Chapter 802: Wildflowers Assault Pine Mountain
The commander of Gaoyang Town knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, utterly at a loss for what to say.
Because he truly knew nothing.
The King of Zhongshan’s face showed impatience as he waved his hand, driving the Gaoyang Town commander out.
Silence fell over the hall once more, stretching on for a long time without a word.
The palace had yet to issue a clear decree, indicating that Daoist Master Shang Xingzhou had no preference for the position of Pine Mountain Army Divine General, leaving it to the various factions in the court to contend for.
The princes naturally wanted this post. It was said that even the King of Xiang, who had been in seclusion for over a year to break through to the sacred realm, had broken his silence to voice his opinion.
The Tianhai family’s situation was now somewhat awkward. Though they tried hard to stabilize their position through their relationship with His Majesty, they couldn’t overstep too much, lest they incur the Daoist Master’s displeasure. Watching their influence in the court gradually wane, they could no longer afford to let this opportunity slip.
Everyone wanted this position, yet no one wanted to speak first.
What unsettled them further was that, clearly, the Seventeenth Master of the Tang family had also died in the Snow Ridge that night, so why hadn’t the Tang family sent anyone this time? If the Tang family used this incident to make a play for the Pine Mountain Army position, given their ties to the palace, none of those present felt confident they could outmaneuver them.
“Some things we all know in our hearts, but the proper procedures must still be followed. The court still needs to save face.”
The King of Zhongshan’s impatience grew more pronounced. Ignoring the others, he signaled the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to continue the trial.
The Vice Minister glanced at the case files and suddenly looked startled, saying, “There were still survivors that night?”
Hearing this, the people in the hall were surprised. Hadn’t the Demon Lord killed everyone?
The King of Zhongshan also grew interested, asking, “Why wasn’t this mentioned before?”
The Vice Minister reviewed the files again, confirming he hadn’t misread, and explained in a low voice, “According to those two, they were caught in the battle’s aftermath and knocked unconscious. They only woke up a few days ago and trekked back over the mountains, so no one knew they were still alive.”
The King of Zhongshan raised an eyebrow and said, “Interesting. Bring them in for questioning.”
Moments later, a woman in the ceremonial robes of the Azure Radiance Thirteen Offices and a middle-aged man in military uniform entered the hall.
They were An Hua and Chen Chou, who had returned from Banya Horse Ranch to Pine Mountain Army a few days prior.
“State your identities.”
“Azure Radiance Thirteen Offices instructor, An Hua.”
“Pine Mountain Army lieutenant, Chen Chou.”
Hearing these words, the atmosphere in the main hall noticeably relaxed.
To these high-ranking figures, a mere lieutenant was insignificant. Dealing with An Hua might be slightly more troublesome due to her ties to the Lí Palace, but it was still a minor matter. At least they weren’t uncontrollable figures they dreaded seeing.
“Tell us what you saw that night. Speak well, speak truthfully, and don’t utter a single lie.”
The King of Zhongshan looked at them expressionlessly and said, “In the case files, you were supposed to be dead. Now you’ve come back alive. If there’s anything wrong with how you survived, I wouldn’t mind sending you back to death.”
Facing the cold gazes of the high and mighty, Chen Chou felt as though he had returned to that freezing night, surrounded by the wolf-riding demon soldiers.
He knew full well that what he was about to say would offend these powerful figures—perhaps even antagonize the entire court.
But since he had made a promise, he had to keep it. He was a soldier of the Great Zhou.
Taking a deep breath, he prepared to step forward and speak.
Yet someone moved faster than him.
An Hua stepped in front of him, facing the King of Zhongshan, Tianhai Chengwen, and the other dignitaries, and said, “In the autumn of the third year of the New Kingdom, General Chen Chou and I escorted a dying young formation master to Gaoyang Town, because we had received word that the owner of the Cinnabar Pill might be there.”
Her voice was calm, clear, and composed.
She spoke from Songyang all the way to the siege of the lake garden. The events of that night had only just begun, but a conclusion could already be drawn.
“Zhu Ye, Ning Shiwei, Tianhai Zhanyi, and the others died because they sought to harm the owner of the Cinnabar Pill and seize it. What they didn’t expect was that the Demon Lord was not dead. To heal his injuries, he too came to the Snow Ridge searching for the pill’s owner. When they met, they all perished.”
The high-ranking figures present were well aware that Zhu Ye and the others had indeed died at the hands of the Demon Lord.
This knowledge came from post-incident scene investigations, primarily from the judgment of Bie Yang Hong, but it wasn’t precise, since everyone had died.
Some of the powerful figures had vaguely guessed what Zhu Ye and his group were after in the Snow Ridge, but this was the first time a firsthand witness had confirmed it.
So it really was about the Cinnabar Pill.
The King of Zhongshan glanced at Divine General Cheng Tao.
Cheng Tao gave an almost imperceptible nod.
The King of Zhongshan’s expression tightened, confirming that this was exactly what they had discussed in their last correspondence.
The big shots in the capital all knew about the Cinnabar Pill and had all tried to claim this miraculous elixir for themselves.
“Setting aside whether what you say is true, even so, you cannot slander the dead. What do you mean by ‘harm’? What do you mean by ‘attempting to seize’?”
A deep voice rang out. It was Tianhai Chengwen.
Tianhai Zhanyi was his son. He could not allow his son to bear such a stain even after death.
To secure the position of Pine Mountain Army Divine General, they could not leave any opening for criticism.
The high-ranking figures quickly realized that whether it was Tianhai Zhanyi, Zhu Ye, or Ning Shiwei, they could die gloriously in battle, or fall from a mountain path, but not like this.
Divine General Jianxi said expressionlessly, “Correct. Divine General Ning Shiwei was carrying out imperial orders. He cannot be blamed.”
The King of Zhongshan’s face once again showed impatience. He waved his hand and said, “Get to the point. Did you personally witness them being killed by the Demon Lord?”
An Hua shook her head and said, “We were at the lake garden at the time and didn’t see it firsthand, but we heard the Demon Lord admit it himself.”
Even though the legendary Demon Lord was confirmed dead, none of the powerful figures present dared to suggest he might have lied.
The King of Zhongshan continued, “According to your account, the owner of the Cinnabar Pill was also present at the time?”
An Hua said calmly, “Yes.”
The King of Zhongshan stared into her eyes and asked, “Then how did he die?”
At this question, some people leaned forward slightly, showing particular interest.
In their minds, since the Demon Lord had appeared, that person must have died. What they wanted to know was where the recipe for the Cinnabar Pill was now…
An Hua said, “He didn’t die.”
The King of Zhongshan raised an eyebrow and said, “What did you say?”
An Hua met his gaze calmly and said, “He didn’t die.”
The King of Zhongshan barked, “Everyone else died! You survived! That man survived! Do you take me for a fool?!”