Chapter 938: You're Not Fit to Be Empress

This was already the second time he had made the same remark.

After thinking about it, Guan Fangyi still reminded him, "Master Dao, there aren't many people here in Zijin Cave who are close to you. Yan Li is still a Zijin Cave Elder. Letting things become too ugly between you really won't do you much good."

Niu Youdao did not care. "You're overthinking it. Some people are troublesome to offend; some people don't matter even if you offend them. Having the conflict out in the open isn't necessarily a bad thing. I deliberately wanted to show that old dog Yan a little color so he'd stop suspecting me all day long. Since he refuses the face I'm giving him... if he makes me unhappy, I'll make trouble for him. I'll keep making trouble until he yields."

"It's obvious. He's the one responsible for communicating with me on Zijin Cave's behalf. If they replace him with someone else later, I simply won't cooperate. I want Yan Li. The others can't piss into the same pot as me. Believe it or not, when the time comes, even if Yan Li is ten thousand times unwilling, he'll still have to come find me obediently. If he dares keep butting heads with me, I'll rub him down until he has no temper left! An old fellow who could be thrown into the Tiandu Secret Realm doesn't have many cards in his hand, yet he still dares threaten me. Just wait and see!"

Guan Fangyi understood what he meant and could not help smiling. So this man had known all along that he had nothing to fear. That put her mind at ease.

Still, she would continue giving whatever reminders ought to be given. That was also what Niu Youdao himself wanted. No matter how thoroughly one person considered a matter, there would inevitably be things he overlooked. Niu Youdao also needed the people around him to fill in the gaps.

"You're over thirty now. You're not that young anymore," Guan Fangyi reminded him with a smile.

Her words truly stirred a trace of melancholy in Niu Youdao. "Time passes so quickly. In the blink of an eye, I've been here all these years."

...

Night. A brightly lit residence.

Listening to the indecent sounds of a man and woman coming from inside the room, Hui Qingping, Empress of Song, trembled with rage. The disciples who had accompanied her stood carefully at her side, equally embarrassed. None had expected to follow their master here only to stumble upon something like this.

Just as people throughout the Song court said, Wu Gongling did not behave much like an emperor. He was often absent from the palace.

He was forever running outside and frequently failed to return for entire nights. At first Hui Qingping assumed it was because Song had only recently been stabilized and he was busy. Later she sensed something unusual and sent disciples under her to follow him. They discovered that Wu Gongling often came to this residence to spend the night.

This time Hui Qingping had finally come personally to find out what was happening. What she found nearly made her explode with rage.

The Tongxian Pavilion disciples guarding outside the room looked awkward, repeatedly shooting glances at the other Tongxian Pavilion disciples who had accompanied her, as if blaming them for letting the Empress get in here.

The disciples who had failed to stop Hui Qingping were helpless as well. The Empress had arrived suddenly, and she had always been forceful. If she insisted on entering, how were they supposed to bar her way? Nor had they expected Wu Gongling to already be enjoying himself at this hour.

"Drag that pair of adulterous dogs out here!" Hui Qingping suddenly shouted, trembling with fury.

Her disciples looked at one another. None dared act rashly. They were all women, and everyone could imagine what was happening inside. How were they supposed to charge in?

The sounds inside did stop at her shout. Then Wu Gongling's voice came through. "What's going on outside?"

A Tongxian Pavilion disciple at the door knocked and called loudly, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress is here."

Rustling sounds immediately came from within, along with what sounded like a chair being knocked aside.

Hui Qingping could no longer restrain herself. She strode forward to force her way in. A Tongxian Pavilion disciple guarding the doorway reached out to stop her.

"Move!" Hui Qingping barked and pushed through by force. Given her status, how could anyone truly stop her? She charged to the doorway and kicked it open with a bang, nearly sending the door panel flying.

Inside, Wu Gongling was frantically putting on his clothes. The couch was in disarray.

Hui Qingping swept a cold gaze around the room. Wu Gongling seemed to be the only person there, but she was no stranger to the disordered scent hanging in the air.

Still dressing, Wu Gongling gave a dry chuckle. "Pingping, what brings you here?"

Hui Qingping said coldly, "What are you doing?"

Wu Gongling sighed. "I've been running around outside and got tired. I had just lain down to rest. When I heard you'd come, I had no choice but to get up again."

Hui Qingping slowly advanced. "This place isn't far from the palace. Why hide outside overnight instead of going home?"

Wu Gongling slowly backed away and stammered, "Whenever I go back, the whole palace has to mobilize and make a fuss. I didn't want to trouble anyone. I have to come out again tomorrow anyway, so I rested outside to save the trouble. I also didn't want the soldiers bothered." His gaze followed Hui Qingping as she approached the couch, and he grew visibly nervous.

There were not many places to hide a person in this room.

Bang! Hui Qingping suddenly kicked the couch. A muffled sound of someone shrinking back came from beneath it.

Hui Qingping swept out a sleeve. Astral force surged, and with a crash the couch shifted aside. Beneath it, a fair-skinned beauty was curled on the floor completely naked, trembling as she clutched her clothes to herself. Her figure was graceful, her long hair disheveled. The scene was thoroughly indecent.

The naked woman was no ordinary person either. She had once been one of Mu Zhuozhen's consorts. Of the beauties from Mu Zhuozhen's harem, some had been awarded to subordinate generals according to merit. The more outstanding women, especially the most beautiful, had been kept by Wu Gongling himself.

