Chapter 686 - 211: Beheading, A Man from the Great Yue Country

What Shen Bai couldn’t understand, however, was why Zhao Feng dared to show up so openly at the execution grounds.

Wasn’t he afraid Shen Bai would have him arrested?

With this question in mind, Shen Bai’s gaze fell upon Zhao Feng once more.

Just then, Zhao Feng, apparently having seen enough of the spectacle, turned and started to walk away.

Wang Teng immediately waved his hand.

A member of the Observatory stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Lord Wang, what are your orders?"

Wang Teng relayed Shen Bai’s instructions.

The Observatory member understood at once. He then arranged for his men to discreetly follow Zhao Feng.

Zhang Dao Ling had been beheaded, and the situation had shifted once more. But for the moment, Shen Bai felt he still had things under control.

He put the matter out of his mind, led his men back to the five-story Observatory building, and resumed grinding the Skill Level of his Life and Death Storage Skill.

...

Meanwhile, after leaving the execution grounds, Zhao Feng walked on with a furrowed brow, lost in thought.

He was heading in the direction of the Marquis Rende’s Mansion.

And at that very moment, several members of the Observatory were discreetly trailing him.

Zhao Feng stopped and glanced back. He already knew.

But he paid them no mind and continued toward the Marquis of Ren De’s residence.

Before long, he arrived at the gates of the mansion.

After he announced his identity, the two servants at the gate went inside to inform the Marquis.

A short while later, a servant came back out, opened the gate, and ushered Zhao Feng inside.

Seeing Zhao Feng enter the Mansion of the Marquis of Ren De, one of the Observatory members on surveillance duty quietly broke away to report back to Shen Bai.

Zhao Feng, meanwhile, had been shown into the study of the Marquis Rende’s Mansion.

The Marquis of Ren De wore a grim expression. "Have you no idea the situation I’m in right now?" he said. "How dare you come waltzing into Lingyun Dao so brazenly? It looks like you’ve brought a tail from the Observatory with you."

Zhao Feng spread his hands. "There’s no need for alarm, Marquis," he said. "What’s the harm in visiting a friend? It’s not evidence, so the Observatory can’t touch me. And if they did arrest me, the Great Yue Country would have a few things to say."

"I saw Shen Bai on my way here."

The Marquis of Ren De raised an eyebrow. "If you’d come discreetly, they might not have noticed. But you went right up to Shen Bai. You really don’t take him seriously, do you?"

Zhao Feng shook his head. "Marquis, you’re overthinking things. Even if you’d brought me here in secret, it was only a matter of time before I was discovered. So, I figured I might as well get a look at Shen Bai from the start."

"The man truly lives up to his reputation. I was only standing there for a moment, and he noticed me right away."

The Marquis of Ren De fell silent, saying nothing.

Zhao Feng continued, "Marquis, I know what you’re worried about. But Shen Bai hasn’t made a move yet, which proves there’s nothing he can do to you."

"I came here this time to bring you something."

As he spoke, Zhao Feng placed a wooden box on the table and slid it across to the Marquis of Ren De.

The Marquis of Ren De frowned, picked up the wooden box, and opened it right in front of Zhao Feng.

Inside the wooden box lay a smooth, rounded piece of jade.

The jade was a vibrant green and looked exceptionally valuable.

"What is this?"

After a close inspection, the Marquis of Ren De could not see anything unusual about the jade.

He could, however, sense a peculiar energy emanating from within it.

"Marquis, we are all aware of your intentions," Zhao Feng said slowly. "The Great Zhou Country is already in a state of turmoil. We understand you want to secure a way out for yourself. However, the armies under your command are far from sufficient. This jade is an incredibly important treasure, created at great cost by the National Preceptor of the Great Yue Country. It is called the Heart-locking Jade."

As soon as Zhao Feng finished speaking, the Marquis of Ren De recoiled as if shocked, tossing the jade back into the wooden box.

He shot to his feet, his face flushed with anger. "The Heart-locking Jade! Legend says it can bind a person’s heart, placing them under the complete control of another. You want to control me? In your dreams!"

Zhao Feng chuckled. "Marquis, we don’t entirely trust you, either. Only after you’ve used the Heart-locking Jade can we truly put our minds at ease. So please, use it now, in front of me. Once you have, I will arrange for your army to be gradually moved from Lingyun Dao to the Great Yue Country. There, you will once again be enfeoffed as a marquis and appointed a general."

"What do you say?"

The Marquis of Ren De’s face darkened as he shut the wooden box, preparing to refuse.

’If I use the Heart-locking Jade, I might escape the turbulent Great Zhou Country, but I’ll be nothing more than a puppet.’

’From that point on, I’ll be forced to do whatever the Great Yue Country commands.’

’I am not willing to accept that.’

But Zhao Feng’s next words froze him in place, like a wooden statue.

Zhao Feng spoke slowly. "You have wavered between the three sides far too many times. The National Preceptor has spoken. He has divined your imminent death. And the cause of that death will be Shen Bai. You should trust the National Preceptor. His predictions are never wrong."