CHAPTER 246: CHAPTER 56: LAUGH (4TH UPDATE, EXTRA FOR GRANDMASTER ’SS LITTLE BEAN’)

After what just happened, no one dared to stop the Little Emperor this time.

The Little Emperor almost noticed he was being sidelined earlier. If this incident led him to realize his power was being undermined, none of the guards present would survive.

Su Xiao paused as he brushed past the Guard Captain.

"If you don’t want to die, wait outside. That’s the order from those two. The situation in the Imperial Capital isn’t good—the Supreme Teigu needs to be ready to activate at any moment."

Upon hearing Su Xiao’s words, the Guard Captain’s pupils constricted as he recalled Su Xiao’s previous actions and his identity as part of the Hunter Troop.

The Guard Captain felt a storm brewing inside him. He had almost run into a dire situation earlier. The late-night visit of the Little Emperor and the Hunter Troop could mean only one thing: the urgency of war required the Supreme Teigu to be activated.

The Guard Captain, who was guarding the Shrine, knew very well what was inside.

"Thanks, brother. I almost lost my head just now."

"No problem. We’re all subordinates of those two lords. As long as the Little Emperor doesn’t bring up tonight’s events, I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything."

The Guard Captain was all smiles and quietly took out a gold ingot.

"Hard work, brother."

Su Xiao’s expression wasn’t very pleasant.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, right, see how forgetful I am."

The Guard Captain quickly offered a flustered smile. Everyone in the Royal Palace knew that Ace’s subordinates didn’t accept bribes. If it hadn’t been for the special circumstances on Flower Street that required hush money, Su Xiao wouldn’t have taken that bag of gemstones.

"Let’s have a drink together on Flower Street tomorrow, and then..."

The Guard Captain flashed a smile that all men would understand.

"Mm, keep watch outside. We’ll be out soon."

"Got it, brother."

Su Xiao moved forward. The Little Emperor was already more than a dozen meters ahead, and the Boundary Line had also extended out that distance.

As he reeled in the Boundary Line with a spool, Su Xiao approached the Little Emperor, following from a close but appropriate distance of three meters behind him.

After Su Xiao left, the Guard Captain’s face turned grim.

"Damn it, that Hunter Troop, a bunch of murderous lunatics."

The day’s events made the Guard Captain more and more frustrated as he thought about it, glaring viciously at the nearby Deputy Captain.

Smack!

A loud slap landed on the Deputy Captain’s face. The Guard Captain had considerable strength, causing the Deputy Captain to spin in place twice, see stars, and spit blood, with teeth visible in the mix.

"You useless mutt, do you have shit for brains? Were you trying to get me killed just now?"

The Guard Captain kicked the Deputy Captain’s face, sending him flying three meters away and rolling several times on the ground.

"Today, I’ll chop you up to feed the dogs..."

The Guard Captain drew his sword from his waist, appearing ready to kill the Deputy Captain.

"Brother Biao, I was wrong. Spare me, please."

The Deputy Captain’s face was swollen like a pig’s.

The Guard Captain’s hand holding the sword trembled with rage. If this weren’t his cousin, the Deputy Captain would be replaced by tomorrow.

"Go tend to your injuries and get out of here. Just seeing you makes me mad."

The Guard Captain fumed silently, while the other guards around him stood trembling, not daring to make a sound.

...

Inside the Shrine, Su Xiao’s heart eased after sensing the commotion outside.

That was a quick-witted move. He never thought the Little Emperor’s power had been eroded to such an extent. Being needed to activate the Supreme Teigu himself might just be why the Little Emperor was still alive today.

"Your name is Bai Ye, right?"

The Little Emperor, who was walking ahead, looked despondent.

"Yes."

"Am I a very unmajestic Emperor?"

It seemed the Little Emperor had indeed realized something.

"No."

The Little Emperor was delighted, turning to look at Su Xiao.

"You’re a foolish Emperor."

"A foolish Emperor..."

The Little Emperor glanced at the ancestral tablets next to him, where the names of his ancestors were displayed.

The Empire’s predecessor was a very small tribe that lived by farming. The Little Emperor’s ancestors rose from this small tribe. Their agrarian lifestyle provided the tribe with a stable food supply, allowing it to gradually expand in size.

With extraordinary wisdom and courage, the Little Emperor’s ancestors founded a small nation.

This nation still lived off farming, and its growth was steady. Two hundred years later, this small country grew into a medium-sized nation.

Four hundred years later, this medium-sized nation seized the most resource-rich and ideal environment on the continent and established the Empire there.

