Chapter 179 - Annual Martial Arts Contest
Jiu Shen held a chubby cat as he strode towards the emperor with steady footsteps, his face was expressionless and calm. There were still a lot of people enjoying the delicacies on top of the arena, but every one of them gave way to Jiu Shen the moment they saw him. Some of them even greeted him with respectful smiles and flattering looks.
Following behind Jiu Shen were the three beauties, Liuli, Long Meili, and Xia Xinyue. All three of them were staring daggers at each other as if they couldn"t wait to scratch someone"s face.
Long Meili"s dragon horn was also nowhere to been since Jiu Shen had told her to hide it. Her dragon horn was just too conspicuous and although she didn"t look like a demon, it was still much better to not show it in public since demons are hated by everyone in the Profound Dragon Continent. And to prevent unnecessary attention and gossip, Jiu Shen told her to hide it temporarily.
Hm?
Emperor Elyk saw that Jiu Shen was walking towards him, and from the looks of his face, he knew that Jiu Shen must have something important that he wanted to talk about.
The emperor then moved his gaze on the three beauties who were following closely behind Jiu Shen and he could not help but feel a bit jealous in his heart. All three of them were country toppling beauties with looks that could charm any man, especially the one with long purple hair. "This young lady, she"s giving me a very thick sense of danger. Who is she? Wait... This other lady beside her, isn"t this Young Miss Situ, the daughter of Alliance Leader Situ?!"
Emperor Elyk"s heart spasmed when he identified Liuli. How could he not be restless when the daughter of a top expert in the Alliance was right in front of his eyes? He hasn"t gone to Jiu Shen"s store recently since he was occupied with certain matters, so this sudden encounter with Liuli came as a surprise.
He didn"t know how Jiu Shen managed to attract Liuli, and from how she behaved, it seemed as if she was Jiu Shen"s subordinate. This thought made him admire Jiu Shen even more since he knew that Liuli was also a top expert of the Alliance. She might not look like one, but behind that enchanting look of her was a dreadful power that could subdue anyone.
"How the h.e.l.l did Wine Master Jiu manage to get Young Miss Situ under him? Hmm, I wonder how Alliance Leader Situ would react if he learns that his most treasured daughter is serving under a man? Although Wine Master Jiu"s strength is unfathomable, no one knew his real strength. Perhaps I"m the only one who knows how strong he really is aside from his people. It looks like Alliance Leader Situ might come to visit my Silver Wing Empire and make things difficult for Wine Master Jiu... Interesting." Emperor Elyk thought in his heart.
"Elyk, how"s the food I made? Are they to your liking?" Jiu Shen glanced at the emperor. He could sense that the latter"s dantian was almost full, a clear sign that he was infinitely close to breaking through the 9th-rank Saint realm. And from the density of his true essence, the longest time he needed before he could break through should be around three months or so.
Emperor Elyk nodded his head in satisfaction when he heard Jiu Shen ask that. "Wine Master Jiu, whoever eats the food you cook would be mesmerized by it. It even helped my cultivation to progress by a notch. I really have to thank Wine Master Jiu for inviting me here! Hahaha!"
Emperor Elyk was satisfied with the delicacies served in the arena. Although there were a lot of people who dined with him, he didn"t mind it too much since his focus was entirely on the plates of seafood. Each of them made him feel as if he was floating in the clouds. A truly wondrous sensation! Not to mention the fact that the food also boosted his cultivation.
"It"s good that you like it."
Jiu Shen"s lips curved upwards upon hearing his words, but his expression turned serious all of a sudden as he asked. "Elyk, how"s the situation of the Silver Wing Empire?"
Emperor Elyk"s smile vanished and it was replaced by his usual dignified and calm look. And with a slight shake of his head, he answered in a whispering voice. "Wine Master Jiu, I"ve followed your suggestions to monitor the Xue Family, and I discovered that they are somehow related to the illegal transaction of smuggled weapons and resources with the neighboring Blue Fang Empire. It looks like it was also the Xue Family who ruined the reputation of the Beiming Family."
