There was no need to interpret the meaning in this fancily-dressed man’s words; it was clear that he was targeting the only woman present today – Tan Yuzhu.

A love for drama was part of human nature. These scholars and writers, who usually prided themselves on their gentlemanly and upright behavior, didn’t speak a word at this moment in time. Instead, they all turned their gazes toward that figure in white.

Even Zhou Tiande, the son of the Baxian County governor and the organizer of today’s literary gathering, just took a small sip of tea and didn’t speak up to intervene.

However, this didn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

It was well known that Zhou Tiande and Jiang Hongfang, the man in the fancy robes, were close friends, even though one was the son of a governor and the other was a dissolute young master from a prominent family.

This was simply because the Zhou and Jiang families were two of the “Eight Virtuous Talents” in this Baxian County.^[1]

The name “Baxian” originated during the reign of the founding emperor, when eight virtuous and capable people emerged from this region.

All eight of these men had made great contributions during the founding of this dynasty. Later, as they grew older, they all resigned from their official positions and returned to their ancestral lands, building their residences in this county town.

They spent their days traveling the land, composing poems and painting. They created many timeless masterpieces, and left behind remarkable legacies.

Therefore, when Emperor Gaozhong ascended the throne and happened to pass through this region, he renamed it “Baxian County” in order to commemorate their talent and achievements, and even personally bestowed the name in writing. Among other factors, he also took into account the flourishing literary culture of the region.

As a result, Baxian County became the most popular destination for scholars and writers in the region, second only to Langya County.

To this day, the county continued to produce numerous literary giants, and could truly be described as a place steeped in literary tradition.

The Imperial Court had always followed the principle of “appointing officials from their native regions,” so almost all of the officials in Baxian County, from the county magistrate to the lowest-ranking clerks, were local residents.

The Eight Virtuous Families consistently held high-ranking positions such as governor and deputy governor, and the current governor was a member of the Zhou family.

As the son of the governor, and possessing some literary talent himself, Zhou Tiande frequently organized literary gatherings.

However, there had never been a woman present at any of the previous ones.

Even though Tan Yuzhu was a renowned female talent, she had never received an invitation. Yet today, contrary to his usual behavior, Zhou Tiande had invited her to attend.

Everyone who heard the news immediately understood why.

This was simply because the talents in Baxian County were accustomed to banding together, and were deeply intertwined with the four great noble families. 

When the court held the Imperial Examinations this time, very few of these people registered, and those who did participate failed during the first or second round.

It wasn’t that they lacked talent: it was simply because they didn’t pass the background checks, and their perspectives didn’t align with the kind of talents Chu Jiubian was looking for.

These talents and scholars, who prided themselves on their intellectual abilities, were naturally indignant that they were unable to pass such a simple test. They harbored many grievances against the Imperial Court, and even secretly wrote mocking poems and articles, accusing Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian of being poor judges of character.

However, what made them even more uncomfortable was that only four people from Baxian County passed the second round of exams.

Among them were two renowned scholars: Tan Yuzhu’s father, Tan Ji, and Tan Ji’s close friend, Yan Jinsheng.

In addition to them, there was Yan Jinsheng’s youngest son, Yan Rui.

Out of these three, the first two came as no surprise, as they were both renowned scholars who commanded great respect, and everyone was able to willingly accept their defeat.

Yan Rui, a teenager of only about fifteen years old, had passed the engineering exam due to his talent in forging. And due to the fact that he was not in the same field as the classical studies exam-takers, the others didn’t have any strong opinions on the matter.

Then there was Tan Yuzhu, a mere woman, who had also risen to prominence.

Not only had she registered to participate in the Imperial Examinations, but she even passed the first two rounds and advanced to the third!

This was practically like slapping the other students hard across the face!

Moreover, the papers from this round would be sent directly to the highest authorities, and would be personally reviewed by Grand Tutor Chu and Ning-wang.

Although they had all accused these two of lacking judgement, who among them didn’t wish to serve in the Imperial Court?

Didn’t they attend these literary gatherings all the time in order to make names for themselves, hoping for the chance to be recommended to an official position based on their filial piety and integrity?

Therefore, when they saw a woman like Tan Yuzhu being placed above them and given opportunities that were beyond their reach, they were naturally even more resentful.

Secretly, they hoped that she would fail to gain the attention of those in power, fail to enter the Imperial Academy, and lose the opportunity to enter officialdom.

Their pride would truly be trampled underfoot if they were to lose to a mere woman.

The holidays passed, and another ten or so days went by.

Those candidates who had passed the Imperial Examinations gradually began to receive the news, and everyone seemed more anxious than Tan Yuzhu was herself. Yesterday, two students from a neighboring county had received the news, and the engineering student, Yan Rui, had met this morning with an official messenger sent to congratulate him.

This official, leading a contingent of soldiers and minor officials, had arrived at the Yan family’s doorstep with the sound of gongs and drums. They offered their congratulations with beaming smiles, as well as many auspicious words such as, “may you rise rapidly in your career.”

This scene was enough to make anyone envious.

Around midday, both the renowned scholar Yan Jinsheng and Tan Yuzhu’s father, Tan Ji, received their own good news from official messengers.

Only fifteen candidates had passed the classical studies exam, so with these men receiving eighth and fifth place respectively, they could be considered to have ranked very high.

Someone in her same residence had received news, but Tan Yuzhu had not.

Everyone naturally came to the conclusion that Tan Yuzhu had failed the exam.

Therefore, they were in tacit understanding that the purpose of this evening’s literary gathering was to ridicule Tan Yuzhu. However, they had assumed that she would be so busy crying at home that she wouldn’t attend.

Unexpectedly, she actually came – and with only a young maid, rather than her father or Yan Rui, whom she was on good terms with.

This opened up the opportunity for everyone to mock her.

Now, as they watched her sit there calmly, brewing tea in a leisurely manner, it seemed as if she was entirely unconcerned with failing the exam.

Seeing how unmoved she was, Jiang Hongfang continued: “Speaking of which, the scholars and men of talent from our Baxian County are truly exceptional. Otherwise, three out of the four who entered the third round of Imperial Examinations wouldn’t have passed.”

“Jiang-gongzi speaks the truth,” a scholar in green robes chimed in. “It seems that this third round must have been extremely difficult. It’s normal that a woman wasn’t able to pass.”

“If you ask me, women should just stay at home to take care of their husband and children. What kind of behavior is this, showing themselves off in public?”

“Forget about talent, they should go do embroidery at home and marry as soon as possible.”

Everyone chimed in one after another, praising Jiang Hongfang in turn.

Sat in the most prominent seat, the handsome Zhou Tiande wore a kind, gentle expression that, when he turned his attention upon someone, felt like a spring breeze caressing one’s face.

At present, he glanced at Tan Yuzhu, who was sitting almost all the way at the end of the table, and said with a gentle smile: “Miss Tan has come to this literary gathering, so why hasn’t she spoken a single word?”

The moment he opened his mouth, the entire room fell silent.

Only Jiang Hongfang joked: “Perhaps Miss Tan is shy in the presence of so many male talents.”

“Aiya,” he said with a dramatic clap of his hands. “Could it be that Miss Tan has finally found her ideal man, and is shy to the point of speechlessness?”

Upon hearing this, everyone let out muted chuckles.

“Could it be that Miss Tan has taken a liking to Li-xiong?”

“Our dear brother is so handsome and distinguished. It must be true.”

“Among us, the two young masters are naturally the most accomplished. A woman as beautiful as Miss Tan is perfectly suited to either of them. Now that is what I call a perfect match of talent and beauty.”

The words “talent” and “beauty” were very strongly emphasized.

There was a soft chuckle. Although it wasn’t loud, the mocking voices of everyone present went silent, and dozens of pairs of eyes turned toward the woman who had just laughed.

Tan Yuzhu brewed her tea slowly and deliberately, saying in a calm, clear tone: “I thought this literary gathering was for the purpose of composing poems and exchanging literary ideas. Little did I know that it would be filled with opportunistic sycophants spewing obscene and vulgar remarks. It truly disgraces the term ‘literary gathering.’”

The blatant sarcasm made everyone feel as if their tails had been trodden upon, and their expressions soured.

However, the two young masters at the head of the table didn’t seem to take this to heart. The term “sychophant” didn’t apply to them, because they were the ones with power in their hands.

“Miss Tan is quite the eloquent speaker.” Jiang Hongfang’s lips curled into a smile, and he brazenly swept his gaze across her.

On a previous occasion, he had sent a matchmaker to the Tan family with a marriage proposal, but Tan Ji had rejected it.

He then thought that he would first cultivate some feelings with Tan Yuzhu. Such a sheltered young girl, naive and inexperienced, would be easily deceived by sweet talk and a touch of feigned sincerity.

However, he had met her several times at various banquets, and the other party had given him no face at all, which caused resentment to grow in his heart.

But no matter how resentful he felt, behind the other party stood Tan Ji, as well as many more influential scholars and figures with considerable power.

Thus, for the sake of his reputation – and to avoid having his legs broken by his father – he didn’t dare actually take action against Tan Yuzhu.

But now that he had an opportunity to gain the upper hand, he naturally gave it his all.

Today’s literary gathering had actually been organized by him, with Zhou Tiande as the figurehead.

Tan Yuzhu finished pouring a cup of tea, then straightened her back and said without raising her head: “When our Eight Virtuous Ancestors still lived, they said that ‘a gentleman is upright, self-reliant, and possesses a magnanimous and virtuous character.’ At that time, they likely didn’t know that among their descendants —”

She finally looked up, lightly sweeping her gaze over Jiang Hongfang and Zhou Tiande. A faint smile of breathtaking beauty graced her lips.

“– there would be petty individuals like the two of you, who in light of their lack of talent and virtue, can only comfort themselves by belittling women like me.”

When these words were spoken, the courtyard fell into a silence so profound that one could hear a pin drop.

The expressions of the two young masters at the head of the table darkened.

Jiang Hongfang was a spoiled and dissolute young master who was accustomed to doing whatever he pleased. These banquets were always full of attendees who wished to establish connections with his Jiang family, so he naturally behaved without any scruples.

Therefore, he lost his temper and hurled the teacup in his hand in Tan Yuzhu’s direction.

But the maid, who had been a constant presence beside her, abruptly flicked her wrist, and a thin silver needle shot from her fingertips.

With a clink, the teacup spun around, and instead of continuing forward, it fell to the floor at Jiang Hongfang’s feet.

The porcelain shattered into innumerable pieces.

Before anyone could react, they suddenly heard the sound of gongs and drums coming from outside the manor.

It was a very familiar sound, as they had already heard it twice today.

As they heard the sound growing louder and louder, they knew that the procession was heading in the direction of this manor.

But among those present today, the only one who could have drawn such a commotion here was Tan Yuzhu.

Tan Yuzhu extended a hand, and the maid carefully helped her to her feet.

“Everyone, this little girl still needs to prepare her belongings for her journey to the capital to meet the Emperor.” Tan Yuzhu smiled faintly and said, “I won’t be joining you all for idle chatter.”

The deliberately emphasized “little girl” was like a series of resounding blows to the faces of everyone present.

Watching her graceful figure recede, Zhou Tiande finally got to his feet and headed out of the manor with a grim expression.

He had to witness it with his own eyes before he would believe that Tan Yuzhu had actually passed the exam.

Jiang Hongfang also jolted to his feet and followed suit with a dark look on his face.

Impossible. The officials who had brought the good news to Baxian County had all left earlier in the day. How could they be back again?

Tan Yuzhu must have found some random people to put on a performance so that she could save face!

However, when they hurried out of the manor right after Tan Yuzhu, they happened to catch sight of a procession arriving at the gate, even longer than the one that had brought the news earlier that morning

The leading officer was also no minor official, but He Yang, a third-rank military official and the Baxian County Commandant.

This person was a previous subordinate in the Qin Family Army. After the army was disbanded and its members were dispersed to various regions, he had been assigned to Baxian County. Here, he had no close relationships with other county officials, and they were simply colleagues.

He was habitually a man of few words, and rarely smiled, but today, even his stern, aged face held a hint of affectionate warmth.

With an Imperial Decree in his hand, he approached Tan Yuzhu and loudly announced: “Congratulations to Graduate Tan for ranking second in the Imperial Examinations! His Majesty has specifically commanded this official to deliver this Imperial Decree in person and bestow the accompanying rewards. Please depart soon and travel to the capital to participate in the final round of the Imperial Examinations.”

Tan Yuzhu voiced her thanks to the Emperor, and then thanked He Yang before formally accepting the Imperial Decree with both hands.

He Yang waved his hand, and a soldier behind him approached Tan Yuzhu with a small box, saying: “A total of sixty-five candidates passed this round of the Imperial Examinations. Those ranked below the top three will receive a reward of one hundred taels of silver, while the top three will receive fifty taels of gold!”

As he spoke, the officer opened the box to reveal an array of gold ingots dazzling enough to make one’s eyes water.

The onlookers all gasped in astonishment.

“It’s really gold!”

“Fifty taels of gold only fills such a small box? I’d think it would require two large crates.”

“What do you know? The Tan family isn’t short of money. This is simply an honor for them!”

Indeed, unlike ordinary people, these members of prominent families like Tan Yuzhu’s were not short of money, and fifty taels of gold was not a large sum in their eyes.

But the eyes staring Tan Yuzhu’s way were practically dripping blood.

This was gold personally bestowed by His Majesty, and was also a reward for placing in the top three in the Imperial Examinations. Its significance was far greater than its intrinsic value!

However, what followed caused their envy to soar even higher. He Yang had someone bring out a plaque, and when the bright red silk covering it was removed, the words “Successfully Passed the Imperial Examinations” were revealed.

And below was Bai Lihong’s handwritten signature and seal.

Chu Jiubian had instructed Bai Lihong to write this, and then assigned a messenger to deliver it to the local county commandant.

The top three candidates were Lu Yao, Tan Yuzhu, and an agricultural student named Zhang Er. In their home counties, the local commandants were all former subordinates of the Qin Family Army, which made it quite convenient to put them to use.

He Yang’s arrival half a day later than the other officials came about because he wanted to give the craftsmen time to create the finest plaque.

However, when Tan Ji was informed of his success earlier in the day, this information was given to Tan Yuzhu so as to prevent her from waiting anxiously.

When Tan Yuzhu learned that she had not only passed the Imperial Examinations, but had achieved one of the highest ranks, she readily accepted the invitation to the literary gathering. This was the moment she had been waiting for.

She had long disdained this group of sanctimonious hypocrites, and today was the perfect opportunity to strike back at them.

He Yang didn’t get along well with the local officials, and knew that neither the governor’s son nor the young master from the Jiang family were the decent sort. Upon discovering that Tan Yuzhu was attending a literary gathering here, and that it was likely a scheme to humiliate the young girl, he had rushed over as quickly as he could.

Seeing the ugly expressions on the faces of these scholars who usually held themselves in such high regard, both He Yang and Tan Yuzhu were deeply satisfied.

But at this moment, Tan Yuzhu refrained from mocking them. That would be beneath her. Besides, the pointing fingers and whispers from the surrounding villagers were enough to make these people completely lose face.

Thus, Tan Yuzhu invited He Yang back home to sit down for a cup of tea, and also to deliver the plaque and the gold.

He Yang readily agreed, and the group set off once more in a lively procession.

Upon hearing the news, Tan Ji and the Yan family father and son waited for them at the entrance of the manor, beaming with joy.

After dinner, they saw He Yang and the others off, but the county governor and deputy governor arrived soon afterward.

The group exchanged pleasantries, and the governor even apologized to Tan Yuzhu for his son’s inconsiderate behavior.

Having reached the position of county governor, he was naturally no fool.

He knew that the situation had changed. Imperial power was now at an all-time high, and it was unknown how things would develop in the future.

Avoiding causing offense to any party was the best course of action in the long run.

Many others shared this opinion. Consequently, a constant stream of people came to speak with the Tan and Yan families in the following days, but not just anyone was given an audience.

News that a woman had passed the Imperial Examinations and even achieved second place spread rapidly throughout Great Ning.

Those women who hadn’t participated due to various concerns were regretful, but also curiously excited.

It was unfortunate that the Imperial Examinations might not happen again after this year. But if they did happen again in the future, they would no longer be so easily discouraged. They would register without hesitation and seize every opportunity to climb the social ladder.

And those women who had failed the exams despite having prepared diligently, and had thought that they may have been passed over because of their gender, felt their fighting spirit rekindle.

It wasn’t that women were inherently incapable, it was that they simply weren’t yet at the level where they could be selected.

Therefore, they must work even harder to ensure that they had a better chance of performing well in the next exams, and to achieve success like Tan Yuzhu, passing the Imperial Examinations and bringing honor to their families.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of Great Ning, in a remote southern village…..

From the clan heads to the village chieftain, and from the respected elders to the young children, everyone gathered in front of a certain courtyard, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the family of eight standing at the courtyard gate.

This group consisted of common people dressed in coarse linen clothes.

Compared to the wealthier families in the village, this one consisted of only the elderly and young, and the two sole able-bodied workers had to work themselves to the bone just to keep their family from starving.

Nobody could have imagined that a family like theirs would one day be visited by a lofty commandant.

An old woman tucked her hands into her sleeves, shivering from the cold where she stood behind the crowd. She clicked her tongue in amazement and said: “The Zhang family must have incredibly good luck. Their son actually passed the Imperial Examinations and became a successful candidate.”

A dark-skinned boy beside her strained to catch a glimpse of the people in the courtyard ahead, saying: “My grandfather always said that Zhang Er-ge was a good farmer, and it seems he was right. Now he’s going to become an official in the capital.”

“Aiyo, I said all along that Zhang Er looks like he has a promising future ahead of him, and I was absolutely right!”

“Yeah, right. When Zhang Er sold two mu of land to go and take the exams in the city, didn’t you say he was wasting money?”

“Just so. But look at him now, His Majesty bestowed fifty taels of gold upon him! That’s gold! Think about how much land he can buy with that!”

The noise of the crowd swelled until the village chieftain turned around to level a glare at them, at which point they finally quieted down.

Zhang Er held the Imperial Degree in his uncontrollably trembling hands.

The other members of his family were even less worldly and experienced than him. Their complexions changed rapidly as they hid behind him, not daring to speak a word.

Fortunately, the county commandant was aware that they were simple and honest farmers, and didn’t stand on formalities. He even patiently prompted Zhang Er to profess his gratitude toward His Majesty.

Zhang Er and his family immediately knelt down and bowed in the direction of the capital city.

Seeing this, the other villagers knelt down as well.

The commandant found this somewhat amusing, and quickly told them to stand up.

The village chieftain, who was somewhat more knowledgeable in the realm of etiquette, took a bulging purse from his sleeve and handed it to the county commandant.

The commandant understood the sincerity of this gift, so he accepted it and immediately instructed his subordinates to send back one hundred taels of silver as a token of his own appreciation.

Shortly after he left, the governor and deputy governor arrived.

Later on, various wealthy and influential families approached Zhang Er, some with an interest in recruiting him, and some who simply wished to establish connections. But each of them were very generous, and everyone watched as all kinds of rare and valuable items that they had never seen before were delivered in a steady stream to Zhang Er’s residence.

Zhang Er had previously received advice from the county commandant, and knew that some people’s requests should not be granted, while others were permissible.

As a result, he avoided offending many of these people while still receiving many valuable things.

Zhang Er’s family was also very generous, and shared any good things they received with their relatives and fellow villagers. As a result, the entire village benefited from their generosity and grew in wealth.

At last, everyone began to understand the advantages of the Imperial Examination system.

This was a classic example of one person’s success benefitting everyone around them.

The idea of “taking the Imperial Examinations” had been unconsciously ingrained into the minds of the common people.

The results of the examinations arrived in the middle of the first month of the year, and the final round was scheduled for the first day of the third month.

Upon receiving the news, the successful candidates from all over the country set out for the capital to participate in the final examination.

Some of them, like Lu Yao, hailed from wealthy families and were escorted by family members and servants, traveling comfortably in horse-drawn carriages.

There were also those like Zhang Er, who simply packed a bag and prepared to set off. However, thanks to the gold and silver sent by the Imperial Court and various other sources, he was able to stay in inns along the way and didn’t suffer any hardships.

Meanwhile, a constant stream of news poured into the capital.

Initially, this included the names and hometowns of those who passed the Imperial Examinations, then details about where these scholars traveled, whom they met, and what they did.

Whether Chu Jiubian’s judgement of their character was truly exceptional, or because the people sent to deliver the news had given them instructions, the sixty-five selected candidates were all perfectly well-behaved, and simply focused on traveling all the way without causing any trouble.

As for the wealthy families who wanted to recruit them or marry off their daughters to them, no one paid them any attention.

When they heard this, the vassal kings in the capital, who were supposed to leave on the fifteenth, delayed their departure.

In order to prevent Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao from using this as an opportunity to frame them with accusations of “attempting to rebel,” the vassal kings, led by Huguang-wang and Dongjiang-wang, went to the palace together and requested to stay until after the Imperial Examinations.

Nanjiang-wang and Pingxi-wang had no plans in particular, and simply wanted to stay to witness the grandeur of the Imperial Examinations.

As for Anhui-wang Bai Liming, he had always kept a low profile, and simply went along with whatever others did like a timid little quail.

Qin Xiao had no strong feelings on the matter, and only felt that these people remaining in the capital would give rise to trouble, which would be somewhat bothersome.

Chu Jiubian, however, had a change of heart. He sent a knowing glance toward Qin Xiao, a smile on his lips.

Qin Xiao understood then that he wanted these people to stay, though the other’s reasoning was not immediately clear to him.

Bai Lihong was sitting behind his desk. His understanding of his Jiujiu and Xiansheng had reached a new level, and he could tell what they wanted him to say simply by observing their expressions and subtle gestures.

Thus, he spoke in exactly the tone of voice that Chu Jiubian usually used to coax him: “Then please stay a little longer, but behave yourselves and don’t cause any trouble.”

Hearing such words spoken in a “child-coaxing” voice by a young boy, the vassal kings all wore very strange expressions.

But as long as they achieved their objective, that was all that mattered.

As for whether they would behave themselves and stay out of trouble, this wasn’t something that the Emperor could ensure with words alone.

Once they left, Chu Jiubian turned to Bai Lihong and asked: “Can Your Majesty guess why I want them to stay?”

Bai Lihong frowned slightly. Then, after some careful thought, his eyes suddenly lit up: “When the students get to the capital, the vassal kings and lots of other people will be curious about them. Many people will come here, and the city will be very lively.”

Chu Jiubian nodded: “That’s right. And?”

“Jiujiu says that it’s easiest to fish in troubled waters.” Bai Lihong’s eyes gleamed. “We can use this opportunity to investigate the relationships between the vassal kings and the noble families. If we find out that certain people are collaborating, we can find ways to sow discord between them.”

“En.” Chu Jiubian continued to encourage him. “What else?”

The young child reached up and touched his chin, a very serious look on his little face.

Qin Xiao sat cross-legged in his chair with his chin in one hand. His gaze shifted from the child’s face to Chu Jiubian across from him.

Chu Jiubian glanced back at him and said: “You should think about it too.”

Qin Xiao just smiled: “Alright, I will.”

“I’ve got it!” Bai Lihong clapped his hands. “We can use other people to do our dirty work.”

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao didn’t find it strange that a three-year-old – or rather, a four-year-old after the New Year – was talking about “dirty work,” and in fact thought that it was perfectly normal.

Bai Lihong said: “It’s not clear which of the vassal kings and noble families are cooperating, but it’s pretty obvious which ones don’t get along. We can give compromising information about one party to another, then let them fight amongst themselves while we reap the benefits.”

The child spoke so much at once that his mouth became dry, so he quickly grabbed the warm water nearby and took a sip.

