The sofa in the small, dark room was high, and the coffee table sat low. In order to write on it, the two of them had to crouch on the floor. Bo Rui, a large man, looked particularly aggrieved.

“Have you thought of anything?” Bo Rui asked.

“No, what about you?”

“I have one, but I don’t know if it counts.”

“What is it?”

“Traditional Chinese medicine passed down through the family^[1]…..is that okay?”

“I think…..it should be fine.”

Bo Rui then nearly wrote down his first words: Traditional Chinese medicine.

“Wait a minute.” Da Lun held him back. “If His Highness Oser asks about this traditional Chinese medicine, how should we explain it?”

“Isn’t it easy to explain? Traditional Chinese medicine, passed down from generation to generation, used to treat…..”

“……”

Bo Rui crossed out what he’d written with all his might, only giving up when not a word could be seen.

The two people continued to wrack their brains.

Da Lun suddenly had an idea: “I’ve got one too.”

“What, what?”

“The Dragon King is spraying disinfectant in the group chat.”

Bo Rui was not very optimistic: “Will this work? Hasn’t this meme been outdated for several years?”

“He thinks ‘Teacher Tony’ is cool, so why not ‘Dragon King?’”

“…..Okay.”

Separated by a wall from the small, dark room was the only public lounge in the basement.

Ling Yi, still dressed for the ball, sat on the sofa while browsing his phone, his long legs carelessly draped over the coffee table.

Xi Lei was very dissatisfied with his style: “Why are you like this wherever you go? Do you think this is your home?”

Li Yi diverted a bit of his attention to him: “What’s wrong with me?”

“There’s an outsider here! Can you please pay some attention to social etiquette?”

Ling Yi turned his head toward the so-called outsider: “Captain Tang De, do you mind?”

“As long as Your Highness Ling Yi is comfortable, anything is fine. Just pretend like I don’t exist.”

Ling Yi raised an eyebrow at Xi Lei, infuriating him.

“I don’t believe you would act so rudely in front of His Highness Oser.”

Ling Yi squinted at him: “I use more postures in front of His Highness Oser. Wanna see?”

Xi Lei’s face flushed red: “You—!”

Tang De cleared his throat. With these two, he couldn’t get rid of his identity as a peacemaker.

“Stop arguing. Every inch of the empire belongs to the royal family, so this can also be considered His Highness Ling Yi’s home. There’s no need to quarrel over such a trivial matter.”

Xi Lei endured it for Tang De’s sake. But not only did Ling Yi not hold back, he even swung his toes back and forth, humming a little tune to deliberately aggravate Xi Lei.

Tang De had a sudden craving: “I’m going outside to smoke a cigarette.”

Ling Yi paid him no mind. He was browsing the Luban Military Academy’s forum, the top post of which was still: [In solemn remembrance of our school’s lifelong honor student Ling Yi — the hero is gone, but his spirit lives on, always in our hearts.]

He didn’t even bother clicking on this thread, which already had over 200 replies. Instead, he became absorbed in reading the most popular post of the night: [Eating Melons].

[Big news! His Highness Oser and a companion attended Grand Duke Sully’s ball!]

[Blurry candid photo taken from a distance]

[Look carefully, this Xiao Mei was His Highness’s dance partner for the night!]

[Xiao Mei was wearing a mask, and His Highness Oser refused to reveal his identity. Everyone on the scene was going crazy guessing!]

[There was no scent of pheromones, so everyone guessed he was a Beta!]

[Based on my close observations, Xiao Mei and His Highness Oser did the following things and more at the ball:

Hugged shoulders and waists / whispered in each others ears / played with hair / fed cake by hand / danced (His Highness danced the O steps and Xiao Mei danced the A steps) / exchanged a quick kiss (I saw it through a telescope from a hundred meters away) / wait, wait, wait!

Here comes the main point! You won’t believe what happened!

Two idiots from our school went to the ball and did something no one else dared to do!

The two of them suddenly attacked from behind and took off Xiao Mei’s mask!

Can you believe it? At Grand Duke Sully’s ball! In front of His Highness Oser! They took off his. Partner’s. Mask! Is this something a human being should do?!

Well done!

Who could have known that Xiao Mei was such a looker behind the mask!

My language skills aren’t good enough to describe Xiao Mei’s beauty, but everyone present was stunned. No one thought to take a photo though. Such a shame! (This also reduces the credibility of this post).

Then His Highness Oser left with him for 11 minutes and 27 seconds. This timing, hmm…..intriguing. (I won’t mention that there was a suspicious red mark on His Highness’s mouth when he returned).

Oh, right. After the ball, those two idiots were taken away by His Highness Oser. I really want to know how he plans to deal with them.

Should I state in advance that although I’m an alumnus of their school, I have no relationship with them at all? 

(No, I don’t know them at all, and I also don’t know that their names are Bo Rui and Da Lun.)]

Ling Yi couldn’t help but laugh as he read this.

Xi Lei wanted to ask what he was laughing at, but suddenly caught a glimpse of Ling Yi with his left elbow resting on the arm of the sofa, hand resting against his mouth with long fingers curled loosely, sitting there with his head tilted and eyes lowered as he looked at his phone.

His long silver hair cascaded down, half hanging behind his back and half draped over his shoulders, reflecting a hazy glow under the overhead lights.

His eyebrows, made charming by application of cosmetics, curved like crescent moons. His eyelashes cast thick shadows, but couldn’t conceal the smile in his eyes.

There was a small amount of lipstick remaining on his lips, which were pursed in a thin line. The slightly raised corners of his mouth gave him a leisurely and comfortable look.

Despite the pheromone suppression ear cuff he was wearing, Xi Lei couldn’t help but think back to his surprisingly sweet fragrance.

The Omega before him seemed like an entirely different person from the annoying Alpha in his memories…..

Xi Lei stood abruptly, startling Ling Yi.

“What are you doing!” Ling Yi said with contempt.

Xi Lei clenched his fists: “I’m…..thirsty. I’m going to get some water.”

“What’s the big fuss over a drink of water?”

Ling Yi symbolically moved aside, making way for a path that wasn’t blocked in the first place.

Xi Lei hastily washed his face in the bathroom, chagrined at having such thoughts.

It must be because Ling Yi’s attire tonight was so disorienting. Take off the makeup, and he was still the same bitter rival with whom he had engaged for years in verbal and physical conflict.

He returned to the lounge in a trance, pushed open the door, and immediately snapped back to his senses when he saw who was in the room.

Xi Lei: “Why is it you?”

Bo Rui and Da Lun: “Why is it you?”

The three of them spoke in unison.

After realizing this, they changed their tune.

Xi Lei: “Why are you here?”

Bo Rui and Da Lun: “Why are you here?”

All three: “……”

Bo Rui and Da Lun were both good friends of Ling Yi. Xi Lei belonged to another camp, and the two sides had an incompatible relationship at school.

Even participating in the prison break together hadn’t improved their relationship.

Da Lun was the moderate in their camp. He was the only one who had no conflicts with Xi Lei, and even cared about him a little.

“Where have you been all this time? And why are you wearing the uniform of His Highness Oser’s guard?”

Bo Rui: “Did you forget? He’s His Highness Oser’s chief bootlicker, and he finally got what he wanted.”

Xi Lei: “At least I’m standing here with dignity, unlike you two, who can only squat.”

“……” The two people squatting on the ground quickly stood up.

“What’s wrong with squatting for a while? We were tired of standing and wanted to stretch our legs.”

Xi Lei glanced at the papers on the coffee table. They were a mess, with scribbles and scratches all over them.

“I get it. You offended His Highness Oser tonight and were arrested to write self-criticisms, yes?”

Bo Rui was stubborn: “It’s none of your business whether or not we’re writing self-criticisms. You’re too nosy.”

“You behaved disrespectfully in public, so it’s your own fault that you have to write self-criticisms.”

“A bootlicker is a bootlicker. You haven’t even graduated yet, and you’re already biting people for His Highness Oser.”

After Xi Lei left, Ling Yi was alone in the room. He enjoyed being free and unfettered, with no one to bother him even if he put his feet up in the air.

Both mischievous and mocking, he watched everyone’s imaginations run wild, making all kinds of guesses about his identity, such as an artificial Omega or an alien, each more outrageous than the last.

There were also those who spoiled the fun and were cynical in the melon-eating posts, saying things like “the hero’s body is still warm, it’s truly chilling that the public is only interested in royal gossip.”

While browsing, he heard a quarrel start up in the adjacent room for some unknown reason. It grew increasingly intense, and showed no signs of calming down in the near future.

Ling Yi’s head ached from the noise, but when he listened carefully, he found that the voices were very familiar.

It felt like being back at school, back in the classroom, back at the training grounds, the same people and arguments happening over and over.

The three people were arguing heatedly when the half-closed door was kicked open – and nearly kicked off.

The loud noise shocked everyone, and the three of them fell silent at once.

The long-haired beauty who was glimpsed briefly at the ball walked in with a seductive yet malicious look on his face.

He was still as beautiful as ever, but he looked difficult to deal with.

“You guys are noisy as hell!”

Bo Rui became inexplicably nervous and rubbed his palms against his pants.

“You’re here too, ah. It was my fault today, I shouldn’t have persuaded my classmate to drink. You were scared, weren’t you…..my name is Bo Rui, and that’s Da Lun. We’re both students at Luban Military Acadmy.”

For some reason, the beauty glared at him. One glance at that alluring gaze made Bo Rui’s palms sweat even more.

“May I ask what this beauty’s name is?”

Ling Yi narrowed his eyes: “What did you just call me?”

Xi Lei also said in an unfriendly tone: “Do you know who you’re talking to?”

“I, I don’t know your name, so…..if you don’t like that name, then what would you prefer? I can change it.”

Da Lun stomped hard on his foot, but it unfortunately had no effect.

“I know you’re His Highness Oser’s dance partner, but…..I was wondering…..if we could be friends?”

Fed up, Ling Yi rolled his eyes: “Ha!”

Xi Lei warned: “It’s not too late to take back your words.”

Da Lun lowered his head and also advised him: “Quit making trouble, bro. If you keep going, writing a self-criticism will be the least of your worries.”

However, Bo Rui persisted: “I’m serious, no joke! The first time I saw you, I felt like we had known each other for a long time!”

Before he could finish speaking, the coffee table in front of him was kicked hard, screeching as it slid across the floor. Bo Rui felt a pain in his knees and almost collapsed.

The grumpy beauty stepped onto the coffee table, reached over his head with his right hand, and ripped off his wig with a flourish. 

“Open your dog eyes wide and behold your father!”

Bo Rui and Da Lun froze simultaneously. Their frozen state lasted so long that Xi Lei wanted to check and see if they were petrified.

After a long while, Da Lun murmured: “Maybe I’m still drunk…..”

Ling Yi looked down his nose at them: “You can’t even recognize me with makeup on. Are you still straight?”

Bo Rui’s eyes were already filled with tears: “Wuwuwu, I am!”

Ignoring the pain in his knees, he rushed forward with his arms flung wide.

Xi Lei flashed in front of Ling Yi without hesitation and opened his arms to stop him.

“…..What are you doing?!”

The touching reunion plot was ruined. Bo Rui was furious.

Xi Lei made no concessions: “He’s no longer the Ling Yi you knew in the past. I advise you to keep your distance.”

“How is he not the Ling Yi I know? Wasn’t it just because he’s wearing makeup that I didn’t recognize him?”

Bo Rui belatedly reacted: “You knew Ling Yi was alive but didn’t tell us. Do you know what it’s been like for us the past few months?”

As the two bickered, tears gradually welled up in Da Lun’s eyes.

He hoped so much that this scene was real, but he also feared that it was only a dream.

“Ling Yi,” Da Lun whispered softly, afraid that speaking louder would puncture this sweet dream. “Is it really you?”

“Ah.” Ling Yi scratched his short hair in distress. “It’s a bit complicated. I’m not sure how to explain it to you.”

“The fact that you’re alive is the best explanation!” Bo Rui tried to rush over and hug him again. “I missed you so much!”

Xi Lei grabbed his wrist and held it tightly, not letting go.

“If you dare touch him, you will lose your hand.”

There was a rare ruthlessness in his eyes. Even a big guy like Bo Rui, who was known for his brute strength, took a step back in the face of his sudden imposing manner.

It had only been so long, but Ling Yi had become such a different person that even Xi Lei could barely recognize him.

“Have I come to the wrong place? Is this the Royal Medical College or the medical branch of Luban Military Academy?”

Those making a commotion immediately stopped and turned toward the door, standing at attention: “Your Highness Oser!”

Oser glanced at each person in the room in turn: “Do you also follow the rules this well at the military academy?”

Ling Yi had no desire to speak, and the other three didn’t dare to.

Oser walked into the room unhurriedly. The papers on the coffee table had been kicked over by Ling Yi just now, and were scattered everywhere.

Oser leaned over and picked up one of the sheets. He had one hand in his pocket and held a corner of the white paper with the other as he read the contents aloud: 

“No nesting dolls allowed.”

“Nesting dolls are prohibited.”

“Absolutely no nesting dolls.”

Everyone: “……”

Oser raised an eyebrow.

Bo Rui was embarrassed: “Sorry, I couldn’t think of anything else at the moment.”

The nesting doll sheet was tossed to the ground and replaced with another.

“The Dragon King is spraying disinfectant in the group chat.”

Oser stared at this sentence, as if trying to find the deeper meaning behind it.

Da Lun: “Um. That sentence means that there’s a group chat, and the Dragon King is the one who speaks the most in it, and he’ll sprinkle disinfectant in it every day…..or something like that.”

Oser slapped the paper against Da Lun’s chest, and he reached up to take it.

“Remember to include notes as well.”

Oser walked around him and finally took Ling Yi’s hand.

“All three of you, stay here. No one can leave until you’ve written ten pages.”

Ling Yi gave the three of them a sympathetic look and followed Oser out of the room.

Xi Lei was a little depressed at first, but he cheered up in the blink of an eye.

“Isn’t it just a ten page self-criticism? Reflecting on my own mistakes and praising His Highness is nothing to me.”

Bo Rui: “Who told you we’re writing something to praise His Highness?”

“Then what else could you be writing?

Xi Lei turned in confusion and came face to face with two gloating expressions.

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[1] Traditional Chinese medicine is oftentimes thought to help with erectile disfunction. Can also be internet slang for pretending to have mystical knowledge or skills. ⮐

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Chapter 27 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 29

After Qin Xiao left, Chu Jiubian made a list of what he needed and gave it to Xiao Xiangzi.

Xiao Xiangzi went to the Imperial Hospital and the Imperial Household Department in person. After some time had passed, more saltpeter and containers for ice-making were brought over.

Yaotai Residence was brimming with Qin Xiao’s people. Chu Jiubian couldn’t hide it even if he wanted to, so he directly put Xiao Xiangzi and the others to work with him.

It took an entire night to purify and cool the saltpeter, so everyone was busy until dark and still had no idea what Chu Jiubian was working on. However, none of them asked many questions. As palace servants trusted by Qin Xiao, they were cognizant enough to keep their mouths shut.

As the sky gradually darkened, Chu Jiubian gave the cooling saltpeter one last inspection and then prepared to wash up and go to bed.

Two of the young eunuchs, Xiao Jinzhi and Xiao Yinzi, took fire from the kitchen and lit lamps in each room, and also used herbs to ward away mosquitos.

Chu Jiubian stared blankly for a moment, and only then did he realize that the Great Ning Dynasty didn’t have flame sticks or candles, and could only use flint to light a fire.

So nowadays, saltpeter was really only used medicinally.

No wonder Xiao Xiangzi had only found two baskets of saltpeter after all this time. The palace really didn’t have much in stock.

Saltpeter could not only be used for making ice, but also for tinderboxes, gunpowder, and fireworks.

If the saltpeter mining business was taken over by the Imperial Court and the private collection and sale by the people was prohibited, then from now on, only the Imperial Court could use saltpeter.

And anything made from saltpeter, with the exception of gunpowder, could be sold. The rich and powerful would contribute to the majority of the profits first, and then it would gradually spread to the people as a steady source of income.

Chu Jiubian lay down in bed after washing up, thinking that Qin Xiao was truly lucky.

However, the Imperial Court was not Qin Xiao’s alone. After all, the young emperor was still the one in charge. Chu Jiubian would just think of it as making an investment in the male lead.

While he was considering these matters thoroughly, he was unaware that the capital was in an uproar because of his two poems.

Not to mention all of those refined, elegant scholars and poets, even officials of all ranks who were skilled in political intrigue were gathered together with their advisors to comment and engage in discussion.

Poets and scholars studied these two poems over and over, analyzing them from the perspectives of rhythm, parallelism, imagery, emotion, and other aspects, and ultimately came to the conclusion that “poems such as these could only have originated in heaven.”

For a time, the names of the Immortal Poet Li Bai and the Scholar of Serenity Li Qingzhao spread throughout the scholarly circle.

Someone lamented: “If I could meet these two immortals in person, I would have no regrets in life.”

There were also those scholars who once pretended at being famous talents, and whose personal confidence was so shaken that they could no longer pick up a brush and write poetry.

Different from these talented scholars were those with a heart for knowledge. Government officials of all ranks had more insight, and their focus was not on the two “immortals” Li Bai and Li Qingzhao, but on Chu Jiubian, who had brought these immortal works to the mortal world.

Chu Jiubian’s name became known to the public as his poems spread.

Nowadays, almost everyone knew about “Jiu-gongzi.”

Inside Su Manor, Minister of Revenue Su Sheng stared at the thin sheet of paper in his hand. Written on it were the two poems that had spread throughout the capital within a few hours.

“This Jiu-gongzi is truly a remarkable person,” he said in a weighty voice.

Advisor Fan He said solemnly: “Indeed. Qin Xiao plays his moves well.”

When these two poems came out, everyone naturally made their own calculations.

At first, there were rumors that these poems had been written by scholars under Qin Xiao, but if he really possessed such talents, and more than one, he wouldn’t be so isolated and powerless in court right now.

Just looking at the line “There will be a time to ride the wind and waves, and set sail to cross the vast ocean,” one could tell that the author was ambitious, and would never be willing to hide behind the scenes as a strategist.

Therefore, it was impossible for the poet Li Bai to be Qin Xiao’s man.

Having ruled out this possibility, they could only believe that the two poems had been written down by Chu Jiubian.

If there was only [The Hard Road], it would be easy to believe that Chu Jiubian was the author, but there was also [A Spray of Plum Blossoms.]

Unless Chu Jiubian had experienced two different lives, there was no way he could have written such completely different poems.

“Xiansheng, why do you think the force behind Chu Jiubian sent him to the capital to stir up trouble?” Su Sheng asked.

Fan He shook his head, saying: “I don’t know. But we should do our utmost to win over this force that has been lurking in the shadows for who knows how long.”

Su Sheng nodded: “It seems I must send another message to the prince.”

He gazed northwest through the wide-open windows of the study.

The silver moon cast a brilliant white light across the ground.

In a small courtyard at the back of the house, a young woman in her twenties stood with graceful poise, holding a piece of rough, yellowed paper between her delicate fingers. On the paper, written in beautiful calligraphy, was the poem [A Spray of Plum Blossoms].

A young girl with two buns in her hair rushed inside from the courtyard, and reported after greeting her: “Young Lady, just now, Third Miss Zhao of the Minister of Personnel’s family sent you an invitation to attend a poetry appreciation banquet at her residence tomorrow morning.”

A look of surprise appeared on Miss Su’s bright, charming face: “Wonderful! I was just worried about not having anyone to discuss it with.”

The maid at her side took her hand with a smile: “Then please rest, Young Lady. We will go early tomorrow morning.”

Young women and girls from various courtyards in the capital also received invitations one after another, all of which were for poetry appreciation gatherings.

At the same time, in the eastern courtyard of Yangxin Hall, Xiao Xiangzi was reporting to Qin Xiao all that he had seen and heard today.

“Just now, I went to help the Young Master prepare saltpeter and containers. During this period, Xiao Hu from the Imperial Kitchens, Xiao Tao-guniang from Imperial Gardens, and Auntie Haitang from the Bureau of Imperial Attire approached this servant.” Xiao Xiangzi presented a few small golden nuggets to Qin Xiao and said: “They gave me these, saying only that this servant has a good job and that they want to be on good terms with me. They didn’t say anything else.”

“Well done,” said Qin Xiao.

Xiao Xiangzi hastened to say: “This servant is grateful.”

Qin Chaoyang escorted him out of the study, returned all of his little gold nuggets, and even gave him a few extra gold melon seeds, saying: “Take these and continue to keep an eye out. Report back if there are any problems.”

“Yes.” Xiao Xiangzi left the eastern courtyard with a smile on his face, skipping toward Yangxin Hall’s main courtyard.

At the gate, Eunuch Hong Fu was looking up in a trance at the high silver moon. When he noticed someone coming, he immediately glanced in that direction with a chill in his eyes.

Seeing that the person coming was familiar, that fierce look vanished.

“Shifu.” Xiao Xiangzi ran up to Eunuch Hong and handed over the gold nuggets and gold melon seeds he had just received. “This is all what I earned today, including what His Lordship gave me. He even praised me.”

Eunuch Hong Fu usually had a kind appearance, and now, looking at the disciple in front of him, his smile held even more kindness and genuine affection.

He stuffed all of the gold back into his disciple’s purse and said: “Keep it for yourself, but don’t spend it recklessly. Save it for your retirement.”

“This disciple knows.” Xiao Xiangzi smiled with curved eyes and dimpled cheeks. “Then I’ll leave first, Shifu. I’m afraid the Young Master might look for me at night.”

Seeing him like this, Eunuch Hong couldn’t help but warn him again: “Remember, His Majesty and our Lord are our only masters.”

“Understood, Shifu. This disciple will remember.” Xiao Xiangzi said goodbye to his master and bounced away happily again.

Eunuch Hong watched until he disappeared around the corner of the palace road, then looked up at the bright moon again with a smile.

His usually hunched back stood straight since there was no one else around, displaying his vigorous form, but melancholy gradually appeared in his eyes.

The eunuch, at only thirty years old, had a pair of eyes like an old man in his twilight years. His figure was slender and desolate under the lonely moonlight.

