Chapter 354: The Emperor Finds It Hard

Fine, then if not, I hope you, dear in‑laws, will graciously raise your noble hand?

Since the Emperor learned she was a cultivator, his words lack confidence; he has provoked the immortal so much that he might even be kicked off the dragon throne.

He still has many unfulfilled wishes, so he cannot descend for now.

"Tomorrow, send someone to block off this street, bring the ministers to see, and if they still think I'm a demon, I suggest you kill a chicken for the monkeys to watch."

"Huh?"

"Just kill whichever you find unsightly."

The Emperor gritted his teeth, "Fine, I'll kill a few. I know they've long formed cliques and have their own candidate for the next heir, but I am the ruler of the nation; anyone not loyal to me will be killed."

"That's right; as a minister, besides being loyal to you, you must also treat the people well—that's what makes a good official."

"Alright, I'm leaving. Bring me a few baskets of your treasured fruit."

"Finished eating?"

Walking down the street, heading for Jing Ya!

"It's over; you don't realize your family's fruit is excellent. I heard I have some fruit here, and all the Consort Pin's have come to snatch it from me—I'm having a hard time."

"You're really mean."

A person and a beast communicated telepathically; Qiao Mai, with her dog, stayed in the mortuary for a while then left, saying nothing and doing nothing, which puzzled the people of Jing Ya.

"Princess, the corpse looks too gruesome—are you scared?"

By September, all procedures were completed; they were just waiting for the auspicious day.

Qiao Mai flipped it, and a Jade Bottle appeared in her hand; she opened it to sniff, then closed it again.

"Take me there,"

All the court officials bowed their heads; after returning, the Emperor arranged the marriage between Princess Jiamei and Chuan'er.

Opening the Platform and searching, finding the murderer was easy: the Howling Sky Dog!

It is said that not only does it sniff out clues by scent, but no matter how you hide, flee, or even transform like Sun Wukong's seventy‑two changes, you cannot escape its nose.

"De Xing, go out with me; turn into a little black dog and follow me. Whatever I tell you to do, you do; no mischief allowed."

Qiao Mai looked at it indifferently, and it stared back at her defiantly.

One after another, people expressed their stance; the Emperor snorted coldly.

"First, try a bottle of Seven‑Tier Demon Beast Dan,"

Leaving Yuexian Pavilion, she arrived at the gate of Jixiang Yuan, glanced left and right, and the previous tranquility returned; she rolled her eyes.

The Howling Sky Dog is a Seven‑Tier Demon Beast; it has a chance to ascend into a divine beast. With her current cultivation level, contracting this beast is a bit demanding, but still possible.

"Heizi, go take a look,"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Mai raised an eyebrow, a faint cold smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

The official lifted the three corpses gently; Qiao Mai lowered her head and glanced at Heizi.

"If Lady Qiao were a demon, she could have transformed; it must have been easy to make it like this."

Annoyingly, the dog almost bit her as soon as it appeared; without the contract's restraint, it would be truly untrainable—seems only Erlang Shen could subdue it.

Sure enough, the inner panic made the common folk recall the demon Qi incidents again; only demons can extract people's hearts to eat, and it's said it's either used for healing or for cultivation.

That position is one many have smashed their heads against trying to obtain, but because of the demon Qi issue, they let it go.

When she saw Jingzhao Yi, she didn't hold back: "Take my princess and see the people killed these past few days."

"Are you a Dan alchemist?"

The common folk, upon seeing her, watched from a distance; wherever she went, people hurried to make way for her.

Qiao Mai didn't blame them; after all, they were all weak, and being able to keep themselves safe was enough.

"Solve the case, and you'll get a hundred; fail, and you get nothing, only dog food."

"No problem, let's go."

Jingzhao Yi personally escorted her to the mortuary at the back, where three corpses were displayed and many barrels of ice surrounded them.

Fearing she might turn into a demon and devour them, they didn't mind; Qiao Mai, with Heizi, went to Jing Ya.

"Woof, woof"

Morning Court—any state affairs were set aside.

"Hmph!"

"Send my respects to Princess Fu."

"Hmph, with your current cultivation, it's not that this dog looks down on you—you're truly weak. Fortunately, you can refine Dan; otherwise I'd despise you."

