Chapter 287: But I Refuse!
Chapter 287: But I Refuse!
Emperor Yu picked up his tea and took a sip. The taste was decent, not quite as refined as the Mist Tea specially supplied to the Imperial Palace, but it had a natural sweetness of the mountains and fields.
"You seem to take things in stride", Emperor Yu chuckled lightly.
"The path of the world has become familiar, and my heart is at ease wherever I go", Li Hao smiled casually.
Poetry books experience +66.
Emperor Yu was slightly taken aback, glancing at Li Hao. Thinking about the young man's circumstances, his eyes flickered a bit.
"No wonder those stubborn old bones at the Hanjindian all dote on you."
His tone seemed to carry both a sigh and a sigh of admiration.
Li Hao was somewhat surprised. The Hanjindian was a place for literati and scholars; he didn't really have much interaction with them.
"Come, let me see if your Go skills have improved. Don't just pretend."
Emperor Yu lifted his robe and sat down on the zabuton, speaking half in jest.
Seeing this, Li Hao straightened his posture and sat properly. He knew the emperor's visit wasn't just for a game of Go, but his journey here had already brought the answers Li Hao had been waiting for.
But these answers were deeper and heavier than he had anticipated, leaving him feeling somewhat ashamed.
He gathered the scattered pieces on the chessboard, and the two of them began to play slowly.
Li Hao held the white stones.
"Don't go easy on me; I don't need any favors", Emperor Yu said, pinching a stone.
Li Hao nodded: "I wouldn't dare."
Soon, the white stones launched a fierce attack, quickly taking the lead and forming a solid defense. The black stones could only retreat, trapped and unable to break free.
"You little—"
Emperor Yu's lips curled slightly. Good kid, he really didn't go easy on him.
Li Hao cleared his throat, realizing he had been a bit too serious. Now at the Sixth Rank in Chess Dao, even though he had just reached it and hadn't fully accumulated the experience, he could easily defeat the emperor when he was still at the Fifth Rank.
"Again."
Emperor Yu clearly wasn't ready to admit defeat, or perhaps, since he ascended to the throne, he had never experienced losing—except when playing Go with Li Hao.
After three more games, Li Hao chose to let up a bit, allowing the emperor to enjoy the game rather than being completely dominated.
Soon, Emperor Yu's addiction to the game was satisfied.
So, during the fourth game, Emperor Yu's expression was no longer as serious or focused. As he placed his stones, he casually said:
"Have you thought about the consequences of killing the Buddhist Master?"
Li Hao played with ease. Seeing the elder bring up the matter, he composed himself and said:
"I have."
"Oh? What did you think?"
Emperor Yu placed a stone, looking at Li Hao with interest.
"I think it will give you a headache and cause some trouble", Li Hao sighed.
Emperor Yu was taken aback for a moment, then asked: "How do you think I will handle it?"
Li Hao shook his head slightly: "I haven't thought about it in detail."
"Not in detail?"
"Yes, no matter how you handle it, I will accept it calmly."
Li Hao added: "As long as you don't take my life."
"..."
Emperor Yu stared at the young man's serious expression for a couple of seconds, then said with a mix of amusement and exasperation:
"You're quite confident. Don't you fear the Buddhist Sect pressuring me to appease the masses, depriving you of your rank and taking back the third-class nobility you worked so hard to earn?"
"If that's all, then killing the Buddhist Master was still worth it", Li Hao said.
Emperor Yu was speechless, then said in a huff: "You really are willing to give up a lot."
"Sacrificing a fleeting moment to gain eternal peace."
Li Hao smiled: "I came alone, with nothing to lose. Having wine, meat, and friends is enough for me."
Poetry books experience +166.
"That's a Zen saying, isn't it? If the Buddhist Master could have comprehended it, perhaps he wouldn't have been killed by you", Emperor Yu shook his head and sighed.
"Maybe his cultivation wasn't sufficient", Li Hao said.
Emperor Yu looked at him, and they met each other's gaze, both breaking into laughter.
After their laughter subsided, Emperor Yu said to Li Hao: "If I were to take away your rank and nobility, would you resent me?"
Li Hao shook his head and placed a stone without a trace of hesitation: "Of course not. They were gifts from you."
"But it was your hard work that earned it."
"Without this title, I would still work just as hard", Li Hao said.
Emperor Yu glanced at him, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He lowered his head to place a piece on the chess board, but when he retracted his hand, he noticed that Li Hao had already placed a piece, blocking another of his pathways.
This brat... Emperor Yu was a bit irritated. They were discussing serious matters, yet this kid still had the nerve to play tricks on the chess board.
No more moves!
Emperor Yu flicked the black piece back into the chess box and waved his sleeve, saying, "Let's get to the main topic. I should thank you. The Buddhist Master has long been corrupted, and your actions have helped Dayu eliminate a potential threat."
Li Hao was taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise. "Senior, you knew the Buddhist Master’s avatar was Moluo?"
