Inside the great hall, lamps and candles blazed brightly. A massive charcoal brazier burned with roaring fire. On both sides of the brazier stood two gilded auspicious beasts, both enchanted with spells.
One opened its mouth and blew into the brazier, shouting, “His Majesty’s might shakes the nine provinces!” making the flames burn even fiercer. The other also opened its mouth and followed with, “His Majesty’s fortune spans the heavens!” while swallowing all the rising smoke into its belly.
These two flattering golden beasts had been presented by Murong Lian and were greatly favored by the ruler. Mo Xi, however, felt that only idiots would like such useless things. At this moment, the two sycophantic beasts had just finished their cycle of blowing and inhaling, each letting out a metallic burp before curling up beside the brazier.
Mo Xi glanced around the hall. Nearly all the healers of the Shennong Platform were present, and Gu Mang was detained in the center of the main hall. The elite cultivators of the palace were guarding him tightly, and someone had already used a sleep technique—he was unconscious.
The current ruler was reclining on a throne lined with pale yellow cushions, wearing a black ceremonial robe and crown. His features were refined yet unruly; at this moment he had his eyes closed in rest.
Hearing hurried footsteps and rustling robes, he opened his eyes and glanced downward.
“Are all here?”
An attendant replied, “Reporting to Your Majesty, Elder Yu of the Heavenly Punishment Platform has not yet arrived.”
The ruler gave a cold laugh. “That old thing is getting senile. Even a transmission snow owl can’t wake him. I think it’s time he stepped down from his position.”
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger…”
“I have nothing to be angry about,” the ruler said, rolling his eyes as he straightened. With a sweep of his sleeve, he said, “All ministers, be seated.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” the hall answered in unison.
“I summoned you in the middle of the night. I know you’re unhappy, probably cursing me under your breath.”
One elderly noble had just sat down when he heard this and immediately dropped to his knees. “Your Majesty, how could you say such a thing?”
“Enough, stop kneeling. All this talk about imperial authority and ministerial propriety—annoying. Curse me if you want, just don’t let me hear it.”
The nobles exchanged glances.
Their young ruler was eccentric and unpredictable.
Although he clearly stood with the conservative noble faction—and had removed the greatest slave-born general shortly after ascending the throne—his personal conduct was anything but proper. He always acted as though he intended to reshape the world in his own way.
“I know you all want to go back to sleep, go back to your women, or visit brothels,” the ruler said listlessly. “So I’ll be brief.”
Everyone: “……”
This was absurd. Across the twenty-eight kingdoms of the Nine Provinces, no other ruler would behave like this.
“Elders of the Shennong Platform.”
“I am here!”
“Report Gu Mang’s condition tonight and the results of your diagnosis.”
“Yes!”
The leading healer stepped forward and explained Gu Mang’s sudden spiritual rampage. He added, “His spiritual core is indeed destroyed and he has almost no spiritual power left. However…”
The ruler asked, “However what?”
“There is a very strong evil qi inside his chest cavity.”
“…Evil qi,” the ruler mused.
“Yes. Our judgment is that Gu Mang’s rampage is caused by this evil qi. However, Chonghua has always cultivated righteous arts and rarely touches such dark methods, so we know very little about it. The only thing we can confirm is that Liao Kingdom must have tampered with his heart. But to investigate further, we would likely need…”
His voice trailed off.
The ruler said, “Speak freely. You need not fear.”
The healer bowed again. “We would likely need to dissect his chest after death to examine his heart.”
“So you’re saying, if we want to know immediately what’s wrong with him, we have to kill him first?”
“…Yes.”
The ruler suddenly cursed, “Useless!”
The elder dropped to his knees. “Your Majesty, I am incompetent…”
“You are useless! What use do I have for a dead man? With all those Liao Kingdom techniques on him, he is far more valuable alive for study. What use is he dead? To bury him and admire him?”
“Your Majesty…”
“Find another way!”
The elder said, “But… Gu Mang already appears mentally broken. Those traces are extremely faint. I’m afraid…”
At that moment, Murong Lian lazily interjected.
“Elder, whether Gu Mang is truly stupid is still uncertain.”
He tilted his three-white eyes and glanced meaningfully toward Mo Xi.
“Lord Xihe, don’t you think so?”
Mo Xi: “……”
The elder swallowed hard. First he had been called useless by the ruler, then interrupted by Lord Wangshu, and now even Lord Xihe was involved. He felt like he might faint on the spot.
After stammering for a while, he said, “B-b-but we have repeatedly examined him. He truly remembers nothing and has become beast-like. Lord Xihe… why do you think otherwise?”
Mo Xi said, “Gu Mang just summoned a demonic weapon.”
The elder quickly responded, relieved, “Lord Xihe is mistaken. While divine and demonic weapons do require incantations, it is not absolute. Under extreme emotional fluctuation or life-threatening situations, they may still be summoned without chanting. So this… does not necessarily prove anything.”
Mo Xi listened silently, his face frost-covered, his eyes fixed on the unconscious Gu Mang without blinking.
He appeared calm, but no one noticed the armrest beneath his hand had already cracked from his grip.
At that moment, another noble spoke up.