“Very well said,” Chu Jiubian told him, clapping his hands together.

Bai Lihong happily clapped his hands as well, his bright eyes crinkling slightly.

Were an outsider to observe them, they would surely notice that when the child smiled, his countenance bore a striking resemblance to Chu Jiubian’s.

Children instinctively imitated those around them.

Just like pets tended to resemble their owners, children also tended to become more and more like the people they trusted and admired.

After questioning Bai Lihong, Chu Jiubian turned to Qin Xiao and raised an eyebrow: “What do you think?”

“His Majesty has already said it all,” Qin Xiao replied. 

Bai Lihong immediately puffed out his chest in pride.

Look, he was already becoming as capable as Jiujiu!

Seeing the arrogant way he held his chubby thin so high, Qin Xiao paused before deliberately changing the subject: “However, there is one more thing to do.”

Bai Lihong immediately lost his puffed up appearance and asked in a childish voice: “What else is there, Jiujiu?”

“Once the Imperial Examinations are over, we will have people at our disposal,” said Qin Xiao. “It’s about time we put pressure on certain parties.”

Purging the powerful noble families and vassal kings was a necessary task, but it must be done with a valid excuse.

Therefore, they needed to pressure those people into making mistakes and creating chaos amongst themselves, then find an opportunity to strike while simultaneously maintaining the moral high ground.

Chu Jiubian looked at him steadily, a faint smile on his lips: “How does this relate to keeping them in the capital?”

“Naturally, it’s so that we can bring them some ‘good news.’”

Qin Xiao spoke in a knowing tone.

Bai Lihong looked left and right, rubbing his little face as he said: “Uh-oh, I don’t get it.”

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao both smiled.

Although the child didn’t understand, he gave them a silly smile in return.

Chu Jiubian’s heart melted, and he asked softly: “Does Your Majesty know about the Edict of Grace?”

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[1] Baxian (八贤) means “eight worthy/virtuous people.” ⮐

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Chapter 77 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 79

Ch. 103 – Eight Ghost Illusion Array

This realization instantly sent a shiver down the spines of Wang Wu and Zhao Yi, and the mild mountain breeze turned into an eerie, bone-chilling wind.

They no longer cared about being wanted criminals. All they wanted was to leave this place. To leave Longqiu. Although the government soldiers were troublesome, they were still a better option than encountering a ghost.

The two of them had clambered out of the pit, and Wang Wu turned around to retrieve the dog, which had followed them down. 

They hadn’t brought the dog when they buried the bodies the day before, and hadn’t intended to bring it today either. But the dog had finished eating the child’s body, and since they had just arrived in the mountains and had little food, they figured that they would take it along and do some hunting.

There was actually still some grain left in the wooden house, as well as some easily-preserved dried meat, enough to last for several months. 

But that dog of Wang Wu’s was extremely picky, and wouldn’t eat anything that wasn’t fresh and bloody.

Wang Wu also cherished his wolfdog, because it was indeed very fierce. In a fight, even two or three men working together wouldn’t be able to subdue it.

This wolfdog was Wang Wu’s trusty accomplice in robbery and pillaging, and the lives claimed by its jaws were no fewer than those taken by Wang Wu’s own hand.

Besides, the one advantage dogs had over people was their loyalty. Human bonds were inherently unreliable, and money-hungry mountain bandits were even less trustworthy. But this wolfdog was aggressive toward everyone. Even Zhao Yi, who had been Wang Wu’s partner for so long, would be barked and growled at when he got close.

It was relatively friendly to Wang Wu, who had raised it since it was a puppy. This made him very proud, as if his dog was comparable to some kind of divine weapon. This dog had saved his life several times from government soldiers, and even if Wang Wu was offered gold for it, he might not make the trade.

So when he fled, although he didn’t bother to take his savings, he did go to the trouble of taking his dog with him.

The present moment was no different. Although he felt that this place was exceedingly eerie, Wang Wu had no intention of abandoning his dog, and called out to the wolfdog waiting at the bottom of the pit.

This wolfdog was aggressive, yet intelligent, and could generally understand Wang Wu’s gestures and commands. It should have obediently jumped up so that Wang Wu could grab it and pull it out.

But this time was different. The wolfdog heard Wang Wu’s call, but didn’t turn its head, just staring motionlessly into the depths of the tunnel.

Standing behind Wang Wu, Zhao Yi urged him with a hint of impatience. The longer they lingered in these ruins, the more they gave him the creeps. All he wanted was to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Wang Wu was also losing his patience, and gave a few more loud shouts. This time, the wolfdog finally moved. But instead of responding to his summons, it rushed into the depths of the tunnel without looking back.

With a single step of its paws, it instantly vanished from sight.

Wang Wu was dumbfounded. This passageway led to places unknown. He and Zhao Yi had actually ventured inside for a while, and bits of rock and dust would occasionally fall from the passageway as they walked, making them wonder if it was about to collapse.

Their worry was not groundless. In fact, a collapse was highly likely.

When had the buildings in the royal city of Western Qiang been constructed? More than one thousand years ago. No matter how good the quality of the construction was, it had been buried underground for so many years. Just because it hadn’t collapsed yet didn’t mean that it wouldn’t collapse in the next second.

Plus, despite being mountain bandits, they had also raided tombs before and knew that while these underground places might seem safe, the air actually became thinner the deeper down you went. There was no way to tell when you might be knocked unconscious by the miasma in the tunnel and perish inside, eventually turning into a mummified corpse. There were countless examples of this exact thing happening.

So after walking for a while, they chose to return instead of venturing farther inside.

Yet unexpectedly, today the wolfdog suddenly dashed inside in a flash, vanishing so completely that not even its shadow remained.

After freezing in surprise, Wang Wu went to jump down and chase after the dog. He couldn’t bear to lose it.

But just as he was about to jump, he remembered that his place might be haunted. Where was the ghost that moved those corpses? It was very likely hiding in this passageway.

Just because he and Zhao Yi had emerged unscathed the first time didn’t mean they would be that lucky again.

He dared not chase after it, but couldn’t bear to abandon his wolfdog. He was caught in a dilemma.

But Zhao Yi was in no such dilemma, and when he saw that Wang Wu wasn’t leaving, he simply turned around and left on his own. Wang Wu hurled curses after him, which were ignored.

Sure enough, a bandit partner was simply unreliable. Although Wang Wu was well aware of this, he still continued to curse Zhao Yi until he vanished into the woods.

Now he was all alone. Wang Wu pulled his collar tighter, feeling unexpectedly frozen under the bright sun and broad sky. He looked around again, the rustling of the branches and leaves in the wind magnified in his ears. Anything even slightly louder would make him jump, certain that a ghost was about to attack him.

After waiting for almost a shichen, Wang Wu finally couldn’t delay any longer. Although he hadn’t seen any ghosts, he had already scared himself half to death. If he stayed any longer, he would surely lose his life.

Although the wolfdog was his treasure, it was ultimately not as important as his own life. Thus, Wang Wu hardened his heart and prepared to leave.

But when he made it just two meters away, he heard a faint bark.

Wang Wu immediately rushed back to the edge of the pit. Looking down, he saw his wolfdog run out of the passageway again with something shiny in its mouth.

It was a brilliant, glittering ruby. Wang Wu was momentarily dazzled by its red gleam, and it took him a moment to regain his sight. Upon seeing that gemstone, all fear of ghosts and ghouls was cast to the back of his mind.

Judging by the quality of this gemstone, it was definitely not cheap. He had struck it rich! Wang Wu’s eyes were fixed on the gemstone, but after the initial surge of elation, a question arose in his mind: where had this gemstone come from?

The wolfdog had carried it out of the tunnel, but where did the tunnel lead? To the ruins of Western Qiang.

This reminded Wang Wu of the legend, which said that the royal city contained priceless treasures that the Southern Chu army hadn’t had time to take away.

He had never taken it too seriously before, but today, his wolfdog had fetched a gemstone from the ruins.

Wang Wu temporarily set these thoughts aside and called out once more to his wolfdog at the bottom of the pit. This time, it obediently jumped up, and Wang Wu pulled it out of the pit by its paws.

He took the gemstone from the dog’s mouth and examined it closely in his palm. It had been polished, and was engraved with patterns he had never seen before. This couldn’t have been done recently, so it must be a product of ancient times.

All signs indicated that the legend of treasure hidden inside the ruins of the ancient city was true. Heat surged through Wang Wu’s chest. The wind no longer felt cold, and the rustling sounds were no longer frightening. Who cared about ghosts? For the right amount of money, he would dare to take a gamble even if the king of hell was standing before him.

But while he was willing to gamble, he wouldn’t be too reckless. After all, it was his own life at stake.

He first took his wolfdog back to the house, where he found Zhao Yi packing his things in preparation to leave Longqiu.

Although he was thoroughly aggravated about Zhao Yi abandoning him, Wang Wu also knew that going it alone presented numerous inconveniences. He needed a helper.

So he took out the gemstone and told Zhao Yi the truth about what had just happened, as well as his speculations. To be able to associate with him, Zhao Yi had to be a kindred spirit, both of them willing to risk their lives for money.

Upon hearing that there was really treasure here, he immediately dropped his luggage and prepared to explore the tunnel again.

However, Wang Wu stopped him and explained his plan.

They still didn’t know if the tunnel was dangerous, so they couldn’t just enter rashly. Thus, they caught a wild pheasant and a rabbit, tied ropes around their feet, and lowered them into the tunnel.

They had prepared a very long rope, and when it had been lowered about fifty meters, the other end fell slack. The two immediately pulled it back up, only to find severed limbs at the end of it. 

The pheasant and rabbit limbs were rough at the edges, as if they had been torn by some enormous force or bitten off. 

When they saw the still-dripping bloodsoaked limbs, Wang Wu and Zhao Yi realized just how lucky they had been to emerge from the tunnel unscathed last time, and didn’t dare consider venturing back in.

Yet despite their reluctance to go inside, they still couldn’t bring themselves to abandon the treasure, and continued to linger in the area. The government troops had long called off their pursuit, but the two bandits still didn’t leave Longqiu, waiting for the day they could devise a way to retrieve the treasure.

It wasn’t until today, when they met Feng Ye and his group, that the two of them steeled themselves and decided to take the gamble.

Regardless of the outcome, at least they wouldn’t waste any more time here.

Although the current result was different from the three Wang Wu had listed at the river, they indeed had no need to stay here any longer. Judging from Feng Ye’s cold expression just now, it was even uncertain if they could leave with their lives.

“Hero, we’ve given you the truth. Not a single lie was told. Look, can’t we…..” Wang Wu craned his neck up to look at Feng Ye at the edge of the pit above, speaking in a fawning, ingratiating tone.

But before Feng Ye could speak, Fang Yang jumped out and angrily rebuked him: “You’ve committed so many evil deeds and you still expect to leave?!”

He had clenched his fists several times throughout Wang Wu’s account, desperately suppressing his anger. How could these two people be so vicious?! That couple and their child, barely five years old…..these two actually murdered them so nonchalantly!

And their methods were so ruthless. Fang Yang had only read about such villains in storybooks, thinking that such people were just fictional. He never could have imagined that reality was so much worse than the stories.

Fang Yang’s fury grew as he spoke, and he abruptly pulled out his iron sword, pointing the tip toward Wang Wu down in the pit.

Seeing this, Cao Zirui went over and patted Fang Yang on the shoulder soothingly, while unobtrusively pressing down to keep him from going anywhere. He was equally furious, but he also knew that cultivators should not casually take the lives of mortals.

Mortals were bound by the laws of the mortal world, and cultivators should not interfere. These two bandits had also committed crimes worthy of death. Send them to any government office, and they wouldn’t be able to avoid their belated execution. It really wasn’t worth breaking their discipline for the sake of these two.

With Cao Zirui holding him down by the shoulder, Fang Yang put up a brief struggle before finally calming down somewhat. He took a deep breath and turned to face Feng Ye: “Shixiong, what should we do with them?”

Feng Ye crossed his arms, tapping his fingers a couple of times as he thought. “Tie them up first, and we’ll hand them over to the authorities when we leave.”

Hao Chen was a little surprised to hear this. He had thought that Feng Ye would simply deal with these two people on the spot.

How did these two end up being classified among Feng Ye’s third-tier criminals? After confirming what Lu Chengye had done, Feng Ye hadn’t hesitated to remove his head from his body.

But on second thought, Feng Ye’s actions were understandable. He probably didn’t want to reveal that side of himself in front of the two younger ones.

The ruthless, brutal God of War, just like the rumors described.

Everyone but the two bandits agreed with Feng Ye’s decision.

But their opinions didn’t matter, and the two were tied tightly with ropes and thrown back into the pit.

Although Fang Yang was still seething with indignation, he knew that this was actually the best course of action. But he secretly clenched his fists, deciding that he would wait until this trip to Longqiu was over, then stay for a while and wait until the two bandits were convicted and executed by the authorities before leaving.

Having dealt with those two, Feng Ye glanced into the dark, seemingly endless tunnel and knew that it was time to head inside.

His decision to descend into the underground ruins was not entirely because of the Living Soil.

Feng Ye was very surprised, extremely surprised, to find the royal city of Western Qiang here.

He had always believed that the royal city didn’t exist, that it was just a fabricated illusion like all the other illusions he had experienced in the Emberless Horizon.

He never could have imagined that such a city existed in reality. Even the serpent god and the eight ghost generals led by the Ghost Mask Priest were exactly the same as in the illusion.

Tracing the chain of events back to the beginning, why had Feng Ye ended up here? Because he had sensed a problem with the Emberless Horizon, and set out to discover the truth about its connection to Jianmu a century ago.

Yet in the same location as the Living Soil, he found the royal city of Western Qiang, which he had previously seen within the Emberless Horizon.

Rather than calling it a mere coincidence, it would be more accurate to call it a trap.

A trap prepared just for him.

But he wasn’t afraid at all. Regardless of whether this royal city was the same as the one he’d seen in the Emberless Horizon, he was no longer the powerless youth he had once been.

Feng Ye took the lead and entered the tunnel, with Hao Chen following close behind him. Before entering, Fang Yang suddenly turned back and gave Wang Wu and Zhao Yi one kick each before catching up with the group under Cao Zirui’s helpless gaze.

The two bandits had never expected that after they laid the facts out, Feng Ye and his group would still so boldly and nonchalantly enter the tunnel. They didn’t know whether to call them daring or suicidal.

Nevertheless, they continued to shout after the group’s retreating backs. It really didn’t matter if Feng Ye and the others went inside, as they were the ones walking to their deaths. But the two of them absolutely didn’t want to stay here, ah!

Wang Wu and Zhao Yi first cast cries for mercy toward their backs, but when those people remained unmoved, they began to hurl insults at them instead, using the most crude and offensive language possible.

Hearing this, Fang Yang almost wanted to run back and shut the two of them up.

But they were already inside, and Fang Yang worried that running back and forth would separate him from his shixiong and the others, so he ultimately didn’t go back.

Fortunately, as they ventured deeper underground, the voices of Wang Wu and Zhao Yi grew fainter and fainter, until they disappeared completely.

When the racket finally subsided, Fang Yang was finally able to calm down and observe the passageway.

The tunnel was pitch black so deep underground, and Hao Chen took out a glowing pearl after entering. Although it wasn’t as bright as sunlight, it still provided sufficient illumination.

The pearl’s illumination range was limited, so in order to prevent the other two from lingering too close to Feng Ye, Hao Chen cleverly took out another pearl. Wearing a magnanimous look, he tossed it to Fang Yang and Cao Zirui. Thus, sharing one pearl between them, Hao Chen and Feng Ye ended up next to each other.

Hao Chen held the pearl in his left hand while Feng Ye walked to his right. Their shoulders were close together, and their hands would occasionally brush as they walked.

When they brushed against each other again, Hao Chen suddenly reached out and grasped Feng Ye’s hand. Facing Feng Ye’s questioning gaze, Hao Chen said boldly: “It’s creepy in here, and I’m a little scared.”

Feng Ye: “……”

This was clearly a lie.

Fang Yang overheard this and felt that it was reasonable. He also found this place a bit eerie , so he quickly grabbed Cao Zirui’s hand and suggested: “Let’s hold hands. That way, we can look after each other if there’s any danger.”

Cao Zirui glanced at their clasped hands and nodded.

Feng Ye: “……”

Since Fang Yang and his friend had done the same thing, he would look heartless if he were to shake Hao Chen off.

He heaved a sigh, resigning himself to the warmth of another person radiating through his palm.

Hao Chen’s body temperature was slightly higher than that of ordinary people. It was unknown if this was due to the thick layer of fat coating his true form, but it gave him an exceptional ability to withstand the cold.

Walking through such a cold and gloomy tunnel, holding that hand gave him an unfamiliar sense of peace and warmth.

Although Feng Ye would never admit it, he felt that this fish’s hand was pleasant to the touch, smooth and glossy.

But he didn’t focus too much on their clasped hands, quickly shifting his attention to the passageway beneath his feet.

The tunnel wasn’t wide. It was just right for two people to walk side by side, but any more than that would be too crowded.

The ceiling was quite high, nearly three meters above their heads. The tunnel sloped downward the entire way, and Feng Ye counted his steps. Finally, after about a hundred steps, the ground leveled out. They must have reached the bottom of the underground structure.

Although the tunnel was still narrow at the bottom, a number of stone carvings had appeared on the walls.

These patterns were chaotic and haphazard, looking much like scribbles.

Fang Yang lamented upon seeing this: “So people in ancient times also liked to scribble on walls?”

Cao Zirui also inspected the patterns. Although he didn’t feel that Fang Yang’s conjecture was entirely correct, he couldn’t seem to come up with any other explanation. The patterns of these carvings were indeed incomprehensible, being neither text nor murals.

Feng Ye observed these patterns very closely. Although they appeared chaotic and meaningless, Feng Ye felt that this shouldn’t be the case. The people of Western Qiang wouldn’t have carved such pointless things, so there must be some significance to these patterns.

With his free right hand, he traced over the patterns on the wall, feeling them as he moved his palm along the contours. The more he looked at these patterns, the more familiar they seemed. After walking more than a dozen steps, Feng Ye came to an abrupt stop.

Ignoring the surprised looks from the others, he shook off Hao Chen’s hand and took the pearl he was holding to light the way.

Without offering any explanation, he walked briskly ahead with the pearl in hand. Then, after a few steps, he turned back and peered at the wall on the other side.

This was the side Hao Chen had just brushed against. After walking several more steps, Feng Ye then crouched down and looked at the ground.

“Shixiong, what are you doing, ah?” Fang Yang finally couldn’t help but ask.

Feng Ye didn’t look up, simply raising a finger in a shushing gesture.

He stared intently at the ground, brow furrowed. Amidst the chaotic patterns on the wall, one particular line led down to the floor and continued to extend across it.

These seemingly arbitrary patterns were not entirely random at all. These were array patterns – and not just one, but several large array patterns intertwined.

That was why they appeared so messy and disorganized.

Feng Ye attempted to untangle one of the lines, mentally tracing the array patterns he had just passed before, and was able to form a vague picture of a corner of this great array.

Although only this small corner was visible, it was enough to let Feng Ye identify exactly what sort of array this was.

His pupils contracted, and he murmured: “This is…..”

Meanwhile, outside the tunnel, Wang Wu and Zhao Yi were still bound hand and foot. The two cursed and hollered for a long time, only stopping when they realized that Feng Ye and the others had gone so far away that they were just shouting into the void.

Zhao Yi spat, cursing Wang Wu instead: “Laozi told you we shouldn’t mess with these people, but you insisted. Now look at what’s happened! We’re going to die here!”

Wang Wu remained silent. He craned his neck to peer down the tunnel, and once he determined that Feng Ye and the others were far away and wouldn’t be returning anytime soon, he immediately began to struggle.

Zhao Yi looked at his writhing appearance and said disdainfully: “You think you can break free from a dead knot? Keep dreaming.”

Without even looking up, Wang Wu retorted with a curse: “Cut the bullshit. Do you want to live? If so, then hurry up and help me.”

Zhao Yi was taken aback. From Wang Wu’s words, it seemed he had a means of escaping. Now that there was hope, Zhao Yi set aside his complaints and moved next to Wang Wu, using his bound hands to take out something hidden in the other’s clothes.

After much effort, Zhao Yi finally retrieved the whistle that Wang Wu had hidden in his belt. Holding it in his hand, Zhao Yi asked: “What is this? Do you want to blow the whistle and call those people back?”

Wang Wu rolled his eyes in response: “Don’t be stupid. This is a dog whistle, humans can’t hear it. If I blow it now, my wolfdog will hear it and come looking for me!”

A dog whistle? Zhao Yi had heard of such whistles before, but never knew that Wang Wu had one. He had been partners with Wang Wu for so long, but the other man had never told him about this.

But that wasn’t too strange. Such a life-saving measure must naturally be reserved for a critical moment.

And this was the most critical moment imaginable. With this in mind, Zhao Yi immediately lifted the whistle to Wang Wu’s lips. His hands and feet were tied together, so he wasn’t able to reach his own mouth.

Wang Wu puffed out his cheeks and blew hard on the dog whistle.

The high-frequency sound waves traveled in all directions, undetectable to the human ear. But behind the wooden house, the wolfdog’s ears suddenly twitched.

It twisted its head around and gnawed off the rope tethering it, then took off on all fours through the forest, heading toward the source of the sound.

Wang Wu blew the whistle for about a quarter of a shichen before he heard footsteps and the panting of an animal above the pit. Overjoyed, he looked up and saw his beloved wolfdog.

“Come down here and bite through this rope!” Wang Wu called out to it. The wolfdog obediently jumped down, then snapped its teeth together and ripped apart the rope on Wang Wu’s hands with a few tugs.

Wang Wu flexed his wrists, then quickly untied his feet.

Seeing this, Zhao Yi urged him anxiously: “Quick, untie me too!”

Wang Wu, however, turned his head and sneered at him: “Like hell!”

He went over to Zhao Yi and gave his face two hard slaps, saying in a tone of feigned pity: “We’ve been holed up here for so long and all we have to show for it is a single gemstone and a gold bracelet. That’s not even enough to fill the gaps in our teeth. It’s really not enough to share between us, so it’s better for you to just stay here.”

“You’re going to fucking keep it all to yourself?!” Zhao Yi was both furious and frantic.

But no sooner had he finished speaking than Wang Wu stepped onto his shoulder and jumped out of the pit. He then turned back to help the dog up. It truly seemed as if he was planning to leave him there.

Zhao Yi immediately changed his tone and pleaded for mercy: “Wait! I don’t want the money anymore! Just get me out of here, I don’t need anything else! You can have it all!”

Standing beside the pit, Wang Wu shook his head and said disdainfully: “All the money’s still mine even if I don’t save you, so why would I waste the effort? The fact that I’m not finishing you off with my own hands is in consideration of all the time we’ve spent together.”

With that said, he turned his back.

When Zhao Yi saw this, he glared with bloodshot eyes and screamed Wang Wu’s name at the top of his lungs, the veins in his neck bulging from the sheer force of his exertion. His shout echoed throughout the forest, startling a great flock of birds into flight. Judging by his expression, he wished he could devour Wang Wu alive.

Wang Wu remained unmoved. He stroked his wolfdog, intending to head back to the house. So much had happened in a single afternoon that dusk had already fallen. He needed to hurry up and gather his belongings, then make a run for it.

However, he had barely taken two steps, Zhao Yi’s shout still ringing through the trees, when a man’s low chuckle suddenly reached his ears.

Just going by the sound, the man’s voice was deep and melodious, yet both Wang Wu and Zhao Yi broke out in goosebumps from head to toe.

How could there possibly be anyone else here other than them?!

The wolfdog beside Wang Wu immediately crouched low, baring its sharp fangs as it ferociously scanned its surroundings.

