Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

"The Second Prince?"

If anyone else had taken the token from Yao Dengxian, it might not have raised suspicion. But the Second Prince? That was truly unexpected.

Everyone in the palace knew that Empress Wu viewed the consort as a thorn in her side.

The Second Prince was Empress Wu's actual son.

How did his token end up with the consort?

Without hesitation, the emperor ordered the Second Prince to be summoned. It wasn't long before he arrived, stepping into the hall with urgency.

"Father," he greeted, pausing as he felt the oppressive atmosphere in the room. His apprehension grew immediately.

"Was it you who took the Dragon-Keeping Eunuch's token?" the emperor asked bluntly.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the Second Prince replied without hesitation. "I borrowed it from Warrior Yao the other day. I went to the Dragon-Keeping Pool seeking for a cultivation legacy but had no success. I thought I'd try again a few times and didn't want to trouble Warrior Yao repeatedly, so he lent me the token, saying I could return it after a few days. When my attempts proved fruitless, I instructed a palace attendant to return it."

"But the token was not returned to the Dragon-Keeping Eunuch," the emperor said gravely. "Instead, it ended up in the consort's hands. And because of that, the Golden Dragon escaped yesterday."

"What?" The Second Prince was startled and immediately knelt. "I had no knowledge of this matter. I will summon the palace attendant at once for questioning."

The emperor exchanged a glance with Warrior Lao, who immediately understood. He promptly ordered someone to bring in the palace attendant who had acted on the Second Prince's behalf.

An important item like the token wouldn't have been entrusted to a mere underling. The person in question was the head eunuch of the Second Prince's house, a figure of considerable standing.

Chu Liang stood quietly to the side, quietly thinking that this inquiry was unlikely to yield any meaningful answers.

For powerful cultivators, it was easy to act without leaving any trace. This was precisely why solving the consort's case had been so difficult.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the news returned.

"Your Majesty, the palace attendant who returned the token for the Second Prince has gone missing," Warrior Lao reported quietly.

"When did this happen?" The emperor's expression darkened.

"It seems it happened last night. We've just looked for him and found that he hasn't been seen all day," Warrior Lao replied.

"These people have so much power in the palace, killing whomever they wish!" the emperor muttered grimly. "Whose subordinate is he? Summon his superior immediately!"

"He's Cheng Hu's godson," Warrior Lao replied.

Cheng Hu, one of the Four Great Warriors, was a trusted confidant of Empress Wu. He had previously had a minor clash with Chu Liang, which ended up with him being beaten up by Di Nufeng.

The emperor waved his sleeve and ordered them all to be summoned.

But this time, it wasn't only Cheng Hu who appeared; he came with a full entourage. Leading the group was none other than the empress herself, draped in an elegant palace gown and exuding this dignified aura.

"Mei'er, why have you come?" The emperor's tense expression softened slightly upon seeing her.

From her days as the crown princess to her current position as empress, she and the emperor had shared a deep, unshakable bond for decades. No number of favored consorts could ever threaten her position.

"With such a major incident happening in the palace, how could I not come to witness it myself?" Empress Wu said.

As soon as she arrived, a palace attendant swiftly placed a chair beside the emperor's. The emperor and empress sat together, side by side, facing the gathered officials and guests.

"Cheng Hu, the head eunuch of the Second Prince's household is your godson. Do you know where he is?" Empress Wu was the first to ask the question.

"Your Majesties," Cheng Hu replied, his usual arrogance replaced with utmost deference in the presence of the emperor and empress. "Although Cheng Lu is my godson, since he became head of the household, I've had little contact with him and am unaware of his daily activities."

Looking at Cheng Hu's expression and behavior, the emperor knew that there was no way that no matter how many questions they asked, they wouldn't get any useful answers from him.

He turned to Chu Liang and asked, "There's still over two hours left. Where do you plan to investigate next?"

With all the leads exhausted, where else could I go? Chu Liang thought to himself.

His mind raced. Though there was still time, every clue had led to a dead end, leaving him feeling uncertain.

