Chapter 264: Entering the Main Hall Where the Wasteland Nation's King Resides

Reciting this passage, Xiao Qidi's voice choked with sobs.

In his mind, many childhood memories also surfaced.

He continued to identify the other bamboo slips, and from the fragments of these diaries gradually confirmed one thing: at first, Jiang Peihuan had been forced to lose her chastity.

At that time, Xiao Qidi was only four years old.

Jiang Peihuan was young and beautiful, and after Xiao Qidi's father fled, she was quickly harassed.

Especially the male nobles of the Wasteland Nation's palace, all of whom coveted her.

One of them was the current Wasteland Nation king's uncle — Lord Xinping.

Lord Xinping repeatedly tried gentle persuasion but failed, so he used force, and afterwards gave Jiang Peihuan some food that only royalty could enjoy.

Humiliated and enraged, Jiang Peihuan had wanted to die, but seeing the young child and realizing she was his only support, she endured.

She fed Xiao Qidi the food Lord Xinping had given him.

At that time the four‑year‑old Xiao Qidi was ill; he could not eat the usual coarse food until he received some refined, nutritious food, after which he began to improve.

Seeing that she could improve her son's life with her body, Jiang Peihuan, when faced again with Lord Xinping's coercion, no longer resisted as strongly.

Through this method, she ensured Xiao Qidi could eat and clothe himself like a normal child; when he was bullied, he could also receive Lord Xinping's protection.

Later, as long as Xiao Qidi could grow up safely, Jiang Peihuan accepted anyone, greeting the Wasteland Nation's nobles who assaulted her with a smile and fully cooperating.

Had she not compromised, Xiao Qidi might never have lived to the day he could return to Xuan Guo…

When Xiao Qidi saw these circumstances in the surviving bamboo‑slip diaries, he could no longer hold back, kneeling on the ground with tears streaming down his face.

"Mother... Mother!!" He clutched the bamboo‑slip fragments to his chest, crying and choking as he called.

These matters, had he not personally seen the diary Jiang Peihuan wrote in secret years ago, he would never have known.

He finally understood that during his early years, his mother had sacrificed to this extent.

Ning Jingli felt distressed at that moment and silently embraced Xiao Qidi's shoulder.

A moment later, Xiao Qidi calmed down.

He piled all the bamboo slips together and lit them with the lighter from his portable gear.

"Qidi, what are you doing..." Ning Jingli was somewhat stunned.

Xiao Qidi wiped away his tears, stared calmly at the flickering flame, "I cannot let these matters spread. Consider it... preserving some face for my mother. While she lives, I will never allow this secret to be exposed to the world, so that she won't be attacked by those with ulterior motives."

Since Xiao Qidi had decided this, Ning Jingli said nothing, staying with him as each secret document was wholly devoured by the flames.

When the bamboo slips had turned to ash, the Walkie‑Talkies at their waists lit up with indicator lights.

They opened the earpieces and heard Mu Cheng reporting the situation.

Mu Cheng said that the senior and junior commanders of the guard forces within the Royal City had been eliminated by Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Soldiers; aside from the vast majority of guards drunk beyond consciousness, the remaining combat‑capable ones had also been cleared.

This meant that if any trouble arose in the palace, the tens of thousands of guards could no longer be of any use.

One must admit, Mu Cheng's efficiency was indeed high.

Additionally, Mu Cheng reported that the Drone had detected many Wasteland Nation ministers gradually leaving the palace.

Xiao Qidi immediately ordered him to bring Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Soldiers to covertly deal with those ministers; if necessary, they could be killed outright, as they were all mere incompetents.

Afterwards, Xiao Qidi and Ning Jingli left the area.

On this side of the palace.

Hundreds of Wasteland Nation officials were being escorted out of the palace in batches by the Palace Guard.

Among them were court ministers residing in the Wasteland Nation's capital, as well as local officials who fled after repeated defeats and loss of territory; in short, they had all retreated into the Royal City.

They accompanied the Wasteland King in drinking and revelry, becoming drunk until after midnight, then departed.

Xiao Qidi and Ning Jingli reached the palace roof where the Wasteland King resided, quietly moved a few tiles, and observed the main hall.

The officials had left, but the princes and nobles remained.

Roughly estimated, there were also several hundred people.

The eunuchs continued to serve this group richer wine and delicacies; the court musicians sang seductive songs that made faces flush and hearts race, and the dancers shed their previous garments, covering themselves only with thin veils, their movements becoming bolder and more explicit.

