Chapter 173

“Demonic dragon spine?”

Ye Zheng stared at the letter and let out a quiet, cold laugh. No one knew better than her where the real Demonic dragon spine was.

After Lu Qi and Sela had led the dragon-blooded people into the grasslands to lie low for a time, they eventually found an abandoned factory in the Western District and settled there. Sela had fully utilized her abilities as the leader of the heretics, transforming the site into a brand-new base. Many believers followed her lead, migrating alongside her into the Western District.

The Western District was an ideal place for this group of saints to develop. It was remote, expansive, and sparsely populated. The upper district’s control over it was relatively weak. After the Zhou Yun incident, the Western District citizens’ disappointment toward the imperial family and the church had only grown deeper, making it the perfect opportunity for Sela and her saints to seize the moment and establish themselves there.

Besides that, the main reason Sela couldn’t leave the Western District was the dragon bone. Such an enormous Demonic dragon spine meant she could only remain in the Western District herself for the time being to guard that secret.

Under Ye Zheng’s arrangements, the former abbess Annabella was helping Sela care for the dragon-bodied people. Annabella had secretly retrieved the restraints from the Hope Project base and was calming and tending to those dragon-bodied individuals, preventing them from causing any trouble.

However, Ye Zheng had received a message from Lu Qi. The relationship between Sela and Annabella was far from harmonious. Recently, the tension between the two sides had been growing more severe, and Lu Qi was doing everything she could to mediate between them.

Annabella was researching the dragon bone, hoping to find a way to return the dragon-bodied people to normal. Sela was also having people study the dragon bone, wanting to use it to make herself even stronger. She had even planned to send the dragon-bodied people out to plunder resources and expand her forces, but Annabella stopped her.

Sela’s ability was elusive and unpredictable. She controlled the dragon bone and had a group of fanatical believers behind her. Annabella was wise and seasoned, caring for the violent dragon-bodied people while also having a girl with abnormally powerful abilities at her side. For the time being, the two sides remained locked in a delicate balance.

However, Ye Zheng had a premonition that this fragile balance wouldn’t hold for long, and that Sela would be the one to shatter it, simply because she was reckless enough to do so.

Moreover, Sela’s madness was highly contagious. That trait alone was even more frightening than her actual ability.

This was the risk she’d chosen to bear the moment she decided to cooperate with Sela.

Therefore, she had to seize control of the Pope’s authority as quickly as possible and begin deploying her own forces throughout the Western District. She couldn’t allow Sela to keep acting wildly without any restraint.

Ye Zheng let out a faint sigh, one that brought on a slight headache. Sela was troublesome, Wen Jian was still clinging to his last breath, and the emperor was once again scheming behind the scenes. Not a single one of them gave her any peace of mind.

The letter stated that in three days, the Royal Academy in the upper district would be holding an award ceremony. They would personally grant the champion team supervisory rights over the Demonic dragon spine, and for the first time, the empire would publicly display the dragon bone’s true appearance.

What they would exhibit at that time could only be a fake, but even a fake was better than revealing the real thing. The true dragon bone would only attract the descent of Aberrant Realms. She’d heard that Sela had been leading people to deal with those Aberrant Realms every few days, and because of that, her temper had grown even more irritable.

Ye Zheng carefully folded the letter and put it away. On the surface, this award ceremony had little to do with her, yet she still needed to go and observe the situation firsthand.

The emperor intended to display the Demonic dragon spine that wasn’t even in his possession. There had to be some kind of scheme hidden behind that move.

✧✧✧✧✧

Three days later.

Today was the award ceremony for the Ability Competition. As per tradition, it was being held at the Royal Academy. All residents of the upper district were permitted to attend and celebrate together, while people from other districts could only enter if they had received an invitation.

Elegantly dressed people moved back and forth along the wide and spotless campus walkways, chatting and laughing among themselves. Compared to the fresh and pristine campus surroundings, they seemed oddly out of place.

This was Pei Xi’s second visit to the Royal Academy.

The first time had been during the preparation period for the third stage of the Ability Competition. The Crown Prince had announced the new members of the royal team at a banquet hosted at the Royal Academy, and among them was Saintess Ye Zheng. That was the very first time he had seen Ye Zheng.

She had stood beside Sykes in a long white dress, almost perfectly aligning with his most idealized image of a Saintess. Back then, he could never have imagined that Ye Zheng would one day bring about such subversive changes to his world.