He clenched his teeth and resolved, If it comes to that, I'll have to take a gamble!

…

In response to the emperor's inquiry, Chu Liang pulled out the imperial decree and asked, "Your Majesty, you said that anyone, inside or outside the imperial city, who sees this decree must respond to me as if they were responding to you. Is that still valid?"

"Of course it is," the emperor replied, puzzled as to why this question was asked.

"So, apart from you, Your Majesty, everyone present here must obey my orders, correct?" Chu Liang pressed further.

"Yes," the emperor affirmed once more.

Chu Liang nodded, then turned his gaze toward the empress and suddenly said, "Then I must ask Her Majesty the Empress to stand up!"

"Huh?" Everyone present was taken aback.

Even the emperor himself wouldn't have spoken to the empress in such a commanding tone.

The empress was taken aback.

Even the emperor jolted back in shock and quickly added, "The decree grants you authority equal to mine, but only for matters concerning the investigation. Anything unrelated is not permitted."

Especially not right in front of me, the emperor mused.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, the questioning that is about to happen is directly relevant to the case. However, since the Empress is seated beside you, I cannot proceed without the utmost respect. Therefore, I request that she step down from the dais," Chu Liang said.

"Hah." Empress Wu smiled faintly, rising with grace. As she walked slowly toward Chu Liang, she asked, "Imperial Younger Brother, do you suspect me?"

Do I suspect? You don't say? Ever since this case surfaced, the entire palace knows that you are the prime suspect.

But after uncovering the consort's cause of death and true identity, the case had become even more confusing. Still, Chu Liang had a bold theory of his own.

"May I ask, Your Majesty, where were you at dawn today?" Chu Liang asked, his voice steady.

"Of course, I was resting in the palace. The attendants here can testify," Empress Wu replied.

"Them?" Chu Liang gestured toward the attendants behind her.

"Hm?" Empress Wu turned to look over her shoulder.

Suddenly, Chu Liang raised his hand, and three streaks of starlight shot toward the empress from point-blank range.

With a flash of movement, the empress evaded the attack with a speed that seemed almost like teleportation, narrowly dodging the streaks of starlight.

Sizzle.

The three streaks of starlight struck the wall with a sharp hiss, the impact releasing a faint, eerie sound. While no visible damage was done, they left behind a strange, blood-like residue.

"How dare you!" Cheng Hu roared, fury flashing across his face. As he spoke, he launched a palm strike toward Chu Liang.

Warrior Lao stepped forward, shielding the emperor, while Yao Dengxian also prepared to intervene. Chu Liang's sudden attack on the empress had caught everyone off guard.

Seeing that he was about to be subdued, Chu Liang spoke quickly, his voice ringing out across the hall, "As we all know, Her Majesty the Empress is not particularly gifted and has a low cultivation level. So how does she possess such agile reflexes?!"

His loud question jolted everyone present. The way Empress Wu had narrowly dodged the streaks of blood-like starlight at such close range had been quite impressive.

Yao Dengxian sneered coldly but made no move to act. However, Cheng Hu, who had just attacked Chu Liang, suddenly staggered back, his face contorted in pain as his blood surged chaotically within him. He took three unsteady steps backward, clearly unable to advance any further.

With an eighth-realm cultivator present, it was clear that the situation would not escalate into complete chaos.

"What is the meaning of this?" the emperor demanded, his voice rising with authority. "Burning down Yuhua Palace was already a serious transgression, but I allowed it in the name of the investigation. Now you act so recklessly here in the Night Dragon Hall—what justification do you have for this?"

"There is one item I didn't present earlier because I was waiting for the right moment to use it," Chu Liang explained. "Among the consort's belongings was a vial of Spirit Fox Blood, capable of unraveling the secret art of the Spirit Fox Illusory Transformation. It seems Her Majesty was particularly fearful of it just now?"

The empress's gaze darkened.

"Your sudden actions startled me, as they would anyone," she said coldly. "Do you suspect that I am an imposter?"

