Chapter 117: Trouble in the South

Facing his questioning, Fang Chen just smiled. "Your Majesty,” he called, “Don't be angry. I'm only doing this for the bigger picture.”

"You’re telling me not to be angry?!” The Grand Xia Emperor was so angry, he laughed. "Try the feeling yourself. I am the sovereign of Grand Xia, the ruler of a nation. Yet you make it difficult for me in front of all the civil and military officials. What? Think you’re the emperor? Why don’t I just give up my throne to you?” he huffed. “I can retire with your aunt to the countryside and live as wealthy landowners! Would that be better?”

The smile on Fang Chen’s face curved a little more at that. "I'm not interested in sitting on the throne,” he voiced. “You can never catch a break; managing the country and serving the people. The worry might even scrape off a few years off my life."

The Grand Xia Emperor was struck speechless. After a few seconds of silence, he began, growling, "Fang Chen, just tell me, what is it that you’re thinking? I offered you the imperial robe, yet you declined. Is it that you feel that being an official in Grand Xia is beneath you?"

"If it were five years ago, I might’ve been willing to share more of your burdens, Your Majesty. Debating the civil and military officials was a joy to me,” he said. “But things are different now. I believe that even if I’m not in court, I can do something for Grand Xia. Why go through the trouble? Not to mention that it saves us the trouble of preventing those officials from resenting me while constantly thinking about how to impeach me. Now, they can focus more on the livelihood of the people."

The Grand Xia Emperor’s brow knit together. "Is that really what you think?" he doubted.

"Whether Your Majesty believes it or not, that's what I've decided." He paused, then continued, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

The Grand Xia Emperor nodded slightly. "Very well, you may leave."

After Fang Chen left, an old eunuch, who was supported by several younger ones, approached the study.

When Eunuch You saw him, he ran over in a hurry. “Why have you come, Ancestor?”

"I came to see the emperor. This is none of your business,” answered the old eunuch as he walked into the study. “You can leave."

The chief eunuch was secretly surprised.

The old master has spent many years in the palace and served three generations of emperors. With the third emperor in power, the old master has already entered a state of retirement. He might be well over a hundred years old...

"Perhaps even the old master has been stirred upon hearing that Grand Xia has ascended to the eighth-tier. Duke Fang is truly extraordinary,” marveled Chief Eunuch Yu. “He managed to do something our Grand Xia has been unable to do for several hundred years. And he even did it in a day! It all just feels like a dream....”

Inside the study.

The old eunuch was shaky. He bowed, then greeted, "This old servant greets Your Majesty."

The Grand Xia Emperor glanced at him and said lightly, "Rise. I just spoke with Fang Chen. He seems to have no intention of seizing the throne. The throne seems to be more like a burden in his eyes."

"One must be cautious, Your Majesty,” he said, “Duke Fang is young and full of energy. He is more likely to do something unconventional compared to Fang Zhentian, and that's precisely why I wanted to see you today."

The Grand Xia Emperor spoke in a deep voice, "You entered the palace at the age of six and have served by my old ancestor’s side. The old ancestor didn’t like worldly affairs and devoted himself to the path of immortality. He left a note when he turned thirty that said that he’d be leaving and hasn’t returned ever since. Let me ask you a question: has the old ancestor truly stepped onto the path of cultivation?”

"Indeed,” The old eunuch nodded slowly, “Master has become a cultivator."

"How lamentable!" The Grand Xia Emperor couldn't help but sneer. "Our Xia family produced a cultivator, yet left us nothing to show for it—no inheritance, no nothing. He showed complete disregard for Grand Xia,” he gibbed. “Tell me; what does that mean? If the old ancestor had lent a hand to Grand Xia, even before Fang Chen's emergence, Grand Xia could have ascended to the eighth-tier, and there might have even been a chance for us to reach the seventh-tier!"

"The master once said that the path of cultivation is fraught with danger. If he were to intervene for the sake of Grand Xia, his enemies would be able to discover the connection we have with him. If that were to happen, we might be dragged into some mess. Moreover, the master said that cultivating required severing ties with worldly matters. Only by cutting off all attachments would one be able to progress further on the path of immortality!”

