Chapter 91

Prince Xian bowed and said, "Mother Empress is wise. Thirteenth and Fourteenth, you two, shouldn't you quickly thank Mother Empress?"

Xiaosheng smiled slightly, stepped out, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Prince Xia. He lightly patted the shoulder of his Thirteenth Brother. Although Prince Xia was righteous and chivalrous, he was not a stubborn person. He immediately bent down with Xiaosheng and loudly expressed his gratitude.

Prince Xian heaved a sigh of relief, thinking, "It's fine that Thirteenth is not on my side, so I don't need to worry about him. But Fourteenth is someone I see as promising, and I absolutely cannot let him follow Thirteenth in causing trouble. After the birthday banquet, I must teach him properly."

As the eunuchs and guards came forward to clear away the forty heads, Prince Xian chuckled again and said, "Finally, it's our turn. However, Mother Empress, to be honest, my birthday gift is rather ordinary compared to those of my elder brothers. If presented alone, it might not be impressive enough. How about this: Ninth and Tenth, let's pool our gifts together and present them as one. Ha ha, if quality is lacking, we can make up for it with quantity. What do you think?"

Prince Xiao and Prince Cai, of course, had no objections. The three brothers then left their seats and walked to the center of the hall, clapping their hands a few times. In a moment, three eunuchs entered, each carrying a tray.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the silk cloths covering the trays were simultaneously lifted, revealing a strangely shaped reptile, a book, and a large envelope.

The strangely shaped reptile was not a living creature but a hollow shell similar to a cicada's molt. This thing is called the Stone Dragon's molt. It comes from a very rare prehistoric creature known as the Stone Dragon Mother, a precious beast.

The Stone Dragon Mother is highly toxic, causing instant death upon contact with blood, even to experts at the Grand Master level. However, the shell it sheds every hundred years is a very precious medicinal herb.

When ground into powder and ingested, it has a similar effect to the Golden Soul Pill presented by Prince Chu, allowing martial practitioners to break through bottlenecks and directly advance in their cultivation. However, while the Golden Soul Pill can theoretically be taken infinitely, the Stone Dragon's molt can only be consumed once. A second consumption is ineffective. Therefore, it is less valuable than the Golden Soul Pill but still a very precious natural treasure.

For the Empress's birthday, Prince Xiao originally intended to present the legendary treasure, the Phoenix Egg, as a gift. For this reason, he once went to Xiaosheng and caused a big commotion. Unfortunately, he ended up losing more than he gained, leaving him in a sorry state.

With no other choice, Prince Xiao's mother, Noble Consort Ning, had to bite the bullet and persuade her brother, Duke Bai Li Kunluo, to hand over the Wind and Thunder Martial Saint's notebook, which he had obtained by chance years ago, to Prince Xiao as a birthday gift for the Empress. This is the book now being presented.

The Wind and Thunder Martial Saint was one of the ten famous martial saints of his time. He challenged the thirty-six khans of the northern border on Golden Peak Mountain. In one battle, he shattered the khans to pieces, leaving no trace of their bodies. The residual power of his moves still lingers, creating a year-round thunder and lightning spectacle on the lava lake of Golden Peak Mountain.

The ability to influence the weather with human power is truly astonishing and beyond imagination. As for this notebook, it is actually a handwritten copy by later generations. It records the complete secrets of the Wind and Thunder Martial Saint's self-created divine skill, the Wind and Thunder Lightning Body. It details the entire process from the beginning of cultivation to breaking through to become a martial saint.

For any martial practitioner in the world, this notebook is indeed a priceless treasure. Using it as a birthday gift is certainly sufficient. Of course, before handing it over, Prince Xiao would have made a copy for himself, which is not surprising.

The last large envelope, of course, is the gift from Prince Cai. His gift is the most straightforward and direct. There are no rare treasures or auspicious omens; it is simply money. A total of 300,000 taels of gold, 3 million taels of silver, and 30 million copper coins.

Such a large sum of wealth, if converted into physical items, might not even fit in the entire Golden Hall. Therefore, what the eunuch presented was actually a汇票 (bank draft) from the Central Bank of Da Hao. These drafts are not only valid within the Da Hao Empire but also in foreign countries. As long as the draft is taken to any branch of the Central Bank, it can be immediately cashed in full.

Who in the world doesn't like money? Although the Empress is wealthy, her expenses are also high, and she needs money everywhere. Now, with Prince Cai suddenly presenting such a large sum, the Empress was naturally very pleased. In her view, this real gold and silver is much more practical than any rare treasure.

Feeling happy, the Empress naturally showed a gratified smile and earnestly encouraged Prince Cai. She also praised Prince Xian and Prince Xiao with kind words. The slightly tense atmosphere was finally relieved.

