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.

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

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.

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

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.

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

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.”

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

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…..

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 61 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 63

Neither the melodious music nor the dancers’ steps faltered, but the three people at their tables fell into an abrupt silence.

Chu Jiubian released Qin Xiao’s wrist and said: “The porridge tastes better.”

Qin Xiao lowered his eyes to study the dishes on the table. Then he put down his chopsticks and tasted a mouthful of the salty porridge. “It really is good.”

The atmosphere relaxed once more.

Xiao Yao’s gaze swept back and forth between them, then focused on the five dishes on his table.

He had already finished all of the soup, and had sampled the other dishes, but the porridge was the only one he felt tasted rather ordinary.

He poured himself a cup of wine, then raised it toward the two people opposite him with a smile: “I would like to offer a toast to you gentlemen.”

Having said this, he downed the cup of wine.

Qin Xiao glanced at Chu Jiubian out of the corner of his eye. When the other didn’t stop him, he poured himself half a cup and drank it in one gulp as if to give Xiao Yao face.

Xiao Yao wasn’t bothered that Chu Jiubian didn’t drink.

It was understandable for an immortal to be picky, and to disdain earthly wine.

He asked with his customary warm smile: “What do you two think of what I just said?”

If such a highly profitable business were to fall solely into the hands of the Xiao family, they would undoubtedly become a target of attack by other forces.

Whether in business or trade routes, they would inevitably encounter obstacles.

But compared to the enormous potential profits, these hardships and obstacles were insignificant.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao had discussed this matter previously, and Qin Xiao spoke up at this time: “His Majesty has already given his answer: the Xiao family must have a stake in this salt trade.”

This was Jiannan-wang’s reward, so it must be different from what was offered to others.

But Qin Xiao changed his tone, saying: “But the Imperial Court can only offer the Xiao family one-third. Any more would be inappropriate. Everyone should at least get a taste of the meat.”

No matter how many merchant caravans the Xiao family had or how extensive their trade routes were, they still couldn’t hold a candle to the Qiu family.

Moreover, these four great families originated from Langya, Lin’an, Wuwei, and Yanmen respectively, which were all distributed around the southeastern region of Great Ning.

Each of the four directions in the northeast also had their own market ranges.

Only by distributing the goods to everyone could the fine salt business quickly spread throughout the country and rake in money.

This was Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao’s primary objective at this moment in time.

They naturally weren’t in such urgent need of money that they would entrust the business to any one force in particular, especially the Xiao family.

The Xiao family already held great power. If they were allowed to grow even stronger, the current balance of power in Great Ning would be destroyed.

Xiao Yao opened his folding fan and waved it lightly.

One-third?

He understood their mindset, and supposed that one of the thirds had already been secured by the Qiu family, since their caravans sold goods outside the territory and could generate greater profits.

The remaining two-thirds would be divided among the other three families.

The fact that one of these portions was being directly handed over to the Xiao family was in consideration of Jiannan-wang’s merits from building the dams.

Xiao Yao did not undervalue the significance of this portion. With the preciousness of fine salt, this extra slice was enough for them to earn significantly more than the Wang and Lu families.

But by doing so, he would lose out on some money by giving thirty percent of the profits from the mandala trade to the Imperial Court.

“Then how will this profit sharing be calculated?” Xiao Yao decided to probe the court’s intentions first.

Qin Xiao stroked his thumb ring. After a moment of silence, he said: “We’ll forgo the share of mandala. But we’ll increase our share of the fine salt profits to fifty percent.”

He didn’t know what mandala was, but since Chu Jiubian had stopped him from eating it earlier, there must be something wrong with it.

If that was the case, then he wouldn’t touch the stuff, and would focus solely on the fine salt.

When he heard this, Xiao Yao subconsciously glanced at Chu Jiubian and noticed a faint smile on the other’s lips.

“What are the Xiao family’s intentions?” Qin Xiao asked, drawing his attention back.

Xiao Yao hesitated slightly: “We intend to sell this fine salt in the south. The losses incurred by the caravans on the way, the manpower and resources, and expenses for the associated arrangements upon arrival in the south are all considerable. If profits are split fifty-fifty, it will be difficult to carry out this business.”

Qin Xiao smiled and leaned back in his chair, his posture lazy yet elegant.

“The Ministry of Revenue will issue your salt permit. The Xiao family will be working on behalf of the Imperial Court, so no one will dare make things difficult for you.”

The subtext here was that the Xiao family’s sale of fine salt didn’t count as smuggling “private salt.” They could do it openly and honestly.

Even if the Imperial Court wanted to use this as leverage against the Xiao family in the future, it would have no way to do so.

It also contained a hidden threat: the court is giving you half its money openly and honestly, so you should be content with “embezzling by Imperial Decree.”

A faint light flashed in Xiao Yao’s eyes.

This condition was difficult to refuse.

He raised his cup and said with a smile: “Serving the Imperial Court is an honor for the Xiao family. It doesn’t matter if we lose a little bit of profit.”

There was only profit to be made in the salt business. How could there be any loss?

Xiao Yao was just pretending to be well-behaved after getting what he wanted.

But Qin Xiao still gave him face, saying: “The Imperial Court will certainly remember the Xiao family’s dedication to the country and its people.”

The deal was basically settled. As for the details, such as how much the Xiao family should pay up front and how many months’ share of profits should be submitted, there were dedicated personnel for verifying and signing the contract.

Since it was Imperial Court business, Qin Xiao would let the Ministry of Revenue handle it.

Although Minister of Revenue Su Sheng appeared to be a loyal subject, he also had his own family behind him, even if they were not as wealthy and powerful as the four great families.

In possession of his own power bloc, Su Sheng would definitely seek benefits for himself and his family, and would inevitably try to make some money from the salt trade.

But the National Treasury was depleted, and Qin Xiao currently didn’t want anyone else to earn a single penny, so he would still have to send his own people to the Ministry of Revenue to supervise the sale of fine salt.

Alternatively, a new bureau could be established to oversee the operation of various government departments, which would be directly managed by the Emperor.

Qin Chaoyang was still in the south and had yet to return, so the people he could currently use were…..

Qin Xiao mentally went through his options and quickly located the most suitable one.

Qin Xiao knew better than anyone how talented Hong Fu was, as he had been personally taught by his grandfather.

It would be a waste of his talents to keep him limited to the palace. He should be tasked with the matter of salt administration.

Of course, there was another reason: Hong Fu had been in the palace for a long time. Kind and gentle, he had taught many eunuchs, including Xiao Xiangzi, how to read and think critically in his spare time. As a result, many people were grateful to him for his kindness.

If Hong Fu were able to fully utilize his abilities, he would certainly have no shortage of people to serve him. He was much more suitable than a “commander without troops” like Qin Xiao.

However, from the previous dynasty to the present one, there had been no precedent for eunuchs participating in politics, so this matter required more consideration before it could be carried out.

The meal was quite enjoyable for both the host and his guests. After about half an hour, Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao took their leave and departed the pleasure boat.

Xiao Yao personally escorted the two to the shore, and only after the two figures had gone quite a distance away did he turn to go back upstairs.

The dancers and musicians had all been dismissed, and the second floor was now empty but for the three tables and the food that had gone cold.

His low table was positioned slightly higher than the dance floor, and as Xiao Yao drew near, a servant immediately laid out cushions and positioned the table for him.

He sat down on the cushions and leaned against the low table.

“How did Qin Xiao get in?” he asked mildly.

The servant who had been standing with his head bowed immediately knelt down and said in a wavering voice: “Answering Master, our men attempted to stop him but were unable to.”

That was Lord Ning-wang, alright. They really couldn’t beat him in a straight contest.

And even if they won, they wouldn’t have been able to use their full strength to stop him.

Xiao Yao knew that they had acted based on their understanding of his intentions, which was why they didn’t dare use lethal force.

Fine, why make things difficult for these fools?

He raised his hand slightly, and another servant immediately presented him with a bronze wine vessel.

Xiao Yao accepted the drink and took a small sip, then asked: “Was there no mandala added to the porridge?”

The attendant, who had just relaxed somewhat, immediately tensed up again and said: “Answering Master, the cooks felt that adding it to the porridge would ruin the taste, so they left it out.”

Xiao Yao rubbed the etchings on the wine cup, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

After a long pause, he finally said: “Bring me a few people.”

The attendant withdrew at once, and shortly afterward, he brought over seven dancers.

The dancers were all slender and graceful, each with stunningly beautiful features, but none of them could compare to a daughter of the Xiao family.

Xiao Yao found them boring, so he summoned a servant and whispered a few instructions in his ear.

The servant left again, and when he returned, he was followed by several more attendants. Each of them held a tray laden with a bowl of steaming porridge.

“This is a gift from the family head. Eat it,” the servant said to the dancers.

The dancers harbored no suspicions, as they were often rewarded by noblemen. Thanking him in soft voices, they drank all of the porridge.

The servants carrying the trays withdrew, leaving only the seven dancers, Xiao Yao, and a few attendants in the large hall.

Xiao Yao ran his eyes over each of them from right to left.

The dancers all seemed normal until the sixth one, whose face turned deathly pale as she broke into a cold sweat. Her whole body shivered uncontrollably, the effect worsening. 

Thump. Something heavy fell to the floor.

Xiao Yao shifted his gaze to the seventh dancer standing on the far left. She was lying on her back in convulsions, a large amount of white foam bubbling from her mouth.

“Ahh—” 

One of the dancers screamed, and the sixth dancer who was still holding on suddenly fell to her knees.

She clutched her chest in pain, her cheeks turning purple from suffocation.

Her face contorted as she tried to call for help, but she was unable to utter a single word.

Very soon, the fourth and fifth dancers showed signs of being affected, both shivering and falling to their knees in a cold sweat.

The third dancer was so frightened that her legs went weak and she also fell to her knees, scooting away instinctively.

Suddenly, the second dancer fell to the floor as well, clutching her head and groaning in pain. On the contrary, the first dancer was laughing, and did so with increasing wildness.

The third dancer stared in horror at the sight before her, and suddenly felt dizzy. She felt as if she had become incredibly light, and everything in front of her began to spin and turn upside down.

She began to laugh wildly, and staggered to her feet to begin an unsteady dance.

But not long after, she collapsed and began to vomit. Even after she had nothing left, she continued to heave as if trying to expel her internal organs.

Xiao Yao coldly observed this absurd scene. The veins on the back of his hands bulged as he clenched his wine cup, and blood trickled down as a delicate relief carving pierced his palm.

The servants attending him were ashen-faced, and as they watched the dancers, their own bodies began to tremble uncontrollably.

How could this be?

They had only eaten porridge containing mandala. How could this happen……

The more of the substance that was added, the stronger the dancers’ reactions seemed to be. The seventh dancer was already dead, and the sixth dancer’s eyes had become unfocused as she mechanically expelled white foam.

