The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  The First Prince suddenly had deep respect on his face.

  Had anyone else been present, they would have certainly been stunned by the sight. The First Prince was the child of the Sage Emperor, bearing the blood of the True Dragon, and he was also the current regent, standing above almost everyone in the empire. In all of the Great Tang, there was barely anyone worthy of such respect from him.

  Moreover, the First Prince’s personality disinclined him toward respect and deference to others.

  But from the tone of that mysterious man hidden in the darkness, the two were apparently very familiar with each other and had seemingly been interacting for a very long time.

  “Many thanks, Senior, for the matter of Master Yinshan!”

  The First Prince bowed.

  “How was it? After capturing that little girl, was the Heavenly Spirit Sect Master finally willing to talk?” the scratchy voice asked. It was constantly moving around, making it impossible to tell where its owner actually was.

  “Just like Senior said, Master Yinshan was finally willing to make an exception and perform a divination,” the First Prince sternly said.

  Master Yinshan excelled in divination, and finding him was no easy task. Not even the First Prince knew how this mysterious senior who had been instructing and assisting him since his youth had managed to find him. His senior even knew about Master Yinshan’s little girl.

  Before today, the First Prince did not dare to imagine that Master Yinshan would actually break his sect’s rules for the sake of a seven-year-old girl.

  “How was it?” the voice indifferently asked.

  “The time has come! Senior, please assist me!”

  Li Ying bowed, his eyes aimed at the very edge of the light.

  Those who wanted to accomplish great things needed the help of others. What he wanted to do was not something he could accomplish alone.

  “Good! I was waiting just for these words! You’ve finally made up your mind. Relax! No matter what, I will do all I can to help you ascend to the seat of the Nine and Five!” the voice sternly said, an unusual tone within it.

  “Senior, I remember that you promised me that once I made up my mind, you would send someone to help me. He could develop plans and schemes that resolve all my problems and foes. I’ve made up my mind now and the time is ripe. Senior, please realize your promise!” the First Prince respectfully said. He was trying his best to remain calm, but there was still a hint of anxiety in his voice.

  “Ah, it is because of that child called Wang Chong?”

  The figure chuckled.

  A vicious killing intent flickered through the First Prince’s eyes.

  The First Prince had said nothing, but his reaction had been enough for the figure in the darkness, and they bizarrely laughed.

  “Heh, relax. When have I ever gone back on my promises with you? The man is ready and waiting. Go—follow the lanterns, and you will see him. But this man is rather unique. It will depend on you to see if you can convince him.”

  Fwoosh! The candle on the table several feet away from the First Prince instantly extinguished. At the same time, an oil lamp on a wall eighty feet away suddenly blazed to life.

  The First Prince glanced over in shock. This was not his first conversation with his senior, and he had only believed that this place was just a convenient out-of-the-way place to meet. But from what his senior had said, that person who could resolve all his problems was also here?

  But what did those last words mean? Although his senior had sent him someone, that person wasn’t his senior’s subordinate?

  This was far too strange!

  The two had worked together for a long time, but this was the first time something like this had occurred. The First Prince’s curiosity was piqued.

  The First Prince left the table and began to walk toward the lantern.

  Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

  As the First Prince reached the lantern, the same thing happened. The lantern above him went out and a lantern some forty feet away lit up.

  The First Prince continued on the path set out by the lanterns.

  Boom!

  After some time, the First Prince finally arrived in front of a door. The door opened with a bang, revealing a mysterious underground passage.

  The First Prince was dumbstruck.

  The rumors in the capital had long said that this compound belonged to that deceased merchant. The First Prince had once investigated the place, but he had found nothing unusual about it. He had never imagined that there was a hidden room underneath the compound.

  Although the First Prince was confused, he swiftly descended into the passage.

  It was quiet and serene under the earth. A few moments later, the First Prince finally saw the place his senior had spoken of.

  Chapter 1631 - The Man Who Should Have Been Dead!

  Chapter 1631: The Man Who Should Have Been Dead!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The First Prince had been to this place many times, but he had never imagined that this compound was hiding an underground room. The moment he stepped in, he sensed that a powerful formation was covering the place, one with faint Psychic Energy ripples. This was clearly a formation that was meant to repulse Psychic Energy.

  This formation existed to protect the man hidden underground.

  The First Prince looked around and saw that he was in a simple stone chamber of white bricks. In the room were a square table and several stools, and a folded blanket in the corner. All of it was extremely simple.

  But when the First Prince set his eyes on the table, he saw a brush rack made of mutton-fat jade, carved in the shape of a coiling dragon and inlaid with gold. These brush racks were so rare that they cost more than an entire city. Not even high nobles and ministers would have been worthy of using such a rack, and the common folk could go several generations and not even be able to dream of owning such a thing.

  The First Prince saw only a few brushes on the rack and was rendered speechless. These brushes had fine and slender tips, and all of them had incredible histories. One of these was even the brush owned by Wei Qing of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

  Wei Qing was the King of Great Generals during Emperor Wu’s reign, and even now, his achievements were still dazzling to behold. The value of the golden brush that Emperor Wu of Han had gifted him was difficult to fathom.

