Chapter 65

Jin Yuhou Huangfu Yu, being questioned in return by Xiao Sheng, his face changed slightly, and he repeatedly claimed he did not dare.

Simata Tianda then stepped forward to mediate, smiling and saying, "Jin Yuhou was just speaking casually, certainly not trying to pressure the Fourteenth Prince. As for this martial contest, ha ha, there's no need to take it too seriously. When the time comes to perform in front of the Empress, everyone should put on a good show to make her happy for her birthday. Wouldn't everyone be pleased then? Ha ha, why bother with real fighting and ruin the atmosphere?"

"Jin Lin Hou, what you said is not right," the Ninth Ben said slowly. "Since the Empress has instructed us to compete for the pearl, we should do our utmost to win. How can we just get by with a casual attitude? That would be a great disrespect to the Empress."

Pausing, the Ninth Ben then turned his gaze to Xiao Sheng and said sternly, "Fourteenth Prince, as a member of the Da Hao royal family, you are part of the court. Speaking recklessly like this undermines the stability of Donghuang. If this leads to social unrest in Donghuang in the future, you will bear full responsibility."

"Of course, I will take responsibility for what I said. However..." Xiao Sheng stared intently into the Ninth Ben's eyes and smiled. "Even if something does happen in Donghuang, by then, it probably won't have anything to do with you, Ninth Ben. Don't worry about things too far ahead; you should focus on preparing for the birthday banquet."

Wen Dahai nodded repeatedly, praising, "Well said. The stability of Donghuang is not achieved by words but by strength. Social unrest? Pah, those ants are just born to satisfy the strong, a bunch of ignorant and boring low-level creatures. As long as we, the strong, are here, they won't cause any trouble or play any tricks. In the end, the strong must respect only other strong. Ninth Ben, friend. If you still can't understand this, then you don't deserve to stand among the strong!"

The Ninth Ben snorted coldly, turned around, and ignored Wen Dahai's words. Although they were both one of the Four Dukes of Donghuang, their ideologies were completely different, and they couldn't agree on anything. If not for this reason, the Ninth Ben wouldn't have left Hu Sha Island to establish his own top-notch manor.

The conversation had already taken on a somewhat confrontational tone. Seeing the situation, the Virtuous Prince stood up and said with a smile, "Alright, alright. The Empress's command today was just to have us meet and greet each other. Now that we've done that, I and the Fourteenth Prince have other matters to attend to, so we'll take our leave. Liu Gonggong, what do you think..."

"Ha ha, the Eighth Prince is right. I should return to the palace to report to the Empress." Liu Gonggong chuckled and stood up, saying, "Your Excellencies, I'll take my leave."

Liu Gonggong was a close associate of the Empress, and the Four Dukes of Donghuang were all personally promoted by her. Seeing Liu Gonggong speak, the Four Dukes immediately stopped arguing and bowed to him, escorting him and Xiao Sheng, the Virtuous Prince, out of the door.

As Xiao Sheng walked out of the living room, he suddenly felt a sense of someone secretly watching him. He immediately turned around and looked in the direction from which the gaze came. Immediately, a woman entered his field of vision.

This woman was very beautiful, with a scholarly air about her, clearly from a wealthy family. However, her age was hard to determine. At first glance, she seemed to be around forty, but on closer inspection, she looked like she was in her twenties. Looking again, she suddenly seemed to be in her thirties.

She appeared to be paralyzed in both legs and unable to walk. Therefore, she was sitting in a wheelchair under the eaves of a side room in the guesthouse. When she saw Xiao Sheng turn around, she did not avoid his gaze but instead met it and smiled at him.

"Fourteenth Prince, hello. It's our first meeting, I am Qiantou Wuzhizhen. Please guide me."

The voice suddenly sounded, but the woman had clearly not spoken. The words appeared directly in Xiao Sheng's mind.

