Chapter Ninety: Dead On Target!

When Jiang Yuan spoke those words so lightly, Ji Chang felt as though a stormy sea had risen inside him.

What did he mean, nothing more than kneeling?

It was one thing for this disobedient son to fail to kneel before the Son of Heaven; it was quite another for him to dare demand that the Son of Heaven kneel to him.

Where had he found such audacity?

It was all his own fault for spoiling and indulging him too much.

“You beast, how dare you show such disrespect to His Majesty!” Ji Chang, who had always been calm and unreadable, suddenly flew into a towering rage.

With a flicker of movement he appeared before the young man, so swiftly that Zhang Kui had no time to react.

In an instant, a sharp crack rang out as the furious Ji Chang delivered a vicious slap to Prince Bo Yi Kao.

Bo Yi Kao was equally stunned. He had assumed his father had come to help him, never imagining he would receive a slap the moment he arrived.

“Father?”

Bo Yi Kao looked at him in bewilderment, wondering whether this was truly his father.

“Shut your mouth. This Marquis has no son like you! To offend His Majesty—your crimes deserve death ten thousand times over!” Ji Chang roared.

His fury was even greater than his expression showed.

Now that this boy knew the man before him was the King of Shang, if he did not kneel and beg forgiveness, that would be one thing. But he still did not understand that the harsh slap had been struck to save him.

After all, he was his beloved flesh and blood.

How could Ji Chang truly bear to let him die? If he did not show such an attitude before the king, then this would truly be Bo Yi Kao’s death sentence.

“Still not kneeling to beg His Majesty’s pardon!” Without another word, Ji Chang slapped Bo Yi Kao again. Why could this boy not think things through?

Had two slaps still not awakened him?

“Is the Western Earl intending to kill his own kin with his own hands? Truly a man of great righteousness.” Jiang Yuan made as if to walk toward Ji Chang.

But Yang Jian at his side stopped him.

“Your Majesty, the Western Earl’s cultivation and strength are far above my own. If he harbors any ill intent toward Your Majesty, I fear I would be unable to stop him at such close range,” Yang Jian said worriedly.

“No matter. I trust Earl Ji would not harm me.” Jiang Yuan raised a hand and smiled with confidence.

Seeing this, Yang Jian had no choice but to let it go.

Seeing Jiang Yuan slowly approach step by step, Bo Yi Kao’s heart finally sank into panic. In his eyes now, no one stood on his side.

It was as though, in a single morning, he had been abandoned by all.

Everyone had turned to the opposite side, even his father, who had always doted on him.

Bo Yi Kao fell to his knees before Jiang Yuan in remorse and pleaded, “Your humble servant was reckless and failed to recognize Your Majesty’s sacred presence. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!”

“What are you kneeling to me for? Were you not just shouting that I should kneel to you?” Jiang Yuan sneered.

He had no intention of letting this matter fade. What had happened here today might well become a crucial turning point.

“This servant deserves death ten thousand times over!” Bo Yi Kao lowered his head even further.

“Your Majesty, my son was merely blind and failed to recognize Your Majesty’s glorious bearing. As for how he should be dealt with, I leave it entirely to Your Majesty’s command.” Ji Chang said respectfully from the side.

Jiang Yuan looked at Ji Chang with amused eyes and smiled. “I have heard that Earl Ji is skilled in the art of divination through the Book of Changes. Why not demonstrate it for me? I should like to see just how accurate Earl Ji’s calculations truly are.”

“What would Your Majesty have this servant divine?” Ji Chang asked.

“What do you think I want you to divine? Can this be divined or not?” Jiang Yuan said with a smile.

Yes, he was deliberately leading him in circles.

“Your Majesty need not make things difficult for this servant. Divination requires harmony between heaven, earth, and man; at the very least one needs some clue or other. For Your Majesty to ask me to divine while saying nothing at all is indeed too much,” Ji Chang said with a wry smile.

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment, then said, “How about Earl Ji divining how I intend to deal with Bo Yi Kao next?”

“This...” Ji Chang’s expression turned troubled.

“If even that is difficult for Earl Ji, then I shall have to think that Earl Ji is toying with me,” Jiang Yuan said coldly.

“Very well, then this servant shall cast a hexagram for Your Majesty.” Ji Chang agreed reluctantly.

Of course he understood the king’s meaning. If the hexagram could be manipulated by human hands, then it would lose all significance.

How the king dealt with Bo Yi Kao was, in the end, entirely the king’s decision. No matter what result he divined, Jiang Yuan only needed to make the opposite choice to charge him with deceiving the sovereign.

That was the true difficulty. Moreover, a king bearing the destiny of the Son of Heaven and great fortune was not someone he could possibly divine at all.

Ordinary mortals were easy enough to read, for each had a fixed fate. But those who cultivated the Dao were different.

The deeper one’s cultivation, the more impossible fate became to perceive.

Still, there was one good outcome here: Bo Yi Kao probably would not die.

As long as he told the king that the hexagram showed Bo Yi Kao being executed, the king would certainly not follow it.

Trading a charge of deceiving the sovereign for Bo Yi Kao’s life, Ji Chang felt it was worth it.

With utmost solemnity, Ji Chang took out a tortoise shell etched with countless wrinkles, then produced two copper coins.

He placed them inside the shell and shook it in his hand.

Before long, Ji Chang cast the two coins onto the ground.

Jiang Yuan looked curiously at the two copper coins on the ground. Could this really be used for fortune-telling?

“What is the hexagram?” Jiang Yuan asked lightly.

Ji Chang glanced at the coins, first showing a shocked expression, then hesitating.

As though he saw nothing of Ji Chang’s disguise, Jiang Yuan continued with interest, “What does the hexagram show?”

Ji Chang trembled as he picked up the two copper coins and said cautiously, “The hexagram shows that Your Majesty will kill my son.”

“Oh? Is that really what the hexagram shows?” Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Ji Chang nodded bitterly.

In that case, Bo Yi Kao’s life should be safe now. The only question was how the king would hold him accountable.

Jiang Yuan walked up to Zhang Kui and Bo Yi Kao. Glancing at Zhang Kui, he immediately understood, and Zhang Kui released Bo Yi Kao at once.

Just as Bo Yi Kao knelt, preparing to offer thanks for mercy, Jiang Yuan suddenly brought his foot down and stamped Bo Yi Kao’s head into the earth.

But that was not enough. Jiang Yuan then drew the Thunder Radiance Treasure Sword and swung it down in a single stroke. Bo Yi Kao’s entire body erupted in a spray of blood.

“Ding! Killed Bo Yi Kao, obtained 80 Tyrant Points. Current Tyrant Points: 304!”

“Ding! Publicly killing a courtier’s son, disregarding the bonds between ruler and subject, qualifies as tyrannical behavior. Reward: 30 Tyrant Points. Current Tyrant Points: 334!”

Having done all this, Jiang Yuan seemed only to have performed a trivial act as he sheathed the Thunder Radiance Treasure Sword.

Then he walked up to Ji Chang, whose face had turned livid, and said with admiration, “Earl Ji’s art of divination is truly remarkable. How did you calculate that I would kill Bo Yi Kao?”

“Why do you wear such an expression, Earl Ji? Could it be that you think someone who dared demand that I kneel should not be killed?” Jiang Yuan asked in a cold voice.

Ji Chang, his eyes red, stared at Jiang Yuan and said viciously, “Of course he deserved death. I only hate that I could not kill this rebel with my own hands!”

“Earl Ji has the right spirit. As for making someone murder his own son with his own hands, I simply could not do such a thing,” Jiang Yuan said with feigned consideration.