Chapter 116: You Talked the Emperor to Death

Chapter 116: Chapter 116: You Talked the Emperor to Death

Lifting the curtain, a young woman in a green dress saw the look on Fang Can’s face and couldn’t help but ask:

"How did it go? You don’t look too happy. Are you hurt?"

"I’m not hurt, just disgusted. The guy lost, and then he begged for mercy and played the victim. It soured my mood." Fang Can pursed his lips.

"But... begging for mercy after losing seems pretty reasonable, doesn’t it?" Ye Qingshi said quietly.

"It’s just a case of ’there but for the grace of God go I,’ you know? But I get the feeling that Wan-whatever-his-name-is wouldn’t beg. It was all his followers acting on their own."

Fang Can continued, "Think about it. If I had lost, wouldn’t it be your father and his men on their knees begging for me?"

Ye Qingshi suddenly understood. ’So that’s what he was thinking about.’ She couldn’t help but smile. "Then all you have to do is not lose."

"Easier said than done," Fang Can grumbled quietly. "There are so many powerful people out there, but I’m not allowed to lose even once."

"Hey!" Suddenly, Ye Qingshi’s eyes widened. "Your Dao heart isn’t about to shatter, is it? I’ve read in stories that when Martial Artists lose their way, their Realm regresses and all that."

"Pfft, get outta here." Fang Can waved his hand, speechless. "I’m just venting. It’s not that serious. I just find it all a bit boring."

"You have to get a little emo once in a while. Otherwise, wouldn’t I just be one of the Martial Dao lunatics in this world, just like you guys?"

"Besides, we’re just getting started."

Fang Can tapped his fingers lightly on the wooden table. "From here on, the more enemies, the better. Ideally, the emperor suddenly dies, I get dragged into a struggle for the throne, a fugitive empress appears, and I have to overcome one perilous situation after another to help her reclaim her position. Then, we bombard Jinluan Hall. That’s usually how these harem wuxia novels go."

Ye Qingshi stared blankly as the young man gave his animated description. She didn’t say a word, but the look in her eyes made it clear she thought his imagination was a bit too wild. How could something like that possibly happen?

For the next two days, the convoy continued north. Perhaps because they had a Martial Artist ranked within the top thousand of the Hidden Dragon Roll strung up on a pole, no one came to bother them.

However, late one night, a sinister wind blew through, and Ye Yonglie and the others discovered that Wan Chenyu and the other young masters, who had been hanging from the pole, were all gone.

They had vanished without a trace. No one saw who did it.

Inside the carriage, Ye Yonglie knelt on one knee, reporting the matter to Fang Can, whose expression remained calm.

"Gone is gone. Those people all have powerful families and sects backing them. It’s only normal that someone couldn’t stand it and decided to act."

Fang Can’s tone was flat. After all, those great clans cared about their reputation. It was one thing to win, but they couldn’t possibly tolerate having their disciples put on such a disgraceful public display after a loss.

Just moments before, he had vaguely sensed his own power—the one that turns misfortune into fortune—suddenly surge, growing several times stronger. ’Someone in the shadows was probably debating whether to make a move.’

If it weren’t for the backing of Jiejian Mountain, a fight would have likely broken out by now.

"But," Fang Can said with a faint, chilling smile, "did they really think it would be so easy to snatch away the people I captured?"

「Hundreds of miles away」

A withered old man was channeling his full power.

With the help of medicinal pills refined by a Second Turn expert, the body that was once a ruin of a caved-in face, broken limbs, and blinded eyes had recovered in just over ten minutes.

"This old servant was late. I have made the Young Master suffer," the old man said slowly, looking at the youth who was circulating his energy to recuperate.

"What about Li Xiangyang and the others?" Wan Chenyu asked, opening his eyes.

"Arrangements were made to have them returned to their respective families just now," the old man replied.

"Uncle Ghost, I want Fang Can dead," Wan Chenyu said, gritting his teeth. He would never forget this profound humiliation for the rest of his life.

The old man sighed. "That scoundrel Fang Can is a disciple of Jiejian Mountain. He is not someone we can oppose with brute force."

"Young Master, the Patriarch has already given orders. You are not to go out during this time. Please stay at home and rest."

"Besides, there’s trouble in the Capital City. A few days ago, His Majesty fell into the water and drowned."

"What? His Majesty is dead?" Wan Chenyu’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yes. Not long after you left to find trouble with Fang Can, His Majesty mysteriously drowned."

Seeing the old man nod, Wan Chenyu was forced to accept it, realizing that the situation had become dire.

"How could His Majesty drown with at least a group of First and Second Turn experts guarding him?" Wan Chenyu asked instinctively.

"The story is that the Emperor went incognito to a brothel. His personal guard was reduced to a minimum, and then those guards also went off with prostitutes. Due to a series of ’accidents,’ the Emperor was dead for a full hour before his body was discovered."

The old man relayed the details he knew. "Afterward, the First Turn expert on duty was arrested. Even under severe torture, nothing incriminating was found, but everyone knows there’s something fishy about it."

A hundred years ago, the Martial Limitation Order was put in place, with the martial world forcing a decree that the reigning emperor must be a mortal incapable of practicing martial arts.

But for him to drown so abruptly... anyone could see the problem. Political enemies were definitely making a move.

After hearing the general account, even Wan Chenyu found the conclusion hard to swallow. The death was just too absurd.

Most importantly, the Wan family were staunch royalists. They had risen to prominence by backing the previous emperor’s ascension to the throne.

With this shift in power, the Wan family was also likely to face turmoil.

At this thought, Wan Chenyu relaxed. "It’s fine. The Wan family has already invested in the Crown Prince. As soon as he ascends the throne, everything will be alright..."

He wasn’t even halfway through his sentence when he noticed the old man’s expression turn awkward.

"Young Master, the Crown Prince also..."

"The Crown Prince is dead too?" Wan Chenyu gasped.

The old man known as Uncle Ghost nodded with difficulty. "The Crown Prince was sleeping in his room when a roof beam suddenly fell and crushed him to death."

’A conspiracy! This is definitely a conspiracy!’

Wan Chenyu was certain of it. Things couldn’t be this coincidental. It had to be the other great families.

"This is a sensitive time. Every family suspects their rivals but has no proof. The Patriarch has ordered all Disciples to return to the Capital to avoid giving our political enemies any ammunition."

Hearing Uncle Ghost’s words, Wan Chenyu, who had been bent on revenge, could only grit his teeth in frustration. "Fine. Let’s go. Back to the Capital."

"That Fang Can is heading to the Capital City anyway. I’ll be there waiting for him!"

"No one has ever humiliated me like this. I will obliterate him, grind him into dust."

Meanwhile, the news of the emperor’s death spread like a tidal wave across the land, dealing another heavy blow to the weakening Empire.

Although the power of the throne in the Great Derivation Empire had been weakened to its absolute limit, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The news still sent shockwaves both within and beyond the Empire’s borders.

As the news spread, it eventually reached Fang Can. "You’re telling me the emperor is dead? And he drowned? How is that possible!"

Recalling his words from a few days ago, Ye Qingshi instinctively covered her mouth and stared at Fang Can.

’You talked the emperor to death!!!’