After speaking those words, Emperor Elyk glanced at the women behind Jiu Shen with a bit of concern. He didn"t feel at ease speaking about this kind of matter in front of anyone else. He was particularly nervous about Liuli since she was related to the Alliance.
The three women could sense the emperor"s wary gaze lingering on them, but they didn"t move back without Jiu Shen"s orders.
Liuli who had the most rebellious att.i.tude among the three sneered in her heart. She knew that the emperor was cautious about her because of the ident.i.ty she had.
"Elyk, you don"t need to be afraid to speak about this matter. These ladies are my most trusted subordinates, so you can freely say anything without holding back. I have also blocked the s.p.a.ce around us to prevent anyone from hearing our conversation." Jiu Shen said as he patted the emperor"s shoulder. Of course, Jiu Shen was still monitoring Liuli...
Upon hearing Jiu Shen"s words, the eyes of the three ladies lit up. They then glanced at his side profile with warm and gentle expressions. The fact that Jiu Shen trusted them made their little hearts flattered and happy.
Emperor Elyk heaved a sigh of relief as he continued speaking in a heavy tone. "Wine Master Jiu, I"ve also discovered that the Xue Family had some dealings with the Undying Corpse Sect, and from the looks of things, some of their clansmen might even be disciples and elders of the Undying Corpse Sect. If I"m not wrong, they should be planning to usurp the throne within a year or so."
Xia Xinyue and Liuli were surprised when they heard his words. They were familiar with the Undying Corpse Sect, so they were both stunned when they learned that the Xue Family was related to them. As for Long Meili, she had been staying in the Endless Forest throughout her life and she rarely comes out, so she had no idea about what the Undying Corpse Sect"s name signified.
Jiu Shen gave Emperor Elyk an imperceptible glance of pity as he said. "Elyk, the problem of your Silver Wing Empire isn"t just the Xue Family and the Undying Corpse Sect..."
Emperor Elyk felt his heart becoming heavier upon hearing that. He knew that Jiu Shen wasn"t someone who spoke nonsense, so it must be something serious.
"Wine Master Jiu, what do you mean by that?" The emperor asked while feeling a bit anxious. The Xue Family and the Undying Corpse Sect already made him very restless, so if there was another one, he didn"t know if he could still maintain his sanity.
"There is no use in telling you about this right now. You just have to focus on monitoring the Xue Family and the Undying Corpse Sect. As for what I"ve told you just now, you can rest a.s.sured that they wouldn"t attack your Silver Wing Empire at this time." Jiu Shen replied in a calm voice. He didn"t want anything to happen to the Silver Wing Empire since his business was at stake, so he decided to bring up this topic to the emperor.
Emperor Elyk"s complexion was pale after hearing all this, but his expression became calm in an instant as he changed the topic. "With Wine Master Jiu"s a.s.surance, I feel at ease. By the way, Wine Master Jiu, the annual martial arts compet.i.tion of our Silver Wing Empire is coming close. I hope you"ll be there to watch the younger generation compete among themselves. You can also register some of the young ones under you to join the compet.i.tion... Although my Silver Wing Empire is in a precarious situation, I must not show weakness during these troubled times! The compet.i.tion will continue as per usual since it"s already a tradition of the empire..."
"Ho, this guy has some backbone. It seems like he still has something to rely on. Interesting." Jiu Shen muttered in his heart.
Xia Xinyue who was listening at the sidelines felt excited after hearing about the martial arts compet.i.tion and she could not help but ask the emperor. "Your Majesty, what is the age requirement for this compet.i.tion?"
There are some talented young disciples in their Ice Cloud Sword Sect, and after receiving Jiu Shen"s guidance, their strength increased by leaps and bounds. And since their Ice Cloud Sword Sect was already part of Jiu Shen"s sect, she wanted to gain prestige and honor for him.
The emperor wasn"t angry for the sudden interruption of Xia Xinyue. From the clothes she was wearing, he knew that she was an elder of the Ice Cloud Sword Sect.
"The martial arts compet.i.tion is for the younger generation of the Silver Wing Empire, so only those with ages 25 and below are eligible to join. The fourth prince and the fifth princess will also be there as partic.i.p.ants." Emperor Elyk replied with a smile.