Wang Wu also looked around warily, but saw no sign of anyone.

Could it be a ghost?!

It was not a ghost, for Zhao Yi saw that at some point, a man had come to stand directly in front of him.

He wore a long black robe, his face covered by a mask. Devoid of any emotion, a pair of cold black eyes stared icily at Zhao Yi, who lay bound hand and foot before him.

This man might not be a ghost, but he was certainly close enough to one. Zhao Yi realized that not only did this person not make a sound when walking, but even more remarkably, he didn’t seem to be breathing.

He had materialized out of thin air inside the underground pit. Meanwhile, having just climbed out of the tunnel, Wang Wu was completely unaware that someone else had appeared down below, and continued to observe the surroundings with his wolfdog.

He swept his gaze around, then turned back to look at the dilapidated stone platform.

And this single glance terrified Wang Wu so much that he immediately recoiled several steps.

For that stone platform, which had only a short moment ago been in ruins, had suddenly transformed into a fully intact stone pillar.

Standing twenty meters tall, it was now stripped of the moss and vines that had blanketed it over the course of one thousand years. It looked pristine, as if it had just been newly constructed.

Space and time were rent asunder under the setting sun. The serpent god upon the stone pillar was no longer shattered, its massive form now intact and coiled around the column. Its eyes, positioned at the very top, gazed down coldly upon the mortals standing at its base, just as it had one thousand years ago within the royal city of Western Qiang.

Wang Wu tilted his head back, gazing up into the serpent’s eyes. For a fleeting, disorienting moment, he even thought he saw them move.

He abruptly realized that this was no illusion – the serpent’s eyes were actually moving!

The snake’s carven eyes suddenly blinked, and when they opened again, they contained a crimson hue. They were as dazzling as the colossal red sun sinking toward the west behind it, or the ruby he had retrieved from the ruins that day.

As the serpent opened its eyes, the rest of its massive form began to uncoil, chunks of stone peeling away to reveal the distinctly textured body of the snake hidden beneath.

The giant serpent slithered down from the stone pillar and extended its head right in front of Wang Wu.

As the serpent’s tongue flicked out, Wang Wu once again heard that low, masculine chuckle.

He finally realized where that laughter was coming from. It was the giant serpent right in front of his eyes!

A drop of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. As the snake’s head drew even closer, he retreated farther and farther back, the wolfdog at his side mirroring his movements. This wolfdog acted aggressively toward the weak, but when faced with this giant serpent, it could only back away with its tail tucked between its legs.

Behind them lay the earthen tunnel they had just climbed out of, but Wang Wu had no time to pay it any mind.

The entirety of his attention was focused on the serpent before him. His image was reflected in its crimson eyes, and within those eyes flickered a human emotion.

Mockery.

Wang Wu was given a sudden start. With his life hanging by a thread, his mind raced, recalling the legendary serpent god in the legends about Western Qiang.

He immediately fell to his knees at the very edge of the pit. One more step back, and he would have fallen in.

Wang Wu begged the giant serpent for mercy: “Serpent god, spare….spare my life!”

The serpent advanced no further. Tilting its neck back slightly, it fixed its gaze on the mortal groveling in the dirt and spoke: “But the Grand Array is about to be activated, and I am missing one key ingredient to trigger it.”

“W-what’s missing?” Wang Wu asked, lips trembling.

“It’s missing you two, ah.” The giant serpent chuckled again.

The moment its words fell, Wang Wu realized that something was wrong. He watched as the scales on the giant serpent’s neck contracted, before it suddenly lunged forward. Seeing that he was about to be swallowed whole, Wang Wu recklessly threw himself backward, dragging his wolfdog along with him, and tumbled back into the pit.

And just as he fell, the stone gate slammed shut.

Accompanying the dull thud of the door closing came the sound of mechanisms activating one after another.

The earth trembled, and the royal city stirred to life. Having slumbered beneath the earth for a thousand years, this ancient city awakened once again the moment the sun set, like a resurrected phantom.

Watching this scene, the giant serpent let out a satisfied chuckle, then dissolved into wisps of black mist and slipped through the crevices in the stone gate, descending beneath the earth.

And just as the earth beneath his feet began to vibrate, Feng Ye uttered the name of this array:

“Eight Ghost Illusion Array!”

---

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Chapter 102 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 104

Ch 32 – Goodbye, Mom

“What are you doing?” Yu Xi asked Kersz.

“You wanted to touch a human, so I let you. Now I want to touch a robot. My good friend will be generous to me too, right?” Kersz asked Yu Xi.

“O-of course. But could you please stop touching my breathing light?” Yu Xi patted Kersz’s hand.

“I thought you said that touching the breathing light wouldn’t hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt, but it’s ticklish.”

“Does it make you want to laugh?”

Yu Xi shook his head.

In other words, the “ticklish” feeling wasn’t too excessive.

Kersz had finally discovered the layout of Yu Xi’s breathing lines.

The breathing light on Yu Xi’s lower lip ran down his Adam’s apple and sternum, ending above his navel.

And less than two centimeters to the left and right of the end, there were two breathing lights about the length of a finger joint.

On his sides, near his waist and hips, there were also two short breathing lights, with longer ones between them extending downward.

The only difference was that one side circled around the thigh, with one solid line and one dotted one forming two loops around the leg, while the other extended down to the calf to form two more loops.

The two breathing lines on the legs were asymmetrical.

Yu Xi had similar patterns on his arms that were equally asymmetrical.

When Kersz expressed his curiosity, Yu Xi had shown them to him directly despite being a little embarrassed: “W-what are you looking at now?”

Yu Xi wanted to cover up, but then he remembered that he was the one who invited Kersz to look, and felt somewhat flustered.

The place Kersz was staring at was indeed a bit sensitive, but he really couldn’t help himself.

Because…..

“Why is there nothing there?!”

Yu Xi: “What?”

“There’s nothing there at all, ah.” Kersz was aghast.

He moved behind Yu Xi and was even more shocked: “There really is nothing there!”

Yu Xi’s body really lacked the organ that marked him as a male!

Oh, right. Yu Xi’s body didn’t have a “back opening” either. He was like one of those dolls made specifically for children, with a flat bottom.

Yu Xi reached down and covered the spot Kersz was staring at.

“What are you covering up? There’s nothing there!” Kersz didn’t understand.

“That’s because I can stow it away,” Yu Xi said with some embarrassment. He felt all of his energy rush to his head, making him heat up. “T-to avoid arousing suspicion. And clothes look better on me this way.”

If he didn’t stow it away, he felt that its structure would ruin the overall aesthetic appeal of his outfits and be too eye-catching.

Yu Xi thought that Kersz had discovered that little scheme of his, so he said in apology: “That part also has a dotted breathing line.”

Kersz’s eyes widened in astonishment: “What did you say?! What do you mean there’s a breathing line on it?”

“B-but I’m not ready to show it.” Yu Xi wouldn’t have been so awkward before, but he now had some less-than-pure thoughts about Kersz.

Kersz was stunned.

He had crouched down to observe the breathing lines on Yu Xi’s legs, and was currently too stupefied to stand up.

Yu Xi was both bashful and distressed, but he still felt that he should satisfy his friend’s curiosity, so he stopped covering himself with his hands.

Kersz: “Ah?”

Just like when he had witnessed a galaxy being compressed, Kersz once again saw some sort of spatial folding technology.

And then…..

“Wow, a breathing light.”

*

*

“I’m going to turn my dinosaur into a positive energy dinosaur!” Tau announced loudly upon his return.

Nobody paid him any attention.

Kersz sat hunched over on the sofa, covering his face with his hands. He seemed to be in some distress.

And Yu Xi was crouched down facing the corner, seemingly withdrawn.

Completely oblivious, the little dinosaur could only sense the heavy atmosphere within the family. He circled around Yu Xi, occasionally patting him with his little paws.

When the little dinosaur saw Tau, the pillar of his world, he ran to his side with a cry of: “Daddy! Daddy!”

Tau picked up the little dinosaur and walked between Yu Xi and Kersz, looking from side to side: “What’s wrong with you two?”

Kersz: “I want to die.”

Tau: “That’s great. When do you expect to die?”

Kersz: ……

Kersz leveled a sinister look at Tau.

Tau: “You’re the one who said it.”

Kersz ignored him.

Tau looked back toward the little dinosaur in his arms: “What happened to them?”

The little dinosaur shook his big head, indicating his ignorance.

“Stay away from them. Their current state is the opposite of positive.” Tau clutched the dinosaur, wanting to isolate him in his own room.

Kersz pulled out a pillow and threw it at him.

It hit him, but didn’t impede Tau’s actions.

Tau locked the little dinosaur in his room, then came out and asked Yu Xi: “What’s wrong with you two?”

Yu Xi: “I want to die.”

“You can’t die.” Tau grasped Yu Xi’s hand.

Kersz looked up at Tau again.

Tau explained: “He’ll take all of us with him.”

Kersz looked away.

Tau comforted Yu Xi: “Try to think more positively. If Kersz makes you unhappy, just kill him, ah.”

He got hit by another pillow.

“He didn’t make me unhappy. The problem is with me.” Yu Xi was in a state of embarrassed suffering. He didn’t want to look at Kersz right now, but he also really couldn’t bear to be separated from him.

He and Kersz had been in separate rooms, one in the bedroom and one in the living room.

But despite his embarrassment, Yu Xi still snuck out to the corner of the living room, where he withdrew into himself.

Tau had absolutely no idea how to comfort people: “So what did you do? Actually, you can do whatever you want without having to consider Kersz’s feelings.”

“That’s no good.” Yu Xi looked up at Kersz, who happened to be looking back at him.

Their eyes met, and they quickly looked away.

Tau: “Can you tell me exactly what happened?”

Yu Xi: “I….I….he touched my breathing line. It wasn’t on purpose. He was stunned when it happened too.”

“Oh, so he touched your face.” Tau understood.

Yu Xi looked up at Tau, seemingly about to say something, but then he let out a heavy sigh: “Yes, he touched my face.”

“He’s the one who made a mistake, so why are you saying it’s your problem?” Tau didn’t understand. “Then how about you touch his face too?”

Yu Xi looked even more depressed after hearing this.

He had been having some naughty thoughts about Kersz lately, and then Kersz had insisted on taking a look at his breathing lights. The resulting anatomical reaction had taken Yu Xi by surprise….and poked Kersz in the face.

It happened in the blink of an eye. Neither of them had expected it.

Yu Xi wished he could dig a hole and bury himself in it.

Kersz actually wasn’t that embarrassed anymore, but he really didn’t know how to bring up the topic with Yu Xi.

Should he jokingly call him his “good friend?”

He felt that Yu Xi would be even more embarrassed by that.

Fortunately, they still had a pressing task ahead of them – Curtis had invited them out again.

Yu Xi had to shrink himself down again, which gave Kersz another chance to carry him.

Thus, when they met up, Curtis felt that Kersz’s attitude toward him had improved.

Yu Xi was also treating him with more affection.

Ignorant to what was going on, Curtis simply assumed that his charm was off the charts today.

However, he still envied the way Kersz and Yu Xi got along with each other.

He said to Kersz: “I wish my dad was like you.”

Kersz was momentarily stunned, and Yu Xi blinked rapidly.

This child had no idea how terrifying his wish was.

Kersz pressed Yu Xi’s head into his arms, then smiled and informed Curtis that they would be leaving Daybreak in the next few days.

Kersz’s identity was that of a small business owner within the Star Union. Unlike the Interstellar Alliance, nobles in the Star Union didn’t follow the same customs, and one could buy just about anything there as long as they had the money.

The Star Union was full of businessmen.

Kersz had come here for two reasons: First, to take his child out for a stroll, and secondly, to see if he could get to know some well-connected nobles and discuss forging a business partnership.

“You’re the Supreme Governor’s son, so you definitely know more about the Interstellar Alliance than I do,” Kersz said to Curtis. “Do you know anyone who owns a mining company?”

“Plenty,” Curtis replied without hesitation. “The Interstellar Alliance may not have much else, but there are plenty of nobles with fortunes in their hands. No matter how far those noble families may have declined, each of them still owns a mining planet or two.”

“My god,” Kersz exclaimed.

“There are hundreds…..hey, if you trust me, I’ll introduce you to someone I know,” said Curtis. “My older sister, Yara.”

“Who is she?” Kersz asked, feigning confusion.

“She’s the most likely one to become my mother’s heir. She’s currently serving in the military, and already owns five mining planets – and she’s also looking for business partners,” Curtis explained.

“She’s an official? Is my identity as a member of the Star Union going to be a problem?” Kersz put on a show of nervousness.

There had been previous conflicts between the Interstellar Alliance and the Star Union. The Interstellar Alliance held the most resources and owned countless significant energy mines, but the Star Union had once seized its twelve most important mining planets.

The ordinary people of the Interstellar Alliance despised the businessmen from the Star Union.

And those lesser nobles, for the sake of their honor, were equally unwilling to cooperate with them.

“If this gets exposed, it will likely affect your sister’s future career,” Kersz said, pursing his lips.

“Hey~ Who would expose it, ah? How many of the people at the top haven’t worked with the Star Union?” Curtis didn’t think it was a big deal. “Hatred doesn’t put food on the table. Besides, without the Star Union operating the mines, those energy sources wouldn’t fetch such a good price.”

“Who would throw away money for the sake of so-called ‘honor?’” Curtis scoffed, waving his hand. “I’ll take you to see her in a couple of days, and the two of you can talk.”

With a look of relief, Kersz quickly smiled and agreed.

Curtis took a sip of drink, then remembered something and pointed at Kersz: “Hey, listen here.”

Kersz’s eyes widened in confusion.

“You Star Union people all have your own hidden agendas.” Curtis patted him on the shoulder.

Kersz chuckled.

“You and I are on good terms. Don’t mess with my sister, or she’ll make trouble for me later,” said Curtis.

“Of course I won’t. You’ve helped me so much, how could I possibly put you in a tough spot?” Kersz said with a placating smile.

“Now we’re talking. Remember that later on.” Curtis smiled back and veered away from serious matters, beginning to feel sentimental about the father-son relationship between Kersz and Yu Xi.

A few days later, Curtis took the three of them to his sister’s planet. Of course, Fusya accompanied them with “being worried” as his excuse.

Curtis was not very welcoming to Fusya, but for some reason, Tau was very enthusiastic toward him and firmly believed in his positive energy rhetoric.

Tau himself was incapable of such optimism, but he hoped that his child would be able to maintain a positive attitude forever.

Curtis contacted his sister, who agreed to meet with his friend. However, she didn’t have time at the moment, as she had been promoted and was currently preparing for a banquet.

“Does a promotion require a banquet?” Kersz asked Curtis.

“That’s the annoying thing about these nobles. They have so many customs, and they make a big deal out of everything, like they have to announce it to the world.” Curtis was a little uneasy, as he’d heard that his mother would be coming as well. His father was busy and didn’t have time, but he still sent someone over with a congratulatory gift.

“Banquets are boring. The games aren’t fun at all, and you have to listen to a bunch of people bragging about their own achievements.” Curtis had never enjoyed that sort of thing. “All of it is to show off their family wealth and heritage. They’ll occasionally talk about business partnerships, or discuss arranged marriages.”

Fusya patted Curtis on the shoulder, eliciting a cold scoff: “Uncle Fusya doesn’t like banquets either, right? Those people always like to bring up your status.”

“It’s fine, I’m used to it,” said Fusya.

Curtis felt helpless. He didn’t know how Fusya could possibly be used to it.

He wasn’t a fan of Fusya’s constant nattering about “positive energy,” but Fusya was indeed the elder who cared the most about Curtis’s good-for-nothing self.

Curtis recalled that someone had fancied Fusya at a banquet several years ago, but that person was operating under the assumption that Fusya’s background made him more promiscuous and undignified than ordinary nobles.

Curtis had gone into a towering rage over it, and everyone condemned him for losing his composure.

Why make such a fuss when Fusya could just politely refuse?

Sometimes, Curtis felt that there was something wrong with everyone in his family, that perhaps there was something wrong with everyone in the world.

Just thinking about it made anger surge to his head.

Suddenly, a cool little hand patted his own.

When Curtis looked up, he found that it was Yu Xi.

The child seemed to be concerned for him: “Are you alright, Uncle?”

Curtis smiled: “Uncle is fine. Did Uncle scare you?”

Yu Xi shook his head.

“You have such a good child,” Curtis said to Kersz.

Kersz smiled.

Yu Xi simply lacked resistance to human vulnerability.

Curtis’s attitude toward Yu Xi was getting better and better.

Yet Kersz felt that there was something amiss.

Curtis and Yu Xi had gotten along quite well when they first met, but then Curtis had changed his name to Fetus.

Nothing that unfortunate was going to happen again, right?

Kersz glanced at the miniaturized Yu Xi.

En, nothing should happen. Yu Xi was a child, and Curtis shouldn’t let a child convince him of anything.

Kersz and Tau ended up receiving invitations to the banquet, which didn’t come as a surprise to Kersz. Banquets were inherently a display of wealth, and the audience for that display naturally consisted of “associates” like him.

Upon landing, the group was housed in a private residence under the name of Curtis’s sister Yara.

The three of them moved into the roomy villa while Fusya and Curtis stayed elsewhere.

Curtis warmly invited Yu Xi and his family to familiarize themselves with the planet.

They spent the entire time together, right up until the day of the banquet.

“My sister said she’ll come and talk to you afterward,” Curtis told Kersz.

“Thank you so much. You’ve really helped me a lot.” Kersz toasted him, and Curtis drank his whole glass in one go.

Kersz: “The party just started. Aren’t you drinking a little too much?”

“It’s not too much. I can hold my liquor pretty well,” said Curtis.

Kersz remained noncommittal.

Yu Xi stayed by Kersz’s side the entire time, but Kersz didn’t hold him during the banquet.

Curtis leaned down: “Want to go play with Uncle?”

“Okay!” Yu Xi smiled and nodded, dutifully playing the role of a child.

Curtis picked Yu Xi up in one swift motion, then raised an eyebrow at the somewhat apprehensive Kersz: “I’m just taking your kid to wander around.”

“You….just don’t drink too much,” was all Kersz could say.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to him.” Curtis turned his attention to Yu Xi. “Uncle won’t let you fall and get hurt, will he? Uncle’s arms are really strong.”

No, Yu Xi still felt that Curtis’s arms were very uncomfortable.

With his arms around Yu Xi, Curtis walked away.

Everyone at the banquet was clearly familiar with Curtis, and greeted him with smiling faces. Curtis introduced each of these aunts and uncles to Yu Xi.

But once those people left, Curtis muttered: “If I weren’t the son of the Supreme Governor and the High Lord, who would bother with me….ha.”

Yu Xi patted Curtis on the head.

Curtis felt that he had drunk a bit too much, and was indeed a little dizzy.

He carried Yu Xi to the gardens, where he found a secluded spot and set him down, then shook out his slightly numb hands.

Yu Xi looked up at him.

Curtis wiped away his tears with one hand. “It’s so pointless…..really, it’s so pointless.”

“People are only liked if they’re useful…..so pointless.” Curtis smiled at Yu Xi. “You’re lucky you have a good father. I really envy you.”

Yu Xi slowly stepped forward and reached out to wipe Curtis’s face, wanting to help him blot away his tears.

Curtis was unaccustomed to such intimacy, and abruptly stepped back.

Yu Xi froze on the spot.

Realizing that he had frightened Yu Xi, Curtis said quickly: “Haha, Uncle isn’t trying to avoid you. Uncle just…..” But the more he spoke, the more uncontrollable his tears became.

The alcohol had muddled his brain.

Not wanting to be pitied by a child, Curtis fled.

Yu Xi: “Ah….”

Wasn’t it a really bad idea to leave a child of his size alone?

But Curtis had already run far away.

Yu Xi waited for a while, and was soon noticed by a robot carrying drinks.

“Hello, Young Master Zane. What are you doing here alone?” Everyone attending the banquet had been registered, so it was able to call out Yu Xi’s alias.

“My friend is missing.” Yu Xi was a little anxious, worrying that something might happen to Curtis.

“May I ask who your friend is?” the robot continued.

Yu Xi: “Curtis.”

“I’m sorry, Curtis is not on the banquet guest list,” the robot said regretfully.

Yu Xi: “….Fetus.”

“Oh! So it’s Mr. Fetus. Shall I take you to him?” The robot didn’t intend to leave such a small child alone.

“No!” Yu Xi refused. “He seems to have been deeply hurt on an emotional level, and ran away on his own. He may not want to come back.”

The robot praised: “You’re so clever! So, what does clever little Zane plan to do?”

“He’s been disappointed by his family, so we need to make him feel cared for by them,” said Yu Xi.

The robot: “Wow.”

A moment later, the music in the banquet hall abruptly cut off.

Then a ding-dong sounded out, and a missing person notice began to play over the loudspeaker: “Good afternoon, dear guests. This is a missing person announcement. Young friend Fetus, wearing a blue tuxedo, please meet your friend in the gardens after hearing this broadcast. Your friend is waiting for you.”

Everyone: “…..”

Kersz sucked in a deep breath.

It had finally happened!

The hostess of the banquet, Yara, glanced at her mother seated beside her: “Fetus? I remember…..”

“Shh~” The High Lord interrupted her.

The broadcast was still playing, and some people glanced over at her.

The High Lord gracefully raised her head, then opened her communicator and messaged the Supreme Governor: [Are you able to get here on short notice?]

[Has something happened?] The Supreme Governor asked. [Have we caught Kersz’s trail? Was there an attack? Is Yara all right?]

[It’s nothing so serious. Yara is fine. I just have urgent business to attend to, so please come and support her.] The High Lord replied.

[What urgent matter?] The Supreme Governor asked in puzzlement.

[I need to leave for a business discussion.]

[Why the rush? Who wants to discuss business? Did they make an appointment in advance?] The Supreme Governor felt that something was amiss.

[It’s really urgent. If I don’t go soon, I’ll be bankrupt. You don’t want to lose your support, do you?] The High Lord felt that the Supreme Governor was talking too much.

[Wait a moment.] Still feeling that something wasn’t right, the Supreme Governor stepped away briefly.

The High Lord clicked her tongue.

A moment later, the Supreme Governor sent her another message: [I’m not going, so you can’t leave.]

The High Lord: [I thought there wasn’t going to be exploitation in our relationship. Do you want me to lose my career?]

[Fusya is there too. I asked him. There is no exploitation in our relationship, but there is deception. You’re trying to trick me into going over there and embarrassing myself for you.]

“Damnit, Fusya.” The High Lord gritted her teeth.

On the other side, Yu Xi was quietly waiting for Curtis.

After a while, Curtis scrambled and crawled over the thick shrubbery, destroying priceless flowers.

He had come straight here, sobered up by the fright he received.

Upon seeing Curtis, Yu Xi gave him a hug: “Oh~ you really showed up~”

Curtis: …..

Yu Xi: “Are you still sad?”

Curtis: “…..Go back to your dad and say you didn’t see me.”

Yu Xi: “Huh?”

“Remember, you didn’t see me.” Curtis planned to escape the Interstellar Alliance that very night.

He was leaving.

If he didn’t leave now, he wouldn’t survive.

---

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Chapter 31 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 33

Ch. 102 – Buried Bodies

When this thought occurred to him, Hao Chen firmly shook his head to get rid of the feeling of estrangement he felt toward Feng Ye. Then he simply slung an arm around Feng Ye’s shoulders.

Now this was more like it. He had Feng Ye securely encircled in his arms. How far away could he possibly go now? Hao Chen’s tense body relaxed considerably.

Then he met Feng Ye’s surprised and uncertain look in reaction to Hao Chen’s inexplicable action.

Hao Chen blinked at Feng Ye with a look of innocent confusion.