To speak directly into someone's mind, one must have the cultivation of a Grand Master or higher. However, with the cultivation of a Grand Master, one can remain physically strong and healthy throughout their life, free from illness. The woman in front of him, however, was paralyzed in both legs and could not even stand or walk. Therefore, she could not possibly be a Grand Master.

However, Xiao Sheng knew that there were some people in the world with very special constitutions, born with extremely powerful mental abilities, comparable to those of a Grand Master or even a Grand Master-level martial practitioner. Unfortunately, there was always a trade-off. These people usually had weaker constitutions and could not practice martial arts normally. No matter how hard they trained, they could only reach the Martial Scholar level, which was only slightly stronger than ordinary people.

In a physical fight or a sword duel, such people with special constitutions were not particularly fearsome. However, to compensate for their inherent weaknesses, they focused on refining various mental techniques. Once they used their skills, they could achieve results that were unpredictable even to gods and spirits.

In fact, Xiao Sheng's military advisor, Tian Ji Xing Yu Xuanji, was one of these people with particularly strong mental abilities. When Xiao Sheng and Tian Ji Xing first met, Tian Ji Xing spoke directly into Xiao Sheng's mind, just like the woman who called herself Qiantou Wuzhizhen.

However, at this moment, Xiao Sheng did not believe that Qiantou Wuzhizhen would be like Tian Ji Xing, who only had good intentions toward him. Since achieving the Pure Yang Spirit, Xiao Sheng's spiritual senses had greatly improved, allowing him to instinctively discern a person's true nature.

Although Qiantou Wuzhizhen was beautiful and had a dignified demeanor, typical of a well-bred lady, Xiao Sheng sensed that all of this was just a facade. Her true nature was greed, boundless greed. She was like the legendary monster "Taotie," which, after devouring the sky and the earth, still felt unsatisfied and ended up devouring itself.

All of this, though complicated, happened in the blink of an eye. Xiao Sheng's obvious act of looking back could not go unnoticed by Liu Gonggong and the Virtuous Prince. They both stopped and curiously looked back. Immediately, they also saw Qiantou Wuzhizhen.

However, the paralyzed woman only nodded and smiled at the two of them. She did not speak or use mental techniques to communicate with them. From the outside, there was nothing unusual. Therefore, Liu Gonggong and the Virtuous Prince felt somewhat puzzled. The Virtuous Prince even couldn't help but ask, "Old Fourteen, what's up? You can't be falling for her, can you?"

"…Eighth Brother, I just realized how good you are at making jokes. Don't overthink it, let's go." Xiao Sheng laughed and did not explain, turning and walking away. At the same time, the woman's voice appeared again in his mind.

"Fourteenth Prince, are you leaving already? Take care, and please forgive me for not seeing you off. When we meet again, I will prepare a room for you and your husband. We can talk in detail then."

"Husband? She has a husband? Who is he? What is their background? Why did Qiantou Wuzhizhen call me? What is her intention?"

Xiao Sheng had no answers to these questions for now. Although he could use the "Heart Network" ability to communicate with her in the same way, he did not want to do so.

Because the current situation clearly favored Qiantou Wuzhizhen. If he rashly responded to her, he might unknowingly fall into her rhythm and be led by her. If that happened, Xiao Sheng would not like it. It would be better to return later, take the initiative, and regain control of the situation before speaking.

Acting as if nothing had happened, Xiao Sheng, the Virtuous Prince, and Liu Gonggong got into a carriage and returned to the palace. They then parted ways.

Xiao Sheng returned to his residence in the Tenth Prince's mansion and talked with Ling Ziling for a while. However, his mind was constantly pondering the mysteries surrounding the woman Qiantou Wuzhizhen.

After dinner, Xiao Sheng made an excuse to meditate and practice, returning to his bedroom early. He quickly changed into a night outfit, quietly jumped out of the window, and leaped through the night. Soon, he left the palace and headed straight for the Honglu Temple guesthouse.

