Chapter 45

Hearing that there was going to be a banquet again, and specifically in the rarely opened Minghua Hall, Chu Xingyun frowned slightly.

"Is it really in Minghua Hall?" he asked the palace maid who brought the notice, seeking confirmation.

The palace maid nodded cautiously, "His Majesty also said that tomorrow he will host several court honored guests in Minghua Hall. They are all cultivators, so you will be able to engage in Dao discussion with them and alleviate your loneliness."

Having dutifully finished her words, she lowered her head and waited for Chu Xingyun's reply. Not wishing to make things difficult for her, Chu Xingyun smiled even though his vigilance grew, and said, "Just tell the Emperor Elder Brother that I accept."

He was mild-mannered and more approachable than any other member of the imperial family in the palace. The palace maid sighed inwardly, hesitated for a long time, and then said in a low voice, "Over the years... a few of the highnesses have been dissatisfied with you."

Chu Xingyun nodded slightly and said in a soothing tone, "Go." As he walked slowly back into the hall, he saw the cub lying on the soft couch, staring at him with round eyes.

"Still not sleeping?"

His little junior sister was usually a great eater and sleeper; Chu Xingyun had never seen her looking so energetic at this hour.

"Alas!" The cub shook her head and sighed vividly.

The scumbag was right here in the palace, how could she possibly sleep!

Thinking back to all the cold glances and alienation Huangfu Zhou had given Yu Youyou in the book, while Yu Youyou still foolishly clung to him, believing he was cold, aloof, and noble unlike others who desperately tried to please her, she felt a sense of irony... What if that scumbag pulled the same trick on her now, trying to bewitch her into carving out her heart for him?

Come to think of time since returning to the Primordial Sect, the cub had thought she would no longer have any entanglement with the people in the book, yet who would have guessed that the scumbag himself would pop out.

She gently hammered the soft couch with her small fist.

Crack.

The soft couch shattered into a pile of wooden splinters. Fortunately, Chu Xingyun rescued her quickly, scooping the little creature into his arms mid-air.

Even the Dao Lord Chu was startled by this.

...It seemed certain that his little junior sister held an exceptional hatred for Huangfu Zhou. Otherwise, she wouldn't have subconsciously channeled demonic Qi and smashed the soft couch.

However, it was now a settled fact that Huangfu Zhou had bullied his little junior sister.

He narrowed his eyes for a moment, stroked the top of her head, and said softly, "Don't be afraid, Senior Brother will vent your anger for you."

His gentle words, promising to seek justice for her, made it seem as though nothing in his eyes was more important than her, and that any demand of hers could be satisfied.

The cub's heart instantly settled. She looked up at the handsome young man smiling down at her.

"Mn!" She agreed loudly, letting her eldest senior brother know that she completely believed his promise. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed against his embrace, clenched her small paws, and said, "Same here."

She was going to protect the eldest senior brother too.

Huangfu Zhou was a huge threat to her eldest senior brother. She might as well blast him into slag right now so that the eldest senior brother would never suffer persecution from him again.

Hearing the child's promise to protect him as well, Chu Xingyun smiled and said, "I believe my little junior sister too." However, thinking of the banquet in Minghua Hall tomorrow, Chu Xingyun narrowed his eyes for a moment, and said softly to the cub who was leaning against him and giggling foolishly, "There will likely be a conflict in Minghua Hall tomorrow, you..."

He was certainly prepared to deal with Huangfu Zhou, and there would inevitably be a fight then. But after a brief pause, he smiled and said, "You will come with me."

Even if she accompanied him, he believed he could protect her, rather than worrying too much and letting her leave his line of sight.

Yu Youyou nodded hurriedly.

Because in the book, what Yu Youyou cared about most was Huangfu Zhou, the cub was thoroughly clear on what cultivation techniques Huangfu Zhou possessed, as well as his formidable powers and magical treasures.

Even though Huangfu Zhou was not yet the mature high-level cultivator he would grow into later, being prepared beforehand was always better.

Neither of them slept the entire night. Yu Youyou dug up Huangfu Zhou's background and foundation thoroughly, to the extent that Chu Xingyun even knew the exact angle at which Huangfu Zhou held his nose in the air when speaking.

Such thorough familiarity.

Chu Xingyun sighed as he looked at his little junior sister, who was effortlessly rattling off Huangfu Zhou's various secrets without realizing it.

His little junior sister didn't seem very smart.

By explaining Huangfu Zhou so clearly, hadn't she exposed herself as well?

One had to have spent many years living cheek by jowl with someone to know such intricate details about them.

However, Chu Xingyun found nothing of this strange.

Having already experienced the most bizarre things in the world within the Gong clan's ancestral grounds, a character like Huangfu Zhou was not even worth Chu Xingyun's regard.

He meticulously memorized everything. As dawn approached, he fitted Yu Youyou with various heart-protecting armors and hung a vintage, exquisitely charming bronze Bagua mirror on her little vest.

The Bagua mirror reflected human figures vaguely and indistinctly, yet just a glance at it evoked a sensation of spiritual soul fluctuation.

Hearing the eldest senior brother's introduction, the cub curiously looked at it.

She felt absolutely nothing.

Chu Xingyun twitched the corner of his mouth for a moment, turned the Bagua mirror so the back faced forward, and told her, "If my abilities fall short and you encounter danger, flip this mirror, pinch this incantation formula, and whoever comes will have their soul scattered into nothingness."

