It doesn't matter what the lord is.

But anyway, I came here to settle the score. A gentleman's revenge is never too late. I took advantage of you a few days ago, and I will continue to intensify my efforts when I come back.

Lid was secretly calculating in his mind, but Lord Lingwu suddenly stopped.

"It seems that the defense line formed by the living organs has reached its limit."

As she spoke, she stared at the scenery in front of her, her eyes narrowed slightly.

Lid walked up to her and looked forward. In front of him was an endless expanse of space, much wider than the narrow maze corridor, but the problem was that it seemed that this was not a place where people could pass. There was a fierce sandstorm in the air, just like the center of a vortex, and the wind made Lid unable to open his eyes. He took a step forward, and the black sand hit his body, instantly cutting a shallow wound, and blood flowed out.

Lord Lingwu grabbed Lid's collar and pulled him back from the danger area.

Lid scratched his head in confusion and asked:

"Is this place connected to the outside world? Why is there such a strong wind for no reason?"

The Lingwu Lord replied:

"Not connected. This place is made up of chaotic magic. You can understand that the overly large and unrestrained magic naturally forms natural elements such as flames, strong winds, and strong light during its flow. This is not common in human territory, but it is easy to see in the territories of the upper three tribes and some of the middle six tribes."

Lingwu Lord paused and continued:

"It's probably due to the resurrection of Clenus. The same is true for those huge fish you saw before. The resurrected Clenus unconsciously released magic power to the surroundings. For a creature from the upper three tribes, their existence itself cannot be understood by common sense. Even a small action like moving a finger can cause a landslide or a tsunami. This level of influence is not surprising."

Reed put the bag of supplies on the ground and poured the contents onto the floor.

It is unrealistic to carry so many things in there. Judging from what happened just now, the flying sand and gravel at high speed is sharper than a blade. Such a large bag will soon be full of cuts, and the things inside will fall out in the blink of an eye.

"But... seeing something like this means we are not far from Clenus's true form."

As Lid spoke, he pinched a grain of gravel from the wound on his hand. He squeezed it and felt that his fingers were hurt, but the gravel did not move at all. Although he could not figure out how to get through here at the moment, since he saw such a scenery, it meant that the two of them had not gone in the wrong direction before. The Lingwu Lord did know the way, just as she said.

But judging from the current situation, the closer we get to Clenus, the more dangerous the surrounding environment becomes.

This kind of disaster-level obstacle has already appeared just on the periphery. I don’t know how dangerous it will be when we get close to it.

15. Dark clouds once again hover over the capital

Eternal Kingdom, the royal capital.

After the last dragon invasion, the palace of the capital was mostly destroyed. The king, who was keen on construction, felt that this had lost his dignity, so he mobilized skilled craftsmen and sent 200,000 conscripts to rebuild the palace. He also set himself a small goal: to make the pillars supporting the building more than the farmers in the fields; the rafters of the beams more than the women workers on the loom; the nails more than the grains of rice in the granary; the uneven seams of the tiles more than the silk threads on the body.

Because of the ministers' obstruction, the project was not carried out to the end. The king did not insist too much, after all, the dragon clan killed too many royal bloodlines last time, causing the originally bloated royal family to suddenly become sparsely populated, and there was no need for so many messy palaces.

After the renovation of the most magnificent palaces, the king returned to his life of pleasure. A new batch of concubines were sent from various territories, and the princes and princesses had suffered heavy casualties. The middle-aged but still energetic king believed that he needed to make the royal family prosperous again, so he was obsessed with making babies.

The reconstruction of the capital was in full swing. The hybrid rice promoted by the White-robed Minister also had a good harvest this autumn.

The heavy taxes and levies were still there, but this winter was many times better than last year. The output of the fields had increased, and the remaining food was enough for each family to survive the cold winter. This was a good year for them. The people were simple creatures. Most of them did not have any lofty ideals, and did not care about the intrigues of the bigwigs above them. As long as they could eat and wear warm clothes, they would live in peace and prosperity.

