Chapter 104: I Want to Live in the Imperial Palace

"What did you say?" Not long after Count Shui entered the imperial palace, a furious roar echoed through its halls.

No one knew exactly what Count Shui had said to His Majesty, but merely two or three minutes later, the Emperor of the Yanhuang Empire was hastily making his way toward Zhou Tian's location, accompanied by over a dozen Saint-tier experts.

"You?" Because Zhou Tian had attended the Empress's birthday banquet, the Emperor had taken note of him, largely due to the Eternal Spring Pill. Though they had never spoken, the Emperor recognized Zhou Tian from afar as soon as he arrived at the rear courtyard of the Shui residence.

"Oh?" Unfazed by being recognized, Zhou Tian casually waved his hand as if nothing were amiss and greeted the newcomer. "Good day, Your Majesty!"

The Emperor's face darkened. He was in no mood for pleasantries. Glaring angrily at Zhou Tian, he demanded, "What is the meaning of this, Lord Bishop Zhou? I demand an explanation!"

"An explanation?" Zhou Tian scoffed, his tone turning cold. "You should have already investigated yesterday's incident thoroughly. You know perfectly well why I did this. Now, I only have one question for you: is the Yanhuang Empire looking to go to war with the Church of Light? How dare you lay hands on our people."

"War?" The Emperor was momentarily stunned. But then his eyes fell upon Afra in Zhou Tian's arms, and recalling a seemingly insignificant piece of intelligence he had received earlier, realization dawned on him.

*Damn it!* Cursing inwardly—whether at Zhou Tian or Count Shui, who had caused this mess—the Emperor forced down his displeasure and said, "While we were in the wrong, your actions here are rather excessive, Lord Bishop. How about this? Let us both take a step back. Release the man beneath your foot, and I will pretend none of this ever happened. What do you say?"

"Not a chance," Zhou Tian replied with a cold smile, rejecting the offer without hesitation. "Don't think I'm so easily fooled. Just let him go? Who's to say you'll keep your word once he's released? Besides, your proposal makes no sense. You were the ones who started this. You say we just let it slide, but what about the harm done to my woman?"

Zhou Tian only mentioned that Afra had been harmed without specifying the details, which naturally led the Emperor to a different conclusion. Unaware that Zhou Tian had the ability to remove the slave seal, the Emperor assumed Afra still bore the mark. The thought of a bishop's woman being turned into a slave put the Yanhuang Empire in a highly precarious position if the matter were to be pursued.

Compared to dealing with Zhou Tian alone, if the Church of Light were to intervene, the Yanhuang Empire would suffer far greater losses. Thus, instead of growing angry, the Emperor softened his tone and tried to placate Zhou Tian.

"Very well, we were indeed in the wrong. To compensate for your losses, Lord Bishop, name your terms. As long as they are not too excessive, I will agree."

"Your words," Zhou Tian said, a flicker of joy crossing his face before he stated his first condition. "The Shui Family must be punished. This is a prerequisite. If you cannot agree to this, there is no point in discussing anything else."

"Well..." After a moment's hesitation, the Emperor gritted his teeth and replied, "That is not a problem. However, the Shui Family holds considerable influence in our empire. I cannot simply wipe out their entire clan over this. How about this? I guarantee that the name of the Yanhuang Shui Family will vanish from the continent starting today, and the family head's title will be demoted from Count to Viscount. How does that sound?"

"Acceptable." Seeming satisfied with the arrangement, a hint of mockery flashed in Zhou Tian's eyes as he continued, "Furthermore, I wish to reside in your imperial palace for a period of time."

"Absolutely not!" The Emperor rejected the demand outright, and the Saint-tier experts behind him immediately directed killing intent toward Zhou Tian.

The imperial palace was strictly reserved for the Emperor and his consorts. Even imperial princes were required to move out upon reaching adulthood. Under normal circumstances, allowing someone who had rendered great service in expanding the empire to stay in the palace for a single night would be considered an immense favor.

Zhou Tian's request to reside in the palace for an extended period naturally sparked misunderstanding. Allowing a non-imperial person to live in the palace meant the Emperor had to worry not only about potential threats to himself but also about the rumors such an arrangement would inevitably spawn.

Zhou Tian knew his proposal would be hard to swallow, but he had his reasons. The *Secret Tome of the True Dragon* he cultivated contained one or two secret techniques that required the Qi of the Human Emperor. Where else could he gather such energy if not in the imperial palace? Therefore, even knowing the request was difficult to accept, he had no intention of giving up this opportunity.

