Wu Yong stumbled into Li Juntang Hall’s courtyard, drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through, and a lingering expression of terror still etched on his face.
Inside, Li Juntang was seated at his desk, lost
in thought under the dim light of a solitary lamp. At the sound of hurried
footsteps, his brow furrowed, and he looked up to see who had come.
“Your… Your Highness! Something terrible has
happened!” Wu Yong burst through the door in a panic, completely disregarding
any form of etiquette.
“What is it?” Li Juntang frowned, his
expression turning displeased.
The estate was so large that the earlier sound
of the door being broken down hadn’t even alarmed him.
“Your Highness, just now, the Pantheon’s
God-Kings --- Zeus and Hera --- suddenly stormed in and attacked us! General
Zhang He tried to stop them, but Zeus merely raised his hand and summoned a
bolt of lightning. General Zhang… General Zhang was killed instantly!”
Wu Yong forced himself to push down his fear
and quickly relayed the shocking events that had just occurred.
A veteran of war, he normally wouldn’t be so
easily frightened --- but Zhang He’s death had been far too sudden.
In the blink of an eye, the man had exploded
into a bloody mist, leaving no trace of his body.
Such a brutal and gory scene had left a deep
psychological scar on Wu Yong.
After all, Zhang He was a powerful martial arts
master.
And yet, before a God-King like Zeus, he had been
as insignificant as an ant --- completely shattering Wu Yong’s confidence.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Why would
the God-Kings of the Pantheon come to my residence and kill my men? Are you
sure you’re not mistaken?” Li Juntang’s first reaction was disbelief.
He had no enmity with the Pantheon. In fact,
behind closed doors, he even engaged in some unsavory dealings with them.
No matter how he looked at it, there was no logical
reason for the Pantheon to target him --- let alone send two God-Kings to do
it.
Everyone knew that the God-Kings of the Pantheon
were supreme beings who ruled entire nations. Any action by them would send
shockwaves throughout the world --- they wouldn’t make a move lightly.
And certainly not for something with no gain.
He simply couldn’t understand it, and thus
found it hard to believe.
“Your Highness! I swear it’s true! General
Zhang’s body is still in pieces at the front gate! I wouldn’t dare lie to you!”
Wu Yong looked like he was about to cry.
“How could this happen? I haven’t wronged them
--- why would they target me?” Li Juntang’s face turned extremely grim.
“It’s because of Master Rhys!”
Wu Yong didn’t dare conceal anything and
quickly explained, “The God-Kings were here for Master Rhys. General Zhang was
struck down simply for responding too slowly. If I hadn’t had the presence of
mind to say we could help find Master Rhys’ whereabouts, they might’ve killed
their way further into the estate and threatened your safety, Your Highness!”
“Logan Rhys?”
At the mention of the name, Li Juntang’s
expression darkened even further.
He had suffered greatly in trying to win Logan
Rhys over.
Even when his treasure vault was destroyed and
the Dragon Source’s spiritual energy stolen, he had endured it all in silence,
just to leave a good impression on Logan Rhys and lay the groundwork for future
plans.
But he had never expected that Logan Rhys would
bring with him such a colossal disaster --- that he’d provoke the Pantheon
enough for them to send not one but two God-Kings across vast distances to kill
him.
If he sheltered Logan Rhys, he would surely
offend the two God-Kings and bring catastrophe upon himself.
But if he handed Logan Rhys over, he’d offend
the West Lucozia Royal House, and all his plans and investments would go to
waste.
No matter which path he chose, it was a bad
decision.
“Your Highness, what should we do now? God-King
Zeus gave us one day. If we don’t give them a satisfactory answer by sunset
tomorrow, they’ll come back!” Wu Yong’s face turned pale.
“Damn it! What a ridiculous mess to be caught
in!” Li Juntang clenched his teeth, his face stormy and conflicted.
This was the kind of situation where a single
misstep could ruin everything.
“Prepare the carriage --- I need to go out!”
After a long moment of contemplation, Li Juntang
suddenly gave the order.
The only person who could help him devise a
strategy now was his own mother.
Whenever something serious occurred, he would
always consult her, and she always found a way to resolve the situation.
The appearance of the Pantheon’s God-Kings was
far beyond his capacity to handle. He would need to leverage both his mother’s
wisdom and the influence of the Spanner family to navigate this crisis.
…
Night fell.
With Wu Yong and a few trusted aides, Li Juntang
rushed toward the Forbidden City at top speed.
To avoid drawing attention, he had even
disguised himself.
Fortunately, they encountered no trouble and
soon arrived at Consort Spanner’s palace.
At that moment, Consort Spanner was reading
under a lamp. Seeing her son arrive so flustered, she couldn’t help but look
puzzled. “Juntang, what’s happened? Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Mother, I’m in trouble…”
Li Juntang didn’t hold anything back and
carefully explained everything that had happened.
After hearing him out, Consort Spanner’s expression
also grew serious. She motioned for him to sit down, then ordered someone to
serve tea.
After a moment of thought, she finally spoke.
“This matter isn’t without a solution. If handled properly, it might even
become an opportunity.”
“Oh? Do you have a plan, Mother?” Li Juntang
asked, full of hope.
“For Logan Rhys, send someone to warn him. Tell
him that the Pantheon’s God-Kings have come for him and are planning an
assassination. Urge him to be cautious. That way, we can use this crisis to do him
a favor,” Consort Spanner said.
“But Mother, wouldn’t that mean the God-Kings
would turn their wrath on me?” Li Juntang frowned.
“Don’t rush --- hear me out.”
Consort Spanner smiled calmly. “You offer
goodwill to Logan Rhys, but as for the Pantheon, you can shift the blame
elsewhere --- find a scapegoat. That way, you don’t offend the West Lucozia
Royal House, and you keep yourself clean. Isn’t that the best of both worlds?” - Ton
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