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

Empress Dowager Xiao Ruohan was born into the Lin’an Xiao family, one of the four great families. Nowadays, she was the most powerful woman in the Imperial Harem. Before, only the late Empress Qin Feng, who came from the Grand Marshal’s Qin family and was Qin Xiao’s elder sister, was able to compete with her.

Now that the late empress had passed, most of the power in the harem had fallen into the hands of the Xiao family.

The emperor and empress had died at the same time. The incident happened suddenly, but the Qin family was well prepared and was able to control the situation in the Imperial City and stabilize the forces of all parties at the outset. 

Qin Xiao used the crown prince edict drafted by the previous emperor and sent the fifth prince Bai Lihong to the throne through thunderous means.

However, there were still four princes left behind by the late emperor in the palace.

Three of them were of humble origins, and their maternal families had little influence, so they were not to be feared.

Only, there was the eldest prince, Bai Lihai. His mother was Concubine Duan, the first of four concubines during the time of the previous emperor.

Concubine Duan came from a branch of the Xiao family, and thus belonged to the same clan as the Empress Dowager.

After the late emperor ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager raised the eldest prince herself. Now, at the age of sixteen, he had been granted the title “Wang” — Jiannan-wang.

The various forces in the capital restrained each other’s power, and the young emperor did not yet sit firmly on the throne.

The Empress Dowager currently kept Jiannan-wang in the palace on the pretext that she was reluctant to be parted from her grandson. Anyone with a discerning eye could see what her intentions were.

The young Emperor Bai Lihong was only three years old. Although he was intelligent and well-mannered, he was also innocent and naive. Under such circumstances, leaving him alone in the Imperial Palace would be like making a sheep walk into the mouth of a tiger.

Therefore, Qin Xiao risked the world’s disapproval and would rather be denounced by scholars and writers as a treacherous relative of the emperor due to living in the palace. He did this firstly to be perpetually on guard against assassins, and secondly to facilitate the young emperor’s education. 

The affairs of state were currently unstable, and the Imperial Guard would occasionally apprehend assassins, mercenaries, and spies.

In order to facilitate these operations and interrogations, Qin Xiao ordered a “sky prison” built in the palace.

The sky prison was built far away from the harem, in a relatively remote location next to the Ningsu Courtyard, where the Imperial Guards rested while on duty. It covered an area of about three Fengtian Halls, and the surrounding walls were much higher than those of other parts of the palace. There was only one entry and exit gate.

Upon entering the courtyard, all that met the eye was cold, hard stone.

Not only was the ground paved, but the entire row of cells facing the gate were also constructed from thick stone, and looked extremely solid.

It was raining heavily at this moment, making the already dark cells even more damp and cold.

Soaked by the pouring rain, Chu Jiubian couldn’t help but shiver as he walked toward his cell.

The two Imperial Guards following him on each side had deviated from their prior coldness, and regarded him with unconcealable fear and dread, clearly frightened by the sudden rainstorm.

An Wuji was faring better than the other two. There wasn’t much emotion on his face, but his attitude toward Chu Jiubian was completely different from before.

He personally held open the door of the cell and said courteously: “Please, these cells are newly-built and very clean.”

Chu Jiubian was currently in a good mood.

He had won the bet with Qin Xiao. Even if Qin Xiao didn’t keep his word and provide him with good food and drink, it didn’t matter. With this rainstorm, the other party would be afraid of him or even want to use him, but wouldn’t easily kill him.

Having temporarily saved his life, Chu Jiubian naturally felt relieved. 

He walked into the cell and turned to see An Wuji securing the cell door with a heavy bronze lock. He asked: “Is there anyone else in here?”

“No.” An Wuji locked the door and glanced at him, saying: “You’re the first guest here.”

Chu Jiubian: “…..It’s truly an honor.”

Realizing that his words were not pleasant to the ears, An Wuji gave a dry laugh: “Then you should rest if you don’t need anything else. We’ll leave first.”

“Wait.” Chu Jiubian stopped him. “Can you get me some clean clothes? And some hot water. I would like to wipe myself off.”

Only then did An Wuji notice that the young man’s robes were a mess.

Soaked, they clung to his body and outlined beautiful curves. The white silk and soft gauze stuck to his skin, vaguely revealing the soft tenderness underneath.

An Wuji retracted his gaze and said: “Apologies. We don’t dare act on our own without orders.”

Qin Xiao’s order was to imprison Chu Jiubian, and he had given no further instructions.

In fact, had this been anyone else, An Wuji would not have sent him over in person, and would even nudge his subordinates to teach this person a lesson.

But Chu Jiubian was entirely different from those he had arrested before. Not to mention teaching him a lesson, he even had to consider his tone when rejecting his request.

Chu Jiubian knew he was only following orders, and didn’t make things difficult for him. He took a step back and said: “Some drinking water should be okay, right?”

“I have some here.” An Wuji quickly removed the waterskin from his waist and handed it through the cell door.

He had been in the military camp ever since he was old enough to hold a weapon, and being used to roughing it, he was accustomed to eating and sleeping together with the soldiers. But when he looked up and saw Chu Jiubian’s weak appearance, his hand froze.

He said somewhat awkwardly: “This waterskin has been used. If you don’t like it, I can get a new one.”

Chu Jiubian’s throat was dry and painful, and he wasn’t a germaphobe. Thus, he went over and accepted the waterskin. Opening it, he tilted his head back and drank in small sips. Only then did his throat feel a lot better.

He closed the waterskin and went to return it, but An Wuji said: “Please keep it. I’ll have someone bring you food and drink later.”

How considerate.

It seemed his status as a “god” was rather useful.

Chu Jiubian gave him a smile and said: “Thank you very much.”

An Wuji said a few more polite words before leading the other two away.

The three of them left at a rapid pace, and only dared to speak in low voices once they were quite a distance away. All they could talk about was the rain.

Chu Jiubian gingerly touched his burning throat and glanced around the cell, but didn’t see anything extra. 

Not to mention a bed, table, or chair, there wasn’t even a single piece of straw. All that was visible were the smooth, clean walls and floors. 

He walked to the corner and casually sat on the floor.

The hard surface made his bones ache, and coupled with the injuries he’d sustained from hanging on the wire equipment and being thrown to the ground by Qin Xiao, there was basically no part of his body that didn’t hurt.

But he didn’t care about these things. What he cared about most was the System in his head.

On the way here, he had tried to call it in his mind.

The System did answer, but it was different from what he had read in novels. The System had no sense of humanity to it at all, and only answered simple questions with specific answers.

If the question was more complicated, it would keep silent, as if it wasn’t able to understand at all. It was simply a semi-intelligent AI.

But there was one thing he was sure of – that the System held no ill will toward him. Instead, it had a request for him to correct some sort of causality.

But the System was mysterious about the specific causality, and only said: “Host only needs to follow his heart to correct the causality.”

There were no tasks to complete, and no requirements. It was rare to find a System that was so easy to deal with.

Since he was told to follow his heart, Chu Jiubian didn’t delve into it. Instead of focusing on such things, it was better to familiarize himself with the System functions first and see if there was any way to help him get out of this situation.

He closed his eyes, and with a thought, he “saw” a virtual screen similar to a game panel.

However, this panel was as simple as an offline game, with only four boxes on the initial page.

Each box only contained the simplest column name and explanation.

