Chapter 1921: More Than Enough
Meanwhile, King Dai was lying leisurely in the rear courtyard on a rocking chair while enjoying grapes. A married man’s happiest time was naturally when his wife returned to her parents’ home!
After returning from the court, he had discovered that his wife had been called back to the Meng clan residence. It seemed his father-in-law had something to discuss with her. He hadn’t inquired about that in detail, though. The Meng clan had a lot of things to worry about, and many of the things they discussed weren't things his little brain could understand.
Why does someone like me need to bring trouble on myself for no reason?
Isn’t it great to just enjoy my life as much as possible?
However, he felt that eating grapes all by himself was a bit too boring. After all, others from distinguished clans all had their concubines peel the grapes and feed them straight into their mouths. That sweet juice and those soft hands… Just the thought of it made him excited. And yet, Meng Chan kept too tight a leash on him, so he didn’t have any concubines, nor did he have any pretty maids.
Sigh… I want to cry just thinking about it.
Once I’m the emperor, I’m going to properly get a huge harem for myself!
Hmph, would Meng Chan dare to manage me then? The court alone would criticize her until she didn’t dare say a thing! An emperor pampering his women isn’t because of lust, but in order to spread his branches and leaves. That's part of an emperor’s duty!
If the imperial clan didn’t have enough heirs because of her jealousy, that would be a huge crime in itself!
Despite his wishes, he could only think about those things. After all, he wasn’t the emperor yet.
However, another opportunity had arrived today. He had sent someone to King Jin Manor, so now it would all depend on whether or not that woman knew what was good for her.
She’ll definitely understand, since it’s for the sake of the He clan.
Once Madam Jin comes over, she'll definitely act soft in nature. She's nothing like our family’s tigress.
Huh? Doesn’t that mean I'll be able to do whatever I want then?
Even the Worries Be Gone Rosemary could be saved.
As long as Madam Jin can please me, I'll let her father and those clansmen go.
Sigh, I really outdid myself this time! With this leverage in hand, their entire clan’s fate is in my hands; that’s more useful than any drug.
Today is a rare day when Chan’er isn’t home. She didn’t let me have any cute little maids, but things should be even easier now that I’m alone!
He was still a bit worried and ordered the gate servant, “Pass down this order. If Madam Jin comes looking for me, immediately let her in. Also, contact me immediately!”
“Yes, king!” The servant expressed his dedication and ran out to pass along the orders.
“Ah… I feel so damn good today,” King Dai said as he leaned into his chair and gently rocked back and forth.
That crown princess’ expression was so overcast and gloomy!
And that Zu bastard even vainly tried to bring me down! That guy is nothing more than a peasant through and through! He doesn’t know how to play politics at all. How could he be an opponent for a prince like me?
That idiot King Jin actually died to a brute like that. I actually have to thank him, now that I think about it… Without him, how could I have the chance to enjoy the blessing that is Madam Jin today?
When he thought about theoe things, he felt much better after the slap to the face he had suffered in the Imperial Palace.
Forget it, forget it. I’ll slowly settle the debt with him in the future.
After all, what the Qin dukes had lost this time was their legs, as well as their entire lifetimes of cultivation. Compared to that, what was a slap to the face?
Either way, Chan’er and father-in-law will figure out a way to retaliate. They’ll help us get revenge then.
While he was immersed in his happiness, however, a terrifying roar tore through the entire residence.
“Zhao Ping, crawl the f*ck out here right now!”
King Dai was caught off guard and shivered all over. He was so scared that he tumbled off of his recliner. Only after a while did he snap out of his daze.
What the hell is going on?!
…
A bit earlier, Zu An had walked up to the impressive King Dai Manor, with its large vermilion red gates covered in imposing rows of yellow copper rings. Several guards stood outside the king manor, as well as a gatekeeper who attended to those who came and went.
When he saw Zu An walk straight up to the main gate, the gatekeeper came over to him and asked, “What brings this distinguished sir here? Do you have an appointment or invitation?”
