Chapter 135: Returning to the Palace

“Hmph!”

Under his daughter’s coaxing, the old master could no longer bring himself to rebuke the King of West Yue. He merely glared at him through his bristling brows before speaking angrily.

“Ever since the First Emperor founded the nation, my Murong family has guarded the foundations of the Ye Dynasty. I watched those vassal kings grow up from childhood, and I know each of their dispositions better than anyone. Never mind expanding the realm—now they have even lost eleven cities! How could I not be furious?”

The old master’s given name was Murong Hai. From the reign of the Ye Dynasty’s first emperor onward, the Murong family had served in the imperial court, assisting with the affairs of state.

By Murong Hai’s generation, however, the old master had already attained the Saint Realm in martial cultivation while the late emperor was still young. Since he could no longer take part in court affairs, he had retired to his ancestral home.

At that time, the young late emperor had eight other childhood companions and study attendants by his side. Those eight men later became the eight vassal kings.

“Father-in-law, the Tidi launched a massive invasion as winter approached. It truly was beyond anyone’s expectations…”

“Enough! Did that little wretch Wei Siyuan give you some benefit, that you would plead for him so earnestly in front of me?”

The old master had a fiery temper. He waved his hand and cut Qian Jingxi off, then rebuked him furiously.

Qian Jingxi’s expression turned awkward. He could only explain helplessly, “Father-in-law knows my nature. I have never wished to take part in struggles for power. How could the King of Northern Chang have bribed me?”

The King of West Yue’s words were reasonable enough. Back then, the old master had been willing to marry his only daughter to him precisely because he valued his lack of ambition for power. Hearing this explanation, the old master’s expression gradually softened.

Seeing this, the princess consort hurriedly chimed in with a smile. “Father, with you stationed there, even if the northern frontier has suffered some losses, surely those Tidi tribesmen would not truly dare march on the capital, would they?”

After all, although the Ye Dynasty’s three Saints might find it difficult to reclaim the lost territory, the dynasty could not be destroyed so easily.

“What a woman’s view!”

Hearing his daughter’s words, Murong Hai helplessly glared at the princess consort and sighed.

The Ye Dynasty indeed had three Saints, but the Poison Sage and the Scholar Sage had long been locked in an irreconcilable feud. Now that the northern frontier had fallen and the Poison Sage had shown no reaction whatsoever, unease stirred in the old master’s heart.

“The Tidi have coveted our northern frontier for a long time. Now that they have suddenly raised an army and achieved such remarkable victories, I fear they will not withdraw easily. I only hope that countless common people will not suffer because of this.”

The old master let out another helpless sigh.

…

In the far north, inside the enormous tent where the Tidi priest conducted his rites, Ou Ai delivered the letter, then turned around and left, patting the dust from his clothes.

A short while later, the five protectors returned. One of them watched Ou Ai vanish into the snowstorm and respectfully addressed the old priest.

“That man from the Ye Dynasty is so arrogant and discourteous, and he has even shown disrespect toward the gods. Priest, why not deal with him?”

The old priest cast a sidelong glance at the other protectors. Clearly, they were all filled with righteous indignation as well. He shook his head faintly and sighed before lifting his somewhat clouded gaze toward the entrance of the tent, where the gray sky was reflected beyond the raised flap.

“That man’s strength is extraordinary. With divine punishment approaching, we cannot afford the slightest mistake.”

Ou Ai was, after all, a powerhouse at the Saint level. Even though the extreme north greatly weakened his strength, he was by no means harmless.

When the Poison Sage had spied on them years ago, the old priest had naturally sensed it. He had allowed it to go unchecked in order to give the man a warning.

Elsewhere, after several days of travel, Feng Yewu’s convoy was finally nearing the capital.

“Divine punishment?”

Feng Yewu looked at Lu Jue in surprise, puzzled by what he had told her.

When Lu Jue was young, he had heard several northern commanders speak about the Tidi. One particular term had only just come back to him, and he had repeated it aloud.

Lu Jue nodded slightly as he analyzed the matter.

“Because the Tidi have lived in the far north for generations, they are actually ill-suited to the southern climate. Yet they continue to amass troops and train commanders with such desperation. It is not merely a means of survival. Every few decades, before the winter frost descends, the Tidi launch an all-out offensive. They claim the reason is that divine punishment is about to descend upon the world.”

Feng Yewu searched her memories of her previous life, but found no trace of anything like this. Could this so-called divine punishment be an event unique to this lifetime?

She fell into thought, then asked, “Has anyone ever seen what this divine punishment actually is?”

Lu Jue shook his head regretfully and replied helplessly, “My father was curious about it as well. After all, knowing the enemy and knowing oneself is the key to victory in every battle. But all the Tidi prisoners we captured had merely heard the rumors. No one had truly seen it. If anyone has, it is probably the Tidi’s Saint priest.”

“Could it be a lie fabricated by the Tidi’s noble leaders to boost morale?”

Feng Yewu ventured a guess.

Lu Jue still shook his head. “My father considered that possibility back then, but the Tidi did not behave as though it were merely a deception.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Tidi have always been governed by tribes, much like our Ye Dynasty’s system of vassal kings. However, their tribes vary greatly in size, and the far north is vast, with countless scattered tribes. In ordinary times, they fight independently. Yet whenever divine punishment is involved, they become astonishingly united. Every time they face a large-scale battle of this kind, each Tidi warrior becomes unusually impassioned and aggressive.”

Feng Yewu was even more perplexed. By that account, it sounded even more like a lie fabricated by the Tidi leaders to unite their scattered tribes. What was wrong with that?

“Isn’t that even more proof that it is a lie?”

Lu Jue shook his head and patiently explained, “Although the Tidi are fierce, we have still won those battles. Once, by sheer luck, we captured the leader of one of their tribes. After interrogating him, we finally learned that the reason the Tidi fought so frenziedly and recklessly was that when divine punishment descended, they would lose their lives even if they did not die in battle. Only those who survived the fighting would be qualified to be chosen by the gods.”

Feng Yewu listened to Lu Jue’s explanation in a fog, her thoughts becoming tangled. At that moment, the carriage stopped, and Wei Nanqi’s voice came from outside.

“Your Majesty, we have arrived at the imperial palace.”

For the time being, Feng Yewu put the matter of divine punishment out of her mind. She rose from the carriage and returned to the palace.

“Your Majesty!”

Han Yue had been waiting outside the sleeping quarters for Feng Yewu’s return. When she saw that Feng Yewu was safe and sound, joy immediately filled her heart.

After all, the two of them had not seen each other for a long time. Before Wei Nanqi’s departure, Han Yue had heard some rumors and had remained anxious ever since, fearing that something might have happened to Feng Yewu.

Feng Yewu smiled faintly when she saw Han Yue. In the time she had been away, Han Yue had grown noticeably thinner.

“Your Majesty!”

Wu Muxue bowed in greeting.

Feng Yewu nodded slightly, then allowed her to enter the sleeping quarters as well.

“You did not explain much in your letter. What is the situation now?”

With Han Yue’s assistance, Feng Yewu changed her clothes while casually questioning Wu Muxue, who stood nearby.