“Wow, have the girls in the upper district also started following the trend of cutting their hair short?”

Kyle glanced over and exclaimed in surprise, “I remember the last time we attended a banquet at the Royal Academy, I didn’t see any girls with short hair.”

Pei Xi looked over, and a trace of realization flickered across his face. Ye Zheng hadn’t just subverted him. With a single wave of her hand, she’d overturned countless others along with him.

Ever since the Saintess completed her miracle-like sermon at Sieg Square, Ye Zheng’s image had transformed overnight. She was no longer the long-haired Saintess who smiled while leaning on her sword, but had become a sharp and resolute figure with short hair, symbolizing her determination, her sword raised toward the sky. The women of the lower district suddenly set off a short-hair trend. From elderly ladies to young girls, the Saintess’s exact hairstyle quickly became fashionable.

For a long time, long hair had been seen as a symbol of feminine charm and virtue. In more conservative families, if a woman cut her hair short, it would be regarded by her relatives as improper and rebellious behavior.

Now, any woman who wanted to cut her hair short only needed to respond with a single sentence: “But Saintess Ye Zheng has this hairstyle.” That alone was enough to silence the gossipers.

Many women who had never even thought about cutting their hair short had also changed their hairstyles because of the Saintess. This had already turned into a trend sweeping across the entire empire.

Pei Xi continued walking further inside. At the center of the Royal Academy was a square filled with blooming flowers. Many Royal Academy students were already gathered, waiting for the ceremony to begin. The students wearing dark red uniforms looked rather displeased. The award ceremony had always been held at the Royal Academy because the Royal Academy usually took the victory. Yet today, they had to watch the emperor present the award to someone from the middle district, right on their own ground.

The expressions of the female students were comparatively normal. Many of them were focused on eagerly waiting for Senior Ye Zheng to arrive. The male students, however, mostly wore grim expressions. The royal team had actually lost to a woman from the middle district. What a humiliating outcome.

As the central figure of this award ceremony, Wu Shu remained alone in a quiet corner, her attention taut like that of a wild lynx.

She watched coldly as singing and dancing began on the elevated platform of the ceremony. Attendants carrying fine wine and delicacies moved back and forth between the open-air dining tables. Elegant nobles raised their wine glasses as they conversed. One prominent figure after another took their seats amid the booming of ceremonial cannons, drawing cheers and attention from the entire venue.

Ye Zheng had also arrived. She wore the deep red uniform of the Royal Academy on her upper body and simple black pants on her lower body, instead of the skirt typically worn by female students. Wu Shu guessed that the girls at the Royal Academy might soon start a trend of modifying their school uniforms as well.

The students nearby reached the renowned Saintess more quickly than the adults did. At first, they were somewhat reserved, but after Ye Zheng smiled and spoke a few words, they clearly relaxed and began chatting and laughing with her as if they were ordinary friends.

How pleasant, Wu Shu thought. She sat on the steps, gazed up at the blue sky, and let herself drift into thought for a brief moment.

“Wu Shu! Miss Wu Shu!”

A flustered attendant finally found the ceremony’s main figure tucked away in a corner. Forgetting all about proper etiquette, he grabbed her and pulled her to her feet. The award ceremony had already started, and His Majesty the Emperor was in place. How could the champion possibly be missing?

“Don’t be nervous. There’s still time.”

Wu Shu smiled lightly.

The Ability Competition was a team event, so her teammates were already standing in position, waiting for her. Their gazes were somewhat evasive. They were afraid of her and were quietly trying to keep their distance.

After the competition results were announced, her leading the team to victory had shocked countless people, especially those at her academy. But within just a few days, news of Pei Xi saving others had spread everywhere. Someone had leaked what had happened during that day’s match. Many people began to feel indignant on behalf of the Cloud Soarers team, and they praised Pei Xi even more for remaining calm in both honor and disgrace while staying true to his original intentions.

Wu Shu looked at her three teammates and raised an eyebrow with a faint smile. The three young men became even more afraid to meet her eyes directly.

She didn’t feel even the slightest sense of camaraderie toward these three teammates. They could call her cold-blooded if they wished. In her eyes, they were nothing more than carefully selected scraps from the academy. People who wanted to stay far away from her controversial reputation while still trying to benefit from the honor and advantages she brought.

