
Chapter 22	Chapter 62
Chapter 23	Chapter 63
Chapter 24	Chapter 64
Chapter 25	Chapter 65
Chapter 26	Chapter 66
Chapter 27	Chapter 67
Chapter 28	Chapter 68
Chapter 29	Chapter 69
Chapter 30	Chapter 70
Chapter 31	Chapter 71
Chapter 32	Chapter 72
Chapter 33	Chapter 73
Chapter 34	Chapter 74
Chapter 35	Chapter 75
Chapter 36	Chapter 76
Chapter 37	Chapter 77
Chapter 38	Chapter 78
Chapter 39	Chapter 79
Chapter 40	Chapter 80

Chapter 64 – Evaluation

If Feng Ye’s supposition was true, and the black-robed man was the culprit behind his recurring dream, why had he come to the Floating Island Secret Realm? 

He most likely had the same idea as me, and wanted to find out if there was another Jianmu seed, Feng Ye thought.

But unfortunately, a second seed didn’t exist, and both he and the black-robed man came back from their trip empty-handed.

It was just that…..he had made such a commotion in the Floating Island Secret Realm. These cultivators who were at Foundation Establishment at most might not realize what had happened, but the same could not be said for the black-robed man who had escaped right under his and Hao Chen’s noses.

When Feng Ye had looked at that person, he noticed that his cultivation was at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. Among the cultivators who had entered the secret realm, he could just barely be ranked among the top, but in the outside world, his strength was far from sufficient. 

Of course, his cultivation level must be a ruse. On the surface, Feng Ye himself was a junior disciple still at the third level of Qi Refining, and Hao Chen was only at the fourth.

That the other party was able to escape right in front of both of them meant that his strength should not be underestimated. And…..it was quite a coincidence that the black-robed man met me at the exit…..or was it?

Feng Ye didn’t believe in coincidences. They were nothing more than perceived luck, and luck was a thing he really didn’t have. He should have realized this when drawing an illusion array led to trapping Hao Chen in a monster lair, which in turn triggered a series of misfortunes.

The fact that he could break mountains and split the seas with his sword had been revealed in front of the person he least wanted to expose it to. The reason the other party approached him was perhaps to provoke him, or perhaps to sound him out.

But ultimately, the other party had noticed him.

The balance was broken. Feng Ye had been exposed, but he had no idea who the other person was.

Feng Ye couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh at the thought of this. 

Although the situation wasn’t good, he had no regrets. He would never regret any choice he made. Even had he known this would be the result, he would still have saved that person again.

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, what’s the matter?” Hao Chen asked.

He hadn’t seen anyone come out between him and Feng Ye, but he had still asked such a question, with an expression so serious that he couldn’t be joking. Something must have happened in the short moment he walked through the water curtain before Feng Ye.

Feng Ye raised his eyes toward Hao Chen when he heard this. There was pure confusion on his face, and it didn’t seem feigned.

In fact, there was a flaw in his previous speculation. His analysis was based on the assumption that Hao Chen hadn’t lied.

Perhaps the opponent hadn’t been powerful enough to escape under Hao Chen’s nose, but instead, Hao Chen had covered for him because they were working together. 

It was unlikely, but still a possibility. Feng Ye had never truly trusted Hao Chen, and Hao Chen was also not worthy of his trust. Hao Chen probably thought of him the same way. 

How could two people who refused to reveal their true identities be trustworthy?

Therefore, Feng Ye had no intention of telling Hao Chen about the encounter. He smiled and replied perfunctorily: “It’s nothing. I was just joking around.”

Hao Chen looked at Feng Ye with a frown, thinking, I’m the fish, but Feng Ye is even slipperier than me. Joking around? He clearly just doesn’t want to tell me what happened.

But he couldn’t pry open Feng Ye’s mouth, so he could only give up.

The two went back to Fang Yang and Cao Zirui. Fang Yang didn’t ask what they had been talking about. Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage were always having secret conversations. He just said: “Shixiong, it’s time to assemble!”

Although Feng Ye and Hao Chen had come to the Floating Island Secret Realm with ulterior motives, most people had come to hunt for treasure and bring glory to their sects.

The final gains of each sect needed to be totaled in order to determine the rankings of the top ten sects.

Therefore, nobody dispersed after exiting the secret realm or returned to their sects to reunite with their teachers. Instead, they gathered together with their respective sects to await the judges’ evaluation.

In order to ensure impartiality, the judging panel was composed of a number of people from each sect, as well as the Independent Cultivator Alliance.

As everyone left the Floating Island Secret Realm, the large ships from various factions that were originally hovering over the sea also moved one after another and arrived at the exit location.

Feng Ye and his group easily located Lingxiao Sword Sect based on the color of their robes. Hao Chen in his white daoist robes also tried to blend in unobtrusively with the others, but before Feng Ye could drive him away, he was discovered by members of his own sect.

Although the members of Tiangong Pavilion were unfamiliar with Hao Chen, they knew he was one of them upon spotting his clothes. Thus, they enthusiastically pulled Hao Chen off the wrong path and back to the Tiangong Pavilion camp.

Hao Chen didn’t want to leave, but he couldn’t come up with an excuse to stay, so he could only allow himself to be helplessly dragged away.

Feng Ye’s joy didn’t last long. The smile on his face froze when he saw the people from Tiangong Pavilion making their way back.

Every member of Tiangong Pavilion was as strong as a bear, just like their sect leader, Wu Wenbo. Refining equipment was indeed a strenuous job that required much hammering and banging, so when Tiangong Pavilion recruited disciples, they looked not only at their spiritual roots, but at their physiques as well. Hao Chen, this handsome young master, actually looked petite among them.

Because of this, Feng Ye saw Hao Chen mixed in with them at a glance.

The man who had pulled Hao Chen away just now walked in front of the Tiangong Pavilion contingent. He seemed to be of higher seniority among the group, and was also the tallest.

He walked straight toward the disciples of Lingxiao Sword Sect, straightforwardly clasped his fist, and said to them in a very familiar manner: “Our two sects have always been closely ranked. We’ll probably be in the same group again when we go up for the evaluation in a while, so how about we stand together?”

In order to speed up the evaluation process, two groups were evaluated at the same time, with the order determined by the previous sect rankings.

During the trip to the Floating Island Secret Realm ten years ago, Lingxiao Sword Sect had ranked tenth, with Tiangong Pavilion slightly higher, ranking ninth. Being at the bottom of the rankings for the past few decades was one of the many reasons why the two sects had such a good relationship.

Tiangong Pavilion’s proposal didn’t encounter any opposition, and the Lingxiao Sword Sect disciples readily made room for them. After all, the most important thing to a sword cultivator was a suitable spiritual sword. If they wanted strong spiritual swords, they must build good relationships with the weapon refiners.

The two sects stood close together. They should have put a distance between them like the other sects, their ranks clearly defined, but these two sects were like sesame rice dumplings, with black and white mixed together.

Hao Chen drew closer with a smile, but Feng Ye maintained a blank expression.

Cao Zirui and Fang Yang stood together. If Fang Yang hadn’t been there, Cao Zirui would have likely stood alone like he usually did, seen by others as aloof and unapproachable.

Although he was indeed aloof, he wasn’t as difficult to approach as others assumed. He just didn’t take the initiative to get close to anyone.

But the current situation was no longer the same as before. Fang Yang talked to him incessantly, sometimes telling him about his collection with gusto and sometimes sighing in despair.

Fang Yang touched his storage bag and said despondently: “I didn’t have time to properly hunt for treasures.” He’d spent most of his time on the run and then resting. 

Cao Zirui heard this and was about to comfort him, but Fang Yang recovered on his own. He happily took out the ice grass and said: “Luckily, we picked this up.”

Ice Grass combined with the Blazing Sun Flower was a magical elixir that could purify and strengthen the body. The Blazing Sun Flower was everywhere, but Ice Grass was very rare. Its value was even higher than that of an ordinary earth-grade magic weapon, and purchasing one often required nearly ten thousand spirit stones.

Even aside from the bag of Yuanling Grass worth one spirit stone each, this harvest of Ice Grass was already better than what most people had.

Fang Yang was elated, but he suddenly remembered: “Come to think of it, if I didn’t have much time to hunt for treasure, you probably had even less. Did you pick any spiritual plants? How about I give you the Ice Grass when we’re evaluated and you can take the score.”

This way, he wouldn’t be empty-handed. That would be too unsightly.

Cao Zirui declined with a wave of his hand: “No need. Before Lu Chengye attacked me, I also collected a few spiritual plants.”

He was afraid Fang Yang wouldn’t believe him, so he took them out to show him.

Fang Yang stretched out his neck to look. Although he didn’t recognize the varieties, judging from the spiritual energy emanating from the plants, their value couldn’t be low. He exclaimed: “How much are these worth, ah?”

Cao Zirui considered this and gave him an estimate: “About four to five thousand spirit stones.”

Fang Yang was so shocked that he couldn’t close his gaping mouth.

Cao Zirui had been hunted down, yet still had such luck that most people would envy him enough to bite their handkerchiefs in frustration. The time he had to search was very limited, yet he obtained such a haul in just half a day. No wonder Sect Leader Ji had such high hopes for him.

When Sect Leader Ji arrived, Fang Yang tugged Cao Zirui’s sleeve and motioned for him to look up.

Cao Zirui did so and saw that the large ships of various sects had finally arrived, and his master was standing below the Lingxiao Sword Sect ship, looking at him with a smile.

All at once, Cao Zirui’s emotions surged and he almost couldn’t maintain his usual icy face. Ji Chengyue truly doted on him without reservation, caring for him like both a teacher and a father.

He was almost unable to see his master ever again, so Cao Zirui’s emotions inevitably fluctuated. 

However, he held himself back, bowing toward Ji Chengyue from a distance. When Ji Chengyue saw this, his smile deepened.

Xue Ren standing next to him wore an expression on his face that could only be described as panic.

Luckily, Ji Chengyue didn’t notice his change of expression, and Xue Ren quickly lowered his head to hide his emotions.

Cao Zirui lowered his hands after paying his respects, and didn’t rush to tell his master about being hunted. Lu Chengye hadn’t come out, so he was likely dead. There was no need to rush this matter. It wouldn’t be too late to discuss it after the evaluation was over and the dust had settled.

Thus, he turned and followed Fang Yang to queue up and wait for their sect’s turn to be evaluated.

The scoring process was very simple. Disciples from each sect would hand over their harvests one by one, receive scores based on market value, and then their total score would determine the sect’s rank. 

There was no need to worry about someone smuggling in plants from elsewhere to tilt the scores, because the plants from the Floating Island Secret Realm, even if they were picked directly upon entering, had only been harvested for a day.

The difference between the vitality of fresh plants and those that had been stored for a long time was obvious, so it was impossible to cheat.

Wending Sect, which had ranked first in the previous session, was the first up. As cultivators who mainly practiced alchemy, they actually had a considerable advantage. Naturally, medicine was made from herbs and plants. Every disciple of Wending Sect was an expert on them, and knew the growth preferences and characteristics of various herbs. Therefore, they were able to achieve twice the results with half the effort while searching the Floating Island Secret Realm.

This time, they maintained the same rank as previous years. The final score reached over 100,000 points, a number that the other sects couldn’t hope to match.

When the final score was announced, it unsurprisingly caused a surge of exclamations among the other sects: 

“What a high score, ah!”

“Looks like Wending sect is locked in for first again this year.”

The sect leader of Wending Sect, Xiao Ding, raised his chin proudly. Faced with the admiration of the other sects, he accepted it all. 

Wu Wenbo was displeased by his arrogant appearance, so while the others marveled, he sneered in contempt.

He was standing with Ji Chengyue again, and Tiangong Pavilion’s ship was also parked next to Lingxiao Sword Sect’s.

The two sect leaders stood side by side at the bow, watching the scoring below. Xue Ren, who was supposed to stand behind Ji Chengyue, abruptly said that he was feeling unwell and would go back to the ship cabin to rest. Ji Chengyue let him go with a wave of his hand.

When Wu Wenbo was done sneering, he turned to his calm and composed friend and said suspiciously: “Why do you look so strange? Do you have some sort of trump card?”

In the past, Ji Chengyue would always moan and groan over the scoring session. He had the hardest time of it, due to the fact that his sect had gone from first to tenth place.

But instead of despairing, Ji Chengyue seemed anticipatory, as confident as if he had an advantage up his sleeve.

Wu Wenbo was very concerned about this matter, because if Lingxiao Sword Sect didn’t take last place, then their Tiangong Pavilion would. Even though the two sects were on good terms, they still had to compete when it mattered.

Upon hearing this, Ji Chengyue raised his eyes and smiled mysteriously, but didn’t answer.

Of course he had a trump card – his beloved disciple, Cao Zirui. He firmly believed that his disciple with a top-grade single spiritual root would become the next Ling Yun and lead the declining Lingxiao Sword Sect back to the top.

This Floating Island Secret Realm competition marked the beginning of a turning point.

However, Cao Zirui was destined to disappoint him.

---

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Chapter 63 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 65

Just as the System finished speaking, Chu Jiubian saw a figure plummet from the clouds.

It was a freefall, without any sign of a struggle or even a reaction. He was really out of it.

Just then, a phoenix flew down from the sky and smoothly caught the falling figure.

The airflow of its flight ruffled the young man’s long, fluffy hair, and caused his brow to furrow in discomfort.

“Someone come,” he mumbled, rubbing his arms without even opening his eyes. “Close the window.”

In response, there was a clear, crisp phoenix cry.

Wang Qichen stopped rubbing his arms. He abruptly sat up and opened his eyes, which contained no hint of drunkenness.

Before him lay wisps of clouds and mist, and beneath him was a colossal golden phoenix.

Was this…..a dream?

Wang Qichen relaxed his guard. The intoxication returned, but a bit less than before, and he was no longer sleepy.

