Chapter 441: Where’s Sheng Sheng?
“The Emperor of Wu is incompetent and immoral; would you consider replacing him?”
In the courtyard, Wu held this letter, glanced at the few words on it, then chuckled softly as she tossed the letter aside.
Last night, after Ming received this letter, he specifically searched around for the person who delivered it.
Naturally, the search was fruitless.
In the end, Ming brought the letter to the Princess’s residence and showed it to Wu.
Though, to be precise, this residence was no longer the Princess’s but the Qin Wang’s.
“Regarding this letter, I will investigate thoroughly. However, there’s no need to have high hopes since whoever sent this has surely covered their tracks well. They won’t leave any evidence against themselves.” Wu spoke calmly.
“I know that naturally,” Ming nodded, taking a sip of tea. “But what I want to ask is, do you think it necessary to show this letter to His Majesty?”
“There’s no need.”
Wu shook her head.
“Although showing this letter to His Majesty might make you appear upright, not everything can be reported to my father. Have you thought about what happens after you tell him? He may praise you in front of everyone, but behind closed doors, he will certainly overthink it.
Now that you’ve told me, that’s enough. If someone tries to manipulate this matter to frame you, I can always discuss it with you.”
“That’s true,” Ming agreed with Wu.
“By the way, regarding Qi Wang’s attempt to kill me, are there still remnants of his faction?” Ming changed the subject.
Ming had wanted to ask this all along but didn’t have time yesterday.
Wu sighed, “In my opinion, Qi Wang wanting to kill you should still have remnants, but there’s simply no evidence left. There’s no way to investigate further. Sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing to me?” Ming smiled, “I’ve already heard that because of my matters, you’ve turned the entire imperial court upside down. Now many officials tremble when they see you. If we can’t investigate further, it just means it involves too deep and wide a network. If they’ve given up now, then I won’t care. But if they still intend to harm me, then don’t blame me for investigating personally.”
Wu looked at Ming and smiled, “Commander Xu, with the Shangfang Baolian, you’ve become much more assertive.”
“Not really,” Ming smiled humbly, “Even with this title, I’m still nothing compared to you, Your Highness. Besides, this sword belongs to the royal family.”
Wu tilted her head, “I’m also from the royal family, so does that mean it’s my sword?”
Ming nodded, “It originally belongs to you.”
Hearing Ming’s words, Wu’s cheeks flushed slightly as she turned her head, muttering softly, “Then why were you so happy in the Northern Sea?”
“What did you say just now, Yanhan?” Ming didn’t catch it.
“Are you asking if the Eternal Dragon Empress is beautiful?” Wu smiled, her tone slightly sour.
“Not as beautiful as you!” Ming said earnestly.
If the Dragon Empress asked, Ming would say she was beautiful.
But since Yanhan asked, he’d say Yanhan was more beautiful.
No matter who asks, fairness is key.
“Hmph,” Wu turned her head again, but Ming could see the curve of her lips.
“By the way, where’s Sheng Sheng? Why haven’t I seen her?” Ming asked.
When Ming was dispatched to the Northern Sea, he entrusted Sheng Sheng to Wu’s care. Wu truly liked Sheng Sheng.
But this time, when he returned, he hadn’t seen Sheng Sheng.
Logically, upon hearing of his return, Sheng Sheng should have come to find him happily.
“Sheng Sheng is in seclusion,” Wu replied.
“In seclusion?” Ming was surprised. Could Sheng Sheng even go into seclusion? And why? “After you left the Northern Sea, Sheng Sheng kept saying she had a headache. Finally, I found a Xiānrén Jìng medical cultivator to examine her. After understanding the situation, the healer suspected that Sheng Sheng might have entered some kind of evolutionary node.”
At this point, Wu’s brows furrowed slightly.
“Cultivators undergo breakthroughs, and with each advancement in realm, their strength increases.
Martial Artists are the same.
Demon Cultivators are the same.
Monster Beasts are the same, except their growth is described as ‘evolution.’
Each evolution greatly enhances their power, and their appearance and form change.”
Given Wu’s explanation, Ming fully understood, but the question remained: Did Sheng Sheng need to evolve? “Doesn’t Sheng Sheng have human bloodlines? When I left, wasn’t her human bloodline supposed to have completely suppressed her Monster Beast bloodline?” Ming questioned.
Wu sighed, “Before you left, it’s true that Sheng Sheng’s human bloodline suppressed her Monster Beast bloodline. But Ming, half of Sheng Sheng’s blood is Monster Beast!
And her Monster Beast blood isn’t ordinary—it’s extremely domineering. As Sheng Sheng grows older, no one can guarantee that her human bloodline will continue to suppress the Monster Beast bloodline!”
As she spoke, Wu stood up, then turned her back to Ming and untied her sash.
As the young lady’s clothing slid down to her waist, Ming clearly saw a scar on Wu’s smooth, white back.
The scar resembled claw marks from a fierce beast.
Ming couldn’t believe it, “This scar… was caused by Sheng Sheng?”
Wu dressed herself again, turned around, and nodded, “At that time, Sheng Sheng went berserk. When I subdued her, I accidentally got injured. This scar is nothing serious; I can remove it with two months of Snow Ning ointment.
But when Sheng Sheng regained consciousness, she felt very guilty.
She felt she owed me an apology and was afraid to see you, worried about being scolded by you, and even more terrified that you might have seen her lose control.
So Sheng Sheng locked herself in her room and wouldn’t come out.
But the more Sheng Sheng feels depressed, the more the Monster Beast bloodline gains dominance.
Just at that moment, Sheng Sheng was nearing evolution.
In the end, to avoid hurting me again, Sheng Sheng chose to enter hibernation for evolution.
There are two possible outcomes after evolution: One is that Sheng Sheng is completely dominated by the Monster Beast bloodline and becomes a purely instinct-driven Monster Beast.
The other outcome is that Sheng Sheng regains her senses through sheer willpower.”
“…”
Ming fell silent for a long while.
Finally, Ming looked up and asked Wu, “How much time remains before we see the result?”
Wu stared straight into Ming’s eyes, “Within this month.”
