They were cursing with great fervor, the civil officials being skilled with words, repeatedly denouncing Tantai Jin without repeating a single phrase.
Seated on the throne, Tantai Jin listened attentively and earnestly.
He did not stop these civil officials, nor did he order their execution. Seeing this, the officials grew emboldened. Tantai Jin had not yet ascended the throne and was not recognized by everyone—he was merely a treacherous usurper.
Anyone who wished to become emperor needed a reputation, so Tantai Jin surely wouldn’t dare harm these veteran officials.
Having been a hostage at six and now allied with foreigners and demonic creatures, Tantai Jin was utterly unworthy of being the emperor of Zhou Kingdom!
When Yang Ji entered, this was the scene he witnessed.
Tantai Jin lounged on the throne while the ministers raged, cursing him with phrases like "May you die without descendants and meet a wretched end!" The clamor was so chaotic that if not for the Mohe River City Lord’s residence, one might have mistaken it for a marketplace.
Yang Ji glanced at Tantai Jin, his small mustache twitching in alarm.
He whispered to Nian Bai Yu beside him, "What’s going on? Do these old men have a death wish? How is His Highness not angry?"
Given the current situation, with two kingdoms at war, they couldn’t possibly execute all the civil and military officials. Yet, with them cursing Tantai Jin like this, His Highness would surely not let them off.
Nian Bai Yu, leader of the Yiyue tribe’s Night Shadow Guard and now operating openly, replied quietly, "His Highness has been listening to them curse for an hour."
Beside him, Ye Chu Feng stared at the ground without a word.
After another round of cursing lasting the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, some ran out of words, and the hall gradually grew quieter.
Finally, Tantai Jin moved.
He yawned and asked the ministers, "Finished cursing?"
His voice was calm, no louder than any of the indignant officials below, which only emboldened them further. "Even if we die here today, we will never acknowledge a scoundrel like you as the new emperor!"
Another courageous minister chimed in, "That’s right, you dog! Kill us if you must, but I, Guan Mou, will never serve you!"
To their surprise, the man on the throne pressed his forehead and chuckled softly.
"You thought I summoned you here to recruit you?" Tantai Jin said strangely.
Wasn’t that the case?
Tantai Jin clapped his hands. "Bring it in."
Attendants carried in a wooden bucket. Everyone exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of Tantai Jin’s intentions.
"A scoundrel like me dislikes killing," Tantai Jin said. "You’ve been cursing for so long; you must be hungry. Seeing your loyalty to the late emperor moves me deeply. To honor your devotion, I’ve decided to return his remains to your care."
Yang Ji had a foreboding feeling. He looked at Nian Bai Yu, who seemed to realize something and lowered his head without speaking.
The attendants brought out small bowls and ladled a portion of meat broth from the wooden bucket into each.
Tantai Jin chuckled softly. "As a treacherous usurper, I must treat you all with the utmost hospitality."
As the attendants gripped the ministers’ jaws and forced the broth into their mouths, someone finally recognized the meat in the bowl and screamed in horror, "This is the late emperor’s flesh!"
Tantai Jin had actually boiled Tantai Minglang and made the ministers consume him.
Everyone’s faces turned pale as they struggled desperately. But a group of scholars was no match for Yiyue assassins. Soon, the hall echoed with one retching sound after another.
Tantai Jin asked, puzzled, "The one you so fervently supported is now inside you. You can serve him forever. Why is no one happy?"
Hearing his gentle tone, Yang Ji felt goosebumps rise all over his body.Tantai Jin thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Ah, I see. Since you're displeased, it must be because you haven't had your fill. Let's serve an extra bowl of meat soup to the displeased lords."
As soon as these words were spoken, no one in the hall dared to make a sound.
Yet someone with terror in their eyes forced a smile and said, "Pleased, this old minister is pleased. Your High—no, thank you for Your Majesty's grace."
Scrambling forward with a stiff smile, he added, "With Your Majesty guarding our great Zhou Kingdom, our nation will surely be remembered for centuries, with blessings extending far and wide."
Tantai Jin laughed heartily.
With one person breaking the ice, the ashen-faced ministers began to smile one after another.
For a time, the ruler laughed, and the ministers laughed along.
The official who had criticized Tantai Jin most fiercely earlier, unable to accept that he had consumed the late emperor's flesh, stood up and hurled himself against a pillar.
Tantai Jin watched with keen interest as the official fell, blood streaming from his head.
Tantai Jin's smile faded, his gaze turning gloomy.
No one dared to criticize him now, all kneeling in trepidation. After scrutinizing the official for a long time, Tantai Jin finally said softly, "Return his body to his family."
Everyone turned pale.
They all understood his meaning—this was no act of mercy. With the official's death, his family would suffer as well.
A few ministers with backbone suddenly hunched over.
Even being executed would have been better than this. Having consumed the late emperor's flesh, their reputations were already tainted. Willing or not, once they left this hall today, they and Tantai Jin would be birds of a feather.
No one resisted further, all prostrating themselves one by one.
