Chapter 333: Forced Into Kingship

"Xiang Shaoyin, you must have found the wrong person. My father is Marquis Xiao of the Tianshu Empire, and he's fought and bled for Emperor Tianshu. Why would he want to assassinate me? You must be trying to incite a feud between me and the Tianshu Empire." Xiao Nanfeng refused to entertain Xiang Shaoyin's supposition.

"I know you still hope that everything's fine, but I'm warning you, Nalan Qiankun has already sent messengers to the Taiqing Immortal Sect's sect master. You'll be deemed a traitor to the sect, even if you're the Mortal division leader."

"Do you think my sect master won't be able to differentiate right from wrong?" Xiao Nanfeng retorted coldly.

Xiang Shaoyin retrieved a letter and threw it at Xiao Nanfeng. "The Nalan clan has plenty of spies among the Xiang camp, but the opposite is true as well. This is a report from my spies. Look carefully. If you don't retaliate, all the strength that the Taiqing Immortal Sect can bring to bear will be granted to Nalan Qiankun."

Xiao Nanfeng took the letter but didn't read through it. He exclaimed coldly, "Xiang Shaoyin, you've made a big fuss here today here at Yongding, inviting me to declare my kingship and showing me this supposed evidence against me. You're trying to rouse the Tianshu Empire's suspicions and force me into rebellion, aren't you?"

"That's right. I'm here to force you to take a stance. You're far too cautious. If I were to give you this information in private, you might not do anything about it. Only this approach would be effective. I'm sure you'll make that declaration soon enough," Xiang Shaoyin said confidently. Then, without any further explanation, he turned to his subordinates. "Let's leave!"

"Understood!" the Immortal cultivators and crow Immortals replied.

In the blink of an eye, they vanished from sight in beams of light.

Outside the city, hidden in darkness, one of Nalan Changkong's subordinates asked, "Your Highness, is Xiang Shaoyin right? Has His Majesty really made a move against Xiao Nanfeng?"

Nalan Changkong frowned. "I'm not sure. I'll have to go back and ask Mother."

He was leaning toward Xiang Shaoyin's claim being the truth. However, the fact that even he hadn't been aware left him shocked. Just how deep did the Xiang clan's espionage extend?

Within the city of Yongding, countless cultivators gulped as they reined in their aura. They could sense how intense the fighting between the Xiao, Nalan, and Xiang clans were, and they had also been shocked by the Xiao Nanfeng's hidden strength. No one dared to consider the idea of stealing a blood peach from him any longer.

Within the Xiao manor, Zhao Yuanjiao and Yu'er joined Xiao Nanfeng in his study. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the letter, Xiao Nanfeng opened it. He read it, frowned, and then handed the letter to the others.

"According to the letter, Nalan Qiankun wrote to the sect master indicting Nanfeng of a number of serious offenses. He claimed that Nanfeng schemed against and killed his peers Nalan Feng and Nalan Yunhai, fracturing the relationship between the Taiqing Immortal Sect and the Tianshu Empire. Not only that, he killed the left division leader of the Taiqing Demonic Sect, Cui Haisheng. He has committed great ills and is akin to a tumor that must be excised. He ought to have his techniques stripped from him and be expelled from the sect...!" Yu'er exclaimed.

"Nanfeng, did you really kill these people?" Zhao Yuanjiao asked.

"Would the sect master believe Nalan Qiankun's one-sided claims?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

Zhao Yuanjiao shook his head. "That said, if there's sufficient suspicion, the matter can be confirmed. The Taiqing Immortal Sect has a relic that can reveal a scene from the past and determine the culprit of a murder."

"Oh?"

"If you really did kill them, Nalan Qiankun might succeed in his gambit," Zhao Yuanjiao continued.

"Nanfeng, did you kill them?" Yu'er asked in worry.

Xiao Nanfeng carefully described how the three cultivators had perished.

"So they were the ones who tried to kill Nanfeng—he was only defending himself!" Yu'er exclaimed.

"That might be true, but others might not believe Nanfeng. Nalan Qiankun might be able to take advantage of the opportunity to besmirch his name. His son plotted for Xiang Lianzhen to assassinate me—they might even try to accuse Nanfeng of being responsible for that crime." Zhao Yuanjiao frowned.

"No wonder Xiang Shaoyin wanted to send word to me personally. He was worried that Nalan Qiankun would succeed in taking me down and have the entire sect back him. He's hoping that I'll be able to counter Nalan Qiankun instead, destroying the alliance between the sect and the Tianshu Empire," Xiao Nanfeng analyzed with a frown.

"He wants to expose the feud between you and the Nalan clan publicly, then?" Yu'er asked.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded seriously.

"Xiang Shaoyin's actions today have revealed the presence of more Immortals in your faction, King Xiao. He had another objective in mind," Zheng Qian suddenly said.

"Oh?" Everyone turned to Zheng Qian.

"News of what happened today will quickly spread across the world. Those sect masters that have joined King Xiao, realizing that he possesses such power, will immediately rise up in support of his declaration of kingship. That way, they would officially be able to claim themselves as his supporters and give them the justification they need to start invading territory and establishing merit for themselves."