The old eunuch spoke in a low voice.

"The Grand Xia has its own destiny, and he doesn't need to intervene too much—nor can he."

"So, all these years, the old ancestor returned but he only met with you. He wasn’t willing to see us, his own relatives.” The Grand Xia Emperor spoke coldly.

The old eunuch lowered his head and chose to remain silent.

"Things are now different from the past. The Fang Family has produced cultivators; Fang Chen is probably a formidable cultivator himself. Martial artists can surpass imperial authority, let alone cultivators...” The Grand Xia Emperor spoke in a deep voice. "I know you have a way to contact the old ancestor. I hope you can convey a message to him that the imperial authority of Grand Xia is no longer stable, and I hope he can come back and take charge."

"This old servant... obeys." Nodding slowly, the old eunuch took his leave, trembling as he left the study.

*

In the next few days, news of Grand Xia reaching the eighth-tier spread like wildfire, radiating from the capital to the various neighboring empires.

The news excited the people of Grand Xia to the point where even the mourning for the third prince was overshadowed. In comparison to losing one prince, they were delighted that Grand Xia managed to advance to an eighth-tier empire!

The spiritual materials for making talismans that Li Daoye brought from Dragon Ridge were almost used up by Fang Chen in a few days, and he managed to produce another batch of talismans.

He kept some for himself, then sent the majority to the Grand Xia Hidden Guards.

When Li Daoye saw that Fang Chen had sent most of the talismans away, he was clearly very puzzled, and he asked, "Why don't you keep these Purple Lightning Talismans for yourself, Young Lord Fang? They’ll be able to display their full might in your hands.”

Fang Chen showed a faint smile as he answered, "I am still only one person at the end of the day. If something were to happen, the strength of an individual is limited. We must be prepared early. If Abbess Qing He can't find help, then we'll have to face the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator on our own!”

Li Daoye couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath, fear evident in his eyes. "Are you not confident?"

"No." Fang Chen shook his head left and right. "Whether it's getting Abbess Qing He’s master to take action or us facing the Foundation Establishment of the Spirit Blood Sect, I have no confidence in either case."

"Fuck!" Li Daoye couldn't help but curse. He had thought that Fang Chen had exposed the existence of the Purple Lightning Talismans this time because he was confident. Who would have thought that Fang Chen would say he had no confidence at all?

"But that can’t be helped,” muttered Li Daoye to himself. “The means Foundation Establishment cultivators possess are unimaginable. How can a few Qi Refining cultivators compete with them?"

Then, the next second, his eyes brightened, and he said, "Maybe the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators of the Spirit Blood Sect are unaware of this, after all, in their eyes, Grand Xia is just a small pill furnace!"

Fang Chen clearly didn’t think so, as he shook his head. "It's likely that they’ve keeping a close eye on Grand Xia since they have already refined six Blood Spirit Pills here."

“Why don’t... Why don’t we just run away?!” he suggested, a little hesitant. “Lord Fang, a wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall! Come back when you’ve ascended to the Foundation Establishment Realm! Right now, Grand Xia is just a burden. It doesn't produce spirit stones, and it has no blessed lands... Take your family and come with me to the Flame Empire!"

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"I believe that be it martial arts or cultivation, we do it to strengthen our empires. We don’t do it to abandon our roots,” replied Fang Chen.

Li Daoye was struck speechless. How could a cultivator have such a strong sense of worldly responsibility? It was truly something unheard of.

Suddenly Xu Ge entered and made a report. "Young Lord, Yuan Zhuang requests an audience!"

Fang Chen's expression changed. "Yuan Zhuang? They’ve returned from the south?"

"Something's wrong," Xu Ge said.

Fang Chen nodded slightly. "Bring him in."

When he arrived, Yuan Zhuang was covered in blood, wounds of all sizes on his body. Some already scabbed over, others seemingly fresh. He had obviously come straight to the Fang Manor the moment he arrived in the capital city.

"Young Master, something bad has happened. The martial sects of the Southern Region surrounded the Profound Sword Sect! Commander Jue and the others are trapped there!” yelled Yuan Zhuang anxiously.