Family Management Game In Immortal Continent Chapter 852: The Human Heart
Previously on Family Management Game In Immortal Continent...
In Duskwild Prefecture.
Li Kuangren followed the concealed path handed over by those three rascals.
During his journey, he spotted weaknesses in the frontline defenses with ease.
After uttering the passphrase—"Those who believe in the Pavilion of Heavenly Mystery shall gain eternal life"—devout followers of their deity emerged to greet him warmly.
In this manner, he proceeded without any hindrance straight to Fourth Prince's Manor.
Li Kuangren's face stayed shadowed the entire trip.
Azure Cloud Prefecture, in the end, fell under the control of his own lineage.
Having lingered there for ages, focusing solely on Azure Cloud matters, he had almost overlooked the rot and decay plaguing the Dynasty.
Though doubts had lingered in his mind, Li Tianyue's revelations still surpassed his darkest fears.
Reaching Fourth Prince's abode, Li Kuangren steadied his emotions and shoved those notions away.
The Fourth Prince's manor exuded an unexpected calm.
It showed no trace of the notorious lair from Dynasty tales, where Fourth Prince allegedly "gorged on human flesh and blood while feasting on children each day."
Fourth Prince himself didn't match the portrait of a tyrannical ruler commanding the throngs; instead, he looked like a relaxed elder by the lakeside, donning a bamboo hat as he fished.
The rod gave a faint jerk.
The elder scooped up a wriggling green carp into his bamboo creel and refreshed the bait on his hook.
Without glancing back, he said:
"Li Kuangren from the Li family.
You once fiercely scolded the court ministers in the Imperial Hall. Afterward, you acted as Judge in the Azure Cloud Region.
Then came your oversight of Hundred Treasures Mountain. And presently, you wield authority in Azure Cloud Prefecture, managing all major and minor issues with skill."
Li Kuangren stayed quiet.
This Fourth Prince differed from the rest; he displayed no pretensions.
As soon as Kuangren showed up, Fourth Prince merely listed the accomplishments that others admired.
Fourth Prince went on, "My Twelfth Brother summoned you here, leaning on the ties between me and your Li family.
The Dynasty faces dire straits right now.
Should the Wu Race seize Shadowfell Prefecture, I worry all Twelve Totems of the Wu Race might awaken.
That would spell utter doom for our Dynasty.
He dispatched you to seek reconciliation, freeing him to focus on striking a decisive hit against the Wu Race."
"My Twelfth Brother outsmarts that Crown Prince Sheng by a wide margin.
With your Li clan's wise direction, those three centuries as a farmer in your household truly tempered his nature."
Li Kuangren realized that sparring with this cunning veteran served no purpose, so he cut to the chase.
"Your Highness Fourth Prince sees through everything. Yet, surely Your Highness doesn't want the Dynasty to fall, right?
This realm is your clan's domain, but it's also the Human Race's world. Your Highness grasps what must be done far better than this lowly servant."
At these words, Fourth Prince's fishing rod quivered.
Only then did he swivel around curiously to eye Li Kuangren.
Li Kuangren at last beheld Fourth Prince's countenance clearly.
Fourth Prince's locks and beard gleamed pure white, but he radiated vigor and robustness.
One look revealed a figure of gentle warmth and compassion.
The elder fondled his beard, his lips curving faintly.
"You're correct. Coming from Dongfang Liancheng's camp, you must know the hidden dealings at play.
Halting the war for real, and soothing these troops, hinges in the end on your Azure Cloud Li Clan."
"..."
Li Kuangren's brow creased a bit.
He had only arrived to broker peace; entanglement in the core turmoil was never his plan.
Right then, Li Wei, trailing Li Kuangren, squinted his eyes, his look turning somber.
"In all this vast world, beyond my Azure Cloud Li Clan, does no other leader exist?"
...
After venturing back from Duskwild Prefecture to the Azure Dynasty's army encampment, Li Kuangren bore a burden of profound reflections from his extended talk with Fourth Prince.
He couldn't decide this on his own, though a spark of unstoppable longing and thrill flickered in his gaze.
As he approached his Aunt's quarters, Li Kuangren knitted his brows.
He witnessed troops surging ahead in masses, staring at a spot heavy with the metallic tang of blood.
Numerous soldiers murmured in hushed tones.
"Heard the news? Executions are underway inside.
A thousand heads are rolling in this round—beheadings under the third watch!"
"What grave offense did they pull? Mass penalty for fleeing the fight?"
"No fleeing involved; a runaway wouldn't even escape the battlefield unscathed.
Word is it's treason with the foe, though that seems doubtful.
These are the seasoned troops under our Blood-Robed War Goddess, renowned for ironclad discipline.
If betrayal was their game, they'd have flipped sides ages ago."
"...."
Li Kuangren's face darkened sharply, and he dashed straight to the execution site.
A throng of soldiers clustered there.
Peering through the masses, he beheld lines of troops, shackled and down on their knees.
With doom looming, each shook without cease.
Up front, executioners gripping Spirit Weapon broadswords—their own visages ashen—polished their edges prior to lopping off the subsequent head.
One after another, the bodiless remains were hauled off.
As all eyes locked on the "traitors" meeting their end, no one spotted the cluster of officers to the side, their faces twisted in sly, derisive grins.
For such a massive purge of over a thousand souls, Dongfang Liancheng and the force's elite figures were strikingly missing.
Li Tianyue, her complexion ashen, observed her loyal veterans losing their heads one by one, their divine souls erased completely.
Beside her stood a general of imposing stature and youthful looks.
He let out a sigh and told her, "General Yue, the deepest mystery in this world is the human heart.
Who would've thought these battle-hardened soldiers would scheme with the enemy over trivial gains...
Good thing we caught it soon, lest it spark a massive calamity."
Li Tianyue balled her fists until her knuckles blanched!
All those troops were her trusted veterans.
Some had stood by her for two centuries.
Accusing them of enemy collusion—that was pure fabrication.
Though quaking before their fate, the subordinates uttered no word.
Among them, a few even twisted to face her, flashing a grin and a headshake.