Jiang Chen hadnât expected this particular tactic from Emperor Pillzenith. It was patently ridiculous that the great emperor was threatening him with the second sectmaster of the Moon God Sect.
The young lord burst into exasperated laughter. âAre you telling me that you want to trade for your son with the Moon God Sectâs second sectmaster, Pillzenith?â
âIâm only repaying you in spades, brat!â Pillfireâs leader retorted coldly.
âHahaha!â Jiang Chen roared with mirth. âYouâre truly shameless, Pillzenith. I thought the Moon God Sect was one of your more distant allies. Werenât you quite close for a time? Arenât you worried that your other allies will get cold feet from your actions?â
Jiang Chen looked meaningfully at the other sects flanking the emperor.
âThereâs no need for your provocation, Jiang Chen. Your destruction of the Boundary Stele and intention to cavort with alien races makes you a criminal to humanity itself! If you know whatâs good for you, surrender now and wash away Veluriyamâs sins with your own blood to preserve the lives of your people. Otherwise, our armies will make your rivers run red wherever they go!â
The speaker was the head of the Empyrean River Palace, one of Pillfireâs most loyal dogs. Jiang Chen wasnât surprised that heâd stepped up to protect his master.
Jiang Chen looked at the palace head with a half-smile. âThe Empyrean River Palace is still considered a first rank sect, but youâre willing to stoop to being Pillzenithâs pet. But itâs fine too if you like being a dog. We all make different choices in life. Your gravest mistake lies in your horrendous choice for a master. Do you think that Pillzenith will most assuredly triumph over Veluriyam Capital given your numbers?â
The Empyrean River palace head was supposed to be an important character in the Upper Eight Regions, given the stature of the faction he led. In Jiang Chenâs eyes, however, the man wasnât worthy of any respect. Showing the palace head any courtesy would be doing himself a disservice.
The palaceâs head was red in the face with fury. Killing intent radiated from his eyes. Pillzenith waved a hand, signaling for the palace head to back off.
âJiang Chen.â Pillzenith remarked coolly. âYouâve always branded yourself a chivalrous boy. Donât think for a minute that I donât know the hidden dealings between Veluriyam and the Moon God Sect. This old woman is the master of your dear sister, Xu Qingxuan. She raised your sister from childhood, didnât she? Sheâs like a second mother to your sister. If youâre willing to let her die, then why canât I sacrifice my son for the sake of mankind?â
Though Jiang Chen held Pillzenith in great contempt, he had to admit the thickness of the other manâs skin. Even the most ferocious of carnivores didnât eat its own children.
Pillzenith wasnât eating his own son outright, but he was using his sonâs life as part of a gamble. If Jiang Chen was incited to anger and refused to make the hostage swap, Pillzenith would be indirectly responsible for his sonâs death.
The young lordâs first thought was to refuse Pillzenithâs offer. As soon as he considered that, his sisterâs face rose unbidden to the top of his mind.
âIf I simply leave my sisterâs master to die, our relationship will fracture for sure. Jiang Chen weighed things up. He would always have more chances to kill young master Tian Lin, but a crack in his relationship with his sister was generally irreparable.
âNever mind. The old woman has such a loathsome temper that I even wanted to kill her at one point, but she is sisâ master at the end of the day. Iâm sure Qingxuan thinks her of a second mother.â
Jiang Chen could anger everyone in the world but his family. He could bear any shame on his familyâs behalf.
What was the life of a young master Tian Lin worth?
He was suddenly no longer fixated on killing the youth. Raising an eyebrow, he responded impassively, âI underestimated your shamelessness, Pillzenith. Very well, we can make the exchange if you so desire.â
His Evil Golden Eye opened wide, glaring at the emperor. âYou must swear however, that you havenât used any methods on the second sectmaster or left her with some hidden deficiency. Otherwise, I wonât agree to the trade even if my sister blames me for the rest of her life.â
Pillzenith was taken aback. He had done precisely that. Once the trade went through, he could use said methods to torture the second sectmaster so that she would wish for death for the rest of her life.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
He was a villain through and through. It was just as well that Jiang Chen had his guard up against his enemyâs poor morals. This demand destroyed Pillzenithâs contemptible plans.
Jiang Chen wasnât in any hurry. âYour son can go back to you whenever you give me a second sectmaster thatâs perfectly healthy.â
Suppressing his anger, Pillzenith called out, âJiang Chen, you want me to swear an oath, but can you guarantee that you havenât done anything to my son?â
The paranoia was mutual. Pillzenith was as wary as Jiang Chen just as Jiang Chen was of him.
After some preparation, the great emperor was forced to remove his tricks from the second sectmaster. A conspiracy found out is no longer fit to be called one.
