Chapter 476 - Proper Palace Intrigue (15) (2/2)

Xu Kong was already feeling pretty skittish to begin with. So when Shi Sheng suddenly shouted, he couldn’t help but plop to his knees.

“Speak, which sect are you from? You actually dared to go around conning people, scum! This great deity will execute the will of the heavens today!”

Shi Sheng cringed heavily inside. ‘These lines are too shameless even for me.’

Everyone was dumbstruck. ‘What’s going on? Why is Master Xu Kong kneeling? And why did Yun Jie Yu refer to herself as “this great deity”?’

Xu Kong didn’t have any real ability. So with the scare Shi Sheng gave him, he naturally thought he’d met a true expert of his craft.

Of course he wouldn’t dare to lie and immediately reported his sect’s name.

Shi Sheng crooked her finger at him.

Xu Kong felt like his heart was about to leap out of his throat, but he could only cautiously inch closer to Shi Sheng.

Everyone watched as Shi Sheng produced a piece of paper and then a brush in quick succession like a magic trick.

She wrote something down quickly and handed the paper to Xu Kong. After the latter read what was on it, he felt only shock.

Shi Sheng raised her sword, whereupon Xu Kong immediately caved.

His eyes swivelled in his sockets quickly before he started knocking his head on the floor. “This one had eyes, but couldn’t see Mt. Tai! Senior, please forgive my slights!”

Everyone, “…” ‘Senior? Didn’t he just call her a devil not five minutes ago?’

“Am I still a devil?” Shi Sheng asked with a smile.

“No, no, no, it was simply this incompetent one’s mistake!” Xu Kong hurriedly shook his head.

Xu Kong then bowed to Yuwen Xun. “Your Majesty, I saw wrongly before. This senior is a very powerful Master.”

Yuwen Xun, “…” ‘Do you take me for a monkey? Zhuang Qiong is but the daughter of a noble clan—she’s never even visited a sect before and you’re trying to tell me she’s a powerful Master? If you’re going to lie through your teeth, at least come up with something better!’

Without being asked, Xu Kong covered up for Shi Sheng by saying that she was gifted with great talent and had comprehended her abilities without a teacher to guide her, that his sect knew all about her, etc.

Though it sounded like complete bollocks, Xu Kong said all this in a very serious tone and even swore upon his life, as if he was telling the truth.

Ming Jin struggled to hold back his laughter. Though the rest hadn’t seen what was on the paper that Shi Sheng showed Xu Kong, he had.

Say that I’m a skilled practitioner, or I’ll kill you.

She had even added on the following:

I’ll pay you.

‘As I expected, this Zhuang Qiong is rather interesting.’

Yuwen Xun was more willing to believe that Shi Sheng was a devil than that she was some Master.

He hummed a moment. “Since Master Xu Kong claims she is skilled, then let her prove it.”

Xu Kong looked at Shi Sheng. ‘I can only help you up to here.’

Shi Sheng searched her brain for major events in the plot. “There will be heavy downpour in Jinbei 10 days later, resulting in severe flooding and a disease outbreak.”

Artificial events might change, but natural disasters tended to stay the same.

Yuwen Xun’s eyes suddenly turned sharp. “Do you know what you’re saying?!”

Floods, epidemics…were both matters that concerned the empire at large.

“Didn’t you ask me to prove it? We’ll know if I spoke the truth in 10 days.”

“Master Xu Kong, can you predict this?” Yuwen Xun looked at Xu Kong.

Xu Kong, “…” ‘I’m just a conman! How would I know?!’

“Er…this one isn’t as skilled as senior, so I am unable to do that.” ‘This isn’t a laughing matter. Even if this Yun Gui Fei doesn’t feel like living anymore, I still do!’

“Surely Your Majesty can afford to give Yun Jie Yu 10 days?” Ming Jin spoke.

Yuwen Xun pondered for a moment before actually nodding, earning him strange looks from everyone present. “Very well, you will be given 10 days. If nothing has happened after 10 days, you will be beheaded on grounds of lying to your Emperor. Yun Jie Yu, do you have any objections?”

“Nope.” Shi Sheng paused. “Now comes the question…what if I’m right?”