57. Arriving at the Baiyao Capital
Anyone who dared to speak to him like this would surely lose their head.
But… the one who spoke was the State Preceptor of the entire Baiyao Dynasty.
No one knew how long this State Preceptor had lived—the position was passed down from master to disciple, and each one wore the same mask, their speech patterns and habits gradually becoming uniform.
In other words, unless you were the State Preceptor’s personal female attendant, you would never know when the person behind the mask had been replaced.
Of course, the State Preceptor usually didn’t have female attendants. The Fengbie Pavilion, where he resided, at most had a tea boy and his next disciple.
So, the mystery of the State Preceptor’s identity was nothing new.
And the reason the Baiyao Dynasty established this position, and gave the State Preceptor so much autonomy…
Was entirely because of the Taiqiong Heavenly Divination.
This divination method was also known as the Supreme Heavenly Divination.
Like the Hundred Objects, Not Predestined by the Heavens, it could divine the outcome of a matter, but with one difference: the former divined the Dao of man and objects, while the latter divined the Dao of heaven.
The former could be influenced by human factors, while the results of the latter were, for the most part, unchangeable.
Of course, the people of the Baiyao Dynasty didn’t believe in this.
They believed that the future could be changed, which was why they had a State Preceptor.
“Who did this?”
“A woman.”
“A woman?” Baili Yue was bewildered.
How could a mere woman shake the thousand-year foundation of the Baiyao Dynasty? And the State Preceptor himself had come to tell him this.
This was a serious matter.
“What else have you divined?” Baili Yue said grimly. “What is the real reason you came here?”
The State Preceptor calmly sat down and took a sip of tea. “Guess.”
“Yue Linqiu,” Baili Yue roared, “do you think my tolerance is too high?”
“Eh, Your Majesty is mistaken.” Yue Linqiu waved his hand with a smile. “Your Majesty is wise and powerful. How could you not guess what I’m trying to say?”
“You…”
“What Your Majesty fears most, that is what it is.”
“What!?” Baili Yue slammed his hand on the table in disbelief. “Impossible! It can’t be them!”
“Those people are long dead, dead for over a thousand years! And now you’re telling me their descendants have appeared? How is that possible!?”
In contrast, Yue Linqiu was quite calm. He gently put down his teacup. “Why is it impossible?”
“Since the Eight Desolations Sword Master’s destiny still exists, it means that lineage is not extinct. You’ve been supporting the Eight Desolations Sword Alliance, helping them suppress the Sword Master. In your heart, haven’t you ever imagined yourself being overthrown?”
“You…!” Baili Yue’s veins throbbed, his spiritual energy surging, but he didn’t attack.
First, he didn’t know the true depth of the State Preceptor’s power. If he attacked, he might be the one to be humiliated.
Second, he was right.
He did fear the descendants of that lineage.
This was a secret of the Baili family, a secret now only known to himself, the State Preceptor, and a handful of people connected to the Eight Desolations Sword Master.
Even the Eight Desolations Sword Alliance itself had forgotten why they were originally opposed to the Sword Master.
Even their name was forcibly given to them by the Baili royal family after a purge long ago.
But… at this point, Baili Yue couldn’t be sure if all the insiders were truly dead. If they were indeed plotting something…
“You’re panicking.” The State Preceptor said with a smile. “For a thousand years, no emperor has been as worried as you.”
“…” Baili Yue looked at him coldly, then finally released his clenched fists. “Even the Youhan Dynasty has been making moves lately. Do you think they would do such a thing for no reason?”
“Yue Linqiu, since you are still the State Preceptor of my Baiyao Dynasty, you should serve it with all your heart. So, I want you to do one thing.”
Yue Linqiu asked with a blank expression, “What is it?”
“Use the Taiqiong Thirteen Hexagrams to find that key person for me.”
“The Taiqiong Thirteen Hexagrams is a heaven-peering technique. My luck is not enough to perform such a thing.” Yue Linqiu smiled. “So, Your Majesty, you know what you have to do, right?”
“Hmph…”
Baili Yue said impatiently, “If I can find that person and eliminate her, what does it matter if I have to sacrifice the luck of the Baili family, the luck of the Baiyao Dynasty?”
Yue Linqiu didn’t say anything more, but beneath his mask, no one could see the smile on his lips.
Profound and inscrutable.
—
—
Four days later.
Baiyao Capital.
Perhaps because of the current emperor’s decree, the city was now teeming with people, factions from all over converging.
Some things Mo Yechong hadn’t told her, or rather, didn’t need to tell her.
And that was, these people, although summoned by the decree, were not just here to answer the call. The decree not only specified what they had to do, but also what they could get.
Now, Miss Gong, looking at the decree posted on the wall, admired this emperor’s boldness, almost as much as Shangguan Long’s.
“Anyone who kills a single evildoer will be rewarded with five high-grade spirit crystals. Those who kill more than ten will receive an additional twenty high-grade spirit crystals.”
“And if you kill their leader, you will be rewarded with three hundred high-grade spirit crystals and can choose any item from the royal treasury. If you kill the supreme leader, you will not only receive a thousand high-grade spirit crystals, but also a royal secret treasure, and a permanent promise from the Baili royal family.”
No wonder so many people were flocking here like it was a festival. Such generous rewards would surely attract a host of profit-seeking sects and families.
However…
Miss Gong was initially planning to check the side quests for anything related to this.
—Yes, having just spent almost all her spirit crystals, she was in desperate need of a way to earn some back. She wouldn’t just participate in this two-sided profit opportunity, she would see if she could work both sides at the same time.
But not only did she not find anything, she found a very strange quest.
