Chapter 1261: "Plea for Help from Various Countries (3)"
Jun Wu Xie did not say anything more to them and just left silently.
The hearts of the group of rulers were both joyous and sorrowful.
Joyous that the Condor Country had been taken out and no one would be holding them in house arrest any further.
And sorrowful that the disaster might still not be over for them. They need to rush back to their countries immediately, to go stabilize the situation back home!
Jun Wu Xie and her companions returned back to the inn. The entire Condor Country's Imperial Capital was a scene of peace and harmony, its people completely unaware that their His Majesty had given the land beneath their feet away, and all the more unaware that the lands under these same Heavens, would no longer have the name of the Condor Country.
"In a little while, I will take these two Imperial Edicts out, and announce them to the world." Fei Yan said as he held the two decrees within his hands, his face lit up with joy.
The Condor Country's human skin map, was dug out by Ye Sha from within the Condor Country's Emperor's Imperial Study and handed to Hua Yao for safekeeping. Away from the full eight maps that they seeked, they were only just short of the last two pieces.
Jun Wu Xie nodded. Having destroyed the Condor Country, she did not feel the slightest bit of joy. She walked over to the side of the bed, and looked at the little Emperor lying upon it.
The lethal toxins of the Scarlet Blood had already been neutralized but the Scarlet Blood still remained within the little Emperor's body, unable to be fully eradicated. He lay upon the bed quietly, neither moving nor speaking a word, his head of fiery red hair blindingly glaring to the eyes. His scarlet coloured pair of eyes were open as he stared quietly at the ceiling of the bed, still and motionless.
Lord Meh Meh and the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit were plopped by the side of the bed, sticking themselves to the little Emperor, but there was still no reaction from him.
Almost the little Emperor life was saved, but the damage that the Scarlet Blood had caused could not be repaired. He was now just like a soulless puppet, without any cognitive ability to think, and no longer possessed any consciousness.
To Jun Wu Xie, being in such a state was just like the people in her past life who had gone brain dead and had turned into a vegetable.
Jun Wu Xie stared at the little Emperor's tiny face, and pulled out a jade pendant from within her clothes. That jade pendant had been given to her by the little Emperor when they had last parted ways. She took a silver thread and looped it through the pendant, before putting it around the little Emperor's neck.
Grand Tutor He watched quietly from the side, and could only hide his sorrow within his heart.
"I want to bring him to the Qi Kingdom." Jun Wu Xie said suddenly.
Grand Tutor He was shocked by the sudden revelation.
"Regarding the matter of the Buckwheat Kingdom receiving the Condor Country's lands, you can deal with it fully. I want to bring him to the Qi Kingdom as there might possibly be a way to save him." Jun Wu Xie had suddenly thought of the Soul Calming Jade. The Soul Calming Jade had even been able to save her father who had died in battle so it might not be entirely impossible for it to be able to save the little Emperor as well.
The Soul Calming Jade was itself an artifact from the Spirit World and they were all spirit bodies inside the Spirit World. Hence, the Soul Calming Jade might just be able to help the little Emperor in some way.
The Soul Calming Jade had been split into two pieces. One was on Jun Gu's body, and the other was placed with Jun Qing for safekeeping.
"Alright." Grand Tutor He agreed as he quietly wiped the tears away from his eyes. If there was anyone he could still trust throughout these lands, that would only be Jun Xie.
Grand Tutor He stayed behind a little while more and he left thereafter. Qiao Chu and the others busied themselves in preparation for them to spread the news regarding the fall of the Condor Country.
"Ye Sha."
"What instructions does Young Miss have for me?" Ye Sha replied.
"I will be bringing him back to the Qi Kingdom tomorrow. You remain here and after you have killed Elder Huang, bring his head back to the Qi Kingdom to look for me." Jun Wu Xie ordered with her eyes narrowed. She was not going to spare Elder Huang for all that he had done.
Ye Sha seemed to want to say something, but when he saw the cold and icy profile of Jun Wu Xie's face from the side, he quickly swallowed back the words which had been on the tip of his tongue.
"Yes! Young Miss' wishes shall be carried out."
Chapter 1262: "Returning (1)"
That afternoon, a piece of news tore through the Condor Country like a bolt out of nowhere!
The Condor Country's name which had dominated for many years had suddenly disappeared from the lands. All of the lands of the Condor Country had been given as compensation to the Qi Kingdom and the Buckwheat Kingdom, the news completely unbelievable, and hard to accept to the Condor Country's citizens.
Influenced by the fact that the Condor Country had enjoyed dominance for many years, the Condor Country's citizens had developed an aggressive appetite for war and battle and prided themselves as a powerful people, to the extent they looked down on people from other countries except for those in the Fire Country. But now, even that arrogance had been mercilessly torn to shred.
It was still not that bad with the Qi Kingdom as they had the famed Rui Lin Army and it was rumoured that the Qi Kingdom was allied with the Fire Country. That was a point that was more or less still barely acceptable in their hearts.
But what was the Buckwheat Kingdom?