[Faith Value/Points]: According to the faith conversion points received by Host, points can be used for trading activities in the System Mall.

Current Faith Value/Points: 10

[System Mall]: In the System Mall, Host can use Faith Points to purchase any item. Please click on the specific item to view the details page for purchase rules, product usage, etc.

Current status: Open.

[System Warehouse]: Can store a variety of items (except living things).

Current status: 10 square meters, occupied space: 0. (Will automatically expand as Faith Value accumulates. When points decrease, the space will not decrease.)

These three categories were not difficult to comprehend. Chu Jiubian understood them at a glance.

Then there was the last one. He couldn’t guess its specific function just by the name, and its explanation was the longest.

Divine Realm? Chu Jiubian thought to himself. Sounds really chunnibyou.

[Divine Realm]: Host can use this function to select and connect with Believers. After a successful connection, Host and their Believers can appear in the Divine Realm together. The Divine Realm is a space independent of the three-dimensional world. In the Divine Realm, Host is the only true god and can connect or disconnect with Believers at any time.

Believer connection rules: 

1. Cannot connect to those with evil intentions. Cannot connect to those who have committed heinous crimes. Cannot connect to those who hinder Host’s “correction of causality.”

2. For every 100 points Host accumulates, he or she can add one Believer seat in the Divine Realm (When Faith Value/Points decrease, the number of Believers will not decrease).

3. Believers can be connected to without distance restrictions.

4. To connect to a Believer, he/she must be “sleeping” or in an “empty-minded” state.

5. The content of conversations and events in the Divine Realm is known only to Host and the Believers present. Without Host’s consent, Believers cannot convey the existence of the Divine Realm or matters related to Host to the outside world.

Current Status: Not open (First opening requires accumulated Faith Value of 100).

Chu Jiubian attentively read through it twice, then clicked on the [Divine Realm] box in his mind. Sure enough, there was no reaction at all.

It was inconceivable that he could pull strangers, even people who were far away, into a space that was completely under his control.

According to the wording, if he had enough points, he could even pull hundreds or thousands of people into the space at the same time. Moreover, anything that happened or was discussed in this space was kept absolutely confidential. No one could betray him.

Furthermore, as the only true god in the Divine Realm, it would certainly be a piece of cake for him to hide his appearance and identity.

The more his thoughts diverged, the more Chu Jiubian intuited the powerful functionality of this Divine Realm.

He couldn’t wait to find out what it was like, so he had to acquire Faith Points quickly.

Chu Jiubian looked back at the Faith Value column. There were 10 Faith Points to start out with, likely because of the rainstorm.

He just wondered…..who was contributing these Faith Points?

The three Imperial Guards should own a share, and the young emperor probably had a share as well. After all, he’d called him “Fairy-gege” as soon as they met.

As for Qin Xiao and those civil and military officials, few of them would associate him with a “god.” At most, they would think he was proficient in the art of ancient Chinese divination.

However, this clear-headedness and skepticism only applied to the intellectual and cultured ruling class. 

In the context of the Great Ning Dynasty, the common people were ignorant and believed that the emperor’s power was granted by divine right, and also believed in the existence of the supernatural.

This was perfect for Chu Jiubian, who needed “Believers” and “Faith Value.”

He only needed to use the System Mall or his own modern knowledge in order to display his unworldly abilities, and he would have a multitude of believers.

With a plan in mind, Chu Jiubian finally clicked on the System Mall.

Because of the excellent functions of the Divine Realm, Chu Jiubian’s expectations for the System Mall were very high. Fortunately, instead of disappointing him, the things inside the mall far exceeded his expectations.

There were gorgeous and exquisite clothing and accessories, ancient works of calligraphy and paintings from unknown dynasties, practical tool blueprints, various foods, medicines, and weapons that could be purchased directly…..

There was a dazzling array of items, and it seemed he could find anything he wanted here.

It all made Chu Jiubian’s head spin.

But very soon, he discovered the mall’s classification and pricing rules.

Daily necessities and food were the cheapest, followed by clothing, medicine, and various vegetable and fruit seeds. The most expensive categories were weapons and blueprints.

Blueprints were more valuable than weapons, because their contents were the crystallization of the wisdom and culture of different worlds and dynasties.

Chu Jiubian only gave them a casual glance and saw “fine salt extraction method,” “glass manufacturing method,” “crop encyclopedia,” “compendium of Chinese traditional medicine,” and “firearms manufacturing.” 

What excited him the most was that after purchasing these blueprints and books, they would be directly imprinted in his mind, allowing him to master them without having to specifically learn them.

And he could even turn these blueprints and books into physical objects and teach them to others.

But that was all for the future. With his meager 10 points, he could at most purchase some food and drinks, and a couple sets of clothes, but those weren’t necessities for him at the moment.

However, he still had to test how these points could be used, and whether the Warehouse size would change after the points were reduced.

So after searching around, Chu Jiubian ultimately spent 0.5 points to buy half a box of cold medicine.

After a successful purchase, the value on the faith grid changed. And while the total size of the Warehouse remained the same, the occupied space changed due to the medicine being automatically stored within it.

The points value of the [Divine Realm] also remained the same. It seemed that the reduction in points did not affect their cumulative value.

Chu Jiubian felt at ease, and slowly opened his eyes. The cold, damp feeling came over him again, and he couldn’t help but shiver.

He retrieved two cold medicine tablets from the System Warehouse and took them with water.

And then he turned his head to look toward the cell door.

Thick wooden bars tightly enclosed him within.

Now, he needed to find a way out of here.

---

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Chapter 2 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 4

The first person to exit the vehicle was Oser. He was wearing a simple black eyemask, and the pride beneath it was evident.

He was full of vigor tonight, and his every move and gesture insta-killed every Alpha in the audience.

No matter how those present made fun of Oser’s weakness, they were unable to deny his outstanding appearance.

“To be fair, His Highness Oser’s looks are truly one-in-a-million.”

“No matter how he refuses to embrace his blood relationship with the Prime Minister, he can’t deny the genes that make him the most attractive person in the empire.”

“You’re talking about genes? If it weren’t for his genetics, every noble-born Omega in the empire would be eager to become his consort. What do you Alphas have to do with any of this?”

“Hush! Someone’s coming!”

Everyone was familiar with the noble and imposing Oser, but he was obviously not the star of the show tonight.

After exiting the vehicle, Oser extended his hand like a gentleman. Another man’s hand stretched out of the vehicle and gently placed itself in his palm.

The excited crowd opened their eyes wide, afraid of missing the slightest detail. Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs were clearly visible, and every decoration from his shoulder tassels to the buttons on his outfit were priceless.

The most eye-catching detail was his silver hair, which flowed down to his waist like a waterfall, straight and smooth. From a distance, it even seemed to sparkle.

Everyone stared blankly, eager for a look at this mysterious guest’s face.

In stark contrast to His Highness Oser, a black cat mask covered most of his face, with only his brightly-painted lips exposed.

The usually very cultured nobles lost their composure and began to swear.

“Grand Duke Sully, why were you so desperate to hold a masquerade ball?”

“As a cat lover, this is the first time in my life that I’ve found the face of a cat so annoying!”

Sully felt more wronged than anyone else: “The theme of the ball was decided a month ago. Had I known that His Highness would bring someone with him, I never would have mentioned the word ‘masquerade.’”

Someone suggested: “How about adding an impromptu activity where everyone takes off their masks?”