Xiao Yao rose unhurriedly from his seat and casually tossed his wine cup aside: “Bring the antidote.”

The servants all obeyed.

*

*

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao walked side by side, gradually moving away from the lakeshore.

But with people coming and going on the street, it was really not a suitable place to talk, so the two of them maintained a tacit silence and continued on their way to Splendid Plaza.

Splendid Plaza was more lively than usual tonight, and the shops were closing later.

The doors of the Hundred Treasure House were wide open at present, with a multitude of people coming and going.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao were truly too eye-catching, and many people had been observing them throughout their trek intentionally or otherwise. Upon their arrival at the entrance of the Hundred Treasure House, Qin Su spotted them and immediately trotted over to greet them.

“My Lord, Young Master.” Qin Su had never met Chu Jiubian before, but the only one who could accompany Qin Xiao like this and had such an unusual hairstyle was Jiu-gongzi, who was undergoing a love tribulation involving His Lordship.

When An Wuji occasionally patrolled the streets, he would stop at the Hundred Treasure House to ask for tea and food, chat with Qin Su for a while, and then resume his patrol.

Qin Su had learned about the matter between the two parties from him. The story went that the young master had descended to the mortal realm for the sake of His Lordship, wrote love poems for him, yearned for him every night, and was exceptionally kind to His Majesty.

In short, over the course of a month, not only Qin Su, but all of the Qin family members and even some well-informed commoners had heard about these two.

Seeing the two of them come in together, Qin Su couldn’t hide his excitement, and took several careful glances at Chu Jiubian.

He thought to himself, this young master and His Lordship are indeed a perfect match.

He led them both upstairs, saying enthusiastically: “Is My Lord planning to help the Young Master pick out some things? We’ve acquired some interesting little trinkets recently.”

“Later,” Qin Xiao said without stopping. “We will go to a private room first. There is something we need to discuss.”

When he heard this, Qin Su knew that something of importance was going on. He quickly composed his expression and led them to a room at the very back of the second floor.

This room should be a reception room or something similar. There was a table, chairs, and bookshelves, and everything was simple and clean.

Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian sat themselves on chairs side by side, with a tea table between them.

Qin Su ordered someone to guard the room, then quickly locked the door and busied himself with preparing tea for the two of them.

“No need,” said Qin Xiao. “Let’s talk business first.”

“Yes.” Qin Su went to the chair opposite them and sat down, but he didn’t dare sit firmly in his seat, and looked somewhat reserved.

However, much of his restraint stemmed from Chu Jiubian’s presence. He feared leaving a bad impression on the other party, which would affect the image of His Lordship in the young master’s eyes.

“Do you know what mandala is?” Qin Xiao got straight to the point.

“I do.” Qin Su nodded. Without waiting for Qin Xiao to inquire further, he told him everything he knew: “It is a strange spice from the far southeast, and was first brought to the Western Regions through caravans in its border kingdoms before spreading to Gansu.”

“Then a Gansu merchant caravan owned by surnamed Gu brought it to the Central Plains region. It was only about half a month ago that the news reached the capital.”

This stuff had been around for half a month?

Chu Jiubian frowned: “Has it been sold elsewhere?”

Qin Su hurriedly replied: “Young Master, this mandala is very expensive. Ten taels of it is worth one ingot of gold. Few people in Gansu could afford it, so since the Gu family caravan happened to be coming to the capital, they bought some and brought it with them without selling it along the way.”

Relief swept over Chu Jiubian.

It was good that it hadn’t spread to other places. There was still time.

Qin Su continued: “Boss Gu previously said that if it didn’t sell well in the capital, they could only head to the prosperous Jiangnan region. However, people in the capital were very interested and he sold all of his goods.”

“How much was sold?” Chu Jiubian asked.

Qin Su noticed his slight frown and knew that there must be something wrong with the mandala. A little unsettled, he was quick to say: “Not much was sold, only about one stone.”

Old Boss Gu hadn’t known whether the mandala would be profitable when he brought it back from the Western Regions, so he had only brought a small amount to test the waters.

“I bought a few taels from him yesterday, and it’s just sitting in the warehouse. I haven’t had time to try it out yet,” Qin Su said.

Chu Jiubian calculated that one stone in the Great Ning Dynasty was equivalent to about 120 kilograms.

For a traveling caravan, this amount may only represent the weight of one or two bags of goods, but since this was a drug, its quantity was quite large.

“Do you know who the goods were sold to?” Chu Jiubian asked.

“Most of it was sold to the Xiao family,” Qin Su said. “Old Boss Gu mainly deals in spices and fragrances. Since there are many women in the Xiao family, he has a regular business relationship with them. However, judging from what Old Boss Gu said, it seems he will no longer be in the mandala business and will hand it over to the Xiao family.”

For a medium-sized caravan that regularly traveled to the capital for business, there were various concerns related to safety on the road, and one ingot of gold for ten taels of spice was really not worthwhile.

Of course, the most important aspect was that the Xiao family had their eye on the business, so there was no chance for anyone else to have it.

Old Boss Gu was a shrewd man. After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to do the Xiao family a favor, and handed over the identities and contact information of the wealthy merchants in the Western Regions to the Xiao family’s purchasing manager.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on things, and managed to identify those wealthy merchants. In order to seize this business opportunity in advance, I sent people to the Western Regions yesterday,” said Qin Su.

He had originally intended to make more money through this venture and help replenish the National Treasury, which was why he’d gone to such trouble to inquire about it.

In retrospect, it seemed that he had indeed accomplished something valuable.

He just didn’t know what was wrong with the mandala. 

Qin Su wanted to ask, but hesitated due to his status.

Chu Jiubian, on the other hand, felt completely relieved.

It seemed that the substance hadn’t spread widely yet, and it wasn’t too late to stop it.

It was just that they didn’t know who the Xiao family sold the remaining goods to. Perhaps they simply kept it for themselves.

Chu Jiubian recalled Xiao Yao’s appearance earlier and knew that he had grown addicted.

And with Xiao Yao’s intelligence, he must have realized long before that there was something wrong with the mandala, but since he had just started using it and hadn’t suffered any negative effects as of yet, he wasn’t very concerned.

Of course, drug addiction affected the human brain, and Xiao Yao’s unthinking consumption of the drug might be due to his altered cognitive function.

If that was the case, then this “fine and upstanding” man was destined to be ruined by the stuff.

But Chu Jiubian wouldn’t mind this at all.

The Xiao family toyed with and schemed against people’s hearts, regarding human life as worthless.

Being such a liability, their own lives weren’t necessarily much more valuable.

“Send people to investigate and see who has been exposed to the mandala,” Qin Xiao said.

Qin Su agreed and immediately went to make the arrangements.

When only the two of them remained in the room, Qin Xiao sent Chu Jiubian a look.

Before he could inquire, Chu Jiubian said: “This substance is addictive. Once consumed, it creates an insatiable craving, and not taking it feels like a thousand ants gnawing at one’s heart.”

The look in Qin Xiao’s eyes chilled slightly.

It seemed that it was precisely this characteristic that caused people to enjoy it, and also made Xiao Yao feel that it could be compared with the value of fine salt.

“An overdose of the substance can cause instant death,” Chu Jiubian said in a heavy voice. “Even if only a little bit is consumed each time, it will gradually damage the body, and within a few years, a person may be rendered completely useless.”

Qin Xiao’s expression turned grave.

He had never possessed the power to deal with the minor kingdoms in the Western Regions, but now that they were spreading such a thing to Great Ning, was it that they were truly ignorant of the possible harm or that they were knowingly committing the offense?

Chu Jiubian looked at him and said: “All of this substance must be confiscated.”

The drug was addictive. The more people who came in contact with it, the greater the demand would become.

Due to its rarity, it was only in the hands of high-ranking officials and nobility at present, all of whom possessed considerable influence and resources.

Even if the government issued a crackdown, they would still find ways to obtain some.

In Chu Jiubian’s era, such drugs were universally abhorred, but they were impossible to eliminate entirely due to the existing market demand. 

Now that Chu Jiubian held power in his hands, the people of Great Ning must not be allowed access to this substance. The most ruthless means must be utilized to strictly control and suppress it.

Qin Xiao stood up and said: “Let’s return to the palace.”

That very night, guards carrying an Imperial Decree went to the residences of various powerful figures in the capital to confiscate their mandala.

This naturally included the four great families.

Wang Qichen had just returned from a pleasure boat, and hadn’t yet entered the manor when he glimpsed two squads of Imperial Guards standing outside the main courtyard.

He raised an eyebrow and, showing no hint of worry or surprise, walked with great interest to the manor gates.

The Imperial Guards simply pretended they didn’t notice him.

Wang Qichen took the initiative to strike up a conversation, but when none of them paid him any heed, he went inside and walked until he reached a magnificent courtyard.

Several Imperial Guards were standing at the courtyard gate, while their commander, An Wuji, spoke with Wang Huanzhi inside.

Wang Huanzhi remained expressionless, maintaining his aloof and superior demeanor.

An Wuji was carrying a cloth bag the size of a human head. After saying something to Wang Huanzhi, he turned and walked out of the courtyard.

He didn’t stop when he passed Wang Qichen, simply proceeding onward.

Wang Qichen watched his departing figure until he was far away, then turned his gaze back and peered into the courtyard.

Inside, his half-brother Wang Wenfu was being berated by Wang Huanzhi.

His dear aunt Yuan Yu, who was now the madam of the family, was shielding Wang Wenfu and tearfully pleading with Wang Huanzhi.

Wang Wenfu was very much unresigned, and raised his voice: “Father, don’t listen to their nonsense. Mandala is just a delicious spice, how could it be poisonous? I’ve been eating it for so many days, and I haven’t died from it, ah.”

“Do you even know who issued this decree?!” Wang Huanzhi roared, furious at his son’s lack of self-awareness. “It bears His Majesty’s seal, yet you’re still hiding that stuff and refusing to hand it over. Do you intend to disobey an Imperial Decree?!”

“My Lord!” Yuan Yu exclaimed, interrupting him.

Wang Huanzhi’s anger had caused him to speak recklessly, and now he could say nothing further. All he could do was glare at his son and turn to leave the courtyard.

Wang Qichen didn’t try to avoid him, and they met face to face outside the courtyard gate.

“Where have you been gallivanting off to again?” Wang Huanzhi regarded him with a frown. “Can’t you learn from your second brother? You are a grown man, and should act with more maturity and composure!”

Wang Qichen leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and said with a smile: “Father, what are you saying? Wang Wenfu and Wang Wenyao were born from the same mother, yet they’re worlds apart. A son like me born to the first wife cannot be compared to my outstanding second brother, who was born to a concubine.”

Wang Huanzhi knew that he couldn’t control his rebellious son, but in the end, he didn’t intend to let him amount to anything.

His second son Wang Wenyao was proficient in both civil and martial pursuits, and was chosen by the Wang family to be the next family head. As for the current Young Master Wang Qichen, he would naturally be forced to make way for him in the future.