He looked around, but saw nothing but mist. There was nothing unusual.

The phoenix beneath him, however, had layers of soft, smooth golden feathers. They even felt warm to the touch – it was incredibly lifelike.

His vision rocked as the phoenix flapped its long wings and swooped down from the clouds.

Wang Qichen immediately hunched down and clutched the phoenix tightly. Just as it was about to crash into the jade-white ground, he let go of the phoenix and jumped off its back lightly.

This required some skill in qinggong.

Once the human dismounted from its back, the phoenix flew upward with its long tail trailing behind it, vanishing into the clouds.

When Wang Qichen leaped off the phoenix, he happened to land on the back of the only chair in the entire Divine Realm.

Then he stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud underneath the long table.

Chu Jiubian: “……”

He asked the System: “Why is he like this?”

[Host, this Believer is affected by alcohol, which can affect a Believer’s state of mind.]

With an aching head, Chu Jiubian stared at the long white jade table.

Two breaths later, a hand reached up from underneath and gripped the surface of the table.

The young man struggled out and sat down in the chair.

With his forehead pressed against the cool jade surface, his chaotic mind gradually cleared.

Wang Qichen then straightened up and leaned back.

He swept his gaze around. The empty, pure white space and the clouds that seemed almost alive…..it was all like a dream.

The refreshing fragrance of plum blossoms wafted to Wang Qichen’s nose. Looking ahead, he saw plum blossoms swaying faintly in the hazy mist.

Suddenly, the distant roar of a dragon rang out, and he looked up reflexively. His pupils contracted, and he immediately stood up and took a few steps back, now fully awake.

As far as the eye could see, there was a towering, magnificent figure of a god hidden behind the mist.

The moment their eyes met, Wang Qichen felt an overwhelming, terrifying pressure sweep over him. He trembled with fear, and the last vestiges of drunkenness dissipated completely.

Chu Jiubian gazed down at him from on high, noting the suspicion and wariness in the other’s eyes.

As expected – another one with a strong sense of vigilance.

Recently, Chu Jiubian had been attempting to procure information about the Wang family.

Each head of the Wang family was selected from among the family’s most outstanding members, and there had been three candidates in the recent past, including Wang Huanzhi.

And these three candidates were similar in terms of background, talent, and reputation, so there was also intense infighting among the family at present.

It wasn’t until Wang Huanzhi married Yuan Zhiyi, the eldest daughter of the Jinzhou Yuan family and also the daughter of the Yuan family head, that he was able to stand out from the crowd.

Although the Jinzhou Yuan family wasn’t as prominent as the four great families, it was still a distinguished clan with a long tradition of scholarship, with hundreds of renowned scholars and officials under its command.

During the previous dynasty, many members of the Yuan family held great power in the court, with their influence being comparable to that of the Wang family. It wasn’t until the founding emperor of the Great Ning Dynasty came to power that many members of the Yuan family were convicted of crimes and imprisoned, after which the family gradually faded into obscurity.

But even a starving camel was bigger than a horse. A family of such power would always find a way to rise again.

During the reign of Emperor Wuzong, the Yuan family rose to prominence once more. By the time Wang Huanzhi married Yuan Zhiyi, the Yuan clan had become the second most prestigious scholarly family in Great Ning, trailing the Wang family.

The marriage of these two families’ children created a powerful alliance, which naturally boosted Wang Huanzhi’s competitiveness and ultimately led him to secure the position of family head.

However, Wang Huanzhi’s original choice had actually been Yuan Yu, a di daughter of the second branch of the Yuan family. But a daughter from the second branch would never be as beneficial as the daughter of the family head, so he proposed to Yuan Zhiyi. The following year, they had their first son, Wang Qichen.

At that time, with elders and strategists such as Wang Zhang aiding him, Wang Huanzhi’s position as family head was cemented in place.

Once someone gained power, their ambition would become insatiable.

Therefore, he also considered taking Yuan Yu, the second branch daughter, into his family.

This secret wasn’t known to outsiders, but when Wang Qichen was three years old, Wang Huanzhi did indeed bring Yuan Yu back to his manor as a concubine.

Nobody had expected that Yuan Yu, the di daughter of a prestigious family, would willingly become a concubine.

But this fact was already set in stone, and the second year after entering the family, Yuan Yu gave birth to the second son, Wang Wenyao. Then, the following year, she gave birth to the third son, Wang Wenfu.

Because of her kind and gentle nature, she was more approachable and likeable than Yuan Zhiyi, who was haughty and aloof. Therefore, everyone from the elders and old madams of the Wang family to the servants and maids solely praised Yuan Yu.

In no time, Yuan Yu’s reputation for virtue spread throughout the capital, overshadowing even the Madam, Yuan Zhiyi.

It was under these circumstances that everyone suddenly heard that the Madam, Wang Qichen’s mother Yuan Zhiyi, had passed away.

The illness had come on quickly, and the five-year-old Wang Qichen lost his mother at a very young age.

The wife of the previous family head, who was now an old madam, felt sorry for the helpless child and took him under her wing to care for him personally.

According to seniority, Old Madam Wang was Wang Huanzhi’s aunt, so it really wasn’t reasonable for her to raise Wang Qichen. However, Old Madam Wang wielded considerable influence within the Wang family, and once she made a decision, there was no arguing with her.

And so the matter was settled.

Wang Huanzhi was initially reluctant to send Wang Qichen to her. He seemed to be afraid that this five-year-old young master would grow up and, with Old Madam Wang’s help, threaten his authority as the family head.

But strategist Wang Zhang spoke to him, and soon after, Wang Huanzhi agreed to the matter. Then the Wang family, which was famous for its ‘etiquette,’ held another debate among great Confucian scholars.

They debated with the Yuan clan and other scholarly families about whether a concubine could be promoted to the position of a legitimate wife.

After nearly three days and three rounds of debate, the final result was just one sentence: “A concubine who has performed the proper duties may inherit the title of ‘legitimate wife’ upon the death of the first wife.”

Yuan Yu had been married into the Wang family for many years and had always been dutiful, never making a single mistake. This was evidence of her virtue, and giving birth to two sons was considered to be meritorious.

Thus, this concubine became the rightful first wife overnight, and thereafter there were many instances of concubines being elevated to that position. People gradually accepted this concept, and eventually forgot where this piece of ‘etiquette’ had come from in the first place.

But Wang Qichen did not forget.

After Chu Jiubian heard this melodramatic story from Xiao Xiangzi, he felt that the death of Wang Qichen’s mother was suspicious, and that the stepmother might have had something to do with it.

The discord between the Wang father and son clearly had deeper underlying reasons. 

As for why Yuan Zhiyi’s parents, the heads of the family, didn’t investigate the cause of their daughter’s death, perhaps it was for the sake of the family’s interests.

They must have weighed the relative importance of family harmony against a daughter who was already dead.

And at that time, the only bloodline left of their daughter was only five years old and had no ability to protect himself. The Yuan family was not as powerful as the Wang family, so for the sake of the child, they looked the other way.

However, revenge could never come too late. Now that Wang Qichen had grown up, the dusty past should be wiped away to reveal the truth. 

Chu Jiubian guessed that the public opinion group behind Wang Qichen, apart from a portion of the Wang family loyal to Old Madam Wang, consisted of the main branch of the Yuan family.

They must be waiting for an opportunity – an opportunity to crush Wang Huanzhi and his associates to death.

This was Wang Qichen’s greatest desire, and coincidentally, Chu Jiubian also intended to eliminate the four great families in the future, so their interests were totally aligned.

However, Chu Jiubian didn’t intend to use this to win over Wang Qichen for the time being. He still needed to keep his identity as Jiu-gongzi a secret, and interact with his Believers solely as the “High Priest.”

As he sized up Wang Qichen, the other party stared up at him.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and Wang Qichen suddenly smiled, transforming back into the unreliable young master of the Wang family.

“Who are you, ah, Your Mightiness?” he asked.

Asking who he was – this person didn’t intend to treat Chu Jiubian as a god. Or perhaps he had already realized he was in a dream, and therefore had no reservations.

Chu Jiubian laughed silently, then said: “I am the High Priest.”

He noticed Wang Qichen’s expression change the moment he finished speaking. “The High Priest from the Northern Desert?” he asked.

In order to help Chu Jiubian collect faith, Jiang Shuoye had spread the name of the “High Priest” to almost everyone, so those in the capital naturally knew it as well.

Chu Jiubian had been certain that if he mentioned this name, Wang Qichen would associate it with the Northern Desert.

This was indeed the case.

However, Chu Jiubian didn’t give Wang Qichen’s question a yes or a no.

Sometimes, gods needed to be a little mysterious. Many things could not be said explicitly, plus, it was more interesting when Believers made their own guesses.

When he was silent, Wang Qichen’s attitude subtly changed. He asked: “Why did you choose me?”

You were drawn here by the System. We were destined to meet.

But Chu Jiubian obviously couldn’t say that, so he said: “It is fate.”

Fate?

Wang Qichen’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The Mobei Army had spread rumors that an immortal had appeared in their dreams and given them the methods for making stirrups and saddles. But Wang Qichen didn’t believe it.

He just couldn’t figure out why Jiang Shuoye would make up such a lie.

But now that the High Priest had actually approached him, even the skeptical Wang Qichen was beginning to waver.

Was everything he was experiencing now a dream, or was it reality?

Was it all a drunken hallucination, or had an immortal actually entered his dreams?

If this High Priest was actually an immortal…..

The other party had previously given stirrups and saddles to the Mobei Army, so what was his purpose in contacting Wang Qichen now? Was he going to give him something?

There was no such thing as gold falling from the sky, so what would he have to give in return?

His thoughts raced, flying through Wang Qichen’s head in an instant.

Suddenly, that clear, cold, distant voice spoke again: “We were fated to meet. This is a gift for you.”

After he spoke, two thin sheets of paper appeared on the white jade table.

Wang Qichen hesitated for a moment, then took a couple of steps toward the table.

He first examined the two pieces of paper before gingerly picking them up.

The moment he picked up the paper, his heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t help but carefully stroke the pages and lean in to examine them.

The Wang family’s most profitable business was selling paper. Even ordinary paper was so expensive that most people couldn’t afford it, let alone rare and precious “Langya Gold Paper,” a single sheet of which was worth a gold ingot.

But the two sheets of paper in his hands were as white as snow, thin and supple. They didn’t feel rough to the touch at all. On the contrary, they were smooth and delicate, far superior to Langya Gold Paper.

Was this actually paper?

Or perhaps it should be said that it was paper used by immortals.

Wang Qichen’s heart was speeding slightly, and the scale in his mind began to tip regarding whether this High Priest was a human or a god.

He calmed down and forced himself to overlook the quality of the paper itself, focusing instead on its content.

And upon reading it, he was shocked once again.

The characters on this paper were perfectly square, each one so perfectly standard that it was almost unbelievable.

Each identical character looked exactly the same, without any differences, as if…..as if…..

He didn’t know how to describe it.

If Chu Jiubian knew what he was thinking he would tell him, “It’s just copy and paste.”

However, Wang Qichen quickly understood why the characters were written that way. Because one of the sheets of paper had “Moveable Type Printing” written on it, along with the related description and method.

He read it more intently, and the more he read, the more fantastical it seemed.

He hurriedly looked at the contents of the other paper, and his hands trembled even more as he read it.

It was a papermaking technique!

The Wang family’s most profitable business was selling paper, but ordinary sheets of paper were too expensive for most people to afford.

Of course, paper was expensive not just because the Wang family wanted to make a profit, but also because the cost of making paper was indeed high.

The high price of paper was due to the manpower and resources required, the time it took to make it, and the high demand for paper by wealthy families.

However, this papermaking method was simple, efficient, and produced high-quality paper. Although it wouldn’t be as good as the paper Wang Qichen had in his hands, it was still several times better than Langya Gold Paper.

Wang Qichen’s mind raced.

Wealthy and powerful families had always been able to retain wealth and influence for one important reason – controlling people’s thoughts.

They pursued a policy of keeping the common people ignorant, controlling their thoughts, hiding all of the classic texts and writings and refusing to share or circulate them. They also used the high price of paper to discourage the common people from reading and writing.

And all of this was due to the limited scope of how knowledge was disseminated.

But now, he possessed the methods for papermaking and printing.

If the books stored in the archives of these noble families were repeatedly printed on cheap paper, the thinness and lightness of the paper, unlike bamboo slips, would ensure that knowledge from these classic texts could be transmitted further and to a wider audience.

When this became the norm, common people would have access to education.

Even if one couldn’t become an official, being literate and understanding Confucian principles would allow them to understand their purpose and meaning in life.

Knowing right from wrong made one less easily swayed or manipulated, and prevented one from dying without realizing that they were just an insignificant speck of dust on someone else’s chessboard.

The High Priest wanted to enlighten the common people!

Wang Qichen quickly grasped the implications, and shock lingered in his heart.

He couldn’t help but think of the stirrups and saddles he had seen from the Northern Desert.

The appearance of these two items greatly increased the strength of the Mobei Army, and with that increased strength, the common people of the Northern Desert under their protection were safer.

Therefore, everything the High Priest did was for the common people, for all living beings under heaven!

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Qichen forcibly composed himself and looked again toward the enormous, sacred phantom of the High Priest.

This time, a hint of respect that he himself was unaware of appeared in his eyes.

He did not refuse the two treasures bestowed upon him by the god: “Many thanks, High Priest.”

He knelt down and kowtowed thrice with perfect decorum, his demeanor as graceful as a painting.

Chu Jiubian was very satisfied with his attitude, and used the clouds to help him up.

Wang Qichen straightened up, then said: “Is there anything the High Priest needs done down there? I will spare no effort.”

He accepted the two pieces of paper, but he still had selfish motives.

The Wang family’s papermaking technique was considered the pinnacle in Great Ning, and the method of making Langya Gold Paper was only known to each successive head of the family.