Amidst the chatter, Oser affectionately placed his right hand on the mysterious guest’s waist and walked them up to the Sully couple. All noise cut off abruptly.

Oser came to a stop. First, intentionally or not, he looked over everyone present. Then he smiled and said to the person next to him: “Say hello to the master of Florian Castle.”

“Good evening, Duke and Duchess Sully.”

Ling Yi respectfully took Mrs. Sully’s hand and pressed a polite kiss to it.

“I’m honored to be invited to tonight’s ball. The duchess’s beauty is truly unforgettable.”

Tang De stood at attention with a serious look on his face. He appeared to be a dedicated guard on the surface, but underneath, he was proud beyond belief.

Ling Yi’s standard etiquette was the result of his own special training. It had been worth it to use Luo Li as a model to demonstrate the movements.

Mrs. Sully’s first impression of the young man was very favorable: “Your visit is an honor for Florian Castle. Even the Grand Duke’s birthday dinner last year wasn’t as lively as today.”

She smiled and said to Oser: “Your Highness has truly surprised me. When the Grand Duke said you wouldn’t be coming alone, I thought he was joking.”

Oser: “I was planning to bring him to visit the Madam formally later, but Grand Duke Sully was very insistent on finding a dance partner for me, so I had to bring him here early.”

Mrs. Sully understood his underlying meaning. The person accompanying the prince for a formal visit was most likely not just a dance partner. Such etiquette was usually only followed regarding future life partners.

Could it be that this…..why hadn’t His Highness Oser said anything about this earlier?

“It’s a small matter, not worth making a fuss about.”

Sully was already on the verge of exploding from holding back: “His Highness Oser’s friend is our honored guest. May I ask what your name is, where you live, and what rank of hereditary lordship you hold?”

Oser responded unhurriedly: “Grand Duke Sully, did I invite this person here just for you to check his household registration?”

Sully flatly denied it: “I’m simply asking out of interest. If you’re unhappy about it, I won’t ask further. It’s rare for you to bring a dance partner, so I won’t scare him away. Look, there are so many people at the door to welcome the two of you.”

Oser showed no mercy for the other’s feelings: “Really? Why do I feel that everyone is just here to watch me put on a show?”

“No, no, how could that be?” everyone denied in unison.

“If I remember correctly, quite a few of them are still single?”

The single nobles didn’t like the sound of this. Who could accept being mocked for being single by someone who had been single forever?

“It’s improper to say such a thing, Your Highness Oser. We’re only temporarily single.”

“Whereas I’m single for life?” Oser held back a smile.

“Eh…..”

“Over the years, you’ve all been showing off in front of me. You were even the first to send your wedding invitations to my palace, so why are you dissatisfied now?”

Everyone looked around guiltily. They had deceived themselves into thinking that Oser wouldn’t recognize them with their masks on.

“Marquis Polly.”

The man was startled: “I’m here.”

“I recall that you’ve been single for over half a year. Are you here alone tonight?”

Polly: “……Your Highness Oser, I’m just in the gap between my previous relationship and the next one. That doesn’t count as being single!”

“Lord Kuben.” 

Kuben muttered: “Here it comes, I knew it was going to be my turn.”

“I heard that your Omega – oh, your ex-Omega, took your beloved dog with them when they left. Please accept my condolences.”

“……Thank you, Your Highness Oser.”

Madam Sully modestly restrained her laughter: “I finally persuaded Lord Kuben to attend the ball in order to lift his mood. Your Highness, please don’t poke at his sore spot.”

Kuben was crestfallen: “Ai, Madam Sully, you don’t know this, but I just sent His Highness Oser a few photos of our vacation as a couple. This is him retaliating against me.”

“Dozens,” Oser corrected.

Madam Sully: “It seems that you fellows often show off your affection in front of His Highness Oser. This is purely karma – you can’t blame anyone else.”

Oser: “The Madam is fair and just.”

Ling Yi lowered his head, and the corners of his lips rose briefly before returning to normal.

When it came to dissing people, Oser was still in the empire’s top tier.

When he raised his head again, he had once again returned to his polite, civilized demeanor: “Have we been talking here for too long? Madam Sully, please look after your health.”

At this reminder, Sully quickly joined his wife: “Madam, you’ve been standing for too long. Let’s go inside and rest.”

The large group returned to the main hall in a mighty procession, instantly drawing the attention of those guests who had not been waiting at the door.

“I never thought that within my lifetime, I would actually see His Highness Oser attend a ball with a companion. This is even more shocking than if Prime Minister Lu Hulun wore women’s clothing!”

“I heard that His Highness Oser has been staying at the Royal Medical College recently. Could this person be a doctor there?”

“But I just heard Tang De call him ‘His Highness.’ Could it be that he’s a prince from another country?”

The group guessing his sexual characteristics possessed even more members than those discussing his identity.

“He’s so tall. He looks like an Alpha, but an Alpha wouldn’t be able to stand His Highness’s pheromones.”

“He could also be a well-developed Beta. But I remember someone saying that His Highness Oser has a proud character, and that even if he remains single for the rest of his life, he will never seek out a Beta as a partner.”

“He can’t possibly be an Omega.”

Everyone unanimously agreed.

Oser introduced several distinguished guests to Ling Yi before the dancing began, and afterward, melodious dance music slowly began to play.

Oser embraced Ling Yi and slid onto the dance floor, one hand on his waist and the other clasping his fingers as they slowly danced to the rhythm of the music.

“Can you dance?” he asked.

Ling Yi was actually very proficient at ballroom dancing, as dancing was one of the few entertainment activities in the military academy. Youthful cadets would take this opportunity to socialize with members of the opposite sex.

But if he said this, Oser would definitely ask who he had danced with, so Ling Yi simply denied it.

“Not really.”

“That’s okay. I can teach you.”

A social skill such as dancing had been meaningless to Oser in the past, and it was even more impossible for him to expend the energy to learn it.

He just watched others dance and imitated the steps, so when others cast their gazes toward him, Oser mistakenly thought it was in recognition of his dancing skills and danced even more confidently.

After two rounds of dancing, Ling Yi realized that Oser was a novice ballroom dancer. If this were a normal occasion, it would be fine to dance recklessly with him.

But they were currently the focus of the entire audience, and as his dance partner, Ling Yi had the obligation to maintain the imperial prince’s dignity.

“Your Highness, although I’m not very skilled, the military school taught us the basic steps of ballroom dancing.”

“Really? Dance and let me see.”

Ling Yi demonstrated for him. Oser’s learning ability was extraordinary. He was able to use the knowledge freely after only a few rounds of practice, and even Ling Yi had to admire him.

“Your Highness dances very well.”

Oser was so delighted by the praise that he even changed his views on boring human social activities like dancing.

“Sully often holds dances. If you like them, I’ll bring you to more of them in the future.”

“They love this activity so much that they’re even holding a ball when they have a child on the way.”

“Madam Sully is opposed to artificial wombs, and insists on natural childbirth. Their first three children were born this way, and they’re currently pregnant with their fourth. Look how proud Sully is! We’ll have five children and surpass them.”

Ling Yi: “……”

The two of them looked across the dance floor at the same time, and their eyes happened to meet those of the Sully couple. They nodded and smiled at each other, exuding 100% friendliness.

Ling Yi turned back: “Your Highness, you haven’t considered that by the time we have our fifth child, they may already have six.”

