Chapter 274: Physical Damage Unknown, but Mental Damage Maxed Out

King Xian’s rebellious intentions were obvious. Anyone with eyes could see he was no match for the Empress.

Forget him—even if he allied with the other two kings, he would pose little threat to the Empress.

They couldn’t do anything to the court when the Empress was in a coma, let alone now that she was awake.

His current widespread call for heroes had a clear purpose: he was afraid the Empress would come to settle accounts, so he was recruiting talent to resist her purge.

But...

...looking at the large-headed dwarf who was shorter than a table, the skinny swordsman straighter than a pole, and then the fire-breathers, face-changers, contortionists, levitators, and even an instructor of the Bewitching Technique...

Xiao Li was seeing all these freaks and oddities, who were almost never seen in normal times, all at once.

The city now was as spectacular as the City of Ten Thousand Demons from a picture book.

’So, King Xian thinks he can’t beat me with an army and is planning to use Demon Art instead?’

The mere thought of this motley crew eventually appearing on the battlefield to fight her was a sight she dared not imagine.

It had to be said, King Xian had succeeded in a way.

After all, Xiao Li wasn’t afraid of a powerful army. But this band of freaks and monsters struck directly at one’s Divine Soul. Their physical damage was unknown, but the psychological damage was maxed out.

So many people had come from all directions that Changzhou was overflowing. The inns were packed to the brim, with people even sleeping in the corridors.

Most of the newcomers were self-taught vagabonds who had never received formal Martial Arts training, nor had they ever properly attended a school.

Their martial skills were low, their manners were poor, but their tempers were fiery.

Thrown together, it didn’t take long for fights to break out.

The onlookers, enjoying the chaos, didn’t try to break up the fights. Instead, they fanned the flames.

"Fight! Kill him, kill him!"

"Fight back! Why don’t you fight back!"

"Go on! Sweep his legs, hit his ribs, go!"

Xiao Li had Rong Qing stay behind while she went out alone to take a look, only to find her way completely blocked. She couldn’t even get out the door.

The crowd watched with excitement, which only spurred the brawlers on. Many of the inn’s tables and stools were smashed to pieces.

The Shopkeeper stood to the side, his abacus clacking away. Judging by his expression, his eyes gleaming with the light of gold, he was thrilled he could finally get new tables and chairs.

Xiao Li’s eyelid twitched. She turned to leave through the back door, but just as she stepped into the street, an unidentified object came flying at her.

Just as she was about to sidestep it, someone suddenly grabbed her and pulled her out of the way.

"Miss, look out!"

THUD!

An iron ball landed on the ground with a heavy sound.

The person who had grabbed Xiao Li released her. "My apologies for the offense, Miss."

Xiao Li, who could have easily dodged it herself, suppressed her exasperation and looked back. To her surprise, it was someone she knew.

Jiang Zhou, son of the governor of Yuan City.

’Has Yuan City already sided with King Xian?’

’No, wait. If he’s here, doesn’t that mean that scoundrel Lu Ling is here too?’

Xiao Li had no desire to be recognized by that pervert. She gave a slight, grim-faced nod. "Thank you."

Her words were brief. As soon as she said them, she turned to leave.

Only then did Jiang Zhou notice she was wearing a veil. In that fleeting glance, he thought he saw a birthmark on her face, but what he remembered more vividly were her cold, clear eyes.

They were like ice, yet exceptionally captivating.

When Lu Ling came over, Jiang Zhou was still standing there in a daze. "What are you doing? Spacing out?"

Jiang Zhou was too embarrassed to admit he’d been mesmerized by a girl. "What’s the situation on your end? Any sign of Prince Wei?"

Lu Ling shook his head. "For now, it seems unlikely that Prince Wei is here. But we can’t rule out the possibility that King Xian has hidden him too well, waiting until after the heroes’ banquet to make his move and use him as a bargaining chip against the Empress."

The thought gave Jiang Zhou a headache.

Although Prince Wei had left Yuan City, the place where he ultimately ran into trouble was still within Yuan City’s territory.

To make matters worse, the Empress had woken up at this very moment. Officials sent by the court had already arrived and taken full control of Yuan City’s forces. If they still couldn’t find Prince Wei, or if anything happened to him, his family would be finished.

Lu Ling, ever the loyal friend, consoled him, "Don’t worry. If the worst comes to worst, I’ll take the blame. You can escort me to the Empress to atone for the mistake. The Empress hates the Lu Family the most. Once she’s vented her anger, she won’t come after you."

Jiang Zhou was deeply moved by his friend’s loyalty. He would have been even more moved if said friend wasn’t a pervert who dreamed of dying at the Empress’s hands.

---

Changzhou was a border city. Though large, it was not particularly prosperous or wealthy.

If it were a truly wealthy place, the Emperor would have been reluctant to grant it to a Prince as a fiefdom.

The entire city had an old, gray feel. The only decent-looking parts were the main street paved with stone slabs and the shops lining it.

Where the common people lived, the dirt roads were full of potholes. The wooden houses were old, the stone ones crumbling. The people’s clothes were covered in hundreds of patches, and children’s clothes were torn. Many kids even ran around bare-bottomed.

Perhaps it was because she was now the Emperor, but Xiao Li couldn’t bear to see such sights.

She felt a throbbing between her brows, her capitalist’s black heart suffering in torment.

Realizing what she was thinking, Xiao Li gave a self-deprecating smile.

’Seriously, I’ve been playing this game for so long I’m losing my mind. Trapped in this place with no way out, and I’m actually growing a conscience.’

Xiao Li took a walk around the city and halfway through, she met up with Ziyue, who had arrived earlier to gather intelligence.

The two stood in a deserted corner as Ziyue whispered, "Sister, your foresight is godlike. King Xian’s heroes’ banquet is a sham; his true goal is to ally his troops with Yun Cang and Yue Country. The four gates of Changzhou are wide open. Besides the riffraff here for the spectacle, many people have come from Yun Cang and Yue Country. They’ve gathered at the military camp to the southwest. I’d estimate at least thirty thousand troops, but that’s not all. I saw many people heading southeast, so there must be another garrison there."

In other words, Yun Cang and Yue Country had become King Xian’s backers.

Ziyue’s Qinggong was excellent, so Xiao Li had sent him into the city ahead of her to investigate King Xian’s movements. She hadn’t expected him to uncover something so significant.

Ziyue continued, "There are many people from Yun Cang and Yue Country staying in King Xian’s residence. A few of their guards are extremely skilled. I was afraid of alerting the enemy, so I returned at once. But on my way back, I saw the Silver Armor Guards."

Ziyue took a deep breath. "Nearly thirty Silver Armor Guards. They seem to be acting as King Xian’s personal guards."

Ziyue had a deep emotional attachment to the Silver Armor Guards—becoming one had always been his ambition. But seeing those thirty men filled him with anger and grief.

"Your Majesty, those can’t be real Silver Armor Guards. It’s highly likely they killed the ones protecting Prince Wei and stripped them of their armor."

Just like Yu Song, who was robbed and killed by the bandits of Giant Python Mountain.

They murdered our men, stole their armor, and now they’re parading around in it. It’s outrageous.

Xiao Li wasn’t as emotional as he was. The reports she’d received had already stated that some Silver Armor Guards had died.

The Silver Armor Guards’ armor was of such high quality; it wasn’t surprising that it would be stripped off and worn by others.

But just because she wasn’t emotional didn’t mean she wasn’t angry.

"Don’t worry. I’ll make them take it off the same way they put it on."

Her silver armor wasn’t something just anyone could wear.