Mo Xi suddenly stiffened when he heard this!
He remembered that earlier, when he had unexpectedly encountered Murong Chuyi at the academy, he had smelled a very familiar scent on him. At the time, he had not been able to recall what it was, but now that Murong Lian had mentioned it, he suddenly realized that it was an aroma extremely similar to Floating Life, Like a Dream.
“Murong Chen,” Murong Lian said calmly. “There is something you may not like hearing… but it is the times, and it is fate. You were born in this era, so you are destined to face these internal and external troubles. Instead of thinking about how to use crooked and unorthodox methods to turn everyone into people who blindly obey your commands.”
“Yes, Chonghua has plenty of useless, incompetent fools who are irritating and annoying. That is indeed true. But if you lack the ability to sift gold from the sand, and can only silence every mouth and turn every person into a thoughtless puppet—then that is the true end of Chonghua.”
One of the ministers took a step backward and shook his head in disbelief.
“Y-Your Majesty? Is what he said true?”
“Could this really not be a demon-repelling medicine, but, as Lord Wangshu said, a pill that controls people’s minds?”
His Majesty remained silent. High upon the throne, his expression was dark and unreadable. After a moment, he said,
“Even if you gentlemen cannot trust Me, you should at least trust Medicine Master Jiang.”
“Medicine Master Jiang has been in Chonghua for so many years. What kind of person he is, and whether or not he cares about My position, you should all know better than anyone. If you believe that Medicine Master Jiang has joined hands with Me to turn all of you into obedient living puppets, then fine.”
His Majesty spread his hands indifferently.
“Return the medicine to the Medicine Master, then. No one is forcing you to swallow it.”
“…”
The ministers looked at one another, exchanging glances.
For a moment, they could not determine whom they should believe. They also knew very well that if Lord Wangshu was telling the truth, then once they swallowed the pill, His Majesty would have a way to control their actions with ease.
But what if he wasn’t?
What if Lord Wangshu had some other motive and was trying to frame His Majesty?
If they put the medicine down now, it would undoubtedly be telling His Majesty that they had sided with Murong Lian. If they judged wrongly, getting the pills back later would be almost impossible.
Just as they were struggling inwardly, His Majesty said coldly,
“Now that Chonghua and Liao are at war, Liao has driven evil beasts to bring rain, spreading demonic aura throughout Chonghua. I have exhausted My heart and mind, thinking day and night of a way to break this crisis, only to have Murong Lian throw mud at Me. I do not care to defend Myself. Believe it if you wish.”
With that, he turned his head.
“Jiang Fuli.”
“Hmm?”
“Take back all the pills that are not wanted. There is no need to distribute them to everyone.”
“Yes.”
The moment they heard that His Majesty intended to immediately take the pills back, some people finally became anxious.
Several nobles who had never particularly trusted Murong Lian stepped forward. Throwing caution to the wind, they pointed at him and cursed.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Murong Lian! You have always been extravagant and debauched. You’re rotten to the bone and want to smoke Floating Life, Like a Dream yourself, yet you’re actually pinning it on His Majesty. How shameless!”
“Isn’t he simply that kind of unscrupulous person? You all know what despicable tricks he used back then to defeat Lord Xihe at the Great Competition of Masters.”
Some people who heard this turned their gazes toward Mo Xi.
“You agree, don’t you, Lord Xihe?”
Mo Xi did not answer.
While these people were shouting and arguing, he had remained frowning, staring at Jiang Fuli.
Everyone became puzzled.
“Lord Xihe…?”
Mo Xi still said nothing.
Just when they thought Mo Xi had no intention of taking a position, he suddenly spoke.
He said to Jiang Fuli,
“Medicine Master Jiang, you are the person who knows best whether Murong Lian’s smoking pipe contains a large amount of Heart-Calming Grass. Why don’t you examine it right here?”
Murong Lian turned around and glared at him.
“What do you mean, Mo Xi? This man surnamed Jiang is nothing but Murong Xuan’s lapdog! You want him to examine me?”
Mo Xi said,
“Medicine Master Jiang has run a medical clinic in Chonghua for so many years. I don’t think he is necessarily as you say.”
“You bastard surnamed Mo, you—”
Even Gu Mang tugged at him and whispered,
“Mo Xi, what you’re doing isn’t right…”
But Mo Xi gently freed his hand, walked directly up to Murong Lian, and reached out to take the smoking pipe.
Under Murong Lian’s furious gaze, he turned and handed it to Jiang Fuli.