“Then let’s have seven,” Oser said, determined not to admit defeat. “We can’t be outdone by them.”

“……” Ling Yi took aim at Oser’s foot and stomped on it hard, then apologized expressionlessly. “Ah, sorry, I moved wrong.”

“It’s alright, you can rest if you’re tired.”

After they left the dance floor, a group of young noblemen who looked to be around Oser’s age frantically made faces and strange gestures in their direction. 

“Are those people calling you, Your Highness?”

Oser glanced at them and said: “Oh, they’re a group of beasts I met while studying at the Royal Academy.”

“It looks to me like they want you to come over.”

The beasts tried their best to lure Oser over, and finally got him there.

“You finally noticed us, Your Highness. We thought you only had eyes for this long-haired beauty.”

“We’ve known each other for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve seen you with a dance partner. You didn’t even introduce us. Are we not worthy of meeting your partner?”

“After six years of studying together, the friendship between His Highness Oser and us is as fragile as plastic.”

Oser: “Plastic? Plastic is too strong. Sand that scatters in the wind is a more apt description for our friendship.”

One of them shook his head with a sigh: “We originally wanted to save face for you, but since you’re so heartless, we’ll speak frankly. How much did you spend to invite this beautiful Alpha to put on such a big show with you?”

Oser and Ling Yi exchanged looks of surprise.

“How did you know I’m an Alpha?”

When Ling Yi asked this question, he as good as admitted that he was an Alpha.

Oser narrowed his eyes: “Why do you think he’s an Alpha?”

The beasts pushed and shoved at each other before electing an upright representative.

“Of course it’s because his Alpha dance steps are so skillful that even us Alphas are ashamed of ourselves!”

“But don’t be discouraged. Your Omega dance steps are also quite impressive. You definitely have a talent for dancing!”

Oser: “……”

Ling Yi: “……”

Oser sent Ling Yi a meaningful look: “So that’s how it is.”

Ling Yi: …..I was careless.

Oser frankly admitted: “I didn’t expect this. It was an oversight on my part. Excuse me, I must settle accounts with my actor.”

The beasts burst into gloating laughter once the two left, “Hee hee hee hee hee hee,” like a group of wildly dancing geese.

Oser had a half-smile on his face: “Omega dance steps?”

“You can’t blame me for that. I only know how to dance like an Alpha.”

“I don’t know which you’re more skilled at, Alpha dance steps or lying.”

Ling Yi lowered his eyes and remained silent for a while. Suddenly, without any warning, he stood on tiptoe and gave His Highness Oser a quick kiss on the lips.

The nearby cries of geese stopped as the beasts witnessed something incredible. Their mouths opened wide and their eyeballs bulged, like geese whose necks had been strangled.

Having successfully silenced the geese, Ling Yi sent them a sharp, triumphant look. When he turned his eyes back, they were as tranquil as water. He was like two different people before and after.

“Dear, since your dance class experience wasn’t enjoyable, I’m now offering you after-sale compensation. Are you satisfied?”

Oser’s smile reached the bottom of his eyes: “Pretty much satisfied.”

“I’ll teach you another piece of commoner jargon for free. At this point, you should say, ‘Five-star review.’”

In a corner near the buffet table stood two inconspicuous young men.

One was a big, burly man named Bo Rui, a cousin of Grand Duke Sully’s.

The other was tall with white hair, Bo Rui’s classmate and good friend, Da Lun. 

His expression was overcast at the moment, at odds with the atmosphere of the party.

“Da Lun, I asked you to come to the ball to relax. You’ve been depressed the whole day.”

“I appreciate your kindness, but I’m not in the mood for fun.”

“I’m sad about Ling Yi’s death too, but you can’t stay like this forever. You need to cheer up. If Ling Yi were still here, he definitely wouldn’t want you to have such a negative mindset because of him.”

“You’re right, I need to cheer myself up as soon as possible. I want to exonerate Ling Yi and clear his name.”

Bo Rui patted his good brother’s shoulder in relief, and exaggerated goose calls sounded from a corner of the hall.

Their attention was drawn over.

Da Lun: “What’s happening over there? Why are they laughing so happily?”

Bo Rui: “I don’t know. It seems to be related to His Highness Oser.”

Da Lun exclaimed: “Am I seeing this right? Does His Highness Oser seem to have a dance partner?”

“You haven’t been paying attention. The fact that His Highness Oser brought a dance partner has already made a big commotion.”

Da Lun was embarrassed. “I didn’t notice. I was distracted.”

“His Highness Oser not only brought a dance partner, but refuses to reveal the identity of that partner. The aristocratic circles have been in an uproar, and everyone is speculating about that person’s background.”

In the distance, His Highness Oser said something to his mysterious dance partner, who suddenly stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

“Fuck!” Bo Rui blurted out.

His mouth formed an O shape, and he suspected that he was seeing things, so he asked Da Lun for confirmation.

“Did you see that just now?”

He turned his head and found Da Lun staring blankly in that direction.

“Da Lun, what’s up with you?” Bo Rui asked.

Da Lun said in a hesitant tone: “Why do I feel that person looks like…..Ling Yi?”

---

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Chapter 25 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 27

Chapter 45 – Chain of Strategems

Hao Chen beat his breast and stomped his feet for a moment as Feng Ye once again distanced himself. 

As the two of them dived deeper, the view ahead became increasingly dim. Feng Ye’s pitch black robes blended in with the dark sea water around him, rendering him nearly invisible.

No, completely invisible. Feng Ye’s figure vanished briefly from Hao Chen’s view, and he hurriedly chased after him. In order to avoid losing him, Hao Chen stopped thinking about those messy things and followed Feng Ye agreeably.

The two of them didn’t speak for some time, and there was silence all around.

Waves crashed perpetually on the surface, but the deep sea was tranquil, without any sounds or patrolling fishes.

This actually wasn’t normal. How could there be no fish in such a vast sea?

Not including Hao Chen.

Generally speaking, this sort of situation meant that there was something extremely terrifying lurking nearby, keeping sensible fish away.

Hao Chen had actually noticed the abnormality long before, but Feng Ye was leading the way in front, and since he didn’t stop, Hao Chen didn’t stop either.

After swimming for a while, the silence persisted, and the light in his field of vision grew continuously weaker. All Hao Chen could see was Feng Ye in front of him. There was no telling what was hiding in the water only meters away.

But he could sense it. When moving through the deep, lightless sea, vision was not the key sense.

A sense of smell, along with skin that could detect subtle changes in the flow of seawater, were what fish relied upon to navigate the deep sea.

The gentle current suddenly surged in a slight wave.

They were getting closer to whatever was lurking here. Upon realizing this, Hao Chen asked in a somewhat dubious tone: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye?”

Feng Ye didn’t answer. He just continued to move forward with his head down.

Hao Chen had no choice but to continue following him. He was somewhat baffled. Could it be that Feng Ye couldn’t sense the danger here at all, and was just stubbornly swimming down?

It was difficult to say. Hao Chen could sense the danger in such dark water by sensing changes in the water flow, but Feng Ye was not a fish, and may not have the same perception ability.

No matter how strong a creature was on land, its strength would be greatly reduced in the sea.

After swimming for a while, the current became more drastic, its intensity outpacing the speed at which they were moving.

This showed that…..

Hao Chen peered at the dark sea beneath his feet. The thing lurking in the darkness had noticed them, and was already making its approach.

