Chapter 732: Thunderbolt from a Clear Sky

Yanjing.

Marquis Pingxi Residence.

Inner quarters.

"Oh, my dear Lord A'Ming. What on earth is happening outside? Why is it so lively?"

Inside the room, Kashir, the vampire locked in a cage, called toward the coffin in front of him.

The coffin remained completely silent.

Clearly... the man inside could not be bothered to answer.

"Lord A'Ming, don't you want to go see what all the excitement is about? I guarantee you won't be disappointed."

At that moment, the door opened.

Xue San walked in.

Third Master pressed both hands to his chest and said:

"Oh, the moment I come in, I have to hear that damned way of talking again. I really want to walk over there and kick you right in the ass!"

Kashir immediately pressed both hands to his own chest.

"Oh, my dear Lord San. You wish to kick my ass? Then please hurry and wake Lord A'Ming. The two of you may kick my ass together. I... am ready!"

"Heh-heh-heh."

Xue San walked to A'Ming's coffin and knocked on it.

"Military news from the west. Great victory for Yan. The two Princes flattened the Barbarian Royal Court. The old Barbarian King is dead too."

"My God!"

Kashir let out a shriek.

Xue San looked toward the cage.

"Enough. Enough already."

"No, Lord San, not this time. I'm genuinely shocked. My God. Great Yan is terrifying. You have to understand, even now there are wandering singers in the western lands chanting about the horror that descended upon the West during the Barbarian calamity a hundred years ago!

"And now... you tell me... their Royal Court, their royal city, their King... were all trampled down by the Princes of Yan and the knights of Yan?

"My God. My God. My God.

"Is Great Yan preparing for a western expedition?"

As he spoke...

Kashir clenched both fists.

"It is time to teach those noble lords of the West a lesson. Let them understand who truly possesses the strongest and most terrifying empire in this world."

Bang!

The coffin lid flew open.

A'Ming sat up.

"I'm hungry."

"..." Kashir.

The vampire, who had been passionately fired up only a moment earlier... immediately clamped his mouth shut.

Xue San placed his left hand over his chest.

"Great Lord A'Ming. Do you wish to feed?"

"I'm not interested in dwarf blood."

"Great Lord A'Ming, your cultivation is above mine now. I can endure anything."

"I want wine."

A'Ming looked at Xue San.

"Let's go to the imperial palace and get some."

"The palace?"

Xue San blinked.

"Actually, there's somewhere else I'd rather visit first, while Master's relationship with the Emperor is at its absolute best."

"Where?"

"The Imperial Beast-Taming Directorate."

"I'm only interested in good wine. My tastes aren't as heavy as yours."

"Would Great Lord A'Ming not like to see the place capable of breeding Pixiu?"

"No. Pixiu blood doesn't taste good."

Clearly...

A'Ming had drunk it before.

"Ah. But I really want to go."

"Then go."

"Which is why I came to find you. I remember Master's command token is with you."

"No. I'm going to drink."

"How about this? I'll go drink with you in the palace first. Then you come with me to the Imperial Beast-Taming Directorate."

"Why would I need you to accompany me while I look for wine in the palace?"

"Think about it. When you find some excellent wine, you need someone standing beside you with amazed eyes asking: 'Ah, what kind of wine is this? It smells incredible.'

"Then you explain it to him.

"Doesn't the wine immediately taste even better?"

A'Ming did not answer.

He climbed out of the coffin.

At his waist, beneath his formal evening clothes... hung Marquis Pingxi's command token.

"Let's go."

Xue San immediately bent one knee in an exaggerated salute.

"Right away, my lord."

...

While Marquis Zheng and the Emperor were meeting senior ministers in the Hall of Mental Cultivation...

A'Ming used Marquis Pingxi's command token to enter the imperial palace with Xue San.

They went directly to the wine cellars.

Wine used by the palace fell into two broad categories.

The first was wine the Emperor drank in ordinary times.

The second was wine purchased outside the palace whenever a great banquet required it.

But the late Emperor had not enjoyed drinking.

Nor had he often hosted grand banquets.

So the enormous palace wine cellars were inevitably rather quiet.

Still... the imperial household was the imperial household.

Its accumulated foundation could not be completely erased by one generation of a frugal, self-restrained Emperor.

And Great Yan lay astride the main trade routes between East and West.

So the cellars still contained many excellent eastern and western wines that had been stored for years.

They were simply hidden deep inside.

"Eh? What wine is this? Why is it this color?"

"Eh? Why is this one so thick?"

"Eh? This bottle is strange. Is there some meaning behind its shape?"

Xue San worked extremely hard to provide the proper questions and reactions.

In the end...

A'Ming selected quite a few bottles.

