The next day.
The Imperial Capital welcomed a group of uninvited guests from the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets, a nation that claimed to be protected by the Golden Crow, hence its name.
When envoys visit, they are usually received with grand ceremonies, and the ruler of the nation would personally host a banquet. However, this time, not only was there no grand reception, but the entire city, including officials and commoners, made things difficult for them.
The people of Great Jin were furious.
Their idol and goddess, Empress Qin Liuli, had been proposed to by a small, insignificant country, and they had even announced it to the world. This was a blatant insult.
Great Jin, known for its martial prowess and a nation where everyone revered martial arts, had a fiery temperament and believed in immediate retribution.
So, when the envoys from the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets entered the capital, they were met with a ‘warm welcome’ from the entire city.
“Hey, esteemed envoy, these are the eggs I bought this morning. Have a taste!”
A basket of rotten eggs was thrown from the crowd, hitting the envoy’s head squarely, filling the air with a foul stench.
“You insolent commoners dare!” The envoy was furious.
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the leader of the Imperial Guard, at the peak of the Moon Shine Realm, leading hundreds of black-armored soldiers, standing imposingly on the city wall, glaring down at them.
Seeing this, the envoy from the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets knew that a direct confrontation would be unwise.
“Just wait and see. Soon, you will regret what you’ve done today,” the envoy sneered.
The leader of the Imperial Guard chuckled, his tone hard, “Is that so? I’ll be watching.”
The envoy glanced at the two figures behind him, who wore bamboo hats, and felt a surge of confidence.
With ‘that person’ backing them, the Great Jin Dynasty would eventually bow to the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets.
“Take me to my lodging at once. I need to freshen up,” the envoy demanded, opening a defensive barrier to block the fruits and vegetables thrown by the citizens, glaring at the leader of the Imperial Guard.
The leader of the Imperial Guard leaned on his sword, his eyes mocking, “Sorry, our temple is too small to accommodate a great Buddha like you. We have no suitable lodging for you. You’ll have to find your own. And a word of advice: if you dare to trespass into private homes or forcefully buy and sell, you’ll be executed according to the law! No exceptions.”
“You!” The envoy was furious but was interrupted by a cough from one of the figures behind him, who transmitted a message to his ear: “Do not cause any conflict before meeting the Empress. Everything must go according to the Second Young Master’s plan.”
Hearing this, the envoy quickly restrained his temper.
Only with the backing of the Second Young Master of the Ji family could the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets barely contend with the Great Jin Dynasty. If they angered the Second Young Master, their empire would be like a babbling infant before the Great Jin Dynasty, easily crushed with a single finger.
In truth, the envoy had been on edge ever since entering the Imperial Capital.
The leader of the Imperial Guard, at most a third-rank general, was at the peak of the Moon Shine Realm! Higher than the strongest person in their country!
Thinking of this, the envoy suppressed his anger and continued, “Then… could you at least get us some food? We’ve had a long journey, and I’m not good at cultivation, only at debate. I need to fill my stomach.”
The leader of the Imperial Guard raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the ground covered with rotten fish, shrimp, fruits, and vegetables, and laughed, “The vegetables and fish the citizens gave you should be enough to fill your stomachs.”
“Don’t waste the people’s love.”
The envoy gritted his teeth, wanting to speak but stopping several times. With the Second Young Master of the Ji family backing him, he felt like a vicious dog ready to bite the Great Jin Dynasty to death, seeing everyone as trash.
Even if the leader of the Imperial Guard was at the peak of the Moon Shine Realm, so what? Before the Second Young Master of the Ji family, they were all nothing. How dare you speak to me like this!?
“Forget it, we have money. We don’t need their arrangements; we can find a place ourselves,” the person behind him transmitted again.
The envoy nodded silently, giving the leader of the Imperial Guard a resentful glare before leaving.
…
…
“Bah! What kind of trash dares to propose to Her Majesty? If it were up to me, I would have wiped out the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets immediately! Pour boiling water into an ant’s nest, split an earthworm in half!”
“The Golden Crow ancestor of the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets is said to be just a mutated bird, yet they boast about it being a Golden Crow, shameless! Not even worth a toe of the Space-Time Sword Saint.”
“The Space-Time Sword Saint and our Empress are a match made in heaven. These petty schemers are not worthy!”
The once high-spirited trio of envoys gradually became silent under the people’s scorn and ridicule.
The envoy fumed, “The prestige of this Space-Time Sword Saint is too high, almost on par with the Empress of Great Jin. These ignorant fools! The Second Young Master of the Ji family is the true Mandate of Heaven, not Meng Qin or the Empress’ Husband.”
It seemed like he was venting his frustration, but in reality, he was flattering.
Unfortunately, the two people behind him wore bamboo hats, hiding their expressions, which made the envoy quite frustrated.
They went around the entire city, knocking on the doors of inns, but no one would take them in.
Even when they offered exorbitant prices, the innkeepers would pick up brooms and chase them away, shouting, “Get lost! If I host you, my name will be erased from the family registry!”
A whole day passed.
The three were exhausted, unable to remember how many times they had been driven away, starting to doubt their lives.
They didn’t dare to make a move because Great Jin soldiers were always watching them.
Helpless, the three had to sneak into a stable of an inn to spend the night when the innkeeper wasn’t looking.
The rain kept falling, the wind kept blowing, and the cold raindrops on their faces felt particularly miserable.
One of the bamboo hat-wearing figures, smelling the stench of the stable, took off his hat, revealing the face of an old man with a mix of compassion and anger.
“I have served the Ji family all my life, half of it wandering, half of it invincible, until I met the head of the Ji family and embarked on a path to the heavens, reaching the late stage of the Morning Glow Realm! I’ve never been so humiliated,” the Yin-Yang Elder said coldly.
The other bamboo hat-wearing figure also took off his hat, revealing a young, elegant face, completely out of place in the stable.
“The Young Master predicted three years ago that the Wilderness would undergo changes and sent us to guard and observe it. Now is the time to close the net. We must not let anger cloud our judgment,” Pu Lingzi said calmly.
The envoy, pinching his nose, squatted on the ground, nearly fainting from the smell of horse manure.
Brothers, if you want to show off or discuss plans, could you pick a better place?
Isn’t the smell bothering you?
Pu Lingzi suddenly stood up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the void, looking towards the palace.
“The Great Jin Dynasty would never expect that the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets is backed by the Ji family, nor that two late-stage Morning Glow Realm experts have already infiltrated the Imperial Capital.”
“Why don’t we sneak into the palace and meet Qin Liuli directly?”
The Yin-Yang Elder hesitated, “But the Young Master told us to be courteous before using force. Wouldn’t this go against his original intention?”
Pu Lingzi said calmly, “Courtesy also involves showing our strength. If Qin Liuli doesn’t know our hidden power, will she have a proper conversation with us?”
The Yin-Yang Elder nodded, “Makes sense!”
“Then let’s sneak into the Taiji Hall. It’s said to be Qin Liuli’s bedchamber.”
…
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