The vibrations against his skin became increasingly obvious. It was coming from the front. No…..there was also one below…..and behind…..Hao Chen looked around, feeling vibrations through the water flow in nearly all directions. 

There was more than one monster lurking here!

And the nearest one had already arrived in front of them…..

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye!” Hao Chen shouted at once.

However, Feng Ye didn’t stop, just continuing to move forward as if unaware. He was about to collide with the monster in front of him, which had its mouth wide open, waiting for the prey to fall into its trap.

The reduction in ability was too great, just like a broken bone. Danger was so close, and Feng Ye didn’t even notice.

Although Hao Chen had always been indifferent to the fates of mortals, at the moment Feng Ye was about to send himself into the belly of a monster, he moved before he had time to think.

He grabbed Feng Ye’s shoulders and pulled him backward with force.

The monster in front with its mouth yawning open realized it had been spotted by its prey, and changed its strategy, beginning to inhale water like a whale.

The water in front of them suddenly transformed into a whirlpool, and the raging currents swept the two people toward the belly of the monster.

Hao Chen stepped in front of Feng Ye and gave a casual wave of his fan. At once, the violent water flowed past him while he stood firmly in place.

But the other monsters attacked at the same time, extending hideous tentacles from the pitch-dark sea below. These tentacles were covered in suction cups with criss-crossing fangs, suctioning to the two people’s legs as they crawled upward.

There was also danger behind them. Something was approaching at high speed, sword-like jaws splitting the water as it barreled toward them, intent on splitting them as well.

The turbulent flow of water conveyed danger in every direction. Hao Chen wasn’t paying attention to the monsters surrounding them, which were either already attacking or about to make a move.

He just stared at Feng Ye in front of him. In the remaining light, he caught a clear glimpse of Feng Ye’s expression.

The eyes that should be gleaming currently held no luster. His pupils were directed forward, but were unfocused and unseeing.

There was only dullness remaining on that face.

Dullness like that of a puppet.

Hao Chen’s mind raced, and he suddenly attacked. Not waiting for the swift monster to pierce them both, he directly pierced Feng Ye’s chest with his hand.

As expected, there was no sticky sensation of reaching through flesh and blood. As his hand passed through Feng Ye’s chest, all he felt was the same uniform water pressure.

Feng Ye’s face remained lifeless. After Hao Chen pulled out his hand, a large hole was left in his chest. There was neither flesh nor blood in the hole, only water flowing through it.

Hao Chen blinked, and there was suddenly no trace of Feng Ye in front of him. There were only the black and white daoist robes that Feng Ye habitually wore, with half a sleeve torn off by Hao Chen.

And on those daoist robes were complex array patterns.

“Illusion array……” Hao Chen murmured as he inspected them.

There was still some lingering spiritual power in the array that had not yet dissipated. The illusion had still been going until Hao Chen suddenly took action and pierced through the chest of the illusionary Feng Ye.

When the array was destroyed, the illusion also stopped working.

He finally understood that he had been tricked.

He began to replay the previous events. The Feng Ye who had argued with him before must not have been fake, as this level of illusion array was not capable of such realism. So it must have been after…..that!

Hao Chen suddenly remembered the moment Feng Ye vanished briefly from his field of vision. The illusion array had been activated at that moment, and the person swimming in front of Hao Chen was no longer a living being, but a daoist robe covered in array patterns.

From that moment on, Feng Ye never said another word. Hao Chen had followed behind him, unaware of his dull appearance.

But when he thought about it carefully, something didn’t seem right. When had Feng Ye drawn the array patterns? Although this illusion array was not very complicated, it couldn’t be drawn in such a short amount of time.

Likewise, it was impossible to prepare it in advance. Feng Ye couldn’t have predicted the future and anticipated the current situation. He must have acted on impulse.

But Hao Chen had clearly never left his side…..

No! Hao Chen suddenly recalled that they had indeed been separated for a time. When Feng Ye was running away atop the monster, although Hao Chen had caught up with him quickly, Feng Ye had been away from him for an incense stick of time.

It was during this period that he had finished drawing the array.

This was simply a chain of stratagems!

The incident on the shore had just been a cover-up. Feng Ye had never expected to get rid of Hao Chen through that incident. He’d ridden the monster away just to separate from Hao Chen for a while so that he could prepare his ultimate move.

Thus, when Hao Chen met Feng Ye again underwater, he didn’t seem upset about failing to throw him off the trail. Rather, his attitude was very casual, as if he had expected it.

Perhaps he had been deliberately waiting for Hao Chen to find him, so that he could implement his real plan hidden beneath layers of obfuscation.

“Ha.” Hao Chen suddenly laughed – but there was no joy in his laughter.

Only suppressed wrath.

He had been angered to laughter!

He just swore that even if it was you, he would save you. But unexpectedly, Feng Ye turned around and, before Hao Chen could finish being moved, used an illusion array to lure him into the monsters’ lair.

What was that human saying?

When a man opens his mouth, only lies come out.

“Hehe…..” Laughing once wasn’t enough for Hao Chen, so he laughed again, louder and louder. He no longer cared about being exposed, nor did he waste time using his spiritual consciousness to speak.

He just curled his lips underwater and sneered to his heart’s content.

The chill in his laughter leaked into reality. This was not a metaphor.

The temperature in the deep sea was actually not that cold. On the contrary, it was very warm due to its proximity to a volcano.

But at this moment, a fine layer of ice spread out in all directions with Hao Chen at the center.

The temperature abruptly plummeted.

Cold, gloomy, terrifying spiritual power was released unreservedly, its magnitude so great that all of the monsters in the sea couldn’t match it.

Monsters had always had keen senses, and had already realized that the spiritual power contained within this human-looking thing was extremely vast. 

The monster that was trying to suck Hao Chen into its stomach immediately shut its mouth and gave its tail a soft flick, trying to retreat silently.

But although this particular monster had stopped in time, the others did not.

The swordfish monster, its jaws long and sharp, was barreling forward extremely fast. Unable to stop its momentum, it charged straight at Hao Chen.

With a swish, Hao Chen casually waved his fan and the swordfish monster was split in two by an invisible current. It divided along the middle, spewing out blood like red dye to stain the dark sea.

At the same time, the tentacles that had not yet loosened around Hao Chen’s ankles suffered the same fate as the swordfish and were directly bisected.

The octopus monster retracted its remaining tentacles and retreated tremblingly into the deep sea.

However, Hao Chen had no intention of showing mercy to these monsters that dared to offend him. He was full of rage, and the culprit had disappeared to who knows where, so he needed someplace to vent his anger.

This group of monsters had brought about their own destruction. But just when Hao Chen was about to start killing them, he heard a human voice:

“God, spare my life!”

Hao Chen’s fanning motion paused. His gaze swept across the seabed before settling on the octopus whose tentacles he had sliced in two.

Octopuses were known to be intelligent creatures. Other monsters of the same level around it were unable to speak the human language, but it could.

But so what? Speaking the human language was not uncommon.

Weren’t there over tens of millions of fish in his North Sea that could speak it?

Hao Chen had only paused, and still had no intention of letting these monsters go.

Seeing that he was about to attack again, the octopus monster once again begged for mercy: “God, we are all very familiar with this area of the sea. Why has Your Greatness come here? As long as you allow us to live, we will go through fire and water to bring about your will.”

