The Divine Hall's questions

In the capital, five days had passed since the Yin Clan fire.

For five days, Li Ziye had not left Li Garden again.

In the west wing, a pig lay amid the crisscrossing formation of red threads. Halfway through, his True Qi had run out, and he was too exhausted even to stand.

Bai Wangyu silently walked in and dragged the pig out.

A long trail of blood streaked the ground.

Crunch!

On the stone steps, Li Ziye took out several precious herbs and began crunching away at them.

Beside him, Bai Wangyu wiped the sword in his hand and said in an indifferent tone, "Brother Li, how many days has it been? Have you improved?"

"A little," Li Ziye said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, you've improved? I thought nothing had changed," Bai Wangyu said sarcastically.

"..."

Li Ziye was so angry that he wanted to bludgeon the fellow before him to death with the radish in his hand.

Listen to that. Was that something a human being would say?

Did having great talent give him the right to openly mock other people?

In five days, he had gone from thirteen steps to seventeen. That was a very clear improvement!

"Old Bai, you'll be seeing me in a whole new light soon!"

Li Ziye took a bite of the precious herb and said indistinctly, "His Majesty issued a decree summoning the Divine Hall's envoys today. Once that king of medicines reaches Great Shang's hands, I'll be able to get it. Then I can open another meridian, and my cultivation speed will definitely increase greatly."

"Heh, three open meridians. So many!" Bai Wangyu said with a hollow smile.

"Get lost!"

Li Ziye spat out those words with great elegance.

This man was so annoying!

Little Red Riding Hood was no longer the pure little angel he had been when he first arrived at Li Garden.

How were things going at the imperial palace?

Had the king of medicines brought by the Divine Hall been presented to the Great Shang court?

Li Ziye gnawed at the precious herb, bite after bite, but his mind had long since left the west wing. He wished he could grow wings and fly straight to the imperial palace.

The imperial palace of Great Shang.

Majestic, magnificent halls rose one after another. Amid the surrounding halls stood an exceptionally imposing hall. Before it, a thousand tiers of white marble steps led straight from Black Tortoise Gate to the imperial presence, exuding extraordinary grandeur.

Great Shang, a thousand-year-old dynasty, stood at the height of its power. Even as the world's dynasties rose and fell, Great Shang endured.

For a thousand years, no power in the Nine Provinces had been able to stand alongside Great Shang, save the Divine Oracle Temple of the Western Regions.

Unlike Great Shang, which governed through law, the Divine Oracle Temple was a realm of faith. It worshipped the God of Light and had tens of millions of followers. In its power to rally people, it was even more fearsome than Great Shang.

Over the past thousand years, large-scale wars had also broken out between Great Shang and the Divine Oracle Temple, with victories and defeats on both sides. Over the last century, however, the two had gradually moved toward peace, and large-scale conflicts had become fewer and fewer.

Yet both Great Shang and the Divine Oracle Hall knew that this was merely the calm before the storm.

Their faiths differed, and their fundamental interests also clashed. War was only a matter of time.

If the Great Shang Dynasty wished to expand its territory, the Divine Oracle Hall was its greatest obstacle.

Likewise, if the Divine Oracle Temple wished to spread the light it worshipped throughout the Nine Provinces, Great Shang was the tiger blocking its path that most needed to be removed.

Thus, the Divine Oracle Hall's Divine Son's visit to Great Shang was less a visit than a probe of its true strength.

Inside Fengtian Hall, Great Shang's officials stood in two rows. On the dragon throne, the Shang Emperor sat quietly in a bright yellow dragon robe. He looked around forty, his face commanding awe without anger. Even without saying a word, he gave off an indescribable sense of pressure.

In the middle of the hall, the Divine Oracle Hall's envoys bowed respectfully.

There was no relationship of subordination between the Divine Oracle Temple and Great Shang, so Yan Xiaoyu, Liu Rongnü, and the others merely bowed upon meeting the Shang Emperor, rather than kneeling.

"Your Majesty of Great Shang, our Divine Hall has brought three treasures on this journey."

