Chapter 2092: Fun
Yun Che entered the main hall and took the seat of honor, while Meng Jianze had set his own posture extremely low, almost to the point of bending his knees and bowing. Every word he spoke was filled with regret for what had happened in the past.
Even when he was in front of Meng Jianxi, he had never been this humble.
A smiling face doesn't get hit. Yun Che said with a grin, "With your identity as Meng Jian Yuan, I should still call you elder brother. What happened back then was merely a bit of contention due to differing stances. You really don't need to go this far."
Meng Jianze quickly replied, "The Abyss Divine Son is so magnanimous; Jianze feels even more ashamed. From now on, if the Abyss Divine Son has any orders, Jianze will carry them out even at the cost of his life."
"Those words can be light or heavy—don't be so quick to speak them." Yun Che's expression seemed to grow a bit more serious. "If I were to take them seriously, wouldn't that greatly damage the years of friendship between you and the Jianxi Divine Son?"
But Meng Jianze slowly shook his head. "As a descendant of the Meng clan, this body and this soul will be given without reservation to the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom. Thus, in this life, the one I serve is never a single person, but the only Divine Son who controls the future of Weaving Dream!"
These words of his were quite subtle, because the phrase "the only Divine Son" could be interpreted in many different ways.
After speaking, he stepped forward two paces, extended both hands, and held out a jade box about two feet square. A mysterious light swirled around it, interwoven with at least three seals.
Meng Jianze placed the jade box on the tea table, then opened the three seals one by one, lifting the right side of the box. A flash of brilliant light shone out from within.
Meng Jianze reached in and carefully lifted out a small soft armor shimmering with silver light.
"Abyss Divine Son," he said, holding the armor up with both hands, presenting it directly before Yun Che's eyes. "This armor is called the Min'e Spirit Garment. It was a reward from my father god when I broke through to the Divine Annihilation Realm back then. If worn over the chest, even a full-force attack from a mid-stage demigod can be neutralized in an instant."
"Although the Abyss Divine Son possesses peerless talent and a perfect Divine Rank, you are still young, and your cultivation is currently weak. You need this armor far more than I do... Indeed, the safety of the Abyss Divine Son is now the top priority of the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom. My father god will certainly protect you well, but with this armor, there will be an additional layer of security beneath that protection, and it will also let my father god and Jianze feel a bit more at ease."
Yun Che's gaze fell on the silver armor, but the corner of his eye slanted toward the jade box... Anyone present would never ignore the strange light spilling out of that box.
Yun Che reached out and unceremoniously took the armor. "Fine, since you present it with such sincerity, I won't refuse. Our past grievances are now settled. What happens in the future depends on where each of us goes."
Meng Jianze was overjoyed. "With these words from the Abyss Divine Son, Jianze can finally rest eas..."
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
Panicked shouts came from outside the hall, rapidly approaching from afar.
Meng Jianze turned and roared angrily, "How dare you! The Abyss Divine Son is here—how can you be so loud and disorderly!"
The person who had been shouting stumbled and crawled in. "Your Highness, it's terrible! The First Madam's old ailment suddenly relapsed, and she's already... already..."
"What!?"
Meng Jianze's expression changed drastically, and his hair seemed to stand on end in an instant. Without thinking, he rushed straight out. As his foot crossed the threshold of the hall, he suddenly remembered Yun Che's presence and quickly turned back, his face filled with heavy panic. "Abyss Divine Son, this concerns my wife's life. Jianze must take his leave for now. Please make yourself at ease here. Once my wife is well, Jianze will come back to apologize to the Abyss Divine Son."
With that, he hurried away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Even the maid who had reported the news followed him away, leaving Yun Che alone in the entire hall.
Yun Che stood up, walked over to the jade box that Meng Jianze had forgotten to take in his haste, and flicked it open with his finger.
In an instant, a light like moonlight scattered across every corner of the hall. The intense and incredibly pure spiritual energy was enough to stir the profound veins of any practitioner.