Based on what did they have to gift their lands away to the pitifully small Buckwheat Kingdom?
Against the citizens' voices, no one bothered with it. Jun Wu Xie observed it all, and she knew. To have the people of the Condor Country truly integrate into the Qi Kingdom and the Buckwheat Kingdom, it would require a long period of assimilation.
"Are we going to depart today?" At the break of dawn, Qiao Chu stuck his head into Jun Wu Xie's room to ask.
Jun Wu Xie was all packed and the little Emperor sat staring blankly at the side of the bed, not making a single sound. If not for the lack of life within those eyes, he might just be mistaken for being the highly obedient boy he had always been.
"Yes." Jun Wu Xie replied.
"Then, the matter with the All Dragons Palace....." Qiao Chu asked further, rubbing at his chin. The All Dragons Palace's Elder Huang had escaped and if he had continued to remain in the Lower Realm, it was not known what kind of a ruckus he would stir up again. But if he returned to the Middle Realm , it was feared that the information about Jun Wu Xie and them would soon reach the ears of the Twelve Palaces. That was a point that would be disadvantageous to them at this point of time.
They had been secretive when they collected the maps before. Even if the Twelve Palaces had discovered things to be strange, they had no way of probing further into it. But this time, Jun Wu Xie had blatantly used her title as the Emperor of the Fire Country to do it. If that reached the Middle Realm, and attracted the attention of the Middle Realm, it might become rather troublesome.
"I have already gotten Ye Sha to deal with that." Jun Wu Xie had naturally thought of that as well. She would not let Elder Huang have that chance to leave the Lower Realm alive.
Qiao Chu nodded, and did not say anything more, but went on to pack up his luggage with his companions, in preparation for the journey.
Before the moved out, Grand Tutor He came to see Jun Wu Xie, once again expressing his gratitude towards Jun Xie, and expressed his will that he would push to make his old bag of bones last, to manage the Buckwheat Kingdom. And after the little Emperor has recovered, he would then be able to hand a brand new Buckwheat Kingdom into the little Emperor's hands.
Stepping onto the horse carriage, Jun Wu Xie stared at the Condor Country under the sun's rays, and she seemed to be able to hear the dying wails of the Condor Country's Emperor from within the Imperial Palace.
Although the Condor Country has been destroyed, the trouble that the Condor Country had brought to the Lower Realm still has not ended. The various rulers who had regained their freedom had spurred their horses at full speed back to their countries, hoping to stop the evil before it even began.
The wheels rolled and trundled, Jun Wu Xie sat within the carriage while the little Emperor sat quietly opposite her, his head lowered, not moving an inch.
Jun Wu Xie turned her gaze to look outside the window, staring at the Condor Country's lands that now had new owners.
She had already sent out a homing pigeon, to inform the Lin Palace of all that had happened here, and it wouldn't be long, that either her Grandfather or Uncle would received the news.
Thinking of the fact that not long from now, she would be able to return back home and be reunited with her family, the repressed emotions within Jun Wu Xie's heart were finally alleviated a little.
Chapter 1263: "Returning Back (2)"
The moon was shaped like a wicked scythe, and under that night sky, red blood flowed freely. In a dense forest that was throbbing with the aftermath of a massacre, even the air felt like it was tainted with sticky blood.
Under the moonlight, a tall slender figure was standing upon the green grass that was soaked with bright red blood, his violet eyes twinkling with euphoria brought about by the slaughter.
"Lord Jue!" Ye Mei had found something from digging through the pile of corpses at the side and he delivered it into the hands of Jun Wu Yao.
Jun Wu Yao threw a cursory glance at it and then said: "Keep it properly."
"Yes!" Ye Mei took the blood stained item and kept it safely within his robes and immediately said: "I received news that Ye Sha sent earlier saying the Young Miss had obliterated the Condor Country and had split the Condor Country's lands between the Buckwheat Kingdom and the Qi Kingdom. Under the Young Miss' orders, Ye Sha is pursuing a man from the All Dragons Palace and the Young Miss has already left for the Qi Kingdom."
One of Jun Wu Yao's brows arched up and the corners of his mouth curled into a devilish smile.
"The little one's moves are becoming smoother and smoother. It's just a country of insects, it doesn't matter whether it gets destroyed or not."
"Then Lord Jue, are we going back as well?" Ye Mei asked.
Jun Wu Yao hooked up a finger and all the blood upon the ground seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, gathering together in a swirl around Jun Wu Yao's fingertip, to gradually coalesce into a sparkling clear bead of blood.
Jun Wu Yao sent the bead into his mouth, and lifted his eyes to stare at the moon hanging upon the glorious night sky.
"We will naturally have to go back."
"There's one more thing....." Ye Mei hesitated. In regards to this matter, he did not dare to speak of it carelessly.
"Speak." Jun Wu Yao ordered.
"Ye Sha discovered the presence of Scarlet Blood and Poison Men in the Condor Country..... The All Dragons Palace seemed to have wanted to use these two methods to gain control over the powers in the Lower Realm."
