Chapter 391: Deception
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The eunuchs escorted Lu Chao Chao back to the palace.
Two bold and meticulous eunuchs carried a chamber pot, within which lay Old Master Su, his body crammed inside with utter disregard.
Nan Mu Bai followed in silence, his expression dark as a stormy sky.
A sliver of morning sunlight broke through the horizon, heralding the dawn.
Lu Chao Chao yawned as she walked. [No sleep, no growth!]
A eunuch, looking down upon her with disdain, pushed her forcefully into Long Peace Palace.
Inside, Nan Feng Yu sat at the front of the hall, her eyes bloodshot, her breath heavy. The news of the Su Family’s extermination had reached her ears, though she had yet to grasp the full details.
Her gaze bore into Lu Chao Chao.
“Your Highness, we have captured the culprit!”
“Lu Chao Chao has awakened the Southern Kingdom Divine Bloodline, slaughtering the entire Su Family! Her sins are unforgivable! She has already been shackled with the God-Binding Shackles.” The eunuch bowed before Nan Feng Yu before stepping back behind her.
Hearing of Lu Chao Chao’s divine power awakening, Nan Feng Yu’s eyelids twitched involuntarily.
She clenched her teeth. “Lu Chao Chao! How dare you! You wiped out the Su Family with such cruelty! You deserve to die a thousand deaths!”
“The Su Family has always been cautious, devoted to the welfare of the people, and beloved by the citizens! You are heartless!”
Her voice carried a murderous chill.
Before she could continue, a eunuch’s cry came from outside the hall.
“Her Majesty, the Empress, arrives—”
Everyone quickly rose in greeting.
The Empress entered in a disheveled state, her panic evident. Even her voice trembled as she hurried into Long Peace Palace.
“The Su Family! What happened to my family?!”
“Where is my father?! And my uncles?!” The Empress’ voice cracked as she looked desperately at Nan Feng Yu.
Nan Feng Yu rose to support her mother, her eyes reddened, her voice low and bleak.
“Mother…”
“The Su Family is gone.”
The Empress’ body went limp, nearly collapsing to the floor. The palace attendants rushed to steady her.
“How could this happen?! Who?! Who did this?! I will have their entire clan executed!” she shrieked.
“It was Princess Sunshine. She awakened her divine bloodline and mercilessly struck down the Su Family! The Eldest Princess is hesitating on how to handle her since she belongs to Northern Zhao,” the eunuch whispered regretfully.
“Northern Zhao?! Not even the Northern Zhao Emperor can save her!”
“Kill her! Exterminate her entire clan!”
“Xu Shi Yun, the Ning Clan—none of them will escape!”
The Su Family was her foundation, her lifeblood!
“You should check on your father first… He’s not quite dead yet.” Lu Chao Chao tilted her head toward the chamber pot at the hall’s entrance.
The eunuchs’ faces twitched.
They had intended to break the news gently, but the situation had already spiraled beyond control.
The Empress shoved past them, stumbling toward the door.
The moment her eyes landed on the grotesque sight inside the chamber pot, a scream of absolute terror tore from her throat.
“FATHER!!” With a wretched wail, she collapsed to the floor.
Nan Mu Bai roared, “Summon the divine physician at once!”
“Mother, don’t look!” Nan Mu Bai had been too stunned before, but now he rushed to block her view.
Nan Feng Yu shoved him aside.
The overwhelming stench made her stomach churn, and at the sight of Old Master Su, grotesquely mutilated and stuffed inside a chamber pot, she dry-heaved violently.
With a thud, she fell to her knees, fists clenched, her body trembling with hatred. This scene was burned into her very soul, an unrelenting nightmare.
A guttural growl escaped her throat.
She was beyond rage.
“Throw her into Grievous Prison! No one releases her without my command!!” Nan Feng Yu’s voice dripped with venom, her throat tasting of blood.
Nan Mu Bai whispered, “Mother, she’s only three and a half… and she is of Northern Zhao…”
SLAP!
Nan Feng Yu’s palm struck hard across his face, leaving it numb.
Her disappointment cut deeper than her fury.
“That was your great-grandfather! He doted on you! And you dare plead for Lu Chao Chao?! You ungrateful wretch! Have you lost your mind?! IDIOT!”
The Su Family was the pillar of the Divine Attendant Clans. With their support, Nan Feng Yu had held her ground in court.
Now, they were completely wiped out.
She wanted nothing more than to rip Lu Chao Chao apart, drink her blood, and feast on her flesh.
“Take her away!”
Lu Chao Chao was dragged from the hall.
Inside Long Peace Palace, only the Empress’ faint sobs remained. She had already lost consciousness, with palace attendants tending to her.
Nan Mu Bai stood rigid, lips pressed tightly together. He had always been arrogant, indulgent, a reckless hedonist.
But he had never imagined the Su Family had been practicing Child Sacrifice Sorcery.
Such heinous acts violated both morality and law.
Before entering the palace, he had reviewed the seized records of the Su Family. For over thirty years, they had cultivated power by using living children in their rituals.
That was how they had risen to dominance among the Divine Attendants.
His hands had trembled as he flipped through the records, unable to bear reading further.
Wang Da Ni, twelve years old…
Liu Da Zhu, fourteen years old…
Zhu Yan Ni, eight years old…
Over a thousand children—each a life, their bones buried beneath the Su Ancestral Shrine, irrefutable proof of their sins.
“Mother, did you know that the Su Family practiced Child Sacrifice Sorcery?” His gaze locked onto Nan Feng Yu.
Nan Feng Yu hesitated briefly. “Mu Bai, the Su Family was our support! Their strength was our strength! Only through their power could we claim supremacy!”
The light in Nan Mu Bai’s eyes dimmed.
It was as if he was seeing his mother for the first time.
As if the image of her he had held all his life had crumbled to dust.
“At six, I first awakened my divine power. Grandfather had me swear an oath—to serve the Southern Kingdom, to never betray my duty.”
“Yes, I have been arrogant, wasteful, reckless. I have looked down on mortals.”
He had embodied every flaw of nobility, yet he had never crossed that line.
He had never used Divine Power to harm innocent people. Never children!
“Children are innocent! Mother, how could you become like this? How could you allow the Su Family to butcher their own?!”
Nan Feng Yu sneered.
“You know how many heirs there are in the palace? I have twenty-seven siblings.”
“Among our grandchildren, there are over a hundred.”
“You think you got here through your own merit? You speak of righteousness, yet you are as much a beneficiary! You have feasted upon their sacrifices!”
Nan Mu Bai paled, his soul shaken to its core.
“Fool! Don’t cause trouble for your sister!”
“She is the true reincarnation of the Goddess! Soon, she will ascend to the Divine Realm! That will be our greatest glory, the pride of the Southern Kingdom!”
“Once she ascends, His Majesty will pass the throne to me. Don’t ruin this for me!”
“Guards! The Imperial Grandson has suffered a shock! He must rest in Renewed Tranquility Palace!”
Nan Mu Bai was dragged away, his mind blank, his soul adrift.
In the depths of the palace, a voice whispered, “Your Highness, His Majesty summons you.”
The Old Emperor, often in a daze, had awakened at last.
Nan Feng Yu composed herself, wiped away her tears, and entered the inner hall.
The windows and doors were shut tight. A thick scent of medicine filled the air, suffocating.
In just a few days, the Old Emperor had grown gaunt, his sunken cheeks ghastly pale.
His voice was weary. “What happened outside? Who was crying?”