Chapter 1363: The Invitation of King Yao

Chapter 1349: The King of Yao's Invitation

"Taken away?" The Master of Honglu was somewhat surprised. "What kind of black cavalry would meddle in such affairs?"

"They wore never-before-seen, pure black standard light armor made of excellent material, which didn't reflect light at all in the night," the tall, thin man said. This man was the demonic puppeteer who had appeared at the Greenery Manor a few days prior. "Everyone wore a mask, and their combat power was formidable."

"Black cavalry wearing masks?" The Master of Honglu thought for a moment. "Was the leader wearing a dragon-head mask?"

The tall, thin man was surprised. "Ah, yes!"

"How did you... know?" He almost blurted out, but changed his words at the last second. "You are truly insightful!"

The Master of Honglu mused, "Which power is emerging now? This black-armored cavalry unit has been very active recently. Continue."

He had also been constantly monitoring changes in the surrounding areas.

The black-armored cavalry was a newly emerged force, appearing and disappearing without a trace, and the Master of Honglu was very interested.

"They first paralyzed your scorpion python, and then..."

The tall, thin man described the battle process he had witnessed.

"So, you didn't see how the other two demonic puppets were captured?"

"This subordinate is incompetent." The two demonic puppets were driven towards the cliff face behind the Greenery Manor. Obscured by trees, he couldn't see the battle scene. "By the time my rosemary bees arrived to monitor, the battle there had already ended."

He felt even more ashamed. "The opponent also discovered my position, so I had no choice but to escape by diving into the water."

Otherwise, if the black-armored cavalry could easily kill the master of the Greenery Manor, wouldn't capturing him, a lone demonic puppeteer, be even easier?

"What about Xiao An?"

"I could sense that she was originally in the northern part of the manor. At that time, the black-armored cavalry also pursued Wu Ma Dan to the north courtyard, which startled Xiao An away, and then she disappeared again," the tall, thin man whispered. "I tracked the three demonic puppets the whole way, but their speed was extremely fast. After heading north for thirty li, they..."

"You lost them?"

The tall, thin man dejectedly said, "Yes."

He could track his own demonic puppets, but this sensation became ineffective shortly after he pursued them.

"Either they blocked your tracking spell, or they went to a place where the spell couldn't take effect," the Master of Honglu stared at him coldly. "In any case, this trip was a complete failure for you!"

Cold sweat poured down the tall, thin man's face; he dared not speak.

After a while, the Master of Honglu asked him, "Is there anything else to report?"

If not, he would be punished. The tall, thin man quickly said, "There are, there are two more things. The day after Xiao An escaped, a dragon-head statue suddenly appeared on the gate tower wall of the Greenery Manor. This subordinate discovered it when I went back to check, and I heard the servants in the manor discussing it too."

"There were anomalies wherever they went; truly, no small display," the Master of Honglu sneered faintly. "And what else?"

"The State of Pei has put a bounty on Xiao An near Chen Family Village, claiming she is a witness to an important murder case," the tall, thin man whispered. "She was previously taken in by someone at Chen Family Village."

"Quite a few people died in Chen Family Village, didn't they?" The Master of Honglu's gaze deepened. "You didn't control your demonic puppets well again?"

The man stammered, "Yes, there were some casualties."

"A village of less than a thousand people, and over a hundred died—you call that 'some'?"

So the master already knew! The tall, thin man's face grew paler. "They, they go berserk at the sight of blood, truly difficult to restrain!"

He commanded the demonic puppets to track Xiao An, but these creatures grew ravenous at the scent of humans, and the people of Chen Family Village began to resist, further inciting the puppets' ferocity.

Then, things spiraled out of control.

He was incapable of making the demonic puppets restrain their ferocity or of refining higher-grade demonic puppets with his current abilities.

"Are you saying that what I created is flawed and not good to use?"

"No, no, it's this subordinate's incompetence, this subordinate's lack of skill!"

"Insect puppets are more volatile and act more on instinct; I warned you long ago," the Master of Honglu's tone turned chilling. "Xiao An must absolutely not be exposed to public view again! But now the State of Pei's officials are looking for her, and I'm afraid those with ill intentions will make connections. You've truly caused me a great deal of trouble."

"This subordinate deserves to die!" The tall, thin man repeatedly bowed his head to the ground, his mouth bitter. "My lord, forgive me, my lord, forgive me! I will definitely find Xiao An!"

The Master of Honglu did not respond, simply waving a hand.

Guards from both sides stepped forward and forcibly dragged the tall, thin man out.

His pleas became inaudible after the private room door closed.

"Someone."

Immediately, someone stepped forward from the side and knelt before the table.

"Lyu County has posted a bounty notice for Xiao An; any news from within ten li, the local supervising officials should know about it," the Master of Honglu said. "Go to the State of Pei for me and visit two people to inquire."

"Yes!"

Two days later, Fan Shuang, the special envoy from the State of Yao, arrived.

This time, he didn't come alone but brought four or five companions, whose ages ranged from their twenties to their forties.

After Fan Shuang's enthusiastic introduction, He Lingchuan learned that these were second-generation officials and merchants from the State of Yao, who had come specifically to meet the Island Master of Yangshan.

The several new cooperation agreements between Yangshan and the State of Yao would be handled by them subsequently.

Therefore, this was a gathering where old friends introduced new ones, so everyone could get acquainted first, making it easier to do business openly later.

