Si Wuya did not use the proper honorific when he spoke. He said again, just as confident as before, “You definitely have one…”
In fact, there was no evidence supporting Si Wuya’s words. Lu Qianshan was not sure if Mu Ertie really did possess a blue crystal, but he thought the chances were high. Earlier, he thought this was another chance for him to tie the Lu clan and Lu Zhou together. He knew Lu Zhou was looking for the blue crystal so even if Si Wuya did not bring this matter up, he would have somehow or other found a way to mention this matter. After all, he was involved in a life-or-death struggle earlier; he had to find a way to ensure his and the Lu clan’s safety.
Lu Zhou was puzzled. He had six Birth Charts now; his senses were extraordinary. He did not sense the Great Void energy on Mu Ertie at all; he wondered why his seventh disciple was so certain that Mu Ertie possessed a blue crystal.
Finally, Mu Ertie asked, “You are?”
“The seventh disciple of the Evil Sky Pavilion,” Si Wuya replied. Then, he continued to say, “There are a few reasons why I’m certain Your Majesty possesses a blue crystal. First, Your Majesty has seen the portrait of the Lu clan’s ancestor. This means that someone brought the painting to Your Majesty or Your Majesty personally went to Lu Qianshan’s study. It’s impossible for the person you sent to bring the painting back without alerting Lu Qianshan nor is it likely for the person to be able to copy the painting accurately on the spot. After taking these into consideration, I’m certain Your Majesty personally went to the Lu clan’s estate…”
The atmosphere in the hall turned awkward.
Mu Ertie’s expression changed slightly due to this revelation. After all, it was really unbecoming of a ruler to sneak into his subject’s residence. After a moment, he said stiffly, “However, that doesn’t mean I possess a blue crystal.”
Si Wuya continued to say, unfazed, “Second, when my master asked about the blue crystals, Your Majesty mentioned the blue crystals contained Great Void energy. How did Your Majesty know the blue crystals contained Great Void energy?” To prevent Mu Ertie from coming up with more excuses, he added, “Did Your Majesty learn about this from Lan Xihe, the Grand Tutor of Great Ming, or Xiao Yunhe? Coincidentally, my master knows all of them so we can easily verify the matter…”
Mu Ertie. “…”
“Third, when my master visited Tower Master Lan, she had said that the blue crystals were original soil from where the Great Void Seeds grew. After the soil was brought out of the Unknown Land, it crystallized into the blue crystals. One would only know their secrets if one had personally seen them…”
Si Wuya’s deduction was quite amazing.
When Lu Qianshan looked at Mu Ertie’s gloomy expression, he felt incredibly comfortable.
Even Lu Zhou was impressed by Si Wuya’s deduction. In the future, he thought he should bring Si Wuya with him when going out. As for his fourth disciple, that cunning fellow, he was more suited to carrying out missions outside.
Mu Ertie defended himself. “That’s not true. An Se’s master had participated in the Great Void Expedition; that’s how I learned about them. Moreover, there were many others who also participated in that expedition. It’s inevitable that information and rumors would circulate about the blue crystals…”
Si Wuya had already expected Mu Ertie to say such words. He said, “The fourth and most important point is that I’ve been cultivating under my master’s tutelage since I was young. I’m deeply familiar with a unique technique called the Qi Observing technique. With this technique, I can accurately discern one’s cultivation and aura. When observing Your Majesty, I’ve confirmed that Your Majesty possesses the Great Void energy…”
Murte was shocked. He instinctively raised his arm and sniffed himself. “Is that so?”
“…”
“…”
It would have been less awkward if Mu Ertie did not react in such a manner.
Si Wuya was not done; he continued to say, “Your Majesty smells of eclipta prostrata, otherwise known as false daisies. There’s also the slight smell of the fire lotus…”
Si Wuya took a step forward and sniffed the air before he said again, “There’s also the smell of the heart of a flower from a flaming silver tree…”
Mu Ertie’s expression grew more and more shocked as he listened to Si Wuya’s words.
Lu Zhou wanted to use his Heavenly Writing Power to have a look but decided against it in the end.
Si Wuya said, “These are all the ingredients used to conceal the Great Void energy. I’m surprised Your Majesty managed to obtain the fire lotus; after all, the fire lotus is a unique plant that only grows in the red lotus domain…”
“…”
Mu Ertie was rendered speechless by Si Wuya’s words. In the end, he sighed and said, “I really admire you… You’re right; I do have one blue crystal.”
Si Wuya smiled and remained silent.
Mu Ertie said to Si Wuya, “The red lotus domain was under the control of the Black Tower Council; it’s not surprising that I had the fire lotus. Moreover, Duke Cui An of Fu in Great Tang is one of my men.”
Lu Zhou said bluntly, “Alright. The blue crystal is useless to you. You can exchange it for something with me.”