So people at the top are enjoying happiness, and people at the bottom are also enjoying happiness.

What about the officials in the middle?

They are happier.

Some people say that the two most difficult people in a country are the monarch at the top and the people at the bottom. The people in the middle don't have a hard time. No matter where they are, they just need to deceive their superiors and hide the truth from their subordinates. Those who have a conscience and do more practical things can be considered rare good officials.

There are only a handful of people in the capital who truly care about the future of the royal family.

Wu Mi, dressed in white, did not let his servant named Xiaolu follow him today for the first time in a long time, because the place he was going to today was closed to outsiders.

As soon as the sky in the east turned white, he stood up, walked on the smooth bluestone road, and entered the inner city from the east gate. The guards at the gate resumed their vigilance after he entered, without a trace of slackness on their faces.

Wu Mi walked slowly among the magnificent buildings.

He walked past the Wenhua Hall, the Taihe Hall, and the Changqing Hall. He walked past many buildings that stretched like mountains and finally stopped in front of a bamboo forest. There stood a serious-looking young man in expensive clothes. When he saw Wu Mi, he smiled and said hello to Wu Mi:

"Good morning, Prime Minister."

Wu Mi also smiled and said:

"Your Highness the King has arrived earlier than the time we agreed on. I arrived early, but I didn't expect to keep you waiting for so long."

The young man in front of him - the first heir to the throne sighed softly towards the king, walked to Wu Mi's side, stood shoulder to shoulder with him, stared at the bamboo forest in front of them, and whispered:

"General Plante of Tiance Mansion and my sister Lana are back. It is said that many accidents occurred during the trip to the north, and it did not develop as we imagined. The giants suffered heavy casualties, and Lingwu will go south without shackles... When I think of this, I feel uneasy. Prime Minister, is the fate of my Yongtian Kingdom really over?"

Facing the king's worried question, Wumi replied in a gentle tone:

"Your Highness, fate is an illusory thing. The laws of nature are constant, and they do not exist for the sake of spirits or for the sake of eternity. The fall of a country may be due to external enemies or internal strife, but these are man-made disasters and have nothing to do with fate."

King Chao stared at Wu Mi and asked in a low voice:

"What does the Prime Minister think is the source of the 'disaster' in Yongtian Kingdom?"

Wu Mi looked at the bamboo forest in front of her. Since Qingyun's death, few people visited this area.

He was silent for a while, then replied:

"It's hard to reverse the situation. It's hard to tell where the source is."

The king gave a bitter smile, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer:

"You are joking, Prime Minister. Even the common people know that the excessive debauchery of a monarch is the beginning of national unrest, so why should you avoid talking about it? When King Xi was still alive, he regarded me as his greatest enemy. Now that King Xi is gone, my father is keeping a close eye on me, and the Crown Prince's Mansion is almost non-existent. I have been trying to uphold justice in the world and save the people from the mud, but I am also imprisoned and can only watch the situation get worse and worse."

Wumi sighed and said:

"His Majesty may have his reasons for not letting you get involved in government affairs during this period. The capital is already in enough chaos, and we cannot allow any new variables to appear at this time."

He whispered to the king:

"But doesn't the Prime Minister think this is just cutting flesh to heal a wound?"

Wumi replied calmly:

"I know. But every family and every country must follow order. Once something starts, it can't be stopped."

He bowed his head to the king and said respectfully:

"I will follow the Prime Minister's instructions. In times of emergency, I will advise my father to drink less and focus more on government affairs. The Kingdom of Eternal Heaven... will be temporarily entrusted to the Prime Minister."

Wumi sighed and said:

"I am only doing what I can. If Your Highness has nothing else to do, I will take my leave."

After saying this, Wu Mi lowered his hands and let his sleeves fall.

He said goodbye to the king and returned the same way, without a smile on his face. When he left from the east gate, Xiaolu was already waiting outside. Seeing Wumi, the young man with red lips and white teeth waved and asked:

"My Lord, how is the conversation going? Can you carve that piece of wood?"