Zu An didn’t bother paying him any attention and walked straight up to the main entrance.
The gatekeeper’s expression changed, and he quickly gave the guards nearby a look. A vicious grin appeared on the guards’ faces.
There’s actually someone who dares to cause trouble in this king manor?
They had been bored since there was nothing to do, but then this pretty boy had come over to start something interesting! There wasn’t a hint of ki coming out of this person’s body, as if he were an ordinary person. Just a single punch of theirs would probably be enough to make him cry for a long time! As for his identity, what did it matter? Here in the capital city, who had higher status than a king?
When he saw the guards surrounding him, Zu An swept his gaze coldly over them.
The guards immediately felt as if they had been thrown into a frozen cellar, and they shuddered. It was as if a giant primordial beast were staring at them! They didn’t dare to budge in the slightest.
Zu An didn’t pay them any attention and walked straight up to the massive and imposing gate. His foot directly slammed into the two massive doors, and just like that, they came crashing down!
The gatekeeper had been about to ask why the guards hadn’t stopped him, but when he saw that, he immediately stopped cold.
This gate's materials had been carefully selected when it was built in order to make it look majestic and imposing, but they were also very practical. The whole gate weighed 500 kilograms! On top of that, the gatekeeper had heard that the king manor had even added some defensive formations on top of it.
And yet this youngster’s nonchalant kick was already enough to bring it down?
Is this power a mere human can have?
What followed immediately after was that line:
“Zhao Ping, crawl the f*ck out here right now!”
The gatekeeper’s eyes immediately rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
What else could he do but faint? If King Dai and Madam Dai came to criticize him, he could say that he was just too weak, and that he had really fainted and didn’t know anything. If they found out that he had just stood there while watching that youngster without trying to stop him, the consequences would be terrible.
Zu An walked toward the king manor. The guards inside also reacted one after another, however.
A group of fully armed individuals rushed forth, and the one in the lead drew his personal blade, calling out, “Who dares to cause trouble in this king manor?!”
“F*ck off!” Zu An yelled, using the Lion’s Roar skill.
Even though those guards had excellent equipment, they collapsed on the spot when they were hit by the invisible sound wave. They clutched their heads while rolling on the ground in pain.
Zu An remained expressionless. He crossed right over the guards and walked through the next door.
More guards arrived a bit later, unaffected by the sound wave. However, when they saw him slowly close in, they couldn't help but back up. It was as if there were something truly frightening in front of them.
Just then, the sound of rustling filled the air. Immediately after, a troop of crossbow infantry appeared on the roof surrounding the area. They all raised the crossbows at Zu An. Every single one of their bolts flickered with blue light in the shape of rune patterns. They clearly all had excellent equipment from the military. King manors were naturally different from other places; their guards all had elite equipment.
The crossbow troops didn’t hesitate in the slightest and quickly pulled their triggers. This intruder had trespassed into the king manor, and judging from their comrades who were screaming miserably and lying collapsed all over the ground, he clearly hadn’t come with good intentions. There was no need for excessive words at all.
Dozens of crossbolts turned into streaks of dark light as they converged. Even some of the most powerful cultivators from the world of warriors would quickly turn into porcupines if they were caught off guard. On top of that, even if this person could block the first wave, the bolts were extremely fast. Another shower of them would quickly ensue, so their enemy would only be slowly worn down and exhausted. In the end, they still wouldn’t be able to escape their demise.
However, what followed left them all with their eyes wide in shock. The intruder remained completely still, not moving an inch! And yet, at the same time, he hadn’t turned into a porcupine. After the bolts entered a certain radius around him, they had all stopped in midair. These were bolts that had been reinforced through formations, capable of tearing through even boulders, or even ten ordinary sets of armor! And yet, even though they had all been fired at the same time, they weren’t able to do a thing!
Just then, Zu An took a step forward. Thebolts suspended in midair were all instantly crushed into powder. Not even their sturdy heads remained.