Ye Mei had just finished his statement when the surrounding air suddenly fell a few degrees lower!
Even the sound of the wind had suddenly disappeared.
Jun Wu Yao's eyes narrowed, his violet eyes filling up with a chilling glint of murder.
"The trash from the Middle Realm still dares to put Scarlet Blood to use?"
Ye Mei drew in a deep breath to summon up the powers within to prevent himself from being wounded by Jun Wu Yao's oppressive aura.
"The Twelve Palaces have harbouring their malicious intentions for a very long time. In those years when Lord Jue sealed the Scarlet Blood, they had all obeyed and not dared to act rashly but it seems that thoughts of dissent have started to rise in their heads once again. Lord Jue..... do we need to send this information to the Dark Regions?"
Jun Wu Yao narrowed his eyes in thought and lifted his hand slightly to shake it lightly.
"It is still not yet time."
Ye Mei gritted his teeth and continued: "The Scarlet Blood was originally created by the morons of the Twelve Palaces who based it on Lord Jue's Scarlet Darkness. The very existence of that insipid and inferior copy by itself is an insult to Lord Jue and if Lord Jue has no intentions to reveal the news to the Dark Regime, then I implore for Lord Jue to issue an order for your subordinate here to go deal with those thrash from the Twelve Palaces."
[For the Lord to suffer humiliation, it was due to the incompetence of the underlings!]
[They can die, but they must never allow anyone to cause Jun Wu Yao to have to suffer the slightest tinge of humiliation.]
Jun Wu Yao looked at Ye Mei face filled with highly indignant rage, and he suddenly laughed out loud.
"At this time, I am not really in the mood to go toy with a bunch of insects. We must first return to the Qi Kingdom, and present this big gift to Little Xie instead. Isn't she set on finding the Dark Emperor's tomb all this time? The time just about right."
Ye Mei suppressed his rage and bore with the frustration, but finally nodded his head and said: "Yes, my Lord!"
The night was quiet and soundless. The voices of Jun Wu Yao and Ye Mei disappeared from within the tranquility of the dense forest, leaving behind upon the forest floor filled with corpses. A gust of the night breeze blew past, and the sets of completely dried up corpses which had every single drop of blood drawn out from them instantly turned to dust under the light touch of the breeze, falling to sink into the grass underneath.
Chapter 1264: "Returning Back (3)"
Having just experienced baptism through the flames of war, the Qi Kingdom was gradually recovering from the wounds wrought upon them by the ferocious battles. The flames from the war had not burned up the will of the Qi Kingdom's people as they strove to break free from the sufferings, rebuilding up their homeland with their own two hands.
The Rui Lin Army was the force that sustained the most severe losses. After most of their injured recovered, they began to recruit new soldiers to join them in the Rui Lin Army.
The youths who strove to protect their country, surged from all corners, wholeheartedly wanting to become a member of the Rui Lin Army, where they would one day be able to fight to defend their homeland.
During this period, it could be said that Long Qi was so busy his hands felt detached from his body everyday. Before this when the Rui Lin Army had not yet released the news, there had already been many highly passionate people who planted themselves within the Qi Kingdom's Imperial City in wait. Now, the news of the Rui Lin Army accepting new recruits had just barely been released and the number of people coming forward to apply could only be described as coming in in tides.
Every single day, Long Qi would sit himself at the front of the Rui Lin Army's camp, and carry out stringent assessments of the youths who had applied to join them, always so busy he barely even had the time to have a sip of water.
The soldiers that the Rui Lin Army were looking to recruit this time, had a requirement to be between sixteen to twenty two years of age. The Rui Lin Army had been established for many years and throughout the big and small battles, the old generation of their soldiers had fallen one by one with new blood filling up the gaps intermittently. But after the recent large scale war, the Rui Lin Army had lost more than half their men and it would require an extended period of time to be accumulated, before they would be able to rebuild the entire Rui Lin Army. Hence, Jun Xian had targeted for younger blood, and when their rough edges were honed to become sharp and keen edged blades, they would be at their most prime age.
And in this recruitment drive of the Rui Lin Army, there was one hard rule they would not bend in the slightest. Loyalty!
Weak powers could be slowed polished, bodies not strong enough could be improved through tough training regimes. But if one's beliefs and character was flawed, then regardless how talented one was, the Rui Lin Army would never accept them.
As long as they were not critically ill, and their character passed the criteria, all would stand a chance to be enlisted into the Rui Lin Army.
All the men whose age had passed the limit, were all mournful. Some of them had even gone up to ask Long Qi where they needed men on the back end in logistics, and they would accept it even if they were only assigned odd jobs or just as a cook for the Rui Lin Army.....
All these queries, really drove Long Qi almost to lunacy where he did not know whether to laugh or cry.
He was still busying away when Long Qi received news brought to him by a Rui Lin Army soldier. In the instant he heard it, he immediately got up and handed over his duties for the recruitment to another soldier, before turning around to go further inside the Rui Lin Army camp.