Yun Che reached out and picked up the divine jade flickering with moonlight... It was a type of abyss crystal, a very rare mutated abyss crystal, and the level of power it contained was far beyond that of ordinary abyss crystals.
"An abyss crystal of this level, even in a divine kingdom, should be classified as a divine artifact," Yun Che said softly. "With Meng Jianze's rank, he shouldn't even be qualified to possess it."
As he finished speaking, Li Suo's voice rang out. "Meng Jianze is tempting you to take it."
Yun Che curled the corner of his mouth. "See? Even you can see through it easily."
"..." Li Suo was silent for a long moment before finally speaking. "It is indeed a very crude method."
"No, no," Yun Che immediately shook his head. "It seems crude, but in fact, there's quite a bit of depth to it."
"?" Li Suo had long grown accustomed to his rebuttals.
Yun Che slowly explained, "The brilliance of this trap lies in Meng Jianze's posture. Today, in front of me, he was so humble he practically wished he could kneel and prostrate himself. That creates a certain illusion for me—that he is now in awe of me, dependent on me to the extreme, and that whatever I want, whatever I ask, he will eagerly and obediently offer it up."
"Thus," Yun Che raised the Heavenly Enlightenment Divine Jade to his eyes, "when suddenly faced with such a rare treasure, the shock, excitement, and greed it provokes heavily erode reason and judgment. Add to that the illusion that you can take it at will... it becomes very easy to just take it directly."
"So," Li Suo said, "he wants to set you up?"
"Not exactly," Yun Che replied. "More like he wants to use this to leave a stain on me. And once a stain like that sticks, it can never be washed clean."
"I think this is just the first probe from Meng Jianxi's faction. Similar methods will appear in a chain from now on. They can't use force against me, so using means like this is a good choice in the grand scheme—bloodless and leaving no evidence."
He seemed to be acknowledging it, but the curve of his lips was full of contempt. His arm lowered, as if to put the Heavenly Enlightenment Divine Jade back into the jade box, but at the moment it sank into the box, he directly stowed it into the Heavenly Poison Pearl.
Bang!
The jade box closed heavily.
"Why are you still taking it?" Li Suo asked, puzzled.
Yun Che turned and strode briskly toward the exit. "When something is delivered to your doorstep, why wouldn't you accept it!"
"If Meng Jianxi stays honest, I won't even bother to glance at him. Since he dares to make a move, I don't mind letting him thoroughly remember how to write the word 'regret'!"
"After all, even as the Mist Emperor about to engulf the world, one should occasionally find a bit of fun to relax."
Li Suo: "..."
No sooner had Yun Che left than Meng Jianze, who had already gone far away, quickly slipped back in. He rushed to the jade box and opened it at once.
He froze there, a look of unexpected surprise clearly flashing across his face, which then turned into deep elation.
He quickly reached out, and a concealed Mysterious Shadow Stone flew into his hand. He probed it with his divine sense in a flash, and the joy on his face intensified severalfold.
He spread out a sound transmission array before him and said with barely contained excitement, "Divine Empress, Meng Jian Yuan secretly took the Tianqi Divine Jade!"
"..." There was a long silence, as if even she couldn't believe it at first. Finally, Meng Xuanjue's voice came slowly. "Are you sure? Did you record it with the Mysterious Shadow Stone?"
Meng Jianze quickly replied, "The Mysterious Shadow Stone is in my hand. The process of him taking it is recorded completely."
Meng Xuanjue let out a cold laugh. "I thought the odds of him directly taking it were less than twenty percent. It seems I overestimated him after all. He's nothing but a lowly outsider who wandered for a hundred years. Now that he suddenly has Hua Qingying's protection and the Divine Venerable's favor, how could he not lose his reason and forget himself?"
Meng Jianze agreed deeply. "Exactly! Even if he has a perfect Divine Rank, so what? Most of the Nine Dream Halls are on the Divine Son's side. With just a little scheming, we can push him step by step into deep mud. Before long, he won't have any qualification to compete with the Divine Son."
