Chapter 680: An Unkillable High Official

The Emperor breathed even more heavily: "How many people are involved?" "Of course, three hundred and twenty-seven people; each person can only take it once." She looked up at the Emperor, "If this list falls into the hands of the Heavenly God, I'm afraid the Profound Spirit Royal Court will collapse by half and chaos will arise."

An unstable Royal Court meant an unstable throne for the Emperor.

The Emperor was somewhat angry: "Are you threatening me with this?"

"I wouldn't dare; this is also the reason I rushed to Ganquan Palace." State Preceptor Qingyang didn't change her expression, "If it is searched by Bai Bai Ziqi, you will be in trouble here."

The Emperor stared at the account book and stood still without speaking.

Purchasing the drug violated the Heavenly Law, and by logic, they should be strictly investigated. But this number was too large.

State Preceptor Qingyang's Immortality Drug was of course not sold to whoever had money. Even if you were a wealthy merchant, you couldn't buy this divine drug by holding banknotes to the Green Lotus Temple.

Of course, nine out of ten people didn't even know the Green Lotus Temple sold the Immortality Drug. This was something beyond their cognitive dimension.

The names of the main customers recorded in this account book were likely resounding figures in Profound Spirit City, and each person often had several noble families standing behind them, which could be described as "power covering the sky."

If the account book was obtained by the Heavenly God, they wouldn't care about any interests or situations; they would only order a thorough investigation and arrest to prove that the divine power could not be offended.

But the epic-level shock caused by this to the Profound Spirit Royal Court had to be swallowed by the Emperor.

Even as strong as it was, it felt tricky.

Anger was anger, but it didn't want to raise a butcher's knife to kill so many beloved ministers! Fear of death was the instinct of living things. Trying every means to prolong one's life—wasn't that human nature? "This trouble, how do you want to solve it for me?"

State Preceptor Qingyang was extremely sincere: "I beg the Emperor to spare my life."

Just having True Monarch Tongming plead for her was too weak. She had to at least win the pity of the Demon Emperor.

After all, no matter how the Heavenly God pressured, the one who finally made the decision and issued the decree was the Emperor.

If it didn't want her to die, she should be able to live.

"You..."

State Preceptor Qingyang quickly said again: "Killing those demon commoners isn't a big deal; the vassal demon countries are just taking the opportunity to make trouble for Profound Spirit City, and there is a large group of commoners who don't know the truth cheering for them. I am willing to make compensation. I beg the Emperor to demote me to a common old woman in the market; anyway... my remaining life isn't long."

Mortals had a hard time passing a hundred years, and the limit for practitioners was around one hundred and forty years. She was nearly two hundred, which was already super long-lived. If not for her ability to maintain her youth, her hands and face would probably look like dried orange peel now.

Without Yuan power, the days she had left could be seen at a glance.

The Emperor was silent because of the vicissitudes in her words and walked toward the garden.

Knowing and being close for nearly two hundred years, even stones could be warmed, let alone living creatures with flesh and blood? State Preceptor Qingyang didn't say a word and pushed the door to accompany it forward.

Because the Emperor had long since dismissed everyone, this garden was empty, only green trees welcoming the wind and flowers fragrant, but there was no sound of birds—

The Emperor's pressure was here; how could the birds not tremble?

Deep in the flower garden bloomed a dragon-brain incense, pink and white flowers, with an exotic fragrance.

State Preceptor Qingyang walked over naturally, flicked her hand to knock down a small string of white flowers, and tucked them into her hair.

The Emperor stopped and looked down, as if piercing through nearly two hundred years of time, seeing that little girl again picking dragon-brain incense and wearing it on her hair, smiling at it—she was even missing a front tooth.

Since then, State Preceptor Qingyang often passed by this garden and often came over to pick flowers to wear, but this dragon-brain incense grew larger and larger, from a lonely little seedling back then to the towering tree it was now! It was soft-hearted, let out a long sigh: "I can spare your life."

State Preceptor Qingyang looked up suddenly, then knelt down with a 'thump', choking slightly: "Emperor!"

"Killing those few demon commoners isn't a big deal; the vassal demon countries are just taking the opportunity to make trouble for Profound Spirit City, and there is a large group of commoners who don't know the truth cheering for them." The Emperor said majestically, "Prohibiting the sale of the Immortality Drug is an iron law set by the Heavenly God; I will dismiss you and confiscate your property, which can be considered an explanation, but those subordinates of yours cannot be saved."

State Preceptor Qingyang was grateful: "The Emperor is benevolent!"

The Heavenly God's anger had to find a channel to vent.

On the matter of the Immortality Drug, she lost. Rather than saying she lost to Frost Leaf, it was better to say she lost to Xi Yunhe's ten-plus years of forbearance and planning.

This person truly understood her too well.

But she still saved her life; only by living would there be hope for a counterattack.

"Actually, what the Heavenly God cares about most is the source of the divine blood for refining the Immortality Drug." The Emperor glanced at her, "Whether obtained from the human world or the divine world, you must explain it clearly."