In the middle of the hall, Yan Xiaoyu, dressed in a moon-white robe, looked at the Shang Emperor on the dragon throne and said with a smile:

"The Water-Fire Pearl, a rare treasure from the place in the far west where yin and yang converge. Whoever holds it is impervious to water and fire;

"The Bright Light Armor, forged personally by our Divine Hall's previous master. Whoever wears it is impervious to blades and spears;

"The Snow Lotus Heart, a thousand-year-old king of medicines born on the sacred peak of the Western Regions. Consuming it can revive the dead and restore flesh to bare bones."

As Yan Xiaoyu spoke, three Divine Hall knights behind him opened three wooden boxes. Within them, the three supreme treasures lay quietly, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall.

The officials permitted to stand in Fengtian Hall were all important ministers of Great Shang, with exalted status and far more discerning eyes than ordinary people. Yet even their eyes could not help burning with desire at the sight of the Divine Hall's three offerings.

By contrast, the Shang Emperor's expression remained utterly calm as he sat on the dragon throne. He quietly watched the varied reactions of those below, without the slightest ripple in his expression.

He wanted to see just what this Divine Oracle Hall intended to do!

Presenting treasures? That was merely a pretext.

In the middle of the hall, the corners of Yan Xiaoyu's lips curved slightly when he saw the greed in the ministers' eyes.

These ministers of Great Shang were indeed all greedy for wealth and profit.

"Your Majesty of Great Shang, our Divine Oracle Temple wishes to present these three treasures to the Great Shang court. However..."

Having finished introducing the treasures, Yan Xiaoyu cupped his hands and bowed. His tone suddenly shifted as he said with a smile, "In return, our Divine Oracle Hall would also like to ask Your Majesty for a treasure."

"What treasure?"

On the dragon throne, the Shang Emperor spoke, his expression impassive.

"Great Shang's Ninth Princess."

A smile as warm as the sun appeared on Yan Xiaoyu's face. "As the Divine Son of the Divine Oracle Hall, I ask Your Majesty of Great Shang for her hand in marriage. These three treasures shall serve as our Divine Hall's betrothal gifts."

His words shocked the entire court. Everyone in the hall looked at Yan Xiaoyu before them, their faces filled with astonishment.

The Divine Oracle Hall's Divine Son wanted to marry the Ninth Princess?

"The old drunkard's sights aren't set on the wine."

At the head of the ministers, several martial kings who had remained silent exchanged glances. A gleam flashed through their eyes as they quickly realized the Divine Oracle Hall's true objective.

Fengyang City!

The Ninth Princess was deeply beloved by His Majesty. A year ago, he had granted her Fengyang City as her fief. Although she had never been to Fengyang, the city was indeed her fief in name.

Moreover, Fengyang City lay in Great Shang's west, close to the frontier. Its special location made it a strategic military stronghold.

In principle, when a princess married, her fief would accompany her as dowry and be granted to her husband.

It could be said that, from the moment His Majesty granted the Ninth Princess her fief, he had never intended to marry her off to a foreign country.

Yan Xiaoyu's intentions in seeking the Ninth Princess's hand warranted death!

Sure enough, on the dragon throne, the Shang Emperor immediately frowned upon hearing the Divine Oracle Hall's Divine Son's request.

"Your Majesty of Great Shang."

Below, Yan Xiaoyu watched the reactions of Great Shang's ruler and ministers, the smile on his face undiminished. He continued, "I know the Ninth Princess is the pearl in Your Majesty's palm, so I will not force the marriage. How about this? Our Divine Hall will pose three questions and allow three days. If Great Shang can answer them, we will unconditionally offer up the three treasures behind me. If no one in Great Shang can answer them, Your Majesty will agree to our Divine Hall's marriage proposal. Of course, these three treasures will still be presented to the Great Shang court as betrothal gifts. Well? Does Your Majesty dare make this wager with me?"

"Insolence!"