If he could secretly produce superior paper and anonymously expand the business…..

Once the clan elders realized that the business belonged to him, Wang Qichen’s status in the family would rise accordingly.

At that time, he would no longer have to pretend to be a waste in order to deal with Wang Huanzhi.

He would be able to compete with him for the position of family head fair and square.

This was Wang Qichen’s obvious selfish motive, and the High Priest could not possibly be unaware of it.

So he would readily accept these two pieces of paper and repay the High Priest in other ways.

His intention, to put it bluntly, was to make a transaction rather than submit to the High Priest.

Chu Jiubian wouldn’t allow him to continue with that mindset, but for now, he did have something he needed the other party to do.

“The common people of the capital are ignorant and foolish. I wish for them to see the truth.” Chu Jiubian didn’t overexplain. “Are you capable of doing this?”

The common people in the capital?

Wang Qichen immediately thought of the rumors circulating in the capital today about Qin Xiao’s barbarity.

Those rumors downplayed the seriousness of the matter, painting the Lu and Wang sons as pitiful, naive children. The reason for their deaths was concealed, and Qin Xiao’s ruthless methods were described in detail.

Wang Qichen knew the details, and he would not allow that fool Wang Wenfu to die innocent.

Therefore, even if the High Priest hadn’t mentioned it, he would have found a way to change public opinion and make Wang Wenfu’s mistakes public.

Half of the wine he drank today was to celebrate the death of Wang Wenfu and the suffering of Wang Huanzhi and Yuan Yu. The other half was consumed while discussing with someone how to change public opinion, which led to him getting drunk on a whim.

They already had a plan in place: before noon tomorrow, the rumors about Qin Xiao would be completely reversed.

On the contrary, Wang Wenfu would be cursed and scorned even after his death.

“This has been my plan all along. Asking the High Priest to instruct me in other matters.” He was very straightforward.

As expected of someone who was rigorously selected by the System, he was a trustworthy character.

However…..

Chu Jiubian glanced at his Faith Points, which hadn’t increased at all, and knew that although Wang Qichen had come to believe in his divine identity, he didn’t actually worship him.

That meant that intimidation and shock were not enough to make the other party willing to be deeply involved with him.

It seemed he would have to take drastic measures.

Chu Jiubian mentally asked the System: “Can you summon Jiang Shuoye or Situ Zhaoling?”

[Host, Situ Zhaoling is currently studying waterwheels with her younger brother and cannot be summoned. Jiang Shuoye is on the verge of sleep, and has already been summoned.]

[Summoning successful.]

As soon as it finished speaking, another figure fell from the clouds.

Wang Qichen whipped his head around, but only managed to briefly glimpse a falling figure.

Then, he heard faint footsteps steadily approaching through the clouds and mist.

Wang Qichen frowned slightly as he stared forward, and sure enough, a tall figure emerged from the haze.

The other person noticed him immediately, staring straight at him with sharp eyes.

Their eyes met, and both of them froze.

Jiang Shuoye was the first to return to his senses. Suppressing his shock, he paced forward to a spot next to Wang Qichen and bowed in the direction of the High Priest.

Chu Jiubian gave a mild reply to his greeting, then remained silent, watching the two young men below with great interest.

These two had probably never met before. He wondered if it would be awkward for them.

As it turned out, the atmosphere was indeed a bit abnormal.

Wang Qichen’s captivating peach blossom eyes subtly observed the man beside him. The man was tall and robust, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and his black outfit accentuated his menacing aura.

He must be a general.

Sensing his almost tangible gaze, Jiang Shuoye turned his head to look at him, then said with a respectful bow: “This one is called Jiang Shuoye. May I ask your esteemed name, Young Master?”

“So it’s General Chifeng.” Wang Qichen smiled slightly and returned the bow. “This one is called Wang Qichen. I have long admired your name, General. I am honored to meet you today.”

“I have long admired your name, Young Master,” Jiang Shuoye said dryly.

He had certainly heard a lot about the dandy young master of the Wang family.

Wang Qichen stared at him for two breaths before lowering his eyes.

Jiang Shuoye reacted similarly.

He appeared calm on the surface, but the shock he felt inside was indescribable.

The High Priest was able to let people from the Northern Desert and from the capital meet. This was truly a divine feat.

Chu Jiubian watched his Faith Points suddenly surge by three points, and knew that it was Wang Qichen who had contributed them.

His Faith Value was increasingly slowly now, and only the faith of these Believers he summoned could make the points grow by leaps and bounds.

The fact that Wang Qichen had contributed Faith Points showed that Chu Jiubian had played his hand well.

He had considered many ways to quickly convince Wang Qichen, but in the end, he chose the simplest and most direct one.

Being pulled into a dream by a deity was a completely different concept from meeting another stranger in a dream.

Therefore, Chu Jiubian had directly placed Jiang Shuoye, who was far away in the Northern Desert, in front of Wang Qichen, and didn’t believe that the other party would be able to remain calm.

His move seemed to have worked well; hadn’t Wang Qichen’s state of mind collapsed?

“If there is nothing else, you may go,” said Chu Jiubian.

Knowing that he was the one being addressed, Wang Qichen bowed and said: “This subordinate will take his leave.”

Before the white mist completely enveloped him, he glanced at Jiang Shuoye again. Their eyes met.

The white mist passed by like the wind, and the youth, with his striking androgynous beauty, vanished without a trace.

This was the first time Jiang Shuoye had ever seen how a Believer left, and also his first time finding out that the High Priest had Believers other than himself.

However, given the High Priest’s abilities, it would be no exaggeration to say that he could have as many Believers as he wanted.

As for that dandy Wang Qichen, he wondered how he could possibly be of any help to the High Priest.

Jiang Shuoye didn’t dwell on it for long. He trusted that the High Priest must have his reasons.

He had not been idle these past few days. Now that he was in front of the High Priest, he took the opportunity to report on his progress regarding the blacksmithing and steelmaking.

“This subordinate has located a group of blacksmiths who are willing to sign a life-binding contract and build a small steel mill…..”

Unlike Situ Zhaoling, he was a man of few words, and quickly and succinctly explained his recent work.

“Well done,” Chu Jiubian praised. Then he asked, “What is troubling you?”

The conflicted look in Jiang Shuoye’s eyes was clear. It would have been difficult for Chu Jiubian not to notice it.

Realizing that nothing could be hidden from the High Priest, Jiang Shuoye said: “There is indeed a matter that this subordinate would like for the High Priest to clarify.”

This matter had been on his mind for several days. He was very curious about it, but hadn’t had an opportunity to ask.

Now that the High Priest had inquired, he didn’t mince his words: “Does the High Priest know of a high-ranking official in the capital named Chu Jiubian?”

Chu Jiubian: “……”

He had known this day would come. Fortunately, he had made preparations.

“Every deity has an accompanying deity who represents his will.” His usually cool tone now carried a minor fluctuation. “I was born with, and coexist alongside, the Sacred Star Sovereign.”

Sacred Star Sovereign?

Was this the true identity of that Jiu-gongzi?

So the other party was connected to the High Priest after all.

However, he didn’t completely understand the “companion deity” aspect. He just understood that the High Priest and the Sovereign had some sort of unbreakable connection, but were not the same god.

This so-called “sovereign” was, of course, something Chu Jiubian had made up himself.

There were currently only two “gods” in Great Ning – Chu Jiubian, who fell from heaven, and the High Priest in Jiang Shuoye’s dreams. Anyone would associate them together.

Plus, what the High Priest was doing now would eventually be discovered as being for the purpose of helping Chu Jiubian.

Others might discover this later on, but his intelligent Believers would certainly identify the connection between them much sooner.

Since that was the case, he might as well just inform them directly.

But they could not be seen as the same person.

Furthermore, there must be a hierarchy between these two identities, and “Chu Jiubian” must be in the higher position.

This was entirely because of the System.

Chu Jiubian was unsure when he would complete the System’s mission. When the System left, the Divine Realm would also be gone.

But even if he could no longer use his “High Priest” identity, he couldn’t sever the connection between himself and his Believers. He also wanted to maintain their absolute loyalty as “Chu Jiubian.”

Only when “Chu Jiubian” was of higher status than the “High Priest” would everything work in an orderly manner.

But he couldn’t just lay all of that out in front of everyone. That would be beneath his dignity.

So he deliberately spoke in vague, cryptic words, giving Jiang Shuoye just enough room for imagination.

“If there is nothing urgent, you may go,” he said.

Jiang Shuoye bowed deeply and said: “This subordinate takes his leave.”

The next morning, Jiang Shuoye wrote a reply to Qi Zhili.

The High Priest’s words implied that not only was Chu Jiubian a god, but he was also a very powerful one, and had a close relationship with the High Priest.

Perhaps the High Priest had come to the mortal realm to aid Chu Jiubian, who had descended in order to undergo a tribulation.

Jiang Shuoye improvised some strange scenarios in his mind, and also mentioned some of them when writing his message.

Then, he commanded someone to send the letter to the capital.

The twelfth day of the seventh month was when Chu Jiubian had predicted a large-scale rainstorm in the north.

As expected, the heavy rain arrived before dawn.

A servant hastened inside to the back courtyard and found Imperial Censor Qi Zhili brewing tea as he enjoyed the rain.

“My Lord, there is a message from the Northern Desert.”

Qi Zhili reached out and took it.

He had previously written to Jiang Shuoye about Chu Jiubian’s various “miracles,” but hadn’t received a reply since.

It was finally here.

He opened the letter, quickly scanning the opening sentences before focusing on the important part.

[Chifeng knows that his cousin is an upright and incorruptible person, but Grand Tutor Chu is indeed a god. You must not offend him, Cousin. You must serve and support this deity.]

Qi Zhili was initially bewildered; when had his rigid and upright cousin become like this…..

Never mind.

He took out a tinderbox and burned the letter.

As the flames gradually smoldered into ashes, Qi Zhili thought of what his cousin had written in his letter and let out a quiet laugh.

What was this talk about serving Chu Jiubian? There were plenty of people in the capital who were eager to curry favor with him, so why should Qi Zhili have to serve him?

He got up and walked to the pavilion, gazing out at the unending rain.

Flashes of white light streaked across the sky, followed by rumbles of thunder. A bird was startled into flight, and flapped its wings over several spacious courtyards before finally landing among the branches of a large tree.

A servant holding an umbrella walked briskly under the tree, boots splashing up muddy water.

Making his way to the inner courtyard, the servant finally stopped outside a study. He raised his hand and gave three light knocks, saying respectfully: “My Lord, a carrier pigeon has arrived.”

“Enter.”

Minister of Revenue Su Sheng was playing chess with Advisor Fan He, and only when the servant delivered the note to him did he avert his eyes from the chessboard.

The servant bowed and left the room, leaving just the two of them inside.

The side window was open, facing the newly-planted begonias in the front courtyard.

Amidst the continuous rain and rumbling thunder, Su Sheng handed the note to Fan He when he was finished reading it and gazed out the window.

“This rain came at just the right time,” he said softly, as if in admiration.

Fang He burned the letter and said: “It is fate. Even heaven is on the prince’s side.”

The letter crumbled to the table, and the words “Hexi Prefecture” and “dam” were visible on the charred pages. When it was completely reduced to ashes, Fan He lightly swept them away.

---

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Chapter 39 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 41

Chapter 63 – Chance Encounter

Regarding Hao Chen’s words “pledge your heart to me,” Feng Ye didn’t take this sentence to heart at all. This fellow always spoke in such a way.

In fact, Hao Chen had used the phrase “pledge your heart” twice. The first time, he wanted to pledge himself to Feng Ye, and the second time, he wanted Feng Ye to pledge himself to him. In the end, it made no difference which of them did so.

Even after discovering who Hao Chen was, Feng Ye still couldn’t see him as the mysterious, temperamental Lord of the North Sea from the legends. 

He was a leader who held command over an entire region, and Feng Ye thought it would be proper for him to be dignified and solemn, or calm and reserved. But did Hao Chen resemble any of these descriptions?

If Feng Ye had to use one word to describe Hao Chen, the only one he could think of was “slippery.” He was just like those scoundrels on the streets who whistled at beautiful women passing by, as indecent as could be.

The only difference between Hao Chen and those scoundrels was that he had been born with good looks. He usually had the look of a gentleman, and could just barely be upgraded from scoundrel to playboy, but he was still a scoundrel at heart. 

A shameless scoundrel who had lived for who knew how many years.

Could a scoundrel’s words be taken at face value?

Of course not.

Whistling and verbal flirting were deviant behaviors. It may not be that the person had genuine feelings toward the one they were flirting with, but that they would feel uncomfortable if they didn’t take advantage.

He would just let him take advantage of him verbally and consider it a favor to him. Thus, Feng Ye just laughed off Hao Chen’s words.

However, Hao Chen refused to quit. As soon as he saw Feng Ye’s expression, he realized that he wasn’t taking his words seriously at all.

Although he had said “pledge your heart” casually and without much sincerity, his feelings toward Feng Ye only went as far as attraction.

From being attracted to him to determining that this was the only person he would spend his life with, there was still a long way to go.

Other than love at first sight, all feelings required a certain process of mutual understanding. At the moment, Hao Chen felt that his understanding of Feng Ye was far from sufficient. He didn’t even know Feng Ye’s real name.

Speaking of feelings was one thing, but when it came to pledging themselves to each other and getting married, regardless of whether or not Feng Ye agreed, Hao Chen would be hesitant.

But Feng Ye not taking him seriously actually aroused a bit of dissatisfaction in his heart.

“Does Fellow Daoist Feng Ye think I’m joking?” Hao Chen asked in a dour tone.

He was upset with his perfunctory response and had come to find fault. Feng Ye was relieved. Knowing that Hao Chen was just trying to cheer him up, Feng Ye had no desire to argue with him right then.