A long while later, when the moon was at its zenith, the faint sound of a crying child came from the courtyard behind him. Only then did he transform back into the conscientious, kind and smiling Eunuch Hong he played during the day.

Hong Fu walked quickly back to the courtyard and entered the main hall.

A palace servant in the hall was coming out in a panic to find him, and said in a tearful voice when she saw him coming: “Eunuch Hong, His Majesty just had another nightmare and has been crying since he woke up.”

“Understood.” Hong Fu continued toward the inner hall. “Go and make a bowl of goat’s milk with extra sugar.”

“Yes.” The palace maid immediately went to prepare it, which Hong Fu had already entered the inner hall.

The palace servants immediately made themselves less noticeable upon seeing his approach, not daring to even raise their heads.

On the wide dragon bed, a little boy in a pure white satin undershirt was hugging the blanket. His hair was disheveled, and his nose and round eyes were red from tears.

Upon seeing a familiar face, he cried even more pitifully.

Hong Fu felt a pang in his heart, and quickened his pace to walk over. He knelt on one knee at the bedside and gently wiped the young emperor’s tearstained face with a handkerchief.

“Don’t be afraid, Your Majesty. This servant is here with you,” Hong Fu coaxed softly.

Bai Lihong sobbed and clutched Hong Fu’s hand in his sweaty little palms, choking out: “I….want….Jiujiu.”

Hong Fu smiled softly and said: “Okay. I’ll help you get dressed.”

The western courtyard of Yangxin Palace.

There was a faint but hurried sound of footsteps outside the main room. The figure in the bedroom immediately opened his eyes, standing up from the bed in one movement to draw the longsword from beside his pillow. He looked outside the door with dark eyes.

“Who is it?” There was no trace of sleepiness in his voice.

From outside the door came a eunuch’s voice: “My Lord, the Emperor has arrived.”

Qin Xiao paused, then put on an overrobe and went out.

He put down the sword before leaving the bedroom.

But before he could walk out of the courtyard, he spied a small figure running toward him in the moonlight.

Qin Xiao took two steps forward, picked up his little nephew who had run to him, and held him above his head.

The child who had just been crying and gasping for breath was immediately delighted, and kicked his legs in the air while shouting, “Jiujiu, Jiujiu!”

Hong Fu had already signaled for all of the servants to leave. He himself also did not approach, but stood guard from a distance at the courtyard gate.

Qin Xiao lowered Bai Lihong to sit in his arms, as he had done countless times before.

Bai Lihong clutched his clothes in his small hands, sniffling.

“Crying again?” Qin Xiao pulled up the hem of the child’s clothes without hesitation and wiped his nose.

Bai Lihong immediately burst into tears and choked out: “Jiujiu, I miss Mother.”

Qin Xiao wiped away the child’s tears with his calloused fingertips and said: “Jiujiu misses her too.”

The child’s tears fell even harder: “Has – has Mother really turned into an immortal? Is she really watching me from the sky?”

But every time he cried in the past, his mother could come to keep him company. Why didn’t she come to find him now even though he had cried so many times?

“Did Hong Fu tell you that?” Qin Xiao asked.

Bai Lihong nodded.

Jiujiu had said that his mother was dead, just like his grandparents and great-grandparents. He would never see them again, and he would also never see Mother again.

But Eunuch Hong had told him that his loving relatives had gone to heaven and become immortals, always watching over him and blessing him.

Qin Xiao looked into the child’s pitiful eyes and swallowed back the cold words on the tip of his tongue.

But he said nothing about her becoming an immortal. Bai Lihong was no ordinary little prince, but the emperor. He was required to be stronger and more mature than ordinary children.

But in the end, he was just a three-year-old child who had just lost his mother, and Qin Xiao couldn’t be hard on the boy while he was in tears.

So he changed the subject and asked: “Remember the person who fell from the sky yesterday?”

Bai Lihong’s attention was indeed diverted, and he stuttered out: “F-fairy-gege?”

Qin Xiao couldn’t help but send a glance toward the courtyard gate. What was Hong Fu teaching him every day to have the emperor talking about fairies and immortals all the time?

“He’s not a fairy. You can call him Chu Jiubian from now on,” he corrected.

Bai Lihong nodded: “Jiu-gege.”

Qin Xiao corrected him again: “You’re the emperor. You can’t call him ‘gege.’”

“Oh.” Bai Lihong nodded obediently.

Qin Xiao: “He’s doing something fun, so I’ll take you to see him tomorrow. But you have to sleep well tonight, otherwise I won’t take you out to play tomorrow, and you’ll have to eat an extra egg yolk. Okay?”

The nephew resembled the uncle. Bai Lihong had inherited many of Qin Xiao’s strengths, such as his photographic memory and talent for learning. 

But he had also inherited some of Qin Xiao’s shortcomings, such as being picky about food.

When Bai Lihong heard that he would have to eat an extra egg yolk, he immediately covered his mouth with his little hands and shook his head in fear, then nodded.

Qin Xiao chuckled and set him on the ground: “All right, go back to sleep.”

“En, Jiujiu should sleep too.” Bai Lihong gave Qin Xiao a formal bow, then walked back on his short legs.

Hong Fu saluted Qin Xiao from a distance, then followed Bai Lihong away.

Qin Xiao watched as the two figures, one big and one small, walked away. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Today, Chu Jiubian had said that he would show him something good in the morning, something that would be enough to help solve his financial difficulties in a short period of time.

Qin Xiao had already been slowly introducing Bai Lihong to such things, so there was nothing wrong with bringing him to see Chu Jiubian tomorrow.

It was a dreamless night.

Chu Jiubian slept until dawn and woke up naturally.

As soon as he opened his eyes, a familiar mechanical voice sounded in his mind: [Good morning, Host. Congratulations! You have reached 50 Faith Points, and projections indicate that you will break 100 today. Please keep up the good work.]

Chu Jiubian immediately jolted up.

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Chapter 8 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 10

Shui Yun was a woman in her twenties, with a soft and melodious voice. She recited word by word the lines that still lingered in her mind: “A golden cup of the purest wine costs a thousand coins. A jade plate of delicacies costs a million…..”

Just a few words depicted a grand and luxurious banquet scene. These sentences alone revealed the poet’s talent. 

“Wonderful!” An Wuji’s eyes suddenly lit up, and his back straightened slightly.

Qin Chaoyang nodded in agreement. 

Shui Yun continued: “I put down my cup and chopsticks, unable to eat. I draw my sword and look around, my heart bewildered……”

Qin Xiao’s eyes gradually darkened, and he tapped the table lightly with his index finger.

“I fish in a jade green stream at my leisure, and suddenly dream of a boat at the sun’s edge…..”

An Wuji let out a light breath, as if the depression brought on by the previous lines had eased at this moment.

Finally, Shui Yun recited her favorite line, which was also the last one: “There will be a time to ride the wind and waves, and set sail to cross the vast ocean!”

Her soft, pleasant voice became strident and powerful when she recited this final line.

“Good!” An Wuji stood and turned around in place. “What a great poem! This poet Li Bai is truly a genius, no wonder he became an immortal!”

He himself believed in the supernatural, and after Chu Jiubian predicted the weather correctly two times, he no longer harbored any doubts as to his identity as a god, and sincerely regarded him as an immortal descended to earth.

And after hearing this poem, he believed even more in the existence of the immortal realm and this heroic “Immortal Poet.”

Qin Chaoyang had a steady personality and was able to keep his composure better than An Wuji, but after listening to this poem, he was not composed at all.

Could an ordinary person really write something with such bold poetic talent?

Could it be that this Immortal Poet really existed?

He raised his eyes toward Qin Xiao sitting in the main seat. The other party wore a slight frown, his thoughts on the matter obscure.

An Wuji paid no attention to the reactions of the other two. Still abuzz with excitement, he said to Shui Yun: “What about the other poem? Let’s hear the poem by Li Qingzhao, the Scholar of Serenity.”

Shui Yun did so. 

In fact, compared to the poem just now, she secretly liked the words of this Scholar of Serenity more.

She closed her eyes partway as a slender, graceful figure seemed to gradually emerge in her mind, blurred by the misty clouds.

“The fragrance of the red lotus fades, and my jade mat holds the chill of autumn. I take off my silk dress and board the orchid boat alone.” The girl’s melodious voice was truly suitable for reciting such words. An Wuji, still immersed in excitement, couldn’t help but calm down and sit back in his chair.

“…..Flowers fall and water flows, one kind of longing, and two kinds of idle worries.”

Qin Xiao’s eyes narrowed slightly.

An Wuji couldn’t help but look at Qin Chaoyang, and they both glanced at Qin Xiao.

“There is no way to dispel this feeling. It has only just left my brow, yet still it lingers in my heart.” As Shui Yun recited the last sentence, she had to admire it again. This poem was written so beautifully.

An Wuji was a rough man, but he could still hear the beauty in these lines and feel the moving emotions contained within them.

It was only that……this was a love poem, ah.

He couldn’t help but think of the “love tribulation” Chu Jiubian had mentioned at the coronation ceremony yesterday.

Even though he didn’t know the specific meaning of a love tribulation, these two words were easy to understand. It obviously referred to Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao being in love, but that there were some hardships and tribulations in the relationship.

When he heard it yesterday, he hadn’t taken it to heart.

But today, when he heard the recitation of these yearning words, the term “love tribulation” lingered in his mind.

Could…..could it be that Chu Jiubian deliberately passed this on to Lord Ning-wang?

The more he thought about it, the more the images in his mind began to spin out of control. He seemed to see Chu Jiubian, with that pale, beautiful face, standing thin and frail above the clouds. And due to his yearning for their Lord Ning-wang, he leaped directly from the sky and threw himself into their lord’s arms…..

Qin Chaoyang didn’t possess such a rich, vivid imagination. His concerns lay elsewhere.

He asked Shui Yun: “Is this Scholar of Serenity Li Qingzhao a woman?”

Just going by these lines, such delicate, beautiful thoughts could only have come from a woman.

As expected, Shui Yun replied with a nod: “The Young Master said that this Scholar of Serenity is a woman, and one of the most famous poets in their world of immortals.”

One of.

Meaning that there were more poets like her.

Qin Chaoyang: “Understood. You may leave first.”

Once Shui Yun left, Qin Chaoyang said to Qin Xiao: “My Lord, these two poems could not have been written by the same person, so they were probably not written by the Young Master himself.”

“And the people I sent checked everywhere they could, but they didn’t find any hints about the Young Master’s identity. Instead, they found that various forces are doing the same.”

He saw Qin Xiao’s indifferent expression and stopped himself from speaking further.

Qin Xiao chuckled: “You really think he’s a god?”

“This subordinate just can’t figure it out,” Qin Chaoyang said with a frown. “Anyone capable of writing such poetry couldn’t possibly be unknown, but after much thought, I can’t guess which of those many well-known men and women possess such poetic talent.”

An Wuji finally extracted himself from his musings and said: “What if they’re hermits living in the mountains?”

In fact, he was already completely certain that Chu Jiubian was a god. But since Qin Xiao didn’t believe it, he wouldn’t dare offend him openly.

Qin Chaoyang’s expression grew more serious: “If there really are such masters, the force behind them might be something we have never discovered.”

And it was clear that the other forces knew nothing about Chu Jiubian’s identity. So how powerful must the force behind these people be to hide them so well?

How many great people were there like this Immortal Poet and Scholar of Serenity?

Qin Xiao’s thoughts ran along a similar vein.

If such a force really existed, what was their goal?

Was the power that was able to control his body yesterday also related to this mysterious force?

An Wuji looked at Qin Chaoyang, then at Qin Xiao: “Why are you so concerned?”

“Of course we’re concerned.” Qin Chaoyang explained: “If such a force really exists, there’s no telling if it will hinder our important undertaking.”

Their ultimate goal was to completely suppress the princes and noble families until they were no longer able to cause trouble, and to create a prosperous and peaceful era for the young emperor.

Therefore, they had to be cautious in every move they made.

But after listening to his explanation, An Wuji was still not as anxious as him. Instead, he kept giving Qin Xiao strange looks.

Qin Xiao sent him a cool glance.

An Wuji frowned, lost in thought.

Qin Xiao: “Speak.”

An Wuji’s expression momentarily froze. He glanced up at him and gave a dry laugh, saying: “Actually, I don’t think there is anything to worry about.”

“Why is that?” Qin Chaoyang asked quickly. He had a feeling he knew what it was.

An Wuji said as a matter of course: “That young man obviously has feelings for our Lord. Besides, he’s in our hands now. As long as we treat him well, the force behind him will definitely stand with us, ah.”

Wasn’t this the case with marriage between powerful people?

Qin Chaoyang was stunned from the moment he heard the first sentence exit his mouth.

The room fell into a long silence.

An Wuji felt that his words were correct, and couldn’t help but say: “My Lord, is this subordinate right?”

Qin Xiao’s smile didn’t waver. He repeated An Wuji’s words with great interest: “That person has feelings for me.”

“That’s right.” An Wuji nodded. “He clearly wrote this love poem for you to see. He wants you to go keep him company.”

Qin Chaoyang quietly reduced his sense of presence.

He was originally a secret guard, and his sense of presence was already ridiculously low. Now, he practically disappeared from the room.

Qin Xiao said with a chuckle: “An Ping, I see you have great talent for this, so I’ll give you a mission.”

An Wuji didn’t see what talents he had aside from fighting and learning martial arts, but when he heard there was a mission, he immediately stood and bowed, saying: “Please give me your orders, My Lord.”

“Spread these two poems as widely as possible.”

An Wuji had a wild imagination, but he was never careless about serious matters and didn’t ask too many questions.

So after accepting this mission, he immediately turned and left.

Once he was gone, Qin Chaoyang said: “Once these two poems get out, those people probably won’t be able to sit still.”

If they could guess that there was a huge and mysterious force behind Chu Jiubian, others naturally would as well.

If it was Chu Jiubian alone, perhaps these people would not easily move those hidden stakes,^[1] but with the addition of another powerful force, they would have to take action.

Qin Xiao stood up with a laugh and walked out: “Since he misses me, it’s time I go pay him a visit.”

See, even His Lordship couldn’t sit still.

Qin Chaoyang wrapped the chunk of saltpeter on the table back up in the handkerchief and put it in his sleeve pocket, then followed his master.

Chu Jiubian, who had a “huge force” behind him, was currently wandering around the courtyard doing nothing.

He had originally planned to write only [The Hard Road], but feared that others would misunderstand that he was the author, so he also wrote [A Spray of Plum Blossoms]. 

The two poems had such different styles that one could tell at a glance that they could not have been written by the same person.

With such good poems and the ethereal titles of “The Immortal Poet” and “The Scholar of Serenity,” there would definitely be people who believed he was a god.

For example, the five eunuchs and palace maids in the courtyard now looked at him with sparkling eyes.

Also for example, his Faith Value had soared by five points!

Chu Jiubian was in a particularly good mood.

Even if Qin Xiao kept his poems from spreading, he had no fear, because he was confident that those two poems would lure Qin Xiao over.

And as long as he came, Chu Jiubian could negotiate.

At this time in the original novel, the treasury was empty and funds were needed everywhere. It had rained heavily these past two days, and the dam needed urgent repairs, so Qin Xiao must be worried about money.

For negotiations, it was imperative to understand the other party’s psychology and find out what he needed most.

Qin Xiao currently needed money, and Chu Jiubian happened to have a way to make money in a short period of time; Chu Jiubian needed the opportunity to freely interact with more people in the palace, and Qin Xiao could fulfill that need.

Qin Xiao would not refuse a win-win situation.

Chu Jiubian looked at his Faith Value and couldn’t help but wonder who his first Believer would be when he reached the first 100 points.

Suddenly, a palace servant’s greeting rang out from the courtyard gate: “Greetings, My Lord.”

“Young Master.” Xiao Xiangzi also hurried to tell Chu Jiubian: “Lord Ning-wang is here.”

Chu Jiubian turned to look toward the courtyard gate.

The man who’d arrived was tall and slender, with an elegant temperament. There was a faint smile on his thin lips and a burning wildfire hidden in his eyes.

Everyone in the courtyard was kneeling on the ground, and Qin Xiao spotted the only upright figure at first glance.

The young man had washed and combed his hair, and had changed out of the strange clothes he wore yesterday, but his odd hair still looked strange.

Qin Xiao leisurely approached the young man and stood in front of him. He peered at the bruises on his neck and said familiarly: “Are you feeling better?”

You’re acting very familiar.

Chu Jiubian slandered him inwardly, but was calm on the surface: “Much better.”

“That’s good,” Qin Xiao said with a smile. “Shall we go inside and talk?”

Chu Jiubian took the lead and stepped into the outer room, sitting down in the main seat behind the desk.

Qin Xiao followed him inside and glanced around the room, saying: “Just tell Xiao Xiangzi if you need anything. Don’t be polite with me.”

Chu Jiubian smiled faintly: “My Lord is so considerate.”

“As I should be.” Qin Xiao sat down on a chair next to him. “You’ve come all the way down to earth to find me, so I must treat you well.”

He spoke in a mocking tone, and there was no awe in his expression. It was clear that he still didn’t believe in Chu Jiubian’s identity as a god.

Chu Jiubian didn’t respond, and simply sat there quietly.

Since he wasn’t saying anything, Qin Xiao didn’t say anything either.

In the midst of this silence, Shui Qing and Shui Yun brought them some tea and then quietly left.

Chu Jiubian picked up the tea and took a sip, then placed the cup on the desk. His every move was graceful, just like a descendant of the Imperial family who paid absolute attention to etiquette and posture. 

Qin Xiao rubbed the ring on his finger, then stood and walked to the desk, where he took the saltpeter wrapped in a handkerchief from his sleeve and placed it on the desk’s surface.

“As you requested.” He stood before the desk with his arms folded, his gaze constantly roving across Chu Jiubian’s face so as not to miss any change in expression.

Chu Jiubian took the handkerchief and opened it, revealing mottled white stone.

It was saltpeter, but in the form of natural ore.

It needed to be processed.

If he wanted pure saltpeter, after the processing and purification of this small piece, there would be even less left.

Chu Jiubian raised his eyes to look at the other man and said with a smirk: “Is Lord Ning-wang so poor?”

Qin Xiao said frankly: “There is nothing to be done. The treasury is empty.”

Having said this, he smiled again and said: “Perhaps this immortal young master will help me?”

“Okay,” Chu Jiubian agreed decisively.

Qin Xiao paused.

Chu Jiubian’s smile deepened. He looked the man up and down and said: “I’ll help you make money, and you’ll let me out of this courtyard. What do you say?”

“A few coins won’t put out this fire,” Qin Xiao said.

“Not to worry.” Chu Jiubian said word by word: “It will be enough to build the dam.”

Minister Xiao had proposed fortifying the dam as an item of business in this morning’s court session. Chu Jiubian, who had been under constant surveillance, had no way of knowing about this matter. But he said this precisely so that Qin Xiao’s imagination would run wild.

If this happened often, the other party would believe he was a god sooner or later.

Qin Xiao’s eyes darkened for a moment before returning to normal. “Deal,” he said.

As for the rest of the things he needed, Chu Jiubian only needed to tell Xiao Xiangzi to take care of it.

The two had nothing more to say, so Qin Xiao prepared to leave.

But before he left, he paused, then turned around and asked: “Name?”

Chu Jiubian stared blankly for a moment: “Chu Jiubian.”

“Bian for ‘debate?’”

“Yes.”

“Chu Jiubian,” Qin Xiao said in a low voice, then inexplicably laughed.

Chu Jiubian looked at his back as he walked away and said quietly: “Nutjob.”

---

[1] “Hidden stakes” refers to underwater stakes placed to hinder the progress of ships. It can also refer to spies or insiders. ⮐

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Chapter 7 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 9

Chapter 47 – When it Rains, it Pours

“Wow, it’s Yuanling Grass!” Fang Yang’s eyes lit up as he spotted a clump of grass with light brown roots at the edge of the path. He immediately rushed over and squatted down, using the iron sword he carried with him to dig up the grass.

Yunaling Grass was not a very precious herb, but it was extremely suitable as an alchemy ingredient for equalizing medicinal properties, and there was a considerable market demand.

But it was the lowest-level alchemy material, and the price was about one spirit stone per plant.

Compared to the spiritual plants in the Floating Island Secret Realm that could truly be regarded as natural treasures and cost untold numbers of spirit stones, Yuanling Grass wasn’t worth anything at all. Nobody would come here just to dig up Yuanling Grass.

Moreover, it was very troublesome to dig them up. The roots could not be damaged, and if one was even slightly broken, the spiritual energy would leak out and it would become worthless ordinary grass.

Therefore, one must use extreme caution when digging it up. This was inevitably a task that couldn’t be accomplished in a short amount of time. Time inside the secret realm was limited, and instead of wasting it harvesting this useless plant, it was better to search for more valuable ones.

This was how most people thought. When they spotted Yuanling Grass, they would pretend not to see it and just walk straight past it.

But Fang Yang was very happy to harvest it. He had never seen any truly precious herbs. For him, one Yuanling Grass that could be sold for one spirit stone was a rare material that could be sold for money.

As a poor boy from the country, he was far from wealthy. His parents and relatives were all born and raised farmers. They could barely read and write, and possessed neither gold nor silver. Naturally, it was impossible for them to provide him with spirit stones that could be traded in the world of cultivation. 

All of his savings came from his monthly spirit stone subsidy from the sect. Over the course of the year, he had saved up over a hundred of them.

And there were probably dozens of Yuanling Grasses here. If he dug all of them up, it would be equivalent to earning dozens of spirit stones.

This was half a year’s income!

The naive Fang Yang was dazzled by the dozens of spirit stones and dug with great concentration and meticulousness.

Finally, after half a day, he had dug up all of the Yuanling Grass without leaving a single one behind.

Half of his time in the Floating Island Secret Realm had already passed. During this half day, other cultivators were on their way to find natural treasures or had already found them, and while they were fighting against cultivators who had happened upon the treasures at the same time, Fang Yang was quietly digging grass.

And among all spiritual plants, it was even the least valuable Yuanling Grass.

Of course, Fang Yang naturally didn’t think this way, and felt that bringing back dozens of Yuanling Grass was an enormous gain. After sorting them all out, he placed them carefully into the storage bag.