Emperor Yu nodded slightly, looking at Li Hao. "It seems you knew this as well. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Forgot", Li Hao coughed lightly.
Emperor Yu's mouth twitched slightly, but his eyes remained deep, as if something was flickering within them.
Forgot? This kid is clearly worried that by saying it, he would make it harder for me to handle the situation...
"You..."
Emperor Yu shook his head slightly and said, "This time, the remnants of the Buddhist Sect are pressuring me to strip you of your title. Behind this, there are likely Demons at work, trying to split us and take advantage of our weakness."
"There is one way to deal with this. We can pretend to have a falling out. I will announce to the world that I have stripped you of your title and had you imprisoned."
"This will lure the Demons into a counterattack, and we can wait for the Buddhist Sect to act, turning the tables on them."
Li Hao listened quietly, nodding slightly. This was indeed a good plan.
"But if we do this, we must make it convincing, and you will have to endure a lot of hardship", Emperor Yu said, looking at Li Hao.
Li Hao nodded. "I can do it."
Emperor Yu gazed at him for a moment and said, "Afterward, how would you like me to compensate you?"
"Compensate?"
Li Hao thought for a moment and said, "If possible, give me some famous paintings, music scores, or chess manuals to admire, along with some recipes..."
He counted them off on his fingers.
"..."
Emperor Yu was silent.
Paintings? Music scores? Chess manuals... What kind of junk is this?
For a wealthy merchant, these might be valuable, but for someone of Li Hao's caliber, wealth and power are easily obtained.
These things... are just garbage.
"Is there nothing else you desire besides these?" Emperor Yu looked at him intently.
Li Hao thought for a moment and shook his head slightly. "Not for now."
Emperor Yu, seeing this, gave him a long, deep look and said nothing more. He stood up and said, "It's getting late. I should be going."
"I'll see you out", Li Hao said quickly.
"No need."
Emperor Yu glanced at Feng Boping in the courtyard, his eyes flickering. "He is the Thief Saint, isn't he? It seems he knows a lot of the Buddhist Master's secrets. The Buddhist Master must have tampered with him. Is this Soul Deficiency?"
Li Hao said softly, "Yes."
Emperor Yu patted Li Hao's shoulder and said, "I'll speak to the Wang Family. They oversee the Mourning Rivers of the world. If he is within the Dayu Realm, they should be able to find him. We can then look for his missing soul and try to recover it."
Li Hao was taken aback and quickly said, "I'll go now."
Emperor Yu looked at him and saw the excitement in his eyes. He smiled helplessly and said, "Going now won't help. You'll just be waiting there. The Wang Family has many Buddhist Sect disciples. If they learn of your presence, they might act rashly, causing more conflict. I'll notify you when there's news. You can go directly then."
Li Hao thought about it and said, "That makes sense."
"Rest assured, I'll have them search thoroughly."
Emperor Yu said, then walked out of the courtyard with his hands behind his back.
Li Hao watched him leave. As Emperor Yu stepped out of the courtyard, he vanished as if by teleportation.
That trace... It wasn't Dao resonance traction, nor Dao domain, but... the aura of the Great Dao.
This emperor is from the Enlightened Realm?
Li Hao was momentarily taken aback, but then he sighed with relief.
If even that Buddhist Master could hide so deeply, who else wouldn’t have something to hide?
As the courtyard gate closed, Ren Qianqian curiously walked over and asked, “Young Master, who was he?”
“An old man who plays Go.”
Li Hao gazed in the direction Emperor Yu had departed.
“Is he very good at Go?”
Ren Qianqian was surprised. Even the Little Chess Sage, whom Li Hao had praised before, hadn’t been spoken of in such high regard.
“His Go skills are average, but his character is exceptional.”
“Then hasn’t Young Master been winning all along?”
“No, I’ve been losing all along.”
……
……
In the Imperial Palace of the Imperial City of Dayu Province.
Amidst Eunuch Chu Jiuyue’s anxious wait, Emperor Yu returned.
He first went to the Qian Dao Palace to confirm the answer, then sent people to notify the Wang Family to search for Feng Boping’s residual soul in the Mourning River. He also summoned several secret figures to the Imperial Palace.
These people moved silently, like ghosts, and even the high-ranking officials and ministers couldn’t catch a glimpse of them.
Among them was a bird-like figure that landed in the Imperial Palace, retracted its wings, and transformed into a young girl.
As one secret order after another was issued, with the Imperial Palace as the central hub, the entire power structure behind the Divine Dynasty began to operate covertly.
“Your Majesty, the Dark Armor from the Buddhist Sect has sent word that they are preparing to cause trouble in various cities, making a big commotion to force Your Majesty’s hand.”
Eunuch Chu Jiuyue reported the information he had received.
Although Emperor Yu had temporarily suppressed the Buddhist Sect’s resistance in the court, the sect was now emotionally charged and demanded an explanation.
Upon hearing Eunuch Chu Jiuyue’s words, Emperor Yu’s expression didn’t change, as if he had expected this. A faint smile of coldness appeared on his lips.