So he followed Hao Chen’s lead and said: “Of course not, it’s just that…..”

He deliberately put on an awkward expression: “Marriage is a matter that can’t be decided between us. We at least have to have our parents’ consent.”

Hao Chen: “…..” He had been born from and raised by nature. How could he have parents?

And while he didn’t have any, could it be that Feng Ye did?

So Hao Chen asked with a twitch to his mouth: “What if I have no parents?”

“Etiquette cannot be ignored. Without this procedure, it can only be said that…..” Feng Ye said sadly, “You will die alone.”

Hao Chen: “……” Bullshit, Feng Ye was just being perfunctory with him.

He was going to say more, but Fang Yang suddenly abandoned his chat with Cao Zirui and ran back to them, forcefully interrupting the conversation. Fang Yang tugged at Feng Ye’s sleeve and pointed ahead with pleasant surprise: “Shixiong, the exit is open! We can leave!”

Feng Ye and Hao Chen simultaneously raised their heads. The two of them realized that while they were talking nonsense, the one-day time limit had unknowingly arrived. The exit to the Floating Island Secret Realm had appeared out of thin air in the open space in the middle of the crowd.

It was a circular curtain of water two meters in diameter. The water shimmered, rippling gently as the wind blew across it.

After having experienced the turbulent abyss of the entrance, this lightly rippling curtain of water looked harmless.

Therefore, no one was afraid of this exit that had appeared in a flat, open space, and there was no situation like during the secret realm’s opening, where nobody wanted to go first.

Starting with those closest to the exit, everyone spontaneously lined up in order of distance to go out.

Feng Ye and the others were quite a distance from the exit. The water curtain was not wide, and could only accommodate one person at a time, so they still had a while to wait. The four of them weren’t in a hurry, and waited there patiently.

While they waited, Feng Ye glanced around. More than 1,700 people had entered the Floating Island Secret Realm, but at this moment, although there was a huge mass of people gathered near the exit, it was difficult to say that they even reached 1,000.

As for those who hadn’t appeared at the exit, they would never appear again.

“Lu Chengye isn’t here?” Fang Yang looked around as well. He had been in a state of constant unease, fearful of running into Lu Chengye again. Although there were a lot of people at the exit and it wouldn’t be easy for him to take action, Lu Chengye had a powerful magic weapon in his hands. If he really lost his mind and tried to kill them, it was difficult to say what would happen.

But who would have thought that at this point in time, Lu Chengye would fail to show up? This shouldn’t be the case, ah. Although Lu Chengye only possessed the strength of someone at the seventh level of Qi Refining, the power of his magic weapon elevated him above Golden Core stage. He shouldn’t have encountered an accident, right?

Fang Yang thought this not because he didn’t wish ill upon Lu Chengye. He harbored no good feelings toward this person who had repeatedly attempted to take his life, but logically speaking, the probability of Lu Chengye encountering an accident was very small.

Fang Yang suspected that he just hadn’t looked carefully enough, so he cast his gaze around carefully once more. When Fang Yang called his attention to the matter, Cao Zirui looked around as well.

After searching in one direction each, they exchanged glances and came to the same conclusion: he really wasn’t here.

Lu Chengye really wasn’t here.

Fang Yang turned to look at Useless Shixiong: “Shixiong, it seems Lu Chengye really isn’t here.”

While Fang Yang and Cao Zirui were searching everywhere, Feng Ye and Hao Chen remained in place as if nothing was wrong. The two were too lazy to do fruitless work. Lu Chengye was completely, thoroughly, utterly dead. It would be strange if he actually appeared here.

But they obviously couldn’t say this, so Feng Ye thought for a moment and came up with a reason: “Maybe he encountered some kind of monster.”

It sounded possible, so Fang Yang nodded in acceptance.

But then Hao Chen suddenly cut in: “Or perhaps someone couldn’t tolerate his conduct and secretly took action to uphold justice?”

Feng Ye: “…..”

Hao Chen really couldn’t live up to the praise he was given. Just when Feng Ye thought they were on good terms, he came over in the next moment to ruin his plans.

Feng Ye sent him a furtive glare. Hao Chen placed the tip of his fan against his lips, pretending to suddenly become aware of his slip of the tongue. But in fact, he had done it on purpose.

Fortunately, Fang Yang was still as slow as ever. He crossed his arms and pondered for a moment, then led Cao Zirui, who was thinking over Hao Chen’s words, onto the wrong path: “It’s possible, or even more likely, that he fell directly into the trench during the earthquake and was eaten by a monster. He’s done so many horrible things that even the heavens couldn’t tolerate him anymore!”

He patted Cao Zirui on the shoulder: “This is a good thing. Consider it vengeance for you.”

Cao Zirui’s contemplation was interrupted. He was briefly taken aback, then nodded in response to Fang Yang while sneaking a few glances at Feng Ye.

Feng Ye’s expression had returned to normal after he glared at Hao Chen, and Cao Zirui couldn’t glean any hints. Perhaps he was overthinking it.

The tight crowd grew thinner and thinner. Most people had already left the secret realm, and after waiting for some time, their own turn arrived.

Fang Yang took Cao Zirui’s hand and excitedly ran ahead out of the secret realm.

And Feng Ye and Hao Chen followed behind unhurriedly. Seeing as the two young ones were gone, Feng Ye could do as he pleased again. He immediately glared at Hao Chen.

Cao Zirui had been staring at him just now, and even though he had tried to be discreet, Feng Ye had still noticed. This big-mouthed Hao Chen. Feng Ye now regretted allowing the crow to watch the show for so long. This fellow had no self-awareness when it came to watching a free show. Not only had he not bought a ticket, but he wasn’t satisfied with just watching it himself, and even wanted to spread it around.

Hao Chen’s lips rose in a triumphant smirk, making a vein in Feng Ye’s forehead jump. The slight warmth of Hao Chen’s comfort just now vanished without a trace.

Hao Chen also realized that he had gone too far. Before Feng Ye could come and settle the score with him, he quickened his pace and rushed out of the secret realm ahead of Feng Ye without looking back. 

Although the water curtain connected two different worlds, when standing in front of it, one could only see their own reflection and nothing of the world beyond it.

Thus, after Hao Chen passed through, Feng Ye lost sight of him for a short time.

Feng Ye stood there and shook his head helplessly. Once again, he was convinced that all of Hao Chen’s years of life had been in vain. He was clearly still at the mental age of three. So childish!

He lacked the self-awareness to realize that he was equally childish when playing with Hao Chen.

Although Feng Ye had temporarily lost sight of Hao Chen, he would see him again after passing through the water curtain. This fish couldn’t escape. With that thought in mind, he went to step through the water.

However, his pause had led the person behind him to believe that he wasn’t going through right away, so he circled around him to continue forward. And when Feng Ye took his step, the two of them squeezed into the water curtain at the same time.

The water curtain was only so big, enough for one person to pass through, but quite a squeeze for two.

Feng Ye was the one who had dawdled, and was in no hurry at the moment, so he readily stepped back and gestured for the other person to go first.

As he stepped back, he took the opportunity to study the person he was pressed against. He couldn’t see anything clearly. He could tell that the man was around the same height as himself, but as for his build, he had no idea.

Because the man was covered in loose black robes, without even a hint of skin exposed. He was covered more thoroughly than a young, unmarried girl.

When Feng Ye looked at him, the other person also turned his head to look back.

Feng Ye stared blankly. Instead of seeing the face of this mysterious man, he saw only a cold iron mask.

The eyes revealed behind the mask were a deep, bottomless black.

After exchanging a brief glance with Feng Ye, the man turned his head back and stepped forward with his right foot, passing through the water curtain.

Ripples spread out, and the man’s figure disappeared.

Feng Ye frowned. He felt like…..that person looked strange…..

But he couldn’t tell where the strangeness came from. Could it just be how he was hiding under his clothes? No, that wasn’t so odd. Everyone was different, and there were always some things they couldn’t express or easily share with others.

But those eyes had made him feel inexplicably uneasy.

His sixth sense may not be completely accurate, but most of the time it wasn’t groundless.

With this in mind, Feng Ye immediately followed in the man’s footsteps and crossed the water curtain. He wanted to catch up and get a better look.

His vision was obscured for a short time before becoming clear again, and the quiet in his ears was filled with the noise of a boisterous crowd. 

He stood on an unknown island. The entrance to the Floating Island Secret Realm was above the sea, but the exit was on an island.

The flat island was filled with cultivators who had exited the Floating Island Secret Realm and were chatting with their fellow friends waiting outside. It was as lively as a market.

Hao Chen, Fang Yang, and Cao Zirui were also standing not far away. The three of them looked toward Feng Ye as he slowly came through the exit, and Fang Yang even waved.

But Feng Ye didn’t seem to notice. With a frown on his face, he searched everywhere for that man but found nothing.

He was gone…..

The man had vanished in a matter of moments.

Feng Ye stood there in silence.

Seeing this, Fang Yang and the two others approached him in puzzlement. Fang Yang called to the frowning Feng Ye, whose thoughts were unguessable: “Shixiong! What are you daydreaming about, ah?”

Feng Ye didn’t answer him. Instead, he pulled Hao Chen aside and asked with some urgency: “Did you see the man who came out between you and me?”

Hao Chen replied: “What is Fellow Daoist Feng Ye talking about? How could there be a third party between us…..”

He was unable to continue when he caught sight of Feng Ye’s grave expression. He couldn’t help but mind his behavior and reply seriously: “Nobody came out between you and me.”

“Are you sure?” Feng Ye asked.

Hao Chen nodded affirmatively: “I’m sure.”

Feng Ye’s expression turned unsightly at once. Although this guy Hao Chen seemed unreliable, as one of the most powerful gods in heaven, he was still strong. Who could vanish quietly under his nose? 

Feng Ye could only think of one answer. He had never suspected that just like this, he would unexpectedly meet the person he was pursuing.

---

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Chapter 62 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 64

It has been brought to my attention by Loviel that Seven Seas has picked up this novel for a January 2027 release date. Here is their announcement page.

I have no idea how other amateur translators have handled incidents like this, so in the interest of not stepping on any toes, I’m going to stop updating the story immediately. Sorry, everyone! I’m a little sad, but I’ll definitely be purchasing the official copy when it comes out!

I’ll take down the posted chapters in the next week or so.

Drizzle fell silently onto the surfaces of umbrellas. The entire palace, and even the entire world, had become damp and sticky.

In the deathly silence, a cool breeze carrying wisps of a bloody stench swept quietly past the officials.

Dozens of eyes stared straight ahead to where two limp corpses lay on the wide palace road. Their two heads had rolled away, eyes wide open in death.

Bright red splatters merged with the rainwater and spread slowly outward, gurgling toward the palace gate.

The soles of many shoes were dampened by the fishy-smelling liquid.

The Imperial Guards’ longswords glinted coldly, and hot, bright blood slowly collected at one of  their tips.

With a splat, the drop landed on the bluestone slab underfoot, where it was then washed away by the rain, leaving behind no trace.

After a long while, someone finally moved.

It turned out to be Jian Hongzhuo, the Minister of Works who had always been relatively unknown.

Everyone then followed in his wake, proceeding slowly toward Fengtian Hall as if nothing had happened.

Robes fluttered past the two pools of blood. No one stopped, and each pair of feet seemed to walk very steadily.

Upon reaching the foot of the long steps of Fengtian Hall, everyone looked up.

The long staircase extended upward, and at the highest point, two figures dressed in crimson-purple official robes looked down from above.

Behind them stood the towering eaves of Fengtian Hall.

Through the palace gates, one could see the majestic golden dragon throne, as well as the plaque above it that read “Qian Shu Cheng Yun” – the Mandate of Heaven.

Jian Hongzhuo stepped onto the staircase, and the others followed him up to enter the main hall.

What was expected to be a tense and turbulent morning court session turned out to be rather peaceful.

Nobody mentioned the scene at the palace gates. Even Lu Youwei and Wang Zhiyuan didn’t say a word, as if the two dead men were of no relation to them.

It was impossible to say they weren’t related, but at least their deaths allowed the Lu and Wang families to receive their rightful share of fine salt.

It was worth it.

Through the deaths of these two noble young masters, Qin Xiao was telling the officials and the people of the country that the emperor’s decrees could not be disobeyed.

Using swift and decisive measures, he also nipped in the bud any potential attempts by those secretly plotting to profit from the mandala trade.

No matter how lofty and important a person was, if they dared to disobey an Imperial Edict, or dared to consume or spread the drug, they would be killed without mercy.

That he had killed the two men yet not brought it up during the morning court session meant that the matter was over, and he wouldn’t pursue it further with the Wang and Lu families.

This page was turned so easily with the loss of two lives.

None of the first and second-rank officials standing in the front spoke during this court session, only officials from the Ministry of Works and Ministry of Revenue standing at the back who reported on the drought situation in the south.

Those present had already figured out the details two days earlier.

The Nanjiang Main Stronghold had suddenly produced a large quantity of grain, which logically resolved the drought crisis affecting three fiefdoms. Guizhou and Guangxi, which were under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Court, were then “rescued” when Qin Chaoyang led the grain convoy from Southern Zhili over.

News had also come back that once Qin Chaoyang led his men there, he directly held up the Imperial token, and in the form of an Imperial Edict, forced the magistrates of the two regions to open their granaries and release grain.

These granaries were full, but the magistrates had deliberately transported grain to unregistered granaries in order to deceive the people in Southern Zhili.

Qin Chaoyang was already aware of this, so he simply led his men to the unregistered granaries.

The two magistrates immediately blamed their subordinates for the incident, claiming that they had misled their superiors.

Compared to maliciously delaying disaster relief, the momentary oversight of being misled by villains was a much smaller offense.

But Qin Chaoyang wouldn’t listen to excuses or threats, and promptly tied the two up. It was said that he was currently transporting them to the capital so that they could explain themselves to the Emperor in person.

