Northwest of the capital lay the renowned Croston Manor, home to Imperial Army Martial Lei Cheng and his family.

The manor was bustling with activity tonight. The First Legion, led by the Marshal, had concluded its six-month expedition, and the Marshal was holding a banquet at his own manor to welcome back the soldiers who had worked hard and made great contributions.

Ling Yi rubbed his aching waist, a look of displeasure crossing his face.

“I told you to rest, but you insisted on coming,” Oser accused in his ear.

Ling Yi glared at him in rebuke: “If you’d told me there was going to be a welcoming banquet for Marshal Lei Cheng today, I would’ve never let you into the bedroom last night.”

A triumphant smile appeared on Oser’s lips: “How did I not know you have an idol complex for the Marshal?”

“Which military academy student doesn’t admire the highest-ranking commander of the Imperial Army? The last time the Marshal visited Luban, the students crowded around to watch but didn’t even get to see him. Now that I finally have a chance to see him up close and personal, I would crawl over here if I had to. I’m going to tell Bo Rui and the others about it when I get back. They’re going to die of jealousy.”

Oser shook his head helplessly at the idol worship and competitiveness among children.

“If you had chosen the same idol as your brother, you would have saved yourself a lot of trouble.”

Ling Yi said boldly and confidently: “What can I do? I’m just a rebel and don’t like the same person as him. I even used to collect negative information about you and send it to Xi Lei whenever we had a fight. He always flew into a rage.”

Under the pretense of hugging his waist, Oser pinched a sore spot to teach him a lesson, then rubbed it to assuage the pain.

“There will be opportunities like this in the future. It’s no big deal to have the Marshal treat you to a banquet between just the two of you.”

When Lei Cheng heard that Oser had arrived at the manor, he personally led several trusted subordinates to greet him.

The group’s eyes were piercing, their bodies straight, and their steps full of vigor.

“Your Highness Oser, I haven’t seen you for six months, and you look even better than when I left. Do you have some unexpected news you haven’t told me?”

He only greeted Oser, pretending not to notice Ling Yi standing beside him.

“With the Marshal out there guarding the peace, I sat comfortably in the palace, eating well and sleeping soundly. Naturally, my complexion has improved.”

“Defending the country is a soldier’s duty, but why do your words make me envious? Your Highness’s ability to speak unpleasant words has not diminished in the slightest.”

The group of officers laughed heartily.

Oser took his words as a compliment and accepted them as his due.

“I’m just stopping by today to welcome you. My family’s little friend heard you were throwing a party and insisted that I bring him over.”

Only then did Lei Cheng turn his attention to Ling Yi: “I heard that the distinguished guest of His Highness Oser gave Grand Duke Sully a great honor a few days ago. I was very disappointed that I didn’t see you with my own eyes, but Croston has received an unexpected blessing today.”

Oser: “The Marshal didn’t miss a single shred of gossip from home while away at war.”

Lei Cheng laughed heartily: “The battlefield is both dangerous and boring. How could I get through it without entertainment from you royals and nobles?”

Ling Yi observed Lei Cheng closely and found him to be even more imposing than he had imagined, with every gesture and movement carrying a soldier’s heroic spirit.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Marshal. Many of my friends and I admire you. We even study your classic battles at school.”

Lei Cheng smiled meaningfully: “To be able to learn combat strategies in the classroom, it seems that His Highness’s little friend doesn’t attend an ordinary school.”

Ling Yi felt that he had said too much, and went quiet. Lei Cheng was also smart enough not to delve deeper, and simply invited the two of them inside.

“Your Highness has come at the perfect time. I brought a few distinguished guests back with me, and I’d like to introduce them to Your Highness.”

Lei Cheng deliberately lowered his voice when he said this, and Oser understood that he had confidential information to report.

He instructed Ling Yi: “Just wander around for now. I’ll come over once I greet these people.”

Ling Yi nodded in agreement and glanced around at the layout of the Marshal’s manor, collecting topics to brag about when he returned.

Unlike the magnificent decoration style of Grand Duke Sully’s home, Croston was decorated in the likeness of its owner, with simple, sharp lines and plain colors. The most eye-catching aspect was a wall full of military medals and trophies collected from all over the world.

Most of the guests coming in and out wore military uniforms. Starkly different from the refined and soft-spoken nobles at the ball, they spoke with vigor and never savored the wine while drinking. They looked at him with open curiosity about his identity, and weren’t embarrassed when he met their eyes.

Due to his special status, Ling Yi was the focus of attention wherever he went. He was used to being stared at, but there was one gaze that differed from the others, and Ling Yi could feel its presence no matter where he went.

He pretended to head to the bathroom, but hid in a corner and caught the stalker who quickly chased after him.

“It’s you.”

Ling Yi looked his stalker over from head to toe.

“Why are you here?”

Lei Yue wore a complicated expression, and spoke after a long pause: “This is my home.”

Ling Yi looked into the distance, then back at him, and suddenly realized: “The Marshal’s surname is Lei, and so is yours. Why didn’t I think of it?”

Lei Yue looked disappointed: “You didn’t know who I was before?”

Ling Yi was very glad to meet a familiar face in a room full of strangers.

“I never thought I’d be able to race the Marshal’s son.”

Lei Yue had read some of the rumors.

“I saw someone say online that you’re the Omega His Highness Oser found from abroad. Is it true?”

“You looked me up online?”

“N-no! I just stumbled across it!”

Coincidentally, Ling Yi had also seen those unreliable speculations.

“Some people online say I’m an alien or an artificial human. Did you believe them too? Instead of worrying about gossip, it’s better to hone your riding skills.”

“My riding skills aren’t bad. I’ve only lost to two people so far.”

Ling Yi’s playful mood arose again, and his eyes shifted slyly.

“So who do you think is the better rider – me or that guy?”

“Why compare yourself to the dead?”

“Out of curiosity. In the end, you were the one defeated by us, so you have the final say.”

Lei Yue thought for a long time, his face gloomy: “You two are of an equal level, but your motorcycle is better than his.”

“You mean he was able to beat you even on a shitty bike, and I only beat you because of my hardware advantage?”

“That’s not what I said!”

Ling Yi had his fill of the other’s embarrassed anger, and decided to quit while he was ahead.

“Actually, your bike seemed pretty good when I rode on it last time. Can I take another look?”

His request landed perfectly on Lei Yue’s point of pride. It would be better to say that Lei Yue had been looking for an opportunity to invite him to see his collection.

“Come with me.”

There were more than a dozen top-quality motorcycles neatly parked in the underground garage, some of which were out of production or limited editions. Anyone who loved motorcycles would shout “paradise” upon coming here.

Ling Yi was dazzled by the sight. Almost every one of them could be called his dream machine.

“This is so cool…..”

Lei Yue was extremely proud when talking about his collection: “This is my private collection. I’ve never brought anyone to see it before.”

“The Marshal’s son has so many nice machines. He wouldn’t have secretly embezzled military funds to buy them, right?”

Lei Yue’s face flushed with anxiety: “No! I bought them all with my own money!”

Ling Yi smiled brightly: “I was only joking, but you took it seriously.”

Lei Yue was dazed by his smile for a few seconds, then quickly shook his head to rid himself of inappropriate thoughts.

“I’m not sure who’s better at riding between you and Ling Yi, but you both have the same terrible personality.”

Ling Yi’s attention was drawn back to a black heavyweight motorcycle. He replied casually: “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

This motorcycle had a very imposing appearance, and even reminded Ling Yi of a tank.

He couldn’t help but touch the gas cap. “What kind of bike is this? I’ve never seen one before.”

“It’s the AstraX10000. It weighs 1.5 times more than an ordinary motorcycle, and its exterior design also highlights its weight, making it look really intimidating. But it’s not bulky at all, and even reaches speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour.”

Ling Yi’s eyes lit up: “If you race on this one, I’ll have no choice but to breathe in your exhaust fumes.”

“That would be a truly unfair victory,” Lei Yue said seriously.

Ling Yi nodded, pointing to the eye-catching model next to it.

“What about the red one?”

“The Crimson Flame Eye. It’s equipped with a Red Flame engine, with superior horsepower and an impressive suspension system, which ensures its stability at high speeds. I replaced its tires with specialty ones that prevent it from slipping even in the worst rainy and snowy conditions, because I enjoy riding brightly-colored bikes in the snow.”

Lei Yue’s excitement kicked in, and he introduced Ling Yi to his collection one by one. When talking about his pride and joys, he could speak endlessly, and knew them all like the back of his hand.

“This is the Star Patrol model XH-7. It has a built-in STELLAR third-generation engine, and is especially good for racing on mountain roads. Even if the terrain is rugged, it’s like riding on flat ground. Its most striking feature is that when racing at the highest speed, the engine exhaust will spew out starlight flames. There are only three of them in the world, and even I had to ask someone to buy it for me.”

“Wow,” Ling Yi exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

Lei Yue seized the opportunity and said: “If you’re interested, you can try it out.”

“Really?”

Lei Yue loved motorcycles as much as he loved his life. He never let anyone touch his collection, and even insisted on doing the daily cleaning and maintenance himself. But at this moment, he felt as if he had found a true friend.

He patted the seat of a silver motorcycle and said: “Come and try the Aurora.”

Ling Yi straddled the seat and held the handlebars. Even without starting the machine, he could imagine the roar of the engine, and his heart filled with excitement.

“I feel like this one’s main focus is its lightness and agility. Am I right?”

Lei Yue watched Ling Yi as he focused on trying out the motorcycle, but for some reason, he kept thinking back to the silver hair blowing into his face with the wind that night, and the alluring scent that lingered on the tip of his nose.

His thoughts drifted away, and he snapped back to the present when he heard Ling Yi ask: “…..Am I right?”

Lei Yue hadn’t heard what Ling Yi asked him at all, and was briefly confused.

“Are you hot?” Ling Yi asked, peering at his flushed face.

Lei Yue quickly turned his head away. “I’m not.”

“This bike has a good feel to it. I wonder how it’ll drive.”

Ling Yi reluctantly dismounted.

“Do you like it? I’ll give it to you,” Lei Yue said impulsively.

Ling Yi was shocked.

“I lost the wager, and since you refused to take my helmet, you can take this as my stake.”

“Isn’t it inappropriate to bet such a valuable thing?”

“Why not? I think it suits you perfectly. Its frame matches your silver hair.”

Ling Yi: ?

Lei Yue felt he had spoken out of turn, and desperately attempted to justify his statement.

“No, I mean, it’s not as heavy as other models, it’s agile, and it suits your style. Its full performance can only be reached in your hands.”

Ling Yi looked around to find that every motorcycle was kept spotless, evidence of their owner’s love.

“Forget it, I can’t take away something you love.”

Lei Yue didn’t understand his train of thought, and said sourly: “That’s right. You’re His Highness Oser’s friend, and he can afford to give you everything you want. Of course you wouldn’t be interested in what I have.”

Ling Yi found him amusing: “According to you, not wanting your bike means I’m looking down on you. If I accept it, you can’t have any regrets.”

Lei Yue’s spirits lifted and his face lit up, as if Ling Yi’s willingness to accept his gift was a great joy.

“Where do you live? I’ll give it a thorough maintenance inspection soon and send it to you.”

Ling Yi couldn’t just tell him to send it to the medical college: “Do you know where His Highness Oser lives?”

Lei Yue’s expression froze. “So you’re living together now. According to tradition, shouldn’t a royal wedding be announced first, followed by an engagement ceremony, a wedding ceremony, and then official cohabitation?”

“Since when has His Highness Oser been someone who abides by royal traditions?”

Despite being in high spirits just now, Lei Yue suddenly became depressed: “You’re not wrong.”

Ling Yi glanced at the guards who had been posted at the parking lot entrance the entire time: “Come on, we’ve stayed here too long. If His Highness Oser can’t find me, he’ll turn Croston upside down.”

“His Highness is too cautious. This is the home of a military marshal, there’s no need for him to protect you so closely.”

Ling Yi smiled and said nothing.

Back in the banquet hall, Oser was still surrounded by a group of people. He met Ling Yi’s eyes through the crowd, warning him not to run around.

Ling Yi donned a well-behaved expression and found somewhere to sit that was still within Oser’s line of sight while not being too conspicuous.

Lei Yue volunteered to get him some food. 

“I know which dishes are the best in the kitchen. Wait just a minute, I’ll be back soon.”

Ling Yi sat and waited, “eavesdropping” on the loud private conversations around him until a figure blocked his line of sight.

Ling Yi adjusted his focus, and what came into view was the face of an unfamiliar young man.

“Sorry to bother you. I saw you sitting alone and worried you might be bored.”

Ling Yi had never seen this face before, but he recognized the voice.

“Are you Sidi?”

The young man named “Sidi” smiled happily.

“I didn’t expect you to still remember me. After all, on that day—” He made a mask-like gesture with his hands. “We met like this.”

“You recognized me too?”

Disi lowered his eyes in embarrassment: “To be honest, when those two reckless guys did that, I was shocked by your beauty at first sight. Your face has been on my mind these days, so I recognized you at the door.”

He added cautiously: “I hope I haven’t offended you by speaking frankly.”

“You can’t offend me more than those two idiots did. I thought people in high society liked to speak in roundabout ways, and I didn’t expect to have to adapt to your straight-shooting style.”

Disi couldn’t help but laugh: “I’m so sorry for giving you a bad first impression of high society. Do you mind if I sit next to you?”

Ling Yi symbolically moved aside for him. Disi took two glasses of wine from a passing servant’s tray and handed one to Ling Yi.

“The white wine produced on Croston’s own estate is refreshing and mellow, but be careful when drinking it. Soldiers can drink a lot, so the alcohol content of the wine is naturally higher.”

“Are you here to eat for free today too?” Ling Yi asked.

“The Wielan steak at Croston is the best in the world. You have to try it.”

“There probably aren’t many people who can eat at the homes of both Grand Duke Sully and Marshal Lei Cheng.”

“You’re making fun of me again. Before Viscount Qiao Wen’s family fell into decline, it was also a prestigious family.”

He toasted Ling Yi, who raised his glass to him as well. The glasses tapped together with a crisp sound.

Disi didn’t drink, but instead held his glass and pondered: “Come to think of it, although I said the other day that I didn’t care about your identity, it’s a little inconvenient not having a name to call you.”

Ling Yi thought about finding a pseudonym for himself, like “Daddy,” when he heard the other party say:

“I wonder if I could call you—”

Disi leaned over and whispered in his ear: “Ling Yi?”

---

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Chapter 32 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 34

Down the long steps outside Fengtian Hall, officials gradually departed.

Chu Jiubian looked at Xiao Hauiguan and couldn’t see any emotion in his cloudy eyes.

“Isn’t Minister Xiao leaving?” he asked.

The gentle smile on Xiao Huaiguan’s face didn’t change at all. He took another step and caught up with Chu Jiubian, saying: “My legs and feet aren’t good at my age. I’m embarrassed to be laughed at by the Grand Tutor.”

In just a few words, his address to Chu Jiubian changed from “Jiu-gongzi” to “Grand Tutor.”

If he had still been acting like a kind, tolerant elder just previously, he had now put himself completely on equal footing with Chu Jiubian.

They were not high-ranking officials or retainers who could be recruited. They were both powerful ministers of the first rank who played important roles in the Imperial Court.

Sensing the change in the other party’s attitude, Chu Jiubian smiled faintly and said: “My Lord is not old. He is experienced, and has a deep understanding of human nature. I still have a lot of advice to ask from you.”

“Chu-daren is a young genius who sees things clearly. It is I, an old man with dim eyesight, who should seek advice from you.”

Chu Jiubian: “My Lord is too polite.”

The two of them spoke with hidden meanings, looking relaxed and familiar. To outsiders, it seemed as if they were having a pleasant conversation.

But only they themselves knew what was truly going on.

Chu Jiubian walked slowly in accordance with Xiao Huaiguan’s pace, his eyes slightly lowered.

It seemed that his guess was correct. The mastermind behind yesterday’s incident was this Minister Xiao.

The other party was the Minister of Personnel, Zhao Qianhe’s immediate superior and the person who had most contact with him.

Chu Jiubian only exchanged these few sentences with him and knew that he was a master of disguise.

He was very adept at using his age to make others relax their vigilance, and then using his kind, gentle appearance to confuse them. Supplemented by some superficial so-called care for the younger generation, he would eventually guide and use the other party to seek benefits for his own family.

Zhao Qianhe was not an overly intelligent or cautious person, otherwise he wouldn’t have given this man so many handles on him.

So as he grew older, he feared that he would be crushed to dust in the power struggle and began to think about joining a stronger force.

Xiao Huaiguan’s Xiao family obviously became his best choice.

He may have done a lot for the Xiao family, hoping to gain their protection, but this was just asking the tiger for its skin, and he only ended up hurting himself.

As he was thinking, he and Xiao Huaiguan had already arrived at Shenwu Gate.

Chu Jiubian looked through the wide-open palace gate and glimpsed several sedan chairs outside. The servants and chair-bearers were standing quietly on one side with their heads lowered.

Not far away, several officials in crimson or dark blue robes were discussing something.

One of them, Chu Jiubian recognized as Qi Zhili, the Imperial Censor who had angrily rebuked Huguang-wang and Pingxi-wang in court.

“This Minister Qi is a great man,” Xiao Huaiguan said.

Chu Jiubain turned his head toward him: “What do you mean?”

“Chu-daren, you may not know that the Qi family was the wealthiest family in Jiangnan under the reign of Emperor Wuzong. When he was conquering the world, it was the Qi family who provided money and food behind the scenes, allowing the emperor to conquer such a vast empire.”

Chu Jiubian had heard Xiao Xiangzi talk about the reign of Emperor Wuzong two days ago. It went without saying that an emperor with the title “Wu” was very capable.^[1]

It was said that Nanjiang and Sichuan were compensated to several Tatar tribes during the previous dynasty, and after the founding emperor overthrew the tyrannical rule of the previous dynasty, he wanted to recover the lost territory.

It was not until Emperor Wuzong came to power that he regained those territories with his outstanding military capabilities, and the territory of Great Ning expanded by one third.

In order to better deter the covetous Jurchen tribes, Wuzong also moved the capital from Southern Zhili to the present day Northern Zhili, creating a situation similar to “the Son of Heaven guarding the country’s frontier.”

It was also at that time that the four great families rushed to the new capital from their places of origin in order to be closer to the center of power.

Xiao Huaiguan seemed to be in the mood to talk, and said a few more words: “Because of the Qi family’s meritorious service, Emperor Wuzong set a precedent for their descendants, allowing them to enter the government as merchants. After that, through the efforts of the Qi family, many of their children entered officialdom. But as for those who reached the center of power, there has only been one Qi Zhili in recent years.”

“Then this Minister Qi must be extremely capable.” Chu Jiubian looked toward Qi Zhili and saw that he had already bid farewell to his two colleagues and climbed into a sedan chair.

“He is indeed outstanding.” Xiao Huaiguan’s eyes darkened. “But he doesn’t just rely on his own talents and abilities. He also relies on his cousin.”

Cousin?

Chu Jiubian’s mind raced.

“Chu-daren.” Xiao Huaiguan dropped the subject and bowed. “I still have some things to take care of, so I won’t be going to the Ministry of Personnel for the moment. When you arrive, have Wang-langzhong show you around.”

Chu Jiubian bowed as well: “Xiao-daren, take care.”

Xiao Huaiguan turned around with a smile and walked through Shenwu Gate with a slightly hunched back.

Outside Shenwu Gate, the Xiao family’s sedan chair was already waiting. When the servants saw him, they immediately stepped forward to support him and carefully helped him into the chair.

Xiao Xiangzi, who had been waiting at the door, finally dared to rush over. He bowed to Chu Jiubian, smiling so hard that his teeth were showing: “Congratulations on getting another good job, Young Master.”

“You are well-informed.” Chu Jiubian was slightly amused.

“I just heard some other lords talking about it while I was standing here.” Xiao Xiangzi scratched his head in embarrassment and said, “Young Master, last night, His Lordship ordered me to prepare a sedan chair for you. The bearers were hired by Commander An, and are strong and skilled in martial arts. This will greatly help you remain safe while on duty in and outside the palace in the future.”

Chu Jiubian had just caught sight of the sedan chair.

It was made of solid wood with dark embroidered curtains edged with bright golden tassels, all of which exuded exquisiteness. It looked even better than the one Xiao Huaiguan had just gotten into.

The sedan bearers were, as Xiao Xiangzi had described, four sturdy young men.

As always, Qin Xiao was truly considerate in such matters.

It was waiting at the palace gate.

But this sedan chair had just been prepared yesterday. Qin Xiao must have known yesterday that Chu Jiubian would take the initiative to serve as Deputy Minister of Personnel.

…..Truly impressive.

Chu Jiubian boarded the sedan chair, but Xiao Xiangzi didn’t follow him out of the palace. He remained just inside Shenwu Gate and watched him from afar.

There were three streets outside Shenwu Gate. The one to the south was Shenwu Street, and going forward, one would pass the second and third ring roads. They were basically residential streets, and all of them were inhabited by high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the capital. 

The manors of the four great families were all located on this street, but were not adjacent to each other, and had a rather long distance between them. 

Going farther outside the third ring road, one could find the residences of ordinary people.

But these people were also divided into the rich and the poor. With Shenwu street as the center line, the people living on the west side were mostly wealthy families. The lively Western Market was located here. Splendid Plaza, where ice was sold, and Chaqing Street, where the Treasure Pavilion was located, could both be found in the Western Market.

Most of the people living to the east were commoners, and the goods sold in the Eastern Market shops and stalls were cheaper and simpler.

This was the southern extension of Shenwu Street. After exiting Shenwu Gate, there was also a long street stretching to the west and east.

The eastern street was called Chang’an Street, and was where the six ministries were located.

And the western street was called Zhangning Street. Except for the six ministries, all offices such as Dali Temple and the Censorate were located here.

The sedan bearers carried the chair toward Chang’an Street. Their steps were steady, and there were almost no bumps.

They walked quickly, and the sedan chair was soon carried to the gate of the Ministry of Personnel.

Chu Jiubian got down from the sedan chair. After greeting him, a servant of the government office led the sedan-bearers to a designated resting place so that they would be at Chu Jiubian’s beck and call whenever he needed the sedan chair.

“Where is Wang-langzhong?” Chu Jiubian asked another servant.

