Chapter 141: The Orphean Plot

Lan Xi Tang’s usually calm face finally showed a clear expression of surprise, “Empress Li? Does she have the qualifications?”

The Heavenly King stands at the pinnacle of the empire; even the emperor himself has little constraint over them, let alone the people in the harem who have only honor and no power.

However, Lan Xi Tang’s mind was sharp, and after thinking for a moment and associating it with recent events, he quickly figured out the cause and effect.

Zhang Bo Qian’s first wife had died early without leaving any children, and throughout his life in military service, he had only one illegitimate son, who was not particularly talented. Zhang Bo Qian himself was indifferent to his descendants, and the Zhang family had already prepared for the possibility of selecting an heir from the younger generation of the Dan Kingdom branch, which was also a tradition among the aristocratic families. But the previously ordinary family succession became a hotly contested issue, fraught with disputes, as Zhang Bo Qian was bestowed the title of Heavenly King.

The Li family saw this opportunity and, at the critical juncture of the struggle between the imperial family and the aristocratic clans, actually planned to split the most powerful clan and ally with the newly appointed Heavenly King. Their ambition was not small, and their move was significant. If the maternal family could form an alliance with the new Heavenly King, combined with their years of efforts, they might indeed gain the greatest benefit in this storm of the empire.

It was now clear that to form an alliance with the Heavenly King, the crumbling Song family’s weight might not be enough, so the other offering would be his political rival. Hence, the impeachment at the great assembly was a probe.

Perhaps there was more to it. Lan Xi Tang lowered his gaze, playing with the memorials in his hand. He naturally understood that Zhang Bo Qian’s previous words were not aimed at just the Li family, but the supreme one above. As fellow members of the imperial party, this situation was whether Empress Li privately wanted to seize power from him, or if the emperor, after changing the court structure, wanted to replace a minister?

Thinking of this, Lan Xi Tang looked at Zhang Bo Qian’s expression and chuckled, “The Li family… this is also a good move.”

A sudden fierce light flashed in Zhang Bo Qian’s eyes.

Lan Xi Tang simply said, “I originally thought that the Song family was just purging its own, but it turns out the Li family gave you another offer of allegiance.”

“Lan Xi Tang, in this iron-blooded battle, I don’t care what kind of chess you are playing. Even if you can calculate everything, you cannot calculate the human heart. Be careful not to become a mantis catching the cicada, or a rabbit that hasn’t even died yet before being cooked.”

“Chess always has winners and losers, and the calculated fate is just the closest one to the truth among all possibilities. Who can determine the result at the beginning? If something really happens to me…” Lan Xi Tang smiled unintentionally, looking up at Zhang Bo Qian, “We have been comrades for many years. Can I entrust my family to you?”

Thump! It felt like the entire world jolted. Something invisible in the air suddenly condensed and froze, filling the room with a cold, oppressive atmosphere.

Zhang Bo Qian’s voice turned extremely icy, carrying a chilling murderous aura, “If you die, I will personally slaughter the entire Lan family.”

“So be it. They enjoyed glory because of me, and naturally, they should bear the consequences of my downfall.” Lan Xi Tang’s expression remained calm and constant.

This was the difference between a common aristocratic family and a high-ranking noble clan. The prosperity of the Lan family rested solely on Lan Xi Tang. His relatives and nephews did not have sufficiently outstanding talents to inherit his power. The Lan family had only risen from count to marquis in one generation, and the weight of their marital and social connections was not significant. Once Lan Xi Tang was gone, the entire family would immediately decline.

In contrast, the high-ranking noble clans had a thousand years of heritage, deep foundations, and flourishing branches. Even if an entire branch was uprooted, it would not harm the main stem. Even if the main stem was cut off, the deep-rooted side branches would still grow back into towering trees when the time was right.

Zhang Bo Qian’s eyes were profound, and he abruptly turned and left without a backward glance. When he flicked his sleeves and turned, a sudden thunderstorm shook the sky, its sound reverberating for a hundred miles!

This was the echo of the Heavenly King’s anger, resounding through heaven and earth.

Lan Xi Tang stood silently for a moment, then walked to the desk, where he found a stone the size of two fists, oval-shaped, with flat top and bottom, and some pockmarks on its surface, as if it had been eroded by irregular water flow for a long time.

He focused his gaze, slowly sat down at the desk, and looked at the stone for a while before placing his hand on it.

Suddenly, the stone patterns began to shimmer, transforming into countless beautiful lines, and with a soft click, the stone opened sideways, revealing an exquisitely designed box. Inside, there was a gentle white glow, shimmering like ripples on water, and emitting a faint yet unmistakable void force.

At the center, a blue lotus seemed to have just awakened from slumber, its petals unfurling, slowly blooming.

The Sea Lotus.

This was a unique plant of the Great Vortex, and according to the records of the dark races, it had the miraculous effect of calming the soul. It was said that when it bloomed, it could mend the damaged souls of surrounding beings. For humans, although the concept of the soul was ethereal, it was a rare main ingredient used to make superior potions for warrior candidates, and an indispensable component in healing potions for warriors and above.

