Chapter 155: The Frustrated Guangchengzi

Jiang Yuan’s remark received no response.

The group still showed no intention of setting off.

"Your Majesty had better wait a little longer. This old subject has only just seen his Master, and there are still some disciples of the sect who have yet to be summoned," Wen Zhong said, speaking up.

Jiang Yuan had not expected that the Grandmaster would linger here continuously after emerging from Guangchengzi’s side.

Originally, he had assumed that upon coming out from the presence of the Lord of Tongtian, he would see that Wen Zhong had already gathered a crowd of people.

He had not anticipated that the only addition upon his arrival would be Our Lady of the Golden Spirit; the Grandmaster’s efficiency was truly not up to par.

So Jiang Yuan thought to himself.

Actually, this could not really be blamed on others; it was mainly because Jiang Yuan’s communication with the Lord of Tongtian had proceeded altogether too smoothly.

Originally, Jiang Yuan felt that no matter what, he would have a thorough debate and negotiation with the Lord of Tongtian, yet he had not expected it to take such a short time.

The Lord of Tongtian had indicated that he did not wish to bicker much more with Jiang Yuan; Jiang Yuan’s excessive questions had simply caused the Lord of Tongtian’s mental defense to collapse.

"Since that is the case, then We shall wait a little longer," Jiang Yuan said with a faint smile.

Wen Zhong actually wanted to leave this place quickly as well, but his Senior Uncle Guangchengzi insisted on following him.

He kept claiming that he wanted to supervise those little rascals personally, and since he was stepping onto the field himself, let's see who dared to show him no respect.

What annoyed Wen Zhong the most was precisely this point; some things could not be forced.

The more one forced the issue, the more the eventual effect would be counterproductive, so at this moment Wen Zhong could only exchange glances and signal with his eyes to Jiang Yuan.

Above all, even his own master, Our Lady of the Golden Spirit, could not hold Guangchengzi back. Although Our Lady of the Golden Spirit possessed strength superior to Guangchengzi’s, Guangchengzi was, after all, her senior fellow apprentice, and Our Lady of the Golden Spirit was not someone fond of forcing others to do things.

Therefore, Wen Zhong could only seek help from Jiang Yuan, conveying his plea through his gaze.

He was, after all, doing things on Jiang Yuan’s behalf, and handling these matters was precisely what Jiang Yuan ought to do.

Watching Wen Zhong roll his eyes and repeatedly glance sideways at Guangchengzi, Jiang Yuan roughly understood his meaning.

Even without Wen Zhong spelling it out, Jiang Yuan could guess that given Guangchengzi’s temperament, following Wen Zhong along would inevitably be a hindrance.

Jiang Yuan gave a subtle nod, and only then did Wen Zhong feel reassured enough to say, "Then shall Your Majesty wait here for a brief moment? I and Shiji will go find the other fellow apprentices first."

"Go ahead, Grandmaster." Jiang Yuan waved his hand with a smile.

Seeing Wen Zhong and Shiji depart, Guangchengzi also prepared to make a move.

Jiang Yuan immediately called out to Guangchengzi, "Where is Daoist Guangchengzi heading?"

"They are going to persuade the disciples of the截教, so naturally, this poor Daoist is going over to help," Guangchengzi said with a righteous and confident air.

At the same time, he looked at Jiang Yuan with a trace of puzzlement. Wasn't I going to handle matters for you?

Jiang Yuan merely shook his head with a smile. "With the Daoist's esteemed and lofty status within the截教, you need not trouble yourself with such minor affairs."

"Does Your Majesty believe the Grandmaster lacks the strength? We have absolute confidence in the Grandmaster; these matters are well within his capability to settle properly."

"Can this poor Daoist not even go and take a look?" Guangchengzi retorted.

Jiang Yuan felt that this Guangchengzi truly was a stubborn, foul stone that could not be penetrated by either oil or salt. Was his meaning still not clear enough?

With Guangchengzi’s extremist personality, going there would only result in him being a hindrance and messing things up.

Even if some individuals initially harbored the intention to assist the Great Shang, being subjected to such forceful coercion by Guangchengzi would probably cause that interest to vanish instantly.

Therefore, Jiang Yuan deemed it quite necessary to stop Guangchengzi.

"There is no need to trouble the Daoist with this," Jiang Yuan replied, still maintaining a faint smile.

By this point, Guangchengzi seemed to finally grasp Jiang Yuan’s implication. Good heavens, he had come forward with such kind intentions to offer help, yet you, on the contrary, considered him to be in the way?

In an instant, Guangchengzi’s complexion turned somewhat livid. Fixing a cold gaze on Jiang_Yuan, he demanded, "What if this poor Daoist insists on going to help?"

