Return to Ming Capital

With everything packed and everyone accounted for, Kong Bo led the group out of the Star Dou Great Forest and reunited with Kong Deming. Seeing such a formidable group of soul beast experts emerge, Kong Deming was stunned. "You all are..."

"Old man," the Evil Emperor spoke up. "You may not recognize them, but you must recognize This Seat. I am the Evil Emperor. The treasures Kong Bo gave us were incredibly useful; they essentially saved our lives, so we must repay him. From now on, we shall be responsible for protecting Kong Bo's safety. Let's go, let us return to the Ming Capital."

"You... you are the Evil Monarch?" Kong Deming asked. "You... you intend to protect Kong Bo and go to the Ming Capital?"

"Indeed, all of us do. Also, give my little sister (pointing to Gu Long'er) a status as a student. Rest assured, she will not have her identity discovered by you people," the Evil Emperor said.

"Understood, Your Excellency Evil Monarch. Leave it to me," Kong Deming replied.

"Great-grandfather," Kong Bo interjected. "If these ladies go to the Ming Capital, it will surely shake the court. I have read a term in history books called 'merit so great it overshadows the master.' Perhaps it would be better for the Evil Monarch sister to establish a residence, have the others hide within it, and then have the Evil Monarch sister accompany you to see the Emperor to request a status?"

"Good, Kong Bo, your reminder is timely," Kong Deming said. He knew the temperaments of the current Emperor, Xu Cong, and the Crown Prince, Xu Tianran. Xu Cong was manageable, but Crown Prince Xu Tianran was highly ambitious and lacked the capacity to tolerate others. Given Kong Deming's high status, he understood the danger of overshadowing the throne. Recommending the Evil Monarch would only add a minor variable; if he brought several people at once, Xu Tianran would surely ask, "In the Sun Moon Empire, are you the master, or am I?"

"Also, this Golden Hawksbill should be kept in our family pond as a treasure-attracting spirit beast," Kong Bo added.

"Kong Bo, my good great-grandson," Kong Deming sighed. "The path ahead is one where your great-grandfather can only help you so much. If you need anything, just ask."

Seeing Kong Bo so intelligent and possessing such a profound grasp of court affairs, Kong Deming felt deeply gratified. "For my Kong family to have such a clever and wise heir—hahaha, there is hope for our family!" However, he also felt a tinge of disappointment, realizing that Kong Bo's starting point was so high that his own strength as a Super Douluo and ninth-rank soul engineer might soon be insufficient to assist him further.

Yet, this melancholy was fleeting. How could a great-grandfather not wish for his descendant to excel? The group boarded Kong Deming's Flying Shuttle and returned to the Ming Capital, where the Evil Emperor and the others were settled into the Kong Mansion.

That evening, Kong Deming summoned Kong Bo's father, Kong Yi, along with Kong Bo to his study. He recounted the events in the Star Dou Great Forest. Upon hearing this, Kong Yi's eyes lit up. "Grandfather, these soul beast experts are all listening to Bo'er, and there are two Limit Douluos among them! Even the former Spirit Hall was no more impressive. I dare to ask, Grandfather, have you considered the weight of the Nine Cauldrons? This Sun Moon Empire... could it be that our Kong family has the merit to reshape the nation?"

This was no lie. A thousand years ago, when Shrek organized the two Douluo nations to invade the Sun Moon Empire, it was the ancestors of the Kong family who led the soul engineers to defend the Ming Capital with their lives. When the Sun Moon Empire counterattacked and the Shrek coalition could no longer hold, the Kong family was granted the title of "Duke of Yue." Today, the Kong family held immense prestige among the soul engineers of the Sun Moon Empire, and with Kong Bo bringing back several powerful soul beasts, Kong Yi naturally grew ambitious.

The expressions of Kong Deming and Kong Bo made it clear that they disagreed.

"Hmph, Yi'er," Kong Deming shook his head. "You must think more deeply. Come, Bo'er, tell your father where his line of thinking is wrong."

"Father," Kong Bo asked, "of the four major soul engineer legions, how many are loyal to our Kong family to the point that if we were to claim the throne, they would immediately respond?"

"This... none," Kong Yi admitted.

"Father, how many of our own people have we planted in the Royal Hand soul engineer legion?" Kong Bo continued.

Kong Yi shook his head again.

Kong Bo pressed on, "Father, let's ask the simplest question. The court officials are civil servants; we could force them to submit with violence, but what about the Hongchen family or your maternal grandfather's family? If they knew our Kong family intended to seize the throne, would they resolutely support us?"

Kong Yi shook his head once more.

"Father, with Shrek eyeing us from the outside and the Holy Spirit Cult stirring up trouble within, what is their attitude toward our Kong family?" Kong Bo asked.

"This..." Kong Yi was left speechless.

At this point, Kong Deming spoke up. "Bo'er is your son; since it is inconvenient for him to say it, I will. You haven't secured any of these people, yet you dream of replacing the Emperor? Dream on! Yi'er, having ambition is fine, but we must have the strength to match it. Wait until Bo'er matures. You truly are not as capable as your son."

"Grandfather, Yi'er knows his mistake." Kong Yi broke into a cold sweat. It was fortunate that his grandfather and his brilliant son were rational enough not to let their egos inflate just because a few soul beast experts had arrived; otherwise, the entire Kong family would have been wiped out.

"Yi'er, bury this thought deep in your heart and wait for Bo'er to grow up before we discuss it again," Kong Deming commanded. "Do not even tell Fanghua! Tomorrow, I will take a Limit Douluo to see the Emperor. We will say she encountered us on the road, heard my description of the Ming Capital's prosperity, and, tired of bitter cultivation in the mountains, decided to follow This Seat here. The others should remain hidden in the mansion."

Though Kong Deming had never read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he understood the value of "secretly raising three thousand death warriors, scattered among the people, to be gathered in a single day."

Kong Deming continued, "As for Bo'er, in two weeks, you will attend the Royal Soul Engineer Academy. You have talent as both a soul master and a soul engineer, so do not neglect either. You have perseverance, and your great-grandfather is confident in you."

"Yes, Great-grandfather," Kong Bo replied.

The next day, Kong Deming brought the Evil Emperor to the Sun Moon Imperial Palace. Kong Bo had coached her on what to say, and she kept exclaiming in plain, simple language, "Oh my, the Ming Capital is truly prosperous! Oh my, does the Sun Moon Empire's palace really have so much gold and silver? Your Majesty, tell me who to beat up, and I will do it without a second word. As long as you can get me a big house and some gold and silver, that is all."

This solidified the Evil Emperor's persona: "Your Excellency Evil Emperor has long cultivated in the deep mountains. By chance, she encountered this old subject after coming out of the mountains. She was moved by my description of the Ming Capital's prosperity, and so she came."

"Excellent!" Emperor Xu Cong was overjoyed. A Limit Douluo joining the Sun Moon Empire was a tremendous boon, and this Limit Douluo was remarkably greedy for wealth. "Old Kong, have the Mingde Hall engineering team build a residence for Her Excellency the Evil Emperor. Her treatment shall be on par with yours. Your Excellency Evil Emperor, if you have any matters, feel free to come to me."