Chapter 532 - 457: The Lobbyist (2)

Chapter 532: Chapter 457: The Lobbyist (2)

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Zhou Xianhai, narrowed his eyes slightly.

The younger generation was truly a force to be reckoned with.

There were some things others couldn’t say, but Situ Nan could.

The fame and fortune of the Zhenyuan Dynasty all belonged to Emperor Li Kang. For Situ Nan to offer them up as he pleased was an overstep of his authority.

But Li Kang, far from being angry, was pleased.

Because this was precisely what he had been thinking.

An envoy to the Northern Plains would certainly be sent, of course, but that was just for show. It wouldn’t solve the fundamental problem.

If a single envoy could persuade the Demon Sect, the war back then wouldn’t have lasted for years.

Therefore, he had to prepare for a major war.

The Zhenyuan Dynasty was currently embroiled in continuous wars with two other factions, making it impossible to spare troops to head north and defend against the enemy.

He turned to look at Grand Tutor Liang Yuan Kang, who was seated beside him, one position back.

That was right. In the Zhenyuan Dynasty, Liang Yuan Kang was an existence nearly on par with the Emperor himself.

The Three Ducal Ministers were, in the end, just officials. Liang Yuan Kang, however, had gradually transcended the category of an official. Perhaps the only thing that could restrain him was the Way in his own heart.

The court officials had no objections to this.

In fact, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites had even gone out of his way to find a justification for it.

The Grand Tutor was, by definition, the Emperor’s teacher. It was only natural for him to sit by the Emperor’s side to offer guidance.

Liang Yuan Kang’s eyes were closed, his expression serene.

He slowly spoke: "Let’s proceed according to Lord Situ’s method."

With Liang Yuan Kang having made his stance clear, the matter was as good as settled.

Li Kang laughed heartily. "Then it is decided. Now, which of my beloved ministers is willing to go north and meet with Lord Bai?"

Now that the course of action was set, the next step was to choose the envoy.

All the officials in the great hall turned their gazes to Situ Nan.

Both the Zhenyuan and Celestial Universe Dynasties were fighting over who was the legitimate successor; neither had any intention of splitting the land to become independent kings. Therefore, aside from the rebel army, no other faction had openly rebelled. Even Xuankong Temple and the Zhengyang Sect only secretly funded the rebel army.

Nominally, Bai Yuan was still a subject of Xuan Yang.

That made this an internal affair.

Sending an official envoy would be a breach of protocol. The best solution was to have someone of equivalent status go on the pretext of private matters.

Situ Nan and Bai Yuan were both once prodigies on the Hidden Dragon List. Although they’d had their disagreements, they were at least familiar with each other.

He was, without a doubt, the most suitable candidate.

But to everyone’s surprise, Situ Nan shook his head. "Lord Bai and I walk different paths. My going would only make things worse."

Li Kang frowned slightly.

But he quickly masked his expression. "Then, is there another beloved minister willing to go?"

With Situ Nan refusing, the court suddenly became lively with discussion.

The officials in the hall chattered amongst themselves for a long time. In the end, it was Grand Tutor Liang Yuan Kang who spoke up, and it was decided that Zhou Xianhai and Situ Nan would go together.

With Zhou Xianhai as the lead.

To this, Situ Nan raised no further objections.

The two of them set off that very day, heading north toward Ling Province.

...

"An’Er, slow down."

Xiao Qiaoniang watched her son, Bai An, with a helpless expression.

The Bai An of today was even more incredible. At such a tender age, he had already completed his Bone Tempering.

Back in Qinghe, such a thing would have been utterly unimaginable.

Her pregnancy was showing now, her belly growing larger by the day.

Trying to keep the mischievous Bai An in line was becoming more and more difficult.

Just as little Bai An was about to leap into the fish pond to play, a pair of large hands grabbed his feet and hoisted him upside down.

Bai An shrieked and squawked.

But when he saw it was his father, a smile broke out on his face.

"Dad, why are you back so early?"

In his memory, his dad was a very busy man who often didn’t come home until late at night.

Bai Yuan looked helplessly at his incredible son.

Bai An’s talent was undeniable, but his personality was too wild. He needed to be properly disciplined.

"Have you done your training for today?"

he asked, his face stern.

The moment he heard the word "training," Bai An’s little face fell. "Dad, I’m still young. Can I skip it?"

Bai Yuan was speechless.

"Then I’ll have your Sister E’Er teach you."

As soon as he heard Fang E’s name, Bai An lost all his defiance. He was truly afraid of that little she-devil, Fang E.

He immediately and obediently began to practice his techniques.

Bai Yuan took just one look and was startled.

Bai An’s progress in martial arts was simply too fast. The normal rules of the Jianghu didn’t seem to apply to him. Perhaps in less than five years, he would break through the Blood Refining Pass, and maybe even comprehend inner force.

