Chapter 67: The Number One Expert in the Southern Region
Squads of cavalry stood at the southern city gate solemnly. There was a middle-aged scholar whose expression was sanguine as he stood in the middle of the cavalry, observing the hanged body of Zhou Xiu not too far away. Zhou Xiu's severed head as well as his body had begun emitting a foul, disgusting after being basked in the hot sun for a few days. The wind carried the foul stench into the nostrils of the scholars of Longdu, causing them to grimace in irritation.
The middle-aged scholar grit his teeth in frustration, and his face turned darker by the second. "They went too far, way too far. They’re hell bent on shaming the viscount even in death!”
"Baron Xian, do we have to enter their capital? I think it’s better if we just leave the war token behind and leave,” whispered one of the cavalrymen into the scholar’s ears.
Baron Xia sneered. “The grand duke has already made it clear that we must enter the capital and meet the emperor. We must condemn him for his actions then leave the war token behind. It’s a good opportunity for those guys from the Guhe and Yizhou Empires to bear witness as well.” Then, he turned to calvary behind him and said, “Well, who wants to go and bring back Viscount Zhou Xiu’s body?”
The expression of one of the cavalrymen turned conflicted. Seeing that, Baron Xian was almost about to open his mouth and speak when a group of people on horseback emerged from the southern gate. At their forefront was Tao Mingshen, the minister of rites. Trailing him were officials of varying ranks.
Tao Mingsheng got off his horse—still quite a distance away from the baron—clasped his fist, and greeted, “Long time no see, Baron Xian!"
Baron Xian's expression eased a bit. "Minister Tao," he called out in return. The Grand Xia empire had sent over the minister of rites, a second-rank official, to welcome him. This level of courtesy was proper; a minister in Grand Xia was equivalent to a marquis in Longdu.
"His Majesty knows the purpose of your visit. Please, follow me. I’ll bring you for an audience with His Majesty," Tao Mingsheng invited.
"Minister Tao, our nations have always coexisted peacefully. But now that Fang Chen has killed a viscount from our nation, I wonder what attitude your emperor has on this matter,” Baron Xian said coldly, and the several hundred cavalrymen from Longdu stared menacingly at Tao Mingsheng and the others.
Seeing them on the offensive, Tao Mingsheng decided to explain the situation a bit more clearly. "This all just a big misunderstanding, really. His Majesty actually does acknowledge that Fang Chen was impulsive this time around. That’s why we are inviting you over for an audience in the palace. There’s definitely still room for discussion. Our empires can come to terms and reconcile."
"Before any of that, give us the body of the viscount." Baron Xian stood his ground calmly.
Tao Mingsheng fell silent for a few breaths and then glanced at his subordinates beside him. They all dodged his eyes, their eyes darting around.
Seeing that, Baron Xian jeered, "What a sick joke. The people of your ministry are so timid! I can’t believe you’re afraid of a toothless old tiger!”
Tao Mingsheng let out a sigh and said, "Baron Xian, you might not be aware that a deputy minister from the Ministry of Rites was thrown into prison because of Fang Chen recently. Many of our officials found themselves implicated and are in line to be beheaded at the Meridian Gate in a few days."
Baron Xian was slightly surprised. "Deputy Minister Qin Dong? He's a third-rank official. How can he be killed so easily?”
Did Fang Chen wield such overwhelming power in Grand Xia? He was able to put a third-rank official on death row so easily?
"Let’s not talk about this for now. Please accompany me into the palace for an audience with His Majesty." Tao Mingsheng didn’t dawdle on the subject.
At this point, a considerable number of Grand Xia citizens had gathered to watch in the background, and the clamor of their comments filled the open air near the gate.
Noticing the crowd, Tao Mingsheng decided not to stay any longer, fearing further unexpected incidents. If anything more were to happen, there would be no reconciliation to speak of!
"Go; bring Viscount Zhou Xiu's body back," Baron Xian suddenly ordered, his face cold and indifferent.
As soon as the words left the baron’s mouth, two cavalrymen spurred their horses and galloped from the ranks. They arrived at the southern gate almost in an instant. One of them headed for the head, while the other went for the body.
Bang! Bang!
