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Han Xiao clasped his fists towards Wu Ta and said, "Then I will trouble the Divine Envoy."
"Not at all, please rest here for a day. Prepare a feast; I want to ease the nerves of the envoy team."
The next morning, Han Xiao led everyone from the envoy team away from Shining Star City. After sending off Han Xiao, Wu Ta began to train diligently.
Han Xiao and the envoy team traveled through the night, taking half a month to return to Huaxing Kingdom's Capital City, Starlight City. By then, it was already noon, and Ye Liu Chuxing was resting. Upon hearing that Han Xiao had returned, he immediately got up. Han Xiao was brought before Ye Liu Chuxing, and he knelt down on one knee, saying, "Your Majesty, I have returned."
"What did they say in Starfall Kingdom?"
After hearing the question, Han Xiao recounted his experiences in Starfall Kingdom with embellishments. As he spoke, Ye Liu Chuxing's expression changed. When Han Xiao finished, Ye Liu Chuxing slammed his hand on the table and said, "What audacity from Starfall City! Do they really not know who the true superior is? A mere Starfall Kingdom dares to ignore our conditions and even injure my general. It seems they won't understand the might of Huaxing Kingdom unless we teach them a lesson. You may leave; I have my own plans for this matter."
The next day during court, Ye Liu Chuxing sat on the throne and called out, "Chancellor Han."
"I am here," Han Xiao stepped forward from the official ranks.
"Chancellor Han, in front of all the Cui Wenwu officials, recount your experiences in Starfall City."
"Yes, Your Majesty. The events unfolded as follows: that day I went to Starfall Kingdom under Your Majesty's orders..."
Han Xiao repeated his account of what happened in Starfall Kingdom and then returned to his position. While listening to Han Xiao's narration, Ye Liu Chuxing observed the reactions of the ministers below. Except for Old Chancellor Zhu Yin, who showed no expression, all other Cui Wenwu officials wore looks of anger.
"My dear ministers, how should we respond to such treatment of our envoy in Starfall Kingdom?"
"Your Majesty, since Starfall Small Nation dares to disregard our authority, we should show them our strength based on this alone. My suggestion is for Your Majesty to immediately send troops to conquer Starfall Kingdom; I am willing to be the Vanguard." The speaker was a general from Huaxing Kingdom named Na Kuang.
Na Kuang's remarks caused all the generals to nod in agreement, and even some of the officials expressed their approval. Those officials who remained silent turned their attention to the first position among them, Old Chancellor Zhu Yin.
"Old Chancellor, what do you think I should do this time?"
Zhu Yin stepped forward to face Yelü Chuxing. "In response to Your Majesty, I also believe that the Starfall Kingdom is truly ungrateful this time. If we punish them, it may not reflect our great nation's prestige. If we let this slide, other small nations might follow suit, and then our Hua Xing will be at risk of losing its status. I agree with the general that we must severely punish the Starfall Kingdom. However, there is one thing I have always been unclear about."
"Please speak, Old Chancellor."
"Your Majesty, according to Prime Minister Han, the current Starfall Kingdom is no longer what it used to be. Their experts seem to have increased significantly; even General Gao has been defeated by them, and Xiahou Shenfeng returned heavily injured. Where did those experts come from? If we still act based on our previous impressions of the Starfall Kingdom, we might suffer a great loss."
Yelü Chuxing nodded. "Old Chancellor makes a valid point. Does anyone know the details about those experts from the Starfall Kingdom?"
Everyone shook their heads; they had never considered a small nation like Starfall Kingdom significant enough to warrant attention, so most of Hua Xing's spies were sent to other nations of comparable strength.
"We are about to go to war with them, yet we do not even understand their strength. How can we fight this battle?" Yelü Chuxing began pacing back and forth in front of the dragon throne.
At that moment, another person stepped out from the ranks of generals. This person was Zhong Yi, the second disciple of Xiahou Zhongtian and a general of Hua Xing Kingdom. Zhong Yi stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Your Majesty, since we do not know the enemy's strength, then perhaps it is unnecessary for us to know."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Your Majesty, even if a small nation like Starfall Kingdom has experts, they would at most be comparable to my own strength. They cannot possibly have any Divine-Level Experts; even if they have a Divine Knight-level strongman, he would have only recently broken through within the past year and would not be much stronger than me."
"How can you be so certain?"
"The number of Divine Knights across the continent is very limited. Every three years, all Divine-Level Experts go to Guardian Nation for three months of training under the personal guidance of King Li Longfei. The last gathering of Divine Knights just concluded six months ago. When my master returned, he mentioned that among those who went to Guardian Nation for training, only three Divine Envoys from our Hua Xing Kingdom were present in our sphere of influence. Therefore, I can confidently assert this."
Yelü Chuxing also found Zhong Yi's reasoning sound. If they were indeed seasoned Divine-Level Experts, they would have certainly participated in the Divine Knight gathering because such an opportunity for guidance from Li Longfei is something no Divine Knight would miss. Since the enemy's strength is limited to these individuals, it would make things much easier on their side.
"Since that's the case, I can rest assured. The Divine Envoy is already stationed in Shining Star City. There shouldn't be any problems, right?"
"Your Majesty, I believe this approach is still unwise," spoke the Old Chancellor, Zhu Yin.
"What do you mean, Old Chancellor?"
"Your Majesty, if the other side has a Divine Knight among them, we do not know their numbers. Is there really just one? Or could there be more? If there is only one, then the Divine Envoy alone would suffice. But what if there are two or three?"
"What are you suggesting, Old Chancellor?"