Wang Huanzhi scoffed coldly and left with a flick of his sleeves.

Inside the courtyard, now that his father had left, Wang Wenfu raised his voice even more: “I think Ning-wang wants to monopolize the mandala business. That’s why he said it’s poisonous – he just wants to snatch it from me. Despicable! Shameless!”

“Be quiet!” Yuan Yu was also quite angry, but she couldn’t bear to scold her son, and could only pat him on the shoulder.

The maids coaxed and persuaded Wang Wenfu to return to his room, and the young man’s cursing eventually subsided.

A gentle breeze blew through the courtyard, causing Wang Qichen’s hair to sway slightly.

He lowered his eyes and looked at a small pebble near his feet.

Wang Wenfu had always been a bit willful, but he wasn’t too much of an idiot; he knew that some things could be said and some things could not.

Wang Wenfu would never have slandered and insulted Ning-wang like this before.

Today, he seemed a little overly agitated. 

Mandala…..

Wang Qichen strode out of the manor.

Meanwhile, An Wuji had already led the Imperial Guards to search the homes of the wealthy and powerful, and found nearly thirty catties of mandala powder.

After leaving the Wang family, he recovered an additional forty catties from the Lu, Qiu, and Xiao families.

All of this, he took back to Yangxin Hall.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao sat in the council hall, which was illuminated by a dim yellow light.

Upon entering, An Wuji found the two of them sitting opposite each other amid a slightly strange atmosphere.

But he was slow on the uptake, so even though he noticed it, he didn’t pay it much attention.

He now considered Chu Jiubian to be firmly one of their own, so he simply set the bag of spice on the ground and sat in a chair to begin his report: “I searched everyone on the list provided by Qin Su, but even including the amount that was kept at the Hundred Treasure House, there is less than seven hundred taels in total.”

Seven hundred taels was about seventy catties.

Out of the 120 kilograms of goods, 50 kilograms were still missing.

It was unknown if it had all been consumed, or if people were hiding it.

The investigation warrant in An Wuji’s hands only granted him the authority to freely enter and exit the homes of noble families, but it definitely didn’t allow him to search them thoroughly.

“If they’re hiding it, then we won’t be able to find it,” Chu Jiubian gazed at the bag on the floor, his eyes darkening.

He had already given them a chance. If they failed to take advantage of it and insisted on ruining themselves, they would make their own fates.

“But is this stuff really so formidable?” An Wuji asked curiously.

Chu Jiubian said: “You can give it a try.”

An Wuji immediately shook his head: “Forget it, it’s best to heed the Young Master’s decision. But what do we do next?”

Chu Jiubian looked toward Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao had his legs crossed, his posture somewhat indolent.

He lifted his eyes to meet Chu Jiubian’s gaze, then paused for a moment before saying: “Have someone draw up an Imperial Decree.”

There was no morning court session the next day, as it happened to be a day off.

But even the officials who weren’t on duty received a message from the palace.

His Majesty had issued an Imperial Decree that morning, which stated: [The highly-poisonous mandala, also known as opium poppy, is strictly forbidden from consumption by any citizen of Great Ning. Violators will be executed immediately! This decree must be passed down and remembered by future generations!]

Upon receiving the decree, the Imperial Guards relayed it not only to all of the various levels of government offices, but also ordered their subordinates to shout it door-to-door. They even thoughtfully drew several variations of mandala, from the flower to the powder, and from the fragrance to the reaction after accidental ingestion. It was imperative to inform all of the citizens of its danger, including the potential for death if consumed improperly.

Moreover, it was conveyed to local government offices of all levels by dedicated personnel that if anyone under their jurisdiction were to consume this substance, the local officials would also be punished.

This was the most stringent decree issued by Bai Lihong since his ascension to the throne, and nearly everyone understood how dire it was.

Of course, there were also those who didn’t fear death, or those who simply couldn’t resist the temptation and consumed it at home.

These types were restrained by fear, but there were also those who were not restrained at all and acted contrary to the repeated warnings.

For example, on the eighth day of the seventh month, the very day the Imperial Decree was issued.

In the Free Spirit Parlor, the most bustling brothel in the Western Market, two young men openly consumed mandala by drinking it with wine.

Whether they drank too much or were under the influence of the drug, the two of them became somewhat deranged.

Arm in arm with girls from the brothel, they stumbled out of their private room while spouting nonsense.

“That Qin Xiao, what kind of lousy regent is he? This young master has disliked him for a long time.”

“And he even banned mandala, with death as the penalty for disobedience. Laozi will still eat it!” The young man in blue thumped his chest. “Laozi is Wang Wenfu of the Langya Wang family. Let’s see if Qin Xiao dares to cut me down!”

The other young man burst into laughter: “This young master is Lu Xingwen of the Wuwei Lu family! Let’s see if Qin Xiao dares to cut me down!”

The two of them appeared to be out of their minds. The women in the building were terrified, trembling and pale-faced.

Who was Lord Ning-wang?

The scene of the massacre at Shenwu Gate a month ago was still fresh in their minds. These two were courting death!

Of course, Qin Xiao might not touch them, seeing as they were from powerful families. But unimportant people like them were very likely to become scapegoats and suffer the brunt of his anger.

Other scholars, officials, and members of the military who were drinking and making merry in the establishment were also alarmed, and fled for fear of being implicated.

*

*

The Imperial Palace.

Today was a rare sunny day.

After a meal, Bai Lihong, along with Eunuch Hong and several palace servants, took a stroll through the palace gardens while Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao lagged behind them.

“Eunuch Hong will be quite busy in the coming days,” Chu Jiubian said.

The previous night, Qin Xiao had mentioned to Chu Jiubian that he wanted Hong Fu to handle the salt administration, and even intended to create a dedicated bureau for him.

Chu Jiubian’s first reaction was to reject the idea.

With the bloody knowledge of corrupt eunuchs causing chaos in the government, Chu Jiubian naturally held some preconceived notions.

However, he was in the Great Ning Dynasty now. The previous two dynasties had no precedent for allowing eunuchs to wield power, and there was naturally none of that so-called political chaos.

Even the concept of “disorder caused by Imperial relatives” had been used by civil officials to criticize Qin Xiao after he came to power.

Therefore, with no precedent to follow, Chu Jiubian’s hasty and direct negative answer would be seen as an attempt to sabotage Hong Fu.

Chu Jiubian was well-aware of the position he held in Qin Xiao’s heart. He was just a business partner, unlike Hong Fu, who had known Qin Xiao for a long time and had a relationship with him built on trust.

Moreover, Hong Fu was genuinely loyal to Bai Lihong and was indeed very capable.

It would be a waste of his talents to keep him as Head Eunuch.

Qin Xiao’s mindset was simple: he had no people in his hands, but Hong Fu was very useful and had a great many eunuchs willing to follow him.

And as eunuchs, none of them had offspring, and were less likely to seek benefits for their families. It was also more difficult for them to form cliques for personal gain.

In addition, because their power was granted to them by the emperor, who could take it back at any time, they could only be utterly loyal officials.

But everyone had selfish motives.

No matter what the force or power, once it grew and changed, it would become uncontrollable.

Chu Jiubian was considering these factors and didn’t respond to Qin Xiao’s question for a while, but the man didn’t rush him.

This was exactly why An Wuji felt that the atmosphere between them was strange when he walked in.

However, Chu Jiubian quickly realized that every system would reveal its drawbacks in the later stages.

Therefore, specific problems required specific analysis. Given the current situation in the capital, both he and Qin Xiao were short of manpower – so it wasn’t unreasonable to temporarily allow Hong Fu, the loyal Head Eunuch, to take charge of the salt administration work.

Once more talents passed the Imperial Examinations and the power of those influential officials in court was weakened, they could talk about it again.

Qin Xiao watched Hong Fu’s retreating figure and suddenly said: “He entered the palace for my elder sister’s sake.”

Chu Jiubian froze.

He looked up into the man’s deep eyes, sensing that he had a lot he wanted to say.

But in the end, Qin Xiao only gave a light chuckle: “What I mean to say is that he’s very trustworthy.”

“En.” Chu Jiubian responded, turning away.

He naturally knew that Hong Fu was trustworthy, and that to Qin Xiao, even Xiao Xiangzi was more trustworthy than an outsider like Chu Jiubian.

Qin Xiao gazed at his side profile before restraining himself and looking away.

A gentle breeze slowly swept across the young man’s long, loose hair, the ends of which brushed lightly against the hand resting by his side.

Qin Xiao lowered his eyes, and his fingertips curled briefly.

The two walked in silence side by side, the two palm-widths of space between their shoulders amplifying the subtle sense of estrangement.

It was only when Xiao Xiangzi, who was walking behind, received a note from a guard and quickly caught up with them that the atmosphere between the two seemed to shift.

Qin Xiao opened the note and glanced at it, then smoothly handed it to Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian read the names on the note, one surnamed Wang and one surnamed Lu, and knew what this was about.

The man beside him called over a guard and casually ordered: “Inform An Wuji to arrest the men and execute them at Shenwu Gate before the morning court session tomorrow. If they resist, kill them on the spot.”

The guard accepted the order and left.

Xiao Xiangzi also accepted the note handed to him by Chu Jiubian, and gradually fell behind the two of them. Only when he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Shui Qing and Shui Yun did he take out a tinderbox and burn the note to ashes.

Looking at the backs of her two masters standing side by side, Shui Qing couldn’t help whispering to Shui Yun: “Jiejie, when will the masters embrace each other? I really want to see it.”

Shui Yun’s brow twitched, and she hurriedly shot a look toward Qin Xiao’s receding figure. Seeing no reaction from him, she glared reproachfully at the younger girl and said in a low voice: “Are you out of your mind? His Lordship has excellent hearing!”

Shui Qing pouted, feeling wronged. She really wanted to see it, ah.

Up ahead, Qin Xiao was silent for a while longer before saying at last: “Does the Young Master find this lord cruel?”

“What?” Chu Jiubian stared at him with some surprise.

Only then did Qin Xiao turn his gaze to the other’s face.

Chu Jiubian had to take a moment to process his words, then realized that he was talking about the execution of the two scions of noble families.

A formidable villain who once killed people for three days and three nights in front of Shenwu Gate was now calling himself “cruel?”

“It’s not like I just met you yesterday.” Chu Jiubian chuckled softly, saying in an exceptionally calm tone, “The profits from mandala are enormous; simply issuing a decree won’t be enough to deter those people, and they need to be made an example of. Since these two were so eager to stick their necks out, then just kill them.”

Qin Xiao stared at him in silence for two breaths. Then he said: “That Wang Wenfu is Wang Huanzhi’s biological son.”

This person’s status was not on the same level as that of the direct descendant of the collateral branch of the Lu family.

“Are you afraid?” Chu Jiubian asked.

Qin Xiao laughed: “Afraid of what? I have an immortal protecting me.”

