In Yu Province's Weihui, when the news from Shuntian Prefecture reached the Lu Palace, the response was not as fierce as the envoy had anticipated. This was because Prince Lu did not appear in person, but instead remained hidden within the palace, claiming illness.
The envoy merely assumed that Prince Lu wished to use his illness to gain Emperor Wanli's sympathy. However, this matter had nothing to do with him, a mere envoy. After delivering the message, he hastily departed, not daring to linger.
In the main hall of the Prince's mansion, an immensely large bronze mirror was placed.
Prince Lu was not in the Prince's mansion in Weihui, but in Hengzhou, Hunan.
This was precisely where the divine position of the "Lingxiao Girl" was born, generated by folk worship. In nature, it was not a righteous god of the Ming court, but an evil or minor deity that could not enter the top thirty-six ranks.
And here, there was a grand Prince's mansion. This was not Prince Lu's mansion, but Prince Yong's mansion. This Prince Yong had passed away in the second year of Zhengde, without heirs, so the mansion remained vacant, and his fiefdom was removed. However, he left behind a prosperous street known as Jin'ao Alley.
The national prestige here was strong, and it was said that divine beasts roamed this area.
Within the Prince's mansion, inside a golden wheel, the entire situation inside and outside Prince Lu's mansion in Yu Province was reflected.
"I truly never imagined that Imperial Brother would actually make a move against me. I originally believed that fraternal affection surpassed all else, yet I never expected we would reach this point."
Prince Lu appeared very young and handsome, elegant and refined, as if in his early twenties. He bore no resemblance to Emperor Wanli, his complexion was ruddy, his spirit was high, and he exuded a gentle aura that made people feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze.
Beside him, he also had a pair of male and female children, like porcelain dolls. He stroked their heads as one would a puppy, displaying a stiff smile, which looked extremely peculiar.
"He could even exile his own son. The current Emperor Wanli is no longer the one you knew."
A voice came from beside Prince Lu. It belonged to a woman in crimson clothing, the Fire Lord.
The Fire Lord possessed the art of fire遁 (dùn), leaping through flames to travel. She repeatedly moved between temples where she was worshipped by incense and returned to the land of Hunan.
遁术 (dùn shù), since ancient times, had been a supreme escape technique among magical arts. Compared to Ji Xiang's earth遁 (dùn), the Fire Lord's fire遁 (dùn) possessed its own unique divine properties.
"Tyrant... Tyrant! This is destiny! Your coming to seek refuge with me is also destiny."
Prince Lu looked at the Fire Lord before him and praised her, "In the future, you can serve as a guest minister in my mansion and assist me in planning great matters. This world, I possess nine prefectures and twenty-five counties, with immense assets. The extraordinary individuals and recluses who have pledged allegiance to me are countless. I will not treat you poorly..."
"Actually, with your beauty, I truly wish to marry you as my consort... Unfortunately, you are too dangerous."
The Fire Lord smiled; Prince Lu was indeed good-looking.
In fact, the people of the Inner Mountain River had already told her that if possible, she should marry Prince Lu as his consort. After all, the physical body was merely a shell, and the joy of love was not a significant matter. If it were only about chastity, the Heavenly Marrow could help her undergo a complete transformation...
Although she still felt a slight disgust, she did not like this Prince. She always felt that this Prince's aura was even more bizarre than her own. However, for the sake of the revival of the Yellow Heaven Cult, to reach a higher realm, and to exact revenge on Ji Xiang, her body was merely a small bargaining chip, truly insignificant.
Rather, the benefits she could gain by using her body felt like a windfall.
However, the people behind Prince Lu had already warned him about the Fire Lord's danger.
"To assassinate Imperial Brother, your courage is not merely greater than the heavens... I don't know whether to call you arrogant or ignorant?"
The Fire Lord frowned slightly, "I did not act without planning. I meticulously planned for two years, inducing Emperor Wanli to bestow a posthumous title and blessings upon the Fire God Temple, thereby obtaining the title of 'Righteous God of the Nation' with the freedom to move within the palace. Furthermore, during the assassination, the Taiyin Tribulation Fire could compensate for all deficiencies. If it weren't for the unexpected appearance of someone midway, Emperor Wanli would have already died by my hand."
Prince Lu poured a cup of tea and blew on it to cool it, "Hoo—! Therefore, you are a dangerous person. To use an imperial prince to plan for two years, to instigate others to usurp the throne, and to assist you, a murderer, perhaps if I marry you as my consort, you might one day dislike me and burn me to death."
"However, do you think you can achieve great success simply by killing Imperial Brother?"
"Do you know who your cultivation method originates from?"
The Fire Lord's beautiful brows furrowed tightly, "My father, Zen Master Tiger Eye, received the Dharma from a mountain hermit..."