Hao Chen’s heart was moved. He actually had no purpose in coming here other than following Feng Ye to find the Jianmu seed.

And where had Feng Ye gone after leaving him? Naturally, that was the location of the Jianmu seed…..this group of monsters that resided here all year round must be aware of the divine Jianmu.

So Hao Chen asked ponderously: “Where is the Jianmu seed?”

“Jianmu?” The octopus seemed very surprised to hear this. Without waiting for Hao Chen to ask further, it went on to explain: “The Jianmu seed was taken away by a human a hundred years ago. There are none here at all.”

Hao Chen frowned slightly upon hearing this. It wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear. He said with some displeasure: “That human only took one seed. Are there no other Jianmu seeds here?”

“God, please forgive me.” The octopus noticed Hao Chen’s unfriendly tone and immediately waved its remaining tentacles in a plea for mercy, simultaneously flattering Hao Chen: “ God, your knowledge is extensive, and you should know that the smaller the realm, the easier it is to collapse. A slight change, such as a tsunami or a volcano, can lead to the destruction of a small world.”

Hao Chen wasn’t fooled by the flattery, but he didn’t interrupt the octopus. Because the octopus was correct – the smaller the world, the more unstable it was.

The octopus continued: “Isn’t it strange, God? The Floating Island Secret Realm is obviously just a small world, yet there are so many spiritual plants here, and the spiritual energy is almost comparable to the heavens where you reside.”

Comparable to the heavens? The spiritual energy of this realm was only slightly better than that of the mortal world. This octopus was just a frog in a well, only able to see a small portion of the sky. Hao Chen was about to scoff, when he suddenly realized that the octopus was probably referring to the events of one hundred years ago, when the Jianmu seed was still here. The octopus’s next words proved him correct.

“Everyone knows that Jianmu is a sacred tree capable of connecting heaven and earth, but few people know that an unsprouted Jianmu seed can stabilize a realm and gather spiritual energy.”

“Is was precisely because of this seed that a small world like the Floating Island Secret Realm was able to thrive. It was also a treasure that all of us monsters living here jointly guarded. It was the Jianmu seed that created this paradise.”

“Although the Floating Island Secret Realm will connect to the human realm every ten years, it is only for one day. And those humans are often dazzled by the magical elixirs on the island, with no idea that the real treasures reside in underwater caves.”

“But a hundred years ago, one human infiltrated the seabed.” When the octopus said this, its anxious tone gained an element of uncontrollable anger. Even after a hundred years, it had still not forgotten that incident.

“He noticed the difference between the Floating Island Secret Realm and other small worlds, and realized that something might be hidden in the seabed, so he ventured alone into the deep sea to explore.”

“It is unknown what sort of method he used to hide himself from our eyes and ears and sneak into an underwater cave. He then found the Jianmu seed, and!” Speaking of this, the octopus could no longer control its emotions, and its voice rose by several degrees: “And he snatched it away!”

Its words were echoed by the monsters around it, big and small. They shared a common hatred for their enemy and began to grow agitated, temporarily forgetting that they were in the presence of a great god. 

Seeing the currents beginning to surge again, Hao Chen gave his fan an impatient swish. The angry monsters who were showing signs of moving immediately went quiet, floating obediently in the sea without moving a single muscle.

The octopus also retracted its tentacles and returned to a normal volume: “We tried our utmost to stop that human, but we still failed. After killing two of our companions, he left the Floating Island Secret Realm with the Jianmu seed.”

“It was after the Jianmu seed left the Floating Island Secret Realm that the realm, without the Jianmu seed’s protection, began to show signs of collapse. Although on the surface, the realm appears to be thriving, the situation is in fact already very precarious. Any overly violent shock may lead to the collapse of this world.”

“God, if there was truly another Jianmu seed, how could the Floating Island Secret Realm have fallen to its current state?” The octopus lamented. Once the Floating Island Secret Realm collapsed, those who lived in it would naturally not be spared.

Hao Chen was silent. The octopus’s words had actually convinced him. It seemed that there was no second Jianmu seed here. There was only one seed from beginning to end, the one Ling Yun took away one hundred years ago.

This was actually his original idea. The reason he hadn’t expected Feng Ye to come to the Floating Island Secret Realm was that he didn’t believe that there could be a second Jianmu seed. 

The more powerful something was, the rarer it was. How could a sacred tree such as Jianmu grow everywhere like an ordinary plant? 

In Hao Chen’s subconscious mind, the Jianmu seed was one of a kind.

The octopus had solved a puzzle for him, but this also raised another question: why did Feng Ye feel that there was a second seed?

Hao Chen recalled the conversation between Feng Ye and Administrator Zheng in the Armory Pavilion and immediately refuted himself.

No, Feng Ye likely didn’t firmly believe that there was a second Jianmu seed here. He just firmly believed that a Jianmu seed existed somewhere in the world.

So when he asked Administrator Zheng if Jianmu had actually burned down completely, only after receiving a positive answer did he begin to think that there might be a second seed, and therefore decided to come to the Floating Island Secret Realm to investigate.

Everything seemed to be explained, but digging deeper revealed more mysteries. What was the connection between Feng Ye and Jianmu? Why was he so obsessed with it? And why did he so firmly believe that Jianmu still existed?

A smack sounded through the currents as Hao Chen rapped his fan against his palm. He was getting a little impatient thinking about it, and felt that this question was a bottomless pit. There was no other way to get to the bottom of this other than questioning Feng Ye directly.

He simply didn’t think about the Jianmu question anymore, focusing instead on how Feng Ye tricked him into the monsters’ lair.

Speaking of which, Feng Ye had come all the way here in search of the Jianmu seed, and even went to great lengths to get rid of Hao Chen. But as it turned out, there was no second seed at all. Hadn’t Feng Ye’s efforts come to nothing?

The thought was rather satisfying. That bastard had used an illusion to deceive his feelings!

But this was only a small win. Hao Chen still couldn’t forgive Feng Ye for luring him into the monsters’ lair.

Even though this group of monsters didn’t do anything to him, he was still very angry!

He had instinctively pulled Feng Ye back from the fish’s mouth and shielded him behind him, never suspecting that what he had saved was a piece of clothing covered in array patterns!

He had lived for tens of thousands of years, and had never suffered such humiliation!

The more Hao Chen dwelled on it, the more unbearable it felt. He decided to teach Feng Ye a lesson.

At this thought, he gave a command to the group of trembling monsters around him: “Follow this scent and find the owner of these robes.”

He held up the broken-sleeved daoist robes that Feng Ye had left behind.

At once, a monster with a well-developed sense of smell came close for a sniff and then quickly retreated, not daring to linger near Hao Chen.

“God, what should we do with that person when we find them?” Asked the octopus, as the group’s representative.

“You should……” Hao Chen pondered for a moment.

His lips suddenly curved in a smile that lacked any warmth. It made one feel cold all over, and these thick-skinned monsters couldn’t help but shiver.

Behind his fan, his thin lips opened and closed as he uttered four frigid words: “Kill him without mercy!”

As he finished speaking, the calm sea began to stir again. The monsters around him spontaneously took off in all directions, hunting for the man who had been sentenced to death.

---

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Chapter 44 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 46

Chu Jiubian could feel eyes on him from all directions.

Those looking at him were not only the civil and military officials below the long staircase, but also the Imperial Guards on duty or hiding in various locations inside the palace, as well as Qin Xiao’s personal soldiers.