Wumi walked past him and said as he walked:

"He's more impatient than I thought. I thought he had the most stable personality, but I didn't expect that he couldn't calm down in times of crisis."

The little deer grinned and said:

"This is the throne. I would be impatient if I were you. Your Majesty is in his prime. If we wait for the throne to be transferred normally, won't it take at least 20 to 30 years? It's normal for him to have some crooked ideas. What's more, do you have any choice? If we don't help him, who else can we help..."

Wu Mi stopped and narrowed her eyes slightly. In the end, she just sighed and shook her head.

In front of the bamboo forest, King Chao stared at the green bamboo in front of him with a sneer on his face.

Behind him, there was also a woman in her thirties, looking at him with a little concern, and asked:

"You've met him...? What did he say?"

The king turned around and looked at the woman in front of him.

He had only seen her from a distance a few times before, and knew that she was a concubine living in the harem, her father's woman, and gave birth to a beloved sister named Lanna. After the dragon invasion, the king made this woman the new queen in order to make Lanna happy.

It's a pity that her character is too soft and too kind, and she completely lacks the dignity of a mother of the country. She is still isolated in the harem and is suppressed by various concubines and cannot raise her head.

There were even people who coveted the position of queen and poisoned her and even Lana.

The king also turned a blind eye.

He reached out his hand to Wang and gently touched her face. The woman seemed to be very resistant to this action and hurriedly stepped back, but was tripped by a stone and stumbled in a rather embarrassing manner.

He smiled at the king and said:

"Don't worry about him. I am the only prince old enough to be king, so he has no choice but to stand by my side. Don't be afraid, just do as I say. After it's done, I will ensure that you and your daughter will enjoy wealth and glory for generations to come."

16. Spring is the best season of the year

Yongtian Kingdom·Yuxi City

“Happy New Year!!”

Bai Huang put one foot on the chair, raised his glass heroically, and called on everyone to drink.

Although she had only been drinking for a short time, she was already half drunk.

The main force of drinking is never the kind of person who shouts loudly at the beginning like her. The real masters are always silent at the table. For example, He Yue, countless people toasted him since the beginning of the banquet, but he has no reaction until now. His smile is like a spring breeze from beginning to end, and he can completely calm down in such occasions.

Last year's New Year banquet was limited to a few people, but this year is very different. On the one hand, many people joined Yuxi City this year, and on the other hand, influenced by the alliance, many people took the opportunity of the New Year to come to Yuxi City to explore the real situation. So compared to last year's kotatsu party, this year's dinner is also more grand.

There were no famous chefs in Yuxi City, but the fruits and vegetables grown in greenhouses, the dazzling spices, and the expensive wines were enough to make the scene. In particular, new cuisines including hot pot were also very popular, and exquisite delicacies like sushi were deeply loved by women.

Because it was a public occasion, the banquet hall was divided into several tables.

He Yue, Fang Shisan, Shuang, and Yun Ye sat at the same table. Next to Fang Shisan sat Tira, who served her. Shuang wore a veil, ate almost nothing, and drank nothing. She just sat there with a smile on her face, looking mysterious. The guests from outside couldn't help but look at her a few more times, wanting to see what this leader of the Anbu organization who had been giving their own territory a headache for a long time looked like. But Shuang, apart from occasionally saying a few words, smiled and said nothing most of the time, always maintaining a sense of detachment and mystery.

The busiest of the four was He Yue, who had to attend social events from all sides. Toasting and chatting with him was the main purpose of many guests' visit. Although important matters were negotiated by the top management of Yuxi City when Li De was away, to outsiders, He Yue was now the core figure of Yuxi City, and his attitude was the attitude of Yuxi City.

"Mr. He Yue...hiss, Miss He Yue? Um, um...Ms. He Yue, please take care of me next year!"

A young man in his twenties was a little incoherent after seeing He Yue.