Chu Jiubian: “……”

There it was again. When would this person finally believe him?

*

*

The ninth day of the seventh month.

A light drizzle began early in the morning.

The officials gathered at the gate were unusually silent today, and their seemingly casual gazes often drifted toward Wang Zhiyuan and Lu Youwei at the front.

The outrageous remarks made by members of the Lu and Wang families at Free Spirit Parlor the previous night were known to almost everyone.

The fact that the Imperial Guards arrested the men on the spot had shocked them all.

However, everyone harbored their own judgements. The situation in the capital had not yet descended into chaos, and in fact, Qin Xiao still needed the power of the noble families in order to replenish the National Treasury, so he couldn’t afford to offend them completely.

He had presumably arrested those two people last night in order to make deals with the two families and incidentally take this opportunity to intimidate everyone, warning them not to underestimate Qin Xiao’s ruthless methods.

It seemed there would be quite a spectacle at today’s morning court session.

Although Lu Youwei didn’t care for this good-for-nothing junior in his family, it would be shameful for him not to rescue him from Qin Xiao after the man arrested him like that.

It would have been better if Qin Xiao had just chopped that useless bastard down in a single stroke last night; that way, he wouldn’t have to go to the trouble of saving him.

Wang Zhiyuan shared similar thoughts.

The only difference was that Wang Wenfu was the family head’s eldest son, and given his valuable status, Wang Huanzhi had repeatedly urged him to help save the child.

For this reason, Wang Huanzhi was able to utter the childish sentence: “The Wang family is willing to pay any price.”

The thought of being manipulated by Qin Xiao during the morning court session caused Wang Zhiyuan’s face to darken.

But there was nothing to be done.

The Wang and Lu families hadn’t received offers for the fine salt trade yet, but the Qiu and Xiao families already had theirs.

If they offended Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian over the matter of Wang Wenfu, they would gain far fewer benefits and fall behind the Qiu and Xiao families.

This absolutely could not be borne.

So even if Qin Xiao embarrassed him today, or even killed Wang Wenfu in front of him, he would have to praise the other party for killing him well.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. When he opened them again, his expression had recovered its tranquility.

Xiao Huaiguan had been in much better spirits lately, and his hunched back seemed to have straightened considerably.

He glanced at Wang Zhiyuan’s expression, and the fake smile that always hung on his lips seemed a little more genuine.

Qiu Xuanzheng had just signed an agreement with the Ministry of Revenue and Hong Fu the previous day for the sale of fine salt, and he would receive the first batch of goods later today.

Now that he was in the same camp as Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian, he was happy to see the Lu and Wang families make fools of themselves.

Of course, if these families were to completely break with Qin Xiao in order to protect those two fools, the Qiu family could absorb their shares of the salt trade as well.

Everyone had their own considerations.

At that moment, the palace gates slowly began to open.

Before the six ministers could take a step, they froze in place.

Just a dozen meters inside the palace gate, two disheveled young men were kneeling on the ground, bound hand and foot with coarse cloth stuffed into their mouths.

It was Wang Wenfu and Lu Xingwen, who had made those outrageous remarks yesterday.

Behind them stood two Imperial Guards, both holding longswords.

After confirming that everyone could see the scene in front of them, without giving anyone time to react, the Imperial Guards swung their swords down.

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 37 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 39

Chu Jiubian proceeded all the way to the palace gates.

From afar, a magnificent two-horse carriage could be seen parked outside. Upon closer inspection, one could pick out auspicious cloud patterns on its frame, and a large “Xiao” displayed on the curtain.

Two figures stood silently beside the carriage: a servant and a coachman.

Upon seeing Chu Jiubian, the servant hurried over and bowed in greeting: “Greetings, Lord Chu. This servant is here on the family head’s orders to escort you to the banquet.”

It seemed Xiao Yao wasn’t here.

A mocking glint flashed through Chu Jiubian’s eyes. He gave a curt reply and walked to the carriage.

The coachman lifted the curtain, keeping his eyes down during the process. He dared not offend Chu Jiubian with even a single glance.

The servant extended his hand and invited Chu Jiubian to enter the carriage.

Chu Jiubian got in, and as soon as he entered the cabin, he smelled a light, elegant fragrance.

Looking around, he couldn’t help but admire Xiao Yao’s ability to enjoy life.

The two-horse carriage boasted twice the space of the usual single-horse carriage, and was also larger than the one he and Qin Xiao had ridden together before.

Furthermore, the carriage had seats on three sides, covered with soft, thick cushions. A square table was fixed in the middle, with various-sized indentations on it where an oil lamp, teapot, teacups, and snack plates were placed.

Chu Jiubian sat on a seat to the right. Seeing that the servant was about to come in and serve him, he said: “No need to serve me.”

The servant acquiesced and lowered the curtain.

After receiving Chu Jiubian’s assent, the servant and coachman sat down on either side of the outer carriage and steadily steered the horses toward the Western Market.

The only sound on the quiet street was the clop, clop, clop of the horses’ hooves. The flickering light of the oil lamp cast Chu Jiubian’s swaying shadow against the carriage wall.

Chu Jiubian lifted the curtain to look outside, but when all that met his eyes were the continuous walls of the palace, he lowered it again.

After traveling for some time, he suddenly heard voices.

The light outside gradually brightened, indicating that they had arrived on the main street.

The noise of the crowd grew louder, but rather than slowing down, the carriage maintained a steady pace.

Ordinary people would give way to the carriages of the wealthy and powerful.

For their own convenience, they occupied the resources that ordinary people used to survive, causing them unnecessary trouble. This was typical of the elite.

Chu Jiubian was sitting in the carriage – this symbol of power and wealth – and for the next period of time, would be working with these powerful figures to sell salt.

Although his goal was the Imperial Examinations and the starting point was to have more officials who did practical things for the common people, he had inevitably become a member of the wealthy and powerful elite.

Becoming part of the whole was the safest and most efficient way to cooperate.

For their own benefit, they could be at loggerheads one moment, then shake hands and make peace the next.

This was officialdom.

The carriage reached almost to the center of the main street before turning to enter the Western Market.

Before long, the noise level rose instead of falling, and the light outside the carriage grew even brighter.

Chu Jiubian lifted a corner of the curtain slightly and saw that the route seemed to pass through Splendid Plaza.

Sure enough, not long after, he caught sight of the two-story Hundred Treasure House.

The carriage continued forward until it reached the end of the long street, where it turned again.

The voices nearby were noticeably quieter than before, but the sound of traditional instruments increased. He could hear different songs and instruments every few steps.

This was the shore of Changning Lake, where the sounds of traditional string and wind instruments sounded from the pleasure boats and painted barges on the water.

The carriage gradually slowed down, and Chu Jiubian dropped the curtain.

They were almost there.

Sure enough, after traveling only two or three hundred more meters, the carriage came to a complete stop.

The servant outside announced: “My Lord, we have arrived at the pleasure boat.”

Chu Jiubian acknowledged him, and the servant lifted the curtain, respectfully inviting him down from the carriage.

It would have taken Chu Jiubian forty-five minutes to walk here from the palace.

He looked up at the vast lake in front of him, shimmering with lights. Dozens of exquisitely-decorated pleasure boats floated there leisurely. Through the gauze curtains and drapes, he could faintly glimpse a multitude of graceful dancers, as well as academics and scholars drinking wine, composing poems, and engaging in lively conversation.

Candles were not yet available in the Great Ning Dynasty, and oil lamps were the most commonly-used light source.

Even so, people’s knowledge and ideas could also motivate them to make various attempts in pursuit of “beauty.”

Colorful halos refracted through different objects and gave the flickering light of the oil lamps a dreamlike quality.

Chu Jiubian swept his gaze lightly over everything before him, ultimately settling on a huge pleasure boat right next to the shore.

This pleasure boat was the largest and most luxurious one on the entire lake.

Whether it was the use of mahogany throughout, the flowing brocade and silk decorations, or the various shapes and colors of porcelain and jade, it all displayed the preciousness and extravagance of the painted boat.

And on the shore, at the “pier” closest to the painted boat, stood quite a large group of people.

The vast majority of them were servants, however, other than the tall, elegant man standing at the center.

Dressed in dark blue brocade robes, he gently waved a folding fan. With just a slight smile on his lips, he was able to make everyone around him pale in comparison. 

The Xiao family truly lives up to their reputation as “beauties,” thought Chu Jiubian.

The man he had praised as a beauty noticed him at that moment.

Even in the simplest black and white robes, lacking any ornate decorations, Chu Jiubian’s ethereal and otherworldly nature was undeniable.

His long silver hair was ruffled by the breeze, revealing a breathtaking divine quality under the light and shadows.

Xiao Yao stared for a moment before stepping forward to bow: “Jiu-gongzi.”

Today’s banquet was a private affair, so addressing him as “my lord” would be inappropriate, but calling him “Chu-xiong” would also be strange. Therefore, Xiao Yao proceeded with this form of address. 

Chu Jiubian nodded: “Family Head Xiao.”

When he attended court as an official, his concurrent titles were Grand Tutor and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and he would return such greetings by bowing to his colleagues.

But he wasn’t on duty at this time. He was Chu Jiubian, a “god,” and naturally must continue to maintain his aloof and divine persona.

Chu Jiubian had been just like this the first time they met, so Xiao Yao wasn’t surprised. In fact, he felt that a celestial being should be just like the person in front of him.

“I am truly flattered that the Young Master accepted my invitation.” After the niceties, he gestured for him to proceed and said, “I have prepared some wine. Young Master, please come on board.”

When Chu Jiubian took a step, the other man followed after him.

Once on the pleasure boat, Xiao Yao was worried that Chu Jiubian might lose his balance, and offered perfunctory support. But Chu Jiubian stood firm, giving him no chance to put on a performance.

“This way, Young Master.” Xiao Yao personally led the way, taking Chu Jiubian to the boat’s main hall.

He seemed to be showing deference to Chu Jiubian in every way, going through every possible gesture.

But Chu Jiubian didn’t take it to heart at all.

For a normal person, chartering an entire pleasure boat on a day like the Qixi Festival to cater to one person would be a truly sincere high-level reception.

But for a powerful figure like Xiao Yao, this expense was like a delicacy he could casually enjoy – just a part of his daily life.

If he was truly sincere, he would have gone in person to pick Chu Jiubian up.

As they saying went, have respect for the wise. Even Zhuge Liang had to be visited at the thatched-roof cottage three times,^[1] but Xiao Yao only sent one of his servants to pick him up.

These noble families were so accustomed to their own arrogance and superiority that they didn’t take other people seriously.

So in actuality, Xiao Yao intended to befriend Chu Jiubian but was not inclined to humble himself.

He was unlike Qin Xiao, who could readily lower himself and beg without hesitation, and allow Chu Jiubian to stab him to mollify his anger.

Although a bit radical, his sincerity was obvious.

Compared to Xiao Yao, Chu Jiubian felt that Qin Xiao was pure and unpretentious.