The storage bag that everyone in the sect possessed was naturally not a high-quality item, and the space inside was so small that it couldn’t even hold a normal-sized iron sword. Fang Yang had packed a set of medicine and clothing inside, and with the addition of the Yuanling Grass he had just dug, the storage bag was stuffed to the point of bulging.

Fang Yang gave his mostly full storage bag a pat and continued on his way with satisfaction.

He hadn’t run into anyone since entering the secret realm, not even his two friends, Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage.

It was said that the Floating Island Secret Realm was rife with danger, but Fang Yang hadn’t seen a single monster so far. 

Similarly, he hadn’t seen any truly valuable spiritual plants. Natural treasures were not just fought over by humans, but were also coveted by monsters and beasts.

Monsters had keen senses and had lived here for a vast period of time, so they knew every corner of the Floating Island Secret Realm like the back of their paws. Almost every place where natural treasures grew was guarded by monsters, which would wait until the spiritual plant reached maturity and swallow it in one gulp to improve their cultivation.

And the other monsters or humans attracted by the spiritual plants were all the prey of the monsters guarding them.

Of course, just who qualified as prey would be determined by strength.

The only law in the Floating Island Secret Realm was the law of the jungle.

“I wonder what Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage are doing…..” Fang Yang muttered, somewhat lonesome as he walked.

He’d had such high expectations before coming here, but after half a day, he still hadn’t witnessed any thrilling plots like in the storybooks, such as fighting ferocious monsters or searching for magical treasures in dangerous caves.

But that didn’t matter. At least he’d harvested a bag of Yuanling Grass, making him a wealthy man.

It was inevitable that he’d be a bit bored. After all, it was really quiet here.

“Ai, Useless Shixiong was right. It turns out that the stories in books are all lies,” Fang Yang lamented, picking up a piece of grass from the side to hold in his mouth.

After saying so, he felt that his words were somewhat incorrect. They weren’t all lies. Hadn’t he recently picked up a talking bamboo slip?

Although it wasn’t exactly the same as in the storybooks. The protagonist had a pendant made of mutton-fat jade, while he had a piece of bamboo that looked just like the bamboo planted by the sect.

The protagonist of the story possessed a jade pendant that housed a kind, gentle old man who provided countless martial arts secrets free of charge. The person in this bamboo slip of his was a somewhat strict older brother, and he hadn’t handed out any martial arts secrets.

Comparing the two, the older brother in the bamboo slip looked a bit shabby.

Fang Yang actually hadn’t asked for any martial arts secrets. It would be good to have them, but not having them was fine too. He was already very happy that the Mysterious Big Brother would teach him swordsmanship.

Only…..

“Are you there?” Fang Yang took out the string around his neck that was hidden under his collar, the bamboo slip hanging at the end of it. He used his spiritual consciousness to try to communicate with the Mysterious Big Brother.

He waited quietly for a moment. As expected, there was no response.

“Ai,” Fang Yang sighed. It would be great if this big brother who lived in the bamboo slip could be like the old grandfather who lived in the jade pendant, coming to talk whenever he was called.

He had tried many, many times, but his words always fell on deaf ears, never making a single wave.

He wondered if this big brother was ignoring him or sleeping? Why did he like sleeping so much, just like his Useless Shixiong?

Fang Yang was lost in thought as he moved through the vast jungle. He walked for a long time without seeing anyone – only the same towering trees in front of him. All he could do was pass the time daydreaming.

There were no sounds other than the rustling of leaves in the breeze and the singing of birds hidden in the vast canopy. 

Rustle.

Fang Yang stopped in place, the strand of grass in his mouth falling to the ground.

He sent a wary look at the one-meter-high bushes not far ahead. The rustling sound just now had been caused by their shaking branches.

There was no wind down here, so the bushes couldn’t have shaken for no reason.

There must be something hiding inside them.

Fang Yang paused for a moment at this thought, then pretended not to have noticed and continued walking forward.

But his casual steps became cautious, and his hand, which had been casually resting on the hilt of his sword, tightened around it.

The bushes had returned to their original state after the brief disturbance, without any unusual sounds or movement.

But Fang Yang knew that it wasn’t all in his head, and as he drew closer, he could vaguely hear the deliberately suppressed, yet still labored sound of breathing.

What in the world was behind these bushes? A monster?

It’s most likely a monster, Fang Yang thought. Although he was trying his utmost to feign ignorance, the jut of his throat rolling up and down was evidence of his inner nerves.

It was finally here! The dangerous, exciting adventure from his storybooks!

Although Fang Yang was nervous, he couldn’t help feeling a little excited. The youth was adventurous to the bone, so when he noticed the oddity, he walked toward it instead of leaving.

He walked to within three meters of the bushes. But instead of going straight toward it, he deliberately pretended to turn in a different direction.

Then, just as the thing behind the bush thought he hadn’t noticed it, and was about to move away, Fang Yang abruptly swung around and stabbed toward it with his iron sword.

He’d intended to catch them off guard, but the other party reacted just as quickly and fought back.

With a clang, two swords collided.

It’s not a monster? Fang Yang thought in surprise when he felt the impact of metal on metal.

He saw the edge of the blade flash with a cold light as it met his own iron sword. In addition to the cold metallic light, there was also the flowing gleam of spiritual power along its edges.

Fang Yang’s gaze trailed up the sword to an intricately-patterned hilt inlaid with spiritual stones, which contained great spiritual power. It looked very expensive at first glance, and could not be compared with his plain-patterned iron sword. The weapon in the other party’s hands was likely a valuable spiritual sword.

Finally, Fang Yang saw the thin, slender hand holding the hilt of the sword. It was a youth’s hand, smaller than those of an adult.

“Cao Zirui!” Fang Yang called out the other’s name in surprise. Unexpectedly, the first person he ran into inside the Floating Island Secret Realm was Cao Zirui. This was the sect leader’s direct disciple, whom he normally didn’t even have the chance to get close to. 

After calling his name, Fang Yang realized that their swords were still crossed, the force behind them unabated. He realized that he had almost hurt another disciple by mistake, and quickly withdrew his sword with an apology: “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was…..”

Before he could utter the word “you,” he was silenced by a blade against his throat.

Fang Yang had put down his sword, but Cao Zirui had not. The moment Fang Yang sheathed his sword, Cao Zirui had thrust the tip of his sword forward, stopping it a hair’s breadth away from the jut of Fang Yang’s throat.

Holding the weapon in his right hand, he coldly scrutinized the unarmed, harmless-looking Fang Yang.

Fang Yang was momentarily stunned by this unexpected development. When fellow disciples met, shouldn’t they greet each other in a friendly manner and make small talk?

Why was Cao Zirui leveling the tip of his sword at him? After a brief period of confusion, Fang Yang realized that while he knew of Cao Zirui, Cao Zirui didn’t know him, ah!

So that’s it! He was a stranger who’d just attacked him, so Cao Zirui didn’t dare let down his guard.

Fang Yang thought he had grasped the key issue, and started to raise a hand to gesture toward the Lingxiao Sword Sect sword emblem embroidered on his daoist robes, which would inform Cao Zirui that he was a fellow disciple.

However, the second he raised his hand, Cao Zirui’s sword inched forward. Fang Yang leaned back quickly in order to prevent the sharp sword from slicing his throat.

He didn’t dare move again, and could only explain verbally: “My name is Fang Yang, and I’m a junior disciple in the outer sect. I joined Lingxiao Sword Sect the same year as you, so we’re martial brothers.”

Since he couldn’t gesture with his hands, Fang Yang changed tacks and blinked hard toward the sword pattern on his chest.

But the sword was right in front of his throat, and he couldn’t lower his head, so it was very difficult to signal Cao Zirui with his eyes. Fang Yang clearly had no talent in this area, and when he performed this action, it looked amusingly as if his eyelids were spasming.

Cao Zirui’s eyes were still very cold. He wasn’t amused by Fang Yang’s ridiculous expression, and he didn’t drop his gaze, because he didn’t need to.

He had realized that this person was a fellow disciple as early as when he was hiding in the bushes, but he still didn’t relax his guard in the slightest.

Seeing how Cao Zirui was unmoved, Fang Yang finally came to the conclusion that something wasn’t right.

Cao Zirui’s reaction was very abnormal. Fang Yang had called out the other’s name first and then took the initiative to sheath his sword. In any case, he had demonstrated that he harbored no hostility and was familiar with the other person’s identity.

Even if Cao Zirui didn’t recognize his fellow disciple or believe his fellow disciple’s identity, he at least should have asked some questions to clarify his identity instead of raising his sword at him like this, right?

But Cao Zirui had no such intentions. His eyes fixed on Fang Yang were filled with cold vigilance. Fang Yang had no doubt that if he showed any sign of attacking, Cao Zirui would pierce his throat with his sword.

But before this point in time, he didn’t really intend to kill Fang Yang. He was just on guard. His abnormally offensive actions were just because he feared that Fang Yang meant to hurt him.

He’s afraid? Fang Yang was stunned. He was very certain that he could see a hint of fear in Cao Zirui’s eyes – deeply hidden, but still slightly evident.

Cao Zirui was at Foundation Establishment stage, and was able to crush all of his fellow disciples who were at the same level. With his strength, why would he fear Fang Yang, whose cultivation had fallen to the third level of Qi Refining?

And weren’t they from the same sect? How could fellow disciples harm one another?

No, that’s not right. Fang Yang suddenly realized that Cao Zirui had likely already known he was a fellow disciple, but had still raised his sword.

During the stalemate, a drop of sweat slid down Cao Zirui’s forehead. Fang Yang’s eyes followed the droplet’s path down Cao Zirui’s face to his pursed lips, which were noticeably pale and bloodless. The bead of sweat dropped from his chin to his collar, and Fang Yang noticed a faint crimson hue on his black robes over his left shoulder.

Fang Yang’s nose twitched, and he belatedly smelled the pungent scent of blood in the air.

Considering the labored, barely-concealed panting he’d heard when he approached the bushes, it wasn’t difficult to guess that……

“You’re injured?!” Fang Yang’s eyes widened, and he looked in shock at Cao Zirui, who was sweating profusely from the pain.

The climate in the Floating Island Secret Realm was different from that of the outside world. The sun was shining, but it wasn’t hot. The sweat on Cao Zirui’s forehead was clearly a pain-induced cold sweat.

It was unknown what Cao Zirui had experienced in this half day, nor what had caused him to become so anxious that he refused to trust his fellow disciple. The blood on his left shoulder was still spreading, but he still didn’t lower his sword and stop the bleeding.

Cao Zirui didn’t answer. When Fang Yang discovered his injury, his eyes became even colder, because this meant he was in even greater danger.

The weaker he was, the more likely the other party would attack him.

Fang Yang was unaware of Cao Zirui’s thoughts, and subconsciously reached for the storage bag at his waist. This action alarmed Cao Zirui, and the tip of the sword moved slightly closer.

Fang Yang took a hasty step back, exclaiming: “I don’t mean you any harm! There’s wound medicine in my storage bag – it can help you stop the bleeding!”

Cao Zirui’s eyes flickered briefly when he heard this, and he ultimately didn’t carry out his attack.

But he didn’t believe Fang Yang’s words. He just continued to hold his sword up, signaling Fang Yang to stay still. He didn’t dare bet on whether what Fang Yang took out of the storage bag was wound medicine to heal him or a magic weapon to kill him.

Fang Yang could only stand there helplessly, watching Cao Zirui’s face become increasingly pale. Although Cao Zirui hadn’t shown him any friendliness, Fang Yang couldn’t help worrying about his injury.

In the end, they were from the same sect, and Cao Zirui meant something to Fang Yang……he was Fang Yang’s goal, the person he wanted to surpass.

Fang Yang hoped to defeat this rival of his with his own strength. He paid attention to him and was envious of him, but at the same time, he hoped that Cao Zirui would remain safe and sound more than anyone else. This way, Fang Yang could challenge him when he was strong enough.

But Cao Zirui was like an immovable stone, stubbornly gripping his sword and ignoring his bleeding wound, as if he was going to face off against Fang Yang until he bled to death.

Just when Fang Yang was getting restless, a familiar male voice suddenly reached his ears.

It was that nice-sounding big brother’s voice!

Fang Yang had no time to be happy, because the man called out in a hurried, anxious tone: “Run!”

Run? Why would he run for no reason?

Fang Yang was dumbfounded by this word, and didn’t do as he was told.

And at the same time, a crisp ding-ding rang out – the crisp sound of a bell.

Fang Yang looked in the direction of the sound and found that the ringing had come from a bell tied to Cao Zirui’s waist. When Cao Zirui had taken action just now, that bell hadn’t rung even though his movements were so considerable.

But now, as he stood in place, it suddenly began to ring without even a breeze.

Fang Yang didn’t know what the ringing signified, but Cao Zirui’s expression changed abruptly, his already pale face becoming even more bloodless.

He immediately sheathed his sword and, ignoring Fang Yang, rushed forward in labored strides.

Fang Yang watched in confusion as Cao Zirui attempted to run, unable to move much faster than a walk due to injury and exhaustion. What was going on?

Very soon, he understood.

Because he suddenly felt warmth behind him. The temperature soared, and in a very short moment, that warmth grew into a scorching wave of heat.

A streak of fire rushed over from afar – an arrow covered in flames.

The tip of the arrow was golden, and the flames were red.

The golden arrow flew at extreme speed, so fast that an afterimage of flames lingered in the air at its passing.

As it flew, a tail of flames several meters long trailed behind it.

And this deadly arrow, wreathed in deadly flames that could burn anything, was heading straight in Fang Yang’s direction. 

The interwoven stream of gold and red fire reflected in Fang Yang’s dilated pupils, and he heard the man yell again: “Get down!”

He finally knew why the Mysterious Big Brother had told him to run away. It was too late to run now, but he might be able to escape by lying flat.

Fang Yang subconsciously started to do what he was told, but then he spotted Cao Zirui staggering away a few meters ahead of him.

He looked back at the incoming golden arrow, and after estimating its flight trajectory, he realized that the arrow was not aiming at him, but at Cao Zirui.

I’ll be fine if I get down, but Cao Zirui…..

Fang Yang struggled inwardly, but not for long. Time didn’t allow him to hesitate. He immediately gritted his teeth, took a couple of steps, and then rushed forward regardless of anything else.

His tackle was very accurate, and he knocked Cao Zirui, who had a hand pressed to his shoulder, flat onto the ground.

Cao Zirui put up a brief, instinctual struggle, but Fang Yang pressed down hard on his shoulders and refused to let go no matter what, keeping Cao Zirui and himself pressed tightly to the ground.

Less than a second after they fell, the deadly flames passed less than a meter above their heads. Then, with a boom, the golden arrow pierced the ground in front of them.

The ground three meters in diameter around the arrow began to collapse and sink, and cracks spidered across it, stopping just in front of the two disciples.

Gravel exploded in all directions. Laying on top of Cao Zirui, Fang Yang used his equally slender body to block the stones pelting the two of them.

The small stones were fine – he could bear those. But a fist-sized rock hit Fang Yang’s hand that was holding Cao Zirui down. He groaned in pain, but still didn’t let go.

Cao Zirui was pinned firmly to the ground. He had struggled a bit at first, but when the flying object zoomed overhead, he could feel the scorching heat even though it had missed him. He also realized Fang Yang’s reason for pouncing on him, and immediately stopped moving.

With his face buried in the ground, he couldn’t see Fang Yang’s expression, but he heard the muffled groan in his ear.

Cao Zirui felt a bit complicated. If Fang Yang hadn’t suddenly tackled him, he likely would have been shattered to pieces along with the broken rocks.

Even though they were strangers, and Cao Zirui had drawn his sword against him, Fang Yang had still chosen to protect him.

He was already extremely disappointed with the so-called mutual help among fellow disciples, but just when he was feeling discouraged, he met such a kind-hearted, slightly foolish disciple.

He had trusted people he shouldn’t have trusted, and when he met a person he should have trusted, he didn’t dare.

With this in mind, Cao Zirui pursed his pale lips and clenched his fingers slightly on the ground.

The dust raised by the golden arrow’s impact slowly dissipated, and Fang Yang carefully raised his head to look around. There didn’t seem to be any danger, so he climbed to his feet while shaking his head.

He shook the dust and gravel from his hair and clothes, then reached out to Cao Zirui on the ground and asked in concern: “Are you okay?”

Cao Zirui glanced at the hand stretched out in front of him, but didn’t take it right away, just staring at Fang Yang.

Fang Yang felt a little embarrassed. Thinking that Cao Zirui was difficult to approach and probably didn’t want to take his hand, he shrank back awkwardly.

However, just as he retracted his hand halfway, Cao Zirui quickly grabbed it. He borrowed Fang Yang’s strength to stand up, replying softly: “I’m fine.”

Although he’d only spoken two words, Fang Yang was indescribably surprised and delighted. Cao Zirui had finally spoken to him!

This super strong fellow disciple, who kept to himself and rarely met junior disciples like Fang Yang, had spoken to him!

Fang Yang couldn’t hold back a silly smile. Cao Zirui was his goal, as well as his idol. Even though they were the same age, Cao Zirui had already reached a height that was beyond what most others were capable of.

Of course, Fang Yang had more than one goal. His ultimate goal was to defeat Yinglong, the heavenly God of War. But in the end, that goal was so far away, and Cao Zirui was much closer.

After smiling, he remembered to ask Cao Zirui: “What’s going on? How did you get hurt?”

He was very uncertain. Logically speaking, Cao Zirui’s strength at Foundation Establishment should be difficult to beat, and the highest level of cultivation in the Floating Island Secret Realm was also Foundation Establishment. Who had the ability to put Cao Zirui in such dire straits?

And…..Fang Yang glanced at the golden arrow that was stuck in the ground to the middle of its shaft. Where had this golden arrow come from? The intimidating aura of that arrow just now far exceeded Fang Yang’s current comprehension.

He had watched the Foundation Establishment martial arts competition, and the power of this golden arrow was definitely higher than Golden Core.

“It was…..” As soon as Cao Zirui spoke, something unexpected happened.

“Look out!” Fang Yang’s eyes were on the golden arrow, and he noticed its unusual movement right away.

Halfway inserted into the ground, the golden arrow was vibrating slightly. The hard soil around it cracked as the arrow shook – it was about to break out of the ground.

Fang Yang immediately reached out and pulled Cao Zirui back a few steps. Almost at the same time they retreated, the golden arrow flew up again. 

But this time, the arrow was no longer burning. It didn’t shoot toward Cao Zirui, but instead turned and flew in the opposite direction.

It didn’t fly for too long, stopping after about ten meters.

A man had appeared at some point and grabbed the arrow hanging in the air, his gaze moving back and forth between Cao Zirui and Fang Yang.

When Cao Zirui saw the man’s face clearly, his expression turned cold and gloomy, with an underlying tinge of anger at being deceived.

Fang Yang also frowned where he was standing in front of him. He knew this person too. He was wearing the same style robes as he and Cao Zirui, and wore a familiar mocking expression on his face.

“I never thought I’d be able to kill two birds with one stone, hahaha. As they say, good things come in pairs, and misfortunes never come alone. It’s just that this good thing is all mine…..” Lu Chengye smiled and pointed the tip of the arrow in his hand at them: “And the misfortune is yours.”

Cao Zirui couldn’t help but grit his teeth when he heard this. Not long after entering the Floating Island Secret Realm, he’d happened to run into this fellow disciple. He had thought it was a coincidence. Lu Chengye had done his best to flatter him, saying that he himself was of modest ability, and begging Cao Zirui to take care of him.

The two of them were fellow disciples, after all. Considering the instructions his master had given him before he departed, he should take care of him. Besides, it was fate that they had met in such a large secret realm……so Cao Zirui agreed.

He traveled with Lu Chengye, who busied himself all the way, asking him if he was hungry, or if he was thirsty. His enthusiasm was a little too much for Cao Zirui to handle.

He refused at first, but couldn’t hold up against Lu Chengye’s constant persuasion. In order to placate him, he accepted the water bag Lu Chengye handed him and took a sip. He didn’t know what kind of water it was. Lu Chengye said it was a scented water made with some kind of flower, which was refreshing and could reduce internal heat.

He didn’t feel such a cooling effect, but shortly after drinking the water, they encountered a Foundation Establishment stage monster.

Cao Zirui didn’t panic. He was very confident in his own abilities, and he alone was enough to handle it. Therefore, he signaled Lu Chengye to wait aside while he took charge of the monster.

Lu Chengye repeatedly thanked and flattered him, which Cao Zirui’s icy face was almost unable to bear. Then he stepped aside to observe the fight.

As Cao Zirui engaged the monster in fierce battle, he realized that the spiritual power in his dantian was lowering significantly. He was mystified, and had no idea why it was happening.

He had to concentrate on fighting the monster in front of him, but unexpectedly, just as he was about to kill the monster, a deadly stream of red fire attacked him from behind.

He wasn’t prepared for an attack to come from that direction, nor had he expected that his fellow disciple who had been fawning over him all day would suddenly attempt to kill him.

And there was no room to maneuver. A single strike would kill him.

At that moment, Cao Zirui’s sword was holding back the fangs of the monster. He couldn’t free his hands, and his cultivation level was about to fall below Foundation Establishment due to the massive loss of spiritual power. The spiritual power he had left was barely enough to deal with the monster, and he was entirely unable to defend against a sneak attack from behind.

Fortunately, he was wearing the defensive magic tool his master had given him. Its defensive capabilities were top-notch among earth-grade magic tools, enough to block an attack from a Golden Core cultivator.

Logically speaking, this trip should have been uneventful.

But it was unknown where the golden arrow in Lu Chengye’s hand had come from. He was clearly only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, but using that golden arrow, he was able to penetrate Cao Zirui’s earth-grade magic tool in one strike.

Fortunately, the magic tool helped block the majority of the impact before it collapsed, which was why he was able to survive the fatal blow.

But his shoulder was seriously injured, and he had no time to heal it. Taking advantage of his opponent’s failed attack, he immediately turned and ran away in shock.

Although he didn’t understand why, this fellow disciple named Lu Chengye truly intended to kill him, so Cao Zirui certainly wouldn’t just wait to die.

He hid here and there all the way, hoping to recover some spiritual power and catch his breath. However, his spiritual power showed no signs of recovering, and was instead depleting itself without pause. His current cultivation level had dropped from the initial stage of Foundation Establishment to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

He had directly dropped down a realm!

