Chapter 2087: Long Time No See, Li Linfu!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The darkness seemed empty, but to the eyes of an expert like the Tianfu Divine Lord, a vast dome covered the capital, surging with a sea of energy that could make anyone pale in fear.
“That w.a.n.g Chong is far too troublesome. He knows of our existence and refuses to leave the capital. And those a.s.sa.s.sins we found are far too weak to cause much of a stir!”
The Tianfu Divine Lord sighed.
“If this domain does not fall, we can do nothing to him!”
The men in black were immensely powerful and had many experts in their ranks. In the past, even toppling an empire was as easy as flipping a hand. But now, they could do nothing to the Great Tang imperial household.
Genesis Supreme said nothing, his brow furrowing.
He naturally understood the current situation.
He had tried to force his way into the capital before, but at the final moment, his Grotto Heaven expert intuition told him to give up on the idea.
The Miniature Nine Provinces Domain was just as dangerous to Grotto Heaven realm experts!
Until the formation was broken, he did not dare to act recklessly.
The Tianfu Divine Lord glanced at Genesis Supreme and hesitantly said, “Venerable One, why don’t we… capture some of his stronger subordinates and women he’s close to, take them out of the city, and force him to come out?”
Those useless soldiers would never break the formation. They would need to take risky actions to destroy the formation, and this period of activity had not been completely fruitless for the Tianfu Divine Lord.
While gathering information, he had discovered several women whom w.a.n.g Chong frequently interacted with.
The men in black might not have been able to break the Miniature Nine Provinces Domain or kill w.a.n.g Chong, but capturing a few ordinary women wouldn’t be too difficult.
In the past, the Tianfu Divine Lord would have never said such a thing, but after failing several times against w.a.n.g Chong and even being heavily injured, he was completely humiliated. He was now willing to resort to any method possible to kill w.a.n.g Chong.
Buzz!
The Tianfu Divine Lord had barely finished speaking when his surroundings fell silent and the temperature plunged.
“b.a.s.t.a.r.d thing! Have you already fallen to this level because of that mortal? As a G.o.d, you would use such lowly methods? If this news got out, would you not become a laughingstock?”
Genesis Supreme turned to the Tianfu Divine Lord and coldly glared.
As a Supreme, an aloof G.o.d who looked down on all living beings, Genesis Supreme was extremely arrogant. For the Tianfu Divine Lord to bring up this suggestion was a humiliation for Genesis Supreme, a questioning of his ability.
If a G.o.d lowered themselves to using such despicable methods against a mortal, how were they different from a mortal?
They would naturally no longer have the right to call themselves a G.o.d!
“In addition, do you think that brat didn’t also think of this? Your people would be caught and dealt with long before they would have a chance to escape the capital,” Genesis Supreme coldly said.
The domain around the capital was like a giant abyss, and inside and outside were two completely different worlds. There probably didn’t exist a single person who could kidnap one of w.a.n.g Chong’s women in the capital. As for w.a.n.g Chong’s subordinates, what did it matter how many they captured?
Would he really offer himself up for the sake of some subordinates?
The Tianfu Divine Lord blushed in shame.
“It was this subordinate’s mistake!”
The Tianfu Divine Lord paused, then lowered his head and said, “But, Venerable One, if this is the case, won’t we be unable to obtain that object and complete the mission Heaven gave us? What do we do next?”
Genesis Supreme turned to the capital and coldly said, “Wait!” His voice was tinged with a farsighted and wise aura.
“This G.o.d has a plan. There is no need for you to worry.”
His robes flapped in the wind, and his eyes were two deep pools of wisdom.
The Tianfu Divine Lord hesitated, but ultimately, he lowered his head and said no more.
……
Time flew by. Several days later, deep in the night…
Boom!
The southern gates of the capital rumbled open, allowing a plain and unremarkable carriage, with two lanterns hanging from it, to leave.
Not only was this carriage of simple design, the compartment was tightly wrapped up. It was obvious that the owner of the carriage did not want their face to be seen.
But no ordinary person could have ordered the City Guard to open the gates after their closing time.
It was clear that the owner of the carriage had some revered status.
Cough, cough! A tired cough came from inside the carriage. The compartment was lit by a single oil lamp, and the gloomy light shone upon a middle-aged man wearing an official’s hat and dressed in casual robes. Although he seemed ordinary, the way he moved exuded a superior aura.
An old servant in the carriage bowed and respectfully said, “Wise Minister, you are unwell. It’s late, so why don’t we return to the residence to rest?”
