Huang Feihu suddenly looked up. When he clearly saw the two figures, his entire body stiffened. His eyes, clouded by pain, instantly burst with incredulous light.
He nearly staggered to his feet, his hands clenched so tightly that his fingertips turned white as he stared fixedly at the people before him.
They were precisely his wife, Lady Jia, whom he had believed long dead, and his younger sister, Consort Huang!
"Th-this is...?"
His voice trembled, his throat bobbing. Shock and doubt clogged his chest so completely that he could not form a full sentence. He stared desperately at his living family, afraid that this was merely an illusion born of grief.
Golden Phoenix cast Huang Feihu a calm glance. Her gaze was imposing, carrying an unquestionable authority as she spoke in a low voice:
"King Wucheng, there is no need for alarm. The King has always kept his word. None of his prior promises were false, nor has he ever broken them.
"The present situation marks the official beginning of the Great Tribulation of Investiture of the Gods. This calamity concerns the Auspicious Qi of the Three Realms and, more importantly, the survival of Great Shang.
"I hope the General will steady his mind, hold fast to his true heart, preserve himself, and protect every bit of Great Shang's secretly accumulated strength. Do not let a moment of grief and rage disrupt the greater plan."
Once she finished speaking, Golden Phoenix said no more. She directly revealed King Zhou's entire set of instructions and secret arrangements to Huang Feihu.
It turned out that King Zhou had not acted out of indiscriminate cruelty. Rather, he had seen through the schemes of the immortal gods and had played along with their plan.
Using the matter of his wife and daughter, he had