Chapter 193: Audience

Every single event Li Miao had experienced since leaving the capital, everything, had its roots in one person.

Ji Tianrui.

It was he who killed Yang Lixuan and usurped the Ming Sect. It was also he who colluded with the Miao King and sent men to Shuntian Prefecture. The insect soldiers were his handiwork, and the Miao frontier was his scheme.

Yang Lixuan was his biological son, and Lan Lechuan was his disciple. The first-generation Miao King was his biological mother, and the second-generation Miao King was his wife.

Ji Tianrui was his daughter.

Such a figure, did he really die so carelessly in the Miao frontier back then? Was he killed just because the imperial court learned of his collusion with the Miao people, with Old Zhu Tou bringing a few Heaven-Man Realm experts to block him there—did he die so sloppily?

It wasn't that Li Miao was a conspiracy theorist; he just instinctively felt that this person shouldn't have died so simply.

But after truly asking Wang Zhi this question, even Li Miao couldn't help but feel it was somewhat unbelievable.

That was the Emperor, the Son of Heaven.

A single rage could leave a million corpses and flow blood for a thousand miles. His words were the imperial constitution, a single utterance becoming the law for the world. He enjoyed the four seas and wielded supreme power.

If Ji Tianrui had revived within the Emperor's body... this Great Ming, this world, would all be led by him in a completely unknown direction.

No one would be spared.

Li Miao looked at Wang Zhi.

Wang Zhi did not answer.

He kept his head bowed, saying nothing.

After a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"I... do not know what you are talking about."

"His Majesty has always been His Majesty, the grandson of the Emperor Xianzong, the upright bloodline of the Zhu family..."

"Eunuch Wang, you did not answer my question, at least not directly."

Li Miao interrupted Wang Zhi.

"You are evading."

"I know your life story. From the time the Emperor was still the Heir of Prince Xing, you have served by his side, for over thirty years now. When it comes to understanding and loyalty to the Emperor, even those sanctimonious ministers are far inferior to you."

"You did not refuse to answer, nor did you directly deny it, but instead spoke of other things... it is because you also have your suspicions, right?"

Li Miao said softly, like a demon seducing Wang Zhi into an abyss.

"Fifteen years ago, did the Emperor show any abnormalities?"

Fifteen years ago, the Emperor suddenly fell gravely ill and was bedridden for over a month. The imperial physicians were helpless, and preparations for the Emperor's funeral were almost made, but overnight, the Emperor suddenly recovered, and even his old ailments mysteriously vanished.

"The things the Emperor cared about and loathed back then, are they still on his mind now?"

At the beginning of his reign, the Emperor worked diligently, and the world was clear for a time. Although he gradually became lax later, overall he was still considered an enlightened ruler... but ever since he recovered from his illness, he never held court again, and all government affairs were handed over to the ministers to handle.

The concubines he previously favored were all discarded like worn-out shoes. He never looked at them again.

"Does the Emperor speak and act as he used to?"

No, the Emperor of those years would not have built the Cheng-Lu Terrace, nor would he have let people beat him to death...

"Has the Emperor changed?"

He had changed.

Wang Zhi found the answer in his heart.

From fifteen years ago until now, the Emperor had gradually changed.

He had become as if... another person.

Wang Zhi could not open his mouth or speak. His whole body trembled violently, and extreme tension caused him to suddenly retch.

"Ugh—cough, cough, cough..."

"Thank you."

Li Miao patted him on the shoulder.

Wang Zhi did not need to speak; Li Miao already knew his answer.

Boom!

Li Miao struck Wang Zhi on the back of the head with one palm.

Wang Zhi's body suddenly tightened, then relaxed, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, losing all signs of life.

Li Miao stood up, looked around, walked to the wall, and took down a lamp.

He splashed the lamp oil everywhere.

Then, he threw down the lit wick.

Whoosh!

The flames suddenly erupted, burning everything inside the pupa chamber. The insect soldiers were ignited and suddenly flew up, circling for a long while before falling powerlessly, as if a rain of fire had begun inside the chamber.

Li Miao did not look back and walked straight toward the outside.

Once outside, Li Miao struck down with a palm, and dust flew, covering the entire cave.

"Heh."

Li Miao let out a laugh that was both mocking and helpless.

"I originally only intended to wipe out the Five Mountains Sword Sect, but then came the witchcraft; I broke the witchcraft inheritance, and then came the Ming Sect's Ji Tianrui; the Ming Sect's mess hasn't been cleaned up yet, and even the Emperor has been dragged into it."

"Damn it... a life of toil."

His emotions were released and then retracted; Li Miao turned his head to look in the direction of the Xiaoling Mausoleum.

Bursts of loud noises were coming from there.

"Good, you tricked me into coming here to deal with the court's Heaven-Man experts, while you went off to do your own thing, right?"

"You threw the mess in front of me and still thought you could leave easily?"

Before the words had faded, Li Miao had already disappeared from where he stood.

————————

Ji Tianrui suddenly turned around and exchanged a palm strike with the middle-aged man.

"Cough."

She coughed, swallowing the fresh blood that overflowed from her mouth. Using the force of the palm strike, she flew backward, rushing straight toward the depths of the tomb.

The middle-aged man's expression became increasingly ugly; he flashed in pursuit, his fists turning into countless afterimages in mid-air, striking toward Ji Tianrui.

Ji Tianrui was no match for him.

She was not strong, only comparable to Yun Zelin on Mount Tai. If not for the endless stream of poisonous insects on her body, she would have been killed under his palm long ago.

But even with the protection of the insects, she had already suffered heavy injuries; her left arm hung limply, broken into several sections; her shoulder was a bloody mess, with a large piece of flesh gouged out; blood overflowed from her mouth and nose, staining her collar red.

But she was still smiling.

Because she could already see the end of this path.

She was only thirty zhang away from that stone door, inlaid with enamel and flanked by clay statues of generals.

She only needed to cross these thirty zhang.

The middle-aged man appeared behind her again, his hand forming a claw, suddenly gripping Ji Tianrui's shoulder.

Puchi—

Ji Tianrui actually dispersed the protective true energy on her right shoulder, suddenly exerting force to tear her own shoulder apart, breaking free from the middle-aged man's grip, and her figure darted forward again.

Twenty zhang!

The middle-aged man struck out with a palm in mid-air, his true energy hand seal covering the entire tomb passage, striking toward Ji Tianrui's back.

Boom!

Ji Tianrui did not dodge or evade, taking the blow head-on, spraying a mist of blood from her mouth, and actually relying on the force of this palm strike to suddenly increase her speed by a notch.

Ten zhang!

The middle-aged man appeared in front of Ji Tianrui, completely blocking the path in front of her.

"Die!"

He roared, raising an arm, his fingers forming a palm, sharp true energy gathering on the edge of his palm.

He slashed out with a blade!

Iron Punishment War Post, "One Blade"!

Ji Tianrui chuckled.

She dispersed her Zhou Tian.

The sharp true energy passed through her body, slicing her body diagonally into two sections, and a rain of blood fell.

The middle-aged man's face turned pale instantly.

Because Ji Tianrui's upper body flew over his head and landed in front of the stone door.

Boom!

Ji Tianrui channeled her last bit of true energy and struck the stone door, and the stone door opened with a roar!

Ji Tianrui's upper body landed on the ground, using her remaining arm to prop up her body, and she looked up at the coffin in front of her.

"Commoner Ji Tianrui."

"Pays respects to the Jianwen Emperor!"

Ji Tianrui's voice echoed in the tomb.

And then, from within the coffin, came a faint sound of breathing.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 194 =====