Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ye Futian, Xia Qingyuan and Yao Xi came to meet the emperor within Emperor Xia’s Palace.
All the others stayed outside the hall. Ye Futian and Emperor Xia were closer to each other after all, and they needed Emperor Xia’s approval if they were to meet him as well.
Queen Xiao was there as well. Her eyes looked gentle. It had been years since she last saw her daughter.
“Father, mother.”
“Greetings, your majesty, and your highness.” Ye Futian bowed.
“Not bad. You’ve been achieving significant progress with your training, I see. You’ve now become a Saint of True Self. Seems like you’ve gained quite a lot in your two years of training in the Regional Palace.” Emperor Xia smiled and continued, “Qingyuan, you need to work harder.”
Xia Qingyuan nodded slightly. She, however, had no interest in comparing herself to Ye Futian.
Emperor Xia then looked at Yao Xi and said, “That goes for you too, Yao Xi.”
“I’m the outsider here. Please continue without me.” Yao Xi smiled plainly before turning and leaving. It was rather unexpected that she just left like that.
While Yao Xi had been to Crimson Dragon Realm as well, but Xia Qingyuan looked at her like she was watching over a thief. She was very much on guard against her.
She said that she was an ‘outsider’, which was quite true. Ye Futian was keeping a distance from her somewhat. From the looks of things, she was able to tell that there were still things that one could not have obtained, simply because one was willing to fight for it.
Emperor Xia felt rather exasperated watching her leave. While Yao Xi had joined the royal palace’s ranks, but it seemed that she was still unable to truly put some loads she had on her mind down.
However, that was all up to her, and the emperor had no intention of interfering.
“Qingyuan, how was Crimson Dragon Realm?” The queen smiled and asked.
“Very good. There are many exceptionally talented cultivators at Crimson Dragon Realm. Many in the Regional Palace were like me—coming from other Renhuang realms to train,” Xia Qingyuan elaborated. It did her a lot of good training in a better environment.
“You brought Holiness of Nirvanas with you on your way home, and you did look like you have had a good time.” Emperor Xia then added, “So, what are you doing bringing so many cultivators with you this time?”
“I’d like to ask for your help, father,” Xia Qingyuan said right away.
“It is me who needs your help, your majesty.” Ye Futian bowed and added, “I’m sure you know that I owed a lot to the Imperial Advisor of Dali. He is in his current predicament all because of me.”
“I remembered the last time I went to Emperor Li’s City with you, I told you that the Imperial Advisor is still someone from Dali. Even if you truly intend to head to Emperor Li’s Realm, what would you do if Emperor Li intends to kill you?” Emperor Xia asked. Emperor Li could not have killed someone from Emperor Xia’s Realm himself, but killing a ‘traitor’ of Dali was something no one would have stopped him from doing.
If they were to send forces to rescue the Imperial Advisor, it would have truly made the Imperial Advisor a ‘traitor’ after all.
“The last time we deployed, we did so in the name of staging a war between the two realms, instead of doing so for the sake of the Imperial Advisor. But the operation this time, won’t be for taking out cultivators of Emperor Li’s Realm; it is to take the Imperial Advisor of Dali out of the picture,” Ye Futian said. Emperor Xia’s eye twitched, getting what Ye Futian was trying to do so.
They wanted to rescue the Imperial Advisor of Dali, and they needed an excuse.
Ye Futian, Xia Qingyuan, and Yao Xi came to meet Emperor Xia in his palace.
The others remained outside the hall. Approval was necessary to meet the emperor, though Ye Futian and Emperor Xia were close.
Queen Xiao was there as well. Her eyes looked gentle. It had been years since she last saw her daughter.
“Father, mother,” Xia Qingyuan said.
“Greetings, your majesty, and your highness.” Ye Futian bowed.
“Not bad. I see you’ve achieved significant progress with your training. You’ve now become a Saint of True Self. Seems like you’ve learned quite a lot in your two years of training at the Regional Palace.” Emperor Xia smiled and continued. “Qingyuan, you need to work harder.”
Xia Qingyuan nodded slightly, though she had no interest in comparing herself to Ye Futian.
Emperor Xia then looked at Yao Xi and said, “That goes for you, too.”
“I’m the outsider here. Please continue without me.” Yao Xi smiled plainly before turning and leaving.
It was rather unexpected that she just left like that.
While Yao Xi had been to Crimson Dragon Realm as well, Xia Qingyuan looked at her as she would a potential thief. She was very much on-guard around her.
Yao Xi had said that she was an ‘outsider,’ which was quite true. Ye Futian had kept something of a distance from her. It seemed she could tell that there were still things that could not be obtained simply because one was willing to fight for it.
Emperor Xia felt rather exasperated watching her leave. While Yao Xi had joined the royal palace’s ranks, she was still unable to let go of her burdens.
