Bearing Thorns to Beg Forgiveness
"How long will Your Majesty need to consider this?" Turning his head, the Golden Body Bodhisattva spoke, "My Ancient Temple wanders in the Void, so I cannot stay in this Cultivation World for too long. Two days is my limit."
"Very well! Bodhisattva to my Imperial Palace again in two days, and I will give you a definite answer." After two days, the Great Tang Emperor did not say much and nodded in confirmation.
Now, the Golden Body Bodhisattva truly departed, and the Great Tang Emperor did not try to stop him. The faint Buddhist Chants and Mystical Truths that seemed to exist between Heaven and Earth also quickly dissipated. However, the capital city of the Great Tang Dynasty, Chang'an City, was plunged into a huge commotion that was difficult to quell for a long time.
First of all, the power of the Golden Body Bodhisattva Human Heart. The phenomena of Heavenly Flowers Falling and Golden Lotuses Springing from the Ground are no different from those of gods and Buddhas in the Nine Heavens. This is a miracle.
Secondly, there was Zhuge Xiang. Unexpectedly, the Golden Body Bodhisattva was able to capture Zhuge Xiang alive, which was also a sensational piece of news.
Ignoring the commotion outside, Zhuge Xiang and the Liao Wufa were waiting for the Emperor Golden Body Bodhisattva Great Tang Emperor's reply.
"Well, Big Brother, do you think that guy will agree?" Zhuge Xiang asked Liao Wufa, not entirely sure.
Liao Wufa narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingers constantly shifting as if he were calculating something. After hearing Zhuge Xiang's words, he slowly opened his eyes and said, "Regarding this, I'm not confident either. To be honest, the probability is about 50/50. It's possible that I'll agree or not."
"Is that so? In that case, we should prepare for the worst. If they don't agree, what should we do next?" the Golden Body Bodhisattva interjected.
If the Great Tang Emperor were willing to agree, that would be ideal, and there would be no need for preparation. But what if he didn't agree? Thinking of this, the three of Human Heart became much more serious. In that case, they would have to resort to any means necessary to seize the Demon-Revealing Demon Mirror.
"Regarding this, we should at least investigate the location of the Demon Mirror, and then figure out how to seize Demon Mirror," Zhuge Xiang said, outlining the next steps should the Great Tang Emperor refuse.
"Indeed. In any case, finding the whereabouts of that Demon Mirror is always the right thing to do," the Golden Body Bodhisattva and Liao Wufa nodded in agreement.
"I'll go find a few people I know well and ask them," Zhuge Xiang thought of the place where the Great Tang Emperor hid the Demon Mirror. Reflexively, he thought of Eunuch Lin, the emperor's personal Eunuch. After saying goodbye to Liao Wufa and the Golden Body Bodhisattva, Zhuge Xiang flew directly to the King Fenghe's Mansion.
"Zhuge Xiang, are you alright?" Upon seeing Zhuge Xiang appear, the people from the King Fenghe's Mansion asked anxiously. "We were really worried about you when we heard you had been captured alive and taken to the Great Tang Imperial Palace to claim your reward. We were trying to figure out how to rescue you."
"Don't worry, the world is vast, but there are few who can capture me alive," Zhuge Xiang said with a smile, addressing the concerns of King Fenghe and the others.
As he spoke, he gently patted Wu Zhao's shoulder, indicating that she didn't need to worry too much about him. Zhuge Xiang knew that Wu Zhao was the most worried and restless person after hearing that something had happened to him.
"As long as you're alright," Wu Zhao said, looking at Zhuge Xiang. For Wu Zhao, nothing was happier than knowing that Zhuge Xiang was safe.
"Actually, that Golden Body Bodhisattva is my friend. He's the one who brought the clue that the Great Tang Emperor was switched." Facing King Fenghe and the others, Zhuge Xiang had no need to hide anything, so he explained the King Fenghe Creation Furnace to them in great detail, and also explained why he needed the Demon Mirror.
"So that's how it is. Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng, was actually murdered by his own Twin Brother long ago. No wonder that Old Monster named Ying Qianshan was able to steal the sky and replace our Great Tang Emperor. So that's why..." Upon hearing about the Creation Furnace, King Fenghe and the others finally understood.
"Unfortunately, the Great Tang Emperor refuses to give up the Demon Mirror as a reward. Therefore, we need to find out its Demon Mirror. If the Great Tang Emperor really refuses to exchange it, we will have no choice but to steal it or forcibly take it," Zhuge Xiang said, shaking his head.
Then, they turned their attention to Eunuch Lin. If the Great Tang Emperor really had hidden the Demon Mirror somewhere, Eunuch Lin should know something about it.
"The Demon Mirror?" Upon hearing this, Eunuch Lin frowned slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face. He said, "I truly do not know where the Demon Mirror is, but there is a very suspicious place within the Imperial Palace."
"Oh? Where?" Zhuge Xiang asked in return upon hearing Eunuch Lin's words.
