Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Wu Qiuhan looked at Feng Baichuan and said, “We have to get the two of them back quickly so that we can leave the city!”
Feng Baichuan hurriedly nodded with a solemn expression.
This was a major event, and no one dared to be negligent.
After all, this was a matter of life and death.
The two of them quickly left the teahouse and rushed back to their lodgings.
However, when they arrived at the station, Zhao Xuanxuan and Zhao Bin were nowhere to be seen.
It was only after a long while, did the two of them return.
As soon as she entered, Zhao Xuanxuan said in horror, “Lord Wu, let’s hurry up and leave. We’ve found out that Su Wen is the Great Chu Nanli King! Furthermore, the current Great Chu Empress was supported by Su Wen to ascend the throne.”
Wu Qiuhan immediately assented.
But just as they were about to leave, Su Yu arrived.
“You’re all here? What a coincidence. His Majesty is already gathering the ministers in the main palace hall and inviting you over.” Su Yu said in a low voice.
Hearing so, Wu Qiuhan and the others looked at each other.
What should they do now?
Run? How could they run at this moment?
Kill? Wasn’t that suicidal?
Fine! They could only brace himself and enter the palace.
Wu Qiuhan forced himself to smile. “Alright, we’ll enter the palace now.”
With Su Yu leading, the group entered the palace.
If it were someone else, Wu Qiuhan would have dared to ask and inquire.
But Su Yu had a grudge against the Great Zhou Dynasty for killing his father.
Wasn’t this trying to be funny? Could it be that they wanted to dig up their past relationship?
Along the way, the atmosphere was a little heavy and tense.
The four Great Zhou people were already calculating how they could survive…
They finally entered the main palace hall.
Xiang Feiyan sat on the dragon throne with a child beside her.
Although it was only a few months, this child could already sit upright on the dragon throne with her.
Xiang Feiyan really liked this little fellow.
Compared to Xiang Sheng, his talent and attitude were obvious.
The little fellow sat there, his cold eyes looking down at the royal court.
It naturally exuded a pressure.
In the dark, Xiang Ding couldn’t help but praise.
“Dragon Pressure… good… very good!”
That’s right, as a vicious beast with dragon bloodline, the Violent Wind Lizard Dragon also possessed a level of dragon pressure.
As for this little fellow, it was very obvious that he had absorbed the best aspect of the Dragon’s bloodline.
In comparison, he and Xiang Sheng were like diamonds and pebbles, worlds apart.
Even the officials could feel the difference in the little fellow.
Xiang Feiyan naturally liked him even more, even bringing him to sit in the court assembly.
This child would not cry, scream, or urinate suddenly. He was like a small adult.
At this moment, Wu Qiuhan and the others entered.
They were also a little confused. What was going on? Why was there a child seated there?
However, no one dared to ask and could only bow obediently.
“Zhou Country’s envoy pays his respects to the Great Chu Emperor!”
Xiang Feiyan hugged her son and looked at the people below. She asked, “Why have you all come from afar?”
Wu Qiuhan steeled his heart. He was already in the palace anyway.
Then why not tell the truth!
He said in a deep voice, “I am Zhou Country’s Prime Minister, Wu Qiuhan. I am here on behalf of Zhou Country to deliver the letter of state. I wish to form an alliance with His Majesty, the Emperor of Great Chu, to attack Yan Country together!”
Wu Qiuhan threw Su Wen’s matter to the back of his mind and shouted, “The Emperor of the Yan Country is violent. Ever since he ascended the throne, he has been engaging in war and conquering the north and south. This has caused the citizens of our Zhou and Chu countries to be unable to survive. He even attacked and destroyed the Qi Country, seized their land, killed their citizens, and humiliated their daughters.
Such a violent person is someone that our Zhou and Chu countries should invade and destroy! In this way, if our Zhou and Chu countries can form an alliance together, we can ensure that the world is peaceful, our countries prosper, and our people are safe!”
The moment these words were spoken, the officials of the Great Chu Royal Court fell into deep thought.
In reality, as long as one wasn’t a fool, they would be able to tell that such a strategy was beneficial to the Chu Country.