"Mountain hermit! Hahaha! Do you know that after the twenty-first year of Jiajing in the Great Ming, many branches of the White Lotus Sect were born? Their leaders and founders, one day, encountered a mountain hermit, accepted his teachings, and within a few days, began to establish their own sects and doctrines..."
"Tell me, who was this mountain hermit?"
The Fire Lord could not guess and shook her head. Prince Lu sighed, "To tell you the truth, the origin of the Yellow Heaven Cult comes from Emperor Shizong of Ming, Emperor Jiajing."
These words greatly shocked the Fire Lord!
"What do you mean by that?"
"Fire Lord, do not be afraid. At least Emperor Jiajing ignored you. In a sense, you are his grand-disciple, and therefore you are my honored guest. Your cultivation method is a precious asset left by Emperor Jiajing within the Outer Mountain River. Even you, in your current state, are very important to me."
"This is because you must recognize me as your King, and I will help you realize your ambitions. However, your teachings must be integrated into mine."
The Fire Lord was suddenly stunned! Greatly surprised, she was somewhat bewildered for a moment.
Prince Lu, you are handsome and dashing, yet you are also a member of the White Lotus Sect?
Good heavens, have you found your organization? Are you rebelling against yourself?
Prince Lu laughed heartily, asking why she was so surprised. Everyone was not a good person. The White Lotus Sect, to put it bluntly, was merely fooling the masses into working for them for free, risking their lives. They were not good things.
Afterward, he did something that horrified even the Fire Lord. He removed his hand from the head of one of the boys and pointed to the door.
The boy was instantly filled with terror, his smile vanishing. Seeing that the child was unwilling to leave, Prince Lu smiled helplessly and reached out... digging out the child's heart.
The boy's heart was extracted, and his body fell to the ground. Prince Lu reached out, used a spell to shrink the body, and then transformed it into a fist-sized meat bun, which he proceeded to eat.
The girl beside him seemed oblivious to the boy's death, still sitting blankly in place, like a puppet, still wearing a smile of terror.
"You!"
Even the ferocious Fire Lord had never witnessed such a horrifying scene. At least the Fire Lord's targets were only those within the Forbidden City. For those outside the city, they were all objects to be utilized. She needed their worship and incense, so why would she actively kill them?
But Prince Lu's actions at this moment made the Fire Lord feel a jolt of electric shock.
"Male and female children, their hearts are the great medicine, they can be refined into elixirs for eternal life... What, can't I do what Emperor Jiajing did? You haven't eaten children, have you? Children are fragrant and tender, their skin is thin and their meat is soft, they melt in your mouth, they feel comfortable to touch and pleasant to hold. It's fun to raise them for a while, and if you get bored, you eat them..."
"Emperor Wuzong of Tang once refined elixirs using human hearts, demanding that the common people of the realm annually tribute the hearts of fifteen-year-old boys and girls. He consumed over eighty human hearts in total. It is said that refining elixirs with the hearts of boys and girls is as effective as the Sun's Heavenly Marrow, capable of achieving immortality on the spot. This technique, it is said, originated from the Luo Shu... Of course, this is definitely false. The Luo Shu is just a pile of tadpole script, who can understand it?"
"You are also a bloodthirsty person, but it's just the death of a child, you shouldn't show such an expression, should you?"
Prince Lu turned his face at this moment. Half of his face had become incredibly ferocious, with blue skin and fangs, like an evil ghost. Simultaneously, a great power surged from him, the power belonging to the peak of the Innate realm!
Seeing the Fire Lord's shock and doubt, Prince Lu stated that in the past, he had used an excuse to remain in the Forbidden City and spent twelve years in secluded cultivation. Since childhood, he had already passed through the Golden Core and Nascent Soul realms!
Those who painstakingly cultivated to become Golden Core Earth Immortals, he could easily defeat with one hand in his adulthood!
No one in the Outer Mountain River knew about this, not even Emperor Wanli, who was closest to him.
"I am nothing like my useless Imperial Brother. He has inferior bones, while I have celestial bones! Although neither of us is a descendant of Emperor Zhengde, inheriting Jiajing's inferior bones, I have consumed the Moon Essence Heavenly Marrow and have already undergone a complete transformation!"
"Digging out a child's heart in front of you is merely to tell you, don't worry. There are no good people here. Feel free to be my helper. Whether it's righteous or evil methods, they are all keys leading to the Great Dao."
The Fire Lord furrowed her brows, "Prince Lu, can you tell me who is behind you? I now feel that you are even more terrifying and ferocious than I am. At least I... do not eat people."
Prince Lu laughed heartily, "Eating or not eating people is not the conclusion to judge whether a person is ferocious or not. I know some monsters that only require tribute of a pair of boys and girls each year, but they can guarantee good weather and abundant harvests for the region for a year. Do you say they are evil or benevolent? In any case, they are certainly more benevolent than you, a traitorous fire woman who kills everywhere, aren't they?"
"At least they protect people, and so do I. At least I protect the people in my fiefdom."