  Just who is this person?

  The First Prince internally frowned.

  He was well-experienced, but he still could not determine this man’s background. He had wealth that could compare to a small kingdom, but he lived in an extremely crude room and ate plain foods and tea. It was little better than the life of a commoner.

  But his senior had said that this man could help him resolve all his problems and assist him onto the throne.

  “Kid, were you the one they chose?”

  A voice resounded in the First Prince’s ears, deep and domineering. It felt like two sturdy pieces of metal being banged together.

  The First Prince turned in shock toward the voice and saw a stalwart figure wearing a black robe, his hair black and white. This elder had his back toward the First Prince as he read a book by the light of a lamp on the wall.

  The First Prince couldn’t see the book from his standpoint, but he could sense an indescribably domineering aura from this man.

  What an intense murderous aura.

  The First Prince’s eyes went wide. Although this man was trying his utmost to suppress it, the First Prince could sense the powerful aura of a general on this man.

  As the first in line to the throne, the First Prince had constantly been influenced by those around him, and possessed an insight that no ordinary person could match. He had seen almost all the renowned Great Generals of the empire, but even top-class Great Generals like Geshu Han and Gao Xianzhi were like infants before this man, like the difference between mud and clouds.

  The First Prince had never sensed such pu
re and domineering energy on a man before. In certain aspects, not even the renowned Great Tang War God who had now been made the Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian, Wang Zhongsi, could compare.

  Just who is this person?

  The First Prince raised an eyebrow, curiosity in his heart.

  He finally believed that this man was in the same group as his mysterious senior. There were some things that could not be created through cultivating martial arts, only by piling up mountains of corpses.

  But how could there be such a figure in the Great Tang Empire that he had never heard of before?!

  “Junior Li Ying, the First Prince of the Imperial House of Li! Is Senior willing to assist this prince?” Li Ying sternly said.

  “Haha, First Prince? Why should this old man help you? Just because of your title?”

  The man suddenly laughed, his voice oozing derision. In his eyes, the First Prince was apparently not even worth mentioning.

  Even though Li Ying had already prepared himself to hear such words and was going to humble himself, he still couldn’t hide a flash of anger in his eyes. He was the regent of the Great Tang, and all of the empire prostrated at his feet. No one had ever dared to take this tone with him.

  But the First Prince swiftly regained his composure. One who wanted to accomplish great things did not fret over minor details. Only by biding his time could he accomplish his grand aspiration.

  “Senior, be at ease! As long as you are willing to sincerely assist me, when we succeed, you will be a Minister of the Dragon, and this prince will not treat you badly. Power and prestige—this prince can give you everything!” the First Prince sternly said.

  “Haha, is this your opening offer? That being the case, please go back! It seems like you are not the one this old man is waiting for!”

  The man laughed. Undeterred by the First Prince’s title, he had asked his guest to leave.

  Even the First Prince was astonished. His senior said that the man who would help him had already been found. Based on past custom, he would only need to promise power, prestige, and wealth to succeed in recruiting him. There were even times when he didn’t even need to say anything.

  Li Ying had never imagined that the other party would reject him after only exchanging a few words.

  “Senior, please wait! I can make you a King!” the First Prince hastily added.

  “Get out!”

  The stone chamber trembled under the man’s furious roar.

  The First Prince paled again. He had never imagined this elder to have such a bad temper. Even his revered status as the First Prince was of no use here.

  Even though he was on the verge of being driven out, the First Prince calmed down, his mind rapidly turning.

  This man had a fierce and tyrannical personality, with almost no one earning his respect and no status able to cow him. But the more this was the case, the more the First Prince wanted to recruit him.

  In his experience, if such men weren’t fools or good-for-nothings, then they were individuals of prodigious ability, and if so, he had to obtain them for himself. And if this man didn’t seek fame, wealth, or power, he had to have some unaccomplished desire.

  With this thought, the First Prince knew what he had to say.

  “As long as Senior helps me succeed, I will mobilize the strength of the entire country to fulfill one of your desires. No matter what it is, as long as it is within this prince’s power, this prince will agree!” Li Ying suddenly called out.

  Everything went silent.

  “Okay! You were the one who said it!” the man replied in his booming voice.

  “A sovereign does not make jokes!”

  The First Prince was elated, knowing that he had guessed correctly. These words were just right for that man.

  “Kid, remember your words from today. When you succeed, I will have you carry out your promise!” the man sternly said.

  “I still have one more problem left. If you can’t satisfy it, I would still rather spend my old age in this place than help you.”

  Li Ying’s heart tensed as he hastily replied, “Senior, please speak.”

  “If that day really comes and I have you do the deed yourself, can you really do it?” the man coldly asked.

  Li Ying was startled, immediately understanding what the man was saying. But he quickly regained his composure.

  “Senior, be at ease. The dragon is the lord of all beings, a divine creature. Only the strongest can ascend to the Throne of the Nine and Five. The kind do not command soldiers and the righteous do not grasp for profit. If I did not have this resolve, I would have never come to find you!” the First Prince sternly replied without hesitation.