The magistrates of these two regions hailed from the Xiao and Lu families respectively.

The reason they had deliberately withheld grain was because they had received instructions from these two families to cause trouble for Qin Xiao.

Now that the matter had been exposed, it was unclear whether the Xiao and Lu families still intended to protect these two individuals.

But that was of little importance. The important thing was that the drought, which everyone thought would be difficult to overcome, had been resolved so easily.

From beginning to end, Qin Xiao seemed to have done nothing more than simply send some officials from the Water Conservancy Bureau to those places and transfer some grain from Southern Zhili. 

The biggest variable in this matter turned out to be Nanjiang.

Everyone knew that the two vassal kings Bai Lihao and Bai Lizheng had a good relationship. The two were close in proximity, and their coordination during the drought was seamless, which forced Bai Liyue to release grain as well.

It was likely that the open and covert struggles between these vassal kings had led to the current situation.

Therefore, everyone in the capital was of the opinion that Qin Xiao just got lucky, and that the help from those two vassal kings was unintentional.

After reporting the good news that the drought had been resolved, the two officials withdrew.

The officials fell silent once more.

Just when everyone thought the morning court session would conclude peacefully, Deputy Minister of Revenue Wang Pengyi stepped forward.

He bowed deeply before saying: “This subject has something to report.”

“Speak.”

Wang Pengyi looked up at Qin Xiao: “Yesterday, Eunuch Hong came to the Ministry of Revenue to sign an agreement, which said that he would be in charge of the fine salt trade from now on. Are Your Majesty and Lord Ning-wang aware of this matter?”

Everyone had heard about this, but they only knew that Hong Fu was signing an agreement on behalf of His Majesty, not that the other party would be monitoring them from now on.

Did that mean that Hong Fu would be keeping an eye on the Ministry of Revenue’s actions?

Being overshadowed by a eunuch, no wonder the Ministry of Revenue was unhappy.

However, Wang Pengyi’s current actions seemed to be partly aimed at venting the Wang family’s anger. After all, it was quite disgraceful for the family head’s eldest son to be beheaded in front of so many officials.

“This emperor is aware,” Bai Lihong stated crisply. “This emperor also intends to establish a Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs in the inner court led by Eunuch Hong, exercising supervisory responsibility over the outer court.”

Hearing this put the entire court in a state of shock.

Even the six ministers, who were perpetually unmoved by the winds of change, nearly lost their composure.

At present, Qin Xiao only had Chu Jiubian in the court, and it was difficult to find vacancies in other official positions.

So he simply went out and created a new department. Lacking civil officials, he simply called Eunuch Hong, who had been trained by Grand Marshal Qin, out to use. It was a brilliant move.

But once the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was established, Eunuch Hong’s role would no longer be limited to simply overseeing the fine salt trade. He would become a new power, Qin Xiao’s eyes and ears.

The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs would constantly monitor the actions of the Six Ministries. Any actions taken by others would be hampered, making it easier for Qin Xiao to seize upon their weaknesses.

And with such a department managed by Hong Fu, a member of the Qin family, it would be impossible for other forces to win him over.

This move of Qin Xiao’s had truly caught everyone off-guard.

Even Wang Pengyi, who had originally only wanted to hamper Qin Xiao a little, had forgotten what he was going to say.

Of course, Chu Jiubian was also a little surprised upon hearing Bai Lihong’s words.

Yesterday, he and Qin Xiao had indeed explained to Bai Lihong why Eunuch Hong couldn’t accompany him during the day, and also tried to impress upon him the importance of Hong Fu’s work.

The child had solemnly declared that he understood.

This matter was complicated to implement, so Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian hadn’t told him how to explain it to the six ministers. The two of them were prepared to speak with them on their own.

But the young emperor had listened intently the entire time they discussed it, and must have taken their words to heart.

So at present, Bai Lihong was free to act as he saw fit.

Such a young child had not only understood what they were talking about, but also possessed the courage to make such a statement to the Imperial Court on his own. He was truly remarkable.

Chu Jiubian couldn’t help but recall the description of Bai Lihong in the original work —

He foresaw the political situation at a young age, and took charge of the government to usher in a prosperous era. His wisdom surpassed his age, and his political integrity brought peace from sea to sea. He became a role model for later generations of emperors.

As expected of the male protagonist, not only was he a brilliant child prodigy, but his rate of growth was also astonishing.

It seemed that Eunuch Hong was indeed the one who knew Bai Lihong the best, as he knew that the child was capable of understanding the Analects of Confucius.

Chu Jiubian looked toward Qin Xiao and found him looking back.

But after only a moment of eye contact, they tacitly looked away.

The others were not surprised that Bai Lihong could say such things, because while the young emperor had occasionally spoken a few words in court before, it was obvious that he had been coached on what to say by Qin Xiao.

This was how it went with a young emperor and a domineering minister.

It was no wonder that they all wanted to sit in Qin Xiao’s position – what was the difference between that and being the emperor themselves?

The atmosphere in the court gradually slid into something subtle.

Wang Pengyi finally regained his composure, and his demeanor became even more proper than before: “Your Majesty, this subject believes that such an action is inappropriate!”

His thoughts were not entirely the same as Wang Zhiyuan’s. He had disliked his deceased cousin, Wang Wenfu, and even felt some disgust toward him.

But he couldn’t bear to do nothing after watching his cousin die in front of him.

Of course, from Qin Xiao’s perspective, there was absolutely nothing wrong with his actions.

But from Wang Pengyi’s perspective, along with his personal motives, he felt that Qin Xiao’s actions were overly harsh and ruthless. There were clearly better solutions. No lives had to be lost.

Perhaps that was why his grandfather had always considered him weak.

He was indeed soft-hearted, and couldn’t bring himself to target outsiders, much less abandon his family members.

So in his current state of anger, he had intended to use the matter of Eunuch Hong to make things difficult for Qin Xiao. He just hadn’t expected such an incident as the “Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs” to rear its head.

As a result, he lost all interest in looking for trouble and became completely serious.

Qin Xiao sat calm and composed, sweeping his gaze over everyone and taking in their subtle expressions.

Standing beside the dragon throne, Hong Fu was able to vaguely see the figure of the young emperor from the corner of his eye.

For the first time, the child had spoken words in court that his uncle and Hong Fu hadn’t coached him to say. Somewhat nervous, the young emperor looked toward the two of them now that he was in a difficult position.

But Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes slightly, and Qin Xiao remained unmoved. Bai Lihong immediately understood that the two of them wanted him to do things his own way.

They were giving him a chance to grow!

Bai Lihong slowly exhaled, reciting inwardly, I must become strong, I must protect everyone. Then he opened his mouth and said: “How is it inappropriate?”

“The inner and outer courts have always been separate entities. Appointing Eunuch Hong Fu to oversee the sale of fine salt is already inappropriate; how can a Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs be added on top of that?” Wang Pengyi said with a frown, “Moreover, since ancient times, there has never been a precedent for eunuchs to hold political power.”

Deputy Minister of Rites Lu Qiaobo also stepped forward and bowed, saying: “Your Majesty, eunuchs are people who have been mutilated, and are mere servants. If they are allowed to take power, wouldn’t people laugh at our dynasty for having incapable people? What face will the Imperial Court have left?”

As soon as he finished speaking, a censor surnamed Lu stepped forward and said: “Your Majesty, it is the Censorate’s duty to supervise all officials. If the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs also exercises this supervisory power, wouldn’t the Censorate become merely a figurehead?”

The three of them, one after another, directly shattered the confidence Bai Lihong had just built up.

He felt that what these people were saying was wrong, but he didn’t know how to refute them, and could only look to his uncle for help.

But his uncle had his back to him and couldn’t see his pitiful little eyes, so he looked toward Chu Jiubian instead.

Fortunately, Chu Jiubian happened to be looking up.

The child’s eyes welled up with tears when their gazes met, looking unbearably wronged.

A smile flickered through Chu Jiubian’s eyes.

Poor child. He was just trying to act like an adult, but he got scared.

To avoid leaving him with such psychological trauma that he dared not speak up again, Chu Jiubian sent him a reassuring smile, then stepped out of the queue and bowed, saying: “Your Majesty is wise.”

Bai Lihong let out a quiet breath.

With Xiansheng and Jiujiu around, he wasn’t scared at all, just nervous.

And before, no matter what these officials said, although they addressed him as “Your Majesty,” their words were all aimed at Qin Xiao. 

But today was different. Today, these officials all seemed to be targeting Bai Lihong, which added to his nervousness.

When he saw Chu Jiubian stand before all of those officials, Bai Lihong clenched his small fists, inwardly cheering for his Xiansheng.

At the same time, he comforted himself by thinking, Miaomiao did a good job today. He had even taken the initiative to say a few words, and he would definitely be able to say even more in the future.

“Does Lord Chu agree with the establishment of a Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs?” Wang Pengyi turned to focus on him.

There was really no need to ask such a question. Everyone knew that Bai Lihong’s ability to say such a thing stemmed from a discussion between Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao.

“Of course.” Chu Jiubian looked back at him. “Lord Wang says that there has never been such precedent before, but precedents have to be set at some point in time. Are you saying that emperors of previous dynasties can establish so many precedents, but His Majesty cannot?”

With the accusation of ‘our dynasty is inferior to previous ones’ slapped on his face, Wang Pengyi’s expression changed: “That isn’t what I meant.”

Wang Zhiyuan closed his eyes.

This grandson of his was still young. How could he go along with Chu Jiubian’s words like this? Didn’t he just immediately lose the upper hand?

“Since that isn’t what you meant, then Deputy Minister Wang must agree with this matter.” Chu Jiubian cut off Wang Pengyi’s pretext with a single sentence.

Then his gaze fell upon Lu Qiaobo. “Minister Lu stated that eunuchs are servants, so what could be inappropriate about servants accomplishing things for their masters? You also work on His Majesty’s behalf. Could it be that you secretly consider yourself his master?”

“Lord Chu’s words are uncalled for.” Lu Qiaobo said with a frown, “This humble official naturally works on His Majesty’s behalf. But eunuchs are illiterate and ignorant of the law, so how can they distinguish between merits and demerits? Even regarding the matter of fine salt, would eunuchs be able to calculate the accounts?”

“Eunuch Hong is of the Qin family, and was personally taught and trained by Grand Marshal Qin. Before entering the palace, his talent was known throughout the capital.” Chu Jiubian sent him a mild look. “Is Lord Lu feigning ignorance when he knows this truth? Has he even forgotten the talented scholar who previously overshadowed him?”

Lu Qiaobo’s face paled, and he looked somewhat embarrassed.

Hong Fu was indeed an exceptional talent, and for quite some time, he was the role model in the capital whom various family elders compared the younger generations to. Lu Qiaobo and his peers had indeed been suppressed by Hong Fu for several years.

And having been trounced for so long by a servant the Qin family had taken in, he naturally felt aggrieved.

It wasn’t until the other party eventually entered the palace that he was able to stand tall.

Chu Jiubian continued: “Eunuch Hong is indeed kind-hearted, and has spent so many years in the palace teaching the maids and eunuchs to read and write. Now, the inner court is no less capable than the outer court.”

“As for the Censorate.” His voice turned cold as he regarded Censor Lu. “You know that you exercise the power of oversight and impeachment, but what exactly are you overseeing? Who has taken several concubines, and who has secretly missed a half day of work – are such things worth mentioning in the Imperial Court?”

Imperial Censor Lu wanted to refute, but was unable to.

The major powers in the capital had not yet fallen into total chaos, and there was no infighting. These censors, belonging to their respective factions, really didn’t have much to say from day to day. At most, they would criticize officials for impropriety in their private lives and talk about who wasn’t doing their job properly, but no one would actually take to task those who were corrupt, practiced bribery, and broke the law.

“Leaving aside more distant regions, let’s take the magistrates of Guizhou and Guangxi for example.” 

Chu Jiubian’s tone was quiet, but this just made it more unsettling: “Everyone present knows perfectly well what they did. It is one thing for others not to speak up, but you, the censors who are supposed to oversee all officials, are also silent. Are you deaf and blind?”

These words were a blunt insult directed toward the Censorate.

Qi Zhili felt that there was no error in Chu Jiubian’s words, but he also understood the difficulties these censors faced.

He also disagreed with eunuchs assuming power, so he stepped forward and said softly: “Lord Chu, there is something that this humble official doesn’t understand.”

Chu Jiubian had figured he would step out.

However, considering that the other party was Jiang Shuoye’s cousin and also had a rather good attitude, Chu Jiubian lost most of his previous aggressiveness. He nodded and said, “Please speak.”

“Without the constraints of family, eunuchs are like rootless duckweed; were they to assume power, they would have no scruples. Furthermore, eunuchs enjoy the deep trust of His Majesty. If they fabricate accusations, using this to suppress court officials and frame loyal ministers, what should be done?”

This person is quite clever, Chu Jiubian thought to himself.

Qi Zhili was referring to the problem of eunuchs causing political turmoil. This was a situation that was bound to happen if the emperor was incompetent and the eunuchs were treacherous.

However, as the saying went, specific problems should be analyzed specifically. In the current situation, Bai Lihong was not an incompetent ruler, and Hong Fu was not a treacherous official.

But he couldn’t speak the truth either, as it would be difficult to convince the public.

However, he and Qin Xiao had already discussed this situation.

Chu Jiubian glanced up at Qin Xiao.

The man’s gaze met his for a moment before focusing on Qi Zhili. 

“Suppressing court officials and framing loyal ministers.” A smiling male voice rang out, and all of the officials switched their attention from Chu Jiubian to Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao stood from his seat and slowly made his way down the steps.

“Is Deputy Minister Qi saying that with no Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, there will be no instances of suppressing court officials and framing loyal ministers?”

Everyone’s expressions changed slightly at these blunt words.

Qi Zhili hesitated to speak.

