Yu Wenhua Ji had his men lift the restriction outside the Imperial Bedroom before he stealthily pushed the door open.
He expected to find a scandalous scene of the pair in bed together, but instead, he only saw Prince Hao of Qin lying alone, snoring like a pig.
‘Still sleeping? This fellow really is heartless.’
Yu Wenhua Ji sighed softly and raised the gleaming knife in his hand. “Oh well. We were brothers once, so I’ll let you go to Hell without any pain…”
Squelch.
Blood stained the bed curtains.
“If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being so tactless. You could have lived two more days… though I would have killed you sooner or later anyway.”
Yu Wenhua Ji shook his head and signaled his men to quickly clean up the scene.
But at that moment, the doors to the Imperial Bedroom slammed shut, and a strange rocket of fire erupted from beneath Prince Hao of Qin’s corpse!
In an instant, the fire spread throughout the entire Emperor’s Bedchamber.
Simultaneously, the Cultivators present felt their limbs grow weak and their True Qi stagnate. Without realizing it, they had been struck by a potent poison!
Yu Wenhua Ji was struck with terror.
Even more horrifying were the Sealing Runes appearing on the walls. Those runes made the already fortress-like Emperor’s Bedchamber even more indestructible, making a breakthrough impossible.
This room had been turned into a death trap long ago!
Someone had set this up in advance to catch Yu Wenhua Ji and his men like turtles in a jar, intending to burn them alive!
As the flames licked at the tip of his nose and the Imperial Guard sentries around him wailed in agony from the strange, unquenchable fire, Yu Wenhua Ji drew his knife.
Forcing his blade energy out, he jammed it into the crack of the bedroom door!
“Arghhhhh!”
He used every ounce of his strength, even temporarily boosting his Cultivation Base at the cost of burning his own Dao Foundation.
Yet, the door remained motionless!
Countless emperors had lived in this bedroom.
Every one of them feared being stabbed to death in their sleep, so every new ruler would upgrade and reinforce the chamber upon taking the throne.
It was the strongest fortress in the Royal Palace, and it would not be pried open easily!
“Help me!”
Fortunately, there were many battle-hardened Honored Ones present. To ensure success, Yu Wenhua Ji had brought all the high-end combat power he possessed.
The various Honored Ones worked together, desperately smashing at the door regardless of the cost. Finally, they managed to pry it open.
By then, three Honored Ones had already seen their Dao Foundations destroyed, perishing within the blaze.
Yu Wenhua Ji didn’t care about the Honored Ones lagging behind.
He was the first to rush out, taking large gulps of the cool, fresh air.
The palpitations of a near-death experience and a surge of fury drove him nearly insane.
He began to curse loudly, “Prince Hao of Qin! You ungrateful piece of trash! I should have killed your whole family long ago!”
To think he had been lured into a trap… Yu Wenhua Ji looked at his arm, which was burned deep red and peeling from the intense heat.
Then he saw his reflection in a mirror — half of his face was completely unrecognizable.
He wished he could chase Prince Hao of Qin into Hell and hack him 10,000 times more!
At least Prince Hao was dead. That scourge was finally gone.
He let out a long breath. Since it was so, tomorrow would be the joyous day of his enthronement. There was no need to hold a grudge against a dead man.
The fire gradually subsided after consuming the fortress-like bedroom where so many emperors had stayed.
However, a red glow in the distance made Yu Wenhua Ji tense up once more.
“Where is it burning now?”
“Reporting to the Chan… Your Majesty, it looks like the National Treasury.”
The remaining half of Yu Wenhua Ji’s face suddenly turned pale.
“Go put out the fire! Now!!!”
The supplies in the National Treasury were the fundamental support for his rule! They were more important than the throne itself!
The fire at the National Treasury dyed half the sky red.
It was a sinister flame that clung to the gates and walls; no matter how they tried to douse it, it wouldn’t go out.
“Is that Nether Karmic Fire?” A historian-official looked on with suspicion.
‘Did I see that wrong? Nether Karmic Fire is a wicked flame from the Eighteen Layers of Hell used to burn sinful souls. It should have disappeared along with the Underworld Province. How could it appear here?’
“I don’t care what kind of fire it is! Risk your lives to open the door! Go in and save the treasures!”
At Yu Wenhua Ji’s command, the death-sworn soldiers rushed forward, using their lives to bridge the gap.
They were willing to pay any price to open the doors of the National Treasury.
These soldiers were Shadow Guards that Yu Wenhua Ji had personally trained.
Losing even one made his heart ache… and now, nearly all of them were being wiped out.
The scene was exceptionally tragic, but the sacrifice of the Shadow Guards wasn’t in vain.
The National Treasury doors were forced open, revealing the situation inside.
“???”
‘Is something wrong with the way I opened this?’
In an instant, Yu Wenhua Ji’s mental state collapsed.
“Why is it empty again?!”
“Why?!”
Just this evening, he had personally escorted the final batch of treasures into the National Treasury. At that time, it was full to the brim!
Furthermore, what kind of bastard would steal everything from the treasury and then set a disgusting fire just to burn his Shadow Guards?
What a beast! What kind of monstrous behavior was this?!
If you’re going to steal, then steal! Why set a fire?! Don’t you have any decency?!
Yu Wenhua Ji clutched his face, unable to stop old tears from trickling through his fingers.
Fortunately, he had secretly withheld a third of the treasures. Those were kept in his own private storehouse, guarded by heavy troops…
Wait!
He seemed to realize something.
Why would they set a fire after the National Treasury had already been emptied?
No, their goal wasn’t to burn the Shadow Guards!
“Dammit! It’s a diversion!”
Like a madman, Yu Wenhua Ji immediately led his men back to the Chancellor’s Mansion.
Without a word, he charged straight for the hidden storehouse.
The guards at the entrance of the storehouse looked at him with strange expressions as he rushed over aggressively.
“Huh? Grand Chancellor, why are you back?”
Yu Wenhua Ji’s expression froze. “What do you mean by that?”
Intimidated by Yu Wenhua Ji’s aura and appearance, the guard stuttered, “Didn’t… didn’t you just leave?”
Yu Wenhua Ji took a deep breath. “I haven’t been back since dark.”
“Chancellor, stop joking. You clearly entered the storehouse an hour ago…”
“…”
Yu Wenhua Ji closed his eyes in despair.
“Are you here to take inventory?” the guard asked cautiously.
“I can understand. After suddenly obtaining such a massive windfall, your heart must be too excited to sleep. It’s only natural to want to get up in the middle of the night to count your money and relive the joy…”
“Count your mother!”
Yu Wenhua Ji’s roar shook the entire Imperial Capital awake.
High above on the eaves and ridges, a light and graceful shadow glided soundlessly through the night.
The sleeve arrow on the shadow’s wrist flickered in and out of sight.
Beneath the pitch-black cloak, a strand of blue hair slipped out, but it was quickly hooked by a snowy-white little paw and tucked back into the hood.
Jiang Ke’er felt the refreshing night wind brush past her ears.
She clung tightly to Qiao Xiaoxian’s fragrant hair, watching as the other girl expertly leaped between towers and streets before finally reaching the city wall.
Below the towering city wall, a cart of straw had been placed there at some unknown time.
Qiao Xiaoxian smiled slightly, looked back toward the Chancellor’s Mansion, and whispered, “Thanks.”
Then she pulled Jiang Ke’er into her arms and let herself fall freely toward the pile of straw below the wall.
Thud—
“…Who put a rock here?!”
“Hahaha, I did!” Jiang Ke’er stood with her hands on her hips, laughing with pure, unbridled delight.