Chapter 219: Chapter 219: Grand Havoc in the Royal Palace (End)_1
At the same time he retracted Blue Snow, Qin Feiyang took a step forward, grasping Xia Qianqian’s arm and pulling her up.
He then grabbed Xia Qianqian’s neck without turning his head, shouting, "Stop right now, or don’t blame me for being rude!"
The dozen or so guards halted simultaneously, their eyes gleaming coldly.
Xia Qianqian struggled.
But she was only a Nine-Star martial master, while Qin Feiyang was now a Two-star Martial Ancestor. How could she possibly break free?
"Quick, go and report to the King!" a guard in the front row said to another guard behind him.
Qin Feiyang, holding Xia Qianqian hostage, turned to the guards and said, "Whoever dares to report, I’ll kill her now!"
"You wouldn’t dare!" the dozen or so guards stared at him menacingly.
Qin Feiyang’s eyes flickered coldly. He squeezed his fingers hard, and Xia Qianqian’s face instantly turned red, making it difficult for her to breathe.
"Stop it!" the guards’ expressions changed drastically as they shouted urgently.
Qin Feiyang loosened his grip slightly, and Xia Qianqian began gasping for air.
But before she could catch her breath, Qin Feiyang held her, retreated to the center of the hall, and told the guards, "All of you, come in here."
The dozen or so guards exchanged glances and entered the hall one by one.
"Close the door!" Qin Feiyang commanded.
A guard turned and closed the main entrance to the hall.
"I recognize you. You’re Wang San."
"I advise you to let the Princess go immediately!"
"Otherwise, you’ll die a gruesome death today!" three guards said ominously.
"You don’t need to concern yourselves with that," Qin Feiyang gave a frosty smile, leaned down to Xia Qianqian’s ear, and sneered, "This is your last chance. If you try any tricks again, I assure you I’ll break your neck on the spot. Now tell me, where’s the treasure vault?"
"What?"
"Wang San, are you out of your mind?"
The dozen or so guards stared in shock. He was not only holding the Princess hostage but also intended to rob the treasure vault. Has this man gone mad?
Xia Qianqian was pale. She pointed towards the throne at the front of the hall, stammering, "The treasure vault is behind that wall."
Qin Feiyang, with her in tow, approached the throne while keeping a watchful eye on the guards.
Nothing can go wrong now, he thought. Otherwise, I might really wind up dead today.
A few breaths later, he arrived behind the throne and scanned the wall. It appeared seamless, without any gaps. He frowned. "There must be a mechanism. Open it!"
Xia Qianqian shook her head. "I don’t know. Only Father knows."
"Seems like you’re still not being honest!" Qin Feiyang’s eyes flared with cold light. His hand tightened, and a faint CRACK sounded from Xia Qianqian’s neck!
But to Xia Qianqian and the dozen or so guards, it sounded like a thunderbolt.
Xia Qianqian, utterly frightened, nodded repeatedly, making whimpering noises.
The guards also hurried forward, anxiously watching Qin Feiyang.
Qin Feiyang eased his grip slightly and said coldly, "My patience is wearing thin. Hurry up!"
Xia Qianqian took a few breaths, pointed at the throne, and said, "Turn that bead, and the wall will open automatically."
"The bead?" Qin Feiyang looked over.
The throne, forged from gold, glittered all over. At the top center of the throne, a fist-sized bead, also made of gold, was inlaid.
"Such extravagance," Qin Feiyang sneered. He reached out, grabbed the bead, and twisted it hard.
The adjacent wall instantly split and slid open to both sides.
What came into view was a treasure vault tens of zhang wide.
Inside, Gold Coins were piled up like mountains! All kinds of rare and precious treasures were too numerous to count!
The guards were flabbergasted. Although they had been stationed here year-round, it was their first time seeing the treasure vault and its contents. No one other than the Princess was allowed to enter King Pan’s bedchamber.
Qin Feiyang was also surprised, but he maintained his composure. He took out several empty Qiankun Bags, threw them to the guards, and ordered, "Fill them up for me, now!"
But the guards hesitated, not daring to move immediately.
Qin Feiyang sneered, "Princess, are you going to speak, or do you wish to die?"
"Do as he says!" Xia Qianqian hastily uttered.
Several guards quickly grabbed the Qiankun Bags and scampered into the treasure vault.
In just a few breaths, the entire vault was emptied.
After collecting all the Qiankun Bags, Qin Feiyang said coldly, "All of you, get inside."
The dozen or so guards exchanged glances and reluctantly walked into the treasure vault.
Qin Feiyang grabbed the golden bead, twisted it hard again, and the wall quickly sealed shut.
"You have what you want! Now let the Princess go!" the guards cried out anxiously.
"Relax, I will let her go."
"Princess, my apologies." With that, Qin Feiyang struck Xia Qianqian on the back of her head.
Xia Qianqian let out a pained grunt and instantly fell unconscious, slowly collapsing to the ground.
At the same time, the wall completely closed.
The reason I left Xia Qianqian outside was my concern about potential traps inside the treasure vault, Qin Feiyang thought. And now, even if there are traps, those guards won’t know how to operate them, so they can’t escape to pursue me. I have plenty of time to return to the Golden Throne Hall.
