Gu Qingfeng didn't say anything more and hurriedly departed.
As for whether these Chixiao People believed he was Gu Tianlang or not, it wasn't important to Gu Qingfeng, nor did he care. Just as he had said, his purpose in coming this time was simply to see these old comrades from back in the day, nothing more. Moreover, he could more or less understand their caution. Faced with so many impostors of Gu Tianlang in the world, who would dare to believe casually?
After leaving Mei Shan, he hurriedly made his way to the Yanluo Imperial Mausoleum.
At this very moment.
Yanluo Imperial Mausoleum.
In the Biluo Bamboo Grove on the back mountain, there was a courtyard that looked quite ordinary.
Tang Laoguai had already prepared a feast of fine delicacies, awaiting Gu Qingfeng's arrival. In the courtyard, there was also a middle-aged man.
This middle-aged man possessed an extraordinary bearing and spoke with refined elegance. Standing there, he carried an air of authority.
He was none other than the Emperor of Yanluo Kingdom, Tang Yunqi.
As the Emperor of Yanluo, Tang Yunqi had been constantly working for the kingdom's safety and stability. Especially in recent years, the Immortal Dynasty's attitude towards Yanluo had grown increasingly arrogant and aggressive, clearly intending to deal with Yanluo Kingdom. Because of this, Tang Yunqi was under immense pressure.
Originally, he had thought that by allying with the Four Great Families and the Seven Great Sects, they might still be unable to deal with the Immortal Dynasty, but at least the Immortal Dynasty would have some reservations.
But the situation was not optimistic.
Many among the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects had already pledged allegiance to the Immortal Dynasty. Those who hadn't were waiting and watching for an opportunity. Even the Taiji Sect, which had always been relatively close to the Yanluo Imperial Family, had seen its stance waver due to interference from several deputy alliance leaders.
To be fair, facing the Immortal Dynasty's pressure, the Yanluo Imperial Family wasn't completely without options.
After all, Yanluo Kingdom had been established for a hundred thousand years; it had some foundation. Their ancestors had produced many capable figures, some of whom even held considerable influence within the Immortal Dynasty and even the Celestial Realm. If they could invite the Imperial Family's Ancestral Patriarchs out, even if the Immortal Dynasty refused to show respect, relying on the Ancestral Patriarchs' influence, protecting the Yanluo Imperial Family shouldn't be a problem.
However, doing so would mean completely falling out with the Immortal Dynasty.
In this world, the Immortal Dynasty held dominion. If they fell out with the Immortal Dynasty, it would likely be extremely difficult for Yanluo Kingdom to establish itself in this world in the future.
He had come today to discuss countermeasures with Tang Laoguai, an Ancestral Patriarch. But what Tang Yunqi hadn't expected was that the Ancestral Patriarch said that for this Yanluo crisis, there was a noble person who would help. When asked who this noble person was, the answer was the Monarch Chixiao—and specifically, the newly emerged Monarch Chixiao in Yanluo recently.
Regarding the newly emerged Monarch in Yanluo, Tang Yunqi had also heard some things.
The incident at Linglong Villa where an Immortal Dynasty noble's son was crippled, the incident at the Shanhe Branch where the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephants of more than ten Chixiao People like Tan Tong were drawn out, and the events at Yunchuan Garden a few days ago that were causing an uproar—of course he had heard about them.
Not only that, but he had also heard from his niece Tang Manqing that the newly emerged Monarch Chixiao in Yanluo was the Young Lord Chiyan, Gu Qingfeng, who had killed dozens of Immortal Dynasty noble sons in the Great Northwest nine years ago. It was because he had fused with a remnant consciousness of the Monarch that he could command the awe of the Chixiao People's Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephants.
Yet, the Ancestral Patriarch insisted that this was the genuine, bona fide true Monarch.
Others might not know, but Tang Yunqi was very clear. This Ancestral Patriarch of his had cultivated for ten thousand years; he could be said to have seen countless people and possessed vast experience. Very few things in this world could escape his discerning eyes.
