Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 226 - Battle of Hundred Nations

The Emperor’s sudden recovery took everyone by surprise. Despite his pallor, he seemed otherwise normal, and it was clear this wasn’t a case of terminal lucidity.

“I’m somewhat tired. Everyone, except for Fan Zhen and Chen Yusheng, may leave,” the Emperor commanded, dismissing everyone but Fan Zhen, Chen Yusheng, and Liu Wuxie. Even Chen Ruoyan and the two princes were asked to depart, with the Emperor forbidding anyone from entering his chambers without his permission.

“We will take our leave!” The imperial physicians bowed and left.

“Wait!” Chen Yusheng halted the physicians’ departure. “Guo Buqiu, do you recall your earlier statement?” He reminded Guo Buqiu of his agreement with Liu Wuxie—that Guo Buqiu would slap himself ten times if the Emperor woke up within the time it took for the incense to burn.

Once the Emperor had awakened, everyone conveniently forgot about this agreement, but Chen Yusheng hadn’t. He knew that if Liu Wuxie hadn’t boldly staked his life, these people would have certainly prevented him from treating the Emperor. He wasn’t about to let this matter slide so easily.

“Chen Yusheng, you...” Guo Buqiu had the title of the Great Yan Dynasty’s best physician. If he gave himself ten slaps, it would become a lifelong disgrace.

“And what about me?” Chen Yusheng interrupted. “You repeatedly tried to prevent Liu Wuxie from saving the Emperor. What were your intentions? Now that the Emperor has awakened, isn’t it time for you to fulfill your promise?” Chen Yusheng’s anger was palpable. They had faced numerous obstacles since entering the palace, even narrowly escaping death at the gate. He suspected that Guo Buqiu had already aligned himself with Prince Yongxian.

Liu Wuxie remained silent, a cold smile on his lips. All eyes turned to Guo Buqiu, awaiting his decision.

Guo Buqiu found himself involuntarily glancing at Prince Yongxian, hoping for some form of assistance.

However, Prince Yongxian simply stated, “Since you’ve lost the wager, it’s only right that you fulfill your promise!” With the Emperor’s unexpected recovery, Prince Yongxian’s plans had been thwarted, and he needed to reassess his strategies. He couldn’t afford any further complications at this point.

The room was filled with surprise as no one had anticipated Prince Yongxian’s decision to leave Guo Buqiu to his fate.

Liu Wuxie’s eyes hardened, realizing he had underestimated Prince Yongxian. The prince was a formidable adversary, ruthless and calculating. In his eyes, there were no friendships, only interests. He was even willing to abandon his pawns at critical moments.

Prince Yongxian’s words caused Guo Buqiu’s heart to plummet. He slapped himself ten times on the spot, his cheeks swelling from the impact. Once done, he shot a venomous glare at Liu Wuxie before exiting the room.

It didn’t take long before only four people remained in the room.

“Royal brother, how are you feeling now?” Chen Yusheng asked, concern etched on his face.

“I’m fine for now. Why don’t you introduce this talented young man to me?” The Emperor asked, a look of satisfaction on his face. Among all his brothers, only Chen Yusheng treated him like family.

“He’s Liu Wuxie!” Fan Zhen spoke before Chen Yusheng could respond.

“Liu Wuxie, the one Ruoyan mentioned?” The Emperor seemed taken aback. He had heard of Liu Wuxie before, but he didn’t expect him to be so young. He looked at Liu Wuxie with a hint of disbelief.

Liu Wuxie was also shocked that the Emperor knew of him.

“It looks like I was right about you,” the Emperor suddenly laughed. But perhaps because he laughed too loudly, he began coughing violently. Even so, anyone could see that he was happy.

“Wuxie, aren’t you curious how the Emperor knows you?” Fan Zhen looked at Liu Wuxie with an amicable expression.