The servant hurriedly said: “Answering My Lord, we just received a letter from Xiao-daren and sent for Wang-daren. He should be here soon.”

Sure enough, not long after he finished speaking, a middle-aged man in crimson official robes paced in hurriedly from the inner courtyard. 

When he saw Chu Jiubian, his expression became even more anxious. But even so, he didn’t lose his composure, and continued to walk in a steady, proper manner.

This was the demeanor of a member of the Wang family. They always maintained good manners while outside.

Chu Jiubian walked to the other party. When he approached, Wang-langzhong immediately bowed and confessed his guilt: “This official rushed here as soon as he heard the news, but arrived late. Begging your pardon, My Lord.”

“No harm done.” 

It was the sedan-bearers’ fault for walking so fast.

“Many thanks, My Lord.” Wang-langzhong bowed again. “Please come inside.”

Chu Jiubian followed him into the courtyard where the government office was located. The courtyard had six entrances, and was much larger than his own Yaotai Residence.

“My Lord, our Ministry of Personnel is divided into four departments,” Wang-langzhong introduced. “These four courtyards house the Literary Department, the Examination Department, the Seal Verification Department, and the Meritorious Service Department. Each department has one langzhong, two secretaries, and other subordinate officials, totaling around twenty people in each department.”

Looking across the courtyard, one could see many officials both major and minor walking back and forth with bamboo slips in their hands.

Everyone knew who Wang-langzhong was, and when they saw him showing respect to Chu Jiubian, they knew that he must be a senior official. Therefore, when they met him face to face, they would bow in greeting.

After walking through the first four courtyards, they arrived at a fifth.

This one was much quieter than the previous courtyards, with only a few servants and officials scattered around.

“The innermost courtyard is the official residence of the Minister of Personnel, and nobody usually goes there,” Wang-langzhong said. This was referring to the sixth courtyard.

Chu Jiubian nodded.

Wang-langzhong led him through the fifth courtyard, giving him a detailed tour. This would be Chu Jiubian’s office from now on.

There was only one deputy minister for each ministry in the Great Ning Dynasty, so Chu Jiubian was the undisputed second-in-command of the Ministry of Personnel.

There were separate rooms for his office in the eastern hall of the courtyard.

This consisted of two rooms, the outer one a study, and the inner one a bedroom. If he worked late or was busy, he could simply sleep there.

In addition to these rooms, the main room in the courtyard housed the archives.

Inside were rows of wooden shelves piled with innumerable bamboo slips, and one could smell the unique scent of the bamboo when passing by the door.

The western hall was similar to a meeting room. Normally, when the Minister or Deputy Minister had something to discuss, they would call people here to speak with them.

Chu Jiubian took a look around, then went back to the archives.

“Most official documents are here in the archives, and are placed on shelves according to prefecture. From top to bottom, the newer the documents are, the lower they are placed.”

Chu Jiubian nodded. This was similar to the clean and concise layout of a library. It was just that these bamboo slips were really tiring to look at and took up space. It would be better to replace them with paper versions.

“Is there a list of officials?” Chu Jiubian asked.

“There is. This official will have someone send it to you shortly.”

Chu Jiubian had a good impression of Wang-langzhong. He was genuinely refined and courteous, the complete opposite of Wang Huanzhi, the head of the Wang family.

“Alright. Go ahead and attend to your duties.”

“Yes.” Wang-langzhong left without further ado.

Chu Jiubian returned to the left hall. It was stocked with items that looked newly-placed, without any signs of Zhao Qianhe having used them.

It could be assumed that as soon as the news of the other party’s downfall made it back here, the guards had cleaned the place out.

Chu Jiubian sat down on the chair and looked around the neat, tidy room.

After eleven years in office, it had only taken a quarter of an hour to erase all traces of his existence.

Not long after, someone brought Chu Jiubian a paper version of the list.

Only information that required the integration of a vast amount of content would be put down on paper. 

Chu Jiubian opened it and read through it one by one.

The booklet recorded all currently serving officials.

From those in the capital to local officials, and from first-rank ministers to ministers of the ninth rank.

Chu Jiubian skimmed over the section about capital officials, as he already had the power structure of the six ministries sketched out in his mind.

Aside from Minister of Revenue Su Sheng and Minister of Works Jian Hongzhuo, the remaining four minister positions for the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Justice were occupied by people from the four major families: the Lin’an Xiao family, the Langya Wang family, the Wuwei Lu family and the Yanmen Qiu family.

Including the deputy ministers and the langzhongs of various ministries, there were basically no power gaps between the major families.

But thinking about it carefully, one would find that with the Empress Dowager and Jiannan-wang in the palace, the Xiao family actually had more say.

There was also the very cunning Xiao family head, Xiao Yao. Chu Jiubian intuitively felt that he was more difficult to deal with than Xiao Huaiguan.

The four great families.

These people openly controlled the court, so Qin Xiao was not being modest when he said he had no one to use.

So in the original novel, how had he led Bai Lihong out from under their siege in such circumstances?

Chu Jiubian was becoming more and more curious about Qin Xiao’s abilities and methods.

He didn’t know if it was his illusion, but he felt that Qin Xiao’s methods were somewhat moderate, as if he was afraid of something. Such behavior made him overly cautious, and if this continued, he would always be led around by the nose.

Chu Jiubian wracked his brains but couldn’t figure it out, so he didn’t make things difficult for himself.

He continued to carefully look through the list, and soon verified his guess.

That Deputy Minister Qi was Jiang Shuoye’s cousin!

Jiang Shuoye commanded 80,000 troops in the north and was a top-notch military general. No wonder Qi Zhili had spoken so sharply in court. He really had someone backing him up.

At the thought of Jiang Shuoye, Chu Jiubian’s mind began to wander.

It had been a few days since he’d handed the diagrams of the stirrups and saddle to the other party. He wondered if they had been made.

The first time he contacted Jiang Shuoye had been when the other party was taking a nap. He probably had a habit of doing so.

After he returned to the palace at noon, he should summon him to the Divine Realm to inquire about the latest situation.

Chu Jiubian now had enough Faith Points to invite another Believer. He was planning to go back and draw cards at noon, and would contact Jiang Shuoye again while he was at it.

All government offices in the court were off duty around 11:30 and resumed work at 2:00 in the afternoon.

However, this only applied to ordinary officials. A first-rank official like Chu Jiubian, who was simultaneously the Grand Tutor and the interim Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was not required to report for duty each day.

For example, when Minister Xiao went elsewhere directly after leaving court, nobody said anything about it.

After all, there were plenty of people in the government office, and someone would report to him if there was actually a problem that required his attention. 

Chu Jiubian thought that after the morning court session, he would just take a look around the office and then return to the palace.

Qin Xiao and Bai Lihong were both there, and all of the important memorials were sent to Yangxin Palace. So instead of staying at the government office and twiddling his thumbs, it was better to accompany Bai Lihong as the Grand Tutor so that he could get faster access to important memorials and news.

There had been a lack of frequent transfers of officials recently, and it wasn’t time for the end-of-year reviews of all officials, so the Ministry of Personnel was not very busy.

There were even fewer documents that needed to be handled by Deputy Minister Chu Jiubian, and they could be finished in one morning.

The sun was now at its zenith. It was almost time for the shift to end.

Chu Jiubian put the list in a drawer, intending to continue perusing it the next day, and went out.

A servant went to call the sedan chair bearers in advance, and as soon as Chu Jiubian left the government office, he got on the sedan chair and went to the palace.

Not everyone could use a sedan chair in the palace, so not long after entering Shenwu Gate, Chu Jiubian disembarked and went to Yaotai Residence along the familiar route.

The weather was quite hot today, and Chu Jiubian worked up a light sweat during his walk.

The courtyard was bustling with activity.

Xiao Xiangzi said to everyone: “It is the Young Master’s first shift today, and he must eat something good to nourish himself when he returns at noon. You two jiejies, go and keep an eye on the kitchen. It’s also very hot today, so the Young Master will want to wash up. Xiao Yinzi and Xiao Jinzhi, go and prepare hot water, he’ll need it when he returns later.”

The group of people agreed.

After giving these instructions, Xiao Xiangzi left the courtyard. It was almost time for the young master to get off duty, so he headed toward the palace gate.

Much to his surprise, he ran into Chu Jiubian the moment he stepped through the door.

“Young Master?” Taken aback, he hastened forward to ask, “Why are you back so early? I was just about to go to the palace gate to pick you up.”

“I came back early because there was nothing to do,” Chu Jiubian said. “I’ll come back myself from now on, you don’t need to pick me up.”

“Yes,” Xiao Xiangzi replied. “Then would you like to wash up now, Young Master? Lunch is ready, your favorite egg drop soup and stew.”

It wasn’t that Chu Jiubian liked these two dishes, but compared to the minced meat and strange-tasting soup, these two were acceptable. 

“Please get me some hot water first,” Chu Jiubian said.

“Got it.”

Chu Jiubian entered the inner rooms, where Xiao Jinzhe and Xiao Yinzhe quickly came in with a wash basin and two large buckets of hot water. They also took out clean underclothes and placed them on the hanger before leaving the room.

Chu Jiubian took a look at the new robes.

Qin Xiao had had countless sets of inner and outer robes delivered to him over the past few days, each piece of excellent quality and workmanship.

It could be said that the other party had never treated him unfairly in terms of food, clothing, housing, and transportation. 

Was this what they called “humbling oneself before people of talent?”

Qin Xiao’s actions were truly impeccable.

Chu Jiubian removed his outer and inner layers, leaving him in only trousers.

He looked thin while wearing his robes, but after removing them, one could see that his body actually possessed a thin layer of muscle. 

He casually threw the official robes onto the chair beside him and went to the basin.

The waistband of his trousers hung loosely on his hips, and his mermaid line trailed down under the fabric, mysterious and alluring.

However, the most eye-catching detail was not this, but the scars of various sizes littering his body.

The scars criss-crossed, cutting through skin that should have been smooth and flawless.

Chu Jiubian wetted a cloth and wiped himself clean from head to toe.

When he went to the clothing rack to pick up his underclothes, he caught a glimpse of his blurry figure in the bronze mirror.

After a pause, he turned back to the mirror and examined himself carefully.

It took some time.

Raising his hand, he lightly pressed pale fingertips to the small marks on his chest.

*

*

Xiao Jinzhi and the others tidied up the room. Knowing that Chu Jiubian would not be on duty this afternoon, they took the official robes away to wash them.

“Young Master, the Clothing Bureau is sewing a second set of official robes. It will be more convenient to wash and change them out once they’re finished,” Xiao Xiangzhi said.

Chu Jiubian responded: “I’m not hungry right now, so I’m going to sleep. We can talk about it later.”

“Then I’ll bring you the ice.” Xiao Xiangzi fetched a large basin of ice from the outer room and placed it two or three meters away from the bed.

After Xiao Xiangzhi left, Chu Jiubian lay in bed clad in his pure white underrobes.

When he opened his eyes again, he had already arrived in the mist and cloud-shrouded Divine Realm, and was sitting on his wide, lofty white jade chair. His huge shadow emerged behind him.

The occasional draconic roars and surging black shadows amongst the white mist also added an air of mystery.

Were someone to accidentally step foot in this place, they would probably think it was the immortal realm.

Chu Jiubian got straight to the point: “System, I want to draw a card.”

[Okay, Host. This System has detected that your points are sufficient and has already prepared the cards for you. Please make your selection.]

Once again, six blank cards appeared before his eyes. The “Armed Forces” card he had drawn before was also mixed in.

In other words, he had a chance of drawing the armed forces card again. But he didn’t want that card for the time being. He just wanted a way to make a big profit. 

Chu Jiubian’s luck had never been very good, but without delay, he drew a card according to his intuition.

Once the other cards disappeared, one word appeared on this card – Wealth.

Act virtuously and you will succeed! Chu Jiubian was genuinely surprised. Judging from how Jiang Shuoye was behind the “armed forces” card, the person behind the “wealth” card must be someone with many assets, or perhaps possess a talent for business.

Chu Jiubian knew a lot of things that could be monetized, but he had no subordinates and couldn’t always cooperate with Qin Xiao.

After all, there was a chance that they would face off in the future, and he would suffer a great loss if his entire framework was exposed to the other side.

Chu Jiubian must develop his own forces. But in the future, whether it was to have Jiang Shuoye muster more soldiers or train civil and military officials, a certain amount of financial resources would be needed.

This “wealth” card had arrived just at the right time.

In high spirits, he urged the System to select available talents.

About half a minute later, the System said: [Suitable Believer cards have been selected for Host. Please choose one to summon.]

There were only three Believers, one less than last time.

Chu Jiubian glanced over, and his eyes fixed on a familiar card on the far right.

[Ning-wang Qin Xiao. Age 25. Average wealth, excellent earning power. (Not recommended!)]

Chu Jiubian: “…..”

Why was he here again?

And what was wrong with the System? He wasn’t recommended, yet Chu Jiubian had to pull him out every time. Was there a bug?

[Please rest assured, Host, this System is functioning optimally.]

This AI was getting smarter.

Chu Jiubian decisively passed over Qin Xiao and looked at the other two cards.

[Qi Zhili. Age 31. Deputy Censor and head of the Qi family. High wealth, low earning power.]

[Situ Zhaoling. Female, age 16. Princess of Nanjiang, daughter of Nanjiang-wang. Above-average wealth, above-average earning power. (Special surprise included)]

Chu Jiubian had just heard that morning how rich the Qi family was, and he had pulled this person out now.

However, Qi Zhili and Jiang Shuoye were cousins. It seemed that even if Chu Jiubian didn’t pull this person into his camp, he would still be able to benefit from the Qi family through their relationship with Jiang Shuoye in the future. 

Moreover, this person had average earning power, which didn’t fit with Chu Jiubian’s money-making plans.

Then there was only one option left — Princess Situ Zhaoling of Nanjiang.

“System, what is the special surprise?” Chu Jiubain asked.

[Host, are you sure you want to select this believer card?  YES/NO ]

Chu Jiubian considered for a moment, thinking that since it was a surprise, it must not be something bad. After all, the System had never played tricks on him from beginning to present.

So he said: “This one.”

[Okay.] After a brief festive background sound, the System’s voice returned to normal.

[Congratulations to Host for drawing a special card. Your Believer information has been updated.]

The original card had been updated, with two more paragraphs added to the original text.

[Nanjiang Princess Situ Zhaoling has a special status and comes with a follower.]

[Situ Zhaoyao. Age 16, Prince of Nanjiang. Legitimate son of Nanjiang-wang and twin brother of Situ Zhaoling. Special ability: invention.]

They were twins. No wonder they were buy one, get one free.

But for Chu Jiubian, this was a surprise as vast as the heavens.

It was difficult to find special talents who could invent and create in this era.

With him, Chu Jiubian wouldn’t have to think about so many things himself. He would just have to teach the other party the diagrams and principles, and he would be able to apply them to other situations.

Moreover, the earning power of this Princess of Nanjiang was top-notch. This was absolutely fantastic.

With the help of this brother and sister, Chu Jiubian seemed to see a steady stream of income before his eyes.

[Warm reminder: 200 faith points will be deducted from Host for the accompanying Believer to enter the Divine Realm. Would you like to activate this service?]

Chu Jiubian: “……” There it was.

“No,” he said decisively. 

Having Situ Zhaoling was enough. If there were any diagrams or needs, he could just hand them over to her and tell her to pass them on to her brother.

“Can you summon her here now?” Chu Jiubian asked.

He still wanted to meet his second Believer and instruct her in order to start accumulating wealth as soon as possible.

[Host, the Believer you chose is not in a sleeping state and cannot be summoned.]

Chu Jiubian wasn’t surprised. Not everyone would be napping at this time of day, so he would just wait until tonight.

“Summon Jiang Shuoye.”

[Host, this Believer is not asleep either.]

“Then let’s see what he’s up to.”

For Believers who had not yet entered the Divine Realm, unless they were preparing to go to sleep, the card’s visualization function could not be used. For example, Chu Jiubian was unable to see Situ Zhaoling.

But Jiang Shuoye had already been here, so Chu Jiubian could view him at any time.

Jiang Shuoye’s enlarged card appeared. The image moved, and the vast Northern Desert appeared.

Wind and sand gusted up, and Chu Jiubian caught sight of a ten-by-ten cavalry formation.

These cavalrymen were part of the group of soldiers who were scattered like sand before. The difference was that now, they were equipped with stirrups and saddles and sat high on their horses’ backs.

Each of them sat with their backs straight, holding the reins and a spear in their hands. Their powerful and imposing demeanor was completely different than before!

After Jiang Shuoye received the blueprints, he had told his assistant to help him find a dozen trusted blacksmiths overnight.

These blacksmiths had already been forging weapons for them, and could be depended on.

Experts knew the ins and outs of their trade. These blacksmiths only had to study the blueprints briefly before knowing how to proceed. They were also able to guess how much bolder and fiercer the cavalrymen would be when equipped with these.

They were instantly filled with excitement, and begged to witness the heroic appearance of the cavalrymen that day.

Jiang Shuoye naturally agreed to such a small matter.

The blacksmiths worked even harder, practically day and night, and finally finished one hundred sets of equipment that morning. The cavalrymen had all been equipped just now.

Jiang Shuoye had tried them himself and knew they were useful, but he didn’t know how the soldiers would react to them and was a little nervous. 

Seeing them sitting upright instead of tilting to the side, he felt relieved. 

Next up was to see how they worked at a run.

Just as he was about to give the order, his body unobtrusively tensed up as he felt the vague sense of being watched.

He immediately looked in a certain direction, but all he saw was swirling yellow sand.

He hadn’t known what it was before, but he did now.

This was the High Priest’s work. The other party was a god, so he naturally had a way to see him in reality across mountains and rivers, lakes and seas, and even heaven and earth.

The High Priest hadn’t appeared in his dreams these last few days, and he hadn’t sensed that he was being watched.

But just as he equipped the cavalrymen, the High Priest had come to watch. The other party must have correctly calculated the time!

Although he was already aware of the High Priest’s abilities, Jiang Shuoye was still filled with excitement at this moment.

This was the shock that came from the bottom of a mortal’s heart when they witnessed a miracle, along with the awe of the unknown.

At the same time, he couldn’t help feeling a little nervous.

Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if his cavalry didn’t perform well?

He suppressed his roiling emotions and gave the commander a nod.

The commander immediately issued the order, and the roars of a hundred cavalrymen in formation shook the sky. One hundred horses galloped forward in a rush, hooves kicking up yellow sand amidst the howling wind, their momentum as grand and magnificent as a rainbow across the sky!

---

[1] “Wu” (武) means “martial” or “fierce.” ⮐

---

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Chapter 21 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 23

The officials stood in six long rows, divided into groups of three on both sides. They were headed by the six ministers, with a nine-foot-wide aisle in the middle.

Toward the front were the steps and the Dragon Throne at the top, behind which was the inner hall. The emperor would usually rest there first when he arrived and wait until all of the officials gathered. Then he would go directly up the back steps next to the Dragon Throne and take his seat upon it.

This not only avoided the awkwardness of climbing the steps in front of the officials, but also allowed him to sit on high and look down on everyone below.

Just after maoshi, the heavy wooden doors of the inner hall opened and approaching footsteps could be heard.

Everyone tidied their robes and stood up straight. 

Qin Xiao never tired of confirming Bai Lihong’s status, so although he would remain with Bai Lihong for a while in the inner hall, he would take the steps one by one when it was time for court and stand on the front middle step.

At the same time, Eunuch Hong would also walk through the door next to the Dragon Throne, and once Qin Xiao took his seat, he would call for court to begin.

All officials would shout “Long live the emperor” and bow with their hands clasped.

The young emperor would then sit on the throne and ask everyone to stand up.

When they heard the door to the inner hall open, everyone thought Qin Xiao had arrived. Only those military officers with good hearing could tell that there seemed to be two sets of footsteps in the hall.

As the footsteps grew closer, everyone soon looked past the huge dragon-shaped stone pillars and saw who had arrived.

Subsequently, many of them lost their composure, and surprise flashed in the eyes of even the six ministers.

Qin Xiao had indeed arrived, but he wasn’t alone.

Beside him was actually another person.

That person was wearing the same crimson-purple robes as Qin Xiao. He had short, fine black hair, with a long shock of silver-white hair at the back of his head that hung down to his waist.

It was none other than Chu Jiubian.

Dozens of eyes were staring at him, but Chu Jiubian seemed unaware as he walked slowly to the right side of the hall.

The subordinates in crimson official robes subconsciously moved aside, leaving an entire row of spots empty for Chu Jiubian just behind the six ministers.

Chu Jiubian paced to the empty row and stood near the middle of the aisle. In front of him was Zhao Qianhe, the Deputy Minister of Personnel.

Qin Xiao had also stepped up to his high position without announcing what sort of official status Chu Jiubian held.

The Great Ning Dynasty had adopted the system of recommendation to select officials, which were basically high-ranking office-holders and well-known scholars who were selected based on their filial natures and honesty. There were also many wealthy businessmen who would privately pass on official positions to their younger generations.

In this entire court, there was not one official who was of commoner origin.

Therefore, it was not surprising that Chu Jiubian had relied on his connection with Qin Xiao to secure a promotion.

And everyone was already prepared for the inevitability that he would become an official.

It was just that going by the crimson-purple robes he wore, he should be at least a second-rank official, but there seemed to be no such vacant positions in the court…..

No – there should be one coming soon.

Those who were more quick-witted seemed to understand something in an instant, and their gazes fell indirectly on the person in front of Chu Jiubian.

Zhao Qianhe had also come to a realization, and his face paled.

Standing beside the Dragon Throne, Eunuch Hong called out: “Court has begun!”

All of the officials promptly bowed, palm over fist. Chu Jiubian didn’t deliberately seek special treatment, and saluted alongside everyone else.

Standing up high, Qin Xiao saw Chu Jiubian bowing obediently along with the rest. Although he seemed to fit in, his unusual hair still made him stand out.

Although everyone was wearing the same style of official robes, Chu Jiubian looked different, like a cunning white fox mixed in with a pack of wolves.

Qin Xiao looked away and turned his gaze toward the stairs.

Bai Lihong was already familiar with this procedure. He walked through the side door, went to the Dragon Throne, and stretched his arms out toward Eunuch Hong.

Eunuch Hong picked him up and put him on the chair, then helped him straighten his clothes.