If w.a.n.g Chong had been present, he would have certainly started to see this middle-aged man and hear him referred to as ‘Wise Minister’.
This man who was breaking the curfew to sneak out of the capital was none other than the man who had once dominated the court but who had now been squeezed out of the center of power after the rise of the new Emperor, Li Linfu.
And if there was any one person in the court who was still referred to as ‘Wise Minister’, it was Li Linfu.
“I know, Aji, but there are some things that this minister must take care of. There is no need for you to try and persuade me,” Li Linfu indifferently said, appearing somewhat absentminded.
“Is it because of the King of Foreign Lands?” the old servant worriedly said as he raised a tea pot and filled the porcelain cup on the small table in front of Li Linfu.
The carriage was quiet. Li Linfu said nothing, but his brow visibly creased.
He had secretly been spreading rumors about w.a.n.g Chong’s ambiguous relations.h.i.+p with the Western Regions and the Sa.s.sanids, trying to imply that w.a.n.g Chong was harboring rebellious motives and estrange him from Li Heng.
Li Linfu had worked very carefully, believing that he had left no evidence.
But to his surprise, w.a.n.g Chong had still managed to find out, and the result of his displeasure was obvious…
Old Eagle had returned the favor, publicizing how Li Linfu had backstabbed several major officials back in the day.
Very few people had known about those old matters, but now, almost everyone knew.
Without firm evidence, such things would have never been able to affect his position, but now that he was a tiger out on the open plains, there were numerous people willing to beat him while he was down.
w.a.n.g Chong’s strategy was truly sublime. Even after the new Emperor’s enthronement, Li Linfu had still managed to keep some groups on his side, but once these scandals got out, even these officials who had once followed his lead began to break away.
While no one spoke about it publicly and still called him Wise Minister, in truth, his reputation was dirt.
Li Linfu had never experienced this sort of fall from grace before!
“The w.a.n.g Clan… the w.a.n.g Clan…”
Li Linfu closed his eyes, his head slowly rising as his fingers began to tap.
Thirty years ago, the w.a.n.g Clan had w.a.n.g Bowu. Thirty years later, the w.a.n.g Clan now had w.a.n.g Chong. His destiny and his career were inextricably tied to the w.a.n.g Clan.
If the w.a.n.g Clan declined, his career would thrive. If the w.a.n.g Clan thrived, then he…
Li Linfu felt hatred and reluctance welling up in his heart.
The w.a.n.g Clan was like the noon sun, and w.a.n.g Chong and Li Heng were bosom friends. There was nothing he could do!
The old servant saw Li Linfu’s dejected expression and mentally sighed. He wanted to do something, but he was helpless.
After some time, the carriage came to a stop with a thump, and the driver outside called out, “Wise Minister, we’ve arrived!”
A gentle breeze rustled the surrounding trees in the darkness.
The carriage, after leaving the capital, had driven into a forest.
Li Linfu opened his eyes.
“You all stay here. Without my order, you are not to move!” Li Linfu ordered, his expression grave.
Creeak! Aji watched in surprise as Li Linfu stood up, took the lantern, and exited through the carriage door.
There was nothing outside besides the carriage. With the light of the lantern, Li Linfu found a white birch by the side of the road. He walked up to the tree, saw a fresh mark on its trunk, and nodded.
This is the place, Li Linfu mentally noted.
“Wise Minister, where are you going? Aji will accompany you.” Aji’s worried and concerned voice came from behind him.
“There’s no need.”
Li Linfu waved his sleeve and then quickly vanished into the forest.
The old servant was left speechless.
For some reason, he felt that his Wise Minister had been acting very strangely recently, as if he was deeply concerned.
He had taken care of the Wise Minister for several decades, and they had been inseparable except during court sessions. This was the first time the Wise Minister had decided to go alone.
……
Whoos.h.!.+
Deep in the dark forest, the winds howled like the screeching of owls.
With the lantern, Li Linfu navigated the uneven terrain as he ventured deeper in.
His expression was cautious, but there was no hesitation.
“Li Linfu, you’re finally here. It has been a long time since we last met!”
In this frightening atmosphere, a ghostly voice resounded through the forest, and then, in a gust of wind, two figures appeared in front of Li Linfu.
These two figures wore black robes and floated in the air, their bodies seemingly lifeless.
If w.a.n.g Chong had been here, he would have been blown away, for these two were none other than Genesis Supreme and the Tianfu Divine Lord.