Fantasy: Empress Wife, Cute Kids Cause Havoc in Jiuzhou

"What position do you hold?"

Long Yufei looked at the steward and inquired.

"Replying to the State Governor, this old servant is the steward of the Governor’s Mansion."

The steward knelt on the ground with a thud, "But please, State Governor, be discerning; this old servant did not partake in the poisoning of the State Governor."

Long Yufei glanced at the steward and did not say much; she took the Truth Talisman in her hand, turned her head to the officials, and said in a deep voice, "Let this matter rest here, this official does not wish to continue the inquiry. The great competition of Lanzhou is about to begin, and if I find anyone daring to engage in underhanded schemes, do not blame this official for being ruthless and unforgiving."

"We will heed the State Governor’s orders."

The officials responded in unison, their tone extremely respectful.

Long Yufei’s gaze swept over each official, but she did not find any clues, and said indifferently, "You are all dismissed."

"Understood, State Governor."

The officials breathed a sigh of relief, stood up to bow, then turned and left.

At this moment, the steward glanced at the body of the State Governor and said respectfully, "State Governor, regardless of everything, the State Governor was my master, could you allow me to bury his body?"

"Hmm!"

Long Yufei nodded her head and looked up at the siblings Chu Xin and Chu Chen, asking, "Ai Chirou, Ai Kaorou, have you finished excavating?"

"We finished."

The siblings ran over quickly.

"Aunt Long, this God Casting Array has many Array Base Treasures, we’re really going to make a fortune."

"And they’re all Ancient Treasures, it feels so comfortable to hold them."

Seeing the excitement of the siblings, Long Yufei smiled slightly, ruffled their heads, and stood up to say, "Let’s go, to the State Mansion."

"Yes, yes!"

Chu Xin and Chu Chen, each holding an Array Base Treasure, showed faces filled with delight.

It seemed that these Ancient Treasures contained some kind of special energy, and every time they held them, they felt comfortable.

Last time daddy brought back two Ancient Treasures, after sleeping with them, they awoke with greater strength and speed, but those two Ancient Treasures also became useless.

This time, having dug up so many Ancient Treasures, they were ecstatic.

As they were about to leave the hall, Chu Xin and Chu Chen simultaneously glanced back at the steward but quickly turned their heads back and followed Long Yufei and others to leave.

The steward kept bowing, looking utterly subservient.

After everyone had left, he straightened up, looked in the direction the people had departed, and revealed a thought-provoking look.

Then he looked down at the body of the State Governor and uttered two words in a chilly tone, "Worthless."

He reached out into the air, and scarlet True Qi converged in his palm, bursting forth with a terrifying devouring power, consuming the True Qi inside the State Governor’s body.

As the True Qi was completely devoured, he began to consume the State Governor’s flesh and blood.

The State Governor’s body visibly shriveled at a speed discernible to the naked eye until it disappeared, leaving no bones behind.

Of all this, Long Yufei and others were naturally oblivious.

However, she was not a fool.

The State Governor’s compliance was too easy, and the sudden attack on her when she wanted to use the Truth Talisman, it all pointed to him having more secrets to hide.

But what exactly was he concealing that he would rather die than reveal.

And that steward, the timing of his killing the State Governor was too perfect, which was also somewhat peculiar.

"Auntie Long, I’m a bit unable to see through that butler," Ai Chirou suddenly tugged at Long Yufei’s sleeve, tilting his little head up as he spoke.

"I can’t either, but I don’t like him,"

Chu Xin also furrowed her little brow, a trace of disgust evident on her delicate little face.

Long Yufei was somewhat surprised; it was the first time she had seen such an expression on the little one’s face.

Moreover, upon just meeting the two kids had spotted the bad intentions of that State Governor, and it turned out they were not wrong.

That butler could actually make it so they couldn’t see through him, certainly not a simple feat.

"Master, we should keep a close eye on the State Master Mansion’s butler from now on,"

Long Yufei said in a low voice to the old woman. She had considered using the Truth Talisman, but she wasn’t sure if it would work on the butler. If it didn’t work, the information they got might actually affect her judgment.