About half an hour later, Xiao Sheng arrived at the guesthouse again. He held his breath, closed all his pores to prevent the leakage of his vital energy, and climbed over the wall. He saw that the living room of the guesthouse was still brightly lit, and voices could be heard inside. Clearly, the Four Dukes of Donghuang were still discussing something.

Xiao Sheng quietly approached, climbed onto the roof, and carefully lifted the roof tiles to look down.

Sure enough, inside the living room, the Four Dukes of Donghuang, their close subordinates, and the mysterious woman Qiantou Wuzhizhen were all present. However, they were divided into three groups, each clearly opposing the others.

The first group was Hu Sha Hou Wen Dahai. The second group was Yi Liu Hou Ninth Ben, along with Qiantou Wuzhizhen. These two groups were facing off, with a tense atmosphere. The third group was Jin Yu Hou Huangfu Yu and Jin Lin Hou Sima Tianda. They seemed to be on the sidelines, unwilling to help either side.

First, the Ninth Ben spoke, his voice filled with anger. "We, the Five Dukes of Donghuang, are like brothers. We share in prosperity and adversity. Yi Qi Hou Niulao has more gold and silver than he can spend. If he wants women, he can just buy them. Why would he need to kidnap them? Besides, Niulao is a Master-level expert. Where in the world does a Master fall down the stairs and break his neck? Ha, the Empress of Da Hao is clearly not taking us Donghuang people seriously, using such a ridiculous excuse that even a three-year-old wouldn't believe!"

Wen Dahai sneered, "Pah! Ninth Ben, you have the nerve to accuse us first. Everyone knows what happened with Niulao. Do you really expect the Empress to announce to the world that Niulao kidnapped the Ling Sect's Holy Maiden? The Empress has already given us face. Ninth Ben, don't be ungrateful and push your luck."

"Wen Dahai, you fat pig with a brain full of tyranny!" The Ninth Ben glared, his voice filled with indignation. "The Ling Sect's Holy Maiden is a criminal. Niulao taking her away did not violate the 'Special Regulations for the Eastern Region of Da Hao.' Therefore, it was completely legal. If the law does not explicitly prohibit it, it is legal. Do you understand? We in Donghuang are a civilized society and must follow the rule of law. Do you understand?"

"Understand your horse's ass!" Wen Dahai sneered. "Don't talk to me about the rule of law. How did any of us get to our current positions? Was it by following the rule of law? No, it was by strength. Fine, if you're not satisfied, what do you want to do?"

The Ninth Ben's expression was solemn and serious. He raised his head forty-five degrees to the sky and slowly said, word by word, "Power cannot suppress justice, barbarism cannot conquer civilization, and tyranny cannot rule freedom. We, the people of Donghuang, have had enough! From now on, we will pursue freedom and no longer be ruled by barbaric tyrants. The people of Donghuang will have one vote each to elect their rulers, establish an independent nation, and take control of their own future!"

"One vote to elect rulers? Ha ha ha ha ha... Ninth Ben, you're killing me. Such childish talk, and you actually say it out loud, ha ha ha ha ha..." Wen Dahai laughed so hard he almost couldn't stand up (though it was hard to tell if he ever could). He wiped tears from his eyes and looked at the Ninth Ben as if he were a fool.

"Ninth Ben, did you hit your head and go crazy? What skills does Donghuang have to break away from Da Hao and establish an independent nation?"

The Ninth Ben said solemnly, "Skills? Of course we have them! As long as the Son of Donghuang is here, there is nothing in the world that the Son of Donghuang cannot accomplish. First, the Son of Donghuang will represent us and speak out for the people of Donghuang, making the people of Zhonghuan aware of our determination and will. Then, the Son of Donghuang will lead us to drive the people of Zhonghuan out of Donghuang, ultimately restoring a peaceful, beautiful, pure, and noble Donghuang!"

Wen Dahai frowned, saying disdainfully, "Son of Donghuang? What the hell is that? I've never heard of it