Chapter Thirty-Nine: With Nezha in Tow!

Li Jing looked at Jiang Yuan with some confusion and asked, “Your Majesty, why do you say such a thing?”

Jiang Yuan shook his head helplessly and asked, “General Li, you have no rebellious intent toward my Great Shang, do you?”

Hearing these words, Li Jing’s face immediately changed with alarm, and he hastened to respond, “Your Majesty, please see clearly. My Li family has not the slightest thought of treason against Great Shang.”

Jiang Yuan could see that Li Jing was an upright and loyal man. Should he ever rebel against Great Shang, it would certainly be only because circumstances forced his hand—perhaps because of his own son, Nezha.

Jiang Yuan did not press Li Jing any further, but reassured him, “Of course I know General Li’s devotion to Great Shang. But if I had not come to Chentang Pass today, in the future you would surely have been compelled to turn against us. Would you not agree?”

Li Jing’s brow furrowed deeply. Was the king suggesting that the Li family harbored rebellious intentions? That was no small accusation.

“General Li, do not misunderstand me. I am only analyzing the situation, not seeking to slander you,” Jiang Yuan explained upon seeing Li Jing’s troubled expression.

“I beg Your Majesty to enlighten me,” Li Jing replied respectfully, certain in his own heart that he had no disloyalty toward Great Shang. Why, then, would the king make such a prediction?

“If you know of the Chan Sect, then you must also know their attitude toward my Great Shang and toward me,” Jiang Yuan said.

Li Jing frowned slightly, as if pondering something. Though neither the Chan Sect nor the Sages had spoken openly, the signs throughout the land made it clear that the Sages were displeased with the Shang dynasty and its king.

“I ask Your Majesty to continue your guidance,” Li Jing said, still unable to work out why Jiang Yuan believed he would inevitably rebel if things continued as they were.

Jiang Yuan paused for a moment before continuing, “The people of the Chan Sect are no fools. They know that upright and loyal men like you cannot be won over directly. So they must employ special means, using cunning and manipulation. For example, they might begin with those close to you. Do you understand what I mean?”

Li Jing silently reflected on Jiang Yuan’s words. Target his family?

“Does Your Majesty refer to my son, Nezha?” Li Jing asked, suddenly enlightened.

Jiang Yuan nodded coolly. “A naive child like him is the easiest to indoctrinate with certain ideas, is he not?”

Li Jing immediately understood, and in anger exclaimed, “That wretched Taiyi True Man! Does he really think I am so easy to bully?”

Seeing Li Jing’s outburst, Jiang Yuan knew his aim was achieved. Li Jing grasped the point at once, needing no further persuasion.

“Precisely because of this, I have not punished Nezha immediately,” Jiang Yuan explained.

“I thank Your Majesty for your mercy!” Li Jing said gratefully.

If Jiang Yuan had truly executed Nezha, Li Jing knew that though his son had been in the wrong, he would have felt a lingering estrangement—not resentment toward the king, but a sense that the monarch did not value their bond as ruler and subject. He had guarded Chentang Pass for so many years; even if he had no merit, he had certainly endured hardship. For his son to be killed without a second thought would chill his heart.

What’s more, even if he could suppress his own feelings, the king would inevitably suspect the Li family of harboring treason, since Nezha was his own flesh and blood.

In such a cycle, even if he did not intend to rebel, he would be driven to it. And if the tide of rebellion swept across the land, and all the lords rose against the king, it would be difficult not to follow the current.

These thoughts chilled Li Jing to the bone. Was this truly the Chan Sect’s scheme?

“Let me ask you, General Li—how do you wish me to deal with Nezha?” Jiang Yuan asked calmly.

Li Jing looked up and met Jiang Yuan’s gaze, finding it as deep and inscrutable as an ancient well, betraying no emotion. He glanced at Nezha, curled in the corner, and could not help but feel a pang of pity.

