Capital Palace, Extreme Purple Hall.
The various court officials went to court as usual to discuss the state affairs. Soon, they talked about sending the Heavenly King Stronghold to Huyang to suppress the bandits.
“… The problem of banditry in Northern Yan and Eastern Tai has already been resolved. We need to use both kindness and power to prevent the people from rebelling again. However, in recent years, it has been a disaster year, and the people’s livelihood has withered. The Heavenly King Stronghold has contributed to the suppression of the bandits, so why don’t we let them guard the north and intimidate the pressure? If we hurriedly send them south to suppress Chen Feng, I’m afraid our chances of winning are not high.”
A minister spoke.
“You’re wrong. The Heavenly King Stronghold has won consecutive battles, and their morale is high like a rainbow now. After resting for a winter, they can send troops south to Huyang in spring tomorrow to break through the enemy in one go.” Another minister retorted.
The Emperor sat upright on the dragon throne. He seemed to be listening attentively, but he was actually already in a daze.
The plan to mobilize the Heavenly King Stronghold to suppress the bandits had long been set. For an official to mention this topic, it was merely to show his presence and would not change the Imperial Court’s decision.
Just as the ministers were discussing fervently, Privy Ambassador Pang Hong suddenly stepped out and said in a deep voice,
“Although the Heavenly King Stronghold has a lot of people, they’re all from the Northern Region. They’re not good at water battles, so it’s inevitable that they won’t be able to adapt to the environment in Huyang. As for Chen Feng, he only has navy soldiers under him, and there are also 100,000 of them. They’re waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, and they have the geographical advantage and people. They’re almost invincible.
“In my opinion, it’s difficult for the Heavenly King Stronghold to survive alone. It’s most likely not a match for them. The Imperial Court should send an army to reinforce them so that we have a chance of winning. If we watch coldly from the side, this battle will be dangerous. It’s a small matter if the Heavenly King Stronghold is destroyed, but Chen Feng will use the battle to endanger the Imperial Court. Raising a tiger is the true disaster!”
Seeing the professional in charge of the army speak, everyone fell silent.
The Emperor came back to his senses and frowned slightly, “Is this Chen Feng really that difficult to deal with?”
Pang Hong’s expression was solemn as he nodded,
“Your Majesty, Chen Feng is carrying the hearts of the people. He has eyes and ears everywhere in Huyang. Outsiders can’t take a single step forward. The bandits have occupied all the waterways in Huyang and are running it like an iron bucket. It’s extremely difficult to suppress them.
In addition, Chen Feng’s martial strength is even rarer in the world. He’s known as the number one expert in the world. His martial strength is already extraordinary, and it’s difficult to guess with common sense. He can face off against an army by himself, and his attacks rain down like a thunderstorm.
Not only is it easy for him to break the army formations, but he’s also unpredictable, making the enemy not know what he’s defending. He looks like he’s all brawn but no brains, but he’s actually a talented tactician the likes of the world has never seen before. Nobody can even come close to imitating his skills!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the ministers stirred and whispered to each other.
The Emperor frowned and fell silent.
At this moment, a minister stepped out and said,
“The officials and soldiers of the Huyang Prefecture have suffered heavy losses from suppressing the bandits. If we transfer troops from all over the world, the expenses will be huge. Now that the national treasury is empty, how can we support it? As the saying goes, capture the King first to end the battle. Why don’t we directly get rid of Chen Feng?”
Someone beside him shook his head and said, “I’ve already tried this move, but Chen Feng’s martial arts are outstanding. Who in the world can control him?”
Then, someone stepped out and spoke loudly.
“There’s a candidate in the capital. Wouldn’t it be easy for the Divine Firmament Wind Spirit Daoist to subdue Chen Feng?”
With that, the ministers went into an uproar.
The Emperor’s face darkened when he saw them echoing each other.
Qin Song hurriedly stepped out and berated, “Ridiculous! The Perfected One is an expert. How can he do such a murderous thing personally?”