"Divine Empress, should I go and report this to my father god now?"
"No." Meng Xuanjue's voice was deep and low. Even through the sound transmission array, one could almost see the cold and terrifying look in her eyes as she spoke. "If you tell the Divine Venerable first, he will surely suppress it directly. Report this matter to the Nine Great Dream Halls first—not a single one can be missed! At the same time, spread the news as widely as possible."
"Meng Jian Yuan has just gained fame, but he is by nature despicable, greedy, and audacious. He brazenly stole the Tianqi Divine Jade that the Divine Venerable bestowed upon the Weaving Dream Divine Son... This piece of news is enough to stir up a lively commotion throughout the entire Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom, from top to bottom."
Yun Che returned to the Divine Son Hall and went straight to his bedchamber, instructing as he walked, "I've been cultivating for so many days that I'm a bit tired. Zhiyuan, wait outside. Unless it's something of utmost importance, don't let anyone in."
Unfortunately, Yun Che's rest didn't last long. In less than an hour, an "utmost importance" had already erupted.
"Meng Jian Yuan! Get the hell out here!"
A furious roar rang through the entire Divine Son Hall. Since the Enthronement Ceremony, no one had ever dared to make such a ruckus in front of the Divine Son Hall.
Meng Jianze's eyes were like swords, his face full of rage—a completely different person from the groveling sycophant he had been before Yun Che. Even though he was supposed to be under house arrest, he had left his residence and was now forcefully storming the Divine Son Hall.
A figure flickered, and Lu Laisheng blocked Meng Jianze's path. He was about to speak when his expression changed drastically—because those who had come with Meng Jianze were intimidating to the point of terror.
Meng Kongdu, Meng Chaoyang, Meng Jinghai... All nine masters of the Nine Great Dream Halls had come!
"Your humble servant greets all Dream Lords." Lu Laisheng quickly bowed, his scalp tingling. At the same time, he sent a secret sound transmission: "Quick! Report to the young master at once!"
The Second Dream Lord, Meng Chaoyang, swept his gaze around and said meaningfully, "So they all came. That's quite rare. It seems someone specifically wants to blow this matter out of proportion."
"Hmph!" Meng Xuanji said coldly. "This Tianqi Divine Jade is the only one of its kind in all of Weaving Dream. That alone is a major matter. But even greater than that is that it concerns the character of our Weaving Dream's prospective Divine Son. How can this be taken lightly!"
The Fifth Dream Lord, Meng Chaofeng, said pointedly, "I observe that the Abyss Divine Son's conduct makes it impossible for him to have done such a thing. There must be some hidden treachery in this."
"Then Lord Chaofeng might be disappointed," Meng Jinghai said coldly.
At that moment, everyone turned their gazes as Yun Che sauntered out lazily. His steps were unsteady, his eyes bleary, and as he drew near, he let out a long yawn—clearly looking like someone who had just woken up.
As if only then noticing the people standing at the hall's entrance, the Abyss Divine Son, whose peaceful rest had been disturbed, said crossly, "So it's the nine Dream Lords. Oh? Meng Jianze, aren't you under house arrest? How do you have the leisure to come here and shout like this?"
"Meng Jian Yuan!" Meng Jianze's eyes blazed with anger. "I set aside my pride to apologize to you, practically rubbing my face against the soles of your feet! And yet you harbor such evil intentions, seizing the opportunity to steal the Tianqi Divine Jade! That is a divine artifact bestowed by my father god to the Jianxi Divine Son!"
"Oh? Tianqi Divine Jade?" Yun Che put on a look of confusion, then quickly appeared to understand. "You don't mean that highly radiant abyss crystal variant, do you? That name really doesn't fit at all."
