2013 Meeting the King

No one knew exactly how many experts were hidden in the Imperial Capital, or even how many armies were lurking there. Chu Yunfan could feel that there were countless layers of secondary spaces in the palace. Who knew how many experts were hiding in these sub-spaces? Just the experts on the surface were already shocking. Chu Yunfan wouldn't be surprised if hundreds of experts or hundreds of thousands of elite troops suddenly appeared from these sub-spaces.

After verifying his identity, Chu Yunfan was led into the Imperial Capital by a small yellow door. Only a small part of the Imperial Capital was the Imperial Palace, and the rest were the offices of the various officials of the Imperial Court.

"You must be the newly promoted Marquis Zhenyuan, Lord Chu Yunfan!"

Not long after entering the Imperial Capital, a flash of light appeared in the distance. Chu Yunfan saw that it was a middle-aged man dressed in a eunuch's robe. This man had a fair face and no beard. He looked dignified. Although he was a eunuch, he did not have a trace of maliciousness.

"Eunuch Wei!" The man who was leading Chu Yunfan quickly bowed and greeted.

Chu Yunfan immediately knew the identity of the person who had come. He should be the head eunuch of the current Grand Xia king, Wei Yin. It was said that Wei Yin had been by the side of the current king when the latter was still a prince. Later on, he became one of the most powerful figures in the entire palace after the king ascended the throne. He was even known as the Inner Minister.

Although Wei Yin accompanied the king all year round and did not appear often, there was no doubt that he was one of the few powerful figures in the world today. However, what Chu Yunfan cared about was not Wei Yin's power, but the faint mana fluctuations that he could vaguely feel from Wei Yin. Although it was well hidden, Chu Yunfan still noticed it. This trace of mana fluctuation gave Chu Yunfan a feeling that Wei Yin was unfathomable.

Wei Yin seemed to have noticed Chu Yunfan's gaze. He raised his eyebrows slightly and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Greetings, Eunuch Wei." Chu Yunfan bowed.

"You are too polite, Lord Chu. I've long heard of your name. Seeing you today, it's indeed better to meet you in person than to hear about you," Wei Yin said, "I have received the king's orders to welcome you to his quarters."

"Thank you, Eunuch Wei." Chu Yunfan nodded.

"Please follow me, Lord Chu." Wei Yin turned around and headed deeper into the palace.

Under his lead, Chu Yunfan entered the depths of the palace without any obstructions. Chu Yunfan followed Wei Yin into the Diligent Government Hall. There was a figure in a dragon robe with his back facing the two of them.

"Marquis Zhenyuan? This is the first time we're meeting, but I sense you are indeed a talented person."

The man turned around, and Chu Yunfan saw that it was a middle-aged man who looked to be about 30 years old. He had thick brows and twinkling eyes. He had a handsome face and looked dignified.

Chu Yunfan immediately knew the identity of this middle-aged man. He was the master of countless forces in Grand Xia, the current king.

"Your humble subject, Chu Yunfan, is here to meet you, Your Majesty." Chu Yunfan placed a fist in front of his chest and saluted.

Unlike Wei Yin, who had a faint aura, the king looked like an ordinary middle-aged man. Although he had an aura, it did not seem like he was very strong in cultivation. Of course, Chu Yunfan was not stupid enough to think that the king really had no cultivation. The king's cultivation was very profound, so profound that even Chu Yunfan could not sense it. The difference in their levels was too great. They were not on the same level.

Different from the Elder Princess he had met, the Elder Princess' aura was as deep as the ocean. One look and one could tell that she was a top master, a figure that could be counted among the few in the world. However, the king, who was rumored to have unfathomable cultivation, was like a handsome uncle next door. This was the most unbelievable.

"No need for formalities. Please, sit!" The king nodded.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Chu Yunfan said as he sat down on a chair.

The king nodded with a smile and said, "You don't have to think too much about it. There's no need to be nervous. Today is just a formality. All your information and achievements have been verified by the Grand Commandant's Office. Although I have heard of your name long ago, this is the first time I'm seeing you in the flesh. It's not much different from what I imagined. What a young general. It would be great if everyone in Grand Xia is as dedicated as you."

Chu Yunfan was confused. He didn't know what the king's true purpose was. He could only smile and say, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I don't deserve it."

"You don't deserve it?" The king suddenly looked at Chu Yunfan and smiled. "As far as I know, you are extremely daring, Lord Chu. There's nothing you don't dare to do. How dare you kill Marquis Huntian just like that."

Chu Yunfan's heart suddenly tightened. He knew that this was the real reason he was summoned here. Although he had killed Li Qianyuan in the arena, if he thought that he could explain everything away just like this, he would be very wrong.

However, he still opened his mouth and said in neither servile nor overbearing manner, "Your Majesty, although I killed Marquis Huntian, that was in the arena. As the saying goes, fists and feet have no eyes. There will inevitably be casualties. If I don't fight with all my strength, I'm afraid I would be the one who's dead."

The king looked at Chu Yunfan indifferently and said, "I know that with your strength, you could have spared his life. However, you killed him because you were afraid of endless trouble. Do you think you can hide this from me?"

The king spoke slowly. His power was constantly increasing, and it brought great pressure to Chu Yunfan.

"But since he's in the arena, I'm sure he has nothing to say even if he dies. Originally, with your contributions, it would be more than enough to confer you the title of one-word marquis. However, you can only be conferred the title of two-word marquis now. This can be considered as a small punishment for you," the king said lightly. 

He clearly had no intention of seeking justice for Li Qianyuan. What kind of person was he? He controlled the entire Grand Xia Empire. Why would he care about the battle between Chu Yunfan and Li Qianyuan?

"I understand." Chu Yunfan cupped his hands. However, he was not interested in the difference between the One or two-word marquises. In the depths of his heart, supreme martial arts was his lifelong pursuit.

"Recently, there have been people constantly nagging in front of me. Some people want to kill you, some want to protect you. They even try to involve the officials. You have quite some way around here," the king commented, "However, whether you are killed or protected is none of my concern, I don't care. I only care about how many contributions you have made to the empire. Do you understand what I mean?"