Tang Manqing was all too aware that all the major and minor powers within Yanluo were waiting on the Four Great Families and the Seven Great Sects.
The influence of the Four Great Families and the Seven Great Sects was deeply rooted and intricately intertwined throughout Yanluo. The number of subordinate clans and sects under their banners was countless. It was no exaggeration to say that of the forty-nine great domains within Yanluo, half the forces belonged to the Four Great Families and the Seven Great Sects.
But was that all?
No.
The Four Great Families and the Seven Great Sects had intermarried and formed alliances with other nations across the Divine Land. Behind each entity lay an immensely complex chain of interests.
The only thing Tang Manqing was certain of now was that among the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects, only her own Taiji Sect would support the Yanluo Royal Family.
As for the other families and sects, it was hard to say.
Even with the Yanluo Emperor personally presiding over the negotiations this time, the situation was unlikely to be very optimistic.
"I wonder if the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects still bear a grudge over what happened back then."
Thinking of the past, Wind Uncle let out a sorrowful sigh.
"How could they not bear a grudge..." Tang Manqing said softly, her own heart rather conflicted.
Because during the struggle for the throne back then, the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects had all been involved. For that, they had even come to blows. Tang Manqing clearly remembered hearing from her father that in order to help her aunt sweep away the chaos, Lord Chixiao had killed many elders from the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects. They dared not settle that score with Lord Chixiao, nor with her aunt. Now, they could only settle it with the Yanluo Royal Family.
"The Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects are truly shameless!"
Shui'er also said indignantly, "They participated in the struggle for the throne back then; they deserved to die! The Empress was kind-hearted and let them off the hook, not holding them accountable. Now that they've grown strong, they're starting to turn their elbows outward! Hmph! If we'd known it would be like this, the Empress shouldn't have persuaded the Monarch back then; she should have let the Monarch slaughter them all!"
As she spoke, Shui'er also sighed. "There are so many monarchs in the world, why isn't there a single real one? If the real Monarch were here, it would be so much better. For the sake of the Empress's past relationship, he would definitely help us. Hmph! Forget the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects, even the Immortal Dynasty, what could they do!"
"Princess Royal," Wind Uncle said, "can you meet the Monarch that the Black Buddha Fiend venerates?"
"Why do you ask?"
"If he were willing to step forward..."
"That Monarch is elusive, appearing and disappearing like a divine dragon. I can't meet him either."
It wasn't that Tang Manqing hadn't tried to find that Lord Chixiao. She had even sought out the Black Buddha Fiend for this purpose. Unfortunately, even the Black Buddha Fiend didn't know that Lord Chixiao's whereabouts.
"Moreover, even if we did meet him, what then? We don't even know if he's real or fake, why would he help us? And regardless of whether he's real or fake, in this current era, he cannot contend with the Immortal Dynasty."
"Princess Royal, what do you think about us going to find the Black Buddha Fiend?" Shui'er blinked, proposing, "If he's willing to help us, things would be much easier. With that guy's financial resources, suppressing the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects would be a sure thing. And most importantly, the Black Buddha Fiend is also the Black Buddha Fiend of the Crimson-Letter Head. With such a big background, if he's willing to support us, surely the Immortal Dynasty would compromise, right?"
"No!"
Wind Uncle shook his head in denial without a second thought.
"Why not?"
Tang Manqing explained from the side, "Shui'er, do you remember what I told you? The Immortal Dynasty of today is already incomparable to the Immortal Dynasty of the ancient era. Its power far exceeds your imagination. Crimson-Letter Head branches may be spread across the world, and the former Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals and Seventy-Two Earth Fiends have all become overlords in their own right. But even so, they are still far from being a match for the Immortal Dynasty. After all, behind the Immortal Dynasty stands the Nine Heavens, which holds the Immortal Dao. We know this, and the people of Crimson-Letter Head know it even better."
"Let's not discuss whether the Black Buddha Fiend would step forward to help us. Even if he were willing, we cannot accept it. If a war broke out between the Immortal Dynasty and Crimson-Letter Head because of our Yanluo Kingdom, the consequences would be too terrible."
"But... then what should we do?"
"For now, we can only wait. First, see what attitude the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects take, then decide."
"There's one more thing."
Wind Uncle said solemnly, "Princess Royal, how do you plan to deal with that Gu Qingfeng?"
"Deal with him? I don't plan to deal with him."
"No, Princess Royal, you misunderstand this old man's meaning. This Gu Qingfeng's identity is unknown, his origins unclear. Most importantly, he claims to be that Young Master Chiyan from the Great Northwest. If he's fake, that's one thing. But if he's real, Princess Royal, you absolutely must not keep him."
"Why?"
"Princess Royal, don't forget that nine years ago, that Young Master Chiyan killed dozens of scions of the Immortal Dynasty. Right now, the relationship between our Yanluo Kingdom and the Immortal Dynasty is so tense. If the Immortal Dynasty finds out Young Master Chiyan is still alive, and that it was us who saved him, the consequences would truly be..."
Hearing this, Tang Manqing's heart jolted. Earlier, she had been solely focused on verifying whether this man was Lord Chixiao, and had forgotten about his own identity.
"Princess Royal, that Gu Qingfeng killed dozens of scions of the Immortal Dynasty, including two young masters from the illustrious Liuguang Family. The crime he committed is extremely heinous, worse than a capital offense. Even Immortal Suhua couldn't shield him. If it weren't for that, Immortal Suhua wouldn't have announced his death back then to help him evade the crime. We absolutely must not get involved with this person in any way."
Tang Manqing nodded. Previously, she had planned to wait a few days until Gu Qingfeng recovered a bit more, then question him in detail about how he knew the matters between her aunt and the Monarch. But now that this person was so dangerous, she really couldn't keep him.
"Let him stay for tonight. Tomorrow morning, give him some extra pills and spirit stones, and send him away."
Shui'er said puzzledly, "Princess Royal, we've already saved him, which is pretty good. Why do you have to give him so many pills and spirit stones? He's a fraud impersonating the Monarch."
"Whether he's a fraud or not, just based on him killing so many Immortal Dynasty scions in the Great Northwest, such courage and daring alone are enough to command respect. And... I always feel he's not as simple as just a fraud. He might be able to fool the people of Crimson-Letter Head in the Northwest, but he absolutely couldn't fool Immortal Suhua. And Immortal Suhua would definitely not shield a fraud. There must be something we don't know about in all this..."
And so.
Gu Qingfeng, unaware of what was happening, was sent away the next morning.
Of course.
He hadn't planned to stay long at the prince's estate either.
It was just that having just undergone Silent Extinction Rebirth, both his physical body and soul were extremely weak, and his essence, energy, and spirit were even more so. He needed to recuperate for a period of time. So, after leaving the prince's estate, he used the spirit stones Tang Manqing had given him to find a rather luxurious mountain villa to stay in.
One had to say, this place was really comfortable to live in.
There was food to eat, wine to drink, music to appreciate, and beauties to keep him company. It was truly as carefree as one could wish, so carefree that Gu Qingfeng didn't even want to leave.