Upon the parade square, Jun Qing was training a new batch of soldiers who had just enlisted. The reason the Rui Lin Army had become such a powerful force, was not just because of the halo from the three characters that read "Rui Lin Army", but it was also achieved through constant rigorous training, never cutting any slack, that preserved the enduring fame of the Rui Lin Army.
Glaring at the new recruits who had just joined their army and were already made to undergo the highly intensive training, the wasn't the slightest bit of mercy in Jun Qing's eyes. Only with the hardship they suffered at present, would it gain them a bigger chance of coming back alive from the battlefields they would face in the future.
Whether these youths who had made it through the preliminary selections would finally still be able to remain with the Rui Lin Army was still not known, as after the upcoming one year period was up, the Rui Lin Army would conduct another round of screening for those personnels who did not meet the mark. All those who fail to meet the requirements would then be made to leave the Rui Lin Army.
"Young Lord!" Long Qi suddenly came rushing inside in a hurry, and whispered a few words into Jun Qing's ears.
Jun Qing's stern face suddenly beamed with a show of delight, and immediately ordered the new recruits to continue with the training, before turning himself around to leave the parade square hurriedly.
The group of youths who had been mercilessly drilled by Jun Qing, raised their weary heads as they panted for breath to see Jun Qing depart, their faces looking highly puzzled.
Chapter 1265: "Family (1)"
Jun Qing might look gentle and elegantly attractive, but when he was training the soldiers, he didn't show the least bit of benevolence or mercy. The youths who had in the beginning felt that the young lord looked rather gentle completely changed their view of Jun Qing after just half a day under Jun Qing's hand!
Truly a member of the Jun Family. Under that gentle exterior, lay a strong and hard personality!
Several of the more timid youths, would even break into tears with just a stern glare from Jun Qing.
The glare from those eyes that had witnessed endless cold merciless slaughter, was not something that the green and still bumbling youths were able to stand up to.
"I thought I might have seen the Young Lord.... smile? Was I hallucinating?" A youth who was sweating buckets said as he scratched his head. Ever since they had been enlisted into the Rui Lin Army, they had never seen Jun Qing once smile at them.
This iron faced Young Lord's smile, was to them an extreme rarity to see.
"Actually..... I feel that our Young Lord, looks better when he smiles." Another youth said with a bitter laugh.
The Rui Lin soldiers standing on the side maintained their stoic faces, forcing their expressions to remain unchanged as they stared at the bunch of fledging new recruits.
But they were chortling inside their hearts.
The Young Lord's smile was rare to see?
Once out of the Rui Lin Army's main encampment and back in the Lin Palace, the Young Lord would then be smiling all the time! Sheer ignorance.
"Stop yapping over there and get on with the training! Stop spouting all that nonsense or you can be certain the Young Lord would give you guys a good thrashing when he comes back!" The Rui Lin Army soldiers admonished lightly, their faces stern.
The youths who had barely just got some rest immediately stiffened in alertness and quickly jumped up to continue with their training.
Jun Qing and Long Qi drove their horses hard as they rushed the entire way back to the Qi Kingdom's Imperial Capital. When the horses almost skidded to a stop before the Lin Palace's gates, the two men immediately flipped their bodies to dismount, quickly slipping their way inside.
Inside the main hall of the Lin Palace, a familiar figure fell within Jun Qing's sight and his face immediately broke into a wide smile that rose straight right from within his heart.
"Little Xie has come back."
Seated within the hall, when Jun Wu Xie saw Jun Qing come in, she immediately stood up.
Jun Qing took a step forward and gave his little niece a big hug.
"It's good that you're back. When you were not around, your grandfather missed you so dearly." Jun Qing said with a smile. He and Jun Xian were both iron hard men who had traversed over countless battlefields and the three generations of the Jun Family only had just this one female, and she was also the youngest member of the family. Although the two men were aware that Jun Wu Xie had her own things to take care of, but having parted for so long, they had missed her quite a bit.
Although the two battle hardened men did not say it, they understood each other's heart rather well.
Seated in the main seat within the hall, Jun Xian cleared his throat and glared at his too talkative youngest son and said: "You make it sound like you didn't miss her at all. If I may ask, who is the one who had always gone running to Little Xie's courtyard everyday whenever he could to clean up the place? And even fighting with the servants to do it?"
Betrayed by Jun Xian like this, Jun Qing smiled sheepishly in embarrassment.
When Jun Wu Xie had returned the last time, the Qi Kingdom had been hit with disaster and even if they yearned to spend time with Jun Wu Xie, they did not have the luxury of time then. After things had more or less stabilized, the longing in their hearts had then become insuppressible.
Jun Wu Xie watched the Jun father and son embarrassing each other while they both tried to get the last word in, and the corners of her mouth the arced upwards slightly. No matter how stormy it was out there, when she came back home, she would always be met with this warm feelings of kinship.
Qiao Chu and the others stood watching at the side, the eyes and hearts filled with endless envy. Their families had been eradicated, and it was thought that they would not have the chance to feel such kinship ever again.
