Chapter 962: Love lost, friendship gone (1/2)

These were Long Feiye’s three secret orders:

Warn Gu Qishao that he’d have to shoulder the consequences if he didn’t come to meet him.

Order Baili Mingxiang to switch destinations and wait for them at Medical City

Keep a close eye on any paths from Hundred Poisons Sect to Northern Li, in case Bai Yanqing had gone north to rely on Jun Yixie

Medical City was northeast of Hundred Poisons Sect, just past the Three-Way Battlefield. Thus, Long Feiye made sure to travel with care. Since Bai Yanqing had an undying body, even the strongest martial arts would be no match for his retaliation. Thus, he sent five teams of shadow guards disguised as their groups to leave from Hundred Poisons Sect in different directions. Meanwhile, he, Han Yunxi, and Gu Beiyue only brought a few poison soldiers to head for the thick mountain forests of Western Zhou and covertly head for the Poison Sect.

At the very least, their ploy at Hundred Poisons Sect had been a success. Leaving aside everything else, just discovering Bai Yanqing’s undying body was their greatest gain. It was impossible to imagine what the consequences would be if they’d continued being so ignorant.

Bai Yanqing couldn’t have imagined that Long Feiye would come looking for his body even after kicking it into cliff. Currently, the man was heading west. He wasn’t planning to rely on Jun Yixie in the north, but as to where he was going? Only he himself knew.

Once Long Feiye’s group departed, news of Bai Yanqing’s possibility as a Poison Gu human spread like wildfire. Emperor Kangcheng, Long Tianmo, and the rest were still at Great Central County Seat when the news hit them. Besides them, even Mu Qingwu was terrified by the news.

“Poison Gu human, this...how could this be possible?” Emperor Kangcheng suddenly felt unsteady in his seat.

Long Tianmo remained silent, but his complexion looked awful. As his subordinate, Mu Qingwu couldn’t speak out when his master didn’t, so he remained quiet too. Emperor Kangcheng had hardly sat down when he sprang back up again.

“Could this be a plot by Long Feiye and Han Yunxi? Say, this...how is it possible? Didn’t Medical City destroy the Poison Sect back then?”

“They...have no reason to make up such rumors,” Long Tianmo stated. “What are you afraid of? Bai Yanqing has no quarrel with you or me. Even if the sky falls down, there’s still East and West Qin propping it up with Northern Li!”

Emperor Kangcheng disagreed with Long Tianmo’s views. He replied, “You can say things like that. If Bai Yanqing’s really a Poison Gu human, then doesn’t this world long belong to him? A single Poison corpse human is equal to a dozen soldiers, so wouldn’t a Poison Gu be even more fearsome? If East Qin, West Qin, and Northern Li gets destroyed, we won’t last either!”

“Let’s observe the situation quietly for now!” Long Tianmo was actually rather apprehensive inside. By now, he’d lost much of his ambition and only wanted to defend his territory in Tianan and avoid any wars. It was better to be on the sidelines. Only recently, he discovered that Great General Mu had wild ambitions of his own, but he still didn’t understand why the man wanted to make a big deal out of the events at Hundred Poisons Sect. This morning, Emperor Kangcheng had probed him for answers, but he had only given him the bare minimum. Then the news of the Poison Gu human had made him drop the subject altogether.

“It’s getting late. Zhen will bid farewell,” Long Tianmo rose to his feet.

Emperor Kangcheng didn’t leave him. They said their goodbyes before the emperor sent Long Tianmo off at the gates. He was already getting into his carriage when he suddenly remembered something.

With a smile, he said, “Since Western Zhou and Tianan will advance or retreat in tandem, why not continue the tradition of our marriage alliances?”

Emperor Kangcheng was thrilled by the words. Long Tianmo only had a single empress but no issue. By mentioning the marriage alliance now, it was clear that he wanted a Western Zhou princess to marry into Tianan Country.

“Very good! Excellent!” Emperor Kangcheng nodded with a smile. A princess in Tianan could count as an extra set of eyes and ears too. At the same time, she could solidify feelings between the two nations. In former days, the Western Zhou emperor had been filled with ambitions, but after all these wars--especially when facing the strength of East and West Qin--he had long retreated to avoid an awkward defeat. He and Long Tianmo thought the same way: to protect their own lands and maintain peace in the country for the people. The powers of East and West Qin laid between their territories, but neither of them would ever be able to surpass either faction in an all-out battle. Since they weren’t clashing with each other, a marriage alliance was the best way to stabilize relations. Any princess from Western Zhou who married over there wouldn’t be cast aside too much or forced to remain guarded.

Emperor Kangcheng was no easy foe. He had already looked into Mu Liuyue’s situation. Hearing Long Tianmo’s words today made him realize the man’s silent struggle against the Mu Clan troops. He was certain that any Western Zhou princess who married into Tianan would be favored and doted on. Perhaps they might even give birth to Tianan Country’s first heir! He agreed right away and pledged to give Princess Dehe (德和公主)[1] to Long Tianmo as an imperial concubine.

Princess Dehe’s actual name was Duanmu Jin (端木瑾).[2] She had just turned 16 and was born from one of Emperor Kangcheng’s concubines. As Western Zhou’s youngest princess, she was the daughter that the emperor doted on most besides Duanmu Yao in the past.

A few years ago, Emperor Kangcheng had planned to wait until Duanmu Jin came of age before giving her to Chu Tianyin to control the Chu Clan. However, he never expected them to revolt so quickly. Rumors had it that Duanmu Yao used to oppress Duanmu Jin before she was expelled from the royal clan. Now that both she and the former empress had gotten in trouble, this youngest princess had become the apple of her father’s eye.

Long Tianmo had no idea what kind of person Duanmu Jin was, much less what she looked like. But neither did he care. When he returned to the palace this time, he was going to participate in a concubine selection to find talented individuals capable of suppressing Imperial Consort Mu Liuyue. Since Great General Mu wanted him to work with Western Zhou, then marrying a Western Zhou princess was the most natural choice.

Long Tianmo and Emperor Kangcheng’s meeting went extremely smoothly for them both, which left them delighted. They chatted a bit more in low tones before finally parting. Meanwhile, Mu Qingwu listened to everything with a heavy heart. Because of the upcoming concubine selections, Mu Liuyue had already thrown multiple tantrums back in the palace. He was afraid to report such news to the emperor. If news of the marriage alliance spread back, then Heaven knows what kind of chaos would befall the imperial harem next. Although Mu Qingwu didn’t really want to return, he had to escort Long Tianmo to the palace and ask his father some questions.

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