Chapter 42: Xu Yourong’s Question
The King of Linghai Sea and Daoist Siyuan had arrived at the two ends of the square at some unknown time.
The knights who had just begun their charge called their mounts to a halt. The fervent believers, who had been wailing moments before, were now being led by An Hua toward the distance, retreating. They occasionally glanced back at the still-raging battle in the center of the square, their expressions uneasy.
Besides Dark Willow and Falling Star Stone, the auras of the Mountains and Rivers Diagram and the Celestial Seal had also appeared within the Li Palace.
Under the sudden suppression of the Li Palace’s grand formation, Wu Daozi lost his final chance to counterattack.
A short blade plunged into his lower abdomen. If one had good eyesight, they might have seen the knife twist half a turn inside his belly.
Wu Daozi let out a piercing cry of agony. The brush in his hand and the palette hidden in his sleeve fell, clattering and scattering across the bluestone slabs.
Hu Sanshier pulled the short blade out and stabbed it toward Wu Daozi’s other intact foot—fast, steady, and precise.
As he did these things, his expression was calm, or rather, focused, as if he had forgotten everything outside himself.
Wu Daozi screamed again, collapsing to the ground, unable to rise any longer.
Blood gushed continuously from his body, the scene appearing exceptionally bloody and cruel.
As the Painting Saint, Wu Daozi naturally possessed extraordinary abilities. Even though he had only begun cultivation later in life, having lived for a thousand years, his realm had long since reached unfathomable depths. Even suppressed by the Li Palace’s grand formation, he should not have been subdued so quickly.
But this matter could not afford any mistakes. Moreover, after they left later, they could not leave him any chance to counterattack. That was why Chen Changsheng had resorted to such a bloody method of combat, employing Hu Sanshier, the most twisted blade.
Dark Willow left the ground and returned to the King of Linghai Sea’s hand. Falling Star Stone flickered with a few rays of light and returned to its scabbard.
“You won’t die, so don’t worry.”
Chen Changsheng removed the golden needles and inserted them into several of Wu Daozi’s vital energy points, stopping the bleeding from his abdomen.
Wu Daozi’s face was pale, filled with uncontrollable anger and a sense of absurdity. He shouted loudly, “How dare you harm me!”
Chen Changsheng took three different pills from his sleeve and fed them into Wu Daozi’s mouth without answering.
Wu Daozi said harshly, “This is Lord Wang’s intention!”
Chen Changsheng still ignored him, confirming that the injury on his foot should be fine.
Wu Daozi felt the wound growing more painful, furious to the extreme. He looked at Chen Changsheng and cursed loudly, his words growing increasingly vulgar.
Chen Changsheng glanced at him, his eyes calm and bright.
Hu Sanshier asked in a low voice, “Your Majesty, should I add another cut?”
Wu Daozi immediately felt a twisting pain in his abdomen, terrified beyond measure, and instinctively shut his mouth.
An Hua arrived at the scene.
Chen Changsheng said, “I’m handing him over to you.”
An Hua already knew the identity of this gray-robed old man. She was somewhat nervous but still nodded.
Chen Changsheng nodded and said, “The Li Palace will be quite empty later. If someone comes…”
An Hua’s voice trembled slightly. “I will kill him.”
Chen Changsheng looked at her calmly and seriously. “What I mean is, no matter who comes.”
This remark referred to that middle-aged scholar.
When it came to status in the people’s hearts, or rather, prestige, even if he had nurtured it for many years, he was still far behind that man.
Only someone like An Hua would disregard that man’s existence because of him.
“No matter who comes, I will kill him.”
This time, An Hua answered quickly, her voice calming down and no longer trembling, showing great determination.
The King of Linghai Sea and Daoist Siyuan cast an appreciative glance at her, with the former even offering a tip.
“Remember to cut off the head. That ensures the kill.”
Hearing this, An Hua, who had barely calmed down, was stunned again.
Finally, Hu Sanshier shoved his short blade into her hand and said with a smile, “My blade is faster.”
The sound of hooves rose again. Dust kicked up and then settled. The Li Palace quickly became desolate.
The ordinary believers remained outside. In the square, there was only Wu Daozi lying in a pool of blood and An Hua gripping the short blade tightly.
Two thousand national religion cavalry rode out of the Li Palace along the sacred path, bound to stir up countless shocked discussions.
All the bishops and deacons, including the King of Linghai Sea, Daoist Siyuan, and Hu Sanshier, had also left.
No one noticed that the disciples of the Li Mountain Sword Sect, including Gou Hanshi from the Xuanwen Hall, had also left, and the Chief Bishop of the Ancestral Temple had left.
There was no one left in the Li Palace. Because of the commotion at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, there was no one left outside the Li Palace either.
But the examinees participating in the Grand Examination had no idea about this. The bishops presiding over the Grand Examination in the Green Leaf World also knew nothing.
If anyone had analyzed it, they might have realized that most of the clergy still in the Green Leaf World belonged to the old faction of the national religion.
After all, the Religious Affairs Office was the stronghold of the old faction, and it was only natural for the Religious Affairs Office to oversee the Grand Examination.
Beforehand, no one could have raised any objection to the Pope’s decision.
The black-clad girl picked up the pot of green leaves and walked out of the Qingxian Hall.
Nearly half of the Religious Affairs Office was thus carried away by her.
Her expression was indifferent, because in her view, this was just a trivial matter.
Today, she still had many major matters to attend to.
For example, taking revenge on that middle-aged scholar.
…
…
That middle-aged scholar was naturally Wang Zhice.
How should one describe him?
No adjective could do this man justice.
He was a true legend.
He held an unimaginable position in human history, except for never having been emperor. Even now, he remained the commander most trusted by the demon race, their closest ally, and at the same time, the strongest figure most feared and admired by the demon nobles in Snow Old City.
Looking at Wang Zhice, Xu Yourong suddenly smiled.
She knew very well that although they were both old-timers from the Taizong era, Wang Zhice and Shang Xingzhou did not have a good relationship.
In the later years of Emperor Taizong, their relationship had been even more obscure and dangerous.
Take Wu Daozi, who should have been in the Li Palace at this moment—the person he feared most in the world was the old Demon Lord, and the second was Shang Xingzhou.
Or rather, Ji Daoist.
The portraits in the Lingyan Pavilion were all painted by Wu Daozi.
But most of the people in those portraits were killed by Ji Daoist.
Time could not completely erase hostility and fear. Even after hundreds of years, they were clearly supposed to be enemies, so why were they joining forces today?
Xu Yourong did not ask, because she knew the answer.
It was nothing more than words like the greater scheme, the world, the demon race, the northern expedition.
She suddenly thought, if Her Majesty were still alive, how would she handle such a situation?
Her Majesty would probably sigh with mockery and contempt: Men, ah…
Imagining that scene, Xu Yourong’s smile grew even brighter.
Wang Zhice asked, “Why is the Holy Maiden laughing?”
Xu Yourong restrained her smile and said flatly, “Because I suddenly realized a possibility.”
Wang Zhice said gently, “Please, go ahead.”
“When you should appear, you never do. When you shouldn’t appear, you just have to jump out.”
Xu Yourong looked at him calmly and asked, “Lord Wang, have you gone senile?”