"For safety's sake, Your Majesty, we should summon the Divine Envoy."
"Summon the Divine Envoy? Is it really necessary for a small Starfall Kingdom to disturb the Divine Envoy?" Yelü Chuxing looked at Old Chancellor Zhu Yin.
Zhu Yin nodded firmly. "Your Majesty, the reason we want to summon the Divine Envoy is that we do not know the strength of our opponents. I fear that the Divine Envoy might find themselves overwhelmed if they face too many enemies. Moreover, we can only afford to win this time; for safety's sake, we should summon the Divine Envoy."
Hearing Zhu Yin's words, Yelü Chuxing felt uncertain. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, "Let’s proceed as Old Chancellor suggests. I will trouble you to personally handle this matter."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will definitely summon the Divine Envoy."
Yelü Chuxing then ordered someone to go to Shining Star City to send a message, urging the Divine Envoy Wu Ta to expedite training the troops in preparation for immediate deployment.
After attending the morning court session, Old Chancellor Zhu Yin returned home for breakfast. Shortly after finishing his meal, he took his sedan chair to the residence of the Divine Envoy. After explaining his purpose, he was informed that the Divine Envoy was currently not at home but had gone to an estate outside the city.
Zhu Yin did not dare delay and hurried straight to the outskirts. The estate of the Divine Envoy was built at Wohu Mountain, named for its shape. To construct this estate for the Divine Envoy, the former king had granted the entire Wohu Mountain to them.
Zhu Yin and his entourage arrived at Wohu Mountain around noon. At this time, two Noble Guards were stationed at the mountain gate. After explaining his intentions, Zhu Yin was led inside Wohu Mountain by one of the guards.
All the buildings on Wohu Mountain are built on the back of a tiger. Zhu Yin, under the guidance of the guards, took nearly another hour to reach the summit, where he was met by a different reception.
The person receiving Zhu Yin was Song Zhi, the closed-door disciple of the Divine Envoy. At around twenty years old, Song Zhi had already reached the level of an Advanced Knight. He brought Zhu Yin to the living room and served him tea.
Zhu Yin said to Song Zhi, "General Song, may I ask when my esteemed master will be able to meet with me?"
"Old Chancellor, please be patient. I have already informed my master of your arrival; he will certainly find time to meet you," Song Zhi replied.
"General Song, matters of state cannot be delayed."
Song Zhi smiled slightly, "Old Chancellor, my master knows how to handle things appropriately."
Zhu Yin could only sit helplessly in his seat and drink tea. It wasn't until dinner time that the servants had prepared the meal, and Zhu Yin was taken to the dining room by Song Zhi.
In addition to Song Zhi, three other disciples of the Divine Envoy were dining with Zhu Yin. The five of them sat across from each other, leaving the main seat empty. Just as they were about to start eating, they heard laughter from the entrance: "I heard that Zhu Yin has arrived! It's been a long time since I've seen that kid; I've missed him."
As soon as the words were spoken, someone had already taken the main seat. This person appeared to be around sixty years old, with a rosy complexion and completely bald on top. He wore a long robe made of thin silk.
This person was Jiang Xingshi, the Divine Envoy of Huaxing Kingdom. In reality, he was over a hundred years old but became a Divine Knight at the age of fifty-five. He had served in government alongside Zhu Yin's grandfather and father, especially having a very close relationship with Zhu Yin's father. Although he was more than twenty years older than Zhu Yin's father, they regarded each other as sworn brothers.
The two complemented each other perfectly in both civil and military affairs, and with their help, Huaxing Kingdom thrived during that time.
When Zhu Yin saw this elder, he immediately stood up and bowed deeply: "Younger generation Zhu Yin pays respects to Uncle."
The elder looked at Zhu Yin and said, "I didn't expect you to have aged as well. You must be over fifty this year?"
"Uncle still remembers my age well. You are correct; I am already fifty-three this year."
"Time waits for no one. Let's eat first, and after dinner, we can talk more. You should stay here tonight."
"Uncle, I came here today to..."
The old man raised his hand to stop Zhu Yin's words. Seeing there was no way out, Zhu Yin could only eat first. After dinner, Zhu Yin was taken to the old man's study. As soon as they sat down, Zhu Yin eagerly stated the purpose of his visit: "Uncle, I came here today to ask you to come out of retirement."
"Ask me to come out of retirement? Has something happened in Huaxing Kingdom?" The old man's brow furrowed.
"Uncle, here's the situation..." Zhu Yin recounted the events between Huaxing Kingdom and Starfall Kingdom.
"What did you say? Xiahou Zhongtian was severely injured? Can he be treated?" Xiahou Zhongtian had once been a capable subordinate of Jiang Xingshi, and they shared a deep bond, so he was quite agitated upon hearing about Xiahou Zhongtian's injury.
Zhu Yin shook his head. "The doctor said that even if Xiahou Shenfeng's injuries are treated, he will have lost all his abilities because his Dantian has been shattered." The Fighting Qi at the Dantian of a Divine Knight had been completely dispersed into the meridians. However, there remained a small amount of Fighting Qi at the location of the Dantian, which was referred to as 'Mother Qi' by the knights of the continent.
As long as Mother Qi exists within a person's body, their Fighting Qi will continuously regenerate. Once Mother Qi is dispersed, that person's power will vanish entirely.
"Who was so ruthless as to shatter Mother Qi?"
"The one who injured Xiahou Shenfeng seems to be a young man named Liu Guanfeng. At that time, Xiahou Shenfeng said he was ambushed and injured, which diminished his strength. That young man is also very powerful, which led to this outcome."
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