"Less nonsense! Hand it over!" Meng Jianze seemed to have thrown all caution to the wind, snarling viciously, "Otherwise, even if you are the so-called Abyss Divine Son to everyone else, I will never let this go!"
Yun Che touched his chin and squinted at him. "Steal? Meng Jianze, you'd better be clear about what you're saying."
"What are you all doing here!"
A majestic, heavy voice came, making everyone's expression stiffen. Almost involuntarily, they all bowed together. "Greetings, Divine Venerable."
Meng Kongchan's figure rapidly approached from afar. Behind him were the Chief Hall Master, Meng Cangji, and Meng Jianxi, whose expression was hard to read.
All nine Dream Lords were present. Meng Kongchan's face darkened slightly. His gaze swept over each person one by one, and he said flatly, "Jianze, who gave you the audacity to leave your residence without permission!"
Meng Jianze heavily dropped to his knees with a thud, his voice anguished. "Your orders, Father God—how would I dare to disobey? But... I have lost the Tianqi Divine Jade that Father God bestowed upon the Divine Son's palace! Such a huge matter, even if I were punished several times over, I would not dare to be the least bit remiss!"
He suddenly turned, pointing at Yun Che, and his tone became harsh, his accusations mounting. "It was the Abyss Divine Son! After being severely punished by Father God that day, I have always felt guilty, so I invited the Abyss Divine Son to my residence every day, hoping to apologize in person. Today, the Abyss Divine Son finally graced me with his presence. I knelt and apologized, and even presented the Min'e Spirit Garment to him as a gift."
"But Suqin's old ailment suddenly flared up, and I had to rush off in a hurry to suppress it with profound force. In that moment, the Abyss Divine Son took advantage and stole the Tianqi Divine Jade, which the Divine Son had placed with me."
Meng Jianxi's hands alternately clenched and loosened, and the corners of his eyes twitched uneasily.
Meng Chaoyang interjected, "Now this is strange. Why would Jianxi's Tianqi Divine Jade be in your hands?"
Meng Jianze quickly explained, "The Divine Son intended to use the Tianqi Divine Jade only when he broke through to the fifth level of the Divine Annihilation Realm. It happened that I was recently experiencing a bottleneck in my soul advancement, so the Divine Son temporarily placed the Tianqi Divine Jade with me, using its divine light to nourish my soul and help me break through."
"This was a great favor from the Divine Son, and also a tremendous trust. But I..."
He said mournfully, "This matter is of great importance. In my panic, I made such a big commotion, even alarming Father God and all the Dream Lords... I am truly unforgivable."
"..." Meng Jianxi shot Meng Jianze a deep look, but he couldn't bring himself to deny it.
"Yuan'er," Meng Kongchan spoke, his face showing neither joy nor anger. "Did you, as Jianze claims, take that Tianqi Divine Jade?"
"Of course not." Yun Che's drowsiness had not yet fully dissipated, but his eyes remained clear. "If I wanted anything, I would naturally ask the Divine Venerable."
"Mm." Meng Kongchan nodded slightly.
"Of course you wouldn't admit it!" Meng Cangji stepped forward, his face full of rage. "Jianze, you are so certain in pointing at Meng Jian Yuan—do you have any solid evidence?"
"Of course I do!"
Meng Jianze extended his hand, and in his palm was the Mysterious Shadow Stone he had prepared earlier. He gently expelled a wisp of profound energy, and the image recorded within it was cast out:
In the image, Yun Che stood before the jade box, his back to where the Mysterious Shadow Stone was placed. Although it showed his back, one could still clearly see him take out the shining Tianqi Divine Jade from the box, look at it, and then put it back... But during the process of putting it back, the divine light suddenly vanished. As Yun Che turned and left, the jade box was completely closed.
The projection faded, and the atmosphere fell silent. Everyone's expressions varied.
Meng Cangji's hair bristled with fury, and he let out a thunderous roar. "Meng Jian Yuan, this old man never expected that you would actually dare to commit such a vile act! At a time like this, what else do you have to say!"