Chapter Eighty-Nine: The First Confrontation with Ji Chang!

The reason Jiang Yuan spoke that way was precisely because the newcomer was Bo Yikao, the eldest son of the Lord of the West, Ji Chang.

Character: Bo Yikao
Title: Eldest Son of the Lord of the West
Realm: Mystic Immortal
Possessions: Bright Silver Saber, Peachwood Soul-Extinguishing Arrow
Cultivation Art: Golden Sun Arcane Canon of the War God
Mount: Rainbow-Crested Heavenly Scorpion Deer
Loyalty: 30
Favorability: 0
Tyrant Points Obtainable: 80

No wonder West Qi was now seething with resentment toward him. Even Bo Yikao’s favorability toward him was zero.

As for those common folk with no minds of their own, who knew how far they had already been led astray.

No wonder they kept saying Great Shang was doomed.

“I? How insolent! You think you can play such cheap tricks in West Qi? You’re courting death!” Bo Yikao roared.

Then, gripping his Bright Silver Saber, he charged at them.

Jiang Yuan merely smiled and shook his head. “Good talent, but I’m afraid his brain doesn’t work too well.”

He stepped back once, and Zhang Kui immediately understood, striding forward.

Before even one full exchange had passed, Zhang Kui had easily seized Bo Yikao.

Captured, Bo Yikao shouted himself hoarse, “Why haven’t you put me down yet and knelt to apologize? This is West Qi! When the time comes, I’ll make sure none of you leave alive!”

“You want me to kneel to you?” Jiang Yuan looked at him with dangerous eyes.

A savage yet majestic aura gradually spread from him, and Bo Yikao’s incessant clamor slowly died away.

He had only ever felt such a presence from his father, Ji Chang. It was the bearing tempered only by one who stood high above all others.

A single word could decide a man’s honor or disgrace, life or death.

Could this truly be the King of Shang? Bo Yikao felt a stir of unease, but when he remembered this was West Qi, his courage returned by several degrees.

“What exactly do you want?” Bo Yikao said coldly.

“What do I want? You are not qualified to know.” Jiang Yuan gave him a bland glance and ignored him thereafter.

Instead, he turned his gaze toward the inn’s entrance. With such a commotion here, the Lord of the West would surely hear of it.

He wanted to see just what manner this future arch-rebel of Great Shang would adopt when facing him now.

“Your Majesty is waiting for someone?” Yang Jian asked at his side.

“Guess who I am waiting for,” Jiang Yuan said with a smile.

“Your Majesty is waiting for the Lord of the West, Ji Chang?” After a brief silence, Yang Jian answered.

“Correct.”

“It is said that the Lord of the West knows the divinatory arts of the Book of Changes. He should already be aware of what has happened here,” Yang Jian said casually.

“All the better.” Jiang Yuan smiled.

What he feared was that Ji Chang would not come. Were you not worried that your reasons for rebellion were not substantial enough? Then I shall give you a reason ample enough to oppose Great Shang.

The entire inn fell silent as cicadas in winter. No one dared point fingers at Jiang Yuan and his party again.

Anyone who dared call himself “I” in the sovereign’s manner before a crowd was either mad—or truly might be the King of Shang.

Plainly, Jiang Yuan did not look like a madman. He had even seized the eldest young master of West Qi without the slightest hesitation.

That meant this man truly might be the King of Shang.

At once, those who had spoken recklessly of Shang earlier became deeply uneasy, especially the waiter who had just arrogantly stood in Jiang Yuan’s way.

Seeing how utterly fearless Jiang Yuan remained in the inn, he could already imagine himself in the worst possible position.

It felt to him as though his head were no longer attached to his neck.

The only person in the room entirely unconcerned was Nezha. On the table before him had appeared yet another heap of remains.

He had not noticed the tense atmosphere in the inn at all.

Just then, a sound of hurried footsteps came from outside. Jiang Yuan looked over calmly. A middle-aged man, so gentle and warm in bearing that one felt immediate goodwill upon seeing him, appeared in haste at the inn’s doorway.

Behind him followed a handsome, restrained young man, as well as a retinue of soldiers.

Jiang Yuan needed only one glance to know who had come.

