Chapter 16: The Return of Suspicion

"Hiss—howl, hiss—howl." The dragon in the sky suddenly raised its head and roared loudly, surrounded by a swirling dark mist.

The already chaotic horses on the ground descended into complete panic. A few younger horses, unable to break free from their reins, struggled briefly before collapsing, yellow bile foaming from their mouths.

The nearby crowd, witnessing this terrifying scene, was filled with fear at the sight of the monstrous beast. Some shouted, "The Grim Reaper has come. It's sucking the courage right out of our horses!"

However, not everyone was so panicked. A few individuals near Emperor Redstone remained composed. As some knights anxiously drew their swords to protect the emperor, a man in his thirties calmly remarked, "Seems like we all have phantom beasts. I suggest we mount them and take to the skies for a real fight, instead of making a fuss here. Drawing your swords only to sheath them again—what if you scare the king, right, Your Majesty?"

The knights were left speechless. In the entire empire, there was probably no one else who could put the king in such a difficult position with their words, whether he agreed or disagreed.

Of course, Emperor Redstone would never admit to being frightened, nor would he let the knights risk their lives against such a fearsome creature. However, that didn't mean Redstone had nothing to say. Having been favored by Count Chi since childhood, as a ruler, he had learned how to deflect responsibility. "Count Chi speaks wisely. Perhaps Count Chi could summon Little White to greet the dragon rider and find out what's going on?"

Chi Hanfeng bowed deeply to Emperor Redstone and solemnly replied, "Serving His Majesty is a minister's duty, but recently it's been troublesome; my phantom beast is in love, only willing to show off in front of its girlfriend and doesn't listen to me. It's lost interest in hard tasks like fighting."

All the phantom beast riders shook their heads. It takes a certain shamelessness to utter such a transparent lie with a straight face. Yet, upon reflection, no one wanted to expose him.

Amy squinted, watching the knights behind and suddenly said, "Teacher, Uncle Chi, look, why isn't Chi Aotian's mount here?"

Regor tapped Amy's head, "Let me see. I'm hundreds of years old; what can my eyes still catch?"

Hornes, using the extraordinary eyesight unique to dwarves and elves, looked carefully from the side and nodded, "Indeed, Chi Aotian's shadow is missing. Could it be..."

The atmosphere around them grew tense. If Chi Aotian hadn't completed the phantom beast task, it would be a significant embarrassment. The duke's family had never had anyone fail the task.

Chi Hanfeng didn't seem too worried, expressing his thoughts in a perfectly measured tone, "If it's not done, it's not done. Completing it only means staying up all night. Do you think that's enjoyable?"

Emperor Redstone smiled subtly, giving Chi Hanfeng a meaningful look before focusing on the sky again.

In the distance, the knights were approaching rapidly. The dragon rider at the front moved especially fast, circling once above the command platform, then descending gently to land 40 meters from Redstone.

The rider on the dragon's back shifted slightly. The black, full-body armor separated from his body, and the lance and shield detached from the sides, automatically storing themselves within the skeleton dragon. A boy in black leapt from the dragon, drawing gasps from everyone on the platform:

"Chi Aotian!"

"The young master of the Chi family!"

"So it was him!"

Everyone's tone was filled with disbelief.

Of course, disbelief came in various forms. Some were thrilled, like Amy, Da Qing Shan, and Hornes; others couldn't believe it, like Count Lin; some were regretful, feeling sorry for their failed predictions or blessings, like a certain count; while a few exchanged surprised glances, silently asking, "How could this be?"

The person who had just claimed to be hundreds of years old also squinted his seemingly dim eyes, taking it all in.

Chi Aotian walked briskly toward Emperor Redstone, kneeling on one knee on the crimson carpet, "Your Majesty, Chi Aotian has completed the phantom beast trial."

Emperor Redstone suppressed his doubts and curiosity. What use was it to ask now? Though he had advisors around, who knew if this terrifying beast and the suddenly formidable rider were omens or symbols of evil? Rather than questioning now, making things difficult for everyone, it would be better to summon them privately to inquire. Redstone nodded, indicating for him to stand aside. By this time, the other phantom beast riders had descended, and all the beasts cautiously avoided the skeleton dragon, while the riders paid their respects to Emperor Redstone.

Norlin, responsible for the phantom beast rider trials, counted heads and stepped onto the platform, bowing to Emperor Redstone, "Your Majesty, 28 riders participated in this trial, with 3 from the Holy Court. The Empire completed 26 tasks, and the Holy Court completed 3, totaling 29. Two riders failed: one from the Magic Academy and one from the Magic Guild. The total number meets the excellent standard for phantom beast tasks."

Emperor Redstone took a deep breath, stood up, and walked a few steps forward, stepping onto the command platform's highest point: the Command Platform.