Bai Lihong was very small, and it felt like the wide chair could fit five or six of him.

After being seated, he habitually looked toward Qin Xiao. When he saw his uncle looking back at him, he immediately smiled with his small white teeth, which made his chubby face look even chubbier.

Qin Xiao gave him a nod, and Bai Lihong immediately frowned again and said in a crisp voice: “Please stand.”

All of the officials straightened up and looked forward.

When attending court, officials were not allowed to look directly at the emperor’s face without reason, so rather than looking up, the officials looked straight ahead.

Chu Jiubian knew this rule and looked forward just like everyone else. As a result, his gaze happened to land on Qin Xiao where he was sitting on his chair.

Their eyes met. Qin Xiao winked at him.

Chu Jiubian: “…..”

Eunuch Hong went through the formalities: “If you have something to report, do so. If not, please leave the court.”

As soon as his words fell, someone said: “This official has a memorial!”

The familiar voice sounded from the other side of the aisle. Chu Jiubian looked over and saw a man walk out from a row on the left side near the aisle. It was the Minister of Revenue, Su Sheng.

“What do you have to report?” Bai Lihong asked.

“This official wishes to impeach Zhao Qianhe, the Deputy Minister of Personnel.”

Nobody in the court was shocked when these words were spoken, other than Zhao Qianhe, who was as pale as death. He staggered as he stepped out of the row, knelt on the floor, and shouted: “I am unjustly accused!”

Su Sheng didn’t even turn his head. The others didn’t pay any attention to the other man’s fearful and accusing wails.

Because this person no longer had any value.

Anyone with a discerning eye was aware that it was Zhao Qianhe who had instructed his daughter Zhao Xi to carry out yesterday’s incident.

So even though Zhao Xi had “committed suicide out of fear of punishment” and taken all the blame, Su Sheng would not let Zhao Qianhe go.

This was the inevitable outcome after Su Xi identified Zhao Xi.

The fact that Su Sheng could firmly hold the position of Minister of Revenue in a court controlled by noble families with generations of succession was enough to show that this person was by no means simple. 

The amount of information he had in his hands was enough to send Zhao Qianhe into an eternal hell.

Zhao Qianhe also knew that his subordinates were not clean during his years as an official. The secrets yet to be revealed were enough to kill him a hundred times over.

That was why he had requested a three-year salary deduction the previous night, hoping to minimize the severity of the situation and keep his position.

But Qin Xiao didn’t give him that opportunity.

Moving the matter to today’s morning court session gave Su Sheng a period of time to collect evidence pertaining to the events of the previous night, and preferably, to remove Zhao Qianhe from his position.

Now that the position of Deputy Minister of Personnel had been delivered to him, there was absolutely no reason for Qin Xiao to refuse it.

Chu Jiubian’s gaze fell on Qin Xiao, and his eyes dimmed slightly.

He had figured it out yesterday. Zhao Qianhe was not the mastermind. He was just a knife used by the person behind the scenes to deal with Qin Xiao.

If yesterday’s events had developed in the predetermined direction, Su Xi’er would be dead, and there would have been no way to expose Zhao Xi’s kidnapping of her.

By then, there would be a rift between Qin Xiao and Su Sheng, and the purpose of the person behind the scenes would have been achieved.

However, that person’s plan was not limited to this. The other party had made more calculations, and had bigger ambitions.

Had Chu Jiubian not interfered yesterday, the Zhao family might not have fallen so quickly, but the person behind the scenes could bring the truth to Su Sheng as a favor to be repaid, and push Zhao Qianhe to the forefront.

With Su Sheng’s ability, he would definitely make Zhao Qianhe pay the corresponding price. Losing his job and being demoted would be the lightest punishment. He may even be sent to prison, have his property confiscated, and be sent into exile.

At that time, the position of Deputy Minister of Personnel would be vacant.

The Ministry of Personnel was in charge of dispatching officials. It could be said that the fate of local officials lay in its hands, and it was evident how much this position drew the envy of others.

If Zhao Qianhe were to step down, the position of Deputy Minister of Personnel would definitely become a target of fierce competition between various forces.

The person behind the scenes would also have the opportunity to push someone they trusted to the top.

Chu Jiubian had saved Su Xi’er and allowed her to expose what Zhao Xi and the Zhao family had done, disrupting this part of the plan, but the general direction was still optimal.

Although he could no longer secure Su Sheng’s loyalty through a favor and also deal with Zhao Qianhe, and had failed to alienate Qin Xiao and Su Sheng, Zhao Qianhe was still going to be moved out of the way.

Indeed.

Su Sheng wasn’t the only one who wanted to do away with Zhao Qianhe. Everyone did.

This was what Chu Jiubian found the most terrifying. The person hiding in the dark had precise control over people’s hearts.

The other party knew that the scheme he set up couldn’t be hidden from all of the intelligent people in the court, so he played his cards directly and told everyone that he had no intention of protecting Zhao Qianhe.

The position of Deputy Minister of Personnel was a slab of fresh meat that he laid before all of their eyes.

It was no surprise that such a piece of meat caused all of the other forces to bite at it like wolves.

And thus, they all became accomplices.

They were all political enemies, but at some point, an unspoken understanding had been reached.

Chu Jiubian could pretty much guess who was secretly cooperating with this plan – for example, the Qiu family.

The auction had been held for so many years without incident, but last night, not one of the numerous Qiu family guards had noticed that two powerless girls had sneaked out of the Treasure Pavilion right under their noses.

Was this with the realm of possibility?

Qiu family had long known that something would go wrong at the auction, and it was they who had allowed the plan to proceed.

And then there was Qin Xiao.

When he figured all of this out, he took advantage of the situation to decisively cut off Zhao Qianhe’s path to survival, cooperating with these people to push the matter to its current state.

He was also a participant in this chess game.

“Your Majesty, this is the evidence of guilt I have collected against Zhao Qianhe, the Deputy Minister of Personnel.” Su Sheng presented the documentary evidence he had compiled the night before.

Eunuch Hong quickly descended the stairs, took the evidence, and then raced back up to hand it to Bai Lihong.

Bai Lihong had no idea what he was reading, so he just flipped through it swiftly, then handed the evidence to Eunuch Hong and told him to deliver it to Qin Xiao.

At a time such as this, the young emperor still had to go through the necessary procedures. Everyone couldn’t help but sigh – Qin Xiao really had good intentions toward his nephew.

Qin Xiao accepted the evidence and flipped through it page by page.

At the same time, Su Sheng began his accusations: “Zhao Qianhe has committed three crimes.”

“Firstly, corruption, bribery, and the sale of official positions and titles. During his eleven years in office, he openly marked prices and sold official positions for great sums, and also accepted gold and silver treasures amounting to hundreds of thousands of silver taels.”

“Secondly, he compelled his daughter to do evil, and allowed clan members to bully men and women in the local area and commit murder and robbery!”

“Thirdly…..”

At this point, Su Sheng paused. He looked up at Qin Xiao and said in a deep voice: “He fabricated charges to frame the faithful and upright!”

Each word was pronounced with great force.

The entire court was silent, everyone wearing different expressions. Zhao Qianhe was speechless, and couldn’t even claim injustice.

Chu Jiubian frowned.

What was going on? Why did everyone look at Qin Xiao when he spoke of framing the loyal and upright?

Did the “loyal and upright” refer to the Qin family?

But hadn’t all of the Qin family members died on the battlefield and become heroes?

Chu Jiubian really wanted to know the whole story, but much to his disappointment, Su Sheng didn’t continue speaking, and Qin Xiao’s expression didn’t change.

Qin Xiao just slowly and methodically stacked the evidence in a neat pile, then cast his gaze upon the man who was already limp and trembling.

Zhao Qianhe had committed numerous crimes, including corruption and abuse of power. The evidence was irrefutable. Qin Xiao said indifferently: “Take him.”

Suddenly, two Imperial Guards came from the right and left sides of the hall and dragged Zhao Qianhe away without saying a word.

Zhao Qianhe said nothing to defend himself, and was powerless to resist.

His legs were weak, and one of his new shoes, which he had only worn twice, fell off as he was dragged. As he rolled down the long steps of Fengtian Hall, the hem of his official robes rubbed against the floor, scratching the cloud embroidery. 

The glory of the Zhao family ancestors had long since vanished, and even the position of Deputy Minister of Personnel had been obtained through their influence.

Zhao Qianhe had known that if he wanted to maintain his position and continue to protect his family, he could no longer be a so-called loyal minister. He needed to shelter beneath a big tree.

However, he had forgotten that big trees had tangled roots and lush leaves and branches, and didn’t require external support.

He stared at the towering palace for the last time as it receded farther and farther away, until the three characters “Fengtian Hall” blurred and could no longer be seen.

Qin Xiao called An Wuji over and said: “Search the Zhao family property and relocate all of the illicit funds to the national treasury.”

“Yes.” An Wuji accepted the order and departed.

The hall fell into silence.

Su Sheng returned to the ranks of civil servants without a trace of joy on his face.

If it was so easy to dispose of a subordinate, then wouldn’t it be equally easy to get rid of him?

Nobody could claim to be without fault, and nobody could walk alone amongst the waves of power. Only when forces joined together could they stand strong against the storm.

Chu Jiubian looked at the empty position in front of him, the position belonging to the Deputy Minister of Personnel, and stepped forward to fill it.

He looked up and saw the Minister of Personnel standing before him. His hair was graying, and his back was slightly hunched.

“Cough, cough…..”

A cough from Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan broke the silent atmosphere.

He covered his mouth awkwardly and coughed twice more before speaking in a hoarse voice: “Your Majesty, I have lost my composure. I hope Your Majesty will not blame me for my advanced age.”

Bai Lihong looked at him and became a little worried, convinced that he might die at any moment. He suggested: “The minister is so old. If he is too tired, he shouldn’t come to court anymore.”

The young emperor spoke in a childish voice. His concern and worry were not feigned, and precisely because of this, the scene came off as a little amusing.

Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan laughed out loud and said: “Minister Xiao is lucky to receive such care from His Majesty. Perhaps he should thank him and return home to enjoy his remaining years?”

Chu Jiubian looked toward him and saw that this man was around the same age as Xiao Huaiguan, with the same greying hair, but he was energetic and possessed an extraordinary bearing.

As expected of a member of the Wang family, he had an outstanding temperament even in old age.

“Please don’t worry about this one, Your Majesty, this official is at fault.” Xiao Huaiguan ignored Wang Zhiyuan and proceeded to say to Bai Lihong, “The Great Ning Dynasty is in its heyday, and this official wishes to share Your Majesty’s worries for a few more years.”

These words sounded pleasant, but everyone knew that the Great Ning Dynasty was currently riddled with internal and external troubles.

He was nearly seventy years old, yet he still clung to his position. Wasn’t this due to his unwillingness to give up power?

“Although this official is willing, I am indeed old, and I sometimes get so busy that I can’t keep up.” Xiao Huaiguan sighed. “Now that the guilty minister Zhao Qianhe has been imprisoned, I implore Your Majesty to choose another deputy for me.”

And there it was.

After this early-morning court spectacle, they were finally getting down to business.

Now, it was a matter of which side was capable enough to come out on top.

In other words, everything depended on whose conditions could impress Qin Xiao and make him willingly give them this position.

And why did Qin Xiao not fill it with someone of his own?

Of course, it was because he really had no one under his command.

He couldn’t just pick an official from the military camp to serve as Deputy Minister of Personnel. Even if he did so, that person would be replaced in a matter of days.

Therefore, everyone had toiled the previous night to select the candidates they wanted to nominate, preparing conditions that would impress Qin Xiao.

But there was a new variable in court now, so no one was willing to be the first one to speak out.

Chu Jiubian looked forward and met Qin Xiao’s gaze.

In the next moment, Chu Jiubian walked out of the row. His cool voice echoed in the hall: “Your Majesty, this subject requests to temporarily take over the position of Deputy Minister.”

Several inquiring gazes were cast over, giving off a strong sense of oppression.

The new variable was this Jiu-gongzi.

When he was seen attending morning court clad in the crimson-purple robes that only officials of the first or second ranks could wear, everyone could roughly guess that he was the candidate Qin Xiao favored.

Now, it seemed that they weren’t wrong.

Bai Lihong saw Qin Xiao raise his hand and tap his ear three times with his fingertip.

“Zhen agrees,” the child said at once.

Bai Lihong remembered this secret code between he and his uncle. It had taken no more than three breaths from the time Chu Jiubian asked to temporarily take over to the emperor giving his approval, leaving no room for others to interrupt.

After realizing what had happened, they didn’t refute immediately, but weighed the pros and cons.

Had Qin Xiao wanted to put someone else in this position, they would have objected, but this was Chu Jiubian, the “god” they were trying to recruit.

During the poetry debate yesterday, the shocking and overwhelming amount of information Chu Jiubian had conveyed to them was so great that if possible, no one wanted to be his enemy.

As for whether Chu Jiubian already stood on the side of Qin Xiao, everyone had a sense of measure in their hearts. There was no privacy in the private rooms of the Treasure Pavilion, and they had all seen Chu Jiubian stab Qin Xiao twice.

This sort of relationship where one was able to stab the other didn’t look like an alliance at all. On the contrary, it could be seen just how much Qin Xiao desired to curry favor with Chu Jiubian. He didn’t say a word after being stabbed twice, which showed how far he was willing to go.

Today, Chu Jiubian requested the position of Deputy Minister of Personnel, and Qin Xiao fully supported it, so the others naturally weren’t willing to embarrass Chu Jiubian in public. After much thought, they even felt that allowing him to take the office was better than letting one of their political opponents have it.

Subsequently, not a single civil or military official spoke out.

Qin Xiao regarded Chu Jiubian with dark eyes: “Then thank you for your hard work, Grand Tutor.”

Chu Jiubian nodded mildly and returned to his row, leaving the others somewhat shocked.

Grand Tutor?

What was this person’s identity?

So it turned out that Qin Xiao had previously bestowed upon Chu Jiubian the title of first rank Grand Tutor. In the previous dynasty, the Grand Tutor, the Grand Commandant, and the Imperial Censor were the three highest officials. The Grand Tutor was of the same rank as the Prime Minister, and was part of the group that held real power.

After the founding ancestor conquered the country, he abolished this system and replaced it with one where power was divided between six ministers, with the real power in the hands of the emperor.

It was only after the emperor’s death that there were two successive incompetent emperors, which gave the heads of the six ministries the opportunity to expand their power.

By now, the emperor was practically sidelined. If it weren’t for Qin Xiao, the emperor would exist in name only.

Now that Qin Xiao had reinstated the position of Grand Tutor, was he just giving Chu Jiubian a high position in order to curry favor, or did he intend to give him authority equivalent to that of a Prime Minister?

Could this be the condition Qin Xiao agreed to in order to recruit him?

If Jiu-gongzi’s appetite was so large, then what were he and the forces behind him planning…..

Everyone’s minds were working overtime, but they all held back for the time being.

Things had already reached this point. What they were able to think of, Qin Xiao must have thought of as well. Since he dared to offer such a condition, he must have a way to suppress Chu Jiubian. They might as well wait and see.

“Does anyone else have something to say?” Qin Xiao’s gaze moved over the crowd.

A Ministry of Revenue official in dark blue robes walked into the aisle and bowed, saying: “This official has a memorial.”

“Speak.”

“Sichuan, Huguang, and other areas have not seen any rainfall recently, so crops are not growing well, river and lake levels are dropping, and drinking water is becoming scarce. Many prefectures have submitted memorials expressing concerns about drought, and pleading with the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds for digging wells and dredging canals to prevent water scarcity.”

Chu Jiubian frowned and secretly called up the System.

The weather forecast could look back one month. When he checked it a few days ago, there was no rain in the south and only light rain in the north. He wasn’t sure what the forecast would be in the next few days.

Before this, he had been more worried about flooding than drought, because there had been flood disasters in the original novel, and people had even flocked to the county seat outside the capital. It was only after Qin Xiao spent the bulk of the Qin family wealth that he was able to pacify the refugees.

The floods had occurred due to several days of heavy rain, and Qin Xiao had failed to come up with the funds to repair the dams. When Jiannan-wang didn’t travel there to supervise, the people below him grew greedy and continuously cut corners. The dams were not reinforced, and crumbled when they came under pressure.

However, now that the funds were in place and Jainnan-wang had been sent to repair the dams, Hexi Prefecture, which was the most prone to flooding, should be safe.

With no more worries about flooding, the issue of drought became more prominent.

Chu Jiubian checked the weather, and his heart instantly skipped a beat.

In the few days since the last update, there was still no rain in the south, but there were several days of heavy rain in the north!

An official from the Ministry of Works stepped forward and said: “Your Majesty, Lord Ning-wang, this official requests that officials from the Water Resources Department be dispatched to the local areas to dredge channels and provide guidance on drought relief.”

The national treasury had become richer these days due to the ice business, but most of it had been used for dam repairs. Nowadays, more material resources and manpower were needed to fight drought. If it didn’t rain for a long time, drought was inevitable, and the court would then need to open its granaries to release grain, which was another huge expense.

This was also Qin Xiao’s worry.

The national treasury was depleted, and the granaries weren’t much better. How could they just give out food rations to the millions of people in the south?

“Can Huguang-wang and Pingxi-wang just eat for free?” Imperial Censor Qi Zhili said coldly. “When the common people under their rule suffer, they ask the court for funds and grain. But in previous years when there were good harvests, we didn’t see them sending much more rice.”

This man spoke sharply in a cold, hard tone, with the aggressiveness typical of an Imperial Censor.

Chu Jiubian turned his head to look back, slightly surprised.

This Minister Qi was about thirty years old and looked 60% similar to his first Believer, Jiang Shuoye.

Chu Jiubian suppressed his surprise and turned back around to find Qin Xiao looking at him.

He gave him an inquiring look, but Qin Xiao averted his gaze.

Chu Jiubian: “ ? ”

Could it be that he wanted to find another way to make money?

Weren’t there still the hundreds of thousands of taels he confiscated from Zhao Qianhe? Although rice was the most important thing at the moment, this money should be enough to buy a lot of old grain from wealthy merchants.

As for whether the wealthy merchants would be willing to sell, there was no question about it. 

Scholars, farmers, traders, and artisans – today’s merchants wouldn’t dare go against the Imperial Court.

“Liu Junqi,” Qin Xiao said.

An official from the Ministry of Works immediately responded: “This subject is here.”

“Select a few people from the Water Resources Department to visit the drought-stricken areas and help determine the locations for wells and water channels. You will be fully responsible for overseeing this.”

“Yes.”

“Minister Su,” Qin Xiao said, “The Ministry of Revenue will allocate a batch of funds to dig wells first. Let’s set the rest aside for now.”

Su Sheng agreed.

Qin Xiao asked everyone: “Is there anything else?”

The Deputy Minister of War started to step forward, but was stopped with a look by Minister Lu Youwei, so he didn’t speak up.

When no one spoke, Eunuch Hong called for the court to be dismissed.

Bai Lihong and Eunuch Hong returned to the inner hall through the side door.

Qin Xiao descended the steps and saw Chu Jiubian talking to the Minister of Personnel, Xiao Huaiguan. He paused, then turned around and left the hall with the others.

Chu Jiubian had just taken office as the Deputy Minister of Personnel, and thus felt it necessary to take a tour of the Ministry of Personnel to familiarize himself with the work environment. He walked side-by-side with Minister Xiao, who seemed to be particularly good-tempered.

He caught a glimpse of Qin Xiao hesitating from the corner of his eye, but pretended not to see him.

“I heard that Jiu-gongzi shined brightly at yesterday’s auction.” Xiao Huaiguan’s gait was slightly unstable as he said with a smile, “It’s a pity that I’m too old to see it with my own eyes.”

Chu Jiubian’s expression was indifferent. Hearing this, he simply said: “It was just a retelling of immortal poetry.”

“I’m not talking about the poetry.”

Chu Jiubian turned his head to glance over. Xiao Hauiguan’s smile was still as gentle as ever, like that of a kind elder. “The Su family girl is safe and sound. She has you to thank for that.”

“It was a simple task,” Chu Jiubian said.

“You have courage, wisdom, and compassion, which are rare qualities.” Xiao Huaiguan sighed. “I haven’t seen a good kid like you in a long time. In the future, if you have any problems in the Ministry of Personnel, please tell me. Don’t be afraid if you make a mistake. I will take responsibility for you.”

Chu Jiubian: “Is this the goodwill of the Xiao family?”

Xiao Huaiguan was momentarily taken aback. Then he shook his head and laughed: “You’ve misunderstood. This is my goodwill. I really admire young people like you.”

“Oh.” Chu Jiubian said casually, “Did you say the same thing to Zhao Qianhe?”

The staggering footsteps of the person beside him came to a complete halt.

Chu Jiubian looked back.

Xiao Huaiguan’s cloudy eyes stared at the young man before him who looked like a banished immortal. The other’s inorganic light-hued eyes seemed to see through everything.

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Chapter 20 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 22

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This single question caused an uproar, and everyone looked in the direction of the voice.

Chu Jubian also glanced to the side and saw that the speaker was located in the women’s box on the second floor.

Many women were present there, but they were all looking at a girl in a long emerald dress.

She was wearing a veil, and her bright eyes were bloodshot as she gazed in shock down at An Wuji below.

Chu Jubian frowned upon seeing the girl’s familiar features.

An Wuji hadn’t expected to be dragged into this, and asked severely: “Who are you?”

One of the women looked alarmed. She shielded the girl behind her and said in a trembling voice: “I apologize. My daughter has no manners, she’s just speaking nonsense.”

A man in his forties walked out from somewhere in the lobby on the first floor. He bowed to An Wuji with a frown, saying: “Commander An, that is my third daughter. She has been spoiled, please don’t take this to heart.”

“Deputy Minister Zhao.” An Wuji looked at him. “Miss Su’s disappearance is very strange. If your daughter knows anything, she should tell me.”

Zhao Qianhe, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was a second-rank officer. This made his status equivalent to that of An Wuji, so the two were quite polite to one another.

“This…..” Zhao Qianhe didn’t seem to want to get involved in this matter, and felt very awkward.

Su Sheng quickly approached him and bowed, saying earnestly: “Zhao-daren, the sooner we discover clues, the sooner we can find my daughter! I beg of you!”

