Chapter 1015: Unparalleled Loyalty of Feng Lintao

Feng Lintao was filled with emotion.

The fates of people are sometimes so changeable and unpredictable!

However, Feng Lintao was no ordinary person. Just as Lanyao had described him, he was selfish, cold, cruel, and suspicious, yet also skilled at enduring hardship. Therefore, ever since he chose to pledge allegiance to the human race, he had already simulated all possible scenarios in his mind. Although seeing Xu Qing now stirred some complex emotions within him, he quickly suppressed them.

During this process, he didn't hide his thoughts; instead, he openly displayed them on his face and in his expression.

This was something he excelled at. As a Half-Blood Demonic Plume, he had managed to cultivate step by step to the Spirit Nurturing stage in the Demonic Plume Sacred Land, so he naturally had his own way of survival.

He had known how to leverage everything around him, including his own emotions, since he was a child.

Here today, he intended to use this to prove his sincerity.

After all, in the months since his defection, he had consistently been sidelined; the Human Emperor had not given him any assignments.

This made him somewhat uneasy.

He knew this indicated that the Empress had not fully accepted his surrender.

She was still adopting a wait-and-see approach concerning him.

Thus, he needed to seize this opportunity to demonstrate even greater sincerity.

With these thoughts in mind, Feng Lintao's bow to Xu Qing contained a hint of genuine respect and conviction.

Xu Qing gazed at Feng Lintao, his expression calm, not uttering a word.

No joy or anger was discernible, nor any emotion contained within.

Although Xu Qing remained silent, Er Niu, playing with the Sacred Sky Divine Vine in his hand, chuckled and spoke with a smile.

"Kid, long time no see!"

Feng Lintao turned, his expression still showing emotion as he looked at Er Niu, then cupped his fists and bowed.

"Greetings, Great Heavenly General. What happened that day was my mistake. I hope you and the Grand Tutor will not take it to heart. Although my surrender to the human race this time was a last resort, my sincerity comes from the depths of my heart!"

With these words, Feng Lintao not only humbled himself, expressing the respect due from a disadvantaged position, but also indirectly indicated that he was indeed acquainted with Xu Qing and Er Niu.

However, Xu Qing understood this intention with a single glance, and with Er Niu's sharp perception, how could he not see through it?

Hearing this, Er Niu raised the Divine Vine in his hand, a joyful smile on his face. "Why, of course not! You gave me and little A-Qing so many good things last time. I haven't even properly thanked you, you great benefactor!"

Feng Lintao forced a bitter smile, but inwardly, his emotions churned.

Ultimately, his hatred for Xu Qing was not extensive; the main target of his animosity was Er Niu.

It was Er Niu who had tricked him, making him carry him all the way.

It was Er Niu's continuous feigned dying state that made him uncharacteristically careless.

And it was Er Niu who, at a critical moment, bit off the Divine Vine, directly dismantling his trump card.

That's why he was subsequently pursued by Lanyao and Yuedong.

Originally, without Er Niu, he could have turned the tide and won.

The root cause was right before him.

Yet, he could not show his hatred.

So Feng Lintao took a deep breath, about to suppress his churning thoughts, but just then, Er Niu continued with his mischievous remarks.

"Come on, good vine, say hello to your grandpa!"

Er Niu triumphantly raised the Divine Vine.

The Divine Vine turned its head, its leaves subtly swaying.

Feng Lintao remained silent, struggling to keep his composure.

Seeing that Er Niu was about to speak again, the Grand Chancellor, standing not far away, coughed, interrupting Er Niu's interest, and looked towards Xu Qing.

"This time, His Majesty has summoned the Grand Tutor back not only for military affairs but also for another matter that requires verification."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing looked at the Human Grand Chancellor.

"Is it about Feng Lintao's identity?"

The Grand Chancellor nodded.

"Not only that, the specific details are in this item. Please examine it, Grand Tutor."