At last, risking the king’s suspicion, he pleaded, “I beg Your Majesty to spare my son. I will punish Nezha severely, keeping him confined in reflection. So long as he harbors rebellious thoughts, he will not be allowed out!”

“So General Li thinks that a child’s rebellious heart is a trifling matter? That an insult to me can be so easily dismissed?” Jiang Yuan’s voice suddenly turned icy.

“Please, Your Majesty, do not be angry. I cannot bear for my son to perish so young, and mean nothing else,” Li Jing replied with trembling voice, filled with terror.

To his surprise, Jiang Yuan suddenly laughed and spoke warmly, “You have not disappointed me, General Li. Had you abandoned your son to save yourself, I might have looked down on you. Very well, I promise you—Nezha shall not be executed!”

Li Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief. The king’s imperial stratagems were truly formidable; in just a few words, he had taken Li Jing’s emotions through peaks and valleys.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my son!”

“Ding! The host is capricious and intimidates generals, endorsing tyrannical behavior. Reward: 20 Tyrant Points. Current Tyrant Points: 530!”

Jiang Yuan paid no heed to this small reward. Now that he was wealthy, there was no need to stoop to base acts for the sake of gaining Tyrant Points. After all, the more such things he did, the sooner he would lose the people’s hearts. There were better ways—plunder and conquest were far more satisfying!

“However, I do have some conditions,” Jiang Yuan said calmly.

“Please, Your Majesty,” Li Jing replied, finally at ease, his tone noticeably lighter.

“Nezha cannot remain at your residence.”

“And Your Majesty’s meaning?” Li Jing did not object. In his view, it was already fortune enough that Nezha’s life was spared.

“Let me ask you—if Taiyi True Man comes to your house seeking his disciple, could you stop him?” Jiang Yuan pressed.

“I fear I am no match for Taiyi True Man,” Li Jing admitted.

“Precisely. With Nezha’s extraordinary talent, the Chan Sect will never let such a perfect weapon against Great Shang slip through their fingers. If he stays in your house, it is as good as handing a weapon to the Chan Sect,” Jiang Yuan explained.

“Your Majesty is absolutely right. May I ask, then, what Your Majesty intends for my son?” Li Jing asked carefully.

“Let him stay with me. There’s no place I would trust to keep him safe, nor anyone I would trust to teach him. I will instruct him myself, and perhaps one day he will become a great general for Great Shang,” Jiang Yuan said with a smile.

Hearing this, Li Jing’s face lit up. He turned to the cowering Nezha and shouted, “Ungrateful child! Thank His Majesty for his boundless grace!”

Nezha cast a sideways glance toward them, sneered disdainfully, and turned away again.

Li Jing’s anger flared at this. His son had narrowly escaped death and still dared provoke the king?

He made to strike Nezha, but Jiang Yuan stopped him. “There’s no need to be so harsh with a child.”

“Forgive me, Your Majesty,” Li Jing apologized.

“It’s nothing. Since Nezha is to stay by my side, he is half my disciple already. I can tolerate his temperament. After all, we cannot hang him. Sooner or later, the Chan Sect will pay for this!” Jiang Yuan snorted coldly.

And so will those so-called Sages who claim the fate of Great Shang is doomed!

Jiang Yuan’s words made Li Jing anxious again. “If Taiyi True Man comes seeking Your Majesty...how will you defend yourself? He is one of the Twelve Golden Immortals under the Primeval Lord of Heaven, a Golden Immortal of the Grand Unity realm. I fear General Zhang alone may not suffice.”

Jiang Yuan waved his hand dismissively with a smile. “No matter. For now, I am the Human Emperor, and the fortune of Heaven and Earth protects me. No one can bear the karmic consequences of killing me.”

Not even the Sages. The higher the realm, the more one fears being entangled by the fires of karmic retribution.

“Then I am reassured,” Li Jing said quietly.

“Let us rest here at your household for today, General Li. It will give you and your wife time to bid farewell to Nezha,” Jiang Yuan instructed.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding!” Lady Yin Ten Niang quickly expressed her gratitude.