455: Keep an appointment, natural disasters dissipate, court disputes

Yue Province border, Heavenly Scourge.

"Will he keep his promise?"

Li Qingxue looked towards the outside of the village; it had been almost a month since Chu Jiang left, and she felt a little uneasy.

"Alas, perhaps I was overthinking it!"

Li Qingxue sighed. The three great bandits of the Soul Severing Mountain Range were all powerful, and the First Chieftain was even a Heaven Ranking expert. There was also Liu Wuqing, the Qianhu of Lingnan Commandery, who had the Yue Province Pacification Commissioner backing him.

They were all insurmountable mountains.

Just then.

She seemed to sense something, looked outside the Heavenly Scourge, and smiled knowingly.

In the dense forest, dozens of Demon Suppression Guards flew in, led by a burly young man holding a Soul Locking Chain, bloody and hooked with the three great bandits of the Soul Severing Mountain Range: Ghost Scythe, Purple-Faced Fiend, Smiling Scholar, Liu Wuqing (corpse), Liu Qing, and others.

"Chu Jiang, what kind of hellhole have you brought us to!"

Liu Qing was furious. He now hated Chu Jiang to the bone, for killing his own brother and tormenting him in countless ways.

Every day, he was subjected to various tortures by the Demon Suppression Guards, living a life worse than death.

"It's her…"

The Smiling Scholar was terrified. How was this possible? Wasn't she dead?

Li Qingxue, the Sect Head of the Danxia Sect a few years ago.

He still remembered the look in her eyes when she looked at him back then, how full of resentment it was, as if she wished to devour his flesh and crush his bones.

He had killed her Dao Companion and annihilated the Danxia Sect; it was a blood feud.

He fell into despair. He now understood that Chu Jiang's reason for troubling the Soul Severing Mountain Range was mostly rooted here.

There was no possibility of reconciliation.

He wondered how Chu Jiang could be so kind as to keep them alive all this time.

If he fell into her hands, he would definitely suffer a fate worse than death.

Bastard.

"Lady Li, Three Provinces Inspectorial Envoy Chu Jiang has come to keep his appointment!"

Chu Jiang smiled faintly, letting go of the Soul Locking Chain in his hand and tossing it to Li Qingxue.

There were still three days left until the one-month appointment.

"Danxia Sect Leader, Li Qingxue, on behalf of my Junior Brother and the entire Danxia Sect, thanks Lord Chu!"

Li Qingxue knelt down with a genuine smile, her sect's blood feud finally avenged.

Her years of suppression were swept away.

After a brief chat.

After handing over the individuals.

Chu Jiang led his people and turned to leave the Yue Province border.

No sooner had he left than the smile on Li Qingxue's face instantly vanished, replaced by an extremely chilling expression. She transformed into a figure in red, a blood-red light soaring into the sky.

Her gaze fell upon the few individuals, and everyone felt as if they were being stared at by a malevolent ghost.

"No, don't come over, it wasn't me who harmed you. There's a head for every wrong and a master for every debt, no... Ah!"

Ghost Scythe let out a miserable shriek. His entire body was suppressed by the Heavenly Scourge domain, his Soul was torn apart, his body almost kneaded into a ball, and he was kicked around like a ball by the villagers.

He was beaten to death with random sticks, his Soul forcibly split into several pieces and roasted.

His flesh was minced into a paste and made into a delicacy.

The others were terrified, especially the Smiling Scholar, who suddenly felt a chill in his lower body. He instinctively touched it, cursing, "Motherf***er, I almost forgot, it was already destroyed by that beast Chu Jiang."

In the silent night, horrifying screams echoed, silencing all birds in the mountains, reverberating for a long time.

Three days later.

When the last person was tortured to death.

"Junior Brother, I'm here to join you!"

Li Qingxue took out a portrait from her embrace. The person in the painting, though not exceptionally handsome, was refined and elegant, with a pleasant demeanor.

As soon as her voice fell.

The entire Heavenly Scourge began to spontaneously combust, and the vengeful spirits disappeared one by one.

She had lived in this world solely to seek revenge. Now that all her enemies were dead, she had lost the will to continue living.

"Please, deliver this letter to Lord Chu for me. I thank you in advance!"

In her dying moments, Li Qingxue spoke to the boundless Void Realm.

But there was no one around.