As he spoke, the Grand Chancellor produced a jade slip, lightly sending it floating to Xu Qing's front. It contained all of Feng Lintao's statements.

Xu Qing took it, pondered for a few moments after reviewing it, and then slowly spoke: "My first encounter with this person was on the way back to the human race from the Blazing Moon Mystic Heaven. The specific experience was submitted in a jade slip, which recorded the circumstances.

"Regarding this person's entanglement with Lanyao and Yuedong, from my observation at the time, there was indeed mutual murderous intent. Had my Senior Brother and I not intervened that day, this person would likely not have escaped with his life.

"And our appearance, that of my Senior Brother and myself, appeared to be coincidental.

"Furthermore, it's unlikely that the Demonic Plume Sacred Land would have chosen Feng Lintao as a hidden agent for his current defection before their arrival.

"As for the final decision, it still rests with His Majesty!"

After Xu Qing finished speaking, he said no more.

The Grand Chancellor nodded upon hearing this.

Xu Qing's words served as corroboration for Feng Lintao's surrender.

This made Feng Lintao feel a sense of relief deep down.

During the subsequent court session, most of the ministers' memorials were about military affairs. Xu Qing also gained a general understanding of the current war situation and losses.

Overall, the situation was not optimistic.

A heavy, oppressive atmosphere gradually filled the entire hall.

Feng Lintao listened, not daring to make any subtle moves. In his view, if he had a choice, it would actually be better not to hear about these military matters.

An hour later, the court session concluded, and Feng Lintao promptly and respectfully departed.

Xu Qing remained still.

Until everyone had left the hall, only Xu Qing, Er Niu, and Empress Ning Yan remained.

Xu Qing rose and bowed to the Empress.

"Your Majesty sent a message to keep me here. May I know your instructions?"

The Empress's gaze fell upon Er Niu.

Er Niu pretended not to notice.

A moment later, the Empress spoke calmly.

"Xu Qing, I need you to do something for me."

Hearing this, Xu Qing's expression remained unchanged as he waited for her to continue.

"I want you to find a way to capture Lanyao alive. If you cannot capture her alive, you must bring back her corpse!"

A look of doubt appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.

"Lanyao?"

Xu Qing had an impression of this woman. From her conversation with Feng Lintao in Liaoxuan Cave, he recalled that Lanyao seemed to have significant backing in the Demonic Plume Sacred Land.

Yet, even so, it shouldn't be important enough for the Empress to pay special attention to her.

Ning Yan was also surprised, not knowing why his mother had spoken in such a way.

"Lanyao's identity is not simple."

Facing Xu Qing and Ning Yan's confusion, the Empress spoke without emotion.

"Within the Demonic Plume Sacred Land, there are two Great Emperors.

"One is presumed to have fallen.

"Lanyao is a descendant of that presumed fallen Great Emperor. According to my intelligence, her bloodline within her family is exceptionally pure.

"If you bring her back, I can use her bloodline to fully ascertain whether that Great Emperor has truly fallen, and there are other uses as well."

After the Empress finished speaking, she raised her hand and produced a white jade tube.

This jade slip had a peculiar material; it seemed tangible yet possessed a sense of illusion, as if condensed from light, incredibly wondrous.

"If you encounter irresistible force on the way, Xu Qing, you may crush this luminous jade, and I shall personally descend!"

The Empress waved her hand, and the luminous jade flew directly towards Xu Qing.

Xu Qing caught it, immediately feeling a strong pressure emanating from within the luminous jade.

After pondering for a moment and accepting the order, Xu Qing put away the luminous jade.

"Your Majesty, to capture Lanyao alive, I will need to use Feng Lintao. Only by using him as bait will Lanyao appear.

"However, this person is cunning, and when it involves life and death, he will be difficult to make fully cooperate, and will surely keep a fallback. If this is concealed from him, he will detect it through ordinary means. Once he realizes he is a decoy, other complications may arise."

Xu Qing spoke slowly.

