Chapter 115: Bold Moves, Unexpected Developments
Chapter 115: Bold Moves, Unexpected Developments
This was already leaving no face at all.
Flames burned in the eyes of Qin Hao, Gu Tong, and the other members of the diplomatic mission.
The intense humiliation filled their hearts with immense fury.
This was a public slap in the face!
The words might not seem heavy, but in this setting, it was almost the same as pointing a finger and cursing!
Ling Yi suddenly laughed. Today’s banquet was clearly a feast of humiliation targeting Qin State.
Just like a cat playing with a mouse before eating it.
Whether it involved him or not, they would find a reason to strike at the Qin State Diplomatic Mission.
The Monarch of Chu State might still care a little about appearances, but State Preceptor Lu Qingming did not want to give any face at all.
In truth, what needed to be discussed had already been settled.
Carving up Qin State was already like an arrow on the bowstring!
Targeting Ling Yi was just something done in passing.
Since that was the case, there was nothing more to say. When someone had already stepped on your face, what was there left to endure at such a time?
Just fight!
Chu Yanyu, standing beside Ling Yi, also wore an awkward expression on her face.
She had thought this kind of confrontation would appear at the upcoming negotiations of the Seven Nations. She never expected Lu Qingming would choose to directly challenge the Qin State Diplomatic Mission on such an occasion.
Not even leaving them the most basic shred of face.
It was clearly meant to tear all pretense apart.
Then what did she… standing by Ling Yi’s side at this moment… become?
No wonder they turned a blind eye to her affairs with Ling Yi.
They couldn’t even be bothered to suspect.
As Chu Yanyu was thinking of countermeasures in her heart, she suddenly felt a force pulling her—
Ling Yi sneered, plopping down onto a chair, and with a tug… pulled Chu Yanyu into his lap.
Chu Yanyu was stunned for a moment, then tried to struggle—
She didn’t care about rumors; those vague things could be twisted around in minutes for her.
But like this, sitting in a man’s lap in public was definitely not okay!
This would confirm all the previous rumors about her!
How could she command respect in the future?
This guy… how could he be such a jerk?
What Chu Yanyu didn’t expect was that Ling Yi’s strength far exceeded her understanding of a Golden Body Master.
Even though she was also in the Golden Body Realm, using her strength, she actually couldn’t break free!
Then she heard Ling Yi whisper in her ear, “If you still want to succeed, don’t struggle. You can’t become the Son of Heaven. As a mere Monarch, what does a little romantic affair matter?”
Chu Yanyu was shocked. The next moment, she heard Ling Yi say loudly, “A country whose Dragon Vein is broken, what act of being the rightful ruler of the land are you putting on here?”
These words were like a heavy bomb dropped into calm water.
“Friends from the other five nations, you should also wise up. Just surrounding Qin State on the map means you can smoothly carve it up? Are you dreaming? If that were the case, the Chaos Zone would have ceased to exist long ago!”
“I can’t even be bothered to scare you by saying Great Qin’s today is your tomorrow. I’ll just ask you one thing: don’t you have any idea of your own worth?”
“Did you see the Blue Light during the Beast Tide in Spring City? Pretty, isn’t it? Do you want to see it again?”
“I heard something happened in the Capital of Chu, right? Do you know what it was? The Dragon Vein is broken!”
Chu Yanyu still tried to break free. She was getting annoyed because things… had already spiraled beyond her control.
This matter… was developing in a direction she could not foresee!
Lu Qingming chose to tear off all pretense, and Ling Yi actually didn’t back down at all?
What exactly was he trying to do?
Over there, Lu Qingming sat steadily, a terrifying aura radiating from him.
His eyes were fixed intently on Ling Yi as he coldly asked, “So, you admit that breaking the Royal Capital’s Dragon Vein was your doing?”
Boom!
The entire banquet hall erupted completely.
This news was too shocking!
The Dragon Vein of the Capital of Great Chu… was really broken?
If Ling Yi said it, it might be a bluff, but if Lu Qingming said it… then it was undoubtedly true!
Although the Royal Capital’s Dragon Vein did not represent the entire Great Chu’s Dragon Vein, the Royal Capital’s Dragon Vein was the most important one carrying the fate of the entire Great Chu!
For the Royal Capital’s Dragon Vein to break was extremely ominous!
Great Chu was currently at the peak of its prosperity. Could it be… it was about to decline from its zenith?
Was it going to go downhill from now on?
Everyone’s eyes showed uncertainty and doubt.
Including An Yuan, the top young expert from the State of Wei who had just provoked Ling Yi, all wore expressions of shock.
Ling Yi looked at Lu Qingming and continued confronting him head-on, “Is your brain not working? When did I ever say I broke the Royal Capital’s Dragon Vein?”
One of Lu Qingming’s subordinates stepped forward and angrily shouted, “You scouted the location beforehand, and then a hundred-meter-deep thief’s hole was found right there. If it wasn’t you, who else could it be?”
“You mean that shopping mall?” Ling Yi grinned.
“See… you admit it now?” that person glared at Ling Yi.
“Are you an idiot?” Ling Yi sat there imposingly, holding the struggling Chu Yanyu in his lap, looking disdainfully at the person speaking. “I shopped at that mall just yesterday. Besides that, which other place could I be talking about?”
“The surveillance video clearly shows you also went to the underground parking lot. The hole is right where you went! You even stayed there for a long time! And you still dare say it wasn’t you?” That person was also throwing caution to the wind.
Actually, even if this matter wasn’t exposed today, it couldn’t be hidden much longer.
A broken Dragon Vein could manifest in many ways.
The simplest was the aura enveloping the sky above the Royal Capital.