Soon.

The Heavenly Scourge completely dissipated.

In the central area, a letter and a black bead were left behind.

After Li Qingxue dissipated, a figure instantly appeared.

Dressed in a kirin uniform, it was Wang Chao, followed by Zhang Huan and Shui Yunji, among others.

With a sweep of his large hand, the letter and the black bead fell into Wang Chao's grasp.

Immediately, he tore through the Void Realm and vanished into the depths of the dense forest.

...

Imperial Capital, Jing Tian Hall.

Jing Tian Hall was the place for discussing military and national affairs, second only in status to the Golden Luan Hall. During the Chu Emperor's seclusion, it was the center of all state affairs.

At this moment.

Jing Tian Hall was in an uproar, like a marketplace.

"The situation on the eastern border is tense. The Sun Moon Country has increased its troops by a million, and reinforcements are continuously rushing to the border. Even the three guards protecting the Heavenly Capital have been dispatched to the border, demanding an explanation from our Great Chu for the destruction of Black Stone Fortress. Otherwise, the eastern states will be drenched in blood!"

Minister of Justice Liang Long was the first to angrily denounce: "Chu Jiang, ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, violated ancestral laws, disregarded procedures, executed Wu Ling King, and annihilated his manor. This was His Majesty's imperial uncle! How dare he? What about the Celestial Observatory? What about His Majesty? He used the power granted by His Majesty to indiscriminately slaughter the innocent. By his crimes, he deserves to be executed!"

"Now, he has even deceived the Old Ancestor, gone to the border, and carried out a massive slaughter, causing a military conflict between the two countries. Chu Jiang should bear full responsibility for this matter!"

Minister Liang's Aura was fierce. This damned Chu Jiang was actually so audacious as to kill Wu Ling King.

He must be charged with a serious crime and severely punished.

As for the Corpse Old Ancestor, he dared not criticize him, so he desperately tried to pin all the blame on Chu Jiang.

The Minister of Rites also echoed: "I agree with Minister Liang's opinion. Chu Jiang is too audacious, with no regard for the court's laws. I suggest the Inner Cabinet issue an edict, summoning Chu Jiang back to the capital to report on his duties!"

"As for his crimes, we can discuss them after he arrives."

Minister of War Sun Wu said coldly: "Impossible. What is the Sun Moon Country? How dare they force our Great Chu to hand over someone? They're getting too big for their britches. If it comes to it, we'll just go to war!"

Whether it was Chu Jiang or the Corpse Old Ancestor, both were national treasures to Great Chu. One was the future, the other was the present.

"Minister Sun, you make it sound simple. War costs money, grain, and resources. Even if we defeat the Sun Moon Country, we will suffer heavy losses and attract the covetous eyes of demonic forces."

The Minister of Rites retorted.

Right Prime Minister Han Fei, Former Right Chancellor said: "I suggest we initiate negotiations to prolong the time. Even if we don't compensate the Sun Moon Country, it's impossible to hand over anyone."

Employing the delaying tactic.

The Sun Moon Country deliberately released the news to make them argue here.

They were probably secretly enjoying themselves right now.

But the faction led by the Minister of Justice clung stubbornly, insisting on convicting Chu Jiang. Some even suggested sending powerful experts to secretly deliver him to the Sun Moon Country, maintaining a neutral stance outwardly to preserve the dignity of a great nation.

The scene was chaotic, with everyone refusing to yield, engaging in verbal attacks.

It could roughly be divided into three factions.

The peace faction, led by the Yan King's forces, including the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Rites, and the Celestial Observatory. They advocated for handing over the person and money to appease the situation. Their reason was that Chu Jiang disregarded the law, massacred nobles, and indiscriminately killed the innocent.

The war faction, led by the Minister of War, including the Vice Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet and Right Prime Minister Han Fei, Former Right Chancellor. Handing over the person would be tantamount to ceding sovereignty and humiliating the nation, utterly unacceptable. If war was necessary, then war it would be.

The neutral faction included Yan Zheng, the Minister of Personnel, who was the head of the Six Ministries and also the Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet. Minister of Works Xu Yuan. And Wang Tieshan, the commander of the Imperial Capital's Seven Great Camps. Aside from Yan Zheng, who was the Qi King's man, the others never participated in any power struggles.

From beginning to end, they had barely spoken.