"Tsk tsk... they've reached the second half of the banquet," Ning Jingli's beautiful eyes flashed with coldness, "Outside the palace, the common folk are starving and freezing, being used as hostages to threaten the Daxuan army, yet they indulge here in sound and color. They're truly a bunch of beasts."

Xiao Qidi murmured, "Tonight, none of them will escape."

Ning Jingli produced a small remote and pressed one of its switches.

Boom!

An explosion sounded somewhere in the palace, followed by raging flames.

It was only a small blast, set up by Ning Jingli and Xiao Qidi on their way back.

Inside the main hall it was lively; the Wasteland King and the assembled princes and nobles did not notice, but it was enough to alarm the Palace Guard.

Soon after, the Palace Guard commander hurried into the main hall.

Before he could speak, the princes and nobles showed irritated expressions, complaining that he had disturbed their revelry.

The Wasteland King also seemed displeased, signaling the music and dance to pause, and coldly asked, "I didn't summon you; why are you barging in?"

"I would not dare to wander in," the Palace Guard commander reported, "His Majesty, just now a strange sound came from the rear palace, with flames appearing. I dispatched the guard to investigate and found that some palace sections were damaged and on fire for unknown reasons..."

"If there's a fire, put it out!" the Wasteland King snapped, "Is this such a trivial matter that you bother me? Deal with it quickly!"

The Palace Guard commander said, "His Majesty... that is the rear palace; without your order we may not intrude. Currently only the eunuchs of the rear palace are extinguishing the fire."

The Wasteland King slapped his forehead, "Oh... I've been drinking too much and forgot. I now permit you to take the guard into the rear palace; be sure to protect the queen and the concubines."

"Yes! I accept the order!"

The Palace Guard commander immediately withdrew from the main hall and soon dispatched subordinates leading two thousand guards to the rear palace.

The Wasteland King directly ordered the eunuchs in the main hall to close all doors tightly, lest the guard, without his summons, barge in recklessly.

Ning Jingli pressed another remote switch.

Another spot exploded and caught fire again, the disturbance similarly modest.

The Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard felt something was strange, but having never seen such a situation before, he could only send another unit of about two thousand Imperial Guard troops, while also deploying five thousand Imperial Guard troops to tighten patrols and inspections around the palace outskirts.

Earlier, a thousand Imperial Guard troops were deployed to escort hundreds of officials out of the palace, and the two explosions drew away another nine thousand Imperial Guard troops, so altogether over ten thousand Imperial Guard troops could not return to the main hall for a while.

Thus, only about ten thousand Imperial Guard troops around the main hall could react in time.

On the roof, Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli exchanged a glance, then one after the other slipped in through the lifted tiles.

After a few seconds, Xiao Qidi, wearing a helmet and special forces combat uniform, descended like from the heavens and landed directly beside the throne of the Wasteland Nation King.

The Wasteland Nation King jumped in shock, shouting, 'Who are you! Where did you come from!'

The royalty and nobles present turned toward the sound and noticed a strangely dressed person beside His Majesty, their faces changing; the musicians, dancers, and palace maids and eunuchs busy serving everyone fell silent all at once.

Xiao Qidi drew a dagger and pressed it to the Wasteland Nation King's neck, saying, 'Don't move! Otherwise I'll kill him!'

Everyone was horrified.

The Wasteland Nation King was half-sobered from his drink by the fright.

Immediately a member of the royal family shouted, 'What audacity! Dare to assassinate His Majesty?! Are you seeking death?!'

With a flick of his finger, Xiao Qidi instantly nicked the Wasteland Nation King's neck, the blood standing out starkly in the bright, translucent main hall.

'Without my permission, whoever shouts again or moves a step will get another cut from me—if you don't believe me, try it.' His low voice was full of menace.

Sure enough, no one dared to speak again.

'Who… who are you?' the Wasteland Nation King stammered, 'How did you get in, and what… what do you want?!'

Xiao Qidi shoved him aside and sat down beside him on the spacious throne.

Of course, the dagger in his hand never left the king's neck.

'Pass the order,' Xiao Qidi coldly commanded, 'continue the music, continue the dance.'

The Wasteland Nation King completely failed to grasp the assassin's situation, not knowing his purpose, so he could only comply, gathering his composure and loudly saying, 'You… continue the music, continue the dance!'