Feng Ye blinked back and gestured with his eyes to Hao Chen’s hand, which was resting where it shouldn’t be.

But not only did Hao Chen not remove his hand, he even tightened his grip a little more. That hand moved from Feng Ye’s shoulder to the back of his neck, and before Hao Chen could make up an excuse for his actions, Feng Ye’s expression suddenly changed.

Hao Chen could feel the dragon tremble violently under his hand, his face paling. Then, the world spun around him.

Feng Ye seized his wrist and executed an over-the-shoulder throw, slamming him to the ground with a loud thud.

Hao Chen was a little dazed from the fall. It didn’t actually hurt, since he had landed on soft grass and soil. He just didn’t understand why Feng Ye had suddenly thrown him down. But before he could fully grasp what had just happened, a sudden vibration surged up from beneath him.

The ground was shaking. He wasn’t heavy enough to cause an earthquake, was he? Hao Chen glanced at his hands and thought, I’m definitely still in my human form.

Then he caught sight of a stone door slowly opening in the ground and belatedly realized that this was not an earthquake. His fall had triggered some sort of mechanism that opened the entrance to the ruins.

Hao Chen was sitting directly above that closed stone gate. Dangerously close to falling through the entrance of the unknown ruins, the fish remained sitting there blankly, without making a move.

Despite having been the one to throw Hao Chen, Feng Ye still reached out and pulled him up. Hao Chen finally came to his senses and took hold of Feng Ye’s hand, then stood up and stepped out of the stone gate’s perimeter.

Right after pulling him up, Feng Ye released Hao Chen’s hand and leveled him with a glare.

Hao Chen wore a baffled expression. What on earth was wrong with this dragon today? Why did he keep suddenly flying into a rage?

Wait, it didn’t seem to be a random occurrence. Each time, his whole body trembled after he touched a certain spot on his neck…..

The neck…..he’d heard that a dragon’s inverse scale grew there…..wait, inverse scale?

An epiphany flashed through Hao Chen’s mind. He looked at Feng Ye, who was clutching his neck with his head turned away, no longer looking at him. Could it be that…..Feng Ye’s inverse scale was his sensitive spot?!

Judging from Feng Ye’s behavior, this was very likely to be true. Hao Chen desperately suppressed his excitement. He seemed to have discovered an incredible secret.

The commotion they made drew everyone’s attention. Fang Yang watched as Feng Ye inexplicably attacked Hao Chen, but before he could ask any questions, he saw that an entrance had opened in the ground.

The stone gate was now fully open, occupying the space beside the vine-covered platform. A two-foot square hole had appeared out of nowhere. Fang Yang was immediately drawn to it, and hurried over to peer inside.

He exclaimed in surprise: “This is…..”

Beneath the gaping stone door lay a three-meter-deep pit. But that wasn’t all, for at the bottom of the pit, there was a downward-sloping tunnel. Fang Yang looked, but couldn’t see the end of it. He could only guess that the tunnel led deeper underground.

“This is part of the royal city of Western Qiang. These ruins are much bigger than what you can see above ground.” Wang Wu came over as well, explaining to the group, “Although the city was shattered by the earthquake and buried deep underground, a few sections still have entrances that connect to the surface. This place is one of them.”

“So what do you say? Want to go down and take a look?” Wang Wu rubbed his hands together, his tone revealing his anticipation.

He had been waiting impatiently for ages. Hao Chen’s fall just now had fortuitously opened the entrance to the underground ruins. He could finally get down to business.

He had laid so much groundwork beforehand, painstakingly boasting about the treasure lying beneath in the underground palace, all to lure these people down despite their lack of temptation.

However, his efforts were not entirely in vain. Fang Yang was eager to go inside, not entirely because of the treasure, but because he was very curious about Western Qiang’s royal city and wanted to see what was down there in the ruins.

So he turned his head back and asked Feng Ye excitedly: “Shixiong, should we go down and take a look?”

Wang Wu and Zhao Yi also looked over. As expected, Feng Ye was the leader of this group. As long as Feng Ye agreed, everything would go smoothly.

Feng Ye sent the two bandits a cool glance, then acquiesced to their wishes and gave a nod.

Ling Yun had discovered the Living Soil here, not in this particular ruin, but in the area around it. Feng Ye didn’t know the exact location, but these underground structures should be connected. If he descended from here, he would eventually reach his destination.

But…..before he went down, there was still one more thing he needed to do.

At once, he approached the secretly elated Wang Wu and Zhao Yi. Then, to their great astonishment, he made his move.

He grabbed Wang Wu by the collar and lifted him up, and although the man was a big, heavy wall of muscle, it was no more difficult for Feng Ye to lift him than it was to lift a chick.

Feng Ye dangled him directly above the pit. If he let go, the man would directly plummet into the ruins.

A height of three meters was actually not very great. An ordinary person might break a bone, but for those with martial arts, it was nothing to worry about.

But when Wang Wu looked down, he immediately put up a violent struggle. He tried to pry Feng Ye’s hands away, but they were as solid as rocks and couldn’t be budged an inch. When his attempt failed, he cursed in terror: “Are you crazy?!”

He then shouted toward Zhao Yi, who was still standing there in shock at this turn of events: “What are you just standing there for?! Come and help me!”

Zhao Yi then seemed to wake up from a dream, and strode forward.

Fang Yang and Cao Zirui watched the proceedings. Unsure of exactly what Feng Ye was doing, they stood frozen in place without making a move.

But Hao Chen understood. He and Feng Ye had overheard the bandits’ plans.

Zhao Yi approached Feng Ye, but before he could get too close, Hao Chen blocked his way with his fan.

He slowly unfolded it, exuding the elegance of a young master from a prominent family even so deep in this desolate mountain forest. He then covered his lips with it, saying with a smile: “Don’t rush. You’re next.”

“Fuck you!” In sharp contrast to Hao Chen’s elegance, Zhao Yi cursed and threw a punch.

Hao Chen met the punch with his closed fan, effortlessly blocking it without even needing to exert any strength.

With another casual wave of his hand, Zhao Yi was thrown to the ground by an irresistible force transmitted through the fan.

Upon seeing this, Wang Wu immediately gave up any thoughts of resisting. As expected, these people were all powerful cultivators.

He reacted quickly. With the knowledge that they couldn’t defeat Feng Ye and his group by force, he stopped cursing their ancestors and instead donned a pitiful expression.

Forcing a smile, he pleaded with the cold-faced Feng Ye: “Please, hero, I don’t know what I did to offend you. I’m just a rough man and my manners are lacking. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

Fang Yang ran up to Feng Ye’s side and asked him doubtfully: “Shixiong, what are you doing?”

But despite questioning him, he didn’t stop Feng Ye. Because he believed in his Useless Shixiong, who wasn’t one to use his power to bully others. He believed that Feng Ye must have a reason for his actions.

“They should be…..” Cao Zirui also made his way over, and hesitated before making a guess: “….mountain bandits.”

He had sensed that something was amiss at the dinner table, but he wasn’t entirely sure what it was. Only now that Feng Ye had taken action was he convinced that these two were bandits.

“Mountain bandits?!” Fang Yang repeated in disbelief. He’d said at the dinner table that these two looked like fearsome bandits, which was true, but he never could have imagined that they actually were.

Feng Ye glanced at Fang Yang, then confirmed Cao Zirui’s guess: “That’s exactly what they are. That house likely isn’t theirs either.”

At this point, he turned his head to regard Wang Wu with a toothy smile: “Where are the original owners?”

Feng Ye’s smile was usually gentle, but this one sent chills down one’s spine. Wang Wu shuddered helplessly, but still tried to argue: “Bandits? My brother and I may look fierce, but we’re decent people. That house is ours!”

“Oh,” Feng Ye responded calmly, his expression unchanged.

Then he released his grip.

With a piercing scream reminiscent of a pig being slaughtered, Wang Wu plummeted into the pit.

He wasn’t injured, as the bottom of the pit was filled with soft dirt that coated his body. But without even bothering to brush it off, he scrambled up the pit on all fours, as desperate to escape as if there was a monster pursuing him. 

After dropping Wang Wu, Feng Ye turned and picked up Zhao Yi, who had been knocked to the ground by Hao Chen. This time, he didn’t even ask any questions before tossing Zhao Yi down as well.

Then, as if having just disposed of trash, he dusted off his hands and gave the two people in the pit an ultimatum: “Will you talk or not?”

Wang Wu and Zhao Yi exchanged a glance, still hesitant.

Feng Ye and Hao Chen also looked at each other. Despite Feng Ye throwing him over his shoulder earlier, they worked together with perfect synergy.

Hao Chen sent Feng Ye a knowing wink, then unfolded his fan and gave a gentle flutter. As a result, the stone gate that had only just opened began to close again.

The noise from the gate startled Wang Wu and his companion. As the stone gate closed, their field of vision shrank. Once it shut, it couldn’t be opened from the inside, and they would surely be devoured by the creature down here, without even leaving skeletons behind.

The two of them instantly disregarded everything else and shouted for Feng Ye and the others to stop.

Feng Ye asked again: “Will you talk or not?”

Wang Wu raised a condition: “Take us up first, then we’ll talk.”

Before Feng Ye could smile, Hao Chen chuckled with his face concealed behind his fan: “Are you still at leisure to make demands? Didn’t you plan to close this stone gate as soon as we entered the underground ruins?”

These people actually knew about their secret plotting by the river?!

At this realization, Wang Wu and Zhao Yi finally put aside their ulterior motives and gave an honest confession.

They were bandits who had been roaming the mountains for many years. Having committed many serious crimes, they were constantly pursued by government troops and had no choice but to flee to the sparsely populated Longqiu.

They retreated deep into the mountain forest, planning to venture out again once the storm had passed. As for the wooden house, it didn’t actually belong to them. It belonged to a family of farmers living in the mountains.

The couple, along with their five-year-old child, were killed without exception.

“Beasts!” Fang Yang cursed, unable to contain his anger. And he had thought these two were good people!

Cursing once didn’t satisfy him, so he rolled up his sleeves and went to jump down and give them a beating. Cao Zirui grabbed him just in time.

Seeing that Fang Yang had been subdued, Feng Ye proceeded to ask: “And then what? The storm has long passed, so what are you still doing here?”

“It’s because of….the treasure…..” Wang Wu briefly hesitated, but then he realized that having confessed to the murders, what happened next was of no importance in comparison. Thus, he spilled the whole truth.

Longqiu contained the ruins of the royal city of Western Qiang, and indeed, as Wang Wu had mentioned on the way here, there was a long-standing legend that there was treasure contained within it.

But a legend was just a legend, and few people took it seriously. Wang Wu and Zhao Yi had heard of the treasure, but like most others, didn’t give it any credence at all.

When they forcibly seized the wooden house, the husband and wife fought back desperately in order to give their five-year-old child time to escape. The intruders first killed the husband, then captured the wife.

As for the child who had fled into the forest, he was dragged back with a broken neck by Wang Wu’s wolfhound.

They took turns playing with the female homeowner all night, before ultimately killing her as well.

The next day, the bodies began to take on a faint odor, so the two discussed dragging them elsewhere to bury them. Due to the fact that they planned to spend a stretch of time in the mountains and make this house their permanent residence, they didn’t bury the bodies nearby.

As luck would have it, the two had discovered this pit near the ruins after a few days, a ready-made hole that they could use to quickly and easily dispose of the bodies.

So with each of them dragging a body, they brought the corpses of the couple here. As for the child, it had long been gnawed to pieces by the wolfhound, leaving only shredded bones.

They tossed the bodies into the pit and haphazardly shoveled some dirt over them, then resealed the stone gate and headed back home.

But that night, Wang Wu suddenly remembered that the woman had a gold bracelet on her wrist, which he had forgotten to take off before burying the body.

Although the gold bracelet wouldn’t be worth a fortune, the two of them hadn’t had time to take their savings with them when they were being pursued by government soldiers. They were practically penniless, and even a mosquito counted as a small bite of meat. They couldn’t afford to waste anything, so the two of them retraced their steps to the pit the very next day.

However, when they unlocked the stone gate again and dug away the thin covering of dirt, they came across something unbelievable.

The bodies…..were nowhere to be seen.

It would have been fine if the bodies had vanished completely, as this would indicate that they’d been carried off by some kind of wild animal. Although they didn’t see any drag marks near the pit, it would have been better than just finding the gold bracelet laying alone in the dirt.

This gold bracelet wouldn’t have easily fallen off, and could only be removed manually.

But who would bother to move the corpses and rebury them elsewhere, leaving behind the only item of value on their bodies?

No normal human would do such a thing. Wang Wu and Zhao Yi exchanged a glance, thinking the same thing.

If it wasn’t a human, then it must have been a ghost.

---

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Chapter 101 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 103

T/N: Sorry for the wait, I’m back after my surgery, minus one internal organ! I translated this a week ago, no guarantee I’ll catch all the typos though. They’ve got me on the good meds.

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Chu Jiubian hadn’t taken a bath in the past few days, and had at most simply wiped himself down.

Since Qin Xiao was away, he had someone prepare hot water and treated himself to a nice, hot bath.

In the winter, taking a hot bath in a warm room was the ultimate source of relaxation and comfort.

Both Chu Jiubian’s body and mind were at ease.

His eyes fell partway shut, and he leaned over the edge of the bathtub.

He had picked at his thumbnail again today, causing it to peel even more, but it was very minor and didn’t even hurt now.

When he wasn’t fully in his right mind, Chu Jiubian would always use pain to keep himself grounded.

However, with repeated occurrences, his pain threshold had gradually increased. Minor pain was no longer effective, so as he inflicted more wounds on himself, they became deeper and deeper.

But today, he was able to feel even the slightest pain.

Was this an effect of the medication?

He had taken various medications before transmigrating, but they had little effect, and his condition had even declined.

Now, his condition could be considered “mild.”

The medication produced by the System was indeed a high-quality product.

His thoughts drifted. Chu Jiubian softly pressed his fingertips to his lips, and could still feel a faint trace of the mark left by Qin Xiao’s bite.

The pain was gone, but it still felt a little itchy when he touched it.

He unconsciously ran his teeth across the wound, causing it to reopen, and the taste of rusty, metallic blood flooded his mouth again.

“Look with your eyes, and touch with your hands.”

“What you feel in your heart is reality.”

The man’s deep, pleasant voice seemed to linger in his ears, and his mind drew up an image of his intense gaze.

The sensation of being held down by the other man also resurfaced.

Scorching heat, a fire that threatened to burn everything to ashes.

The man’s embrace had been strong and fierce, yet it also held boundless care.

Chu Jiubian had to admit that being restrained in such a way gave him an indescribable sense of security, as well as secret excitement that he would keep to himself.

He closed his eyes, then slowly sank into the water until his face was entirely submerged.

The lack of air made his thoughts go hazy, but physical sensations became increasingly clear.

He suddenly recalled his first encounter with Qin Xiao, and the way the man’s calloused palms gripped his throat.

Chu Jiubian slowly lifted his hand through the water to touch his neck.

Then he gradually moved it downward, gliding across his chest, then his abdomen…..

With his knees pressed against the bottom of the tub, the young man’s back tensed like a bent bow, trembling slightly.

An unknown amount of time later, he abruptly poked his head out of the tub, clinging tightly to the sides like a drowning man.

His eyes still held a trace of lingering arousal, and a few involuntary tears welled up and rolled down his cheeks. His lip was bleeding where he had bitten it, and his chest rose and fell rapidly against the edge of the bathtub, rubbing it red.

After a long moment, his breathing evened out.

Finished with his bath, Chu Jiubian got out and asked someone to bring another basin of hot water. He quickly washed off, then went to the inner room.

After getting in bed, he wrapped himself in the silky smooth blankets and closed his eyes as if trying to escape.

The tub and all traces of his bath had been cleaned up by the palace servants, leaving behind no evidence of his indulgence.

Only a single dim oil lamp remained lit in the inner chamber.

Chu Jiubian lay there for some time hugging the blankets, and fell asleep before he knew it.

His sleep was exceptionally sound. It was unknown when Qin Xiao had returned, but when he groggily woke up for a moment in the middle of the night, he realized that he had pressed himself against the other man again, and instantly snapped to full awareness.

This time was even worse than the last; hugging the other’s arm and chest no longer satisfied him.

At present, he was fully snuggled into Qin Xiao’s embrace. With his head resting on the other’s arm, Chu Jiubian had one hand resting on his pecs and a leg draped over his waist.

The man’s steady heartbeat reverberated under his palm.

However, this steadiness didn’t last long, and his heartbeat soon became more rapid and chaotic.

Chu Jiubian’s already tense body became even more rigid.

Qin Xiao had woken up.

Or perhaps, his heartbeat had changed in response to Chu Jiubian waking up.

The two lay there for a while, both fully aware of the situation. Just when Chu Jiubian was unable to bear it any longer and was about to move his hand away, Qin Xiao suddenly said: “Are you awake?”

Chu Jiubian silently withdrew his hands and feet, then rolled away and faced the wall, practically pressing himself against it.

Qin Xiao laughed.

Chu Jiubian covered his head with a blanket.

“Don’t go back to sleep yet,” Qin Xiao said in a softer voice, and Chu Jiubian almost didn’t hear him under the covers.

But he did.

He poked his head back out of the covers, but didn’t turn around as he asked in a cool, indifferent voice: “What do you want?”

Qin Xiao sat up.

There was a brief rustling sound. Then he reached out and touched Chu Jiubian’s head, saying: “This is for you.”

Chu Jiubian turned over to face him.

The moon was rather bright tonight, and the room was faintly lit, allowing him to see that Qin Xiao was holding something that looked much like a jade pendant.

“What is it?” 

He extended his hand, and Qin Xiao placed the object in his palm, saying: “It’s the Qin Head of Household Token.”

Chu Jiubian froze and looked up at him.

He couldn’t see Qin Xiao’s expression clearly in the darkness, but he knew he was staring at him.

“Qin Chaoyang already told you, didn’t he?” Qin Xiao reclined against the bedframe. His long hair cascaded down his back, and his muscles rippled beneath his silk undergarments. “If something happens to me, all the power I hold will be handed over to you.”

At that moment, the smooth jade token Chu Jiubian held in his hand felt strangely warm – almost hot.

“I’m giving it to you now,” said Qin Xiao. “Even while I live, you will have the power to command all of the resources under my control, with a higher authority than my own.”

In other words, if Chu Jiubian wanted to use people under Qin Xiao’s command to assassinate him, even Qin Chaoyang and An Wuji, they would have no choice but to obey.

If they failed to do so, then according to Qin family regulations, they would be forced to commit suicide.

By giving him such immense power, Qin Xiao was essentially placing his life in Chu Jiubian’s hands.

This was an excellent opportunity for Chu Jiubian.

With this token in his hands, he would effectively become the acting Regent, possessing a level of power second only to Bai Lihong’s.

This had been Chu Jiubian’s goal from the start.

He would get close to Qin Xiao, gain his trust, and obtain greater power and status in order to protect himself.

And now, Qin Xiao had personally delivered all of this into his hands.

The words he had once spoken about making Qin Xiao submit to him seemed to have come true.

But his hand returned the token to Qin Xiao, and his mouth said seemingly against his will: “I don’t want it.”

Qin Xiao seemed to give him a faint smile.

He placed the token back into Chu Jiubian’s palm and wrapped his warm hand around it, saying: “This is your New Year’s gift. Don’t refuse it.”

Chu Jiubian looked at his covered hand, feeling that although the token was hard against his skin, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

It was warm, just like Qin Xiao’s hand.

“Once you give it to me, I won’t give it back to you,” Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Xiao just smiled: “Rest assured. This lord has no reason to take back something he has given away.”

“Oh. You’re so domineering,” Chu Jiubian said calmly, and pulled back his hand.

He put the token into his System Storage, placing it alongside the jasmine flower he had picked from the courtyard. 

He had picked it the day Qin Xiao set off for battle. It was the same one the other man had touched.

He’d picked it on a whim, simply because it looked nice and smelled pleasant.

But he had completely forgotten to throw it away.

He took another look at the storage space. The pure white flower and the token, which was a mix of pearly white and emerald green, lay there together in a beautiful array.

He decided to keep the flower.

Chu Jiubian ensconced himself tightly in a blanket and looked up at Qin Xiao: “Are you not going to sleep?”

“I am,” said Qin Xiao. He lay back down, and seemed to position himself closer to Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian sent him a steady look, then closed his eyes.

In the darkness, he heard the man speak again: “May I also ask the Young Master for a New Year’s gift?”

Chu Jiubian gave a light scoff.

As expected, every good thing came at a price.

Qin Xiao wouldn’t have given him such a useful token for no reason; as expected, there was something he wanted in return.

“What do you want?” Chu Jiubian asked. “Tell me what it is first, and I’ll consider it.”

“I only want the Young Master to answer one question for me,” said Qin Xiao.

That simple?

Chu Jiubian opened his eyes to look at him: “Are you sure?”

Whether Qin Xiao wanted a powerful weapon, a method to generate more money for the National Treasury, or anything else, Chu Jiubian would probably be able to provide it for him.

Qin Xiao gave an affirmative hum, then said: “Just one question.”

“Then ask,” Chu Jiubian said in a slightly softer voice.

If the price for giving him this token was an answer to a question, then there was essentially no price at all.

Lord Ning-wang was truly generous.

Qin Xiao lightly tapped the silk bedcovers with his fingertips, and seemed to consider his words carefully before saying: “Is your ‘love tribulation’ real, or did you just say that to deceive me?”

Chu Jiubian: “……”

That was it?

However, it did seem to be a difficult question to answer.

He thought it over carefully.

It wasn’t wrong to call it a “love tribulation.”

After all, they were now sharing a bed, and they had even kissed twice, so their relationship was indeed somewhat ambiguous.

It was hard to say whether or not he had come here to undergo a love tribulation.

But this love tribulation wasn’t his…..it was Qin Xiao’s.

Therefore, Chu Jiubian replied: “Yes.”

Qin Xiao’s tense hands relaxed.

Chu Jiubian looked at him through the darkness. The bridge of his nose was high and prominent, and the contours of this profile were particularly striking. His lips seemed to be curving slightly upwards.

In an inexplicably good mood, Chu Jiubian asked: “Do you have any other questions? Or is there something else you want?”

“Not for now,” Qin Xiao said.

Chu Jiubian: “No exceptions after the time limit.”

Qin Xiao fell silent, then turned over to face Chu Jiubian.

For some reason, Chu Jiubian felt as if the distance between them had become narrower.

Qin Xiao’s eyes gleamed faintly in the dim light. He said in a low voice: “Then I have one more question.”

“What is it?”

“Do you like it when I touch you?”

Chu Jiubian’s heart skipped a beat.

How was he supposed to answer that?

Saying he liked it would be embarrassing.

But saying he didn’t like it would be a bit of a lie.

After a moment of silence, Chu Jiubian countered with a question of his own: “What do you think?”

Qin Xiao chuckled and said: “I think you like it.”

From his tone, anyone who didn’t know better would think he was a rich young dandy flirting with someone.

Chu Jiubian moved to face the wall again.

But Qin Xiao wrapped his arms around Chu Jiubian’s waist under the blankets. His thin inner garment couldn’t mask the muscles of the man’s arms, which radiated a continuous warmth where he firmly embraced the young man’s supple waist.

Chu Jiubian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. When he spoke, his voice was slightly hoarse: “You’re crossing the line.”

“En.” Qin Xiao tightened his grip, pulling Chu Jiubian closer until their bodies were pressed together.

Chu Jiubian didn’t resist. He rested his head on Qin Xiao’s arm, his lips brushing softly against the jut of the other man’s throat.

“Sleep,” Qin Xiao said, leaning down to bury his face in the young man’s clean-smelling hair.