A Junior Grandmaster who hadn’t even reached the age of ten.

It was truly terrifying.

In the past, Bai Yuan wouldn’t have even dared to imagine such a thing.

Only someone like Bai An, who lacked neither talent nor resources, could be so frighteningly capable.

Bai Yuan felt it was necessary to rein Bai An in a bit.

Sometimes, progressing too quickly wasn’t a good thing. At the very least, Bai An’s temperament wasn’t mature enough to control such immense power.

’Raising a child is such a headache,’

Bai Yuan sighed.

He looked at Xiao Qiaoniang’s gentle face. After becoming pregnant, Sister Qiao had become even more voluptuous, like a ripe honey peach.

"Sister Qiao, this has been hard on you."

Sister Qiao shook her head slightly.

In five more months, it would be time for her to give birth.

The pregnancy of a Martial Artist was longer than that of an ordinary woman, as their stronger bodies could endure more pain.

Bai An, for instance, had been in the womb for a full year and a half before he was born.

By that calculation, this pregnancy should be about the same.

Bai Yuan helped Sister Qiao to a seat.

His eyes were full of emotion. Before he knew it, his second child was about to be born.

He was just about to sit down himself when someone came to find him.

Yang Fangyu looked at the lovey-dovey couple and rolled his eyes. "Even a Martial Artist can’t catch a break."

Bai Yuan: "Who says?"

Yang Fangyu pursed his lips. "Anyway, Li Kang sent some people. It’s Elder Minister Zhou and Situ Nan. Do you want to see them?"

The legitimate succession was not yet decided. In his eyes, both Li Kang and Li Dai were merely Princes.

Naturally, he wouldn’t address either as "Your Majesty."

Bai Yuan nodded. "Fine."

He had been expecting Li Kang to send someone.

Of all the factions in Xuan Yang, Li Kang was the one with the biggest headache over the Demon Sect.

「A short while later.」

Bai Yuan arrived at the main hall of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office. As soon as he entered, he saw Zhou Xianhai and Situ Nan already seated inside.

Seeing Bai Yuan appear, both men stood up in unison.

"Lord Bai, it’s been a long time."

The old Minister, Zhou Xianhai, chuckled.

His relationship with Bai Yuan was fairly good. After all, they had served as officials in the same court and had developed a rapport during the case of the Fox Demon that stole the nation’s fortune.

"Lord Zhou."

Bai Yuan also smiled and clasped his fist in salute.

Seeing Bai Yuan again, Zhou Xianhai felt a sense of unreality.

Back in the Capital City, Bai Yuan had only been a Third-Grade Official, a promising young man in his eyes.

But upon meeting again, the other man had grown to such heights that he felt he’d have to stand on his tiptoes just to see him as an equal.

Bai Yuan’s terrifying battle record had long since spread throughout Xuan Yang.

He knew he wasn’t capable of killing so many Mingxin Grandmasters. Zhou Xianhai even suspected that Bai Yuan could easily cut him down as well.

Compared to Zhou Xianhai, Situ Nan was much more silent.

He merely greeted Bai Yuan and made no other move.

Bai Yuan saw this but didn’t comment on it.

He simply instructed a subordinate to serve tea.

After the three of them had taken a sip of tea, Zhou Xianhai finally spoke up. "Lord Bai, we haven’t seen each other for many years. Seeing you today has truly given this old man a fright."

Zhou Xianhai was genuinely frightened.

Just from Bai Yuan’s aura, he could tell he had traveled extremely far on the path of the Mingxin Grandmaster. Perhaps in a few more years, he would become a Divinity Grandmaster in one fell swoop.

Such a young Divinity Grandmaster was simply too shocking, too world-shaking.

’Perhaps even the Grand Ancestor Emperor back in his day was only at this level,’ he thought.

Bai Yuan put down his teacup. "Lord Zhou, Lord Situ, what business brings you to Ling Province today?"

’Sending two Ministers at once... Li Kang’s goal can only be related to the Demon Sect.’

Zhou Xianhai laughed heartily. "Lord Bai, is it possible that this old man can’t come to Ling Province just to take a look?"

Bai Yuan: "Of course you can. You are most welcome. Shuofang still has some rather nice scenery."

Zhou Xianhai smiled and shook his head. "Forget it. You’re a clever young man; this old fellow can’t win against you in mind games. Lord Situ and I have come this time to ask Lord Bai, for the sake of all the people under heaven, to stop the Demon Sect."

Bai Yuan showed no surprise at all.

"Lord Zhou, you also know that the Northern Territory is barren. To resist the Demon Sect with the strength of this one region... it will be difficult."

Zhou Xianhai narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Whatever your conditions are, Lord Bai, just name them."