"Why would you say that, Master? Zheng Lun always remembers your kindness in recognizing my worth. I will never forget it as long as I live!"
Zheng Lun's loyalty and righteousness towered to the heavens, after all. Hearing Su Hu's words and seeing the tears in his eyes, he immediately felt a pang of sympathy and hurriedly bowed respectfully to him.
"I knew you were a man who remembered kindness, General..."
Hearing this, Su Hu immediately felt there was hope. He gripped Zheng Lun's arm tightly and spoke excitedly.
"Without you, Master, how could I have met His Majesty? How could I have gained the blessings I enjoy today..."
But just then, Zheng Lun gave Su Hu a strange look and slowly continued.
[Negative Emotion Points from Su Hu: +299...]
Su Hu gave several dry chuckles. The brightness that had just risen in his eyes dimmed in an instant.
So, in Zheng Lun's eyes, this supposed kindness in recognizing his worth meant using him to meet Di Xin. His master had been nothing more than a tool!
"Actually, what His Majesty asked me to do is hardly a secret. There is no harm in telling you, Master. His Majesty thirsts for worthy talent and is wholly devoted to making Great Shang flourish. He therefore specifically ordered me to invite the friends I made while studying under my teacher at Cloudlight Cave on Iron Brake Mountain to assist him, uphold Great Shang's realm, suppress those arrogant petty villains, and safeguard the peace of the human race!"
By now, Zheng Lun had revealed what Di Xin wanted him to do. At the end, he even gave Su Hu a meaningful look. The implication went without saying: Su Hu was naturally one of those arrogant petty villains!
[Negative Emotion Points from Su Hu: +500. Total: +43522...]
Watching the figures change in the background, Di Xin raised his brows slightly. He could not help wondering what Zheng Lun had said to make Su Hu generate so many negative emotion points.
Still, judging by these negative emotion points, Zheng Lun probably would not be turned by that turncoat Su Hu and stage an Infernal Affairs or Empresses in the Palace against him!
"General Zheng, you're being foolish! Di Xin's sinister scheme is so obvious. Can't you see it? Just think: why would that tyrant have you contact your other friends? This is no thirst for worthy talent. He means to strip you of your power! Once they arrive, he'll leave you out in the cold..."
"If any of the friends you bring have cultivation stronger than yours, do you think he'll still entrust you with important duties as he does now?"
Su Hu forcibly swallowed the urge to curse him as a fucking idiot several times. Wearing an expression that said he only wanted what was best for Zheng Lun, he offered earnest advice, looking heartbroken.
As he spoke, Su Hu sneered inwardly, cunning flashing in his eyes. He felt he had finally seized upon a flaw in Di Xin's plans. Even if he could not change Zheng Lun's mind, he could plant a rift between him and Di Xin and drive them apart.
"Heh, heh, heh..."
Yet, contrary to Su Hu's expectations, Zheng Lun remained perfectly calm upon hearing this. He looked at him and gave three cold laughs.
???
Zheng Lun's laughter left Su Hu utterly bewildered, three question marks rising above his head. He had no idea what it meant. Had his words really been that funny?
"Duke of Jizhou, out of gratitude for your support and recommendation, I did not wish to speak coldly to you. Yet I never imagined you would stoop to anything to sow discord between His Majesty and me! Let me tell you: His Majesty has already said that no matter whom I recommend to Great Shang, he will never forget that I was the first to follow him. He even promised that my standing would always remain one rank above the others, granting me wealth and glory to enjoy for the rest of my life. As long as I do not betray him, His Majesty will not fail me!"
By then, Zheng Lun's face was filled with anger. His eyes blazed as he stared at Su Hu and bellowed in a deep voice.
That tyrant Di Xin actually said something like that?
Could he have already guessed I would try to turn Zheng Lun against him?
Di Xin is no tyrant-he is a scheming scoundrel!
Su Hu stood tongue-tied and wide-eyed. The shock left his ears ringing and his head on the verge of bursting. He could not believe what he had heard.
"Duke of Jizhou, I called you Master out of gratitude for your support. But today, all kindness and loyalty between us end. His Majesty alone is my master! From now on, conduct yourself with dignity and do not trouble me again!"
Pointing at Su Hu, Zheng Lun roared each word distinctly. In his fury, he even used the Hum Word Technique as he spoke, shaking Su Hu's soul until it went numb and nearly flew out of his body.