The pleasure boat had two floors, and was somewhat similar to the Qiu family’s Treasure Pavilion, but more beautiful and magnificent.

Xiao Yao had booked this pleasure boat for the day, and all of the singers and dancers were at his beck and call.

They had also prepared an array of fruits, snacks, fine wines, and delicacies.

All of them were ready to take their positions when Xiao Yao gave the order.

As Chu Jiubian and Xiao Yao walked to the second floor, a cool, damp and refreshing breeze blew in.

Chu Jiubian took a casual glance around and found that in the very large space, there were no doors or windows on any of the four sides, only carved pillars and gauze curtains that moved with the wind.

The large area in the middle could have been filled with many tables and chairs, enough to seat hundreds of people. But at this moment, there were only two low tables and cushions facing each other.

The people of the Great Ning Dynasty were accustomed to using tables and chairs, and would sit around a table to eat with a small gathering of friends. However, when a banquet was held, everyone would sit at separate tables.

And according to ancient customs, when people sat at separate tables, they sat directly on the ground. At most, there were a couple of soft cushions, and the low dining tables only reached knee height.

When women sat, they would always keep their knees together in a borderline kneeling position.

And when men sat, they would usually do so cross-legged.

This was the first time since his arrival that Chu Jiubian had seen such a dining layout in Great Ning. But he had acted out such a scene before, so when Xiao Yao invited him to take a seat, he sat down smoothly.

Every move he made was a delight to behold.

The Xiao family loved beautiful people, and Xiao Yao was no exception. 

When Chu Jiubian glanced at him, he smiled slightly and sat down opposite him. The two were about five or six meters apart, neither too far nor too close.

Xiao Yao shot a look to his right, and soft music began to play. Then dozens of women in red and white dresses emerged from behind a screen and danced gracefully to the music.

Chu Jiubian also looked in that direction.

The women were more than ten meters away from them, and because they were seated at a higher elevation than where the women were dancing, they had an excellent view.

“What does the young master think?” Xiao Yao asked with a smile.

Chu Jiubian replied mildly: “Pretty good.”

This was hardly a “pretty good” performance. It seemed that this Jiu-gongzi was used to watching fairies dance, and naturally looked down on the women of the mortal world.

Xiao Yao then stopped trying to impress the unimpressible, saying: “Please try these dishes, Young Master.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a line of maidservants carrying trays filed up the stairs.

Dishes were placed on the table one by one.

Chu Jiubian knew at a glance that these dishes were made with fine salt. It must have come from Bai Lihai.

“Please, Young Master,” Xiao Yao said with a warm smile.

Chu Jiubian stared at him intently, a cryptic smile playing at the corners of his lips.

In his mind, the System was flashing chaotic red lights: [Alert, alert! This System has detected that the food in front of Host is poisoned. Please consume with caution!]

*

*

Nong’an Village, Yunlu County, Hexi Prefecture.

During the Qixi Festival, the young men and women of the village had their own routines. They changed into their most presentable clothing and put on brand-new cloth shoes. The girls did their hair in meticulous braids, and those who were skilled would also style them into beautiful buns, adding eye-catching silk flowers that they wouldn’t normally wear.

They would travel to Yunlu County, the closest county seat to their village, and under the guise of admiring the lanterns, chat with their sweethearts with whom they wouldn’t normally exchange more than a few words.

Dong Sanzhuang walked amongst the vividly-colored crowd, feeling somewhat out of place.

He looked to be no more than eighteen or nineteen years old. His patched-up day clothes were not very clean, and it was even possible to smell sweat mixed with dirt while in close proximity to him.

But he wore an undisguised smile on his face, and would occasionally glance back at his basket.

He was walking in the opposite direction of almost everyone else, his steps light and quick as he headed toward Nong’an Village.

After walking for most of the day, he finally entered the village.

A group of aunties and grandmothers were gathered at the village entrance, chatting idly. When they caught sight of him returning, one of the loudest aunties greeted him with a cheerful smile: “Hey, Sanzhuang’s back from work.”

“Yes, Auntie.” Dong Sanzhuang replied with a smile. He didn’t stop.

“Go back quickly, your wife has been missing you since noon,” an auntie teased.

The crowd immediately burst into laughter.

Dong Sanzhuang blushed and quickened his pace. In no time at all, he disappeared into the night.

“These newlyweds are really enjoying themselves.”

“That’s true. But Sanzhuang’s basket looked heavy – he probably brought back a lot of good stuff.”

“That’s a strong, hardworking man. He just finished repairing one of the dams for the Imperial Court and then rushed back to work in the country. It’s only right and proper for him to use any spare money to buy food and necessities.”

“It’s not just him. His young wife Dan Niang is also capable and hardworking. Now that she’s pregnant again, the young couple’s lives are getting better and better.”

“It’s a good thing they separated from that family early. Otherwise, those two honest kids would definitely have been treated like livestock by that Old Lady Dong.”

“Who can blame them when the first son is a county accountant, the second son married the village head’s daughter, and only the third son is reliable…..”

Dong Sanzhuang was unaware of the gossip circulating in the village.

He rushed back to his small home on the outskirts. It was a small courtyard with two dilapidated mud houses, but everything was kept meticulously clean. Inside, an oil lamp provided dim illumination.

“Wife! I’m back!” he shouted from afar.

Hearing the commotion, the person inside immediately came out to greet him, quickly moving to unlock the gate.

Dong Sanzhuang had already arrived at the door, and as soon as it opened, his eyes fell on a girl in coarse linen clothes.

The girl was eighteen or nineteen years old. Her long, glossy black hair was styled into a woman’s bun, and her features were gentle and shy, aside from a red birthmark the size of a copper coin on her left cheek.

This was Dan Niang.

Village girls married young; half of them had their marriage agreements arranged at eleven or twelve, and then got married at thirteen or fourteen.

Some fathers who doted on their daughters might keep them for a couple more years, but generally, they must marry by fifteen or sixteen. It would be extremely difficult to find a spouse after that age.

Women like Dan Niang, who hadn’t married until she was eighteen, were known as old maids in the surrounding villages.

And the reason she wasn’t married, other than the birthmark on her face, was because she was down-to-earth and capable. Her family didn’t want to lose this free labor, so they never bothered to find her a suitable matchmaker.

It was during the previous year’s Qixi Festival that Dan Niang accompanied her younger sister to the county town on a shopping trip, and that was where she met Dong Sanzhuang.

She and Dong Sanzhuang were basically in the same boat, both of them neglected children, yet also down-to-earth, capable, and guileless. Once they met, their relationship blossomed into true mutual affection.

Thus, after Dong Sanzhuang returned home, he informed his parents of his marriage proposal. When she heard that Dan Niang’s family wasn’t asking for much, out of fear that the villagers would gossip about her, Old Lady Dong reluctantly accepted this daughter-in-law.

Not long after marrying, Dan Niang became pregnant.

But she had no relevant experience, and Old Lady Dong didn’t care about her and continued to make her handle difficult tasks. This caused her pregnancy to go wrong, and it wasn’t until her belly was quite large that she and Dong Sanzhuang realized the problem.

In order to provide a better life for his wife and children, Dong Sanzhuang had gone to the county town to find work and labored tirelessly. He would often send money and food home, hoping that his family would take better care of Dan Niang.

But Old Lady Dong paid no attention to her at all. She spent Dong Sanzhuang’s money while continuing to force his wife to work, which caused the miscarriage of Dan Niang’s first child.

Dong Sanzhuang was still a teenager and hadn’t paid attention to such things before, feeling that it was normal to suffer a few hardships at home.

But with this event, he could no longer bear it, and took the matter to the family head.

For the sake of reputation, the family head agreed to allow them to separate from the family and leave.

When the two youngsters left, they were given nothing but two meager acres of land, along with a courtyard and two dilapidated houses.

But after just one year apart from the family, they were already making a good living.

Dan Niang was now pregnant again, and was almost five months along. This time, the two were taking extra precautions for the baby.

“Wife, slow down a little.” Dong Sanzhuang supported her by the arm the moment he laid eyes on her, then turned to lock the gate before guiding his wife back into the house.

Dan Niang smiled and said: “I’m fine. But why did you come back so late today? You made me worry.”

“It’s my fault. I’ll try to come back earlier next time.” Dong Sanzhuang helped her into the house and sat her on the heated kang bed. Then he said while unloading the basket on his back, “Since today is the Qixi Festival, Boss had a lot more orders to deliver, so I worked a little longer.”

“But Boss Wang didn’t make me work for free; he even gave me an extra ten coins.”

“Don’t overwork yourself,” Dan Niang said in concern. “You just finished the dam repairs a few days ago, and you haven’t recovered yet. Plus, you still have a considerable amount of wages left from His Highness Jiannan-wang, so it won’t hurt for you to rest a few more days.”

“It’s fine, I’m not tired.”

Dong Sanzhuang set the basket on the floor and crouched beside it. He looked up at Dan Niang with a smile: “Wife, guess what I bought today?”

Seeing him in such a state, Dan Niang laughed and asked him: “What is it?”

Dong Sanzhuang reached into the basket and pulled out two small sacks of refined rice flour.

“Aiya, why did you buy all of this?” Dan Niang took the sacks with great surprise and quickly took a look inside.

“Didn’t you say yesterday that you wanted to eat white flour steamed buns? Let’s make them here tomorrow.”

Dan Niang grinned from ear to ear.

“And these too.” Dong Sanzhuang pulled one item after another from his basket as if by magic.

Peanuts, malt sugar, and a piece of pork belly the size of a palm.

Dan Niang was delighted, and didn’t lecture him for spending the money. On the contrary, she was genuinely happy with everything he had brought her.

“Let’s render some oil from this pork belly tomorrow and use it for cooking later. We can chop the remaining meat with some scallions and make a filling – we’ll have meat buns tomorrow night!”

As he watched her talk so excitedly, Dong Sanzhuang’s smile never faded.

He took the last item from the basket, put it behind his back, and sat down next to Dan Niang.

She continued to talk spiritedly for a while, then opened the malt sugar so that they could both have a taste.

Dong Sanzhuang tasted sweetness on his tongue.

Then, Dan Niang wrapped up the malt sugar again to preserve it for later.

“Oh, look at this!” She picked a piece of red linen off the kang and unfolded it. The simple fabric had been made into a small round-necked tunic.

“Is this for our child?” Dong Sanzhuang asked in pleasant surprise. “Wife, your craftsmanship is truly excellent.”

“I saved up more than a dozen eggs to exchange them for this cloth at my second aunt’s house. Our child will definitely love wearing it.”

Dong Sanzhuang said: “Then starting tomorrow, don’t save up any eggs. Eat one every day and take good care of your health.”

“Okay, let’s each have one so we can both get some nourishment.”

Dong Sanzhuang just smiled. Then, he hesitated for a moment before awkwardly pulling something out from behind him: “Wife, this is for you.”

