Chapter 2092 – Making Merry
Yun Che was sitting on the top seat of the room, whereas Meng Jianze was keeping such a low posture that it almost looked servile. His behavior and conduct all bespoke regret for his earlier actions.
He had never been this humble even when he was standing before Meng Jianxi.
There was a saying called, “One does not slap a smiling person,” so Yun Che said smilingly, “Since I am Meng Jianyuan, I should still address you as my older brother. The conflicts that day happened purely because of differing standpoints, so you really do not need to act like this.”
Meng Jianze hurriedly said, “Your magnanimity is such that I feel more ashamed than ever. In the future, just give me the command, and I swear to see it through even if it costs me a million deaths.”
“That is a grave promise. It is not something that should be said frivolously.” Yun Che’s expression turned a little serious. “If I take it seriously, that would severely damage your longtime friendship with Divine Son Jianxi, wouldn’t it?”
Meng Jianze slowly shook his head. “I am a descendant of Meng. This body and soul exists only for the sake of the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God. Therefore, I serve not a specific person, but the one and only Divine Son who controls the future of Dreamweaver!”
It was quite the deliberate choice of phrasing. The phrase “one and only Divine Son” could be interpreted in many ways after all.
Having said that, Meng Jianze took two steps forward and held out his hands. A jade box about two-thirds of a meter long appeared out of nowhere. It was surrounded by profound light and locked by at least three seals.
Meng Jianze placed the jade box on the tea table and unlocked the three seals in succession. Then, he opened the right side of the box and revealed a blast of radiance.
Meng Jianze reached into the jade box and carefully retrieved a small and delicate soft armor that was shining with silver light.
“Divine Son Yuan.” He lifted the soft armor and presented it to Yun Che. “This armor is called the Spirit Armor of Disaster Elimination. It was bestowed to me by Father when I entered the Divine Extinction Realm. It can neutralize even the full-powered strike of a middle-stage Half-god instantly.”
“Although Divine Son Yuan is exceedingly talented and a Godbearer with perfect divine essence, you are still young, and your cultivation level is weak at the moment. You need this armor far more than I do… Of course, I am aware that your safety is the top priority of the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God, and Father will surely do everything in his power to safeguard you. However, the armor is an additional layer of insurance that will set both Father and I at ease.”
Yun Che was both looking at the armor and side-eying the jade box on the table. No one could ignore the extraordinary radiance still spilling out of the jade box.
Yun Che accepted the soft armor without hesitation and said, “Very well. I see no reason to turn down your sincere apology. You and I no longer owe each other, and what happens in the future depends solely on the trajectory of our paths.”
Overjoyed, Meng Jianze said, “Your words are most welcoming, Divine Son Yuan. I can finally rest—”
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
A panicked scream suddenly came from outside the hall. It grew louder in no time at all.
Meng Jianze turned around and roared, “The insolence! How can you scream like that in the presence of Divine Son Yuan?!”
The screamer almost barged into the room on all fours while crying, “Your Highness, the first lady is suffering a relapse of her old injuries! She’s… she’s…”
“What!?”
Meng Jianze turned as white as a sheet, every hair on his head standing on end from how shocked he was. He subconsciously raced toward the exit and only recalled Yun Che’s existence right before he passed through the exit. He hurriedly looked back with a panicky expression on his face, “Divine Son Yuan, forgive me for not being able to accompany you. As you heard, my wife’s life is currently in danger. Please accommodate yourself while I’m gone. I will return to complete my apology when this is done.”
Having said that, he was gone in the blink of an eye.
The servant girl who reported the incident had also ran after Meng Jianze. Now, Yun Che was all alone inside the hall.
Yun Che stood up and walked over to the jade box Meng Jianze had forgotten to put away in his haste. He opened it completely, and the silvery radiance that seemed like it came from the moon itself filled every corner of the hall. The profound energy it emitted was so thick, so refined, that any profound practitioner’s profound veins would be shaken by it.