How could that be the case? The Imperial Court had long been rotten to the core.

The court fell into a momentary silence.

Suddenly, Su Sheng stepped forward and said: “Since the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is the will of Your Majesty, it is only natural that it should be established. We, Your Majesty’s humble servants, dare not raise any objections.”

Other ministers also shared his mindset.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao never fought battles unprepared. If they dared to bring up the topic today, then the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was certain to be established. It was useless for anyone to object.

However, the extent of the Directorate’s power needed to be carefully discussed and determined.

It was most appropriate for Su Sheng, as the Minister of Revenue, to raise this matter.

These old foxes were rather in sync when it came to such things.

As expected, after indicating that everyone was in agreement as to establishing the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Su Sheng added: “It is only that the salt trade is a matter of national importance. The Ministry of Revenue has experience in this area, and we are certainly more familiar with the work.”

Since the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was a supervisory body, it should, like the Censorate, avoid interfering in other matters.

This being the case, they would need to be careful in the future not to give the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs any leverage. However, if the Directorate had so much power that it could interfere in the internal affairs of any government office, then many things would become troublesome.

Qin Xiao chuckled softly: “Does Lord Su mean to have the Ministry of Revenue monitor the matter of fine salt?”

“This is the duty of the Ministry of Revenue,” said Su Sheng.

“If the Ministry of Revenue were to handle this matter, how much of the silver would the National Treasury be able to collect?”

Qin Xiao was directly implying that the Ministry of Revenue was embezzling funds.

Although it was true, as long as the matter wasn’t made public, they were all honest officials and loyal ministers.

The reputations of these noble families were known throughout the land and recorded in the annals of history, which prevented them from becoming openly treacherous officials.

Therefore, none of them could accept Qin Xiao’s words.

But Qin Xiao insisted on laying everything bare: “How much do the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Personnel, the two most lucrative government offices, embezzle each year?”

The officials whose departments were called out did not look happy.

Qin Xiao continued: “How much of the military allowance from the Ministry of War actually reaches the soldiers each year? How many wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice does the Ministry of Justice carry out by accepting bribes? How much money does the Ministry of Rites pocket during holidays and festivals?”

Finally, he looked at Su Sheng: “All of these accounts are balanced by your Ministry of Revenue, ah.”

Seeing the unpleasant looks on everyone’s faces, Qin Xiao laughed again: “This lord seems to have made his point very clear.”

Everyone finally understood.

Qin Xiao intended to confront them head-on.

The two headless corpses at the palace gate served as both a threat and a deterrent.

Qin Xiao was telling them that he could overlook what happened during Emperor Yingzong’s reign, but from now on, these wealthy and powerful people could no longer extend their reach so far.

Chu Jiubian just observed for a while, then spoke up at the opportune moment: “All of you gentlemen are acting for the sake of the common people, and His Majesty understands this. The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is just an ordinary government office and will not interfere in the affairs of the Six Ministries. The fine salt matter can be considered the Directorate’s first assignment, to see if they are capable of sharing His Majesty’s burdens. If not, a decision can be made to keep it or disband it.”

By this point, who could possibly fail to see through Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao’s scheme?

Two noble young masters were killed as soon as the palace gates opened that morning. On the surface, it was done to tell the people of Great Ning that an Imperial Edict could not be disobeyed, but in reality, it was to remind the powerful families that Qin Xiao had troops at his disposal.

And behind him was Bai Lihong, the Emperor, who held the highest authority in Great Ning.

This inspired fear and submission.

Even if Wang Pengyi hadn’t brought the topic up during the morning court session, Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao would have certainly still raised the issue of establishing the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs.

Then they took this opportunity to expose all of the dirty deeds of the Six Ministries. On the one hand, they told them that His Majesty knew about their past behavior but would not pursue it, and on the other, they warned them to take caution in their future actions.

After slapping them twice, Chu Jiubian gave them a piece of candy, saying that the affairs of the Six Ministries would be handled by the Six Ministries themselves, and would not be hampered.

The claim that a decision would be made on whether to keep the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs based on their handling of the salt trade was pure nonsense.

Once this government office was established, it would not be abolished.

After all of this, the court officials felt an overwhelming sense of pressure from Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian.

Because they had all come to the realization that whatever these two wanted to do, they would make it happen.

In the future, the Imperial Court – no, the entirety of Great Ning – was likely about to undergo a complete upheaval…..

The drizzle outside had not yet stopped. When the court session ended and everyone left the main hall, the damp, moist air relieved a bit of the pressure on their chests.

Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and even the first and second-rank officials filed out of the palace in silence.

The two corpses were still at the palace gates, crimson blood diluted into a pale pink by the rain.

Lu Youwei and Wang Zhiyuan deliberately lingered outside Fengtian Hall, standing silently a few steps apart.

They were waiting for someone.

By the time most of the officials had reached the palace gates, footsteps finally began to sound from within the hall.

The two of them turned around and, sure enough, laid eyes on the ever-smiling and gentle Eunuch Hong.

Hong Fu bowed to them and said: “Greetings, my lords.”

Despite their unwillingness, Lu Youwei and Wang Zhiyuan still bowed to him and addressed him as “Lord Hong.”

“You are too polite,” Hong Fu said, his smile unchanged. “I was thinking of signing the salt trade agreements with you two yesterday, but I didn’t have the time. Why don’t we sign them now?”

The two of them had remained behind for this very purpose, and readily agreed.

“Please come to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, my lords. This humble official has prepared the agreements for you.”

The day before, he had chosen Fanghua Garden, which was not far from Yangxin Hall, and converted it into the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. He had also found several eunuchs, including Xiao Xiangzi, to help him manage future affairs.

There were indeed very few people for the time being, much like a makeshift operation, but Hong Fu had a plan in mind. He would gradually develop the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs so that he could truly share the burdens of His Majesty and Lord Ning-wang.

“Please lead the way, Lord Hong,” said Lu Youwei.

Wang Zhiyuan spoke up: “May I trouble you for a favor, My Lord?”

Hong Fu replied: “If it is a matter concerning the younger generations of your two families, this official has already sent people to take care of it. I believe it will not be long before they are sent back to their respective residences.”

He politely used the term “take care of” rather than “dispose of the bodies.”

“Many thanks, My Lord.” Lu Youwei and Wang Zhiyuan bowed again.

Hong Fu exchanged a few pleasantries with them, then led the two of them to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs.

The two men also began to examine this Head Eunuch again, reflecting on his years of life in the palace. The man had not lost his spirit from his days outside the palace; however, compared to his youthful impetuosity, he had become more reserved and contemplative.

His good fortune was even harder to deal with now than it had been before.

Qin Xiao and Bai Lihong’s power seemed to have been expanding ever since Chu Jiubian appeared.

Regardless of what these powerful and influential people thought, the strengthening of Imperial power was already set in stone.

*

*

Outside the palace.

When Lu Xingwen’s body was returned to the Lu family, his parents wept uncontrollably.

“Family Head, you must get justice for Xingwen, ah!” 

“Xingwen was only seventeen years old, he was simply drunk and talking nonsense. How could they go so far as to not even leave a complete corpse!”

Lu Jinfeng stood in the courtyard, listening to the cries of his aunt and uncle from the collateral branch of the family with a heavy heart.

He knew Qin Xiao’s methods well. When An Wuji came to search the manor two days ago, he’d ordered everyone to bring out the so-called mandala. It was just a spice with some side effects, and anyone could eat it or not eat it as they pleased.

Lu Xingwen naturally hadn’t kept any hidden.

But he was acquainted with Wang Wenfu, the eldest son of the Wang family, and ended up consuming mandala with him while drinking wine, which caused him to go mad.

Now that he had brought this upon himself, Lu Jinfeng was heartbroken that the child had passed away at such a young age, but there was nothing he could do.

He turned and left the main courtyard, but instructed his servants: “Transfer two shops over to them.”

He truly didn’t want to remain in officialdom, or even this capital city, for a day longer.

But as the head of the Lu family, he had no choice but to stay.

Lu Xingwen was the couple’s only son, but had died a violent death before reaching adulthood. This was considered inauspicious, so the child was hastily buried, and was not even allowed to enter the ancestral temple.

The couple watched in a daze as their son was buried, and then received two shops as compensation from the family head.

“Two shops…..” the woman murmured, tears streaming down her face.

Two shops. Her child was only worth two shops!

Wang Wenfu, on the other hand, had a grand funeral.

Yuan Yu cried so hard that she fainted several times. And Wang Wenyao personally escorted his younger brother to his burial, his eyes bloodshot.

Due to the suddenness of the incident, Wang Huanzhi didn’t blame Wang Zhiyuan, but he could not allow his son to suffer such a great injustice.

Even if the boy was already dead, he wanted to vent his anger and comfort his spirit in the afterlife.

Thus, starting that afternoon, rumors about Qin Xiao’s brutality began to circulate widely.

He had beheaded two boys who hadn’t even come of age yet, showing absolutely no compassion.

Qin Xiao was a madman who killed without hesitation!

Ning-wang was bloodthirsty by nature; anyone who displeased him would be beheaded!

For a time, the common people in the capital were in a state of fear and unease.

Their respect for the Qin family had long transformed into fearful reverence as early as Qin Xiao’s massacre at Shenwu Gate.

Now, this reverence was gradually changing into pure fear and abhorrence.

How could the common people live well with such a tyrannical person holding absolute power?

That night, when Chu Jiubian had finished washing up and was preparing to lie down, Xiao Xiangzi told him about these rumors in a gossipy manner.

Chu Jiubian listened, and was lost in thought for a time.

These statements sounded so much like those in the original work.

But he knew the reality all too well: Qin Xiao was nothing like the word “tyrannical.” Chu Jiubian even felt that those two idiots deserved to die several times over for what they had done.

Was this the Wang family’s method of revenge?

Manipulating public opinion?

“Young Master?” Xiao Xiangzi called from behind the screen. “Are you asleep?”

“No. What does Qin Xiao plan to do?” Chu Jiubian asked.

Xiao Xianzi sighed: “When Xiao Yinzi went and learned these things, His Lordship only said one word when he told him about it —”

“He said ‘understood?’” Chu Jiubian asked.

“The Young Master still understands him better than I do.” Xiao Xiangzi’s mood inexplicably improved.

It was just that His Lordship didn’t care about his reputation, and allowed people to misunderstand him. It was like self-abuse. Xiao Xiangzi and the others were furious, because His Lordship was obviously not that kind of person!

Chu Jiubian chuckled silently.

He and Qin Xiao were indeed kindred spirits.

However, reputation was still a very useful thing. Qin Xiao may not care, but Chu Jiubian would help him protect it.

Perfect timing! He would see how capable his Believer in the [Charisma] category really was.

After sending Xiao Xiangzi to rest, Chu Jiubian closed his eyes and entered the Divine Realm.

“Summon Wang Qichen,” he said.

[It has been detected that Believer Wang Qichen is drunk and in a mindless state, thus eligible for summoning.]

[Summoning successful.]

---

T/N: You guys are going to love Wang Qichen. I would absolutely read a spinoff story with this guy as the MC.

---

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Chapter 38 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 40

Ling Yi woke up in crushing pain from head to toe.

Someone was sitting on his bed with his back to him, his upper body bare, with well-carved muscles exposed to the air. But the skin over those muscles looked miserable, covered with scratches and bite marks, as if he had gone through severe torture.

“You’re awake?”

Ling Yi covered his head with the blanket when he heard the voice behind him, not wanting to pay him any attention.

Oser reached back and ruffled the hair that was sticking out of the blanket.

“I’ve been thinking since I woke up. You never marked anyone when you were an Alpha. Do you have any regrets?”

Ling Yi’s voice was hoarse and full of resentment: “If you let me bite you, I won’t have any regrets.”

Oser paused, then drew his hand away from his hair.

“Okay, I’ll let you bite me.”

Ling Yi scoffed: “Do you think I’ll still believe your lies? Everyone knows that the gland is an Alpha’s taboo area. If I actually bite you, you’ll punch me.”

“If you bite me, I won’t resist.”

“You have conditioned reflexes!”

“I swear on the name of my future child.”

Ling Yi rolled over and bit Oser’s neck at lightning speed. The taste of blood instantly filled his mouth, but he bit deeper and deeper, refusing to let go no matter what.

Oser’s body trembled violently, and veins popped out on the backs of his clenched fists. The muscles at the corners of his eyes twitched from extreme sufferance, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans streamed down his cheeks.

But he still endured it motionlessly until several centuries later when Ling Yi finally chose to end this torture, leaving a deep bite mark on the Alpha’s gland.

Oser’s face was ashen, his voice weak: “Is it enough? If not, you can bite again.”

Ling Yi slowly licked his canine teeth with the tip of his tongue. This was not a hunting reaction – he just wanted to imprint the taste of Oser’s blood in his mind forever.

The figure in front of him didn’t look back.

“Ling Yi, since you’ve marked me, you have to be responsible for me.”

. . . . . . .

The number one conference hall in the palace was crowded with people who had heard the news – that the eldest prince had an important event to announce – and reporters from various media outlets rushed over.

As a former war correspondent and a current reporter for China Business Network, Lola, a woman in her early thirties, was the first to arrive. She occupied the best seat in the entire venue, causing her colleagues to both love and hate her.

“You’re a reporter for the finance channel, how come you always rush to the forefront for every piece of news? You reported on the Marshal’s son and on the fire at the courthouse. What do those things have to do with finance?”

Lola set down her coffee cup: “These are all indicators that can influence the stock market. A single political change can cause economic shock across entire sectors, so how can it not be related to finance?”

Another reporter commented: “I admire her vigor. Have you read the over ten thousand word analysis of the court fire published by First Financial Daily this morning? It’s obvious that she stayed up all night collecting research to write it, yet the author is still so energetic.”

