In the imperial capital city of the Golden Leaf Empire, at the estate of the Nord family.
Raymond Nord finished reading the confidential report in his hand and with a flash of energy, the report turned into ashes.
"Lilith, did you see that? That brat Qi Bei has finally made some progress. Whoever dares to laugh at him in the future, I'll twist off their heads," Raymond Nord said, stroking the emerald ring on his finger with a mix of contentment and sadness in his eyes.
Raymond Nord was the leader of his generation of the Nord family, but he may not necessarily be the next patriarch.
As the patriarch of this massive family, leadership ability and strong power were important, but having heirs was also crucial.
Among Raymond's dozen or so brothers, he had the fewest heirs, only two sons. After his wife died in childbirth, he never remarried, and Qi Bei, one of his sons, was destined to be a weak person all his life because of his lack of talent.
However, Raymond did not marginalize Qi Bei because of his weakness. Of his two sons, Huai'an resembled him, while Qi Bei strongly resembled his mother. Because Qi Bei couldn't cultivate magic and battle qi, Raymond was overly protective of him.
The patriarch disagreed with this approach, but Raymond insisted on it and could not bear to see Qi Bei suffer even the slightest discomfort. Instead, he was very strict with Huai'an, the genius of the family, in order to toughen him up.
But now, Qi Bei has risen like a star. Although Raymond still couldn't believe it, he knew that what Huai'an said must be true, and he just had to personally verify it when Qi Bei returned.
"Emperor Han Mo, you've handled the marriage of Ming Yue and Qi Bei so well this time. Haha." Raymond thought of this and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Han Mo, the Emperor of the Han Royal family, was a talented and ambitious ruler, but the conflict between imperial power and noble families could never be resolved, no matter the dynasty or the generation. This conflict was even more acute in the Golden Leaf Empire.
Even if the Nord family were to give up their power now, with their influence and appeal, Emperor Han Mo would still be restless and uneasy, unless the Nord family was completely eradicated.
But with tens of thousands of people in the Nord family, how could they be slaughtered like sheep? Therefore, the conflict between the two sides was irreconcilable.
The fifth young master of the Nord family, the supposed waste, has returned alive from the Undead Mountain Range.
This news quickly spread throughout the capital city. From high-ranking officials and nobles to ordinary citizens, almost everyone was talking about it. If someone didn't know, they would be looked down upon.
At this point, it had been nine months since Qi Bei was abducted by the necromancer and taken to the Undead Mountain Range.
What kind of a place was the Undead Mountain Range? It was a forbidden area for humans. Even if it was a mage or warrior of the king-grade, staying there for so long would result in death with no trace left behind.
And yet, how did Qi Bei, who was powerless, manage to survive?
Someone said that Qi Bei had been hiding in a cave, surviving on eating earthworms and such until he was found by his older brother Huai'an Nord.
Some said that Qi Bei found a divine medicine left by a deity in the cave, and after consuming it, he became impervious to knives, spears, and all kinds of poisons.
Others said that a female zombie that had awakened spiritual intelligence had taken a liking to Qi Bei, and in order to survive, he had to be XXOO-ed by her one hundred times every day. If Qi Bei were to hear this version, one can only imagine what he would feel…
Aside from that, the topic most discussed was the marriage between Qi Bei and Princess Ming Yue.
Back then, Emperor Han Mo promised that if Qi Bei returned alive from the Undead Mountain Range, he would marry Princess Ming Yue to him.
Whether Emperor Han Mo would break his promise or keep it became the focus of discussion.
Regarding this question, there were not so many versions like the stories of how Qi Bei returned alive from the Undead Mountain Range. The discussants were divided into two distinct factions.
One faction believed that Princess Ming Yue was Emperor Han Mo's favorite daughter, a genius in practicing light magic, and a world apart from Qi Bei, who was a waste. Emperor Han Mo's promise back then was just a way to placate the Nord family. Even if Qi Bei returned alive, he could just break his promise, and the Nord family couldn't do anything about it.
The other faction believed that Emperor Han Mo, as the emperor, could not go back on his word, and the Nord family was not easy to deal with. He was now in a difficult position and could only swallow this bitter pill.
The whole capital was in an uproar, and it was impossible for there not to be pushing and shoving behind the scenes from both sides.
At this time, Princess Ming Yue, one of the parties involved, sat on the swing in the backyard of her residence, holding her unicorn cub with a calm expression. Her white skirt fluttered with the swing, as if she were a character in a painting.
"Xiao Bei, he actually came back alive from the Undead Mountain Range. What should I do?" Ming Yue asked softly, but her gaze was as cold as ice, without a hint of confusion. Perhaps she had already figured out what to do.
The unicorn cub in her arms let out a few neighs, unable to understand what its master was talking about.
"Kill him!" a creepy voice sounded in Ming Yue's ear, and behind her, a ghostly figure appeared out of nowhere.
Ming Yue's expression did not change in the slightest. She wasn't asking the unicorn cub earlier; she was asking this mysterious person.
"He can't die now. Father's plan has not yet been completed. If he dies, the Nord family will surely retaliate, and I will be the criminal of the Golden Leaf Empire." Ming Yue said calmly.
"I only know how to kill people. Asking me what to do is as good as asking for nothing." The mysterious person finished speaking and gradually disappeared, soon becoming nothing more than obscure particles in the sunlight, dissipating into the air.
"Ah, I wasn't really asking. I just wanted to talk to someone." Ming Yue sighed, lightly stroking the strands of hair on her forehead.
…
…
The southern gate of the imperial capital was guarded by two columns of fully armed soldiers on the left and right. On top of the city wall above the gate, Emperor Han Mo stood with deep and profound gaze looking into the distance.
On Han Mo's left side stood his trusted ministers, while on his right were several core members of the Nord family.
The head of the Nord family Kurt Nord, however, sat in a chair behind the Emperor. The old man who was famous throughout the empire, but now looks old and worn out. His face was like tree bark, and his eyes are somewhat hazy. He held a cane made of an unknown material, which looks like it could fall apart at any moment.
However, Kurt Nord has looked like this for the past ten years and was still alive and well. He just looks a little more aged now.
'You old coot, why aren't you dead yet?' Han Mo glanced at Kurt Nord, who was dozing off, and cursed in his heart. He could guarantee that this old man's appearance is just an act, so he still had to smile kindly and respectfully at him.
"Oh, Lord Kurt, it's quite windy here. You should go back and wait," Emperor Han Mo said with concern.
"Ah…what did Your Majesty say just now? My hearing is not so good," Kurt opened his hazy eyes and looked at Emperor Han Mo.
Emperor Han Mo repeated what he said, and only then did Kurt nod and say loudly, "Your Majesty's health is important. If It's windy, please don't bother to wait. I respectfully bid farewell to Your Majesty."
Kurt's voice was loud enough for everyone on the city wall and below to hear.