He gave earnest instructions, and the cub repeatedly promised that she had memorized it all. Only then did they set off toward Minghua Hall, as mentioned by the palace maid.

This Minghua Hall was located deep within the palace. The hall was small and very simple, not luxurious at all, yet Chu Xingyun knew how many terrifying arrays were concealed within it.

He had personally set them all up, specifically so that if anyone ever dared to harm the Chu imperial family, the descendants of the Chu clan would have a safe haven to preserve their lives.

Walking slowly into Minghua Hall, the hall was arranged with various delicacies just like the day before, though not many imperial family members were present today.

Aside from a few familiar faces, there were a few more honored guests from yesterday.

However, not all the honored guests were in attendance.

"A few other honored guests have to remain in the city to maintain stability," Emperor Zhao stated simply.

As he sat down, Huangfu Zhou smiled and said, "As honored guests of the imperial court, although Dao Lord Chu's Dao discussion is rare, duty calls. Those fellow Daoists feel great regret, but there is nothing they can do."

He was putting on quite the act of a good person.

Knowing that he harbored malicious intentions toward her eldest senior brother, and not caring whether this was her own rotten peach blossom from the book, the cub raised her small head and said, "You go!"

Huangfu Zhou showed a bewildered expression, evidently unable to comprehend noble Youyou-speak.

"My little junior sister means, since you feel regret for the others, why do you shamelessly sit here? Why don't you display some noble character, take on the patrol duties, and trade for the opportunity of Dao discussion for other fellow Daoists?"

The feeling of being defended like this by the cub was truly wonderful. While placing her beside the long table, Chu Xingyun spoke in a warm voice, "Daoist Friend is also an honored guest of the imperial court and duty-bound. Why do you not fulfill your own responsibilities?"

These words were unfriendly.

Huangfu Zhou was dumbfounded.

He refused to believe that a little toddler could have so many translations for a couple of words.

It was much more likely that Chu Xingyun was intentionally sneering at him.

But why...

Why was he treating him with such hostility?

Emperor Zhao's expression was gloomy. He stared at the smiling Chu Xingyun for a moment, then suddenly said slowly, "Enough said."

Just as Huangfu Zhou sensed something strange about those words, a deafening roar erupted from outside Minghua Hall. Array-based spiritual light rose from the ground, and a massive restriction instantly enclosed the entire Minghua Hall upside down.

In that very instant, a streak of sword light surged forward. Overcome by a piercing, bone-chilling killing intent and daring not to confront it head-on, Huangfu Zhou grabbed a nearby cultivator to use as a human shield, rolling aside himself.

That sword beam was razor-sharp. The cultivator used as a shield by him was split in two before he could even utter a scream.

Flesh and blood splattered everywhere. Horrified, Huangfu Zhou looked up and saw that the brocade-clad youth opposite him was holding a heavy, scowling cub in one arm, while holding a sword in the other, slowly walking up to the dais to block the elderly emperor. He looked down loftily from the jade steps.

His pair of eyes had shed their warmth, becoming cold and sharp.

"Who gave you the gall to cause chaos on Chu territory?" he said slowly.

Emperor Zhao stood up unsteadily, standing behind Chu Xingyun as he looked at everyone in the hall who was now panicked and flustered.

"They are all his accomplices. There are no innocent people; kill them all," he said coldly.

At this point, what else was there for Huangfu Zhou not to understand.

He had been so confident in his scheming, but at this moment, it all turned into hatred as he glared at the emperor above and said darkly, "Your Majesty lied to me."

Putting on the appearance of fearing death, desiring longevity, and willing to pay any price, while also displaying an attitude of jealousy and resentment toward Chu Xingyun—it had all merely been a ruse to fish out the helpers and accomplices he had recruited within the Chu clan.

Tricking him into coming to this Minghua Hall, where arrays suppressed cultivators, was meant to ensure he couldn't escape.

At that moment, the hatred and sense of humiliation of being deceived by a mere mortal made Huangfu Zhou almost lose control of himself.

He had actually capsized in a ditch over a lowly mortal.

"I never lied to you," Emperor Zhao said coldly. "Wanting longevity is true, and resenting him for refusing to help is also true. But..." He looked like an aging lion, yet was still capable of roaring thunderously. He said in a deep voice, "I am the Emperor of the Chu clan. Everything I do is for the continuation of the imperial dynasty. Huangfu Zhou, you are too arrogant, too self-important, thinking you can toy with mortal lives at will? Did you really think those little tricks of yours could escape my eyes?"

Having ruled as emperor for so many years, what kind of treacherous people had he not seen? What did Huangfu Zhou's little tricks amount to?

Too naive.

Not worth a second glance in the eyes of an emperor.

Humoring him was merely to wait for Chu Xingyun's return to the imperial court before settling accounts with him.

"How could you ever think I would move against him? I resent him. But he is the lifeblood for the continuation of the Chu imperial dynasty. If he falls, how can the Chu clan survive?"

Emperor Zhao was old; he coughed twice before sitting back down. He spoke softly to the dumbfounded Huangfu Zhou, "First I am an emperor, and only then am I a greedy old man afraid of death. If the foundation of the dynasty falls, what meaning would my longevity have? Huangfu Zhou, you always fancy yourself a master manipulator who can turn the heavens and earth upside down, but in my eyes, you are pathetically stupid and too unsightly to watch."

Just some arrogant fool who had popped up out of nowhere, thinking himself a master strategist.