Chapter 11: Qi Wang's Appetite

Inside a dim mountain cave, light suddenly gathered on a stone platform. As space subtly trembled, two figures materialized from the light.

Having gone through this kind of teleportation again, Zhou Yuan's head felt swollen and dizzy. He continuously rubbed his forehead to alleviate the discomfort.

As the light dissipated, a voice filled with surprise came from ahead. Zhou Yuan looked up to see Zhou Qing standing before the stone platform, his face beaming with joy as he gazed at him.

"Father," Zhou Yuan said with a smile.

"You rascal, you nearly scared me to death!" Zhou Qing quickly stepped forward, his eyes filled with urgency. Seeing Zhou Yuan vanish from the stone platform half a day ago had left him in a state of startled panic.

Seeing Zhou Qing's expression, Zhou Yuan knew his father must have been worried sick. Feeling a little embarrassed, he scratched his head and quickly announced, "Father, my Eight Meridians have appeared!"

"What?!"

Zhou Qing's body stiffened. He quickly placed a hand on Zhou Yuan's shoulder, sending a surge of vital energy into his son's body to conduct a quick scan.

After a few breaths, Zhou Qing learned the result, and his hands began to tremble uncontrollably. He excitedly clapped Zhou Yuan's shoulder with force.

"Excellent, excellent, truly blessed by our ancestors! Heaven has not abandoned our Zhou family!" Zhou Qing's voice quivered slightly, and his eyes welled up with tears, revealing the immense excitement he felt at that moment.

Zhou Yuan's inability to open his meridians and cultivate had always been a source of deep pain for him. In his eyes, it was his own incompetence as a father that had allowed the Martial Ancestor to seize Zhou Yuan's destiny at birth, leaving him in his present condition.

He had exhausted every possible method, yet none could enable Zhou Yuan to open his meridians. His last hope thus rested solely on the secret words passed down through the Zhou family lineage.

But now, it seemed, Heaven still favored their Zhou family.

Seeing his usually composed and authoritative father display such raw emotion, a warmth spread through Zhou Yuan's heart. He extended his arms, gently patted Zhou Qing's broad back, and said with a faint smile, "Father, don't worry. Everything our Zhou family has lost, we will reclaim!"

Zhou Qing composed himself and nodded heavily. Only then did his gaze fall upon the figure behind Zhou Yuan: a graceful young woman in green, holding a small, gray beast, observing them with clear, serene eyes.

"Yuan'er?" Zhou Qing looked at Zhou Yuan, utterly bewildered, clearly at a loss as to why his son had returned with a mysterious young woman.

Seeing his father's confusion, Zhou Yuan proceeded to recount everything that had transpired in the mysterious space.

Zhou Qing listened, then pondered for a moment before saying, "Since our Zhou family ancestors left behind secret messages, it suggests they must have had dealings with that black-robed senior. And since you have received a favor from that senior, you naturally must fulfill their wishes."

Turning to the young woman in green, he offered a warm smile and said, "Young lady, if you have nowhere else to go, you are welcome to stay in our Great Zhou. Here, we will guarantee your safety."

Yao Yao nodded subtly, her voice soft and composed as she replied, "Thank you for the trouble."

"No trouble at all, no trouble," Zhou Qing said, waving his hand with a smile. Then, he turned to Zhou Yuan, "Since your issue has been resolved, let's prepare to return to Great Zhou City. Your mother has been eagerly awaiting news."

Zhou Yuan nodded as well, eager to share the good news with Qin Yu immediately.

The three followed the secret passage out of the cave and emerged from the ancestral temple atop the mountain.

Zhou Qing went to instruct the Imperial Guards to prepare for departure, while Yao Yao, cradling the small beast named Tun Tun, stood by the cliff edge, her beautiful eyes gazing somewhat blankly at the unfamiliar world stretching before them.

A gentle breeze stirred her robes, subtly outlining her slender figure, and lending her an air of solitude and coolness. Only Tun Tun, nestled in her arms, offered soft snuffling sounds of comfort.

"Sister Yao Yao, you don't need to worry," Zhou Yuan said softly as he approached her. "Master is immensely powerful; nothing will happen to him. We will definitely see him again someday."

He knew that no matter how serene and composed Yao Yao seemed, she would still feel a degree of unease in a strange new place.

Yao Yao glanced at him with her beautiful eyes and whispered, "Grandpa Hei sent me away because a powerful enemy has come for me."

"Those enemies are likely after me, and Grandpa Hei protected me from them."

Although Cang Yuan had never explicitly told her, she keenly sensed that those calamities were a consequence of her own existence.

Zhou Yuan scratched his head. He was unaware of their identities or backgrounds and thus had no idea what story lay hidden beneath the surface.

"Sister Yao Yao," Zhou Yuan said slowly, "perhaps things are as you say, but I believe you shouldn't wallow in self-pity now. To do so would betray Master's painstaking efforts and render everything he did meaningless."

Yao Yao's delicate hand gently stroked Tun Tun's soft fur. She gazed into the distance, then turned to Zhou Yuan with a breathtaking smile, nodding slightly. "Don't worry," she said, "I am not that kind of person. I will thoroughly investigate everything later. If anything happens to Grandpa Hei, I will certainly avenge him. Not a single one of those people will escape."

Her voice was calm and clear, yet the chilling resolve within it made even Zhou Yuan shiver slightly.

This young lady, who appeared like a little fairy, seemed to possess a decisive and ruthless streak when she became serious.

