Chapter 16: Joy
The G.o.d Killing Army was the strongest army of the Qin Dynasty. Its leader, General Bai Qi, may not be the strongest general in terms of individual cultivation and strength, but when he and the army behind him were together, he was the strongest general of the Qin Dynasty.
Sensing the puzzlement of the realm seven grandmaster in front of him, a ripple appeared in his murderous mind. He gazed in the direction of the Great Floating Water Prison with a hint of confusion.
The empress had never had any problems in countless previous battles … Did she have a problem now because she had not fought for so long.
At this time, there were also many other confused people in Changling.
Mo Shoucheng had stopped. Some strands of his hair fell but he did not notice it but the wrinkles on his forehead and the corners of his eyes deepened.
He understood the empress better than this killing general. He knew the empress would not have problems. Since the empress would not have problems, then it could only be the Nine Death Silkworm.
Ever since the Nine Death Silkworm officially appeared and announced his existence to Changling and even the entire world, he had always won against the empress.The empress could not find him. But the empress’ people were decreasing.
For people like Mo Shoucheng, this was a dangerous signal. This meant … even an heir of the Nine Death Silkworm, after seeing the empress for who she was, could win against the empress in relatively fair battles. So he did not just worry that the empress would go mad, he also worried that the empress may be defeated by the Nine Death Silkworm.
He was one of the wisest people in Changling who knew there was no meaning in thinking about the distant future. Yet, thinking of the unpredictable fate that this dynasty that was already so powerful and peaceful would endure, he still gave a pained groan within.
For the empress, the changes in the Great Floating Water Prison were expected, but for Changling, the changes in the Great Floating Water Prison were a sudden event.
The Divinity Bureau did not know. The Astrology Bureau did not know.
Ye Celeng’s carriage was heading towards Sky Falling Alley. A spy from the Yan was possibly hiding there. Bureau Chief Chen was reading files in the Astrology Bureau.
The empress stood patiently in front of the spirit lotus pond. A faint smile appeared on her perfect face, a smile that was rare and crueler for its rarity.
In her plan, today, Ba Mountain Sword Field … or rather, that person’s remaining subordinates would all disappear. Through them, she could possibly trace the Nine Death Silkworm! If the Nine Death Silkworm did not die, she could not eat or drink. She knew Emperor Yuanwu also could not eat or sleep either. Otherwise, he would not go to that place where that person died every year.
Many people in Changling confirmed that that person had died then, completely dead that he did not even leave any dust behind. Yet when she thought she had finally obtained Changling and the world, the shadow of the Nine Death Silkworm had silently appeared again.
The most painful thing in the world was when you felt that you could completely forget something, someone constantly forced you to think of those things. When you felt you had already won, but found out that you had not.
She knew it was the same for Yuanwu. So she had been unhappy for many years, and did not smile for many years. She knew the Nine Death Silkworm would truly disappear from the world when she learned the secrets of the Nine Death Silkworm.
Today, she finally had such an opportunity. So she had a rare smile.
She waited patiently.
A long time later, her eyebrows slowly rose. Appearing in front of her was not the middle-aged man who had followed her for many years like Palace Attendant Rong, but another palace attendant.
This palace attendant did not know her true emotions. She walked up quickly, and bowed respectfully like the yellow-robed middle-aged man who usually reported to her.
The news from the Great Floating Water Prison reached her ears in great detail. The joy she felt disappeared at the palace attendant’s first words.
She was silent, showing no other emotion.
After the palace attendant finished reporting, she did not hear a response. She did not know if the empress had heard clearly but did not dare to look up. She could only maintain her respectful posture and freeze where she was.
“Why is it like this!”
“Have you really come back to life?”
The empress looked up at the sky and shouted in fury.
The palace attendant did not hear her angry shout. Before she spoke, invisible ripples appeared in this s.p.a.ce. An energy storm stunned her and threw her out.
“How dare you betray me, how can you betray me!” She took a deep breath and said coldly.
She was most skilled in using such means, so she immediately understood what kind of people had the abilities to do such a thing.
**
Huang Zhenwei was in the pitch black underground river.
His vital energy gathered primal energies of the universe that shone with blurry light yellow light in the river like a candle flame that would be extinguished at any moment. He could not find traces of the Nine Death Silkworm.
To his fear, he felt an indescribable vibration.
He was far from the Great Floating Water Prison, and could not sense the battle. But he could confirm through this vibration that it came from someone who cultivated the same method as him.
Emperor Yuanwu. Only he could sense Emperor Yuanwu’s presence vibrating at this time.
Emperor Yuanwu had reached realm eight under the pressure of the Deer Mountain Conference. His vibration now could not be due to another breakthrough. So Huang Zhenwei was extremely agitated. He could not imagine what could cause the calmly cultivating Emperor Yuanwu to have such powerful emotional swings.
Even so, he had a bad feeling.
**
Some faint coolness appeared in the quiet clinic.
Ding Ning, who had been sitting on the bed and looking at the door, smiled. His smile contained indescribable emotions. He saw Zhangsun Qianxue push open the door and enter. He looked hard as though he wanted to merge her into his gaze.
Zhangsun Qianxue turned her head to look away from Ding Ning’s face. She said coldly, “When do you prepare to meet Lin Zhujiu?”
Ding Ning looked at her and said slowly, “When I make sure everyone is safe.”
**
In the imperial palace.
The empress pushed open the half-closed door of the imperial study. She walked in and saw Emperor Yuanwu in cloth robes standing in front of an enormous map. She said coldly, “This is an unfair battle. Any dissatisfaction towards the Qin Dynasty and Changling, even past dissatisfactions, will be put onto us.”
Emperor Yuanwu looked peacefully at her and did not speak.
The empress looked at him and said, “You said last time for me to wait. I listened to you, but now, I do not want to wait.” She paused and then added. “If we cannot eliminate all enemies, then we should be cruel to the end, and grab everything.”
Emperor Yuanwu gave a small smile.
“No matter what you decide,” he said gently, “I will forever stand by your side. Why else do you think I am looking at this map?”
The empress looked at his peaceful face. For an instant, she felt moved. She knew this powerful man had done enough for her, yet her emotion only lasted for an instant. She also knew that at many times, she was only the mistress of the family. She did the evil things in the family. Most people in Changling thought that Emperor Yuanwu focused on cultivation and did not care about court matters.
Even more importantly, she never felt true joy. Without true joy, how could she get joy from someone else?
She looked at Emperor Yuanwu and smiled. Her smile was enchanting and perfect, so beautiful it was intoxicating.
Then she turned to leave.
Emperor Yuanwu looked at her beautiful back and his emotions could not be calmed.
“Make Ghost Market disappear,” She said to the two palace attendants following her as she walked towards her study.
Translator Ramblings: Bai Qi’s historical nickname is the “human butcher”.