The Imperial Guard stationed outside the main hall noticed the sudden silence inside, waited a moment, thinking something abnormal had occurred, and was about to push the door to look, but before his hand touched the door panel, the sound of music resumed from within, so the guard withdrew his hand.

Meanwhile, while Xiao Qidi held the Wasteland Nation King hostage, Ning Jinli took advantage of everyone's attention being drawn to the throne situation, quickly using tools from her personal gear to lock the front and rear doors of the main hall as well as the two side doors at the back.

This ensured that no one inside the main hall could sneak away.

If the outer Imperial Guard were alarmed, this would also buy some time.

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the main hall was eerie.

The musicians played with trembling hearts, and the dancers performed while anxiously on edge.

Groups of palace maids and eunuchs shrank their necks, standing frozen in place, whether holding food trays or originally meant to pour wine for the nobility, they became like wooden statues.

Moreover, the royalty and nobles sitting cross-legged at the banquet tables were so tense they had no mind for music or dance, all staring fixedly at the throne.

On the other hand, an elderly man with hair half‑white remained relatively calm.

He even managed, during a brief moment when Xiao Qidi wasn't paying attention, to quickly give a few instructions to the nearby eunuchs.

'What… what exactly do you want?' the Wasteland Nation King asked again.

Xiao Qidi produced a binding strap, tied both of the Wasteland Nation King's hands to the throne's armrests, then removed his helmet.

The Wasteland Nation King stared wide‑eyed, scrutinizing, 'Who… who are you?!'

Not only him, everyone present felt intense curiosity, their gazes fixed on Xiao Qidi's stern face.

Xiao Qidi said calmly, 'When I was born, you had just ascended the throne; I began to remember things at age three, and in the years after we met only a handful of times, so it's no surprise you don't recognize me.'

Hearing this, the Wasteland Nation King's mind raced as he tried to recall the situation.

If that's the case, could this person be a child I had with one of my consorts?

No……

I only expanded the harem after inheriting the throne.

He said he was born when I inherited the throne, so that isn't the case.

Could it be… a child born from a palace maid I favored before that?!

But that's not right either!

All the palace maids I had been intimate with before my ascension weren't they ordered killed after I became king? …

Could there have been an oversight?

As the Wasteland Nation King racked his brain, Xiao Qidi turned his gaze to Marquis Xinping, his lips moving slightly, and asked in a low voice, 'Do you recognize me?'

The Wasteland Nation King's heart jolted—could this mysterious young man who appeared out of nowhere be the illegitimate son of Marquis Xinping?

Marquis Xinping, nearly fifty, met Xiao Qidi's deep, gloomy eyes; his heart inexplicably twitched, his brows furrowed, he studied him again seriously, feeling a vague sense of familiarity, yet he could not recall it for the moment.

Xiao Qidi's gaze shifted to the others.

As each face came into view, it gradually matched those men from his childhood memories who often came and went around his and his mother's residence.

More than ten years have passed; he has grown up, and those people have aged as well.

Besides these individuals, there were also several young nobles present, some his age, some older.

Although some of those youths' appearances have changed greatly, Xiao Qidi could still tell from their eyes and demeanor who had once bullied him.

'Very well… they're all here.' Xiao Qidi's eyes grew colder by a degree, 'Is it really that among so many people, not one recognizes me?'

Marquis Xinping snapped, 'Kid! Stop pretending to be mysterious and playing coy! Such disrespect to His Majesty—you're dead!'

Xiao Qidi sneered, 'Marquis Xinping, if I'm not mistaken, you're still under fifty, yet you look gaunt with bluish eye sockets—surely drained by drink and lust; I don't know how many women have fallen victim to your poison over these years.'

Marquis Xinping's fondness for drink and women is well known, but his noble status meant no one dared to call him out to his face, let alone in public.

This caused Marquis Xinping to lose face; his eyes turned vicious in an instant, and he braced himself on the food table to rise.

Xiao Qidi casually slashed the Wasteland Nation King's arm with his dagger.

Blood instantly stained the king's sleeve, the pain twisting his face as he hurriedly said, 'Uncle… don't… don't move!'

Marquis Xinping clenched his back teeth and sat down angrily.

At that moment, two eunuchs who had quietly slipped around to either side of the throne during this time, each holding a small knife used to slice meat for the nobility, lunged at Xiao Qidi from left and right.

Xiao Qidi was unmoving like a mountain, only casting a sideways glance.

Two eunuchs rushed forward in an instant, and the tips of their two knives simultaneously drove hard into Xiao Qidi's chest!