“The Ability Competition is the empire’s grandest and most significant event. The proud young talents we have are the future of the empire. In them, I see…”

The entire venue fell into complete silence. Only the emperor’s deep and resonant voice echoed throughout the space. Almost everyone was looking up at the majestic man standing on the high platform, wearing the ceremonial sash.

“This year’s champion is truly unexpected. This is the first time the Ability Competition has welcomed a champion from the middle district. The children of the middle district have shown us their immense potential…”

The teammates behind her anxiously tapped Wu Shu’s shoulder, urging her to hurry up onto the stage. Wu Shu gave a small shrug and slowly ascended the steps leading to the high platform. Her three teammates looked as though they wanted to push her forward themselves.

Wu Shu had never been an arrogant or discourteous person. On the contrary, she was quite skilled at navigating between different groups of people in order to secure benefits.

But today, she was indeed being rude.

The emperor appeared even taller and more imposing than he did in still portraits. The golden eyes passed down through the royal lineage seemed almost capable of speaking. He turned his head slightly and looked at her with gentle tolerance, signaling for her to quickly step to his side and share in the admiration of tens of thousands, along with immense power and wealth.

As long as she accepted the authority to supervise the dragon bone from the emperor’s hands, then no matter what controversies had arisen during the competition, she would become a heroic figure forever recorded in the history of the middle district. She had brought the blessed dragon bone back to her homeland!

Wu Shu shifted her gaze. She looked down toward the crowd. Those proud and reserved faces, whether filled with curiosity, disdain, or admiration, could only look up at her at this moment. Without question, this was the peak of her life.

But where was the dragon bone? Why hadn’t the dragon bone appeared yet?

“The dragon bone is the empire’s most precious treasure. Its existence safeguards the future of the empire, and the younger generation continues that future. The royal family presents this weighty gift to the champion of the competition, in the hope that…”

Wu Shu’s pupils contracted sharply. She seemed to be staring at the crowd, or perhaps at a fleeting vision of a possible future in the void.

“Wu Shu, you are the captain of this team. I now entrust this key to you. From today onward, your team will be responsible for guarding the dragon bone in the middle district.”

No, she had clearly seen Ye Zheng arrive earlier. So why couldn’t she see her shadow now? Wu Shu’s pupils trembled faintly.

“The transportation of the dragon bone is rather troublesome. It’s still on the way. Once it arrives, I’ll have you open the cage for everyone and reveal the dragon bone’s true appearance.”

The emperor spoke with a smile. The instant the dragon bone was mentioned, cheers erupted from below the stage. Even the old nobles of the upper district had almost never laid eyes on the real dragon bone before.

It was only when the emperor extended the key, shimmering with a cold silver light, right in front of her that Wu Shu snapped back to her senses.

Her gaze first settled on the key, then slowly lifted to the emperor’s face. There weren’t many handsome middle-aged men like him, yet compared to his looks, the oppressive weight of his majesty was far more unsettling. At first glance, his gentle golden eyes seemed to be smiling, but the longer one stared, the more it became clear they weren’t a radiant sun at all. They were an icy surface reflecting a frigid light.

This reward isn’t worth you going to such lengths. It may even bring you trouble.

The warning Ye Zheng had given her during the competition suddenly resurfaced in her mind.

Why would the dragon bone bring trouble… unless it couldn’t offer protection and wasn’t the real dragon bone!

Something this important, the royal family would never willingly hand it over to her, let alone to the middle district!

From the very beginning, the dragon bone had been intended as a gift for the Crown Prince. Perhaps when the royal family decided to use it as the competition’s reward, they had never even considered the possibility that anyone other than the Crown Prince would win.

But Wu Shu had emerged victorious, throwing the ownership of the dragon bone into an awkward situation. Even so, they couldn’t take back a promise that had already been made, not even the emperor.

Ye Zheng had disappeared, which suggested that something else must’ve happened concerning this award ceremony and the dragon bone. Whatever that change was, there was no way it would work in her favor.

Whispers rippled up from beneath the stage. The crowd stared in astonishment at the僵持 scene unfolding on the platform. Her teammates nervously tugged at Wu Shu’s arm, ready to step past her and accept the emperor’s key themselves, but Wu Shu suddenly extended her hand and stopped him.

