"Fine, I'll go and see what new complications that tyrant means to stir up!"
Bi Gan nodded, gave his assent, then cupped his fist toward Jiang Ziya and headed out.
"Ziya, do you think the prime minister will bring back good news or bad?"
After everyone watched Bi Gan leave, Fang Bi cupped his hands toward Jiang Ziya and asked.
"I fear it will be nothing good. I have glimpsed a hint of Heaven's secrets. Perhaps he intends to exhaust the people and squander their wealth..."
Jiang Ziya sighed, his face full of concern for the country and its people.
At his words, Fang Bi, Fang Xiang, Yang Ren, and Huang Feihu all joined him in heaving long sighs. They, too, had a premonition that nothing good would come of Bi Gan's visit.
"Brother Ziya, besides your infallible divination, could you show us some of your other abilities? Samadhi True Fire, for instance? It isn't that we distrust you, but Zheng Lun possesses formidable powers. We must prepare for every eventuality..."
Huang Feihu cupped his hands toward Jiang Ziya and asked.
"That is easily done!"
Jiang Ziya smiled breezily, then stamped hard on the ground. In an instant, fierce winds swept through the hall, sand flew and stones hurtled, and sinister flames churned. Five spirits emerged, their faces each a different color, their mouths enormous and their fangs bared. They looked unspeakably ferocious.
"These five are the Five-Road Gods I subdued. They possess boundless strength and can send sand and stones flying, command the wind, and unleash fire..." After introducing them, Jiang Ziya pointed at a spirit with a waxy blue face and said, "He is a water spirit. Ordinary flames cannot harm him. Feel free to try."
Hearing this, Huang Feihu immediately picked up a candlestick and held its flame to the Water-Road God.
But the candle flames all went out upon touching him. They tried again with a torch, only for that, too, to go out on contact. Everyone clicked their tongues in wonder.
"Now behold Samadhi True Fire!"
Jiang Ziya chuckled, then widened his eyes. Flames immediately burst from his eyes, nose, and mouth, landing on the Water-Road God.
The moment they touched him, the flames roared to life. Within them, the Water-Road God screamed in agony, and in the blink of an eye, he was barely clinging to life. The other four gods were so frightened that their bones went soft and their sinews slackened. They hurriedly dropped to their knees, kowtowing repeatedly to Jiang Ziya and begging without cease.
"Brother Ziya, please withdraw your power."
Seeing this, Huang Feihu spoke to Jiang Ziya as well.
Only after hearing those words did Jiang Ziya open his mouth and inhale, drawing the Samadhi True Fire back into his body. Yet in that brief span, the Water-Road God had already been left barely breathing.
"With Brother Ziya's help, how could our great undertaking fail?"
Yang Ren laughed heartily, clapping his hands and praising him again and again, as though he could already see Zheng Lun falling beneath that Samadhi True Fire.
Jiang Ziya lifted his head and puffed out his chest, chuckling repeatedly, an unfathomable expression on his face.
"Where did these spirits come from, and what did they do for you to capture them, Brother Ziya?" Just then, Fang Bi looked at the trembling Five-Road Gods and asked Jiang Ziya curiously.
"These five vile creatures had their lair beneath my friend's backyard. My friend wanted to build a small tower in the yard, right above their lair. These wretches repeatedly made trouble, burning the tower down whenever it was built. When I learned of this, I captured them!"
Jiang Ziya glanced at the Five-Road Gods and snorted coldly.
"Well captured! Such vile creatures deserve to be seized! You are truly kindhearted, Brother Ziya. Had it been me, I would have refined every last one of them alive!"
Yang Ren clapped his hands and laughed repeatedly, lavishing still more praise on Jiang Ziya.
The Five-Road Gods trembled, their heads lowered, not daring to utter a word. Tears filled their eyes, all but spilling onto the floor.
Heaven knew their plight. They had been spirits for two hundred years and had lived perfectly well underground all that time. When houses were built around their lair, they had endured it, since nothing weighed down the ground directly above them. But Jiang Ziya's friend wanted to build a Feng Shui Tower right over their lair and seize the earth's fortune they depended on to survive and cultivate. If they did not act then, they truly would not be able to live...
Who could have imagined they would encounter Jiang Ziya? Without listening to a word of explanation, he had dragged the five brothers out, threatening to strike them with lightning and refine them with Samadhi True Fire. Terrified, they had no choice but to submit. And now he was gambling with their brothers' lives to display his divine might before others!