“Medicine Master Jiang, please examine it.”
Jiang Fuli was silent for a moment. He took the pipe and pulled several strands of tobacco from the attached tobacco pouch, carefully examining them in his palm.
The candles in the great hall cast dim, shadowy light, their illumination swaying from time to time as the wind moved. Everyone’s eyes were concentrated here, watching Jiang Fuli carefully examine Murong Lian’s tobacco.
And it was precisely because of this that Mo Xi finally confirmed the thought in his heart.
The instant Jiang Fuli raised his head and was about to speak, Mo Xi suddenly manifested the Ruanran Snake Whip. In one motion, the whip transformed into a sword, its tip pressing against Jiang Fuli’s throat.
The ministers did not know why such a sudden change had occurred and cried out in shock,
“Lord Xihe?!”
“This… this…”
Jiang Fuli narrowed his almond-shaped eyes as well.
“Lord Xihe, what do you mean by this?”
Mo Xi said coldly,
“Medicine Master Jiang. Isn’t your left eye night-blind?”
Everyone:
“!!”
That’s right…
Wasn’t Jiang Fuli unable to see out of one eye at night?!
Mo Xi said grimly,
“Medicine Master Jiang, in the past, as soon as night fell, you had to wear a glass monocle in order to see. Are you planning to tell me that after suffering from night blindness for so many years, you suddenly recovered?
“Or are you planning to tell me—”
He paused, his voice cold enough to shed ice.
“That you are not Jiang Fuli at all?”
The ministers shuddered when they heard this.
Indeed, Jiang Fuli suffered from night blindness. Moreover, his condition was extremely unusual. No matter how bright the candles were, once night fell, his left eye would inevitably become unable to see clearly. He had to wear a single glass lens in order to move around normally.
Jiang Fuli’s expression changed slightly. After a moment, he said,
“I, Jiang, have traveled throughout the world. What is strange about me curing my own illness? Must I specifically inform Lord Xihe about it?”
Though he argued this way, everyone’s suspicions did not diminish in the slightest.
Jiang Fuli had been in Chonghua for so many years, and his night blindness had never improved. How could there be such a coincidence, with him recovering precisely at this critical moment?
But Mo Xi merely said,
“Oh? Then congratulations to Medicine Master Jiang.”
Jiang Fuli flicked his sleeve and snorted coldly.
“There is only one thing I would still like to ask Medicine Master Jiang. When you examined Gu Mang’s illness before, you said that you once had a patient similar to Gu Mang, who had a mark on his shoulder. Do you remember what that mark looked like?”
“…”
The great hall became silent as death. Only the sound of water dripping from the clepsydra echoed through the hall.
Mo Xi waited for a long time. When he still received no answer, he said coldly,
“You certainly have an impressive memory.”
Under such a strange exchange, the others could no longer hold back either. One after another, they began asking Jiang Fuli about things that only they and Medicine Master Jiang would have known in the past.
Under the barrage of questioning, Jiang Fuli’s complexion grew worse and worse.
Mo Xi’s Ruanran Sword was still pressed against the tip of his throat. Mo Xi could feel Jiang Fuli’s spiritual flow becoming increasingly unstable amid the chaos, even approaching…
Violence.
Mo Xi suddenly stiffened. He withdrew his sword and leapt backward, shouting sharply,
“Be careful!”
Some people reacted too slowly and could not evade in time. The instant Mo Xi landed, he raised his hand and brought down a heavy barrier.
Almost at the exact same moment, the position where “Jiang Fuli” had been standing erupted with dazzling, blinding silver light.
Powerful spiritual currents swept up like the fierce northern wind beyond the frontier, crashing against the barrier wall and producing terrifying booming sounds.
“What… what exactly is that thing?”
“A monster… It’s a monster!”
A howl that made everyone’s hair stand on end tore out from the core of the white light, piercing through the roof tiles and reaching straight into the heavens!
The beast’s shriek was saturated with powerful spiritual force. Some people whose cultivation was shallow, as well as some elderly and frail people, instinctively felt their chests and ribs trembling. Some collapsed to the ground, while others directly vomited blood with a cry.
Blood seeped from the corner of Murong Lian’s lips as well. He slowly retreated to Mo Xi and Gu Mang’s side.
He first glanced at Gu Mang, meeting those deep-blue eyes, and could not help feeling somewhat awkward. He then turned his gaze away and looked at Mo Xi instead, frowning.
“What exactly is that?”
