101: Come and pass on a message

Nangong Aotian’s heart skipped a beat at the thought of that rebellious son. He was about to order someone to check, but then he shook his head slightly.

'The other party killed Song Ning, probably to give that rebellious son a warning, or rather, to give me a warning. Otherwise, what I would have heard would be news of that rebellious son's death!'

Nangong Aotian pondered for a moment. Just as he was about to act, Eunuch Yan hurried in.

"What is it?"

Eunuch Yan bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, the Eldest Princess requests an audience!"

Nangong Aotian’s eyes flickered, "Let her in!"

Eunuch Yan bowed slightly and withdrew from Fengxian Hall, soon returning with Nangong Ruoxue.

"Your subject greets Imperial Father!"

Nangong Aotian nodded slightly, "You rarely come here. You must have come today for more than just to greet me, right?"

Nangong Ruoxue lowered her head, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from Imperial Father. Your subject indeed has other matters today."

"Tell me!"

Nangong Aotian vaguely guessed what she was going to say, but he didn't state it directly.

"Imperial Father, it's like this..."

Nangong Ruoxue recounted what happened at the martial arts arena today. "Imperial Father, Your subject feels that Jinglin went a bit too far, so I specifically came to report it to you."

Nangong Aotian nodded slightly, his eyes flickering, "How do you think I should deal with him?"

A hint of desire flickered in Nangong Ruoxue’s eyes, but she quickly hid it. "Your subject does not know. Jinglin's matter should be decided by Imperial Father!"

Nangong Aotian nodded slightly and smiled, "Alright, I already know about this matter. You may go back first."

"Yes, Your subject takes her leave!"

Nangong Ruoxue was somewhat disappointed not to hear about Nangong Jinglin’s punishment, but she could only leave helplessly.

Watching her depart, Nangong Aotian then spoke, "Attendant Yan, come in!"

But after he spoke, Eunuch Yan didn't enter, which made him slightly surprised.

"Attendant Yan..."

His heart skipped a beat, and he called out again, only to hear a cold voice from behind him.

"Your Majesty, we meet again."

Nangong Aotian suddenly turned around, only to see a Black-Robed Mysterious Person who had appeared behind him at some unknown point.

And the venerables protecting him and the hidden secret guards were still nowhere to be seen, which reminded him of what happened yesterday.

Nangong Aotian calmed down and asked, "May I ask why Your Excellency has come? Is it perhaps for that good-for-nothing rebellious son of mine?"

The Black-Robed Person nodded slightly, then shook his head slightly.

As Nangong Aotian looked on in confusion, the Black-Robed Person said faintly, "Yes and no. How does Your Majesty plan to deal with him?"

Nangong Aotian’s heart skipped a beat, "Your Excellency didn't kill him directly, so you must want to give him a warning, and also give me a warning, right?"

"He was in the wrong in this matter. How does Your Excellency think I should deal with him?"

The Black-Robed Person shook his head slightly, "This is Your Majesty's Family matter, and has nothing to do with this Divine Emissary."

Nangong Aotian frowned slightly, then heard the Black-Robed Person's voice again.

"This Divine Emissary cannot interfere with Your Majesty's Family matters. I only came today to deliver a message to Your Majesty."

"What message?"

Nangong Aotian asked, but he always felt that the other party had ill intentions.

The Black-Robed Person raised his eyes slightly, "If that brat hires an assassin, the person who hired them will die, and two of that brat's confidants will also die. I hope Your Majesty will not imprison him, nor remind him. This Divine Emissary wants to watch the show!"

As soon as these words were uttered, Nangong Aotian felt his heart leap, vaguely sensing that something was amiss.

At this moment, the Black-Robed Person's voice came again, "You can rest assured, as long as that brat doesn't personally act to kill Young Miss Xing Meng and her friends, this Divine Emissary will not touch him!"

Hearing this, Nangong Aotian felt somewhat helpless, but could only nod slightly.

He knew very well that a being who could appear behind him silently and easily block the Divine Thought probes of those two venerables was definitely not someone his Clear Serenity Empire could provoke.

"I already know about this matter. May I ask if Your Excellency has anything else?"

"That's all!"

The Black-Robed Person shook his head slightly, but then spoke again, "Seeing as you're so cooperative, I can give you a chance to trade. What do you want to trade?"

Upon hearing this, Nangong Aotian’s expression shifted slightly, "May I ask, Your Excellency, can anything be traded?"

The Black-Robed Person nodded slightly, then shook his head, "Medicinal Pills, Spirit Talismans, and Spiritual Artifacts are fine. Spirit Materials and Spirit Medicines are also acceptable, and even assassination trades are possible!"

Hearing this, Nangong Aotian’s expression shifted slightly. Just as he was about to speak, the Black-Robed Person's voice came again.

"Today is only this one chance, and only three types of items can be traded. You need to pay with Spirit Stones!"

Hearing this, Nangong Aotian nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "May I trade for some tribulation crossing pills, Spirit Ascension Pills, and top-grade spirit artifacts?"

"Yes!" The Black-Robed Person nodded, "But no more than ninety-nine of each type. All Medicinal Pills are of special grade, and Spiritual Artifacts can be provided according to your needs, but you need to pay this Divine Emissary Spirit Stones at the lowest market price!"

Hearing this, Nangong Aotian’s pupils widened, and his heart churned violently.

No more than ninety-nine items?

In other words, this person actually possessed so many priceless top-tier treasures?

As he was astonished, the Black-Robed Person's voice rang out again.

"I'll give you seven days to prepare the Spirit Stones, and also to list your requirements for the Spiritual Artifacts you need. This Divine Emissary will come to collect them tomorrow!"

"Seven days later, however many Spirit Stones you have, this Divine Emissary will trade you that many items."

As His voice faded, the Black-Robed Person also vanished from the main hall.

Seeing everything return to normal, the shock on Nangong Aotian’s face did not diminish much.

After a long while, Nangong Aotian let out a deep breath, thinking to himself: First, I'll prepare. Whether it's real or not, I'll know then!

Then, he pondered for a moment, looked outside the door, and called out, "Attendant Yan!"

"Your servant is here!"

...A night passed, and the news that Second Master Song of the Song Family, who controlled nearly one percent of the Clear Serenity business world, had inexplicably died in the Embrace Moon Pavilion quickly spread throughout the land.

A majestic Late Stage Deity Transformation Realm Cultivator dying tragically in broad daylight, with no trace of the killer, also caused a slight tremor among various forces.

For a time, there were many theories.

Some said that a top expert coveted Song Ning's wealth and intended to murder him for it.

But this explanation clearly didn't hold water, after all, the Song Family was a proper Cultivator Family, which was no laughing matter.

Others said that Song Ning had accidentally offended some top-tier powerhouse, which led to his demise.

For a time, the Cultivation World was somewhat curious, but it was difficult to know the true reason.

Perhaps only that one in the Imperial Palace knew... Early morning.

Nangong Yu and the others got ready and, led by Shangguan Yuexi, headed to the Supervision Office.

On the way, listening to the news of Song Ning's death from the Song Family coming from outside the carriage, Nangong Yu's lips curved slightly.

He looked at Shangguan Yuexi and, feigning curiosity, asked, "Mother, who is this Second Master Song? Why is his death having such a big impact?"