This loss was far greater than Fang Yang’s, who had fallen from the seventh to the third level of Qi Refining, because each major realm was a threshold. The spiritual power required in order to advance from the tenth level of Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment was more than ten times the amount required for each level of Qi Refining.

The worst thing was that after falling below Foundation Establishment stage, Cao Zirui had lost the ability to fly on his sword, and could only escape on foot.

As he fled, Cao Zirui realized that there had likely been something wrong with that bag of scented water. He had originally thought that the friendship between fellow disciples would include mutual assistance and unity against the outside world, as his master had said.

Therefore, although he was unfamiliar with Lu Chengye, he saw that he was wearing the same style of daoist robes and agreed to the other party’s request, drinking the water handed to him by this stranger without any suspicion.

The trust he placed in the other party was rewarded with such a vicious, brutal attack.

As he ran, he reminded himself that he must never trust others again. Especially fellow disciples!

Thus, when he spied another fellow disciple while he was hiding in the bushes, he had no intention of stepping forward to greet Fang Yang or request his help.

His fellow disciple Lu Chengye had tried to kill him, and there was no guarantee that others wouldn’t have the same idea. And who knew if running into Fang Yang was happenstance or the result of intentional action?

Just like he hadn’t thought that running into Lu Chengye after being randomly transported to a location in the Floating Island Secret Realm had been planned long in advance.

He had just hoped that Fang Yang wouldn’t notice him. The wound on his shoulder was painful, and the blood loss and tearing of the wound was making him weaker and weaker.

Although Fang Yang only seemed to be at the third level of Qi Refining, if he had some kind of magic weapon like Lu Chengye possessed, which would allow him to challenge a higher level opponent, Cao Zirui would certainly die.

However, as he hid in the bushes, his left shoulder accidentally hit a horizontal branch. These branches didn’t look very thick, but a casual brush could scratch off a layer of skin.

What’s more, his skin was already torn, and his bloodied clothing was stuck to his shoulder.

The severe pain caused Cao Zirui to tremble, and he suppressed a cry of pain, praying that Fang Yang wouldn’t notice.

But he was just deluding himself. Although Fang Yang had feigned ignorance as he walked over, he ended up finding him in the bushes.

And, as expected, Fang Yang directly drew his sword on him.

Someone else wants to kill me! Cao Zirui thought, disheartened and desperate.

He was unwilling to accept this fate, so he raised his sword and faced the enemy despite the weakness of his body.

The following development was somewhat beyond his expectations. Once Fang Yang got a clear look at him, he took the initiative to sheath his sword. 

And he really acted a bit silly, not like someone who was scheming and vicious.

But Cao Zirui had just suffered a loss, and didn’t dare trust someone so easily again.

Therefore, he didn’t concede at all, wary that Fang Yang’s foolish appearance was simply a deception, and that he would kill him once his guard was down. 

Due to his uncertainty, he didn’t kill Fang Yang directly. If Fang Yang was honestly just silly rather than duplicitous, then wouldn’t he have murdered his fellow disciple by mistake?

Even with his life hanging by a thread, Cao Zirui was unwilling to become a villain who would do anything to ensure his own safety.

So he was at a stalemate, unwilling to kill him, but also unable to let him go.

As he was in a state of uncertainty, the chime of a bell forced him to make a decision.

This was the magic tool gifted to him by his shixiong, Xue Ren. This bell was able to give advance warning of danger, and he had been carrying it with him since entering the Floating Island Secret Realm.

This bell indeed functioned as Xue Ren had said, and would chime upon the approach of danger. It had sounded before when he and Lu Chengye encountered the monster.

The principle of this magic tool was actually that it could sense killing intent. Lu Chengye had carefully concealed his killing intent at the beginning, so the bell hadn’t rung when they were walking together before.

But once Lu Chengye failed to kill him, he no longer needed to hide it. His killing intent leaked out and was picked up by the bell, and during Cao Zirui’s escape, the bell rang every time Lu Chengye approached.

Now that the bell had rung again, it was likely that Lu Chengye had caught up with him once more.

Although he had no idea how Lu Chengye had found him again in such a dense jungle, he no longer possessed the ability to oppose him and his high-level magic weapon.

He could only run away.

He no longer cared whether Fang Yang was cooperating with Lu Chengye or if he was just an innocent fellow disciple. 

Although he had no wish to mistakenly kill a fellow disciple, he was not benevolent enough to sacrifice himself for someone else.

He couldn’t even protect himself, so he naturally couldn’t worry about Fang Yang.

However…..although he harbored such selfish thoughts, Fang Yang did not.

At the critical moment between life and death, there was no room for hesitation or deception.

Any choice Fang Yang made during that time was his truest intent. And his choice had been to save Cao Zirui at the risk of dying together under the golden arrow.

When Fang Yang tackled him to the ground, shame was the foremost amongst Cao Zirui’s complicated emotions.

Fang Yang didn’t know what Cao Zirui was thinking, nor did he know what had happened, but at such a critical moment, he was unusually keen.

“It’s you?!” Fang Yang roughly pieced together the picture based on the few clues in front of him.

Why was Cao Zirui so wary of his fellow disciples, and why was he in such a miserable state? It was likely because he had suffered at the hands of Lu Chengye.

“It’s me.” Although Fang Yang hadn’t asked a full question, it wasn’t difficult to guess that Lu Chengye was openly admitting guilt.

He wasn’t at all worried that Fang Yang would spread the news about him hunting down a fellow disciple. How could the dead speak?

He had never intended to let Fang Yang go. He was narrow-minded, and would never be lenient toward someone he held a grudge against. He had always intended to get rid of him the moment the opportunity arose, and the Floating Island Secret Realm, where he had no one to help him, was his best chance.

But due to Xue Ren’s orders, he had to get rid of his annoying shidi first.

After getting rid of Cao Zirui, it wouldn’t be too late for him to kill Fang Yang and Feng Ye.

Speaking of Feng Ye, Lu Chengye was so angry that his teeth itched. He was originally the unrivaled champion, but who could have known that the bullyable Feng Ye would suddenly jump out and disrupt the situation? 

And he had even lost!

He, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, had lost to a loser who had cultivated for three whole years to reach the third level of Qi Refining!

How shameful!

After Lu Chengye was kicked off the ring by Feng Ye that day, he’d held his stomach in pain for some time before he was able to recover. Then, while everyone was watching the person who’d stolen his place, he slipped away in shame. 

He naturally couldn’t swallow this humiliation, but didn’t dare pick another fight with Feng Ye.

After some thought, he felt that losing to Feng Ye that day could be attributed to bad luck. The blade of his sword had cracked for no reason – wasn’t that just bad luck?

If the sword hadn’t cracked, Feng Ye’s last strike wouldn’t have broken through his defense. As the saying went, when facing a challenge, it was best to act with full force and determination at the outset.

After seven strikes, Feng Ye should have been exhausted, and Lu Chengye would win as long as he blocked the last strike. 

Although he thought this way, Lu Chengye couldn’t forget the frigid killing intent that accompanied Feng Ye’s last strike. 

Just the memory of it made him shudder.

Therefore, even though he felt that Feng Ye’s victory over him had been pure luck, he didn’t have the courage to challenge him again.

But now, things were different. He held a rare treasure in his hands that could even kill the Foundation Establishment stage Cao Zirui. No matter how strong his swordsmanship was, how could Feng Ye turn the tables at the third level of Qi Refining?

His original plan was to get rid of Cao Zirui first, then look for Fang Yang and Feng Ye while searching for spiritual plants. He would get rid of all of these people in one go inside the Floating Island Secret Realm.

At least the three of them would have company on their journey, which was rather kind of him.

It was just that he encountered a bit of a setback. He hadn’t expected Cao Zirui to have such a powerful defensive tool hidden on him, which enabled him to survive a fatal attack. Although he’d been injured, it was not a mortal wound.

With no choice but to postpone the rest of his plans, he pursued Cao Zirui with a hint of anger at having his plans disrupted. 

But he didn’t expect to meet Fang Yang in the middle of his pursuit, this unlucky fellow who was also on his kill list.

Lu Chengye simply felt that his luck had turned. Today was the day he would stand tall and proud, catching all of his enemies in one fell swoop.

As for Feng Ye…..

“Your useless shixiong isn’t with you?” Lu Chengye shook his head regretfully: “Forget it. It won’t be too late to kill him after I get rid of you. I definitely won’t allow him to die easily.”

When he spoke this last sentence, he was already grinding his teeth. Among the three people on his kill list, he held no grudge against Cao Zirui, and was only following Xue Ren’s orders. And although he hated Fang Yang, he didn’t harbor much resentment toward him. He just didn’t mind picking him off in the meantime.

But Feng Ye…..he would never forget the contemptuous look on Feng Ye’s face when he kicked him off the ring – as if he was looking at an ant.

He’d obviously won by sheer luck. How dare a loser who was only at the third level of Qi Refining look down on him like that?

Feng Ye already occupied the top of the most-hated list in Lu Chengye’s narrow mind. The sum of his hatred toward Fang Yang and Cao Zirui didn’t even amount to a decimal point in comparison.

But unfortunately, Feng Ye wasn’t here. This was a pity, but also understandable. It was already rare to kill two birds with one stone. It was impossible for his enemies to string themselves together and wait for him to kill them, right?

Lu Chengye was still feeling regretful, and had no clue that, in a certain sense, Feng Ye was actually present here.

And that through the spiritual consciousness he shared with Fang Yang, he had heard the entire conversation between the three people.

“Keep him talking to buy time,” Feng Ye instructed Fang Yang in his spiritual consciousness. 

After experiencing the two previous warnings, Fang Yang already believed Feng Ye’s words without a doubt. Although he didn’t know what the point of buying time was, he was still prepared to do as he was told.

He silently agreed: “Okay.”

Once Feng Ye received this affirmative reply, he jumped from the underwater cave back into the sea without delay.

The golden arrow in Lu Chengye’s hand appeared to be an earth-grade magic weapon, but for some reason, when the arrow was shot just now, its power far exceeded that of an ordinary earth-grade magic weapon and was almost approaching the threshold of a heaven-grade magic weapon.

This was definitely not something Fang Yang and Cao Zirui could handle at this moment in time.

Therefore, he didn’t tell Fang Yang to defeat Lu Chengye. Although the battle against the White-Nosed Demon Bear had been dangerous, he hadn’t taken action while there was a chance that Fang Yang could win. But this time, Fang Yang and Cao Zirui stood no chance.

Feng Ye was the one who would need to put this matter to rest.

Feng Ye swam faster through the sea. He didn’t know how much time Fang Yang would be able to buy, so he had to hurry.

However, he had just swam out of the narrow passage leading to the underwater cave and had not yet had time to surface from the deep sea, when he suddenly stopped moving. Floating in place, he scanned the sea with a frown. 

Above his head was the 300-meter layer of rock forming the base of the Floating Island Secret Realm. Its mass blocked out the sun, and there was not a single ray of light in his location.

All he could see was deep, ink-black water.

But he was still able to sense danger.

The seawater vibrated as something swam through the sea.

There were many of them, and they were enormous.

Feng Ye scanned the entirety of the sea around him, and could feel them approaching from all directions.

Tentacles with hideous suckers stretched out from the deep sea below, dozens of them blooming around him like petals.

Then, under the cover of darkness, the petals slowly closed, intending to entangle their prey before it noticed them.

“Tsk.” Feng Ye uttered somewhat impatiently. He hadn’t encountered any monsters along the way, so why were a group of them surrounding him now?

When it rained, it poured, and the more impatient he was, the more he got tripped up by other things.

The tentacles encircling Feng Ye closed in slowly and carefully as the other monsters prepared their killing moves.

On land three hundred meters above, Fang Yang used his body to half-block the injured Cao Zirui. At the same time, he intently observed Lu Chengye’s every move, guarding against any sudden attack.

The battlefields both in the sea and on land were on the verge of breaking out into war.

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Chapter 46 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 48

Xiao Xiangzi was proficient at grinding ink, and did so quickly and finely.

Chu Jiubian walked to the desk and sat down.

Since the purpose was to spread his name, the poems must naturally be top-quality. And in the Great Ning Dynasty, from top to bottom, everyone valued reputation more than life.

Therefore, if Chu Jiubian wanted to be looked up to by scholars and intellectuals, the poems he wrote could not be too down-to-earth, but should instead reveal the character, nobleness, and tenacity of a scholar.

Xiao Xiangzi was serving at his side. Seeing that Chu Jiubian seemed to be immersed in thought, he didn’t disturb him, and just directed a meaningful look at the two palace maids who were standing nearby.

These palace maids were named Shui Qing and Shui Yun. They had known Xiao Xiangzi for many years, and understood what he meant with just that one look. He wanted them to prepare some tea and snacks for Chu Jiubian.

Thus, the two of them silently left through the door.

Chu Jiubian noticed their interaction, but didn’t pay it any mind.

After a while, he finally decided on what he would write. 

No longer hesitating, he dipped the brush in ink and began to write.

On the rough, yellowed paper, a few lines of vigorous and powerful words slowly emerged—

A golden cup of the purest wine costs a thousand coins

A jade plate of delicacies costs a million…..^[1]

Xiao Xiangzi’s gaze fell upon the first page. At first, he was just curious about what Chu Jiubian was going to write, and thought to take note of it to report to his master later.

However, when he saw the sharp brushstrokes of Chu Jiubian’s handwriting, he couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly: Good! This handwriting was just as good as Lord Ning-wang’s.

And when he read over the content carefully, his round eyes suddenly widened, and he couldn’t help but move closer.

“I would cross the Yellow River, but ice chokes the ferry. I would climb the Taihang Mountains, but the sky is blind with snow…..” He unconsciously read it aloud, and the scene before him seemed to have transformed from the scorching heat of summer to a world of ice and snow.

*

*

Cining Palace.

On a large lounging couch reclined a graceful woman with her eyes closed. She was around forty years old, wearing a light golden palace dress with her long hair tied up in a simple bun adorned with gorgeous gold ornaments.

There was a small basin of clear ice on the low table beside the couch, which had already slightly melted.

A palace maid knelt in front of the low table, holding a palm-leaf fan that she waved again and again to send the cold air forward.

Matron Liu walked in slowly from outside the hall, clad in a dark-colored dress and with a letter in her hand. She stopped in front of the couch and called softly: “Mistress, the family has sent some more ice. This servant has already sent it to the prince.”

The woman she referred to as “mistress” gradually opened her eyes.

Matron Liu reached out to help her sit up. The young palace maid immediately came forward with a teacup, and Matron Liu helped the woman rinse her mouth.

When the woman had finally gotten over her sleepiness, Matron Liu handed her the letter and said: “This is a letter from home. Please have a look.”

The woman took the letter and sneered: “Ice has been delivered three times in one day. What is it they want from me?”

Matron Liu smiled: “The family is just concerned for you and the prince. Besides, only our Xiao family is able to enjoy ice every day. I’ve heard that only the main room in Yangxin Palace has ice on a daily basis, and His Little Majesty cries at night because of the heat.”

There was a smile in the eyes of Empress Dowager Xiao Ruohan, and she opened the letter to read it.

There were only a few lines of words, speaking about the events of the morning court session.

Minister Xiao had brought up the issue of dam construction, forcing Qin Xiao to come up with a way to refill the Imperial Treasury. The letter also said that if Qin Xiao really managed to raise the money and handed it over to the Ministry of Works, they would see if there was a chance to let Jiannan-wang go out to practice his skills and win over the common people.

At the end of the letter, it mentioned the strange man who had appeared in the throne hall yesterday.

The man was not an assassin sent by the Xiao family, but after some investigation, it was discovered that he was also not affiliated with any other forces. The Xiao family wasn’t even able to find any information regarding the man’s identity.

It was as if the other party had really appeared out of thin air.

Xiao Ruohan closed the letter and handed it to Matron Liu, who read it before putting it into her sleeve.

She looked at Xiao Ruohan and asked with a slight frown: “Mistress, I heard yesterday that the man possesses the ability to predict celestial phenomena and claims to be a god. Since the family is unable to uncover his identity, could it be that…..”

Xiao Ruohan glanced at her and said with a smile: “Rumors in the palace are always spread by those with ulterior motives. How can you believe them?”

“It is this one’s ignorance.” Matron Liu’s brow relaxed. “It is only that our people reported just now that Ning-wang sent that person to Yaotai Residence. This servant feared that the other party did indeed possess some sort of supernatural power, and that this would give Ning-wang an extra advantage. But now, it seems that Ning-wang may have done this on purpose.”

“Qin Xiao never does anything without a reason.” Xiao Ruohan’s eyes chilled slightly. “What god, ah, what supernatural powers, ah? He’s just trying to intimidate everyone.”

For all anyone knew, Qin Xiao could have hired that person himself and deliberately had him fall from the sky during the coronation ceremony and claim to be a god. Later, the man would stand at Qin Xiao’s side to confirm the illusion that the young Emperor Bai Lihong had been recognized by the gods.

The common people were ignorant, and might just believe it.

Matron Liu understood as well, and lowered her voice: “Perhaps Ning-wang also knows that the young emperor’s ascension to the throne was illegitimate, and feels insecure.”

Xiao Ruohan looked into the distance, unable to keep herself from thinking of the past.

When she was still the empress, that old bastard Chengzong indulged in sensual pleasures and had many concubines in his harem who gave birth to one son after another.

Chengzong himself was not very capable, but his sons were each more outstanding than the other.

This also led to the fact that once the princes grew up, a struggle for the throne was inevitable.

Xiao Ruohan herself had no children. Fortunately, she chose each step carefully and was able to use the power of the Qin family to send Yingzong, who was not of Xiao family blood but was the most useful to her, to the seat of power, and she then safely became the Empress Dowager.

However, the Qin family possessed a 30,000-strong army, which was a sharp blade in the struggle for the throne. And after gaining power, they became the biggest threat to Xiao Ruohan and the entire Xiao family.

As long as the Qin family continued to exist, the Xiao family would not be able to completely control Emperor Yingzong.

Fortunately, Yingzong was close to Xiao Ruohan, so under her repeated instigations, he and the late empress Qin Feng gradually became estranged, and the Qin family became a major concern for him.

Everyone naturally changed over time – especially the emperor.

Yingzong changed as well, and became even more paranoid and superstitious.

He was wary of the Qin family’s military power, and was also anxious about several major families and vassal kings. Although he was grateful to Xiao Ruohan for caring for him and his mother when he was young, he did not completely trust and rely on the Xiao family.

He became a solitary person, and although he attempted to balance the relationships between these forces, his ability was limited and the results were unsatisfactory.

Those who were not family could not be of one mind.

Xiao Ruohan had no expectations that Yingzong would take care of her in her old age, so she brought the eldest prince born of a Xiao family girl and Yingzong to live with her.

She had thought that when the eldest prince, Bai Lihai, grew up a little more and the power of the Qin family was further eroded, she would find an opportunity to replace Yingzong and put Bai Lihai, who had the blood of the Xiao family, on the throne.

But Xiao Ruohan was not the only clever person in the world. That woman Qin Feng was evidently craftier and more willing to take risks.

Qin Feng had long known that Yingzong coveted the Qin family’s military power, but she had always put on a facade of innocence and harmlessness, promoting jealousy between her and Concubine Duan, among others. Making herself appear like a love-brained person caused Yingzong to lower his guard. 

Yingzong did have feelings for her, so his heart softened under her gentle attacks.

Thus, Qin Feng finally had the opportunity to give birth to the fifth prince, Bai Lihong – a prince with Qin family blood.

At that time, the eldest prince Bai Lihai, who had been raised by Xiao Ruohan, was already thirteen years old. And in order to appease the Xiao family, Yingzong made Bai Lihai a king.

But such a method was unable to appease the Xiao family or anyone else.

When a prince with Qin family blood was born, various forces began to stir.

Everyone knew that a storm was coming.

But reputation was more important than anything else, and everything must have a legitimate reason, so no one wanted to be the first to take the lead. Everyone waited for a suitable opportunity, and this stalemate lasted for three years.

Just after fifth prince Bai Lihong celebrated his third birthday, when all forces were on edge like drawn bowstrings, something unexpected happened!

Emperor Yingzong and his Empress Qin Feng, who were only in their thirties, were assassinated in their bedrooms. 

Almost at the same time various forces heard the news, the Imperial Guard composed of the former Qin family army surrounded the palace, captured batches of so-called assassins, and killed them all.

Blood flowed in front of Shenwu Gate for three days and three nights.

Afterwards, Qin Xiao went before all of the officials with the bloodstained Crown Prince Edict, confirmed Bai Lihong’s orthodox status, and sent him to the throne.

The officials naturally didn’t believe him, but after taking a look for themselves, they found that the words had indeed been written by Yingzong himself, and the Imperial Seal was also present.

Everyone knew there was something fishy about the matter, but they simply could not find any evidence.

The spies stationed in the palace by major forces might have known something, but they were all killed by Qin Xiao as assassins, leaving no evidence behind.

Xiao Ruohan understood everything clearly. Others might not have understood Qin Feng, but she had fought with her for many years and truly had a grasp of the other person’s methods.

She was certain that Qin Feng was most likely responsible for Emperor Yingzong’s death, and that there had been no assassins at all.

But Qin Feng herself perished as well, making it impossible to find any evidence against her. Most of the Qin family’s direct descendants had died in battle, and the only ones left were the Qin Xiao and Qin Feng brother and sister.

Ask anyone off the street how much Qin Xiao cherished and protected his elder sister, and they would know.

Therefore, even though others had spread the rumor that Qin Xiao and Qin Feng had joined forces to murder the emperor, few people would believe it.

Because everyone felt that Qin Xiao would be unwilling to let his only blood relative die. After all, even when Qin Feng fell and sprained her ankle, Qin Xiao had gone to Yingzong and kicked up a fuss, so how could he allow her to die in such a tragic way?

Qin Feng was clever, and may not have told Qin Xiao that she would die.

Qin Xiao and the Qin family would have had a chance to protect her, but at that point, the Qin family would have proven their wicked ambitions.

When it came to Qin Feng’s life, Qin Xiao, the head of the family, would naturally set aside any so-called reputation and integrity.