Someone so utterly cold-blooded, so heartless and unfeeling-and people actually had the gall to call him kindhearted!
"Why have you not withdrawn already?"
Just then, Jiang Ziya swept his gaze over the Five-Road Gods and rebuked them coldly.
At his words, the Five-Road Gods shuddered and obediently burrowed into the earth, not daring to show their heads again. They could only hope Jiang Ziya would never summon them again for the rest of his life.
"I wonder what exactly that tyrant wants with the prime minister..."
Just then, Yang Ren sighed softly, curiosity showing in his eyes.
"What else would a tyrant do but commit acts of tyranny?"
Huang Feihu ground his teeth and slapped the table, fury blazing in his eyes.
At his words, Yang Ren, Fang Xiang, and Fang Bi also darkened, anger burning deep in their eyes.
[Negative Emotion Points from Huang Feihu: +99. Total: +45620...]
At that same moment, Di Xin suddenly noticed a line of data flash through the system's backend. He froze briefly, but when he heard the "moo... moo..." snores coming from outside the hall, he immediately broke into an amused smile.
Presumably, Huang Feihu was nursing resentment over the Five-Colored Divine Ox.
King of Wucheng, oh, King of Wucheng. It seems there really is something wrong with you.
[Negative Emotion Points from Yang Ren: +99...] [Negative Emotion Points from Fang Bi: +99...] [Negative Emotion Points from Fang Xiang: +99. Total: +45917...]
But a moment later, watching the system's backend flash again, Di Xin let out a soft sound of surprise.
He was no stranger to these names. They had appeared in his system's backend during the earlier sacrifice to Heaven.
Yet for their names to appear at the same time as Huang Feihu's, with such perfectly identical values, was rather strange.
Could these fellows be gathered together, holding a complaint session to gripe about me?!
Di Xin's brows furrowed slightly, a faint warning stirring in his heart.
After all, whether Yang Ren, Huang Feihu, or the brothers Fang Bi and Fang Xiang, every last one of them was a turncoat!
How could anything good come of turncoats gathering together?
"I need to farm some Negative Emotion Points and raise my cultivation as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, I won't have the strength to protect myself..."
Di Xin murmured, swiftly making up his mind. He would have to be careful for a while. Of course, he also needed to investigate just what Huang Feihu and the others were plotting!
"Your Majesty, the prime minister has arrived."
Just then, a young palace maid's voice came from outside the hall.
"Send him in," Di Xin said evenly with a nod.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." After pushing open the door and entering, Bi Gan bowed respectfully to Di Xin, then said, "May I ask why Your Majesty summoned me?"
"For business, of course. Otherwise, did you think I invited you here for a meal?" Di Xin glanced at Bi Gan and spoke indifferently.
[Negative Emotion Points from Bi Gan: +99...]
Sure enough, the moment he finished speaking, Di Xin's system backend flashed.
"I would not dare," Bi Gan said slowly, forcibly suppressing his irritation.
"I summoned you to arrange something. As I understand it, those refugees have finished reclaiming the wasteland and building their huts. They have nothing to do now, so gather them together and find able-bodied young men to build me a... Deer Terrace!"
At his words, Di Xin looked at Bi Gan and spoke evenly.
"Your Majesty, you must not! You must not, Your Majesty!"
Bi Gan's heart lurched at those words. Jiang Ziya truly guessed correctly. This tyrant really does intend to exhaust the people and squander their wealth! His expression changed dramatically as he sprang to his feet, shaking his head repeatedly at Di Xin and shouting protests.
"Did I permit you to rise? Stay on your knees! And stop shouting in my presence. Believe me, I can make sure you never have the breath to raise your voice again!"
Di Xin frowned at Bi Gan and threatened him coldly.
He had to use every possible means to squeeze Negative Emotion Points out of turncoats like this. They had already decided he was a tyrant anyway, so there was no point in saying anything more.
[Negative Emotion Points from Bi Gan: +199...]
Though Bi Gan was filled with resentment, he still dared do nothing. He could only obediently kneel and say, "Your Majesty, exhausting the people and squandering their wealth like this is no deed for an enlightened ruler!"
"Exhausting the people and squandering their wealth?" Di Xin raised his brows, looked at Bi Gan, and smiled. "Prime Minister, do you truly not understand, or are you merely pretending?!"
Before you continue