He didn’t think that this matter had anything to do with An Wuji, but he knew his daughter’s mind. She had indeed been interested in An Wuji for a long time, and if someone really used An Wuji’s name, she might have indeed been fooled.

He knew that the daughter of the Zhao family had long been friends with his own daughter, so she might really know something.

Zhao Qianhe was also a rare loyal court official. His ancestors, like those of the Su family, had fought for the country during the reign of Emperor Wuzong, but he was just a civil servant.

Perhaps because both families were such loyal subjects, they didn’t mind their children becoming close.

When he saw Su Sheng in such a state, Zhao Qianhe hurried to comfort him.

No longer able to stop her, he looked up at his daughter on the second floor and said: “Tell us what is going on.”

Zhao Xi’s eyes were red. Her frail body trembled slightly, and she clutched her mother’s hand in order to steady herself.

Under countless gazes, she said in a shaky voice: “J-just now, Xi’er returned to the second floor and ran into a young maid on the stairs. She gave Xi’er a note.”

“The note invited Xi’er to the Tranquility Courtyard to talk, and the signer was…..” She sent An Wuji a timid glance. “Commander An.”

Now, everyone could only look at An Wuji.

During this period, there had indeed been rumors in the capital that the Su family was interested in a marriage with An Wuji, and it was possible that Commander An and the young lady of the Su family had been secretly having an affair.

An Wuji’s expression became even colder. He signaled to his men, and his deputy took a few soldiers to leave the Treasure Pavilion and go to the Tranquility Courtyard to look for clues.

The Tranquility Courtyard was located at the end of this street. It was a jewelry shop, and was most frequented by noble ladies in the capital. The property also belonged to Madam Su.

Continuing to focus on Zhao Xi, An Wuji asked: “I’m not familiar with Miss Su. Why would she come to see me simply based on a note?”

“You—” Zhao Xi hesitated, but finally said: “You really didn’t know Xi’er is interested in you?”

An Wuji’s face went momentarily blank.

He didn’t even remember meeting Miss Su Xi’er.

Having watched this for a while, Chu Jubian had a basic idea of what was going on.

Someone had finally lost their patience and decided to stir up trouble in the capital.

He swept his indifferent gaze over the variety of expressions around, and his heart felt somewhat cold.

This was how the elites were. In order to achieve their goals, they were willing to victimize a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl.

Qin Xiao’s low voice came from the side: “Is the head of the Ministry of Justice here?”

These words, neither too loud nor too soft, quieted the entire building. Countless gazes were cast in his direction. 

An Wuji looked up at saw his own family’s lord, standing at the railing in black with a cold expression.

Chu Jubian standing next to him had scattered bangs laying across his forehead. With his eyes half-covered by them, his figure appeared hazy and illusionary under the dim lighting.

“This official is here.” Minister of Justice Qu Heng bowed in Qin Xiao’s direction from his private room on the second floor, saying: “There is something fishy about this matter. This official will investigate it at once.”

Qin Xiao nodded.

Everyone felt much more at ease with someone in charge.

When Chu Jubian and Qin Xiao went downstairs, An Wuji came forward and whispered: “My Lord, this is targeted at us.”

“En,” Qin Xiao responded. Then he cast his gaze over the people inside the building and raised his voice: “This incident happened so abruptly. Please stay and cooperate with the Ministry of Justice’s inquiries.”

Anyone present could have seen or done something, so they couldn’t be allowed to leave for the time being.

Everyone responded in agreement, but they couldn’t help but gather into groups of three or four to whisper amongst each other, causing the building to become a little noisy for some time.

Not long after, Qiu Heng went to the first floor and invited Third Miss Zhao Xi and Madam Zhao downstairs.

Zhao Qianhe hastened forward to guard his wife and daughter, which dispelled their fears somewhat.

Su Sheng and Qiu Heng exchanged greetings, then walked together toward Chu Jubian and company.

Qiu Heng was not tall, and sported a cold, serious square face, a moustache, and a black mole the size of a fingertip on his right cheekbone. His aura warned strangers to keep their distance. 

He saluted Qin Xiao, who nodded in response.

Qiu Heng regarded An Wuji and said: “This is an urgent matter, so I won’t be polite with you.”

“Please speak, My Lord,” An Wuji said.

“So many dignitaries attended the auction today, and this street is guarded by our Qiu family guards. How did Commander An’s Imperial Guards arrive here?”

An Wuji said: “It was Su-daren’s servant who came to me and said that Second Miss Su was missing, and that Su-daren wanted my help.”

Hearing this, Su Sheng said quickly: “That person wasn’t mine. The Madam was just telling me that our daughter was missing when you arrived.”

Just as he was about to go out and look for her, he’d happened to run into An Wuji.

Upon meeting him, An Wuji had asked if she was really missing. And when Su Sheng saw that even the Imperial Guards knew about it, he felt that his daughter was truly in peril.

He had been quick to ask An Wuji for help, which had led to the scene of An Wuji questioning everyone just now.

“It seems someone did this intentionally.” Qiu Heng glanced sideways into the building, sweeping his gaze over everyone before finally looking at Su Sheng. He asked: “Has My Lord offended anyone recently?”

Su Sheng gave a self-deprecating smile and said: “I’m a loyal minister. Who could I offend?”

Naturally, he could offend all parties other than Qin Xiao.

The Qiu family was naturally included.

Qiu Heng met his gaze, momentarily speechless.

Perhaps everyone hadn’t figured out the true story yet, but now, everyone in the building could see it clearly.

Today’s incident had been aimed at Su Sheng and Qin Xiao.

Su Sheng was a recognized loyal minister. He was loyal to whoever held the position of emperor, so he was naturally in the same camp as Qin Xiao.

Moreover, many residents of the capital had heard that he intended to marry his daughter to An Wuji.

If this marriage went through, the Minister of Revenue would be irrevocably tied to Qin Xiao, which would certainly be a great help to him. 

But for others, this was not something to be desired.

Only once Qin Xiao was suppressed would they have the chance to control the Imperial Court and the young emperor.

They couldn’t bear to see Qin Xiao’s power continue to grow, so they absolutely could not allow him to grow close to Su Sheng. Their actions today were for the purpose of destroying this marriage.

Su Sheng’s beloved daughter was deceived and spirited away by someone using An Wuji’s name.

Even if Second Miss Su ultimately came back safe and sound, and even if everyone knew that this incident had nothing to do with An Wuji, Su Sheng could not allow his daughter to have anything to do with him again, and even he himself could not get too close to Qin Xiao. This was the warning given to him by the opposing force.

Of course, this was the most positive outcome.

If the people behind the scenes were less merciful, it was possible that they would directly kill the innocent Second Miss Su.

At that point, a marriage between the Su family and An Wuji would be completely out of the question. And given how much Su Sheng loved his daughter, he might lose his sense of reason and hold a grudge against Qin Xiao and An Wuji.

Even if he remained rational and didn’t blame the two of them, the loss of this young life would create a rift between them that was difficult to repair.

Their alliance in the Imperial Court would cease to exist.

Of course, there was a third possibility: haggard with fatigue over this matter, Su Sheng could completely withdraw from the center of power. Then, the seat of the Minister of Revenue could be filled by other forces.

This was a far-sighted strategy.

No matter the final result, the people behind it would achieve their goal.

The other party was clearly telling everyone that they wanted to alienate the Su family and Qin Xiao, and was threatening Su Sheng.

But Su Sheng had no choice in his involvement.

Now, he only wished for his daughter to be safe and alive.

She was only sixteen years old. A few minutes ago, she was still acting spoiled with her parents and saying that she wanted to go play with her married elder sister, but now her whereabouts were unknown. 

Chu Jubian regarded these people before him as a bystander, but he personally felt the cruelty of the struggle for power. 

The people behind the scenes simply move their hands, and so many innocent people were sacrificed, abandoned, and played with.

This was completely different from how he felt when reading the novel. He had now become a part of this complicated situation.

“An Ping.” Qin Xiao suddenly spoke.

“This one is here.”

“Have you ever corresponded with Second Miss Su?”

An Wuji glanced at Su Sheng before replying in a deep voice: “My Lord, I don’t recall ever meeting Second Miss Su.”

Su Sheng’s bloodshot eyes fell on him, though he didn’t speak.

He knew better than anyone else that his daughter’s love was unrequited, otherwise he wouldn’t have constantly talked An Wuji down to her in an attempt to change her mind.

But in Su Xi’er’s view, her father was just like most fathers who couldn’t stand their future son-in-law.

“This is strange.” A gentle voice sounded behind Chu Jubian, and everyone looked over.

The new arrival was a young man in dark green brocade robes, with a temperament as pure as jade. He took the initiative to step forward and bow to them.

“This one is Zhen Fu, Deputy Minister of Dali Temple. I am honored to meet you all.” He then greeted Su Sheng personally: “Greetings, Father-in-law.”

Su Sheng had one son and two daughters. His son was the prefect of Ruyang Prefecture, his younger daughter, Su Xi’er, was unmarried, and his older daughter, Su Qiao’er, had married Zhen Fu, the Deputy Minister of Dali Temple two years ago. 

“What’s strange?” Su Sheng asked at once.

Zhen Fu said: “The Madam mentioned to me that the Tranquility Courtyard is Mother-in-law’s property. She intends to give it to Xiao-mei in the future, so she allowed her to take over management of the shop early on. If someone really asked her to go to the Tranquility Courtyard, they must have carefully selected the location, knowing that she would not be on guard there.”

After all, that was her mother’s business, and she had been managing it for a long time, so it was a place very familiar to Su Xi’er.

So when the note-writer asked her to go there, she wouldn’t have been too wary.

Qiu Heng said: “This must have been planned in advance. Second Miss Su’s familiarity with the place wouldn’t have been difficult for the people behind the scenes to figure out.”

“Indeed, but there is still one discrepancy,” Zhen Fu said. “The Madam is always talking about Xiao-mei at home. In this one’s humble opinion, Xiao-mei strictly observes etiquette and isn’t the type to meet secretly with other men.”

“Yes, that’s right!” Such was Su Sheng’s anxiety that he had completely forgotten this important point.

His wife had brought his daughter up very well, and she had a quiet personality, rarely going out unless it was to run the shop. 

Apart from this, she would only venture out when invited by a close friend or if she was unable to refuse the other party.

But even when she did go out, she was always home before dinner.

Moreover, although she liked An Wuji, she had never secretly gone out to look at him, let alone met with him personally. 

So how could she have run off in the middle of the night just because of one sentence?

Su Sheng said: “Today she heard that Jiu-gongzi, who recited A Spray of Plum Blossoms, would be here, so she wanted to come and meet him.”

But calculating the time, Su Xi’er had left the Treasure Pavilion at the same time Chu Jubian was discussing poetry with Bai Gongjin.

How could the girl who had come for Chu Jubian and his poetry leave at such a time?

Did the signature on the note actually read ‘An Wuji?’

This question simultaneously occurred to all of them.

Or to be precise, had there even been a note in the first place?

Chu Jubian looked toward Zhao Qianhe and his family of three. Third Miss Zhao Xi hugged her mother’s arm tightly. Her eyes were red, and there were two winding tear marks on her veil. The sadness in her eyes didn’t seem to be feigned.

It was Third Miss Zhao Xi who had told the story about the note, and who had initially led everyone to suspect An Wuji.

But nobody knew for certain whether there was such a note.

The Treasure Pavilion’s manager hurried back from outside and approached Qin Xiao and the others with a greeting. He said to Qiu Heng: “My Lord, four of our family’s guards are dead. They were the ones guarding the Tranquility Courtyard.”

“How did they die?”

“Their throats were slit. They were killed with one blow,” the manager said in a heavy voice. “The person who did it was a highly-skilled martial artist, and acted very decisively.”

Qiu Heng’s brow furrowed: “It appears that someone killed the guards and kidnapped Second Miss Su.”

The few Imperial Guards who had gone to investigate returned as well, and the content of their report was basically the same as the manager’s.

“They dared to kill and kidnap someone right under our noses. They aren’t lacking in guts.” A murderous look flashed through An Wuji’s eyes.

Starting from Qin Xiao, Su Sheng’s gaze moved over all of the dignitaries in the Treasure Pavilion one by one, from the subordinates whispering on the first floor to the heads of the noble families in the second floor boxes.

Wang Huanzhi and Wang Zhang were sitting at a table drinking tea, their postures elegant and relaxed, as if what was happening downstairs had nothing to do with them.

Lu Jinfeng was wiping his precious sword with a cloth.

Xiao Yao and Xiao Wendao, the Minister of Industry, stood having a conversation at the railing, smiles on both of their faces.

A noble lady had vanished, her life or death unknown, and nobody cared.

Su Sheng gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists.

“Go search again,” An Wuji ordered, and the majority of the Imperial Guards left the Treasure Pavilion to search for Su Xi’er.

There was basically no one in the building who wanted Qin Xiao and Su Sheng to form an alliance. In other words, basically everyone in the building was a suspect and may be the mastermind behind the incident.

It was impossible to lock up and interrogate all of these powerful people. The most important thing at present was to find the missing person first.

Su Sheng closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

When he opened his eyes again, his emotions had returned to normal and his entire temperament seemed to have become more obscure.

“Apologies for troubling Commander An,” he said.

An Wuji said: “It is my duty. My Lord is too polite.”

The Imperial Guard was in charge of the capital’s public safety. If someone under his jurisdiction killed or robbed someone on the street, it was his responsibility to handle the matter.

He was also very anxious. Even though he didn’t know the girl, the middle of the night was a dangerous time.

Unable to sit still, he went out to look for her himself.

In the blink of an eye, a quarter of an hour had passed.

Zhen Fu and Qiu Heng contacted several colleagues from Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice and searched for clues everywhere, but they found nothing.

Chu Jubian glanced toward the door.

Why hadn’t Qin Chaoyang returned yet?

He had already guessed the whole story. Among the two women who had left in a hurry before, one of them had been Su Xi’er.

With Qin Chaoyang following her, nothing should happen to her.

Qin Xiao noticed his expression and looked toward the door as well.

Since it was Qin Chaoyang who had gone after the two women, like Chu Jubian, he wasn’t too worried about Su Xi’er’s safety.

He very much wanted to discover who had planned this incident.

However, the person who had committed the act had already revealed himself to Su Xi’er, and they were just waiting for her to return and identify him.

The door of the Treasure Pavilion had been wide open ever since the arrival of the Imperial Guards, and previously, the only people coming in and out were sword-bearing guards and court officials who were busily searching for clues.

But suddenly, a slender figure ran through the door.

Everyone in the building was talking amongst themselves and wouldn’t have noticed, but the moment the girl entered, the family heads and advisors upstairs all looked over.

The Treasure Pavilion, which had been a bit rowdy, went quiet in an instant.

Surprised, puzzled, curious…..all kinds of looks intersected.

The girl in their line of sight was wearing a veil, her hair bun a little messy but still proper.

Her eyes were red, and there were several tear stains on her veil, making her look helpless and pitiful.

“Xi’er.” Su Sheng stood in place for a moment. When he came to his senses, he discarded all composure and quickly ran toward his daughter.

Su Xi’er caught sight of her father, and the tears that had just stopped suddenly rolled down again. She threw herself into her father’s arms, crying so hard that she couldn’t even make a sound.

Relieved, Chu Jubian looked at An Wuji and Qin Chaoyang, who followed her inside.

Qin Chaoyang usually had a weak sense of presence, and many people subconsciously ignored him.

But now, his presence was strong. He entered everyone’s sights along with the eye-catching An Wuji, silently telling everyone: Su Xi’er was found by their Qin family.

Chu Jubian couldn’t help but glance at Qin Xiao, and found that he was looking back at him..

Their eyes met. Both were momentarily taken aback, and looked away.

The building was extremely quiet, the only sounds being Su Xi’er’s sobs and Su Sheng’s comforting voice.

Under such circumstances, Qin Chaoyang approached Qin Xiao and Chu Jubian and reported in a voice that was neither loud nor soft: “My Lord, Young Master, this subordinate followed Second Miss Su and saw three people kill the family guards and kidnap her. This subordinate chased after the men and fought with them, but they were determined to kill themselves when they saw that the situation was unfavorable.”

Since they were a death squad, they had no identifying paperwork on them, and Qin Chaoyang was unable to find anything.

“Understood,” Qin Xiao replied mildly. Qin Chaoyang retreated behind him, once again transforming into a very low-presence guard.

“Deputy Minister Zhen.” Qin Xiao regarded Zhen Fu. “Your identity makes it more convenient for you to go and inquire about the matter.”

Zhen Fu acquiesced. He approached Su Sheng and Su Xi’er, and spoke words of comfort before asking: “Xiao-mei, why did you leave by yourself?”

Su Xi’er was still sobbing, but she recalled something when she heard this and immediately looked around.

Her tearful gaze swept over everyone present before finally falling upon a thin figure.

Following her gaze, the target was none other than Third Miss Zhao, who had previously called out An Wuji.

Zhao Xi’s face was currently pale, her whole body shaking like a sieve. Her previously bright eyes were now filled with panic, joy, and sadness. All kinds of emotions intertwined in a complicated knot.

Zhao Qianhe to the side wore a sullen expression, his chest heaving.

Madam Zhao didn’t understand. She started to speak, but when she saw her husband’s unsightly face and her daughter’s condition, she didn’t dare to say anything.

Zhen Fu’s eyes were slightly cold: “Xiao-mei, was it Third Miss Zhao who asked you to leave?”

“Yes.” Su Xi’er looked at her former best friend with complicated eyes. “She said she had lost her jade pendant and feared that it would be picked up by a miscreant, so she asked me to accompany her to search for it in secret.”

It went without saying how important a woman’s personal belongings were. If the pendant was picked up by someone will ill intentions, Zhao Xi’s innocent reputation would be ruined.

Su Xi’er knew how tricky such a matter was, and also knew that the fewer people who knew about it, the better. So she didn’t even bother to listen to Chu Jubian’s poetry discussion, and accompanied Third Miss Zhao out of the Treasure Pavilion.

But not long after she left, she was knocked unconscious and kidnapped. Before she completely lost consciousness, she had heard Zhao Xi saying in a choked voice: “I’m sorry. I will accompany you.”

So the two women Chu Jubian had seen were not Su Xi’er and her maid, but Su Xi’er and Zhao Xi.

But back in the box, Zhao Xi had been dressed like a maid beside Su Xi’er, which resulted in Chu Jubian misidentifying her.

In hindsight, Zhao Xi had dressed as a maid, and with everyone wearing veils, no one would have noticed her if she kept her head down and didn’t speak.

Naturally, Su Xi’er knew it was her, but she had ten thousand excuses for dressing in such a way, including that her father wouldn’t allow her to attend, she thought it was fun, and she was too lazy to socialize with the other ladies.

With this excellent disguise, she found an opportunity to leave. And after returning, she hurriedly told Su Xi’er that she had lost her personal jade pendant near the Tranquility Courtyard. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone in the building had their attention focused on Chu Jubian and Bai Gongjin, she took Su Xi’er away from the Treasure Pavilion.

Su Xi’er was very young, and had grown up pampered. There weren’t many scandals amongst the Su family, so she was less vigilant than most people.

And she wouldn’t suspect her best friend for no reason, so she was successfully taken away.

After Su Xi’er was abducted, Zhao Xi had returned to the Treasure Pavilion, changed into a dress, and appeared in front of everyone as Third Miss Zhao.

When An Wuji received the news and rushed over, she had publicly stated that it was the other party who’d taken Su Xi’er away. 

“Why?” Su Xi’er asked Zhao Xi in a hoarse voice.

If she hadn’t been rescued, there was no telling where she would be now, or whether she would still be alive.

Her trusted friend had actually delivered her to criminals with her own hands.

Why did she do it?

Zhao Xi lowered her head. Her lips bled from biting them, and tears fell from her eyes, but she didn’t dare look up at Su Xi’er.

There was no explanation she could give. She had simply done a terrible thing.

At this point, everyone was aware that the matter closely involved the Zhao family.

It was obviously impossible for a young girl to command three assassins and use this incident to alienate Su Sheng and Qin Xiao.

She and Su Xi’er were just two insignificant grains of sand on a chessboard, and nobody cared about their suffering.

In a private box on the second floor, Wang Huanzhi chatted casually with Wang Zhang: “Who do you think did this?”

“Whoever it was, it seems their efforts were fruitless.”

“Indeed, ah.” Wang Huanzhi sneered. “They planned everything out, but never expected that she would be rescued by Qin Xiao’s men.”

The person who planned this incident had done it with the purpose of alienating Su Sheng and Qin Xiao.

It was originally an open plan with flexibility. Regardless of whether or not Su Xi’er was safe in the end, the person behind the scenes would have achieved their goal.

But not only was Su Xi’er safe and sound, Qin Xiao had attained the title of “savior” at no cost.

After this, even though Su Sheng wouldn’t dare get close to Qin Xiao for fear of this happening again, he would never become Qin Xiao’s enemy.

Even in court, he might speak for Qin Xiao.

It was really a case of losing the rice while trying to steal the chicken.

Wang Huanzhi gently waved his folding fan: “I wonder who pulled off such a clumsy trick.”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Wang Zhang’s gaze fell on the figure downstairs who had a strong presence despite not saying a word. “The other party just missed one variable.”

During the poetry discussion just now, others might not have been paying attention, but he’d seen Chu Jubian speak to Qin Chaoyang, who then disappeared.

And just now, Qin Chaoyang had reappeared with Su Xi’er.

“With one move, most of the plotter’s plan was ruined,” Wang Zhang lamented.

It was unknown if this Jiu-gongzi was just lucky or had hidden talents, but he was also able to secure a place in this power struggle.

Most of their plan?

Wang Huanzhi turned his head to look at him, and suddenly understood everything in a flash. His heart sank.

Yes, the person behind the scenes had more to their plans than this.

He lowered his eyes and looked downstairs.

Zhao Xi was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Her legs weakened and she fell to the floor, mumbling: “I’m sorry. It was me, it’s all my fault. It was me, it’s all my fault.”

Madam Zhao was horrified. She hugged her daughter and burst into tears of heartache.

She grabbed Zhao Qianhe’s clothing and begged tearfully: “My Lord, please save Xi’er, save our child. What on earth is going on? What is going on?!”

Zhao Qianhe closed his eyes. He was having difficulty breathing.

But very soon, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes again.