Mo Xi stared at the increasingly distinct shadow within the white vortex.
“It should be the remnant soul of the Blood Demon Beast that we brought back for him.”
The moment his words fell, as though confirming his guess, a violent wind swept across the ground and the raging currents exploded outward.
With a tremendous boom, the roof tiles of the Golden Hall were blasted open, leaving a huge hole.
The palace attendants cried out and scattered, while the raging currents fell like mud and sand. That white light shot through the roof and, beneath the dark night sky, transformed into a colossal beast with magnificent whiskers and eyes like golden drums!
It had the beak of an eagle and the body of a hound, its wings spread like those of a roc. Wherever it passed, wind, thunder, and lightning surged, and deep thunder already rumbled through the sky.
It lowered its eyes.
Its enormous blue eyes were like two magnificent mirrors flooded with radiant light, reflecting the faces of the banquet guests below through the broken roof tiles.
Someone screamed in terror,
“It—it’s the demonic beast that brought the rain!!”
“Isn’t it Liao’s evil beast?!”
But even more people realized what was happening.
They turned around, their eyes filled with fearful, bloodshot veins, and stared at the man seated upon the throne with the expression one would give a madman.
Chonghua’s ruler, Murong Chen, remained as calm and indifferent as ever, sitting high upon the throne.
The lightning cast by the beast as it stirred the winds and clouds flickered within his dark eyes.
He stared coldly at the assembled ministers, and there was even a trace of mocking laughter at the corners of his lips.
Someone finally understood and asked in a trembling voice,
“Could it be… could it be you?”
“Your Majesty…”
“Murong Chen! So you were the one who brought down that demonic rain over Chonghua earlier?! It had nothing to do with Liao at all! You wanted to force us into a desperate situation so we would swallow your ‘demon-repelling medicine’! This… this evil beast was refined by you!!!”
The accusations surged like waves and the sea.
His Majesty smiled slightly. His pale and handsome face carried a suppressed madness.
He interlaced his fingers and said calmly,
“I gave you all a chance. I hoped you would obediently listen, submit, and bow your heads.
“I waited for you for so many years.
“It is you who failed to cherish that opportunity, so do not blame Me for being arbitrary and autocratic.”
“Murong Chen!! Are you insane?! Liao at least uses black magic curses to fight outsiders. You, as the ruler of an entire nation, merely to make your subjects submit to you, went so far as to refine a demonic beast to slaughter your own people, tricking your civil and military officials into swallowing your medicine and walking step by step into your traps?!
“You—you are utterly vicious! You are unworthy of being a ruler!!”
Suddenly, this great truth burst into view.
Every noble and important official present, no matter how spineless they had been before, could no longer suppress the rage burning within them. Their eyes practically split with fury.
“Foolish ruler!”
“Worse than a beast!!”
Murong Chen sneered.
“What? My dear ministers want to storm the palace and overthrow Me?”
“You did something this absurd for your own selfish interests, recklessly practicing a twisted path and causing the deaths of innocent people, and you still expect to sit securely upon the throne?”
“Murong Chen, you are unworthy to be a ruler!”
“Whether I am worthy or not, do you really think that is for you to decide?”
Murong Chen sneered, licking his lips. His expression was that of an eagle watching its prey and a wolf looking back over its shoulder.
“If you want to change Heaven and Earth, you should first consider whether a bunch of useless fools like you have the ability to do so.”
As he spoke, he raised a fingertip and said in a deep voice,
“Jingchen. The ministers are difficult to train. Execute the rebels!”
The strange beast he had re-refined using the Blood Demon Beast’s remnant soul let out a shriek in the night sky.
In an instant, clouds gathered, sand and stones flew, and amid surging lightning, it suddenly transformed into ten thousand rays of sword light, slashing and stabbing down toward the great hall!!
For a moment, all that could be heard were crashing sounds of destruction. Bricks and tiles flew everywhere, and countless sword lights rained down like hail.
Below, the cultivators hurriedly opened barriers to protect themselves and fight back amid their fury and panic.
But the Blood Demon Beast was simply too ferocious. Even though this strange beast had been re-refined from nothing more than a remnant soul, it remained utterly unstoppable.
“Father!!”
“My lord!”
Everything happened far too quickly.
Some of the old nobles rarely exercised and had neglected their cultivation. In that instant, they were completely unable to respond and were directly pierced through by the Blood Demon Beast’s sword aura, dying violently upon the Golden Hall.
The hall immediately filled with cries of grief, with screams ringing out without end.