Xiang Feiyan narrowed her eyes.
She could naturally tell that this was a beneficial cooperation.
But the problem was… what did the Su family think?
At this moment, an official stood out and said loudly, “I think this matter is feasible. We will cultivate an alliance with the Zhou Country and correspond to the Yan Country together. That is the safer way.”
The other officials also couldn’t bear to show weakness and came out to chime in, “That’s right, Your Majesty. The Yan Country has wild ambitions and must be guarded against.”
“Your Majesty, for the Zhou Country to send the prime minister here personally shows how sincere they are. I hope Your Majesty can consider this carefully!”
All of a sudden, the Royal Court was filled with such positive voices.
The reason was very simple. No matter how one looked at it, there was no harm in forming an alliance.
Firstly, the two countries had a common enemy, the Yan Country.
Secondly, there was no need for the Chu Country to pay a price for the alliance. They could just agree to it first and decide on their own benefits.
There was also another point. With the war between the Chu Country and Ji Luo, they had won consecutively and were about to swallow them up. If the Zhou Country could share the Yan Country’s attention at this moment, it would be extremely beneficial to the Chu Country.
Hence, in the eyes of the Chu Country’s officials, in general, this alliance was open for them to both advance and retreat.
It could be said that Wu Qiuhan’s judgment of the problem was very accurate, and his suggestion was not bad.
He knew very well that this thing had to be taken a sentence at a time, and a step at a time.
His first goal was still to form an alliance, but the request for help after the alliance was decided could be discussed later.
Unfortunately, Xiang Feiyan shifted her gaze to a person.
Su Changqing!
As the saying goes, love everything your partner likes.
She trusted Su Wen, so she trusted the Su family even more.
“Minister Su, what do you think we should do about this?”
Su Changqing stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, “Your Majesty, this subject believes that this matter can only be judged by the Ruler, yourself!”
In his heart, Su Changqing also approved of this alliance. To put it bluntly, this was a matter of mutual benefit. Furthermore, Su Changqing also knew very well that the destruction of Great Zhou too quickly was not in line with the interests of the Chu Country.
However, at this moment, he did not express his stance.
Why? So many people had stood up for the alliance earlier. Even if he agreed, what could he show?
He was a person of the Zhou Dynasty. If he said this, someone might use this as an excuse in the future.
How many years had he been in the court? He knew very well when he should perform and when he did not.
In Su Changqing’s opinion, it was unnecessary for him to express his support. If he did it, he would instead fall behind in terms of momentum.
But once Su Changqing spoke…
The Zhou Country people were dumbfounded.
In the crowd, Wu Qiuhan and the others did not notice him.
But once he stepped out, how could they not notice?
Wu Qiuhan’s eyes widened!
“Who… who… are you?” Even Wu Qiuhan, who had seen a lot, could not help but stammer.
One had to know that Su Changqing had already been declared dead in the Zhou Country.
Furthermore, this fellow in front of him was clearly alive and kicking, and had clearly become much younger.
Was it Su Changqing?
He did not dare to confirm.
Feng Baichuan muttered, “Impossible, Su Changqing is not that young!”
Unfortunately, Su Changqing smiled and said, “Old Wu, Old Feng, it’s been a long time since we last met. I really miss you! Old Wu is so powerful now, he can even take over my position. It’s just that your position as Prime Minister is a little miserable. Why are you still personally acting as an envoy?”
As for Zhao Xuanxuan and Zhao Bin, he couldn’t be bothered with them.
When Wu Qiuhan and Feng Baichuan heard this, they knew that this person must be Su Changqing.
However, these two people were not that accepting of this outcome!
To put it bluntly, neither of them saw the scene at that time. In their hearts, perhaps Su Changqing had used a scheme to deceive Emperor Zhou.
However, Wu Qiuhan was overjoyed!
The hatred of killing one’s father was gone!
Then wouldn’t the chances of an alliance be even greater?
However, Su Changqing’s last sentence really made him a little worried. He had been suppressed by Su Changqing for his entire life, and it took him a lot of hard work to even take over the former’s position… but now, he was even getting mocked…
Furthermore, he could not accept that Su Changqing had become younger.
