Chapter 1369: Achilles’ Heel
The Eagle Empress fell silent. She stood there for another five minutes and then left without saying anything else. Jiang Xiaonu’s emotions were unstable now; she did not want to push her too far. What’s more, she was afraid that she herself would not be able to control her emotions, and that she would accidentally kill Jiang Yi and force Jiang Xiaonu to go home.
She felt extremely guilty towards this daughter of hers so she did not wish that any harm would come unto Jiang Xiaonu. She wanted to go home and discuss things further before taking another step. That would ensure the best outcome.
She walked out of the inn and found Mo Lingqiu, Xiao Hong, and Mu Hongcha were outside the inn waiting. The rest of the people did not dare to come too near. The Eagle Empress waved her hand and said, “Let’s go to Blue Lion City first.”
Swis.h.!.+
The group ascended into the sky and entered Blue Lion City above. Then, as quickly as light, they shot into the castle at the back of the Blue Lion City’s City Lord Residence. The City Lord of Blue Lion City lived in this castle. Of course… now, he had no right to even enter.
Upon entering the castle, the Eagle Empress did not utter a single word. She sat down quietly. Mo Lingqiu and company did not even dare to sit down. If one looked at their rankings, the Earth Emanations Sovereign himself should have come down to host the Eagle Empress. However, the Eagle Empress came in secret this time, without bringing a single person with her. She did not even inform the Earth Emanations Sovereign. That was why he did not even turn up. However, he did send a message to Mo Lingqiu, telling him to host them well.
The Eagle Empress sat there in silence for a full hour. Suddenly, she gestured and said, “Everyone, sit down!”
Mo Lingqiu finally sat down, but Xiao Hong and Mu Hongcha did not dare to. Mu Hongcha gave them an update quietly. “Eagle Empress, I’ve just received news that the Clan King is on his way…”
The Eagle Empress’ brows furrowed, and her expression hardened. Sighing, she said, “That girl’s character is so similar to her father’s. She doesn’t want to go back now, and she wants to stick with that brat. What’s more, if we touch that brat, she would kill herself. You tell me: what solution is there?”
Mu Hongcha fell silent. She did not have any idea, too. If they took Jiang Xiaonu home by force, and something happened, she would not dare to take responsibility for it.
Xiao Hong did not dare to speak up in such a situation as well. Mo Lingqiu, however, spoke up after pondering for a moment, “I understand a bit of the situation. I think if you want the princess to go back with you obediently, you have to find a loophole in that brat. The princess seems to listen to that brat? If that brat persuades the princess to go home, I think there won’t be a problem.
“However…”
Mo Lingqiu paused to think and then continued, “Eagle Empress, I think you should use the soft approach. That brat would not respond well if you use the tough approach. I’m afraid that if you push him too hard, he might do something to the princess to make the situation worse once the Green Eagle King arrives.”
“That’s right, that’s right!”
Mu Hongcha recalled how Jiang Yi brought Jiang Xiaonu out while they were in the Dense Fog Woods. She quickly said, “Eagle Empress, that brat has wretched courage; he does not fear death at all! I think forcing him will not work. Why not we… control his soul? Then, we can ask him to persuade Young Mistress? Or we could erase Young Mistress’ past memories?”
“Control his soul? Erase her memories?”
The Eagle Empress’ eyes lit up momentarily. It would be easy to control Jiang Yi’s soul. The Ink Feather Race naturally had strong soul spirits. Taking control of Jiang Yi’s weak one would be way too easy. Erasing Jiang Xiaonu’s pat memories was also possible. If Jiang Xiaonu could forget all about her life here, she would be able to restart again.
“No way!”
The Eagle Empress quickly shook her head. “Even if we erase her memories, this child’s soul spirit is too strong. One day, she will recall all these things. If she does, she will hate us for the rest of her life. I can’t control his soul either. If I control his soul, this brat will die. My daughter is very stubborn. This brat must not die. At the very least, we cannot be the ones to kill him. Otherwise… once my daughter finds out the truth—even if she doesn’t kill herself, she would still be depressed forever.”
