Emperor’s Domination

Once the duo returned to the plain, the servants had mixed feelings. They had been working for the Tang for generations now.

Though the Tang had declined, it was still considered prestigious to mortals. Thus, they felt happy for the clan master to sell his estates for such a high price.

Because of the profit, he left everything behind to Li Qiye including the servants. Therefore, they were also nervous about this new master and the uncertainties regarding their future.

Since the Tang had moved to the city, they didn’t have much to do in this ancestral plain. They hoped that this new master would find them useful and not kick them out.

Sure enough, Li Qiye had tasks for them to get done. He ordered them to dig out the dirt piles all over the plains. Of course, they turned out to be tiny fortresses instead.

Moreover, he asked them to dig out some roads for the plain. As they removed the top layer, they found roads already existing underneath, consisting of unknown materials.

When looking down from above, one would find that these “roads” appeared to be lines carved all over the plain. The mortals didn’t notice anything special about the roads.

Nonetheless, they were ecstatic because Li Qiye didn’t chase them away. This made them work even harder since they had a purpose now.

This wasn’t a small project but Li Qiye didn’t interfere and left Ning Zhu in charge. She didn’t mind leading them and even working herself, completely forgetting about her noble roots.

She, on the other hand, noticed a strange momentum flowing in this land. After removing the dirt from the fortresses and lines, their current residence seemed to be the center. The momentum spread across the entire plain.

She thought that this place was an ancient diagram or formation, and that there must be something else going on here. She tried to comprehend the mysteries of the lines but didn’t notice any pattern. It was complex enough to make her dizzy.

“Young Noble, is this a formation?” She asked Li Qiye.

“Not a formation, just a hidden secret.” Li Qiye smiled.

“Who is it? The progenitor of the Tang?” She brought up her first guess.

“Right, he left behind a few things here on purpose.” He nodded.

“What are they?” This interested her because Li Qiye was invested in the plain. He had plenty of treasures and weapons already. What would be worth his time?

“They’re not really treasures, just fate related.” Li Qiye gazed at the plain and said.

“Fate?” She didn’t understand the answer but stopped prying because the answer would show itself soon enough.

She returned to her task afterward. This was something she never had to do back in Wooden Sword but she didn’t mind.

Alas, someone else came to complain in her stead. It was none other than someone who had a crush on her – Liu Yushang.

He found out somehow and came to find her. When he saw her digging up the ground with the servants, he thought that Li Qiye was mistreating her.

“Her Highness is a noble of Wooden Sword. This type of wretched labor is meant for servants or villagers, why does she have to be subjected to this treatment?” He found Li Qiye and stated his grievance: “I will not stand and allow you to do this!”

“A man can’t understand what makes a fish happy.” Li Qiye couldn’t help but smile and shake his head after seeing this. [1]

“You don’t need to involve yourself in my business.” Ning Zhu didn’t appreciate the sudden intrusion either. [2]

“Your Highness, since he’s mistreating you like this, he’s absolutely offending Wooden Sword. We will not allow him to keep this up…” Yushang responded.

His small sect was located by the border of Wooden Sword. Due to its weakness, Wooden Sword didn’t bother turning it into a tributary. Nonetheless, he and his sect still considered themselves as members of Wooden Sword.

“I am no longer a princess there.” She shook her head.

Of course, Yushang also came wanting to teach Li Qiye a lesson. He became enraged after seeing the princess like this and wouldn’t drop the issue.

“Li, you might be rich but that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. Her Highness should be treated better or I’ll be the first to take you down!” Yushang shouted with indignation.

This caused Ning Zhu to frown since Li Qiye wasn’t actually mistreating her. The more Yushang went on, the more she found it intolerable.

“Are you going to do something about it?” Li Qiye smiled.

“Do you dare to fight me?!” Yushang challenged.

“Fight you?” 

“Yes, money is not an indication of your actual ability. Use your own strength and fight me to prove your worth!” Yushang loudly shouted.

“No, having money proves my worth.” Li Qiye responded: “Do you think your merit laws are your innate abilities? No, in the eyes of mortals, you were just lucky enough to learn immortal laws. That’s not your actual ability, so would a mortal challenge you to a duel and ask you to destroy your cultivation for a fair fight?”

“Well…” Yushang had no response.

“Plus, why should I bother with you? I am the richest in the world while you’re just a poor brat. It’s not worth my time, you have nothing that I want.” Li Qiye added.

“I’m not a poor brat!” He turned red after hearing this.

He did come from a humble background but in recent years, he made a name for himself and gathered considerable resources. He was far richer than his peers who were born with a golden spoon. Thus, he didn’t accept the insult from Li Qiye.

1. Uncommon idiom

2. She used polite and formal tone with him before, this is informal now