After about fifteen minutes, Pillzenith returned with the second sectmaster. âThe second sectmaster here is perfectly healthy, Jiang Chen. I can swear an oath that she will not suffer any ill after effects from her captivity.â
âYouâd better think hard on whether you have anyone else from the Moon God Sect in your hands, hmm?â Jiang Chen replied.
Pillzenith harrumphed. âThatâs none of your business.â
Jiang Chen was perfectly calm and unwavering. âIâm making the exchange, so it is my business. No matter how you pretend to not care, you clearly still want to rescue your son. Before he comes back to you, you should stay as honest and cooperative as possible.â
He was using Pillzenithâs care and hope to rescue his son against him.
Pillzenith harrumphed again. âI swear that I only have one hostage from the Moon God Sect. One is enough, anyway.â
Truthfully, there had been quite a bit of pressure on Pillzenith for doing something so shameless. The Moon God Sect was a first rank sect that formerly had been on very good relations with Pillfire City. The despicable deed heâd been forced into doing just to fight Jiang Chen was exceedingly shameful.
That was why he had captured only the second sectmaster through covert operations rather than kidnapping her in broad daylight from the Moon God Sect.
As for the others, the great emperor didnât think that they would be worthy of being hostages in the first place. Only Xu Qingxuanâs master had the weight to strongarm Jiang Chen into capitulating.
The great emperor was reasonably astute at reading peopleâs hearts.
After a round of back-and-forth, both parties settled on strict and stringent terms to ensure that the exchange could go through uneventfully.
âThe trade, then.â Jiang Chen waved an arm to release young master Tian Lin.
The young man was ecstatic to regain his freedom. He rushed before Pillzenith. âFather, this brat has made me suffer a great deal. Please strike him down on my behalf!â
The second sectmaster was free as well. She swallowed her typical pride to return despondently to the side of Jiang Chenâs forces, unsure of how to handle herself.
She was the second-in-command of a first rank sect and usually commanded significant respect in the world of martial dao. Her loss at Pillfire Cityâs hands had been quite painful and depressing in light of that.
âThanks for the help, Jiang Chen.â The second sectmasterâs thanks was extremely quiet.
Regardless of her stubborn nature, she knew that she would have met a grim fate without Jiang Chenâs graciousness. A proud person could only think normally when her pride was shattered.
âYou can thank Qingxuan,â Jiang Chen smiled faintly. âIf you feel particularly grateful towards me, I would be happy if you could be a bit more lenient on my sister in the future. Alright, now that this little interlude is over, the curtain is about to be pulled back on a grander spectacle. If you are interested in watching, do stand back and enjoy the show.â
âStand back?â The second sectmaster gritted her teeth, her eyebrows upturned. âPillzenith has gone too far. The Moon God Sect will not ignore his evil deeds. Today, I represent our sect in making a formal alliance with Veluriyam Capital against the malevolent Pillfire City!â
The second sectmaster had ever been single-track minded. Sheâd sung the multifarious praises of Pillfire City before, even hinting to Xu Qingxuan to make more contact with the cityâs Pill King Ji Lang. Her worship of absolute power at that time was evident.
The harsh lesson sheâd been taught today had opened her eyes. The Pillfire City and Emperor Pillzenith sheâd formerly respected were completely different from what she had expected. Their impressions had been utterly destroyed in her heart.
The Jiang Chen that she hadnât thought much of before on the other hand, had surprised her time and time again to the point of embarrassment. This was the young lord of Veluriyam Capital indeed!
Her reaction changed Jiang Chenâs own opinion of what kind of person she was. The fact that she had such a one-track mind was endearing in her own way; perhaps she wasnât really that vicious after all.
However, he had no need of her intervention.
âEmperor Wellspring, please escort the second sectmaster to the back. I think she needs some rest.â He didnât feel like explaining anything.
He asked Wellspring to just take her away. Only a top-level expert like Wellspring could calm a hysteric woman like the second sectmaster.
As expected, she caved under the emperorâs gentle firmness and was compelled to retreat to the rear.
By this time, Pillzenith had completed an overview of his son as well. He had no concerns remaining.
âJiang Chen!â The emperorâs voice rumbled like thunder. âIâm putting aside my private grudges with you for now. The only reason my armies are here today is to punish you for the matter of the Boundary Stele! Your unauthorized attack against it has destroyed its protective boundary. Your betrayal of humanity in favor of alien races is unforgivable!â
âWhat next?â Jiang Chen smirked. âAre you going to get Emperors Cloudbillow, Castveil, and the rest to accuse me?â
Pillzenith blinked. What was he getting at? Was that kidâs gall solid stone? Did he not know the meaning of fear?
Jiang Chenâs nonchalant reaction displeased and surprised him.