The Royal Palace of Great Zhou.

Upon learning that Zhou Yuan's Eight Meridians had appeared and he could now cultivate, Qin Yu was so overcome with emotion that she instantly embraced him, shedding tears of joy. Zhou Yuan found himself both touched and a little overwhelmed.

"There, there, it's a good thing Yuan'er can cultivate. Why all the tears?" Zhou Qing interjected, sighing helplessly from the side.

"And you didn't cry?" Qin Yu retorted, wiping her eyes and glaring at Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing awkwardly rubbed his nose. When he had sensed the Eight Meridians appearing within Zhou Yuan's body back in the cave, he too had nearly burst into tears, though he had managed to forcibly suppress them.

"Go help Yao Yao settle in first," Zhou Qing quickly said, daring not to prolong the topic.

Only then did Qin Yu realize someone else was present. She self-consciously wiped away her tears, then offered Yao Yao a gentle smile. "Yao Yao," she said, "from now on, you can simply live here. We will ensure you never suffer any hardship."

Qin Yu's demeanor towards Yao Yao was exceptionally warm. While this largely arose from their gratitude for her assistance to Zhou Yuan, it was also clear that she genuinely liked Yao Yao; indeed, such a pure and beautiful young woman would bring joy to anyone who beheld her.

Yao Yao, however, was somewhat unaccustomed to Qin Yu's enthusiasm. She had lived in an isolated place with Cang Yuan since childhood, never having interacted with outsiders. Moreover, her personality was rather reserved, and she wasn't particularly skilled at communicating with others.

Nevertheless, she could sense Qin Yu's genuine gratitude and sincerity, so she didn't show much resistance. After a brief glance at Zhou Yuan, she allowed Qin Yu to lead her away.

Qin Yu departed with Yao Yao, leaving Zhou Qing and Zhou Yuan to exchange helpless smiles.

"Your Majesty, Palace Lord Chu seeks an audience!" a guard reported at that moment.

Palace Lord Chu was none other than Chu Tianyang, the head of the Great Zhou Palace and a capable, trusted general under Zhou Qing.

"Let him in," Zhou Qing nodded, then turned to Zhou Yuan, who was about to leave. "You should stay too. As a prince of Great Zhou, it's time you were privy to certain matters."

Zhou Yuan paused, then simply nodded without a word.

Through the inner hall's grand entrance strode a robust figure: a resolute-faced middle-aged man in a purple robe. As he walked, a subtle gust of wind seemed to accompany him, whistling softly.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," the purple-robed man said, bowing and cupping his hands to Zhou Qing. He then turned to Zhou Yuan, nodding with a smile, "Your Highness."

"Palace Lord," Zhou Yuan replied, not daring to be disrespectful. Chu Tianyang was a crucial minister, deeply trusted by his father, acting as his right-hand man, and also serving as the head of the Great Zhou Palace.

Zhou Qing smiled, waving a hand. "What is it?" he asked.

Hearing this, Chu Tianyang first cast a glance at Zhou Yuan, who stood nearby.

Zhou Qing chuckled. "It's fine; let him listen."

Chu Tianyang nodded, then let out a bitter sigh. "Your Majesty," he began, "Xu Hong is now eyeing my position as Palace Lord with great ambition."

Zhou Yuan, standing nearby, felt a slight chill. Xu Hong was currently the Deputy Palace Lord of Great Zhou Palace, but he was allied with King Qi, following his lead and frequently feigning obedience to the Great Zhou Imperial Family while secretly undermining them.

Zhou Yuan had long known that King Qi coveted the Zhou Palace and sought to control it, which was why he had been secretly eroding its power. Xu Hong, in particular, had been strategically placed by King Qi through various means to seize the position of Palace Lord.

"Your Majesty," Chu Tianyang continued, "according to intelligence I've secretly gathered, Young Prince Qi Yue has been persistently coercing, enticing, and recruiting outstanding students within the Great Zhou Palace, offering them extremely high incentives."

"For this grand examination alone, more than half of the students who managed to rank among the top ten have already been swayed."

"Once these students pass the grand examination, they immediately choose to enter Xu Hong's B-Division. The palace examination follows the grand examination. Over the past two years, the overall caliber of students in B-Division has surpassed that of my A-Division. They have already secured first place in the palace examination twice. If they succeed again this time, Xu Hong will have the pretext he needs to launch a challenge and seize the position of Palace Lord."

When Zhou Qing established the Great Zhou Palace, he set a rule to incentivize competition: the head of any division who could maintain first place in the palace examination for three consecutive years would be eligible to contend for the position of Palace Lord.

Originally, Chu Tianyang's A-Division was the strongest, but then Xu Hong appeared. With the substantial financial backing of King Qi, he continuously lured away top students, resulting in the previously strongest A-Division being consistently suppressed by B-Division for the past two years.

Clearly, Xu Hong was aiming for the position of Great Zhou Palace Lord. If he were to succeed, the Great Zhou Palace would likely fall under King Qi's control, and the steady stream of emerging talents would be diverted to him. For the royal family, this would be akin to having their very flesh and bone torn away.

Furthermore, and most crucially, if King Qi's plot succeeds this time, many observant factions will conclude that the royal family is weakening and no longer capable of rivaling him. Should those forces then align with King Qi, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Zhou Yuan frowned deeply and looked at Zhou Qing, whose brows were subtly twitching. After a long silence, a grim voice slowly emerged from between his clenched teeth.

"This King Qi truly has an insatiable appetite!"