The Steward Demonic Emperor

Chapter 931: Hanging by a Thread

Proofreader: Papatonks

“Then you can go and tell him his son is safe and sound, treated like a prince. He can make the exchange without worry. As for seeing him, ha-ha-ha, I find it unnecessary.”

Baili Jingwei showed a crafty smile as he sipped tea. 

Shangguan Feiyun mocked, “Yep, so go ahead and tell him that. It’s not like he has some divine eye that can tell him if you have seen the kid or not.”

“I wish it were that simple.”

Shangguan Yulin sighed in distress, “You know as well the punk is lively as a monkey. He won’t be fooled with just that. He told me he and his son had a signal. I need to see the child in person and relay this signal. When I reply, he’ll only believe if I come with the matching signal, or he’d believe his son is dead and the deal is off. He’ll just give the sword to Shangguan Yulin and throw his lot with them…”

Shangguan Feiyun cried out, “There’s something like that? You just have to see the brat?”

“It seems like it…” Shangguan Yulin had no intention of seeing Gu Santong if he could help it, which he couldn’t.

He was always scared here, in the Flying Cloud manor and the faster he left, the better. There was no way he could feel safe, not when Shangguan Feiyun was right there flexing his power.

Shangguan Feiyun frowned and turned to Baili Jingwei, but the man was deep in thought.

Shangguan Yulin’s heart sank, having a really bad feeling. “Y-you didn’t actually kill him, did you? Don’t you want the Soaring Sword? If Gu Yifan doesn’t get confirmation, then there’s no deal. You won’t get the sword and my body will be ruined. H-how could you just kill him? You could at least wait to get the divine sword. Prime Minister, you’re a man of wisdom so how…”

“Silence!”

Shangguan Feiyun glared, “Enough of your chattering! He’s not dead.”

[Oh, so he’s alive.]

[Then why are you so sensitive to the topic? Just let me see the brat and don’t make it harder on me. I almost had a heart attack thinking I’d see a corpse…]

SIghing, Shangguan Yulin unclenched, regarding them with renewed hope and waiting for an answer.

Baili Jingwei glanced over and nodded, “Fine, I’ll take you to the boy. Though it’s up to luck if you can squeeze even a word out of him.”

“W-what does that mean? What did you do? Did you beat him to an inch of his life and now he can’t even speak?” Shangguan Yulin cried out.

Seeing their eyes had him trembling in fear.

[These savages won’t spare even a child, how brutal!] 

Not like Shangguan Yulin was any better. At the very least he would not start tormenting women and children.

He was the young master of a renowned clan and had to act like it, knowing how far to take his cruelty. 

[But these men…]

Shangguan Feiyun snapped at him, “What’s with that look? Are you thinking we did this to him? You call a monster like that a child?”

“That’s…”

“This way, young master Shangguan.”

Baili Jingwei interrupted, standing up and leading the way with the Sword Kings by his side. Shangguan Yulin scratched his head as he went along.

The four passed through many places before arriving at a rock garden. Shangguan Feiyun made a sign and the space warped to reveal a dark hole.

The four went down the dark abyss then lights came to life. As they descended, two rows of Soul Harmony and Genesis Stage guards welcomed them, standing there like statues, fifty in total. 

Their auras had Shangguan Yulin scared silly. 

[Flying Cloud manor’s secret jail is under such a tight guard.]

Yet all this secret place had locked up was none other than a child. This went to show just how wary Baili Jingwei and the Sword Kings were of him or maybe Gu Yifan.

The four reached the end, but it was beyond the gloomy and damp hell Shangguan Yulin pictured. Instead he saw silk and lights, a carved table and a granite chair; quite fancy. The bed in particular caught eyes with its carved and intricate jade supports buffed to a shine. 

[You call this a jail cell? More like a king’s chambers!]

Shangguan Feiyun patted his shoulder and pointed at the pale and resting child on the bed, “Here’s the brat you wanted to see. Does it look like I touched him?”

[He’s Gu Yifan’s son?]”

Shangguan Yulin cheered.

[He’s still alive!]

“Young Sanzi!”

In the Flying Cloud City, in a dark corner bordering the manor, a sitting shadow made signs as it cried out.

He slipped into Flying Cloud City, right behind Shangguan Yulin, and lay in ambush.

Out of anyone’s perception, the swarming maggots in Shangguan Yulin’s belly withdrew to reveal a scarlet image of an infant. 

The idea behind dumping so many Bloodworms into Shangguan Yulin was not to threaten him into submission. He had other ways to do that. The Bloodworms worked to those below the Ethereal Stage since it tortured one’s body. But it hardly posed a threat to a cultivator’s soul.

The other would just have to take the consequence of ruining his body and you had no way of using him after.

Zhuo Fan stuffed him with Bloodworms to hide the Blood Infant’s scent.

Zhuo Fan had him knocked unconscious to blind him of the process and just what else was hidden in there. Blood Infant was one, Bloodworms were another, while also sealing the guy’s senses. So when Shangguan Feiyun came to check, he’d only see the Bloodworms, unaware of the Blood Infant lurking beneath.

It was the perfect way to get Shangguan Yulin to help him find young Sanzi.

All of it was set up to find young Sanzi as soon as possible. Any rescue attempt could only start when the target’s location was confirmed.

Zhuo Fan’s brow shook, seeing through Blood Infant’s eyes the frail child behind the silk covers. His fists clenched, his heart shuddered in pain.

But calm soon returned.

It was not the time for action, but patience…

Shangguan Yulin approached Gu Santong’s side and checked his vitals. He turned to Shangguan Feiyun in shock, “How is he?”

“He’s weakened by severe blood loss.” Shangguan Feiyun rolled his eyes.

Shangguan Yulin checked again and noticed Gu Santong’s damaged arm. Even with the bandages to staunch the bleeding, blood was seeping still, following the arm and dripping into a bowl.

Startled, Shangguan Yulin asked, “Are you letting out blood? Why?”

“Bullshit!”

Shangguan Feiyun cursed, “I’m no saint, but never this vile as to bleed out a child. I never once tortured him and even used my personal training room to heal him. And you’re asking if I bled him?”

“This is your personal room?”

“What else, a prison?”

Shangguan Yulin huffed and glared at him, turning to Gu Santong, “The kid is weird. I planned on using him to threaten that Gu guy after my blade hurt him, so I had my alchemists heal him. But the odd thing is that no medicine can halt the bleeding. That’s why I was hesitating about letting you see him. While not dead, he’s not long for this world. It’s unclear if he can get us the sword as he is.”

Shangguan Yulin’s brow shook. 

[So that’s what all that stalling was about. The brat is hanging by a thread. He might not even live past a fortnight to see the exchange.]

[Gu Yifan will never go with the damn thing if he knew and will throw his lot with Shangguan clan, raising a family, but without his son…]

Zhuo Fan was overwhelmed at the truth about his condition, worried and flustered.

[Young Sanzi can’t heal? W-why…]