He said to the eunuch in charge of the cellar:

"Load them onto a cart and send them to Marquis Pingxi Residence."

"This..."

"What? We can't?" A'Ming asked.

"That is not what this slave means. Earlier, this slave already sent someone to ask Eunuch Zhang. Eunuch Zhang said that anything Marquis Pingxi Residence requires, so long as the palace possesses it, will never be refused.

"But among the wines my lord selected, several are merely being stored here. They do not belong to the Imperial Household Department."

"Stored here?"

"Yes. They were left behind by the Palace Elder."

"The one from the palace?"

"Yes."

"Wine isn't meant to be drunk? It's meant to be hidden away?"

"I will naturally come and drink my wine."

A Little Eunuch in Red Robes had appeared at the entrance to the imperial wine cellar.

A'Ming had arrived carrying Marquis Pingxi's command token.

Naturally, the men below would never dare obstruct him.

But once he selected wine belonging to the Little Eunuch in Red Robes... the attendants immediately sent word.

Matters between great men should naturally be left to the great men themselves to negotiate.

Who among the men below would risk his own head trying to block them?

"This wine is yours?" A'Ming asked.

"Yes."

The Little Eunuch in Red Robes nodded.

"I have heard Marquis Pingxi does not care much for wine."

The habits of great figures were rarely secrets.

For example...

Marquis Pingxi did not love wine.

And...

Marquis Pingxi loved other men's wives.

"I like wine. Can you give it to me?"

"You want to drink it yourself?"

"Yes."

"You're using your Marquis's name to come into the imperial palace, move wine out, and drink it yourself?"

"Yes."

"Interesting. Interesting."

The Little Eunuch in Red Robes smiled.

"Half. Shall I give you half?"

"Fine."

A'Ming was not an unreasonable man.

Of course... as a Demon King, if he could use Master's name to take advantage of an opportunity, there was no reason not to.

Perhaps, from the Emperor's perspective, he truly did not fear a subordinate who loved wealth or possessed appetites.

What he feared most was someone as pure and desireless as a saint.

That... would be the truly dangerous kind.

So A'Ming felt that he was helping Master deliberately dirty his own reputation.

Yes.

He was sharing Master's burdens.

But as for starting a fight over a little wine and a little face... there was no need.

He had no interest.

At the end of the day, it was merely wine meant for amusement.

It was not another living Kashir.

"Sir is clearly a lover of wine. Why not come to my place and share a few cups?"

A'Ming hesitated.

He could sense something unusual about the other's aura.

Barring some surprise... the Little Eunuch in Red Robes should be a Qi Refiner.

The Little Eunuch in Red Robes added:

"I have more private stock there."

"Good."

A'Ming agreed.

Xue San, standing nearby, immediately grew anxious.

He still wanted to go to the Imperial Beast-Taming Directorate.

"Hey, hey. Didn't you promise to take me to the zoo?"

A'Ming tossed Marquis Pingxi's command token to Xue San.

They were all Demon Kings.

And Xue San had cooperated so enthusiastically just now.

There was no reason not to give him a little face.

"Heh-heh."

Xue San caught the token.

"What does wine have that's more interesting than Pixiu?"

"Pixiu?"

The Little Eunuch in Red Robes had sharp ears.

"Coincidentally...

"I have one too."

"You have one too?"

Xue San looked surprised.

"There are only four Pixiu walking around beneath Heaven. You have a fifth?"

"Yes.

"Under my palace hall."

"You're not lying to me?"

"I am not."

"Then I really find this strange. Eunuch, with him, you're fellow drinkers. I understand you people who love this sort of thing. A thousand cups are too few when you meet a kindred spirit over wine. And someone who truly understands wine is even rarer than a kindred spirit.

"But what relationship do you and I have?

"Why are you inviting me too?"

The Little Eunuch in Red Robes answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world:

"Inside the palace, finding another grown man the same height as me is even harder than finding a kindred spirit or someone who understands wine."

"Fucking excellent!"

...

"Rice cakes. Plain or fried?"

"I don't like snacks with wine," A'Ming said.

"Fried," Xue San said.

The Little Eunuch in Red Robes set up a small brazier.

A shallow pan rested over it.

He greased the pan and began frying rice cakes.

"No food with your wine?" he asked.

"No."

"Very well."

Once the rice cakes were ready, the young eunuch placed two pieces on his own plate and two on Xue San's.

Xue San picked one up with chopsticks and took a bite.

Fragrant.

Crisp.

The heat had been controlled perfectly.

"How is it?"

"Not bad," Xue San answered.

"Years ago, when my master was still alive, His Majesty and Prince Zhenbei both loved the rice cakes my master made."

"Oh? Suddenly they taste even better."

The Little Eunuch in Red Robes smiled.

