Chapter 096 – Proclaiming Emperor - Part 2

Another month flew by.

That day, Li Yuan went down the steps into the demon enclosure, carrying a large iron basin filled with fresh ninth rank elephant-nose rabbit meat from his own livestock yard.

The strong metallic smell of blood hung in the air, and the moment he entered, he could practically hear the demon dogs drooling.

He walked to the innermost cage and shoved a whole chunk of elephant-nose rabbit meat through the bars.

In the darkness, one of the massive ebony marquises lunged at it with a quick snap, but then obediently slowed down to eat from Li Yuan’s hand.

Li Yuan patted its head, and the dog nudged him in return. He proceeded to feed the rest of the demon dogs. Afterward, he sat cross-legged in the center of the hall.

One by one, intangible spiritual connections arced between him and the demonic beasts. Not all of them, though; one of the blackrock mastiffs simply wouldn’t link with him.

A quick assessment told Li Yuan why he’d hit his limit. With a seventh rank demonic beast taming skill, he could only maintain a certain number of bonds at once. Originally, he had just enough capacity for all of these demonic beasts, but he’d already established a spiritual link with Cinder back at home, so one of the blackrock mastiffs had to be excluded.

Gradually, he felt power seep into him from these newly-forged connections. His overall combat power rose by a range of 5~19, while the demon dogs gained around 2~3 in return. This kind of spiritual power was clearly a separate bonus from his own cultivation.

Shadow blood surged through Li Yuan’s veins, rippling over his skin like a tide, then quietly receding.

“At last, it’s done.” Li Yuan breathed. Each new success gave him just a bit more security.

In his mind, he ticked off taming demonic beasts from his list of goals. He had done all he could here.

“One off the list, two more to go; comprehending the blade and studying the life chronicle,” Li Yuan muttered to himself. “Maybe I can also ask Old Tang how he controls those iron butterflies of his.”

He patted the heads of his snarling but now docile companions, then left the Demon Enclosure to their wistful gazes. Even as he walked away, the 5~19 boost to his combat power remained, a sign that distance posed no immediate obstacle to the spiritual bonds—or at least not over short-to-medium ranges.

He could easily send commands to the demon dogs and receive their simple feedback, though it wasn’t as precise as, say, controlling ants to gain an extra set of eyes. Still, it was enough.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Returning home, Li Yuan found neither Yan Yu nor Xue Ning in their usual good spirits. Instead, the two of them sat around a circular table, whispering in the candlelight. When they saw Li Yuan, Yan Yu rose and took him by the arm.

“Husband,” she said softly, “something’s happened outside.”

She closed the door behind him.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Big Sis just spoke with some people from Four Rivers Trading—the same merchant guild that used to sell grain near our Little Ink Village. They’ve been robbed.”

Li Yuan turned to Xue Ning. Tonight, she wore a pale green gown with delicate lotus-leaf accents, giving her a fresh, refined air. To the world outside, she was a savvy businesswoman and a poised, dignified lady. At home, though, she was simply Li Yuan’s wife.

“They were attacked on the road,” Xue Ning explained. “They managed to escape back to the county. The robbers took nearly everything.”

“But Four Rivers Trading has been running goods through those routes for years without issues,” Li Yuan said, frowning. “Why now?”

Xue Ning shook her head. “They said it was a gang of particularly ruthless bandits who popped up all of a sudden.”

“Any idea why?” he pressed.

“From what I gathered, the Red Lotus Rebels captured the Jade Capital over a month ago,” she answered, “And the Great Zhou Emperor fled. Within that month, the rebels have solidified their hold on the capital. Then their leader, the so-called Red Lotus Prince, Peng Chao...proclaimed himself emperor.

“He claims to be the son of the Scarlet Emperor, come to depose the Azure Emperor’s heir who clings to the throne. They say these disasters, the famine and storms, are all punishments sent by the gods because the old dynasty refused to yield.”

Li Yuan blinked, momentarily taken aback. “So that’s his grand justification for declaring himself emperor, huh?”

He didn’t dwell on Peng Chao’s excuses. Instead, his thoughts returned to Four Rivers Trading.

“So those bandits the traders ran into...they’re just people fleeing the chaos in the Central Plains? Out there, maybe they’re nobodies, but here in our little corner, they’re strong enough to dominate the roads.”

“That’s what the merchants think,” Xue Ning agreed. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been caught off-guard. Worse yet, the young miss of their company was taken. Who knows what fate awaits her?”

Yan Yu shuddered. “We can guess,” she said grimly.

Xue Ning’s face paled. “Yes...we can all guess.”

A tense silence settled over the two women, as if the very air had turned to ice.

Li Yuan closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. It was the first time he’d heard the news in such detail; in an era with no reliable information channels, it was almost impossible to stay informed.

Honestly, I don’t care if the emperor ran away or if some Red Lotus Prince is declaring himself the new one

, Li Yuan thought,

but the county was already on edge. Now the aftershocks from the bigger battles could roll in and crush us.

His heart sank with heavy foreboding.

“Husband...”

“Dearest...”

Yan Yu and Xue Ning both called out to him, almost like a chant meant to ward off evil.

Li Yuan forced a light laugh and gathered them both into his arms. “If soldiers come, we’ll meet them with our own. If water rises, we’ll hold it back with earth,” he said, quoting an old saying.

His mind still churned with anxiety, bracing for an unpredictable future. But seeing the fear in their eyes, he gently stroked their hair and murmured, “Don’t worry. I’m here.”

After a moment’s thought, Li Yuan went on, “Xue Ning, stay alert for any new arrivals in town. Keep your ears open for rumors, especially news of where the merchant caravans plan to go. See if you can learn anything about the surrounding counties and villages.

“Yan Yu, many of the wives from the local powers attend your tea gatherings. Ask them, discreetly, what they plan to do in all this turmoil...”

“Yes, Husband.”

“Understood, dearest.”