Yun Che reached out and grabbed the divine jade emitting the light of the moon. It was an abyssal crystal; an extremely rare and mutated form of abyssal crystal. The sheer power it contained far exceeded that of an ordinary abyssal crystal as well.
“An abyssal crystal at this level must be treated like a divine object even in a Kingdom of God,” Yun Che commented softly. “I don’t think Meng Jianze is powerful or prestigious enough to enjoy this level of resource.”
Li Suo replied, “Meng Jianze is trying to tempt you into taking it.”
The corners of Yun Che’s lips turned up. “See? Even you can see through this ploy.”
“…” Li Suo wondered if she should just stay silent but ultimately said, “It’s a lowly, substandard ploy.”
“Oh no.” Yun Che shook his head immediately. “It might look pathetic, but there’s actually more to this than you would expect.”
“?” Li Suo was used to his retorts at this point.
Yun Che explained slowly, “The brilliance of this setup lies in Meng Jianze’s behavior. He’s been acting so obsequious today—so servile that he only wished he could kowtow to me—that, had I been a different person, I might just think that his attitude toward me had truly done a one-eighty. I might think that I could ask anything from him, and he would give it all without even a fight.”
Yun Che lifted the Divine Jade of Revelation and examined it closely. “If I really thought like that, then there is a good chance I might be overwhelmed by the tides of shock, excitement, and greed the moment I saw such a priceless treasure. Combined with the delusion that I could just take it without any consequences… I might have just stolen it without thinking.”
“So…” Li Suo asked, “Is he trying to frame you for theft?”
“No, that isn’t entirely accurate,” Yun Che answered. “He’s trying to leave a stain on my name; the kind that is irremovable even if you only succumb to it one time.”
“I think this is an attempt by Meng Jianxi’s clique to test me. In the future, similar temptations will be presented before me one after another. They know they can’t shove me around like they do with others, so they decided to resort to such tactics instead. It’s a good adaptation. If they succeed, they could tarnish my name irreversibly without ever drawing blood or leaving me a tail to grab.”
It sounded like he was acknowledging Meng Jianxi’s clique, but the disdainful sneer on his face said it was anything but. He lowered his arm like he was trying to place the Divine Jade of Revelation back into the jade box, but at the last possible moment, he slipped it into the Sky Poison Pearl instead.
Bang!
With this, the jade box was shut tightly.
“Why did you take it if you knew what they were plotting?” Li Suo asked in puzzlement.
Yun Che turned around and strode toward the exit. “Why should I look a gift horse in the mouth?”
“Had Meng Jianxi meekly accepted his fate, then I wouldn’t have bothered to afford him a second glance. However, he did not. In that case, this monarch does not mind reminding him how the word ‘Regret’ is written!”
“I am the Fog Monarch who will soon turn the world upside down after all. I think I deserve some amusement every once in a while.”
Li Suo: “…”
Not long after Yun Che was gone, Meng Jianze raced into the hall and made a beeline for the jade box. He opened it.
As soon as he saw what was inside—or rather, the lack thereof—astonishment and surprise flickered through his face. Then, it morphed into deep, unbridled joy.
He abruptly reached out and sucked a hidden Profound Imagery Stone into his palm. When he checked its contents with his divine perception, the joy on his face deepened even more.
A sound transmission formation took form in front of him as he cried out with barely suppressed excitement, “Your Majesty, Meng Jianyuan stole the Divine Jade of Revelation!”
“…” There was a long silence as if the listener could not believe what she was hearing. Finally, Meng Xuanjue said, “Are you certain? Did you engrave it with the Profound Imagery Stone?”
Meng Jianze replied in a hurry, “I’m holding the Profound Imagery Stone right now. It recorded him stealing the Divine Jade of Revelation as clear as day!”
Meng Xuanjue let out a cold chuckle. “I thought that the chances he would steal the Divine Jade of Revelation were less than twenty percent, but I guess I overestimated him after all. Then again, he is an inferior being who wandered the outside world for over a century, and he suddenly obtained the protection of Hua Qingying and the affection of the Divine Regent. Of course he was going to lose all sense of caution.”