The guards couldn't help but swallow with difficulty before finally snapping out of their daze. They began to reload their crossbows in a panic.
However, Zu An didn’t give them the chance to do so. With a wave of his hand, an invisible blast of air rippled out. The guards only felt a tremendous force hit them, and just like that, they could no longer stand still anymore. They fell from the roof and crashed into the ground. Their entire bodies were sore, and they temporarily lost all ability to fight.
Zu An entered the next courtyard.
At the same time, King Dai walked over with a group of guards. When he saw the imperial guards strewn across the ground, he was a bit absent-minded for a moment. Immediately after, however, he roared in anger. “Bastard Zu, have you gone mad?!”
You have successfully trolled Zhao Ping for +666 +666 +666…
Zu An calmly looked at him, replying, “Isn’t this what you all wanted? All I'm doing is helping you accomplish your goals.”
When King Dai saw Zu An’s calm expression, for some reason, he felt a bit scared. He said threateningly, “You'd better not act recklessly! Do you know what kind of consequences your actions today will bring you?!”
Chan’er isn’t here, and father-in-law isn’t here either…
He was getting a bit scared, being in this king manor all alone. Now, he no longer felt the joy of his wife being gone in the slightest. He only felt irritated toward her for staying away for so long and leaving him all by himself without any pillars to rely on.
“You’re trying to invoke rules with me again?” Zu An replied with a sigh. “I tried to go by rules with you in court, but unfortunately, you didn’t cherish that opportunity.”
King Dai swallowed with difficulty before saying, “Bastard Zu, do you really think you can deal with me too, just because you managed to kill King Jin through a fluke? King Jin was too rash and didn’t have enough men with him. This is my territory you're in right now!”
As soon as he said that, many figures walked out from different rooms. Ki surged powerfully from all of their bodies, with the weakest even being at the seventh rank; many of them were at the eighth and ninth rank. There were forty-five of them in total! It was already quite the impressive force by the standards of the Great Zhou Dynasty. After all, cultivation was quite costly, and such forces usually consisted of rogue cultivators without sects backing them. What they lacked the most was money and cultivation resources. That was why they could only rely on great clans and become hired thugs.
Their upper limits were often capped, which was why they were willing to accept such a fate. Even though the court had guidelines saying that they would earn the qualification to become officials once they reached a certain cultivation rank, that was only the qualification. Who knew how many people were lining up for those positions? Furthermore, those positions were almost always reserved and split up between the great clans’ disciples. There were very, very few trifling positions left for ordinary people. Opportunities normally only arose for those who were true stunning geniuses. Rogue cultivators like them, who only had mediocre aptitude, were doomed to never have a chance at becoming officials. That meant they naturally wouldn’t have enough resources to improve their cultivation further. In the end, they could only bow their heads to reality and become followers of kings and noble clans. They would help the nobles fight, while they would receive cultivation resources in return. They both received what they needed from each other.
Because of King Jin’s poor constitution, he hadn't had long to live anyway, so he had never had much interest in gathering such cultivators. That was why, following his and Elder Chen’s deaths, all of King Jin Manor had been left on the verge of collapse. Even Madam Jin had been taken advantage of.
However, King Dai Manor was different. Both husband and wife were still ambitious and thriving, so they had naturally recruited plenty of these forces. Furthermore, apart from King Dai Manor’s experts, the Meng clan had also supported them by sending a group of men to guard against accidents. After all, Zu An had been able to kill King Jin. That meant his fighting strength was definitely quite high.
With so many experts and the manor’s guards, even two or three master rank cultivators would have no choice but to meet their end here if they arrived. Chen Xingchao hadn’t been too outstanding among master rank cultivators. He had merely relied on the flying sword talisman he got from somewhere. Without that talisman, his strength would have been reduced by at least half.
This brat Zu An was able to beat King Jin’s guardian Chen Xingchao, but he shouldn’t be that much stronger. This should be more than enough to take care of him!
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