Given Hui Qingping's fierce temperament as a former Elder of Tiannü Sect, Wu Gongling did not dare bring these women into the palace and settle them there. Whenever the mood took him, he could only enjoy himself outside the palace.

In truth, he really had been busy running around during this period. He merely came here for pleasure from time to time. He had not expected to be caught in the act today.

What more was there to explain after seeing this? Hui Qingping's face turned livid. She seized the woman, hauled her upright, and clamped a hand around her throat.

The woman dropped the clothes she had been using to cover herself. Her face swelled crimson under the grip. Her limbs struggled, but she could make no sound.

Seeing killing intent rise in Hui Qingping, Wu Gongling knew he was no match for her and was genuinely frightened. He knew he had enraged her. "Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!" he shouted at once, stumbling backward with both hairy legs still bare.

A group of Tongxian Pavilion guards burst into the room, and expert guards from Song's three major sects smashed their way in as well.

The sight left the cultivators embarrassed too. The emperor's naked woman was being held in Hui Qingping's grip. There was no way not to see her clearly.

Without another word, Hui Qingping gave a cold laugh and twisted her wrist.

Crack!

She snapped the woman's neck on the spot. When she released her hand, the woman collapsed to the floor, twitching, blood running from her mouth and nose. There was no possibility of survival.

Wu Gongling's eyes widened. Whether for her looks or other qualities, he had been very fond of this woman. She was one of his particular favorites. Yet right in front of him, Hui Qingping had simply killed her.

Hui Qingping's act enraged him as well. His chest rose and fell, anger gradually blazing up inside him.

With a crowd of experts protecting him, he was no longer afraid. He suddenly roared, "Seize her! Seize that bitch for me!"

The guards all looked troubled.

"I'd like to see who dares!" Hui Qingping shouted. In a flash she lunged toward Wu Gongling, determined to teach him a vicious lesson.

The guards had not dared attack her lightly, but seeing what she was doing in her fury, how could they allow anything to happen to Wu Gongling? Wu Gongling was tied to the stability of the entire State of Song. If anything truly happened to him, the cultivators present would have no way to answer to their sects.

They had been unwilling to act. Now Hui Qingping forced them to.

In the blink of an eye, the two sides erupted into a violent battle. In her fury, Hui Qingping held nothing back. Walls collapsed, roof beams shattered, and bricks and tiles exploded in every direction.

Several experts protected Wu Gongling as he fled, while Hui Qingping pursued relentlessly.

Once both sides were forced to use their full strength, Hui Qingping's side was somewhat weaker than the people sent by Song's three major sects to protect Wu Gongling. The disciples under Hui Qingping also did not dare do anything to Wu Gongling himself.

In the end, when Hui Qingping showed no sign of restraining herself and even killed several guard cultivators from the three major sects, the experts protecting Wu Gongling had no choice but to join forces and subdue her for the emperor's safety.

The Tiannü Sect disciples who rushed in anxiously to save their master were subdued one after another as well.

Once Hui Qingping had been restrained, Wu Gongling emerged again. He came over barefoot, stepped on a broken roof tile, and jerked one foot up in pain. Even so, he limped angrily to Hui Qingping, swung his arm wide, and slapped her across the face.

Smack!

The blow rang out sharp and clear, accompanied by a curse. "Bitch!"

He had struck hard. Hui Qingping was restrained and had no protection when the slap landed. Blood flew from the corner of her mouth, and the phoenix crown on her head was knocked crooked.

"You dare hit me? I'll kill you! I'll kill you..." Hui Qingping screamed hysterically with blood at the corner of her lips, but she could not break free. The people restraining her would never allow her to strike Wu Gongling down.

"You want to kill me? Fine! Since you show no regard for the bond between husband and wife, don't blame me for being heartless!" Wu Gongling roared in fury. He spun, seized the treasured sword at a guard's waist, drew it with a swish, turned back, and thrust straight toward Hui Qingping's heart without the slightest mercy.

"Your Majesty!" Fortunately, a cultivator beside him acted in time, catching Wu Gongling's wrist and stopping the sword. "Your Majesty, Her Majesty merely lost control for a moment. You absolutely must not act impulsively!"

What kind of joke was this? She was the Empress of a state. How could she simply be killed on a whim? The emperor's act of rage had to be stopped. At the very least, the sects had to be consulted first. Otherwise, if word spread, the repercussions would be enormous, and the people here would share unavoidable responsibility for failing to stop it.

"You sleep with another woman behind my back, and now you want to kill me..." Hui Qingping's face was full of heartbreak and despair. She could tell Wu Gongling had not been putting on a show. That thrust had genuinely been meant to kill her. It wounded her to the core. She screamed, "Wu Gongling, you wolf-hearted, dog-lunged beast! Without me, how could you possibly have what you have today?"

"I sleep with another woman?" Wu Gongling tried to step forward and slap her again, but someone held him back. He could only point at her and curse. "Hui Qingping, take a look at how old you are! On the surface, your cultivation has preserved your appearance, but in truth? Can you still bear children? I am not what I was before. I am now Emperor of Great Song. How can an emperor have no descendants? If I have no heir, who will inherit my realm? I have to think of the realm of Great Song. You bitch, you shrew—do you expect me to let my line end with me because of you? What kind of Empress behaves like you? You're not fit to be Empress!"

Those words broke Hui Qingping completely. The dignified Empress of Song, once an Elder of Tiannü Sect, wept until all composure was gone. Through her tears she cursed him again and again. "Wu Gongling, may you die a miserable death! May you die a miserable death..."

[End of Chapter 938]