Chapter 324: True Lord Yu Canghai

Chapter 324: True Monarch Yu Canghai

"Old Snake, you'd better not be too careless. The new Hundred-Household of Inuyama Castle, King Yama, is no simple character either. To be able to hack Lu Changjiang to death right inside the Thousand-Household Office, that kind of strength and audacity cannot be underestimated."

"He is nothing more than a Five-Rhinoceros Head of the Martial Sequence who climbed his way up through the bureaucracy. If he were hiding in the shadows playing dirty tricks, I might be somewhat wary."

Jiao Mu Jiao waved his hand, "But if it comes to a head-on clash with bare blades and real spears, killing him wouldn't take much effort on my part!"

"The Old Man of the Wild is right, Horned Wood Flood Dragon, you really should be a bit careful."

The Wisdom King suddenly chimed in, "After the Lu Changjiang incident happened, I asked an acquaintance in the Ministry of War to look into the Yellow Millet Archive of the Northern Jinyiwei Bureau. Do you know who this King Yama who suddenly popped out of nowhere actually is?"

"Who is he?" the Old Man of the Wild asked.

The Wisdom King spat out two cold words, "Li Jun."

"That wild Martial Sequence practitioner who forced the Prince of Qin to his death in Chongqing Prefecture?"

The Old Man of the Wild froze, completely taken aback, "I didn't expect the imperial court would actually transfer him over to our turf."

"Why didn't the New Donglin Party just finish him off?"

The Old Man of the Wild looked utterly bewildered, "Is the royal family's reputation so worthless nowadays?"

"You're only realizing this now? The current plight of the royal family is probably even more difficult than ours."

The Wisdom King sneered, "I honestly feel that if it weren't for the existence of this empire helping those Sequence mega-corporations maintain order and construct their rituals, this millennium-old system would have been discarded long ago."

"I don't care who he is. Even if he were the Heavenly Emperor himself, once he arrives in the Yamato District, he has no choice but to bow his head before me."

In stark contrast to the gravity of the other two, Jiao Mu Jiao was completely nonchalant, "Besides, would he dare to strike at me during the council meeting? Just let him try, I dare him!"

"Alright, let's leave it at that."

The Wisdom King, who clearly held the leading position among the three, made the final call, "If that King Yama knows what's good for him, it wouldn't hurt to give him a little sweetness next year."

"After all, he is a man of the hour, so he's worth spending a bit of money to win over."

The Old Man of the Wild agreed, reaching out to pat Jiao Mu Jiao on the shoulder, "That way, Old Snake, you won't have to do all that dirty, exhausting work in the future, saving you from always complaining. My ears are growing calluses from listening to it."

For no apparent reason, Jiao Mu Jiao's expression turned somewhat grim and ugly.

He had a faint feeling that these two were subtly insinuating something about him through their words.

Just then, the sound of an approaching vehicle echoed from afar; another Hundred-Household from a major city had arrived.

"You two head inside first. I, the doorman, still have to stand here and catch the cold wind for a bit."

"You've no idea how many people are envious of your position as doorman."

The Old Man of the Wild joked back, and immediately after, pulled Jiao Mu Jiao, whose smile was rather strained, into the building.

The Wisdom King watched their figures disappear through the doors. When he turned back, the late-arriving carriage had already come to a halt beneath the steps.

A face as flawless as jade, a long beard reaching his chest, and an aura that was transcendent and detached from the world; he was not wearing the standard Hundred-Household uniform issued by the Jinyiwei, but rather a green robe commonly seen within Taoist sects.

"Quite a fine appearance indeed, but a pity he is just a miserable stray dog."

The Wisdom King looked down at the man stepping out of the vehicle, thinking to himself.

The newcomer lifted the front hem of his green robe, his pace neither hurried nor slow as he climbed the steps and came to a stop before the Wisdom King.

"True Monarch, Hundred-Household of Osaka Castle, greets Hundred-Household Wisdom King."

"No need for such courtesy. We are all comrades and brothers in arms from now on."

The Wisdom King cupped his hands in return, saying with a smile, "When you came to report to the Thousand-Household Office last time, I happened to be away from Edo Castle, so I wasn't able to host a welcome feast for you. My sincerest apologies."