"That's impossible," the emperor insisted, shaking his head with firm conviction. "The empress and I have supported each other for decades. I would recognize her in an instant. No disguise, no matter how perfect, could fool me."

"Your Majesty…" Chu Liang began. He paused for a moment before continuing, "What if the disguise began before you even met her? What if the one who supported you all these years was never real from the start?"

"This…" The emperor was suddenly at a loss for words.

He remembered his early days as one of the many princes, not particularly favored. Back then, the daughter of the Wu Family had married him. When he was named crown prince, she had become the crown princess; and when he ascended the throne, she had become the empress.

If that were the case, he would never have been able to tell. However, the possibility of such a meticulous plot, spanning decades, seemed too elaborate and too intricate. More troubling still, the empress had shown no signs of inconsistency in her role all these years.

Under normal circumstances, Chu Liang would never have considered such an extreme possibility. But recent events—rumors about the empress, the method of killing with Dreamweave Breath-Sealing Fragrance, and the connection to the Spirit Fox Blood—pulled at his thoughts.

Threads of suspicion wove together in his mind, forming an intricate web, all leading back to one figure at the center.

The clock was ticking. If he didn't act quickly and resort to extreme measures to confirm his theory, he would have little chance of uncovering the truth.

Seeing how the emperor reacted, Empress Wu started laughing instead of showing anger. "Your Majesty, are you doubting me as well?" Empress Wu asked. "Fine, let him use this so-called Spirit Fox Blood and see if I am real or not!"

None of the onlookers had foreseen the situation escalating to this point. Yet without conducting the test, there would be no way to conclude today's events.

The emperor glanced at Warrior Lao, who immediately understood and stepped forward. Taking the vial of Spirit Fox Blood from Chu Liang's hand, Warrior Lao turned toward the empress with a respectful bow.

"Your Majesty, I apologize in advance," he said.

With a fluid motion, Warrior Lao extended his finger, allowing a drop of the Spirit Fox Blood to gather at its tip. He then carefully reached toward the empress's forehead.

Swish.

The droplet landed softly on her forehead, like a drop of red vermilion. But as it touched her skin, nothing remarkable happened. The empress's appearance remained unchanged.

"Phew…" The emperor sighed, clearly relieved. "It goes to show—how could the empress possibly be an imposter?"

Chu Liang was the only one who looked slightly disappointed.

"Hmph," Empress Wu snorted coldly. "Since I am no longer a suspect, I wish to leave and not remain here to be humiliated any further. May I have Your Majesty's permission?"

Though phrased as a question, her tone was unmistakably sharp with anger. Without waiting for a response, she turned and began striding toward the hall's exit.

As she passed by Yao Dengxian, the old eunuch suddenly spoke up, "Your Majesty, please wait."

"Hm?" Empress Wu turned to him. "What is it, Warrior Yao?"

"This servant dares not offend Your Majesty," Yao Dengxian replied, his aged eyes burning with intensity. "However, I must trouble Your Majesty to remove the concentration of foundational qi from your forehead so that we can test it again."

The empress's tricks might have fooled the emperor and Warrior Lao, whose cultivation levels were similar. But to Yao Dengxian, whose cultivation level was much higher, such feeble deceptions were laughable.

The drop of Spirit Fox Blood had never truly touched her forehead! It had been blocked by the concentration of foundational qi she had gathered, which she had integrated with a subtle spell to conceal any discrepancies.

Upon hearing his words, Empress Wu first chuckled, then, in an instant, her body blurred as she leapt into the air, moving with the speed of a gust of wind, almost as though she had teleported. In the blink of an eye, she was in midair!

Swish—

But Yao Dengxian extended his hand with precision, grasping at the air. Immediately, the sound of thunder cracked through the hall, and the sky seemed to warp as her fleeing figure was yanked back into the great hall by his powerful palm!

Thud.

The empress fell heavily to the ground, back in the great hall. As Yao Dengxian's thunder technique coursed through her, her divine ability lost its effect, and the drop of Spirit Fox Blood finally made contact with her skin.

In that instant, an entirely unfamiliar face appeared in the great hall!

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT