Chapter 223 - 223 A Gentleman Does What He Should

223 A Gentleman Does What He Should

Hearing the name “Xuan Wushang”, Liu Ruxi’s eyes widened, but they instantly returned to normal.

“It seems that my judgment is not bad. You’re indeed a smart person.”

Liu Ruxi stared at Lin Ran and said with a faint smile, “Then do you want to take a guess why I’m holding Wan’er hostage?”

“This is really not easy to guess…”

!!

Lin Ran frowned and looked like he was thinking hard. From the corner of his eye, he kept staring at the empress’s hand while calculating their distance.

Soon, Lin Ran figured it out. According to the empress’s current speed, she would be able to raise her hand completely in three seconds, and it would take him less than half a second to touch her.

The only problem was that the distance between Liu Ruxi’s sword and the empress’s throat was much closer than the distance between him and the empress.

“Why don’t you put down your sword first?”

Lin Ran suddenly suggested, “I can’t think while you are holding the sword.”

“Are you serious?”

Liu Ruxi looked at him as if she was looking at an idiot. “Are you an idiot, or do you think I’m an idiot?”

“So be it if you don’t want to put it down! Why are you scolding me…”

Lin Ran muttered softly and scratched his head in frustration. Then, while putting his hands down, he suddenly took a leap towards the empress!

At this critical juncture, time seemed to have slowed down.

Lin Ran’s hand slowly approached the empress. He could even see his hand slashing through the air, causing invisible ripples!

One foot, half a foot…

One inch, half an inch…

Finally, Lin Ran’s fingertips were about to touch the empress’s fingertips. He could even feel the warmth coming from her jade-like fingers!

But at the last moment, Lin Ran suddenly realized that he couldn’t see.

It was not that he lost his vision, but his vision was blocked by the whiteness. It was as if he had returned to the moment when he crashed into the Cloud Concealment Array. The difference was that this time, he felt a strong sense of danger!

Overwhelmed by a strange sense of danger, Lin Ran subconsciously retracted his hand as if he had been electrocuted. At the same time, he activated the Mystic Gate Sword Technique to the limit and appeared 100 feet away in a flash!

“Phew—”

After escaping danger, Lin Ran heaved a sigh of relief and turned around. He saw that the place where he was standing was covered in fog.

Unlike the fog left behind by the white-robed youths when they moved at high speed, this was a real fog. Lin Ran could even see the surging water vapor!

“I already warned you not to investigate. Why didn’t you listen?”

A soft sigh came from the fog, and Lin Ran’s expression immediately turned solemn.

Although that person’s voice was very soft, he instantly recognized that the person speaking in the fog was the current emperor of the Great Yong Dynasty, Xuan Wushang!

“Speak of the devil!”

Lin Ran cursed in his heart, but his expression was calm. He looked down at his left hand and saw a shallow scratch on the nail of his index finger. If he hadn’t stopped in time, his fingertip would have been cut off.

“The emperor of the Great Yong Dynasty actually likes to launch sneak attacks on people.”

Lin Ran rubbed the scratch on his nail and sneered. “What an eye-opener!”

“Sneak attacks are what make you win the war.”

Xuan Wushang chuckled. The white fog that was spreading out suddenly shrank, condensing into a light robe that covered his thin body.

Liu Ruxi stood half a step behind Xuan Wushang. The empress had already been released, but she still stood rooted to the ground with her hand raised.

Lin Ran took a closer look and realized that the empress was entangled in a wisp of fog, and the other end of the wisp of fog was in Xuan Wushang’s hand.

Lin Ran narrowed his eyes. What he was most worried about had happened.

“I’ve long heard of Emperor Sheng Yuan. I didn’t expect to meet you on such an occasion.”

Xuan Wushang looked at the empress and revealed an apologetic smile. “However, if I’ve done anything rude, I hope Emperor Sheng Yuan can forgive me.”

Although the empress looked a little flustered, she still maintained her dignity as an emperor in front of Xuan Wushang. When she heard this, her expression darkened and she said coldly, “I’m dealing with my family matter. Emperor Xuan Yuan, please don’t interfere.”

“Family matter?”

Xuan Wushang raised his eyebrows and looked at Lin Ran with interest. “Is Deputy General Lin also a member of the royal family now?”

“He’s the deputy general of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty. Of course, he’s my family!”

Xuan Wushang smiled. Then, he took out a roll of white paper and unfolded it. It was actually a wanted poster from the Heavenly Saint Dynasty.

“Today, we have a serious criminal, Lin Ran, who stole the Sacred Abyss Sword and wanted to harm the emperor. Anyone who sees this person must immediately report to the local magistrate.”

Xuan Wushang finished reading the contents of the wanted poster and held it in front of the empress. “If Emperor Sheng Yuan doesn’t believe me, you can check it yourself.”

The empress naturally did not believe him, but after reading it, her expression became strange. “This is not a wanted poster issued by me! The Grand Secretary did it without my permission!”

Xuan Wushang chuckled and did not say anything. With a raise of his hand, the wanted poster was blown into the air by the wind and shattered into pieces.

100 feet away, Lin Ran looked at the flying scraps with a strange expression. It was not because he had become a criminal, but because he felt that there was something wrong with the origin of this wanted poster.

According to the laws of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, only the current emperor had the right to issue a wanted poster. Although the Grand Secretary also had the right to do so, he could only do so temporarily when the emperor died and the new emperor had yet to ascend the throne.”

However, the empress was still alive and well, but a wanted poster was actually issued by the Grand Secretary. It could only mean one thing—the empress had been discovered missing in the palace.

Lin Ran suddenly had a bold guess. Then, he looked at Xuan Wushang and asked tentatively, “Did you go to the Heavenly Saint Dynasty?”

“How can I let go of such a good opportunity?”

After saying that, Xuan Wushang looked at the empress with a gentle smile.

“What did you do in my country?!”

...

The empress’s expression darkened as she asked coldly. Now, she realized that the Heavenly Saint Dynasty was leaderless. If Xuan Wushang took this opportunity to attack, the Heavenly Saint Dynasty would most likely crumble!

“Emperor Sheng Yuan, you don’t have to worry.”

Xuan Wushang waved his hand. As if knowing what the empress was thinking, he smiled and said softly, “I have no intention of taking advantage of the situation. I just want to take this opportunity to obtain a small benefit for my country and my people.”

When the empress heard this, she frowned slightly. “What small benefit?”

“15 cities.”

Xuan Wushang replied calmly, “If Emperor Sheng Yuan agrees, I can let the two of you leave now.”