After the subdued ministers were dragged away, Yang Ji faced Tantai Jin, his legs nearly giving way.
He had thought he could escape unscathed, but now it was clear that following Tantai Jin meant even if he rotted into putrid flesh, teeming with maggots, he wouldn't dare harbor a shred of betrayal.
Stammering, he reported, "I've tallied the supplies... the provisions at Mohe River can last the army for three months... no, I mean, enough for the army to consume for three months... The monsters left by Tantai Minglang... the monsters..."
Tantai Jin glanced at him.
Yang Ji's legs weakened, nearly buckling, but Nian Bai Yu expressionlessly steadied him.
Tilting his head, Tantai Jin asked, "Are you afraid of me?"
Yang Ji replied, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."
Tantai Jin offered a shy smile. "Don't be afraid, Master Yang Ji. What they ate wasn't Tantai Minglang's flesh—it was just spoiled pork."
"Pork?" Yang Ji instinctively looked at Nian Bai Yu and Ye Chu Feng.
Ye Chu Feng showed no reaction, but Nian Bai Yu gave an almost imperceptible nod. Yang Ji breathed a sigh of relief, the churning in his stomach finally easing.
Tantai Jin said softly, "You see, a bloodless victory, no need to kill anyone. For the rest of their lives, they can never use Tantai Minglang's name to turn against me."
Yang Ji thought about it and realized it was true!
Even if it was pork, it did nothing to diminish Yang Ji's fear of Tantai Jin. Forcing himself to calm down, he smoothly reported on the military camp's situation.
Tantai Jin listened absentmindedly, lowering his gaze to his jade-like pale fingers.
He thought, Jing Lan'an was right—even if he didn't believe it in his heart, he had to pretend to be like everyone else.
He carefully observed and imitated others' behavior, and at least on the surface, he had learned well.
Five days after the old emperor of Zhou Kingdom died, the entire court had pledged allegiance to the new ruler.
Sitting in a tavern, Su Su murmured upon hearing the news, "What did he do?"No one could be this fortunate!
Overthrowing a dynasty and seizing the throne—how could it go so smoothly without a hitch?
Not a single rumor had leaked about this matter. Su Su was utterly perplexed. A middle-aged couple sat across from her and reminded her, "Miss..."
Su Su looked up, coming to her senses, and said, "Uncle, Auntie, I hope you'll take good care of Xiao Shan."
The honest couple before her quickly nodded and said kindly, "Don't worry, miss. We have no children of our own, so we'll treat Xiao Shan as our own son and won't let him suffer."
The man added, "We'll take Xiao Shan far from this place. Neither Mohe River nor Yuzhou is safe these days. Over the years, my wife and I have saved up some money, so we can live comfortably away from Yuzhou."
Su Su nodded. "May I speak with Xiao Shan for a moment?"
The understanding couple stepped outside. The woman glanced back frequently at Xiao Shan, clearly showing how much she liked him.
Su Su asked, "Do you like them?"
Xiao Shan's clear eyes looked at Su Su as he nodded and said, "Yes."
Su Su sighed and patted his head. "What am I to do with you?"
He was so well-behaved, clearly unwilling to leave yet never showing the slightest hint of it.
Su Su truly pitied him. It had been a long time since she had felt such compassion for someone. But she really had to go. That couple were good people with substantial savings. Xiao Shan would be better off with them than with her.
Su Su gently grasped Xiao Shan's wrist.
The boy's pulse was faint, almost unlike that of a living person. No matter how good that couple was, they couldn't prolong Xiao Shan's life.
She made a cut on her own wrist and brought it to Xiao Shan's lips.
Xiao Shan glanced at her and, as he had done the past couple of days, gently sucked her blood. The body of the maiden transformed by the World-Toppling Flower produced blood without any metallic scent; instead, it carried a light floral fragrance and supreme divine power. Xiao Shan knew she wanted him to live a few more years.
He didn't dare suck too hard, his lips barely touching her wrist.
The soft skin of the maiden and her faint, pleasant scent made him somewhat flustered.
As his dry lips made contact, he suppressed his blushing.
He couldn't help stealing a glance at her.
She looked at him with a smiling expression. "What's wrong?"
Xiao Shan hastily released her.
"Thank you."
He never called Su Su "sister," and Su Su didn't mind. This child was obedient and mature for his age, with his own thoughts.
"Live well from now on. If an opportunity arises, be sure to seize it. Xiao Shan, be strong. I hope we'll meet again someday."
Xiao Shan muttered, "Mm, I will."
I promise you.
Su Su nodded and prepared to leave. Xiao Shan pressed his lips together, his fingers lightly hooking onto Su Su's sleeve.
He placed a thumb-sized jade box into Su Su's palm.
Su Su looked down and saw a small white worm sleeping inside the jade box.
Xiao Shan said, "I... I only have this to give you. Don't be afraid of it or dislike it. If you carry it with you, you won't be poisoned."
Fearing that Su Su might refuse it, he hastily retreated a few steps. "I'm going to them now."