  “Haha, good! You are now worthy to receive my help!”

  The man put down his book and finally turned around.

  The First Prince tensed as he focused on that figure in the flickering light. This man had tyrannical eyes and a domineering aura. The white whiskers hanging from his lip were hard and straight like needles. His most striking features were the deep scar across his right eyebrow and his deep and piercing eyes.

  Li Ying had never seen such eyes before, eyes that seemed to see through the world, bursting with intelligence and wit. It seemed like countless schemes were passing through them at every moment.

  And the thick general’s aura he exuded made it seem like he had studied millions of texts and knew every possible strategy.

  This man is not simple!

  Li Ying inwardly celebrated.

  “Might I ask for Senior’s honored name?”

  “Heh, kid, you don’t even know this old man?”

  The black-robed elder coldly smiled.

  Li Ying was astonished. The elder was implying that Li Ying should have recognized him, but how could that be?

  “Senior, have we met before?”

  Despite his confusion, the First Prince remained polite and calm.

  The old man appeared seventy-some years old, but none of Li Ying’s advisors were older than forty. He was confident that he had never seen this old man before. But the stronger a person was, the more eccentric their personality, so Li Ying decided to remain polite.

  “Kid, come up and take a closer look.”

  The elder smirked at Li Ying.

  Li Ying was even more confused, but he knew that the elder had a reason to say this. He took a few steps forward and began to closely inspect the man.

  On first glance, Li Ying had found the elder to be a complete stranger, but as he examined the man’s features and the scar above his right eye, the face overlapped with a face in his memories.

  Boom!

  The First Prince trembled like he had been struck by lightning, and he staggered backward with his eyes wide open in fright.

  “No! That’s impossible! How?!”

  Li Ying was in utter disbelief. He knew that his senior was introducing him to an extremely capable person, but Li Ying had never imagined that this man would be him.

  “Impossible! Impossible! Weren’t you dead?!”

  The First Prince’s heart was raging. He suddenly understood why the elder had asked those questions.

  “Kid, you still have time for second thoughts!”

  The elder slowly stood up from the ground. As he rose, the earth quaked and a vast sea of energy erupted from his body.

  The elder looked at Li Ying in derision.

  At that moment, the First Prince’s eyes were uncertain, and it seemed like he truly was feeling a hint of regret. But a few moments later, he had calmed back down, his eyes growing even more resolved than before.

  “This prince will never back down!”

  Chapter 1632 - Wang Chong’s Intuition!

  Chapter 1632: Wang Chong’s Intuition!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Tap! Tap!

  In the main hall of the King of Foreign Lands Residence, Wang Chong’s index finger and middle finger were rhythmically tapping. His head was s
lightly raised as he looked at the ceiling, countless thoughts running through his mind.

  Wang Chong had already taken Little Li into his residence and was having experts guard him around the clock. Even so, Wang Chong had still not made much progress.

  Eunuch Gao had been injured, and everything was shrouded in a cloud of mystery that prevented Wang Chong from seeing anything.

  This was the heart of the empire! What in the world had happened?

  Wang Chong lowered his head once more toward the cloud-patterned scarf. Wang Chong had already seen this bloodstain once, but he still found it alarming to behold.

  Eunuch Gao would never leave the Sage Emperor, unless he was dead. Just how did the First Prince manage to do it? And if Eunuch Gao isn’t at Taihe Palace, who is the one taking care of the Sage Emperor?

  Wang Chong muttered to himself, clouds of worry on his brow.

  No one understood more than him what the collapse of the Sage Emperor meant for the empire.

  Although the Sage Emperor had failed to appear many times, as long as he sat in Taihe Palace, this world still had one final barrier.

  “Milord!”

  There was a rush of footsteps from outside, and a few moments later, Xu Keyi walked in, respectfully offering up a letter with both hands.

  “Little Li has already marked out all the areas Eunuch Gao normally goes to.”

  As Xu Keyi spoke, he placed the letter on the desk.

  Wang Chong took the letter and looked it over. On it was written all the places Eunuch Gao had been to. Wang Chong gave a slight nod.

  “Make a few copies of this and give them to Yang Zhao, Li Jingzhong, Bian Lingcheng, and Zhao Fengchen in the palace. Have the four of them do their utmost to keep an eye on these places and search the palace. If Eunuch Gao isn’t being restrained and still has freedom, then he will go to these places. But if not…”

  A cloud of worry passed across Wang Chong’s face, but he didn’t continue. The information Little Li could provide was extremely limited, and he knew nothing about where Eunuch Gao could be. But from Little Li’s recount, Wang Chong had noticed a certain detail.

  Little Li had passed a message to Eunuch Gao in the sweets, and Eunuch Gao had given him back a reply. That he could reply to Little Li meant that he had a brush, ink, and paper with him, which were not things a prisoner would be provided with. But if Eunuch Gao was alive and able to move freely, he would go to protect the Sage Emperor. This was the contradiction Wang Chong was facing. No matter what, he had to clear this matter up.