Freshly-washed, it was still damp and carried the faint scent of shampoo.

Qin Xiao couldn’t place this scent, but it felt similar to the feeling Chu Jiubian gave him – distant and cool.

He reflexively tightened his arms, holding the other man even closer.

Chu Jiubian was momentarily speechless. Then, he closed his eyes as well.

*

*

The next morning.

Chu Jiuban and Qin Xiao took breakfast with Bai Lihong in the main hall.

As always, the little one enjoyed his food immensely. His little cheeks puffed out as he ate a soft, fluffy steamed bun, making him look like a little hamster.

However, as the little hamster was munching away, he abruptly paused mid-chew and stared at Qin Xiao with wide eyes.

At nearly the same time, Qin Xiao raised a hand and touched his nose, only to see that it was covered in no small amount of bright red blood.

He glanced at Chu Jiubian, then got to his feet and walked outside.

Bai Lihong gazed after his retreating figure, then at Chu Jiubian, and gave a shocked little whine. What was wrong with his Jiujiu?

Why was he having a nosebleed?

Chu Jiubian said: “It’s nothing, he’s just suffering from excess heat.”

Bai Lihong suddenly understood.

It must have been too hot in the room, and with Jiujiu and Xiansheng sharing a bed, it would have been even hotter.

So he put his little brain to work, and after the meal, he secretly had Xiao Yuzi prepare another bed and place it in Qin Xiao’s bedroom.

This way, Jiujiu and Xiansheng wouldn’t be too hot anymore. They were in for such a pleasant surprise when they saw it tonight!

He was truly a clever and thoughtful nephew.

That evening, Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao retired to their bedroom and immediately saw the new bed placed against the wall, several meters away from the original bed.

Chu Jiubian chuckled softly and turned his head to look at Qin Xiao: “You won’t have to worry about excess heat this time.”

Qin Xiao smiled back: “His Majesty truly means well.”

Chu Jiubian laughed even more heartily.

Things hadn’t quite returned to normal after the New Year, and everyone was looking forward to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth.

However, the Lantern Festival in the Great Ning Dynasty had not yet developed into the lively event it would become in later generations. The common people simply had a particular fondness for the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which brought with it the first full moon of the year.

On this day, everyone would spontaneously engage in activities similar to those during the Mid-Autumn Festival, such as admiring lanterns and touring gardens. However, due to the cold weather, it wasn’t quite as lively.

Officials, on the other hand, didn’t particularly celebrate this holiday due to resuming their duties on the tenth day of the month.

All of the government affairs that had piled up during the holidays needed to be dealt with in a timely manner, and it would take half a month to finish it all. How could they possibly have time to admire lanterns or stroll through gardens?

When the morning court sessions began, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian didn’t bring up the matter of how the Western Regions should be managed, and instead focused on rewarding those who had rendered meritorious service.

The Western Regions were actually quite prosperous, and produced an abundance of precious stones such as jade and agate, so the spoils of war brought back by Qin Xiao had greatly enriched both the National Treasury and Bai Lihong’s personal coffers.

Therefore, the rewards given on this occasion were particularly generous.

As for Cheng Shuo, it went without saying that although he nearly cost Qin Xiao his life, he had done so under duress. He had also accomplished many meritorious deeds before this, and subsequently received gold and silver, as well as an official position and a title.

He was granted the title of Xiuling-bo, which was roughly equivalent to an earl. But this earl only oversaw matters of etiquette and religious ceremonies, and held no real power.

Cheng Shuo knew that Qin Xiao was showing him tremendous favor, so he would need to properly manage his household affairs in the future, especially those concerning the inner quarters of his residence. Therefore, he accepted the decree without complaint and with profound gratitude.

Next was Hu Fang.

This veteran’s contributions were no less than those of Cheng Shuo. Furthermore, since he had never held an official position in the capital, Qin Xiao directly bestowed upon him the title of Dingyuan-hou – the equivalent of a marquis, second only to a duke – and highlighted his achievements in suppressing the unrest at the border.

However, he was somewhat advanced in age compared to the other military commanders, and suffered from lingering ailments from the past. Therefore, although he was granted the title of marquis, this only meant that there would be more troops under his command. Aside from that, nothing much would change, and the political situation within the court would not be affected.

Because of this, no one had any objections to the rewards bestowed upon him.

Then came Deputy Minister of Revenue Wang Pengyi and Kou Qiao, a junior official in the Ministry of War, both of whom had been responsible for transporting military provisions. Cai Peng, an assistant director in the Ministry of Rites had also been responsible for the second batch of provisions, and there were many conflicting opinions about these three.

Of these three people, Wang Pengyi was naturally a member of the Wang family, Kou Qiao was a subordinate of Qin Xiao’s, and Cai Peng was a student of Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan.

Each of them represented a different faction, and they were all high-ranking officials with considerable influence in the Imperial Court.

Thus, were they to be given greater power and status, they would become even more troublesome to deal with than they were at present.

But nobody harbored any will toward Kou Qiao. He was ultimately a military official, and in terms of eloquence and political strategy, he was far inferior to the civil officials. Therefore, even if he were to be promoted and given a pay raise, nothing much would change.

However, dealing with Wang Pengyi and Cai Peng would be somewhat tricky.

At present, the Wang family and Qin Xiao’s faction had formed something of an alliance, so the amount of power Wang Pengyi wielded would determine how much influence he could exert in cooperation with Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian.

Therefore, everyone did their utmost to suppress him and limit the power in his hands.

But Wang Pengyi was already a deputy minister. If he wanted to advance further, he could only become a full minister or borrow the power of others and forcibly intervene in matters that didn’t involve him. 

And at the moment, there was indeed no such position available for him in the Imperial Court.

Therefore, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian had no intention of promoting Wang Pengyi, and showered him with material rewards instead.

When a ministerial position eventually opened up, Wang Pengyi would be the most suitable candidate to fill it.

And as for Cai Peng, since even the far more accomplished Wang Pengyi had only received material rewards, he likewise did not receive a promotion.

This was something he was unwilling to accept.

Deputy Minister Wang had reached the highest rank he could achieve for now, but for a relatively low-ranking official like Cai Peng, there were countless opportunities for advancement.

He sent several glances toward Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan, who was positioned at the front, hoping that he would speak up on his behalf.

But the other man’s back was hunched, his eyes clouded over, and he didn’t seem to notice him at all. Or if he did, his mind was so muddled that he couldn’t figure out what should be done.

Previously, he had been able to orchestrate the kidnapping of Su Xi’er, sow discord between Su Sheng and Qin Xiao, and consistently protect the Xiao family at crucial moments, as well as secure benefits for them.

But now, his brilliant mind was no longer working properly.

This being the case, the isolated and helpless Cai Peng could only swallow his pride and express his gratitude as he accepted the rewards.

No one had expected that after all of the debate during the morning court session, the outcome would turn out to be essentially a “one-man show” dominated by Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian.

By this point, everyone had realized that ever since the Wang family aligned itself with the throne, Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao had unobtrusively gained control of over half of the Imperial Court, and no longer had any need for pretense or insincere politeness.

Therefore, they only rewarded those they wanted to reward, and didn’t bring up the governance of the Western Regions as a topic of discussion.

Because they had already decided how it would be governed: by establishing protectorates, combining military power with the local religious forces, and integrating a county and prefecture system, all of which would establish an entirely new form of governance.

Various factions wanted to send their own people to the region in order to establish control themselves.

But Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao completely ignored their suggestions, making it very clear that they already had people in mind.

It was just as everyone had expected.

Within a few days, the newly-promoted Kou Qiao led his troops to the Western Regions and took charge of the Protectorate as a powerful regional official.

The territory that had once belonged to the Sai Kingdom had fallen completely into Qin Xiao’s hands.

That being said…..

After the year’s first morning court session, everyone made another very important discovery: Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan appeared to be in very poor health.

The man looked aged and haggard. Just a few months ago, he had been vibrant and full of life, but in such a short period of time, he seemed to have aged significantly faster than he had in the past six months combined.

He was so emaciated that he looked like a walking skeleton, and mottled age spots covered his face; Bai Lihong hardly dared to look at him anymore.

He also seemed to be growing senile. Cai Peng’s eyes were practically bleeding in court, yet Xiao Huaiguan hadn’t reacted at all, as if the fate of the Xiao family was of no concern to him.

Others may have been unaware of the reason, but Chu Jiubian understood perfectly well.

Xiao Huaiguan had succumbed completely to his mandala addiction, and was unable to break free. His health had also deteriorated so suddenly due to a change in his method of consumption, While he had initially been mixing a small amount of it into his food to ingest daily, he was now directly burning the mandala and inhaling the smoke multiple times a day.

The more he consumed, the faster his body deteriorated.

And the reason he had discovered such a method of consumption was because someone had “taught” it to him.

This person was none other than the secret agent Chu Jiubian had instructed Qin Chaoyang to find for him. To Xiao Huaiguan, this secret agent was simply a “merchant from the Western Regions.”

Now, Xiao Huaiguan’s life was essentially in Chu Jiubian’s hands. All he had to do was instruct that person to stop selling mandala to Xiao Huaiguan, and the old man, unable to withstand such pain and stress at his age, would soon die.

It was only a matter of when Chu Jiubian would decide to take his life.

After the morning court session, all government affairs resumed normal operations.

However, there were indeed many matters to attend to after the New Year’s festivities, and Emperor Bai Lihong had just as much to do as any other official.

Chu Jiubian had been the sole person helping him with everything before the New Year, but now that Qin Xiao had returned, his burdens were significantly eased. This allowed him to free up his time to continue working on the Imperial Examinations.

The papers for the third exam had been graded, and it came as no surprise that Lu Yao placed first.

What did surprise Chu Jiubian was Tan Yuzhu, who hailed from Baxian County.

She was the only female candidate in the classical studies course, and despite her young age, she was talented and highly-learned. What impressed Chu Jiubian the most, however, was her policy essay.

She addressed the same question as Lu Yao, and although her answer wasn’t as comprehensive or detailed, her perspective was certainly more unique.

And from her writing, it was evident that she cared deeply about the common people, women, and all other vulnerable demographics.

Her genuine desire was to become an official in order to do practical things for the people.

The more Chu Jiubian read of her exam paper, the more satisfied he became. This was just the sort of new talent he was looking for, ah.

If not for the fact that his current point balance wouldn’t allow him to select new Believers, he would definitely draw a card.

He glanced at the list in his hands, upon which were sixty-five names.

This was the first batch of students for the Imperial Academy, and once the list was released to the public, it was likely that various forces would pay close attention to these individuals.

They were free to recruit whoever they wanted. Chu Jiubian wouldn’t restrict the choices of his students.

If they were to be swayed by another party at this point, then even if they entered the Imperial Academy, they would still harbor ulterior motives in the future.

Rather than waiting, it was best to screen them out now.

However, if anyone attempted to harm these students, Chu Jiubian would certainly not allow it.

He ordered the list to be published, and also sent messengers on horseback to various regions to announce the news of the successful candidates to their families with great fanfare

While the messengers were arriving in various locations, a literary gathering was in full swing in Baxian County.

Among the numerous writers, scholars, and talented youth, a girl in a pure white dress was particularly eye-catching.

“I told you so, ah. How could a girl possibly succeed in officialdom?” A male voice rang out from the crowd, and everyone turned to look at him one after another.

A slightly overweight man dressed in dark silk robes leaned indolently against a low table. Even under the eyes of so many people, he displayed no hint of restraint, and instead laughed even more brazenly: “I heard that someone in the neighboring county received a letter from the Imperial Court yesterday, informing them of their success in the Imperial Examinations and a rapid promotion.”

His gaze, full of playful mockery, fell upon that graceful figure in the crowd. A lecherous glint flashed in his eyes as he said: “Some women have sky-high ambitions. In my opinion, it’s better to marry while they’re young and beautiful, lest they grow old and unattractive, and fail to find a husband.”

---

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Chapter 76 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 78

Ch 31 – Is This What Friends Are Like?

“Your Excellency, we have a lead on that mysterious person.” The man offered the Supreme Governor a slight bow.

The Supreme Governor glanced up at him.

He had once suspected that the man beside Kersz was disguising his appearance, and that perhaps he was one of Kersz’s business partners who had undergone cosmetic surgery.

It came as a surprise that any information could be unearthed about that face.

The man continued: “The Facai system reacted to that photo.”

The Supreme Governor slammed his hands down on the table: “What did you say?!”

Facai had reacted to the photo? Wasn’t Facai the only remaining AI system from a destroyed alien civilization?

Could that robot be a product of such a civilization?

“How did Facai react?” The Supreme Governor asked.

“It dug at the ground as if trying to break free, then barked at the photo. It’s tail was spinning like a propeller,” said the man.

“Judging from its reaction, the person in the photo must bear the appearance of its master,” said the Supreme Governor. “Dogs only react that way to people they are close to.”

The man reminded him: “Your Excellency, Facai thinks it’s a wolf.”

“Yes, it does think that.” The Supreme Governor took a sip of tea, then shrugged. “Do you think that if I considered myself to be a particle collider, I would have a more imposing presence?”

The man lowered his head even further.

“Since we’re already talking behind its back, some respect can be left aside,” said the Supreme Governor. “Just like how I know you talk behind my back.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” said the man.

The Supreme Governor waved him away.

The man bowed deeply and slowly withdrew.

Once the office door closed, the Supreme Governor pulled up the image of the green-eyed man again.

This was the only information they had.

Eliciting such a reaction from Facai…..related to an alien civilization…..

But this man looked so human.

From the video, it was clear that the alien had initially intended to offer a proper greeting to the fleet’s lieutenant colonel. However, the other side was alarmed by the sight of Kersz standing next to him, and launched a preemptive strike.

This alien was someone who could be won over.

The Supreme Governor crossed one leg over the other and rubbed his chin.

Perhaps he could have been won over before, but that was likely not the case at present.

He was attacked and branded a wanted criminal, and Kersz was also by his side.

Tch. How troublesome.

This alien’s technology might be even more powerful and advanced than Facai’s.

The most pressing task was to rescind the arrest warrant for this guest and extend an olive branch to him.

Suddenly, the Supreme Governor recalled the message 152 had sent to him: [A robot wants to capture father and use him as a breeding stud.]

Extend an olive branch?

What exactly was this alien robot here for?

What was this robot doing to Kersz and 152?

*

*

“Tau!” Yu Xi stamped his foot. “Keep an eye on your dinosaur! It scattered all the little toys you made everywhere!”

The little dinosaur hid behind Tau, clutching his trouser leg with its little claws.

“He’s just a dinosaur,” Tau said defensively. “What’s wrong with him hiding food?”

“He has a learning system! You just aren’t teaching him properly!” Yu Xi was very angry. The small snacks made by Tau were scattered everywhere, and someone might get hurt if they weren’t careful.

“Why should he learn these things? There’s no dinosaur society for him to integrate into in the future.” Tau felt that Yu Xi was blowing things out of proportion.

“Because we also count as a small society!” said Yu Xi.

Tau: “You’re a robot. It’s not like you’ll get hurt.”

Yu Xi: “I won’t, but Kersz has already been jabbed so many times!”

“Then why hasn’t he come to speak to me about it himself?” Tau hugged the little dinosaur to his chest.

“Oh, because I can still tolerate it,” Kersz said. “If I can’t anymore, I won’t come speak to you about it. I’ll just pick up a gun and shoot the little thing into dust, and you can make a new one.”

Tau and the little dinosaur in his arms both gasped in shock.

The little dinosaur clutched Tau, whose lips were trembling.

“That’s going a little too far,” Yu Xi told Kersz.

Kersz spread his hands, wearing a particularly innocent look.

“But managing the little dinosaur is your responsibility!” Yu Xi then pointed a finger at Tau. “Overindulgence is not the same as love! You must let the little dinosaur establish itself in this world safely, freely, and in harmony with itself.”

Tau looked both frightened and bewildered.

He understood what he was hearing, but only to a certain point.

Establish itself in this world?

He was supposed to teach it how to do that?

He hadn’t even established himself in this world. He was still a person without a household registration.

Yu Xi was aware that he was putting Tau in a difficult position: “If you don’t want the conflict between the dinosaur and us to escalate, you must learn!”

Tau looked at the dinosaur, then at Kersz.

When he noticed his gaze, Kersz drew his sidearm.

Tau hugged the dinosaur tighter.

“I understand.” Tau finally relented.

What else could be done? Kersz could move against his dinosaur, but Tau couldn’t move against the people Kersz cared about.

Everyone Kersz cared about before was dead. Now, the one Kersz cared about was Yu Xi…..and how could he possibly beat Yu Xi? He was restricted here by Yu Xi, and there was nothing he could do.

“You need to give him love in moderation,” Yu Xi continued. “Your love must give him a foothold and empower him to manage his own discomfort. Otherwise, he will only experience extreme highs and lows. You need to let him have control over his own emotions!”

This was simply beyond Tau’s comprehension.

Yu Xi: “Otherwise, he will live a very painful life if you don’t give him the tools to survive in this world. He will become arrogant due to a little luck, and collapse because of a small setback.”

“Do you want it to be like this?”

Tau didn’t want it to be like this.

“Your father’s youngest son, Curtis, is a typical example,” Kersz added.

“I can’t let him become like Curtis!” Tau shook his head repeatedly.

He had to think of a way.

He really did need to educate this little dinosaur.

But who should he consult?

Yu Xi?

Yu Xi and Kersz were occupied with their relationship, and Yu Xi had never raised a child before, so he might not know how to.

Kersz?

No. Kersz was absolutely not an option. His parents had actually raised him pretty well, but Kersz was now a lunatic.

Then who else?

Who else was there?

*

*

One day later.

“What did you just say?” Fusya, who had met up with Tau again just now, was incredulous when faced with such a question. “You’re asking me how to raise your child?”

“En. I heard you’ve looked after Curtis.” In fact, Tau knew that Fusya had taught many other children, because Fusya had given him the same lessons.

If it had only been Curtis he looked after, Tau wouldn’t have come to ask Fusya’s opinion.

“Even if you’ve never raised children, you’re a very positive person,” Tau said.

Had Yu Xi or Kersz been here at this moment, they would have realized that Tau had already been led astray.

To Tau, Fusya was the person he knew who was most clear about his own place in this world.

Because Fusya was once an Illegitimate, but had long since obtained citizenship. He had his own career, an independent personality, and was more positive and motivated than most people.

Tau hoped that the little dinosaur would also be positive and optimistic, even though he really disliked hearing people talk constantly about “positive energy.”

Fusya had never expected that anyone would ask him such a question.

“It’s like this – they say I spoil my child too much. I don’t think spoiling children a bit is a bad thing, but someone threatened me and said they would beat my child if I continued to indulge him.” Tau was putting it mildly. Kersz’s exact words were that he would shoot the little dinosaur.

“This is indeed rather troublesome.” Fusya nodded.

Tau sent Fusya a beseeching look: “Could you share some of your experience with me?”

“You need to help him establish a routine, such as daily activities, regular exercise, and mealtimes. “

Fusya generously shared his thoughts: “Have him consume media focused on mindfulness.”

“Mindfulness?”

“Positive and uplifting things, nothing dark and gritty. Those things are too destructive to the mind.”

Fusya believed that those Illegitimates became the way they were because they were exposed to too much darkness and cruelty.

Therefore, dark and gritty literary works could also lead people into disorder.

While Tau thought that Fusya’s words made sense, Fusya was beginning to waver in his suspicion that Tau was actually an Illegitimate.

An Illegitimate wouldn’t be concerned about the education of their child.

Fusya reported all of this to the Supreme Governor.

After listening, the Supreme Governor asked a meaningful question: “He believes in your so-called positive energy?”

“There will always be people who recognize quality when they see it.” It was through his positive energy that Fusya was able to break free of the shackles of being an Illegitimate.

“It seems he’s not an Illegitimate.” That father was so ignorant that he could be considered a fool. He believed whatever anyone told him.

After growing up, his child would realize that they had endured a terrible upbringing.

Their father believed everything others told him, deceived every day of his life and credulously taking everything as truth.

Why couldn’t that alien robot try to trick this stupid single father into becoming a breeding stud? Was it because he feared his intelligence level would be passed down to his offspring?

“I think you look down on the advice I give you,” Fusya told the Supreme Governor.

“How can that be?” The Supreme Governor denied. “It’s just that I sometimes feel melancholy about the future. After all, my future seems to lie in a small, dark room.”

“That can also be positive and uplifting.”

“Indeed, it has a unique, poignant flavor.” The Supreme Governor hummed in agreement.

While they were debating back and forth, a subordinate sent him a message.

The Facai system had reacted again.

The Facai system never answered their questions, and it didn’t give them the specific origins of the person in the photo.

But it had emitted two unfamiliar tones.

The subordinate had recorded them.

“Yu…..Qi?” The Supreme Governor tried and failed to repeat what he heard.

That was a very strange name.

The Supreme Governor instructed his subordinates to keep a close eye on the Facai system, lest it develop thoughts of running away.

But those subordinates expressed that Facai was very well-behaved, to the point that it was almost taciturn.

Facai must have some connection to that alien robot.

Yu Xi was unaware that the Supreme Governor had already guessed that he wasn’t a product of this society. He was occupied with another matter – secretly touching Kersz.

Kersz took a nap and Yu Xi lay down next to him, listening to his breathing and heartbeat. Only after Kersz had truly fallen asleep did Yu Xi begin to sneakily make his move.

After Kersz agreed to be a good human for him, Yu Xi felt that he had more concerns than ever. He hadn’t even been able to properly feel Kersz’s warmth.

Yu Xi carefully arranged Kersz and began to touch him, starting from the head.

As he touched, Yu Xi felt that this wasn’t quite enough.

He only had two hands, and he also wanted to touch Kersz with his mouth.

Yu Xi touched every part of Kersz’s head, then kissed him with his lips.

When he began to touch Kersz’s neck, he sensed that his breathing was off. Kersz was about to wake up.

Yu Xi tried to slip away, but Kersz instinctively hugged the person in his arms.

Yu Xi’s lips trembled.

Kersz opened his eyes and looked down at him.

“Are you seeing how humans taste?” Kersz asked him.

“En. After all, I really like humans,” Yu Xi said in an attempt to rationalize his behavior.

Kersz assisted him in this endeavor: “So that’s how it is, ah…..then did I disturb you?”

“Y-you didn’t.” Yu Xi’s hands trembled slightly. “I like when you’re awake. I like looking into your eyes.”

“I’m very honored.” Kersz released Yu Xi. “Please continue.”

Yu Xi: “Is….is it okay?”

Kersz didn’t dare meet Yu Xi’s gaze: “I get it. You’ve been waiting for humans, and now that you’ve finally found one and have such a good relationship with him, you must really want to touch him.”

Yu Xi: “Ah…..right! Yes, yes, yes! Because you’re human, and I especially like humans.”

Kersz: “En.”

Yu Xi tentatively reached out his hand.

He touched for a while, somewhat awkwardly, and then glanced at Kersz’s slightly reddened eyes.

Yu Xi began to lie through his teeth: “I didn’t touch your head just now. Can I touch it?”

Kersz: “Go ahead.”

“Can I touch it with my mouth? I’ve nibbled on you before.” Yu Xi looked particularly innocent.

Kersz: “O-of course.”

Yu Xi maintained a distance and didn’t use his lips to touch any sensitive parts of the human’s body.

But he had kissed Kersz when he was comforting him before, and his lips were particularly soft.

Yu Xi casually kissed Kersz’s cheek, purposely bypassing his mouth.

Then he avoided Kersz’s mouth again and kissed the other side of his face.

After going back and forth like this three or four times, he finally gritted his teeth and kissed Kersz smack dab on the mouth.

Kersz went completely still.