He pulled the hem of his clothes out of his wife’s hands and bowed deeply in the direction of Qin Xiao and the others, saying in a hoarse voice: “This official failed to educate his daughter well, causing her to become jealous and resentful of others and do such an evil thing. “

“My Lord!” Madam Zhao screamed.

Zhao Xi closed her eyes in despair. Blood from her bitten lips stained her white veil. She didn’t speak another word.

Zhao Qianhe spoke with difficulty, emphasizing every word: “The young girl is guilty, please punish her according to the law!”

“Instigating subordinates to rob or kill is a capital crime,” the Minister of Justice said coldly. “You should know this clearly, Minister Zhao.”

“This one understands.” The struggle in Zhao Qianhe’s eyes vanished, leaving only tranquility. “This one has failed to educate his daughter properly. Begging Lord Ning-wang to inform His Majesty that I am willing to pay a fine of three years’ salary in recompense.”

Qin Xiao lowered his eyes to look at him. A strong sense of oppression caused Zhao Qianhe to break out in a cold sweat.

The building was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

“It’s getting late,” Qin Xiao said calmly. “Everyone else, go back. I will ask His Majesty to make a decision on this matter during court tomorrow.”

Zhao Qianhe’s face paled when he finished speaking, and he stumbled to kneel on the floor.

The Regent, who was second only to the emperor, had spoken. Everyone responded in agreement and didn’t linger.

Very soon, everyone left the Treasure Pavilion one after another and returned home.

But they all knew that this farce wouldn’t end here.

Tomorrow’s morning court session was where the real battle would begin.

Su Sheng sent an icy look at the slumped Zhao Qianhe, then turned around and slowly walked out with his daughter.

Qin Xiao and Chu Jubian also left, but when they did so, they found Lu Jinfeng waited by their carriage.

When he saw them come out, Lu Jinfeng took two steps forward and bowed.

Qin Xiao returned his greeting: “Lord Lu, is there something I can help you with?”

“I am here for Jiu-gongzi.” Lu Jinfeng stared at Chu Jubian with burning eyes.

Chu Jiubian’s expression remained unchanged: “What is it?”

Lu Jinfeng asked with some perturbation: “I just wanted to ask you, Young Master, does that Zhou Yu-xiansheng still live?”

Judging by the meaning of the poem just now, it seemed like Zhou Yu-xiansheng had already passed away.

Chu Jiubian really hadn’t expected him to ask this, and replied: “Gods cannot die.”

Lu Jinfeng’s expression froze.

Chu Jiubian thought it was quite interesting. After meeting so many old foxes, it really wasn’t common to meet a head of household whose expression was written all over his face.

Lu Jinfeng didn’t believe in gods, but going by Chu Jiubian’s words, he didn’t want to answer the question directly. Thus, he guessed that Zhao Yu-xiansheng must have passed away.

“Then what about other heroes? Are there any more who are so capable?” Lu Jinfeng perked up again. “I don’t have any other intentions, I just want to exchange pointers with them.”

He may not have any other intentions, but he sure made it difficult for Chu Jiubian to give him an answer.

“Lord Lu,” Qin Xiao said in a timely manner, “It’s getting late. Let’s talk another day.”

Seeing that Chu Jiubian didn’t want to talk, Lu Jinfeng had no choice but to suppress the fighting spirit in his heart and bid the two of them farewell.

Once the other left, Chu Jubian boarded the carriage, followed by Qin Xiao.

The carriage wasn’t small, and two men of 1.8 to 1.9 meters in height could sit comfortably without feeling crowded. The two sat on opposite sides, neither of them speaking.

It wasn’t very convenient to place an oil lamp in a carriage, so the carriage was currently pitch black. Only the outlines of each figure could be faintly seen under the moonlight shining through the curtains.

Qin Chaoyang drove the bumpy carriage, rushing toward the faraway Imperial Palace.

The number of carriages holding passing dignitaries grew fewer and fewer until finally, they were the only ones left on the wide cobblestone road. The only sounds in their ears were the hoofbeats of the horses, the friction of the wheels against the ground, and the occasionally creaking of the carriage frame.

In the silent carriage, the cool voice of a young man suddenly rang out: “Does it hurt?”

Qin Xiao’s deep eyes traced the outline of the person in front of him: “A little.”

Those two stabs had been delivered with considerable force, and had nearly pierced through his shoulders.

Chu Jiubian stretched out his hand, offering two anti-inflammatory pills: “Take them,” he said. “The wounds will heal faster.”

Qin Xiao took what he was offering and touched them. It turned out to be two flat pills.

“Are these more divine artifacts?” he asked.

Chu Jiubian folded his arms and leaned against the carriage wall, saying: “Don’t worry, they’re not poisoned.”

Qin Xiao regarded him for a moment before raising his hand. He placed a pill into his mouth and swallowed it dry.

Chu Jiubian chuckled: “Take them both. Nobody will be able to learn how to make them.”

“Can you see this?” Qin Xiao reached out and waved his hand in front of Chu Jiubian, but the other smacked it away.

Qin Xiao smiled and took the pill he had hidden.

“Treat me a little better, I have plenty of these things.” Chu Jiubian seemed to be sleepy. The tail end of his words was elongated, and his voice was much gentler.

Qin Xiao naturally lowered his voice: “How can I treat you better?”

“Just don’t go back on your word.”

It was previously agreed upon that he would be given the position of Grand Tutor and be allowed to attend court, but two days had passed and nothing had happened.

Today, Chu Jubian had chosen Qin Xiao again over so many other powerful people. If the other party was still not satisfied, then he just didn’t know how to be sensible.

Neither of them spoke again after the carriage drove into the palace, much less mentioned what had happened tonight.

There was nothing to be said. Their minds were as clear as mirrors.

It was clear that the Deputy Minister of Personnel, Zhao Qianhe, who claimed to be a loyal minister, had defected to a certain party. But those people had played with him like a monkey and then discarded him after his usefulness ran out.

The carriage stopped in front of the palace road, and the two of them disembarked.

Xiao Xiangzi had been waiting there for a while, and hastened forward to greet them when he saw them coming.

Qin Xiao said to Chu Jiubian: “Rest well. I will come see you tomorrow morning.”

Tomorrow morning?

Chu Jiubian agreed, a thoughtful look on his face.

Qin Xiao returned to Yangxin Palace, and Chu Jiubian and Xiao Xiangzi also returned to Yaotai Residence.

Everyone in Yaotai Residence was still awake, and hot water and snacks had been prepared for Chu Jiubian.

“Everyone go and have a good rest.” Chu Jiubian had everyone leave, then entered the inner room.

As soon as he entered, he spotted two extra clothing stands in the room.

On a 大 shaped mahogany clothing stand, a set of official crimson-purple robes had been hung.

Chu Jubian went forward and raised his hand to stroke the smooth fabric and the delicate, auspicious embroidered clouds.

Tonight was Xiao Yinzi’s night to stand vigil. He added a bucket of water to the bathtub, and smiled when he saw that Chu Jiubian had noticed the official robes: “Young Master, these official robes were delivered this evening. We servants have examined them, and the design and embroidery are correct.”

The sizing was based on Chu Jiubian’s original clothes, so they were guaranteed to fit.

“I heard that His Lordship ordered the Clothing Bureau to speed up production two days ago. The embroiderers didn’t dare to do a half-baked job, so the work was a little slow. Otherwise, it would have been delivered yesterday.”

Chu Jiubian had just been prompting Qin Xiao in the carriage, unaware that he had already prepared this uniform.

No wonder he would be coming to see him the next morning. He was actually going to take him to court.

Chu Jiubian was in a good mood. It seemed that the two anti-inflammatory pills he’d given to him tonight had not been in vain. He could have two more tomorrow.

Morning court started at the beginning of maoshi, which was about five in the morning, so Chu Jiubian would have to get up around four o’clock.

With his plan to recruit more Believers tonight canceled, it was better for him to go to bed and recharge his energy, as he had morning court to attend tomorrow.

Chu Jiubian slept soundly, but few others in the capital could say the same.

*

*

Su Manor.

The terrified Su Xi’er lay awake all night with Madam Su sitting by her side, tears streaming down her face.

Su Sheng was busy in the study with his advisor, Fan He, all night, sorting out many letters and documents, each of them with the words “Deputy Minister of Personnel” and “Zhao Qianhe” written on them. 

The sun rose early in the summer, and it was already getting light at around four o’clock.

The “Second Ring Road” near the Imperial Palace was also bustling with activity. Officials riding in carriages arrived one after another outside Shenwu Gate, lining up according to their rank.

Amidst the low buzz of conversation, the Imperial Guards on duty slowly opened Shenwu Gate, and hundreds of officials, headed by six ministers, made their way into the palace.

Chu Jiubian, clad in his new official robes, met Qin Xiao after breakfast.

Just as he passed down the path to the palace, he had turned a corner and run into him.

“Have you eaten?” Qin Xiao asked.

He always spoke so naturally, as if he was familiar with Chu Jiubian.

“I have.” Chu Jiubian walked side-by-side with him toward Fengtian Hall. “Are your injuries better?”

“I took your medicine and made a full recovery.”

Chu Jiubian: “…..”

Those were anti-inflammatory drugs, not magic pills.

Qin Xiao smiled and sent him a sideways glance.

The young man was attractive and fair-skinned, so any color looked good on him. Presently, his slightly oppressive crimson-purple robes looked better on him than they did on others.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing.” Qin Xiao continued to smile.

Chu Jiubian felt that the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He must be in a bad mood.

“What has happened?” he asked.

Qin Xiao was silent for a moment. Then he said: “News came last night that Third Miss Zhao committed suicide out of fear of punishment.”

Chu Jiubian paused in his steps.

*

*

Su Manor.

Su Xi’er tossed and turned all night. When she finally gave up on sleeping, she just snuggled into her mother’s arms in a daze.

When dawn came and she was about to get up and go outside, an old lady came from the front courtyard and brought her a letter, saying that Su Sheng had asked her to pass it to Su Xi’er.

Su Xi’er took the letter.

The envelope was open, indicating that Su Sheng must have inspected it before passing it on to her.

It was signed with the name Zhao Xi.

Su Xi’ers vision instantly blurred. With a mixture of resentment and sadness, she took the letter with trembling hands and unfolded it.

The thin piece of paper contained a few short sentences:

Xi’er, when you see this letter, I will no longer be alive.

I was powerless to resist being dragged into the game and was pushed forward.

Even though I hurt you, I never thought of surviving alone.

I’m so sorry. I won’t ask for your forgiveness, but I ask that you take care of yourself and stay away from the capital. Do not follow in my footsteps.

---

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Chapter 19 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 21

Lu Jinfeng’s greatest love in life was the sword at his waist, and he very much admired those heroes with great talent and ambition.

Listening to this poem now, he seemed to see the many heroes of the co-called “Three Kingdoms” before his eyes, and his blood boiled with excitement.

Chu Jiubian felt that burning gaze upon him, but paid it no mind. Instead, he turned his head toward Bai Gongjin beside him and unhurriedly recited the next lines of poetry: “Thinking back to Gongjin in his prime, newly married to Xiao Qiao, he radiated heroism and vitality. With a feather fan and silk headscarf, he was effortlessly calm as the enemy’s ships and towers were reduced to ashes.”

Zhou Gongjin was not a Confucian scholar driven by power and wealth, who only knew how to write poetry.

His talents extended far beyond literary and military prowess; his battlefields were not political intrigue and power struggles, but in the distant Three Kingdoms period where heroes vied for supremacy.

Bai Gongjin’s eyes were blank, and his hands were trembling slightly.

At that moment, he felt a sense of not being able to measure up. How could he be worthy of being called “Gongjin?”

Good!

Inside a second floor private box, Lu Jinfeng slammed his palm heavily against the railing, nearly breaking it.

What a perfect description of annihilating the enemy while being completely unaffected!

Zhou Gongjin was brilliant!

If it were possible, he would love to have a proper sparring match with him.

Chu Jiubian’s gaze swept over Lu Jinfeng, whose face was flushed with excitement, then to Xiao Yao, whose gaze was deep and dark. The faces of the civil and military officials were filled with shock, and their female relatives clutched their handkerchiefs as they tried to suppress their excitement. Finally, his gaze fell on the grim-faced Wang Huanzhi.

The look in this person’s eyes was the most unpleasant.

Chu Jiubian looked at him as he recited the last two lines: “My thoughts wander to my homeland, my sentimentality and prematurely gray hair a cause for amusement. Life is like a dream; I offer a cup of wine to the moon over the river.”

These lines elevated the imagery of the entire poem, and the magnanimous emotions it expressed, to a higher level.

They also drew everyone’s attention away from the heroic Zhou Yu and back to Su Shi.

Life is like a dream; the past is gone, so let’s raise a cup of wine to the moon and live life to its fullest.

The God of Poetry.

Was this his work?

Such broad-mindedness, such wide horizons…..it evoked the same sense of comfort and exhilaration as the line “There will be a time to ride the wind and waves, and set sail to cross the vast ocean.”

“God of Poetry. Poet Immortal,” Deputy Minister of Justice Zhen Fu murmured to himself where he was seated near the front on the first floor. “No wonder they were able to become a god and immortal. Their magnanimity is beyond the reach of us mortals.”

The crowd was still reeling in shock.

Wang Huanzhi and Wang Zhang, who both considered themselves to be of high moral character, also remained silent for some time, their hearts filled with lingering emotion.

Since he had already started, he might as well go even bigger.

Chu Jiubian looked at Bai Gongjin again and said: “Your poem was certainly excellent, but the first line, ‘a swift horse gallops through the clouds,’ reminds me of a line from the poet Li Bai: ‘A silver saddle gleams on a white horse, swift as a shooting star.’”

To everyone’s utter surprise, Chu Jiubian continued to recite more poetry, and the amount information revealed in that short line was incredibly large.

Everyone had previously thought that Li Bai was exceptional for the fact that he had written one truly outstanding poem, but now Chu Jiubian had casually recited another line. Although they didn’t fully understand its meaning, they could tell at a glance that the poem must be quite extraordinary.

However, Chu Jiubian was not finished with his recitation.

“And your line, ‘Gains and losses follow the gull birds, one’s conduct determined by a goblet of wine,’ contains a similar sentiment to a poem written by the God of Poetry.”

Bai Gongjin’s entire person was like a block of wood: “What poem?”

“We are but mayflies in the vastness of the universe, mere grains of millet in the boundless ocean. I lament the brevity of life, and envy the endless flow of the Yangtze River.”

The entire building was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Under all of those nearly tangible gazes, Chu Jiubian maintained a mild tone: “To travel with immortals and wander freely, to embrace the bright moon and live for eternity; those things that cannot be easily attained, I entrust their lingering echoes to the mournful wind.”

Another masterpiece.

Those present were at a loss for words, and were unable to recover for some time.

It wasn’t until Chu Jiubian stepped down from the stage and headed toward the second floor that someone finally let out a sigh.

In an instant, a racket erupted.

Bai Gongin stood there blankly, his mind swimming with the lines he had just heard.

Every word and sentence seemed like a giant standing in front of him, clearly conveying: Kid, you’re still young. Don’t get cocky.

Perhaps he had overdone it, because as Chu Jiubian ascended to the second floor, not a single person dared to approach him and strike up a conversation.

Even after he reached the second floor, none of those powerful and influential people came to seek him out – not even the two family heads.

He didn’t know if they hadn’t processed things yet, or if they had other plans.

Chu Jiubian was leaning more toward the latter.

Those powerful figures had weathered more storms than anyone else, and it was unlikely that they would be stunned by his few lines of poetry. It was more likely that they were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information conveyed by his words.

From Qin Xiao’s words, Chu Jiubian had already discerned the attitudes the major powers in the capital held toward him.

These people didn’t believe he was a god. They simply felt that there was some mysterious force behind him.

And as for Li Bai and Li Qingzhao, whom he had mentioned early on, they were categorized as his backers.

Since this was the case, Chu Jiubian wanted to solidify such an identity, so that even if these people didn’t believe he was a god, they wouldn’t dare attack him casually for fear of the force behind him.

However, having only two poets as backers wouldn’t be enough, so he took the opportunity today to bring out some new figures.

For example, the God of Poetry Su Shi, the brilliant strategist Zhou Yu, and many other heroes who, although not named, “truly existed.”

The power of imagination was immense.

With just a little guidance, Chu Jiubian had them all filling in the rest of the story for him.

And as a result, the benefits that those powerful figures had previously prepared to recruit Chu Jiubian were no longer sufficient, which was why none of them sought him out.

Chu Jiubian glanced at the System interface and couldn’t stop the upward tilt of his lips.

What a great harvest!

He had not only made those skeptical elites wary of him, but also made them reevaluate their standards for recruiting him. And he had also convinced the easily swayed of his status as a “god,” and earned a large amount of Faith Points from them.

His accumulated points now exceeded two hundred, and were about to break three hundred.

He was now able to summon another Believer!

The astonishment and shock he had brought to everyone was so great that it was clear that the auction could no longer go on.

Most of the people in the building would presumably leave soon, but many of them definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Chu Jiubian’s mind was entirely focused on his new Believer, and he didn’t want to waste time here.

But Qin Chaoyang had yet to return, so he could only wait for the time being.

Qin Xiao would be coming as well.

Even if Qin Chaoyang couldn’t return for a while, when Chu Jiubian glanced at the time, he found that only half of the hour Qin Xiao had given him had passed.

It seemed he would have to wait another half hour for Qin Xiao to arrive.

Walking to the door of the private box, Chu Jiubian was just about to push it open when he realized that it wasn’t shut properly.

He paused for two breaths. Since none of the guards came to stop him, the private box must be safe.

With a guess in mind, he no longer hesitated, and pushed open the door.

Chu Jiubian’s gaze fell upon the room as the door creaked open.

There Qin Xiao was, dressed in black and leaning against the railing. The flickering light of the oil lamp behind him cast hazy shadows across his figure, softening the sharp features of his face.

“You’re back?” Qin Xiao asked with a smile.

It really was him.

Chu Jiubian entered the private box and closed the door behind him.

Rather than stopping at the two seats by the railing, Qin Xiao walked to the round table in the center of the room and poured two cups of tea.

“You must be thirsty after talking so much,” he said.

Chu Jiubian went over to him.

The moment he reached out to take a teacup, a mechanical voice sounded in his head: [This is Longjing tea, free of poison or drugs. Please drink it with confidence. (One Faith Point has been automatically deducted.)]

Chu Jiubian: “…..”

I know it’s not poisoned!

Damnit, was there no way to turn off this semi-intelligent System’s automatic billing?!

Seeing the strange look on his face, Qin Xiao sipped his tea with a smile, saying, “Don’t worry. It’s free of drugs.”

I already said I know it’s not poisoned!

Chu Jiubian sat down on a round stool beside the table and downed the small cup of tea.

Qin Xiao was taken aback, and poured him another cup: “You’re this thirsty?”

“Why has My Lord arrived at this hour?” Chu Jiubian asked instead of answering.

They had agreed on an hour, but he’d shown up after only half an hour.

Lord Ning-wang really had no credibility whatsoever.

“I couldn’t rest easy, ah.” Qin Xiao sat down nearby and sighed with seemingly genuine emotion. “I’m truly worried that this ‘love tribulation’ of mine won’t be able to keep the young master by my side.”

Chu Jiubian chuckled softly: “So the dignified Lord Ning-wang condescended to be my bodyguard for half an hour?”

From the very beginning, Qin Xiao had remained hidden in the shadows while following Chu Jiubian at all times.

When Chu Jiubian asked Qin Chaoyang to chase after those two girls, the reason the other party had obeyed him and left was likely not due to the strength of the secret guards left behind, but because the one keeping an eye on Chu Jiubian was Qin Xiao himself.

Qin Chaoyang had left so decisively only after obtaining Qin Xiao’s consent.

“Nothing can be hidden from you.” Qin Xiao chuckled, his gaze lingering on Chu Jiubian’s throat. “You didn’t use the medicine I gave you?”

The marks left by his strangulation a few days ago were still somewhat blueish-purple.

Chu Jiubian raised a hand to touch his neck. The medicine Qin Xiao had given him was truly effective, because he actually couldn’t feel the pain anymore. It was just that his skin was delicate, with a propensity for bruising, so the marks had yet to completely vanish.

He looked at the perpetrator in front of him and said with a smile: “Perhaps it won’t get better because I’m still angry.”

“It’s my fault.” Qin Xiao took a dagger from his sleeve and handed it to Chu Jiubian hilt first.

Chu Jiubian took it.

What was this about?

Surely he wasn’t suggesting that Chu Jiubian should stab him a couple of times to vent his anger?

The other’s warm, calloused hand grasped Chu Jiubian’s own, completely enveloping it.

Gripping his hand, Qin Xiao pressed the tip of the dagger against his shoulder. Then, with a bit of force, the sharp blade pierced through clothing and flesh.

A bloodstain slowly seeped through his dark clothes, dampening Chu Jiubian’s fingertips as well.

Damn.

He really was a nutjob, ah.

Chu Jiubian’s heartbeat, which had been steadily accelerating, suddenly calmed down.

Releasing the dagger, he pulled his hand back and rinsed it with tea from his cup, then wiped it off with a handkerchief.

Qin Xiao smiled as he casually wiped the dagger on his sleeve, saying: “If the young master feels this isn’t enough, he can stab me a couple more times.”

Chu Jiubian paused in the middle of wiping his hand, a surge of anger rising within him. 

Without hesitation, he snatched the dagger from Qin Xiao’s hand and plunged the blade into the man’s other shoulder. He even hit the same area as the previous stab.

Qin Xiao regarded him with some surprise.

The young man’s eyes were indifferent, lacking any emotion, yet his expression seemed to contain a hint of a smile.

Truly a contradiction.

Qin Xiao was suddenly curious…..what kind of person was Chu Jiubian?

Cursing inwardly, Chu Jiubian withdrew his hand and began to wipe it down again.

“Did you think I wouldn’t dare, you bastard?”

If I was able to kill you now, I would have stabbed you in the heart.

“Has the young master’s anger cooled?” Qin Xiao asked with a smile.

Chu Jiubian initially thought the other man was mocking him, but when their eyes met, he found that Qin Xiao seemed to be sincere, as if he was genuinely concerned that he might still be angry.

Chu Jiubian paused mid-wipe.

Qin Xiao was actually looking for a way to appease him.

Why?

