Chapter 277: Defying the Decree

At these words, the other three Dukes’ expressions remained unchanged. They had clearly heard this prophecy before.

“What does it mean?”

Qin Shiyue asked.

The Duke of Zhong, Xu Jiang, looked at the other three and said with a chuckle, “The three of you should also understand the meaning of this sentence. Who would like to explain it for Your Highness?”

“This ‘South Mountain’ should refer to the Longling Mountain Range to the south of our dynasty.”

The Duke of Ding, Yan Ce, licked his lips and said, “‘A beast on South Mountain, its name is not Tiger.’ This probably isn’t talking about some Demon Beast. It might be referring to Duke Chen, Chen Shihu. Am I correct in my interpretation?”

“And the next line?”

Xu Jiang continued to ask.

Yan Ce let out a wry laugh but said no more.

If the first half referred to Chen Shihu, then the meaning of the second half was self-evident.

“It does not roar in the mountain forests, but lies alone on the king’s land.” This was a clear allusion to Chen Shihu’s soaring ambition, his grand schemes, and his desire to establish himself as a king.

The Duke of Zhen, Xiao Lie, suddenly spoke up. “As I understand it, Duke Chen made a move in the Longling Mountain Range some time ago, revealing his true cultivation. If he hadn’t, I fear none of you Dukes, nor Your Highness, would know that he has already reached the Dharma Realm.”

Qin Shiyue remained silent.

Xu Jiang said, “In recent years, officials throughout the Court have been worried about this. Duke Chen has guarded the border for many years without returning to the Capital City to report for duty. Now he has concealed his cultivation. His intentions are difficult to fathom. Your Highness must be on guard.”

Qin Shiyue said, “You Dukes are all in the Returning Void Realm, while Duke Chen is already a Daoist Monarch Dharma. He is considered the number one master in our dynasty. Even if Duke Chen intends to establish his own rule, there is little we can do.”

“Forcing him to hand over his military authority might be counterproductive.”

Yan Ce said in a low voice, “Although a Daoist Monarch Dharma is the strongest fighting force in our dynasty, if we were to join forces, and with Duke Wei present, we wouldn’t necessarily be afraid of him! In any case, we cannot simply hand over the kingdom the Late King built to an outsider.”

Duke Jing shook his head slightly. “The gap between the Returning Void Realm and the Dharma Realm is too great. Even if we join forces, we are unlikely to be a match for Duke Chen.”

Xu Jiang said gravely, “Chen Shihu may be a Daoist Monarch Dharma, but there is always a higher heaven and a stronger person. When it comes to the Daoist Monarch experts of the Celestial Divine Land, he doesn’t even rank.”

“If Your Highness is determined, this old subject can use the connections I’ve built over the years, prepare some generous gifts, and see if I can persuade a top-tier Daoist Monarch Dharma to come out of seclusion and suppress him!”

“Oh?”

Qin Shiyue asked, “Does Duke Zhong have any good candidates in mind?”

Xu Jiang mused, “This old subject’s master has passed away, but back in the day, he had some dealings with several Daoist Monarchs Dharma from various kingdoms. When the time comes, I can use my master’s name to contact these powerful Daoist Monarchs.”

“If it succeeds, we can take advantage of the upcoming Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion to invite these powerful Daoist Monarchs as guests.”

Qin Shiyue thought for a moment, then said, “Duke Chen followed my father for many years. It wouldn’t be right to act against him based on a single rumor…”

“Chen Shihu may have followed the Late King for a long time, but not as long as the few of us,” Xiao Lie suddenly interjected. “Your Highness, you can’t be too careful.”

Duke Jing frowned. “That may be so, but there is no concrete evidence. To invite another Daoist Monarch Dharma to deal with Duke Chen seems rather inappropriate.”

Xu Jiang smiled and said, “This old subject has a proposal. Your Highness could issue a decree summoning Duke Chen to the Capital City alone and see how he responds.”

“If he is willing to come, we can send people to the border to take command of the Huben and Longxiang armies. If he refuses to come to the Capital City, then Your Highness must make a decision quickly.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Yan Ce nodded.

Qin Shiyue mulled it over for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. We shall do as Duke Zhong says.”

—————–

「The border of the Wu Dynasty.」

On this day, Lu Bai was absorbing qi and cultivating in his tent when he suddenly heard a clamor of discussion from outside.

“Someone’s here from the Capital City!”

“I hear they came with a decree from King Wu.”

“What’s going on? It sounds like they’re arguing!”