He Yue smiled slightly, raised the wine glass gracefully, and answered elegantly:

"You are too polite. I am the one who is asking for your advice. I have heard of the reputation of the Seventh Prince of Ceylon for a long time. I believe that our cooperation next year will be very pleasant."

Mu Hua, the seventh son of the Ceylon Territory, also hurriedly raised his glass and clinked it with He Yue's. He Yue's smile was very beautiful, and Mu Hua was a little intoxicated by it for a while. After He Yue drank the wine in the glass, he suddenly woke up and swallowed the strong wine in his glass in one gulp, but he choked and coughed.

He Yue stood up and patted him on the back gently.

Mu Hua blushed and lowered his head, whispering:

"I'm really sorry about what happened to my brother."

He Yue looked at him deeply, but did not get angry. Instead, she smiled and replied:

"Mu Risheng's matter has nothing to do with the Ceylon Territory, and even less to do with you. It's better to forget these unpleasant things. In the face of the world's general trend, no one can be immune. Next year... cooperation will definitely be more important."

Mu Hua responded, not daring to look at He Yue's smile again, and hurriedly returned to his seat.

He Yue put the cup back on the table, sat down again, and gently tidied up the black hair on her forehead.

The Ceylon Territory is really interesting. When the fourth son Mu Risheng was heading north, he was the first to cause trouble for Lide. After being killed, he was forced to send 4,000 war horses and 20,000 gold coins. It was originally thought that the two families were going to break up completely, but soon the Lord of Ceylon sent someone to secretly visit Yuxi City. After meeting Yunye, he tactfully expressed his request for friendship.

He Yue thought Lord Ceylon was a smart man. Ceylon Territory and Yunyang have always been on good terms, and Lord Yunyang was behind Mu Risheng's attack on Li De. But Lord Ceylon should have seen that Yunyang is no longer dominated by the Lord alone, and it is hard to say who will own this territory in the future.

Therefore, the Lord of Ceylon did not choose to continue the fight, but chose to reconcile. He sent his seventh son Mu Hua to Yuxi City in person. The greatest characteristic of this young man is his innocence and honesty. He may say the wrong thing, but he will never offend anyone.

This means he is betting on both sides, which also means that in his eyes, it is impossible for Lord Yunyang to easily wipe out the forces of Yuxi City.

He Yue quickly processed this information in his mind with a smile on his face. He had been offered a lot of wine so far, which was at least two bottles of white wine. Even He Yue, who had always been a good drinker, felt a little hot all over. He picked up a piece of cold dish with chopsticks and chewed it slowly, still keeping calm.

Fang Shisan rarely advised her:

"Drink less."

He Yue held his forehead, poked Yun Ye, who was eating heartily, with his elbow, and said:

"We have almost finished toasting to the important guests. I'll leave the second half to you?"

Yunye tilted her head in a daze. Just then, several envoys sent by the Lord of Yunyang City came over to toast. He Yue smiled and waved her hand, saying that she was not good at drinking and asked Yunye to do it for her. Yunye stood up hurriedly, swallowed the food in her mouth, and almost bit her tongue. Seeing that several people present were holding wine glasses, she also hurriedly poured herself a glass of wine.

After one mouthful, the look in my eyes changed.

With her hair pulled back, Yunye said aggressively:

"After the dinner, there will be a military parade in Yuxi City. I'll take you to the audience seats. We'll each do our own thing, such as beating the gong and selling candy. There will be many days for us to cooperate in the future."

After one of the messengers finished drinking, he stared into Yunye's eyes, pondered for a moment, and said hypocritically:

"Then I'll trouble you, Master Yun. Alas, it's a pity that the Fourth Young Master is not here... Speaking of which, Master Yun, do you have any news about him?"

Yunye is quite assertive in public, exuding confidence from her eyes to her smile. She has won the hearts of many young ladies during her visits abroad, so she is quite famous. Whenever they meet her, everyone calls her "Yunye".

Facing the envoy's temptation, Yunye curled the corners of her mouth, poured another glass of wine into the glass, and filled the envoy's glass as well.

She clinked her glass with the man's and said: