Chapter 12: Emperor Zhou's Visit
"Is Zhang Li here?"
This was the third person today to ask the same question, and Yuan Wuxing was considering putting up a sign outside the door saying "Zhang Li is not here."
"Yes, are you here to persuade Senior Zhang to withdraw his petition?"
The visitor was cloaked, his face obscured. At Yuan Wuxing's question, a glint flashed in his eyes.
"So many people have come looking for Zhang Li? I thought Great Zhou was open and upright, with not too many hidden schemes."
"Indeed, you're either the twenty-first or the twenty-second visitor, I can't recall exactly. Take my advice and give up."
"You must be Yuan Wuxing, the owner of this house. You misunderstood. I am a friend of Zhang Li. When I heard he was in Great Zhou, I came to visit him."
As Yuan Wuxing was about to respond, he heard Jiang Li call from inside the room: "Wuxing, let him in. He's indeed my friend."
With Jiang Li's words, Yuan Wuxing politely invited the cloaked man in.
"If I hadn't recognized your handwriting on the request, I wouldn't even know you're in Great Zhou. Why didn't you let me know? I could have welcomed you."
"I initially wanted to just go home to sort things out and leave. I didn't expect it to draw such a crowd."
Upon taking off his cloak, he revealed a handsome face and refined features. However, the most striking were his heterochromatic eyes.
"Your Majesty!"
Yuan Wuxing couldn't help blurting out, his mind in shock.
"You still haven't told him who you are, Jiang Li?" Emperor Ji Zhi of Zhou cast a glance at the astonished Yuan Wuxing.
"No choice. He'd started off criticizing me. How could I have uncovered anything from him without changing identities?" Jiang Li shrugged helplessly, changing his features slightly to reveal his true appearance.
"So, you aren't Dao Sect's Zhang Li, but rather the Human Emperor, Jiang Li?!"
The moment Jiang Li transformed back, Yuan Wuxing's mind went blank. He gave up thinking entirely, his face flushing when he finally came to his senses.
Previously, he'd insinuated to Jiang Li that the "stolen baby case was supported by Jiang, the Human Emperor," or that "Human Emperor Jiang was indulging his cousin to practice dark magic," or that "Human Emperor Jiang himself was practicing dark magic."
Yuan Wuxing just wanted to bury himself in a crack in the ground.
Emperor Ji Zhi of Zhou looked at Jiang Li with a smirk, "Old Bai would be so thrilled to find out you are a Dao Sect Runner, he wouldn't be able to sleep for a year."
"Temporary identity, temporary identity." Jiang Li felt uncomfortable under Emperor Ji Zhi's stare and quickly diverted the topic by bringing out the recording orb.
Emperor Ji Zhi employed a bit of mana and was able to see the orb's contents.
Incidents involving the Clan Leader Jiang and City Lord planning to destroy the evidence, Clan Leader Jiang and City Lord conspiring with Magistrate Gong, Magistrate Gong connecting with the previous Qingcheng City Lords to launch relationships and get in touch with the Third Prince, and so on.
Clan Leader Jiang and others thought their actions were secret, not knowing that a pair of indifferent eyes were watching them all along, faithfully recording everything in the orb.
Emperor Ji Zhi of Zhou let out a sigh, "Sorry for the trouble you've taken, Brother Jiang. With these items, we can capture these people once and for all. Qingcheng's factions are intertwined and complex, it was my mistake in judgement."
"Jiang Yixing spread a lie about me practicing dark magic, and people believed it. They even started imagining that me not going home was because I was putting on a front and secretly practicing dark magic. They said the Human Emperor is the biggest dark magic leader and that faith power matters a lot to me. But not a single person thought Jiang Yixing was lying or that I really never go home."
Jiang Li sighed, "We strive to make the world peaceful and beautiful, yet there are always people who believe the world is dark."
Emperor Ji Zhi of Zhou also sighed, "Indeed. The country's fortune and justice are closely related, yet people believe that as long as they form good connections, they can bend the law for personal gains and escape legal sanctions. Some even dare not punish people from other dynasties, thinking it's a matter of diplomacy, not under legal jurisdiction. They even believe they are considerate of my will and love the country, feeling proud of themselves. Being an emperor is indeed wearying."
Jiang Li and Emperor Ji Zhi looked at each other and sighed in unison, "People like to turn a blind eye to the obvious and prefer wild speculations!"
Yuan Wuxing felt a twitch at the corner of his eye, seeing the two important figures sigh continually gave him a sense of their image crumbling.
Although he was also part of the "wild speculations."
"Yuan Wuxing, with such righteous cultivators like you, it's the fortune of Great Zhou!" Emperor Ji Zhi of Zhou patted Yuan Wuxing on the shoulder strongly, encouragingly.
Yuan Wuxing straightened in reply, uttering an affirmation.
...
On the outskirts of Qingcheng, near the spatial node, people were crowding. Citizens from all around Qingcheng had all rushed over, eager to see what the time reversal was really about. After all, it was a spell involving the Dao of Time, extremely rare.
The reason why the Clan Leader Jiang and others didn't react when Jiang Li applied for a time reversal was largely due to the rarity of such applications. One might not come across such a case even once every ten years.
Numerous grieving parents who'd lost their children in other cities also came over, hoping to see if their children had been stolen by Jiang Yixing.
The third and fourth princes stood shoulder to shoulder in the air, their eyes half-closed and hands behind their backs, clothed in imperial yellow.
Clan Leader Jiang and the City Lord stood together, not in the least bit nervous, and even on the verge of laughter.
The two princes had reached an agreement to cover up the truth together. Would they believe that Jiang Li and Yuan Wuxing could still turn the tables?
Unless Emperor Zhou himself or the Human Emperor questioned the results, there was absolutely no possibility of overturning the situation. Even if another Emperor or leader of a major sect came, it would be useless!
But would Emperor Zhou and the Human Emperor come here?
What a joke! That's very unlikely.
Glancing over at Jiang Li, they noticed a cloaked figure standing next to Jiang Li and Yuan Wuxing. Sneaking around – clearly, no good person.
"The time has come, prepare for time reversal." The third and fourth princes opened their eyes and looked around.
Countless people looked up, their gazes all focused on the two princes.
They saw the two princes performing hand seals at an incredible speed, even leaving afterimages, causing amazement.
As they silently recited incantations, a feeling of time standing still washed over the crowd. The people felt as if the distance between them and the princes was increasing, not spatially but temporally. The figures of the princes gradually faded until they completely disappeared, removed from this space and time.
A cultivator tried to seize the opportunity to gain insight into the Dao of Time, but accidentally fell into the Time Heart Demon. If his companion had not noticed the issue and awakened him in time, he would have woken up a hundred years later, while for that cultivator, it would have merely been an instant.
practitioners from the Great Zhou Royal Family who cultivate the Dao of Time must always have someone guard the law for them.
"The nephews are quite skilled, the speed of their sealing is quite good at this cultivation level." Jiang Li gave his opinion of the two princes.
"Hmph, Brother Jiang, you don't need to spare my feelings. These two kids clearly are showing off more than necessary. If they had to go through so many procedures in a real fight, they'd be dead long ago." Emperor Ji Zhi of Zhou snorted, disapproving of his two sons, "Once everything is resolved, I will make them properly prepare for real combat."
Yuan Wuxing stood trembling beside the two dignitaries, not daring to speak.