“This…”
Lu Zhou said, “You’ve already absorbed what you can of the Great Void energy from the blue crystal. You should exchange it for something more valuable. Think about your answer carefully; don’t disappoint me.”
Mu Ertie frowned. “This… Pavilion Master Lu, I respect you and hope to cooperate with you, but…”
Lu Zhou interjected, “Even Lan Xihe, a 13 Chart expert, made the right decision…”
“…”
Mu Ertie felt his eyelids twitch. After taking a deep breath, he said, “Since Pavilion Master Lu has spoken, I can only acquiesce…” Following that, he rose to his feet and left the hall.
After some time, Mu Ertie finally returned to the hall with a brocade box in his hand and handed it over to Lu Zhou.
Clack!
Lu Zhou opened the box and saw a crystal that was as blue as the sky lying quietly inside. He asked, “Where did you find this?”
Out of the nine blue crystals Lu Zhou had to find, the whereabouts of three blue crystals were incredibly mysterious. Mu Ertie must have obtained extraordinary information to obtain the crystal.
“The purple lotus domain,” Mu Ertie replied.
Realization dawned on Si Wuya.
The Black Tower Council and Great Yuan’s royal court had implemented the captivity plan in the purple lotus domain. It was not surprising then that Mu Ertie managed to obtain the blue crystal from there.
The red lotus domain and the purple lotus domain were similar; both were monopolized and under the control of the black lotus domain’s Black Tower Council.
Si Wuya asked, “Where is it?”
“It’s 100,000 miles to the west of the Endless Ocean if one travels on the Sky Shuttle,” Mu Ertie replied.
“Is there a runic passage to that place?” Si Wuya asked.
“Of course.”
Si Wuya bowed to Lu Zhou and said, “Master, I’m willing to head to the purple lotus domain to search for the remaining blue crystals.”
Lu Zhou said, “We’ll discuss this later.”
“Understood.”
Lu Zhou put away the blue crystal.
“Ding! Second Avatar: Collecting blue crystals (3/9).”
If Lu Zhou counted the blue crystal he was supposed to receive from Gongsun Yuansuan, the Grand Tutor of Great Ming, he had four blue crystals now. Another three clue crystals were with Xiao Yunhe, and the whereabouts of the remaining two were unknown.
Following that, Lu Zhou casually flicked his sleeve. A bronze ring appeared in his hand immediately. He said, “This is the Hades Ring. It’s at the desolate grade at least. You’re an emperor so this suits you. Consider this a reward for the blue crystal.”
“Ding! The Hades Ring(grade unknown): greatly increases one’s combat strength.”
“…” Mu Ertie’s expression stiffened. “This… This used to belong to Judge Nangong Yutian from the White Tower Council?”
“You’ve heard of it?”
“This ring can increase one’s combat strength by two times for a period. Pavilion Master Lu, you… you’re really willing to give this to me?” Mu Ertie asked.
Lu Zhou said, “That’s great. It seems like you like the ring; I thought you would dislike it. Alright, this belongs to you from now on.”
Mu Ertie’s eyelids twitched again. Nevertheless, he still forced a smile on his face and said, “Thank you, Pavilion Master Lu.”
Now that Lu Zhou had obtained the blue crystal, he did not intend to stay any longer.
Before Lu Zhou left, Mu Ertie said with a smile, “Pavilion Master Lu, now that the Evil Sky Pavilion and Great Yuan’s royal court are acquainted, I hope we can help each other in the future…”
“Alright,” Lu Zhou said indifferently, “I admire people who know their place. You’re worthy of being the Emperor of Great Yuan.”
“…”
Lu Zhou turned around and walked out of the hall after he finished speaking.
After Lu Qianshan bowed at Mu Ertie perfunctorily, he followed Lu Zhou out.
Mu Ertie hurriedly said, “Send the Pavilion Master off…”
“No need…” Lu Zhou’s voice rang from outside of the hall.
Following that, Lu Zhou, Si Wuya, and Lu Qianshan flew out of the royal palace.
After Lu Zhou and the others finally left, the smile on Mu Ertie’s face finally vanished without a trace. He was so angry that he could not speak and his body began to tremble.
“Your Majesty, please calm down.”
Mu Ertie, the Black Emperor, felt his heart ache. “The blue crystal I spent so much effort searching for is gone just like that!”
Eunuch Zhang sighed before he said, “Your Majesty, there’s no point dwelling on this. Moreover, Pavilion Master Lu was right; the blue crystal is useless to you. It can be considered a gain to exchange it for the Hades Ring.”
“The Hades Ring?” Mu Ertie lifted his left hand, and the bronze Hades Ring appeared on his palm. Then, he lifted his right hand where he wore a dark green ring. The dark green ring flashed as he moved it to touch the bronze Hades Ring.
Bang!
The bronze Hades Ring shattered immediately.
Eunuch Zhang. “…”
Mu Ertie dropped the shattered pieces of the bronze ring carelessly as he said, “The real Hades Ring is with me!”