Douluo Jueshi: I Don't Want to Be an Evil Soul Master

Chapter 374 Conspiracy

Ju Zi turned to look at the maid beside her. The maid immediately understood and stepped forward to open the door. Kong Deming was standing quietly in the doorway.

"Master Kong!" Ju Zi hurriedly stepped forward. "I heard no more noise outside. What happened? Has it calmed down yet?"

Kong Deming calmly scanned the orange-themed palace, his gaze suddenly landing on the imperial physician standing to the side.

"Your Majesty summoned the imperial physician; is she unwell?" Kong Deming bowed slightly, without directly answering Ju Zi's question.

Upon hearing this, Ju Zi suddenly lowered her head slightly and stopped looking at Kong Deming.

The imperial physician, quick to notice, stepped forward and said, "Her Majesty suddenly felt unwell, which is why she summoned me to the palace."

"Oh? Is it serious?"

"No," the imperial physician hurriedly shook his head, "It's because Her Majesty is pregnant, that's why..."

Before the imperial physician could finish speaking, Kong Deming abruptly turned to look at the orange.

After a moment's thought, he bowed to the orange once more, saying, "Just now, some remnants of the Holy Spirit Cult attempted to assassinate Your Majesty. Fortunately, Your Majesty was protected by Heaven and, although injured, is out of danger."

"what!"

Ju Zi suddenly raised her head, and her legs suddenly went weak. The maid next to her reacted quickly and rushed forward to support her.

"Your Majesty, is His Majesty alright?"

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, His Majesty's life is not in danger. Your Majesty is pregnant, so please take care of your health."

"I need to see His Majesty." Upon hearing this, Ju Zi's worried expression did not fade in the slightest, and she turned to walk out of the palace without further ado.

“Your Majesty,” Kong Deming once again stepped in front of Ju Zi, “His Majesty is injured and needs to rest. Moreover, the assassin’s whereabouts have not yet been found, and there may still be danger in the palace. It would be best for Your Majesty to stay in your palace.”

Seeing that Kong Deming insisted, Ju Zi stopped and said, "Then... I'll leave everything to Elder Kong."

Kong Deming nodded, glanced around, and then turned and left.

Ju Zi sat down at the table, looking somewhat lost, and waved to the imperial physicians and maids beside her, "You may leave. I want to be alone."

"Yes, ma'am."

Upon hearing this, the group left one by one and closed the door behind them.

Only when there was no one left in the palace did the anxiety and panic on Ju Zi's face gradually disappear, leaving only a cold look in her eyes.

"Xu Tianran isn't dead?"

Orange suddenly spoke, but it was unclear who she was talking to.

No, he is already dead.

A moment later, another voice suddenly rang out in the room.

"Come out. After all, I am the Empress of the Sun Moon Empire. Even Kong Deming wouldn't dare to investigate further. After the recent probing, this place should be safe."

"Besides, since you were able to kill Xu Tianran right in front of him, are you really afraid of him?"

“Killing Xu Tianran was a calculated move, but he would still be quite troublesome in a direct confrontation.” Lin Xiao’s voice rang out again, and he slowly walked out and sat down at the table.

Orange looked up and stared at his face. Although it wasn't their first conversation, Lin Xiao had infiltrated the palace using the assassin's soul last time, so Orange hadn't seen him in person. "Kong Deming just said..." Orange frowned, somewhat uneasy.

"Heh." Lin Xiao chuckled softly, raising his hand slightly. Something invisible to ordinary people seemed to float around him. "Within this vast Sun Moon Empire, countless eyes are fixed on that unique position."

"Xu Tianran and his son seized the throne by usurping it. He left no children, and once the news of his death spreads, it will inevitably cause turmoil throughout the Sun Moon Empire."

"Therefore, it's perfectly normal for Kong Deming to choose to keep this news a secret for the time being." Lin Xiao said, raising her head slightly. "But you, you just had the imperial physician say that. Where are you going to find a 'prince' in a few months?"

“I summoned Xu Tianhe to the palace in advance, treated him to the best food and drink, and had my maids personally serve him, not so that he could enjoy it for nothing.”

As she spoke, Ju Zi glanced towards the door, picked up a teacup from the table, and poured tea for Lin Xiao. "Thank you for tonight's matter..."

"It's just a matter of mutual benefit." Lin Xiao glanced down at the cup without picking it up. "Since you had already made plans, you must have thought about what would happen next as well."

Ju Zi didn't care about Lin Xiao's actions. She sat down again and turned her head slightly to look at Lin Xiao's profile. "Well, I originally had other plans, but since Kong Deming chose to conceal the news of Xu Tianran's death, it has made things easier for me."

"Now that the Sun Moon Empire is still locked in a stalemate with the three great empires on the front lines, and Xu Tianran has been assassinated and injured, and I have a great reputation in the army, it is a good opportunity to intervene in the court in a legitimate way."

Lin Xiao nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Although Kong Deming's move was intended to prevent the Sun Moon Empire from descending into chaos while the war on the front lines remained deadlocked, it did indeed make it more logical for Ju Zi to interfere in the court.

Otherwise, given her cultivation level, she would still be at a significant disadvantage compared to other people who were vying for the throne.

A few months later, once the "prince" is born, the throne will naturally be assigned to someone.

Even if news of Xu Tianran's death spreads by then, the outcome will already be decided for Ju Zi.

"Given what just happened in the palace, I can't make arrangements for the state religion for the time being, but I can ease up the Sun Moon Empire's pursuit of evil soul masters..."

Just as Lin Xiao was pondering, Ju Zi spoke again, but Lin Xiao interrupted her after hearing it.

"No, not only do we not need to relax, you should even intensify our efforts, ideally leaving those wandering evil spirit masters with nowhere to go."

"Moreover, the appearance of the Death God Tower has been seen by many people. I'm afraid that by daybreak, news of the Holy Spirit Cult's revenge against the Sun Moon Empire will spread everywhere. At this time, it is only natural to intensify the search for evil soul masters."

Upon hearing this, Ju Zi paused slightly, but quickly understood that Lin Xiao was trying to force those evil spirit masters who had nowhere else to go to join his Tongming Sect.

Although she didn't understand why Lin Xiao would use this method to recruit disciples, Ju Zi still nodded in agreement.

"Your whereabouts will be closely monitored in Mingdu these next few days, so you should stay here for now."

Lin Xiao turned to look at the orange, then suddenly stood up.

The "soul core" inside his body trembled slightly, and soul power reappeared and slowly flowed through his nearly dried-up meridians, restoring much of the soul power he had just consumed.

"It's not safe for me to stay here, I have to go, and also..."

As Lin Xiao spoke, she suddenly raised her hand, and a delicate little lamp appeared in her palm, with a gray candle flame flickering gently inside.

"There's no need to send anyone to find me. Just extinguish the candles if there's any news, and I'll know."

After speaking, Lin Xiao placed it on the table. When Ju Zi looked up again, he was already standing at the door.

"I have done what I promised you. I will come to you again when the time is right."

(End of this chapter)