This beautiful and precious plant grew in the depths of treacherous terrains where even the strongest dared not enter. Its life cycle, from bloom to seed, was just a moment, completing its entire existence.

Therefore, the Sea Lilies that people managed to collect were all petrified petals and seeds, solidified after they withered. Even if someone was lucky enough to witness the moment of its bloom, they couldn’t bring it out with any known means.

Only Zhang Bo Qian, with his unique ability to traverse the continent, could bring back a living Sea Lily.

Several wisps of white smoke rose from the petals, wrapping around Lan Xi Tang’s fingers and spreading along his skin and veins, filling the air with a faint, strange fragrance. The surrounding primal force seemed to become more active, blurring the boundary between darkness and dawn, making the world feel more harmonious.

At this moment, the blue lotus reached its peak, then began to fade and solidify, preserving its most beautiful moment inch by inch.

Lan Xi Tang leaned back in his chair, raising his hand to cover his eyes, hiding all expressions.

Actually, Zhang Bo Qian had said something wrong. The way of heaven follows its own rules, and the choices are only to go with the flow or against it. Therefore, the only thing that can be calculated in this world is the human heart.

In another unremarkable corner of the Evernight Continent, an airship was soaring through the sky, heading west.

Long-distance flights were monotonous, and after searching every corner of the airship, Black Moon finally stood beside Qian Ye, joining him in silent contemplation.

After a long while, Qian Ye finally said, “Before going to the Blackflow, I may need to fight a battle first. You wait for me on the periphery.”

“A battle? With whom?” At the mention of war, Black Moon’s eyes lit up like a cat seeing a fish.

Qian Ye smiled and said, “It’s a tough battle. My opponent is the private army of the Nan Gong family.”

“The Nan Gong family? Those who intercepted you?”

“More precisely, the people behind them, a high-ranking family of the Qin Empire.”

“Sounds very formidable,” Black Moon’s eyes sparkled.

“They are indeed very formidable.”

“Advance payment of five hundred for condolence, and if you really die, another five hundred. Additionally, nine-level warriors two hundred each, eight-level warriors one hundred each, and so on, halving the price. If that’s agreeable, we have a deal.” Black Moon spouted her well-practiced spiel, clearly having repeated it countless times. “In imperial gold coins!”

“Agreed.”

Qian Ye’s straightforward agreement surprised Black Moon. After a moment, she stammered, “You, you agreed so easily?”

“Why not?”

“Don’t you… want to haggle or think I’m bluffing?”

It seemed Black Moon was ready for a negotiation, but her preparation went to waste, and her face scrunched up in frustration.

“This price is reasonable. Wait, you control the airship. I need to step out; we have guests.”

With that, Qian Ye picked up Black Moon and placed her at the control panel before leaving the control room. Through the porthole, she could see a fast-approaching airship, flashing lights signaling communication.

Black Moon exclaimed and quickly grabbed the communication manual beside the control panel, flipping to the relevant section to understand the signal: land for inspection.

The approaching airship was small but much faster than their old relic. Its family emblem was prominently displayed. Black Moon pulled out a grubby piece of paper from her pocket, on which were drawn several dozen family emblems, annotated in peculiar Gao Hu script.

“Nan Gong family?” Black Moon called out, her eyes not showing any tension, but excitement.

Just then, Qian Ye’s figure appeared in the porthole. He had a massive sniper rifle slung over his shoulder and was climbing up the side of the airship toward the top.

Seeing this, Black Moon’s thoughts paused for a moment. Although she had climbed to the top of the airship before, she had only gone up to look. The airship was flying at nearly a kilometer altitude, where the freezing wind was ferocious. Even with mechanical assistance, she had almost been blown off. What was Qian Ye doing? Was he planning to shoot from the top of the airship?

Even as a Gao Hu, Black Moon thought Qian Ye’s idea was crazy.

The opposing airship, clearly military, impatient with the lack of response to its signals, opened fire. However, the distance was too great, and both airships were buffeted by the strong winds, causing the bullets to miss by a wide margin.

Black Moon cursed, hauling out a heavy machine gun from the back compartment and setting it up at the porthole, unleashing a volley of fire. Her feet remained firmly planted on the floor, and the recoil of the heavy machine gun was countered by mechanical force, allowing her to keep the gun barrel locked on the opposing airship.

The young girl’s shooting skills were clearly superior. At a distance of over a thousand meters, a box of bullets hit at least a dozen times, with the rest missing by mere inches. But the bullets splashed off the opposing airship’s armor, barely penetrating.

Though it was a small military patrol boat, it had armor protection, rendering the heavy machine gun ineffective.

At that moment, a loud boom resounded above Black Moon, shaking the entire airship. A streak of fire crossed the night sky, striking the opposing airship, igniting a bright flame and sending a large chunk of the propeller flying. The patrol boat began to spin out of control.

Black Moon’s mouth gaped open in shock, speechless.