Chapter 51: Capture Shen Lang and bury him with the eldest young master!

"What the heck?!"
"Find a man for the Divine Firmament Emperor?!"
"Nalan Yanran, have you lost your mind, or has the Divine Firmament lost her edge?"

Seeing Shen Lang's expression as if he had just seen a ghost, Nalan Yanran realized she hadn't made herself clear and had caused a misunderstanding.

She immediately put on a solemn expression and said, "Here is the thing: the Master has given an order for you and me to search the City of Returning Clouds for someone who has the potential to become the Supreme Sovereign."
"And that person you mentioned just now, I strongly suspect it might be the very person the Master is looking for!"

Damn it!
This time, it seemed he had been scammed by that damn system!
Was this Divine Firmament Emperor planning to silence him?

At this thought, Shen Lang immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum. "That person vanished in a flash. Where am I supposed to find him for you?"
"You're full of clever ideas, figure out a way to find him. This is extremely important to the Master!"

The more Shen Lang listened to Nalan Yanran, the more convinced he became that he must never expose himself as the one who killed Zhou Hao.
After all, having spent a long time navigating official circles, he knew all too well that staying close to a monarch was like sleeping with a tiger.
No ruler would ever allow someone capable of threatening their position to exist.
Even if that person were a favored confidant, they must never expose themselves before gaining the ability of self-preservation.

With this in mind, Shen Lang feigned difficulty and said, "That person was completely covered in a cloak, I couldn't see a thing. There's really nothing I can do!"
"However, rest assured, if I ever run into him again, I'll capture him at the first opportunity. How does that sound?"

Hearing Shen Lang put it this way, Nalan Yanran also felt she was being somewhat unreasonable and forcing him into a difficult situation.
She nodded immediately, preparing to discuss the matter of the Zhou family with Shen Lang further.

Right at that moment, Wu Yong rushed in looking panicked.
"Master, Zhou Hao is dead, and Zhou Huai'an has gone mad! They've actually sent people to blockade the entire City of Returning Clouds."
"Furthermore, they've ordered members of their household to search for the murderer from door to door!"
"On top of that, Zhou Huai'an has dispatched powerful experts here to capture Lord Shen and make him be buried along with Zhou Hao!"

"What?!"
Hearing this, Nalan Yanran's eyes turned red. "Zhou Hao was killed by a passerby, what does that have to do with Shen Lang?"
"What right do they have to demand Shen Lang's life as a burial sacrifice for Zhou Hao?"

"This..." Wu Yong looked awkwardly at Shen Lang, as if silently asking whether he should mention the incident at the First Tower where Shen Lang and Zhou Hao vied for the courtesan.

Fortunately, Shen Lang took over the conversation directly. "Zhou Huai'an most likely suspects that I hired someone to take care of Zhou Hao."
"Lady Nalan, quickly send a message to Her Majesty! Locking down the city without authorization and attempting to assassinate an imperial envoy—this is straight-up treason!"

Nalan Yanran also realized that the situation had far exceeded her ability to handle.
Not daring to ruin things, she immediately took out her communication token and transmitted the message to the Divine Firmament.

At the same time, inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Divine Firmament was using the spirit stones Shen Lang had distributed to recover from her injuries.
Seeing Nalan Yanran's communication token light up, a trace of expectation appeared in her eyes.

She connected immediately and asked, "Have you found him?"
"Master, the person hasn't been found yet, but the general direction has been located."
"However, that person might be in danger right now."
"And Shen Lang is in danger too!"

"What?"
Hearing this, extremely icy killing intent flashed through the Divine Firmament's eyes. "What on earth is going on?"

Nalan Yanran dared not conceal anything. "A mysterious person came to the City of Returning Clouds today and killed Zhou Hao, the eldest young master of the Zhou family, with a single punch!"
"Now, in order to catch that person, the Zhou family has placed the City of Returning Clouds under lockdown."
"At the same time, they are demanding that Shen Lang be captured to be buried with Zhou Hao!"

"The Zhou family is courting death!"