"Already such a grown man and you're still spouting such nonsense. Sit down quickly and we can continue with the chat." Jun Xian said with a soft voice.
Chapter 1266: "Family (2)"
Jun Qing sat down at the side with a laugh. It was only after he sat down that he noticed a tiny little figure, who was quietly seated beside Jun Wu Xie.
That little one was very young, looking to be about eight or nine years of age, had a clean and clear tiny face that was highly adorable, except for that head of fiery red hair and his pair of scarlet coloured eyes that made him look rather strange and different.
"This little one is....." Jun Qing raised his head and looked at Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Xie then replied: "This is Little Jue, the Emperor of the Buckwheat Kingdom."
Jun Qing's face then revealed a trace of surprise. He had heard of the Buckwheat Kingdom, and he knew that the Buckwheat Kingdom's Emperor was a very young child, but he had never thought that he would look like this. Moreover..... what was Jun Wu Xie doing by bringing some other country's Emperor around with her for?
And even after they had spoken so much, the Buckwheat Kingdom's little Emperor had been completely silent and had not said a single word, but had just sat there without moving at all. If not for the breaths he was still taking, he might have been more like a sculpture instead.
"Sigh, another poor and pitiful little child." Jun Xian said with a sigh. Before Jun Qing had arrived here, Jun Wu Xie had already told him about everything that had happened to the little Emperor.
Although they did not belong to the same country, but when even such a small child like this was harmed so maliciously, it really chilled one's heart.
Jun Qing was still a little confused and Fei Yan spoke up at that moment, summarizing everything that happened in the Condor Country into a simple report and told it to Jun Qing.
After Jun Qing finished listening to it, he was not able to calm himself for a long while.
"How dare the Condor Country's Emperor do something so maniacally audacious! ? He completely deserved to die!" When war erupted between countries, no matter how bitter and horrifying it became, it could still be explained that it was for the benefit of an entire country. But using one's superior might to oppress and threaten the weak, where they even harmed a child as young as this, besides calling him absolutely inhuman, Jun Qing could not think of a more suitable term to describe all of this.
"The Scarlet Blood within Little Jue's body had been largely purged but I am helpless with regards to his spirit that had been sacrificed in the process. I brought him back here because I was thinking to have Uncle hand the other half of the Soul Jade to Little Jue temporarily, to see if it can help him in anyway." Jun Wu Xie went on to say.
Without another word, Jun Qing immediately pulled out the half piece of Soul Calming Jade.
"It was your decision to have his thing kept safely and if you feel that it can help in anyway, let it help the pitiful Little Jue." Jun Qing said with a sigh.
With what happened the last time, Jun Wu Xie did not dare to carelessly touch the Soul Calming Jade now, and she asked Jun Qing to place the Soul Jade upon the little Emperor's tiny body.
The Soul Calming Jade had just been placed upon him when the little Emperor who had been staring blankly suddenly closed his eyes. His breathing began to grow more stable like he was now asleep. Jun Wu Xie did not immediately react to it but just ordered for people to bring the little Emperor inside to rest.
Seeing the little Emperor being carried away without being aware of anything, Jun Wu Xie could not help but sigh out. He was still so young. It was most unbearable to have to see such a young child having to suffer so much.
After the little Emperor was carried away, Jun Wu Xie suddenly pulled out an Imperial Edict and placed it before Jun Xian.
"This is?" Jun Xian reached out a hand to pick it up, and he pulled the Imperial Edict open to peruse it. His face immediately contorted into a peculiar expression!
Upon that Imperial Edict, it was clearly stated that the Condor Country was willing to gift half of the Condor Country's empire to the Qi Kingdom, as compensation for the previous war it waged upon them.
For the defeated to compensate the victors, that might have been an indisputable fact, but never had it been heard that the roles could be reversed, and were compensating such an absolutely astounding figure.
With the vast and expansive lands the Condor Country possessed, the amount of land indicated as compensation was already several times the size of the Qi Kingdom itself!
"What is this Imperial Edict all about?" Jun Xian asked, completely confused.
Jun Wu Xie said in a light tone: "All of the lands that belonged to the Condor Country has been completely given away to the Qi Kingdom and the Buckwheat Kingdom in compensation, and under the Heavens today, the Condor Country no longer exists."
Chapter 1267: "You're Back (1)"
Jun Xian and Jun Qing exchanged a look and they saw within each other's eyes the immense shock. Such a mighty Condor Country, was really obliterated in such a short period of time? That was just too unbelievable.
Moreover, Jun Wu Xie had not expended even a single foot soldier, and she had accomplished it so cleanly and completely, which just made it even more astounding.
[The second biggest Condor Country, had.....]
[Vanished just like that?]
"I just leave the Imperial Edict with Grandfather to hand it over to Mo Qian Yuan then. As for how we are going to take over the Condor Country's assets, the two of you can just discuss it between yourselves." Jun Wu Xie was not knowledgeable in things like this and she would rather not ask about it.