Meng Jianze nodded deeply. “Agreed. So what if he has a perfect divine essence? The large majority of the Dream Halls are still under His Highness’ control. A little bit of strategy is all we need to drag him into the mud. Soon, he won’t have any right to compete for the position of Divine Son anymore.”
“Should I report this to Father right now, Your Majesty?”
“No.” Meng Xuanjue’s voice was low and dark. Even through the sound transmission formation, Meng Jianze could almost imagine her cold, scary eyes. “If you tell him about this, he will suppress it immediately. Instead, inform the Nine Dream Halls about this, all of them! At the same time, spread word of this theft as much as possible!”
“Meng Jianyuan had just made a name for himself, but he is unable to help his innate treachery and greed and committed the audacious act of stealing the Dreamweaver Divine Son’s Divine Jade of Revelation, a gift from the Divine Regent Himself… I’m sure the news will liven up the entire Dreamweaver Kingdom of God for a good while.”
Once Yun Che returned to the Divine Son Palace, he went straight for his bedroom. He ordered, “I’ve been cultivating for days, and I’m feeling a bit tired. Keep watch while I rest, Zhiyuan. Allow no one to enter unless it’s a matter of grave importance.”
Unfortunately for Yun Che, his rest didn’t last too long. Not even two hours later, the “matter of grave importance” had already erupted.
“Get out here right now, Meng Jianyuan!”
A furious roar resounded throughout the Divine Son Palace. No one had dared to act so insolently before the Divine Son Palace since the Divine Son conferral ceremony.
Meng Jianze’s eyes were sharp like swords, and his face was overflowing with anger. He looked like a different man who acted completely obsequious before Yun Che earlier. He was supposed to be grounded, but he was now forcing his way into the Divine Son Palace.
There was a blur, and Lu Laisheng blocked in front of Meng Jianze. He was about to say something when he saw something and flinched. It was because Meng Jianze was accompanied by a group of people that could only be described as terrifying. Meng Kongdu, Meng Chaoyang, Meng Jinghai… all nine Lords of Dream Halls were present!
“This humble menial greets the Dream Lords.” Lu Laisheng hurriedly saluted them even as he felt his scalp crawling with fear and trepidation. He messaged his men in secret, “Quick! Notify the young master right now!”
The second Dream Lord, Meng Chaoyang swept his gaze across everyone before saying meaningfully, “What a rare occurrence. I wasn’t expecting to see everyone here. It looks like someone is trying to make a huge fuss about this matter.”
“Hmph!” Meng Xuanji sneered. “There is only one Divine Jade of Revelation in the entire Dreamweaver. It is a huge matter. Even worse, the character of our sub Dreamweaver Divine Son is questioned. If this isn’t a huge matter, then what is?”
The gift Dream Lord, Meng Chaofeng said meaningfully, “From what I observed from Divine Son Yuan’s character, there is no way he would do such a thing. I suspect that foul play is involved in this matter.”
“I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed, Dream Lord Chaofeng,” Meng Jinghai replied coldly.
It was at this moment everyone turned around and watched as Yun Che slowly stepped out of a corner. His footsteps were light, and his eyes looked bleary. When he got close, he even let out a huge yawn as if he had just awoken from his slumber.
Acting as if he had just seen the newcomers at his gate, a disgruntled Divine Son Yuan complained, “It’s you guys and… Meng Jianze? I thought you were grounded? Why are you screaming bloody murder at my palace?”
“Meng Jianyuan!” Meng Jianze glared at him angrily. “I laid down my pride and apologized to you. I was just shy of sticking my face to the bottom of your foot! Despite all that I have done, you dare to steal the Divine Jade of Revelation?! That is the gift Father had personally bestowed to Divine Son Jianxi!”
“Hmm? Divine Jade of Revelation?” Yun Che wore a confused expression before exclaiming in realization, “Oh, you mean that shiny, mutated abyssal crystal? The name really doesn’t fit it, does it?”