However, that was all up to her, and the emperor had no intention of interfering.
“Qingyuan, how was the Crimson Dragon Realm?” the queen asked with a smile.
“Very good. There are many exceptionally talented cultivators at the Crimson Dragon Realm. Many in the Regional Palace were like me—coming from other Renhuang realms to train,” Xia Qingyuan elaborated. Training in that environment had done her a lot of good.
“You brought Holiness of Nirvanas with you on your way home, and you look like enjoyed it, ” Emperor Xia added. “Now, have you brought so many cultivators before us?”
“I’d like to ask for your help, father,” Xia Qingyuan said.
“It is me who needs your help, your majesty.” Ye Futian bowed. “I’m sure you know that I owed a lot to the Imperial Advisor of Dali. His current predicament is all because of me.”
“I remembered the last time I went to Emperor Li’s City with you, I told you that the Imperial Advisor is still someone from Dali. Even if you truly intend to head to Emperor Li’s Realm, what would you do if Emperor Li intends to kill you?” Emperor Xia asked. Emperor Li could not have killed someone from Emperor Xia’s Realm himself, but killing a ‘traitor’ of Dali was something no one would have stopped him from doing.
If they were to send forces to rescue the Imperial Advisor, it would have truly labeled him a ‘traitor.’
“The last time we deployed, we did so in the name of ending the war between the two realms. But this time, our goal would be liberating the Imperial Advisor of Dali,” Ye Futian said.
Emperor Xia’s eye twitched as he understood Ye Futian’s intention. They wanted to rescue the Imperial Advisor of Dali, and they needed an excuse.
They did not intend to use that as the reason to deploy their troops—the realm would have served as that reason instead.
Ye Futian intended to force Emperor Li to hand the Imperial Advisor over. By doing so, they would have to exercise restraint to avoid infuriating Emperor Li.
“The realm will deploy an army, yet they will be forbidden from killing any important figures of Dali, as the aim is to save the Imperial Advisor. I have no doubt it is all within reason from your perspective. You owe a debt to the Imperial Advisor. But as for the others, I’m afraid…they might not be willing to help,” Emperor Xia said.
“We would have an absolute advantage so long as you give the word, father. We’ll be the ones with the overwhelming edge, and the losses would be small,” Xia Qingyuan said. Other than the three Holiness of Nirvanas from the nine tribes that they brought back to the realm, there were also Wu Yong, Shen Tianzhan, and three other Holiness of Nirvanas. There was also Yaya as well.
Yan Yuan was unable to fight in the war.
The Star Plucking Saint did not come with them and Ye Futian was naturally unable to order him to do so. The Star Plucking Saint had only been out to help him before. His case was different from those of the nine tribes.
Even so, Emperor Xia’s Realm, which already had an advantage in terms of a pinnacle combat force, had four more Holiness of Nirvanas and Yaya. There were also many Unblemished Saints from the nine tribes, which would have enabled them to gain an absolute advantage.
“It is easy to give the generals direct orders. As for the leaders of the other forces, I shall invite them to the palace. If you want their help, you’ll need to ask them yourself,” Emperor Xia said.
He looked at Ye Futian, who appeared calm after hearing his words. Ye Futian then bowed and said, “Thank you, your majesty.”
Rescuing the Imperial Advisor was his own matter. Emperor Xia had already mobilized those elite figures many times. They had also been to Crimson Dragon Realm twice.
It would not have been a good thing for the emperor to keep ordering them about, just because he was the emperor.
Xia Qingyuan did not know what his father was up to, but she nonetheless saw her mother smile while looking at the emperor.
Emperor Xia had invited these people to the royal palace before, asking if they were interested in letting their younger members follow Ye Futian to train in Crimson Dragon Realm. Each force did so. The emperor had given Ye Futian a chance to meet up with those people by letting him ask them himself.
If Ye Futian had been the emperor’s son, he would have been the top choice in the succession of the throne.
Ye Futian’s talents and renown were such that no one in Emperor Xia’s Realm did not know of him. He had quite a reputation in all of those elite forces, and many thought highly of him. He had also created his own legend in Crimson Dragon Realm.
The queen wondered if Emperor Xia had thoughts about allowing Xia Qingyuan to marry Ye Futian, and then having the young man succeed the emperor as his son-in-law.
Everyone in the royal palace knew what her daughter was thinking. She had yet to marry, but there was already a man that she kept following around.
In name, she was the princess and Ye Futian was her subordinate. But from what the queen heard, it had almost always been Ye Futian calling the shots.
Queen Xiao then smiled and said, “Go rest. I’ll talk with Qingyuan for a bit.”
“Yes, your highness.” Ye Futian nodded and left, leaving Xia Qingyuan alone in the hall.