Character: Ji Chang
Title: Lord of the West
Realm: Perfected Golden Immortal
Possessions: Mountain-Shattering, Star-Smashing Lamp; Seven-Star Precious Sword; Eight-Treasure Linked Armor
Cultivation Art: The Concordance of the Book of Changes
Mount: Seven-Colored Divine Deer
Loyalty: 30
Favorability: 0
Tyrant Points Obtainable: 1200

Good heavens, like father, like son. The father’s loyalty was exactly the same as the son’s.

The tyrant points, however, were remarkably generous. Presumably this had to do with the providential fortune of West Qi that he carried; coupled with Ji Chang’s cultivation at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, such a number of tyrant points was perfectly understandable.

A pity that he could not kill him for now.

Jiang Yuan did not hurry to greet him. Instead, he looked at the young man behind Ji Chang.

Character: Ji Fa
Title: Second Son of the Lord of the West
Realm: True Immortal
Possessions: Gentleman’s Sword
Cultivation Art: Qiantian Spirit Method
Mount: Nine-Colored Divine Deer
Loyalty: 60
Favorability: 60
Tyrant Points Obtainable: 800

This string of data nearly left Jiang Yuan dumbfounded. Both loyalty and favorability were passing marks?

So he had not been brainwashed?

And what was with this father and son—had they some fixation with divine deer?

Competing to see who could ride one first?

By Jiang Yuan’s estimate, however, Ji Chang probably did not know that Ji Fa’s mount was a nine-colored divine deer.

Divine deer were creatures drawn to providential fortune. The more brilliant their colors, the richer the fortune borne by the one they followed.

Which meant that the fortune gathered upon Ji Fa, who rode the nine-colored divine deer, was even greater than Ji Chang’s?

No wonder in his previous life Great Shang had had no room whatsoever to reverse its fate. The providential fortune borne by this father and son was more than enough to destroy a Shang already on the verge of collapse.

Still, Jiang Yuan had not expected Ji Fa to possess such high favorability and loyalty.

For the moment, he did not dwell on it. He looked at Ji Chang and asked, “You are Ji Bo?”

Silently, Jiang Yuan amused himself with a crude little pun.

“Your servant failed to come out and welcome Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to punish me,” Ji Chang said with the utmost respect.

“And how would you have me punish you? Shall I exterminate your nine clans?” Jiang Yuan raised a brow and smiled.

Ji Chang’s eyelids twitched.

So intense? Beginning with the extermination of nine clans?

“Th-this...” Ji Chang hesitated, not knowing how to respond.

The king had stunned him speechless with a single line.

“I was merely jesting with Lord Ji. Lord Ji is a pillar of my Great Shang—how could I bear to punish you?” Jiang Yuan suddenly said with a light laugh.

“Ding! Intimidating a minister: rewarded 20 Tyrant Points. Current Tyrant Points: 198!”

“Many thanks, Your Majesty!” Ji Chang replied respectfully.

Jiang Yuan casually swept his gaze over the waiter who had shouted earlier and asked indifferently, “Lord Ji, do you think I should pay for this meal?”

The title “Lord Ji” was becoming more and more natural on his tongue.

At once, the waiter collapsed to the ground, trembling all over.

Without shifting his gaze, Ji Chang said, “Your Majesty is the ruler of Shang; all beneath heaven belongs to Your Majesty. Naturally, there is no need for Your Majesty to pay for this meal.”

“So Lord Ji intends to burden me with the charge of not caring for the people?” Jiang Yuan asked coldly.

“Your servant would never dare!” Ji Chang answered hurriedly.

“Then tell me, Lord Ji, how should this matter be resolved?” Jiang Yuan asked, looking at him with amused interest.

Ji Chang fell silent for a moment. Then he took out some silver and handed it to the waiter. “Let this marquis pay for Your Majesty’s meal.”

“Th-this...” The waiter hardly dared accept it.

“Take it,” Ji Chang said flatly.

The waiter immediately scrambled up from the floor and ran to the cashier’s counter.

“Lord Ji truly conducts both affairs and himself with perfect smoothness,” Jiang Yuan said with a teasing smile.

“Your Majesty flatters me.”

Ji Chang looked toward his eldest son, Bo Yikao, and asked in puzzlement, “May I ask how my unworthy son has offended Your Majesty?”

“Nothing much,” Jiang Yuan said evenly. “He merely told me to kneel to him.”