But once their reputation was in tatters, the spittle of great scholars would be able to drown the Qin family, and the military achievements and prestige they had built up over the years would be destroyed.

So Qin Feng died.

This eldest daughter, who was held in the palm of the Qin family’s hand, preserved the glory of the Qin family with her death and the hideous gash across her throat, paving the way for her son to ascend the throne with her own blood.

But now, Qin Xiao, the seemingly spoiled brat of the Qin family, seemed to have become a different person overnight. He was once the decadent son of a wealthy family, but had grown into the powerful and cunning official he was today.

Compared to what others said about him “growing up overnight,” Xiao Ruohan believed that Qin Xiao had been like this from the beginning, and his previous unreliable character was just an illusion. Otherwise, Qin Feng would not have dared to die so easily.

“The Qin family.” Xiao Ruohan’s expression was grim.

They were truly formidable.

Seeing that she was in a bad mood, Matron Liu quickly changed the subject and said in a gentle voice: “Mistress, if the dam repairs are successful, won’t our family’s prince win the support of the common people?”

Xiao Ruohan’s tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

She raised a hand, and Matron Liu immediately stepped forward to help her up.

The two of them walked slowly through the palace. Feeling much calmer, Xiao Ruohan said: “In previous years, the money for dam construction never reached the local areas. If A-Hai goes this year and the dam is completed, who among the common people won’t remember his kindness?”

“That’s right, our family’s prince is the best.”

Xiao Ruohan chuckled and said: “That child is good, but a little too kind and honest. Have someone cook some of his favorite dishes this evening. I must teach him how to behave, or else he will be bullied when he goes out.”

“Yes.”

The two of them walked out of the hall, their eyes fixed on the horizon.

*

*

The scorching sun after the rainstorm made everyone feel hot and stuffy.

A white pigeon flew across the streets of the Imperial City under the hot sun, flapping its wings as it flew into a courtyard with towering gates.

A servant reached out to receive the white pigeon and took the message from its talons, then handed the bird off to someone else to be fed while he quickly headed toward the study.

Inside the study, the Minister of Revenue, Su Sheng, placed the black chesspiece in his hand on the board with a frown.

Opposite him sat Councilor Fan He in a breathable black outfit. He stroked his beard with his left hand, placed a white piece with his right, and then picked up his teacup with a smile.

Su Sheng stared at the board for a long time, then shook his head and laughed: “Xiansheng, your chess skills have improved again.”

“So have My Lord’s,” Fan He said with a hint of meaning.

Su Sheng met his gaze and burst out laughing.

Just then, a servant called out from outside the hall.

“Come in.”

The servant entered with a bow and handed a message to Su Sheng before exiting the hall again.

Su Sheng quickly read the contents of the message and handed it to Fan He.

After reading it, Fan He slipped it into his sleeve pocket.

“My Lord and the prince are steadily becoming closer,” he said.

“It seems the task of building the dam is best left to Jiannan-wang.” Su Sheng took a sip of tea and said meaningfully, “This is a major undertaking that will benefit the common people. I’m sure he will earn quite a good reputation.”

“I hope so.” Fan He smiled and asked, “By the way, has My Lord heard the news about that man yesterday?”

“You mean that fellow who predicted the rain?”

“Right.”

“What happened?” Su Sheng immediately became curious.

As a first-rank official, he was standing closest to Qin Xiao and that person the day before, so he heard the rain prediction with his own ears.

He had also looked at the sky. The sun was shining brightly, and there were almost no clouds to be seen. There was no way it was going to rain.

So later, when he witnessed the rain come as predicted in Fengtian Hall, he could not hide his terror.

A gleam appeared in Fan He’s eyes: “That person predicted what time the rain would stop. Exactly.”

Su Sheng’s heart skipped a beat: “Really?”

“It is absolutely true.”

Su Sheng had a sudden realization: “No wonder Qin Xiao invited him to Yaotai Residence. There must be something extraordinary about him.”

Fang He stroked his beard and said: “I don’t think so.”

“Why not?” Su Sheng asked quickly.

Fan He: “Qin Xiao believes in nobody and nothing but himself. He released that person and sent him to Yaotai Residence like a parade, as if he wanted to announce it to the world.”

“You mean Qin Xiao did so deliberately to use that person as bait?” 

“That’s right. If that man really can predict celestial phenomena, then he might have other abilities.” Fan He said in a weighty voice: “Such a person is very desirable.”

“If that is the case, should we send someone to make contact with him?”

Ever since Qin Xiao’s three day and three night slaughter of the “assassins,” most of the spies planted in the palace by various forces had perished, and the only ones left were very well hidden.

Now that the Imperial Guards were guarding the palace rigorously, it was very difficult for outsiders to insert their own people.

Therefore, if any forces wished to contact that man, they must use hidden tactics, which stood the chance of being discovered by Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao, who was determined to completely wipe out all of the spies planted in the palace by the major forces, ah.

Fan He frowned, saying after a moment’s thought: “Let’s wait a while.”

They would see how everyone else reacted first.

*

*

“No reaction?” Qin Chaoyang looked at An Wuji in surprise.

The other man nodded, saying: “There has been no movement at all. Those old fools are all overly cautious.”

Qin Chaoyang raised his eyes toward the person in the main seat.

Qin Xiao sat in the wide chair in the study, holding a palm-sized piece of saltpeter wrapped in a handkerchief.

There was no trace of surprise on his face. It seemed he had expected this.

“My Lord,” An Wuji said with an anxious frown, “If those people don’t take action, how will we be able to root out those hidden agents?”

Qin Xiao said in a mild voice: “I never expected them to take the bait so quickly.”

The fact that Chu Jiubian successfully predicted the weather twice didn’t prove that he was capable of more. Those people wouldn’t take such a gamble.

“Then what should we do?” An Wuji asked.

“Naturally, we should increase the stakes.” Qin Xiao glanced at the saltpeter in his hand. 

He didn’t know what Chu Jiubian planned to do with the saltpeter, but he could see that the other party did indeed possess some abilities that were different from those of ordinary people. Who knew – with the help of this saltpeter, he might be able to create another “miracle.”

Of course, using Chu Jiubian to expose the hidden spies was just a spur-of-the-moment idea. If it failed, it was no big loss. He would just figure out another method.

Suddenly, a palace servant’s voice came from outside the study: “My Lord, a palace servant from Yaotai Residence has an important matter to report.”

The three people in the room were somewhat taken aback.

“Send them in,” Qin Chaoyang said.

Soon after, the palace maid Shui Yun entered the hall and bowed in greeting.

Qin Xiao set down what he was holding and asked: “What is it?”

“Answering My Lord, the young master wrote down two poems and claims they were written by the Immortal Poet Li Bai and the Scholar of Serenity, Li Qingzhao. Eunuch Xiao Hong told me to pass them on to you.”

“Poetry?” An Wuji asked curiously. “Written by an Immortal Poet and a Scholar of Serenity? Quickly, tell us.”

---

[1] This poem is called “The Hard Road” or “Hard is the Way” by the famous poet Li Bai. ⮐

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Chapter 6 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 8

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A bird flapped its wings and landed on the small, solitary window of the cell, shaking its wet little head.

A faint light fell through the window, casting a golden hue across Chu Jiubian’s silver-white hair.

The heaviness in Qin Xiao’s chest dissipated, and he rubbed the jade ring on his right thumb, gazing steadily at Chu Jiubian. 

The young man had short, fluffy black hair in front, a delicate face, and a pair of light-hued eyes that were indifferent and aloof, lacking any emotional fluctuations. Even though he was wearing coarse linen clothes, he looked like a high and mighty immortal god in the heavens, perpetually regarding those below him with a distant gaze.

But there was a stark palm mark on his fragile neck, shockingly purple and mottled, which abruptly pulled him down from the altar and into the mortal world.

Qin Xiao chuckled and said: “You win.”

Chu Jiubian’s smile remained unchanged. He said nothing, but he was hurling curses in his heart.

You bastard, you’d better let me out of here now, or I’ll be the first to kill you when my power grows!

From the moment he decided to pretend to be a god, Chu Jiubian had already immersed himself in the role.

He was a professional, experienced actor, and his acting skills were comparable to those of veteran actors in the circle. Now, it was easy to play the role of a god who had come to earth to experience trials and tribulations.

“Release him.” Qin Xiao gave the order in a casual tone, then turned and walked out.

Chu Jiubian blinked slowly, then glanced at Qin Chaoyang, who was still standing there.

As Qin Chaoyang met his gaze, he was still unable to calm his raging heartbeat. 

The “miracle” he’d heard about from others was nothing compared to the shock he suffered from seeing it with his own eyes.

That was rain! A celestial phenomenon!

And Chu Jiubian had actually predicted it!

Such power! It was no exaggeration to call it a miracle!

Qin Chaoyang couldn’t calm his heart for a long time, but his strong self-control allowed him to school his expression in order to not reveal the terror inside.

He took two steps forward with downcast eyes, then lightly tugged the bronze lock on the cell door.

Click.

The lock opened.

He was easily able to open the solid lock with brute force, a display of his great internal strength.

Qin Chaoyang pushed open the cell door and said to Chu Jiubian: “Please.”

Chu Jiubian knew that Qin Xiao wouldn’t let him go so easily, and would just take him elsewhere to put him under house arrest. But as long as he could come into contact with more people, even if they were servants, he could quickly increase his number of believers and accumulate Faith Points.

No matter what he did in the future, the only things he could rely on now were himself and the System.

And he was very interested in the System Mall and the [Divine Realm] functions, so he needed to collect Faith Points quickly.

Qin Chaoyang was worthy of being Qin Xiao’s most capable assistant. Without specific instructions from the other party, he knew how to make arrangements for Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian was led out of the cell and toward the palace road.

Looking forward, a man in crimson-purple court robes was strolling leisurely a few dozen meters ahead. Just by looking at his back, one could tell that he had a lot on his mind, as if he had already planned everything out.

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes.

Qin Xiao and the young emperor were enemies.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Chu Jiubian felt that he needed to have a good relationship with the young emperor. Not to mention that the other party had the ability to defeat Qin Xiao in the end, his identity as the “male protagonist” made him the thickest thigh in the world to hug.

But the young emperor was only three years old. Qin Xiao was only twenty-five – he had just gained power and was about to flex his muscles. Thus, Chu Jiubian couldn’t confront him for the time being, or at least couldn’t fight him head-on. 

Otherwise, inside the Imperial Palace, Qin Xiao wouldn’t even have to lift a hand to have him killed.

So until he had the ability to protect himself, he still needed to deal with Qin Xiao and build a good relationship with him.

Moreover, Qin Xiao was in power now, and if the other party trusted him and found him useful, he might even give Chu Jiubian an official position.

In such a dog-eat-dog era, only those who held power were truly capable of protecting themselves.

Therefore, what Chu Jiubian needed to do most at this point in time was to get close to Qin Xiao and make the other party believe that he was a “god,” and even make him think that they were two grasshoppers on the same rope. Only then could they have a stable alliance.

But he didn’t want to reveal all of his cards so early, such as glass, salt, soap, etc. Before he could protect himself, making these things would be like a child carrying gold through a market.

However, apart from using “miracles” to draw the other party in, it seemed that only the “love tribulation” could legitimately entangle him with Qin Xiao.

Since he had “descended” to the mortal world just to become entangled with Qin Xiao, it made sense for him to want more contact and communication between them, and even to learn more about the other party.

As for whether or not Qin Xiao would grow angry out of shame, just by observing his attitude over the past two days, one could tell that he didn’t believe Chu Jiubian at all, nor did he take this “love tribulation” seriously. So he could take advantage of this opportunity to jump around, and the other party probably wouldn’t take issue with him.

Chu Jiubian gazed at the tall figure in front of him, and a barely noticeable smile appeared at the corners of his lips.

The three of them traversed the winding palace road. The eunuchs and palace maids they met from time to time would kneel silently on either side of the road after seeing Qin Xiao from afar, not daring to stand up until he had gone far away.

At first, Chu Jiubian would turn his head to take a few peeks, but after witnessing such scenes everywhere, he no longer paid specific attention to them.

After about the time it would take to drink a cup of tea, they parted ways with Qin Xiao. And after walking for another quarter of an hour, Chu Jiubian was finally led to his destination – Yaotai Residence.

This was a medium-sized courtyard, with two main rooms and two side rooms. It was around 200 square meters in total, and was very clean. The servants in this courtyard likely didn’t dare to slack off. 

Indeed, this courtyard was only a quarter of an hour’s walk away from Yangxin Palace, where the young emperor and Qin Xiao resided, so no one dared to slack off.

When they noticed the two of them coming, five palace maids and eunuchs in palace garb immediately bowed down and walked quickly from all parts of the courtyard to kneel quietly on one side.

“This was once the residence of Concubine Duan, and is very close to Yangxin Palace.” Qin Chaoyang paid no attention to these people, and explained to Chu Jiubian, “Moreover, this courtyard is named Yaotai Residence, which is very suitable for your status.”

Yaotai, the legendary jade residence of immortals, was now quite suitable for Chu Jiubian to live in.

Qin Xiao must have done this intentionally. As for whether he really believed Chu Jiubian was a god, or was simply using such a name to mock him, everyone was very much aware.

Chu Jiubian inwardly rolled his eyes, but said calmly: “Many thanks.”

Qin Chaoyang responded politely, then looked at the people kneeling nearby and said loudly: “Hong Xiang.”

“This servant is here.” The man kneeling in the front of the group of five immediately stood up. He walked forward quickly with his body lowered, and greeted Qin Chaoyang and Chu Jiubian respectively.

“This…..” Qin Chaoyang wanted to introduce Chu Jiubian, but realized that he didn’t know his name. But he didn’t ask, and said instead, “Young Master, this Xiao Xiangzi^[1] is quite useful, and will run errands for you from now on. You can ask him for anything you need.”

Chu Jiubian regarded the young eunuch in front of him.

The eunuch was wearing dark green palace robes. He looked to be less than 1.7 meters tall, and had the tender face of a boy around thirteen or fourteen years old.

The young eunuch knelt down again to kowtow to Chu Jiubian, saying in a crisp voice: “Young Master, this Xiao Xiangzi will dedicate himself to serving you from now on.”

“Your name is Hong Xiang?” Chu Jiubian asked.

“Yes.”

“Get up.”

The young eunuch got up and stepped to the side without a word. He had learned the rules very well.

Hong Xiang.

Chu Jiubian couldn’t help but recall the eunuch Hong Fu, who followed the young emperor. He wondered what the relationship was between him and the young eunuch beside him.

However, what was certain was that the eunuch Xiao Hong, as well as the other four servants in this courtyard, were definitely Qin Xiao’s subordinates.

Naturally, there were several hidden gazes around the courtyard keeping an eye on Chu Jiubian at all times, probably from the Imperial Guard.

“Then please stay here with peace of mind, Young Master. My Lord will come to see you when he is free,” Qin Chaoyang said.

This man appeared gentle and polite on the surface, and his words were considerate, but each word he spoke seemed to have an underlying meaning that kept people guessing.

Like the sentence just now – the implication was obviously that Chu Jiubian should stay quiet and not make trouble, and also not go looking for Qin Xiao. The man would naturally come to see him when he felt like it.

After checking and confirming that everything had been arranged in the courtyard, Qin Chaoyang said his farewells and departed.

Chu Jiubian also took this opportunity to take a look around at his temporary residence. There were two main rooms, two side rooms, and a small kitchen at the back of the house.

Everything here was in order, and Chu Jiubian could even do anything he wanted within this courtyard.

He tentatively walked toward the gate, Hong Xiang following closely behind. Just as Chu Jiubian was about to step through it, the other party unsurprisingly stopped him and said: “Young Master, His Lordship has ordered that you are not to leave the courtyard.”

It turned out to be house arrest.

But at least there was food and drink and a comfortable place to live, so Chu Jiubian didn’t put up a fuss.

He hadn’t eaten his lunch in the prison just now, and was a little hungry, so he said: “Go get me some food and boil some hot water. I want to take a bath.”

“Yes,” Xiao Xiangzi responded, and turned to instruct another eunuch.

Then the young eunuch hurried off to the kitchen.

Chu Jiubian felt his stomach ache at the thought of eating meat soup or brown rice porridge again, but his throat was currently injured, so he could only eat some soup.

He couldn’t help but think of delicious stir-fried dishes again, and his mind naturally turned to iron woks.

But iron ore was hard to come by here, and there was no chance of making one.

Well, there actually was a certain way to get one.

The sky had cleared up after the rain, ushering back the scorching heat and sweltering summer sun. Chu Jiubian looked up at the sky, then entered the main house.

The outer room was the study and reception room, and the inner room was the bedroom. The entire house was decorated elegantly and exquisitely. There were not many decorative items, and they were not expensive, but they suited the place just right.

Chu Jiubian went to the desk and saw brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone. But the paper looked rough and yellowed, completely incomparable to modern white paper.

And the pieces of paper were very few, but there were many bamboo slips placed in rolls on the bookshelf.

Paper in this era should be very rare. The craft of papermaking may be controlled by aristocratic families or vassal kings, and was so expensive that only wealthy nobles could afford it.

If only he could make paper…..

Chu Jiubian immediately discarded the idea.

Not to mention something like papermaking, which would shake the foundations of the great families, even the glass and soap he had thought of before couldn’t be created for the time being.

Then what else could he do?

“Young Master, the water has been boiled. Would you like to bathe now?” Hong Xiang’s voice extracted Chu Jiubian from his musings.

He gave a hum in response, and got up to walk toward the bedroom.

A half-person-high wooden barrel was placed within, warm water rippling inside it.

Chu Jiubian took off his clothes and sat in the tub. In the bright sunlight, one could see the many irregular, light-hued scars on his body.

He didn’t ask for anyone to serve him, but Xiao Xiangzi remained outside the screen, not only to be of service at any time, but also to monitor him.

Perhaps because the rain had stopped and the weather had gradually become warmer, he fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan.

Chu Jiubian stared at the swaying shadow of the fan behind the screen for a while, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

That’s right, he could make ice!

Saltpeter should be available in this era, and water was not in short supply. Neither of these two things required him to exert any effort, and after ice was made, it could be enjoyed immediately, unlike that ostentatious glass.

Of course, the most important thing was that even if he told others the principle behind this “miracle,” he would have no regrets.

He even wanted to spread this method under his own name, something like the “Jiubian Ice-Making Method.”

This would definitely increase his reputation, and his Faith Value would increase as well.

The more he considered it, the more feasible it seemed.

Chu Jiubian wished he could start making ice at this very moment.

“Xiao Xiangzi,” he called out.

“This servant is here.” Xiao Xiangzi immediately stood and walked out from behind the screen.

Chu Jiubian withdrew his arms that were resting on the sides of the tub and sank into the water, leaving only the parts above his neck exposed.

“What instructions does the Young Master have?” Xiao Xiangzi asked respectfully.

Chu Jiubian asked: “Are you familiar with saltpeter?”

“Saltpeter?” Xiao Xiangzi looked bewildered. “This servant is not, but I can help you find out.”

“Okay, then you can ask about it for me,” Chu Jiubian said in a warm voice.

“Yes, this servant will go right away.” Xiao Xiangzi turned and left the bedroom, calling for another palace maid to come and serve Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian naturally couldn’t allow a young girl to help him change clothes and wash up, so he just instructed her to stay behind the screen.

After bathing, he just casually wiped his hair and changed into new clothes.

The round-necked dark blue robes resembled the robes of officials in the Ming Dynasty. They were embroidered with auspicious silver cloud patterns, and the collar of the red inner shirt was exposed above the round collar, neutralizing the dullness of the dark blue and adding a touch of sunny brightness. 

The material was brocade inside and out, which was far superior to the linen that had previously rubbed Chu Jiubian’s tender skin red.

Chu Jiubian tied the dark belt, then walked out with wet hair and sat down at the dining table.

Lunch had just arrived and was still hot.

What was surprising was that this time, the staple food was vegetable and egg soup, which was much better than the meat soup that had almost made him vomit.

Chu Jiubian drank three bowls of soup in one breath.

Xiao Xiangzi, who had gone out to inquire about saltpeter, also returned at this moment. He smiled at Chu Jiubian with two big dimples and said: “Young Master, His Lordship said that the palace has the saltpeter you requested, and he will personally bring it to you when he has time.”

Chu Jiubian glanced at him.

He wasn’t even pretending that he hadn’t gone straight to Qin Xiao to report the news, was he?

But that was fine. Anyway, everyone knew this was the way things were, so it was better to be calm and poised.

Only, Qin Xiao had agreed so easily?

Was he not even going to ask what he needed the saltpeter for?

Chu Jiubian sensed something fishy about this.

“Young Master, this bottle of medicinal oil was sent to you by His Lordship.” Xiao Xangzi took a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and set it on the table. “This servant will apply it for you later.”

Was Qin Xiao so kind?

Chu Jiubian reached up and touched his neck. The pain was still there, and the burning sensation in his throat was even worse than it was yesterday. It must be due to some swelling and inflammation.

However, this was the normal situation after being strangled, and it would heal on its own after a few days. Chu Jiubian was very experienced in this regard.

He reached out and took the medicinal oil, thinking, could this be poison? Perhaps it would make it easier for Qin Xiao to control him or something.

[Hello, Host. This System has automatically scanned the suspicious item for you and confirmed that it is an effective medicinal oil that helps promote blood circulation and reduce bruising.]

The System actually had such a function!

Chu Jiubian’s eyes glinted. Did this mean he wouldn’t have to worry about being poisoned in the future?

[Hello, Host. The scanning and detection function is a paid function. This automatic scan has deducted one Faith Point. If you need to scan further items, you can directly call up the System to make a trade.]

Chu Jiubian: “…..”

Damn, you couldn’t ask me before deducting it?!

He gave the remaining Faith Points a pained look. He had even bought only half a box of medicine, but now the System had deducted an entire point.

It seemed he would still need to hurry and collect more Faith Points.

It would take some time to make ice with saltpeter, and the results from accomplishing this were unknown. If Qin Xiao directly stole his fame, then he could kiss his Faith Value goodbye.

He shouldn’t put all his eggs in one basket.

Chu Jiubian looked up at the palace maids and eunuchs serving in the room. They all comported themselves excellently, and their speech revealed that they were all literate.

Since they could read, they should also know some poetry, right?