“Aiya, how did I mess up like this?” Yu Xi said this with a particularly guilty conscience. “But it’s not a big deal. I kissed your lips when I was excited earlier, didn’t I?”

Kersz: ……

Yu Xi: “Right, right. My good friend, what was it you did back then?”

Kersz: “W-what did I do?”

“I don’t know either. It seemed like you stuck your tongue out.” While claiming ignorance, Yu Xi described exactly what had occurred. “You pulled a prank on me and licked me.”

Kersz: ……

“Aiya, what is a human tongue like? I’ve almost forgotten,” Yu Xi blathered on.

Kersz shakily opened his mouth and stuck out the tip of his tongue.

“Oh~ So that’s what it’s like.” Yu Xi’s tone was particularly grandiose. “Heavens, this is the first time I’ve observed one so closely. I want to kiss it.”

You want to what?!

Before Kersz could react, Yu Xi had already leaned down and kissed him.

Kersz felt his tongue become entangled with Yu Xi’s.

This…..this was kissing? Yu Xi was kissing him.

Yu Xi’s kisses grew deeper and more tender. Kersz reflexively placed his hands on Yu Xi’s chest and pushed him lightly, but Yu Xi grabbed his wrists and pressed them over his head, one over the other, to prevent him from moving.

Kersz’s reaction was really so interesting. 

If Yu Xi went even further, would Kersz’s behavior also escalate?

Yu Xi continued to kiss him. His cyan eyes flared and the breathing lights on his face pulsed faster – all signs of Yu Xi’s excitement.

Ya, Kersz’s collar was open. How could he not button his clothes?

He should help him with it.

Yu Xi reached out with his hand.

Hmm, but what was underneath the buttons?

Aiya, so curious!

Kersz’s eyes suddenly widened, and his back arched.

Yu Xi was kneeling directly above him. There was originally a gap between them, but when Kersz arched his back, he pressed his chest directly against Yu Xi.

“Heavens, do you want me to hug you?” Yu Xi was frantic. He only had two hands. One was holding Kersz down, while the other was feeling this amazing human.

Heavens! He wished he had two more arms to hug Kersz with.

Kersz was beginning to lose his composure.

Wasn’t Yu Xi’s exploration of his oral cavity a bit too comprehensive? Kersz forgot to swallow, and saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth.

Kersz hurriedly swallowed, but this only made the extra tongue in his mouth follow his movements and become even more audacious.

The human’s reactions were indeed very interesting. Very adorable.

Kersz, this space pirate, was trembling. His muscles were shaking.

Huh? Why was Kersz suddenly reacting so strongly? Did he want to get away from him?

Oh~ Kersz had found himself in a rather embarrassing situation, and needed to go to the bathroom.

The cunning robot pretended not to notice.

Yu Xi felt guilty, but for some reason, Kersz’s reaction emboldened him.

Kersz was even more desperate to pull away, and made a whimpering sound in his throat.

Yu Xi pretended not to hear it, and continued to hold Kersz captive with one hand while feeling the human’s body with the other.

Kersz’s wuwuwu sounds grew in frequency, and at some point, his vision began to blur. He blinked rapidly in an attempt to return to normal, but his efforts were in vain.

Kersz’s muscles tensed all at once, and a moment later, he collapsed back onto the bed.

His heart rate soared, and his breathing became labored.

Yu Xi released Kersz, and this time, he didn’t move.

“My god, I didn’t even touch it…..” When he came to his senses, Kersz was somewhat devastated by his good-for-nothing body.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Yu Xi continued to feign ignorance.

Kersz looked directly at Yu Xi.

He was smiling an exhilarated smile.

The breathing light on his face pulsed. If Yu Xi had a heartbeat, it probably wouldn’t be making any less noise than Kersz’s.

Kersz didn’t call him out. “I need to use the bathroom.”

“Ah? Oh, okay, okay!” Yu Xi quickly made way for him.

Kersz got out of bed, then heard Yu Xi ask: “Do you need help? F-friend.”

When he heard the word “friend,” Kersz nearly collapsed.

Yu Xi hurried forward to support him.

Yu Xi escorted Kersz to the bathroom and considerately closed the door.

Kersz looked toward the doorway.

He knew that Yu Xi was crouching there, listening to his movements.

Their friendship had indeed taken a turn for the chaotic.

This robot was really pushing his luck.

However…..

Kersz didn’t find it upsetting at all. In fact, he was a little fascinated by the way Yu Xi had restrained him earlier.

As if he was forcibly keeping him by his side.

“Hiss.” Kersz looked down and was even more helpless.

Those people were right to call him a lunatic.

“Mm…..ah…..” Kersz had his back to the door when he suddenly heard a very, very small click.

A certain robot had secretly opened the door to check on him.

Suddenly, a wicked thought crossed his mind. He stopped suppressing his voice and didn’t turn around, feigning ignorance.

“Mm, Yu Xi ~” He called out Yu Xi’s name, still with his back turned.

A long moment passed, and Yu Xi didn’t speak up to warn him.

Kersz felt his excitement grow.

Ah…..

As long as nothing was discovered, they didn’t need to take that dangerous step for the time being. They could still be friends.

As for whether the current situation was an absurd overstepping of boundaries……who cared? In any case, Kersz had never felt so good, both anxious and excited.

The two emotions swirled around inside of him. He was losing his mind.

Yu Xi’s eyes were blown wide, his pupils constantly dilating and contracting as he took in the scene in the bathroom.

Kersz kept calling his name – as if he was speaking to him, or as if he was preparing to give all of himself to Yu Xi.

The breathing lights on Yu Xi’s body didn’t go dark for a very long time.

He didn’t just want to kiss and touch. He wanted to completely devour this good human of his.

It was best to digest him completely, leaving not even a speck behind.

When everything was over, Yu Xi quietly closed the door again.

He waited a while, and then Kersz came out after showering and changing clothes.

Yu Xi looked up and smiled at Kersz, who smiled back at him.

“Waiting for me at the door again?” Kersz appeared to be genuinely oblivious. “Good friend.”

“En.” Yu Xi nodded cheerfully.

“Did you get bored?” Kersz asked him.

“No, because I knew you would come out.” Yu Xi stood up.

Once more, they communicated like friends. As if that chaotic, sticky mess from before was nothing but a dream.

---

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Chapter 30 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 32

Ch. 101 – The Serpent God, Naga

“What’s wrong?” Hao Chen suddenly asked Feng Ye.

He deliberately lowered his voice, and since the others were still a distance away, only Feng Ye could hear him.

Feng Ye was somewhat taken aback. He was lost in thought, but hadn’t been showing it too obviously. No one else had noticed, but Hao Chen did.

Not only had he noticed, but he even inquired with concern.

Unfortunately, Feng Ye’s eyes flickered and he only responded with two words: “It’s nothing.”

Fearing that Hao Chen would press for more information, Feng Ye took a few steps forward to stand with Fang Yang and the others.

He didn’t want to tell Hao Chen, just as he had never told anyone else about that period he never wanted to revisit…..that nightmarish past.

Hao Chen narrowed his eyes at Feng Ye’s evasiveness. This dragon was hiding a little secret.

Feng Ye, as it happened, had quite a few secrets. For example, no one in this world knew how he had managed to transform from a jiao into Yinglong.

There were innumerable jiao in the Southern Sea. Although they were also referred to as dragons, their name just barely contained the character for “dragon,” and they were worlds apart from the real thing.

The true dragon in the Eastern Sea was a righteous god in the heavenly realm, and a very powerful one at that, equal to Hao Chen. He had existed since ancient times, ruling over the Eastern Sea.

In the end, a jiao was nothing more than a type of beast. In the mortal realm, their strength could be considered enormous, but in the heavenly realm, they were so weak that they became food for various divine birds.

Jiao did look similar to dragons, except that they lacked majestic dragon horns and had one less claw.

Perhaps due to the similarities, there was a rumor that jiao were capable of transforming into dragons.

Yet that, too, was merely a rumor. No jiao had ever succeeded in this endeavor. Indeed, throughout the heavenly realm, the true dragon of the Eastern Sea remained the only being who could, in the truest sense of the word, be called a dragon.

Until Yinglong appeared out of nowhere.

After Yinglong was deified, out of boredom and a desire for gossip after waking up, Hao Chen had also made inquiries into how Yinglong had become a god.

But no matter how thoroughly he inquired, all he found out was that Yinglong was originally just a common jiao from the Southern Sea. This jiao had accidentally entered the Emberless Horizon and remained there for three hundred years, and when it emerged, it had become the all-powerful Yinglong.

That three hundred years was the key to his transformation from a jiao into a dragon. But to those outside, this history was a blank slate, because there were no living beings in the Emberless Horizon. That world, composed entirely of the lingering resentment in heaven and earth, only devoured the souls that strayed into it.

Naturally, there were no witnesses who could reveal the whole truth.

Hao Chen suddenly realized that, to this day, all he knew about Feng Ye was his identity as the God of War. Even this was a supposition of his, not something Feng Ye had told him personally.

He really knew nothing else.

He didn’t know what this person had been through, nor how he had become what he was now.

Not long ago, he was still gloating over having climbed onto the dragon’s head, but now he realized that, even compared to others, the distance between him and Feng Ye was perhaps…..not that close.

Feng Ye wouldn’t disclose his secrets to anyone, including Hao Chen.

A sense of frustrated defeat settled over Hao Chen. He had thought he was already very close to Feng Ye, never expecting that it was only wishful thinking on his part.

He tapped his palm lightly with his folding fan, and despite his frustration, a renewed fighting spirit arose within him. Judging from Feng Ye’s expression, he must have a connection to Western Qiang. And this city had existed over a thousand years ago, which was roughly before Feng Ye had cultivated into Yinglong.

This timing was no coincidence.

Perhaps this was his chance to truly enter Feng Ye’s heart.

Upon realizing this, Hao Chen immediately curbed his carefree attitude. He claimed to be accompanying Feng Ye to find the Living Soil, but that was never a concern of his. He was only here to use this opportunity to seduce the dragon.

He followed Feng Ye forward. Feng Ye had stepped up next to Fang Yang, and Hao Chen nudged the boy aside to claim the spot next to Feng Ye for himself.

Fang Yang said nothing when Hao Chen cut in next to him, just quietly sidling closer to Cao Zirui to make room.

Then he turned to Wang Wu across from him and asked: “What’s that engraved on the stone platform?”

He and Cao Zirui had been inspecting it for some time, and had also noticed the patterns peeking through the gaps in the vines. But because it was only a broken section, neither of them could make out what the carving depicted.

“This, ah.” Wang Wu glanced at it and explained, “This is Naga, the great serpent god the people of Western Qiang worshipped.”

“The serpent god, Naga?” Fang Yang asked uncertainly. “Is the serpent god also a great god of the heavenly realm?”

He currently only knew of two great gods, Yinglong and the Kunpeng. This snake was the third one to possess the title of “great god.”

Faced with this question, Wang Wu exchanged a glance with Zhao Yi, then shrugged and said with a hint of impatience: “I don’t know. The people of Western Qiang were the only ones who worshiped this serpent god, and after their kingdom fell, there hasn’t been any word of others worshipping it. Who knows what kind of god it is?”

He wasn’t actually here to be a tour guide, so why were these people dawdling around the stone platform? 

Oblivious to Wang Wu’s impatience, Fang Yang turned to Cao Zirui, who knew a little more about these things than he did.

Cao Zirui shook his head: “I’ve never heard of such a god.”

Of course he hadn’t heard of it. Neither had Hao Chen.

He had been in the heavenly realm for so long that he had basically heard of most of the gods, big and small, even if he didn’t know them all by heart.

He had never heard of any serpent deities in the heavens. There were certainly serpent-like gods, but Naga…..this god seemed to be something that was made up by mortals.

There were actually quite a few gods invented by mortals. Since they had never set foot in the heavenly realm, they naturally had no idea how many gods resided there, and simply fabricated some from their own imaginations. 

But this serpent god…..Hao Chen wouldn’t have thought much of it before, simply assuming that it was another fictional god. However, recalling the battle where Yinglong appeared in Lingxiao Sword Sect, the black mist that possessed Xue Ren had transformed into a giant python, which somewhat resembled the serpent god Naga.

Moreover, the humanoid form conjured by the black mist resembled Yinglong, and Feng Ye’s attitude seemed to hint at a connection to the kingdom of Western Qiang. Hao Chen didn’t believe that this was all a coincidence.

He felt that all of the clues in his head were a jumbled mess. They were likely all connected, but he was unable to find the thread linking them all together.

His gaze inadvertently shifted toward Feng Ye again, and he hoped to find some inspiration by observing his attitude.

Feng Ye kept his eyes lowered, seemingly lost in his own little world. No one else seemed to notice.

Even though he had pushed Fang Yang aside to stand close to Feng Ye, he was still so far from him. Hao Chen stared at Feng Ye’s profile, lost in thought.

Although he had just mustered his fighting spirit, it was somewhat dampened in the face of Feng Ye’s cold and aloof exterior.

He was a peng bird with a wingspan of tens of thousands of li, and could traverse that distance with a flap of his wings. There was no canyon he couldn’t cross, no road he was unable to reach.

But the distance between him and Feng Ye seemed like an insurmountable chasm.

---

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Chapter 100 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 102

Ch. 100 – Western Qiang

T/N: Posting two chapters because they’re super short!

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Before Fang Yang could figure anything out, Wang Wu changed the subject: “Do you know which country the ruins we’re heading toward belonged to?”

There was a brief silence. Feng Ye thought about it, and found that he really couldn’t remember. He had come here to find the Living Soil, and hadn’t paid attention to the history of the city buried beneath Longqiu.

When nobody answered, Cao Zirui replied: “Western Qiang.”

His purpose in coming here mirrored Feng Ye’s: both were searching for the Living Soil. Along the way, Cao Zirui had gradually realized that Feng Ye coming here was no coincidence, and that the Living Soil was his goal as well.

But Feng Ye didn’t have Jianmu in his possession, so what use did he have for the Living Soil?

Cao Zirui refrained from asking him directly, because he remembered his master’s instructions. The search for the Living Soil must be carried out in secret, and the fact that the small jar he carried on his back contained the Jianmu sprout could not be revealed to others.

Regardless of Feng Ye’s true motives for seeking out the Living Soil, his coming here provided a convenient shield for Cao Zirui, so he never asked.

He had done his own research before departing, carefully studying historical files and receiving guidance from Ji Chengyue. In some ways, his understanding of Longqiu was even deeper than Feng Ye’s.

Therefore, he was able to immediately answer which country the ruins belonged to. And he was even able to explain it to the history novice Fang Yang, who looked completely stumped: “It was an ancient kingdom that existed over a thousand years ago. It only lasted for a little over a hundred years before being destroyed by the rising Southern Chu.”

“All of the former cities of Western Qiang have changed hands, except for this royal city. Because the King of Southern Chu disliked Longqiu’s climate, he returned to his old capital in the south and abandoned the city. Later, a massive earthquake struck and caused the landscape to crumble, destroying the royal city completely. Now, only a few ruins still stand above ground, and the rest are buried deep under the soil.”

“Haha, you know a lot, young man!” Wang Wu praised him. Then he said: “Let me give you another test. Western Qiang was originally just a tribe in Longqiu, yet within a few short years, it grew powerful enough to conquer the central plains and become a unified dynasty. Do you know why?”

Cao Zirui honestly shook his head. He wasn’t here to be an archeologist, so how could he possess comprehensive knowledge about the history of Western Qiang?

“Because of their priest,” answered Wang Wu.

But he might as well have not answered at all, because Feng Ye and the others were still completely baffled.

“Can a priest influence the fate of a nation?” Fang Yang raised his hand as he asked this question. He didn’t feel that it was possible. How could one person’s power determine the prosperity of an entire country?

“Hehe.” Wang Wu chuckled meaningfully and shook his head: “This priest was no ordinary person.”

“The people of Western Qiang valued martial prowess, and although the King of Western Qiang was brave and skilled in battle, the world at that time was filled with warlords. Each was a powerful ruler who held dominion over their own regions, yet it was Western Qiang who achieved the final victory, thanks to their priest.”

“Western Qiang firmly believed in the power of the supernatural. The priest in charge of sacrifices held a high position, and the sacrificial methods were passed down from generation to generation. And the priest who assisted the King of Western Qiang in his unification efforts was known as the Ghost Mask Priest. He was an unprecedented genius, with eight ghost generals under his command.”

Eight ghost generals…..the others were puzzled by these three words, because they had never heard the history of Western Qiang, let alone anything about ghost generals.

Feng Ye alone was stunned when he heard this. Although he quickly masked his brief lapse in composure, Hao Chen still caught a faint trace of it. 

What’s so strange about these eight ghost generals? Hao Chen wondered.

Just then, Fang Yang asked: “What are those eight ghost generals? Were they very powerful?”

“They were indeed very capable generals, but they were different from ordinary ones. They…..” Wang Wu drew out the suspense before saying: “As ghost generals, they were naturally ghosts.”

“Malicious ghosts,” Wang Wu added.

Malicious ghosts…..Feng Ye was stunned once again.

Hao Chen was the only one who noticed Feng Ye’s unusual behavior, while Wang Wu and the others continued their discussion.

“Malicous ghosts?!” Fang Yang exclaimed in shock. “You mean the priest of Western Qiang could control ghosts?”

“That’s right,” Wang Wu affirmed with a nod. “He not only knew how to control ghosts, but how to refine them. This technique was passed down through generations of Western Qiang priests. Back then, it was considered remarkable for a priest to create even one ghost general. The Ghost Mask Priest, however, was exceptionally talented, and created eight.”

“They felt no pain, and had no emotions. When they fought, they killed anyone who got in their way, massacring a hundred people at once. They were invincible. In every battle, large or small, whenever one of these legendary generals was dispatched, Western Qiang was sure to emerge victorious. It was precisely for this reason that Western Qiang prevailed over all of the other powers and unified the land.”

Fang Yang and Cao Zirui exchanged a brief glance, the same thought flickering through their eyes: since the priests of Western Qiang could control ghosts and had passed the technique down through generations, it must be considered a method of cultivation.

Such cultivation methods were actually quite common, and many tribes hidden deep in the mountains had their own specializations. Outsiders called it witchcraft, but to cultivators, it was nothing more than a kind of technique.

Just as their Lingxiao Sword Sect specialized in swordsmanship, the ghost path and the sword path were simply two different inclinations, and could not be judged as good or evil.

But the ghost path inevitably involved spirits, and spirits were originally living people. The method they used to refine these ghosts was what would ultimately determine whether the priests of Western Qiang were righteous or demonic.

However, this was not something that should be discussed in front of Wang Wu and Zhao Yi, so the two communicated with their eyes rather than speaking.

And while Hao Chen appeared to be listening to Wang Wu, he was actually observing Feng Ye.

Feng Ye seemed to be in a prolonged daze, his mind wandering farther the longer Wang Wu spoke.

Despite receiving no response from the others, Wang Wu continued talking on his own.

He rubbed his hands together, and after such a long build-up, finally got to what he’d wanted to say in the first place: “When the Southern Chu army captured the royal city, they returned to their capital after only a few days, leaving many of the treasures in the city untouched. They planned to move it all away later, but then a massive earthquake struck and buried the entire royal city of Western Qiang underground. The Southern Chu army tried to search for it, but to no avail.”

“Over the past thousand years, many people have come to search for the treasure of Western Qiang, but none have ever found it. I’ve heard that besides gold, silver, and jade, this royal city also contains many magic artifacts that are rarely seen in the human world, which can also communicate with spirits and gods. These items originally belonged to the priests, but now, they’ve been left to gather dust deep under the earth. Who knows when – or if – anyone will discover them and bring these treasures back into the light of day?” Wang Wu let out a performative sigh.

When he was done speaking, he observed the expressions of Feng Ye and the other three. He certainly wasn’t wasting so much breath just to educate these four people; how could a bandit have such good intentions?

He just wanted to tell them that there was treasure buried beneath these ruins that could tempt even cultivators, so that they would be lured underground to fight that man-eating monster.

Although he already believed that Feng Ye and his crew had come here for the treasure, what if they hadn’t? If they just so happened to be unaware of the treasure’s existence and had no intention of searching for it underground, then his and Zhao Yi’s hopes would be dashed.

So he deliberately put on this show, regardless of whether Feng Ye and the others knew about it or not. He explained it all frankly and openly, both to lower their guard and to increase their chances of this plan succeeding.

He had cooked up quite the elaborate scheme. But unfortunately, three of these four people showed absolutely no signs of being tempted.

The two older ones were completely distracted, and didn’t appear to have heard a word he said. And as for the two younger ones…..Cao Zirui was completely indifferent to the idea of treasure, as he clearly wasn’t short of money.

Only Fang Yang looked somewhat eager.

This made Wang Wu a little uneasy. In the end, he wondered if Feng Ye and his party would actually follow his plan and descend into the underground city in search of the treasure.

“We’re here,” Zhao Yi said abruptly, having been leading the way.

Lost in his own thoughts, Feng Ye looked up when he heard this. He spied a stone platform hidden amongst the trees, seemingly part of some kind of structure. It sat tilted in the soil, with only a small corner of it showing.

This small section was part of a larger building, but to the people on the surface, it had the appearance of a three-meter-high rock formation.

The stone platform was wreathed in vines, and the land around it was densely covered in green grass, making it blend in seamlessly with the environment. If Zhao Yi hadn’t pointed it out, Fang Yang and the others wouldn’t have noticed that this stone platform was any different from the other stones on the mountain.

Fang Yang exclaimed in amazement. Although he could only see a small part of it, he could still faintly glimpse the grandeur of Western Qiang.

He pulled Cao Zirui along and ran ahead to get a closer look at the ruins.

Feng Ye, on the other hand, went no closer. Standing at a distance, he was able to clearly see the patterns peeking through the vines on the stone platform.

There were two parallel, spiralling curves, with fine lines drawn between them like scales.

Snake scales.

This stone platform was only a collapsed corner piece, and the others didn’t know what it had looked like when it was intact.

But Feng Ye did.

It had been a stone pillar approximately twenty meters high, with a carving of a colossal serpent curled around the top.

The people of Western Qiang firmly believed in the power of the supernatural, worshipping and offering sacrifices to the snake god pictured in the engravings.

This stone pillar with a snake curled around it was the idol of the Western Qiang people. These idols, varying in size, could be seen everywhere in the royal city.

The tallest stone pillar in the center of the city was twenty meters high, so tall that wherever one fled to within the imperial city, they could still see the giant snake on that stone pillar.

Back then, this was the scene Feng Ye saw every time he opened his eyes: the giant stone snake flicking its tongue as its cold eyes gazed down at the subjects below.

As it gazed at Feng Ye.

This stone statue was everywhere, and so were its eyes. Under its gaze, there was nowhere to escape.

Feng Ye hadn’t recognized the name of Western Qiang when he first heard it, because similar names were not uncommon throughout the world.

But then he heard about the eight ghost generals…..and now, looking at the stone pillar before him bearing the broken form of a snake, he could finally be certain.

He had been here before when he…..was not yet Yinglong.

---

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Chapter 99 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 101

These tiny, transparent spiders were all gu.

They were quite similar to the one that had previously controlled Cheng Shuo, but their abilities were not quite as great.

However, security checks at the palace entrance were strict, and these miniscule spiders were easier to smuggle in than centipedes or similar creatures. Furthermore, these gu had a weak presence, and would not easily attract attention.

When the gu Cheng Shuo was carrying was destroyed, the mother gu in Dingbei-wang’s possession died as well. Its death indicated that the Qin family must have suspected gu as the cause, and someone had purged it from Cheng Shuo.

Bai Liyu knew perfectly well who had destroyed the gu.

There usually weren’t any gu masters in the capital city, but the well-known Saintess of Nanjiang had just arrived.

