Keyboard Immortal - Chapter 2861

Chapter 1374: Nine Tribulations

It’s unclear how much time passed, but Zu’an hurriedly left and returned to the banquet. After all, he couldn’t stay away for too long, lest he arouse suspicion from the other high-ranking members of the Silent Annihilation faction.

When the Little Demon Queen returned to her room, smelling the ambiguous atmosphere and looking at Jiang Luofu slumped on the bed, she couldn’t help but say sourly, “The battle was quite intense, wasn’t it?”

Jiang Luofu finally came to her senses a little and pulled the blanket over herself, trying to cover herself.

The Little Demon Queen was quick, kicking off the blanket with one leg. Looking at Jiang Luofu’s battle-damaged stockings, she clicked her tongue in amazement: “They’re all torn like this, aren’t you going to take them off?”

Jiang Luofu’s originally cold and beautiful face was now flushed: “He wouldn’t let me take them off, saying it was the most interesting this way.”

The Little Demon Queen: “…”

“That guy is really a pervert,” the Little Demon Queen snorted, casually pinching her leg under the blanket, “I want to touch these legs just looking at them, let alone that guy…”

Suddenly her expression froze, and she pulled her hand back, wiping it awkwardly on the blanket. Why was there so much?

Although the two had relied on each other for survival during this time and were already as close as sisters, Jiang Luofu still wished she could disappear into the ground.

…

In the days that followed, the young emperor assumed personal rule and began to gradually strip away the Conqueror King’s wings.

Logically speaking, Zu’an was actually a confidant of the Conqueror King, but he had once again made great contributions, putting the young emperor in a difficult position.

If he were part of the Annihilation faction, he would be entrusted with important responsibilities, but

someone who had surrendered midway was hard to trust. Zu’an, being astute, volunteered to go south to assist Dodo in suppressing the rebellion.

The young emperor understood and naturally entrusted him with important responsibilities.

Dodo was Dorgon’s right-hand man; now that Dorgon was dead, Ajige was captured, and Dodo was still out there—who knew what kind of trouble he might cause? Zu’an arrived in the south, where several Southern Ming dynasties had been short-lived. However, later, Isabella supported Prince Gui, Zhu Youlang, to ascend the throne in Zhaoqing, establishing the Yongli regime. At the same time, she won over the remnants of Zhang Xianzhong

‘s forces . Originally, Zhang Xianzhong’s forces were also a peasant uprising, sworn enemies of the Ming Dynasty. But now, both were being suffocated by the Manchus, so it was natural for them to unite. However, Dodo’s army was at its peak, and their battle lines were at their limit, on the verge of complete collapse. Zuan secretly found Isabella and, together with her, devised a plan to lure Dodo’s army into an encirclement, where ambushes were sprung from all sides. Although Dodo was brave, both the Annihilation faction and the opposing faction were determined to eliminate him, and no matter how strong he was, he was powerless to reverse the situation. In the end, he was defeated and killed. The army cleaned up the battlefield, while Isabella and Zuan strolled through the mountains. “Brother Zuan, I knew I hadn’t misjudged you. Thank you for helping us so much.” Isabella’s eyes softened. Seeing the once pampered young lady now looking somewhat haggard, Zu An couldn’t help but wipe the ashes from her face. “Bella, you’ve had a tough time these past few days.” “It’s my mission, what’s so tough about it?” Isabella smiled, then looked at Zu An expectantly. “Brother Zu, since you still care about us, why don’t you come back and help us? If we join forces, along with Sister Chu from Taiwan, maybe we can really turn things around.” “Do you really think we can turn things around?” Zu An sighed. He couldn’t tell her about the fall of Order and Reproduction, otherwise she would be even more desperate. Isabella fell silent. How could she not know that in the current situation, no matter how hard they tried, merely surviving was the best outcome? Then she smiled freely: “My answer is still the same as last time: knowing it’s impossible, yet still doing it!” Zu An felt a surge of admiration. This seemingly fragile girl was truly different from before. Thinking of this, he instructed, “Bella, you have your own beliefs, and I won’t stop you. But if you really reach a dead end, you must protect yourself and stay alive.” Isabella frowned slightly, then smiled sadly, “If that day really comes, the Order faction will be finished, my uncles and aunts, all the friends I know will be dead, what face will I have to live on?” “There’s always hope if you survive,” Zuan paused, “but don’t die before me.” Isabella’s eyes flickered as she thought of all the miracles he had performed before. She was about to ask a question when he gently pressed his finger to her lips: “Promise me!” After a long silence, Isabella nodded: “Okay!” Zuan was still worried. He took out a set of nun’s robes, a whisk, prayer beads, and a certificate of ordination from his robes: “In the chaos of war, your identity and appearance might not be enough to escape, so disguise yourself.” In this world, monks and nuns aren’t just anyone; they need official certificates and a series of proofs to pass through various checkpoints. Isabella opened the certificate and saw the Dharma name Jiunan written on it. She smiled slightly: “That’s very fitting for my experiences. Brother Zuan, you’ve put a lot of thought into it.” These past few days, she had truly experienced far too many hardships. She wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. … Subsequently, the Yongli regime and Isabella gained immense fame, and they even launched a counter-offensive to recover many provinces. The court originally sent Zu’an to replace Dodo in conquering the Southern Ming, but he showed leniency at every turn, leading to a disastrous war. Therefore, the court dismissed him—after all, the young emperor’s purpose in sending him was simply to eliminate Dodo. He was replaced by the Second Elder, Hermes. The Annihilation faction clearly wanted to test his loyalty and, incidentally, weaken their remaining forces. Zu’an initially thought Hermes would show mercy, given that his surrender was forced, but he didn’t expect Hermes to launch a heavy attack upon arriving in the south. Simultaneously, he used his understanding of the Order faction to divide and win over them. He instigated internal strife between Zhang Xianzhong’s two major military leaders, Sun Kewang and Li Ding, leading Sun Kewang to surrender with his troops. As a result, the Yongli regime, which had just begun to show signs of resurgence, weakened rapidly, while Hermes led his troops in relentless pursuit. Zuan didn’t understand this. Hermes wasn’t like the Sixth Elder Naraku, who had already pledged allegiance to the Annihilation Realm. Why was he working so hard? However, he had no time to concern himself with such matters, as the young Emperor Wangxuanjin had given birth to a prince. Although they were all extraterrestrials, they still had to abide by some of the rules of this world, since most people were unaware of the truth. The emperor needed to quickly fill his harem and produce an heir for the country to stabilize. Wangxuanjin granted a general amnesty, and the whole nation rejoiced. Unfortunately, the joy was short-lived, as tragedy struck. A terrifying smallpox epidemic broke out throughout the capital, claiming countless lives.

Wang Xuanjin was both shocked and furious. This peculiar smallpox virus was the deadly weapon the Conqueror King had used to conquer various worlds. He never expected that even in death, it would continue to cause trouble!

This smallpox was different from the one he knew in his previous life; it was a deadly weapon that even powerful beings from all realms couldn’t withstand. Otherwise, so many worlds wouldn’t have been destroyed by this weapon.

Wang Xuanjin organized medical treatment while simultaneously sending people to thoroughly investigate its source.

But soon, the smallpox virus spread to the palace, even infecting the young prince, whose life hung by a thread!

The Annihilation faction panicked. They knew that although they had conquered the world, if the emperor’s death led to the end of their lineage and disrupted the Annihilation Immortal Ancestor’s plans, they wouldn’t be spared even if they died a hundred times over.