Chapter 281: Set the Standard
~~~
Nearly two weeks later, Lady Dai Jie returns to the Divine Frozen Palace. The event and the celebration preceding it receive quite a bit of fanfare. Even for the disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan, the slightest possibility of seeing the face of one of the Five Fairies of the Divine Frozen Palace is a lure too great to ignore.
By comparison, Liu Jin and Lu Mei’s departure goes almost unnoticed.
Five Flame-Wheeled Wagons, the same type as the ones used for the expedition to the Storm Dragon Empire, leave in the middle of the night. In the coming days, people will learn that the Emperor of the Storm Dragon Empire left to visit the birthplace of his future wife. While a natural thing to do, many will find it peculiar that there was no departure ceremony. Still, most will not dwell much on it. They will keep going about their duties and eventually dismiss the oddity as unimportant.
“This will give us an edge,” Lu Mei says. “My mother is probably expecting a visit, but she is not expecting the two of us. It will catch her by surprise.”
Lu Mei sits next to him in the Flame-Wheeled Wagon. She tries to hold herself with her usual confidence, but the tautness of her muscles and the way her hands are tightly clasped together do not go unnoticed by Liu Jin. His Qi reaches out to hers, mingling with her aura and offering her comfort.
Over the past two weeks, they have prepared themselves as best as possible. They have gathered allies and theorized the many possible complications that might arise. Lu Mei has even begun using some of the cultivation resources Lord Feng Gui and Lord Feng Shang gifted her. Liu Jin wishes he could have helped her fully harmonize with them, but he has been busy attending to some of his duties as Emperor of the Storm Dragon Empire.
Thanks to Soaring Feather, Liu Jin has been able to send and receive several messages. Most have been about largely unimportant matters or matters where his input was not really needed. Liu Jin knows with full certainty that General Nie Dan can handle things on his own. City Lord Chu certainly does not need his input to decide between purple dragons on a blue background or blue dragons on a purple background.
Still, Liu Jin is the Emperor. He is not comfortable shirking away from his responsibilities, even though several important people have reassured him that it is common to be away from one’s duties for several months.