Chapter 176 - Regent Estate’s Invitation (1/2)
A silence had swallowed the imperial gardens, one it had never seen since its making. Even the birds felt the situation was dire, not making a peep.
Yuwen Cong looked cautiously at the serious emperor sunk in deep thought.
Mr. Sima frowned, “Your Majesty, with how thoroughly blown out of proportion this matter is, I leave the decision to you. Perhaps giving up on Luo clan is…”
The emperor started pacing, his brows locked tight.
After ages, he stopped. His eyes were incredibly calm, while also hiding a deep hint of freezing killing intent.
“No, I must protect the Luo clan and the boy!”
Waving, the emperor shouted, “I have always exercised tolerance in my ruling. But this has gone far enough. They will push me down a cliff if I let this happen.”
“Here’s my decree. Inform Marshal Dugu to move swiftly! There’s not a moment to lose!”
[What, the second of the Four Pillars, War God Dugu Zhantian is coming back?]
Yuwen Cong hesitated to speak, but Mr. Sima showed his unrest, “Your Majesty, you can’t! Marshal Dugu defends the borders. The Quanrong wouldn’t dare to step a foot beyond the Thunder Pond with him there. The border will descend into chaos if he leaves!”
“You’re exaggerating. For thirty years, the border had been peaceful.” The emperor cut Mr. Sima’s advice short. His eyes flashed coldly, “I will show my cousin, who this land belongs to. He has crossed my final line!”
Shuddering inside, Mr. Sima knew the emperor had made up his mind and sighed. Yuwen Cong bowed and then withdrew with the edict.
The emperor looked up, his eyes flashing as he laughed coldly…
…
Prime-minister’s residence in the Imperial Capital.
Prime-minister Zhuge Changfeng was swinging in his rocking chair with his eyes closed in rest. Suddenly, a black figure came and whispered before vanishing again.
Opening his eyes, Zhuge Changfeng revealed a calculative look as a smile grew on his face, “The monkey had stirred enough ruckus in the Heavenly Temple and made him nervous. To even have that old man return. Ha-ha-ha, the time for the war between the seven houses and him is soon upon us. Since this is the case, let me spice things up.”
(StarReader: Journey to the West reference. Monkey King always caused havoc in every task Jade Emperor gave him.)
Zhuge Changfeng looked in his yard, “Elders Yin and Yang!”
“Prime Minister Zhuge, what is it that you ask of us?” One black and one white figure flashed before him.
Zhuge Changfeng smiled, “Do you know where Thunder Swarm Mountain is?”
“It is a place for one of the empire’s tree guardian sects, the Demon Scheming Sect. There is a large barrier there. It detains the four greatest criminals, now suffering the strikes of ten thousand lightning bolts every day for the past 60 years!” The black-haired elder spoke.
Nodding, Zhuge Changfeng smiled, “Very good, can you go there and get them out?”
“What?!” The two exchanged a glance, thinking they had heard him wrong.
“Prime-minister Zhuge, why would you want to? This is the matter of Demon Scheming Sect that we shouldn’t meddle in. Not only were the four savage disciples on the path of demonic cultivation, but held key positions within the sect. They can’t be used.” The white-haired elder cupped his hands.
Shaking his head, Zhuge Changfeng said, “Those four old fellows have been stuck there for sixty years. Demon Scheming Sect couldn’t care less anymore. As long as we keep our mouths shut about this, no one will know. Also, I never planned on recruiting the four. Now, can you two do it or not?”
“Of course!” The two elders nodded.
They may have not come from a great sect, but their skills have very much sharpened over the centuries. A mere barrier couldn’t stop them.
Nodding, Zhuge Changfeng laughed, “Good, now go. The already restless Tianyu will soon reach a boiling point, ha-ha-ha…”
Meanwhile, Veiled Dragon Pavilion’s Pavilion Lord, Long Yifey, was listening along with the elders to Long Jiu’s report – the shock palpable.
Once Long Jiu finished, all were bug-eyed.
“You mean to say that Hell Valley’s 5th elder lost an arm?” Third elder cried out.
Understanding his feelings, Long Jiu smiled wryly as he advised, “Third brother should relax. The kid had taken the Bursting Pill first. If you had taken it…”
“But you also said that the fifth elder ate it too…” Third elder’s face sank in disappointment.
Long Jiu rushed to say, “Yeah, you’re right, but that kid ate five. If you took five…”
“I’d be a goner!”