She stepped back, bowed respectfully to the emperor, and when she straightened, her usual bright and composed expression had already returned. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. After thinking it over for a long time, I feel that we’re still too young to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.”

Her three teammates’ faces drained of color in an instant.

“Please take back the key. I’m truly sorry for wasting your kindness.”

For a brief moment, the entire ceremony sank into silence. Then a loud uproar burst forth. The residents of the upper district were utterly shocked. This girl from the middle district wasn’t just rejecting honor. She could’ve brought a blessed reward back to her hometown, yet she had selfishly turned it down!

The emperor narrowed his golden eyes slightly. “Have you truly thought this through? There’s no reward more precious than the dragon bone.”

Her three teammates hurriedly tried to interject, but the emperor’s gaze swept across them. The three of them immediately fell silent, as if they had sensed something ominous.

Wu Shu clenched her fists tightly, yet a relaxed smile spread across her face. She even bared two neat rows of bright white teeth as she smiled.

“The reward for the previous champion included treasures, rare artifacts, and the position of deputy captain within the royal knight order’s personal guard.”

“So, I would like the position of deputy captain of an enforcement team within the upper district’s Public Security Bureau. That alone will be enough.”

A girl who had only just come of age from the middle district wanted to enter the upper district’s Public Security Bureau? This was a place where even minor nobles from the upper district had to pull countless strings just to secure positions for their sons. Gasps immediately rose from the crowd below.

The emperor turned his head and swept his gaze across the audience. The commotion instantly died down. After surveying them once, he shifted his gaze back to Wu Shu.

“You’re a smart and sensible child… Very well. I’ll grant you this position and promise that after three years of service, you’ll become the captain of the Public Security Bureau. I believe you have the ability.”

Wu Shu watched the emperor’s reaction closely and didn’t miss the fleeting trace of coldness that passed across his expression.

The emperor actually wanted her to accept the dragon bone? Realizing this, Wu Shu’s teeth trembled faintly. This could only mean that the hidden truth behind the dragon bone ran even deeper than she had expected.

“Thank you for your grace, respected Your Majesty.”

Wu Shu bowed deeply once more. Her lowered expression was stiff and cold. When she raised her head again, she had already restored a grateful smile.

When she turned her head to look down at the audience, her smile froze briefly. Ye Zheng had appeared at some point.

Beside the dining table, Ye Zheng gave Wu Shu a subtle nod along with a faint smile.

Thank goodness Wu Shu was clever and had publicly refused this grand gift of the dragon bone.

She had just received a message that someone was lying in ambush on the streets outside. Their target was very likely the dragon bone.

According to the promise, the dragon bone had to be given out, but it absolutely couldn’t be handed over to anywhere outside the upper district. Once it was given to the middle district and people discovered that the number of Aberrant Realms hadn’t decreased, they would realize there was a problem with the dragon bone. The only solution was to find a way to take it back before the dragon bone was exposed.

Whether it was self-directed and self-acted, or deliberately leaking news of the display to lure people into fighting over it, the emperor would still have fulfilled his promise. The more mysterious the whereabouts of the dragon bone became, the better. Moreover, what the emperor offered was definitely a fake, so it wasn’t worth mentioning.

Thinking of this, Ye Zheng’s expression suddenly stiffened. She suspected that the emperor’s deeper purpose was to use Wu Shu as a cover to present the “dragon bone,” then create an incident so that the “dragon bone” would be stolen or seized. This way, he could conceal the real dragon bone’s whereabouts.

If that were the case, it would no longer seem strange if the legendary dragon bone stored in the upper district appeared somewhere in the lower district. People wouldn’t suspect that the dragon bone had actually been in the lower district all along!

Even if one day Sela revealed the dragon bone in the Western District, people would only think that Sela had stolen it…

Ye Zheng stared at Wu Shu, who was still calmly conversing with the emperor on the stage, and felt a sense of relief in her heart. Wu Shu had broken this round.

She had already sent people to keep watch on that group lying in ambush outside. After Wu Shu publicly refused the dragon bone, there would be no chance for the dragon bone to appear and be snatched away.

Ye Zheng looked once more at the calm and imposing man on the stage. His golden eyes suddenly glanced over, casually sweeping in her direction.

Ye Zheng blinked her dark eyes, picked up a wine glass filled with red wine from the dining table, and lifted it from afar with a smile in her eyes.

What a coincidence. She’d won again.