It seemed that the Qin family had sought the help of Situ Anli. However, it came as a surprise to Bai Liyu that the Qin family’s first reaction was to enlist her help rather than make Nanjiang their prime suspect.

This thwarted his plan to shift the blame onto them, but then again, no one knew that he was the one behind it.

Those inside the palace must be aware of the existence of the gu by now, and Situ Anli possessed a small green snake that was said to be the king of all gu, capable of detecting their scent and eliminating them.

It was not the right time for everything to come to light, so in order to avoid discovery and having the matter traced back to him, Bai Liyu intended to conceal the matter for a while longer.

That was why he had brought these tiny creatures into the palace today. There was a high probability that they would not be discovered, and they could be kept in the palace for use at a later date.

He stuck his fingertips into the pouch, and two small spiders crawled onto them.

He then extended his fingers through the sedan curtain, and the two gu crawled along the wooden frame one after another to hide themselves in the hair of two sedan bearers.

Bai Liyu stowed away the pouch, but left a small opening at the top so that the gu could crawl out on their own later on.

The sedan chairs soon came to a stop outside Haiyan Hall, and the vassal kings disembarked, following Bai Lihong inside.

Everyone other than Nanjiang-wang was unaware that Qin Xiao had woken up.

But when they stepped inside the hall, they found that a tall, imposing figure was already present there.

That person stood with his back to the door, wearing black and gold embroidered robes. His hair was tied up with a golden guan, and even his back profile exuded an intimidating aura.

It was Qin Xiao!

Hearing the noise behind him, Qin Xiao turned around with a tranquil expression. His deep-set eyes swept over everyone present, and the look on his face softened slightly when he looked at Bai Lihong. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“No need for formalities,” Bai Lihong said at once. He paced to QIn Xiao’s side, then turned back to the crowd and said: “Everyone, please take your seats.”

Everyone readily agreed.

Their expressions remained composed, but inwardly, not a single one of them was calm.

Qin Xiao wasn’t dead!

He might not even have been seriously injured – otherwise, how could he be standing there, looking perfectly fine?

Or could it be that Chu Jiubian had actually healed him?

This was the advantage of having a god on one’s side.

Everyone’s thoughts were a mess, and they were also curious as to Chu Jiubian’s whereabouts. Why was Qin Xiao here, but the other party was nowhere to be seen?

But none of them opened their mouths to ask, and instead headed for their seats.

Just then, Empress Dowager Xiao Ruohan arrived, accompanied by the Saintess of Nanjiang and her two children.

When female members of the Imperial family entered the palace, the proper etiquette was to first go and pay their respects to the mistress of the inner palace.

That person was currently the Empress Dowager, so when Situ Anli arrived at the palace gates with her two children, she had parted ways with Bai Lihao and gone to see Xiao Ruohan first.

Upon seeing the Empress Dowager, the vassal kings were also required to pay their respects.

Xiao Ruohan was their legitimate mother according to lineage.

As she watched these powerful and influential vassal kings greet her with respect, an indescribable satisfaction came over Xiao Ruohan.

This was power. This was status.

As a woman, she was unable to participate in politics, but she had already reached the highest position a woman could attain in her lifetime.

Although Bai Lihong was currently the one on the throne, diminishing her ability to wield her power, she had truly enjoyed a period of great influence under Emperor Yingzong’s reign. It was only recently, after suffering setbacks at the hands of Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian, that she had tempered her ambition.

But now, witnessing such a show of obeisance by these vassal kings, she felt as if she had regained the feeling of being second only to the emperor and above everyone else.

She walked up to her high position and took the seat second only to Bai Lihong’s, then said mildly: “You may rise.”

The vassal kings expressed their gratitude before rising and taking their seats.

Bai Liyu swept his gaze over Situ Anli, who was seated beside Nanjiang-wang. He didn’t see the little green snake, but something that small could easily be hidden in her sleeve.

Therefore, not daring to be too obvious, he unobtrusively loosened his own sleeve.

The tiny, almost invisible spiders all crawled out – a total of six – and skittered down his robes. Very quickly, they concealed themselves in the shadows and crawled up the massive stone pillars toward the ceiling beams.

A bell rang outside the palace, and the first and second-rank officials who had received invitations finally arrived outside Haiyan Hall. Led by the leaders of the Six Ministries, they all filed inside.

After another series of elaborate formalities, they all took their seats.

And once they were seated, they noticed that Chu Jiubian was still absent, and that there was an empty seat next to Qin Xiao.

Seated across from Qin Xiao, Xiao Ruohan said with a slight smile: “Why is the seat next to Ning-wang empty? I see that all of the vassal kings have arrived, so who is this seat reserved for?”

This occasion was different from the Mid-Autumn Festival.

According to rank, Jiannan-wang could not sit beside her, and it would also be inappropriate for any of the other vassal kings to do so. Therefore, she was currently alone on her side, while Qin Xiao sat across from her along with an empty seat, which was presumably reserved for Chu Jiubian.

But Chu Jiubian was the Grand Tutor, and could in no way compare to the status of these vassal kings. If he sat there, it would be considered an act of overstepping his authority.

At present, Xiao Ruohan was deliberately feigning ignorance.

What she didn’t know was that the instant she voiced this question, Chu Jiubian had already entered the hall.

He had activated the function he previously used in Hexi Prefecture, rendering him invisible to everyone around him.

But for some inexplicable reason, even though Bai Lihong didn’t seem to notice him, the moment he stepped through the palace gates, Qin Xiao looked directly at him.

He wasn’t just looking over because he sensed something. The other man was actually able to see him, and was even staring at him rather boldly.

Chu Jiubian coolly met his gaze, and continued onward without pause.

As he moved, his jewelry made a crisp tinkling sound.

The pure white silk was cool against his skin, but the long, fluffy fox fur cape draped over his shoulders and trailing to his ankles masked much of the chill. 

Although it wasn’t quite dinnertime, the sky had already gone dark on this winter evening.

Many lamps had been lit in the hall, and the warm yellow light looked very inviting.

Chu Jiubian’s tall boots encased his calves, and his long, straight legs moved beautifully with every step.

His long, silver-white hair flowed freely, but interwoven within it were delicate silver chains that caught the light as he moved.

Qin Xiao watched, barely blinking. His gaze moved from from the young man’s legs hidden beneath silk trousers to the taut lines of his body accentuated by his belt, then to his pale, slender neck and his aloof face.

He was like the bright, radiant moon high above.

This was a god.

A god who could not be blasphemed.

The jut of Qin Xiao’s throat bobbed slightly, and his eyes went dark and deep.

Chu Jiubian walked unhurriedly past the officials on both sides, but none of them noticed his presence.

“What is Ning-wang looking at?” Xiao Ruohan was a little embarrassed at being ignored, and her tone grew colder. “Could this position next to Ning-wang truly be reserved for Grand Tutor Chu?”

Qin Xiao finally tore his gaze away, and when he once again looked at the Empress Dowager opposite him, a faint smile appeared on his face: “What are you saying? ‘Grand Tutor’ is an official title, and it would be against proper etiquette for such a person to sit above the vassal kings.”

A tiny spider had made its way from a ceiling beam to the stone pillar behind Qin Xiao. It rapidly skittered down, then climbed onto the table and into Qin Xiao’s cup, where it lay motionlessly.

A warning notification also sounded in Chu Jiubian’s mind.

[Warning! Warning! There are hidden gu in the palace! Locations have been marked for Host. Please be careful!]

Chu Jiubian’s eyes narrowed sharply.

He had suspected that the gu master might strike again today.

Being accused of something, no matter what it might be, would be a terrible thing for anyone present today.

But Chu Jiubian thought that if the other person were to actually take action, they would surely target someone inside the palace, such as Bai Lihao, Qin Xiao, or himself, or perhaps Xiao Ruohan.

As for everyone else, there would be plenty of opportunities to target them outside of the palace.

Therefore, he had discussed with the System in advance and learned that its poison detection function could also detect the venemous gu, which put his heart at ease.

He had intentionally arrived a little late, partly out of the desire to frighten these people with his invisibility trick, and partly because he had prepared some things outside of the palace and given them to the secret guards.

Of course, he had one more reason: waiting for the gu master to make their first move.

If Chu Jiubian were present, that person might be intimidated by his “divine presence” and act with more hesitation and caution. However, it seemed that with their audacity and style of operation, they weren’t afraid of anything.

Chu Jiubian looked up and saw six points of green light illuminated in the hall.

One of them was next to Xiao Ruohan, two were in the beams above Bai Lihong’s head, and there were three more.

One was located above the head of Minister of Revenue Su Sheng, and one more was hidden in the hair of Anhuai-wang Bai Liming.

The last one was in Qin Xiao’s cup.

Su Sheng and Anhuai-wang? A sudden flash of insight struck Chu Jiubian, and he instantly understood a few things.

He reached Qin Xiao and sat down in the seat next to him.

“So Ning-wang does understand,” Xiao Ruohan said with a smile. “Then the person sitting there…..”

“Is me,” Chu Jiubian said, his clear, cold voice standing out distinctly in the already quiet hall.

Xiao Ruohan was startled, and looked to the side at the previously empty seat. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she froze in place.

The eyes of everyone else in the hall were also fixed on Chu Jiubian, their expressions filled with shock.

Only the Situ siblings, sitting behind their parents, lit up at the sight. They craned their necks to look at Chu Jiubian, and their eyes filled with excitement and awe when they glimpsed his appearance.

This was the Divine Lord, ah!

His presence was so powerful! And he was so handsome!

No wonder the High Priest was so devoted to him, even to the point of following him down to the mortal world!

The others, however, did not share their excitement. Each one of them was terrified, their limbs going ice-cold.

When had Chu Jiubian appeared?

Why had nobody noticed?

Upon seeing Chu Jiubian’s attire, the first and second-rank officials instantly felt as if they had been transported back to the day of the coronation ceremony.

At long last, they finally remembered that Grand Tutor Chu, who had been working alongside them for so long, was actually a god!

The hall was eerily silent. The vassal kings stared fixedly at Chu Jiubian, their hearts roiling with indescribable turmoil.

This was a god.

They had only heard of his reputation, and now that they had finally laid eyes on him, they realized that the rumors had not done him justice.

Chu Jiubian disregarded the reactions of everyone around him. Reaching out, he took Qin Xiao’s cup and plucked the spider out of it.

Bai Liyu’s pupils quivered slightly, but his face revealed nothing.

The others in the hall, knowing that they would be meeting the Nanjiang Saintess, had educated themselves somewhat on the topic of gu.

Now, upon seeing this, they all turned their gazes toward Situ Anli.

However, the Nanjiang royals didn’t react at all, maintaining their composed demeanors.

“Troubling the Saintess,” said Chu Jiubian. He took a small lighter that could be concealed in his palm out of System Storage, then lit it.

With a crackle, the flame burned the spider to ashes.

He put the lighter away, leaving everyone even more astonished when they saw a flame appear out of thin air at his fingertips. And what shocked them even more was that Chu Jiubian was able to detect even such miniscule gu.

Situ Anli actually hadn’t detected them either, but she knew that this gu master was highly skilled to have even been able to deceive her snake. But Chu Jiubian’s ability to detect gu was even more formidable. Upon receiving the request, she gave a soft “Yes,” and the little green snake in her hair slithered out. It licked the fingernail on her little finger, then moved quickly around the hall to swallow the remaining five gu.

Bai Liyu, however, was not watching the snake. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Chu Jiubian and smiled silently, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

This was an overwhelming show of force.

“Please keep a closer eye on your belongings,” Chu Jiubian said in a soft voice. His gaze never settled on any one person, just like those deities enshrined in the temples.

He said nothing more.

Qin Xiao then said: “Your Majesty, let’s commence the banquet.”

Bai Lihong gave a nod, and Hong Fu announced the start of the banquet.

The palace servants who had long been making preparations in the inner chambers immediately filed out, carrying trays laden with food and drink.

At the same time, a deafening roar erupted outside the palace.

Those at the banquet jolted to alertness, staring in shock at what was happening outside.

But when they turned back, they found that Chu Jiubian, Qin Xiao, and even the palace servants weren’t reacting at all.

“Those are fireworks,” Bai Lihong said with a toothy grin. “A gift from the Divine Lord to everyone.”

Chu Jiubian had taken Qin Xiao and Bai Lihong outside the capital a few days prior and found a place to set off some fireworks for them. Those serving the food inside the palace were also not the usual attendants, but QIn Xiao’s secret guards.

Everything was done secretly and precisely, so that it could all be demonstrated in front of the officials and vassal kings today as a reminder of Chu Jiubian’s divine status.

Everyone was initially in shock, but when Minister of Works Jian Hongzhuo was the first to get up and walk outside, the others came to their senses and followed him out.

Even Xiao Ruohan, who had lost her composure and clutched at her chest, pulled herself together and straightened her expression, then rose to leave the main hall.

When she caught sight of the scene outside, she was dumbfounded.

The sky was filled with fireworks, the dazzling bursts of light illuminating the night sky like a scene out of a storybook.

The officials couldn’t help but recall that assasination attempt, when Chu Jiubian had used similar bursts of sound to kill the assassins.

Then were these beautiful fireworks actually deadly weapons?

Perhaps it was just as well that the vassal kings were unaware of the previous incident involving Chu Jiubian.

But the loud bangs and the magnificent sight before them gave them a clear understanding of who Chu Jiubian actually was.

Did he not, in fact, have the right to sit in such a high position?

A long while later, when the fireworks were finished, everyone was still somewhat dazed, and waited a little longer before returning to the palace hall.

After such a display of power, even if any of them were as reckless and daring as Bai Liyu, they wouldn’t dare to do anything now.

With no further incidents, the food was served, and everyone clinked glasses and toasted one another.

They all maintained peaceful and friendly demeanors, as if they truly were one big family.

However, everyone’s gazes would occasionally fall upon Chu Jiubian.

Watching Chu Jiubian from a distance, Jiannan-wang Bai Lihai then glanced at Qin Xiao with an almost unconcealable malice in his eyes.

He drank cup after cup of wine, and before long, he was feeling rather inebriated.

Dingbei-wang revealed no signs of a guilty conscience after having his plot exposed. He continued to smile and drink in a composed manner, his subtle gaze sweeping across Chu Jiubian’s face intermittently.

A god?

Did this mean that whoever sat on the throne would be favored by the gods?

Chu Jiubian was no inexperienced child. He very much understood the looks he was receiving, but he didn’t pay them much attention.

He couldn’t control how these people looked at him, nor what filthy thoughts occupied their minds, but the day would come when these people would no longer have the opportunity to pry into his life.

Qin Xiao had not yet fully recovered, so he avoided drinking much alcohol, but for some reason, he still felt a little tipsy.

Seeing the way those people were staring at Chu Jiubian, he also felt irritable.

After only a shichen, the palace banquet came to an end.

The vassal kings departed one by one, and although there were still many palace attendants in the vast hall, it seemed much emptier than before.

The Imperial banquet and New Year’s festivities, which had been in the works for so long, were finally over.

The storm had passed.

After the fifteenth day of the month, these vassal kings would all be expected to depart and return to their respective fiefdoms.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao stood side by side under the eaves. The wind and snow blurred their vision, giving them only a faint glimpse of the figures receding into the distance, gradually becoming smaller until they vanished from sight.

The next time they met, it would likely be as enemies on the battlefield.

Historian Xun Xiuran gathered his book and walked out of the hall, stopping beside Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian to bid them farewell with a respectful bow.

Qin Xiao nodded and said: “Go ahead. Tomorrow, this lord will send someone to deliver your rewards.”

Xun Xiuran accepted this neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Historians earned very little. They were not allowed to associate freely with others, and certainly could not engage in business or form financial connections, lest bias be introduced into their historical records.

Therefore, he was unable to reveal any enthusiasm when offered a reward by Qin Xiao, and could only respond mildly.

After bidding farewell to the two lords, he turned and left.

However, the ground was somewhat slippery from the snowfall, and after taking only a few steps, he lost his balance, dropping the book in his arms.

After regaining his footing, he quickly bowed to his two superiors and apologized.

“It’s fine,” said Qin Xiao.

But for some reason, Chu Jiubian’s first reaction was to bend down and pick up the book.

Before returning it to Xun Xiuran, he casually glanced at its contents.

But with just one glance, he seemed to have been struck by lightning.

On the upturned page, the record read:  [Ning-wang Qin Xiao led his army to defeat a border kingdom in the Western Regions and was seriously injured. Grand Tutor Chu, using his remarkable medical skills, healed him in only three days.]

If he wasn’t mistaken, the version in the original work had read:  [Ning-wang Qin Xiao led his army to defeat a border kingdom in the Western Regions and was seriously injured. It took him three months to recover.]

Why was the content in the original text nearly identical to the description written by the official historian?

Was it a coincidence?

Was this the original setting?

Or perhaps, the book he read back then wasn’t a male protagonist novel, but a historical record, or perhaps Bai Lihong’s biography?

If that was the case, then had the world he transmigrated into been real from the very beginning?

“What’s wrong?” Qin Xiao’s voice snapped Chu Jiubian back to his senses.

He blinked, concealing the turmoil in his heart. Then he returned the book to Xun Xiuran and said: “Be more careful.”

Xun Xiuran had noticed his momentary lapse in composure, but didn’t question him about it. After giving them another formal bow, he left without further ado.

Chu Jiubian watched his retreating figure, the swirling snow unable to conceal his upright posture.

The world around him seemed to blur.

He suddenly wondered whether the things he had read in the original novel, along with the reviews of other readers, were real or fabrication.

He was aware of his poor mental state, and knew that he was perhaps only a step away from truly going insane. So was it possible that even back then, he was already having trouble distinguishing between illusion and reality?

Chu Jiubian as he existed now…..was he real or fake?

Could everything he was currently experiencing be merely a delusion?

Chu Jiubian unconsciously picked at his hand. A stinging sensation resulted, and he paused, lowering his head.

Qin Xiao, who had been observing him closely, followed his gaze. His expression froze when he saw the blood oozing under the other man’s fingernail, and he reached out to grasp his wrist, lifting it up.

A ringing sound echoed in Chu Jiubian’s ears, and the world before him seemed to distort. A sharp, piercing pang shot through his head.

It was nerve pain.

He couldn’t make out Qin Xiao’s expression clearly, nor could he hear his voice.

“Qin Xiao,” he said, but he couldn’t even hear himself.

“How can a person…..distingush between reality and illusion?” he asked.

The young man wore a bewildered expression, his eyes vacant.

Qin Xiao suddenly recalled what had happened before. This wasn’t the first time Chu Jiubian had hurt himself. But why did he do it?

“Chu Jiubian,” he called out, but the other person seemed to be completely deaf.

Qin Xiao’s expression grew even colder. Grasping the young man’s wrist, he strode into Fengtian Hall in just two steps.

The hall was completely empty.

Chu Jiubian stumbled, and before he could regain his balance, Qin Xiao pulled him into the shadows, where he pressed him back-first against a thick vermillion stone pillar.

In the next moment, the man’s strong body and scorching lips pressed against him.

Chu Jiubian blinked, and the ringing in his ears faded away.

The man’s distinctive scent hit his nose. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his jaw relaxed.

Sensing this change, Qin Xiao’s breathing became uneven and he pressed against him even harder, the veins on his arm bulging as he wrapped it around the young man’s waist.

With his other hand, he grabbed Chu Jiubian’s hands and pinned them above his head, giving him no chance to resist.

Chu Jiubian tilted his head back slightly. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his body trembled.

After some time, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his lip.

This was the only method Qin Xiao could think of to bring Chu Jiubian back to reality without causing him to suffer further side effects.

Chu Jiubian opened his eyes, his bewildered gaze meeting those deep, piercing eyes that were so close at hand. His vision gradually came back into focus.

The nerve pain seemed to have subsided somewhat, but the stinging sensation in his lip and the taste of blood in his mouth became more pronounced.

Qin Xiao released his grip on those rosy lips, but continued to hold him tightly in his arms, their noses almost touching.

“Look with your eyes, and touch with your hands.”

Qin Xiao pitched his voice low.

He took one of Chu Jiubian’s hands and placed it over his heart, saying: “What you feel in your heart is reality.”

A continuous heat leached into his skin, and his cold hand gradually warmed.

Chu Jiubian stared fixedly at the man for a long time, the rapid, powerful beating of his heart a constant reminder of how real all of this was.

Without knowing why, he suddenly licked his lips.

Qin Xiao lowered his gaze, and when he looked up again, his expression had become somewhat fierce.

Chu Jiubian’s eyelashes fluttered. He gently pushed the other man away, taking care not to touch his wound.

Then, he turned and quickly walked around the pillar toward the back hall.

At the same time, he said inwardly: “Scan him.”

[Although the patient moved around quite a lot, it did not affect the wound. Please rest assured.]

Chu Jiubian pursed his lips. They felt a little numb, and the bitten area still stung.

That dog.

He muttered a curse under his breath, then asked: “Do you have a higher dosage of the medication?”

[This System has only detected minor abnomalities in Host’s mental state. Excessive medication may harm the body, and is not recommended.]

Chu Jiubian was taken aback.

Only minor abnormalities?

Qin Xiao gazed after the young man’s retreating figure. He raised his hand to softly wipe away the moisture at the corners of his mouth, but didn’t actually touch his lips.

He closed his eyes, then took two deep breaths before opening them again and walking toward the back hall.

*

*
Outside the palace, the vassal kings said their farewells to each other, then boarded their carraiges and set off for their respective residences.

Bai Lizheng walked slowly, and Bai Lihao told his wife and children to return to the carriage first, while he also slowed his pace to walk alongside the the other vassal king. He knew that Bai Lizheng surely had questions for him.

As expected, once the other vassal kings around them had departed, Bai Lizheng stopped in his tracks. Gazing after the carriages in the distance, he asked: “When did you establish contact with the palace?”

“After arriving in the capital.” Bai Lihao wasn’t lying.

Although his children felt an extraordinary amount of closeness and trust for Chu Jiubian, he and Situ Anli had only established contact with him and Qin Xiao after helping to purge the gu from Cheng Shuo.

Or rather, they had established a business transaction.

They had proved that they harbored no ill will toward His Majesty and that they had not attacked Qin Xiao’s man, while Qin Xiao vowed not to attack Nanjiang.

It was a quiet transaction, which was beneficial for both parties.

As for whether they would cooperate or engage in other transactions in the future, Bai Lihao was not opposed to the idea.

“Some things are better not to get involved in.” Bai Lizheng turned his head to look at him, his expression as serious as ever. “It is possible to live well for a long time by remaining in your secluded corner of the world, minding your own business, and taking care of your own people.”

He was a mild-mannered, almost old-fashioned sort of person.

From beginning to end, all he desired was to live self-sufficiently on his own land and provide better lives for the common people in his territory. Developing the economy and building up his military forces was merely a means to protect himself and his people.

If possible, he would never want to send those thousands of Pingxi troops into battle.

Bai Lihao understood him, and could also emphasize with him.

He used to think the same way.

But ever since the drought, he was no longer able to hold that mindset.

As a vassal king of considerable power, there was no chance that he could remain aloof and insulated; he would inevitably be drawn into a conflict sooner or later. Only when the entire territory of Great Ning was truly stable and Imperial power was supreme could this unrest be thoroughly quelled.

Even Bai Lizheng, whether he wanted it or not, would be drawn into the chaos.

But Bai Lihao didn’t try to persuade him at this moment. He simply smiled and nodded, saying: “I understand.”

Bai Lizheng understood him equally well. At the realization that he had no intention of backing down, he could only let out a sigh and turn to go, leaving him only with the words: “Take care of yourself.”

Bai Lihao stood in place, watching his carriage trundle away.

It remained to be seen if, in the future, the two brothers would fight side by side or become bitter rivals.

