Emperor Qian’an was so frightened that he sat up directly, cold sweat pouring out layer by layer on his forehead. His hand fumbled to grab the evil-warding jade ornament placed beside his pillow, gripping it tightly for a while before calming down.
How could there be such a terrifying dream? How could the divine statue turn into a demon?
“Your Majesty, Lord Shen and Lord Zhuo have arrived,” the palace attendant respectfully reported.
Sitting up on the soft couch, the emperor hurriedly arranged his appearance and resumed his inscrutable expression as he sat back behind his desk.
Shen Qiyuan and Lord Zhuo entered together and paid their respects. He acknowledged them with a sound and asked first: “How is the murder case at Ningyuan Marquis Manor?”
Lord Zhuo cupped his hands and said: “It has been confirmed that neither the Ningyuan Marquis nor his wife is are suspect, but the murderer has not yet been caught.”
“It’s good that they have no suspicion,” the emperor said. “The news about building city walls at Nine Rivers has somehow leaked out. I fear there will soon be warfare between our two countries. I want to order the Ningyuan Marquis to lead troops there and station them at Nine Rivers. Lord Shen, what do you think?”
Shen Qiyuan nodded: “The Ningyuan Marquis comes from a military background and can surely bear this heavy responsibility, but this minister came to the palace today regarding the cause of death of his concubine.”
“Just a concubine—what importance could her cause of death have?” The emperor dismissed it. “Just give some compensation to her family.”
“Your Majesty, this minister has examined carefully, and that concubine’s death was not caused by human hands.”
“Oh?” The emperor frowned. “Could it be the work of demons again?”
“Not necessarily demons,” Shen Qiyuan raised his head and said seriously, “This minister believes that divine negligence led to that concubine dying an unnatural death while fulfilling her vows.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Lord Zhuo beside him was so shocked that his hands trembled. Their Great Qian was the nation that most revered the divine. If even the gods were negligent, wouldn’t this shake the very foundation of the country? This absolutely must not be—His Majesty would surely rage and rebuke him again.
But after waiting a while, the person above did not explode in anger as imagined. Glancing sideways, he saw His Majesty sitting in his chair, asking with a pale face: “You, what did you say? What do you mean died an unnatural death while fulfilling vows?”
“The Ningyuan Marquis’s concubine had visited divine temples many times to make offerings and prayers. This minister surmises her wish should have been related to offspring, so after successfully giving birth to a male child, she suddenly died unexpectedly in the marquis’ manor.” Shen Qiyuan said solemnly, “This minister learned that the concubine’s relationship with the marquis’s wife was not harmonious. Perhaps even before her death, she didn’t know she was suffering backlash, but thought the marquis’s wife had harmed her. That’s why she forced herself to walk to the main courtyard and collapsed beside the legitimate wife’s flower bed.”
If the deceased had been dragged and placed there after death, she shouldn’t have disturbed that clump of evergreen plants. He had compared the angles—the damage to branches and leaves caused by the deceased’s dying struggles and collapse matched exactly what was left at the scene.
What could support a dying woman to walk alone to the main courtyard? From several witnesses’ testimonies, it should have been hatred. The conflict between her and Wen Zhenxue must have been great.
Driven by hatred, the concubine was more easily caught in the trap left by the immortal.
Shen Qiyuan was giving a detailed report on the Ningyuan Marquis Manor case, but he knew Liu Ruyi had succeeded, and this case would give the emperor sufficient warning.
So he finally said, “Divine negligence means the victims are not limited to one person. This minister will investigate the Ministry of Justice records and, after categorizing all suspicious cases, report back.”
Emperor Qian’an could no longer sit still. He dismissed everyone around him and asked Shen Qiyuan in a low voice: “The divine statue that the concubine worshipped—was it Divine Lord Puhua?”
“Exactly,” Shen Qiyuan nodded.
Emperor Qian’an was completely panicked. After pacing around the Imperial Study twice, he suddenly asked Shen Qiyuan: “If we go to war with Great Xia, what are our chances of victory?”
“If we hesitate and look backward, twenty percent. If we give our all, forty percent.” Shen Qiyuan paused, then added: “If the city walls can be completed quickly, we can gain another ten percent.”
The emperor nodded and tore to shreds the imperial edict he had just written to punish Song Zhenshan: “Make preparations. We must fight when we need to fight.”
This sudden change left Shen Qiyuan somewhat unprepared: “Fight?”
“Use all the generals in court that can be used,” the emperor said with raised eyebrows. “Retreating again and again—my Great Qian has no room left to retreat!”
His eyes brightened, and Shen Qiyuan quickly said: “Many good generals are still in prison. This minister is willing to recommend several to atone for their crimes through meritorious service.”
“Granted,” the emperor swept his long sleeves.
What countless court ministers had failed to persuade through day and night counsel was accomplished in this instant. After expressing gratitude, Shen Qiyuan quickly left the palace with complicated feelings.
The emperor was willing to fight with fifty percent odds—he should be happy. As long as they could win, Great Qian would be a prosperous dynasty for decades. But this matter was actually helped greatly by Liu Ruyi. Without her, his rash words today would only have angered the emperor.
With immortals and demons mixed, could he maintain righteousness forever?
“My lord, please go this way,” a young eunuch hurriedly said to him as he passed through a gate. “The water gates ahead have caught a demon. Don’t let it harm you.”
His heart sank as Shen Qiyuan pushed past him and hurried forward.
“My lord, my lord, there’s a demon ahead,” the young eunuch knew his status was precious and followed along, trying to dissuade him.
The image of her injury floated in his mind. Shen Qiyuan’s heart flared with anger as he said furiously: “So what if it’s a demon? Nowadays, it’s not only demons doing bad things, and not all immortals are doing good deeds.”
He strode to the water gates ahead.
A spider demon from who knows where had been forced back to its original form by the water gates, and several palace guards took talismans to capture it. He watched from the side, the anger on his face not yet dissipated, slightly stiffening.
“Worried about me?” A spirited magpie landed on his shoulder.
She used voice transmission that only he could hear. The young eunuch beside them looked and said, “Congratulations, my lord. A magpie landing on your shoulder—you’ll surely have continuous good luck recently.”
Shen Qiyuan didn’t explain. He brought Ruyi out of the palace in silence, and only when there was no one around did he say: “You’re alright?”
“How could such minor skills cause me trouble? They only catch small demons with insufficient experience.”
She looked at his expression and said teasingly, “I’m a demon who went to harm people. Instead of guarding against me, my lord is worried about me. Be careful of heavenly punishment.”
“Not punishing those who are wrong but punishing those who have feelings—this heaven can’t be considered very just either,” he said flatly.
Ruyi was stunned.
Shen Qiyuan had always believed in the Heavenly Way, which was why he had devoted himself to cultivation for over a thousand years without the slightest wavering. This was the first time she had heard such words from his mouth.
“Don’t act rashly next time. If you encounter more powerful water gates, your incomplete soul and spirit body might not be able to withstand them.”
Ruyi plopped down on his shoulder, crossing her two bird claws, spreading her wings back in support, and said roguishly: “If you say you feel sorry for me, I won’t go next time.”
Such sticky-sweet words—how could he possibly say them? Shen Qiyuan glanced at her sideways, grabbed her wings, and threw her backward: “Go if you want to go. I don’t feel sorry for you at all.”