Cultivating by picking up attributes, I accumulate my strength!

Chapter 186: Chapter 126: Night Talk in the Imperial Palace, Liu Family in Capital City, The Journey of Fuyao_2

Translator: 549690339 ¹

Hearing these words, Lu Yunzhi wasn’t angry, instead she gently asked, “Do you feel the same way?”

“Before I met the Empress, perhaps I would have. But now I understand there are reasons for the decade of stability in Great Zhou, including officials as loyal and exceptional as Liang Lian.”

“And the Empress is even younger than I had expected…

“Younger in what way?”

“Just younger.”

Han Ye added calmly.

“Hahaha!”

Lu Yunzhi laughed heartily, then with a captivating smile lighting up her beautiful features, she said:

“Han Ye, you are a very interesting man.”

Then she turned serious and asked, “Do you know the purpose of the Demonic Sect’s invasion of Dragon Capital, led by Lin Shihuang?

Han Ye truthfully replied, “I don’t.”

Lu Yunzhi turned to look at the bright moon and said, “The world is like a chessboard, and we, the people, are the chess pieces. This is just a test by the Demonic Sect. On the surface, it’s an invasion of Dragon Capital, but in reality, it’s a probe against the Nine Great Immortal Gates. If those from Beyond Heaven ignore this, the Demonic Sect will surely take more drastic actions.” Han Ye’s eyes moved slightly. He looked puzzled and asked, “If so, why don’t the Immortal Gates wage war and eradicate the Demonic Sect?

“The Northern Great Wall.”

The Empress uttered these four words.

Upon hearing this, Han Ye suddenly understood.

Compared to the mortal world, the Immortal Gates have more pressing concerns.

While the aggressiveness of the Demonic Sect is a small issue, losing control of the Great Wall is a major one.

If the Million Demon Tribe from the North descends, it can cause hundreds of thousands of casualties in Great Zhou within moments, sparing neither the cultivators nor the common people.

Therefore, a war can’t be ignited within.

Once ignited, the snowball will only get bigger.

Lu Yunzhi added, “The strong ones of the Immortal Gates are all stationed at the Northern Great Wall. They can’t invest too much energy in the mortal world. This gives these scoundrels an opportunity.”

Han Ye, recalling the bodies piled high on the city just a few days ago, frowned and said, “So many people can die in just a game of testing.

Lu Yunzhi smiled faintly, “As I said, the world is a chess game, and people are its pieces. Perhaps you and I are just two pieces among the masses.”

Han Ye sheathed his sword, Long Xiao, and said with a clenched fist, “Even as a chess piece, I must fight until the end, live until the end. Only then can I qualify to overthrow the chess game and become a player.”

Hearing this, Lu Yunzhi looked slightly surprised and laughed, “Your Dao Heart is surprisingly resolute.”

Then, she let out a hearty laugh, walked out of the yard, leaving only,

“It’s getting late, get some sleep.”

“Remember to attend the banquet tomorrow.”

After saying this, she left contentedly, oddly not mentioning a word about trying to win him over.

Han Ye watched her graceful figure leave, then drew his sword and began to clean its blade.

He glanced at the task list on the stone table, the one he didn’t know which number it was.

The next day.

The grand banquet hosted by the Empress of Great Zhou was to thank the cultivators and Daoists of Various Sects for their efforts during the chaos in the capital the previous night.

The Chang Le Palace was filled with guests. Everywhere you looked, there were lanterns, and palace maids were moving between the corridors with trays.

Han Ye handed over his jade token to enter, and was led to a table. Looking left and right, he discovered his seat was behind that of the assorted Daoists. Even higher ranked than the Princess Royal of the Gold Crow Kingdom and second-ranking officials of the Chaotian Department.

The seating arrangements probably involved more intrigues and stratagems than he could fathom.

The front row was naturally reserved for the most influential people.

The second row was for those that needed to be won over or represented forces that needed to be collaborated with.

Those most trusted, however, could only be accommodated in the fifth or sixth rows, enduring some inconveniences.

This was the conclusion Han Ye drew from observing the arrangements, wondering how much thought was put into it.

Many of the wealthy families in the capital were seated at the end but continued to fawn over the disciples of Blessed Land and Cave Heavens, showing their good feelings.

Bonds between Sects and the mortal world do exist. These families were often in charge of managing certain mundane affairs for the Sects, such as offering gold and silver, mining spiritual pulses, trading goods, transporting resources, etc. They were experienced in these tasks.

The Sects entrusted these matters to them and reaped the benefits, while the children of these families could get the opportunity to follow the path of cultivation. Both parties gained from this situation.

Numerous conversations, whispers, and compliments filled the air.

Han Ye, however, had no interest in these, nor the patience. He simply rolled up his sleeves, sat up a bit straighter, shut his eyes, and ignored the fine wine on the table, as if he didn’t drink alcohol.

But there were some things that were unavoidable, being influenced by his surroundings.

“This young immortal is full of vigor and youthful spirit. Your feat of shaking Dragon Capital with your sword last night and defeating the children of the demon has earned you much praise. May I know which Cave Heavens you belong to? The Liu Family would like to visit and make an offering.

These words reached Han Ye’s ears, accompanied by a hearty laugh from a middle-aged man.

He slowly opened his eyes, intending to politely decline, but, upon seeing the man next to the laughing middle-aged man, he was taken aback. The figure was rather familiar, but had become thinner compared to when he last saw him in Langlang Village, the plump face, however, remained the same.

Seeing an old acquaintance, Han Ye was quite surprised and instinctively called out:

“Old Master?”

Many thoughts and questions whirled in his mind: Liu Lingqi, Liu Chengfeng, Wang Da Niu’s father, what was the situation in the capital, but he felt it was inappropriate to ask them at that time and place. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but were left unsaid..