Dan Niang looked over, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

“Is…..is this a pearl flower?”

The day they met at the Qixi Festival, Dong Sanzhuang had used the little money he had to buy a pearl flower, giving it to Dan Niang as a token of their love.

He also promised to buy her one for the Qixi Festival every year. Dan Niang had almost forgotten about it, and hadn’t expected him to remember.

Dong Sanzhuang put the pearl flower in her hair, then gently wiped away her tears and said: “Wife, I will never allow you or our child to suffer again. I will work hard to earn money and build a big brick house for my family, and we’ll be able to eat meat and sweets every day.”

Dan Niang cried and laughed at the same time: “We believe you, both me and the child.”

*

*

Chu Jiubian looked at the five dishes in front of him.

There were two stewed dishes, a bowl of porridge, a bowl of soup, and a bowl of minced meat.

The System had detected that all of the dishes aside from the porridge contained poison.

Many people knew that Xiao Yao had invited him to a banquet today.

And the fact that he had invited him to such a grand event, and even used so much fine salt in so many dishes, suggested that he wished to discuss the salt business with Chu Jiubian.

Therefore, he would never take this opportunity to harm him, and for a long time to come, even without the gun incident, Xiao Yao would have avoided harming him for the sake of the salt trade.

So why poison the food?

Was someone trying to use Xiao Yao’s hand to kill him?

But that wasn’t quite right either.

Xiao Yao wasn’t an idiot, and would have kept the business he intended to discuss with Chu Jiubian secret from those other powerful figures. Therefore, anyone on this pleasure boat today must belong to him.

Outsiders wouldn’t have much of a chance to interfere.

Chu Jiubian picked up the bowl of porridge, scooped out a spoonful, and ate it.

It had a slightly salty taste, and it could be seen that the emergence of fine salt would spur on the development of savory porridge.

If there were preserved eggs in the future, they could have preserved egg and lean pork porridge.

“Not bad,” Chu Jiubian commented, setting the bowl back down on the table.

Xiao Yao had already taken a couple sips of soup. Upon hearing this, he nodded and said: “The soup is even better. I’ve been favoring it lately, and crave it if I miss a day. The Young Master must try it.”

Even those noble families that weren’t related to royalty paid great attention to etiquette and manners.

But Xiao Yao was drinking the soup one spoonful after another, as if he couldn’t get enough.

And once he finished the entire bowl, he let out a long sigh as his eyes momentarily glazed over.

Chu Jiubian’s mind stirred.

He thought: “System, what kind of poison is in the food?”

[Three points.]

“Deal.”

The System immediately replied: [Opium poppy, an addictive toxin, has been added to the dish.]

As expected!

Chu Jiubian’s scalp immediately tingled, and his heart sank.

When had this stuff reached Great Ning?

How long had it been spreading?

How many people had been exposed to it?

“Why isn’t the Young Master eating?” Xiao Yao regarded Chu Jiubian with a slightly dazed expression. “Is it not to your liking?”

Chu Jiubian could tell from the look of him that he had developed somewhat of a dependence on the thing.

With his fingernails digging into his skin, Chu Jiubian said in an exceptionally calm tone: “This dish smells delicious. Aside from the fine salt, something else must have been added as well.”

Xiao Yao smiled and said: “To be honest, Young Master, we also added a spice brought back from the southeast, called mandala.”

“Mandala?”

“That’s right. It is a fine powder with a unique flavor. Adding it to any dish will completely change its taste.” Xiao Yao felt that he was very clear-headed. “Just like your fine salt.”

“What is like fine salt?”

A familiar voice suddenly rang out, and both Chu Jiubian and Xiao Yao looked toward its source.

Out of nowhere, dressed in black, Qin Xiao had appeared in the hall behind Chu Jiubian.

He then sat down right next to Chu Jiubian as if he was in his own home.

Xiao Yao was only astonished for a moment before regaining his smile. He said warmly: “I apologize for not welcoming Lord Ning-wang properly.”

“It’s nothing.” Qin Xiao magnanimously didn’t hold it against him. He then asked: “What were you saying earlier about fine salt? Is it something this lord can hear?”

Xiao Yao glanced at Chu Jiubian. Seeing that he had no response to give, he said: “Of course.”

Then he ordered that another table and set of dishes be brought out.

Looking at these dishes, Qin Xiao could tell that they had been made using fine salt. There were none of the impurities left behind by cooking with coarse salt.

“Neither My Lord nor the Young Master are outsiders, so I won’t hold back,” Xiao Yao said. “My Xiao family possesses mandala, and the two of you manage the fine salt trade. My Xiao family is willing to give thirty percent of the profits from both the mandala and fine salt to the Imperial Court – on the condition that the fine salt trade be limited to only my Xiao family.”

He was quite arrogant, wasn’t he?

However…..

“What is mandala?” Qin Xiao asked.

Xiao Yao said with a smile: “My Lord will know after he tastes these dishes.”

Qin Xiao softly rubbed his ring, then grabbed his chopsticks. Just as he was about to pick up some minced meat, his wrist was grasped tightly.

Startled, he turned to stare at Chu Jiubian.

---

[1] In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei had to humbly visit the strategist Zhuge Liang at his cottage three times in order to recruit him. ⮐

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 36 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 38

You Lin continued to speak, not giving Ling Yi a chance to deny it.

“I carefully inspected the scene, and the fire was caused by a short circuit in the electrical wiring. There were clear signs of human intervention at the fire’s ignition point.”

“At first, I thought it was a traitor in the court who wanted to destroy the evidence by any means necessary, but looking back, all of the court staff were under supervision at the time, and they wouldn’t have had the opportunity. In the entire building, aside from His Highness Oser, Captain Tang De, and the guards carrying documents, the only person with the ability to move freely was you.”

Ling Yi lowered his eyes, accepting his interrogation with a strange docility.

“Since you’ve figured it out, why did you come to confront me instead of reporting it to His Highness Oser?”

You Lin’s expression was cold: “When you saw His Highness rush into the fire, you were more anxious than anyone else. Your concern must have touched His Highness. I don’t object to you being together. As a subordinate, I also want to do my best to maintain my boss’s emotional relationship and not cause any cracks to form.”

“Now that you are His Highness’s partner, please be loyal to him. If he knew that your anxiousness was out of guilt rather than worry, how do you think he’ll feel?”

When Ling Yi finally raised his eyes, they were full of confusion.

“Where’s the person who broke into my room at night to force me to leave His Highness? What made you change your mind so drastically in such a short time?”

“Back then, I had just heard that His Highness had used his power of pardon, and in the heat of the moment, I forgot about the pardon’s supplementary clauses.”

“What do you mean? What supplementary clauses?” Ling Yi asked.

“Article 4 of the supplementary clauses in the power of pardon states that if the death sentence of the pardoned is invalidated within thirty days of exercising the power of pardon, the pardon will become invalid.”

Ling Yi was stunned.

His expression said it all.

“It seems you were indeed unaware. His Highness is working hard to overturn your case not only to clear your name, but also because he shoulders a more important mission, which is to eradicate evil and govern the country to ensure the safety of the common people.”

“You don’t actually believe that His Highness would abandon the country and his people for an Omega, do you? The wise leader I follow is certainly not a mediocre person who indulges in selfish desires. His Highness is not just your person – he’s the future emperor.”

Ling Yi was still reeling from shock over the invalidation of the pardon. You Lin’s voice was like stones flying from all directions, hitting the bronze bells surrounding him and making his ears buzz. He was unable to hear every word clearly.

The words “Invalidated death sentence” and “the pardon becomes invalid” revolved around him like a tangible spell. The scene of Oser rushing into the fire was still vivid in his mind, and his sigh of regret still lingered in his ears.

— It’s a pity that the evidence couldn’t be salvaged.

The naked truth woke Ling Yi from his guilt. He left You Lin, who was still speaking, and rushed out of the room.

“Where are you going?” You Lin shouted behind him.

Tang De was startled when Ling Yi swept by him in a gust of wind.

“Your Highness Ling Yi, can I help you?”

The room was a temporary office converted from a ward. Ling Yi saw the whole area at a glance, but the person he was looking for wasn’t there. 

“Where is His Highness Oser?” he asked in a temper.

Tang De had a hunch that something was wrong. The thing he was worried about seemed to have happened.

“His Highness just went out. Do you have something important to tell him? I can help you convey it to him.”

Ling Yi roared at him: “I asked you, where is he?!”

Tang De panicked, and could only tell him the truth: “He went to the first floor ward, where the Chief Justice woke up just now. Maybe he felt guilty after His Highness saved him, because he offered to hand evidence over to His Highness……”

Ling Yi blew away in another gust of wind, leaving Tang De as a solitary figure far behind him.

“Your Highness Ling Yi, please wait! I’m coming with you!”

The Chief Justice, who was well-known for his dignified manner, was now in an unprecedented state of disarray. Not only was a large swath of his face blackened, but even a patch of his hair was burned bald.

Who among those who saw him now could still associate him with the awe-inspiring Chief Justice in court?

Although the Chief Justice was high in status, he was naturally inferior to the orthodox royal family.

He had seemed to shrink in presence when he was handcuffed to a chair and awaiting investigation.

Then he was in a fire and was so scared that he peed his pants, and his dignity took another hit when he screamed for help.

The Chief Justice now felt so inferior to his savior that he could only speak humbly when conversing with him.

“Thank you, Your Highness, for putting aside past grudges and saving my life. In fact, the Prime Minister had already ordered the destruction of important evidence. Even if you examine the burned items, you won’t find anything…..however, I was afraid that the Prime Minister would go back on his word in the future and I would have no way to protect myself, so I made a backup of all the content.”

Oser sneered: “It seems you’re not a fool. Where is it?”

The trembling Chief Justice handed over a USB flash drive.

“It’s all here. I carry it with me at all times and dare not leave it anywhere. I rely on it to save my life at a critical moment.”

Oser knew he didn’t dare to lie, and leaned forward to take it. But a hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere, snatched the flash drive, and threw it to the floor, where it was crushed beneath a shoe.

The Chief Justice was startled by this sudden development, and when he glimpsed the face of the newcomer, he was so frightened that he fell to the floor.

“You, y-you…..a ghost, ah!”

Oser was also taken aback: “There are so many people standing guard. How did you get up here like this?”

He tried to help cover up Ling Yi’s face, but was violently shoved away.

“What’s wrong with you?” Oser asked in confusion.

“Your Highness, why do you insist on overturning my verdict? Is it for my sake, or is it for the throne?” Ling Yi asked bluntly.

Oser frowned. The hot-tempered Ling Yi before him was the complete opposite of the Ling Yi who had been afraid to hurt him when applying medicine.

“Are these two things in conflict?”

“I really thought Your Highness rushed into the fire for me, but it turns out you were reluctant to give up your damn inheritance rights!”

Tang De had caught up, and heard Ling Yi’s words clearly.