"The Wisdom King jests. You hold the fort here in Edo Castle, so we will have plenty of opportunities to meet in the future."

Yu Canghai no longer possessed the arrogance he had back during his days at the Qingcheng Corporation, his smile warm and genial as he added, "But there's no time like the present. Why don't we find an elegant place to gather after the meeting concludes?"

"Sure. True Monarch, you are a newcomer and surely aren't well-acquainted with the Hundred-Households of the other major cities. This is the perfect chance to familiarize yourself with everyone, which will make communication easier when handling case matters in the future."

The Wisdom King agreed readily.

Yu Canghai beamed with joy, "Then many thanks to the Wisdom King."

"To thank me again would be treating me like a stranger."

The Wisdom King stepped aside, inviting Yu Canghai to walk shoulder to shoulder with him.

"The hour is almost upon us. Let us head inside for the meeting. If we are late, the Lord Thousand-Household will surely reprimand us."

Seeing the Wisdom King wrapping up his role of welcoming guests, Yu Canghai asked with a hint of embarrassment, "Am I the last Hundred-Household to arrive?"

"No, there is still one more city."

The Wisdom King shook his head slightly, saying calmly, "But before me, they don't have the status to be the grand finale."

Though his words were casual, they struck a chilling chord in Yu Canghai's heart.

The two walked side by side, taking a mechanical lift up to the conference room located on the top floor of the Thousand-Household Office.

The interior furnishings were neither intricate nor luxurious, but rather simple and austere to the point of being almost spartan.

A round conference table sat in the center, with five chairs on the east side and six on the west, arranged in a symmetrical fashion.

At this moment, it was nearly filled by the Hundred-Households of the Thousand-Household Office and various cities, leaving only three vacant seats: the prime seat on the left and the lowest seats on either side.

As for the chair at the direct north position, it naturally belonged to Su Ce, the Jinyiwei Thousand-Household of the Yamato District.

"True Monarch, these Hundred-Households from the local major cities are all like wolves and tigers. None of them care about etiquette or yielding to others; they all believe in striking first to gain the upper hand. Since you arrived a bit late this time, I'll have to trouble you to make do for now."

The Wisdom King smiled, reassuring Yu Canghai, "You won't mind, will you?"

"Of course not. I am a newcomer after all, and by seniority, it is not my place to sit at the front."

Yu Canghai maintained an air of complete nonchalance, walking over to the lowest seat on the left and sitting down, even offering a friendly greeting to the person beside him.

After all, to him, these petty displays were completely trivial compared to the humiliation he suffered when he was exiled from Mount Qingcheng.

The Wisdom King swept his gaze across the council room. Wherever his eyes landed, whether they were people whispering in conversation or those sitting with downcast eyes in deep thought, they all looked up to return his gaze, showing their respect to this local host.

He stepped toward the long table, taking the prime seat on the left as if it were his birthright, and lightly tapped the tabletop with his hand.

"Everyone, the hour is at hand. Silence."

As soon as he spoke, a General Flag officer under the Wisdom King's command rose from a seat behind him, strode over to the entrance of the conference room, and shut the two heavy doors tightly.

"Wisdom King, I believe not everyone has arrived yet?"

Sitting opposite the Wisdom King, Qian Fengting, a Hundred-Household of the Thousand-Household Office, furrowed his brows deeply, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction, "What is the meaning of closing the doors now?"

"The meeting is at the hour of Si. This is the time personally set by the Lord Thousand-Household. When the hour arrives, the doors should naturally be closed."

The Wisdom King's attitude toward Qian Fengting could hardly be called friendly; it was even laced with a touch of contempt.

Logically speaking, this sort of dynamic shouldn't appear in official circles.

Although they held the same rank, Qian Fengting was, after all, a Hundred-Household of the central Thousand-Household Office who served directly before Thousand-Household Su. The Hundred-Households from outer regions would usually show him some deference.

The sole exception was the Wisdom King, the Hundred-Household of Edo Castle.

However, the grievance between the two was not a personal feud, but rather stemmed from official duties.

This was the inevitable conflict that arose when Edo Castle served as the core of the entire Yamato District, forcing the Thousand-Household Office and the local Hundred-Household Office to coexist under the exact same roof.