“Let them make a commotion. They will soon get the answer they desire.”
Eunuch Chu Jiuyue glanced at Emperor Yu and whispered, “Was Your Majesty going to play Go with General Haotian?”
“Indeed.”
Hearing this, Eunuch Chu Jiuyue, though he had anticipated it, couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
If the disciples of the Buddhist Sect knew this, they would likely suffer a cerebral hemorrhage on the spot.
“What about General Haotian…?”
Emperor Yu looked at him and chuckled lightly, “I gave him a method, the very one the Buddhist Sect has been hoping for.”
Eunuch Chu Jiuyue’s face changed, and he asked hopefully, “Will General Haotian agree?”
Emperor Yu nodded, “He didn’t hesitate to accept.”
Eunuch Chu Jiuyue was taken aback, then he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “If General Haotian can understand Your Majesty’s difficulties and intentions, that would be for the best.”
Emperor Yu smiled faintly and stared at the character “Buddha” on his desk, his eyes gradually turning cold.
“But I do not agree.”
Eunuch Chu Jiuyue was stunned.
“He is willing to endure this humiliation, but I… do not wish to see him suffer it!”
Emperor Yu turned to look at Eunuch Chu Jiuyue and said, “Didn’t you ask me earlier why I was so confident in him?”
Eunuch Chu Jiuyue was bewildered.
“Because I understand this child.”
Emperor Yu said softly, “You do not understand, like a mayfly looking up at the vast sky. Your world is too small, while his world is too vast.”
Eunuch Chu Jiuyue was deeply moved. He hadn’t realized that Emperor Yu’s regard for the child was so profound, far beyond his imagination.
……
……
As the disciples of the Buddha Halls in the Nineteen Provinces were about to instigate riots, the Imperial Palace of Dayu Province issued an edict: the true culprit behind the murder of the Buddhist Master had been found!
The Ministry of Punishments and the Demon Suppression Bureau have both confirmed that the murderer has been identified.
The culprit is none other than the Wasteland Deity, the mastermind behind the seven major Demon factions!
The Demon Emperor from the Great Wasteland Sky!
The conflicts in Qingzhou, Liangzhou, and Youzhou were all orchestrated by the Demon Emperor!
The Demon Emperor infiltrated Wuliang Mountain, masquerading as General Haotian, and engaged in a fierce battle with the Buddhist Master, ultimately slaying him!
As the imperial edict spread, this news reached every state, causing a great upheaval throughout the land.
Previously, the Dayu Dynasty and the Demons had been clashing in secret. Now, Emperor Yu has brought the matter into the open, directly pointing out the existence of the Wasteland Deity.
“Demon Emperor? Wasteland Deity?!”
“I knew it! How could General Haotian kill the Buddhist Master for the sake of a Thief Saint?”
“It turns out the Demons were behind it all, how sinister! They even used such despicable means to frame General Haotian!”
“General Haotian is a genius who saved three states and is the future hope of our Dayu Divine Dynasty. How could he possibly do such a thing?”
“The Buddhist Sect disciples claim they saw it with their own eyes, what a joke! Just because they saw it, it’s true? What about Demon Arts? Even a Divine Wanderer Realm cultivator could use illusions to fool a Zhou Tian Realm martial artist!”
“Nonsense, the emperor is clearly covering up for him. There are no such things as Demons!”
“I think the Buddhist Sect are the real Demons. What reason would General Haotian have to kill the Buddhist Master?”
The prestige of the Great Emperor Yu clan was immense. While there were still some skeptics, most of them were Buddhist Sect disciples. The commoners and nobility of the Nineteen Provinces largely believed that the Demons were responsible.
The commoners trusted the emperor and believed in Li Hao’s previous heroic deeds.
The nobility, on the other hand, trusted the emperor for various reasons, some out of loyalty and others out of self-interest.
They saw no benefit for General Haotian in killing the Buddhist Master, which made them more inclined to believe the truth.
The news sent the Buddhist Sect’s leadership into a rage.
Instead of helping the Buddhist Sect condemn the culprit, the emperor was using their anger to turn them against the Demons, leveraging the Buddhist Master’s death to rally them for demon extermination?
How ruthless! This emperor was truly heartless!
The news also reached the Demons, spreading to the Secret Hall outside Dayu Province.
Respected Mo Yang and the other two Wasteland Deities were taken aback by the news, their faces darkening.
The humans only saw the emperor skillfully shifting the blame for the Buddhist Master’s death. However, they knew that this edict was not just about exonerating that terrifying young man; it was a direct declaration of war against them!
This meant the opportunity they had been waiting for no longer existed.
They had anticipated the possibility of a feigned break and had prepared countermeasures to turn the tables.
But the emperor did not even bother with a pretense, refusing to give them an opening to attack. Instead, he redirected the Buddhist Sect’s fury toward the Demons, using them as a spear to defend Dayu.
“Damn it!”
Respected Mo Yang’s face was grim.
(End of Chapter)
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