“Hey, before she became a finance reporter, she actually worked as a war correspondent for five years. She can even broadcast live under a hail of bullets, so what’s this minor scene to her? But I’m different. I’m so sleepy right now, and I don’t know who started the fire.”

After saying so, he yawned deeply.

Lola crossed her arms, subconsciously rubbing the raised edge of a gunshot scar on her upper arm.

She was hit with a bullet while reporting, and the same bullet from the same gun also hit the chest of the cameraman who was filming her. The shot he took as he fell to the ground was the last one he ever filmed.

From then on, Lola developed a stress disorder caused by the sound of gunfire, and was forced to say farewell to the job she loved.

Lola disregarded the comments of her peers, focusing on things related to the press conference.

“Do you think His Highness Oser’s last minute press conference is related to the courthouse fire yesterday?” she asked.

“Of course it is, ah! The Marshal has been making things difficult for the Prime Minister lately, and the Prime Minister was so anxious to get rid of the evidence against him that he even targeted the Royal Court. As his grandson, of course His Highness must step forward to divert attention.”

Could this be how it was? Lola was skeptical.

“What you said is something everyone knows already. I heard through the grapevine what content His Highness Oser is going to announce.”

The speaker came from a well-known gossip media outlet, and even Lola’s attention was drawn to them.

“What sort of content?”

“Remember the mysterious beauty His Highness has been bringing around with him recently?”

“How could we not remember? You’re insulting our professionalism.”

“According to my friends in the military, this beauty is a genuine Omega. Think about it, what else could His Highness Oser be announcing? Naturally, he’s going to disclose that person’s identity and announce their engagement!”

The cameraman accompanying Lola was busy adjusting the camera angle, and muttered when he heard this: “Am I really going to be able to film His Highness Oser announcing his marriage in my lifetime?”

Lola thought for a moment and felt that this analysis made sense, so she told her colleague: “Be very careful later, and make sure not to miss a single detail.”

“Does that even need to be said? It’s a rare event for His Highness Oser to get married. I’m going to make sure he looks handsome and cool, so that he lights up the headlines of China Business News.”

Inside the lounge, wearing formal business attire that he would only wear to major ceremonies, Oser sat on the sofa with his eyes shut.

The people present were all important officials in his faction. The emperor had been weak and sick for many years, and had difficulty governing the country, so everyone in his cabinet had already taken sides and found backers.

When they saw Oser’s expression, none of them dared to make much noise as they spoke. 

“His Highness Oser doesn’t look well today.”

“I heard he’s ill. We suggested that he change the time, but he disagreed. I wonder what important announcement he’s going to make today.”

“Have you noticed that Captain Tang De hasn’t shown up yet? Isn’t he usually by His Highness’s side on occasions like this?”

“Yeah, why is only the deputy captain with him? Where’s Captain Tang De?”

Tang De was standing at the only route to the lounge, blocking the anxious You Lin.

“His Highness knew you would come, so he specifically told me to wait for you here.”

Today, You Lin completely lacked the composure that a legal worker should have.

“Why are you here stopping me? Why don’t you go stop His Highness, ah? Do you guys even understand what you’re doing?!”

“The decision to take the pardon public was made by His Highness. He told me to tell you that he’s made up his mind, and he won’t change it despite anyone’s advice.”

“There are hundreds of reporters outside to broadcast this live. Once it’s made public, there’s no going back! You’re the captain of his guard, but you’re letting His Highness act so recklessly. His Highness has been bewitched by Ling Yi, and temporarily lost his mind, but are you confused too?”

“I follow His Highness Oser himself, not his status as the heir to the throne. Giving up the right of inheritance is no trivial matter, and I believe that this is the result of His Highness’s careful consideration.”

“Fuck his careful consideration, I think he’s just blinded by lust!” You Lin was so agitated that he spoke without thinking. “Who in the world would give up being emperor just for an Omega? What about us? What about the people who’ve risked their lives to help him?”

“Whether His Highness is the emperor or a prince, I am the captain of his guard. If you’re not content with this, you can always seek another wise master.”

Tang De called over two guards and said: “His Highness has ordered that you cannot be allowed to pass today. I apologize for the offense.”

You Lin was taken away from the scene, shouting unwillingly: “If you don’t let me see His Highness, you’ll regret it! Are all of the other ministers there? I don’t believe there’s no one else with a functioning brain around His Highness!”

Ling Yi entered the lounge with an escort of guards. This was his first public appearance since his “death” without a disguise. Oser opened his eyes when he came in.

There were gasps of shock all around.

“Is that the one?”

“It really seems to be him.”

“Isn’t he dead?”

“What time is it?” Oser asked.

The deputy captain to the side confirmed the time: “Ten minutes until the scheduled start time.”

Oser stood from his seat, and the other ministers unaware of the truth also stood up.

“Let’s go.”

The ministers took their seats in the VIP section of the hall one after another, and finally, His Highness Oser himself came out from behind the curtain.

Oser walked in front of the podium and the staff adjusted the height of the microphone. He turned his head and sent a profound look behind him.

Ling Yi was standing behind the entrance curtain, guarded by Tang De.

When Oser’s public pardon took effect, he would walk out and stand before the media’s cameras.

Lola followed Oser’s gaze and looked in that direction, but couldn’t see anything through the curtain blocking her view.

“There’s someone behind the curtain,” she said firmly.

The cameraman: “What’s so strange about that? It’s the Omega fiancee.”

He went on to seriously analyze the matter: “Normally, Captain Tang De would be behind His Highness Oser, but today it’s the deputy captain. This means that Captain Tang De has someone more important to protect, and who else could enjoy the personal protection of His Highness’s guard captain? The answer, of course, is – ding ding!”

Lola: “I didn’t realize you had a talent for detective work. Then analyze this – why does His Highness Oser look so unwell today?”

“Well,” the cameraman mused, “one possibility is that he was injured while rescuing that person from the fire yesterday and didn’t get enough rest. Look at his hand.”

Needless to say, Lola had also noticed the bandages wrapped around His Highness Oser’s left hand.

“And the other possibility?”

The cameraman laughed evilly and said: “It’s also possible that he’s been indulging in a life of comfort after finally obtaining an Omega.”

“Nonsense,” Lola scoffed. His Highness’s expression clearly had nothing to do with indulgence. He looked more like he was sick.

Oser tapped the microphone twice with his index finger.

“Shh, he’s about to speak.”

The scene quickly quieted down.

“I am holding this press conference today because I have something important to announce.”

Everyone waited with bated breath, with only the sound of shutters clicking to fill the void.

“Given the importance of this matter, I have invited three guests to serve as notaries today. Please welcome Archbishop Ping’an.

The Archbishop emerged from backstage. He walked slowly to the notaries’ seats and bowed, then sat down.

Everyone stood in amazement. Since the bishop was here, the news of a marriage must be true.

Oser: “Chief Justice Bisi.”

In order to cover up his fire-damaged hair, the Chief Justice wore a wig that was specially for court sessions. After walking up to his seat, he bowed slightly to Oser before sitting down next to the Archbishop.

Lola keenly sensed that something wasn’t right. The Chief Justice’s attitude toward His Highness Oser didn’t seem to be one of respect for the royal family, but rather a fawning flattery coupled with timid fear.

Oser announced the name of the third notary: “Marshal Lei Cheng.”

There was an uproar amongst the audience.

“What important event requires the presence of the Archbishop, the Chief Justice, and the Marshal to act as notaries together?”

“Even if he’s announcing his engagement, there’s no need to have someone from the military as a witness, right?”

Everyone was talking and craning their necks, but the Marshal didn’t appear.

“Your Highness, Marshal Lei Cheng has not yet arrived.”

Oser was dissatisfied when he heard this: “How can a soldier who is always punctual be late?”

No one answered, because no one knew why Lei Cheng was late.

Oser was helpless: “Then we’ll wait for a while.”

Time ticked by, and just as Oser’s impatience became apparent, Lei Cheng finally arrived late in the face of everyone’s anticipation.

Accompanying him were several high-ranking military officials. This team of tall, mighty, upright people changed the atmosphere in the hall as soon as they appeared.

Oser greeted the group with a look that was half teasing and half displeased: “Marshal Lei Cheng is becoming more and more arrogant, even making me wait in person.”

Lei Cheng ignored him and marched straight to the Chief Justice, shouting: “Arrest him!”

Before the Chief Justice could react, he was restrained on the left and right by two officers.

“Your Highness, this…..”

Only then did Lei Cheng give Oser a military salute.

“Your Highness Oser, please forgive me for delaying your important business. I have in my possession key evidence regarding Chief Justice Bisi. But this is a serious matter, and I needed to make sure that the evidence was valid before coming to arrest this person, so as not to wrongly accuse the innocent.”

The Chief Justice panicked: “Marshal, sir, even if I’m guilty, arresting me is the responsibility of the judicial authorities. How can the military overstep its authority like this?”

“You are correct, but if a high-ranking official in the judicial system knowingly breaks the law, according to emergency regulations, the military holds the power to restore discipline and proper conduct, and purge pests like you in the public security, procuratorial, and judicial branches.”

The Chief Justice was in complete disarray, his only recourse being to look to Oser for help.

“Your Highness Oser, I beg you to act!”

Oser’s expression was cold: “Lei Cheng, I do not object to you arresting him, but it won’t be too late to take him into custody after I finish my announcement.”

“Your Highness, why not hear what I have to say first? Judge Bisi is suspected of hiding and fabricating evidence and creating false cases and charges. I beseech Your Highness to revoke all judgements rendered by Chief Justice Bisi over the past six months and remand the cases for retrial.”

There was an uproar in the venue.

Lei Cheng turned to face the reporters: “Take the well-known case of Lu Dawa’s murder for example. According to my investigation, the real murderer of Lu Dawa was not the defendant Ling Yi himself.”

It was as if a pot of boiling water had been poured onto the crowd. Ling Yi took a step forward, wanting to stop Lei Cheng from saying his next words, but Tang De stopped him.

He shook his head silently. If even the military had intervened in this investigation, Ling Yi’s appearance would be of no use.

Oser’s already bad expression became worse: “All those in attendance are from the media. Do you understand the weight of your words right now?”

“I take responsibility for every word I say. The reason I was late today was to conduct a new autopsy of Lu Dawa’s body.”

Oser: “You dug up my uncle’s grave?”

“I had no choice but to do so urgently. Please forgive me, Your Highness,” Lei Cheng apologized insincerely. “The autopsy results show that Lu Dawa did not die from the knife wounds, but from poison.”

Ling Yi: ! ? ?

The Chief Justice was also shocked: “Impossible, the forensics report didn’t mention anything about poison!”

“The substance he was poisoned with is very rare and requires special reagents to detect. The previous medical examiner saw the large amount of fatal wounds on the back of his neck and hastily determined that they were the cause of death. In fact, Lu Dawa had already been lethally poisoned, and even if the defendant had done nothing, it would not have changed the outcome of his death.”

Ling Yi and Tang De looked at each other in bewilderment.

“The medical examiner performed a hasty autopsy. What about you? You made a hasty judgement just to please someone, and you still say you don’t take human life lightly?”

The clicking of shutters filled the air, and the reporters had long forgotten their original purpose in coming here. With such explosive news, who could care about the trivialities of His Highness Oser’s marriage?

The Chief Justice understood the military’s torture methods better than anyone else, and pleaded in tears: “It’s true that I’ve done many bad things, but I’ve turned over a new leaf…..His Highness can prove it! I handed over all of the criminal evidence I collected to His Highness Oser, even the Prime Minister—”

Bang—!

A gunshot rang out, and a bullet hole appeared between the Chief Justice’s eyebrows. In full view of everyone, he collapsed.

The Archbishop fell to the floor in terror, and guards surrounded Oser on all sides. Lei Cheng and his subordinates quickly went to the source of the gunshot to look for suspicious people.

The people in the hall fled in all directions, and screams were heard one after another. It was extremely difficult to find someone amidst such chaos.

Lola had fallen to her knees in a stress reaction the instant the gunshot sounded. She was shaking all over and sweating profusely, but still used her last bit of strength to hold onto her escaping cameraman.

“…..It’s crucial…..to record this…..”

The tone of the cameraman’s voice changed: “Sister Lola, there’s an active shooter! You may want the news, but I want my life, ah!”

As the two were struggling, a figure leaped over their heads and into the crowd, kicking one person down with precision.

The person was holding a gun, and because of the kick, the trajectory of the second bullet changed and hit the ceiling. The lightbulb that was hit erupted in dazzling sparks.

“Ah—!” Lola reflexively hugged her head and screamed.

The cameraman saw this and said: “You’re obviously scared too, so why are you trying to be a hero?! If you won’t leave, I will!”

He left Lola and the camera behind and fled toward safety.

The unknown person who had appeared scuffled with the gunman, and a silver pocket pistol was knocked to the floor, where it spun like a top.

He was like bait that appeared out of nowhere. People dressed as reporters jumped out from all directions in the conference hall and rushed toward him with a unified goal.

Oser’s guards seemed to have been prepared for this, and quickly stopped them. The battlefield expanded, with people fighting everywhere in the hall.

Lola gritted her teeth and cursed, “Useless.”  She picked up the fallen camera with trembling hands and crawled on all fours toward the center of the battlefield.

Everyone but her was running in the opposite direction. Footsteps trampled around her like a sudden downpour of rain. Lola dodged them while searching for a shooting position with a wide field of view.

She continued to approach, and with her years of experience as a war correspondent, she finally located a hiding place that both provided cover and allowed her to shoot the overall situation from above.

She leaned her back against a chair and held the camera steady with her right hand, bracing it firmly with her left, then squeezed her elbows between her knees to minimize the shaking.

The crosshairs of the camera were fixed unwaveringly on the young man who had jumped out.

Her intuition told her that this person was the star of the show.

The Chief Justice’s assassin had been beaten unconscious by his series of attacks. Then he left that pile of rotten meat in his hands and easily dispatched two random assailants that rushed over.