"Yes!" State Preceptor Qingyang said solemnly, "The source of the divine blood is the demon puppet master Dong Rui!"

"Who?" The Emperor was busy with ten thousand things and felt strange about this name.

"More than ten years ago, he abducted the son of the Left Imperial Guard General and transformed him into a violent giant ape that didn't recognize its own kin and only obeyed him. Profound Spirit City issued a wanted notice for this, but Dong Rui quickly escaped Between Beijia and his whereabouts were unknown."

"In the process of Dong Rui transforming these demon puppets, he must use divine blood to trigger their mutation." State Preceptor Qingyang continued, "At that time, I contacted him and obtained quite a bit of divine blood from his hands."

"'Quite a bit', how much?"

"Half a small altar." The medicine primer needed for refining the Immortality Drug was very little; a drop of divine blood the size of a needle tip, after dilution, could refine hundreds of Immortality Drugs—this was still counting the failure rate.

"Then, where did Dong Rui get the divine blood?"

"I don't know." State Preceptor Qingyang said in a low voice, "I wanted to find out, but Dong Rui escaped."

The Emperor shook its head: "Using a person whose whereabouts are unknown to push the source of divine blood is not a good method

Princes who break the law are punished the same as commoners; this is just said to vent anger, anyone who believes it is a fool.

In fact, the higher the status and power, the greater the "error tolerance."

Crimes that would lead to beheading for commoners, when it comes to them, are just demotions of a few ranks or fines of half a year's salary.

Official positions are their immunity tokens.

The most typical example He He Lingchuan can see is Fan Sheng.

"Twice sniping at the Chi Yan envoy, obstructing the progress of a major case; which commoner would dare to do this and not lose their head? But look at Fan Sheng, he has already gone to the eastern front to gild himself."

The Emperor's punishment for him is like fining him three cups of wine.

Those who steal a hook are executed, while those who steal a country become marquises; this is the naked reality.

Fu Fu Shanyue certainly acknowledges this truth: "Indeed, sentencing has light and heavy, depending on the object."

"The ban itself is not important." He He Lingchuan drank a sip of wine, "What's important is who the Heavenly Gods want to liquidate with the ban."

"If you dissect the case, Grand Coordinator Qingyang ordered her subordinates to kill some demon commoners and refined some contraband medicine; is that all? Haven't Lingxu City officials done more outrageous things?" Having mixed in Lingxu City for these days, He He Lingchuan really heard endless absurd things from the nobles and scholars, which could easily shatter his worldview.

And what he heard was only a little bit of the surface.

How much filth and dirt is hidden in the six-hundred-year-old imperial capital? That cannot see the light; if it does, something big will happen.

Therefore, "As long as the Emperor is determined to protect her, and as long as the Heavenly Gods do not pursue her relentlessly, Grand Coordinator Qingyang may not be without hope."

Fu Fu Shanyue pulled a long face; this is what he least wanted to hear.

"Of course, since things have reached such a point, Grand Coordinator Qingyang will definitely have to pay a heavy price." He He Lingchuan patted his shoulder, "You don't have to be depressed either. Regarding the immortality medicine case, the Heavenly Gods and the Emperor will always have to give you and all the vassal demon nations an explanation. Since the charges are pinned on Grand Coordinator Qingyang, you have already won! What else do you want?"

Fu Fu Shanyue thought for a moment and handed him two lamb ribs roasted to a charred fragrance: "Come, eat meat!"

"Oh, speaking of Fan Sheng, there is another person who has also been ordered to rush to the eastern front." Fu Fu Shanyue added casually, "That is General General Qingwu; he set off yesterday."

He He Lingchuan stopped before he could bite the meat: "General Hong has fulfilled his wish?"

"Yes, who doesn't want to earn some military merit?"

He He Lingchuan smiled: "You don't want to." Fu Fu Shanyue finally became the Crown Prince and only wanted to stabilize his throne.

Fu Fu Shanyue laughed: "That's true, I don't want to."

He is already the Chi Yan Crown Prince, the only seedling of the old Fu Fu Shanyue family, what military merit is there to fight for? Just then, an attendant reported: other nobles sent people to express their condolences.

"Condolences my foot! They just want to find me to inquire about news." Fu Fu Shanyue knew it well, "These fellows are like rats; I went to the Qinggong, and they all know!"

The Heavenly Gods sent troops to besiege the Qinggong; this news was truly earth-shattering for the dignitaries of Lingxu Upper City.

The figures of Grand Coordinator Qingyang's faction probably feel that the sky is falling right now.

And many people are rejoicing, right?

After eating and drinking, He He Lingchuan returned to his room, and the Soul-Stealing Mirror, which had been holding back for two hours, immediately asked him: "Hong Chenglue has already gone to the eastern battlefield, you have no chance to confirm if he is Hu Bin!"

He He Lingchuan splashed clear water on his face to cool down: "You got it backward."

"Ah?" The mirror was puzzled, "How did you confirm it?"

Hearing the news of Hong Chenglue going east, the cloud of doubt in He He Lingchuan's heart had already dispersed.

(End of chapter)