Liu Wuxie nodded, his curiosity piqued. After all, there were countless prodigies in the Great Yan Dynasty, and he was only in the Spirit Cleansing Realm. It didn’t make sense for him to have caught the Emperor’s attention.

“Please enlighten me, headmaster!” There were too many things he was still puzzled about, and he hoped the headmaster could explain them.

Chen Yusheng was also dumbfounded but merely stood by the side and waited.

“Do you still remember the three tasks given to you?” Fan Zhen asked after organizing his thoughts. It was time for Liu Wuxie to learn some things.

“I naturally do!” The three near-impossible tasks had nearly cost him his life. If Fan Zhen hadn’t given him a reasonable explanation, Liu Wuxie wouldn’t have bothered to ask.

“We determine the tasks after careful discussion,” the Emperor said, interrupting them.

This revelation left Liu Wuxie even more perplexed. Qian Kun had suggested that the Emperor had orchestrated a scheme to send him to dismantle the Scarlet Dragon Association, thereby clipping Prince Yongxian’s wings and using the association to eliminate him.

“Wuxie, I understand that you must be angry and bear resentment towards us for sending you to destroy the Scarlet Dragon Association. However, we had no choice. You were the ideal candidate,” Fan Zhen explained. There were many secrets about this matter that Liu Wuxie was unaware of.

“I was the ideal candidate?” Liu Wuxie scoffed. “Are you all aware that I nearly lost my life there? Has anyone considered how I felt at that time?”

Liu Wuxie was so furious that his murderous intent began to seep out. Since he could heal the Emperor, he could also destroy him. He had no sense of belonging to the Great Yan Dynasty. The life and death of others didn’t matter to him, except for the Xu Clan.

“Wuxie, please calm down and listen to my explanation.” Fan Zhen knew Liu Wuxie was furious. Then again, anyone in Liu Wuxie’s position would be furious.

“I’m curious to see how you all will provide a satisfactory explanation,” Liu Wuxie retorted, his expression grim. He was ready to leave the Imperial Academy at a moment’s notice if they failed to explain. With his abilities, he could go anywhere he pleased.

“Wuxie, do you believe it was mere coincidence that the third princess appeared in Mulberry Town?” Fan Zhen countered with a question. After all, Chen Ruoyan had shown up in Mulberry Town shortly after Liu Wuxie’s arrival, and they had both infiltrated the Scarlet Dragon Association that day. It seemed far-fetched to chalk it up to coincidence.

Everyone knew the third princess was the Emperor’s most beloved child, and letting her take risks was like ripping off the Emperor’s flesh.

“Go on!” Liu Wuxie’s facial expression improved, signaling Fan Zhen to continue.

“I was the one who sent Ruoyan over to assist you and also to temper her,” the Emperor spoke out.

Liu Wuxie was surprised that the Emperor had sent Chen Ruoyan to Mulberry Town. But there was still something Liu Wuxie couldn’t figure out, and he asked, “I want to know why me?”

The Emperor explained, “The Scarlet Dragon Association has been supplying Prince Yongxian with a large quantity of weapons and rations. Over the years, we’ve sent numerous people to dismantle the association, but to little effect due to their extensive infiltration into the Imperial Academy. Any move we make would be leaked to the association.”

Even Qin Shi had been bribed by Prince Yongxian, and sending anyone over would alarm the Scarlet Dragon Association.

“So, because I was a new student and wouldn’t draw Prince Yongxian’s attention, and because of my lower cultivation level, no one would have suspected that I could succeed in eradicating the Scarlet Dragon Association. This was mainly to catch the Scarlet Dragon Association off guard?” Liu Wuxie finally understood the situation. Being a newcomer to the Imperial Academy and having no connection to Prince Yongxian, he was the perfect candidate to deceive everyone.

“I understand that we haven’t been fair to you, but we had no choice. We needed to keep the news under wraps,” Fan Zhen admitted, his expression one of regret. He had felt remorse when he had assigned the tasks.

