Celestial Night Emperor

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: A Hidden Crisis

The Night Emperor is dead!

The news spread quickly, starting from the very top.

The rumors were alarmingly convincing, and there was even a photo of the Night Emperor’s tombstone circulating.

Many of Da Xia’s mid- to high-ranking officials couldn’t tell if it was true, to say nothing of the common folk.

In Su City alone, some of his admirers wept openly. They even pooled their money to build a Divine Shrine for him in the Heroic Ancestral Hall outside the city. For a while, the entire city came to pay their respects!

Similar Divine Shrines popped up in other regions, their incense burning strong.

Perhaps, only a few people in Su City knew the truth.

Han Qian Jun said to Jiang Wan Jun, ”Someone is trying to move against our son-in-law. They’re deliberately spreading rumors of his death to make people gradually forget his accomplishments. This is precisely why we can’t let a single word slip out. I trust Tianxuan will handle it.”

But the news of the Night Emperor’s death caused the greatest shock on the foreign battlefields!

Now, not only the Celestial Demons but also Da Xia’s other foreign enemies threw banquets to celebrate in their excitement!

”The news came from Da Xia’s Battle Department and the dignitaries in the Imperial Capital! The Night Emperor is dead, no question about it!”

Meanwhile, among the Celestial Demons, various dark factions began to converge.

The Black Demon Alliance Army was formed to seize the opportunity.

”Everyone, come to think of it, the Night Emperor was already on his last legs when he defeated us in Beimo! We wounded him grievously!”

”That’s right! It’s why he never showed up at Da Xia’s victory banquet. He must have been too badly injured to celebrate.”

”Three hundred days without a single word. We all thought he’d retired to enjoy his fame and fortune, but it turns out he was dead all along!”

A few of the smaller factions were still not convinced.

But as reports from the northern foreign battlefields continued to pile up, the matter became undeniable.

”The Night Emperor’s former subordinates, that detestable Six Halls and Ninth Army, are now led by Wutian!”

”Shit, that guy’s no pushover either!”

”No need to be afraid. He’s got to be easier to deal with than the Night Emperor, right?”

That much was true.

In any case, with even the Six Halls and Ninth Army under a new commander, there was no longer any doubt about the Night Emperor’s death.

The Black Demon Alliance Army grew brazen.

Before, they had feared only Qin Tianxuan. Now, they feared nothing!

”Keep gathering our forces. We’ll find the perfect opportunity and wipe out the Northern Domain Battle Department! That Ye Tianlong might be a little stronger than the last commander, but he’s still an incompetent fool.”

The seeds of a massive crisis had been sown, ready to erupt at any moment.

Meanwhile, at Frost Plum Courtyard, Qin Tianxuan was helping his daughter with her homework.

His brows were furrowed as he stared down at the elementary school math problem in his hands, looking as if he were facing a formidable foe.

The table was covered with paper, a ruler, and all the necessary tools.

But fifteen minutes had passed, and Qin Tianxuan was still completely stumped.

The paper was covered in formulas; he’d even resorted to analytical geometry.

Niannian propped her chin on her hands and watched him. ”Dad, do you not know how to do it?”

Sweat beaded on Qin Tianxuan’s forehead.

Who could have imagined that the Night Emperor, the Demon King whose very name sent children in the Northern Domain into terrified tears, could be so flustered.

”Niannian, let me think a bit more. This problem is extremely complex. If I still can’t get it, I’ll call a few of your uncles and aunts. They’re all elites from the Six Halls. Some of the analysts are even graduates of world-renowned universities...”

Rubbing his temples, Qin Tianxuan sent the math problem to a group chat.

Inside the Intelligence Hall, the strategy department descended into chaos!

”Sir! Lord Night Emperor has sent a mysterious problem! We suspect it’s related to the current enemy situation in the Northern Domain, but we can’t solve it. We don’t dare report our failure—we’re afraid of the disgrace!”

Venerable Yuan, the head of the Intelligence Hall, was stunned. ”Compile everything immediately! Convene a full meeting!”

Suppressed by Ye Tianlong at the front lines, the Night Emperor’s subordinates had been relegated to the rear and were bored out of their minds. Now, they finally had something to do.

The math problem was printed out over two hundred times. The entire staff of analysts from the Intelligence Hall—the very same group that had once shaken the foreign powers—gathered to study it.

Someone muttered, ”This looks like an ordinary logic puzzle for elementary schoolers. If we just follow the simplest line of reasoning, we should be able to get the answer.”

SMACK! The analyst who spoke received a slap on the back of his head.

”It’s from Lord Night Emperor!”

”What? My god, then it can’t be ordinary! Look at these numbers—it’s all simple addition and subtraction under 100. Could this be a code for a Celestial Demon attack?”

Venerable Yuan couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He made a call and summoned the most intelligent of all the Night Emperor’s subordinates.

The head of the Ten Thousand Realms Hall, Taichu!

He was responsible for managing the infiltration and control of dark forces in foreign territories, and was also the most mysterious of the Night Emperor’s subordinates.

Taichu looked at the problem and pondered for a very long time. At last, he sighed softly. ”My lord, we are incompetent. We cannot solve it!”

Meanwhile, Qin Tianxuan and his family had already finished dinner.

Seeing the report from his subordinates, Qin Tianxuan’s expression soured. ’I already bragged to my daughter,’ he thought. ’This is a huge embarrassment!’

Han Biwei, who had been washing the dishes, came back, took the math problem, and couldn’t help but laugh. ”You can be so dense. This is a brain teaser. Come here, Niannian, Mom will explain it to you.”

It was quite simple. In just a few sentences, Niannian understood.

Qin Tianxuan rubbed his hands together, thoroughly impressed. ”Weiwei, you’re amazing.”

Han Biwei pursed her lips into a smile. She sat down beside them and tied up her long hair, chuckling as she helped Niannian organize her school supplies. ”You’re the one who’s too dense. You couldn’t even solve a kid’s problem all evening.”

”But Mom,” Niannian said defensively, ”Dad is really smart! He can even understand the news in other languages. It’s all foreign words.”

Now it was Han Biwei’s turn to be surprised.

Qin Tianxuan looked a bit smug. ”Well, not to brag, but I do know a little of every language. Niannian’s English grades will definitely be great.”

Han Biwei was speechless. ”Alright, you two, stop praising each other. Hurry up and get this cleaned up!”

At Weiwei’s command, the father and daughter duo scrambled to clean the room and tidy up.

It was still early evening, with night just beginning to fall, when a white BMW pulled up outside the courtyard.

It was Han Biwei’s best friend, Yuan Jingjing, arriving for a visit with gifts in hand.