Both the emperor and Xia Qingyuan looked at her. The queen then said, “Come over and have a seat.”
Xia Qingyuan went to her mother’s side. The family of three acted more relaxed with no one else around.
Queen Xiao was not the emperor’s first wife. He already had a spouse when he was young, who died in chaos. Emperor Xia was still a saint back then. He fell in love with Queen Xiao after becoming a Renhuang, but it took a long time before they were finally married. In truth, she was only a concubine instead of a true queen.
However, his wife did not mind any of that. It was perfectly fine for the emperor to want to remember his late spouse. Despite technically being a concubine, she was hardly different from a queen.
“So, how have things been going for the past few years?” Queen Xiao smiled and asked.
Xia Qingyuan was dumbfounded. She looked at her mother and realized what she was getting at.
She lowered her head immediately and said in a tiny voice, “What do you mean?”
“You two have been going in and out together all the time. Are you still trying to play dumb here?” Emperor Xia smiled. “Qingyuan, why are you still dressed like a guy? This is getting ridiculous.”
“It’s not what you think.” Xia Qingyuan turned her head to the side. There was hardly any expression on her face.
Emperor Xia smirked at his little girl’s embarrassment.
“Wait, that bastard didn’t do anything at all? Sheesh, what the hell!” Emperor Xia cursed. “Qingyuan, do you want me to just order you two to marry?”
“I have no idea what you’re getting at,” Xia Qingyuan said. “Furthermore, Ye Futian is married, and he’s busy looking for his wife.”
“While it may be possible that his wife is still alive, the chances are incredibly slim. Well, at least he is indeed loyal. I’m rather relieved to know that.” Emperor Xia then smiled and looked at his daughter. “Wait, didn’t you just say that you didn’t know what we were getting at?”
“Seriously?” she thought. Xia Qingyuan glared at her father before standing up. “I’d like to excuse myself, father.”
“All right, all right, we’ll talk about what happened in Crimson Dragon Realm then.” Emperor Xia pulled Xia Qingyuan over and gestured for her to sit again. Xia Qingyuan did so in exasperation.
“You two have been through thick and thin for the past few years in Crimson Dragon Realm. Are you telling me that this kid feels nothing at all? He might be very fixated on Hua Jieyu at the moment, but when he’s finally given up on her, that’s where you come in,” Emperor Xia said.
“Wait, what? Didn’t you say the subject is over?” she thought.
One could only imagine what outsiders would have thought if they saw this side of Emperor Xia.
Despite it being said that saints and Renhuangs were no longer mortals, they were nonetheless still human. Emperor Xia was still a father. And fathers treated their daughters differently than their sons.
…
Many legendary figures arrived at the royal palace several days later. All elite cultivators were there.
In pretext, the banquet was held to welcome Princess Xia Qingyuan and Yao Xi home. But those of the elite forces more or less knew what the banquet was really about.
Their younger members had already brought the subject up. Ye Futian would not have brought so many mighty ones from Qianye City back for anything else.
Was he trying to usurp the throne of Emperor Xia’s Realm instead? Ridiculous.
There was only one possibility—Dali.
The Swordmaster of Lihen, the Palace Lord of Xuanyuan Palace, the Jiutian Temple Lord, and many elite figures were present. They all looked at Ye Futian.
Ye Futian was given a privileged seat right below Emperor Xia and beside Xia Qingyuan. Which struck every one present as interesting.
Emperor Xia had naturally sat at the very top, the most privileged of seats. He smiled while looking at the crowd and said, “I’m sure you’ve all heard about the incident at Qianye City. Qingyuan and Ye Futian took the city back and established a base for us at Crimson Dragon Realm. Now, Qianye City has also become one of the strongest cities to be found in Crimson Dragon Realm. Qingyuan, Ye Futian, and Yu Sheng are all training in the Regional Palace, a holy land of training in Crimson Dragon Realm. This truly calls for a celebration.”
The Jiutian Temple Lord lifted his cup with a smile. “We thought it would have taken quite some time before Ye Futian became a dear general. We didn’t expect this to happen so quickly. Congratulations are indeed warranted, your majesty.”
“Congratulations, indeed.” Emperor Xia nodded.
The mighty ones all lifted their cups to toast the emperor. It was an extremely rare chance to be able to drink with his majesty, and it was all thanks to Ye Futian.
As they congratulated the emperor for finding a capable general, in truth they all knew that his majesty treated said general like his son-in-law.
They had all heard of the commotion Ye Futian had been whipping up in Crimson Dragon Realm. They were all very impressed, despite being Holiness of Nirvanas themselves.
Ye Futian was indeed living up to his reputation as one in a million. It was more than just being peerless in Emperor Xia’s Realm. It seemed that none in Crimson Dragon Region could match his achievements.
At the very least, there was no peer among the other young ones.