“Open the barrier! Quickly, open the barrier!”
“Someone save my father… sob, sob…”
“This demon beast is too powerful! I can’t hold out…”
Rubble rained downward, sword light descended, and there was nowhere to escape.
A child who had come with his father was sitting beside a corpse. Seeing that he was about to be killed by the second wave of sword rain, Gu Mang suddenly rushed out from within the barrier—
Murong Lian was startled.
“Hey! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”
Who would have thought that although Gu Mang’s spiritual power had been depleted, his movement techniques had not deteriorated.
He scooped up the child in one motion and swiftly retreated.
Just as he dodged into Mo Xi’s barrier formation, the demonic beast Jingchen launched its second wave of sword rain.
The child was lucky and was saved, but many more people were not so fortunate.
Jingchen’s second attack was even fiercer and more ruthless than the first. More people were unable to withstand it. Their defensive barriers shattered, followed by splashing blood and eyes that never closed again.
Amid the bloody rain and murderous wind, Mo Xi turned his head toward His Majesty.
In the face of this sudden massacre, Chonghua’s ruler, Murong Chen, did not show the slightest ripple on his face.
It was as though he had rehearsed such a scene in his mind hundreds or thousands of times.
Or as though, to him, everyone truly was no different from bamboo warriors—merely disposable pieces that could be thrown away whenever he wished.
The re-refined demonic beast Jingchen continued stirring up even more casualties.
Blue light gathered in Mo Xi’s palm. He stared at His Majesty and shouted an order:
“Tun Tian—come forth!”
The staff shot through the air accompanied by a whale’s cry, unfolding into a powerful divine weapon covered entirely in flowing light.
The Tun Tian Whale materialized. Its enormous tail whipped as it leapt, naturally becoming a barrier that covered the entire Golden Hall.
And Jingchen seemed extremely wary of the spirit of Tun Tian. Countless sword lights abruptly withdrew and once again gathered high in the sky, returning to its original form of an eagle-beaked, hound-bodied beast.
It shrieked and repeatedly released threatening growls toward the phantom form of the enormous Tun Tian Whale.
Yet it leapt and circled in the clouds, unwilling to engage in battle lightly.
Under Mo Xi’s protection with Tun Tian, everyone inside the hall finally gained a moment to breathe.
Some collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Some, tears streaking their faces, rushed toward their relatives.
Others, their hatred surging, wanted to throw caution to the wind and charge forward to kill Murong Chen.
“Murong Chen!!!”
“Father… sob, sob, ahhh! Father!”
But what unsettled everyone was that, despite the reversal of the situation, Murong Chen showed neither fear nor surprise.
With a terrifying calmness, he slowly moved his eyes and let his gaze settle on Mo Xi.
After a moment, the corners of his lips curved into a dark, quiet smile.
Murong Lian narrowed his eyes.
“What are you smiling about?”
“I’m smiling because Lord Xihe truly is formidable. Gifted with extraordinary talent since childhood, possessing the power of Tun Tian—it truly makes one envious.”
Murong Chen spoke leisurely.
“But you, Murong Lian. Why don’t you use your brain and think about it?
“Do you really think you were the first person I used for puppet experiments?
“No.
“I would only use that black magic poison on you—the kind I had no certainty about and was merely testing.”
“Before experimenting on you, I possessed the only pill left behind by Shen Tang in those days. It had been refined from the seeds of the demon clan’s Eight Sufferings Long-Hatred Flower.
“I used it to create a Puppet Pill capable of lying dormant within a person’s heart for a long time without being discovered.
“There was only one.
“Ten years ago, I selected a sufficiently powerful person and concealed the medicine within his body.
“If I encountered an unforeseen disaster like today, I would awaken that pill and make him immediately lose himself and serve Me.”
“…”
A bone-piercing chill suddenly shot upward from the soles of everyone’s feet, flooding their entire bodies.
“Who do you think I would use it on?”
Almost everyone’s gaze fell toward Mo Xi in shock and terror.
Even Mo Xi’s own expression changed.
Murong Chen remained composed and unhurried upon the throne.
He said calmly,
“This was originally My worst-case scenario. I never expected that, in the end, I would still have to do this.”
As he spoke, he raised a fingertip, and a cluster of flames suddenly ignited.
A ghostly light danced deep within his dark eyes.
His Majesty stared at Mo Xi, who was protecting everyone in the hall. His lips and teeth clicked softly as he spoke four words:
“Puppet Pill—disperse!”