I'm coming clean

Situ Kong's face abruptly darkened. He bowed to the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, there may have been an unexpected incident at the Hall of Nurturing the Heart. I shall take Gu Qingfeng away immediately to investigate the matter."

The Emperor was well aware that imprisoning Gu Qingfeng was a sensitive issue and could not allow him to spout nonsense in the Golden Chime Hall. After all, strictly speaking, Gu Qingfeng was his savior, and repaying kindness with malice would tarnish the Emperor's dignity.

This was precisely why, even after confining Gu Qingfeng, the Emperor had still bestowed upon him the title of "Equal King," a gesture meant for public perception.

The Emperor nodded, about to grant permission.

Unexpectedly, Gu Qingfeng then made a shocking declaration: "Brother Emperor, listen to this! Situ Kong has no respect for authority! As an Equal King, how dare a mere State Preceptor speak to me this way?"

The term "Brother Emperor" left everyone present utterly stunned.

They all stared at Gu Qingfeng as if they had seen a ghost, their minds momentarily short-circuiting.

This was the Emperor! The sovereign ruler of billions in the Great Yan Dynasty, the one who held the Mandate of Heaven, the supreme Son of Heaven! And he just called him "brother"?

Even the Emperor himself was dumbfounded. In all his years, this was the first time he had ever been addressed in such a manner.

"You... what did you call me?" the Emperor stammered, wide-eyed.

"Brother!" Gu Qingfeng replied matter-of-factly. "As the Equal King, I stand shoulder to shoulder with you, sharing this realm. And since you're a few years older than me, isn't calling you 'brother' perfectly natural?"

Natural, my ass!

The ministers inwardly screamed.

While the title "Equal King" did imply equality with the Emperor, who in their right mind would actually dare to stand shoulder to shoulder with him? Try it, and you'd be trying your way to an early grave.

And since when was "a few years older" phrased like that?!

Hearing Gu Qingfeng's words, the Emperor's lips twitched uncontrollably. He was both furious and inexplicably amused.

This was the first time since ascending the throne that he had ever felt so blatantly disrespected.

"Outrageous! How dare you insult His Majesty? Guards, seize this wretch!" Before the Emperor could speak, the young eunuch standing beside him—a peak Dragon Transformation expert—shouted coldly.

A group of armored imperial guards immediately rushed in from outside.

"Audacious!" Gu Qingfeng roared. "I am the Equal King! Who dares lay a hand on me?"

The imperial guards paid him no heed, surrounding him without hesitation.

Damn it! The title of Equal King really doesn’t carry much weight.

Gu Qingfeng cursed inwardly, but outwardly, he remained unruffled.

Just as they were about to drag him away, he suddenly shouted, "Wait!"

The imperial guards, experienced in such matters, paused—knowing that when someone yelled "wait," it was customary to wait.

They glanced at the Emperor, gauging whether he wished to hear more.

At that moment, Gu Qingfeng's sigh drew everyone's attention.

"Ah, I had hoped to interact with you all as an ordinary prince, but all I received in return was suspicion and distance. Very well, I’ll come clean—I am actually a disciple of... a god!"

The moment the word "god" left his lips, everyone's eyebrows shot up.

"...To be precise, the True God who came to the capital recently to capture Demon Pu is my master."

The revelation sent waves of shock through the crowd. The implications were staggering.

Not long ago, the appearance of a god in the capital had been common knowledge. Now, a disciple of that god had emerged?

Their first instinct was disbelief.

Only Situ Kong's expression turned grave.

He had personally faced the god and remembered every word spoken that day.

The god had said that a "fortunate one" would present the Ageless Pill to the Emperor and that only one member of the Gu family was worthy of notice.

And the Equal King just happened to be surnamed Gu!

Could this be a coincidence?

Now that he thought about it, the god's words seemed laden with hidden meaning, both statements pointing toward something deeper.

"What a brazen fraud! With your meager talent—barely at the Internal Qi Realm—how could a god possibly take you as a disciple? Ridiculous! Take him away!" the young eunuch sneered.

The imperial guards moved to act.

"Wait!"

Situ Kong abruptly stopped them.

The guards sighed inwardly—twice now, they had been halted mid-action.

"Your Majesty, grant me a moment. There are matters I must verify," Situ Kong said solemnly to the Emperor.

Then, through a secret voice transmission, he relayed his suspicions.

The Emperor was no fool. Those in positions of power rarely believed in coincidences—after all, they themselves had orchestrated countless "coincidences" in their lifetimes. They knew all too well that behind every seeming coincidence lay deliberate design.

"Granted."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Situ Kong turned to Gu Qingfeng, his gaze piercing. "You claim to be the disciple of a god. Do you have proof?"

"Of course!"

Gu Qingfeng showed no hesitation. Since the god was none other than himself, he wasn’t borrowing someone else’s prestige—there was no risk of exposure.

With that, he produced the Mid-grade Heavenly Tier Spirit Weapon—the Kalan Pearl.

The moment the Buddhist treasure appeared, it captivated all present. Perfectly smooth like jade, it radiated a serene golden light, as if bathing the entire Golden Chime Hall in its glow.

"That’s... the Kalan Pearl, a sacred Buddhist artifact!" someone exclaimed.

Those gathered were all figures of high standing, well-versed in rare treasures. Few would fail to recognize such an item.

At the sight of the Kalan Pearl, most were immediately inclined to believe Gu Qingfeng’s claim.

When the god had appeared, Demon Pu had publicly surrendered all his possessions—including the Kalan Pearl.

Later, when the Buddhist sect learned that their long-lost treasure had resurfaced, they had even sent envoys to the capital to investigate.

These events had spread throughout the capital and beyond.

Situ Kong’s pupils constricted the moment he saw the Kalan Pearl. He had witnessed Demon Pu handing it over to the god.

And now, here it was in Gu Qingfeng’s hands. Did this not mean... Gu Qingfeng truly was the god’s disciple?

How else could the Kalan Pearl be in his possession?

First, it was a Mid-grade Heavenly Tier Spirit Weapon, a unique treasure of the Buddhist sect—impossible to replicate.

Second, if the god hadn’t bestowed it upon him, who in this world could possibly seize an artifact from a deity?

"This is the protective spirit weapon my master gifted me, obtained from Demon Pu’s offerings. You’ve all heard of it, haven’t you? Does this suffice as proof?" Gu Qingfeng declared with an air of arrogance.

Seeing his smug demeanor, the crowd found themselves believing him even more.

After all, if he weren’t the god’s disciple, how could he afford to be so brazen?

If he weren’t the god’s disciple, how could he dare call the Emperor "brother" and boldly claim to share the realm with him?

They had initially thought Gu Qingfeng a madman, but now it seemed he had every reason to be audacious—with a god backing him, who wouldn’t act with such impunity?