Lin Fan spoke in a low voice, as if recounting a story.
"They accompanied me, cared for me for ten years. From our first meeting to becoming my friends, we had a good relationship. I could feel it, they were unwilling."
"To leave Purple Mountain, to leave me, their friend, they didn't want to. But their families needed them; they were devoted to their families. I liked them very much."
"But now, you've killed them. I'm furious, and heartbroken."
He slowly walked towards the imperial carriage.
"Come out. A life for a life. This cannot be forgiven."
As soon as he finished speaking, a strange, unprecedented feeling emanated from Lin Fan, despite his slow, deliberate speech.
Di Sheng watched Lin Fan. Having served the manor's master for a long time, he knew Lin Fan well. But he swore he had never seen the master like this before: a calm expression, yet uttering chilling words.
"Insolent! Get down!"
Wang Zhong, enraged, was about to attack Lin Fan, but suddenly met his gaze. Those eyes made him tremble with fear, his heart turning cold. It was like looking into an abyss, where a pair of eyes stared back, pulling at his soul, unknowingly drawing him into an illusion.
He abruptly snapped back to reality.
Gasping, his forehead covered in cold sweat, the thought of punishing Lin Fan vanished. He felt that any reckless move would result in his death.
The manor's master, Lin Fan, standing before him, was a true expert.
Lin Fan paid no attention to Wang Zhong, his gaze fixed on the imperial carriage. Then, the carriage curtains parted, and the Emperor slowly emerged.
The Emperor, now middle-aged, wore his dragon robe. Every movement exuded an awe-inspiring presence.
"You want me to pay with my life?" the Emperor asked.
Lin Fan replied, "Yes."
The Emperor laughed, a low chuckle. "Nonsense."
Lin Fan extended a hand towards the Emperor. The Emperor, not the least bit intimidated, instantly erupted with a golden dragon aura, forming a majestic protective qi that bathed the surroundings in a golden light.
The two Heavenly Saints were shocked.
They never knew the Emperor's strength was so terrifying. Even in the past, they only considered him somewhat capable. But the power he now displayed was astonishing.
Exchanging glances, they felt a chill.
With the Emperor's current strength, even the two of them combined might not be able to defeat him, or rather, they might very well be killed. They realized the Emperor's earlier confidence in having them approach wasn't arrogance, but genuine self-assurance.
The Emperor looked at Lin Fan's hand, sneering inwardly.
But his sneer quickly vanished, as if frozen.
The hand, seemingly unimpeded, effortlessly shattered his protective qi, gripped his throat, and slowly lifted him into the air.
The surrounding soldiers were stunned.
Other powerful figures cried out, "Release His Majesty!"
They hadn't anticipated this. When the Emperor displayed his strength, they had only one thought: Did such an Emperor even need their protection?
The Emperor could no longer maintain his composure or confident demeanor. His eyes widened in terror.
"I am ordained by Heaven, the Son of Heaven! How dare you disrespect me?"
He roared furiously. Perhaps this world truly possessed some will, as the sky thundered and lightning flashed. An imperial dragon aura erupted from the Emperor, forming a golden dragon that soared through the sky. The golden dragon roared, looking down at Lin Fan, its massive eyes fixed on him.
"Hahaha! I am ordained by Heaven, protected by the True Dragon! Do you dare kill me?"
This scene shattered everyone's worldview.
The two Heavenly Saints looked up at the sky, murmuring, "Mysterious, truly mysterious. Are there really immortals?"
They had both reached the pinnacle of cultivation.
This was the ultimate limit of martial arts.
But now, witnessing the Emperor's situation, they felt that perhaps immortals truly existed, beings beyond their comprehension.
"Long live His Majesty!"
"Long live His Majesty!"
The army chanted, some kneeling in worship. They had seen the dragon, the dragon of myth. To them, the Emperor was the destined Son of Heaven, invincible against any evil.
Han Yan's face was pale. Although she hadn't witnessed the fall of the previous dynasty, she knew that even their former Emperor didn't have such a golden dragon protector.
At this moment, the Emperor felt invincible, as if everything in the world was under his control. He could decide who lived and who died. But he couldn't understand why he couldn't break free from Lin Fan's grip.
Lin Fan looked up, calmly at the golden dragon.
Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed.
Behind Lin Fan, a giant dragon materialized, larger and more majestic than the Emperor's, leaving everyone dumbfounded and speechless.
Even the two Heavenly Saints were stunned.
"Manor Master Lin also has a True Dragon protector?"
With their current knowledge, they couldn't understand what Lin Fan was.
But soon, an even more astonishing scene unfolded.
Perhaps sensing Lin Fan's anger, his dragon roared furiously, then swooped down and devoured the Emperor's dragon in one gulp.
Like a big fish eating a small fish, there was no resistance.
"Impossible!"