It took Jun Xian and Jun Qing a great deal of effort before they were able to digest the news they had just been told. In contrast to Jun Wu Xie indifferent nonchalance, the two men really could not really maintain the composure properly.
They could not even begin to imagine, just how Jun Wu Xie had managed to achieve all that.
The two had thought that they had already gotten used to Jun Wu Xie's demonic capabilities, but at that moment, they could not help but feel the little lass was just becoming more and more Heaven defying.
"Alright. I will bring this Imperial Edict to His Majesty in a moment." Jun Xian said with a nod of his head. Taking over the Condor Country's lands was not as simple as it looked on the surface. Demarcating the kingdom's boundaries to incorporate the lands into the Qi Kingdom would not pose much of a problem, but what would be difficult would be to convince the citizens who had once belonged to the Condor Country to accept all of it. It was expected that a lot of effort would be required to be spent on integration.
Jun Xian left for the Imperial Palace very soon after that, and after Jun Qing made arrangements for Qiao Chu and the other companions to have a place to rest, Jun Wu Xie made her way towards the little Emperor's room.
The little Emperor was lying upon the bed, looking like he was asleep, quiet and silent without a sound. But not long after that, Jun Wu Xie noticed something strange.
She saw a faint white light spreading out from the little Emperor's chest, gradually enveloping his entire body completely!
Jun Wu Xie immediately went up to him and pulled the little Emperor's shirt front open to check. She saw that the Soul Calming Jade that Jun Qing had placed upon the little Emperor body was undergoing a mystifying change!
That piece of jade was giving out a warm glow, which shone through the little Emperor's under clothes, and the entire piece of jade, was actually firmly stuck against the little Emperor's chest, and gradually sinking right into the little Emperor's flesh!
Jun Wu Xie was highly startled and she was just about to reach her hand out to touch it.
But in the very next moment, a warm hand was holding the hand she had reached out, pulling her tiny hand back.
"Don't touch. Be good. He will be fine." The all too familiar voice resounded within her ears, and Jun Wu Xie's body stiffened, as she felt her back press against a warm and wide broad chest!
"Without me around, you seem to always like to pick up these strange little things back." His voice was filled with mirth as it sounded within Jun Wu Xie ears once more.
Jun Wu Xie did not say a word. Without knowing why, she suddenly felt a bizarre feeling rise and spread throughout her body.
Her tiny hand was clasped within the large warm hand and being gently kneaded, as the highly magnetic voice continued to sound within her ears.
"People afflicted with Scarlet Blood and does not die, is hard to find throughout the world. Unless that ring spirit voluntarily sacrifices its soul, to shield the body from being eroded by the Scarlet Blood, I'm afraid he would have been dead by now. But although the ring spirit and you managed to salvage his shell of a body, you were not able to protect his spirit. His spirit wasn't taken out from him, but had been destroyed. His situation is a little different from your father's. Only by letting the Soul Calming Jade meld into his body, as a replacement of his spiritual core, to gradually gather itself together, would he stand a chance of recovering to be like a normal person. The Soul Calming Jade will not hurt him, you don't have to worry about that." The voice slowly reached Jun Wu Xie's ears, in between the words, the warm breath of the person behind her brushing over Jun Wu Xie's neck.
.....
Chapter 1268: "You're Back (2)"
Jun Wu Xie lifted her head and looked at that attractive looking chin, as a glint flashed within her eyes.
Jun Wu Yao noticed her movements and with a smile upon his lips, he lowered his head to look down at Jun Wu Xie looking at him with her eyes opened wide. Thinking that she looked exceptionally adorable at that moment, he could not help himself but to plant a light kiss upon the tip of that small nose.
Jun Wu Xie's face turned a light pink and she lowered her head quickly.
Jun Wu Yao behind her then let out a light laugh in tease.
"The Soul Calming Jade can really heal him?" Jun Wu Xie asked as she felt a unexplainable heat coming onto her face. That highly unfamiliar emotion made her feel slightly uncomfortable and she had to change the subject and turn the focus back into the figure of the little Emperor.
Jun Wu Yao looked at Jun Wu Xie as she tried to divert the topic and he thought it rather amusing. But he was not anxious to push it and just patiently embraced Jun Wu Xie within his arms and said: "It can, but it will just require a long period of time that's all. The Scarlet Blood is actually a modified form of something called Scarlet Darkness in the Middle Realm but there was a very big problem with it. Both the Scarlet Blood and Scarlet Darkness are based on a highly similar concept but as Scarlet Blood lacks just one highly critical element in it, what it produces would ultimately turn out to become an inferior product."
Jun Wu Yao's gaze then fell upon the little Emperor lying upon the bed.
"Scarlet Darkness? What is that?" Jun Wu Xie asked inquisitively.