Was it just for the purpose of retaining a rare asset?

Was it really necessary to go to such lengths?

Chu Jiubian didn’t quite understand, but he vaguely felt that he had caught a glimpse of the real Qin Xiao.

Suddenly, a commotion arose downstairs. Unlike the lively poetry discussion just now, it sounded like the turmoil of conflict.

Chu Jiubian got up with a frown and walked to the railing to look down.

Qin Xiao sheathed his dagger and walked to his side.

A number of people had gathered at the entrance to the first floor lobby, including some acquaintances.

A dozen or so Imperial Guards stood there clad in soft armor and with swords at their waists, and were accompanied by their commander – An Wuji.

Chu Jiubian glanced toward Qin Xiao and found that he also wore a slight frown. He probably didn’t know what was going on below them.

An Wuji stepped onto the auction stage, and his sharp gaze swept over the crowd as he said coolly: “The Second Young Lady of Minister Su’s family has vanished without a trace. Has anyone seen her?”

Su Sheng had gone downstairs at some point and was standing with the Imperial Guards, his expression exceedingly grim.

After An Wuji asked this question, Su Sheng quickly bowed to everyone and said: “Esteemed colleagues, if anyone has seen my daughter, please let me know. This Su Sheng will repay your immense kindness tenfold!”

Those present were all powerful and influential figures in the court, and all of them knew that Su Sheng had one son and two daughters, with his youngest daughter being the most doted upon.

He had brought his wife and daughter to the auction with him today, but unexpectedly, Miss Su had gone missing.

Madam Su was sobbing uncontrollably. Supported by a female servant, she reached for Su Sheng’s hand and pleaded in a whisper: “Husband, how can you possibly make something like this public?”

Did he not care about the young lady’s reputation?!

It was so late at night, and a girl had gone missing. Who knew what might have happened to her?

“Is reputation more important than life?” Both angry and anxious, Su Sheng said to the female servant beside him, “Quickly, take your mistress back to the manor.”

Madam Su was helped out of the Treasure Pavilion by the servant, her eyes closed in despair.

In the Great Ning Dynasty, reputation was life itself.

The ladies in the private boxes were also growing restless, and were eager to return to their residences. They all seemed to be quite frightened by this sudden incident. 

But at this moment, a sweet female voice suddenly exclaimed in surprise: “What is Commander An doing here? Didn’t he ask Xi’er to meet him outside?”

---

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Chapter 18 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 20

Chapter 53 – The Time Has Not Yet Come

Tick.

A drop of water dripped from the bamboo shoot-shaped rocks hanging from the ceiling of the cave, falling into a small puddle of water below.

And along with the dripping, there was the dull sound of something heavy falling to the ground.

Feng Ye had found the entrance to the cave at the bottom of the sea, and instead of walking through the entire cave, he had simply walked to the center of the spirit stone mine.

He had avoided the parts where light was sparse and shadows lurked, and where the spirit stones were scarce.

Therefore, he failed to discover that at the other end of the underwater cave, there was a well-hidden passage near the ceiling that led directly to the surface.

At this moment, a dark form leaped down from the passage – a man in black robes.

The man stepped forward, and his face was revealed under the faint illumination of the spirit stones. It was covered in a cold iron mask.

He glanced around, then paced toward the center of the spirit stone mine with great familiarity.

Unlike Feng Ye, who had groped his way through an unfamiliar environment, he went on without pause, with a clear goal in mind.

Because he had been here before, one hundred years ago.

Ling Yun had taken this passage at that time, which was why he was able to avoid the monster guards and obtain the Jianmu seed.

He had happened upon the dark passage on land, and out of curiosity, felt his way down to discover the spirit stone mine three hundred meters below sea level.

He was initially drawn to the densely-packed, excellent quality spirit stones, but when he saw what was placed on the lotus platform – a seed which was absorbing all of the ambient spiritual energy – all thoughts of the spirit stones left his mind.

This seed was different from any other plant he had seen. Its coating was an irregular yellow hue, like a net or a snakeskin.

“There is a seed with skin like a yellow snake, its leaves like a net, and its fruit like a golden rain tree….” One hundred years ago, Ling Yun had recited the records he had read in a book, then reached out to pluck the magic seed.

Every feature matched. Ling Yun’s expression grew increasingly ecstatic, almost to the point of madness.

After he and his fellow disciple Ji Chengyue made their bold vows, he had been searching for a way to reach the heavens. For this purpose, he had looked through various ancient books and records, but the methods he found were bizarre and absurd to the point of being laughable. Either they were shrouded in mystery, or only existed in legends.

But today, he suddenly realized that the legends were true.

This was the tree that reached the sky – Jianmu.

Ling Yun clenched the Jianmu seed tightly in his palm. Filled with ecstasy, he felt that he was only one step from reaching heaven, and was eager to leave.

However, he had not walked far with the seed when he was spotted by monsters lingering near the cave. To this end, he fought a great battle with a group of Nascent Soul stage monsters. Finally, after a long, difficult battle and killing two Nascent Soul stage monsters, Ling Yun, who was at Hedao stage, successfully left with the Jianmu seed.

The events of a hundred years ago flashed through Ling Yun’s mind like a revolving lantern as he once again walked to the lotus platform where the Jianmu seed had been placed – but it was empty.

“God,” he called into the void.

“En, I see it,” replied a deep, magnetic voice. His tone was somewhat perplexed: “If there were another Jianmu seed here, it would definitely disrupt the circulation of spiritual energy. But the flow of energy here is very normal.”

“Unless…..a second Jianmu seed doesn’t exist in the world,” the man pondered, coming to the same conclusion as Feng Ye.

“God, what should we do?” asked Ling Yun.

The man was silent for a moment, then said decisively: “Go seek out Ji Chengyue again. He must still have Jianmu fragments with him.” His tone was resolute and extremely confident. Because after eliminating all possibilities, the only one left must be the answer.

“Yes,” Ling Yun replied, turning around to return along the original route.

But after a few steps, the man suddenly stopped him: “Wait.”

Ling Yun paused in his tracks. He didn’t need the man to remind him, as he had also noticed something strange.

Ling Yun crouched down and peered at the rock wall beside him. Hidden three hundred meters beneath the sea, this cave was not filled with water due to the air pressure, but it was still very damp.

This resulted in dense moss growing on the cave walls along with the spirit stones.

But the stone wall next to him, which should have been completely covered in moss, was missing a very conspicuous patch.

As if someone had brushed against it when passing by.

It definitely wasn’t him. He had come from the opposite side, and never got close to the wall. Then there was only one possibility…..

“Someone has been here,” Ling Yun deduced as he looked at the missing patch of moss.

He touched the stone wall and felt the remaining moisture on it, adding: “They just left, less than an incense stick of time ago.”

This time, the man didn’t answer for a long while.

This voice was always vague and illusory, and would only speak to Ling Yun when he was willing to do so. Ling Yun had no idea what he was doing.

He never knew if the man was listening to him or not.

But this time, he knew that he was.

Because…..Ling Yun reached up and touched his chest, just to the left of middle where his heart was.

His heartbeat was speeding up, not because of his own emotions, but because…..

“God?” Ling Yun asked with some confusion.

“Go find him!” The man’s voice was so urgent that he nearly lost his composure, no longer as contemptuous and mocking as usual.

“The one who jumped into the sea first?” 

The man’s words were abrupt, and it was unclear who he was referencing, but Ling Yun easily guessed it. 

Because ever since he got his heart back, it had been beating regularly, without any abnormal fluctuations. The owner of this heart was not moved by anything, and didn’t experience any emotions, whether joy, anger, or sorrow.

Therefore, the rhythm of this heart was consistent and unchanging.

But in just one day, this heart had already beaten wildly twice.

The reason for this could only be because of the same person. 

“Go find him for me!” The man urged impatiently.

There was no need for Ling Yun to stop and search for the direction Feng Ye had left. In half an incense stick of time, the other party had already run off to who knew where.

The deep sea was no habitat for humans, and Ling Yun wasn’t a good swimmer. Looking for someone in the watery depths – whom he had only met once, and didn’t even see his face clearly – would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Thus, Ling Yun intended to return to land, where it was more convenient for him to search. The other party couldn’t stay in the deep sea for long anyway, and would have to return to the shore.

He moved quickly, hoping to reach the shore first and intercept this person as he surfaced.

Soon after he reached the surface and started to run to the coast, he saw something strange abruptly appear in the sky.

Dark clouds rolled in, and in the blink of an eye, the sunlight was completely drowned out by darkness.

Gazing up at this scene, he felt his heart beating faster and faster, and he could vaguely sense the emotions of the heart’s owner.

Anticipation, mixed with joy.

This man, who had always been indifferent to worldly affairs, was feeling such pure, intense emotions for the first time.

Other people just thought that the weather had shifted. Weather on the seaside was like the masks in a Sichuan opera, changing at any time. It wasn’t surprising for a storm to roll in on a sunny day. 

But Ling Yun knew that those weren’t black clouds at all. The black mist covering the sky was…..

Resentful energy.

Such resentful energy that covered the earth and sky could only be found on a battlefield where tens of thousands of lives were taken. But now, it had appeared above this peaceful floating island.

This was summoned by someone, Ling Yun thought. Immediately after, he watched as a light pierced the sky.

A sword glare.

A sharp, dazzling sword glare.

It cut through everything in its path, whether the three hundred meter-thick rock or the raging waves.

The mountains and seas were severed by the sword glare, and shocking fissures appeared in the ground as it shook violently.

The bisected seawater transformed into a hundred-meter-high curtain of water and slammed against the shoreline. Monsters with low cultivation bases fled across the floating island, desperately escaping from the location of the sword glare.

As the earth trembled, ancient trees toppled, and rocks split apart, only Ling Yun stood firmly in place.

He stared at the dazzling sword glare that reflected in his pupils, and murmured: “That’s…..”

At the same time, he covered his chest as his heart beat more and more violently. This was the rhythm of ecstasy. 

Suddenly, there was a faint laugh in his ears. The heartbeat stabilized when it couldn’t go any faster, but it was still slightly faster than usual.

The man’s tone was more delighted than ever before. He looked toward the place where the sword glare had vanished and said with a nostalgic sigh: “It’s really you…..”

Ling Yun didn’t ask who it was, because he had already guessed the answer. He only asked: “God, should we still go look for him?”

“No need. Now is not the time for us to meet again.” The man sighed with some regret, but then became cheerful again: “After all, you will come and find me…..”

“Feng Ye.” He spoke the name softly, his tone as intimate as a whisper between lovers. 

Contrary to the man’s joy, Ling Yun frowned slightly: “God, will he become an obstacle for us?”

“Haha, an obstacle?” The man laughed again, as if he had heard an amusing joke. He shook his head and asked in turn, “How could he be an obstacle?”

“In fact, by luring him to the human world, my plan is already half successful.” The man’s voice went lower and lower, slowly turning into an uncontrollable laugh that gradually dissipated into the void.

Ling Yun took one last look at the place where the sword glare had vanished, then turned away and kept his distance.

The time had not yet come.

---

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Chapter 52 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 54

Chapter 52 – Breaking Mountains, Splitting Seas

As Fang Yang watched Cao Xirui take out one Water Soul Bead after another, he thought: It’s great to have money.

While chasing after them, Lu Chengye’s attacks were blocked again and again. Seeing that the golden arrow that had just been filled with spiritual power was almost empty again, Lu Chengye thought: Damn rich people!

Lu Chengye reached out and grabbed the golden arrow as it flew back to him. After filling it with spiritual energy, he had shot two more arrows. There was no telling what kind of magic weapon Cao Zirui held in his hands. It was like a hard turtle shell, and wouldn’t break no matter how many times it was hit.

The spiritual power in the golden arrow was only enough for one more strike. The power of this one would be weaker than the first two, and the first, most powerful strike, hadn’t been able to break through the magic weapon in Cao Zirui’s hands. It would be even more impossible for the weaker third arrow to do so.

This isn’t working, Lu Chengye thought as he weighed the spirit stones in his storage bag.

He wasn’t as wealthy as Cao Zirui. This time, even if he took out every last penny, it wouldn’t be enough to charge the golden arrow with spiritual power again.

The few spirit stones he had left could only restore a little over half of the golden arrow’s spiritual power, which only had one third left. That wasn’t even enough to shoot two arrows.

He only had one last chance.

Lu Chengye gritted his teeth. If he failed to kill Cao Zirui and he escaped the Floating Island Secret Realm to expose this matter, forget the sect leader, Xue Ren would be the first person who wouldn’t let him off.

Even though he had sworn a solemn oath that he wouldn’t tell anyone about Xue Ren’s instructions, given Xue Ren’s level of caution, he wouldn’t leave a powder keg behind that could explode on him at any time.

He had no way out. He had to succeed!

With this in mind, Lu Chengye no longer hesitated. He took out all of the spirit stones on him and unreservedly replenished the golden arrow’s spiritual power. 

This strike would consume all of the spiritual power in the golden arrow, even the amount he added later. He was placing all of his hopes on this last strike, hoping that this arrow, which was more powerful than all of the previous ones, would penetrate Cao Zirui’s endless supply of magic weapons.

He had no idea that at this moment, Cao Zirui was on his last legs, completely unable to use the Water Soul Bead to defend against attacks. The bell could only tell him the location, not his opponent’s situation.

Lu Chengye held the golden arrow in one hand and the spirit stones in the other, waiting for the final opportunity to present itself.

Fang Yang, with Cao Zirui on his back, didn’t dare relax for a moment as he continued to run. He looked toward the east. Just like Lu Chengye was placing all of his hopes on the last arrow, Fang Yang was also placing all of his hopes in the Mysterious Big Brother in the bamboo slip. 

Both his and Cao Zirui’s lives were on the line.

He was risking everything on one throw, like a desperate gambler.

“Cao Zirui, wake up! Don’t fall asleep!” Fang Yang felt the hand gripping his shoulder begin to slide down, and quickly tightened his hold on Cao Zirui as he shouted.

Cao Zirui said nothing, but his hand stopped its downward slide.

It was good that he could still react. Fang Yang was constantly worried that Cao Zirui would fall asleep without him realizing. He’d heard that once a grievously wounded person fell asleep, he might never wake up again.

Regardless of whether this was true or not, he simply tried his best to keep Cao Zirui awake. He still needed to surpass him. Cao Zirui must not die!

So even though Fang Yang was panting and out of breath, he still spared some energy to talk to him: “Come to think of it, everyone calls you a walking iceberg behind your back, but you can obviously smile. This shows that rumors can’t be trusted.”

Cao Zirui didn’t respond.

Fang Yang said again: “What level magic weapon is your spiritual sword? It looks extremely sharp, much better than my iron sword.”

Cao Zirui still didn’t speak. His eyes were shut, and his body shivered from time to time.

Fang Yang could feel the form against his back growing colder and colder. It was unknown if it was blood or sweat soaking his clothes, but he looked as if he had just been fished out of water. 

Even though Fang Yang tried his best not to think about it, all sorts of terrible scenarios filled his mind. His voice contained a trace of uncontrollable tears: “Cao Zirui, I’ve run so far carrying you on my back, but I don’t work for nothing. You have to treat me to a good meal once we’re out of here.”

There was still no sound.

The forest was silent, devoid of birdsong or the chirping of insects.

There was only the sound of the young man’s hurried footsteps, not daring to stop for a moment.

As for the increasingly weak sound of breathing, it was nearly inaudible.

Fang Yang sniffled. He wanted to rub his eyes, but couldn’t free his hands to do so.

He could only hold Cao Zirui firmly, clutching him tighter and tighter.

The moisture in his eyes showed signs of spilling over, but just as the tears were about to fall, there was a sound in his ear, so soft that it could only be heard if he listened carefully.

“Okay.”

Cao Zirui’s eyes were still closed. His brow was furrowed in pain, but when he spoke this word, it relaxed a little.

Fang Yang’s tears turned to laughter. He raised his head again and looked ahead at the path that seemed to have no end.

But there was no path in this world that was truly endless. The farthest one was just…..the Yellow Springs road.

Lu Chengye crushed the last depleted spirit stone in his hand. He once again took out the Burning Sky bow and nocked the now-replenished golden arrow.

He drew the bow. The tail of the arrow moved backward cun by cun, and the dark red totem on the bow ignited once more as the heavenly fire that had burned Jianmu appeared on earth again.

The flames spread from the increasingly fiery totem to the golden arrow, and an aura more powerful than any before spread in all directions as the flames danced.

There were no more living creatures in the jungle. They had already fled far away under that terrifying aura.

Lu Chengye’s fingers turned white from exerting so much force. The stronger the force he used, the harder it was to draw this heaven-grade magic weapon.

But no matter how difficult it was, he was finally about to draw it into a full moon shape.

The fire blazed, and each time it flared, the flames rose up nearly a meter high.

Lu Chengye searched for the bullseye through the rising flames, but didn’t use his eyes.

He didn’t need them. The bell in his hand had already pointed out the direction of the other party’s escape.

East.

The moment he locked onto his prey, his fingers released.

It was no longer the same as before, leaving the string with a whoosh.

This time, all of the energy stored in the magic weapon was used as fuel to ignite the golden arrow, and when it left the bowstring, it was with a deafening roar.

Kaboom – a column of fire one meter in diameter shot eastward at high speed.

The branches and leaves in its path were immolated from the heat, leaving only golden-red ashes on the ground.

Wherever it passed, everything became scorched earth.

Fang Yang turned his head back as he ran. The golden arrow was actually still some distance away, but he had noticed something strange. 

Because he heard an increasingly sharp droning sound, as if something was approaching at high speed.

He didn’t know what that droning sound meant yet, but Feng Ye did.

Hao Chen had just attacked him with a hundred-meter wide waterspout, but Feng Ye paid no attention to the danger in front of him.

He was focused on the surface.

He still wasn’t able to make it to Fang Yang after all. The problem that had seemed to be solved still remained, and in the end, it was all up to his decision.

Was it worth risking his identity being exposed to rescue Fang Yang and Cao Zirui?

It really wasn’t.

Compared to the peace of the millions of lives in this world, the fate of two individuals was insignificant.

But…..Feng Ye closed his eyes and listened to the conversation between Fang Yang and Cao Zirui.

There was no question of whether their lives were worth it or not.

For Feng Ye, this had never been a multiple-choice question.

After all, he couldn’t be indifferent to life and death.

As the raging waves drew closer and closer, dazzling flames appeared in the distance. Fang Yang finally discovered the source of the droning sound – a stream of red fire more powerful than ever before.

The violent waves had already swept in front of Feng Ye, and his sleeves waved in the currents. The monsters commanded by Hao Chen consciously withdrew from the battlefield, realizing that they had no place here with these two fighting like gods.

As the center of the vortex approached, the current grew stronger and stronger. This chaotic flow of water now turned into sharp knives, tearing at the living creatures within it.

There was a ripping sound, and Feng Ye abruptly opened his eyes. Regardless of the tear in his sleeve, he shouted to Fang Yang in his sea of consciousness: “Run toward the light! Don’t look back!”

He could understand “don’t look back,” but the other part left Fang Yang perplexed.

He looked up at the bright, cloudless sky full of sunshine…..and as soon as he did so, dark clouds appeared in the previously sunny sky.

These were not ordinary rain clouds. They were much darker, and even though they were far away, looking at them from below filled one with a sense of horror.

No, those weren’t clouds after all! Fang Yang stared at the sky with widening pupils. What rolled through the sky was more like black mist, generating from an unknown source to swallow the sunlight. In the blink of an eye, the sky and earth were plunged into darkness.

The black mist covered the sky like bared teeth and claws, appearing unstoppable. But there was a gap of less than one meter. The black mist didn’t pour into this gap, and golden light shone through it.

Fang Yang immediately realized that he needed to go in that direction.

He ran toward the ray of sunlight breaking through the heavy mist. He was weak from running for so long, but he bolstered himself. Cao Zirui’s life depended on him. He couldn’t stop.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t outrun the golden arrow flying behind him.

Trees that had been standing tall for decades collapsed at the golden arrow’s passing, trunks turning to ashes under the heat before crumbling to the ground.

The flames devoured everything; any combustible organic matter was immolated under the flames.

Even the hardest bones in the human body couldn’t stand up to such temperatures. They would turn to dust in a matter of moments, with no pain being felt.

Sweat broke out on Fang Yang’s forehead. Although he had been sweating all along, it was unusually heavy at this moment, and his lips were slightly chapped due to the loss of moisture.

The heat came faster than the speed of the golden arrow, and Cao Zirui’s cold body was warmed up by the soaring temperature.

Even though Feng Ye had told Fang Yang not to look back, he couldn’t stop the desire to turn and look at the situation.

Looking back would inevitably bring his speed down a bit, so just as he was about to turn his head, Feng Ye shouted sternly: “Don’t look back!”

“But…..” Fang Yang didn’t think it would hurt anything. And if he looked back at the arrow’s flight path, maybe he could dodge it like he had last time?

However, Feng Ye knew that these two incidents could not be compared at all. The arrows shot before had been far less powerful and devastating than this one.

No matter where Fang Yang ran, he would be engulfed in the huge column of flames and surely die.

So Feng Ye interrupted him: “Trust me.”

He didn’t use his usual harsh tone, and was almost gentle.

But despite his gentleness, his tone was also firm, giving one an inexplicable sense of peace. It made one believe that even in a desperate situation with no chance of survival, he would create a glimmer of hope.

Fang Yang pursed his chapped lips. In any case, he had already placed his and Cao Zirui’s lives on the gambling table, so what was wrong with one more bet?

So he put looking back out of his mind and just kept running forward with his head down, drawing closer and closer to the gap in the sky.

Far from the battlefield, Hao Chen’s brow began to furrow. His external incarnation had transformed into raging waves, but Feng Ye had no intention of evading them, and was swallowed up.

He simply let the knife-like water rip his sleeves to tatters, and they hung on his body like rags as he stood there motionlessly and raised his right hand.

What is this guy going to do? Hao Chen thought doubtfully.

He suddenly felt a chill – a chill very different from the bone-piercing coldness of the North Sea.

It was impossible to distinguish colors in the pitch-black sea, so he couldn’t see the black mist in Feng Ye’s hand.

This mist filled with icy killing intent seemed familiar.

The black mist in Feng Ye’s hand took on the shape of a sword.

The temperature had reached a terrifying level, and Fang Yang’s heart had never beat so fast before. With every pulse, he feared it would leap out of his chest.