If he wrote down the masterpieces of the “immortal world,” from poets like Li Bai, Du Fu, and others, would these people help spread them?

Confucianism was prevalent during the Great Ning Dynasty, and the statuses of scholars, farmers, craftsmen, merchants, and literati were self-evident.

If Chu Jiubian wrote down one or two good poems and spread them, would these intellectuals and poets also hold respect in their hearts for him?

Respect and faith were often inseparable. He only needed to make everyone believe he had brought these poems from the world of immortals, and then his identity as a “god” would be solidified.

Chu Jiubian looked at Xiao Xiangzi and said: “Xiao Xiangzi, have you ever been to school? Can you read?”

“This student studied with a master for a few years,” Xiao Xiangzi said honestly. “My master is Eunuch Hong Fu, who serves His Majesty.”

As expected.

Chu Jiubian continued: “Then please help grind some ink for me. I want to write something.”

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[1] From what I could gather, the “zi” added to Xiao Xiangzi’s name indicates his status as a eunuch. ⮐

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Chapter 5 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 7

Bo Rui was astonished: “Who looks like Ling Yi? His Highness Oser’s dance partner?”

He turned to take a closer look: “His face isn’t even showing. How did you come to that conclusion?”

“I don’t know. The height, the build, his movements…..they seem familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

Da Lun gradually began to doubt his own judgement. 

Bo Rui figured it out before he did and let out a sigh.

“You miss him so much that you think every passerby looks like him. How could Ling Yi’s hair be that long?”

“But we learned in our investigation class that hair and beards can’t be used as descriptive points for identifying a person.”

“I know you got straight A’s in your academic subjects, but you’re definitely being oversensitive about this. Even if Ling Yi is still alive, there’s no way he would have anything to do with His Highness Oser.”

Bo Rui pressed a glass into his hand.

“How about you drink some wine and relax? When you’re drunk, all of your worries will go away.”

Da Lun felt that his words were not entirely unreasonable. He accepted the cup and took a sip. It tasted good, so he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

“I might just need to get drunk.”

Two little girls of different ages ran through the crowd. The younger one flew into Oser’s long arms, and he picked her up.

The older one was unhappy and grabbed his sleeve, refusing to let go: “Your Highness Oser is playing favorites!”

Ling Yi figured that these were most likely two of the three Sully children. Oser was more popular with children than he would have thought.

The two little girls chattered and wanted to drag Oser off to see their new pet. Ling Yi saw that Oser couldn’t bear to refuse, so he took the initiative to offer: “Your Highness, go ahead and accompany them. I’m a little hungry, so I’ll grab something to eat by myself.”

Oser couldn’t resist the children’s enthusiasm: “Then don’t go too far. Tang De will keep an eye on you.”

Standing inconspicuously at the edges of the hall, Oser’s guards were placed every few meters. It was obvious who they were protecting.

The buffet table boasted a wide variety of dishes, most of which were delicacies that Ling Yi, as a commoner, had never seen before.

Ling Yi had been eating either prison food or hospital nutrient solutions these days, and had forgotten what proper food tasted like.

He became interested in a dessert that looked like an orange, but its shell seemed a bit hard.

He couldn’t take a bite of the shell before figuring out whether it was edible, lest he be laughed at.

“That’s Rosaria’s Treasure, a desert named after Grand Duchess Sully’s sister. It uses the unique orange pulp from Rosaria’s hometown and rare milk from the Sunar plant as the filling. The taste is sweet and delicate, with a unique milky aroma.”

A voice came from behind, growing nearer. Ling Yi turned to see a man in a fox mask stop next to him as he finished his smooth explanation.

“To eat it, you insert a straw through the stem and suck out the flesh.” He took a silver straw from the table and handed it to Ling Yi. “Give it a try.”

Ling Yi did as he was told. The smooth flesh of the citrus fruit, along with the soft, natural taste of milk, melted in his mouth.

His eyebrows rose in delight.

“It tastes delicious.”

“This is one of Florian’s most popular desserts, and only the bakers here can make it. Some people even go out of their way to attend Sully’s dances just to taste it.”

Ling Yi began to size up the fox-masked man in front of him.

“I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sidi, and I’m a nobody without a title. I just happened to be adopted by Viscount Qiao Wen, though you probably haven’t heard of the name – he’s not very well-known.

He looked around and intentionally lowered his voice: “I’m that guy who snuck in just to eat.”

Ling Yi continued to silently savor the dessert.

“I know that His Highness Oser doesn’t want to reveal your identity yet. I don’t mind. It’s fine if you just know my name.”

“Your ability to contain your pheromones is extraordinary. If I’m not mistaken, you should be an Alpha. We’re face to face, and yet I…..”

The man stared blankly for a moment, but quickly continued: “Excuse me, but I actually wear a pheromone suppression ring. I don’t like smelling my own pheromones, because frankly, they don’t smell very good.”

His sincerity seemed to touch Ling Yi.

“You look to be about my age, so since we’re peers, there’s no need to stand on formality. Nice to meet you, Sidi.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

Disi smiled and reached out to shake his hand: “There are plenty of delicious foods here. Would you mind if I introduce them to you one by one?”

Oser patiently acted as the girls’ climbing tree for a while before finally, at Madam Sully’s strong request, the two daughters climbed off of him with pouting expressions.

“I apologize, Your Highness. The children are getting more and more precocious as they grow older.”

“It’s fine for children to be a bit wild.”

Madam Sully sighed: “It’s because Your Highness is so kind to them that the children like you so much. Were Your Highness to have your own children, who knows what they’d be like?”

Oser lowered his head, his expression unclear. Sully nudged his wife nervously.

“Ah.” Madam Sully covered her mouth regretfully. “I’ve spoken out of turn.”

When Oser raised his head again, there wasn’t a trace of displeasure or offense on his face. Every one of his features was full of spirit.

Grand Duke Sully even suspected that he had lowered his head just now to prevent himself from laughing out loud due to excessive happiness.

“Madam, you’re overthinking things.”

He subconsciously glanced around for Ling Yi for the nth time, and it was also the nth time he glimpsed Ling Yi with the man in the fox mask. The two seemed to be chatting it up, and looked to be having a great time. The smile on his face vanished instantaneously.

Madam Sully glanced in the direction he was looking and immediately understood: “I know he’s on your mind, so hurry up. Don’t neglect your distinguished guest on his first visit.”

Oser nodded and said his goodbyes. Madam Sully gazed after his back with a sigh: “It seems our Oser is about to reap the fruits of love.”

Grand Duke Sully was still thinking crookedly: “Madam, do you want to add an un-masking segment?”

Da Lun held and empty cup in his hand, waving it around as he played a dodging game with Bo Rui. 

“Where is he different? Tell me…..where is he different?”

“You’re drunk, shut up, shh! You can’t yell in here.”

“I just think he and Ling Yi are similar…..no, I think they’re exactly the same, they’re basically the same person!”

“Stop messing around, Bro. Come back with me, okay? Let’s go back and go to sleep.”

“I won’t.” Da Lun smacked Bo Rui’s hand away. I want to see…..I want to see Ling Yi!”

“Pei, pei pei! Even though Ling Yi’s our brother, you can’t just say such things casually. Be careful that he doesn’t come to haunt you in the dorms tonight.”

“Why don’t you believe me…..then I’ll prove it to you!”

He walked around Bo Rui, stumbling but not slowing down at all.

Bo Rui reached out to grab him, but the drunk’s movements were so irregular that he missed.

“Hey! What are you doing? Get back here!”

“I have to make you see…..see his real face…..”

Bo Rui had never known that the thin-looking Da Lun possessed such strength when drunk. He himself was a big guy, but he was dragged away.

“Good brother, gege, daddy, please stop making trouble, okay? Can you be my real dad tonight?”

Following Disi’s instructions, Ling Yi sampled every delicious dish on the table. Just as he was in a good mood, he caught a glimpse of Oser heading his way.

He smiled back, ready to greet him, but then saw Oser’s expression change.

He clearly saw Oser move his lips, as if warning him of something.

Tang De’s subordinates simultaneously rushed in from all directions.

Ling Yi turned his head in surprise and was hit by a gust of wind. He instinctively dodged backwards, and the gust brushed past him, taking with it only the mask on his face.

Hundreds of eyes converged on the same focal point. It was as if someone had pressed a slow-mo button. His silver hair arced through the air like a waterfall, a mysterious face appearing and disappearing between the strands.

The cat mask flew high into the air. Da Lun and Bo Rui were both pinned down by the guards who rushed over, and struggled to raise their heads off the floor.

Everyone held their breath, and the hall was so quiet that one could even hear the echo of the mask falling to the floor.

Ka-clack—

Clack—

Clack—

When his hair finally fell, the face revealed was both stunning and slightly bewildered.

Da Lun and Bo Rui stopped struggling at the same moment. They stared, blank and motionless, as if time had frozen.

Ling Yi looked down condescendingly at Da Lun: “Do you have something to say?”

There were gasps of shock all around, and Grand Duke Sully’s jaw dropped. The guards dragged the two frozen men away, and the briefly paused world began to function once more.

Oser paced forward quickly, picked the mask off the floor, and put it back on Ling Yi. This time, it was sighs of regret that could be heard all around.

“Do you know those two people?” he asked in a low voice.

“They’re my classmates. I didn’t realize they were here.”

Sully arrived a bit belatedly: “Your Highness Oser, one of those kids just now is my cousin, and the other is a classmate he invited over to play. The children must have drank too much and offended your friend.”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his face. It was true that he had thought about removing the mask, but this wasn’t something that could be done so roughly and forcefully. 

Oser looked extremely unhappy: “I thought he was some hooligan who came in from nowhere, but it turns out he’s half the owner of Florian Castle. This brand of hospitality is truly novel.”

“Not so, not so, my cousin rarely comes to visit. Besides, he attends the military academy and doesn’t know much about the etiquette and rules in the castle.”

Sully naturally defended his shortcomings: “Once they’re sober, I’ll teach them a lesson for you. I’ll punish them by…..making them write self-criticisms and clean the courtyard. What do you think?”

Ling Yi: “Grand Duke Sully, if you don’t mind, I would like to ask you to hand those two people over to me to deal with.”

“This—”

“I’ll maintain a sense of proportion and not cause them or you undue trouble.”

Sully secretly observed Oser’s reaction and knew that this result was a foregone conclusion. Since he couldn’t save them, he might as well go with the flow and do them a favor.

“Of course, of course. They offended you, so naturally they should be handed over to you to be dealt with. No need to be polite, and don’t bother giving me face. They deserve a beating so that they will remember this lesson deeply.”

Xi Lei, whom Ling Yi had been waiting for all night, finally showed up and gestured to him from a distant corner.

It was a standard signal within Luban Military Academy: target acquired.

Ling Yi understood, saying to Oser: “Is my hair messed up? I’ll find somewhere to fix it.”

“There are rest chambers for guests. I’ll take you there.”

Ling Yi gently pushed against his chest: “I was a little scared just now, so I’d like to rest for a while. I see that there are a lot of people who still wish to speak with you, Your Highness. Just send a couple of guards to accompany me.”

Oser acquiesced and waved over two guards: “Keep him safe and sound. Report to me immediately if anything happens.”

Ling Yi was escorted to the rest chambers and left the guards outside.

“You two stay here. Don’t let anyone come in and disturb my rest.”

He quietly locked the door, then walked to the other side of the room, opened the window, and leaped out.

Xi Lei was nearby, and led him to the door of another room.

“Wu De is resting here. I watched him go inside with my own eyes, and I didn’t see anyone else.”

Ling Yi tried the door, and it wasn’t locked. He told Xi Lei: “I can handle this guy myself. You guard the door for me. If anyone comes, give me a signal.”

Wu De was lying in bed, playing on his phone. When he heard the door open, he lazily turned his head and said: “Wasn’t it you who asked me to come? What took you so—”

He was strangled by the neck from behind, and his attacker continued to increase the pressure. Wu De was unable to breathe, and his face turned the color of pig liver.

Ling Yi loosened his grip when he saw that he couldn’t hold on any longer. Wu De scampered on his hands and knees to a corner near the bed, coughing desperately.

He finally got a good look at his attacker: “Why is it you? Aren’t you…..His Highness Oser’s dance partner?”

“I’m a ghost who’s come to take your life.”

His high and mighty demeanor, calm tone of voice, and mask created an eerie atmosphere.

Wu De was so frightened that he stammered: “W-w-why did you come for me? I-I-I really haven’t hurt anyone, ah!”

“Is that so? Think again.”

Wu De wracked his brains to think of the bad things he’d done: “The most I’ve done is having a secret affair with a married woman…..did her husband send you?”

Ling Yi was so angry that he laughed: “Listen carefully. I’ll ask a question, and you answer it. Were you there on the day Lu Dawa died?”

“Yes, yes, yes! He brought an underaged little O that day, very fresh and juicy!”

Ling Yi punched him in the face, leaving a bruise around his right eye.

“He molested a minor, and you still dare to say you’ve never hurt anyone?!”

Wu De covered his eye and said aggrievedly: “He had that kind of hobby! I’m not interested at all, I like mature women, ah…..so, so when he was about to do that, I excused myself to the bathroom. I don’t have that kind of perverted voyeuristic fetish…..it’s true!”

“Keep talking!”

“Then that guy came. I saw Lu Dawa lying on the floor through a crack in the door. There was blood on him. I felt like I had to leave some kind of evidence, so I took out my phone and recorded it. I saw him pick up the fruit knife on the table and aim it at the back of Lu Dawa’s neck. One stab, another stab, and another……”

Wu De couldn’t help but shudder as he recalled the bloody scene that day.

“Everyone says he was acting in self-defense, but that wasn’t the case at all! How could someone be so cruel to a person who couldn’t even resist? He’s a murderer!”

Ling Yi asked darkly: “You clearly filmed the scene, so why did you backtrack later and say that you didn’t?”

Wu De’s eyes widened: “How do you know so much? Were you at the trial too?”

Another punch flew over, and Wu De closed his eyes fearfully. The fist stopped right in front of him.

“Stop talking nonsense! Just answer whatever I ask you!”

“I handed over my cell phone memory card at the beginning!” Wu De curled up into a ball with his eyes closed, shouting: “Later, they told me that the memory card was broken and the video couldn’t be played, so it couldn’t be used as evidence. But if this was made known, the evidence would seem weak, so they asked me to change my story!”

“Who are they!”

“Someone from the court! The Chief Justice! He told me personally!”

Ling Yi slowly retracted his fist.

“So you’re not sure if the memory card was actually broken.”

Wu De muttered quietly: “It was definitely fine when I handed it in.”

Ling Yi knew that it was highly unlikely that he would get anything more out of this person.

“If you tell anyone what happened today—”

“Then I’ll die as miserably as Lu Dawa!” Wu De raised his right hand and swore, “I won’t say anything, even if I die! You have His Highness Oser backing you, so I, I wouldn’t dare tell…..”

Xi Lei rapped a signal against the door, and Ling Yi knocked the man unconscious before slipping out of the room.

“I saw His Highness Oser heading toward your rest quarters. You go ahead, I’ll take care of things here.”

Ling Yi returned the same way he had come. When he climbed into the room through the window, he heard someone anxiously knocking on his door.

He messed up the bed, removed his mask, and tossed it next to the pillow. Pretending to be sleepy, he opened the door. Outside stood Oser and two nervous-looking guards.

“Apologies, you were taking quite a while and didn’t open the door when we knocked, so we had to invite His Highness Oser over.”

Ling Yi deliberately rubbed his eyes and said: “I wanted to lay down and rest for a while, but I fell asleep. How long was I out?”

Oser’s relief was evident: “Not long. I said that you haven’t recovered yet. I shouldn’t have brought you here.”

Ling Yi griped inwardly: And who is it who releases pheromones at me indiscriminately when he knows I haven’t recovered yet?

He recalled that Wu De had been waiting for someone to have a tryst. It seemed that upper-class balls were not as simple as he had imagined.

Ling Yi reached out and pulled Oser into the room, closing the door behind him.

“What are you—”

Before Oser could finish his question, his mouth was covered by something soft. He quickly took over the initiative once he realized what was happening. He gripped the other’s waist tightly, and the two of them exchanged a passionate kiss.

Ling Yi pulled away before it could go any further, licking his lips with the tip of his tongue. His eyes gleamed with the cunning of a successful sneak attack.

“You’ll have to get used to this with me. I’m not a passive Omega by nature.”

Oser looked at him as if he wanted to devour him.

“Tell me, what do you want this time?”

“I can only use a honey trap when I want something?”

“I’m not used to you seducing me without an ulterior motive.”

“Hmm……” Ling Yi pretended to think. “If Your Highness insists on making an exchange, take my classmates back and make them copy the school rules twice, then let them go.”

“Leaving them to Grand Duke Sully’s disposal will result in them sweeping the courtyard at most, but you can’t even bear to make them do that?”

“Those two idiots are my sons, after all. It’s only natural for a father to feel sorry for his sons.”

“I was planning to speak with their instructors, but since you’ve asked for mercy, I’ll let them go this time.”

Oser pressed his index finger to Ling Yi’s lips, stopping him from saying “thank you.”

“But the content of the punishment is up to me.”

Ling Yi shrugged, appearing indifferent.

“Your Highness has been away for too long. If you don’t return, the people outside will come to the wrong conclusion.”

“Wait a moment.”

Oser went to the bedside and grabbed the cat mask, then carefully put it on him.

“Careless.”

Oser linked his arm with Ling Yi’s and led him back to the hall. Everyone who saw them gave them strange looks.

Just as he was puzzled, he saw Sully winking at him and tapping his lips repeatedly with a finger.

Oser rubbed his lips lightly with his hand, and his knuckles came away bright red.

“Tsk.” He shook his head and took out a handkerchief to wipe away the lipstick.

When he looked up again, he caught several heads turning away, averting their faces in a way that just made their actions more obvious.

— Since they all had the wrong idea anyway, he might as well do something about it.

There was a commotion nearby, and everyone’s focus was finally diverted from the two of them.

Wu De appeared in a terrible state, with two bruised black circles under his eyes. His carefully-styled hair had become a chicken coop, and his outfit was wrinkled like wine-stained rags.

Ling Yi clearly remembered that he had only punched Wu De in his right eye, so the other side was obviously a souvenir left by the person who had cleaned up the mess.

Xi Lei, a moral role model, was following in his footsteps and growing increasingly distant from the word ‘moral.”

Grand Duke Sully had always disliked his wife’s incompetent relative. Upon seeing that he was injured, he didn’t ask after his well-being, but instead found it embarrassing.

“How did you get like this?”

Wu De met Ling Yi’s eyes through the crowd and immediately lowered his head, shaking it violently.

Grand Duke Sully had heard a little about the dirty things he got up to, but usually turned a blind eye for the sake of his wife.

Seeing that he had been beaten but didn’t dare say anything, he just thought that the truth had been revealed and he’d been taught a lesson by the person involved. Further investigation would only make things worse.

“Go find a doctor and get some medicine, don’t embarrass yourself here!” he scolded.

Wu De walked away in disgrace, tail between his legs.

Grand Duke Sully was internally fuming. This was the first time His Highness Oser had brought a distinguished guest, and so many unexpected things had happened.

“Your Highness Oser, it’s my fault for not educating the young people around me properly. I’ve made you and your friend laugh.”

“With so many troublesome youngsters, Grand Duke Sully must also be very tired. It’s getting late, so we’ll take our leave first.”

Grand Duke Sully personally escorted them to the door. Da Lun had been forced to drink sobering soup, and he and Bo Rui waited anxiously for their fate to be decided.

Oser was not polite, and waved a hand: “Take them away.”

Bo Rui and Da Lun had originally thought they would be taken to His Highness Oser’s palace, but upon arriving at their destination, they found themselves at the Royal Medical College.

The guards took them to a small, dark room in the basement of the medical college. It didn’t seem like a respectable place. There was a sofa and a coffee table in the room, upon which was a stack of white paper and a few pens.

“His Highness Oser won’t conduct any human experiments on us, right?” A terrible thought occurred to Da Lun.

“Don’t be ridiculous. This is a society ruled by law. Even a prince isn’t above the law. Besides, His Highness Oser and I are related by blood, so he wouldn’t be so cruel.”

Bo Rui boasted out loud, but his anxiety was no less than Da Lun’s. He was a nominal member of the royal family, but even he had never spoken to His Highness Oser before, and was as marginal as could be.

Oser waited a while before making his appearance, and the two people rushed to apologize.

“Your Highness Oser, I was drunk tonight and acted so rudely toward your friend. I’m sorry!”

“I was the one who dragged him to the dance and forced him to drink. I couldn’t stop him, so I’m also at fault! Please forgive me!”

Oser waved his hand impatiently and asked a question that neither of them could figure out.

“Do you know what ‘Teacher Tony’ means?”

The two of them exchanged glances, and Da Lun posed tentatively: “A barber?”

Oser was satisfied with this answer.

“How much civilian jargon like this do you know?”

“……Ah?”

“The kind of trendy words you young people often use among each other.”

The two were confused: Is Teacher Tony a trendy phrase?

Oser pointed at the paper on the table: “Write down all the civilian jargon you know, at least five pages per person. You can leave once you’re finished writing.”

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Chapter 26 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 28

A quarter of an hour later, Qin Chaoyang escorted Lin Sheng out of the eastern courtyard.

After saying his goodbyes, Lin Sheng walked into the rain with his paper umbrella, moving further and further away.

Qin Xiao stood by the window with his hands behind his back, his dark eyes staring blankly toward the southwest.

The carved window lattices were fully propped up, the sashes facing outward, and raindrops dripped onto them with a muffled pattering sound.

The breeze brought wisps of moisture, damp and cool, which dissipated most of the heat.

Qin Chaoyang walked back into the hall and prepared a new cup of tea for Qin Xiao, then handed it to him.

Qin Xiao accepted it and took a sip. He then placed the teacup on the white jade windowsill with a crisp clack.

“Is My Lord thinking about what Lin-daren said?” asked Qin Chaoyang.

Qin Xiao stroked the rim of the cup with his fingertip and asked: “What do you think about this matter?”

“This subordinate will be bold.” Qin Chaoyang gave a slight bow. “Just in case, this person should be eliminated.”