Truly, you're like grass swaying on a wall, just following the crowd, with no independent judgment.

Half a month later, the Internal Affairs Office sent a booklet to Fu Wang, detailing all matters clearly.

After the third Heart Extraction Case appeared, Qiao Mai entered a space, sat before a computer, and took a deep breath.

The Emperor, with civil and military officials, rode a carriage to the entrance of Huangdao Avenue, then walked with the officials to the gate of Jixiang Yuan.

"I've known for a long time—can we find the Heart Extraction murderer?"

He pointed, "Open your dog eyes and look up—does that above contain demon Qi or Auspicious Sign Qi?"

The Emperor issued an edict: the seventeenth of October is an auspicious day; Yuan Haichuan will personally go to the palace to welcome Princess Jiamei to Jixiang Yuan.

At this time, another incident broke out in the capital; someone was heart‑extracted, the corpse too gruesome to look at, and Jingzhao Yi, with officials, was investigating.

"Indeed, indeed, Your Majesty, I have seen it with my own eyes; previously I misunderstood Fu Wang's family."

The Emperor stared coldly at the Deputy Minister of War, a lackey of some prince; since you want to die, I will comply.

Heizi sniffed each corpse, "Master, this wasn't done by a demon, it was done by a human."

"Give it after the job is done."

"Almost at the eighth stage; once I advance to the transformation stage, it'll be about right."

"Qingfeng is my old friend; he also told me that he was mistaken. Haven't you all seen it with your own eyes now?"

"I am still on the throne, I am still not old, I am still alive; you should be loyal to me. You ought to support the heir I choose; fighting to the death for someone I do not choose will be of no use."

"If you still refuse, I am still your Master; if you have the ability, don't let anyone catch you and have you sold on the Platform?"

The officials all recognized her; upon seeing her they quickly bowed.

Qiao Mai entered the house with it, hands behind her back, and a pure black dog followed behind.

The servants lifted them onto the carriage; the Old Emperor hurried away with Yu Bao. Before dawn the Jiedao was sealed off; the common folk could not get close to look, but from a distance they could see, albeit not very clearly.

When the Emperor truly acted, the court officials immediately understood that preserving their lives came first.

Hmph.

The Qiao Ji Snack Shop also opened for business that day, and the Jixiang Embroidery Shop opened as well.

Qiao Mai helplessly waved her hand, and six baskets of fruit appeared on the ground.

Hmph.

"Obey, be a good Beast for your Master; the fine Pill is yours to eat!"

"Where is your leader?"

Spending a fortune, they clenched their teeth and bought a pure black one.

"Little one, ten Seven-Tier Demon Beast Pills."

Yuan Jiaqi immediately proceeded item by item as listed above; none of these matters required Qiao Mai to worry further—if she needed to go, she would go.

"Your Majesty, Qingfeng Daozhang said that this Zhai has Demon Qi, right?"

The matter of Demon Qi had just been forgotten by the common folk, and now they again intend to use her to create demons.

It seemed fine, but Qiao Mai knew that before the Eleventh Prince ascended the throne, there would never be a day of calm.

"From now on, you shall be called Heizi."

The officials were all very surprised: why did the princess bring a dog? Can a dog solve cases?

The ministers had heard about it yesterday; they also have their own Tanzhi, but after actually seeing it, they still stubbornly denied it like a dead duck.

"There, inside."

A turmoil was easily resolved by Qiao Mai.

"Likewise."

"Your Majesty, the sky above Jixiang Yuan is an Auspicious Sign."

Two days later another person was killed, again by Heart Digging; it was the heart of a robust adult man.

"Arrest them, the Deputy Minister of War is sowing demonic rumors; strip him of his post and hand the matter to the Ministry of Justice."

Qiao Mai returned home, and Heizi vanished without a trace.

Yuan Jiaqi, after stepping down and returning home, still trembling, said, "Wife, this person is too despicable; you want to kill him for a quick thrill, but Heart Digging is too cruel."

Qiao Mai took a sip of water and huffed, "If it's not cruel, how can people believe there are demons?"

"What? Weren't the demon matters already over before?"

(End of chapter.)