Anyone who reached the Dao Enlightenment Realm could quickly sense the change in the Royal Capital’s aura.
A broken Dragon Vein was a major event of great consequence. The majestic aura above the Royal Capital would clearly reflect it.
So even if it wasn’t mentioned today, within a few days, this matter would spread like wildfire.
If they could resolve this matter today and capture Ling Yi, then they could minimize the impact of this affair!
Lu Qingming’s side had also adjusted their attitude toward Ling Yi.
Originally, they wanted to kill him directly, but now that wouldn’t do.
They must confirm his guilt and force the person behind him to emerge!
If that person didn’t appear, those in Chu State could hardly rest easy.
No matter who was behind him, even if it was a Primordial Spirit Realm expert, they had to step forward and give an explanation.
You can’t bully people like this!
As the most powerful nation in the secular world, Chu State had more than one sect supporting it from behind!
The Primordial Spirit Realm did not interfere in worldly matters, nor did they meddle in secular affairs—this was the rule of the Cultivation World!
Whoever dared to step in first would have to bear the responsibility!
At this moment, Ling Yi finally released Chu Yanyu, but she strangely stopped struggling.
Her body went soft and leaned against him, her face flushed, breathing lightly with half-opened eyes, as if lost in thought.
In reality, she knew she couldn’t break free, so she simply gave up entirely.
If Lu Qingming truly killed Ling Yi here today and suppressed the Qin State Diplomatic Mission, then a declaration of war against Qin would surely follow soon after.
All her hopes would be completely shattered then.
No one could challenge Lu Qingming, who would have accomplished the feat of destroying a nation!
She could only choose to bind herself tightly to Ling Yi.
As long as Ling Yi managed to escape today, she would still have a chance; otherwise… both she and the Chu imperial family behind her would face utter ruin.
She had been scheming, planning to join forces with Ling Yi to outwit Lu Qingming.
But Lu Qingming… was using an open strategy.
He gave her no time, and the timing of his move was utterly unexpected!
He disdained using any tricks, opting instead to crush them outright with sheer force.
The atmosphere at the scene was tense and oppressive, yet there was also… excitement among the members of the diplomatic mission.
Ling Yi laughed. “How absurd. Just because someone dug a tunnel where I walked means I did it? Is that the logic of you high-ranking officials in Great Chu? If I walk down a street in the Royal Capital, will every woman become pregnant?”
Boom!
A wave of uncontrollable laughter erupted in the hall.
Ling Yi continued expressionlessly, “Also, why don’t you say I absorbed all the Spirit Stone Veins down there too?”
Some of those in the know on Lu Qingming’s side nearly burst with anger.
This counterattack was too shameless!
To them, it was clearly open provocation—
I did it all, so come and catch me!
How outrageous!
Before they could say anything, Ling Yi smiled and repeatedly apologized, “Sorry, sorry, sorry… really sorry!”
“Did I accidentally say something I shouldn’t have again?”
“My apologies… I did all these things!”
“At just over twenty years old, I single-handedly accomplished so many earth-shattering deeds. That should be enough to go down in history, right?”
“Are there any historians here? Listen up! I did all these things! Write it down quickly! I’ll check later!”
Lu Qingming remained unmoved, staring coldly at Ling Yi from afar. “So, you finally admit it?”
Then he looked at Qi Gaofeng. “This is a member of your Qin State’s diplomatic mission…”
“You’re mistaken. He’s not on the mission’s list,” Qi Gaofeng said calmly.
“You dare lie in public?” Lu Qingming glared coldly at Qi Gaofeng.
“There’s only one person named Ling Yi on the mission’s list. You must have misread,” Qi Gaofeng replied evenly, his expression unchanged. “Grand Tutor Lu is overwhelmed with state affairs and probably exhausted. It’s understandable if you misread the list in a moment of fatigue. This Ling Yi here is just an ordinary young man forced to come under your coercion. He was invited here today by your State Preceptor’s Mansion and has nothing to do with the Great Qin diplomatic mission.”
Lu Qingming was stunned.
Everyone else was stunned too.
Was there really such a crafty move?
That was truly eye-opening!
Most of those present were seasoned veterans, seasoned in countless battles.
But today’s scene still left them thoroughly entertained.
They had all thought Qin State was just a weakling, already laid out on the chopping block, waiting to be carved up.
Who would have imagined such a twist?
Damn that Ling Yi… After all that, the dirty water that had been poured over the Qin State Diplomatic Mission’s head was actually pushed back!
What kind of amazing development was this?
Ling Yi helped the limp Chu Yanyu sit on a chair, then stood up himself and stared coldly in Lu Qingming’s direction.
“Did you hear that? I’m not a member of the diplomatic mission. Surprised?”
“Since arriving in Chu State yesterday, the moment we set foot on Chu soil, the entire diplomatic mission has faced all sorts of unfair treatment and cold shoulders.”
“Fine. Your Chu State is powerful, domineering, and can humiliate envoys from other nations as you please. We endured it.”
“You, Lu Qingming, are a Peak Dao-Entry expert and the Grand State Preceptor of Chu. A person of such high status, shameless and without honor, set up an ambush to kill my Adoptive Father.”
“I’m no match for you, so even though I wanted revenge, I kept quiet and stayed home.”
“But you went too far! Too lazy to send assassins again to wipe the slate clean, you forced me to come to Chu by detaining my girlfriend.”
“Good. As you wished, I came!”
“But I’m not a member of the diplomatic mission! I just hitched a ride on their Private Jet and stayed where they lodged… After all, plane tickets and hotels are expensive, so why not save where you can, right?”
In the hall, many looked speechless, thinking, What kind of ‘save where you can’ is this…
But the twist was so sudden, it left countless people reeling.