Seeing the opportunity, Prince Chu immediately raised his cup and stood up, saying a few auspicious words. In the Golden Hall, everyone cheered and drank heartily, creating a lively atmosphere. The musicians on both sides of the hall also played more enthusiastically.

Amid the music, a group of graceful and beautiful dancers, with swallow-tail hairstyles, entered the hall, dancing and singing with light and graceful movements, performing very impressively.

Seeing this, everyone's interest grew even higher. They clapped and cheered, creating a thunderous applause. It seemed as if the "princes presenting birthday gifts" segment had ended, and either intentionally or unintentionally, they had forgotten about Xiaosheng, the "waste prince."

However, while others might forget about Xiaosheng, the Empress would never forget. Remembering Xiaosheng means that Prince Chu also remembers. When the dancers finished their performance and left, Prince Chu immediately turned to the Empress.

The Empress nodded slightly. Prince Chu immediately stood up and let out a long laugh. Instantly, everyone's attention was drawn back to him, and they held their breath, waiting for Prince Chu to speak. The musicians also stopped playing. The hall became so quiet that even the sound of a needle falling could be heard.

Prince Chu looked around the crowd, his gaze finally settling on Xiaosheng. He asked, "Fourteenth, all the brothers have already presented their gifts. It's just you left. What good things do you have? Quickly bring them out for everyone to see."

Xiaosheng stood up calmly, turned back, and smiled at Ling Zilei, who was worried, to comfort her. Then, he reached under the table, took out the bronze jar containing the Evil Emperor's relic, and walked to the center of the hall. He placed the jar on the ground with a thud, clasped his hands in a salute, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I also wish you a happy birthday and all the best. I present to you the secret treasure of the Eastern Wasteland, the Netherworld Pearl."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall was filled with whispers as people tried to find out what the "Netherworld Pearl" was. Although the story of the Eastern Wasteland's first beauty, Ling Zhiling, had been about twenty years ago, the impression it left was so deep that many older people in the court still remembered it.

After a short while, everyone knew what the "Netherworld Pearl" was. The Empress, seated at the high table, glanced at Ling Zilei, seeing that she indeed looked seriously ill and on the verge of death, and nodded in satisfaction. She then said gently, "Fourteenth, you have done well. Is the Netherworld Pearl in this bronze jar? Open the jar and take it out for us to see."

Xiaosheng agreed and pulled the lid off the jar.

Instantly, the Evil Emperor's relic, no longer immersed in mercury, was exposed to the light. The bright lamps in the Golden Hall suddenly flickered and turned dim. Countless vengeful spirits and ghosts surged out of the jar, flooding towards the crowd like a tide. It seemed as if they intended to devour everyone in the hall to satisfy their hunger.

This terrifying scene shocked everyone in the hall. But in a flash, a short, cold snort was heard. Someone shouted, "In broad daylight, how can evil spirits run rampant? For this prince—break!"

The shout was sharp like a sword. Before the sound faded, the lamps in the hall brightened again, and all the vengeful spirits and ghosts disappeared without a trace. Xiaosheng, holding the Evil Emperor's relic in his right hand, turned to the Sword Prince and praised, "Fourth Brother, you are truly impressive!"

Breaking the evil barrier and dispelling the illusion was a minor matter for the Sword Prince. He said calmly, "It's nothing. Fourteenth, this pearl is too sinister. Quickly put it away. Otherwise, it will cause endless harm."

Xiaosheng smiled and said, "I will follow Mother Empress's instructions." He then took a step closer to the Empress, held the pearl high with both hands, and said, "Please, Mother Empress, decide what to do with it."

The Empress took a few deep breaths, surprised by the pearl's sinister nature. She frowned and said, "Put it back in the jar first." Watching the "Netherworld Pearl" be re-immersed in mercury, she let out a sigh of relief. She then said calmly, "Fourteenth, it was not easy for you to obtain the Netherworld Pearl and present it. However, the imperial palace is not a place to keep such things. In my view, since the Netherworld Pearl comes from the Eastern Wasteland, it should return there. Duke Jin Yu and Duke Jin Lin, what do you think?"

Duke Jin Yu Huang Fu Yu and Duke Jin Lin Sima Tianxia, who were well-prepared, did not dare to delay. They quickly stood up and said in unison, "The Netherworld Pearl is a priceless treasure. We dare not keep it. Please, Empress, reconsider your decision."

The Empress smiled lightly and said, "Clearly, it is a very good thing, yet neither of you dares to keep it, and I do not want it either. This is quite unusual. Well, our Da Hao Empire was founded on martial prowess, and our descendants must not forget their roots. The fate of this pearl will be decided by a martial competition.

Duke Jin Yu and Duke Jin Lin, send a representative to the arena. Fourteenth, you will compete with this representative from the Eastern Wasteland. The winner will keep the Netherworld Pearl."