Why was this guy able to become younger? They were originally of similar ages…
Humans were always afraid that their opponents would live better and longer lives than them.
Furthermore, the Su family seemed to be doing well in Chu.
Wu Qiuhan gritted his teeth and said, “I didn’t expect… that you would have such a method. Regaining your youth…”
Su Changqing smiled and said, “It’s just the benefits of a medicinal pill. Why, didn’t the Zhou Emperor give it to you?”
“…” With just one sentence, Wu Qiuhan felt as if his heart had been stabbed several times. It was an indescribable feeling.
However, he also knew that this was not the time to counterattack.
Wu Qiuhan turned to look at Xiang Feiyan. He cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, since everyone agrees to the alliance between our Zhou and Chu Empires, why don’t we ask Your Majesty to sign the national letter? Our two empires can form an alliance and go against the Yan Country together!”
Unexpectedly, Xiang Feiyan shook her head and said, “This matter is too serious. We also need the Nanli King to come out of seclusion before making a decision. In the meantime, the envoy of the Zhou Country can stay in the city.”
Su Changqing did not say anything, causing Xiang Feiyan to hesitate.
In the end, she still trusted Su Wen more.
Wu Qiuhan’s heart tightened!
Su Wen… that little bastard was not easy to fool…
Furthermore, judging from Xiang Feiyan’s attitude, she seemed to have extreme trust in Su Wen!
So many people agreed to form an alliance, but she still had to ask Su Changqing. If Su Changqing did not say anything, she would have to wait for Su Wen to come out of seclusion…
He recalled the times he interacted with Su Wen.
Wu Qiuhan felt nervous upon thinking about it.
However, a question quickly popped up.
This Su Wen was a strange person. In the Zhou Country, he had received the favor of the Zhou Emperor. Now that he had come to the Chu Country, he saw that Xiang Feiyan also trusted him greatly. What abilities did this brat have?
Wu Qiuhan could not understand.
The meeting ended… and everyone from Great Zhou returned to the lodgings.
Zhao Xuanxuan watched as the person left and hurriedly said to Wu Qiuhan, “Minister Wu, let’s hurry up and leave.”
“There’s no hurry, no hurry!” Wu Qiuhan waved his hand and said with a smile, “Since Su Changqing isn’t dead, then Su Wen’s greatest grudge with our Zhou Country is gone. We can still stay in Chu for a while. We have to facilitate the alliance as much as possible. Your Highnesses, please go back and rest first.”
He sent Zhao Xuanxuan and Zhao Bin away.
Wu Qiuhan sighed and said to Feng Baichuan, “Since Su Changqing is here, I’m afraid we won’t be able to escape even if we want to. Any Heaven Rank expert chasing after us will definitely kill us! Furthermore, Great Zhou urgently needs strong reinforcements.”
He knew that the Zhou Country’s current situation was not good.
Feng Baichuan said in a low voice, “But there are rumors in the capital that the Crown Prince was killed by Su Wen… His Majesty’s medicine was also drugged by Su Wen. He even… with the Empress…”
Wu Qiuhan spread his hands and looked at Feng Baichuan. He said, “That’s not something we need to worry about. Our mission is to form an alliance between the two countries and urge the Chu Country to send troops to attack the Yan Country to relieve the pressure on our Zhou Country. As for whether this anger can be swallowed, it depends on His Majesty.”
Feng Baichuan fell silent.
Wu Qiuhan continued, “If we can bring back the letter and get the Chu Country to send troops, it’s fine even if we don’t want to abide by the Treaty of Alliance in the future. The key is that our Zhou Country can’t afford to delay any longer. We’ve been here for a few months, and we don’t know what the front line is like anymore.
For the sake of the Great Zhou Dynasty, convincing the Chu Country to send troops is the best choice. Anyway, as long as we can get the Chu Country to send troops first, no matter what conditions the Chu Country offers, we will have a chance to go back on our word in the future.”
Several days later, in Su Wen’s residence.
Zhao Xuanxuan, Zhao Bin, and Zhao Wanrou sat opposite each other.