Jun Wu Yao replied with a laugh: "That is something from the Dark Region. Long ago, the Dark Emperor used Scarlet Darkness to create a group of powerful followers and it was not known from where the other powers in the Middle Realm somehow found out some information on it and wanted to emulate the whole thing, but ended up drawing a dog when they failed to paint the tiger they envisioned (Translator Note: Chinese idiom loosely translated - Failing to replicate something and ending up with inferior product). Scarlet Blood is afterall incomplete and although it was able to create powerful fighters, they were unable to live for long after that. Power gained at the price of one's spirit and life force, really wouldn't be of much use."
[With a lifespan of just three days, no matter how powerful they were, what could they achieve?]
[In three days, wouldn't they just end up turning into a pile of bones under the soil?]
"The Soul Calming Jade is by itself a precious treasure for spirit bodies and although there is only one half of it, it can still be put to effective use."
Jun Wu Xie listened quietly and her heart was finally feeling a little more relieved.
She might have been really tired out, or it might be because Jun Wu Yao's appearance had made Jun Wu Xie feel secure. Held within Jun Wu Yao's arms, Jun Wu Xie actually fell into deep slumber.
Jun Wu Yao lifted the sleeping Jun Wu Xie horizontally in his arms, and sent her into her room to rest. He then retraced his steps after that, to appear once more within the little Emperor's room.
"Lord Jue." Ye Mei had been keeping watch by the little Emperor's bedside but within the pair of eyes that looked upon the little Emperor, there wasn't the slightest tinge of sympathy.
"Should your subordinate kill him?" Ye Mei's voice was filled with thick and intense murder.
All those afflicted with Scarlet Blood, were a form of insult to Jun Wu Yao and they must not be allowed to remain in existence.
Jun Wu Yao walked over to the little Emperor's bedside and looked at the piece of Soul Calming Jade upon the front of the little Emperor's chest gradually turning into liquid form as it melded right into the little Emperor's body and said: "Those people in the Middle Realm have really tried very hard to replicate the Night Regime's splendour but have still failed. Ye Mei, do you know in what way is this little kid upon the bed different from all of you?"
Ye Mei shook his head.
"I do not know."
Jun Wu Yao's eyes narrowed and the ends of his mouth hooked up into a devilish smile.
"Scarlet Blood has already successfully replicated everything that Scarlet Darkness is, but there is just one thing they would never be able to reproduce and it is absolutely irreplaceable. Do you know what that is?"
"Your subordinate does not know." Ye Mei stated.
Jun Wu Yao slowly raised up a hand, and with the fingernail of his middle finger, he scratched open the flesh of his thumb.
Chapter 1269: "You're Back (3)"
A clear red drop of blood formed upon Jun Wu Yao's thumb.
"Lord Jue!" Ye Mei suddenly called out in shock.
Jun Wu Yao then let the drop of blood fall onto the little Emperor's lips, the bright red drop of blood slowly flowing over the little Emperor's lips to fall into his mouth.
"What it lacked, is merely only my blood." Jun Wu Yao said with a light laugh, his eyes filled with mocking ridicule.
Under the Heavens, no one else besides him would be able to create true Scarlet Darkness.
"Lord Jue, how could you....." Ye Mei exclaimed as he stared incredulously at Jun Wu Yao. [His Lord Jue had actually taken his own blood and given it to a little brat from the Lower Realm..... How could that be! ?]
"As long as it makes Little Xie happy." Jun Wu Yao said and turned to leave nonchalantly. He did not care about whether the little Emperor lived or died, and neither did he care about the little Emperor's wellbeing. He only knew that Jun Wu Xie cared, and he had acted because of that. If not, the life and death of the Lower Realm would not matter to him in the least.
Ye Mei drew in a deep breath and looked at the little Emperor lying upon the bed, but this time, the murder he had felt had greatly diminished.
The blood of the Dark Emperor, was something that countless people could only dream to have. A countless number of people in the Middle Realm had expended immense amounts of effort, just seeking to gain a drop of the Dark Emperor's blood, but not a single person had succeeded. But this little one from the Lower Realm had actually been so fortunate today.....
Ye Mei did not give the little Emperor another glance after that, and immediately followed Jun Wu Yao outside.
When Jun Wu Xie woke up, Jun Wu Yao was sitting beside her bed and looking at her smilingly. Seeing that handsome looking countenance immediately upon waking up, Jun Wu Xie's heart involuntarily skipped a beat.
Lord Meh Meh and the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit had usually always slept together with Jun Wu Xie but for some unknown reason today, they were both curled up into a ball and hiding in a corner of the room. When they saw that Jun Wu Xie had woken up, the eyes of the two naive beasts were suddenly filled with anxiety, looking like they had suffered great injustice and were seeking for their Mistress to protect them.
However.....
Jun Wu Xie had not noticed the plea in their eyes.
"How long did I sleep for?" Jun Wu Xie asked softly as she looked at Jun Wu Yao.
"Not long." Jun Wu Yao replied with a smile.
Jun Wu Xie got up and the little black cat at the side swished its tail lazily and yawned widely, languidly leaping onto the floor as well.
Looking at the two naive little beasts huddled on one side and not daring to move, the little black cat's face remained the same as it had always been.
After getting up, Jun Wu Xie was made to have something eat by Jun Wu Yao before she immediately went to check on the little Emperor's condition.
