414 - Senior Sister Is on Top

"Those remaining renegades, I’ve found them all. How shall we deal with them?" Feng Kai strode into the grand hall without removing his armor or sword, not even offering a formal greeting before speaking. Wen Dai glanced at him, her tone laced with disdain. "You came to bother me with such trivial matters? Do you think I don’t have enough to do already? Kill them all. Leave no remnants." Feng Kai frowned. This answer didn't surprise him, yet he couldn’t help but ask, "What about Her Majesty, the Shen Huang? Was this her command?" Wen Dai shook her head. "Her majesty is recuperating and has no mind for state affairs these days. You should understand that these people are deeply guilty, unlike those soldiers and cultivators who had no choice. They are the source of all our problems, the main culprits. Leaving any of them alive would bring no benefit. There's no need to report this to Her Majesty. If there's any future blame, put it all on me." Feng Kai understood. Recalling the strange behavior of the White Tiger Law Image, he couldn't help but bring it up. "Do you remember Yun Yu Chen's words? He spoke of imprisoning the Great Elder of the Eastern Territory, Xun Yi, under the White Tiger Law Image. I stumbled upon that prison not long ago. Should we release him?" Regarding Xun Yi, Feng Kai felt conflicted. Before Shen Huang’s return, Xun Yi had been ambitious, constantly probing the Western Territory and hinting at war. But after Her Majesty returned, he suddenly changed his stance, even stepping forward to maintain order. Many rebels from the Eastern Territory died by his hand, and during the severe ghost plague, he cleared it up. Even Princess Lian Yi Yue and the Heaven-Earth Eight Diagrams were escorted to the Western Territory by him. Without his intervention, the Eastern Territory would have likely fallen to the Ghost Territory, becoming a stepping stone for the Demon Emperor to invade the Demon Territory. One could say that their smooth conquest of the Eastern Territory was at least half due to Xun Yi’s efforts. Feng Kai didn’t know whether to charge him with a crime or reward his merits. During recent arrests of rebels, he had intentionally avoided Xun Yi’s forces—not merely because of their vast and intricate power base, but out of genuine respect. Wen Dai paused, gradually putting down her brush. She, too, found it hard to judge and furrowed her brows for a long while before saying, "Let’s not act hastily. I’ll report this to Her Majesty later." Though she said so, both of them could roughly guess Her Majesty's decision. Wen Dai surprisingly felt fortunate that Shen Huang’s consort was Jiang Yin, who could embody "evil" to make up for Shen Huang’s deficiencies. * "Xun Yi, eh?" Tang Mu Xi reclined comfortably in her senior sister's arms, squinting her eyes. "Did his forces partake in the recent war?" "They did not. In fact, he was the one who quelled the ghost plague in the Eastern Territory prior. If we tally it up, the peaceful state of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger Law Images are largely due to his efforts," Wen Dai, having just reported Xun Yi’s misdeeds, now recounted his merits objectively. "He’s indeed a peculiar figure. I remember it was his doing when Lian Yi Yue brought the divine artifact to seek refuge in the Western Territory. Truly inscrutable." Tang Mu Xi pondered for a moment before tilting her head to ask Jiang Yin, "What do you think we should do, Senior Sister?" Jiang Yin pinched her nose. "Always trying to shirk responsibility. You’re asking my opinion, but you aren’t as angry as you were with Guang Liang Ji before, nor are you throwing him onto the New Island like those war prisoners. You must already have an idea; now you’re asking me to cool down any overgenerous rewards, making me the bad cop." Tang Mu Xi, seeing her plan exposed, felt slightly embarrassed and laughed. "Senior Sister is wise and excels at this. This is called using people to their best abilities." Jiang Yin snorted lightly, not buying it. "Silver-tongued. But since you asked, I’ll say a few words. He truly has rendered meritorious service. Since you took the throne, he’s shown little disloyalty and commands a vast and respected force. However, with this victory, there will no longer be the division of East and West domains, and there can only be one Great Elder. Simply stripping him of his power would be too cold-hearted. It’s better to give him a title with high status but little power, essentially sidelining him." One had to admit, when it came to the art of ruling, Senior Sister was adept. Even in this world, no longer as the Demon Lord, her thinking and actions remained unchanged. If she didn’t know that the Demon Lord would never marry her, Tang Mu Xi might have thought Senior Sister was reborn as well. Tang Mu Xi laughed, "So what title would be high in status but weak in power, Senior Sister?" Jiang Yin said, "By mortal standards, the title of Duke is the best fit. But since he’s the White Tiger family’s patriarch, just ennobling him might be inappropriate. Why not grant him the title of Demon King? There’s already the Shen Huang above; the title of Demon King is practically just for show." Hearing this, Wen Dai felt deeply offended. She wanted to grab Jiang Yin by the ear and ask if she remembered that Wen Dai herself was a Demon King too. Though nominally a Demon King, in truth, she was akin to a vassal. But at least it still sounded prestigious, right? How could it become, in Jiang Yin's eyes, a mere utility tool whenever needed? Fortunately, Wen Dai held back, or she might have been infuriated. With Jiang Yin's nature, she’d undoubtedly respond: Demon Kings, aren’t they just tools? Tang Mu Xi didn’t notice Wen Dai’s discomfort, only thinking her senior sister was very clever. Now that the Eastern Court was in name only, giving Xun Yi the title of Demon King wouldn’t grant him any real power. He wouldn’t clash with Wen Dai, but still hold a high status, respected wherever he went. "Fine, let's do as you suggested, Senior Sister!" * After receiving her orders, Wen Dai immediately dispatched Feng Kai to rescue Xun Yi, bringing along the decree of his appointment as Demon King. The White Tiger’s confinement formation was exceedingly strong; Feng Kai alone couldn’t break it. He had no choice but to seek out Shen Huang, hoping she could personally intervene and use the Heaven and Earth Eight Trigrams’ divine power to break the formation. Surprisingly, when Tang Mu Xi heard about it, she simply tossed the divine artifact to him and then lay back down in her senior sister’s embrace, claiming, "My body is weak; urgent need for rest." Watching their intimate display, Feng Kai felt awkward. Were his eyes playing tricks, or was there no trace of weakness on Shen Huang’s rosy, glowing face? A month or two ago, maybe he could have found some pallor. But with daily exposure to the lotus lamp's light and the sacred tree’s nourishment, even the tiniest trace of sickness had long vanished.