Major Metropolitan City:
The faces of Imperial Emperor Xi Yu, Qin Zibai, Mo Yike, and Chang Sheng twitched slightly as they watched the scene.
“Cesarean section? Mister Gu created that. He imparted it back in Dragon Vein City,” Mo Yike said bitterly.
Mo Yike had memorized Gu Hai’s information long ago. Only the Bat Ancestor and the others would not care about that. Now, history repeated itself.
Qin Zibai showed a strange expression as he said, “It can’t be wrong. According to the previous situation, it should be Purple Subtlety and Longevity that caused that ridiculous scene.”
“Gu Hai swapped it for a fake?” Chang Sheng frowned as he looked at the scene.
Everyone felt conflicted.
Back in the scene, the first cesarean section was completed, producing a dead fetus. The person who performed the cesarean section showed an extremely strange expression, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Chang Ming’s second uncle could not take it any longer. He used a knife and cut his abdomen open. Eight dead fetuses immediately spilled out.
Fifty thousand-odd people performed cesarean sections simultaneously, presenting a ghastly spectacle.
Imperial Emperor Xi Yu’s face twitched.
Whoosh!
Imperial Emperor Xi Yu waved, and the scene vanished.
He could not bear to continue watching any longer; he simply could not. If he kept watching, even he would suffer psychological damage.
These are the officials that I trust? What are they doing? Delivering children en masse? Why do I feel a severe headache coming on?
Imperial Emperor Xi Yu turned away and returned to the Great Sigh Palace Hall.
Mo Yike, Qin Zibai, and Chang Sheng smiled bitterly and left after that.
Both sovereign and subjects in Major Metropolitan City could not endure watching this scene.
The surviving citizens of Vacant City felt an impulse to stab needles into their eyes.
“I can’t watch anymore. They are all dead fetuses. Are they really giving birth?”
“Fifty thousand people undergoing cesarean sections together? Furthermore, they are all men?”
“What a blinding sight!”
The citizens felt shocked, and many people went to wash their eyes. They had not seen such a terrible sight in their lives before.
This is the prime of my Yuan Nation’s national beast? How many fetuses has he delivered? Yet, he is still taking out more. How did he contain so many?
The citizens felt conflicted. The minds of the fifty thousand people undergoing cesarean sections crumbled.
“Milord, it is a boy!” Someone from the old alchemist’s group pulled out a dead fetus.
The person who just gave birth glared at that person. Why are you telling me the gender at this moment?
I gave birth? Although I did it by cutting my abdomen open, how will I face my wife when I return? What if my wife asks about the scar on my abdomen? Am I to tell her that I went out with the archduke and gave birth?
Then, that person turned his head and looked to the side. Fortunately, I only have one. That person has triplets.
Not far away, Chang Ming’s third uncle already took out the dead fetuses. When he saw the row of dead fetuses, he even felt like committing suicide. When he turned to look at Archduke Xi Kang, that thought immediately disappeared.
Archduke Xi Kang had just taken out all his fetuses. The pain finally stopped. However, he immediately felt a headache. My son just died, and now, I have given birth to another twenty dead children. However, it should not be me giving birth. One already died in Major Metropolitan City not long ago. Yet, there are twenty dead here? This is not an accomplishment. It is an overwhelming humiliation! Such a humiliation that I want to die!
However, when Archduke Xi Kang turned his head to look at the Bat Ancestor, that urge disappeared.
Four hours later:
“Primogenitor, Archduke, these…these…what should we do with them?” Chang Ming’s second uncle asked as he pointed to the hundreds of thousands of dead fetuses.
“Burn them. Burn them all!” Archduke Xi Kang said with a fierce expression.
Boom!
An intense flame ignited and immediately burned all the fetuses.
No one objected. This was a humiliation, a great humiliation. They needed to expunge it.
“No one is to speak of today’s matter. If anyone does, I’ll kill him!” the Bat Ancestor roared ferociously.
The fifty thousand people immediately nodded. Speak? We are not fools. How could we speak of this? How do I even say it? I had a son two days ago? Furthermore, it is not my wife who gave birth, but me?
The fifty thousand-odd men answered. Then, they immediately set a gag order on the surrounding citizens.
Naturally, the citizens nodded. How would you know whether we speak or not?
The citizens busied themselves with tidying up the city and rescuing the survivors. They felt full of grief when they saw the various pits filled with tens of thousands of corpses.
Archduke Xi Kang, the Bat Ancestor, and the others quickly learned of what had happened at Dragon Vein City from their subordinates.
“Gu Hai?” Archduke Xi Kang’s expression suddenly changed.
“Gu Hai swapped it for a fake? Gu Hai trapped us?” The Bat Ancestor’s pitch increased.
“Yes. It should be him,” a subordinate said with an unsightly expression.
“Argh!” the Bat Ancestor roared furiously. The roar surged, kicking up a powerful storm.
“Search for him! Find Gu Hai no matter what! I want to rip him to shreds! Argh!” the Bat Ancestor shouted in overwhelming rage.
“Search for him! Search for him in full force!” Archduke Xi Kang roared with a ferocious expression.
Rumble…!
Fifty thousand people led one hundred thousand zombies to search Vacant City’s vicinity. They used everything their various clans had and even got the surrounding cities to search in full force. They had suffered a great humiliation, which resolved them to search for Gu Hai to wash that humiliation away.
The citizens of Vacant City watched coldly as Archduke Xi Kang and the others left.
Vacant City had just suffered from a devastating calamity, yet none of their leaders said anything about that, not even grieving for the dead. They simply left.