She had just walked into the little Emperor's room when she was suddenly stunned to freeze in her spot. The little Emperor who had been lying motionless upon the bed all this while without making a single sound had unknowingly woken up. What made Jun Wu Xie even more speechless was.....
She was seeing the little Emperor currently chewing upon his blanket.....
The embroidered blanket had been torn to a complete mess by the little Emperor and piles of the cotton wadding was scattered all over the bed, but the little Emperor was still innocently chewing upon the blanket, and was even going to stuff the cotton wadding that had fallen out into his mouth!
Jun Wu Xie was still feeling a little stunned and she immediately went forward to pull the blanket away from the little Emperor's hands.
The little Emperor appeared to be shocked for a moment and his face turning to look highly aggrieved, he looked up at Jun Wu Xie and said timidly: "Yit blanky....."
"....." Jun Wu Xie could not find the words. This was the first time the little Emperor had spoken after he was afflicted with Scarlet Blood, but the words he said did not give her any joy at all.
[What do you mean "yit blanky"! ?]
[Just how hungry was he! ?]
"Have somebody prepare some food and bring it in." Jun Wu Yao said to Ye Sha at her side as she rubbed at her temples.
Chapter 1270: "Yit" (1)
The little Emperor sat mournfully on the bed, his big pair of scarlet eyes peeking left and right, as if he was looking for something.
Jun Wu Xie looked at the little Emperor who was finally showing some expression on his face and her heart felt both happy and depressed at the same time.
The little Emperor was looking a lot more lively than before and his eyes were no longer calm and expressionless like still water. But the places where his gaze wandered was rather strange, where he was either staring at the tables and chairs, or the decorative ornaments placed within the room. Jun Wu Xie could not help feeling if she was not standing there, the little Emperor would have already leapt over to them and already swallowed up those things that were inedible.
"Little Jue." Jun Wu Xie suddenly called out.
The little Emperor did not give much of a reaction but just stood there on one side to look at Jun Wu Xie, suddenly raising up his eyebrows.
[Little Jue..... Jue.....]
"What else do you remember?" Jun Wu Xie did not notice Jun Wu Yao's reaction but closely observing the little Emperor's face.
The little Emperor blinked his eyes and he lowered his head into his shoulders as he looked at Jun Wu Xie.
"Yit....."
"....." Jun Wu Xie was speechless.
Fortunately, it was only a little while more that the servants in the Lin Palace brought in quite a spread of different dishes. Jun Wu Xie tried to get the little Emperor to come to the table and the little Emperor did not resist, allowing himself to be led, to finally sit himself at the table.
"Eat this if you're hungry." Jun Wu Xie said as she looked at the little Emperor.
The little Emperor looked up at Jun Wu Xie and then turned to look at Jun Wu Yao standing behind her. He hesitated for a while before he slowly lifted his hand and lowered his head to eat.
"What is happening to him now?" Jun Wu Xie asked as her brows furrowed together. It was a good thing that the little Emperor had regained his awareness, but she could not help feeling that something did not feel right.
Jun Wu Yao said from the side: "The Soul Calming Jade can become the spirit's core, but that merely allows his spirit to be reconstructed. His spirit now is completely brand new, like a newborn where all his past memories are no longer present."
The little Emperor was still the little Emperor, but just without all his memories of his past, where he had become just like a newborn babe.
Seeking for things all around him, that might fill up his deficient spirit.
Jun Wu Xie had been about to say something when she discovered that the little Emperor had not only cleaned out all the food on the table, he had even stuffed the white jade cups used to contain water into his mouth. Jun Wu Xie rushed forward and reached her hand out wanting to remove it when she heard a loud and crisp crack. The hard white jade cup had been crushed by the little Emperor's teeth.....
The white jade cup had been inlaid with gold and was highly sturdy. Not to mention the teeth of a eight or nine year old child, even for a fully grown man to crush it with his teeth, it would have required him to exert an highly immense amount of strength.
But that cup in the little Emperor's mouth, had been brittle like white jade tofu, quickly being crushed up, to turn into dust.
Jun Wu Xie could even hear the crisp crackling sounds clearly, as the little Emperor chewed up the white jade cup, and swallowed it down into his stomach.....
After eating, his gaze then turned one more to fix upon a jade Ruyi placed upon the rosewood shelf.
"Yit Ruyi....." The little Emperor turned his head back and looking pleadingly at Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Xie really did not know how to describe the conflicted feelings and shock that filled her heart at that moment.
[This kid.....]
[Actually feeds on jade!]
Jun Wu Yao stood on the side to admire Jun Wu Xie's shocked expression, his eyes sparkling with mirth.
"Although the Soul Calming Jade is meant to be used on spirit bodies, it would however still need to absorb energy. Jade items must surely contain some useful element in them for it and the Soul Calming Jade's needs would manifest upon the little Emperor. For the Soul Calming Jade truly repair his spirit, it will need a consistent supply of energy." Jun Wu Yao explained.