Jiang Yuan’s expression remained unchanged. "We have already said, the Daoist’s assistance is no longer required."

"Give this poor Daoist a reason," Guangchengzi said, looking entirely unwilling to let the matter rest.

"Because the Daoist has chosen to serve the Great Shang, and We are the lord of the Great Shang. Since We command the Daoist not to go, the Daoist shall obediently stay right here. Is this reason sufficient?"

Jiang Yuan had also run out of pleasant expressions; if sensible words fell on deaf ears, did he have to lose his temper?

"Does the Human Emperor consider this poor Daoist to be a nuisance? If so, why come and seek assistance from this poor Daoist in the first place?" Guangchengzi asked, his brow furrowing.

Jiang Yuan calmly shook his head.

"We do not consider the Daoist a nuisance. We merely feel that certain matters are unsuited for the Daoist to handle; everyone is well aware of the Daoist's temperament."

"Let Us ask the Daoist this: if someone ultimately chooses not to help the Great Shang, yet feels compelled to serve out of deference to the Daoist's face,"

"I ask you, would someone forced in such a manner serve Us with all their heart and might?"

Guangchengzi’s complexion remained livid. Though he momentarily refrained from further retort, he slowly took step after step toward Jiang_Yuan.

Bai Ze cast a sideways glance at Guangchengzi, wary that this stubborn fellow might have a fit of temper and launch a physical assault on Jiang Yuan. At such a critical juncture, Jiang Yuan could not afford the slightest mishap.

"This poor Daoist will listen to you this once," Guangchengzi finally said in a stiff tone, seemingly conceding to Jiang Yuan’s point.

"In the future, the Daoist must also listen to Us—at least until the Daoist finishes serving the Great Shang, you must obey Us in all things," Jiang Yuan added as a precautionary measure.

He could not tolerate a thorn like Guangchengzi stirring up trouble in his domain day in and day out.

If everyone acted like this, how could he continue to serve as the Human Emperor?

Would everyone come and question his authority?

He was the Human Emperor; any decision he made was naturally supposed to be obeyed. Of course, should any adverse consequences arise—

Jiang_Yuan naturally would not shirk responsibility, but others simply had no right to cast doubt on his decisions.

Hearing these words, Guangchengzi wore a blank expression, curled his lip, and said nothing more, entirely losing interest in continuing any conversation with Jiang Yuan.

Seeing that the atmosphere had grown somewhat awkward, Our Lady of the Golden Spirit took the initiative to strike up a topic.

"Has the Human Emperor seen Master?"

"We had a very pleasant chat with the Lord of Tongtian," Jiang Yuan said with a preen of self-importance.

If We could converse smoothly with your master, could We possibly fail to keep you lot in line?

It was just that the ending had been somewhat unpleasant; the Lord of Tongtian had actually dealt him a covert blow, snapping off the spade Jiang Yuan was using to poach disciples.

Otherwise, he could have gained yet another quasi-sage powerhouse on his side—the mere thought filled Jiang Yuan with lingering resentment.

"What did you discuss with Master? If it is convenient for the Human Emperor to share, this poor Daoist is rather curious," Our Lady of the Golden Spirit asked with an intrigued expression.

Jiang Yuan smiled casually and nodded. "Since Our Lady of the Golden Spirit is interested, We shall share a little with Senior."

"The Lord of Tongtian spoke to Us of certain secrets of this realm. How do the two Daoists view this world? What lies above the thirty-third heaven, and what exists beyond the very edges of this world?"

This string of questions caused an unusual expression to surface on Our Lady of the Golden Spirit’s face, and even Guangchengzi, who had been brooding with suppressed anger, could not help turning his head to listen.

These were secrets he longed to know as well.

Fortunately, Our Lady of the Golden Spirit had voiced the question on his mind.

"Master told you all of this?"

Jiang Yuan smiled mysteriously. "The Lord of Tongtian indeed told Us."

The two of them stared intently at Jiang Yuan, listening with undivided attention.

With a faint smile, Jiang Yuan replied, "The answer the Lord of Tongtian gave Us was to command Us to explore it ourselves in the future."

This response plunged Guangchengzi—whose mood was already poor—into the absolute abyss of despair, dealing him a final, devastating blow.

With a cold snort, Guangchengzi simply flicked his sleeve and strode away; when had he ever suffered such grievance?

Even Our Lady of the Golden Spirit could not help saying with a helpless expression, "This poor Daoist had assumed the Human Emperor was not one for such boring jests."

Jiang Yuan chuckled softly. "Does Senior not find it rather interesting?"

He had been played once by their master, the Lord of Tongtian; exacting a bit of payback on his disciples couldn't possibly be considered too much, right?