Chapter 281: A Violent Battle in the Imperial Garden
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Everyone knew that Minister Jiang had the habit of not sleeping at night. Every day, he would only head to bed when the sky was about to turn bright.
The night was the time when people rested. It was also during this dark stage where the human vigilance was at its lowest.
However, this strange habit of Jiang Zhong had helped to ensure the peace of Yutang’s palace for many years, where no incidents would occur in the dark night under his watch.
It was also because of this that Jiang Zhong's position had always remained steady and uncontested over the years!
His order was the true depiction of the law and prohibition.
In the imperial garden, lavish green trees were awhirl with shadows. Numerous lanterns had been put out, causing the area to appear dark and gloomy.
The north wind was whistling in the sky, delivering chilly vibes. It was not a warm season.
Jiang Zhong could be seen hobbling slowly, forcefully wrapping his robes around his hunched body.
"I am old, and no longer useful. I can’t even stand this chilly weather..." sighed Jiang Zhong while murmuring, "A few years back, however..."
The two small eunuchs behind him kept their mouths shut, not daring to speak a single word.
Minister Jiang would always like to cherish his past memories and to boast about himself in soft murmurs, but he had never needed anyone's response nor affirmation.
It seemed sufficient for him to just reminisce about himself. That was enough for him.
However, all of a sudden, the surge of wind before dawn grew stronger, bringing with it an unprecedentedly sharp whistling sound.
The staggering body of Jiang Zhong who was walking forward suddenly stopped in his tracks. He looked up at the sky and his blurry eyes gleamed with a sudden light!
A gust of wind could be seen rushing from the sky above towards him.
In the meantime, a gnashing voice roared, "Jiang Zhong!"
A saber energy more piercing than the gust of wind came falling down from the sky.
Jiang Zhong made a screamed shrilly. His body instantly turned into a blurring figure that moved rapidly. He quickly evaded the strike of the piercing saber energy.
A high-pitched sepulchral sound responded, "Supreme Wind, what is this for? What reason have you to attack the inner palace?
A gush of saber air came cutting across, tearing Jiang Zhong’s robe apart, leaving a big hole which seeped blood.
While snarling, Jiang Zhong's body twisted and divided itself into dozens of silhouettes, shuttling back and forth in the air.
Although he was the only one who had reacted, there were immediately dozens of figures displaying the high-speed trajectory, deriving numerous fragmented shadow. In an instant, the area where the shadows reached looked like there were hundreds of men present.
The wind kept on whistling. In mid-air, the greenish whirlwind was like a raging dragon, filled with furious vibes and extremely insolent with a raging killing intent.
Although it seemed like Jiang Zhong had been clumsily evading the attack, he was only injured because the first hit had come unexpectedly. After that, even under Supreme Wind’s storm-like intensive attacks, he had remained unhurt and safe.
Even though his clones were being crushed by the gleam of saber light, he was able to create more silhouettes clones by moving more rapidly.
"Lord Supreme Wind!" while dodging, Jiang Zhong roared, "What is this for? What exactly do you want?"
The wind was more violent than ever. Its state was getting more and more ferocious without responding to Jiang Zhong's confusion.
The gleam of saber light was like bolts of lightning, striking continuously within the night.
The solemn and ferocious murderous vibes had ignited feelings of fear within everyone in the royal palace.
Supreme Wind’s fury was apparent, his anger had reached an unimaginable stage.
Numerous imperial guards in the inner palace had flocked to the spot. However, they were all startled when they saw it was Supreme Wind of the Nine Supremes who was attacking Jiang Zhong. No one dared to react without trying to understand what was taking place.
The question was in all their hearts; what was happening?
On the day of Yang Botao's open trial, the name of the Nine Supremes had reappeared, boosting the Yutang's low morale. This time, the sudden emergence of Supreme Wind to directly target the Minister of Imperial Household of Yutang's palace, Jiang Zhong, had caused everyone's imagination to run wild.
Could the inner palace have been infiltrated by Yutang’s enemy? The target right now was the Minister of Imperial Household; could Jiang Zhong, a high-positioned person who held great authority, actually be an enemy of Yutang?
The lanterns could be seen flashing. The emperor, accompanied by numerous guards, was approaching from afar.
How was the emperor able to fall asleep with such a great commotion? Particularly when he had heard that it was related to Supreme Wind. Of course, he would have had draped his robes around his shoulders immediately and rushed straight to the scene of the incident.
He arrived while still buttoning his cotton robes. His face was alive with urgency.
"Is it really Supreme Wind?"
There was no need for this question to be asked, nor was there a need for confirmation.
His Majesty himself had seen the shadow which was circling and whistling in the air.