He Lingchuan found it inconvenient to take them to the Yuangxiang Association, so he reserved a table in a private room at the Bamboo Hideaway Tavern.

Fan Shuang invited He Lingchuan to the riverbank first to speak privately, but Wanqifong and several other guards followed closely, maintaining strict vigilance.

He Lingchuan waved them all away before saying, "Brother Fan, please don't be offended. After Marshal Situ's incident, my subordinates have been keeping a very close eye on me."

"What's there to be offended about? I wouldn't mind ten dozen such loyal subordinates." Fan Shuang's smile was fleeting. "Speaking of Marshal Situ's assassination, my King was also deeply shocked and sent condolences to the Situ household yesterday."

He Lingchuan looked at him, smiling but saying nothing.

Of course, the State of Yao could not admit to such a thing.

"Brother He, what is that expression?" Fan Shuang said seriously. "Marshal Situ's death truly has nothing to do with our country; our country has already sent an envoy to the Situ family to clarify."

"How dare I accuse?" He Lingchuan shook his head. "However, this area truly harbors hidden talents; experts of unknown origin who can even kill Marshal Situ are certainly beyond my imagination."

"Indeed, with Marshal Situ's passing, who knows what direction the situation here will take." Fan Shuang, having come with a mission today, cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Brother He, the treasure armor you brought last time has a significant history."

"Which royal relative left it behind?" The royal crest of the State of Yao on the treasure armor was not something commoners or nobles dared to use.

"I took it back and presented it to the King, and the palace quickly identified it as an item from a certain prince's residence. His son led a team out to sea by ship, but then there was no news of them, and there were many rumors in the country," Fan Shuang whispered. "Unexpectedly, he encountered a hurricane in the Yangshan sea area. Alas, fate is determined by heaven."

"So that's how it is." He Lingchuan noticed that Fan Shuang spoke vaguely about the cause and effect, not even mentioning which prince's son it was.

What couldn't be said clearly?

"Have these relics been returned to the family?"

Fan Shuang hummed twice, then asked, "Brother He, are there any other relics from the ship?"

He Lingchuan answered immediately, "Other relics? No. The ship was shattered by the reefs; even if there were anything, it would have been buried at the bottom of the sea long ago, right?"

Those ships still held a large amount of treasure, which he certainly wouldn't offer up.

Of course, the shipwrecks and treasures of the Yangshan sea area all belonged to the Island Master.

"Ah, I mean, some small items, like seals or imperial treasures," Fan Shuang prompted. "They're worthless to outsiders but useful to us. Brother He, could you think a bit more carefully?"

"Seals?" He Lingchuan stroked his chin, closed his eyes, and pondered. "Hmm—"

Yes, there were indeed some. Along with the treasure armor and other valuables on the ship, there were also some herbs and a few seals.

After the State of Yao retrieved the treasure armor, did they still want these back?

"To be honest, the shipwreck relics salvaged from the Yangshan Archipelago over the years are astonishingly numerous; there are hundreds of seals alone. I don't know if any of them are what you need," He Lingchuan asked him. "What characters are engraved on the seal?"

"Qinghongs Treasure Seal."

"Alright, I'll send a swift message to Yangshan tomorrow morning to inquire."

Fan Shuang thanked him, then said to He Lingchuan, "Interactions between Yangshan and our country are becoming increasingly frequent, and Brother He has helped us recover important lost items. My King is greatly pleased, and therefore—"

He straightened his back, took out a gilded invitation from his robes, and presented it with both hands. "—My King's fifty-ninth birthday, and he has specifically invited He Lingchuan to attend the ceremony!"

He Lingchuan was moved and found it difficult to accept the invitation immediately.

The King of Yao had no previous acquaintance with him, and He Lingchuan knew he was hardly a significant figure in the King's eyes, so why would the King directly invite him to attend the banquet?

There were many levels of attendance at royal banquets; most officials were only granted the privilege of standing alongside the attendees.

Simply put, ordinary officials could only stand below, while only a select few could sit above.

Fan Shuang said with great solemnity, "Brother He, this is an immense honor; it would not be good to refuse."

On the Glittering Gold Plains, receiving an invitation from the King of Yao was a tremendous honor; he could hardly imagine anyone turning it down.

If he could seize this opportunity, he'd be willing to fight tooth and nail for it.

He Lingchuan smiled wryly. "I haven't made any great contributions to the State of Yao; how can I enjoy such an immense honor?"

He had originally only intended to have someone send a gift, not to personally offer birthday wishes.

"Brother He, please do not decline. My King repeatedly instructed me to convey that he places great hopes on the bilateral relationship between the State of Yao and Yangshan."

Conversely, if He Lingchuan didn't show face and refused to go, it would jeopardize the relationship that had been so painstakingly built.

Was the King of Yao trying to force a bull to drink? He Lingchuan was dumbfounded and amused. "Brother Fan, you should be clearest about my concerns. In fact, I have another worry."

Thus, he informed Fan Shuang about the incidents involving the two branch offices sent by the Yangshan Archipelago to the State of Yao.

Upon hearing this, Fan Shuang was indeed greatly shocked. "Such a thing happened?"

He had been away from the State of Yao for a long time this trip, so he might not know everything that happened domestically. Moreover, Xiancheng and Xialin were not major cities in the State of Yao, so how could Fan Shuang know everything that occurred there?

If he didn't know, it was highly likely that the King of Yao didn't know either.

Even the King of Yao could not be omniscient and omnipotent in his own territory.