Han Hei (2).
Concubine Fu and Aina secretly bit their lips.
They couldn't believe it; the Imbecile even got the War God's attention! Such a fine man… and he was even the Crown Prince of the Great Hei Empire, the Commander of their great army!
The wealth and power he possessed!
No matter, they thought to themselves. If the War God was here, then the Imbecile's shame would be even greater! She would make a joke out of herself now for fumbling around with the War God's precious Guqin.
The Lunar Emperor dared not make the Great War God wait. His back sweated as he remembered the deed he had committed several weeks back—they could not have found out; that person couldn't have been tracked!
The Emperor took a deep breath. Han Hei's presence could have been a coincidence…
He stood up and coaxingly said:
"Great War Lord, what an unexpected visit! Which wind blows you here?" A ray of fright crossed the depths of his eyes, yet he hid it well.
Maybe—maybe if the War God was here, he could hold him hostage, using that trump card…
Han Hei didn't miss the killing intent carefully hidden beneath the Emperor's smile.
The corners of his lips curved slightly into a cold smile.
It seemed like it has been too long since he last showed his power; so long that even these bugs forgot who they were going up against!
"Sorry for the sudden appearance, Lunar Emperor.
Last month some... pests intruded the Hei Empire's Imperial Palace, so I came here myself to check on the Lunar Emperor.
Who knows; someone was foolish enough to send assassins to the Great Hei Emperor, maybe the Lunar Emperor was also in threat."
"You...!" Several old officials glowered. Such blaspheme! If spoken by any men, he would have been beheaded!
Ling Yue contemplated Han Hei's words.
Something was brewing, way above her caliber.
The Devil's Gate must investigate into this… It wasn't bad to catch onto the Lunar Emperor's weakness.
She couldn't help but acknowledge the War God's power.
If her father said such words, high ranking and powerful as he was, he would still get punished severely for blasphemy. But this was Han Hei, so even the Lunar Emperor dared not say a word.
Ling Yue slightly shook her head.
She shall get more information on the Empires' relationships from the Devil's Gate soon enough; for now all she had to do was stand aside and watch this continent's conflicts unfold.
The undercurrent between the War God and the Lunar Emperor didn't mean anything to her, and to be honest, she was glad they were fighting each other.
They better fight to the death. Both meant her no good, one wanting to use her someway, the other wanting to control her clan. The more harm they dealt to each other, the better the situation was for her party.
The Lunar Emperor's face had blanched a little at the innuendos of Han Hei's words.
He quickly regained his coy smile, resuming his act as the gracious host: "If the War God has come, then sit down and enjoy the Banquet with us. Why, the Yue Clan's Lady was about to show the noblemen and court officials her talents!
You came right on time. Come, sit."
One's sitting place in respect to the Emperor and Empress showed their position up in the court hierarchy. An eunuch quickly placed a golden chair right at the Emperor's side, just slightly tilted to the right. This evidently showed Han Hei's undeniable status in the Lunar Empire's court, even though he was but an outsider.
The powers of his words rivaled that of the Emperor.
The Emperor's eyes darkened when Han Hei sat beside him. He couldn't help but grind his teeth and tell himself to swallow down this blood feud.
Han Hei was not someone he could mess with, for now. He could only do so in the dark…
This empire still needed the Hei Empire's protection. If he openly punctured this thin veil of peace, other empires would immediately jump on the Lunar Empire…
Han Hei lazily sat there, but his presence could not be ignored. He reminded Ling Yue of a crouching dragon, seemingly harmless, but at any instant, ready to strike.
Ling Yue tried to figure out the reason why Han Hei would lend her his Guqin.
She could swear she thought until her brains bled, but she couldn't think of a logical reason. She had never seen him before. She didn't know the man. She was but a convenient chess piece that showed up in front of him, at the right time and at the right place.
It did not matter. Ling Yue had to perform regardless.
Han Hei's eyes were half hidden under a row of long lashes, like the most precious rubies, cut with the sharpest blade. His deep, almost monotonous voice rang out: "Lady of the Yue Clan, bestow upon me the pleasure of hearing your unparalleled Guqin talents."
Ling Yue calmly narrowed her eyes. She couldn't tell if he was mocking her; everyone in the continent surely must have heard something of the Yue Clan's Imbecile.
He clearly knew that 'Ling Yue' wouldn't be able to play anything decent out of a Guqin, yet here he was praising her "unparalleled talents." If she failed to play the Guqin, then that would bring her even greater shame.
Ling Yue smiled as she took in the sight of the grand Banquet Hall.
All these people sitting atop their high seats, awaiting her downfall, watching her without an ounce of sympathy, as if she was some amusing show pet.
Unlucky for them, she wasn't the "Ling Yue" that everyone was expecting. She was not going to make a pathetic mess out of herself.
She was the infamous Devil's Hand Physician!
PlaWung the Guqin was but a talent she had mastered at heart.
Han Hei lifted his palm.
Translucent black smoke appeared out of thin air, twisting space, carrWung with it thick killing intent as if taken straight from Hell.
The officials near the smoke blanched; weaker class Chi users started to nosebleed. The Emperor, sitting directly next to Han Hei, felt the black smoke's killing intent hit him in the gut. His face got deadly pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat, fear etched into his beady eyes.
This black fog was so sinister it made the Emperor's throat tighten and clog. He couldn't breathe. Staring into that thick black, before his eyes flashed visions of ghouls and blood...
"Emperor, you seem frightened. Is everything alright?" Han Hei smiled as his voice contained a thread of satirical humor, snapping the Emperor out of his trance.
The Emperor's knees shook in his seat, even as shame colored his pale face red. If he wasn't sitting on his golden throne, he would undoubtedly have fallen to the ground.
"No- no matter!" He spat through his teeth.
Han Hei! One day, one day! He would make the Hei Empire pay....!!!
Ling Yue stared at the swirling black fog in amazement. Even at such a distance, she had never felt such power. She could feel the fog's sinister aura, hopeless destruction and total chaos.
She suddenly realized that this game Han Hei got her into was extremely dangerous.
The person controlling her as a pawn on his chess board was the legendary War God; one of the Four Gods who have reached Violet Class Chi, a rank so high a Chi-less person like her couldn't even dream of reaching.
Ling Yue silently tightened her fist.
This feeling of being toyed with!
Even if she was aware, there was nothing she could do to even resist.
In a year… Maybe then, she would not be so powerless.
Even if she was not as strong as this man, even if she was weaker than him in martial arts, she would still control the Continent's economics with her pharmacy, and its Underworld with the Devil's Gate.
A sudden thirst for power clogged her throat, a fire burning in her heart.
That fire that used to propel her forward when she was still the Thousand Faced Old Man's toy; her thirst for not just survival but victory above her circumstances.
Ling Yue's nails punctured thin crescents in her palms, but she didn't feel the pain.
Standing before this scarily powerful man, she felt helpless and small as an ant, easily crushed by a movement of his fingertips.
She wouldn't let this last very long.
She forces were building fast.