Then said:

"I have no surname. My master gave me the Daoist name Zike."

After introducing himself... the Little Eunuch in Red Robes looked toward A'Ming.

"I only know that both of you serve Marquis Pingxi, yet you seem to hold no official posts?"

"A'Ming."

"Xue San."

Zike nodded.

He took out a jade bottle and poured green wine from it.

Then invited them to drink.

A'Ming lifted his cup and tasted it.

"The flavor lingers for a long time."

Xue San smacked his lips after one sip.

"A little sour."

Zike nodded.

"I brewed this myself. What do you think? Do you like it?"

Clearly... the question was not directed at Xue San.

A'Ming shook his head.

"No."

"It tastes good, yet you don't like it?"

"If something tastes good, there also needs to be a lot of it before I like it. You clearly don't have enough of this to drink like water."

"Reasonable."

Xue San sat to the side, eating fried rice cakes while looking back and forth between the two of them.

He forced himself to be patient.

"I have often heard that Marquis Pingxi has one great general beneath him named Fan Li. Rumor says he possesses immense strength and profound strategic insight?"

"Rumors are only rumors. If you ever meet the real man, you'll inevitably be disappointed," A'Ming answered.

"Mm. Then I won't force the matter. By the way, do you also know how to brew wine?"

"Yes."

Xue San immediately added support.

"Back when we lived in Tiger Head City, we relied on his wine-brewing and wine-selling to make a living."

"Wine carrying the smoke and fire of ordinary life must surely be good wine," Zike said.

A'Ming shook his head.

Then took the jade bottle himself and filled his cup to the brim.

"Do you find talking with me somewhat boring?"

A'Ming nodded.

"Too tiring."

"Then we'll drink and speak less."

"Good."

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't do that. Don't do that! What about the Pixiu? Where's the Pixiu?"

You two came here to drink.

Third Master had no interest in that.

"There."

Zike pointed toward the alchemical furnace behind him.

The furnace was almost never opened these days.

But it was still regularly cleaned.

Xue San stood while chewing his fried rice cake and walked toward it.

Zike held his cup and said:

"Beneath this furnace... a Pixiu is being suppressed."

"Hiss. This is a formation, isn't it?"

"Yes. The central formation."

"I remember that when the Prince of Jingnan broke Chu's Ying Capital, the city summoned a Fire Phoenix spirit."

Zike shook his head.

Then smiled.

"Although I have never personally seen what lies below, I believe what this furnace suppresses is not merely a spirit."

"Not merely a spirit?

"Something with flesh and blood?"

An ancient Pixiu with flesh and blood?

In truth...

Xue San had always felt the Pixiu currently walking around outside, including Master's own beast, were certainly Pixiu... but somehow differed from the divine beast he imagined.

A divine beast... at minimum... ought to be able to withstand a Third Grade expert.

But those few Pixiu, aside from having speed, endurance, charging power, and other traits far beyond ordinary warhorses, plus some ability to store objects... had never truly escaped the category of riding beasts.

"The specifics...

"I do not know."

"This furnace is the formation eye. And the furnace itself is a mechanism."

"Yes.

"An astonishingly ingenious mechanism.

"When my master was alive, he devoted himself to studying it, but could never unlock its secret.

"He could only use the abilities of a Qi Refiner to resonate with the Pixiu consciousness suppressed beneath the furnace.

"Not only my master.

"For the past century, the palace men assigned to guard this furnace have tried many methods.

"Even the former Pavilion Master of Jin's Tianji Pavilion came personally.

"Still... no one could decipher the mechanism.

"The imperial archives contain records.

"This Pixiu was supposedly too violent by nature and impossible to control, so this arrangement was created to suppress it.

"The furnace was originally intended to borrow the Pixiu's flames for smelting.

"But fundamentally... its true purpose was to imprison the beast.

"After more than a century, this Pixiu's physical body should have decayed long ago.

"Its natal flame should also have weakened greatly.

"Its inherent ferocity has been ground away as well.

"Gradually... it merged with Great Yan's national fortune.

"It survives by using that national fortune as a vessel.

"And in return, it feeds back into the national fortune.

"Thus the cycle continues without end."

"That mystical?"

"Yes.

"But the late Emperor never believed in such things."

"Naturally. If everyone believed this mystical nonsense, we'd all sit at home telling fortunes and do nothing, then expect fortune-tellers to scatter beans and summon armies for us."

Xue San was clearly a materialist.

Even though there were quite a few profoundly non-materialist things around him.

"Can I touch it and take a look?"

"Do as you please."

"Brother, I've decided you're my brother now. Generous!"

"Thank you."

"What was your name again? Zike?"

"Yes."

"Good name."

"Mm."

"This thing won't break because of me, will it?"

