Chapter Eighty-Eight: It Is I!

Jiang Yuan’s confident words left Yang Jian utterly astonished.

Let Xiqi rebel at will?

Could the emperor, the ruler of the Shang Dynasty, tolerate such defiance? Yang Jian had never heard of anything so shocking—a king allowing others to rebel?

“Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?” Yang Jian asked, bewildered.

Jiang Yuan gazed out of the inn, smiling with assurance. “It is time for me to purge this world. Destruction brings renewal.”

“I am confident: no matter how many rise against Shang, no matter what powers back them, none will return alive!”

Jiang Yuan’s sweeping, invincible aura stirred both Yang Jian and Zhang Kui, their hearts surging with excitement.

This was the presence befitting the emperor they followed.

“Your humble servant will surely follow Your Majesty to quell the world’s chaos!” Zhang Kui declared solemnly.

Jiang Yuan chuckled, “You brute, what chaos is there in this world right now? Who dares openly defy Shang? They’re waiting for an opportunity.”

“What opportunity?” Zhang Kui asked whatever came to mind.

“They wait for a reason—a pretext that will allow them to rise against Shang without incurring blame from the world,” Jiang Yuan replied casually.

“They haven’t found such a pretext yet?”

Jiang Yuan shook his head. “No, they have plenty. For example, I am accused of squandering the nation’s strength to build the Star-Picking Tower for pleasure, or of executing Doctor Mei by burning.”

“Then why do they still endure in silence?” Zhang Kui pressed.

Jiang Yuan turned to Zhang Kui, smiled without answering—this fellow seemed to have left his wits behind since following him.

He turned instead to Yang Jian. “Do you know why?”

Yang Jian was caught off guard by the sudden question. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “Because none wish to be the first to stand out?”

Jiang Yuan nodded with satisfaction. “That’s one reason. Shang has led the human race for centuries. Even if its strength isn’t what it once was, it’s not so easily toppled by any vassal state.”

“Not even Xiqi. Though the tides have shifted, they still fear Shang’s retaliation.”

“In essence, they lack a formidable backing.” Jiang Yuan spoke bluntly.

“Is there any force in this world that even Your Majesty must fear?” Zhang Kui asked.

He didn’t see it as an issue—if the king was concerned, he’d simply take action.

Jiang Yuan smiled at him, “If I told you, would you go deal with it?”

“To rid the realm of traitors is my duty!” Zhang Kui answered earnestly.

An opportunity for merit again?

“There are forces I must be wary of, quite a few in fact. Though I am Emperor, to the Sages I am but a slightly larger ant whose death carries some karma,” Jiang Yuan said.

“So, General Zhang, can you deal with a Sage?” Jiang Yuan watched Zhang Kui’s reaction with amusement.

Zhang Kui was dumbfounded. Deal with a Sage himself? Even a hundred of him would not suffice. He shuddered.

“Perhaps Your Majesty should speak of the next plan,” Zhang Kui wisely deflected.

“The next plan? Naturally, to give them more reasons to rebel. I believe their backing will soon come to them,” Jiang Yuan said mysteriously.

By his calculations, Jiang Ziya should have already descended the mountain—perhaps he was entering Xiqi at this very moment.

“We await Your Majesty’s commands,” Zhang Kui replied respectfully.

Jiang Yuan patted Nezha, who was still devouring his meal, and reminded him, “Prepare to leave.”

Hearing the urging, Nezha reluctantly lifted his head from his food.

He rose, the table in a mess—a testament to Nezha’s conquests, the lands he claimed in the realm of dining.

Jiang Yuan turned to Zhang Kui again. “I have no other orders now. Go settle Nezha’s meal bill.”

“Why must I pay for Nezha’s food?” Zhang Kui asked, his gaze evasive.

“He’s a child—where would he get money? I doubt he even knows what money is,” Jiang Yuan remarked, finding Zhang Kui’s shifty eyes odd.

Seeing he couldn’t escape paying, Zhang Kui confessed, “Ahem, Your Majesty, I left in haste, brought no silver, and my salary is always handed over to my wife.”

“So…”

“So you have no money either?” Jiang Yuan cut him off.

This rough, fierce man was actually henpecked? He didn’t even keep some private savings?

“Precisely,” Zhang Kui admitted with a bitter smile.

Jiang Yuan looked to Yang Jian, who replied with a blank expression, “A cultivator has no need for such worldly things.”

You don’t need them? You simply don’t have them!

Jiang Yuan searched himself, though he knew he carried no money.

As a king of Shang, the world was his—how vulgar would it be to carry money?

“Why don’t we just leave? No one here could stop me,” Zhang Kui suggested.

Jiang Yuan shot him a glare.

You’re a general of Shang, and you want to dine and dash in a humble inn? It would tarnish more than just your own reputation!

When the vassals rise against Shang, it would add to the charges of “failing to govern your subordinates.”

I, a successor from the twenty-first century, a champion of socialist values, would never dine and dash!

Jiang Yuan pressed Nezha back onto his seat and left a light remark.

“You ate the meal, so stay here as collateral. We’ll go get money and redeem you.”

Nezha seemed not to understand what collateral meant; he only realized he could stay at the inn a bit longer.

His eyes sparkled as he asked Jiang Yuan, “Can I eat a little more?”

“Just a little,” Nezha pleaded, pinching his thumb and forefinger together.

A little? It was bound to be a whole lot!

“Suit yourself,” Jiang Yuan replied expressionlessly, turning to leave without a second glance.

He kept reminding himself this was not dining and dashing.

Nezha wouldn’t suffer for staying here—the inn would be lucky not to go under.

“Where are you gentlemen headed? If you’re done eating, please settle your bill over there,” a waiter stopped Jiang Yuan and his companions.

“We didn’t bring money. We’re going to fetch it now,” Jiang Yuan answered honestly.

He couldn’t use magical treasures as payment—he wasn’t a fool or a spendthrift. Besides, even if he did, mortals wouldn’t know how to value them.

The waiter’s face grew cold. “You don’t look like people who can’t pay for their meal. Are you trying to bully the staff? Do you know where you are? This is Xiqi, under the Marquis of the West! How dare you?”

“Oh? If I dare, what will you do? Why don’t you go ask your Marquis of the West how to resolve this?” Jiang Yuan’s lips curled into a reckless smile.

“You! How audacious! Someone dares to dine and dash in Xiqi—call the authorities!” the waiter shouted, not realizing Jiang Yuan referred to himself as emperor.

“Who dares cause trouble within Xiqi?” came a proud voice.

Jiang Yuan looked toward the source, his smile playful. “It is I. What, shall you summon the Marquis of the West?”