The moment Yan Xiaoyu finished speaking, the ministers' expressions changed. An elderly minister stepped forward and rebuked him angrily, "How dare a mere junior speak to our Great Shang's emperor in such a manner? Has your hall master never taught you any manners?"

A cold glint flashed through Yan Xiaoyu's eyes at those words, but he quickly suppressed it.

"Minister Lü, step back for now."

On the dragon throne, the Shang Emperor spoke calmly.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Below, Lü Siqing bowed respectfully, then stepped back into place.

The other ministers in the hall also wore unpleasant expressions now. This Divine Oracle Hall's Divine Son was far too insolent. He actually dared to be so aggressive even inside their Great Shang's imperial palace.

At the head of the ministers, the martial kings' expressions also grew somewhat grave. This matter would not be easy to handle.

If His Majesty refused, these people from the Divine Hall would undoubtedly embellish the story and spread it everywhere, claiming that the Great Shang court was cowardly and did not dare accept the Divine Oracle Hall's wager. The court would then suffer a tremendous loss of face.

But if His Majesty agreed and lost the wager, the consequences would likewise be unthinkable.

Although marrying off an imperial daughter was perfectly ordinary, the Ninth Princess was different, after all.

"Your Majesty of Great Shang, have you reached a decision?"

In the middle of the hall, seeing that the ruler and ministers still had not replied, Yan Xiaoyu added fuel to the fire, saying with a hollow smile, "The Great Shang court has always prided itself on its enlightened ruler and worthy ministers. Great Shang's Imperial Academy also claims to abound in talent, and its Head of the Confucians is even hailed as the wisest man under heaven. Why, then, has a mere little wager put you all in such a difficult position?"

"Sharp-tongued brat!"

On either side, Great Shang's ministers were almost steaming with anger at Yan Xiaoyu's aggressive words.

On the dragon throne, the Shang Emperor stared darkly at the Divine Hall's people below. A moment later, he said, "State your questions!"

At those words, all the ministers were shocked. His Majesty had accepted the wager?

In the middle of the hall, Yan Xiaoyu smiled. His only worry had been that Great Shang's ruler and ministers would lose their nerve and refuse.

"Your Majesty is decisive indeed. Everyone of Great Shang, listen carefully."

Yan Xiaoyu swept his gaze over Great Shang's ruler and ministers present and said with a smile:

"The first question: a southern pearl has a hole. Without using your hands, how can you thread a string through it?"

"The second question: given fifty similar-looking mares and fifty recently born foals, how can you accurately identify every mother and child pair?"

"The third question: how can you use water to make fire?"

The calm, unremarkable voice echoed through Great Shang's Fengtian Hall. At some point, all of Great Shang's ministers had fallen silent, their faces grave, unable to speak.

On the dragon throne, the Shang Emperor's expression also changed, and his heart sank.

Trouble!

At Li Garden, the blazing sun shone high overhead at noon.

"Young Master!"

Outside the west wing, a servant hurried over and said, "There's news from the imperial palace."

Li Ziye immediately stood up upon hearing this and asked anxiously, "How did it go?"

Nothing had gone wrong with his king of medicines, had it?

"The Divine Hall posed three difficult questions to the court."

The servant caught his breath and recounted the news from the imperial palace in detail.

"Good, nothing's wrong with my king of medicines."

Li Ziye paid no attention whatsoever to whether the questions were difficult. Hearing that the Divine Hall would definitely give the king of medicines to the Great Shang court, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down.

Beside him, however, Bai Wangyu had picked out the crux of the matter. His expression grew grave, and he asked with concern, "Has anyone answered those three questions?"

"No."

The servant shook his head. "They couldn't answer a single one."

"What a bunch of blockheads."

On the steps, Li Ziye took out a precious herb and bit into it with a crunch. Chewing, he said indistinctly, "They're all free points, and they still can't answer them. Poor Ninth Princess. Looks like she'll have to marry far away in that place in the Western Regions where even birds don't shit."

He had seen these lousy questions eighty times in his previous life, if not a hundred. Couldn't they come up with something fresh?