They had followed Wu Qiuhan’s orders to come over and pay a visit.
His motive was also very simple. He wanted to start with Zhao Wanrou and find a way to influence Su Wen.
Zhao Xuanxuan looked at Zhao Wanrou and smiled. “Seventh Sister, that day in the side hall, your private meeting was with Su Wen, right?”
At this point, Zhao Wanrou naturally would not hide anything and nodded lightly.
Zhao Xuanxuan sighed, “It’s just that things are the same now, but people have changed. Don’t worry, your mother is still in the capital, everything is fine.”
Hearing that her mother was fine, Zhao Wanrou was relieved.
Ever since she left Zhou Country with Su Wen, she had been worried the most about her mother.
Zhao Xuanxuan whispered, “After you left, my father often lamented…”
As she spoke, she stole a glance at Zhao Wanrou.
Seeing that Zhao Wanrou’s expression remained calm, she knew that the former had no feelings for Emperor Zhou.
She continued, “Your mother also shed many tears…”
Zhao Wanrou’s heart tightened at this.
“Is she alright?” Zhao Wanrou stood up anxiously.
“Of course she’s fine.” Zhao Xuanxuan also revealed a sorrowful expression as she said, “But right now, the situation in our Great Zhou is not good. The Yan Country in the northern border has gone south, and there’s no one in the court that can be used. It’s difficult to resist, and we’ve lost consecutively. Even if we go on this diplomatic mission, I wonder if Father and Mother will still be alive when we return…”
Zhao Wanrou got even more worried when she heard this.
“We’re here this time to facilitate an alliance between Zhao and Chu. When the time comes, we’ll help our Zhou Country a little. Let’s not talk about anything else, at the very least, we’ll get to protect Father and Mother… don’t you think so, Seventh Sister?
It’s just that the Emperor of Great Chu said that Su Wen is in charge of making the decision on this matter two days ago. The two of you are husband and wife and are one, but you can’t ignore Father and Mother, right? When the time comes, you have to help persuade him.”
Obviously, she wanted to use Zhao Wanrou’s mother as bait to get Zhao Wanrou to persuade Su Wen.
On the other side… Su Wen opened his eyes!
He had finally gained a basic understanding of the Paragon Sword Move.
It was just at the entry level, but had already taken him many days.
However, everything was worth it.
At this moment, Su Wen’s attributes had already become as follows:
Host: Su Wen
Emotional Value: 320,000 points
Level: 42
Cultivation: 1st Grade Heaven Rank
Cultivation Technique: Heaven & Earth Great Solar Sutra
Body Tempering Cultivation Technique: Vermillion Bird Glazed Body
Battle Technique: Jadebreak Fist (LV9) Layered Wave Saber (LV9) Stellar Transposition (LV5) Great Solar Supreme Policy (LV5) Roaming Dragon Wind Sword (LV9)
Divine Ability: Sword Dao — Daybreak
Bloodline: Vermilion Bird
Special Skill: Embodiment of the Vermillion Bird (Completion Rate: 0.1%) (Currently able to transform into a young Vermillion Bird, time limit: 3 seconds)
Another attribute had appeared.
Divine Ability.
That was the Paragon Rank sword technique.
However, there was no rank behind this Divine Ability.
Because the system could no longer help him level up, Su Wen had to rely on himself to comprehend everything.
Su Wen did not plan to spend the remaining Emotional Value.
However, he still had to draw the lottery.
[Ding-dong. The host has drawn a Paragon Rank Pill, one Realmbreak Pill. It can directly raise a 9th Grade Earth Rank to 1st Grade Heaven Rank.
Note: Those who consume this pill will find it nigh impossible to break through to 4th Grade Heaven Rank.]
Hiss! Su Wen gasped when he saw this.
This thing was extraordinary.
It could directly raise a person to the Heaven Rank! Although it was said that the limit of one’s future was already set and it would be difficult to break through to the 4th Grade of Heaven Rank, it was still extremely precious.
He quickly put the pill away.
He had to think about how to use this thing.