To add to the dread, there was the constant, thunder-like gleam of saber light! The strikes were full of tyrannical madness and extremely murderous intent.
It was a sight to behold, the very vision of unplacatable rage!
Upon seeing this, His Majesty was utterly aghast.
The emperor had been eager to help when the Nine Heavens Dictum was eradicating the traitors, yet he had never been able to do so. He was left helpless even he had had the intention. The crucial part was that the people of the Nine Heavens Dictum had never come to disturb the palace.
To initiate such a blatant move against the palace was an impossibility! What was more, it was Supreme Wind himself who was personally leading the attack. This was an unprecedented event indeed.
The face of His Majesty had turned pale at the ramifications of these happenings.
Jiang Zhong!
The target of Supreme Wind was actually the Minister of Imperial Household, the elderly man who had seen him grow up. How could that be?
How could it possibly be him?
Comparatively, He Hanqing, who had been the teacher to three generations of emperors and minister of several dynasties, was not worth mentioning before Jia Zhong, the elder who had been accompanying His Majesty for almost a lifetime. How could he be a spy? A hypocrite? What was more horrifying than such a reality?
At this point in time, the murderous intent displayed by Supreme Wind could be said to have diffused all over the place. His furious emotions had infected everyone who was present. Such a raging attitude had apparently highlighted the point he intended to make.
Could it be that ...
While dodging the attacks, Jiang Zhong could be seen crying his outrage, "Lord Supreme Wind, what… what is all this about?"
Jiang Zhong felt maligned by everything that was happening to him.
He was an expert with the cultivation base of ninth peak pinnacle, almost reaching the stage of Tenth Perfection.
Judging by his cultivation base, so long as he did not meet the so-called top-notch experts, he was confident that he would have been able to protect himself and maybe even win the battle.
However, today, he could barely initiate any counter-attack when facing Supreme Wind!
He could only dodge the death that was being thrown incessantly at him.
Although the real cultivation base of this person was not high, not even reaching the eighth peak, Jiang Zhong did not dare to let his guard down in the slightest.
This was because it was Supreme Wind who was before him, one of the vaunted Nine Supremes.
If he were to fight back, he would be charged with treason. There would be no chance to explain himself at all!
Did he not see that the crowd of imperial guards that were surrounding him could not make a single attempt to help him?
Normally, these imperial guards were extremely obedient to him with no one daring to defy his orders. However, it now seemed like all their eyes were staring at him vigilantly, colored with suspicion. Faintly murderous vibes could be spotted everywhere.
Obviously, in these people's minds, whoever being attacked by Supreme Wind must be of the evilest character!
There must be a reason that you, Jiang Zhong, are being targeted by Supreme Wind!
If Supreme Wind wanted you dead, then you must die. No explanation, evidence nor trial is needed if Supreme Wind wishes you dead! It was as ridiculous as that!
Didn’t he see that since His Majesty the Emperor had arrived, he was only observing from afar? He did not give any orders to stop the fight, nor did he have any intention to get down to the bottom of this.
He wasn't even seeking a chance to clarify what was going on!
Only then did Jiang Zhong fully realize the influence that the Nine Supremes wielded in this country!
Their words and actions were even more effective than the imperial edict!
If he did not fight back at this moment, it wouldn’t cause Yun Yang to show mercy towards him. The other was filled to overflowing with madness and murderous intent. Yun Yang was full of sorrow and hatred. He was attacking with all his might, without a care. He would surely kill the person before him, smashing him to death and crushing his bones and soul!
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Jiang Zhong had no choice but to call for help, "This old servant is innocent! This old servant is innocent!"
His Majesty stood by quietly. His deep eyes were looking at the scene before him. Lightly, he uttered, "Relay my dictum, no one is to act carelessly. Whoever interrupts the fight will be punished with death!"
All the imperial guards and servants stood rooted to the ground once the dictum was announced. Intentionally or otherwise, all the surrounding people soon formed a large circle, hemming the beleaguered man in.
Apparently, it was to prevent someone from escaping.
Who were they trying to prevent from escaping?
Who could that someone be?
It went without saying.
Jiang Zhong felt feeble and debilitated at the thought of this.
His Majesty the Emperor was watching Jiang Zhong intently. His ghostly and unpredictable motions was a form of his mystical talent that was rarely seen. With a single thought, he was able to initiate the blurry and peculiar mystical Qi images...
The terror in his heart was getting more and more intense, and his fear had skyrocketed.
The Minister of Imperial Household Jiang Zhong!
Never would he have thought that the cultivation base that Jiang Zhong possessed was that earth-shattering!
Since his childhood, Jiang Zhong had been serving his father, and when he was a toddler learning to walk, it was the old man who had held his hand and remained so until now.