"Once, a Third Grade Martial Artist general wielding a divine weapon tried to damage it and failed to leave even the slightest mark."

"Oh. Then I feel much better."

Xue San examined the patterns on the furnace.

Then... quietly placed the half-eaten rice cake into his palm.

He kneaded it several times.

Then smeared it across the patterns on the furnace.

After that... he dragged out several curved lines.

Zike, meanwhile, said to A'Ming:

"I noticed earlier that among the wines you selected, you seemed to favor those from the West?"

"Yes."

"I have always felt western wine lacks the lingering depth and mellow richness of the wines of all Xia."

"But it looks cool."

"..." Zike.

A vampire... holding a red wine glass.

Swirling it.

A vampire... holding a porcelain bowl full of strong sorghum liquor.

Swirling it.

No matter how one looked at it... the second image simply felt wrong.

"Sir A'Ming speaks with admirable directness. Truly..."

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion erupted.

The Little Eunuch in Red Robes snapped his head around in shock.

The black alchemical furnace... had begun cracking apart from the top.

Ancient sealed smoke rapidly surged upward.

And with it... the entire palace hall began trembling!

"This...

"How is this possible?"

The Little Eunuch in Red Robes immediately looked toward the dwarf standing beside the furnace.

Xue San turned toward Zike as well.

He pointed at the cracks still spreading across the furnace and said:

"You were the one who told me this thing was sturdy, so I tried it. You said it yourself.

"I'm not paying for this!"

...

Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The senior ministers were already engaged in a fierce argument.

The source of the dispute... was the choice of the next Chancellor.

The Emperor's intention was to divide the Chancellor's authority and strengthen the cabinet system that already existed.

The ministers clearly did not want to weaken the Chancellor's power, which served as a counterweight to imperial authority.

That had nothing to do with whether they submitted to the new sovereign.

It was simply an instinct common to officials as a class.

The Left Vice Director of the Secretariat said directly:

"Even a sovereign as divinely martial as the late Emperor never divided the Chancellor's authority in such a manner."

The implication was obvious.

Even the late Emperor, that supreme Son of Heaven, had never attacked the office of Chancellor this way.

You have only just ascended.

Aren't you moving a little too quickly?

Besides...

Zhao Jiulang had only just died.

The Right Vice Director of the Secretariat was even more direct.

He actually recommended Marquis Pingxi for Chancellor.

His reason was that Marquis Pingxi was not only outstanding at commanding troops in war... but also possessed administrative ability almost no one could match.

Hearing this...

Marquis Zheng nearly laughed.

He did not feel honored.

He did not think:

How wonderful. These senior ministers trust me so deeply.

He understood perfectly well.

On the surface, they were inviting him to the capital to serve as Chancellor.

In reality... the ministers were cooperating in a tacit maneuver.

Their goal was to hollow out his regional military power.

Place him reverently inside the court.

And cut him off from his base.

Marquis Zheng was no herbivore either.

He also knew sitting here and patiently debating principles with these senior ministers was not his strength.

More accurately... it would not accomplish much.

Besides, he knew perfectly well the Emperor could not possibly appoint him Chancellor at this moment.

Great Yan had suddenly lost two Princes.

If the Emperor immediately recalled the last remaining sword into the capital as well... what would that be except stupidity?

The ministers could propose such a thing in pursuit of centralization and the reduction of regional military powers.

The Emperor... had to consider the entire board.

So...

Marquis Zheng simply laughed and said:

"Fine. To be held in such high regard by the Right Vice Director truly leaves this Marquis overwhelmed by favor.

"Aiya.

"In truth, eastern Jin is such a remote place, so sparsely populated. How could it compare with even one ten-thousandth of this capital?

"My lords may continue discussing the matter now and choose someone suitable to replace this Marquis.

"The moment you find the right person, this Marquis will pack his luggage and come live permanently in Yanjing.

"That Marquis Pingxi Residence bestowed by the late Emperor...

"I truly haven't lived there nearly enough.

"But... there is one thing this Marquis must make clear in advance.

"If the Savages later raid the frontier... or the Chu people cross the border... or the Jin lands rise in rebellion... and any of those problems appear... then whoever proposed this today... will truly have harmed the state.

"The historical record is clear.

"Names will remain."

"Marquis Pingxi... are you threatening us?"

"I wouldn't dare. Every word this Marquis has spoken comes entirely from public-minded concern.

"After all... this Marquis's loyalty to Great Yan can be witnessed by Heaven and Earth... and proved by the sun and moon!"

BOOM!

Suddenly... a tremendous explosion came from somewhere inside the imperial palace.

It sounded exactly like a thunderbolt cracking from a clear sky.

"..." Zheng Fan.

[End of Chapter 732]