"Several days ago, as a ruler, as your elder, I watched you embark on your journey with hopeful eyes. At that time, I was confident in one thing: in this talent-rich empire, those chosen as phantom beast riders surely have qualities that cannot be ignored. I have the right to believe that you are the most outstanding talents in the empire. Today, as I and our people watch you return with joy and having reached an excellent standard, I believe the entire nation rejoices in the growing strength of the Amy Empire. My children, my knights, do not squander the heavens' favor upon you, nor my expectations. You will be the most solid cornerstone for the empire's millennia-long foundation."

Once again, Emperor Redstone demonstrated his formidable oratory skills and ability to captivate the hearts of the people. Several generals in the military exchanged glances. Perhaps because his mother came from a military family, Redstone had extensive contact with the military system from a young age. This formidable ability was rare even among frontline commanders. Fortunately, since ascending the throne, Redstone had not shown any signs of conquering other nations.

Amidst the thunderous cheers of countless people both on and off the platform, Emperor Redstone descended from the command platform. After whispering a few words to his close guard, he led the escort toward the royal palace.

Amid the noise of the empire's people and soldiers, Redstone's close guard maneuvered through the crowd to reach Regor, speaking quietly, "Master, His Majesty requests that you inform Count Chi, Master Norlin, and Chi Aotian to meet at the royal palace for discussions after lunch."

After the welcoming ceremony, phantom beast riders were free to rest, with the empire's military system providing comfortable guest rooms.

Of course, knights from noble families disdained resting in guest rooms. Although Chi Aotian didn't share this disdain, before he could react, someone pinched his cheek hard, and an exaggerated voice rang out, "Ha! Good nephew, are you trying to scare everyone? Where on earth did you find such a junky beast? Don't you know my precious son Amy still doesn't have a phantom beast? Bringing back such a dazzling junk is just going to drive him crazy! Are you trying to retaliate against his childish refusal to become a phantom beast rider back then?"

Faced with Uncle Chi Hanfeng's bitter sarcasm—worse than a nag—Chi Aotian had no choice but to offer Amy a wry smile.

Amy exchanged a glance with Da Qing Shan and shook their heads helplessly. Trying to resist now would only lead to more suffering. Regor felt a pang of pity: if a dog bites a man, the man can't just pick up a stick; biting back isn't an option.

He stepped in to help the young ones, "As elders, while we don't expect you to achieve sainthood, behaving like this isn't ideal either. His Majesty has ordered that after lunch, you, me, Aotian, and Norlin go to the palace for discussions."

Chi Hanfeng gave Chi Aotian a fierce look, "See? You've caused trouble for the family. If you must go, deal with it yourself. If it's not about getting money, don't come to me."

Regor whispered something in Chi Hanfeng's ear, and after a slight change in expression, Chi Hanfeng thoughtfully suggested, "Perhaps we should bring these young ones along too, to help them understand life." Regor squinted, nodding slowly.

Amy hid behind Da Qing Shan's broad shoulders, whispering so only Da Qing Shan, Chi Aotian, and Hornes could hear, "The wolf and jackal are teaming up again. Fortunately, we're not the targets this time. I wonder who the unlucky lamb is."

After lunch, Chi Hanfeng and Regor took the four young ones to the entrance of the royal palace, where they met with Master Norlin and, accompanied by guards, were led to the king's chambers.

Redstone seemed slightly surprised to see the young ones there but smiled with a double-edged comment, "Well, it's good for young people to gain insights; it'll benefit them in the future. And I believe you've already gained quite a bit of insight in the past."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the main character of the meeting, Chi Aotian, roughly recounted the events, omitting his dramatic actions like wrist-slashing and the mysterious voice in his dreams.

The room fell into silence. Norlin frowned, tapping his temple as he curiously muttered, "How could such a robust earth dragon suddenly develop a fever?"

Regor coldly remarked, "Could someone have deliberately tampered with it? I noticed a few people exchanging glances with odd expressions earlier."

Norlin shook his head, "Even if someone tampered with it, why was there no issue at the start but trouble on the mountain?"

Chi Hanfeng interjected, "Do you know about the kind of drug agents use in the military to disrupt enemy cavalry operations?"

Norlin looked at Chi Hanfeng incredulously, "I've heard of it; it's a disease-inducing drug that can be timed to activate. But where would they find the time? Initially, no one saw these phantom beasts; they didn't know which one Chi Aotian would get. Later, the beasts were under your protection, individually guarded, unless your guards..."

Redstone waved his hand, "This matter is easy to investigate. Besides these times, the only possible issue could be the night after the phantom beast trial. We weren't present then. We can check with the guards who were on duty at the council hall once we're back in the capital."

Chi Aotian suddenly recalled something, "Oh, Your Majesty, Master, when I opened the phantom beast realm, I saw some blue-green powder. Was it the stimulant powder, Master?"

The emperor, Norlin, Regor, and Chi Hanfeng all turned pale. Master Norlin murmured, "Stimulant powder is a volatile powder that disappears an hour after exposure to air. How could you have seen it? Moreover, it's said that the disease-inducing drug is blue-green."

The room's temperature suddenly dropped.