"Rest assured, I have no intention of causing any destruction in your palace. I merely need to borrow the premises to cultivate a secret technique, which will cause no harm to you or the Yanhuang Empire. This is my only condition. If you agree, the matter ends here, and I will cause you no further trouble. But if you refuse, do not blame me for being ruthless." As he spoke, Zhou Tian pressed a blade against the neck of the Sword Saint pinned beneath his foot.

The Emperor stared deeply at Zhou Tian. After a moment of hesitation, he replied, "This is non-negotiable. You will have to choose another condition."

"I don't need everyone to know. You can keep my stay in the palace completely secret. Is that still unacceptable?"

"No."

"You can assign people to monitor my every move in the palace. Surely that works?"

"No means no." Sighing, the Emperor, growing impatient, glanced at Zhou Tian and issued a warning. "You had better change your condition. I will not agree to such a demand. If you keep making these unreasonable requests, I won't mind going to war with the Church of Light!"

Zhou Tian fell silent. He knew perfectly well that mutual threats were largely ineffective. Just as the Emperor could not truly afford a war with the Church of Light, Zhou Tian, as a mere bishop, could not possibly convince the Church to wage war on an empire for his sake.

The Emperor's stance was clear: if Zhou Tian insisted on this condition, he would rather hand the matter over to the Pope, conceding certain benefits to the Church, than allow Zhou Tian to reside in the palace.

Under these circumstances, a flash of anger crossed Zhou Tian's face. After a brief hesitation, he suddenly said, "If you agree to my terms, not only will I drop this matter, but I will also give you an Eternal Spring Pill. What do you say?"

A flash of excitement crossed the Emperor's face, though he feigned hesitation. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Three. Give me three Eternal Spring Pills, and I will agree to your request."

"Three?" Zhou Tian looked at him with open mockery. "If I were to pay three Eternal Spring Pills as a bounty, it would be more than enough to unite several empires and invade Yanhuang. One pill. Non-negotiable. Agree, or we go to war."

A look of disappointment crossed the Emperor's face, but he acted as if he had never threatened war in the first place. Waving for the Saint-tier experts behind him to sheathe their weapons, he smiled directly at Zhou Tian. "Very well! Since that is the case, the deal is struck. Now, Lord Bishop, you can hand over the Eternal Spring Pill, can't you?"

"Do you really think I'd give it to you right now?" Glancing at the Saint-tier experts behind the Emperor, Zhou Tian refused bluntly. "I don't carry the Eternal Spring Pill on me, so how could I give it to you now? Let me move into the palace first. When it is time for me to leave, I will naturally give you the pill." Then, as if afraid the Emperor might refuse, he paused and added, "I am on your turf right now. Are you really afraid I'd cheat you?"

"Of course not." A flash of embarrassment crossed the Emperor's face. Swallowing the words he had been about to say, he replied directly, "Then it is settled. I will arrange for someone to escort you into the palace tonight. You may stay for a maximum of one month. After that, no matter what, you must move out." Glancing at Afra in Zhou Tian's arms, he added for some unknown reason, "And the lady in your arms, if she is willing, may also reside in the palace during that time."

"In that case, thank you." Not refusing the arrangement, Zhou Tian cupped his fists in acknowledgment before retracting the Immortal-Binding Rope that had secured the Sword Saint, voluntarily releasing his captive.

The freed Sword Saint glared hatefully at Zhou Tian, clearly holding a grudge for being captured. However, with the current situation not permitting any retaliation, he merely memorized Zhou Tian's face before obediently returning to his master's side, following the Emperor back to the palace along with the other Saint-tier experts.

"You're so mean! You don't care about me at all. You negotiated for so long, and it was all for your own benefit. You didn't even avenge me." While Afra had remained quiet in front of others, as soon as everyone had left, she immediately began to act spoiled and coquettish with Zhou Tian.

"Didn't I make their Emperor teach the Shui Family a lesson?"

"How is that enough? They almost turned me into a slave. How could such a minor punishment be enough to vent my anger? I don't care. I want the Shui Family to disappear from this world. Tell me, will you help me or not?"

"I will, of course I will. Even if you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have let the Shui Family off the hook. It's just not the right time to act yet. Give it a little while. Once I've finished my business here, before we leave, I will definitely avenge you. Is that good enough?"

"That's more like it!" Satisfied with Zhou Tian's promise, Afra nodded contentedly and snuggled even closer into his embrace.