[Ding-dong. The host has drawn 10 boxes of black silk stockings.]
Trash!
Su Wen was disdainful.
He still liked to see smooth white legs over black stockings…
(TL Note: There’s a fetish going on in China’s social media about men liking to see girls in black stockings. Seems like this author is a man of culture as well.)
[Ding-dong. Congratulations Host on obtaining a Life and Death Coin! Throw it out, and you will be given a mandatory random choice. Either the host will die or the opponent will die. The host has a 49% chance of death, while the opponent has a 51% chance of death. Life and death are on the line here, please use it carefully. It is useless against those above 9th Grade Heaven Rank.]
Looking at the black coin in his hand, Su Wen could not help but smile bitterly.
Wasn’t this thing too nonsensical?
His own chances of dying was only 2% lower than his opponent’s?
It was purely a gamble.
He had to use it cautiously.
[Ding-dong. The host has received a Coercion Technique, the Iron Fist of Father’s Love. Attacking someone with the host’s bloodline will give the host an absolute suppression effect. The pain sensation will be increased by 50%…]
Su Wen: “…”
Was the system afraid that he would not be able to defeat his child in the future?
Su Su? Or…
Finally done with his lottery, he got up and stretched.
His entire body emitted a cracking sound.
Soon, the door to the chamber opened.
Ning Shuang entered and pounced into Su Wen’s embrace.
“Young Master! You’re finally out of seclusion.”
Su Wen smiled. “This cultivation session took a little longer.”
In the living room, Zhao Wanrou was being brainwashed by Zhao Xuanxuan when two people suddenly walked in.
This girl was dressed in a gorgeous dress and carried a rack, while Xue Qianxun followed behind her.
The moment she entered, her sarcasm filled the air.
“Yo, yo, yo! Isn’t this Zhao Xuanxuan? And that person? Zhao Bin? Right? I didn’t remember wrongly, right?”
That’s right, who else could it be but our little sister Wu Muyu?
She came in and sneered, “What’s wrong? Isn’t bullying our Wanrou enough in Zhou Country? Why are you here in Chu to bully her now?”
After all, Zhao Wanrou had a good relationship with her.
Wu Muyu naturally knew about Zhao Wanrou being ostracized.
Zhao Xuanxuan forced a smile, “We were just catching up.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, I really admire people like you. You’ve been in Zhou Country for more than ten years, but I’ve never seen you reminisce about your family. Now that you’re in Chu, you’re here to reminisce? Why, without my father, your father can’t take it anymore?” How could Wu Muyu indulge her? She continued, “I heard everything. Don’t you just want our Wanrou to be your tool and tell Brother Su to form an alliance with Great Zhou?”
Wu Muyu looked at Zhao Wanrou and consoled her, “Sister Wanrou, don’t worry. If you want, Brother Su will definitely find a way to help you bring your mother over. Don’t be deceived by her! This kind of person is always putting on airs. She’s the worst!”
Zhao Xuanxuan felt extremely awkward.
However, she really did not dare to offend Wu Muyu now.
Under the eaves, one had no choice but to lower one’s head.
And from a certain perspective, Wu Muyu was right.
However, Zhao Bin could not hold it in anymore.
“Hehe, it’s easy to say. Do you really think Su Wen is a god that can pick up people from the capital of the Great Zhou? Furthermore, if the Zhou Country is really destroyed, do you think the Chu Country will be able to resist the attack of the Yan Country alone? I don’t think so, right?”
Wu Muyu was about to retort, but suddenly, a voice traveled over.
“Hehe, since when can one be so rough with their words when they’re begging?”
Su Wen walked in.
His gaze swept across Zhao Xuanxuan and Zhao Bin, his eyes filled with frostiness.
However, when he saw Zhao Wanrou, the eyes softened. He truly pitied her.
Among these people, Zhao Wanrou was the most worried. Her mother was, after all, right beside Emperor Zhou.
She followed Su Wen out and did not know how her mother was faring.
It was fortunate that Su Wen could travel back and forth between the two countries freely. Only when he came back and told her that he was fine would she be at ease.
