Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
When Ren Baqian heard the empress say those words, he immediately felt that he was in deep sh*t!
He still had an elder brother-in-law?
How did he not know about this?
He hadn’t heard this before!
This meant that the late emperor actually had an heir and furthermore, a son? How did the empress ascend the throne?
Ren Baqian naturally didn’t know that the empress had once left a message back when she took him to Great Xia. She requested all the officials to bring that man back if she couldn’t make it back alive.
If Ren Baqian hadn’t passed out at that time, he could have probably guessed it.
However, he didn’t hear it then and nobody mentioned it afterward. As such, he completely didn’t expect the existence of such a person.
After all, this wasn’t a matriarchal society. As a woman, the empress became the monarch of Dayao. Ren Baqian then naturally assumed that the late emperor only had one heir, who was Qi Zixiao.
Surprisingly, the empress suddenly mentioned that Ren Baqian had an elder brother-in-law.
Besides, he had never heard anyone mention this before. It was as if a monkey jumped out of the crevice of a rock. The situation made Ren Baqian extremely surprised.
“Your Majesty, is he your biological brother?” Ren Baqian couldn’t help but ask after he recovered from his shock.
Thump!
Ren Baqian was sent flying more than ten meters by her swinging elbow. He stood up, rubbed his chest, leaped back onto Qi Shui’s back, and asked the empress, “Do I address him as elder brother-in-law then?”
Thump!
He was sent flying away by her elbow again.
Determined, Ren Baqian made his way back on Qi Shui again.
“Your Majesty…”
She ignored him.
“Are you on bad terms with him?”
“It was fine when we were young,” the empress finally replied.
When Ren Baqian was all ears and prepared to listen to her response, she fell silent again. As she distractedly looked into the distance, there was no telling what was on her mind.
Seeing that she refused to talk, Ren Baqian wondered to himself whether he should be friendly or cold when he met his elder brother-in-law.
After listening to what the empress said about their relationship being fine when they were young, it seemed like they weren’t currently on good terms.
If he acted friendly toward his brother-in-law, she might be unhappy about it.
However, if Ren Baqian acted cold toward him… she probably still wouldn’t be too happy about it… After all, she still had feelings for her brother. Ren Baqian could tell from the way she felt so uneasy during these past few days.
Even though they were related by blood, the fact that someone was able to make her feel uneasy only proved one thing.
The empress’s brother probably wasn’t satisfied with anything she did?
Ren Baqian would be seeking death if he were to ask this question!
When they were taking a break at noon, he approached the winged cavalry warriors to find out more about this brother-in-law of his.
However, when they heard his question, their expressions immediately changed as they fell silent.
This made Ren Baqian more curious as to what kind of a person his brother-in-law was if he could actually make even this bunch of crude men shy away from the question.
Eventually, he managed to find out some information from his students.
The empress indeed had an elder brother.
His name was Qi Ziting.
Furthermore, they only knew two facts about him.
Firstly, it was said that he was someone who extremely loved killing people. He was previously in charge of the Protectorate of the Northeast.
Secondly, he had even murdered one of the past emperors.
As for more specific information, Ren Baqian’s students weren’t very sure either.
They merely happened to hear about these things by chance.
After hearing all of this, Ren Baqian felt a little terrified of this brother-in-law whom he had never seen before. This person didn’t seem to be someone who was easy to get along with.
He had better play it by ear!
However, the two pieces of information that he obtained from his students had indeed lifted his prior suspicions.
Mount Yulong, which was also known as Mount Kunlong.
If someone were to look at it from a high elevation, Mount Yulong would look like a crouching dragon with the surrounding mountains looking like a cage that entrapped that dragon.
The dragon’s head pointed toward the outskirts of the Sixty Thousand Mountains and looked as if it was going to break free at any time.
Nearing the evening, everyone finally arrived at the foot of Mount Yulong.
However, just as they arrived, the leading winged cavalry warriors stopped in their tracks. There seemed to be some confusion among the leading soldiers, and a commotion could be heard.
Soon after, someone came to report to the empress and said, “Your Majesty, there’s someone blocking the path ahead!”
The empress was silent for a moment before slowly riding Qi Shui ahead.
Ren Baqian followed behind on the crow general, moved past the troops, and saw the person who had stopped the troops.
It was a burly man dressed in a green garment.
He had a square face with scraggly facial hair. His hair was casually tied in a bun, similar to what an ordinary aboriginal commoner usually did. The green garment he wore was exceptionally clean. However, its color had faded quite a bit, and it seemed pretty old.
Upon closer inspection, this burly man was in fact rather skinny. He had a huge skeletal frame, which made him look very strong.
There was plenty of space between his body and his clothes, and it looked as if the garment he was wearing was one size too big.
Most importantly, this man didn’t have legs. It was completely empty inside his robe, and he was using two crutches to support himself.
Even so, this man simply stood there calmly with an indomitable spirit that made the others fearful of offending him.
It was no wonder that the winged cavalry didn’t dare to treat him irreverently just now and even reported the incident to the empress.
It might also have something to do with this man’s identity.
Ren Baqian guessed that this person was highly likely to be his elder brother-in-law!
The empress looked at that man as she sat on Qi Shui with a complex expression on her face. She then called out softly, “Elder brother!”
The burly man looked back at her as well. When he heard her voice, he immediately smiled and said, “You are all grown up! Elder brother is what those northern dogs say, and it sounds estranged to me. Simply call me brother if you wish to!”
The empress opened her mouth, but was unable to say that word out loud.
The eagerness in Qi Ziting’s gaze also began to slowly fade away.
“It’s fine if you don’t wish to.” Qi Ziting sighed. He then looked at Ren Baqian and frowned. “Is this the husband that you have chosen? Why’s he a northern dog? Go pick another one. We can just bury him here.”
Upon hearing this, Ren Baqian’s feet immediately turned cold as his chest began to fill with rage. He then sneered and was about to speak.
Ren Baqian had never been the type who didn’t retaliate to insult.
He had always believed in taking revenge!
The empress stretched out her arm and held him back. The complex look on her face was gone and had been replaced by a layer of austerity. She said coldly, “You don’t have to worry about my matters. I have come here just to visit our mother and speak to her about some things. Lastly, on account of our past relationship, I can tell you he’s not from Great Xia, the Yun Nation, or the Chen Nation. If you harm him, I will take your life!”
Qi Ziting first felt curious. By the looks of Ren Baqian, Qi Ziting thought that he was either from Great Xia or the Yun Nation. Since Qi Zixiao said that he wasn’t from any of those nations, could there be other nations apart from Dayao, Great Xia, the Yun Nation, and the Chen Nation?
He then flew into a rage. He had lost both his legs and his body was also pretty skinny, but everyone immediately felt pressured and solemn. It was as if a thunderstorm was about to hit them.
The anger on his face eventually faded away. He looked at Ren Baqian and back at the empress before saying, “You are a pretty dignified emperor! However, you are still far from perfect! Since you are already here, come on up. Your accommodations have already been prepared!”
When he finished his words, he pressed against the crutches under his arms and leaped above the winged cavalry behind him. He was like a large bird spreading its wings. After a few leaps, he landed at the top of the mountain.
Seeing that her brother had left, the empress turned and said to Ren Baqian, “Once we get up there, you shall stick with me. You aren’t allowed to wander off alone.”
Ren Baqian agreed and smacked his lips. This elder brother-in-law of his actually tried to intimidate him the moment they met!
After listening to what the empress said, would that man really take action to hurt him?