Hearing this, a clear stream official snorted angrily and stepped out of the line to shout, “The Huyang bandits have caused the people to wither. Ling Fengzi claims to really an expert who has attained the Dao, but if he sits back and watched the Huyang region rot, then isn’t this person’s words about coming out of the mountains for the sake of peace in the world bewitching the masses and deceiving the ruler?”
Seeing this, other ministers from the clean officials faction immediately echoed,
“That’s right! Ling Fengzi has grasped a divine power, so it’s naturally not a problem for him to defeat the bandits. We should let him repay the country!”
The Emperor’s expression became uglier and uglier, as if he wished he could send these clean officials to wash the latrines.
After the officials quietened down a little, he slowly spoke,
“The Divine Firmament Wind Spirit Daoist is an outsider and not in the military. This matter has nothing to do with him.”
At this moment, the Imperial Astronomer Bureau Director suddenly spoke out,
“Your Majesty, I have a report…”
Everyone looked over with different expressions in surprise.
Under normal circumstances, the Imperial Astronomers were not qualified to attend the court. However, because the emperor valued the Dragon Vein, he specially allowed them to attend the court assemblies.
However, when it came to reporting and submitting memorials, the Imperial Astronomers rarely took the initiative to speak. They were happy to remain inconspicuous, but now, they were making a move.
The Imperial Astronomer Bureau Director was the current Sect Master of the Jade Cauldron Sect. His name was Ning Zhongjun. He looked like a sage with white hair and a youthful face.
He quickly stepped out of the line and bowed,
“This subject observed the astronomical phenomenon at night and realized that the Divine Firmament Wind Spirit Daoist should have been cultivating in seclusion for the rest of his life. It was His Majesty’s achievement of establishing the Son of Heaven that allowed him to enter the court to become an official and share His Majesty’s worries.”
Ling Fengzi had said this before. At this moment, he brought it up again and added some information.
Hearing this, the Emperor’s expression relaxed a little. He stroked his beard and nodded.
However, immediately after, Ning Zhongjun suddenly changed the topic,
“However, all things are balanced. Since a miraculous person has appeared, a demon will accompany him. This is the result of a calamity! Chen Feng is a demon born to welcome calamity. He was originally an evil flood dragon that had cultivated in the sea for 800 years. He transformed into a human and caused trouble in the world. In the past two years, the Imperial Court has not been able to find out where his hometown is. This is the evidence that this person has appeared out of thin air as a demon!”
The expressions of the ministers changed, and they started to murmur amongst each other.
Ignoring everyone’s shock, Ning Zhongjun continued solemnly,
“Chen Feng’s flood dragon transformation is one of killing and plundering. The reason why he occupied Huyang was to split the territory of my Great Xia and cut off the fate of the country. From there, he can devour the dragon vein and help himself transform from a flood dragon into a true dragon. From then on, he will live in the Nine Heavens and be ranked in the immortal class!
Your Majesty, this demon is not an ordinary bandit. We can’t take him lightly. We have to get rid of him. Otherwise, the world will be in danger, and Great Xia will be in peril!”
The ministers were dumbfounded.
Good lord, it’s fine if you don’t speak, but once you do, you’re this ruthless?!
It sounded very ridiculous, but on second thought, it was still very ridiculous!
As expected of your Imperial Astronomer Bureau!
The Emperor’s face twitched when he heard this, “Minister Ning, don’t spout nonsense. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll punish you for lying to the Emperor?!”
Ning Zhongjun said seriously,
“Your Majesty, think about it. Why does that Chen Feng have inhuman martial strength and extraordinary swimming skills? It’s precisely because his main body is that of a flood dragon that he can overturn rivers and seas. He has extraordinary strength and thick scales, so it’s difficult for ordinary people to injure him. There have been countless fierce generals in history, but when has such a person appeared? It’s completely unprecedented!”
Everyone fell into deep thought.
It had to be said that this was really strange. Chen Feng’s combat strength had already exceeded the scope of martial arts in their understanding. It was not something that could be explained by his talent.
In this direction, it really matched the saying of coming from demonic descent…
The Emperor’s expression changed, “Then in your opinion, how should we break through the tribulation?”