His skin was burned red by the heat. There was no need to be burned alive by the flames. If he remained in this high temperature for much longer, his brain would melt.

He estimated the distance between him and the sunlight. There were still three steps left!

But he had no time to celebrate, because the fatal golden arrow was only thirty meters behind him.

Judging by the sharp whistling sound as it cut through the air, it was still uncertain who would get there first.

Fang Yang paid no attention to this. Not only did he not look back, but he even closed his eyes.

This was his gamble, betting that a man whose name he didn’t know would save him. 

His right foot stepped into a pothole in the ground. It should have been a depression filled with water, but the soft soil had become hard and cracked under the high temperature. There were two steps left. With Cao Zirui on his back, Fang Yang silently counted the steps.

Another old tree succumbed to the flames, and black woodsmoke billowed into the sky, mixing with the swirling black mist until it couldn’t be clearly distinguished. The arrow was still twenty meters away.

His left foot came down on a nearly carbonized branch. Fang Yang shifted Cao Zirui slightly on his back, more toward the middle so that it would be more convenient for movement. 

The golden arrow flew over the grass, turning it into sparks that scattered and flew into the air. It was ten meters away.

One last step!

Fang Yang stopped running. He jumped up and switched positions with Cao Zirui midair, using his body to completely shield the unconscious youth.

This move was of no use – how could the fragile human body withstand such fierce flames?

When the golden arrow passed by, there would be nothing left but ashes.

But Fang Yang still did it. He actually had no time to think of the usefulness of his actions. He just wanted to save Cao Zirui, even if he couldn’t save himself.

The two boys flew through the air, rushing toward the narrow beam of light, and then fell heavily to the ground.

As they rushed toward the middle of the column of light, the golden arrow also reached the light’s perimeter.

A dot of light appeared in the deep sea. It was so small, so weak, but it was unable to be ignored.

Because that light had never been seen before in the dark depths of the sea.

The spot of light flickered amongst the dark mist, but showed no signs of dying out. Instead, it grew brighter and brighter. 

Something broke through all obstacles, whether it was the black mist or the floating island’s three hundred meter base of rock, as if summoned.

It was…..a ray of light in the sky, penetrating the darkness.

Miraculously, the light from the sky shone down into the dark depths of the sea, echoing the ray of light in Feng Ye’s hand.

Golden light flared, and the blade of a sword took shape!

This was an unparalleled sword!

The moment the blade manifested, an invisible sword glare shot out, and the sword that could cut through anything split through the three hundred meter base of rock above. But it didn’t stop there. The golden arrow flying toward Fang Yang, only one meter away, was also in the middle of the sword glare’s trajectory.

The instant the sword glare came into contact with the golden arrow, it shattered. With no spiritual power to fuel it, the raging flames were extinguished at the same time.

The shattered golden arrow fell to the ground, bouncing against Fang Yang and Cao Zirui’s sides. Apart from the scratches they suffered from their fall, the two of them were unharmed.

The crisis on land had been solved, but the same could not be said for the crisis in the sea. Feng Ye looked at the roaring waves in front of him. The chaotic currents were about to tear him apart. He abruptly swung his sword, and the raging water split in two before him, just the same as the rock formation above his head.

The rest of the people on the floating island just saw a flash of light, and then the earth shook.

The enormous floating island split in half, and the ground shook as the rock collapsed.

The surface of the sea split open and the waves rolled to both sides, surging into curtains of water hundreds of meters high.

Several li away, Hao Chen abruptly opened his eyes. His external incarnation had been completely destroyed by the sword, but this was not the end. The sword glare was heading toward his actual body!

With no time to think, Hao Chen instinctively opened his folding fan to withstand this crisis. It was made out of his hardest tail feathers, and would definitely be able to block a sword glare that had traveled such a distance.

He was full of confidence, and that confidence was justified. The sword glare that could break mountains and split the sea was blocked by the small folding fan held in front of him.

After waiting for the flash of the sword glare to dissipate, Hao Chen went to wave the fan with some pride, and his eyes widened. When he raised the fan horizontally in front of him, the seemingly intact fan suddenly cracked down the middle, the gap growing wider and wider.

Then, the severed halves of the fan fell from his hand.

The cultivators on land were bewildered. The sword glare was so fast that it was difficult to see. They only felt the floating island jolt, followed by an earthquake and a tsunami, as if it was the end of the world. 

Qi Refining stage disciples held onto the trees around them, trying to keep their balance amid the shaking.

And Foundation Establishment disciples took to the air on their magic tools, where they witnessed a horrifying scene: the entire island had split in half. And the fracture was incredibly smooth and flat, as if…..someone had cut it with a sword!

But what kind of person, and what kind of sword, could do something as extreme as this?

No one knew the answer, except…..

Ling Yun suddenly lifted his head toward the fleeting light in the sky, which reflected in his dark eyes as he murmured: “That is…..”

---

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Chapter 51 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 53

Words he hadn’t heard in many years fell from Oser’s mouth, and Xi En’s body swayed. All of his anger shattered apart, leaving only shock.

“Did you think I was so young when we met that I wouldn’t remember you? Hm?” Oser regained his composure and said, “The captain of the guard at my uncle’s side.”

Xi En’s face paled with weakness and alarm: “Your Highness has a good memory.”

Oser touched the spot where Xi En had struck him.

“As expected of the most glorious captain of the royal guard back then. Despite your weakness, you were able to hit me.”

“I was only thinking you’d thrown that punch as an elder teaching the younger generation a lesson. I just wasn’t sure if you were acting as Ling Yi’s adoptive father or a confidant of my uncle.”

Xi En’s eyes were dull: “Perhaps it was both.”

“Then you are indeed the most qualified person in the empire to hit me,” Oser said with a hint of sarcasm. “After Uncle Bie’er left, his guard was disbanded, and your whereabouts were unknown. You disappeared these years and made a living teaching youngsters fighting skills. It turns out you did all of this just to become a full-time dad.”

Xi En was vigilant: “You looked into us?”

“I’m a suspicious person by nature. To dare place a living person next to my pillow, I naturally had to conduct a thorough background check.”

“How much did you find?”

“All of it, of course.”

“All of it?” Xi En repeated.

“Everything from Ling Yi’s birth to the present has been thoroughly investigated,” Oser said calmly.

Xi En stared at him, as if attempting to discern the truth of his statement.

“Including the fact that Ling Yi is your late uncle’s son?”

With a loud bang, the shelf containing medical instruments closest to Oser was smashed to pieces.

The commotion spread to the corridor, and the two anxious people waiting there started to rush in at the same time. The following silence kept them outside, not daring to enter.

Oser was still smiling, as if the violent destruction just now had nothing to do with him.

But the murderous intent in that smile could no longer be concealed.

“If this is true, you’ll probably have to take this secret with you to hell.”

When he heard this, Xi En felt relieved.

“So you lied to me. You never discovered Ling Yi’s background. I lied to you too. Ling Yi has no blood relationship with Earl Bie’er. Now we’re even.”

Oser slowly leaned back against the wall. No one would be able to guess his recent mood swing from his tranquil appearance.

“My subordinate Tang De isn’t very reliable in other aspects, but he’s the best at gathering intelligence. However, he was unable to find any clues that you, a retired captain, erased.”

“That’s no surprise. Ling Yi is just an orphan I picked up while in the field. He has no past,” Xi En said calmly.

A cold arc appeared at the corners of Oser’s mouth: “Let me ask you one more question. How did Uncle Bie’er die?”

. . . . . . .

Tang De appeared in a travel-worn state to find two people pacing anxiously outside the intensive care unit.

“Your Highness Ling Yi’s father has already woken up. Why are you still standing at the door?”

Ling Yi was vague in his explanation, only saying that Xi En had offended Oser after waking up and was now being questioned inside.

Tang De didn’t take it seriously: “Your adoptive father is His Highness’s father-in-law. Even if he did something offensive, His Highness won’t make things difficult for him.”

Ling Yi forced a bitter smile: “I hope that’s the case.”

Tang De continued to smile brightly: “Aren’t you two going to ask me where I went just now?”

“Where did you go just now?” Xi Lei asked with some effort.

“Where I went isn’t the important thing – it’s who I brought back.”

He stepped aside, revealing a small, timid head.

“Xi Lan!” Ling Yi exclaimed in surprise. 

Xi Lan’s nervousness vanished upon seeing them: “Gege!”

Xi Lei crouched down and hugged him, eager to carefully inspect his face to judge if he’d lost weight.

“How have you been lately? Have you eaten well?”

“There was a person I didn’t know who said he was Dad’s friend, and he took me somewhere else to live. There were also some strangers who took care of me and treated me very well, but they wouldn’t let me go to school.”

Tang De explained: “Those were His Highness’s people. They didn’t allow him to attend school for fear that the Prime Minister would attempt something, and media outlets are always staking out the school.”

“Why do they go to the school?” Xi Lan asked innocently.

Xi Lei’s throat tightened. Just as he was about to say something, he caught Tang De’s meaningful look.

The door happened to open, and Xi Lan caught sight of his father. Disregarding everything else, he ran over and left Xi Lei behind.

The family that had gone through untold hardships was finally reunited. They hugged each other tightly, and everything in the past just seemed like a nightmare.

Upon waking from the dream, everyone was still alive – the best possible outcome in an unfortunate situation. However, the giant sword hanging over their heads had yet to be lifted.

Ling Yi watched the family of three hug each other tearfully, feeling mixed emotions.

“Why are you the only one missing from such a touching family reunion?” Oser walked out of the ward with one hand in his pocket, and asked jokingly, “Aren’t you family too?”

“What did you and Uncle Xi En talk about?” Ling Yi asked eagerly when he saw him.

“You want to know?” Oser kept the secret to himself. “I’ll settle the score with you later. Had he not told me, I would have never known that your life was so colorful.”

Ling Yi had a bad feeling.

Xi Lan also realized that his family wasn’t complete, and looked around until he found Ling Yi.

“Ling Yi-gege!”

He rushed over and hugged Ling Yi. Just as Ling Yi was about to return his enthusiasm, Xi Lan pulled back and looked at him with surprise.

“What’s wrong, Xi Lan?” Ling Yi asked in confusion.

Xi Lan looked lost and confused: “Ling Yi-gege changed.”

He sniffed with his nose: “You smell different than before.”

Ling Yi: “…..”

Xi Lan had just entered puberty, and could distinguish Alphas and Omegas by scent.

Before Ling Yi could figure out what to say, he had already keenly noticed the changes in Ling Yi.

Tears fell like beads from a broken string: “Ling Yi-gege is like me now. Why did this happen? You promised to marry me when I grow up, did you forget?”

Both helpless and embarrassed, Ling Yi reached out to pull Xi Lan in: “Listen to gege’s explanation.”

Xi Lan reacted strongly, avoiding his hands: “Ling Yi-gege clearly promised me. Why did you break your word?”

This was the first time Ling Yi had seen Xi Lan so agitated that he wouldn’t even let him touch him.

“No matter what I become, you are still my most beloved didi.”

“I don’t want to be your didi, I want to be your bride!”

A familiar scoff sounded in his ears. Ling Yi stole a glance and saw Oser leaning leisurely against the wall, his expression one of enjoying a melodramatic family comedy.

‘Having parents to support and young children to raise’ pretty much summed up Ling Yi’s current predicament. He didn’t know how to coax the little one in front of him, nor did he know how to coax the big one later. He was overwhelmed.

Xi Lei then took Xi Lan away. He was also facing the same predicament as Ling Yi. The parent had just offended His Highness Oser, and now the younger one was dancing on his minefield.

That His Highness Oser had tolerated their family living to this point was truly a mercy.

“I thought you were the Xi family’s adopted son, but it turns out you were adopted to be raised as a husband,” Oser commented after watching the melodrama.

“That’s not how it is,” Ling Yi retorted. “You’re taking the kid’s joke too seriously.”

“Your didi was very serious when he said you made him a promise. It didn’t sound like he was joking at all.”

“It was Xi Lan’s seventh birthday wish. I couldn’t ruin his fun.”

On his seventh birthday, Xi Lan had made a wish to marry Ling Yi when he grew up, and the whole family treated it as a joke.

“You know how children are. At three, they want to marry their father. At five, they want to marry their brother. He knew that he couldn’t marry a blood relative when he grew up, and I was the only other Alpha he was familiar with.”

“When he grows up and he’s surrounded by tons of outstanding Alphas his age, he’ll only think of me once every two or three years, even if he has his mind set on me now.”

“And you don’t know Xi Lei well enough. He has an extreme brother complex. If I dared to have such thoughts, he would be the first to strangle me.”

Even after explaining so much in one breath, it seemed that he still hadn’t gained Oser’s trust.

“Looks like we’ll need to expand the defenses. Not only against Alphas, but against Omegas too.”

Ling Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Your Highness, how can you even be jealous of a little kid?”

“There’s nothing I can do. Who can blame me for the fact that the future consort is so charming that Alphas and Omegas alike want him? It’s impossible to rest at ease.”

In order to reassure him, Ling Yi could only be honest.

“Xi Lan is cute and sweet, but he’s not my type.”

“Your ideal type is beautiful and dainty.”

Ling Yi was once again shocked by his ability to read minds: “How did you know?”

“So it’s true. Your adoptive father didn’t deceive me.”

“Uncle Xi En told you that? How did he know…..no, what else did he tell you?”

“He said you had hidden a lot of good stuff on your phone.”

Ling Yi couldn’t think of any other possibility: “So that’s what Your Highness is referring to. That’s not even worth making a fuss about. It’s normal for Alphas to have a few science and educational videos in stock.”

“I don’t.”

“…..” Ling Yi saw Tang De trying hard to hold back his laughter. “You’re different from us common Alphas. You’re an Alpha who has disengaged from vulgarity.”

Oser: “Tang De.”

“Here.” Tang De was serious for a second.

Oser looked at Ling Yi as he asked Tang De: “Do you know who Meng Tian is?”

“Apologies, Your Highness, I don’t know who Meng Tian is. Including Man Zhu, Mei Ying, Wu Wuli, and Sangxiao Mitao, I haven’t heard of any of these people.”

Ling Yi: “……”

He gave Tang De a thumbs up, full of admiration.

Oser extended his hand toward Tang De: “Give it to me.”

Ling Yi thought, what is this, asking for resources? Is His Highness Oser a freeloader?

What Tang De handed him was a report.

Oser: “I have bad news. This is the conclusion issued by a professional psychiatrist after counseling your didi.”

Ling Yi snatched the report and directly turned to the conclusion: “Traumatic amnesia?”

“He doesn’t remember anything that happened that day. The doctor says that this is his subconscious mind protecting him by blocking all memory of the incident.”

Tang De added: “That’s why during this period, the excuse we gave him was that Xi En is sick, and you and Xi Lei had to stay in the hospital to take care of him. He believed it.”

Ling Yi finally realized why Xi Lan seemed to be alright, and that the most difficult thing for him to accept was that Ling Yi had become an Omega.

“This is bad news? It’s actually a good thing that Xi Lan doesn’t remember anything.”

Oser: “His memory has only been blocked, not erased. It may come back if he’s stimulated in the future.”

“It’s better to have it happen later than to have to think about that disgusting experience all this time.”

Tang De: “The doctor said that if his family agrees, they can try to recover his memories through hypnosis.”

“What doctor? Make him scram,” Ling Yi said rudely. “Don’t let Xi Lan see him again. That scumbag doesn’t deserve to take up even a fraction of space in his memory.”

Ling Yi placed his arms around Oser’s neck: “Your Highness, Xi Lan is still young, and my adoptive father is seriously injured. When he recovers and is discharged from the hospital, you can find a place with few people and beautiful scenery to settle him and his family. And also get them new identities to avoid Lu Hulun getting up to no good again. This shouldn’t be difficult for you to do.”

Oser regarded him with a half-smile: “What about my benefits?”

“You will receive my sincere gratitude.”

“You’ll give me a punch in passing?”

Ling Yi smiled, eyes gleaming as he asked knowingly: “What benefits does Your Highness want?”

“I seem to have developed a sudden interest in civilian art.”

“Isn’t that a coincidence? I happen to have a collection of civilian art. I’ll invite His Highness to appreciate it together.”

Oser was satisfied: “Let me, an Alpha who has disengaged from vulgarity, broaden my horizons.”

. . . . . . .

Xi Lan finally fell asleep after crying himself into exhaustion. Xi Lei also advised Xi En to go to sleep early, but was called into the room.

“If Lu Hulun finds out Ling Yi is still alive, he definitely won’t give up. My health isn’t as good as before, and Xi Lan is still young. If we stay, we will become a burden to Ling Yi.”

Xi Lei: “Ling Yi has the protection of His Highness Oser…..”

“Listen to me,” Xi En stopped him from talking. “When I’m better, His Highness Oser will definitely send us somewhere safe to live. After things have been stable for a while, I’ll take Xi Lan away. Your father learned some skills when he was young, and even His Highness Oser won’t be able to find the place I plan to go.”

Xi Lei was becoming increasingly confused: “Dad, what do you mean by that?”

“I want Ling Yi to have no worries at all. Neither Lu Hulun nor His Highness Oser will be able to use me and Xi Lan as leverage to hold him hostage.”

“What about me?”

“You must stay to protect Ling Yi.”

“Why?” Xi Lei wasn’t happy about this. “His Highness Oser is head over heels for him now. Rather than a squadron of guards, he’d even give him an army. He doesn’t need me.”

“It’s not the same. No matter how many people His Highness Oser gives him, they are still His Highness’s men. Only you will truly stand on Ling Yi’s side.”

Xi Lei was emotionally agitated: “You taught me since childhood that I should follow His Highness Oser when I grew up. For so many years, I’ve dreamed of becoming His Highness’s bodyguard. I finally passed the assessment to join the team, but you want me to protect someone I don’t even like?”

“I really don’t get it. It was you who saved his life, not him who saved yours. Why do you act like you owe him something? He saved Xi Lan for the sake of repaying your kindness, so why should I sacrifice my life? When you paved all roads for him, did you even consider that your biological son also has his own ambitions in life?”

Xi En looked at the young man whose appearance matched his own by 70%, and his heart flooded with guilt.

“Son, I’m so sorry…..”

Xi Lei lowered his head and said: “I’m sorry Dad, I can’t accept your request. You should get some rest.”

He turned and left without looking back.

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Chapter 31 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 33

T/N: Sooo, I messed up the last chapter and only posted half of it. I really did think I’d finished it! If you want to go back and read it, the new content starts at “Those two are Wang Huanzhi, the head of the Langya Wang family, and Wang Zhang, an elder and strategist of the clan.”

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The news of Chu Jiubian’s meeting with Gong-xiansheng spread quickly.

Upon hearing that the two seemed to be holding a poetry contest, the crowd was unable to contain their curiosity and rushed to the third floor, which forced a temporary suspension of the auction.

The auction manager was flustered at the thundering footsteps overhead. He rushed upstairs, squeezed into the private room, and shouted: “Everyone! Everyone, please hear me out!”

The clamoring voices finally subsided by a degree. The manager squeezed toward the middle of the private room, where he found Chu Jiubian and Bai Gongjin standing in front of a long table, along with several distinguished officials.

He quickly smiled and bowed: “I apologize profusely for disturbing your enjoyment. However, the third flood is very cramped. How about you gentlemen move to the first floor, where you can spread out a bit?”

Dressed in dark blue robes, Bai Gongjin looked at Chu Jiubian and asked: “Jiu-gongzi, shall we continue this downstairs?”

“Let’s,” said Chu Jiubian.

Diplomacy before force.

When Chu Jiubian met Bai Gongjin, the latter immediately began talking about “The Hard Road” and “A Spray of Plum Blossoms,” expressing how much he loved these two poems and how much he admired Li Bai and Li Qingzhao.

He also said that he had always wanted to meet Chu Jiubian and find out if there were any other such masterpieces that he could appreciate.

Fearing that Chu Jiubian might be unwilling or have a reason to refuse, Bai Gongjin had proposed that he would recite his own poem first to get things started.

He had already humbled himself so much. If Chu Jiubian still didn’t agree, it would seem as if he was intimidated by him.

The multitude of spectators around were practically offering their Faith Points to him with open arms. There was no reason for him not to accept.

Moreover, all of the powerful and influential people present were waiting to see what abilities this “Jiu-gongzi” possessed. If he didn’t show off, they would truly look down on him.

If he were to enter the Imperial Court later, he might be shunned.

More importantly, Qin Xiao would definitely know about everything that happened tonight.

Chu Jiubian needed to maintain their cooperative relationship, and being too timid would not be conducive to their continued rapport.

So, without hesitation, Chu Jiubian immediately agreed to “discuss” poetry with Bai Gongjin.

When they saw the two stars of the show going downstairs, everyone else naturally followed suit.

As darkness fell, the manager ordered oil lamps to be lit throughout the building.

There were quite a few of them, but the light was dim and flickering, only sufficient to illuminate the people present and the path ahead.

This was a common tactic used by the Treasure Pavilion. The auction began in the evening, and even the most ordinary items could be given a more atmospheric feel by the nighttime lights.

Bai Gongjin led Chu Jiubian to the first floor, intending to go directly to the stage for their poetry discussion.

Seeing this, many officials remained on the second floor or returned to their private boxes to watch from above.

Many more people followed them to the first floor, standing or finding a seat. They were all surprisingly quiet.

The vast majority of these people were here today to verify Chu Jiubian’s identity, a fact that Bai Gongjin, burdened with a heavy responsibility, was well aware of.

When both he and Chu Jiubian were standing onstage, he bowed to the crowd and said warmly: “I never imagined that my poetry discussion with Jiu-gongzi would disrupt the auction and spoil everyone’s fun. I am truly ashamed.”

Chu Jiubian stood silently to the side, gazing up at the private rooms on the second floor.

Under the dim light, he could see all of the powerful officials sitting leisurely upstairs, including Xiao Yao.

These people regarded Chu Jiubian as if looking at a commodity waiting to be priced and sold.

Qin Chaoyang stood quietly two steps behind him, seemingly unremarkable yet somehow very present.

At this moment, Chu Jiubian realized with absolute clarity that members of the Qin family were not the same as the people upstairs.

He could even surmise that if Qin Xiao was present at this moment, he would be standing below the stage with his arms crossed, watching with amusement to see how Chu Jiubian handled the situation – but he would never wear an expression as if he was assessing the goods.