“Is that the most satisfactory explanation you can offer? All of this is meaningless because I could have lost my life there.” Liu Wuxie’s expression turned even more frigid, unable to accept such a justification.

“Wuxie, you’ve misunderstood Fan Zhen. Did you know that he was with you throughout the three tasks, ensuring your safety and fearing that you might be in danger? Otherwise, do you think I would have sent Ruoyan to the Scarlet Dragon Association?” The Emperor felt compelled to reveal a secret to prevent the conflict from escalating. Fan Zhen had initially chosen not to explain this matter as long as his actions were justified in his conscience.

The third princess was the Emperor’s beloved child, and sending her to the Scarlet Dragon Association was the same as sending her to death. So, it turned out that an expert, the Imperial Academy’s headmaster, was accompanying them.

Liu Wuxie fell silent because he had vaguely sensed someone tailing him that month. He had initially suspected it to be someone from the Assassin Pavilion, but he didn’t expect it to be the headmaster.

The entire room fell silent, with no one speaking up.

After a full minute of silence, Liu Wuxie asked, “I’m curious. Why did you think I could complete the tasks and didn’t send someone else instead of me?”

“We knew from the moment you defeated twenty students from Advanced Class Three that you were the only one capable of completing this task,” Fan Zhen explained honestly. He knew he had to clarify everything, or Liu Wuxie might harbor resentment against them.

“I see... So, you tolerated me killing so many students in the Imperial Academy because of this. If it were someone else in my position, they would’ve been punished long ago for killing so many students, right?” Liu Wuxie deduced.

In his first month at the Imperial Academy, he had crippled the three Scorpion brothers and killed numerous students. It was impossible for him to conceal the fact that he had killed disciples from the Wan and Tian Clans from Fan Zhen.

Over the past few months, many teachers had been displeased with his actions, and more than one had approached Fan Zhen to have Liu Wuxie expelled.

Everything became clear to Liu Wuxie then. Fan Zhen wanted to nurture him but didn’t dare to openly provide him with too many resources. He could only use an alternative method. The three tasks were designed to temper him and accelerate his growth, not to send him to his death.

Fan Zhen couldn’t be too biased in his actions as the headmaster. If he had supported Liu Wuxie openly, he would have faced opposition. Thus, he could only use this method to encourage his growth under pressure.

“There’s still something I don’t understand. There are countless geniuses in the Imperial Academy, but why did you pick me? Aren’t you afraid that I’ll turn against you?” Liu Wuxie asked his last question.

“You’re right. The academy has countless geniuses, but they’re different from you. Many people have exhausted their potential, and the Battle of Hundred Nations is imminent. We don’t have much time left. This is why we can only resort to such an unconventional measure.”

Fan Zhen and the Emperor valued Liu Wuxie’s future potential more.

“Battle of Hundred Nations?” Liu Wuxie was baffled because this was the first time he heard of it.

When the Emperor mentioned the Battle of Hundred Nations, Chen Yusheng sighed, and his face showed a hint of pain. This was a scar that couldn’t be healed, and it hurt every time it was mentioned.

“Let’s talk about it another time. Can the Emperor recover in three days?”

Prince Yongxian would make a new arrangement. They could only turn the tables and stabilize the situation if the Emperor recovered. Fan Zhen was more concerned about the Emperor’s health at that moment, and he could talk about the Battle of Hundred Nations again when they returned to the academy.

“Yes!” With his doubts resolved, Liu Wuxie’s brows relaxed. He had killed so many students in the academy, and he would’ve sparked a public outrage if it wasn’t for the headmaster.

“Wuxie, do you know my royal brother’s condition? What’s the matter with him?” Chen Yusheng couldn’t help asking. He was unaware of the Emperor’s illness, especially considering the Emperor’s high cultivation level. The Emperor was at the pinnacle of the Marrow Cleansing Realm and was immune to most poisons. How then, could he fall ill?

“It’s not an illness but a rare poison,” Liu Wuxie said.