After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

"Where did the Jianghu experts come from in Beiwu?" Chen Futu was slightly surprised by the information from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"According to the analysis of the Prime Minister and the strategist, the conditions have been met. Beiwu opened the ancestral temple, and now the morale of the Beiwu army is high. Some people say that after Beiwu quells the rebellion in Nanqian, it will send troops north of Tianhe to attack Daxia."

"Is it that I can no longer lift a sword, or that they are too arrogant?"

Chen Futu knew that there was a secret in the ancestral temple, after all, it was something that even the system coveted, but it didn't matter. If it was opened, so be it. What the system cared about was the key. He could take the key back later to upgrade the system.

As for the level of the powerful figures in the ancestral temple, we will soon find out.

The caravan stayed on the Tea Horse Road for a day before heading towards Tongguan. According to the intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, after Zhao Xier returned from the capital, she, as the Queen of the Western Regions, joined forces with Yue Fei's troops stationed in the west to wipe out the remaining forces of the Longman and completely occupy the Western Regions. When the Great Sage Emperor returned, she submitted a memorial to the emperor to submit to him, and the Western Regions surrendered.

The territory of the Great Xia Dynasty now extends to the Ancient Tea Horse Road, and the Xia banners are planted on the city walls.

Xuanyuan Lie stared in astonishment at the dragon flag fluttering atop the city wall of the Western Regions, his gaze becoming unfocused.

The people of the Central Plains are still unaware of what has happened in the Western Regions. Once the delegations from the various kingdoms and tribes of the Western Regions arrive, the Holy Emperor's prestige in the Central Plains will reach its peak, at which point the resistance to his conquest of the area south of the Milky Way will be much less.

"Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor—"

A day later, Zhao Xier personally led the army to greet them. She smiled like a flower and led the courtiers to pay homage.

The Shen family father and daughter and their guards in the caravan were all dumbfounded by what they saw.

Chen Futu smiled slightly, "Your Majesty the Western Regions are too kind. I have been traveling for a long time and am looking forward to a proper rest."

"Your Majesty, I have made all the arrangements. You may rest nearby before returning to the capital."

The caravan followed the army back to the nearest city-state in the Western Regions.

Zhao Xier made thorough preparations, serving a sumptuous banquet, all of which featured delicacies from the Central Plains.

"So, he was the Great Sage Emperor..."

Shen Lu stared blankly at the man in the black and gold dragon robe at the table, her face suddenly turning red.

She felt utterly ashamed when she thought about the words she had used to exaggerate the Holy Emperor to Chen Futu.

When Chen Futu asked her in all seriousness what was so good about the Great Sage Emperor, she praised him all the way, feeling extremely ashamed.

Looking at Shen Lu's dazed face, Chen Futu joked, "Patriarch Shen, Miss Shen, thank you for taking care of me all the way."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."

Shen San was extremely apprehensive and fearful.

The Great Sage Emperor was no ordinary monarch; he was the first person in the history of the Central Plains dynasties to achieve this. He personally went to the Western Regions and destroyed the Brahma Tower, which intimidated all the countries in one fell swoop. He was then elected as the Heavenly Khan, a feat that no monarch in history had ever accomplished.

Compared to her father's fear, Shen Lu was much calmer. She said with a hint of resentment, "Your Majesty has deceived this humble woman so much."

"I apologize, but I had important business in the Western Regions, so I did not reveal my identity. To repay Miss Shen for her kindness, your Shen family may go to the capital. I will grant any request you may make."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lu's eyes dimmed slightly. She had no favors to show; she was more like the one being favored.

She was quick-witted and knew that the Emperor's invitation was not for her personally, but rather that he hoped the Shen family would act as an intermediary to attract more wealthy merchants from Jiangnan to develop in the capital, thereby accelerating trade for the Great Xia and enhancing its national strength.

The banquet was bustling with activity. After a few rounds of drinks, Chen Futu put his arm around Zhao Xier's slender waist and left first.

The long journey must have been tiring, and Zhao Xier is just about to help them relax.

For three consecutive days, Chen Futu did not show his face, and every night he was drunk and reclining on the lap of a beautiful woman.

Knowing that the Holy Emperor was having in-depth exchanges with the King of the Western Regions, everyone refrained from disturbing them and instead made purchases within the city.

While Dongfang Bubai, Xiaobai, Wang Zhaojun, and Shen Lu were shopping, some martial arts practitioners from the Western Regions approached them and started making jokes. Xiaobai beat them up severely, but only spared their lives because of the King of the Western Regions.

What I thought was a trivial matter turned out to be an unexpected incident.

Someone broke into the inn where the Shen family was staying in the middle of the night, killed the entire guard team, and kidnapped Shen Lu and Shen San.

Chen Futu and Zhao Xier had just gotten up when they heard about this and were furious. "Didn't the Shen family arrange for anyone to protect them?"

The Imperial Guards replied, "The Shen family is staying at an inn. We have some people outside, but the attackers are extremely strong. They killed the patrol team and caravan guards in a short time. Only Commander Liu Yun survived, and he was poisoned. The whereabouts of the Shen family father and daughter are unknown. Princess Shengwu, Tian Shuxing, and Consort Wang have all gone to look for them."

"Go back."

Zhao Xier dismissed the imperial guards and said bitterly to Chen Futu, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, it was my dereliction of duty."

"Are there any new martial arts organizations in the Western Regions?" Chen Futu asked, frowning.

"After I destroyed the Stone Kingdom and the remaining forces of the Dragon Barbarians, some Jianghu organizations that were affiliated with them became extremely active, frequently attacking government offices and killing many officials. I have not told Your Majesty about this."

"It seems that eradicating the Jianghu organizations in the Western Regions is imminent."

Whether in the Central Plains or the Western Regions, the Jianghu forces have always existed. Beiwu acted decisively in this matter, wiping out the Jianghu forces within its territory in the first instance. Zhao Xier, however, did not have the ability and skill of Liu Longyue.

After a moment's thought, Chen Futu summoned Dongfang Bubai alone and asked, "Is there any news?"

"No news. The person who made the move had a clear target and was ruthless. Their strength is about that of a Martial Emperor, and they are skilled in poison. There are no Martial Emperor experts in the Western Regions. The only one with some strength is the newly established Barbarian King's Stronghold organization. They have recruited many Jianghu forces and are enemies of the King of the Western Regions. The killing of officials was also their doing. Unfortunately, the King of the Western Regions does not know the exact location of the Barbarian King's Stronghold."

Dongfang Bubai gave a brief account of the investigation.

"Who would dare to attack the Shen family so openly? The Shen family recently attended a court banquet; anyone with a brain wouldn't dare to mess with them."

Since they dared to make a move, they were most likely not targeting the Shen family, but rather him, the Great Sage Emperor.

If people knew that even a mere merchant couldn't be protected in front of the Great Sage Emperor, what trust would the wealthy merchants south of the Milky Way have in the Great Xia?

Dongfang Bubai suddenly spoke up, "Your Majesty, perhaps we could let Xiaoqing give it a try."

Xiaoqing is intelligent and may be a legendary Qilin cub; perhaps she can find people by following the residual scent.

Chen Futu had an idea, so he took Xiaoqing to the scene of the crime at the inn.

The inn is currently sealed off by the royal guards, and most of the victims have been taken to their graves, but a lingering, foul odor of toxins still remains in the air.

"Little guy, you can't be kept in the dark about finding someone, can you?"

Chen Futu patted Xiaoqing's head and placed it in the room.

Xiaoqing looked around, and after a moment she jumped out of the window and headed south.