Without further delay, he quickly ran to the main door, glanced outside through a crack, and seeing no one around, pushed open the large doors, rushing towards the Golden Throne Hall.
On the way, he took another Shape-shifting Pill and changed his appearance once again.
「The Golden Throne Hall.」
The place was now a complete mess, with thick, acrid smoke stinging his nose. Several hundred maids and guards were gathered around, whispering among themselves.
Qin Feiyang mingled with the crowd, gradually moving closer to the main hall. At the same time, he carefully listened to the discussions around him.
Everyone was talking about him. They were all remarking on his audacity, saying he must have nerves of steel to dare set the Golden Throne Hall on fire.
As he drew closer, he saw King Pan standing before the main entrance, his face extremely grim. Beside him stood a robust, middle-aged man, eight chi tall, with fierce, tiger-like eyes. He wore gleaming golden armor and exuded a remarkable aura.
The three guards assigned to the Golden Throne Hall stood nearby, heads bowed, recounting the incident.
After listening, the man in golden armor scoffed, "And you believed Qin Feiyang? Potential Elixirs are incredibly precious. Would he just give them to you? What a bunch of fools! Where is Wang San?"
"Great Commander, we don’t know either," the three guards said, their faces filled with terror. "At the time, he said he was going to find help to put out the fire. Then we never saw him again."
The man in golden armor looked at King Pan and said, "It seems this Wang San knew he would be beheaded, so he fled in advance."
King Pan declared, "No matter what, we must find him!"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the man in golden armor replied with a bow.
King Pan glanced at the devastated hall and roared, "Qin Feiyang, you’ve gone too far this time! Come out and confess, or you’ll never leave this place alive!"
He assumed Qin Feiyang was still inside.
The man in golden armor added, "Qin Feiyang, the Golden Throne Hall is the most sacred place in the Royal Palace! By setting it ablaze, you have shown contempt for the royal family! Even if Jiang Zhengyi himself were to intervene, you would not escape!"
A trace of mockery flashed in Qin Feiyang’s eyes as he mingled with the crowd.
Seeing that Qin Feiyang still hadn’t emerged, King Pan clenched his fists and sneered, "Fine! If you want to play games, this King will play along! Great Commander, you will personally guard this place!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The man in golden armor respectfully acknowledged the order.
King Pan took one last look at the ruined hall, then soared into the sky, flying towards his bedchamber.
"Farewell, Your Majesty!" Everyone present bowed in unison.
Qin Feiyang, of course, also feigned obeisance.
The Great Commander retracted his gaze and said emotionlessly, "The guards will remain. Everyone else, return to your duties."
A maidservant asked, "Great Commander, shouldn’t we clean up the Golden Throne Hall?"
The Great Commander replied, "Not for now."
Hearing this, the maidservants turned and left. The remaining guards numbered two to three hundred.
The Great Commander surveyed them all and ordered, "A few dozen of you will stay here. The rest, go find Wang San! You must apprehend him and bring him to me!"
The guards immediately dispersed, commencing a thorough, grid-by-grid search.
"BASTARD!"
Just then, an angry roar, like a Thunder Shock from the heavens, erupted from another part of the Royal Palace. The sound reverberated above the Royal Palace, lingering for a long time.
"What happened?" Everyone in the Royal Palace was startled. They all looked towards King Pan’s bedchamber, their faces filled with bewildered surprise.
"Keep watch here!" the Great Commander instructed Qin Feiyang and the remaining guards. He then shot into the sky, transforming into a streak of light heading towards King Pan’s bedchamber.
"What on earth happened to make His Majesty so furious?" The guards around Qin Feiyang all rushed to a nearby open area, looking towards King Pan’s bedchamber.
Qin Feiyang’s eyes flashed. He activated Smoke Step and, like a wisp of smoke, slipped into the main hall and then into the ancient castle.
"That was close!" As soon as he entered the ancient castle, he collapsed to the ground, his face pale with lingering fear.
"You’ve got some serious nerve, kid, daring to rob the royal treasury! Do you have any idea how much I was sweating for you in there?" Brother Wolf glared at him.
Qin Feiyang let out a long breath and chuckled, "But we succeeded, didn’t we?"
Brother Wolf said worriedly, "Yes, we succeeded, but how are you going to get away?"
Qin Feiyang smiled faintly. "I’ve been using Wang San’s face all along. If King Pan wants to settle scores, he’ll be looking for Wang San. What do I have to fear?"
With that, he looked at Wang San, who was lying on the ground. He found that Wang San was already dead.
Next to Wang San lay a woman—the maidservant who had led him to Xia Qianqian. She too was dead.
"Brother Wolf killed them," Brother Wolf explained. "If they weren’t eliminated, they would have caused us immense trouble. Especially Wang San. If he had revealed that you knocked him unconscious, it would undoubtedly have aroused King Pan’s suspicion."
Qin Feiyang nodded.
「The Bedchamber!」
King Pan stared at the empty treasury, his face contorted in fury. The Great Commander was also beside him, his face etched with disbelief. This Wang San had actually dared to rob the treasury?
"That’s what happened."
"Your Majesty, it was our incompetence. We failed to guard the treasury. We are willing to accept punishment." After recounting the entire incident, the dozen or so guards knelt on the ground, heads bowed, voluntarily pleading for punishment.
They knew that after such a monumental blunder, King Pan would not spare them.