157: People's hearts are floating

Upon returning to the academy, the atmosphere there was heavy.

The teachers guarding the place looked grim, and the students were nowhere to be seen, likely having gone to a dungeon.

Su Bai arrived at Jiang Lin's courtyard and found it covered in dust, indicating that he hadn't been back for a long time.

"The Dean is not here!"

"The table is already covered in dust, so it seems he hasn't been back for a long time."

Su Bai looked at Mu Yan in front of him and said softly.

"It seems the Dean hasn't been back for two days, otherwise, the coffee table in the courtyard wouldn't be dusty. Is he at the Imperial City?"

Hearing this, Mu Yan frowned and asked softly.

The Dean was a very clean person; his room was always tidy, and there would never be dust.

"Then let's go to the Imperial City and see. Anyway, there's no problem for me to enter the Imperial City with my status."

Su Bai summoned his mount, sat on it, and galloped towards the Imperial City.

When they arrived, dense armies had already surrounded the Imperial City.

At the Meridian Gate of the Imperial City, there were also some figures dressed in prison uniforms, their eyes filled with terror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"What's going on?"

"To be executed at the Meridian Gate, what crime did these people commit?"

Su Bai glanced at Jiang Lin, who was supervising the execution, and then at the prisoners, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes as he instructed his mount to land.

Old Master Jiang Lin's face was very grim, his eyes revealing a hint of coldness.

His face looked exceptionally weathered, his beard untrimmed for several days, and his overall appearance was very poor.

"Su Bai, you're finally back. Why did you disappear again for a while?"

"I almost forgot about you."

Looking at Su Bai in front of him, Jiang Lin's eyes flashed with excitement, and he quickly said.

"Old Master, what's happening here?"

"Did all these people commit crimes?"

Surveying the crowd in front of him, Su Bai's eyes flashed with surprise, and he asked softly.

"Spreading rumors, shaking military morale, inciting others to defect to enemy nations, attempting to split the entire Empire—do you think such people deserve to die?"

Looking at the crowd in front of him, Jiang Lin waved his sleeve, his eyes revealing a hint of coldness.

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out, and the heads of these people fell directly to the ground, crimson blood gushing out and instantly staining the ground red.

"There are still people like this?"

"I was only gone for such a short time, and so much has happened?"

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across Su Bai's face, and he quickly asked.

"Not only are there people like this, you don't even know how grim the situation is now. If you hadn't come back, I would have found a way to summon you back."

Jiang Lin took a deep breath, his expression somewhat grave as he spoke.

When the National War was announced, everyone didn't take it seriously at the time and didn't put the National War to heart.

But then a rumor suddenly spread, unsettling the originally calm populace.

According to this rumor, the other four Empires were already preparing to unite.

They would first divide the Meteor Empire's national destiny, and then the other four Empires would compete among themselves to determine the final victor.

When such news came out, the common people became somewhat worried.

Some had even started to flee, and the most terrifying part was the exodus of those great families, which instantly led to public unrest.

The Zhao family, a second-rate family in Meteor Star Emperor City, secretly used a teleportation array to flee and defected to the White Bear Empire.

There's no need to mention the others; they fled incredibly fast, leaving behind a mess.

Now, the people in the country were in an uproar; some were preparing to leave, while others were filled with despair.

"This is truly being timid before the battle. Are these guys so spineless?"

Su Bai frowned, his eyes revealing a hint of coldness.

"Whether they have backbone or not, I don't know, but some people are indeed too much."

"His Majesty was furious, so he prepared to execute this group of people as a warning to others."

Hearing this, Jiang Lin sighed helplessly.

If the people's morale scattered, the team would be hard to lead!

Fortunately, the Meteor Empire had directly destroyed the White Eagle Empire some time ago, which gave them a boost in momentum, otherwise, it would probably have been even more troublesome.

"I suspect this is sabotage by those spies, aiming to scatter our morale."

"But this is also good; it got rid of some fence-sitters in advance, and good news will arrive soon."

Su Bai looked at Jiang Lin in front of him and said softly.

"What good news?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lin immediately became interested.

If they could give the Meteor Empire a shot in the arm now, that would be truly wonderful.

"Don't worry about that; just wait two more days."

"During these two days, activate the teleportation array and send all these guys who want to escape away. Even without them, we can still contend with the other Empires."

Su Bai's eyes revealed a hint of coldness as he spoke word by word.

Since these people wanted to leave, there was no need to keep them; keeping them would only cause trouble.

When the Meteor Empire successfully ruled other countries in the National War, these people would regret it then.

"Alright, how about you come with me to see His Majesty!"

Jiang Lin looked at Su Bai in front of him and said softly.

"Sure, since I'm already here."

"Then let's meet him."

Su Bai nodded and followed behind Jiang Lin, walking towards the Imperial City.

As the two entered the Imperial City, the defenses here were noticeably increased compared to usual.

Su Bai walked into the grand hall and saw a white-haired man sitting on the Imperial Throne, draped in a golden robe.

"Your Majesty, what is this?"

Looking at the Meteor Emperor in front of him, Su Bai couldn't help but be stunned.

"So it's Prince Who Rivals the Emperor. Quickly, grant him a seat."

"As for My hair, it's nothing."

Hearing this, the Meteor Emperor waved his hand and said softly.

"During the White Eagle Empire incident, His Majesty was furious and wielded the Everlasting Town Mountain River Sword, also using the imperial jade seal, two great artifacts of destiny."

"Both items moving simultaneously consumed a hundred years of His Majesty's lifespan."

"Treasures of the nation are not so easy to use."

Looking at Su Bai in front of him, Jiang Lin softly explained.

Hearing this, Su Bai's expression changed slightly.

"Your Majesty, if it weren't for me back then, you wouldn't have acted. This matter is my fault."

Su Bai quickly stood up, cupped his hands towards the Meteor Emperor, his eyes filled with apology.

"This matter is not your fault. Please sit down first. Allow Me to drink a bowl of soup."

The Meteor Emperor gently waved his hand, smiled softly, and casually picked up the ginseng soup in front of him.