The two of them, who were in the late Qi Condensation Stage, were kicked off of their horses and away by an unknown force, landing heavily on the ground. Startled, their horses ran back to join the military ranks.
Seeing that scene, Baron Xian was furious. He barked, "Who are you?"
"Seven Profound Blade, Huang Fujie," the newcomer introduced himself coolly.
"What?! He’s Seven Profound Blade!? When did he arrive at the captial?"
"He's the number one expert in the southern region."
"He rarely sets foot in the capital. What’s he doing here?"
The crowd erupted in discussion. They were well aware of Seven Profound Blade's reputation. Grand Xia was divided into the northern and southern regions. The capital was situated in the northern region. The southern region was extremely far from the capital. If the north was said to be controlled by court officials, the south was dominated by martial artists!
Many prestigious martial sects were located in the southern region, and Seven Profound Blade was the next in line to the top sect, Profound Blade Sect. After he had surpassed his father’s strength, he earned the title of the strongest martial artist in the south.
"Seven Profound Blade?" Baron Xian's brow furrowed slightly, then he looked at Tao Mingsheng, his eyes cold. "Minister Tao, a mere martial artist dared to intervene and stop our knights from bringing back the viscount’s body. Is Grand Xia perhaps insinuating something? If that’s the case, we might as well leave the war token here without meeting your emperor. The next time we meet, it will be on the battlefield!”
Tao Mingsheng frantically glanced at Huang Fujie, anger in his eyes. He then shouted furiously, "A martial artist dares to interfere in court affairs! Men, take him down!"
In an instant, numerous figures appeared around Huang Fujie. There was no way Tao Mingsheng would come unprepared! He had a group of guards on standby, ready to attack on any moment’s notice!
"Divine General Fang has declared that Zhou Xiu’s body must stay up there as a warning for all empires. If you take the body down, then that would mean that you’re going against the wishes of Divine General Fang.” stated Huang Fujie calmly.
When the surrounding guards heard him, they hesitated, stopping in their tracks.
“Divine General Fang this, Divine General Fang that!” Tao Mingsheng's thoughts whirled in rage. How dare a mere martial artist use that “Divine General Fang” to suppress him—Tao Mingsheng!
“Do you know who that is? He’s the envoy from Longdu, Baron Xian. What’s wrong with giving them the viscount’s body back? If your actions today affect the relationship between Longdu and Grand Xia, can a mere martial artist like yourself bear the responsibility?” Tao Mingsheng reprimanded angrily. As he was also a cultivator in the Condensation Qi Realm, his voice was amplified with his inner qi.
Huang Fujie sneered, saying, "I don't care about any of that. Since Divine General Fang has spoken, I’ll only follow his orders!”
"Indeed, this is the decision made by Divine General Fang. Even the envoy from Longdu can't go against it!"
"This guy deserved what came his way for slaughtering our merchants!”
"I heard that they were hunting down people from the Green Medicine Hall. Luckily, Young Lady Fang, from the Green Medicine Hall, has survived and taken over the various Halls of Compassion. She’s now taking good care of the orphans and widows there. Not to mention that the medicinal herbs sold by Green Medicine Hall are both affordable and good in quality.”
Many whispers rose from the crowd.
Tao Mingsheng's face turned extremely ugly. Just as he was about to shoot back at them, he saw a figure approaching slowly—a figure he recognized with a single glance. It was Divine General Fang’s subordinate, the Windy Cloud Swordsman, Xu Ge!
Huang Fujie obviously recognized Xu Ge. He stared at him, his expression strange, then said, "You've also reached the Qi Manipulation Stage, Xu Ge?”
Seeing him, Xu Ge let out a chuckle, then said, "Hehe. I didn't expect to see you today. We might as well have a duel. This time, I might just not lose."
Huang Fujie nodded. "Sure."
Xu Gu smiled. Then, he turned to Tao Mingsheng, who was not far away from him, and shouted, "Minister Tao, my lord has spoken. No one is allowed to touch Zhou Xiu's body. The envoy from Longdu is no exception. Whoever dares to take it down from up there will have to bear severe consequences!"
When they heard that, Tao Mingsheng blew his top, and Baron Xian's expression became extremely dark.
He seemed on the verge of throwing the war token down.
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