Chapter 358 - 269: Storming the Imperial Palace

Chapter 358: Chapter 269: Storming the Imperial Palace

Goda Shintaro had, of course, also seen a portrait of Wu Liangchen.

In fact, the way he dressed was largely a result of his admiration for Wu Liangchen.

He was so enamored with the heroic air of the young man in the portrait that he had gone to great pains to apply rouge and powder, all just to emulate that aura.

Unfortunately, his own features were simply too lacking. The more he fiddled with his appearance, the uglier he became, a farcical imitation that only made him look worse.

Now, seeing the very person he dreamed of becoming suddenly appear before his eyes, Goda Shintaro was filled with a chilling tremor.

He knew that for this god of slaughter to suddenly appear in Kyoto, something big was about to happen.

Especially since the direction he was headed was clearly toward the Imperial Palace.

He instantly lost all interest in pursuing his cousin. He just turned and ran.

Meanwhile, in this shrunken version of an imperial palace built in imitation of Great Yan, the Monarch Otsuka Kazuji sat high upon the Sumeru Seat, his eyes half-closed, as imposing and inviolable as a divine statue.

At this sight, Graham’s heart filled with contempt.

As a Folangji merchant who had dealt with the East Sea nation countless times, he understood the nature of this nation’s people like the back of his hand.

He knew this nation was obsessed with minor courtesies but lacked any greater sense of justice, and at the same time, they had an ingrained worship of bloodline and hierarchy.

They even seemed to revel in the maddeningly convoluted etiquette and their bizarre sense of ceremony.

For instance, the East Sea Monarch before him, who called himself a living god, would still put on an air of inscrutable profundity upon seeing him, even though they had met many times.

Even though they had argued heatedly over the number of firearms to procure during their last meeting, he still refused to let go of his so-called divine airs.

After patiently waiting for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Otsuka Kazuji finally opened his eyes.

"I’ve invited you here today to discuss our next purchase." Otsuka Kazuji spoke very slowly—a habit he’d had since he was a child.

After all, in his position, there was no need to speak loudly or quickly. The moment he opened his mouth, everyone would hold their breath to listen.

Graham replied with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, "No problem. We have an ample supply of both firearms and warships. But one condition cannot be changed: payment must be made upfront."

Otsuka Kazuji was silent for a moment, then said leisurely, "Don’t speak in such absolutes. After all..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a loud crash suddenly echoed from outside, followed immediately by someone shouting in alarm.

"Enemy attack! Protect the Monarch!"

The sound of gunfire immediately erupted.

Color drained from the faces of everyone in the room.

"What’s going on?" Graham asked sharply.

But Otsuka Kazuji seemed not to have processed what was happening, remaining perfectly still on the Sumeru Seat.

Suddenly, the sounds from outside stopped abruptly, and everything returned to silence.

But this silence was even more unnerving.

Graham and his companions exchanged glances, and each drew a pistol from within his coat.

The pistols they used were the latest model—not only were they compact, but they were also incredibly powerful.

As they stood on high alert, the so-called "living god" Otsuka Kazuji finally seemed to register the situation. A flicker of astonishment crossed his icy, poker-like face.

He simply couldn’t fathom that someone would dare to storm the Imperial Palace.

’Where did all my guards go?’

Because the meeting involved the East Sea nation’s highest state secrets, only they were present in the room—there wasn’t even a single eunuch to serve them.

For this very reason, Otsuka Kazuji was at a complete loss. He didn’t even know how to get down from the Sumeru Seat.

After all, as a "god," he never performed any menial tasks. His attendants and eunuchs handled every aspect of his daily life; all he ever had to do was wait quietly.

But the situation now was different. All the eunuchs and guards had been sent away, and he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of panic.

Just then, a dark shadow flickered outside the door.

Graham was the quickest to react, instantly raising his pistol and firing.

This pistol was not only powerful, but its report had also been specially modified, so it wasn’t deafening even when fired indoors.

BANG! BANG! A few shots splintered the door and window, but there was still no sound from outside.

’Did I hit it or not?’

Graham frowned, puzzled.

Just then, countless cracks spiderwebbed across the wall behind the grand hall, and with a tremendous ROAR, it collapsed.

As dust and smoke billowed, Graham and his men recoiled in shock. They were about to fire when a sharp pain flared in their wrists, and their pistols clattered to the floor.

"If you don’t want to die, you’d best not try any funny business. Otherwise, the next thing to crack open will be your heads."

Following the cold words, a figure suddenly appeared before them.

Enduring the intense pain in his wrist, Graham stared at Wu Liangchen in utter astonishment, his mind reeling with questions.

He also recognized Wu Liangchen, knowing this was a peerless prodigy who had grown from an ordinary person into a Martial Arts Grandmaster in just two short years.

But he had been quite dismissive of such claims.

’In his view, all men were equal before firearms. What did it matter if one was a Martial Arts Grandmaster or not? At worst, it would just take a few more volleys of gunfire.’

Not to mention the even more powerful cannons. So, when he saw the East Sea leadership treating Wu Liangchen as a major threat, he had secretly scoffed more than once.

But reality had just delivered a swift slap to the face.

’He was in a heavily guarded Imperial Palace, with a Firearms Team armed with heavy firearms right outside.’

’Yet he and his men had been disarmed without even a chance to fire their guns.’

The stark contrast left him shocked, terrified, and filled with questions.

’How did he suddenly appear in the East Sea capital? What happened to the Huangpu Guard’s fleet?’

At the same time, Otsuka Kazuji on the Sumeru Seat finally reacted. When he saw that the person who had smashed through the wall was actually Wu Liangchen, he could no longer maintain his composure and reached for something under his seat.

The next second, Wu Liangchen appeared behind him and said coldly, "If I were you, I wouldn’t move. That’s a good way to get yourself killed."

Otsuka Kazuji immediately froze.

Wu Liangchen was so close that he could feel his breath.

At this distance, Wu Liangchen could kill him with laughable ease.

The fear of death immediately flooded his heart, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.

Seeing the Monarch of the East Sea scared deathly pale, Wu Liangchen couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.

’It seems rumors can’t be trusted. What bullshit god can withstand the threat of death?’

Wu Liangchen followed the position of his hand and opened a hidden compartment under the Sumeru Seat. Inside was a golden cord.

"What’s this?" Wu Liangchen asked.

Otsuka Kazuji had gradually calmed down by now. ’Wu Liangchen probably won’t kill me,’ he thought, and so he spoke.

"What do you think it is?"

"It must be something to save your skin. Let me guess... if you pull this golden cord, someone will come rescue you?" Wu Liangchen asked.

Surprise showed on Otsuka Kazuji’s face. "You are indeed clever."

Wu Liangchen smiled. "I don’t need you to point that out!"

With that, Wu Liangchen did something that took everyone by surprise.

With a sharp tug, he yanked the golden cord and said, "I’d like to see just who can save you from me."