Having said his piece, Zheng Lun paid Su Hu no further attention. He patted the Fiery-Eyed Golden-Pupiled Beast beneath him, turned, and left.
"General Zheng! General Zheng..."
Seeing this, Su Hu hastily broke into a run after him, hoping to bring Zheng Lun back and persuade him with kind words to change his mind and remain of use to him.
"Duke of Jizhou, conduct yourself with dignity!" Zheng Lun replied coldly without looking back. Then, as though remembering something, he called from afar, "Oh, one more thing. Consort Daji attended His Majesty in bed today. Judging by her expression, she was overjoyed to bathe in his heavenly favor! I hope you learn from Her Highness, Duke of Jizhou!"
Daji had attended him in bed!
And she was overjoyed?!
He had lost his general and his daughter as well?!
That heaven-cursed tyrant!!!
Upon hearing this, Su Hu's ears immediately rang furiously, and stars danced before his eyes. His body convulsed and trembled violently for a long while before his mouth suddenly opened and a mouthful of blood sprayed out, splattering the ground.
[Negative Emotion Points from Su Hu: +1999. Total: +45521...] [Loyalty from Zheng Lun: +2. Total: +100. Congratulations, Host, on completing the Unwavering Loyalty of a Subject mission. From now on, Zheng Lun is locked into the Great Shang faction and will never rebel. Achievement Points: +1. Merit Points: +50. The merit points earned have automatically been converted toward shaping the Host's merit golden body...]
Almost simultaneously, two notifications sounded in Di Xin's mind.
Zheng Lun really was loyal. It seemed he could indeed be entrusted with great responsibilities!
Di Xin nodded slightly and tapped the tabletop lightly, gratitude and excitement showing in his eyes.
Since even a future Xiqi general like Zheng Lun could pledge unwavering loyalty, others might do the same. If he could bring Yang Jian, Nezha, Wei Hu, and the many other outstanding third-generation disciples of the Three Teachings under his command, wouldn't he hollow out Xiqi's foundations? Then what would Ji Chang and his son Ji Fa have left to challenge him with?
However, Di Xin also understood that, for now, he could only entertain the idea. Both Yang Jian and Wei Hu were difficult to reach at present. Still, while those two were beyond his reach, he could make contact with that little devil Nezha. But the little devil's fiercely protective teacher would be troublesome, and it would also affect his plans for the dragon race. He would have to think it through and arrange everything carefully...
Then Di Xin put these thoughts aside and sensed his merit golden body. He discovered that the half of its backside still uncovered by the boxer shorts had gained only the tiniest additional line. Even completing those shorts remained worlds away.
"Hm?"
Next, Di Xin noticed that his system interface now had a mission tab, with a little red dot on it.
When he opened it, a mission window immediately appeared, displaying "A Consort's Infatuation (1/1)" and "A Subject's Unwavering Loyalty (1/1)," with a Claim button after each entry.
When he pressed them with his mind, two golden beans flew out of the system interface and then into its lower section. An Achievement Shop appeared beside the shop.
Achievement points could buy items!
Di Xin's eyes lit up. Without a second thought, he opened the Achievement Shop.
"Gasp... These are all good things..."
At a glance, Di Xin immediately spotted familiar cultivation arts such as the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones, Qingxu's Virtue Scripture, and the Scripture of Deliverance. There were even spiritual treasures such as the Wind Bag, Bixiao's Flying Sword, the Dragon Binding Rope, the Blood-Transforming Divine Saber, the Wind-Fire Wheels, and the Universe Ring, as well as acquired spiritual treasures such as the twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls, the Heaven-Flipping Seal, the Immortal Slaying Flying Knife, the Yin-Yang Mirror, and the Primordial Golden Dou. There were even supreme innate treasures bearing the Sages' fortune, such as the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords, the Glazed Bottle, the Taiji Diagram, the Landscape of Mountains and Rivers, and the Twelve-Grade Lotus Platform!
"Gasp, gasp, gasp..."
For a moment, Di Xin kept sucking in cold breaths as though slurping noodles. His eyes remained fixed on those supreme innate treasures of the Sages, currently displayed in dark gray. It was as if two hooks were about to reach out of his eyes and drag them straight out of the shop interface!
Before you continue