Before Su Su could say anything, he ran outside and took the woman's hand.
The woman beamed with joy. Su Su, her feelings complicated, carefully put away the jade box and watched from afar as they took Xiao Shan onto a carriage and left.
Inside the carriage.
The woman said, "Stop looking. Your sister is already far away."
Xiao Shan said softly, "She's not my sister."
The woman couldn't quite hear him. "What's with this bird on your shoulder?"
As she spoke, she reached out to grab it.Xiao Shan protected the bird in his palm, pursing his lips as he said, "Please... please don't touch it."
The woman covered her mouth with a light laugh and chided, "Silly child, Mother isn't going to take it from you."
Xiao Shan remained silent.
He wanted to say that he wasn't a child anymore. Though he still appeared to have the body of a six- or seven-year-old, he was already twelve years old.
He was a young man now, and he still remembered his own mother. Her name was Jing Lan'an.
He was the young master of the Yiyue tribe, Yue Fuyai.
Su Su strapped a small sword to her back and traveled for several days before arriving at Mohe River by boat.
It was already the height of summer at Mohe River. Su Su changed into a lightweight woman's ruqun dress and observed the situation in the city.
Truthfully, she didn't know exactly what to do. Ji Ze had said the Demon God had no love thread, which meant he was destined to be cold-hearted and emotionless.
Historical records showed that while a missing love thread could eventually grow back, the process was arduous—it required teaching someone how to love and hate, to feel pain and sweetness.
Human emotions were the most complex matter in the world.
From what Su Su understood so far, Tantai Jin only seemed to have feelings for Ye Bingshang, unable to forget her. Perhaps she would be the most suitable candidate.
However, Ye Bingshang was married to Xiao Lin, and the couple was deeply devoted to each other. What a mess this was.
Extracting the Evil Bone had clearly become a hellish challenge. No wonder Ji Ze had only given her a tolerant smile—neither encouraging nor discouraging her. This was inherently a hopeless endeavor.
While she was still pondering her options, chaos erupted on the streets as people began running in panic.
A woman was pushed down by the crowd and fell at Su Su's feet. Su Su quickly helped her up, asking, "What's happening?"
The woman urgently explained, "The war tiger that the former emperor of Zhou Kingdom kept picks a woman to serve it every few days! It's a demon—no one ever comes back alive! Miss, you should run quickly!"
Sure enough, not far away, a row of soldiers was scanning the crowd with sharp eyes.
Su Su had previously heard from hunters that Tantai Minglang had a tiger demon as tall as a small hill that helped him in battles.
After Tantai Jin killed Tantai Minglang, he probably couldn't bear to kill the tiger demon, so he continued to keep it, making it fight for him.
After all, how could ordinary humans defeat powerful monsters? Su Su gritted her teeth lightly—one couldn't expect Tantai Jin to have any sense of right and wrong.
As the soldiers drew closer, Su Su made no move to hide. A tiger demon that ate women, was it? Just wait until she smashed its head in!
The tiger demon had been a threat to her father Ye all along. Since she needed to get close to Tantai Jin anyway, she might as well take care of the tiger demon while she was at it.
In Su Su's view, even if Tantai Jin were to become emperor, the current situation was still the best possible. If he truly destroyed the Xia Kingdom, he would undoubtedly become a lawless tyrant.
As the thought crossed her mind, when the soldiers seized her, she put up a token struggle before allowing herself to be taken away.
After being captured, Su Su wasn't immediately taken to the tiger demon. Instead, a matron squinted while examining her, and eventually Su Su was locked in a room.
Inside the room were five other women.
The women looked pale, with two of them weeping silently. When Su Su was pushed inside, they glanced at her before lowering their heads in despair.
One woman with a grim expression said, "Yun'er, no, we can't just wait for death. If we don't think of something soon, we'll definitely die."
Zhao Yun'er looked haggard as she replied, "What can we possibly do? Tantai Minglang is keeping us here precisely for tonight. I heard from my father before that he found a slumbering great demon and was waiting to awaken it."Yan Wan said, "But Tantai Minglang is already dead. His younger brother is now in charge of Mohe River. We... might have a chance."
Yan Wan looked at Zhao Yun'er's beautiful, delicate face: "Yes! Yun'er, you're so pretty. Tonight we have another opportunity. Before the ceremony begins, the new emperor will summon us. As long as he... he takes a liking to you, we won't need to awaken the great demon anymore."
Zhao Yun'er was taken aback, a glimmer of hope appearing in her eyes.
Su Su never expected that besides the tiger demon, Tantai Minglang also wanted to awaken other great demons.
Tantai Jin craved power even more than Tantai Minglang. Since this opportunity existed, he would definitely awaken the demonic creatures. Whether it was extracting their inner cores to devour himself or commanding the demons to fight, these were all things Tantai Jin would do.
The Tantai royal family were all madmen.
Yet these young women before her clearly didn't understand the new emperor. Because this group of brave girls had decided to go seduce Tantai Jin.
Su Su: ...
OpenNovel