“Cut the nonsense and give it back to me already!” Meng Jianze uttered harshly as if he had thrown all caution to the wind. “Otherwise, I will not overlook this theft even if you are who you are, Divine Son Yuan!”
Yun Che touched his chin and eyed him closely. “Theft? My oh my, you better watch what you’re saying, Meng Jianze.”
“What are you all doing here?!”
It was at this moment a dignified voice boomed, and everyone straightened up instinctively. Then, they dropped to their knees and greeted Meng Kongchan, “We greet you, Divine Regent.”
Meng Kongchan rapidly approached from afar. He was followed by the Chief Lord Meng Cangji and Meng Jianxi, whose expression was difficult to identify.
Meng Kongchan’s expression darkened slightly when he noted that all nine Dream Lords were present. He slowly swept his gaze across everyone before asking slowly, “Who gave you permission to leave your residence, Jianze?”
Meng Jianze fell to his knees and replied in a pained voice, “I would not dare to disobey your orders under any other circumstances, Father, but… I lost the Divine Jade of Revelation you gifted to His Highness. This is a matter of grave importance, and I dared not treat it lightly even if the punishment I received is several times greater than this.”
He abruptly turned around and pointed a finger at Yun Che. His tone turned harsh as he accused him, “It was Divine Son Yuan! After you punished me, Father, I felt deep regret and invited Divine Son Yuan to my residence every day in hopes of apologizing to him in person. Today, Divine Son Yuan finally deigned to accept my invitation and came to my residence. I offered him the greatest apology I could and even gifted him the Spirit Armor of Disaster Elimination.”
“However, Suqin suddenly suffered a relapse, and I had no choice but to go to her side and calm her injuries with my profound energy. I never expected Divine Son Yuan to seize this opportunity and steal the Divine Jade of Revelation I left behind in my hall.”
Meng Jianxi clenched his hands and released them from time to time. His eyes were twitching now and then with unease.
Meng Chaoyang interrupted, “How strange. How did Jianxi’s Divine Jade of Revelation come to fall in your hands?”
Meng Jianze immediately replied, “His Highness was going to use the Divine Jade of Revelation when he enters the fifth level of the Divine Extinction Realm, but I recently encountered a wall while attempting to progress my soul. So, His Highness lent me the Divine Jade of Revelation temporarily so that its divine light may assist with my breakthrough.”
“This was a great gift from His Highness and a huge show of trust, but I…”
He sobbed, “This is such an important matter that I panicked. To think that I have alarmed even Father and the Dream Lords… I have committed an unforgivable crime.”
“…” Meng Jianxi shot Meng Jianze a long look, but he could hardly step out and correct his subordinate, could he?
“Yuan’er,” Meng Kongchan asked without revealing his true emotions whatsoever. “Did you take the Divine Jade of Revelation as Jianze said you did?”
“Of course not.” Yun Che’s eyes were still bleary with sleepiness, but they were also pure and bright. “I would simply ask you if I wanted something, Divine Regent.”
“That’s correct.” Meng Kongchan nodded.
“If you are the thief, then of course you wouldn’t admit to your crime!” Meng Cangji took a step forward and said angrily, “Why are you so sure that Meng Jianyuan is the one who stole the item, Jianze? Do you have proof?”
“Of course!”
Meng Jianze revealed the Profound Imagery Stone he had been holding in his palm this whole time. With just a small injection of profound energy, a recording began playing before everyone’s eyes.
Inside the projection, Yun Che was standing in front of the jade box with his back facing toward the Profound Imagery Stone. Despite this, one could clearly see that he had removed the Divine Jade of Revelation and was examining it. A short while later, he seemingly put it back in the box, and the divine light disappeared just like that. When Yun Che turned to leave, the jade box was closed completely.
The projection ended, and for a time, no one said anything. They were all wearing odd expressions.
Meng Cangji’s hair was standing as he erupted in fury, “Meng Jianyuan, this old one never imagined that you would commit such a heinous act! What else do you have to say for yourself?!”