These people were all top martial arts masters. If they sensed that Qin Xiao was in danger, they would immediately step in to solve the problem.

The reason they hadn’t taken action yet must be because Chu Jiubian was too weak to pose a threat to Qin Xiao.

They didn’t notice any danger, but when Chu Jiubian saw Qin Xiao “smile,” he felt that he was not far from death.

As the original text stated, the more obvious Qin Xiao’s smile was, the more miserable the death of the one who had provoked him would be.

Wasn’t this pure derangement?!

Chiu Jiubian’s heart collapsed and screamed, but his face remained smiling. He even moved his hands to lightly pat the man’s chest muscles, saying: “Let me down, there are so many people watching.”

These words and actions were tantamount to pulling the fangs from a tiger’s mouth.

Qin Xiao had completely regained control of his body. His gaze slowly roved across Chu Jiubian’s face, ice-cold, almost as if it had physical substance.

The places his eyes passed over felt numb. Chu Jiubian felt a sudden sense of weightlessness, followed by a dull pain as he fell onto the white jade platform.

The person holding him had loosened his grip and let him fall directly to the ground.

The impact on his spine was not light. Before Chu Jiubian could breathe a sigh of relief, he watched as the Regent in front of him leaned down and stretched out his arms. Then, slender, calloused hands with distinct joints wrapped tightly around his fragile neck.

Chu Jiubian’s breath cut off, and he instinctively reached up to grasp the man’s strong arms.

The man forced him to stand up, and he stumbled to his feet.

Looking up, Chu Jiubian found the man in front of looking at him with interest.

Heaven and earth were silent.

None of the officials uttered a word. The nearby young emperor seemed frightened as well, helplessly clenching his hands.

In such a situation, his heartbeat became particularly clear.

Chu Jiubian felt like he was suffocating. He bit the tip of his tongue hard to keep himself conscious and used both hands to try to pry away the grip on his neck.

He didn’t want to die now!

His brain, on the edge of death, leapt into fast, agile motion.

He had appeared abruptly, and during the coronation ceremony when the young emperor had yet to sit firmly on the throne. Thus, Qin Xiao might regard him as an assassin sent by a certain force or party.

Given Qin Xiao’s ruthless, decisive character, the other party should have killed him without hesitation the moment he appeared.

But the System chose the other party as his landing site and controlled him to catch Chu Jiubian.

The ability to control someone’s body sounded like a supernatural power. Even someone like Qin Xiao would definitely have some misgivings.

At present, Qin Xiao did not directly break his neck, but instead gave him a chance to breathe. It could be that he had doubts and wanted to discover his secrets.

That was enough.

As long as Qin Xiao harbored even the slightest curiosity about him, he still had a glimmer of hope.

And what he’d just said about being a god who had come to earth to overcome a love tribulation should further arouse Qin Xiao’s curiosity and desire to investigate. With this being the case, the other party wouldn’t kill him easily.

What’s more, this was a coronation ceremony, and the sight of blood was inauspicious.

Chu Jiubian looked directly at Qin Xiao. His glistening peach blossom eyes had been forced to release some moisture, and the corners of his eyes turned red as if he had suffered a great injustice.

But his pale, soft lips curved into a pleasant arc, and his expression contained a tender yearning.

Two completely different emotions merged and intertwined strangely, just like the identity he had given himself — both human and god.

“You don’t believe me?” Chu Jiubian spoke again.

His voice was hoarse, not as pleasant to the ear as it had been before.

Chu Jiubian’s tone was relaxed as he said with a bewitching look: “How about a wager? If I win, you’ll provide me with good food and drink and help me get through my love tribulation. If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me.”

Qin Xiao had met many people, but not one of them had the ability to remain calm when faced with such murderous intent as his.

But the person in front of him hadn’t shown a trace of fear from beginning to end. He was perpetually calm and at ease, as if his own life or death meant nothing to him.

But the fact was, the person in front of him was still trying to survive.

How strange. How contradictory.

This person seemed extremely contradictory from the inside out.

But Qin Xiao had to admit that he was very interested in such a person, especially one so strangely-dressed, who had appeared out of nowhere and claimed to be a “god.”

He slowly loosened his grip, but continued to hold Chu Jiubian captive.

“What is the wager?” he asked with interest.

Chu Jiubian’s smile deepened. Suppressing the itchy dryness of his throat, he said in a hoarse voice: “I wager that there will be heavy rainfall in a quarter of an hour. If not, I lose.”

At present, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. The scorching heat of summer caused one to feel restless and irritable.

In this situation, let alone Qin Xiao, even Chu Jiubian himself wouldn’t believe it would rain if not for the System.

He naturally didn’t trust this strange System, but right now, he needed an opportunity to prove his “divinity” and could only take a gamble.

In this place that was equivalent to the “Warring States Period” in his original world, observing celestial phenomena and accurately predicting them to within a quarter of an hour could definitely be called a “miracle.”

Thus, the “gamble” he spoke of wasn’t entirely certain.

If he lost, he would literally die.

Dancing on the edge of a knife like this utterly stimulated his mind, and the light in his eyes grew brighter.

He didn’t know if it was a coincidence, or if a storm was really on the way.

But after Chu Jiubian finished speaking, a breeze suddenly blew through the still palace, sending the wide sleeves of the officials afflutter. Chu Jiubian’s long silver hair also swayed gently, adding an element of charm to his handsome face.

Qin Xiao stared at the young man in front of him, and after a moment, fully released his grip on him.

Having suddenly regained use of his airway, Chu Jiubian could no longer suppress the itch in his throat. He rubbed his neck and coughed heart-wrenchingly.

The tinnitus and coughing took away most of his hearing, but he still heard Qin Xiao utter three short words: “Take him away.”

As soon as he spoke, two Imperial Guards clad in soft armor appeared on the platform. One on the left and one on the right, they clamped Chu Jiubian’s arms and led him away, following the palace road that led to the inner palace.

There was a sweet, fishy taste in Chu Jiubian’s throat that finally suppressed the dry, itchy sensation.

Perhaps because they knew he was powerless, the two Imperial Guards had released their grips once they were away from the platform, and simply followed behind him.

Chu Jiubian swallowed and glanced back toward the raised platform behind him.

The figure standing there could no longer be seen.

“Don’t look.” A joking voice sounded from the front.

Chu Jiubian turned back around to see a young man in dark armor standing with his arms folded. 

His face was strong and steadfast, with bright and pleasant features, and he wore a half-smile as he looked at Chu Jiubian.

The Imperial Guards on both sides immediately clasped their fists and saluted, saying: “Commander An.”

An Ping, courtesy name Wuji, was the deputy commander of the Qin Family Army. He was now the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, and also Qin Xiao’s biggest lackey.

Chu Jiubian went over this information in his mind and smiled faintly.

Fortunately, this person had appeared relatively early in the book, saving him from being rudely scrutinized by Chu Jiubian. He looked Chu Jiubian over carefully, from his silver boots, to the gems around his waist, and to the silver fox fur on his shoulders that was obviously worth a fortune.

Finally, he fixed his gaze on Chu Jiubian’s face.

The Imperial capital had no shortage of beauties, but this “god” truly had a face so beautiful that it didn’t seem like that of a mortal.

Of course, An Wuji was more curious about his hairstyle.

It was short and black in front, and long and silver in the back. Truly strange.