Su Wen sneered and said, “Why are the descendants of the Zhou Country so rude? You don’t even know how to bow when you see me?”
Things were different now compared to before.
When he met them in Zhou Country, Su Wen had to bow to them. Now, Su Wen no longer cared.
The two of them could only stand up and bow to Su Wen.
Su Wen sneered and did not return the greeting.
He simply just sat down.
He looked at Zhao Wanrou and said, “Wanrou, do you want your mother to come? If you do, I’ll get your father to send her over.”
“You’re too rude!” Zhao Bin couldn’t help but berate.
“Hmph!”
Su Wen only coldly snorted in response.
A suppressive force pressed down all of a sudden!
Zhao Bin knelt on the ground with a plop. Su Wen sneered and said, “Don’t you know how domineering I am? I’ve done many rude things! If not for the fact that you’re Wanrou’s brother and sister, I would have killed the two of you today. Get lost quickly! You came to my residence to play tricks! Who do you think you are?”
As he spoke, he released his Qi force. Zhao Bin did not dare to say anything else and pulled Zhao Xuanxuan away from the residence.
Su Wen looked at Zhao Wanrou and comforted her. “Tell me what you think.”
Zhao Wanrou said in a low voice, “Lady Mother is old and not favored… If she can come, I think it will be excellent.”
There were naturally some private words shared between mother and daughter.
Zhao Wanrou knew her mother’s situation very well.
After knowing Zhao Wanrou’s attitude, Su Wen calculated a little and simply said, “I understand.”
Meanwhile, Zhao Xuanxuan and Zhao Bin returned to their lodgings.
They met with Wu Qiuhan.
Wu Qiuhan smiled and asked, “How was it? How was your talk with the Seventh Princess?”
Zhao Xuanxuan shook her head and sighed. “Minister Wu, we went there today. It was fine at first, but later, we met Su Wen and Wu Muyu! These two people are extremely vigilant and saw through our thoughts.”
Wu Qiuhan waved his hand and said with a smile, “It’s fine. If they see through it, so be it. As long as the words are delivered, the Seventh Princess will definitely have scruples. That Su Wen will have to think about it as well.”
He pondered. “Is Su Wen still hostile?”
“Very!”
Wu Qiuhan said helplessly, “From the looks of it, things aren’t easy to handle… Let’s see how Su Wen will decide on the alliance!”
In the Royal Palace of Great Chu.
Su Wen had already entered the palace.
Upon learning that his son was born, Su Wen felt a little uneasy.
The moment he entered Xiang Feiyan’s chamber…
Su Wen met the boy’s eyes.
“Father, hug!”
The child actually recognized Su Wen immediately.
Su Wen laughed loudly and carried the child.
Obviously, his intelligence was not as perverted as Su Su’s back then, but his spiritual perception did not seem to be bad.
He could directly sense the bloodline connection between Su Wen and him.
Xiang Feiyan stepped forward and said with a smile, “How is it, this is our child! Now, they’re all saying that this child has the qualifications to become an emperor.”
Su Wen shook his head slightly. He did not think much of their opinions at all. He instead asked, “Have you come up with a name?”
“I was waiting for you!”
Su Wen stroked his chin. “Xiang Daqiang? Big and strong!”
Xiang Feiyan pursed her lips. “It’s too vulgar and unpleasant.”
“Hehe, back then, you kept calling me Brother Qiang!”
“That’s even more awkward. You pervert, quickly change it.”
Su Wen: “Xiang Xiaoqiang? His vitality is vigorous and easy to raise!”
(TL Note: Xiaoqiang also refers to cockroaches in Chinese…)
“You… Can’t you be more careful? I didn’t even give him a name as I was waiting for you!”
Su Wen smiled. “I think it’s pretty good. Why don’t we call him Xiang Daniu? This name is awesome, right?”
“Zi, zi, zi…”
Even his son could no longer listen to his nonsense…
He immediately peed.
If it was an ordinary person, they would be drenched all over. However, Su Wen activated his protective True Qi, and in an instant, all the urine was reflected back at his son.
Su Wen laughed maniacally. “Brat, you still want to fight me with this little ability?”