He would never have guessed that this loyal old servant would actually have such a profound martial cultivation base!
Yutang's emperor, Yu Peize, was not an ordinary, leisurely character. Not only was the mystical Qi cultivation base he owned extraordinary, he was also an adept veteran. Although he could not figure out the foundation capability of the skillset demonstrated by Jiang Zhong, he was clear about the quality and level of such mystical methods. Experts of this mettle were extremely rare, at least in Yutang.
In other words, there must be a damning story behind Jiang Zhong 's origins!
"Supreme Wind!"
His Majesty spoke in a solemn voice.
Within the whistling sound of the wind, a suppressed, low voice could be heard, "What do wish to say, YOur Majesty?
The emperor continued in a calm manner, "May I ask what is going on? What is the origin of this contemptible one?
His Majesty’s remark had effectively concluded that Jiang Zhong was a treacherous official. For the masses, it made a difference to hear His Majesty’s own conclusion although they had themselves vaguely assumed the same.
In mid-air, the gleam of saber light was still shimmering like thunderbolts within the whistling of the green air. A series of eighteen slashes followed after. That low voice that shook with suppressed fury said, "The Cirrus House is gone!
The Cirrus House was gone?
The earlier violent explosion had woken His Majesty the Emperor from slumber. Of course, he was aware of this matter. However, since when was the Cirrus House so worthy to the extent of making Supreme Wind that angry?
Although Yun Zuiyue was known to be Unrivaled Expert, Ling Xiaozui’s confidante, this point had yet to be corroborated. In addition, Ling Xiaozui would have taken the initiative into his own hands. What was the reason for you, Supreme Wind, to do so instead?
In an instant, the Emperor question had been answered...
"Yun Zuiyue, the owner of Cirrus House, was the Nine Supremes’ family member!"
"With an explosion, the Cirrus House had instantly been reduced to ashes. Everyone in there has been slain." Yun Yang's voice was as cold as the freezing winds from Hell.
His Majesty's pupils had widened instantly.
The fact that Yun Zuiyue was the wife of Supreme Flame had been mentioned by Yun Yang to the old marshal before this. However, in order to ensure the confidentiality of the matter, the old Marshal had never explained it clearly to His Majesty.
That explained why His Majesty had only learned now. However, only God knew about the shock that His Majesty had experienced after hearing those words!
Nine Supremes’ family member?
The originally poised figure of His Majesty trembled slightly. His face was pale with shock.
He had suddenly recalled something.
It was when he had secretly met with the crown prince, Supreme Earth.
"My son, although you shouldn’t have exposed your identity as Supreme Earth, you are no longer young after all. You should have considered your marriage. Even if you did not favor the throne nor imperial power, you should still aspire to have your own heir."
"I have my own plans about this, father."
"What's the plan? You have not been seen to have taken any action for so long. If you were to act earlier, why would I have to mention it to you face-to-face? Right now, I am just advising my son as a concerned father. Do you understand the difference between?"
Supreme Earth hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your son is not entirely carefree and unrestrained by romance. There is someone I have feelings for... unfortunately, it is unsafe to reveal her identity, so ... I have no choice but to be sorry to her ..."
Although His Majesty was overjoyed for getting the result that he wanted, Supreme Earth had never given any further answers, even under extreme pressure and cajoling by his exuberant father.
Therefore, apart from being exasperated and disappointed in the hope, what was worse was the heartache felt by His Majesty. Due to his own fault, he had mistreated his son, his daughter-in-law. If there was a chance, he would have compensated them, compensated them well...
His heart had since reserved such hope.
Since his son had said that he already found his confidante, it would naturally mean that he would soon have a grandson, would it not?
After all, it had been long enough since he knew about his son’s confidante ...
The emperor had long had other grandchildren, but he still kept an inexplicable anticipation towards the child of his eldest prince.
The debt that had been owed to his eldest son... If he could, of course, he would compensate his grandson plentifully.
His Majesty the Emperor had even thought of how he would do it.
However, Supreme Earth had met with the accident just before he could even get to question him intensely on this matter.
As his son did not leave any clues, his daughter-in-law may not even know that his husband was of royal blood. Thinking of this, His Majesty was often upset and vexed. Not only would he not know if he had any grandchildren, he was afraid that he would not even have a chance to meet her.
Now, Supreme Wind's words had reached his ears.
"Cirrus House’s Yun Zuiyue was actually a family member of the Nine Supremes!"
"Cirrus House has been reduced to ashes, everyone has been slain!"
Upon hearing these, a blackness filled the Emperor’s eyes. With a sharp angst in his heart, he almost felt the claws of unconsciousness grab hold of him...