"What do you propose?"

The Empress looked at Xu Qing.

Before Xu Qing could speak, Er Niu, who had listened from beginning to end, his eyes already sparkling, suddenly interjected.

"I have a way."

As he spoke, his lips moved slightly, sending a telepathic message to both Xu Qing and the Empress.

After a while, Xu Qing's expression was peculiar, while Er Niu looked incredibly pleased.

The Empress, with a profound look in her eyes, spoke faintly.

"Granted!"

Xu Qing rose, bade farewell to the Empress, and, accompanied by an excited and expectant Er Niu, left the hall.

Meanwhile, in the hall, Ning Yan watched Xu Qing's departing figure longingly, wishing to follow him or ask what they had just been discussing... but next to his mother, he dared not leave without permission.

"Yan'er, write down an imperial decree!"

Just as Ning Yan's heart yearned for the outside world, the Empress's calm voice echoed.

Ning Yan immediately became solemn, bowing his head in assent.

And so, five days passed.

After Xu Qing and Er Niu found Wu Jianwu, who had remained in the Human Imperial Capital, and retrieved the two golden mice that had been hatched with his assistance and experience...

An imperial decree was issued from the human race, informing the entire Eastern Bound of Wanggu!

It enfeoffed Feng Lintao as the Human Race's Fiendish Plume Heavenly Marquis!

And listed his merits:

"Abandoned darkness for light, and reported secret intelligence from the Sacred Land, recovering enormous losses for our human race."

"Possessing inherent bravery, utterly irreconcilable with the Sacred Land, harboring deep hatred for all Demonic Plume tribesmen, and having single-handedly slain over a hundred covert intruders from the Demonic Plume Sacred Land."

As soon as this decree was issued, the Eastern Bound of Wanggu was immediately stirred into an uproar!

Feng Lintao instantly became the focus of attention across the entire Eastern Bound of Wanggu, with various races initiating investigations.

However, this was clearly not what he wanted... becoming instantly brilliant and a focal point made him very uneasy.

What made him even more uneasy was how events unfolded with increasing astonishment over the following month.

In the numerous small-scale battles between the human race and the Demonic Plume Sacred Land during that month, the human race's victories suddenly increased. It even seemed as though the human race had gained insight into some of the Sacred Land's war strategies.

And each time, the Human Emperor would reward Feng Lintao!

He was even protected, with many personal guards assigned to him to show his importance.

Such actions and news could not possibly go unnoticed by the Demonic Plume Sacred Land.

Yet, only Feng Lintao himself knew that he had no knowledge of those war strategy intelligence, so how could he have conveyed them?

However, as time passed, an even more alarming scene soon appeared for Feng Lintao.

It was the enfeoffment of a king.

Projected by an unparalleled formation in the sky, clearly visible to the Sacred Land's side...

In the barren outskirts of the Human Imperial Capital, countless prisoners of war captured by the human race from the Sacred Land's side, no fewer than ten thousand, knelt densely.

Feng Lintao, clad in a Heavenly Marquis robe, stood before these prisoners.

The Empress's voice echoed through heaven and earth.

"Feng Aiqing, though you are not of the human race, your loyalty to us is unwavering, your sincerity absolute, and your military achievements illustrious. Therefore, today, I enfeoff you as the Fiendish Plume Heavenly King.

"I know, Aiqing, that you harbor a bone-deep hatred for the Demonic Plume Sacred Land. This enfeoffment as a king shall be celebrated with the blood of the Demonic Plume. Aiqing, you may slaughter them as you wish."

All eyes were on him!

The Sacred Land's side watched, the human race watched, Xu Qing and various other races gazed intently with anger.

And Er Niu, whose eyes gleamed with intense anticipation and excitement.

Feng Lintao's heart trembled, but he dared not show it on his face. Instead, he radiated immense excitement, as if completely moved, and bowed deeply towards the palace, proclaiming loudly:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for making this possible."