Chapter 262: Stirring the Clouds
“Uhm…” the leading general seemed hesitant.
Suddenly, there was a wolf’s howl, and the next instant, the weather changed. Strong winds picked up as dark clouds gathered. The temperature of the entire city seemed to have fallen several degrees.
This sudden change of weather was clearly abnormal. In the past, only the jade dragon beast of Jade Dragon Temple possessed such supernatural capabilities.
This leading general was also one of Emperor He Qian’s confidants so he knew many things.
For example, he knew today was one that would decide Jade Dragon Kingdom’s future fate. He also knew that the old dragon in the temple was probably dead.
But if that were the case, why did the weather stir?
Could the old dragon still be alive?
At this thought, hints of fear emerged in his heart. If the old dragon wasn’t dead, this would mean trouble. The emperor had clearly abandoned the jade dragon deity so if he didn’t die in the curator’s hands, the consequences would be unimaginable.
In fact, not only the general but many people inside the royal capital were also panicking. Among them, the most alarmed was clearly Emperor He Qian.
He was currently inside the palace, looking up at the ominous weather with a grave expression.
“Yu’er’s curse has been broken so the jade dragon deity must have died. But why is the weather still stirring?” He Qian muttered to himself.
He knew this phenomenal power of changing the weather was unique to the dragon deity. In the past, whenever he did something to annoy the dragon, the latter would do just this. And He Qian had had enough of it.
All these years, the royal He family had been subdued by this dragon deity and He Qian couldn’t tolerate it anymore. This was also his reason for borrowing the curator’s hand to eliminate the jade dragon deity.
There were obviously risks in his decision. It was a gamble. If the curator failed, the jade dragon deity would surely pursue He Qian for his betrayal.
He Qian had carefully thought it through.
Based on what he knew about the curator’s skills and capabilities, He Qian thought it was worth the risk. If his assumption was correct, He Qing’s Rank 2 tetrawinged butterfly dragon had managed to evolve because of this curator.
He Qian had investigated it before. He also knew about Lin Jin’s growth situation. The man just started rising up out of nowhere.
In any case, this wasn’t natural.
But if Lin Jin only grew because he had an incredible support figure like the curator, everything would make sense.
The incident with Snake Country also taught He Qian how fearsome the curator’s forces were. Neither Black Crow nor Madam Ghost Child was an individual who would obey an intermediate nation. Even an elite country probably couldn’t order them around.
But the curator could.
They were essentially different from the ones Minister Yu hired with money. While money could hire villainous experts, it couldn’t make them head over to an intermediate country to fight a battle akin to declaring war on the nation. No villainous expert would do such a thing.
Just this one point proved how incredible the curator was.
When the jade dragon deity suffered in the hands of the curator last time, that was what caused He Qian to steel himself and decide to take control of the imperial city.
Within the palace, besides Minister Yu heeding only the jade dragon deity’s commands, many other ministers obeyed the jade dragon deity fully as well. Hence, He Qian decided to use Minister Yu’s death to subdue them all.
This was the only factor He Qian could control in this battle as he had no power over the dragon deity.
Sixth Princess He Yu’s curse breaking was clearly an obvious sign. He Qian had also sensed distress in his Rank 4 jade dragon earlier, and all these factors point to the fact that the dragon deity had been killed.
So what was this change in weather about?
Finally, He Qian couldn’t endure anymore. He called for preparations to be made so he could investigate the temple in person.
Meanwhile, it clearly wasn’t the jade dragon deity to stirred up the weather at the temple. It was Xiao Huo who had gained the Yin Yang Dharma body. When he howled earlier, he just did it on a whim and never intended to change the weather.
He startled even himself.
Xiao Huo clearly wasn’t used to having the jade dragon deity’s powers.
Him aside, even Black Crow and the others were gawking. This Yin Yang Dharma body was truly remarkable. To think a random howl could stir the weather so.
It was too much.
Then, the general regained his senses and quickly said, “It’s a pity Curator isn’t here. Everyone, if you have time, do come and be our guest at the palace.”
Black Crow was about to reject when Evil Scholar tugged him back before saying, “General, please give us a moment.”
Seeing a possibility of acceptance, the general happily stepped away.
He could now tell that this group couldn’t be forced to stay so he immediately switched tactics. Also, the emperor had instructed him not to use force. He had to be friendly and amiable. If they insisted on leaving, he mustn’t stop them either.
The soldiers around retreated as well, leaving only a few for precautions.
Black Crow and the others looked confused. Evil Scholar explained, “Curator never said he wouldn’t come back. He probably left for urgent business so it wouldn’t be good if we just left. Why don’t we wait here in the capital for him? He’s bound to come back anyway.”
At this, the others agreed, thinking it was a good plan.
There was another reason they couldn’t leave too. The fire wolf and white ape was still here while Curator and Lin Jin were nowhere to be found. So, it was up to them to babysit the beasts.
By now, Emperor He Qian had arrived in a hurry.
He studied the temple first.
Seeing the dragon’s aura disappear from the establishment proved that the jade dragon deity was dead.
His heart could finally rest easy.
After suffering this wretchedness for so many years, the royal He family could finally seize the reins again. They no longer have to tolerate the dragon deity’s suppression nor offer women of their tribe to prolong his life.
“Your Majesty, just now…” The general reported the details he had seen earlier. At this, He Qian was stunned.
He heard that the abnormal weather earlier was caused by a fire wolf.
When had fire wolves possessed such phenomenal powers?
As He Qian went over, the general quickly announced, “His Majesty, the emperor of Jade Dragon Kingdom has arrived!”
Jade Dragon’s emperor was here.
Black Crow and the group looked over. As villainous experts, monarchy meant nothing to them. Also, almost everyone had Rank 4 pet beasts so they need not be afraid.
However, manners were still compulsory. Especially when the other party proactively greeted them.
“Great experts, I have long heard of your good name.” He Qian’s intimidating aura remained intact but there was an additional hint of friendliness that didn’t affect his nobility. He seemed very approachable.
Being able to achieve this much wasn’t exactly easy.
The man wore a bright smile and was exceptionally polite. Even villainous experts couldn’t afford to stay sulky at a person like him.
Moreover, Black Crow and the group couldn’t be sure what Curator thought of the emperor. Hence, it was better to be courteous. More importantly, even if they didn’t do it out of respect for the emperor, they would do it for He Qing.