"The Ancestral Temple is where the spirit tablets of the ancestors of the Great Tang Dynasty are enshrined. Several decades ago, a Bat Demon, reaching the level of Five-star Demon, infiltrated the Imperial Palace. While almost all the Cultivator were trying to capture it, they discovered that outside the Ancestral Temple, the Bat Demon had actually been knocked down to the level of Fairy and could not even maintain its human form."
"Although the people involved have all been silenced, I do know about this matter," Eunuch Lin said. "After all, it was Five-Star Demon Monster, comparable to Cultivator in the Tribulation Crossing Stage. How could it suddenly revert to its original form? I was puzzled for quite some time at the time. Now it seems that perhaps the Ancestral Temple was hiding a demon -Demon Mirror."
"In that case, the Ancestral Temple is indeed highly suspicious," Zhuge Xiang nodded upon hearing Eunuch Lin's words. Indeed, Eunuch Lin had been by the side of the Great Qin Emperor for so many years and knew many things that ordinary people did not. This intelligence could truly be of great use at crucial moments.
In the Great Tang Dynasty, all the high-level Cultivator were eagerly anticipating the transaction with Zhuge Xiang at the Great Tang Imperial Palace two days later. Many peerless experts and even eminent Buddhist Sect monks wanted to catch a glimpse of the Golden Body Bodhisattva's face.
The Cultivator who emerged from the Void possessed strength comparable to Gods and Buddhas of all Heavens, and called himself Bodhisattva? Perhaps this was a rare, god-level powerhouse in the Cultivation World.
However, at this moment, the Great Tang Emperor came to the Elder Pavilion alone. Although there had been some unpleasantness with the Great Tang Emperor, he was, after all, the ruler of a country. How could the Elder Pavilion dare to refuse the Great Tang Emperor entry? Therefore, the Great Tang Emperor entered the Elder Pavilion smoothly and met the powerful figures of the Elder Pavilion.
Although the Elder Pavilion comprises the highest-level combat power of the Great Tang Dynasty, their strength is stratified into different tiers. The lowest-ranking elders generally remain at the Dharma Aspect Realm, while those slightly stronger are at the Tribulation Crossing Realm. As for the highest-ranking elders, their cultivation is naturally at the Great Accomplishment Stage...
The Elder Pavilion, including Daoist Master Wu Yazi, had about twenty Cultivator at the Great Accomplishment Stage. When the Great Tang Emperor arrived at the Elder Pavilion' Great Hall, almost all twenty elders at the Great Accomplishment Stage, led by Daoist Master Wu Yazi, were present, with not a single one absent.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Although they were aloof from worldly affairs due to their strength, the elders still stood up and respectfully greeted the Great Tang Emperor.
"Elders, please rise. Most of you are older than me. Although I am the emperor of a nation, I am still your junior in terms of seniority," the Great Tang Emperor said, having come to the Elder Pavilion to ask for their help. He adopted a humble attitude, showing no airs of a ruler, and spoke in an approachable manner.
Upon hearing the Great Tang Emperor's words, the expressions of the elders in the Elder Pavilion clearly improved considerably. After all, it's not a bad thing that even the ruler of a nation is willing to treat scholars with such respect, is it?
Daoist Master Wu Yazi's old face was taut. Although the coldness on his face softened slightly at the sight of the Great Tang Emperor's attitude, it was still far from pleasant. He said, "I wonder what brings Your Majesty to the Elder Pavilion today? If it's nothing important, please tell Liu Wugu and the others that I need to go into seclusion for cultivation. Please forgive me for not being able to stay any longer."
"Daoist Master, please wait..." Seeing that the Daoist Master was about to leave after only a few words, clearly still bothered by the previous verbal altercation, the Great Tang Emperor stopped him, saying, "A few days ago, due to the rumors circulating, I lost my composure and my words were quite offensive to the Daoist Master. I have come today specifically to apologize."
"Your Majesty is too kind. There is a distinction between ruler and subject between us. How could I allow you to apologize?" Daoist Master Wu Yazi shook his head and said calmly.
"Daoist Master words are too harsh on me. What is the relationship between ruler and subject? Ruler and subject should live in harmony so that the world can be at peace. Some time ago, I did say some harsh words that offended Your Daoist Master. Of course, I should apologize. Does that mean that as the ruler of a country, one cannot apologize for doing something wrong?"
As they spoke, the Great Tang Emperor lifted his imperial robe, revealing himself shirtless with a thorny branch slung over his back. He said, "Today I have come specifically to apologize with this thorny branch. I hope the Daoist Master will not hold our past argument against me."
Seeing the Great Tang Emperor remove his imperial robes and come carrying a bundle of thorns to apologize, the elders of the Elder Pavilion, all at the Great Accomplishment Stage, were deeply moved. Regardless of the reason, it was truly Human Heart that the ruler of a country could do such a thing.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Although Daoist Master Wu Yazi's face remained cold, it was ultimately just a verbal altercation. Seeing the Great Tang Emperor truly carrying the thorns on his back, he raised a finger, and the thorns behind the Emperor turned to ashes and vanished.
Wu Yazi abruptly stood up and said to the emperor, deeply moved, "Your Majesty do this? Between us, ruler and subject, a few quarrels are easily resolved with explanation. Your actions, as a subject, fill me with shame..." (To be continued...)