All four kings were killed by Ye Chu, which shocked Yao City. Of course, after the four kings were killed, Yao City returned to normal. The originally tightly closed city gates were thrown wide open, and the citizens resumed their normal lives.
Naturally, the discussions about Ye Chu did not stop. Everyone said Ye Chu was as strong as a god, but they also said he had become more cruel and tyrannical, that he drank human blood, and eventually, the rumour spread that Ye Chu ate baby flesh.
These rumours naturally reached Ye Chu’s ears, but he did not care too much. After all, he was already notorious in Yao City, so one more accusation would not make a difference.
On the contrary, after hearing this, Ye Tian frowned and ordered people to dispel the rumours. However, the effect was very limited.
“What is your current realm?” the King of Yao asked, looking at Ye Chu sitting beside him. The King had been rescued and hosted a banquet to invite Ye Chu, accompanied by numerous nobles. In recent days, the King had been somewhat haggard and worn out from the ordeal.
Ye Chu had shocked him immensely. Who could have imagined that the scum of Yao City back then could grow to such a level? It was simply inconceivable.
The other nobles looked at Ye Chu with a sense of awe and reverence. No matter how much they had despised Ye Chu in the past, they now looked at him with utmost respect, accompanied by a hint of flattery, hoping to build a good relationship with him.
“The eighth level of the Xuan Yuan realm!” Ye Chu answered the King. He glanced at the nobles present and did not see the Marquis Weiyuan of the Ye family there. Ye Chu thought to himself that the old man probably did not want to see him.
Hearing Ye Chu say he was only at the eighth level of the Xuan Yuan realm, Ye Tian was also extremely surprised. He thought that with the methods Ye Chu used to kill Wang Xinshui, he would at least have the strength of the peak of the ninth level. However, seeing Ye Chu looking around, he knew what Ye Chu was looking for.
Ye Tian lowered his voice and said beside Ye Chu, “Grandfather made a vow back then and cannot do much at the moment. However, when I sent Grandfather back this time, I saw him full of smiles, looking as if he were more than ten years younger.”
Knowing that the old man was safe, Ye Chu nodded to Ye Tian, then looked at the King and said, “Your Majesty, what exactly is the item that would attract an Emperor to come and snatch it? Although I killed four of their kings, I fear their Emperor will not let the matter rest.”
This sentence made the originally cheerful atmosphere vanish instantly, and everyone’s gaze immediately fixed upon the King.
The King paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “We will talk about tomorrow’s matters tomorrow. Today, we drink until we are drunk!”
After saying this, he raised his cup first and toasted Ye Chu.
Seeing the other party act this way, Ye Chu did not ask any further questions. He smiled at him, raised his cup, and drank a glass with everyone. The wine in Yao City was not particularly good, but perhaps out of habit, Ye Chu felt that this light wine was exceptionally sweet and fragrant.
“I wonder if you, Ye Chu, have any interest in becoming the State Preceptor of our Yao Kingdom?” the King suddenly asked Ye Chu.
This sentence made everyone look at Ye Chu. Although the State Preceptor and the Guardian Preceptor differed by only one character, their statuses were worlds apart. The State Preceptor possessed authority comparable to that of the King, and if he disliked the King’s governance, he could even veto it.
In the history of the Yao Kingdom, there had only been two State Preceptors, and that was a thousand years ago.
“Your Majesty is joking. With my reputation in Yao City, if I were to become the State Preceptor, I am afraid no one would be convinced,” Ye Chu smiled. “Your Majesty should look for someone else.”
Hearing Ye Chu’s refusal, the King was not surprised. He did not think such a position could move Ye Chu. Having reached Ye Chu’s level, he could easily seize the Yao Kingdom, so how could he care about such a title?
However, the King was unwilling to let Ye Chu off so easily. He suddenly nodded to the eunuch beside him. The eunuch understood the hint, stepped forward, and shouted, “The King’s decree: appoint the Marquis Weiyuan as the State Preceptor!”
This sentence shocked many nobles, but they soon realised the intention. The King was using the Marquis Weiyuan to tie Ye Chu to them. Although Ye Chu had been expelled from the Ye family, judging from his current behaviour, he still cared about the Ye family’s affairs. If that was the case, by tying the Ye family to the Yao Kingdom’s chariot, could Ye Chu refrain from lending a hand?
“Your Majesty is wise!” many nobles also bowed and shouted. They naturally wanted a powerful figure to protect them.
Ye Chu did not mind the King’s actions. Although the King was scheming against him, if it could make that old man live a little happier, being schemed against did not matter.
This banquet did not end until late at night, and numerous nobles came up to toast Ye Chu. Ye Tian watched from the side with a bitter smile, thinking about who could have imagined this scene back in the day?
Among these nobles, nine out of ten had despised Ye Chu, but now they were all flattering him to his face, saying the most disgusting things imaginable.
When the banquet had mostly dispersed, the King finally said to Ye Chu and Ye Tian, “You two, follow me!”
Ye Chu was puzzled, but he still followed the King together with Ye Tian. The King led Ye Chu and Ye Tian into the inner palace and entered his bedchamber.
“Did you not want to know what they were looking for? Then I will tell you now! This item is hidden beneath my bedchamber!” After saying this, the King reached out and pressed a few spots, tapping the floor at a moderate pace, causing a huge crack to appear on the ground.
This crack continued to expand, eventually turning into a passageway with bluestone steps. Seeing this, Ye Chu could not help but feel his heart race. He thought that Yao Kingdom was a remote and impoverished place, yet it could actually use so much extraordinarily valuable bluestone to construct such a massive passageway.
“When Wang Xinhuo and his group forced me, I did not reveal this place. They searched the palace everywhere, but they could never have imagined such a world existed beneath my bedchamber. Even if they knew, without the method to open it, they could not enter,” the King said with some pride. He then looked at Ye Chu, smiled, and said, “Follow me down!”
Ye Chu did not know what secret the King was hiding down there, but the two of them followed him down. Ye Chu stepped into the passageway and found that the quality of the bluestone was exceptionally high. Moreover, both sides of the passageway were resplendent and magnificent. What made Ye Chu’s heart race the most was that Xuan stones were actually embedded within them.
This scene made Ye Tian’s face show astonishment. With the national strength of the Yao Kingdom, it was absolutely impossible to build such a passageway.
Seeming to know the doubts of Ye Chu and Ye Tian, the King smiled and said, “Follow me. This is only the tip of the iceberg. There will be something even more shocking for you later. Successive kings have guarded this secret, but no one expected it to leak out. To protect this secret, the successive kings have never dared to use the things within. But at this moment… sigh…”
Saying this, the King could not help but sigh and did not say anything more. He stepped forward and walked quickly down the passage.
Ye Chu followed behind the King and did not ask any further questions. He wanted to know exactly what secret the other party was hiding down there. A secret that could interest an Emperor was definitely no ordinary item.
However, in a remote and impoverished place like Yao City, what extraordinary items could there possibly be?