Chapter 161: King Zhou's Chronic Illness: Nurturing a Tiger to the Detriment of Xiqi

On the fourth round of coming and going, King Zhou finally waited for the return of Chu Xiaoyu.

The moment he saw Chu Xiaoyu, King Zhou was overwhelmed with excitement and cried out, "Sir, you have finally returned! I beg you, please save our great Shang."

Save the children, because the children truly had it too hard.

Chu Xiaoyu, who had just returned and barely had time to warm his seat, was greeted by King Zhou's unprovoked wailing and lamentation.

Chu Xiaoyu immediately felt a wave of confusion: Could it be that their great Shang had already been conquered and destroyed?

"Hey, if you have something to say, just say it properly. Cut it out."

What was the point of a grown man howling like this? Chu Xiaoyu wore an expression of utter disdain.

"Sir, the Investiture of the Gods has begun, the world is in utter chaos, and the western Qi and Great Zhou have already risen... Our great Shang is in imminent danger..." King Zhou continued to wail.

"What did you say? The western Qi and Great Zhou have already risen?"

Had Ji Chang risen to power? Or Ji Fa?

"No... Di Xin, you better make yourself clear. I don't quite understand what you're talking about."

"Sir, it's like this. Your humble servant recently received news that the western Qi and Great Zhou have already established a dynasty. Hmph, that odious Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, has declared himself king."

"That hateful Ji Chang, he deserves to die!"

Looking back, they really shouldn't have nurtured a tiger that would eventually turn on them. If they had killed Ji Chang earlier, all these frustrating troubles later on would have never happened.

Watching Di Xin act as if his life was hanging by a thread, Chu Xiaoyu looked at him as though he were an idiot: "The opening of the Investiture of the Gods doesn't seem to be just about the rise of western Qi alone, does it? The various states surrounding your great Shang must all be stirring with restless ambition. Hehe..."

King Zhou looked at Chu Xiaoyu with utter puzzlement: "Why is Sir laughing? Sir, this is not funny at all. With the various states rising in rebellion, my great Shang is in critical danger."

"Uh... No, wait, how can you say that? Are you really Di Xin? How did you turn into this wretched ghost of a person? So timid and cowardly?"

Chu Xiaoyu shook his head as he spoke: "Let me tell you, Di Xin, even without the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, people from a Li Dynasty or a Song Dynasty would eventually have established their own. Such a trend is simply unstoppable."

"If you are going to wail and weep over the establishment of every single dynasty, I think..."

"Sir, you exaggerate. Your humble servant was merely expressing a slight sentiment, nothing more."

In an instant, Di Xin seemed to revert to his former persona as King Zhou.

Damn it!

Good grief, this guy's face-changing speed was even faster than that of Sichuan opera performers.

Chu Xiaoyu really wanted to plant a direct kick and send King Zhou flying all the way to the Pacific Ocean, but after thinking twice, he managed to hold back.

"Then why did you come to see me now? What is your business?" Chu Xiaoyu asked with a huff of irritation.

Ah! It seemed the sir was angry?

King Zhou no longer dared to act presumptuously. Lowering his gaze, he said, "Sir, please don't be angry. Just now, I merely..."

"Hah, which of your eyes saw me getting angry? Get angry over this? Not worth it. I still want to live a few more years."

Chu Xiaoyu glanced toward the kitchen and found Su Daji, A Shan, and the others busy preparing dinner.

"Sir, you've been away for so many days. Did something happen out there?"

A Shan carried a bowl of vegetables out from the kitchen, walked over, and asked.

That night, A Shan had stumbled upon a secret of Chu Xiaoyu's. In the dead of night, Sister Daji, acting like a burglar, had stealthily slipped into the sir's bedroom.

That exact scene happened to be bumped right into by A Shan, who had gotten up to relieve herself.

A Shan had originally wanted to sneak a peek, but ultimately decided against it.

Only now, thinking back, some rather strange sounds had drifted out from the sir's bedroom that night...

As soon as A Shan finished asking her question, she suddenly grew shy and coy. Chu Xiaoyu found her reaction rather peculiar: "Little girl, got something on your mind?"

"Not at all!"

With that, A Shan skipped back into the kitchen.

"Hehe, this little girl is truly cute." King Zhou smacked his lips, feeling a trace of envy toward the clouds of beauties surrounding Chu Xiaoyu.

"Cute? Hehe, you haven't seen the violent side of that girl yet."

Chu Xiaoyu smiled and shook his head: "Right, why are you the only one who came this time? Where is Su Hu and the others?"

"General Su is currently researching and improving the hand grenades. He's going to be very busy these days," King Zhou replied truthfully. "Sir, don't you think that taking advantage of the fact that western Qi's Great Zhou has just established its dynasty, I should dispatch troops right now and wipe out western Qi? What do you think?"

"Your suggestion is not bad, but now is definitely not the best time."

"Ah... Not the best time? Sir, what do you mean by that?" King Zhou looked completely bewildered.

Chu Xiaoyu immediately offered an explanation: "Didn't you mention earlier that the Investiture of the Gods is about to be opened? Right now is the most crucial moment, during which various states will rise together. Western Qi has also seized the momentum to establish its foothold and rise. If your great Shang annihilates western Qi at this moment, it will trigger a series of consequences."

"Those surrounding states that are rising up will feel a sense of insecurity. They will imagine that since your great Shang destroyed western Qi and Great Zhou, they themselves will inevitably meet the exact same fate. Consequently, all those states will join forces to oppose your great Shang."

"Di Xin, have you ever thought about this? If such a scenario truly occurs, does your great Shang already possess sufficient capability to contend against all the heroes and states of the entire world?"

"Very well! If your great Shang truly has the capability to contend against them and is fully prepared to become the enemy of all the realms under heaven, then you can just pretend I never said a word."

When the lips are gone, the teeth are cold. Anyone older than a three-year-old toddler understands this logic.

Given great Shang's current state affairs and military prowess, western Qi was merely a trifling entity; wiping them out with a wave of one's hand would not be a difficult task.

However, because western Qi has just established its dynasty and is suddenly eradicated, it will instill a sense of threat in all the surrounding nations, compelling them to unite and jointly resist great Shang like a waking lion.

If one's strength has not yet reached the level where one can stand against all the nations of the world, one must maintain a low profile in silence.

Sharpen a sword for ten years just to achieve perfection; the moment the blade leaves its scabbard, it must ring out against the heavens.

Only in this way can one correctly draw a treasured sword.

King Zhou silently pondered every single word Chu Xiaoyu had spoken, and in an instant, he experienced an epiphany.

Yet, deep within his heart, a tiny trace of reluctance still lingered.

The sudden rise of western Qi and the establishment of its dynastic system undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to King Zhou.

His lingering obsession was that great Shang would be conquered and destroyed, and western Qi and Great Zhou represented the greatest and most perilous threat.

"Sir, there is one thing... Your humble servant still doesn't understand. Are we really just going to let western Qi continue to develop and grow stronger step by step?"

Allowing western Qi to grow unchecked is equivalent to the folly of nurturing a tiger to cause trouble later.

King Zhou secretly asked himself in his heart—he truly could not bring himself to just sit by; he wanted to destroy western Qi right now.