The Eagle Empress still felt very guilty towards Jiang Xiaonu so she was unwilling to do anything that would hurt her. Otherwise, she would have killed Jiang Yi in the heat of the moment earlier. She ma.s.saged her temples and began to mumble to herself, “I can only ask that brat to persuade my daughter to come with us. That’s the only way she would come with us willingly.
“Hongcha!”
The Eagle Empress gave the next orders very decisively. “Go and meet that brat immediately. Give him whatever he wants as long as he agrees to persuade my daughter to come back with me. Also, make him promise that he will stop contacting my daughter forever once she does return with us.”
“Understood!”
Mu Hongcha cupped her hands and retreated to Blue Lion Tribe to look for Jiang Yi. She secretly sent a voice message to him, asking him to name his price. The Ink Feather Race was the strongest in the Earth Domain. It was possible for them to give Jiang Yi whatever treasures or conditions he asked for. The Eagle Empress did not believe that this piece of dirt would be able to resist such great temptation.
However—
An hour later, Mu Hongcha came back with a bitter expression on her face. She bowed down and said, “Eagle Empress, that brat said he doesn’t want anything! He also said he would not persuade Young Mistress; everything would be left for her to decide. I even offered to give him the position of Prefecture Lord, along with ten million divine artifacts, and ten supreme-grade divine artifacts. He still refused to budge…”
“En?”
The Eagle Empress’ expression immediately became solemn. Her body emanated a terrifying aura. At that moment, even Xiao Hong could not withstand it; he nearly fell down onto his knees.
Mo Lingqiu rolled his eyes. He thought, this brat is too brave; how could he reject even these offers? To become a Prefecture Lord, the Earth Emanations Sovereign must give the nod of approval. For that to happen, the Ink Feather Race would definitely have to pay a huge price. A meager Heaven G.o.d like him could become a Prefecture Lord, obtain ten million divine artifacts, and ten supreme-grade divine artifacts… even Xiao Hong might give in to such terms.
Ss, ss!
The Eagle Empress’ breathing sped up. It was obvious that she was using all of her willpower to keep calm and not do anything rash. If it had been someone else—even Mo Lingqiu, she might have killed that person by now. However, this time, she had to suppress her anger. She could not do anything stupid.
Mu Hongcha did not dare to speak again. The Eagle Empress was well-brought-up, but it did not mean that her temper was good. If someone provoked her further at a time like this, that person would probably suffer greatly.
Xiao Hong did not even dare to swallow his saliva. Mo Lingqiu pondered for a moment and then suddenly said, “Xiao Hong, get me a command token. Go and look for any information we might have in this pavilion and in the Demon-Killing Pavilion. I want every single detail we know about this brat!”
On hearing Mo Lingqiu’s orders, the Eagle Empress’ mind began to work. Her killing intent became less intense as well. She knew very clearly what Mo Lingqiu was thinking of. He wanted to find Jiang Yi’s weakness. Both soft and hard approaches did not work on this brat. They had no choice but to find his weakness and deal him with a fatal blow.
This entire process took two full Lower-Domain days. Xiao Hong finally returned with a detailed report, about everything concerning Jiang Yi from the moment he ascended to this domain. He even had some information on Stellarsky Domain.
“Alright!”
Mo Lingqiu looked through the report and broke into a grin. “Eagle Empress, please remain calm. I will go and make this trip. I promise that this brat will persuade the princess to go home with you soon. What’s more, he won’t have a single complaint against you.”
“Thanks!”
The Eagle Empress scanned Mo Lingqiu’s confident expression and finally relaxed. Still, she left some final instructions. “Make sure you do not harm this brat at all. You have to be quick, too. The Eagle King is on his way. We must bring my daughter with us before he arrives, or the consequences would be dire!”
“Don’t worry.”
Mo Lingqiu grinned and said, “I’ve already found this brat’s weakness. It’s his Achilles’ heel, in fact. He would have no choice but to obey.”