Five hundred years later, the Empire reached its zenith. That generation’s Emperor was wise and ambitious, using the nation’s power to hunt down super dangerous beasts.

After losing over 300,000 troops, the Empire obtained some materials from the bodies of these super dangerous beasts.

The Empire spent an astonishing amount of wealth gathering various precious materials and forcibly gathered all craftsmen within the territory for a selection process.

From 30,000 craftsmen, the Empire ultimately selected 120, who included top-level Forging Masters, contemporary Alchemy Masters, and Mechanical Science elites.

Thus, the Empire exerted its national power to create forty-eight Imperial tools. Some of these tools were for the army, while others were suitable for solo combat, some focused on defense, and some provided long-range firepower.

If someone were to collect all forty-eight Imperial tools and find users for them, they would discover that these Imperial tool users could form a perfect siege-breaking formation, with both offense and defense, massive area-wide enemy-killing capabilities, and even tools for assassinating enemy leaders.

These forty-eight Imperial tools became the foundation of the entire Empire. The forty-eight Imperial tool users were called the ’Royal Guard’, and enemy nations referred to them as the Mad Dog Team.

The Royal Guard had no unbreakable city, and wherever the Mad Dog went, life was devastated.

During those two hundred years, surrounding large countries lived in fear, dreading to wake up to find the Mad Dog had advanced to their capital.

But the good times didn’t last long. Unimpeded battles and rich lands made the Empire’s Royal Family arrogant, scornful of all others.

Five hundred years after the Empire’s founding, seven of the forty-eight Imperial tools were lost.

A thousand years later, only fourteen of the forty-eight Imperial tools remained, surrounded by powerful enemies, incessant internal strife.

During the Little Emperor’s reign, more than ten Imperial tools were lost until the arrival of Ace, which alleviated the situation.

One might say that Ace’s appearance forcibly extended the Empire’s life.

The predecessors planted trees for shade, but the Little Emperor had gone beyond shade, devouring the tree itself.

"I’m a foolish Emperor..."

The Little Emperor walked in a daze at the front, and soon they arrived at the deepest part of the altar.

On an intricately carved stone platform, a golden key floated in midair. This was the activation key for the Supreme Teigu, the key to Su Xiao’s main task.

Su Xiao moved towards the key, but after just a couple of steps, he stopped, his expression changing.

"What is... going on?"

Su Xiao grabbed the Little Emperor, whose face was full of confusion.

"The key is right in front of you. Are you planning to renege on our agreement?"

Observing the Little Emperor’s expression, Su Xiao surmised he was not lying, so the problem wasn’t with his plan.

A mass of footsteps surrounded him. Su Xiao found himself encircled, with no escape route available behind the wall of unknown thickness.

At least hundreds, possibly more people had arrived, though not all could fit into the Shrine. Leading them was Ace, with Will trailing behind her.

"Bai Ye, why are you and His Majesty here?"

Ace’s voice was cold, her expression not pleasant, with Will staring intently at Su Xiao from behind.

Su Xiao could now confirm that something went awry in his plan. He began rapidly recalling everything mentally.

After mentally going through the entire operation, he couldn’t find any loopholes.

"I’m protecting His Majesty."

"Yes... yes."

The Little Emperor quickly affirmed as he felt something tightening around his neck.

"Bai Ye, reveal your true purpose."

Ace pointed her stabbing sword directly at Su Xiao.

This time, Su Xiao was certain he had been exposed, but he couldn’t figure out how.

"How did you find out?"

Su Xiao looked at Ace and Will.

"Earlier, when we came out of the forest, General Ace asked you ’Did you see Black Pupil?’ and you said no.

However... why do you have the unique fragrance of Black Pupil on you?"

Will clenched his fist, gritting his teeth as he spoke, "Did you kill Black Pupil?"

Su Xiao sighed inwardly. So that’s how it was. He had overlooked one thing: Will had a keen sense of smell, which was information he hadn’t gathered before, neither from the anime nor from actual interaction.

Possibly, Ace had placed numerous informants within the Royal Palace, which hadn’t previously alarmed him, because Ace knew that without a special terrain, Su Xiao would escape even if he was outmatched.

"Ace... General, let me tell you a secret. I’m actually not part of Anbu."

Su Xiao smiled at Ace, who was taken aback, her pupils slightly contracting. She had never seen Su Xiao smile before. She always believed he didn’t know how to smile.

Seeing Su Xiao’s smile made Will feel even colder inside.

Su Xiao’s smile felt infinitely more dangerous than his usual expressionless demeanor.