“I heard King Wu issued a decree for the Grand General to return to the Capital City alone to report for duty, but the Grand General refused.”

“What! The Grand General has some serious guts, defying a royal command.”

“I heard that King Wu has grown suspicious of the Grand General, that’s why she issued such a decree.”

“Hmph, if it were the Late King, that would be one thing. But this current King Wu is just a slip of a girl. Never mind the Grand General, even we brothers don’t respect her!”

Lu Bai listened for a while and got the gist of the situation.

Before he was exiled to the border, Mo Tang had hinted at this matter to him.

From the look of things now, it seemed King Wu and Duke Chen were about to have a complete falling out.

King Wu’s decree for Chen Shihu to return to the Capital City alone was clearly a test.

By refusing to return, Chen Shihu had left almost no room for maneuver.

Lu Bai felt a headache coming on.

He was currently serving under Chen Shihu. If Chen Shihu declared himself king, he would inevitably be implicated.

‘But the Wang Family and the Luo Family are all in the Capital City and Jing State.’

‘Chen Shihu had even told me to return to the Capital City for the Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion before. Looking at how things are unfolding, I’m afraid I won’t be able to go back to the capital now.’

Before long, the sound of footsteps came from outside the tent, heading in his direction.

“Captain Lu, someone from the Capital City is here to see you.”

A voice called from outside.

‘Someone from the Capital City is here to see me?’

Lu Bai was slightly taken aback.

Just then, the tent flap was pushed aside, and a person walked in.

Lu Bai’s eyes lit up. He quickly stood up to greet him with a smile, clasping his hands in a salute. “Lord Mo.”

The visitor was none other than Mo Tang, the Morning Bell Ringer of the Evil Extermination Bureau.

From Bluestone City to Jingzhou City, Mo Tang had held him in high regard and taken good care of him.

When he was exiled to this place, it was Mo Tang who had escorted him the entire way.

Mo Tang’s expression was calm, but a trace of suppressed anger could still be seen in his eyes.

Once he heard the guards outside disperse, Mo Tang nodded at Lu Bai. He looked him up and down and nodded again. “Good. You’re not missing any arms or legs.”

“Lord Mo, what brings you here?”

Lu Bai asked as he invited Mo Tang to sit.

At the mention of this, Mo Tang frowned. After confirming no one was around, he snorted softly. “Duke Chen is simply too arrogant! Her Highness issued a decree, and not only did he not kneel or bow, he snatched the imperial edict with his own hand. He has no respect for Her Highness whatsoever!”

“Moreover, he defied the edict and refused to return to the Capital City. His wolfish ambition is laid bare for all to see. It seems the rumors in the capital were true.”

Lu Bai remained silent.

Chen Shihu had saved his life and taught him an Ultimate Skill Method. The two addressed each other as brothers, so it was difficult for him to say anything.

Mo Tang took a breath to calm himself before continuing, “Over the past six months, your sister-in-law has come looking for me a few times to ask about you. When I heard that Her Highness issued the decree today, I was worried about you, so I had my master intervene to get me a spot to come along with a few of the palace guards.”

Lu Bai said, “Thank you for your concern, Lord Mo. I’m doing fine in the army. How is Sister Luo at the Martial Arts Academy in the Capital City?”

Mo Tang replied, “She’s doing well. Her talent in the Martial Dao is quite good. She has already stepped into the Innate realm and opened four Meridians. Her cultivation speed is very fast. Once her cultivation improves a bit more and she gets some experience, I’ll bring her into the Evil Extermination Bureau.”

“Thank you, Lord Mo.”

Lu Bai thanked him.

“I want to take you back to the Capital City this time. It’s too dangerous for you to stay by Duke Chen’s side. Once he carves out his own territory and declares himself king, you won’t be able to leave even if you want to.”

At this, Mo Tang sighed softly and added, “It’s just that when I faced Duke Chen earlier, the pressure from a Daoist Monarch was simply too strong. I wanted to speak up several times, but I couldn’t get the words out.”

Lu Bai could hear the care and concern in Mo Tang’s voice.

However, Chen Shihu was a Daoist Monarch Dharma, a noble Duke who commanded the Huben and Longxiang armies, and he even dared to refuse an imperial edict. How could Mo Tang, a mere True Master Golden Core, dare to make demands of him?

Mo Tang took a deep breath and said in a solemn voice, “Xiaolu, don’t worry. Before I leave this time, I will definitely go to Duke Chen and do my best to bring you back with me!”