Chapter 11636 — That Was All

It seemed the woman was not so thoroughly brainwashed by her own delusions after all—when faced with someone truly dangerous, she still knew exactly how much she was worth.

Wei Zhao asked offhandedly, "Isn't that obvious? What should I call you?"

"There's no need for you to know my name."

The middle-aged man sized him up, then changed tack: "Still, there's no harm in telling you. My name is Yi Liuchao."

Wei Zhao glanced at the Queen. "Is she one of yours?"

"Not exactly."

Yi Liuchao appeared remarkably candid. "Someone asked me to keep an eye on her. That was all."

Wei Zhao's heart stirred.

If this was not mere bluster, then it meant the true hand behind the scenes operated on a level even above that of a quasi-god expert?

If that could be confirmed, it would be news of the highest order.

Then again, ever since discovering that dozens of god-tier experts were hidden within the Inner Royal Court, Wei Zhao had long since steeled himself for such a sight. Surprising it was, but he could hardly call it unexpected.

Wei Zhao pressed on probing: "So the way she's acting now—would you call that out of control?"

The single sentence made the already tense Queen shudder.

Yet in Yi Liuchao's presence, she did not dare utter a single word in her own defense.

Yi Liuchao nodded. "Out of control it is, but not a major problem."

Wei Zhao's eyelid twitched. "Not a major problem?"

As things stood, it was as though the Queen, driven by her own likes and dislikes, had sounded the horn of a new era ahead of schedule.

From the moment the Zhou Son of Heaven lost his composure, the old monsters in every quarter who had been itching to move, along with the various entrenched and interwoven factions of the Inner Royal Court, had all begun to stir.

By any measure, this move of the Queen's was no good thing for the schemer behind the curtain.

A piece that had slipped its leash—even if it might yield some unexpected delight—was absolutely not a good piece.

"Indeed it is not."

Yi Liuchao cast the Queen a faint glance. "Your notion of bringing Wei Zhao under control cannot be called wrong. From what I have observed, he is indeed a rather interesting figure, and it was worth taking a small risk for that."

The Queen breathed a sigh of relief at once.

For all her talk that every man under heaven could be captured by her charm, she knew perfectly well that to a quasi-god expert like Yi Liuchao, such words were pure nonsense.

She truly was not one of Yi Liuchao's people.

The backer behind her was far more powerful than Yi Liuchao, and far more unfathomable.

The trouble was, none of that changed the fact that Yi Liuchao could kill her with a single thought.

After all, in his present station, Yi Liuchao could speak with full authority on behalf of the backer behind her.

Life and death, reward and punishment—all hung on a single turn of his mind.

Yet Yi Liuchao's very next words wiped the color from her face.

"Not a bad line of thinking. Your only mistake is that you're trash."

"I gave you a divine face, and still you cannot bring down a single Wei Zhao. If I were you, I'd take my own life this instant in atonement."

The Queen was choked speechless.

As for the Zhou Son of Heaven and the rest, from the moment Yi Liuchao appeared they had all frozen in place, without the slightest reaction.

Only Wei Zhao wore a peculiar look. "Saying all this right in front of me—aren't the two of you being a little too candid? Or does Your Excellency feel you've already won, and may knead me however you please?"

Yi Liuchao glanced at him. "You're not bad, but don't think too highly of yourself. Remember, you are no more than a small fish in a small puddle. The true behemoths of this world are beyond the reach of your vision."

Wei Zhao could not help a scoff. "Is Your Excellency lecturing me now?"

"No. I simply find you pitiful, and thought I'd tell you a little of the truth."

Yi Liuchao's tone was flat, as though he were merely stating a commonplace everyone knew.

Wei Zhao's interest was roused. "The methods of a quasi-god expert—then I really must have a taste of them."

"So you do know I am a quasi-god expert?"

Yi Liuchao nodded. "Not bad—you have some discernment after all. But your opponent is not me. It is her."

His gaze pointed to the Queen, trembling at the side.

The Queen's spirits lifted. "The Chief Steward is willing to lend me a hand?"

Yi Liuchao said coolly, "If you cannot subdue Wei Zhao today, I will take back your divine face."

The Queen's body gave a violent shudder, and she hurriedly said, "This concubine guarantees she will take down Wei Zhao!"

That so-called divine face was precisely the beauty in Wei Zhao's eyes—the whole of her confidence for surviving in this world.

Once the divine face was stripped away, she simply could not imagine such days.

No need to think—it would be far more unbearable than death!

Wei Zhao's expression only grew stranger. "Discussing all this right in front of me—do you really think that's fine?"

Yi Liuchao said indifferently, "I told you—at your level, there are many things you simply cannot understand. Just accept it."

Wei Zhao nodded with an amused smile. "So I really do have a thing or two to learn."

Truthfully, he was deeply curious. This so-called divine beauty of the Queen's plainly had no effect on him whatsoever. Unless she was a fool, she could not possibly fail to notice even that much.

Unless the Queen still had something held in reserve.

Yi Liuchao laughed. "There is no point in striking that pose. I had her subdue you—it has nothing to do with your own attitude, because it does not affect the outcome."

As he spoke, he glanced again at the Zhou Son of Heaven, who was still kneeling on the ground.

"The script has not even begun. Who gave you leave to do these things on your own?"

The Queen was at once drenched in cold sweat from fright, and she said trembling, "This concubine knows her fault. Please, my lord, calm your anger."

Yi Liuchao looked at her coldly. "Whether you know your fault is meaningless. You are still alive for two reasons: first, you still have some use value; second, the situation can still be salvaged. Otherwise you would already be a dead woman."

"Yes, yes."

The Queen quietly let out a breath of relief.

Before this man, she truly had not the slightest confidence. If he wanted her dead, it was a mere thought—no exaggeration in the least.

Wei Zhao watched this scene with keen interest.

He was curious about the other's identity, but even more curious about how the other intended to salvage it.

Spilt water cannot be gathered up again. Now that the Zhou Son of Heaven had knocked his head to the ground, not only in Wei Zhao's eyes but in the eyes of any sane person, the situation today was already beyond redemption.

The flare had been fired. The various factions, and those old monsters stirring restlessly, could never let matters rest here.

A quasi-god expert was formidable indeed.

But to claim that by his strength alone he could suppress the entire present situation was no different from a fool's dream.

Yet Yi Liuchao was utterly calm and certain, giving the impression that everything was still within his grasp.

He looked at Wei Zhao, and deep within his eyes a strange light suddenly kindled. He spoke two words.

"Backtrack."

With a crisp snap of the fingers, Wei Zhao's vision lurched violently.