After hearing the whole story, the killing intent in Nalan Yanran's body could no longer be suppressed.
Regardless of whether that mysterious person was the Supreme Sovereign and True Monarch she was looking for, Shen Lang had already become her right-hand man in controlling the Great Qin.
For the Zhou family to attempt to kill the two people she cared about most all at once was tantamount to cutting off her own path of survival.

This made the Divine Firmament fly into a complete rage at that moment.
"Wait for me in the City of Returning Clouds, I'll be there shortly!"

With that, the Divine Firmament hung up the communication token, and her figure instantly vanished from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
She no longer cared what kind of trouble would ensue if the Zhou family were completely wiped out.
She only knew one thing: Shen Lang could not die!
And that destined true monarch of hers whom she had never met could not die either!

Meanwhile, seeing Nalan Yanran disconnect the token, Shen Lang raised an eyebrow and asked, "What did Her Majesty say?"
"The Master is on her way here!"

"Oh?"
Hearing that the Divine Firmament was coming, Shen Lang's eyes lit up.
That Zhou Huai'an would go to such crazy lengths over Zhou Hao was something he hadn't anticipated.
However, since the Zhou family was actively seeking their own demise, he certainly wouldn't let go of such a golden opportunity for revenge.

He immediately walked quickly to the desk, picked up a brush, and said to Nalan Yanran, "Quickly grind the ink for me!"
"What are you planning to do?" Nalan Yanran asked, looking at Shen Lang's anxious expression with a face full of question marks.

"The Zhou family is one of the eight major civilian clans. To wipe them out, relying solely on their current actions won't be enough; the other noble families won't agree!"
"I must present the Zhou family with a crime severe enough to implicate their entire clan down to the nine generations!"

Hearing Shen Lang's explanation, Nalan Yanran understood that if her master forcibly destroyed the Zhou family, it would inevitably provoke a backlash from the other clans.
However, she couldn't comprehend what kind of crime implicating nine generations could possibly be conjured up with just paper and a brush.

As if sensing Nalan Yanran's doubts, Shen Lang took out the welcoming gift Zhou Huai'an had first given him from his spatial ring.
With a smile, he asked, "What do you think of the handwriting on these four characters?"

Nalan Yanran subconsciously looked over and evaluated it earnestly. "The handwriting is quite good, you can tell at a glance it was written by a master calligrapher!"
"However, why are you asking me this?"

"Hehe, Zhou Huai'an wrote this!"
With that, Shen Lang dipped his brush in ink and began to forge Zhou Huai'an's handwriting on paper, writing out the words "Precious Beyond Measure."

When those four characters were written out, Nalan Yanran was completely dumbfounded!
"This... this is identical! You have this skill too?"
"Just a minor trick!"

At this, a trace of icy killing intent flashed through Shen Lang's eyes.
When he arrived at the City of Returning Clouds, Zhou Huai'an had presented him with these four characters, implying that their Zhou family was destined for supreme greatness and telling him to keep a low profile.
Now that the Zhou family was digging their own graves, he didn't mind using Zhou Huai'an's handwriting to write a denunciation manifesto and invite the entire Zhou family to their deaths!

In less time than it takes to burn an incense stick, a freshly forged denunciation manifesto was in Shen Lang's hands.
He immediately looked at Wu Yong, his gaze icy. "The Zhou family colluded with the demon race. Do you also happen to know people from the demon race?"

"I..." Wu Yong instinctively wanted to deny it.
But seeing Shen Lang's chilling gaze, he chose to confess instead. "I do indeed know people from the demon race."
"However, the demons I know are different from the ones the Zhou family deals with!"

"That doesn't matter. Immediately deliver this denunciation manifesto to the demon race and make sure you persuade them to attack the City of Returning Clouds! Understood?"

Wu Yong grasped Shen Lang's sinister intentions.
With an intensely solemn expression, he replied, "This subordinate will certainly not fail Your Excellency's expectations!"

With that, Wu Yong's figure also vanished from the room.
However, before Shen Lang could even catch his breath, an extremely icy voice echoed through the void:
"By order of the Patriarch: arrest Shen Lang, to be buried as a sacrifice for the Young Master!"