If the Ancestral Patriarch said that person was the genuine Monarch, it was probably close to the truth.
Moreover, Tang Yunqi would never doubt this Ancestral Patriarch of his.
However, belief was one thing, and lack of doubt was another.
If it were any other matter, if the Ancestral Patriarch said it was so, he wouldn't have any doubts at all. But this matter involved the Monarch Chixiao, which made him have to consider it very carefully.
After all, there were so many Monarchs Chixiao in the world, each possessing heaven-defying abilities. Even those Chixiao People who had followed the Monarch Chixiao back in the day couldn't determine their authenticity. The Ancestral Patriarch had only known the Monarch for a period back then; what gave him the confidence to say that the newly emerged Monarch in Yanluo was the real one?
However, Tang Yunqi only dared to say these words in his heart. He knew the Ancestral Patriarch's temper all too well. If the Ancestral Patriarch said it was real and you raised doubts, if he was in a good mood, it might be fine. But if he was in a bad mood, you'd definitely get a sound beating.
Case in point.
Just moments ago, he had merely asked casually, and very cautiously at that, and almost got slapped in the face by Tang Laoguai's big hand.
"I'm warning you, Little Yunqi," Tang Laoguai said. "When that kid Gu arrives later, don't you dare ask any questions you shouldn't. Don't think that just because you're all high and mighty now as the Emperor of Yanluo, I won't slap you. Our Yanluo's crisis this time rests entirely on that kid Gu. As long as he's willing to nod and step forward, the Immortal Dynasty won't dare let out a single fart. Even if they dare, with that kid Gu's temper, he'd shove it right back down their throats."
Tang Yunqi stood obediently to the side, nodding repeatedly, not daring to utter a single word of dissent.
"That kid Gu is even more arrogant now than he was back then. This Yanluo crisis might be a catastrophe for us, but for him, it's probably nothing. He's currently the type who clashes head-on with the Three Thousand Great Daos. The Immortal Dynasty might seem like an inviolable existence in our eyes, but in his eyes, it's at best a minor faction. Destroying it would be no different from stepping on an ant."
Hearing this.
Tang Yunqi's heart jolted. Although he was the Emperor of Yanluo Kingdom, that was all. When it came to high-level existences like the Three Thousand Great Daos, he couldn't even touch them, let alone imagine what it meant to clash head-on with the Three Thousand Great Daos.
However.
The whole thing sounded utterly bizarre no matter how he thought about it.
And he really wanted to ask: How did the Ancestral Patriarch know that the newly emerged Monarch had clashed with the Three Thousand Great Daos?
Had he seen it with his own eyes?
Or was it hearsay?
But one thing was certain: even if the Ancestral Patriarch hadn't witnessed it personally, he must have inferred it from some aspect. Otherwise, given the Ancestral Patriarch's nature, he wouldn't speak with such certainty.
Speaking of the true Monarch Chixiao.
Tang Yunqi was not unfamiliar with him.
Not only was he not unfamiliar, but he had also hung around with the Monarch Chixiao for a period back in the day.
Because back then, he wasn't the Emperor of Yanluo yet. When he was just a Yanluo prince, a little brat, he had caused plenty of trouble along with the Monarch Chixiao and his elder brother Tang Yunhao.
Thinking back carefully, that period was the happiest time of his life. As a Yanluo prince, he had many rules to follow and was strictly managed by his serious elder sister Tang Henghao. There were many things he wanted to do but couldn't. In his memory, every day was spent either cultivating or practicing various immortal arts. He rarely even left the gates of the Yanluo Imperial Palace. It wasn't until the appearance of the Monarch Chixiao that he truly had a childhood.
Visiting brothels, flirting with girls, listening to bawdy tunes, drinking flower wine, digging out cave dwellings, snatching magical treasures, killing and robbing—he did it all. One could say that following the Monarch Chixiao, he did every shady deed possible in this lifetime, including those he shouldn't have done.
Every time he recalled his youth, he felt it wasn't enough, and his admiration for the Monarch Chixiao was immense.