"What do you think we should do about this?" the King of Qian Zhong Country asked.
Seated on his throne, his wound had been bandaged. As for whether it would ever function again, he still didn’t know. Now that he had investigated what happened, he immediately gathered his ministers in the great hall to discuss the matter. He had offended Wu Tian. In the King’s eyes, Wu Tian himself wasn’t frightening. What was terrifying was his mysterious background. Even the Great Heavenly King of Dogs supported him. The King truly had no idea who this man was. As for Wu Tian himself? How capable could someone so young be?
"This matter isn’t actually that serious," the Great General of Qian Zhong Country declared, stepping forward with an air of arrogant indifference. "It seems Tianlong didn’t succeed, and that woman, Qin Yuhan, is fine. Since that’s the case, this matter is quite simple to resolve. We should demand an apology! Since the woman is unharmed and yet he left our Crown Prince in such a state, the fault lies with him. Besides, even if the Crown Prince had done something to her, so what? She’s just an ordinary woman, while our Crown Prince carries the hopes of the vast Qian Zhong Country. So, no matter how you look at it, what he did to our Crown Prince was his mistake. If Xiuyuan Country refuses to hand over Wu Tian? Heh, then I will lead our army to war. A Four-Star nation is hardly comparable to a Three-Star one." As a martial man, he loved battle and truly despised these peaceful times.
The civil and military officials all nodded in agreement. That’s right, how could this possibly be the fault of Qian Zhong Country? If word of this got out, would Qian Zhong Country still have any face to command the Artifact Domain?
"But he will definitely come," Tianjiao mused, then asked, "Should we hand over the Crown Prince?"
In Tianjiao’s opinion, Wu Tian wasn’t coming to destroy their country. The crime wasn’t that grave. Why would he destroy a country over this? Wu Tian’s arrival would surely be just to make Qian Zhong Country admit its mistake. Tianjiao was quite certain of this.
"When he arrives, he will demand that we admit fault," the King of Qian Zhong said, his voice laced with worry. "We can find no information about Wu Tian’s background. Xiuyuan Country is easy enough to deal with, but I’m afraid Wu Tian won’t let this go."
Many of the officials nodded. "Yes, yes, yes, the King is right. What should we do?"
"I have a plan." Having successfully used others to eliminate his rivals before, Tianjiao considered himself quite the strategist, and now was his time to shine. He spoke with an air of complete confidence, "Admit our mistake? We can do so privately, but not publicly! If Wu Tian disagrees, we’ll create a justification. For example, we’ll argue that if Qian Zhong Country publicly admits fault, the other kingdoms in the Artifact Domain will see us as weak and will surely rebel. When that happens, the land will be plunged into misery and chaos. We will ask him, for the sake of peace and stability, to allow us to apologize in private."
"Right, right, right! Prince Tianjiao is indeed sharp-witted, his schemes are brilliant, and his intellect is matched by few! How admirable! He could be a mentor to us all!" the Prime Minister of Qian Zhong Country exclaimed, stepping forward to shower Tianjiao with praise.
As the saying goes, a new ruler brings his own court. With Tianlong having become little more than a mad dog, it was clear that Tianjiao would be the one to inherit the throne. Now was the time to build a good relationship. When the Prime Minister spoke, the other officials in the hall looked on with strange expressions. It wasn’t that they thought the Prime Minister was shameless, but that they themselves weren’t thick-skinned enough! They wanted to flatter Tianjiao, too.
The King of Qian Zhong nodded as well. "My son’s strategy is indeed remarkable. If we were to admit fault publicly, the Artifact Domain would descend into chaos. For the sake of its people, Wu Tian will have to swallow this insult."
"Right!" the officials all agreed in unison.
***
At the same time, Wu Tian arrived with Qin Yuhan and the little one.
Qian Zhong Country had already set the stage. A large crowd of commoners was gathered before the Royal Palace. Seeing Wu Tian’s arrival, the people exchanged glances, thinking of the gold promised by the King, and immediately knelt before him one by one.
"You must be Mr. Wu Tian, correct?"
"Mr. Wu Tian, please, spare us! With Qian Zhong Country in place, the Artifact Domain knows peace. Without it, the domain will fall into chaos, and the people will suffer terribly!"
"Indeed! Please don’t be too harsh on them. If Qian Zhong Country is disgraced, other kingdoms with treacherous ambitions will see it as an opportunity. The world will be thrown into turmoil once more! How could you bear such a thing?"
"It is said that even if you don’t strike the fatal blow, if your actions cause another’s death, you are still to blame. Sir, would you become a villain by causing such widespread suffering?"
"We, the people, have gathered here to plead with you, sir. Please, let Qian Zhong Country off the hook."
"Don’t even blame them. Otherwise, the Artifact Domain will fall into ruin!"
"This is the will of the people, our public opinion!"
Wu Tian, Qin Yuhan, and the little one had just descended from the sky when they were met with this massive crowd of people pleading with Wu Tian. Seeing this, Qin Yuhan’s expression softened once more.
"Should we just... forget about it?" she suggested.
"Absolutely not," Wu Tian said, shaking his head. The very reason he had brought her here was to teach her that being soft-hearted was a weakness.
An icy chill burst from Wu Tian’s eyes. Never mind a few thousand commoners; even if there were tens of thousands, they may be innocent on the surface, but by knowingly assisting the wicked, Wu Tian would wipe them out all the same.
***
"Sir, what do you mean by that? Are you going to kill us, too?"
"We’re innocent people! You can’t do this!"
The commoners, shielded by their performance of righteousness, began to argue with Wu Tian. Their message was simple: you can’t kill us! They had never wanted to get involved in the royal family’s affairs, but the promise of gold had been too tempting.
***
Hiding atop the Royal Palace walls, Tianjiao gazed at the scene with a triumphant, sly smile.
"Father, what do you think of my strategy?" he asked.
Before the King of Qian Zhong could even respond, the civil and military officials were already whispering flattery to the future king.
"Prince Tianjiao, your wisdom is unparalleled."
"Prince Tianjiao, you are truly formidable."
"Prince Tianjiao, you are invincible."
In a way, the ministers were speaking the truth. What could Wu Tian possibly do to Qian Zhong Country now? Harm it? The entire Artifact Domain would be thrown into chaos, and the commoners would be plunged into the horrors of war. It was a terrifying prospect. In other words, Qian Zhong Country now possessed a shield—a shield named "the will of the people," also known as "the greater good."
"Tianjiao, your method is excellent. Wu Tian won’t dare to touch us now. A private apology? That’s no problem at all," the King of Qian Zhong chuckled. The thought that someone like Wu Tian, a man with such a mysterious background, was utterly powerless against him sent a thrill of pleasure through him.
***
The little one clapped her hands. "Does that mean they all have to be killed?" she asked.
She was very clever, but she admitted to herself that if she were in Wu Tian’s shoes, she truly wouldn’t know what to do.
Qin Yuhan also looked at Wu Tian, wondering, Would he really kill even the commoners?
"The fury of an emperor leaves a million dead in its wake, and among those million, there are surely innocents," Wu Tian stated coldly. "If that is true for an emperor’s wrath, what makes you think mine is any different?"
He flipped his palm, and the Vanquishing Heaven Seal instantly appeared in his hand. At the same moment, a terrifying aura erupted from his body.