“Are we really Yuan Nation citizens? Why did Archduke Xi Kang and the Chang Clan not treat us as well as Mister Gu?”
“Mister Gu loves his citizens as though they are his children. I’m now starting to envy the Han Royal Dynasty citizens.”
“Indeed. They may not be strong, but they have an emperor who loves them. Their citizens are definitely living in bliss!”
“If Mister Gu can treat foreigners like that, how much better would he be to his citizens?”
“I heard that the Han Nation spends most of their taxes on their citizens, building public facilities.”
“If only I were a Han Nation citizen!”
The citizens whispered to each other. Their conversations could not be said in public, but all this represented a trend. The citizens’ hearts were slowly leaning towards the Han Nation.
Initially, there had been close to one hundred million citizens in Vacant City. However, less than ten million survived. Some remained to rebuild Vacant City, but some left this land of sorrow, going to other cities to seek out their relatives. This sentiment followed these people to the other cities of the Yuan Imperial Dynasty.
The vampires, bat spirits, and the Xi Clan’s factions went crazy searching for Gu Hai.
However, Gu Hai used the Mo token from Mo Yike to travel unhindered. Two months later, he finally left the Yuan Nation’s territory.
Above a vast sea:
Gu Hai and Bing Ji stood on a flying ship coursing over the sea.
“Your Majesty, we finally left the Yuan Nation’s territory. However, are we not returning to Chaoge City?” Bing Ji looked at Gu Hai, feeling curious.
“We are going to Nine-Five Island,” Gu Hai said.
“Oh? Nine-Five Island? Your Majesty, will the Bat Ancestor and the others go crazy and attack Chaoge City when they can’t find us?” Bing Ji frowned.
“What do you think?” Gu Hai smiled.
“I guess they won’t. However, given their characters, I still feel somewhat worried.” Bing Ji smiled bitterly.
“Imperial Emperor Xi Yu once promised me in front of his civil and military officials and countless citizens that the Yuan Nation would not harass my citizens for ten years. He also won’t make a move on my Han Nation within these ten years. This was what Imperial Emperor Xi Yu promised in the Yuan Imperial Dynasty’s name,” Gu Hai said.
“Will he honor it?” Bing Ji said with a frown.
“At the very least, he will for now,” Gu Hai said, his voice sinking.
“He will for now? But he won’t in the future?”
“A sovereign cannot get established if he is untrustworthy. The Yuan Imperial Dynasty is about to engage in war. Would Imperial Emperor Xi Yu go back on his word at this moment and slap himself?” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Imperial Emperor Xi Yu’s word is gold?” Bing Ji nodded.
Gu Hai shook his head while smiling.
“A sovereign’s word is gold, but it is not absolute. There is one situation that can make a sovereign go back on his word,” Gu Hai said.
“Oh?”
“National interest!” Gu Hai said.
“National interest?”
“Yes. When the national interest clashes with a sovereign’s promise, some sovereigns might overturn their promise. For example, although Imperial Emperor Xi Yu promised not to attack my Han Nation, if the Han Nation obstructs the Yuan Nation’s expansion, Imperial Emperor Xi Yu’s promise is just a joke,” Gu Hai said solemnly.
“Oh?”
“That’s why he will not go back on his promise for now, to stabilize the military’s morale and unify the citizens’ hearts,” Gu Hai said with certainty.
“For now?”
“Yes. That’s why Chaoge City is safe for now. However, I can’t be sure about the future. While Chaoge City is safe, Nine-Five Island is now in danger,” Gu Hai said.
“The Bat Ancestor and the others will go to Nine-Five Island?” Bing Ji’s face sank.
“Imperial Emperor Xi Yu will restrain the Bat Ancestor, Archduke Xi Kang, and the others from harassing Chaoge City, as war is imminent. He cannot afford to have his and the Yuan Nation’s reputation damaged. Left without a way to vent their frustration, the Bat Ancestor and the others can only head to Nine-Five Island.” Gu Hai smiled.
“Nine-Five Island? However, Nine-Five Island is also part of the Han Nation’s territory,” Bing Ji said.
“Who would know if Nine-Five Island gets destroyed?” Gu Hai smiled.
“Oh? So, Nine-Five Island is going to be in danger?” Bing Ji said with an unsightly expression.
Gu Hai nodded. “However, there should still be some time. The Bat Ancestor and Archduke Xi Kang will attack Nine-Five Island only after they fail to find me and feel desperate, so we still have time.”
“Yes!”
“Furthermore, my son Gu Qin should have finished laying the ritual array already during this time. It is time for Nine-Five Island to enter the Divine Continent.” Gu Hai narrowed his eyes as he looked into the distance.
Chaoge City:
Escorted by Ye Shenzhen and Li Shenji, Long Wanyu had arrived long ago. She had been restless at first, worrying that harm would come to Gu Hai.
However, the Han Royal Dynasty’s blessings had remained stable over the past few months.
“Hahaha! My brother-in-law is fine. This is great!” Long Wanyu said excitedly.
Ye Shenzhen looked at Chaoge City’s blessings in confusion.
“That should not be the case. That is an ice spirit king. Why is Mister Gu fine? How could it be?” Ye Shenzhen appeared confused.
Li Shenji had been observing the blessings in the sky as well.
Not only did the blessings not decrease, but they even increased as time went by. The Han Nation citizens’ satisfaction flourished. Li Shenji’s expression remained sullen.
“Humph! Damn it. How could he be this fortunate?” Li Shenji looked at the blessings cloud sea, feeling depressed.
