"How dare they!"
"How dare they!"
Smack!
Xu Lin's aged palm slammed against the armrest, and his face turned livid!
The veins bulged on his arm as he stared fixedly at the mass of ministers on the heavenly screen, kneeling before Ye Xiao and asking to add robes to him.
Xu Lin forced down his rage and cast an icy gaze at the ministers below. Every one of them had their head lowered; not a single one dared meet his eyes!
"Jing Hongchen!"
Xu Lin called coldly.
"This old minister is here!"
Jing Hongchen stepped forward, his scalp tingling. He did not dare look Xu Lin in the eye.
Inwardly, he was groaning too.
By rights, with so many ministers submitting to Ye Xiao, Xu Lin shouldn't keep harping on this matter.
But... the first bird to stick its head out got shot!
That damned Xu Lin would definitely find another way to get at him!
"You will be responsible for the execution in half a month."
"If those two escape..."
Xu Lin's eyes were as cold as a hawk's as he stared fixedly at Jing Hongchen.
Since Jing Hongchen liked Ye Xiao so much, he would put an end to Jing Hongchen's hopes once and for all!
"This old minister obeys!"
Jing Hongchen groaned inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged.
What if Ye Xiao didn't come to rescue them, but instead lay low and developed his strength?
Once he had grown strong, that grudge would most likely fall on Jing Hongchen and even the Hongchen Family!
"Hall Master Hongchen, I will not hold you accountable for what happens in the future. Do not disappoint me."
Seeing Jing Hongchen agree, Xu Lin's expression eased somewhat.
But with the heavenly screen there, he had developed some misgivings about Jing Hongchen.
"Your Majesty is merciful!"
Jing Hongchen offered the praise respectfully, but his lowered eyes flickered slightly. Clearly, he was not as calm as he appeared...
["Nope~"
Ye Xiao looked at Jing Hongchen, black lines across his face. You old rascal, you've got some nerve!
"Please, Your Majesty, save this world!"
Jing Hongchen petitioned him once more.
What he had said before about a savior was pure bullshit. His main purpose had been to give Ye Xiao an excuse to ascend the throne.
That way, his daughter might have a chance at the second-highest position!
"I'm serious. I'm not playing that game of offering three times and refusing three times with you."
"Someone like me leaves even the job of raising private troops to Sister Yan and the others, and you expect me to be emperor?"
Ye Xiao shrugged and secretly slipped an arm around the Snow Empress's slender waist.
The Snow Empress's delicate body stiffened for only a moment. She did not pull away, merely shifting her gaze away from Ye Xiao.
"...Damn!"
Jing Hongchen's aged face darkened, and his composure cracked a little.
Ye Xiao's candor had truly left him at a loss.
"I only became city lord because it would make my next moves easier. If I could, I wouldn't even want to be city lord."
"But... having an emperor unify everything would indeed be more advantageous to my future development."
Ye Xiao shook his head and fell into thought.
"Snow Empress, are you interested in being emperor?"
Ye Xiao suddenly asked, curious.
"Things in the Far North haven't been settled yet."
The Snow Empress shook her head and refused outright. She had no fondness for humans, and was even less likely to rule them.
"Don't look at me. There's even less chance of me doing it!"
The Ice Empress glared at Ye Xiao indignantly, then pointedly looked at the hand he had around the Snow Empress.
If she didn't have to give Ye Xiao face in front of outsiders, she would have planted a foot on his face long ago!
"Hall Master Hongchen, would Xiao happen to-"
"Yes! Absolutely!"
Before Ye Xiao could finish asking, Jing Hongchen cut him off, his face glowing!
He had never imagined that Ye Xiao would truly be so indifferent to fame and fortune that he could even hand this supreme position to his grandson!
As for what Xiao Hongchen thought, that wasn't important!
He couldn't do anything about Ye Xiao, but surely he could handle Xiao Hongchen!
"Then that's settled. Go home and ask the two juniors which of them is willing to be emperor."
"As for everyone else, stay in your current positions for now. As long as you're capable enough at your jobs, I can't be bothered to pursue your past problems."
"But in case some of you have other ideas, let me be blunt: I can give you your positions, and I can strip you of them just as easily."
Ye Xiao spoke quickly, casting a warning glance at everyone as he did.
"The Sword Lord's position is supreme, with the emperor beneath him. The emperor's duty is to manage the mortal world on the Sword Lord's behalf."
Jing Hongchen spoke as he considered it.
As the saying went, old people grew shrewd with age. Ye Xiao had needed only a month to gain the combat strength to stand against a level-five Soul Tool.
And with all the lower-realm gods who had intercepted Ye Xiao earlier now gone, Ye Xiao's potential was plain to see!
Now that Ye Xiao's momentum was unstoppable, all Jing Hongchen could do was go all in, all in, all in!
All he could say was, thank goodness he had been delighted to see talent before and hadn't meddled in the friendship between the juniors.
"That works too. You can handle it however you like; I'm fine either way. If anything goes wrong, it'll only take one swing of my sword anyway."
"Now I'll leave you some homework. Take it down."
"In a little while, I'll have someone send over a basic sword skill, the Cloud Sword Technique. You'll be responsible for distributing it and making sure everyone in the city between six and fifty years old starts cultivating it."
"Also, as long as they're cultivating the sword skill, you have to make sure they get at least one meal with meat a day."
"If anyone cultivates quickly and shows considerable talent in the sword, make a list for me. I'll assess them all together when the time comes."
"Lastly, equip the city guards with the strongest Soul Tools they can use, as a precaution against a future Swarm Disaster trial."
"That's all for now. You can handle the rest!"
Ye Xiao stood up and stretched.
That was all he could do.
"Oh, right. I know you've colluded with Evil Soul Masters. Give me a map of their lairs; I'll go take a look."
Suddenly remembering something, Ye Xiao added that as well.
Ye Xishui had attacked him once when he was little. If the Snow Empress hadn't intervened in time, he really would have been captured and taken to the Evil Soul Masters' lair to serve as a heat weapon.
Now that his level had been reset to zero, of course he had to settle that grudge!
Besides, they were a bunch of Evil Soul Masters. Storming Ye Xishui's lair counted as enforcing heaven's justice!]
"I hear the Sun Moon Empire has captured Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan?"
Underground in the Evil Demon Forest, a seductive woman in a red gauze dress smiled teasingly.
Her long red fingernails skimmed lightly along the edge of the bed.
The future Ye Xiao wanted to enforce heaven's justice and storm her lair, and there was nothing she could do about it.
But now...
"A greenhorn who's only just awakened his Martial Soul. I hope your body is tougher than your mouth."
The smile slowly faded from Ye Xishui's face, and a hint of chill entered her voice.
She greatly admired that arrogant sense of equality Ye Xiao possessed.
Just as he would not despise Evil Soul Masters because they were Evil Soul Masters, neither would he show mercy because his enemies were innocent...
In Ye Xiao's eyes, there was no good or evil, only those who were enemies and friends to him.
But that did not mean Ye Xishui would leave herself a formidable future enemy over that little bit of admiration!
"Hmm~"
"In that case, I'll make a move too~"
Ye Xishui rose from the bed, a playful smile on her lips.