Lin Sheng had just made things very clear. He could not fully discern the identity and origin of that strange man, but he could see that there was indeed something miraculous about him.

Such a miracle could be an opportunity and a great blessing for the Great Ning Dynasty, but it could also be a great catastrophe!

Everything depended on that person’s intentions.

In addition, the other party’s destiny was capable of restraining Qin Xiao. Although it seemed like Qin Xiao had the upper hand now, the other’s destiny may just be stronger than his.

At that time, Qin Xiao would be at a disadvantage and could be ordered around with merely a gesture.

Qin Chaoyang was shocked to hear this, and his thoughts immediately converged with those of Lin Sheng.

This variable must be eliminated as soon as possible, just in case!

But he knew that Qin Xiao would most likely not accept his suggestion.

Because although their lord had a bad reputation, he had never been one to kill innocent people.

Sure enough, he heard Qin Xiao chuckle: “Such talk of ghosts and gods……”

With these words, Qin Chaoyang understood.

Their lord did not believe in the supernatural, and only used the “divination” of the Imperial Observatory as a political tool, so he would never kill a person whose guilt or innocence was unknown just for the reason of “mutual restraint.”

Qin Chaoyang continued: “This subordinate has already sent people to investigate. I believe that the identity of that person will soon be known.”

If it was discovered that the man was involved with other forces, given his personality, Qin Xiao would definitely not be soft-hearted.

Qin Xiao gave a hum of acknowledgment.

He had been concerned that the other party would once again control his body and make him act against his will, but Qin Xiao had tested him. Whether he was in physical contact with him while strangling that person’s neck or talking with him through the cell door, that loss of control never occurred again.

This meant that Chu Jiubian might not be able to control his body at will, and that what happened previously was just a special case.

That special case being when the other party nearly fell from the sky to his death.

This, Qin Xiao had also tested. He had really wanted to break the other’s neck at that time, but even under such a threat of death, Chu Jiubian still hadn’t controlled him.

So it seemed that Chu Jiubian might actually not be able to control people at all, and there was a different explanation for why he was controlled before.

In that case, considering the other party’s weak appearance, he probably wouldn’t be able to cause any trouble. Qin Xiao would just need to have someone keep an eye on him.

Qin Xiao disregarded Chu Jiubian for now. His dark eyes gazed out at the rain, and there was an unshakable gloom to his expression.

Could it be true that there would be no rain in the south?

*

*

Inside the prison, a young jailor brought a food box and a waterskin and handed them to Chu Jiubian.

The jailor smiled and said courteously: “Sir, Commander An has instructed that you be given good food and drink for the next few days. If you need anything, please feel free to ask me.”

Chu Jiubian had thought that after Qin Xiaos’ visit, An Wuji’s attitude toward him would change. That was, when he calmed down and realized that he was actually a fraud, he would no longer take him seriously.

But now, it seemed that the other party still harbored some “awe” toward his identity as a god.

This was good. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about not getting enough to eat for these two meals.

Chu Jiubian took the food box and sat down on the ground without putting on airs.

His role as the High Priest in his previous film had required him to be extremely slender, so he had been controlling his diet. With a height of 1.83 meters and a weight of less than 120 kilograms, his body was somewhat overly thin.

Now that he could eat normally, he was actually quite pleased.

However, when he opened the food box with great anticipation, it was like having a bucket of cold water poured over him.

The food box contained meat soup served in a ceramic bowl, along with brown rice porridge and some dried jerky.

When he was reading the novel, he’d vaguely felt that the development of this world was similar to the Warring States Period, but he hadn’t foreseen that the food would also reflect that time period.

At that time, iron ore was scarce and was only used to make weapons. It was naturally impossible to manufacture iron pots, so the people of this period used ceramic or bronze utensils for cooking.

Due to the difference in materials, food could only be steamed or stewed. 

Thus, there was no stir-fry in today’s Great Ning Dynasty, nor rich seasonings, and even the technology to grind wheat into flour was base and crude!

Chu Jiubian was silent for a while, then endured the burning pain in his throat as he ate this lunch that looked like a reduced-fat meal.

The meat soup had a faint taste of ginger, and the unique bitter, salty flavor of coarse salt, but basically nothing else.

But this meal was actually very good. Ordinary people might never be able to taste meat soup or brown rice porridge.

Thinking of this, he could no longer be hypocritical, and ate up all of the meat soup and brown rice porridge. He also gave the remaining dried meat to the jailor when he came to collect the food box.

In any case, his throat was injured and he couldn’t eat such solid food, so he might as well give it away as a favor.

The jailor obviously didn’t expect Chu Jiubian to give him such rare dried meat as a reward, and he knelt and kowtowed twice in gratitude.

Before Chu Jiubian had a chance to react, the jailor stood up with a beaming smile on his face and said: “Thank you, Immortal! Thank you, Immortal!”

Chu Jiubian said in surprise: “You called me…..Immortal?”

“Yes, ah,” the jailor said with shining eyes. “I just heard from the Imperial Guards that you are a god from heaven. You said it would rain and it rained, without even being a quarter of an hour off. You are truly divine!”

So that’s how it is. It was likely the two Imperial Guards who came together with An Wuji who spread the news.

Chiu Jiubian opened the System and took a look. The 0.5 points deducted for buying medicine had been restored!

This was just like having a pillow appear when he was sleepy. He didn’t have to do anything, yet his Faith Value increased on its own. 

Chu Jiubian had already conceived of a “godlike character” for himself, which was to appear cool and aloof on the outside, but gentle and kind on the inside.

Who could resist an unattainable beauty showing only you his kind and gentle side?

The bright moon hangs high in the sky, shining on me alone. If this wasn’t favoritism, then what was?

Chu Jiubian looked into the jailor’s bright eyes and smiled faintly:  “I’m trapped here for now, so I am in need of Little Brother’s care.”

An immortal was in trouble, but still smiled at him and called him “Little Brother” in a gentle voice, asking him to take care of him. Who could resist such a thing?

The young jailor felt a surge of heat rush to his head, and his face flushed.

He lowered his eyes in a fluster, but then saw the young man’s thin waist outlined by his wet clothes and was immediately embarrassed and at a loss.

“Y-you’re welcome. It’s my honor to take care of you,” the jailor stammered. “This younger one is called Tian Sheng. You can just call me Xiao Tian.”

Chu Jiubian said readily: “Okay. Thank you, Xiao Tian.”

Xiao Tian felt even more embarrassed, but also a bit exhilarated.

Good fortune!

The immortal remembered his name! This was truly a stroke of good fortune!

“Oh, right.” Tian Sheng had almost forgotten the main objective. “Lord Ning-wang also told me to get you some dry clothes. I’ll fetch them for you right away!”

After saying this, he didn’t even dare take another look at Chu Jiubian. He fled with the food box, even forgetting to close the cell door.

Chu Jiubian: “……”

He stared at the open cell door, paused, then walked to the wall and leaned against it with his arms folded. Xiao Tian returned with a blanket and a set of dry, coarse linen clothes in his arms.

He was initially given a shock when he saw the wide-open cell door, but when he found Chu Jiubian waiting obediently inside the cell, he was filled with even more gratitude.

This was a god, ah!

Not only did he have the ability to probe the secrets of heaven, he was also good-looking, soft-spoken, and honest and open-minded.

The points on the System panel increased by a slight 0.1, and Chu Jiubian blinked slowly.

It seemed that as one’s faith deepened, the corresponding points would increase significantly.

“Great God, these are the clothes Lord Ning-wang sent me to prepare for you. And this blanket.” Xiao Tian sent Chu Jiubian a quick glance, a little shy and nervous. “This is what I usually cover myself with at night. I washed it the day before yesterday and haven’t used it again yet. If you don’t mind, I’ll spread it on the ground for you so that you can rest more comfortably.”

What a pleasant surprise, ah.

Chu Jiubian approached him in two steps, showing the appropriate amount of concern as he said: “What will you use if you give me your blanket?”

Perhaps realizing that Chu Jiubian wasn’t looking down on him, Xiao Tian patted his chest excitedly and said: “This one has tough skin, so it’s no problem. I’ll lay this out for you right away.”

Having said this, he handed the clean clothes to Chu Jiubian and quickly set out the blanket for him.

After doing so, Xiao Tian didn’t stay long. He bowed and said: “Then I’ll take my leave. Please let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you for your help.”

“It is my pleasure.”

The jailor locked the cell door and left quickly in high spirits, probably planning to vent his excitement somewhere private.

Chu Jiubian went to the spread-out blanket, set the clean clothes on it, and then peeled off the damp, sticky ones and tossed them aside.

He put all of the jingling jewelry on his body into the Space. In this era, such cheap industrial products were rare, good things, and he might be able to find a use for them someday.

He waited until the dampness on his skin dried before putting on his new clothes.

They were the most basic coarse linen clothes, a top and trousers, loose and baggy.

Materials were scarce here, and only royalty and nobles could afford to wear silk and satin. Therefore, Chu Jiubian hadn’t had high expectations for his new outfit. At least he wasn’t sticky and uncomfortable anymore.

He just hadn’t expected this linen clothing to be completely different from the linen worn in modern times. It was really rough. Just from wearing it, numerous red marks appeared on Chu Jiubian’s fair and tender skin.

He also had a well-proportioned body and exceptionally long legs, so when he put on these trousers, his ankles were exposed, and his fragile bones were prominent.

Chu Jiubian looked down, feeling helpless.

Never mind. Just having a change of clothes was good enough.

He took off his shoes, wiped his feet with his old clothes, and lay down on the blanket.

There was no cotton in the Great Ning Dynasty, so there were no quilts.

Princes and nobles could use fine silks and satins on their blankets to ensure softness and comfort, but ordinary people could only sew things like straw into the linen.

And this kind of blanket was thin, not much of a step up from laying directly on the ground. He was still uncomfortable, but it was better than nothing.

The rain outside grew heavier during the night and didn’t show any signs of stopping until noon the next day. On the contrary, gauging from the dark clouds, it looked as if an even bigger rainstorm was about to arrive.

Before the shift change, Xiao Tian brought Chu Jiubian’s lunch.

Presently, the “immortal” had changed into a coarse linen shirt, which had rubbed a circle of red marks into his neck. Coupled with the purple bruises from the Regent’s strangling the previous day, the sight was so shocking that Xiao Tian couldn’t help but touch his own neck.

But Chu Jiubian didn’t seem bothered by the pain. He took the lunch box and said to Xiao Tian: “It’s almost noon. Could you please ask Qin Xiao to come over for me?”

Xiao Tian seemed frightened when Chu Jiubian called Qin Xiao by his full name. His face paled, and he subconsciously glanced around.

After confirming that no one else had heard, he felt relieved, and said with some embarrassment: “Great God, I dare not disturb Lord Ning-wang.”

Qin Xiao had a notorious reputation. Chu Jiubian understood Xiao Tian’s difficulties.

So he didn’t intend to make things difficult for the other party, and said with a smile: “Okay, it doesn’t matter.”

Xiao Tian breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he truly wanted to have a good relationship with this immortal, he was more afraid of the decisive, ruthless Qin Xiao.

“Then I’ll leave first. After the shift change, another jailor will come to collect the food box,” he carefully explained.

Chu Jiubian gave a hum of acknowledgement and said: “You should wait until after noon, when the rain will stop.”

As soon as he finished speaking, thunder crashed outside. The rainstorm showed no signs of abating.

Xiao Tian gulped, his heart pounding. It was unknown whether he was startled by the thunder or excited about the possibility of encountering a miracle.

After Xiao Tian left, Chu Jiubian opened the lunch box. As expected, he found the same meat soup and brown rice porridge as usual.

He’d had this for dinner yesterday, for breakfast, and now for lunch…..

Chu Jiubian wasn’t too picky, but eating this every day was really hard on a modern person’s stomach.

It seemed that the first thing to do after leaving prison was to improve his food situation. Everything else could be set aside for the time being.

Just as he was lost in thought, two sets of footsteps sounded again, just like yesterday afternoon.

It seemed there had been no need to specially invite him. Wasn’t he here now?

A smile flashed in Chu Jiubian’s eyes, and he stood up, looking toward the cell door.

Very soon, the Regent, dressed in crimson-purple court robes, walked unhurriedly through the door. Qin Chaoyang stood silently a few steps behind him, holding two dripping oil paper umbrellas.

It was at the coronation ceremony yesterday that Qin Xiao had worn the black and gold python robes to display his status.

Now that Bai Lihong had taken the throne, he had changed into crimson-purple court robes that only officials of the first and second ranks could wear. As a “subject,” he was demonstrating his dutifulness and submission to the emperor, and also setting an example for the civil and military officials so that no one would dare to look down on the young emperor.

Of course, this simple action wouldn’t eliminate the ambitions of those officials. It simply conveyed a signal telling everyone that the Qin family and he, Ning-wang Qin Xiao, were behind the emperor. 

As long as Qin Xiao was in the Imperial Court, no one could take the throne away from Bai Lihong.

Chu Jiubian found Qin Xiao truly stunning today – for no other reason than that this crimson-purple color suited the man so well, making him look more imposing, and his face more handsome and stern.

Qin Xiao had been handling state affairs all morning. During the morning court session, Xiao Wendao, the Deputy Minister of Works, had taken advantage of the rain to bring up the issue of repairing the dam in Hexi Prefecture, and pleaded with the court for funding.

Hexi Prefecture was located at the junction of Northern Zhili and Henan, and had often suffered from flooding in previous years. The dam was repaired on a yearly basis, but every time the money from the court was passed down from hand to hand, only a small amount remained for repairs

Xiao Wendao, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Works, hailed from the Xiao family of Lin’an. He was the nephew of the Empress Dowager, and the one who benefited most from the water conservancy funds.

And when he brought up the allocation of funds, Minister of Revenue Su Sheng had immediately stood up to bewail the court’s poverty.

The two sides volleyed back and forth, seemingly engaged in a confrontation, but in the end, they all pointed their spearheads at Qin Xiao and demanded that he come up with a way to refill the Imperial Treasury.

What was the purpose of refilling the treasury?

Wasn’t it to make it easier to enrich themselves?

However, most of the Qin family’s power lay in the army, and they had practically no civil servants in the court. Qin Xiao couldn’t just say that he had no money, so he could only let the anger stew in his heart.

After morning court, he called several first-rank officials to the meeting hall to discuss ways to refill the treasury.

However, these wealthy old foxes evaded the topic and didn’t offer any helpful advice.

These old bastards who called themselves loyal ministers only cared about how many benefits the families and forces behind them stood to gain. As for the country and the common people, those were not things that needed to be considered.

After sending those people away, Qin Xiao was irritated and in no mood to eat lunch, so he just went out for some fresh air.

But as he walked, he ended up at the prison.

He glanced at the sky and saw that the rain showed no signs of stopping, so he decided to meet with Chu Jiubian and see what else he had to say.

Due to his lingering anger, he said bluntly upon seeing Chu Jiubian: “You lose.”

They hadn’t spoken yesterday of what would happen if Chu Jiubian lost, but they were both well aware that Qin Xiao would do with him as he pleased.

However, Chu Jiubian did not panic at these words as he had imagined. Instead, he gave an unflappable smile and said: “It’s not time yet, is it?”

Ancient people didn’t have a reliable method for telling time, but Chu Jiubian did.

From now until noon, there was still…..

“Ten, nine, eight……”

A countdown?

Qin Xiao’s eyes darkened slightly. Was this person so confident?

However, before he could think about it further, he noticed that when Chu Jiubian said “five,” the sound of the pouring rain miraculously weakened.

Then, the sound of rain became lighter and lighter, and a faint, dark light flashed in Qin Xiao’s gloomy eyes.

It wasn’t until Chu Jiubian’s hoarse voice uttered the word “one” that the rain stopped completely.

Water droplets condensed on the eaves and fell into puddles on the ground. The water reflected the fleeting clouds, where a ray of sunlight peeked through.

The rain had stopped. The sky was clear.

---

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Chapter 4 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 6

Chapter 46 – Undersea Cave

“Huh?” Feng Ye, who was swimming along the uneven layer of rock below the surface of the floating island, suddenly looked back.

The illusion array he’d drawn had broken.

It seemed Hao Chen had discovered it a little earlier than expected.

Feng Ye couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought.

His series of tricks were a resounding success. He’d taken advantage of Hao Chen falling behind him to activate the magic array drawn on his robes and escape.

He hid in the darkness, watching as Hao Chen caught up with him again and followed the daoist robes driven by Feng Ye’s spiritual power, going farther and farther away in complete ignorance.

If he hadn’t feared being exposed, he probably wouldn’t have been able to stop laughing right then and there.

He managed to hold it in, and once Hao Chen was out of his sight, he turned around and swam in the opposite direction.

Administrator Zheng had only said that Ling Yun found the Jianmu seed at the bottom of the sea in the Floating Island Secret Realm, but although this sea wasn’t as big as the vast sea outside, it wasn’t small either. If he searched like a headless fly, he may not find it even if he searched for eight to ten years.

And the Floating Island Secret Realm was only open for one day. And after one day, the cultivators from outside must leave, or they could only wait ten years for the entrance to open again.

But being trapped in the dangerous secret realm for ten years…..even if they didn’t die, they would suffer untold misery.

Feng Ye wasn’t worried about the danger, but he didn’t have that much time.

He didn’t always have that dream, but lately it had been happening more and more frequently.

The intervals between the recurring dream were getting shorter and shorter. And the feeling of panic when he awoke with a start was also becoming increasingly more intense.

All of this illustrated one point: in this seemingly peaceful world, disaster was fast approaching.

He must hurry to discover the source of all this. Thus, it was impossible for him to spend a decade searching the entire sea.

Feng Ye never fought a battle unprepared. When he came here, he naturally had a method to find the Jianmu seed. Hao Chen truly had no idea where the Jianmu seed could be, but Feng Ye was different.

Administrator Zheng hadn’t given details, but the file in the records Feng Ye snuck a peek at had recorded them in great detail. After Administrator Zheng reminded him through his story, Feng Ye had recalled the contents of the file.

Ling Yun had found the Jianmu seed in a cave three hundred meters underwater on the eastern part of the island that hadn’t been eroded by the sea. This greatly narrowed the search parameters.

Feng Ye was currently heading eastward along the edge of the floating island. He had dived to a depth of about three hundred meters and finally saw the edge of the floating island.

The land portion of this island was relatively flat, with the highest hill being only one hundred meters high, but the underwater rock layer was three hundred meters deep.

Feng Ye spread his five fingers slightly, and a fine stream of water flowed through them. He could sense that he was getting closer to his destination.

The subtle vibrations of seawater transmitted to his exposed skin were not caused by schools of fish or packs of monsters swimming through the water.

It was wind.

Wind under the sea.

This showed that there must be an air chamber ahead. The air pressure formed a balance with the seawater, preventing water from pouring into the cave, and also caused different vibrations than could be found in other areas.

This was most likely the underwater cave described in the files where Ling Yun found the Jianmu seed.

Feng Ye glanced back, then continued swimming forward.

So what if Hao Chen had discovered the illusion array? Although it was earlier than expected, it wasn’t too early.

He’d never expected to keep it from Hao Chen for long. He’d drawn the array pattern in the short time they were separated, and although he was skilled at arrays, he was not proficient in illusions. The illusion array was very crude, and was incapable of speaking or showing expressions.

If not for the dim lighting in the deep sea, Hao Chen would have seen through it at first glance.

And during the period where Hao Chen was fooled, Feng Ye was already far enough away that there was no chance that sticky guy would catch up with him easily.

Feng Ye actually didn’t know where his daoist robes had led Hao Chen to. He’d just chosen the opposite direction of his actual destination.

He’d then let the broken-sleeved robes drift through the sea, taking Hao Chen to a distant, unknown place.

At the thought of Hao Chen being foolishly deceived by a piece of clothing, he couldn’t help but laugh again.

Then he realized that laughing was too frivolous, and restrained his expression – he had more important things to take care of. With this in mind, Feng Ye continued to move forward in the direction of the rising wind.

Even as he was swimming, the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably.

He didn’t have to go too far before he found the cave that wasn’t filled with seawater.

He traveled through a narrow passage, at the end of which he spied a faint light.

As he swam, the light grew brighter. And when he finally surfaced, Feng Ye found its source.

There were spirit stones embedded in the cave walls. Feng Ye looked around with some surprise. There were spirit stones here? Spirit stones were scattered across the stone walls like stars in the night sky, emitting faint spiritual light in the dark seabed.

Although the light was faint, it was able to illuminate the path forward, and Feng Ye could see the general outline of the cave.

The cave wasn’t flooded with sea water, but it was still very humid, and there was moss everywhere in addition to the scattered spirit stones.

The ten-meter-high cave ceiling was covered with sharp, downward-facing rocks that looked like bamboo shoots. A water droplet slid along the tip of one, and when it reached the bottom, it hung there without falling.

Finally, with a tick-tock sound, the droplet fell through the air and landed right on the tip of Feng Ye’s nose. He casually reached up to wipe it away, and the hem of his inner garments, which were completely soaked with seawater, inadvertently brushed across his cheek as he raised his hand. 

That drop of water was wiped dry, but his dripping undergarments spread more water across his face.

Only then did Feng Ye realize that his white undergarments were sticking to his body.

Some masters of internal martial arts who had made great achievements were able to directly dry their clothes with their internal strength, and cultivators could do the same. Feng Ye just gave his sleeves a casual shake, and the clothes sticking to his body were once again dry.

Even though he was the only one here, it was still rather inappropriate to be clad only in his undergarments. Feng Ye took out the storage bag hanging at his waist.

There was a small sword pattern embroidered onto the bag, which was the standard equipment for every member of Lingxiao Sword Sect.

In fact, Lingxiao Sword Sect had two pieces of standard equipment. In addition to this storage bag, there was also a high-quality iron sword. Although it wasn’t a magic weapon, it was better to have a sword to protect oneself than to go out unarmed.

It was just that when Feng Ye left the sect, in order to keep Hao Chen off guard, he couldn’t reveal any intention of going to the Floating Island Secret Realm.

If he, a man who usually didn’t practice swordplay, suddenly picked up a sword, not only would Hao Chen notice, but even someone as slow-witted as Fang Yang would feel surprised.

And his storage bag was too small to hold a sword. Thus, he simply didn’t bring it.

