Exiting the meeting room, Gu Ming took a leisurely stroll through his territory. He gazed up at the azure sky and finally let out a long, heavy sigh.
The temporary Heavenly King Meeting had ended without a definitive conclusion.
However, that did not mean Gu Ming was safe. On the contrary, the Sect Leader had grown suspicious. It was only because there was no physical evidence yet that the Sect Leader had not moved to strike him down immediately.
Recalling the analysis provided by the Second Heavenly King during the meeting, Gu Ming still felt a lingering sense of dread.
It was true.
The whole situation was simply too suspicious.
He couldn’t help but sigh. Every time a member of the Righteous Path was captured, the Jade-Faced Young Master would appear instantly to rescue them. Furthermore, every single rescue mission was incredibly smooth.
Most importantly, he — Gu Ming, a dignified Fifth Heavenly King — had never once clashed with the Jade-Faced Young Master. In fact, he hadn’t even run into the man. He only ever realized what had happened after the Jade-Faced Young Master had already completed the crime.
It was impossible not to be suspicious.
However, they lacked any concrete evidence.
Therefore, Gu Ming was safe for the time being, though he had temporarily lost the Sect Leader’s trust. As long as he could regain that trust, he would remain the prestigious Fifth Heavenly King of the Demon Cult.
Whether or not he could regain their trust depended entirely on one person — the Divine Maiden.
The matter of the Divine Maiden losing her virginity had undoubtedly caused massive waves within the Righteous Path. Even if the Divine Maiden Palace wanted to suppress the news, they wouldn’t be able to.
Besides, the Divine Maiden Palace wouldn’t try to hide it.
As one of the five major powers of the Righteous Path Alliance, the Divine Maiden Palace valued its reputation above all else. They would never allow a Divine Maiden who had lost her chastity to continue existing within their ranks.
The Divine Maiden Palace would certainly punish her. For instance, they might expel her from the palace. It wasn’t even impossible for them to execute her on the spot.
Regardless of the outcome, Gu Ming no longer had the energy to worry about her.
He was currently like a clay Buddha crossing a river — barely able to save himself. If the news of the Divine Maiden’s defilement wasn’t confirmed, he would face a devastating blow.
Thinking back to the Second Heavenly King’s analysis during the emergency meeting, Gu Ming still felt a chill.
He had to admit that his previous rescue plan had been a bit reckless.
He had originally thought that pushing everything onto a fabricated identity — the Jade-Faced Young Master — would solve everything, but he had overlooked many details. To deceive the chronically suspicious Sect Leader and the conspiracy-obsessed Second Heavenly King, he needed a much more thorough plan.
Playing mind games with those two… was truly exhausting.
A flash of weariness crossed Gu Ming’s eyes as he looked at the sky again. A bitter smile played at the corners of his mouth.
‘Alliance Leader, why haven’t you contacted me yet! When can we finally reel in the net!’
After complaining to himself, a sense of helplessness washed over him.
He couldn’t do anything right now. If he made even the slightest suspicious move, he was certain that the Heavenly King whose territory bordered his own would rush over immediately to execute him.
Therefore, not only could he not take any action, but he also had to act as if nothing was wrong and continue living his life as usual.
Doing nothing was currently the best strategy!
Having cleared his head, Gu Ming adjusted his emotions and set off toward another area.
***
Gu Ming usually acted as a hands-off manager, leaving almost everything for Mu Qianqian to handle.
Although Mu Qianqian never complained, Gu Ming felt bad for her. After all, she was just a young woman who was constantly busy with all sorts of affairs.
Thus, he decided to bring her a small gift as a token of appreciation, aiming to be a considerate leader.
With this plan in mind, he went to the kitchen himself and had the chef prepare afternoon tea and some pastries. He then packed the food into a wooden box.
The box was entirely black with vibrant plum blossoms painted on the surface. It had two layers; the upper layer held the tea, while the lower layer held the pastries.
Carrying the box, he headed alone toward Mu Qianqian’s office.
As Gu Ming neared the door, he happened to run into a maid coming out. When the maid saw him, she nearly cried out in surprise, but Gu Ming silenced her with a “shh” gesture.
The maid was quite clever and gave a respectful bow before quickly hurrying away.
When Gu Ming reached the doorway, he saw Mu Qianqian looking over the ledger with a face full of worry.
“Can we remove this expenditure?”
“No, Brother’s dining standard must be ten dishes and one soup.”
“What about this one?”
“Hmm… that won’t work either. Brother must have at least three sets of new clothes every season.”
“Sigh… it looks like we’ll just have to increase the taxes a bit.”
“Let the commoners suffer a little; I’ll take the blame.”
Mu Qianqian muttered to herself, her eyes fixed on the ledger, completely failing to notice Gu Ming standing behind her.
Hearing Mu Qianqian’s whispers, Gu Ming couldn’t help but chuckle. This girl spoiled him far too much.
Tap.
Gu Ming lightly struck Mu Qianqian’s head with the edge of his hand. Like a startled bird, she covered her head and turned around with a look of displeasure, which immediately vanished when she saw him.
“Brother, why are you here?”
Her eyes lit up, and her face blossomed into a smile.
“What’s this about letting the commoners suffer and you taking the blame?”
Gu Ming suppressed his laughter and put on a stern face, reaching out to pick up the ledger on the desk. Mu Qianqian tried to stop him, but she was a step too late.
Gu Ming scanned the entries and blinked, almost doubting his own eyes.
“Qianqian, what is this expenditure… why are you building a palace? And why does it cost 3,000,000 High-grade Spirit Stones?”
“That’s for Brother’s wedding chamber.”
“Wedding chamber?”
Gu Ming was stunned for a moment and said blankly, “But I don’t even have anyone to marry. Why would I need a wedding chamber? Wait, why didn’t I know I was getting married?”
Mu Qianqian lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong, fidgeting nervously.
“Since it will take five years to build, we have to prepare in advance.”
“However — “
She hurriedly added, “Even though I’ve pushed the price down as low as possible, all the materials used are the best quality. Plus, I’ll be supervising the construction personally, so you can rest easy, Brother.”
She grinned at him, looking like a child waiting for a reward.
Gu Ming gave a bitter smile, picked up a pen, and began crossing out items on the ledger.
“Ten dishes and one soup, cross that out. Three dishes and one soup is enough.”
“At least three sets of new clothes every season, cross that out. I can’t wear that many. We can just make them when I need them.”
“This… new palace, cross it out. I don’t need it. I don’t even have a marriage partner yet.”
“And this, and that… no need for those either…”
“Uh, uh…”
Watching Gu Ming cross out everything related to his own comfort, Mu Qianqian wanted to stop him but didn’t know how to start. Her hands hung in mid-air, frozen.
Seeing Mu Qianqian’s hesitant expression, Gu Ming smiled and lifted the box in his hand.
“Alright, let’s eat something first. I specifically asked the chef to make your favorite desserts.”
“Okay!”
Mu Qianqian nodded happily. She couldn’t wait to open the box, but as she took out the tea and desserts, she suddenly remembered something, and her brow furrowed slightly.
She looked at Gu Ming with a worried gaze.
“Brother, did the Heavenly King Meeting not go well?”