Chapter 14

Great Ming, Forbidden City.

Zhu Houzhao, who had already begun to exude a faint imperial aura.

His face filled with excitement and eagerness as he gazed toward the corner.

"Old Wei, what do you think—what if I bring the Qinglong Society over to my side?"

If Hua Xi had merely made him feel a bit regretful,

then Ximen Wudi's appearance had undoubtedly shown him boundless hope!

If he could bring Ximen Wudi into Great Ming,

what need would he have to fear Zhu Tie Dan, the Divine Marquis?

Should he still fear him?

Does he even deserve to?

Even if Ximen Wudi merely sent one of his subordinates,

it would likely be more than Zhu Wushi and his kind could withstand!

In other words,

if Ximen Wudi could be won over,

wouldn't the Qinglong Society follow suit?

At that point, it wouldn't just be about fully controlling Great Ming,

but even conquering all under heaven and claiming the Nine Provinces might be possible!!

"Er... Your Majesty, forgive this old minister for speaking bluntly."

"It's still early—this is no time for daydreams!"

Watching Zhu Houzhao's expression sink deeper into delusion,

Wei Jinzhong couldn't help but twitch his lips.

He lifted his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat from his brow and whispered a reminder.

Though in terms of national strength, Great Ming ranks mid-tier among the Eight Imperial Dynasties,

what can Great Ming offer the Qinglong Society right now?

What reason would a forbidden existence like Ximen Wudi have to serve you?

011—Yuan Tiangang's speculation, Zhang Sanfeng's troubled heart! (Request flowers, request tips)

Hearing Wei Jinzhong's brutally blunt words,

Zhu Houzhao froze slightly.

Then his heart turned cold.

He slumped like a deflated ball, head drooping, utterly drained.

Forget it—I'm tired. Let it all end!

Perhaps unable to bear witnessing this,

Wei Jinzhong fell silent for a moment, then offered half-hearted comfort.

"Regardless of whether they're willing to join Great Ming,

I believe we must still make the effort to court them."

"What if they agree?"

Even as he spoke, he didn't believe it himself.

But strangely enough,

it worked quite well.

Zhu Houzhao's spirits lifted instantly, a glimmer of hope rising in his eyes.

He waved his hand decisively and ordered,

"Very well. This matter is entrusted to you, Old Wei."

"If you succeed, best of all. If not, don't burden yourself with guilt."

Hearing this,

Wei Jinzhong nodded solemnly.

Great Tang, Changancheng.

Wu Zetian, dressed in full regalia, stood atop a high pavilion.

With her hands clasped behind her back, she gazed out the window and spoke softly.

"Minister Yuan, what do you think of this person?"

Not far behind her,

stood a man wearing a straw hat and a masked face.

At the question, he bowed slightly.

"Extremely strong! Terrifyingly strong!"

"Oh? If so, why not use your divination arts to calculate the Heavenly Mandate?"

Wu Zetian glanced at him in surprise.

This was the first time she had ever heard him praise another.

"Your Majesty does not know,"

"since the Heaven's Golden List first revealed his name, I began calculating within my mind."

"But... merely calculating his name brought me severe backlash."

"And in the depths of my soul, I sensed a great terror!"

"If I forcibly calculate it, I will perish instantly and turn to ash!"

Yuan Tiangang let out a bitter laugh and slowly explained.

As he spoke further,

a trace of lingering fear lingered deep in his eyes.

"Is this really that extreme?!"

Wu Zetian, who had always remained unmoved even as Taishan collapsed before her,

heard these words and her face filled with astonishment.

She knew very well Yuan Tiangang's strength.

Even if he couldn't rank among the top ten of the Heavenly Dao Golden List, he would surely make the top fifteen!

Yet even such a being,

merely calculating the name of Ximen Wudi, could face the risk of death.

Could this possibly be any more extreme?!!

"Every word I speak is true; I humbly beg Your Majesty to take note."

"Moreover, I have a premonition that this person may be the number one on the Combat Ceiling List!"

Yuan Tiangang bowed his hands, his expression utterly serious.

"Number one on the Combat Ceiling List?"

Wu Zetian murmured the phrase.

Her eyes sparkled with wisdom.

After a long while,

she finally raised her head to look at Yuan Tiangang.

"Issue orders: let Bu Liang Ren search for this person!"

"If he is willing to join the Great Tang, let him name any condition!"

"Remember: treat him with the utmost respect!"

As if he had anticipated this,

upon hearing these words,

Yuan Tiangang nodded calmly and vanished from the pavilion.

…………