"Mhm!"

The old woman nodded and then asked, "State Governor, with so many forces eager to send their disciples into the Secret Realm, could it be that there are treasures emerging from within?"

"Very possible,"

Long Yufei’s brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"Auntie Long, what’s a Secret Realm?" Chu Xin asked curiously.

Chu Chen also tilted his little head, his chubby face full of wonder.

Long Yufei explained with a smile, "In our Jiuzhou Continent, there are countless secret realms, but the biggest one is under the control of the Jiuzhou Empire; it is said to be the largest fragment that fell from the shattered Ancient Divine Realm. Inside, there are endless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and even Ancient Treasures."

"Ancient Treasures?"

The eyes of the two kids immediately lit up.

"Mhm!"

Long Yufei nodded, then continued, "The Secret Realm imposes an age restriction; only cultivators below the age of twenty will not suffer backlash from the Secret Realm Law. However, if there is a secret technique that can keep one’s age hidden from the probes of the Secret Realm Law or a magic treasure that can withstand the backlash of the Secret Realm Law, those over twenty can also enter. But over the years, no magic treasure has been found that can resist the Secret Realm Law, nor any secret techniques that can block its probing.

However, no matter how many treasures there are, they are ultimately limited. Moreover, if your strength is too weak, you can’t protect the treasures, and instead, you might bring about a fatal disaster. Since the Secret Realm’s appearance, many powerhouses have stayed outside the realm every day, waiting for young people to come out after seeking treasures so they can kill them and take their treasures. During that period, the entire Jiuzhou was steeped in bloodshed every day.

Later, the Jiuzhou Empire took over the largest secret realm forcefully, set up an Array to guard it, and appointed the nine State Governors to be in charge of opening and closing the Array’s entrance. At the same time, it was decreed that the Secret Realm would open once every five years; Central State’s grand competition would select two hundred Heavenly Prides, and the other eight states would select one hundred each through their competitions, totaling a thousand young talents to be sent into the Secret Realm for a hundred-day trial. After a hundred days, they must leave through the Transmission Array, or the Secret Realm Law would rectify them, leaving no chance of survival."

"Sister, shall we join the competition too?"

Chu Chen whispered to Chu Xin, leaning close to her ear.

Chu Xin’s eyes shone bright, but then she shook her head, "No, we have to save our mother; we can’t waste time here. Once Auntie Long opens the Transmission Array for us, we’ll leave." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Okay!"

Chu Chen nodded his head, understanding that saving their mother was more important than searching for Ancient Treasures.

Hearing the two kids’ conversation, Long Yufei said with a smile, "Actually, you can totally participate in the competition. Because Lanzhou’s Transmission Array can’t directly reach Central State; it needs to first transfer to Fire State, then from Fire State, activate the Transmission Array to Desolate State, passing through several states in the process, before finally reaching Central State. I can open the Transmission Array for you, but the others states aren’t familiar with you and may not open their Transmission Arrays individually for you. However, the Secret Realm has nine entrances and exits, one of which leads directly to Central State."

"Oh,"

Chu Xin and Chu Chen glanced at each other, then turned to look at Long Yufei, saying in unison, "Auntie Long, we want to join the competition."

"Mhm!"

Long Yufei smiled faintly and ruffled the two little ones’ heads, "The Lanzhou grand competition will start in two days; Lanzhou’s three top forces and the Governor’s Mansion each have a slot that directly advances to the top ten. You can choose one to directly enter the top ten, and the other will have to start from the beginning of the competition. Once you enter the top ten, you will receive a copy of the Secret Realm map. The higher your ranking, the more complete the Secret Realm map, and the easier it will be to find the entrance leading to Central State."

"Thank you, Auntie Long,"

Chu Xin and Chu Chen thanked her in unison.

Chu Chen scratched his head and, with eyes twirling slyly, whispered to Chu Xin’s ear, "Sister, I think Auntie Long is pretty nice; should we tell father about her, so he marries her and brings her home to be our little mother?"