“Your Majesty, regardless, Gu Mang is far too dangerous. If not for the guards arriving in time today, more people would have died at his hands!”
“Exactly! Given his crimes, Your Majesty should not hesitate. He should be executed!”
Most of the nobles shared this sentiment. Compared to Murong Lian’s minority view that “keeping him alive is more interesting,” the majority believed in blood debt repayment.
The hall quickly filled with calls for immediate execution.
The ruler slammed his jade beads onto the table. “Enough noise!”
The hall fell silent.
“Chattering endlessly—first the harem, now the court. My head is splitting!”
He pointed at the elder. “Useless! If not for Jiang Fuli refusing to take your place, I would have replaced you long ago!”
The elder nearly cried.
After a moment, the ruler suddenly asked, “When will Jiang Fuli return?”
The attendant immediately knelt. “Your Majesty… I also do not know his whereabouts…”
“Get up. You’re not useless. Jiang Fuli is just difficult to track.”
Turning back to the court, the ruler said, “Gu Mang is a traitor. If I wanted him dead, I would have killed him two years ago. The fact that he lives means I have my reasons.”
He continued, cutting off objections.
“I know many of you lost family or friends to Gu Mang and wish him dead. Revenge is understandable. But beyond revenge, Chonghua gains nothing. I intend to keep him alive.”
He paused.
“His memory is useful. The spells on him are useful. Gu Mang himself is more valuable alive than dead.”
“Chonghua has always cultivated righteous arts and avoided demonic paths, but if we refuse even to understand them, we will remain stagnant. If that happens, Chonghua will eventually fall behind Liao Kingdom.”
He smiled coldly.
“You are afraid of studying demonic arts? Then I think Chonghua will never defeat Liao.”
Shock spread across the hall.
Murong Lian suddenly stood and bowed. “Since Your Majesty has made this clear, I will not object. However…”
“Speak.”
“Gu Mang’s evil qi is clearly violent enough to break through Luomei Villa’s defenses. Keeping him there is no longer safe.”
He paused.
“If Your Majesty trusts me, allow me to take him to my residence for confinement. I will personally guard him.”
The ruler considered it. “Hmm… that is also an option…”
Murong Lian said, “Thank you, Your Majesty. Then—”
But before he could finish, a deep voice cut in.
“No.”
Mo Xi, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke from his seat.
He looked at Murong Lian and repeated coldly:
“No. You cannot take him.”
The ruler blinked, surprised, then grew interested, glancing back and forth between them.
Murong Lian’s expression stiffened before turning into a cold smile.
“Lord Xihe, do you have a better suggestion? Weren’t you the one who just said he might still retain memory?”
Mo Xi stood.
“I did say that.”
“So I will take him.”
Murong Lian narrowed his eyes. “On what grounds?”
Mo Xi answered briefly:
“Because you cannot beat me.”
“You—!”
Mo Xi turned toward the throne.
“Your Majesty, Gu Mang’s combat ability, if he goes berserk again, will not be lower than today.”
“That is true…”
“He is one of the strongest fighters in Chonghua. No one is better suited to restrain him than me.”
“I request that Gu Mang be transferred to the Xihe Manor. I will personally supervise him and ensure he never harms Your Majesty or Chonghua again.”
Murong Lian sneered.
“So noble on the surface, Lord Xihe. But are you really protecting Chonghua—or someone else?”
Mo Xi’s eyes turned cold. “What are you implying?”
“What am I implying?” Murong Lian smiled faintly. “Weren’t you the one who couldn’t bear to answer whether you wanted to kill him earlier?”
“I asked you directly outside the villa. You didn’t answer.”
Mo Xi’s voice sharpened. “That is none of your concern.”
“Exactly,” Murong Lian said. “Your feelings toward him are none of my concern. But they are very relevant to everyone here.”
He turned to the crowd.
“Shall I remind you all? Lord Xihe and Gu Mang were once—close comrades.”
The hall shifted uneasily.
Everyone knew they had been close. Everyone also knew Gu Mang had betrayed Chonghua and nearly killed Mo Xi. That relationship was long broken.
Someone tried to smooth things over. “Lord Wangshu, that’s all in the past…”
Murong Lian ignored them.
“Then I’ll ask this instead,” he said slowly. “Lord Xihe, if you are so righteous and proper, why did you go alone to Luomei Villa to see Gu Mang?”
Mo Xi’s heart tightened.
He had known this would come out.
Still, he did not deny it.
“To take revenge,” he said coldly.
Murong Lian laughed softly. “Revenge?”
“Then why did you personally give him water? Feed him food?”
Each word slid out like poison.
“Or was it because you couldn’t bear to see your ‘Gu Mang brother’ suffer?”
If this were outside the palace, Mo Xi would have already burned Murong Lian alive.
“You are insane,” Mo Xi said sharply. “Are you following me?”
Murong Lian shrugged. “Luomei Villa is mine. And even if I were, so what? You did it yourself.”
The argument escalated.
Then Murong Lian turned back to the throne.
“Your Majesty, I can yield on taking Gu Mang. But he must not be given to Lord Xihe.”
Mo Xi finally snapped.
“No.”
His voice cut through the hall.
“You are not taking him.”