"Xiang Shaoyin really planned this well, didn't he?" Xiao Nanfeng pursed his lips.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"King Xiao, we can also deduce that the Xiang clan is on the losing end of the confrontation with the Naln clan. They might not even be able to hold out much longer," Zheng Qian continued.

"Will you call yourself king, Nanfeng?" Yu'er asked curiously.

Everyone turned to Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng was silent for a moment. "Let's wait. We have to thwart Nalan Qiankun's plan first. Otherwise, if the accusation goes public, we'll have a hard time defending ourselves."

"We need to find Master immediately. Master's on excellent terms with the sect master. If he were to help explain the situation, the sect master would never believe Nalan Qiankun," Zhao Yuanjiao said.

Everyone nodded.

Word of what happened was quickly spreading across the Immortal sects of the Eastern Sea. Many sects, learning of Xiao Nanfeng's true strength, began to consider him more seriously. Simultaneously, as Zheng Qian had predicted, those sects that were already in support of Xiao Nanfeng wrote to request that Xiao Nanfeng announce his kingship.

In a hall deep within the capital of Tianshu, after Ye Shuangcheng saw Nalan Changkong off, he earnestly begged Marquis Zi,

"Marquis Zi, His Highness has promised to allow me to see Ye Dafu. Would you be willing to bring me to him?"

Marquis Zi smirked. "Ye Shuangcheng, don't you care about what I did to the Ye clan? You're begging me for help?"

"Of course I don't care. My elder brother was stubborn and unwilling to change his views. You whipped my elder brother in order to save the Ye clan. Otherwise, if he were to side with Xiao Nanfeng, the Ye clan would have suffered sooner or later. I haven't been on good terms with him, and I fully support what you did," Ye Shuangcheng said immediately.

"Even though your brother died not long ago?" Marquis Zi demanded.

"He had lingering maladies, and it was only to be expected that he would die so suddenly. Some of the wounds he had taken from fighting alongside Xiao Hongye back then never healed fully. If there's anyone to blame, it's Xiao Hongye. What does it have to do with you? When I used to gamble, my father would break my wrists and force me to kneel and repent at the Ye ancestral hall. My elder brother was always the one who administered such punishment. I've long grown tired of him. Better that he die. No one will be able to command me then, and I'll inherit the full sum of Ye wealth, haha!" Ye Shuangcheng laughed.

"Then why seek out Ye Dafu? He's your elder brother's son. He'd just be another competitor for your fortune," Marquis Zi replied.

Ye Shuangcheng looked all around, then whispered, "Marquis Zi, let me tell you the truth. Don't laugh at me, will you?"

"Hm?" Marquis Zi replied calmly.

"I might be able to inherit the Ye fortune, but I still have to consider what happens afterwards. I'm not particularly strong. Without anyone to shelter me, I won't be able to keep my wealth. My nephew, Ye Dafu, is a bit of an idiot, and he'll listen to me for sure. He's a strong cultivator in his own right, and he'll serve to back me up. That's why I have to persuade him to bow down to His Highness." Ye Shuangcheng smiled.

"Oh? You really still are the cowardly gambler you used to be, aren't you? Haha!" Marquis Zi laughed in satisfaction.

"That's right. I'm addicted for life, I'm afraid."

Marquis Zi suddenly sneered. "Do you know why I volunteered to deal with the Ye clan?"

"You're helping the Ye clan, Marquis Zi, not dealing with it!" Ye Shuangcheng continued his bootlicking routine.

Marquis Zi laughed. "Don't you remember? That year, while we were all fighting on Xiao Hongye's side, I killed a few civilians and had my fill of several female enemy cultivators. Xiao Hongye claimed that I was flouting military discipline, killing the innocent, and raping prisoners of war! I ended up being whipped publicly. Don't you remember?"

"I do. My elder brother begged for mercy on your behalf. That was why Xiao Hongye released you," Ye Shuangcheng recalled.

"That's right, but your elder brother was also in charge of administering the punishment. He whipped me for three whole days and nights. Whenever he did so, he had to shout out my offenses for all to hear. I was publicly mocked and shamed in front of my peers. This humiliation remained for good, even after I established myself and earned enough merit to become a marquis. The other marquises frequently joked about it at my expense. Were you aware?" Marquis Zi demanded.

"My elder brother is dead, and no one will dare to mock you in the future, Marquis Zi. My elder brother deserved what happened to him!"

Marquis Zi narrowed his eyes at Ye Shuangcheng. "You really don't care about your elder brother's death?"

"Of course! Better that he's dead. Only then will I be able to enjoy a carefree life. Please, Marquis Zi, bring me to see Ye Dafu. I promise you that he'll listen to you in the future—and if you're still upset about my elder brother, you can take it out on him, haha!"

Marquis Zi stared at Ye Shuangcheng, his eyes mocking. "Very well. Follow me, then!"

"Thank you, Marquis Zi!"