He had shining silver hair, a slender figure, and strong, vigorous limbs. Unfortunately, Lola’s camera could never capture a clear frontal view of his face.

The red dot representing the active video flashed regularly as Lola recorded this moment without missing a second.

Judging from their skills, the fake reporters were all trained professionals. However, they were up against the combined efforts of Oser’s guards and the military elite.

Very soon, they fell one by one or were suppressed. The battle was nearing its end.

The person in the frame finally turned around, and Lola immediately zoomed in to focus on his face.

When his face appeared clearly in the center of the crosshairs, the focus wasn’t the only thing that magnified – Lola’s pupils did as well.

It happened so quickly. At that moment, a cold glint appeared in the camera.

“Behind you!” Lola blurted out.

Ling Yi turned his head when he heard her. The knife was only centimeters away. The sharp coldness had already reached his throat, slicing through the air—

Bang—!

A third gunshot rang out, and the attacker’s head exploded.

Warm liquid splashed across Ling Yi’s face.

The knife fell to the floor with a clang.

The attacker fell limply in front of Ling Yi.

When Ling Yi turned his head, he saw smoke slowly curling from the barrel of the gun in Oser’s hand.

The dust settled, and everything went silent.

Even though half his face was covered in blood, the face that appeared in the camera was still the face that had appeared most frequently in the media these past few months.

Miraculously, Lola’s hands stopped shaking.

Her voice was remarkably calm.

“You’re…..Ling Yi?” she asked calmly, holding up the camera.

Ling Yi wiped his face with the back of his hand.

The long trail of blood made his face look even more horrifying in the camera, like an evil ghost come to reap souls.

“Ah, it’s me.”

“Hell had no room for me. I came back.”

---

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Chapter 37 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 39

Chapter 62 – Comfort

“Yue-xiong, what did you gain from this trip?” Cultivators gathered near the exit, chatting with their friends around them as they waited in boredom for it to open.

“Enough. I can just barely show my face in front of my master. Zhou-xiong prepared for so long before coming here, so I’m sure he gained a lot from this trip, right?” The friend being addressed tossed the question back.

“Don’t even bring it up. I found a good-looking spiritual plant, but the earthquake struck just when I was about to pick it. It caused a landslide, and the spiritual plant slid right into the sea along with the layer of rock under my feet. Fortunately, I reacted in time and didn’t fall into the trench.” The cultivator surnamed Zhou sighed.

“Speaking of the earthquake, it was so bizarre. In all the years the Floating Island Secret Realm has opened, I’ve never heard of such a terrifying earthquake. It actually split the floating island in two!”

Many other cultivators echoed this statement, gathering around the two cultivators who had brought up the topic to join in: “That’s right! I heard from a Foundation Establishment shixiong in our sect that when he flew into the air, he found that the rift between the two halves was very smooth, as if it had been split by a sharp weapon!”

“Smooth? That must just be hearsay. I happen to have a flying magic weapon, and when I was up in the air, I clearly saw that the fracture was full of cracks that had no regular pattern. It was definitely caused by an earthquake!” Someone retorted.

Displeased at being refuted, the person said back: “My shixiong saw it with his own eyes! The seemingly uneven cracks you saw were actually from a secondary collapse and sliding of the rock layer caused by the continuous shaking after the initial fissure. When the floating island first split in two, it was indeed very smooth.”

The initial naysayer wanted to refute again, but before the words could leave his mouth, he felt that they were somewhat untenable. Because when the floating island split in two, he hadn’t flown into the air, but instead found an open space to wait for the tremors to end. He didn’t actually know whether or not those ragged fractures were from the initial quake or if they happened afterward.

But it would be embarrassing to say nothing, so he found another way to argue: “Then tell me, what kind of weapon could split this huge floating island? What kind of person could have such enormous power?”

The person being questioned was speechless. The power to break mountains and split the seas exceeded the limits of his comprehension. Even the most respected teachers of his sect would be unable to do so.

The topic fell into silence.

Hao Chen, who was listening out of boredom while waiting for a certain person, heard this and couldn’t help but say to himself: “That heartless man does.”

He still couldn’t forget how Feng Ye had attacked his incarnation and turned it back into its original form.

But even as he silently complained, another idea popped into his mind.

Yinglong could have done it.

Hao Chen intermittently waved his mini fan. The situation at the bottom of the sea had been so pressing. When Feng Ye drew his sword and pointed it at him, he had no time to think and could only raise his fan to block it.

Then a lot of other things happened, and he didn’t have time to think about it. Now that he had some free time, he couldn’t help but recall that scene again when the matter was brought up.

The sharp sword he summoned to slice the earth, which illuminated the deep, dark sea, was actually similar to the sword named Fleeting Shadow, the sword Yinglong had wielded to cut down Jianmu as recorded on the jade slip.

Could it be that Feng Ye was Yinglong?

Hao Chen was uncertain. He felt that the swords in the two people’s hands were similar, but they might not be the same sword. He hadn’t gotten a clear glimpse at the sword – only the dazzling light that made up the sword’s edge.

Yinglong’s sword had also been shrouded in light, and its specific appearance was also unable to be seen.

He couldn’t assume that they were the same sword just because they both glowed, right?

Of course, he also couldn’t assume that they weren’t the same.

In terms of strength, although Hao Chen had certainly not given it his all, Feng Ye fought against his incarnation with ease and seemed to have a lot of strength to spare.

If he were Yinglong, such strength wouldn’t come as a surprise.

Breaking mountains and splitting the seas was a piece of cake for the great god known as the God of War.

Yinglong severed Jianmu, and Feng Ye was pursuing Jianmu. Even their goals were shockingly similar.

Everything seemed to fall into place, except for one thing.

Their personalities were completely incompatible.

All of his knowledge of Yinglong came from hearsay, as he had never actually met him.

But in all of the rumors that spread from afar to his North Sea, Yinglong was utterly cold and cruel.

Wherever this great god went, others would retreat – more out of fear than respect.

The heavy, mist-like murderous aura from the Endless Horizon was enough to make anyone who approached him tremble with absolute terror, not even daring to breathe loudly.

This evil qi was able to influence people’s minds. Although he was a god, his personality was not as moderate as most gods, which wasn’t surprising at all. It would only be surprising if he was soft-handed and lenient.

The events of a hundred years ago only confirmed Hao Chen’s impression of him. Yinglong hadn’t hesitated at all when he severed Jianmu, not even sparing the people climbing it a second glance.

The world was engulfed in flames, a scene as tragic as hell, but he maintained his indifference among the clouds.

Hao Chen himself was not a particularly gentle god. He did have some self-awareness. But Yinglong far exceeded his own ruthlessness. At least Hao Chen wouldn’t have killed those mortals who overestimated their abilities and dreamed of reaching the heavens.

But what about Feng Ye? He had been quite cold just now, but the rest of the time, he was incredibly soft-hearted. 

Not only had he allowed this uninvited stranger to get close to him and test him again and again, but he also repeatedly aided his fellow junior disciple whom he had only known for a month.

Would Yinglong do such a thing?

If he told anyone this, he feared they would laugh their head off. How could the God of War, infamous for his cruelty and brutality, risk exposing his identity just because he couldn’t bear to see one mortal die?

So Hao Chen still wasn’t quite convinced that Feng Ye was Yinglong. The more he thought about it, the more reliable this analysis seemed to him.

As for Feng Ye’s true identity, there were so many gods, major and minor. Hao Chen still couldn’t tell which one he was just based on an unclear glimpse of his sword.

But in short, it’s unlikely that he’s Yinglong! Hao Chen thought. Otherwise, he’d just slept with his head on Yinglong’s shoulder all night and ate his tofu openly and in secret. The mere thought made him shudder.

“Why hasn’t Shixiong come back yet?” As Hao Chen was strolling through the small theatre in his mind, Fang Yang turned back for the third time to look in the direction they had come from, anxiously waiting for the person who had promised to catch up with them.

The three of them hadn’t been moving fast to begin with. Even if he just walked, Useless Shixong should have been here already after such a long time. As more and more people gathered and the time until the exit opened dwindled, not even Feng Ye’s shadow could be seen. 

“Perhaps he was delayed by something. Let’s wait a little longer,” Cao Zirui consoled him.

Hao Chen listened to their conversation without comment.

What could possibly hold Feng Ye back? He had already killed that person, so he was probably trying to dispose of the body now.

Disposing of a corpse is indeed a physical job that takes some time, Hao Chen thought very considerately.

Sure enough, the three of them waited for a while, and about half an incense stick of time before the exit was to open, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.

Fang Yang noticed him in an instant. His eyes lit up and he stood in place, waving to him in greeting.

However, he didn’t receive the expected response. Feng Ye didn’t give him a smile or a wave as he usually would have.

He just looked up at Fang Yang, walking toward their position without saying a word. 

Hao Chen rested his chin on his mini fan, keenly sensing that something was wrong.

“Shixiong, you’re finally back! I was worried you would miss us!” Fang Yang watched as Feng Ye returned to their sides, letting go of his worries. 

Feng Ye’s lips rose in response.

It was a fleeting, perfunctory smile.

The simple Fang Yang didn’t notice anything. Seeing that his Useless Shixiong was safe and sound, he pulled Cao Zirui aside to discuss topics exclusive to young people.

Hao Chen remained in place. He said to Feng Ye, who seemed unwilling to pay attention to him: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye’s smile just now was a little unsightly.”

Naturally, a forced smile would always look ugly.

Feng Ye raised his eyes to give him a somewhat irritable look. He still didn’t say anything.

Both his eyes and his actions revealed that he was currently in a bad mood, and that it would be best if no one bothered him.

But Hao Chen shamelessly insisted on speaking to him, and the topic took an unexpected turn: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, judging by your expression, you seem to have wronged me.”

Feng Ye: “…..”

He was suddenly thrust out of his depressed mood and into one of speechless incredulity.

What had he done to offend Hao Chen?

No, the question should be: “Why should I care about wronging you?” Feng Ye asked rudely.

When he heard this, Hao Chen pressed his mini fan against his chest with an exaggerated expression of disbelief: “You did it but you don’t want to admit it?”

Feng Ye: “? ? ?” What did he do?!

Hao Chen patiently prompted him: “Under the sea.”

What about under the sea? Was this about their fight?

Hao Chen went on: “You caught me.”

That was indeed what he had said. What did this have to do with denying his guilt?

Hao Chen directly pointed out: “Since you caught me, shouldn’t you take responsibility for me?”

Feng Ye: “……”

After a stunned silence, Feng Ye realized that Hao Chen was referring to when he caught the fish with his giant claws made of water. Why should he be held responsible for catching a fish?

But according to Hao Chen’s words, the situation was completely different. He argued: “Didn’t Fellow Daoist Feng Ye touch me directly with his hand?”

His control of water could just barely be considered a physical touch. Thus, Feng Ye nodded.

“And wasn’t I naked?” Hao Chen asked again.

Feng Ye: “……” He realized something was wrong, but had no way to refute him.

Hao Chen directly concluded: “You and I have experienced physical intimacy. I’m not a frivolous person. If Fellow Daoist Feng Ye doesn’t take responsibility for me, I will have no choice but to hang myself from a tree branch.”

Feng Ye: “……” He stared in amazement at Hao Chen, this person who claimed he wasn’t frivolous but was actually the most frivolous person he had ever met.

How could the Lord of the North Sea, who was said to be dominating and tyrannical, be this kind of person? Hao Chen had lived for so long – had age given him nothing but increasingly thick skin?

He couldn’t help but retort: “Has Fellow Daoist Hao Chen considered if he’ll be able to find a tree branch thick enough to hang himself from?”

“This…..” This question truly stumped Hao Chen. His expression turned to one of frustration as he was unable to argue.

Feng Ye couldn’t help but smile, and it was no longer a forced or perfunctory one.

Seeing this, Hao Chen smiled as well.

Their eyes met, and it couldn’t be clearer.

“Thank you,” Feng Ye said softly.

Hao Chen waved his fan and said: “Saying thank you puts too much distance between us. I think it would be better if you pledge your heart to me.”

Feng Ye laughed out loud. Although Hao Chen’s method of comforting someone was rather unconventional, it was unexpectedly effective.

He was no longer immersed in the depression he fell into after dispersing the souls that had perished unjustly.

He’d had no other choice.

No matter how unwilling these vengeful spirits were, no matter how they wailed, there was no escaping one fact.

They were dead.

They should have dissipated together with their bodies a hundred years ago, but were captured by someone with ulterior motives and forced to be used as materials to suppress heavenly fire.

Their resentment grew stronger over that century, and their shared hatred of a common enemy  made them indistinguishable from one another, creating a strange, eerie monster.

It had no hands or feet – just thousands of twisted, hideous faces.

If someone else had been enveloped by such a monster, they likely would have fainted on the spot.

Even though they were innocent, there was no other way to deal with such resentful souls but to disperse them and set them free.

He absolutely couldn’t have let them go. They hadn’t attacked him, but simply wailed inside his mind – not because they didn’t want to, but because they knew they couldn’t defeat Feng Ye.

Were they to encounter someone weaker, these souls would tear the living person to pieces without sparing a single shred of flesh or blood.

Feng Ye couldn’t allow them to leave, and the inferno was growing increasingly fierce. If this stalemate dragged out any longer, these resentful souls would perish in the same heavenly fire that had taken their lives a hundred years ago.

But before that could happen, Feng Ye chose to take it into his own hands. Rather than let them suffer the pain of being burned by heavenly fire once more, it would be better for Feng Ye to do it.

But Feng Ye didn’t have an easy time of it. He still felt that….it was too cruel….

That was why he was in such a low mood. He hadn’t expected Hao Chen to notice and come up with such a method to comfort him.

He didn’t know whether to say it was ridiculous or ingenious…..

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Chapter 61 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 63