“Husband.” The curtain of a nearby carriage was drawn up, and a woman’s gentle voice sounded from within.

Bai Lihao snapped out of his daze and looked toward her, only to see her retreat while two smaller faces appeared in her place.

He laughed softly, then went over and boarded the carriage.

With a family of four squeezed into the carriage, it actually felt nice and warm.

“A-Die,” Situ Zhaoling said, smiling as she held her mother’s arm. “Don’t worry, following the Grand Tutor is definitely the right thing to do.”

Situ Zhaoyao also nodded: “That’s right, A-Die, we just saw firsthand what Grand Tutor Chu is capable of. And there’s the High Priest too. With two gods on his side, His Majesty won’t lose.”

Bai Lihao raised a hand and tapped him gently between the eyebrows: “Don’t recklessly discuss government affairs outside of our home.”

Situ Zhaoyao just smiled and said: “Then how about we discuss the young Emperor? That little one is so cute and clever.”

“He really is!” Situ Zhaoling’s eyes lit up. “His cheeks look so soft. I wonder how it would feel to pinch them.”

“You two,” Situ Anli said helplessly. “We’ve really spoiled you both.”

Despite her words, her eyes were full of affection and indulgence.

She knew her children well. Even though they were lively and immature at home, they were very well-behaved and sensible outside of it, so she wasn’t worried at all.

The carriage moved farther and farther away, eventually vanishing into the snowstorm.

Before long, the wind subsided a bit even as the snow came down harder.

*

*

In the main hall of Dingbei-wang’s residence, Bai Liyu reclined on a couch in scarlet inner garments. The fire in the brazier beside him burned brightly.

He toyed with a small porcelain bottle in his hand about half the size of his palm, which contained a transparent spider.

Vessels twisted throughout its clear body, carrying streams of blood.

Another person sat in a nearby chair, completely shrouded in a black robe, with their face concealed.

The black-robed figure was the first to break the long silence, speaking in a voice that was not immediately identifiable as male or female: “Your Highness, there are still two surviving gu left. They may be of some use.”

There was a smile on Bai Liyu’s lips, and his expression was relaxed.

Upon hearing this, he closed the lid of the porcelain jar and casually tossed it to the black-robed person.

The other party quickly caught it. Gloves covered their hands, leaving absolutely no skin exposed.

“Your skills are far inferior to those of Situ Anli,” Bai Liyu said, slow and soft.

The black-robed person tightened their grip on the jar and said in a low voice: “It was this subordinate’s mistake. Next time……”

“Next time?” Bai Liyu tilted his head and regarded them with a smile. “Next time, you’ll be defeated even more soundly.”

The black-robed person lowered their head and said nothing.

Bai Liyu looked away and said mildly: “Leave.”

After a brief pause, the black-robed person rose, then turned and left the room.

At the same time, another person emerged from the inner chambers. This person was clothed in light red gauze, with a slender waist and long hair that flowed down their back. Their face appeared to be that of a man, but when they spoke, their voice was soft and melodious.

“Your Highness, this one is here to serve you.” The man walked to the side of the bed and slowly sat down.

Bai Liyu regarded him with a smile. As he drew closer, he gently stroked that smooth, long black hair, even as his eyes held a deep, thoughtful expression.

Before, he had preferred this long black hair, but now he seemed to favor silvery-white.

With a slight wave of his hand, the lights in the room dimmed to create an intimate atmosphere.

*

*

Inside the palace.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao were currently in the main room of Yangxin Hall, as they intended to stay up all night with the child to celebrate the New Year.

Bai Lihong sat at the table, cradling his little face in his hands and swinging his short legs back and forth. As time passed, his eyes became unfocused and his little head began to sway.

He was clearly very sleepy.

However, this was a custom in Great Ning, and when the late Empress was still alive, she would celebrate the New Year with the child in such a way.

Bai Lihong remembered the previous New Year, and recalled his mother saying that children should stay up late on New Year’s Eve to ensure a safe and peaceful year ahead.

So despite feeling somewhat hazy from exhaustion, he continued to persevere.

Qin Xiao was an injured patient, and Chu Jiubian wanted him to rest, but he insisted that he wasn’t tired and wanted to stay.

Meanwhile, Hong Fu, Xiao Xiangzi, Xiao Yuzi, and the other palace servants were outside, casually chatting around two large round tables and showing no signs of being tired.

Chu Jiubian watched the child yawn, and his own resulting yawn brought moisture to his eyes.

Qin Xiao turned his head to look at him. His gaze automatically swept across the nearly invisible wound on his lip, and his throat bobbed.

Chu Jiubian glanced at him and said: “Are you not tired?”

Qin Xiao looked away: “No.”

Chu Jiubian used the System to check the time and saw that there were still two hours until midnight.

This wasn’t sustainable.

He considered it for a moment, and realized that he didn’t really know what to do during a New Year’s Eve vigil.

During previous years, he was always at some sort of gala venue.

Before entering the entertainment circle, he would always spend the New Year at home by himself or at the shop where he worked, alone as always.

And his memories of the New Year during his childhood were all filled with arguments, the stench of alcohol, and crying.

Back then, he had loved the sound of fireworks exploding outside; the windows and the entire old, dilapidated building would shake, drowning out the sounds in the living room and allowing his tense body to relax.

“System, what do normal people do for the New Year?” Chu Jiubian asked.

[Host, according to the statistics, many people eat dumplings, watch TV, play cards, and give out red envelopes…..]

The System gave many more examples before Chu Jiubian snapped back to reality.

“Give me three decks of playing cards,” he said.

Everyone currently in the palace were trusted individuals, and they all believed in Chu Jiubian’s divine identity, so he had no compunctions about revealing another “miracle” in front of them.

Thus, he directly took out three decks of playing cards.

Upon seeing this, the sleepy child immediately woke up.

“Xiansheng, what are those?” He stared curiously at the boxes of playing cards.

Chu Jiubian said with a smile: “Something fun.”

“Wow,” the child said with wide eyes.

Chu Jiubian called Xiao Xiangzi and Xiao Yuzi inside and gave them two of the decks, teaching them a simple game to play.

Such a game could be taught to children, so there was no need to call for Hong Fu himself.

After hearing the rules, the two young eunuchs nodded repeatedly to demonstrate their understanding, then quickly returned to the outer room.

When Chu Jiubian heard them explaining the rules to the others, he looked at Qin Xiao and Bai Lihong and said: “Let’s play a game that’s different from theirs.”

Since there were three of them, they naturally played “Fight the Landlord.”

But this being Great Ning, “Fight the Landlord” naturally became “Fight the Noble Family.” Upon hearing this, Bai Lihong said with a pout: “Xiansheng, I don’t want to be part of a noble family, and neither do you.”

Qin Xiao chuckled: “That’s just what it’s called.”

“It doesn’t sound good,” Bai Lihong said with a hmph.

“What’s wrong with it?” Qin Xiao said deliberately, “Our Qin family is also considered a noble family.”

“That’s different.” Bai Lihong refuted earnestly. “The Qin family is good and the noble families are bad.”

Qin Xiao hesitated.

Chu Jiubian looked at Bai Lihong, feeling somewhat touched.

As expected of the protagonist who would eventually overthrow the noble families. He possessed such wisdom at such a young age.

Perhaps the child didn’t yet understand the meaning of his words, but he had already instinctively begun to dislike the existence of these powerful families, and also held no good feelings toward those powerful and influential figures.

Chu Jiubian suddenly remembered what had occurred after the palace banquet.

Every word and sentence of Xun Xiuran’s historical record involved this dynasty and the powerful officials in the Imperial Court, but it was unknown if there was any mention made of the common people.

As for why the historical record was the same as the original novel, Chu Jiubian had not investigated further.

Qin Xiao was right – since he was personally experiencing the reality of this world, there was no need to be constrained by the so-called “original story.”

And in any case, many things had changed since his arrival in this world.

Whether the original novel or the historical record, he was able to overwrite both the process and the ending of the story.

Chu Jiubian looked at Bai Lihong and said: “Then what does Your Majesty think it should be called?”

Bai Lihong thought for a moment, then said: “Let’s call it ‘Fight the Bully!’”

“Alright, ‘Fight the Bully’ it is.”

The child promptly wriggled his little feet and shoulders, giving him a shy smile.

Chu Jiubian smiled back and reached out to ruffle the child’s hair. But Qin Xiao unexpectedly reached out as well, and their hands met atop the child’s head.

All three of them froze.

Bai Lihong was the first to react. He moved his head around, rubbing it against the hands of the two adults with a giggle.

Without looking at Qin Xiao, Chu Jiubian calmly retracted his hand.

Qin Xiao, however, didn’t turn his eyes away from the other man.

The palace servants outside had already begun to play, and were making even more of a commotion than before.

The three people inside the room also commenced their game of “Fight the Bully.” Chu Jiubian took the part of the bully first, fearing that the other two wouldn’t understand the rules, which resulted in wins and losses on both sides.

Later on, Bai Lihong decided to take on the challenge and rushed to play the bully.

He was indeed a very intelligent child. Neither Chu Jiubian nor Qin Xiao held back, and both sides experienced victory and failure.

Time passed by unnoticed, and by the time they stopped, Qin Xiao had played the bully twice, only to be defeated both times by Chu Jiubian and Bai Lihong.

“Jiujiu lost again!” Bai Lihong clapped his hands in delight.

At the same time, the servants outside began to shout jubilantly: “Happy New Year!”

Hong Fu entered the inner chamber with a broad smile and said: “Your Majesty, My Lord, Young Master, it’s time. Let’s go out and set off fireworks.”

“Fireworks!” Bai Lihong happily jumped down from his stool.

Hong Fu helped him put on his outer garment and a thick cloak, and even flipped the hood of the cloak over his head before they left the inner hall together.

Chu Jiubian stood up as well and said: “Let’s go watch them too.”

“En.” Qin Xiao grabbed their two cloaks and handed one to Chu Jiubian.

The group went outside the palace, where more than a dozen fireworks Chu Jiubian had purchased from the System were already set up in the vast courtyard.

“Begin!” Bai Lihong shouted in a crisp voice.

“Yes,” several palace servants replied in unison, and those standing on either side lit the fuses with tinderboxes.

Two fireworks went off at once, exploding midair in a burst of brilliant sparks and creating a dreamlike spectacle.

In Cining Palace, the servants heard the sound and secretly peeked outside.

Empress Dowager Xiao Ruohan had already changed into her nightclothes. The sound startled her at first, and then her expression darkened.

There was no one who wouldn’t enjoy their first time seeing fireworks. She wanted to see them again, but at the thought that they were something Chu Jiubian had created to entertain the young Emperor, her mood soured.

“Mistress, shall we go out and take a look?” the matron asked softly. “What if a spark lands in our courtyard? Wouldn’t that cause an awful disaster? It’s better to go and keep an eye on things.”

This was just to provide her with an excuse.

Xiao Ruohan felt aggrieved, but as she listened to the noises outside, she still said: “Help me change my clothes.”

In another part of the palace, An Wuji and Qin Chaoyang stood side by side, watching the fireworks being set off near Yangxin Hall.

“Truly amazing!” An Wuji exclaimed.

Qin Chaoyang: “Indeed, but I wonder when fireworks will be able to be produced as weapons.”

“Weapons?” An Wuji’s eyebrows rose. “Are you referring to the loud blasts when the Young Master killed those assassins?”

“En,” said Qin Chaoyang. “Anything with the ability to hurt someone can be used as a weapon.”

In his opinion, the sound of the fireworks was similar to the blasts he heard that day, but the sound back then was still louder.

The fireworks were spectacular.

Little Bai Lihong stood in front of Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian’s legs, gazing upward with bright eyes.

He suddenly clasped his small hands in front of his chest and said with a sincere expression on his little face: “I hope my mother and grandparents can see these beautiful fireworks up in heaven.” 

He murmured this under his breath, and his voice was completely drowned out by the sound of the fireworks.

Chu Jiubian was also looking up at the innumerable sparks in the sky, their light intermittently illuminating his face.

Qin Xiao wasn’t watching the fireworks – he was looking solely at Chu Jiubian.

As the fireworks dwindled away, Chu Jiubian’s first year in Great Ning came to an end.

Only after the young Emperor had fallen asleep did Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian leave the hall.

When he saw Chu Jiubian preparing to leave the courtyard, Qin Xiao caught up to him in two steps and said: “Where are you going?”

“To Yaotai Residence,” Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Xiao grasped his wrist, and the two of them came to a stop.

Their eyes met, and Qin Xiao said: “Don’t leave, I won’t touch you.”

Chu Jiubian: “ ? ”

What did he mean by touch him?

Chu Jiubian actually didn’t want to go, but he thought that Qin Chuan might come to see Qin Xiao again because of the holiday, so it would be best for him to leave in order to avoid crashing the brothers’ reunion.

Seeing that Qin Xiao had no intention of letting him go, Chu Jiubian asked: “Isn’t there someone you need to wait for?”

“No,” said Qin Xiao. “You go back to the palace first. I’ll visit the Qin family compound and come back soon.”

As the elder brother, it was only right that he should go back and visit his younger sibling.

Chu Jiubian didn’t refuse: “Alright, but I’m going to sleep after I wash up. I won’t wait for you.”

“En.” Qin Xiao thought that the underfloor heating in the palace was a beautiful thing.

---

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Chapter 75 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 77

Ch. 99 – Vicious Dog

Feng Ye stopped beside the wooden house and tilted his head back, clearly meaning to drive away his passenger.

The crow flapped his wings to steady himself. Though he was unwilling, they had reached their destination, and he had no excuse to linger any longer on the dragon’s head.

So the crow first crouched low, then spread his wings wide and gave Feng Ye’s head one last reluctant pat before taking flight.

He flew into the wooden house, and before Feng Ye could follow him inside, Hao Chen stepped out.

The corners of his eyes were tilted up, victory written all over his face.

For he had finally fulfilled a small, personal wish.

Feng Ye was in human form and didn’t have dragon horns, and the crow was just an avatar rather than the real thing. But in spirit, Hao Chen had indeed been sitting next to Yinglong’s dragon horns.

He was probably the first person ever to do so. Given Yinglong’s reputation, no one would dare to approach him, let alone dare to climb up to his dragon horns.

But he dared.

Hao Chen couldn’t help but open his fan and give it a proud flutter.

Feng Ye keenly noticed that there was a small purple flower on this fan, the same one that had been in the crow’s feathers earlier.

It was unknown what method Hao Chen had used, but the flower had transformed into a painting on the fan, preserving it in perpetuity.

But although he noticed this, he didn’t call attention to it.

Hao Chen didn’t mention it either. He didn’t say a word about what had just happened, and simply asked in a perfunctory manner: “Has Fellow Daoist Feng Ye sobered up after wandering around for so long?”

I’ve been sober for a while now, Feng Ye thought. He had originally been a little tipsy, but the subtle provocation of the crow brushing his sensitive spot had shocked him back to sobriety.

Although he had ultimately accepted the crow’s wildflower as a compromise, he still couldn’t help but shudder when he recalled how those feathers had brushed against his inverse scale.

It had felt so strange. This was the first time someone other than himself had touched it, and Feng Ye didn’t want to bring it up again, lest he have to keep reliving that feeling.

So he nodded, deciding to just change the subject. He glanced into the room, and when he saw no sign of Fang Yang and his friend, he asked: “Where’d they go?”

“They’re playing with the dog behind the house,” said Hao Chen.

No sooner had Hao Chen finished speaking than a beastly howl and two shouts of surprise sounded from behind the house.

The two exchanged a glance, then tacitly made their way toward the back.

Turning the corner, they caught sight of a large brown-grey dog. The rope around its neck pulled taut as it lunged with all its might, baring its fangs as if determined to rip into the two boys in front of it.

Shaken to their cores, Fang Yang and Cao Zirui clutched their chests in fright.

“What’s going on?” Feng Ye asked, surveying the scene.

Only when he spoke did Fang Yang notice their arrival. He took a moment to catch his breath. Then, still shaken, he explained the situation to Feng Ye: “I was just feeding it the leftover rabbit, but it wouldn’t eat it when I offered the bones to it. I tried to put a bone near its mouth, and it suddenly lunged and startled me.”

Cao Zirui nodded in agreement. The incident was just as Fang Yang had described it. If the dog hadn’t been leashed, it would have bitten off Fang Yang’s hand when it suddenly attacked.

When he heard this, Feng Ye turned his head to regard the big dog that was still struggling to lunge forward. It was likely a hybrid between a dog and a wolf, and was therefore bigger and fiercer than a domestic dog, with a bloodthirsty gleam in its eyes.

And near the big dog were a few scattered rabbit bones with scraps of meat still attached. This dog, however, ignored them. It observed Feng Ye and the other three, but ultimately settled its gaze back on Fang Yang and Cao Zirui. 

The look on its face was like that of a wild beast locking onto prey. In stark contrast to the human principle of giving way to the elderly, the young, the ill, and the disabled, beasts regarded these four types as their ideal prey.

Compared to Feng Ye and Hao Chen, who were both tall adults, these two teenagers would obviously be easier to hunt.

And fresh flesh and blood tasted much better than roasted rabbit bones. Unable to break free of its leash, the big dog could only lick its chops, dribbling foul-smelling saliva as it growled deep in its throat.

This dog has probably killed people before, thought Feng Ye.

An ordinary hunting dog wouldn’t target humans. But this dog was different, openly displaying its intention to attack Fang Yang and Cao Zirui them moment it had the opportunity.

But it made sense that wicked people would raise a wicked dog. Its owners were bandits who killed and robbed, and this dog had likely helped its owners commit many crimes.

Feng Ye didn’t mention this, and only said: “If it won’t eat, then so be it. Let’s pack up and get ready to leave.”

“Okay,” Fang Yang replied. As he was about to go back to the house and gather his things, he cast one last look toward the big dog, only to find that its beastly eyes were fixed on him.

The rope tightened again as the dog opened its jaws to reveal sharp fangs, barking repeatedly at Fang Yang.

Fang Yang was once again given a fright. Most of the dogs he encountered in his hometown were gentle and friendly, and unlike this fierce creature, he could pet them freely.

He didn’t realize that this was no ordinary domestic dog, nor did he understand that in the eyes of this big dog, he was nothing more than prey.

But he also abandoned any thought of befriending it. He grabbed Cao Zirui, then took off running into the house without looking back.

But the escape of its prey only fueled the dog’s aggression, and it struggled more and more violently, trying to break free of the rope around its neck.

As it pulled, the wooden stake anchoring the rope to the ground began to loosen.

Feng Ye suddenly sent it a casual glance.

To a wild beast, eye contact was a provocation.

But while this vicious dog had attacked Fang Yang when he looked at it before, at this moment, it stopped barking and lay down obediently on the ground with its tail tucked.

It also retracted its fangs, behaving itself well.

Feng Ye then turned and left with Hao Chen following behind him. But before leaving, Hao Chen cast one last look back at the big dog, which was now curled up on the ground and even trembling slightly with fear, showing no hint of its former ferocity.

It seemed that even vicious dogs feared vicious dragons.

Although this dragon only appeared vicious on the surface – a little secret that only Hao Chen knew.

The two made their way back to the house. When Fang Yang and the others were ready to set off, Wang Wu and Zhao Yi had not yet returned from the riverbank. 

The wooden house these two lived in was anything but tidy. Leftover dishes were piled up and attracting flies with no one bothering to wash them, and all sorts of trash was scattered throughout the house.

They had originally come to ask for directions, but ended up receiving a free roasted rabbit instead. Fang Yang felt a little embarrassed, and took the initiative to suggest that everyone help Wang Wu and Zhao Yi clean up as a way of repaying them.

This was good way to express their gratitude. It was just that…..Feng Ye glanced at the embroidery needles and thread, as well as the cloth tiger he had noticed upon first entering the room.

There was an unfinished pattern on the embroidered cloth, red flowers that were often favored by women. If someone told him that those burly bandits were skilled embroiderers, Feng Ye wouldn’t believe it.

The cloth tiger was clearly a child’s toy. Wang Wu and Zhao Yi were bandits who had fled to the mountains to evade government soldiers, so where did a child come into the picture?

This wooden house likely didn’t belong to the two of them. They had simply taken it as their own. And as for the original owners of the house, judging by the amount of dust collected on the cloth tiger, they had probably already met with misfortune.

It seemed that these two bandits had committed no shortage of heinous acts, and treating them to roasted rabbit was not done out of the kindness of their hearts.

But Feng Ye didn’t intend to reveal everything yet, and would even allow the bandits to lead them along. The man-eating monster in the ruins Wang Wu had mentioned might be related to his true purpose for this trip. Thus, he agreed with Fang Yang’s suggestion to help with the cleaning.

Of the four of them, three could be said to have some experience with cleaning. While Hao Chen had never done such things previously, even if he hadn’t picked up anything else during his days at Lingxiao Sword Sect, he had certainly mastered the art of sweeping the floor.

Cao Zirui was the only one without sufficient skills. He had been a young master at home, and a favored personal disciple within the sect. Pampered wherever he went, he had naturally never done such rough work.

But he didn’t mind getting his hands dirty, and simply imitated Fang Yang. Working together, the four of them made quick work of tidying up.

Wang Wu and Zhao Yi took their time coming back, and when they arrived, they were met with a completely renovated house.

Feigning politeness, Wang Wu offered perfunctory words of thanks to Feng Ye and his group. Then, unable to conceal his impatience, he eagerly put forth a suggestion: “It’s getting late, so let’s set off shortly.”

Although his eagerness stemmed from his desire to get Feng Ye and the others to the ruins as soon as possible, this suited Feng Ye’s plans perfectly, and he gave a cooperative nod.

Wang Wu was secretly delighted. He ran off to change his clothes, which had been soaked by river water, then grabbed a dead rabbit and threw it to the big dog behind the house.

This dog wouldn’t eat the roasted rabbit bones Fang Yang offered it, but it immediately devoured the still bloody rabbit corpse.

Its sharp teeth ripped open the rabbit’s belly, and blood smeared across its nose and mouth as it feasted.

Fang Yang glanced at it once, and dared not look again. Eating roasted rabbit was one thing, but seeing the bloody internal organs being pulled directly from the rabbit’s body was another.

After changing his clothes and feeding the dog, Wang Wu waved his hand and set off with Zhao Yi and the others in tow.

The mountain path was rugged, but traversing it didn’t pose a challenge to their group. Wang Wu and Zhao Yi, these two mountain bandits, had grown accustomed to a life of hiding in the mountains and were very familiar with its paths.

Feng Ye and his group all had a foundation in spiritual cultivation, so maintaining their balance on the mountain paths was not difficult for them.

So they moved forward at a fast pace, even laughing and chatting as they went. It all looked very harmonious.

“By the way, Wang-xiong, what type of breed is your dog? It’s so fierce, ah.” As they were talking, Fang Yang recalled the big dog that had given him such a fright, and couldn’t help but ask about it.

“Oh, that thing? Hehe.” Wang Wu stroked his beard, saying with some pride: “That’s a wolfhound, a mix of a wolf and the mongrel dogs that live in the mountains. It is indeed very ferocious. When it was only eight months old, not yet an adult, it had already killed …..”

He abruptly cut himself off, as if he had realized that he shouldn’t speak the next words on his tongue.

Feng Ye glanced at Wang Wu.

“What did it kill?” Asked the perpetually oblivious Fang Yang.

Wang Wu paused briefly before replying: “It…..it killed the neighbor’s chicken.”

That’s clearly not what you were going to say, thought Feng Ye.

Although Fang Yang hadn’t realized this, he did sense that something was wrong.

Wang Wu had been speaking with great pride before, and what was there to be proud of about a pet dog killing the neighbor’s chicken? Where he came from, such a vicious dog would be severely beaten by its owner.

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Chapter 98 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 100