Chu Jiubian felt that he might have been wrong from the beginning.

He and Qin Xiao may not be equal in status, but the man never looked down on him or treated his life lightly.

Otherwise, he would have broken Chu Jiubian’s neck on the day of the coronation ceremony.

Chu Jiubian’s feelings were somewhat complicated, but he remained outwardly calm and composed.

“Xiansheng is overthinking it,” said someone in the audience, and more people immediately chimed in.

“Both of you are exceptional talents. It is our honor to witness your poetry discussion in person.”

“Indeed, in no way have we been disturbed. Xiansheng is too kind.”

The atmosphere in the building was harmonious, but then a sudden voice rang out.

Tinged with amusement, that voice asked leisurely: “Are you going to compete or not?”

All noise in the building instantly subsided, and everyone looked toward the source of the sound, including Chu Jiubian.

Beside a vermillion stone pillar on the right side of the hall stood a young man clad in white robes, his arms crossed. His slightly curly long hair draped over his shoulders casually, and contained faint glimpses of silver chains that gleamed like stars in the candlelight.

In the Great Ning Dynasty, which emphasized etiquette and regulations, it was truly odd for a young man who had reached adulthood to have such wild hair.

Chu Jiubian even felt that he himself was more like a local than this person.

But it must be said that this fellow was really quite handsome.

With delicate features and a pair of alluring peach blossom eyes, the corners slightly upturned, every smile or frown exuded a romantic, carefree charm.

At this moment, the other person’s gaze fell on Bai Gongjin.

Bai Gongjin seemed to recognize him, and his expression stiffened.

The young man scoffed at this and said: “I hate people like you who put on airs. Aren’t you just trying to make things difficult for Jiu-gongzi because he stole your thunder? What’s with the pretense of being high-minded?”

“Young Master Wang is being ridiculous,” Bai Gongjin said, barely able to maintain his composure. “I merely wish to discuss poetry with Jiu-gongzi.”

“Then get started, so as not to delay my shopping.”

Young Master Wang?

As Chu Jiubian was pondering this person’s identity, Qin Chaoyang spoke very quietly from beside him: “Young Master, that is Wang Qichen, the eldest son of the Langya Wang family. His birth mother died early, and the current mistress of the Wang family was promoted from her position as a concubine.”

So that’s how it is.

Chu Jiubian raised his eyes toward the private box where the Wang family members were sitting and, sure enough, he saw that the usually composed and gentle Wang family head wore a dark expression on his face.

This father and son had a strained relationship, ah.

Somewhat embarrassed, Bai Gongjin gave Chu Jiubian an awkward smile: “Then I’ll offer my humble poem as a starting point. Please forgive my poor performance.”

“Please,” said Chu Jiubian.

Bai Gongjin slowly exhaled before saying: “A swift horse gallops through the clouds as dawn breaks to a lengthy song. One’s heart fills with lofty ambition, eyes encompassing countless villages.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up at the recitation of these two lines.

They thought to themselves: As expected of the renowned Gongjin-xiansheng. This poem is truly exceptional.

Bai Gongjin felt much more at ease upon seeing everyone’s reactions.

This poem called “Chasing the Wind” was his most satisfying piece in recent days. It was the influence of the line ‘There will be a time to ride the wind and waves, and set sail to cross the vast ocean’ which had put him in such an open-minded state.

He composed himself and proceeded to recite the last two lines: “Gains and losses follow the gull birds, one’s conduct guided by a goblet of wine. With no fixed abode, the wind and moon fill the heart of a wanderer.”

Thunderous applause erupted at the end of the recitation.

If one had read the Three Hundred Tang Dynasty Poems thoroughly, even if writing poetry was impossible, one could at least recite it.

Chu Jiubian was someone who couldn’t write poetry, but could distinguish between good and bad works, so he knew that Bai Gongjin’s poem was indeed of good quality.

However, taking each line of the man’s poem separately, Chu Jiubian could find similar artistic conceptions in the poems he had memorized. Therefore, in comparison, even the best poems no longer seemed so amazing.

But for the onlookers here, this was indeed a rare masterpiece, and for a time, the sounds of praise and discussion enveloped the entire Treasure Pavilion.

Amidst the slightly chaotic scene, Chu Jiubian suddenly caught sight of two slender, furtive figures as they quickly but carefully left through the back door.

Two women?

Chu Jiubian quickly realized that they were two women from the private room on the second floor, one dressed as a young lady and the other as a maid.

It was now completely dark outside, and the street was closed off, with no one coming or going.

If they left for the purpose of relieving themselves, there were several rooms on the third floor specifically prepared for women and guarded by strong matrons, so there was no need to leave the establishment.

Moreover, the women in attendance today had all come with the men and matriarchs of their families. Even if there was some sudden news from home, it wouldn’t be necessary for a young lady and her maid to go back and deal with it.

Their urgent, nervous expressions suggested that they definitely weren’t sneaking out to play.

So what were they doing?

Chu Jiubian turned his head toward Qin Chaoyang behind him, and the other man immediately leaned forward: “What are your orders, Young Master?”

“Two young women are acting strangely. Go take a look.”

Qin Chaoyang hesitated for a moment and sent a subtle glance toward a certain place on the second floor. Then, with a “yes,” he left, his figure vanishing into the shadows in the blink of an eye with no one the wiser.

Chu Jiubian was momentarily stunned.

This was his first time witnessing the martial arts of this era. So cool.

But why had Qin Chaoyang obeyed him to this extent? Could it be that Qin Xiao had granted him some kind of authority?

For example, “Listen to Chu Jiubian while out and about.”

Or perhaps there were other guards watching him from the shadows, so Qin Chaoyang wasn’t worried that he would run away, nor was he afraid of other forces “killing Chu Jiubian if they couldn’t have him.”

It seemed that the people guarding him must be highly skilled martial artists, which set Chu Jiubian’s heart at ease.

Bai Gongjin paid no attention to Chu Jiubian. As he listened to the compliments from the crowd below, he knew that after this night, his reputation as a talent would spread even further, and he couldn’t help feeling a little proud.

He could write poetry, and could comprehend it even better.

Therefore, he also clearly understood how difficult it was to create a poem like “The Hard Road.” Many poets spent their entire lives without being able to write one of such caliber.

He didn’t believe that the poets Li Bai and Li Qingzhao could have produced any better poems for Chu Jiubian to spread, unless there was a third great talent.

“What does the young master think of my poem?” he asked courteously with feigned humility.

Chu Jiubian nodded: “Pretty good.”

“I’m sure the Young Master can do better,” said Bai Gongjin.

The building fell silent once more as everyone awaited Chu Jiubian’s response.

“I’ll do my best.” The faint smile that appeared on Chu Jiubian’s indifferent face was like the snow melting in spring, captivating many among the audience.

Bai Gongjin, the person standing closest to him, was also briefly stunned. When he came to his senses, he subconsciously lowered his eyes, not daring to meet the gaze of the ethereal figure in front of him as his heart began to race. He was even more excited than when he was being praised by everyone earlier.

Chu Jiubian paid no attention to the reactions of others.

His voice was clear and cold, his expression filled with nostalgia as he said: “There is also a Gongjin-xiansheng in our immortal realm, but his surname is Zhou and his given name is Yu. He is a rare talent.”

A dark glint flashed in Xiao Yao’s eyes.

He recalled that when he mentioned “Gongjin-xiansheng” earlier, Chu Jiubian had subconsciously asked, “Is his surname Zhou?”

Therefore, this Zhou Gongjin must have really existed.

Even if he wasn’t a so-called immortal, he was certainly a member of the force behind Chu Jiubian.

A rare talent.

What kind of person must he be to have been described in such terms? Bai Gongjin was surprised that Chu Jiubian would say such a thing, and couldn’t help but ask curiously: “Then is that Zhou Gongjin-xiansheng also a poet?”

“He is,” Chu Jiubian replied without hesitation. “But what I am about to recite isn’t one of his poems. It is a poem by the god of poetry Su Shi, inspired by Zhou Yu, titled “Reminiscence of Red Cliffs.”

“God of poetry?” Bai Gongjin was speechless.

So was everyone else present.

Wasn’t Li Bai the “Immortal Poet?”

Why was there a “God of Poetry” now?

Would there be “Poet Saints” or “Poet Ghosts” in the future?!

The expressions of the nobles and officials in the second floor private rooms shifted. Sure enough, this Jiu-gongzi had more than two great talents behind him. Now, the God of Poetry Su Shi and the “rare talent” Zhou Yu had also emerged.

Wang Huanzhi took a sip of tea and said: “He’s deliberately acting mysterious.”

Wang Zhang had already gotten up and walked to the railing.

Seeing that everyone’s curiosity had been piqued, Chu Jiubian began to recite aloud: “The mighty river flows eastward, its currents washing away countless heroes of the past.”

“West of the old fortress, people say, lay the Red Cliffs of the Three Kingdoms’ Zhou Yu.”

The first two lines alone drew the audience into a profound, desolate atmosphere.

Those who had been sitting calmly in the private rooms on the second floor couldn’t help but get up and walk to the railing, fixing their burning gazes on Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian, however, seemed oblivious to them, and continued to recite in a cool voice: “Rocks pierce the sky and waves crash against the shore, churning up countless heaps of snow.”

Even without his deliberate, impassioned recitation, everyone could still get a sense of the magnificent and awe-inspiring battlefield from this single sentence.

“The landscape is like a painting, from which innumerable heroes emerge.”

How many heroes?

Was Zhou Yu not the only one this poet was reminiscing about?

At that moment, those powerful and wealthy people seemed to feel a chill at the bottom of their hearts.

Where were these so-called “Red Cliffs” located?

And what were the Three Kingdoms?

Was it the name of a place, or was it referring to three countries?

At this thought, everyone felt a chill run down their spine.

Were there other, even more powerful countries or forces lurking in the shadows? What was their purpose in sending Chu Jiubian to the capital?

Why did they hide themselves so well before, but wanted to get involved in this mess in the capital now?

Xiao Yao could no longer maintain the gentle smile on his face.

His gaze burned as he stared intently at the tall figure down below, and his hands nearly snapped his folding fan in half.

In so many years, no one had discovered such a terrifying force.

Either the other side was powerful to an uncanny degree, or they weren’t actually in this realm at all.

If so, was it really as Chu Jiubian said? These poems, that ice-making technique…..were they all from the immortal realm?

This Jiu-gongzi.

Was he truly a “god?”

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Chapter 17 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 19

Chapter 51 – Caught You

“How many of these blue beads do you have left?” Fang Yang watched as Cao Zirui on his back took out yet another one, which was exactly the same as the two that had broken before.

It’s like a copying ability! Fang Yang complained inwardly.

“Um…..” Cao Zirui didn’t answer right away, but reached into his storage bag and felt around. He didn’t know how many there were, so he could only give Fang Yang a rough estimate: “The Water Soul Bead is actually a one-use earth-grade weapon. Shifu gave me a string of ten to twenty beads.”

Fang Yang: “…..”

Cao Zirui’s voice was still casual when he said the words “ten to twenty, as if they were simply dozens of worthless stones, but it was completely the opposite in Fang Yang’s ears.

It’s really good to have money, was Fang Yang’s only thought. He attempted to convert these Water Soul Beads into money, but his brain overheated and stopped working.

After some thought, he suddenly realized: “Since you have so many Water Soul Beads, we can resist ten to twenty attacks! We don’t have to be afraid of him at all!”

Cao Zirui shook his head and was about to refute, but the bell at his waist began to ring again.

Without a word, he immediately activated the Water Soul Bead he had just taken out.

Fang Yang once more felt a wave of heat approaching behind him, but wasn’t too panicked, because he also saw the bubble opening up around the two of them again.

The bubble burst as the fire died out. The broken remnants of the magic weapon in Cao Zirui’s hand rolled down Fang Yang’s neck, and he proceeded to tread across the pieces of them.

While running, Fang Yang glanced back with some pride at the retreating golden arrow. With the Water Soul Beads in their hands, Lu Chengye was completely helpless against them.

However, just as he turned his head, Cao Zirui spat out a mouthful of blood. Fang Yang was stunned as it sprayed across his face.

“Cough, cough.” After spitting up blood, Cao Zirui continued to cough and choke.

Fang Yang belatedly snapped back to his senses and asked: “What’s wrong with you?”

“Cough…..I’m fine…..cough cough…..” Cao Zirui may have said he was fine, but he didn’t look fine at all.

Fang Yang certainly didn’t believe it. Although he was dumbfounded at first, he could more or less guess the reason: “The Water Soul Bead was unable to completely block the golden arrow, and the aftereffects hurt you?”

Cao Zirui didn’t answer, and just coughed a few more times.

This could be taken as tacit agreement. Fang Yang smelled the bloody scent near him and heard Cao Zirui’s increasingly weak voice. He couldn’t help but suggest: “How about you give me a Water Soul Bead and I’ll block the next attack?”

He had no serious injuries, and although his cultivation wasn’t as high as Cao Zirui’s, he was still a little stronger now that Cao Zirui was at the end of his strength.

“It won’t work.” Cao Zirui unexpectedly denied him.

He explained to the bewildered Fang Yang: “The spiritual energy required to activate the Water Soul Bead is enormous. It is not a magic weapon for Qi Refining stage disciples. The ninth level of Qi Refining is already the minimum requirement to activate one, so you won’t be able to do it.”

Fang Yang was currently at the third level of Qi Refining, which was far from enough to meet the minimum requirements.

“But you…..” Fang Yang said anxiously. Given Cao Zirui’s physical condition, he would pass out if he coughed a few more times, let alone if he used the Water Soul Bead again.

Fang Yang’s guess was accurate. Cao Zirui truly didn’t have the ability to activate a Water Soul Bead again. His vision was darkening. If not for his strong desire to hold on, he would have passed out long ago.

Fang Yang spoke to him, but he didn’t respond right away. After a long while, he gave a low, incomprehensible reply.

Although the response was very faint, Fang Yang still heard it. Cao Zirui was still alive. His heart could rest at ease.

But he only relaxed slightly, because there was no telling when Lu Chengye’s next arrow would strike. At that point, they would probably really die without a burial place.

Just as his mind was in chaos, Fang Yang once again heard that man’s voice in his mind: 

“Run east.”

Two monsters rushed him at the same time, and Feng Ye dodged at an extremely tricky angle, causing them to crash into each other.

This also freed up some time to communicate with Fang Yang.

During the underwater fight with the monsters, he had been keeping an eye on Fang Yang through his sea of consciousness, and knew that Cao Zirui was exhausted.

He told Fang Yang to run east because he was in the east. And during the battle, he had also been surreptitiously leading the group of monsters in Fang Yang’s direction.

Even though one of them was on land and the other was three hundred meters underwater, the horizontal distance between them was less than one li at this point.

Maybe…..I can catch up to him?

Feng Ye held onto a glimmer of hope that he wouldn’t have to face the choice of exposing his identity to save Fang Yang and the other disciple.

This Mysterious Big Brother living in the bamboo slip was Fang Yang’s last hope, so even though he didn’t know why he had to run east, he obeyed without hesitation.

He held the increasingly dazed Cao Zirui tightly to his back and headed eastward in pursuit of his last resort.

After Feng Ye gave this instruction, he was entangled by the monsters again.

Several shark-like monsters were scattered around Feng Ye, sharp teeth bared in preparation to pounce and bite their prey.

Feng Ye was just about to use his old trick again and let these monsters ram into each other.

He had no bladed weapon, and couldn’t hurt these thick-skinned monsters at all. He’d been able to fight them off until now just by relying on his agile body.

Although he had a human body, he was surprisingly agile when swimming in the sea, and was in no way inferior to Hao Chen, a black fish who lived in the North Sea all year round.

Therefore, the group of monsters besieging him hadn’t even been able to tear his clothes.

However, these monsters seemed to be under someone’s command, and after accidentally injuring their companions numerous times, the troops actually started to be deployed in an organized manner.

Damnit! Feng Ye suddenly realized that the shark-like monsters around him were just a distraction. The real killing move was yet to come!

A monster that looked like a giant whale over a hundred meters long had at some point swum close to Feng Ye. There were so many monsters swimming around him that he couldn’t glean information from the currents, and he barely even noticed when it got so close to him.

In the darkness, the whale opened a mouth that could swallow a dozen sharks in one gulp, and the monsters distracting Feng Ye simultaneously swam away.

It was too late to escape. Feng Ye stared at the enormous mouth in the darkness ahead, which dwarfed his own form.

It seemed the other party wanted the whale to suck him into its stomach.

Feng Ye’s guess was correct. When the whale’s mouth fully opened, its stomach contracted slightly and a swirling flow of water generated at its mouth. The whirlpool drew in all kinds of objects, including mud, sand, rocks, and the shellfish attached to the rock wall. They were all sucked in and swallowed up.

Feng Ye grabbed a protruding rock on the base of the floating island before the mouth completely opened. He was at the center of the vortex, where the suction was the strongest.

His entire body stretched horizontally in the sea, his hair fluttering behind him as he clutched the rock tightly in order to keep from being swept away by the whirlpool.

But he couldn’t hold on for long. He felt the rock under his hand loosen.

Problems came one after another. This was fine.

The most irritating thing was the black fish, which had swum over to the closest position to the whirlpool, tail wagging as it occupied the best seat for spectating.

Although he couldn’t see the black fish’s expression clearly, he knew that it must be wearing a very punchable entertained look.

Feng Ye swayed with the current of the whirlpool, tilting his head to look at the black fish. The rock under his hands was already precarious, and he was about to be sucked into the whirlpool along with it.

This siege drama scripted by Hao Chen was about to reach its climax. The black fish swam in an excited circle. He wanted to see if Feng Ye would be swallowed by the giant whale…..

Or perhaps…..he would reveal the cards he had been hiding.

Just as Hao Chen thought this, something unexpected happened. 

Before the rock under Feng Ye’s hands could break, he actually took the initiative to let go.

Having lost his point of support, his body spun weakly in the whirlpool, but was not swallowed into the whale’s stomach. 

Because Feng Ye’s left hand suddenly clenched into the shape of a claw, and the vortex spinning around him was abruptly cut off.

The flow of water was cut into two distinct halves.

The water in front of the whale’s mouth continued to spin, swallowing up everything around it.

And the water in front of Feng Ye obeyed his command, gathering to form sharp claws that were magnified several times, with their tips being half the height of a person.

These huge claws swung fiercely, and the giant whale attempting to swallow Feng Ye was flipped sideways through the water.

He can actually control water?! The black fish gaped at this scene in astonishment. How could Feng Ye, a human being, control the flow of water?!

Such was his surprise that he couldn’t close his mouth. He knew very well that Feng Ye hadn’t used any spells or magic weapons. There was no prelude before he swung those claws. This guy could actually control the water by himself. 

It seemed that Feng Ye was truly no ordinary person. Who was he? As the black fish thought, he saw Feng Ye stand firmly in the water again after flipping the giant whale, then suddenly turn his head toward Hao Chen in his black fish form.

When their eyes met, there was none of the warmth between old acquaintances.

Hao Chen only saw a smile on Feng Ye’s lips that gave off an inexplicable sense of danger.

This smile caused the black fish to shudder. He looked down at Feng Ye’s right hand, which had been hidden by his side, but was now exposed.

His right hand was clenched into a claw shape like his left hand, but it wasn’t actually doing anything.

When Feng Ye flipped over the giant whale just now, there had only been one set of claws. Where was the other one? 

Could it be that…..

In the same instant that Hao Chen came to a realization and tried to escape, Feng Ye suddenly clenched his right hand, and invisible claws made of water grabbed the fleeing black fish.

The black fish swung its fins, attempting to break free. Logically speaking, it should be almost impossible for human hands to grip his slippery skin.

However, these giant claws were made of water. He put up a struggle, shaking his tail and flapping his fins, but the giant claws only tightened. He was unable to break free.

Feng Ye’s dangerous voice sounded in Hao Chen’s ears: “Caught you.”

How hateful.

The black fish grasped tightly in his claws: “……”

Judging from Feng Ye’s tone, it sounded as if he intended to stew him.

No, not “as if.” Feng Ye’s expression said plainly that he indeed wanted to stew him.

A pot won’t be able to hold all this food, ah, Hao Chen thought aimlessly.

He realized that his thoughts had wandered too far, and hurriedly pulled them back.

But…..Feng Ye’s dangerous tone does sound rather attractive…… His thoughts, which had just been pulled back, went astray again.

Hao Chen immediately shook his head and collected himself.

Feng Ye watched as the giant fish, which could only move its head, stared at him for a moment before shaking it. Who knew what was on its mind?

Feng Ye: “……”

Forget it, he had never understood Hao Chen’s thinking.

He’d finally caught this fat, slippery fish. Although Feng Ye did want to stew him just as Hao Chen had thought, there wasn’t a big enough pot.

And Fang Yang wasn’t out of danger yet – he must rush to the surface immediately. This was just the right time to leave, when he had momentarily pushed the monsters aside and imprisoned Hao Chen.

So Feng Ye had no intention of entangling with Hao Chen here. He left the black fish where it was, firmly grasped by the giant claws, and turned around to leave.

He’s leaving again?! The black fish had been placid after failing to break free, but at this realization, he couldn’t stay still anymore.

He hadn’t settled the score with Feng Ye for luring him into the monsters’ lair. Hao Chen had been magnanimous by not making too much of a fuss, but he actually wanted to abandon him again!

Hao Chen gazed after Feng Ye’s back and grew increasingly angry.

He looked down at the giant claws made of water that had entrapped him. The strength of this incarnation was limited, with not even one tenth of his original body’s strength.

But after all, he was in his natural habitat. No matter who Feng Ye was, if he, a fish, lost when it came to stirring up trouble, he would…..he would…..

He wouldn’t be able to call himself a fish anymore!

After swimming out less than a hundred meters, Feng Ye suddenly turned back as he felt the water under his control abruptly slip through his grasp. The giant claws collapsed in an instant, and the black fish escaped.

The black fish’s silhouette faded into the water, growing increasingly faint until it was indistinguishable from the surroundings. 

In the area of sea where the black fish had disappeared, the water currents were completely out of Feng Ye’s control. They surged violently, transforming into a waterpout one hundred meters wide, kicking up huge waves.

And it was headed straight toward Feng Ye.

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Chapter 50 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 52