Chapter 2026: Meeting

Chapter 2007: The Meeting

Qingyang glanced over, her gaze hardening slightly.

There were devout followers of the Sky Demons around Nanrong He, who would secretly relay the latest intelligence to Qingyang.

The note itself was concise, containing just a few words:

Patriarch Nanrong has sent a letter to Emperor Jiuyou, requesting a meeting at Mount Long.

"Mount Long?" Qingyang lightly tapped her fingers on the table a few times, several thoughts flashing through her mind.

Yuan Xuan whispered, "This is just a request; He Xiao might not go."

Qingyang shook her head. "He Xiao has subdued the Allied Army and Bixia, and he doesn't have any major affairs to attend to right now, so he will go."

She continued, "He must consider the Dragon God's reputation. He won't easily resort to harsh measures against Nanrong He; if there's a chance to talk, he'll try to. Yes, this is our opportunity."

After sparring for so long, her understanding of He Xiao was something ordinary people couldn't match. Even the former Bai Ziqi was far inferior.

"Are you thinking of...?"

"We don't have much time left," Qingyang mused. "Once he unleashes the Dragon God Army, Yaoguo and Baitian will find it difficult to resist. The best timing is still now."

Regardless, she had to try one more time. May the Emperor bless them!

"Bring me paper and brush."

That night, Qingyang wrote diligently until late. Yuan Xuan dared not peek at the contents, only knowing that she wrote with flowing strokes, occasionally pausing to ponder, and even a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

This was extremely rare. The Palace Mistress had been troubled by the situation in Blazing Gold recently and hadn't smiled so genuinely in a long time. Yuan Xuan could feel that even Qingyang's aura became confident and serene. For a moment, he thought he was seeing the serious, diligent, and powerful Bega Grand Tutor again.

After a long while, Qingyang finished writing the letter, affixed her seal, gently blew the ink dry, and personally sealed it with wax.

Next, she asked Yuan Xuan to pluck a lotus bud from the pond outside. Early lotuses were already appearing this season, but they were all small, unripe buds, far from blooming. She then performed some unknown magic, somehow managing to insert the letter into the lotus bud. She pricked her fingertip and let two drops of fresh blood fall onto the bud.

Strangely, the blood drops were immediately absorbed by the lotus bud, and the white lotus instantly transformed into a blood-red one.

Afterwards, she handed the lotus bud to Yuan Xuan:

"Have someone deliver this to Bega as quickly as possible, to Nie Xiaolou, the Grand Tutor of the Green Palace. Tell him that the letter inside can only be retrieved when the lotus blooms."

"Yes, Madam." Yuan Xuan took it with both hands and quickly left.

The moonlight slanted westward. Qingyang looked up at the moon and let out a long breath. Having made her decision and let go of her worries, her state of mind became incredibly peaceful. Facing the direction where the moon was setting, to the west, she clasped her hands and murmured a prayer.

Success or failure hinged on this one attempt.

Mount Long.

The meeting point Nanrong He arranged with He Lingchuan was not on the mountain itself, but in a small pavilion on the outskirts of the city at its foot. It was only twenty li from Falling Phoenix Pool, which the Nanrong family had recently recovered. Not inviting Emperor Jiuyou into the city was a gesture of friendliness and consideration.

It was early summer now, and the wind at the foot of the mountain was still cool. He Lingchuan led several dozen cavalry along the mountain road. The vegetation along the way was lush, no wonder it was called Mount Long. The myrtle beside the road was covered in small, reddish-pink flowers. Seeing these flowers, He Lingchuan recalled how the original body he inhabited had fallen off a cliff on the outskirts of Blackwater City in Yuanguo, where the mountain was covered with the delicious purple fruits of this very myrtle.

In the blink of an eye, many years had passed. The former second-generation official from a small border country had transformed into Emperor Jiuyou, poised to dominate Blazing Gold and contend for supremacy over the world! It felt like a lifetime ago.

Ahead, green trees stretched like a sea, revealing a corner of the small pavilion. Nanrong He was waiting in the pavilion. Seeing He Lingchuan approach, he immediately stood up to greet him:

"I've heard so much about you, Emperor Jiuyou, and I must say, I never expected the renowned figure to be so young!"

He Lingchuan met him in his true form for this trip and did not summon his Clanging Dragon Armor. He had come to negotiate with peaceful intentions, not to fight, so appearing in cold armor would not be appropriate.

He Lingchuan returned the greeting, "Mr. Nanrong."

The atmosphere of the meeting was rather harmonious. The two sat down in the pavilion, while the dozens of elite guards behind them retreated fifty paces away.

Nanrong He looked at He Lingchuan and asked, "Where has Emperor Jiuyou just arrived from?"

"Bixia," He Lingchuan replied truthfully, his voice calm. "It has been pacified, so I came directly."

Nanrong He immediately understood the meaning of "pacified," and his gaze sharpened slightly. He was, of course, well aware that the war between the Allied Army and Bixia had lasted nearly two years. For Emperor Jiuyou to now say that Bixia was "pacified" meant...

He paused for a few breaths before asking, "General Zhongwu was also a military talent and favored by Bega. How long did he hold out against you?"

He Lingchuan smiled. "One night."

Nanrong He was slightly taken aback. Zhongwu, leading the Bixians against Emperor Jiuyou, had only lasted one night?! He had witnessed the battles of the Black Armored Army and Guo Baiyu; they were indeed valiant and formidable, utterly different from common armies in Blazing Gold. But General Zhongwu's rapid defeat still seemed unbelievable to him. How long, then, would the Nanrong army last against the Black Armored Army or the Dragon God Army? Nanrong He had been pondering this question for many days.

Nanrong He clasped his hands together on the table. "After subduing Bixia, what are Emperor Jiuyou's other plans?"

"The entire Blazing Gold Plain is my plan," He Lingchuan said with a faint smile. "Dozens of Blazing Gold factions have become lackeys of the Sky Demons, harassing city-states and harming the common people. Once I'm free, I will eliminate them one by one and restore peace and tranquility to Blazing Gold."

"A fine goal, peace and tranquility," Nanrong He said, his gaze fixed deeply. "If you wish to bring peace and tranquility to Blazing Gold, you must destroy Yaoguo."

The Nanrong family knew better than anyone what role Yaoguo consistently played in the Blazing Gold Plain.

"Yaoguo also tried to win over the Nanrong family in the past, didn't it?"

"That's right, my father and I both received surrender edicts from Yaoguo," Nanrong He said, straightening his back. "Ha, my wife used them to line her clothes chest."

The Nanrong family had always been very proud.

He Lingchuan chuckled. "The old King Yao long ago ceased to be ambitious. The Sky Demons repeatedly pressured him to send troops, but he always retreated and refused, which eventually brought about his downfall."

This implied that Yaoguo was old and feeble, and refusing it was nothing to be proud of.

After this, silence fell upon the pavilion. Nanrong He knew it was time to get to the main point. Emperor Jiuyou had not traveled all this way just to exchange pleasantries.

"You won't spare Yaoguo, will you?"

"Of course," He Lingchuan's tone was unequivocal. "Yaoguo is the Sky Demons' most crucial leverage for causing chaos in Blazing Gold. I must eliminate it!"

As he spoke, his expression remained unchanged, his tone unwavering, and he didn't even shift. He merely raised an eyebrow, yet Nanrong He felt an incredibly sharp and murderous aura suddenly emanate from him.

He secretly exhaled before continuing, "Once you defeat Yaoguo, pacify the four directions, and take control of all Blazing Gold, what then will be your plan?"