“Let me say one more thing. His Highness can get back his inheritance rights and also clear your name, so it’s a win-win situation. Why are you so opposed to it?”

“I know why.”

A voice cut in, drawing everyone’s attention.

Tang De: “You Lin? What do you know?”

You Lin walked to the center of the crowd at a leisurely pace. He picked up the broken flash drive on the floor and held it in front of Ling Yi.

“Because you didn’t kill anyone.”

Everyone present, save Ling Yi, was shocked.

Ling Yi alone glared at You Lin with a murderous expression.

“I figured it out just now. At first, I didn’t understand why you would want to set a fire to prevent His Highness Oser from overturning your verdict—”

Tang De interrupted: “Are you certain? How could the arsonist be…..?”

The Chief Justice muttered to himself: “I thought the fire was set by the Prime Minister to silence me…..”

You Lin fixed his eyes on Ling Yi and continued: “But when I saw your violent reaction just now, I finally figured it out. You don’t want to destroy evidence that you killed someone – you want to destroy evidence that you didn’t.”

The look in Ling Yi’s eyes left You Lin with no doubt that if there were no witnesses at the scene, he would have attacked him without mercy.

But the presence of His Highness Oser gave him the confidence to continue.

“Let me guess what was in that missing video. Lu Dawa lay motionlessly on the ground as you stabbed his gland repeatedly with the murder weapon. During the trial, you claimed that you did it because you were angered out of your mind, but in fact, you were extremely calm—”

Ling Yi: “Enough!”

“Because you knew that children and adults have different movements and strength when holding a knife, and it would be easy for a forensic doctor to identify this. You had to mutilate the body into a bloody mess in order to cover up the fatal wound – the stab wound that Xi Lan inflicted!”

“I told you, that’s enough!” Ling Yi clenched his fists. If the anger in his eyes was to take shape, the Royal Medical College would already be a sea of flames.

You Lin remained unmoved.

“When you found out there was a video, you got nervous, fearing that someone would find something suspicious in it. But when the video disappeared, you were even more anxious. You were afraid that someone had noticed that suspicious element and removed it from the chain of evidence.”

He turned to the Chief Justice and asked: “Am I right?”

The Chief Justice nodded timidly: “After I discovered it, I went to inform the Prime Minister. If the defendant’s lawyer put forward the hypothesis that the wound was concealed and the murderer was actually a minor, even if he did receive a sentence, it wouldn’t be a long one. The Prime Minister said that they had both murdered his son, and that he would deal with the older one first before dealing with the younger…..”

Having obtained witness testimony, You Lin turned back to Ling Yi: “You knew that if the case went on, doubts would begin to surface again; you knew that if the case was overturned, the real murderer would have to be put on the docket. So you deliberately destroyed the evidence at all costs, because you wanted to protect the real killer!”

The scene fell into an abnormal silence. Only Ling Yi’s uncontrolled, angry breathing could be heard.

A faint voice called from the doorway:

“Everything he just said…..is it true?”

Ling Yi turned his head sharply to find that Xi Lei had appeared at some point.

The medical stand closest to Ling Yi was overturned, and the IV drip attached to the Chief Justice’s hand smashed to the floor and shattered, splashing transparent liquid everywhere.

Ling Yi flew into a rage.

“Why must the truth be revealed, why must it be spoken out loud? Who doesn’t know that admitting to this crime means death, and that Lu Hulun is cruel and ruthless? I could still find a way to escape the death sentence – at worst, I could go to bed with the Crown Prince. But how could a minor protect himself and avoid being hunted down?”

“I’m still alive, the case is closed, and Xi Lan doesn’t remember anything. Is there any better outcome than this? Why do you have to dig it up and force Xi Lan to go through everything I went through, forcing him to relive the pain over and over again? Is this the justice you seek?”

As his anger soared, the concentration of Omega pheromones around him also increased. But the Alphas around him seemed to be in a trance, and no one noticed anything unusual.

Ling Yi’s anger spread to Oser.

“And you! You never intended to fulfill your deal from the beginning. Nothing is more important than your shitty throne, you just picked up an Omega for nothing on the way! There are no free things in this world!”

The eyes of the Alphas gradually locked onto him, and Oser, who matched him to the highest degree, was the most affected. His eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing grew heavier.

If Ling Yi were calmer, he would have realized that something was wrong, but he had already lost his rationality to anger and was unaware of the peril he was in.

He pointed at the other party’s nose and cursed: “Fengdi Oser, you slept with me, so you’re fucking responsible for me. Do what you promised me! You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Why should you get all of the good things for yourself? You want to sit on the throne with an Omega in your arms and live your dream life!”

“What’s wrong, what’s wrong?” Pat ran over in a panic. “Why are all of you crowded here? What happened?”

In the next second, he covered his nose in horror: “Your Highness Ling Yi, please use your words instead. Don’t release your pheromones!”

He felt a pain in his jaw, as if he had received a hard punch, and fell to the floor. Xi Lei had attacked him.

This was a familiar scene. Pat immediately understood that the irrational Alpha regarded him as a competitor, but he wasn’t the one in danger. All of the Alphas other than His Highness Oser were.

“Calm down! Calm down, he’s not somebody else, he’s Ling Yi, ah! Have you forgotten your fear of being dominated by His Highness Oser’s pheromones?!”

Xi Lei’s body suddenly trembled, and he fell limply in front of Pat.

Pat: …..It’s not that scary.

The fallen Xi Lei revealed Lan Ze behind him. He was wearing the portable mask from last time as he calmly pointed to the Chief Justice and Tang De in turn.

“Knock this one out too, and this one.”

Following his instructions, a man with impeccable facial features attacked them one after another, knocking them out with one palm, simply and neatly.

He wasn’t wearing a mask, and appeared to be an Alpha, but he wasn’t affected by Ling Yi’s pheromones at all.

Pat’s eyes widened to the size of bells: “He….he can’t be that……”

Lan Ze’s gaze drifted toward him. But before he could say “knock him out,” Pat scrambled to his feet: “Not me, I’m still in my right mind. Quick, let’s carry these people out of here.”

“I think the culprit should be the one taken out.” Lan Ze glanced at Oser, not knowing how much sanity he had left. “Why don’t you hurry up and get him out of here. Are you planning to create another biohazard in the building?”

The floor beneath Ling Yi’s feet disappeared, and he was roughly thrown over somebody’s shoulder.

He was adversely affected by Oser’s rising pheromones, and his breathing and heartbeat accelerated. He punched and kicked, struggling desperately while suspended in the air.

“Put me down! I don’t want you to touch me, let me go!”

Oser didn’t let go. Ling Yi bit his shoulder. His kicking legs hit Oser’s left hand, which he had bandaged himself, and red blood seeped out under the pure white bandages. 

Oser didn’t seem to feel the pain. He carried Ling Yi downstairs, threw him onto the bed, and began to unwrap the bandages around his left hand.

Ling Yi’s fury was no less than his, and even driven by physiological instinct, his anger still prevailed. 

“You went back on your word! You broke your promise! I won’t be fooled by you, you dog emperor!

The bloodstained bandages fell to the floor in circles. The beast awakened by Ling Yi pounced on him, and his shouts and curses became muffled whimpers. His struggles were no match for the other party’s iron grip. Two sets of perfectly matched pheromones tangled together and seduced each other, neither of them willing to lose.

Very soon, only gasps filled the air.

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 36 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 38

Chapter 61 – Crying

Feng Ye stood in place for a while. Then, once the gushing blood subsided a bit, he approached the fallen body.

Crouching down, he picked up two things from the corpse, a storage bag and the Burning Sky Bow.

With the death of its owner, the spiritual consciousness attached to the storage bag had crumbled to ashes, and Feng Ye was able to open it smoothly. All that was left inside were some sundries and a few pills that were barely worth a handful of spirit stones.

Since it didn’t contain the evidence he needed in order to incriminate Xue Ren, Feng Ye tossed the storage bag away. As for the other things inside, regardless of their worth, Feng Ye had no interest in them.

He turned his gaze to the Burning Sky Bow in his hand, shaking it with some disgust to remove the blood staining it. If this heaven-grade magic weapon didn’t look so incredibly strange to him, he actually would have spurned it and not bothered to pick it up.

Forging a magic weapon with heavenly fire as the core was nothing more than an attempt to use the power of heaven to burn everything. According to common sense, materials with sufficient fire resistance should have been selected in its creation. Why use wood that ignited at the slightest touch as the backbone of the magic weapon?

He had simply raised this question, but Lu Chengye hadn’t answered it, and Feng Ye hadn’t pressed further. He could see that Lu Chengye likely knew nothing about the true origins of this weapon. Otherwise, with his boastful personality, he would have revealed everything long ago.

When looking at it from a distance, he had only felt that the structure of the weapon made no sense logically. But now that he actually had it in his grip, Feng Ye was even more puzzled.

Not long after Lu Chengye shot the arrow, the dark red totem that ignited the flames was extinguished. And when he drew the bow, the temperature was several degrees cooler than body temperature.

Even someone as knowledgeable as Feng Ye couldn’t imagine anything so cold and yin that it could suppress heavenly fire to the point that it couldn’t even release heat.

He carefully studied the dark red lines on the bow, attempting to infer the totem’s function, and was stunned to see that the bow was clean.

When he’d picked up the bow, it was covered in blood that he deliberately shook off.

But the permeability of the wood was not low, and some of the blood had seeped in through the gaps.

But now, those indelible blood stains had vanished without a trace.

He had only ever heard of evil swords drinking blood, but never a wooden bow doing the same.

Feng Ye stared at the bow in his hand with a silent frown, standing there motionless.

He could restrain himself and remain still, but the crow in the treetops behind him could not.

Hao Chen didn’t dare get close without risking Feng Ye discovering him. He simply stood on the highest branch and stretched his neck to watch the proceedings, dozens of meters away from Feng Ye.

Although birds generally had good eyesight, at such a long distance, Hao Chen couldn’t get a clear look at what was in Feng Ye’s hand.

He could see the wooden bow and the totem inscribed on it, but couldn’t see small details like the vanishing blood.

He just watched as Feng Ye bowed his head in silence, wondering what he was thinking as he held that bow.

He was so curious!

In order to see what was so strange about the bow in Feng Ye’s hand, he couldn’t help but move closer. And after getting closer, he felt that it wasn’t enough, so he drew closer again.

Thus, atop the tall tree behind Feng Ye, a black-feathered crow started from the treetop and used the horizontal branches as fulcrums, jumping between branches to spiral all the way down.

He deliberately refrained from flying, as the flapping of wings would be a bit obvious. Although he made some noise jumping back and forth among the branches, it was unnoticeable amongst the rustling sound of wind blowing through the trees.

Thinking himself very clever, the crow moved forward stealthily and came to the branch closest to the ground, just three meters behind Feng Ye.

The crow looked around with satisfaction, gripping the branch under his feet with his talons to arrange his seat for the show.

