A farmer has a shrewish wife; he's busy making money every day.

"Chief! Chief!"

Guishan ran into the main hall, stumbling every two steps. The Martial Emperor sat on the dragon throne at the head of the table, looking down at him.

"Clan leader! That Mu Ying! That guy! He's actually rebelled too!"

He could barely speak the local dialect, and his pockets felt cold, but he didn't care anymore; he was still immersed in the despair he had just felt.

He felt at the time that if Lu Chuci wanted to kill him, it would only be a matter of moving a finger.

After escaping the seal, he cultivated to the Foundation Establishment stage through his own efforts, thinking that he could look down on most people. However, the scene just now made him feel deeply frustrated.

That's the feeling of insignificance that mortals experience when facing gods.

"Clan...Clan Chief, they say they want you to go out and see them in person." Guishan bowed, not daring to look at the Martial Emperor.

After a long silence, the Emperor Wu finally let out a cryptic "heh," saying, "I didn't expect the Lu couple to be so capable, even managing to persuade Mu Ying."

His voice was like ice, and Guishan shivered violently, then suddenly remembered something.

"Chieftain, I...I...I have something else I'm not sure if I should say."

The Emperor sighed impatiently, and Guishan trembled again.

"Yes, that's right! I just saw Consort Guan at the palace gate!"

The Martial Emperor frowned deeply: "What?"

"Absolutely true! I can't be mistaken! She seems to have a very good relationship with those people from the Lu family!"

Guishan was the first in their clan to climb out of the seal. He had been by the side of Emperor Wu for a long time and had basically participated in all of Emperor Wu's plans.

He naturally remembered the woman who became pregnant only after all her plans had ended.

This lucky woman was spared by their clan chief for various reasons.

The child in her womb became the only bloodline left by the late emperor.

Guishan repeatedly advised the clan leader to reconsider and not leave any hidden dangers, but the clan leader had his own thoughts, so the woman lived for a very, very long time.

Then one day, the woman suddenly disappeared.

They searched the entire palace thoroughly, but found no trace of the woman, not even her body.

The only clue was that several palace maids claimed to have seen a white ghostly figure flash by in the middle of the night.

Some say they are tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves, while others say they are demons and monsters.

The conflicting accounts have made the search for Guan Yu even more mysterious.

Guishan asked the clan chief if he had done it secretly, and received a negative answer. But no matter what, it was good that the person disappeared. At that time, the clan chief was also sent to manage the flood and was not suspected.

This matter just ended.

But Guishan kept it in his heart, because after that, all the palace maids who claimed to have seen ghosts disappeared.

"Clan leader, how did Consort Guan end up on their side..." Guishan asked cautiously, not daring to look up.

He didn't see the murderous intent that flashed in the Emperor's eyes, an emotion that seemed to have been suppressed for a long time.

"Go downstairs and change your clothes first." The Martial Emperor stood up, said this, and turned to leave.

Guishan was somewhat confused. He secretly looked up at the Martial Emperor, and a chill emanated from within him.

He inexplicably felt that the figure of their clan leader today was much more dangerous than ever before... by a great deal.

—

boom.

The door, carved with gold and jade, was suddenly flung open by the impact of spiritual energy, slamming against the wall with a dull yet crisp sound.

Empress Dowager Wu, who was reclining on a soft couch in the room, suddenly opened her eyes. When she saw that the person who came was Emperor Wu, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, but she still maintained her composure on the surface.

She sat up: "What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"

She had just heard a lot of noise outside, but wasn't sure what had happened.

She initially thought it was just another trick by the Martial Emperor, but seeing his expression now, she realized that things weren't so simple.

"Mother." The Empress finally spoke her first words.

Empress Dowager Wu froze, she understood all too well the meaning behind her son's every word.

"what happened?"

"The Imperial Guards have rebelled and conspired with the Longyang Army to besiege the city." His voice was flat, as if an outsider were stating a fact.

Empress Dowager Wu: "So what? With your strength, you can just kill them all. Anyway, those people from the cultivation world can't interfere, can they?"

The Emperor nodded: "Yes, that's why I've come to ask the Empress Dowager for the Ice and Fire Spirit Fruit."

"..." Empress Wu's muscles stiffened instantly.

Her lips twitched: "Has His Majesty obtained the Warm Firefly Grass?"

The Empress Dowager remained expressionless: "What's the difference between me giving it to you after I've received it, and the Empress Dowager giving it to me now? Or does the Empress Dowager still not trust me?"

"Of course not." Empress Dowager Wu immediately denied it, but then, not knowing how to refute it, she could only manage to say, "It's too much trouble to fetch it back and forth."

The air suddenly seemed to freeze.

"Heh." Emperor Wu suddenly laughed, causing Empress Dowager Wu's hair to stand on end instantly.

"Empress Dowager, you have truly disappointed me." The Emperor walked step by step toward Empress Dowager Wu, his hand reaching to his waist. "Let me guess, Empress Dowager, you don't have the Ice-Fire Spirit Fruit with you right now, do you?"

With a clang, Emperor Wu drew a small knife from his waist and pressed it against Empress Dowager Wu's cheek.

A chilling sensation seemed to creep through Empress Wu's body like a ghost, and her voice trembled slightly: "What is Your Majesty saying? Do you suspect I'm lying to you?"

"Mother, you don't need to make excuses." The Empress's grip tightened. "Do you know who my men discovered among the Lu family's group?"

Empress Wu's breathing stopped instantly.

She heard the Empress Wu's devilish whisper in her ear: "It's Consort Guan, Mother."

With a bang, those words instantly made her blood run cold.

"Mother, I suddenly remembered a lot of things." The Empress continued, her blade already stained with traces of blood. "Back then, I found white tiger fur outside the secret chamber, and you told me that you had killed them and that nothing inside the chamber was missing."

"And Lu Chuci, who miraculously survived death after Wen Yingchuncao was taken away by someone else."

"Then there's Yunlai, who has been by your side for a long time."

Emperor Wu paused for a moment, seemingly giving Empress Dowager Wu time to react.

After a few breaths, he spoke again softly, "Mother."

The call was so soft it sounded like an affectionate term, but to Empress Wu, it felt like a thousand needles piercing her body, leaving her unaware and yet causing excruciating pain with every movement.

His face had been slashed open, and blood flowed down the blade, through the Emperor's hand holding the sword, and disappeared into the golden sleeve.

Empress Wu dared not move, closed her eyes in despair, and her lips moved as if to speak.

"We're mother and son, after all. Do you really have to be so cruel?"

The Empress laughed twice more, then suddenly moved the knife in her hand to the side of her neck, close to her throbbing pulse: "You still have the nerve to mention mother and child."

"You know what I hate and regret most in my life is that I didn't have a strong mother!"

The Martial Emperor no longer referred to himself as "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I" or "the Emperor"), clearly having lost control of his emotions: "If you were merely weak, I could still consider the kindness of you giving birth to me in the human realm and preventing me from being sealed away. But you are not only weak, you are also stupid!"

"You could have gone after Guan Fei, but not only did you fail, you let her escape! Now she's in the hands of the Lu family, a perfect tool for turning Mu Ying against them! Do you know how much trouble this has caused me?!"

The moment he raised his voice, he swiftly brought down the knife, splattering bright red blood all over the ground.