Ning Zhongjun said seriously,
“Since Chen Feng was born to create the calamity, the person who released him must be the one to restrain him once again. As the saying goes, everything has its vanquisher. The immortal methods of the Divine Firmament Wind Spirit Daoist are real. Only he can subdue this evil flood dragon and cleanse the demons in the world. In my opinion, the way to break the calamity is to let the Daoist follow the army to fight next spring and subdue the demons!”
Many officials seemed to have woken up from a dream and started to echo his words.
Pang Hong looked at this group of officials in surprise. Only then did he realize that he felt like an outsider.
What did Ling Fengzi do to you for all of you to target him like this?!
On the other side, the Emperor was distraught when he heard this. He suddenly stood up.
“I’m tired. We’ll discuss this in the future. The court is dismissed!”
With that, he left the hall under the service of his servants.
Qin Song and Ning Zhongjun quietly exchanged glances before looking away.
They were both part of the Seven Thieves of the current dynasty, and Ning Zhongjun was not a kind person. He was no stranger to eliminating dissidents.
Qin Song was only a little afraid of Ling Fengzi, but Ning Zhongjun wished he could get rid of him.
For the time being, peace with Ling Fengzi was only a stalling tactic. Now, he could use this as an excuse to make a fuss. Ning Zhongjun did not mind targeting him and killing him.
…
Four hours later.
Zhou Jing was summoned by the Emperor and led into the palace by the eunuch to the imperial study.
On the way, the attendant who led the way told Zhou Jing everything that had happened during the court session.
“… Perfected One, that’s what happened. These courtiers suggested that you follow the army to Huyang to suppress the bandits. The officials have yet to agree. This time, they called you into the palace to ask about this.”
“Many thanks.”
Zhou Jing smiled. His expression was calm, as if he did not care at all.
He was not surprised that someone wanted to kill him with a borrowed knife. Although he did not fight for power, he was already deep within a power whirlpool. Even if he was kind to others, it was difficult for him to stay out of trouble.
Although he had already planned to follow the army to war, he did not intend to pretend that nothing had happened to these courtiers with ill intentions. He secretly remembered the names of these people and would take advantage of them in the future.
Soon, he arrived at the imperial study and saw the Emperor lying on his side on the soft couch, reading a book.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.” Zhou Jing bowed.
“Perfected One, there’s no need to stand on ceremony.”
The Emperor put down the book and sat up.
He paused for a moment before recounting what had happened in the court.
“What do you think, Perfected One?”
Zhou Jing did not mind and smiled, “A few days ago, a group of people from the Heavenly King Stronghold came to my Daoist temple and wanted to invite me out to deal with Chen Feng. I said that I needed His Majesty’s approval before I could help. I think it was because the ministers found out about this that they caused such a commotion today.”
He still knew how to flatter others even in this state.
When the Emperor heard this, a trace of anger flashed in his eyes. Naturally, he was not targeting Zhou Jing.
He thought for a moment and asked carefully,
“Then what are your plans?”
“I was visited by an immortal in my dream and came out of the mountain to assist His Majesty. Since this Chen Feng is harmful to the country, I’ll go and meet this person. The Imperial Astronomers can determine from a thousand miles away that Chen Feng is a flood dragon in human form. It’s really a good ability that I’ve never heard of. I can only distinguish it myself… Either way, I’m afraid no one other than me can subdue this person.”
Zhou Jing’s expression did not change as he spoke in a casual tone.
He did not expect the Imperial Astronomers to make up a new set of things according to his previous words. Although it was a tool to kill him, he decided to beat them at their own game.
As long as he passed this hurdle, there would be no “tool” left for them to use to get rid of him.
The Emperor frowned and pondered for a few seconds before asking,
“If you follow the army, how confident are you?”
“Your Majesty, there’s no need to worry. I’m good at controlling the wind. If I want to leave, no one can stop me. It’s just that I’m a cultivator from the outside world after all. If I kill too many people, it will harm my cultivation, so I’ll only deal with Chen Feng.”
Zhou Jing replied calmly, his tone confident.
In between the lines, he was guaranteeing that he would not lose his life and could still return to refine pills.
Only then did the Emperor’s expression relax. As his eyes changed, he made a decision.