Chapter 257: humiliation

Above the majestic airship, Fang Yuan sat on a dragon-throned chair intricately carved with dragons and phoenixes, eyes closed in a light nap. Yun Si floated beside him, leaning against the airship's window, gazing down at the vast expanse of land below.

As an artifact spirit, Yun Si could now freely enter and exit Fang Yuan's body, though her range was limited—she couldn't stray too far from him. Despite the short time they'd spent together, Fang Yuan had noticed that while Yun Si appeared as a mature, elegant woman, her personality was more like that of a naive child, even ignorant of many common life routines.

But she wasn't as bothersome as Fang Yuan had expected. Trapped for ten thousand years, she was now curious about everything in the world. Even the changing scenery outside the airship could keep her transfixed for hours. Fang Yuan felt that leaving her alone would keep her occupied for a long time—quite convenient.

Not paying further attention to Yun Si, Fang Yuan immersed his mind in the Merit Record in his thoughts:

[Breaking old bad habits, forging a new path, and improving the people's lives—merit points +1000]

[Breaking old bad habits, forging a new path, and improving the people's lives—merit points +1000]

...

As the new policies continued to advance, merit points soared endlessly. Fang Yuan had no idea how much he would ultimately accumulate, but it didn't matter—his current merit point balance was still over five million, more than enough. "I can't use them all, not even close."

Just then, Marquis Chongwu's steady voice sounded beside Fang Yuan: "Your Majesty, we've arrived above the Kingdom of Baekje."

For this journey to the southeastern states, only Marquis Chongwu accompanied him. His capable aides—Gao Shang, Mo Tianxing, Lin Lie, and others—either stayed behind to stabilize the country or were dispatched to subdue other small states, each with their duties.

"I see..." Fang Yuan opened his eyes. "How has Baekje responded?"

"No response. They're currently playing dead," Marquis Chongwu reported truthfully.

Flying such a massive, eye-catching airship blatantly into Baekje's airspace, yet no one from the Baekje court had emerged to protest. Clearly, without even a direct confrontation, Baekje seemed to have surrendered in advance, acknowledging defeat.

"That takes the fun out of it..." Fang Yuan shook his head slightly, then looked at Marquis Chongwu. "Master, are you really not going to switch back to your original body?"

The original body, turned into a puppet by Ice Plains Xiya, had been successfully recovered by Fang Yuan. If Marquis Chongwu wished, he could revert at any time.

"Eh, I'll keep using this body for now. It feels quite handy—stronger than my original," Marquis Chongwu scratched his head and smiled. "Of course, I mean overall condition, not just... certain parts..."

"Your words already reveal your thoughts completely!" Fang Yuan sighed, rubbing his forehead. "But using this body, your martial arts cultivation will struggle to advance..."

"No problem—you're here, aren't you? This marquis doesn't need to worry so much." Marquis Chongwu chuckled.

In the past, Marquis Chongwu had been restricted by the Flame Grand Emperor with spiritual energy yet still strived to find a way to break free. Now, with the spiritual energy restriction lifted and his original body recovered, he was relying on Fang Yuan and choosing to slack off.

I've heard of "nepotism," but never "leeching off the younger generation"! He was once an ambitious marquis—when did he turn into a comedic character?

"Fine, do as you wish, Master." Fang Yuan still smiled and nodded. After all, he had to be tolerant of his own master.

As they chatted, a warm, eager voice suddenly came from outside the airship: "This is Prince Yu of Baekje, here to welcome Your Majesty's arrival!"

So the Baekje officials had finally come? Marquis Chongwu looked at Fang Yuan, who ignored the call, leisurely picking up a teacup and taking a sip. Seeing Fang Yuan's demeanor, Marquis Chongwu instantly understood and remained silent.

"Hey, Brother Fang, someone's calling you outside!" Yun Si, being straightforward, quickly reminded him.

Fang Yuan rolled his eyes. Couldn't she see he was pretending to be a grandmaster by staying silent? The atmosphere he'd 好不容易 created was ruined by this clueless artifact spirit.

"I heard them. No need to remind me," Fang Yuan said helplessly. "And only speak when I tell you to. Why act like a fool?"

"Oh..." Yun Si obediently closed her mouth.

Outside the airship, Prince Yu led two seventh-realm experts, bowing respectfully ahead. But his warm greeting fell on deaf ears, like a stone thrown into the sea, and the airship didn't slow down. Clearly, the Xia Emperor didn't deign to acknowledge them.

Facing the approaching airship, Prince Yu and his men could only step aside, letting the airship roar past. Their faces flushed and paled in embarrassment, their eager hospitality met with cold indifference.

"Prince Yu, what do we do now?" a Baekje official asked anxiously.

"What else? Follow them," Prince Yu sighed wearily. Even after such humiliation, they could only stick around—who let them be no match for the other side?

...

The airship soon arrived above Baekje's capital. This massive airship instantly drew the attention of Baekje's commoners.

"Good heavens! Where did that airship come from?"

"So magnificent..."

"Are immortals arriving?"

...

The commoners had never seen such a majestic vehicle. Cheers and gasps rose, and a dense crowd quickly gathered below. In their minds, even the Baekje Emperor's procession wasn't this grand.

"Your Majesty, we've reached Baekje's capital," Marquis Chongwu reported again.

"So fast..." Fang Yuan was briefly surprised, then realized: Right, it's a tiny land—of course it's quick. He immediately ordered: "Fly directly above the imperial city. Since we're humiliating them, let's do it thoroughly."

"Understood!"

Thus, the Cloud Shuttle airship sailed unhindered, finally hovering steadily above the imperial city, its massive shadow—like an iron-beast—enveloping Emperor Jin Tian'en and the entire Baekje court on the square below.

Their faces darkened instantly, especially when they saw their own prince trailing meekly behind the airship.

"Dammit! They made our prince chase their airship like a dog!"

"The Xia Emperor is too arrogant!"

"This humiliation must be repaid a hundredfold!"

...

The Baekje courtiers gnashed their teeth in anger, cursing under their breath. Jin Tian'en also feigned indignation—after all, he had to maintain his persona as a "wise and virtuous monarch".