Although he hadn’t bought a ticket – from beginning to end, he was a citizen without a household registration.

Just as he was arranging his seat, Feng Ye moved again.

Holding the bow with his left hand, he placed his right hand on the bowstring. His fingers clenched, and the muscles exposed under his tattered robes tensed up.

Lu Chengye had lost half his cultivation, and was forced to use a forbidden technique in order to pull the bowstring, but Feng Ye only needed to exert a small amount of force to draw it with ease.

Once more, a crimson arrow appeared out of thin air. It wasn’t pointing at anything in particular. It seems Feng Ye just wants to shoot the arrow to test its power, Hao Chen thought.

But in the next moment, he realized exactly how wrong he was.

Because when the arrow formed and the bow bent into the shape of a moon, Feng Ye suddenly spun around. The bow in his hand went from horizontal to upright, with the tip of the crimson arrow pointed directly at the crow on the branch.

Hao Chen: “……”

Discovered.

Just as a bad premonition came to Hao Chen’s mind, Feng Ye’s hand holding the tail of the arrow suddenly loosened. The crow immediately started to flap his wings to escape, but Feng Ye calculated his escape route and still managed to hit him.

Crimson flames engulfed the black crow. Hao Chen paused for a moment where he had fallen behind Cao Zirui and Fang Yang, but swiftly recovered.

The two walking in front of him were engaged in casual chatter, and didn’t notice Hao Chen’s abnormal behavior.

Hao Chen continued to follow them as if nothing had happened, contemplating the scene he had just witnessed.

He had originally bet that the soft-hearted Feng Ye wouldn’t attack Lu Chengye, but the result was surprising and unexpected. Not only had Feng Ye taken action, but he had done so without hesitation. From beginning to end, he did not waver in the face of Lu Chengye’s pleas for mercy.

From the moment Lu Chengye confessed to all of the crimes he had committed, Feng Ye likely had no intention of letting him go.

He may indeed be very soft-hearted, but that did not apply once his bottom line was crossed.

Once he decided to kill, no amount of begging or pleading could shake his rock-solid heart.

However, Hao Chen’s favor toward Feng Ye did not decrease because of this. On the contrary, his heart was moved even more.

If Feng Ye had really let Lu Chengye go, Hao Chen would have been disappointed. His indecision would have only led to chaos. It was obvious that Lu Chengye was not at all repentant. No matter how sincerely he cried, he was only afraid of dying.

But Feng Ye hadn’t done that. He was decisive and unyielding in his execution. The cold expression on Feng Ye’s face when he took action had caused the heart of the crow on the branch to flutter.

Damn, he was attractive!

However, he inevitably harbored double standards. When Feng Ye’s coldness was directed toward others, he was charmed. But when it was directed at him, Hao Chen couldn’t help but complain to himself: “What a cruel man.”

He was only taking a peek!

Although the crow was merely a construct made from one of his feathers, his fan had shrunk, and the severed feathers could no longer transform into external incarnations. 

The feather that turned into a crow had actually been plucked directly from him. Although he had a lot of hair, it had still hurt.

Never mind, never mind. Just consider it the cost of sneaking into the show, Hao Chen thought with a sigh.

He didn’t attempt to peek again. He honestly followed Fang Yang and company toward the exit this time, ready to meet up with Feng Ye once he had dealt with everything.

On the other side, Feng Ye looked up into the air at a dark object falling down. 

When Lu Chengye had pulled the bowstring to its full potential, he had used every bit of his strength. But Feng Ye was different, and was able to use this magic weapon freely.

Although he had stretched the string into a full moon, he hadn’t actually used much strength. The flame wasn’t strong – just enough to drive away this intrusive peeper.

Feng Ye had actually noticed him a while ago. This crow was just like the one he had seen in the sect before. No, it was the exact same one.

There was no need to think about it. The strange feeling he got at that time had not been an illusion. There really was something wrong with this seemingly ordinary crow.

He had also guessed that it was probably Hao Chen’s incarnation, just like the fish at the bottom of the sea, so he’d been fairly casual in allowing the crow to follow him.

But Hao Chen was really pushing his luck. If Feng Ye took one step back, he would take two steps forward.

The crow was practically standing on his shoulder to watch the show.

Although Feng Ye had his back to the crow, he could sense it jumping up and down restlessly in the trees, and each sound of a shaking branch interrupted his thoughts.

When he finally couldn’t stand it anymore, he turned and drove the uninvited guest away.

Now that it was finally quiet, Feng Ye lifted his hand and caught a falling feather.

The black feather had a sort of radiant beauty under the sunlight.

Feng Ye’s eyes narrowed as he inspected it. A fish and a bird. Hao Chen’s true identity was about to be revealed.

There was no other answer in this world, but it was an answer that Feng Ye really didn’t want to know.

How could he be so unlucky as to run into the Lord of the North Sea, who was supposed to be taking a long nap?

They could fight. It wasn’t that Feng Ye couldn’t defeat him, but it would be really troublesome to face the Kunpeng, who had lived for tens of thousands of years.

Especially because he still didn’t know the identity of the mastermind behind the scenes, and whether or not the Kunpeng had anything to do with this matter. Were Hao Chen and the mastermind allies? Was getting close to him just a coincidence, or part of a deliberate plan?

These weren’t huge problems in and of themselves, because when it came to absolute strength, whether there was a deliberate plan or not, Feng Ye was confident that he could handle them. 

But now that he knew Hao Chen’s true identity, he couldn’t help but re-evaluate the danger he presented.

If Hao Chen was really in cahoots with the mastermind, then this time, he was in more trouble than he’d ever been. 

But this was just the worst possible outcome. Perhaps this Kunpeng had slept too much and came out to stretch his legs, and just happened to meet him.

Feng Ye sighed and put the matter aside for the time being.

Come to think of it, he had been away from the group for a long time. He needed to hurry and meet up with Fang Yang and the others, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to leave the Floating Island Secret Realm in time.

Just as he was about to set off, Feng Ye remembered the Burning Sky Bow in his hand and hesitated.

The bow must never be seen by Fang Yang and the others. Cao Zirui and Fang Yang had both laid eyes on it, and knew that it belonged to Lu Chengye.

If he didn’t want to reveal what he had done on this trip, there were no excuses he could make to explain it, and his storage bag was completely unable to hold such a large bow.

Feng Ye’s eyes shifted. If he couldn’t take the bow back anyway, he might as well take it apart to see what material it was made of.

He didn’t feel sorry at all. He had exchanged an earth-grade magic weapon with someone so casually, and this priceless heaven-grade weapon wasn’t much better in his eyes. He had always been indifferent to such material possessions.

Thus, he proceeded at once. Holding both ends of the wooden bow in his hands, he exerted force and directly snapped the indestructible bow in half.

When the bow broke, Ling Yun paused as he was rushing through the forest toward the exit. He looked vacantly into space with some confusion: “God?”

“Hehe.” A man’s low laugh sounded in his ears. In a rare good mood, he explained to Ling Yun: “The little toy I made was destroyed.”

Although Ling Yun didn’t know what this toy was, it was really inconceivable that he sounded so happy despite his own creation being destroyed.

But people sometimes had strange tastes, and Ling Yun didn’t actually want to know why he was so pleased. He had no interest in anything but the goal they had agreed to achieve together.

But the man had no listeners other than him, and continued to speak whether or not Ling Yun wanted to know: “But the toy isn’t just something to play with; the real surprise lies in opening it…..”

His voice dipped lower and lower, and he finally couldn’t hold back another laugh.

This laughter echoed through the air, fading into the distance.

Far away from the laughter’s reach, Feng Ye’s eyes widened in astonishment.

When he broke the wooden bow, the material lost its casing and spilled out uncontrollably.

It was a ball of strangely-shaped dark mist, covered in dense black spots. Those spots crowded and twisted together, forming the shapes of human faces. 

Each face was lifelike and distorted with resentment.

Their facial features were savage, eyes and mouths open wide in silent screams.

The sound was indiscernible to the ears, but each scream was like a dull hammer hitting his soul.

Feng Ye instantly dropped the bow and took a couple of steps back, but he was still unable to evade in time. How could those spirits who had been imprisoned for untold years after dying tragic deaths spare the first living person they saw after seeing the light of day again?

There was no way to tell how many faces were hidden in the mist, but in perfect harmony, they launched toward Feng Ye one after another.

In a flash, the bright sunlight vanished from his field of vision. Looking around, all he could see were distorted faces. Each one had its mouth open, full of hatred and despair.

Nobody wanted to die. But these souls had.

Trapped in the bow for untold years, the souls suffered day and night, unable to escape. No matter how they wailed or cursed, their locust wood prison prevented their voices from reaching the outside world.

Feng Ye finally understood why this bow with heavenly fire as a core was so oddly made with flammable wood – it was because this locust wood was suitable for raising ghosts.

He also understood what sort of cold yin material could suppress the fierce heavenly fire…..

Countless resentful souls who had died in tragic circumstances.

He was enveloped in the black mist as it grew stronger, pouring continuously from the broken Burning Sky Bow.

Those silent roars stirred his soul, causing it to tremble without end.

Feng Ye experienced a splitting headache. He covered his forehead with his hands, but didn’t drive these souls away immediately.

Because he felt like these wide-eyed, wide-mouthed faces were trying to tell him something.

But he couldn’t hear them clearly. Too many voices mixed together, turning into a sharp wail that pierced his eardrums.

Just when Feng Ye couldn’t bear the noise shaking his soul and decided to directly disperse these souls, in the next moment, he was completely unable to act.

Because he saw firelight.

The same firelight from a hundred years ago.

Black mist no longer seeped from the broken bow, as all of the souls sealed within the locust wood had fled their prison. Thus, the burning heavenly fire hidden beneath these resentful souls was revealed.

Without the resentful souls suppressing it, the heavenly fire immediately ignited the surrounding grass and trees with overwhelming force.

Dazzling flames penetrated the dark mist blocking Feng Ye’s sight. Countless faces distorted in terror, fleeing from the firelight. It was as if the past was happening all over again.

Feng Ye stared vacantly at the scene. In a trance, he finally heard what these faces were trying to tell him.

They were talking about…..the fire that took their lives a hundred years ago…..

Yinglong had cut down Jianmu in the Eastern Sea, and the enormous tree collapsed. Fire fell from the sky to the ground, spreading for three thousand li and lasting for three days…..

In the aftermath of this raging inferno, countless casualties had been recorded.

They were likely in the tens of thousands…..

The fear brought on by the flames extinguished the hatred and malice in these resentful souls. Terrified, they cried bitterly in front of that which had killed them.

Feng Ye stood in place. The unsuppressed heavenly fire burned with increasing ferocity, trapping him in a sea of flames. 

But he was like a wooden stake nailed into the ground, unmoving.

He continued to listen to the mournful cries in his ears. And when the wails reached their most miserable crescendo, he closed his eyes.

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 60 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 62