The Emperor lost his composure, his expression filled with panic and fear as he looked at Lin Fan. "You can't kill me! I am ordained by Heaven, the Son of Heaven! I have the True Dragon's protection! You can't kill me!"
Crack!
Lin Fan exerted a slight pressure, then released his grip without another glance. The Emperor's body went limp, sliding from Lin Fan's hand and landing lifelessly on the carriage floor.
"Ah!" The army cried out in unison.
The accompanying experts gasped.
The old eunuch who had always served the Emperor, as if suddenly realizing something, knelt and proclaimed in a shrill voice, "Hail the new Emperor! The new Emperor is the true one ordained by Heaven, the Saintly Emperor of Humanity! We were all deceived by the demonic dragon, and failed to recognize the new Emperor!"
A wise man submits to circumstances.
The old eunuch was clever. Survival was paramount.
Han Yan was horrified. The current Emperor was dead, just like that. Her mind raced, replaying various scenarios.
No…
We were all tricked.
He hadn't been accumulating treasures or training an army. Their previous assumptions were wrong.
He had been concealing his strength, waiting for this day. With the imperial army present, he had anticipated the Emperor's personal expedition, allowing him to kill the Emperor on the spot, intimidate the hundreds of thousands of troops, and thus establish himself as the rightful ruler.
He kept the two Heavenly Saints not to bolster his own strength, but to use their status to lure the Emperor. The Emperor, aware of their importance, wouldn't send anyone else; only he could personally come and suppress them.
And his arrival played right into Lin Fan's plan.
Thinking it through, it was terrifying.
A cunning plan, vast and dreadful. Han Yan felt despair. How could they fight against such an opponent?
But one thing she couldn't understand was…
If this was the case, why keep her and her sister alive?
Perhaps as a backup plan.
Lin Fan bent down and picked up the jade pendant.
"You don't deserve my gift."
He turned and left, carrying his bag towards Purple Mountain.
"New Emperor… no, Your Majesty, you should return to the palace with us," the old eunuch, like a loyal dog, shifted his allegiance and groveled at Lin Fan's feet.
Lin Fan glanced at him and continued walking. That single glance made the old eunuch tremble, his hands and feet turning cold.
Back at Purple Mountain, Lin Fan stood at the peak, digging graves with tools.
Some maids wept.
"Xiao Yun died so tragically. She still has two younger brothers and a senile father."
"The master has avenged them. They can now rest in peace."
Lin Fan finished the tombstones.
"Bring their families to the manor. They have no one to rely on, it will be hard for them to survive. It's my fault. If I had thought of this earlier, and brought their families here, this wouldn't have happened."
He was deeply saddened.
He swore to himself that in the future, he would think things through thoroughly and never be careless again.
"You all have families, right? You can bring them to the manor to live together, so you won't have to worry about these things anymore."
The surrounding maids and servants looked at their master in astonishment.
They had never imagined such a thing.
"Master, is it true?"
Lin Fan said, "It's true."
The maids and servants knelt. "Thank you for your grace, Master."
The two Heavenly Saints, seasoned wanderers of the martial world, had witnessed much death, but this was the first time they had seen their master grieve over the death of servants.
And they had never seen anyone kill the current Emperor because of the death of servants.
Who was he?
Was he really just from a former dynasty's noble family?
If they weren't mistaken, that was indeed a dragon, a dragon even more majestic than the Emperor's. In comparison, the Emperor's dragon was like an earthworm, utterly insignificant.
Lin Fan looked at everyone. "You've all been with me for a long time. We're very familiar with each other. To me, even if we may not meet again in the future, I cherish those who stay by my side. You can tell me anything."
The maids were moved to tears by their master's words, overflowing with gratitude.
"Wuwuwu…"
"I want to be the master's servant in my next life."
"Me too."
"Can I get a promotion? I want to be the master's concubine and experience his deeper love for me."
This maid's words drew scorn from the others. How greedy.
"Let's all offer them incense," Lin Fan said.
Everyone composed themselves, took incense sticks, and went to the graves, filled with regret. If only they hadn't left, this wouldn't have happened. Unfortunately, some things couldn't be undone. There was no turning back.
They hoped that in their next lives, they would meet their master again and continue their master-servant relationship.
Several days later, in the imperial capital, a heavy atmosphere hung in the air.
The old eunuch wailed, "Your Highness, His Majesty has been murdered! The villain was ferocious and cruel! His Majesty unfortunately… Wuwuwu…"
The dramatic old eunuch sobbed loudly.
The Crown Prince, only eleven or twelve years old, had a gloomy expression, terrifying for a child.
The Crown Prince said in a low voice, "You were my father's most beloved subject. Go with him. Grant him a cup of imperial wine."
"Ah?"
The old eunuch was dumbfounded.
You want me dead, you little…