Feng Ye held the storage bag upside down and dumped its contents onto the ground. There were not many things in total – two spirit stones, and a spare set of sect uniform robes.

This was all he owned. Two sets of daoist robes to be washed in turn, and two spirit stones.

He was so poor that if a mouse crawled in, it would crawl back out in tears.

As for the extent of his poverty, Feng Ye had a deep understanding of how destitute he was after he searched through all of his boxes and drawers but couldn’t even find a jade pendant, and had to use a bamboo slip instead.

Junior disciples of Lingxiao Sword Sect received a subsidy of ten spirit stones per month, and food and drink were provided by the sect, so there were basically no expenses on a daily basis. Logically speaking, no matter how poor he was, he shouldn’t be this poor.

But Feng Ye really was this poor.

This was not because the original owner of this body spent money lavishly, but because he had poor luck. While traveling, he had encountered bandits who made a living through robbery, and was robbed not only of his possessions, but also of his life.

It was also due to this that Feng Ye was able to use his identity to infiltrate Lingxiao Sword Sect.

Feng Ye had found these two spirit stones at the foot of the bed when he was searching for a jade pendant. They had likely been stashed away by the original owner. 

And now they had become Feng Ye’s. Feng Ye placed them back in the storage bag and picked the daoist robes off the ground, putting them on with some regret. 

He’d been so happy just now that he had forgotten that although he had tricked Hao Chen away, he had lost a quarter of his property as well.

Although the sleeve of the robes had been cut, they could still be worn after mending. But now that the illusion had been broken, the array-patterned robes had likely not met a good end.

What a loss! Feng Ye lamented despondently, and wrapped himself tightly in his only remaining set of robes.

The other set was gone, so he must protect the only one he had left. Otherwise, he would really be so poor that he didn’t even have clothes to wear.

After getting dressed, Feng Ye observed the distribution of spirit stones above his head and chose a direction where there were more of them, then walked onward.

Ling Yun had once used a spiritual power-gathering array to cultivate Jianmu, but it ended in failure. He later realized that sunlight, rain, and soil were the key to making Jianmu sprout, but that didn’t mean that Jianmu had no need for spiritual energy.

Although spiritual energy could not make Jianmu sprout, it could ensure that it grew to its greatest extent. The Jianmu seed that had been buried beneath the sea for who knew how many years had not completely lost its vitality during that period of time, which meant that there must have been enough spiritual energy in its environment.

Therefore, the denser the distribution of spirit stones, the likelier it was that the Jianmu seed could be found in that direction.

Feng Ye walked for some time. This cave was not small, and the passage was winding. Even with the faint light emitted by the spirit stones, Feng Ye was unable to see the end of the cave.

But he shouldn’t be far from the seed, because there were increasingly more spirit stones above his head. The entrance of the cave sported only a few scattered stars across the stone walls, but here, there was a full starry sky.

At last, Feng Ye reached the end of the spirit stone cave, and the initially faint light now illuminated his entire field of vision. 

Rich spiritual energy comparable to that of heaven emanated continuously from the spirit stones embedded in rock formations. The number of spirit stones was difficult to estimate, but there must be at least tens of thousands of them.

Were other cultivators to come to this place, they would likely be unable to hold back from hefting their weapons and chiseling spirit stones out of the rock.

Feng Ye was a poor man with nothing to his name, but he turned a blind eye to the treasures all over the place. As his eyes wandered, his attention was not on the spirit stones, but on the spiritual energy scattered throughout the air.

He was observing the direction of its movement. Although the emitted spiritual energy was disordered, it was drifting in a fixed direction, which must be the location of the Jianmu seed.

Feng Ye immediately started in the direction where the spiritual energy was gathering. He walked toward a nearby raised stone platform. It was roughly circular in shape, and was densely inlaid with high-quality spirit stones, like lotus petals.

The middle of this lotus platform created by natural magic was slightly concave, so Feng Ye had to walk closer to see it clearly.

It was empty.

Unconcealable surprise appeared on Feng Ye’s face. It would be normal for such rich spiritual energy to give birth to some rare treasures, but there was nothing here.

No, perhaps not nothing, Feng Ye suddenly thought. The seed Ling Yun had taken away a hundred years ago had likely resided on this stone platform.

But Ling Yun had only taken one away, and the platform was empty.

Was there really a second Jianmu seed in this world?

Feng Ye wasn’t sure.

In fact, he was more inclined to think that there wasn’t.

Like Hao Chen, he didn’t believe that a sacred tree like Jianmu would be mass-produced. Therefore, when he first began investigating the Jianmu matter, he had never thought about coming to the Floating Island Secret Realm.

But what Adminstrator Zheng had said was not baseless. After such a fire, even if there was some debris left over from Jianmu, it should have been discovered by the group of cultivators who went searching for the remains of their relatives and friends. It would have been impossible for no news to leak out over a hundred years.

The only person who had the opportunity and motivation to find the pieces of Jianmu and keep them privately was Ling Yun’s shidi – Ji Chengyue.

Ji Chengyue was the second figure that appeared in Feng Ye’s dream. The two martial brothers had a very close relationship, and after Lin Yun planted Jianmu, the first person he told was his shidi.

Ji Chengyue had participated in the entire process of the passage to heaven, and was present when Jianmu was cut down.

He didn’t climb Jianmu, but like Ling Yun, stood at the base of the tree to maintain order and prevent the group of people from fighting over who would climb up first.

Thus, he luckily escaped when Jianmu collapsed.

After the heavenly flames burned out, he was one of the first to arrive and search through the ashes. Ling Yun and Jianmu were connected in life and in death. Even though Ling Yun was denounced as an eternal sinner by everyone, Ji Chengyue was still his fellow junior disciple who had grown up with him.

People were so intimidated by the reputation of the God of War, Yinglong, that they dared not even mention the name Ling Yun. Naturally, they wouldn’t have hidden this ominous tree that was capable of offending Yinglong. 

But Ji Chengyue was different. Emotions could make people irrational. If he still harbored some brotherly love for this shixiong of his who had committed a grievous crime, he might have secretly kept the fragments of Jianmu he found in the ashes.

Although Ling Yun had died in the heavenly flames, as long as Jianmu still lived, perhaps Ling Yun could also be resurrected.

This was a logical assumption. Therefore, Ji Chengyue was Feng Ye’s prime suspect.

But he had searched Ji Chengyue’s rooms and found no trace of Jianmu.

Jianmu was not an unliving object, and it would be impossible to keep it in a storage bag for long. It was impossible for Ji Chengyue to carry it with him, otherwise, once it was discovered, the consequences would be disastrous.

Other people wouldn’t care if Ling Yun could be resurrected or not. They only knew that Jianmu would attract Yinglong, and that Yinglong would bring disaster.

Although a hundred years had passed since Yinglong brought terror down on the world, once that memory was reawakened, countless people would be terrified and unable to sleep at night.

Fear made people sensitive and paranoid. Yinglong hadn’t spoken a word throughout the entire process, but people couldn’t help but speculate on the thoughts of this supreme god. Ling Yun’s name became taboo, and no one dared mention it again.

Therefore, if it was as Feng Ye thought and Ji Chengyue had indeed found fragments of Jianmu and secretly hidden them, he would have definitely hidden them in a fixed location.

Such as his bedroom.

The bedroom of the sect leader was located at the top of the mountain, and was the most heavily guarded location in Lingxiao Sword Sect. In addition to the disciples who patrolled at night, there were nine defensive formations set up inside and outside the house, both openly and covertly, which made it absolutely watertight.

Of course, it was only watertight to ordinary people. An extraordinary person like Feng Ye was able to find a gap and slip inside.

But it was already an excellent hiding place. The bedroom was different from other areas, and only Ji Chengyue was able to enter. With both security and privacy being extremely high, there was no better place to store a Jianmu fragment.

But there was no trace of one in his bedroom.

There wasn’t even anything related to Ling Yun. He appeared heartless to the point that he was like all the others, regarding his shixiong as an eternal sinner and even unwilling to miss him.

It seemed that he hadn’t hidden any Jianmu fragments.

Feng Ye’s mind was gradually leaning toward the possibility that there might be a second Jianmu seed somewhere in the world, but he had found nothing in this place today.

How was this possible?

Jianmu must still exist in the world. Feng Ye was certain of this.

But Feng Ye had found no evidence for these two possibilities.

Feng Ye simply refused to believe it, and looked around the lotus platform again. The flow of spiritual energy couldn’t be fake. If there was a second Jianmu seed here, it would inevitably absorb spiritual energy in order to sustain itself.

But he didn’t see any physical object that could disturb the circulation of spiritual energy. He searched back and forth three times to avoid missing anything, but the result was still the same.

He was certain that he had searched thoroughly enough. There was no Jianmu seed here.

So where was it?

Perhaps…..he still needed to seek out Ji Chengyue in order to reach an answer.

Feng Ye let out a sigh. This was indeed a wasted trip. He had paid the enormous price of one daoist robe to get here, but found nothing in the end.

He started to head back. His business was finished, and all that was left was to return to the surface, meet up with Fang Yang, and then wait quietly for the day to pass and leave the Floating Island Secret Realm.

Speaking of which, he wondered how Fang Yang’s harvest was up on the surface. That silly boy should be doing fine, because Feng Ye couldn’t sense any danger.

The bamboo slip he’d given Fang Yang usually didn’t monitor his actions. He wasn’t a deviant with strange hobbies like Hao Chen. For that reason, he would only be notified if Fang Yang’s life was in danger.

And since entering the Floating Island Secret Realm, the array engraved in the bamboo slip hadn’t sent him a danger signal, so Fang Yang was naturally fine.

Feng Ye walked back slowly. The day was almost half over, and he wasn’t like the others, who were rushing around seeking treasures. He had enough time to travel leisurely toward Fang Yang.

However, when he wandered to the entrance of the cave and was about to re-enter the water, there was a sudden, unfamiliar palpitation in his chest.

Feng Ye’s initially absent-minded gaze immediately froze. He looked upward, but only saw a three hundred-meter thick layer of rock, impenetrable by light.

Where good fortune failed, bad luck thrived. He had just been thinking that Fang Yang was doing okay – who would have thought that in the next second, the boy would be in grave peril?

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Chapter 45 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 47

Two sets of light, steady footsteps could be heard along the quiet prison corridor. As soon as he heard them, he knew that the people coming must be martial arts masters.

Here we go.

Chu Jiubian rose from the ground and brushed back his still-wet hair, revealing his smooth forehead.

He looked toward the cell door, his breathing light as he listened carefully to the footsteps drawing nearer and nearer to him. 

Very soon, the ink-black hem of a robe came into view.

Then, there was a tall, straight male figure, his handsome face all sharp edges and corners.

The footsteps came to a stop, and the two people stood facing each other from either side of the cell door.

One came in the rain without a single hair out of place, while the other was disheveled in sticky, wet clothing.

Clearly, the person outside the cell door was superior.

But unexpectedly, the person inside the cell was also calm and composed.

After a moment’s pause, the person outside the cell door spoke first: “How has a god ended up in such a predicament?”

The man’s voice was slightly low, but his tone was genial.

Chu Jiubian smiled when he heard this, and walked forward to stop at the cell door.

The distance between the two people shortened to less than two steps.

“This god is not here to enjoy himself, so he cannot use too much of his divine power.” Chu Jiubian spoke with a sincere expression and a look of anticipation in his eyes. “But it is good to have you here. You are my love tribulation, so you will naturally take care of me.”

Chu Jiubian had blurted out the words “love tribulation” to escape when he was in crisis, and they contained no logic at all.

But since he had already spoken them and become a “god,” he might as well go with his previous declaration in order to avoid having to find an excuse for why he “descended to earth.”

Of course, it would be even better if this makes Qin Xiao uncomfortable, Chu Jiubian thought with wicked humor.

His face was sincere and expectant, but Qin Xiao remained unmoved. He just gave a slight smile and continued to regard him with disdainful, inquiring eyes.

Chu Jiubian needed to leave this prison, and had no desire to waste time with Qin Xiao like this.

After all, every day he remained locked up here meant suffering.

So he set aside the notion of his love tribulation and said: “I won the wager just now.”

Qin Xiao raised his eyebrows and said in surprise: “What wager?”

He was definitely going to default on his debt.

Chu Jiubian was not surprised.

For a twisted person like Qin Xiao, who had evil ambitions and a ruthless heart, basic skills like cheating were definitely a cinch for him.

After acting shamelessly, the Regent carefully examined the expression of the person in front of him, as if searching for something.

However, much to his disappointment, the young man before him had a tranquil look in his eyes and didn’t reveal a single trace of emotion.

It was as if the other person was always wearing a thick mask over his face, covering up all emotions and thoughts.

And this mask was a very beautiful one, if somewhat strange.

If Qin Xiao were to express his opinion, he would say that the person before him did not seem like a god, but more like a spirit or demon.

This “demon” should be aware of the advantages of his face. With just a glance, it was capable of moving anyone’s heart.

At this moment, the young man moved closer to the cell door, peering through the arm-width gap in the solid wood. His voice was slightly muted as he said in a seductive tone: “Let me go, and I will show you more miracles.”

Chu Jiubian peered at Qin Xiao, trying to see a hint of greed or hesitation in his eyes.

But as a powerful official, even if he had just recently taken up the position, he already possessed the ability to conceal his emotions.

…..There was another bothersome length of silence.

Finally, after a few breaths, Qin Xiao seemed to be genuinely moved by Chu Jiubian’s words and said with a smile: “Then let’s make another wager. If you win, I will let you out, provide you with good food and drink, and help you get through your so-called love tribulation. What do you say?”

“How do I know you won’t go back on your word again?” Chu Jiubian deliberately emphasized the word again.

Qin Xiao’s credibility with him was zero.

Qin Xiao said indifferently: “Take it or leave it.”

The implication in these few words was that if Chu Jiubian took the wager, he had a chance of getting out, but if he didn’t, he would be imprisoned for life.

He was currently at the mercy of the other party, and since Chu Jiubian had no means of protecting himself, he could only temporarily be at a disadvantage.

“What do you want to bet on?” he asked.

Qin Xiao considered for a moment, then said: “Let us continue to bet on the rain.”

“Do you want to bet on when it will stop?”

“No.” Qin Xiao said unhurriedly, “We will bet on whether this rain will fall in Sichuan and Huguang.”

Chu Jiubian was slightly taken aback, but then it became clear in an instant.

According to the introduction in the novel, the Great Ning Dynasty had now reached the end of its reign.

The Oirat, Tatars, Jurchens, and other tribes were eyeing this country covetously, while the four great families controlled the government. Seven vassal kings ruled the local areas, and the common people were impacted by unprecedented natural disasters such as drought in the south and floods in the north. The people were living in misery due to internal and external troubles.

It could be said that with the male protagonist Bai Lihong ascending the throne under such circumstances, it was really a disastrous beginning.

Fortunately, in the early stages, Regent Qin Xiao and the Qin family behind him helped Bai Lihong stabilize the government and allowed him to sit firmly on the throne.

But later on, Qin Xiao became second to none, and as his ambition expanded, he became Bai Lihong’s greatest enemy.

The original novel had not described the emperor’s childhood in detail, with the story focusing more on his battle of wits and courage with Qin Xiao after he grew up. Therefore, although Chu Jiubian had only read the beginning, he still had some understanding of the major events in the young emperor’s childhood.

For example, Sichuan and Huguang, which Qin Xiao mentioned just now, along with other places.

Since the beginning of spring this year, there had not been a drop of rain in most parts of the south, and there were signs of drought.

On the contrary, in Zhili, Shanxi, Henan, and other parts of the Imperial Capital, rain came from time to time and the crops were growing well.

As the Regent, Qin Xiao naturally had his eye on the entire country. He was also aware that if it didn’t rain in the south, a severe drought was inevitable.

At that point, it would be a tragic scene of widespread grief.

But right now, perhaps Chu Jiubian alone knew that if rain continued to fall in Northern Zhili, flooding would occur sooner or later.

And the flooding may come sooner than the drought.

According to the sentence “drought in the south and floods in the north” mentioned in the novel, he was almost certain that the rain in Northern Zhili would continue to fall, and flooding would occur.

At the thought of this, he could only call up the System in his mind.

[Hello, Host. How may I assist you?]

Chu Jiubian: Please help me check the weather in the Great Ning Dynasty for the next month.

[Relevant information has been found for you. In the next month, there will be intermittent light rain in Northern Zhili, Shanxi, Henan, and Southern Zhili, while the weather in Sichuan, Huguang, and Nanjiang will be sunny, with the highest temperature reaching 40 degrees Celcius.]

Chu Jiubian: There won’t be any heavy rain?

[There will be no heavy rain.]

Chu Jiubian was a little unsure.

Intermittent light rain shouldn’t cause flooding, should it?

Would there be heavier rainfall after this month?

But in order to ensure accuracy, the System could only detect weather conditions for up to a month ahead of time. Therefore, Chu Jiubian had no way to confirm whether or not it would continue to rain in a month.

He thought for a long time, and Qin Xiao didn’t rush him.

At last, Chu Jiubian pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked through the cell door.

“Have you thought it through?” Qin Xiao asked.

“I will make a bet with you.” Chu Jiubian said bluntly: “There will be no rain in Sichuan and Huguang in the next month. The rain outside will only last twelve hours, and will stop at noon tomorrow.”

He deliberately gave the time the rain would stop in order to emphasize his “divine power.”

It didn’t matter if Qin Xiao still didn’t believe in his identity as a god. Even if the other party planned to use him as a “weather forecaster,” it was fine.

The question Qin Xiao had asked required people to go to Sichuan, Huguang, and other regions in order to confirm his words. The round trip would take at least half a month, which was a half month that Chu Jiubian would have to remain in prison.

Thus, he made a “prophesy” that could be proven at noon tomorrow. If Qin Xiao had a change of heart, wouldn’t he be able to leave prison tomorrow at noon?

Qin Xiao’s eyes darkened when he heard these words.

If what Chu Jiubian said was true, and there would be no rain for the next month, there would definitely be a drought in the south.

There were vassal kings in Sichuan, Huguang, and other places who were used to acting as local emperors. However, when they encountered a disaster that required them to contribute money and effort, those vassal kings would not pay out of their own pockets, but would inevitably petition the Imperial Court for money and food.

However, the four great families currently controlled the government, and all good things were placed into their own pockets, resulting in an empty treasury and little ability for risk aversion.

The young emperor’s rise to power was unorthodox and full of enigma. Those pedantic scholars always had opinions on it, but they had been temporarily suppressed because of Qin Xiao’s swift and decisive measures. But if the drought was not handled properly, those pedantic scholars would certainly use it to attack Qin Xiao and the young emperor, and by then, the common people would likely be filled with resentment.

There were also those vassal kings in control of the local areas, as well as the Empress Dowager and Jiannan-wang in the palace. These people would also try their best to crush Bai Lihong and the Qin family to death.

When he thought of this, a fierce look flashed through Qin Xiao’s eyes.

Regardless of whether this so-called “prophecy” was true or not, he should make some preparations.

His thoughts instantly turned a corner, and he fixed his deep gaze on Chu Jiubian, saying: “If the rain stops tomorrow at noon, I will let you out.”

Chu Jiubian smiled at once: “It’s a deal.”

Qin Xiao didn’t extend his stay, and turned to leave.

It was only at this moment that Chu Jiubian suddenly noticed that another person seemed to have come in with Qin Xiao, and had been standing two steps away from him.

It was just that the other party’s sense of presence was very low, and he had forgotten about him while dealing with Qin Xiao.

Now, looking at their backs as the two people left, Chu Jiubian couldn’t help but feel a little frightened.

He had clearly seen the man’s face just now, but in the blink of an eye, he had pretty much forgotten what he looked like. He only recalled that he was an ordinary-looking young man.

Who was that person?

Frowning, Chu Jiubian recalled the original novel and suddenly realized that this person matched someone in the book.

The other party should be Qin Chaoyang, who was born as a secret guard and was both civil and martial. He was Qin Xiao’s most capable and loyal subordinate, assistant, and secretary.

If An Wuji was Qin Xiao’s biggest lackey, then Qin Chaoyang was Qin Xiao’s strongest logistical support.

Chu Jiubian gave a light sigh, thinking that with so many hidden talents around the villain, it was no wonder he was so difficult to defeat.

Said villain returned to Yangxin Palace after leaving the prison.

Bai Lihong now lived in the main courtyard of Yangxin Palace, and Qin Xiao stayed in the western courtyard. The eastern courtyard had been converted into a meeting hall and a study to make it easier for him to teach Bai Lihong.

Naturally, if anyone wanted to continue discussing state affairs after the court session, they would come here.

As soon as Qin Xiao stepped through the gates of Yangxin Palace, Eunuch Hong came forward to greet him. After a respectful bow, he reported: “My Lord, His Majesty has just taken a hot bath. He ate lunch and drank ginger soup, and is now resting.”

Children slept a lot at three years old, and when his elder sister was around, she had always coaxed the child to nap. Qin Xiao didn’t want to put too much pressure on the boy, so at this moment, he just gave a hum of acknowledgement.

Eunuch Hong then said: “Master Lin Sheng, the Overseer of the Imperial Observatory, is waiting in the meeting hall. He said he has something important to report to you.”

Lin Sheng enjoyed the support of their Qin family.

Qin Xiao’s grandfather, the previous head of the Qin family, once said that this person did have some real skill. But Qin Xiao himself didn’t believe in this talk of the supernatural, and simply treated the other party as a useful subordinate. After all, since he was sitting in this position, there would always be times where he needed to play a few tricks.

Qin Xiao surmised that the other party had come to him because of Chu Jiubian, so he headed toward the eastern courtyard.

Lin Sheng was waiting under the eaves of the corridor outside the hall. When he saw Qin Xiao approaching, he immediately stepped forward in the rain to greet him without even opening his umbrella.

Qin Xiao waved away his greeting and asked while walking into the hall: “What is it?”

Qin Xiao’s men were everywhere inside and outside of Yangxin Palace, so there was no need to worry about information being leaked.

Lin Sheng was aware that this was a safe place, so he said directly: “This official just made a divination, and that man today…..”

He glanced at Qin Xiao’s profile before whispering: “…..will defeat you.”

Qin Xiao paused, turning his head to look at him.

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Chapter 3 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 5