In an instant, an idea occurred to him. Could this person really be a god who came to the mortal world to overcome a tribulation?

But a moment later, he put the idea aside.

The man before him spoke strangely, and even wore a fox fur cloak on his shoulders during the hot summer. Perhaps he was a madman, but there was no way he was a “god.”

Stop, stop, no need to think about it anymore.

What their Ning-wang hated most was talk about the supernatural, and he didn’t dare offend him.

An Wuji looked away and, not bothering to say anything more, walked ahead first.

Chu Jiubian was pushed by the guards on either side of him, and raised his feet to follow.

He observed the scenery along the way. This wasn’t the direction out of the palace. Where was he being taken?

Time passed second by second.

The coronation in Fengtian Hall had not been derailed by the incident just now, and continued to the end as if nothing had happened. All of the officials performed the three kneels and nine kowtows, shouting “Long live the emperor.”

The young emperor called in a clear, tender voice: “Stand up!”

“Thanking Your Majesty.”

The officials’ steady voices echoed.

Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan read out the imperial edict, announcing the new emperor’s ascension to the throne.

The Overseer of the Imperial Observatory held the national seal in his hands and presented it to the emperor.

Bai Lihong had long practiced this, and accepted the national seal steadily. All of the officials knelt and kowtowed again, shouting “Long live the emperor.”

At this point, the coronation ceremony finally came to an end.

Qin Xiao went to the young emperor’s side and said: “Your Majesty, please enter the palace.”

Bai Lihong nodded obediently and took two steps forward.

Noticing that his uncle didn’t immediately catch up with him, he turned around in confusion.

Qin Xiao gave him a nod.

Although he didn’t understand why his uncle didn’t want to walk at his side, Bai Lihong obediently turned back and walked, panting, toward Fengtian Hall on his short legs.

The chief eunuch in attendance, Hong Fu, had already taken the national seal and was holding it with great care. He walked behind and to the side of the emperor, his footsteps light and silent.

After the young emperor had walked a distance away, Qin Xiao followed him.

And as soon as he moved, all of the officials standing at the bottom of the long staircase moved as well. Climbing the steps in an orderly manner, they walked together toward Fengtian Hall.

They were well-mannered and dignified, and no one whispered to each other throughout the whole process.

When they reached the hall, everyone lined up on both sides according to their ranks, then looked straight ahead.

There were nine levels of white marble steps, with a spacious platform every three levels.

The dragon throne, where the young emperor was sitting, was located atop the highest platform.

The second-level platform below should have been empty, but there was now a wide ebony chair on the right side. The Regent, wearing the black and gold python robes, sat upon it while gazing down at the officials below.

At this moment, the officials had a new understanding of the prestige and influence the “Regent” should possess.

This was the true definition of “below one, and above ten thousand.”

On the palace road, Chu Jiubian had been escorted by An Wuji for more than ten minutes. The heavy rain predicted by the System was about to arrive.

“Commander An.” When Chu Jiubian spoke, his voice was still hoarse.

An Wuji glanced at him and said nothing.

When he didn’t respond, rather than feeling awkward, Chu Jiubian continued to speak: “I wonder where you’re taking me? It’s about to rain. I’m not afraid of getting wet, but I don’t want you to get wet too.”

When Chu Jiubian spoke his mysterious words just now, his voice wasn’t loud, but during that scene, one could hear a pin drop. So his words were not only heard by An Wuji, but probably by the officials standing below the stone staircase as well.

But nobody took his words seriously.

What god, what tribulation? Had he read too many storybooks?

When Chu Jiubian brought up the matter again now, An Wuji scoffed and said sarcastically: “Immortal, your quarter of an hour is almost up. Take a look at the sun, is there any sign of the weather changing?”

Chu Jiubian looked up.

There were only tens of seconds left before the System said it would rain.

The sun blazed fiercely, and he squinted his eyes.

Was the System so unreliable?

Wouldn’t that mean he was going to lose the bet?

[Dear Host, weather forecasting is the most basic function of this System. It is never wrong.]

The sound of the System came unexpectedly, and Chu Jiubian paused.

An Wuji noticed his sudden abnormality, and he instinctively tensed up, fixing sharp eyes on Chu Jiubian.

The other two Imperial Guards grasped the longswords at their waists, their eyes sharp and vigilant.

As if to prove that it hadn’t made a mistake, the System had already started a countdown in Chu Jiubian’s mind: 

[Ten, nine…..]

Chu Jiubian looked toward An Wuji and smiled. 

At almost the same time, the sky suddenly changed.

A cold wind howled, blowing through his long silver-white hair and rustling his cloak. Chu Jiubian’s handsome face also exuded an indescribable sense of distance, and even the smile on his lips seemed mysterious and unsettling.

An Wuji’s pupils suddenly shrank, and there was an unconcealable fear in his eyes as he stared at Chu Jiubian.

The strong wind, carrying moist air, passed through the palace and blew through the doors of Fengtian Hall.

The curtains swayed, and the long sleeves of the officials made a muffled sound. The expressions on many faces changed at once, and without a care for manners or etiquette, they turned their heads in shock to look outside.

And Qin Xiao, sitting on his wide chair, also raised his eyes to look outside the hall.

After almost two breaths, raindrops began to fall one after another.

After a few more, the scorching sun completely lost its ability to illuminate the earth and vanished behind inky clouds. The entire capital city was shrouded in sheets of rain.

A rainstorm had really come.

---

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Chapter 1 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 3

Chapter 44 – “But I’m unwilling to be that sort of intelligent person.”

Two hundred meters under the sea.

Due to the brightly-shining sun in the secret realm and the fact that there weren’t many storms on the sea today, this patch of sea wasn’t murky. Light refracted through the water, illuminating the sea two hundred meters down.

It also illuminated Feng Ye’s position. He was leaning against a jutting rock, looking at the place under his feet where the sunlight could not reach.

This was a genuine floating island – meaning, the small island was floating atop the sea, with no beaches at the edges of its perimeter. When Feng Ye jumped into the sea, he was faced with depths that were perhaps several thousand, or even tens of thousands of meters deep.

Compared to the land above water, the underwater portion of the Floating Island Secret Realm was much larger. Feng Ye dived down along the layer of rock that formed the base of the island. He had already dived to a depth of two hundred meters, but still could not see an end to the base layer of rock.

As he went farther and farther down, the light dimmed until it vanished entirely.

There were terrifying monsters lurking in the dark sea. Although few people had actually seen these creatures that lived in the depths all year round, all of the warnings that had been passed down about avoiding the coastline depicted the hideous, horrifying forms these monsters possessed.

Feng Ye stared into the endless deep sea and didn’t continue to descend.

Not because he feared the monsters living in the deep sea, but……because he was waiting for someone.

Hao Chen did not disappoint him. Feng Ye didn’t have to wait long before he heard his persistent voice in his ear.

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye made it so difficult for me to find him.”

Hao Chen appeared with a smile on his face not far above Feng Ye’s head. Although Feng Ye could hear his voice, Hao Chen wasn’t actually speaking out loud. He was using his spiritual consciousness to speak.

Humans couldn’t open their mouths under water, and neither could cultivators. Although they could generate internal breathing within their bodies, once they opened their mouths, they would drown just the same as other humans.

Hao Chen didn’t have such worries, because he wasn’t human at all. He was a Kun – one that could survive in the extremely cold waters of the North Sea.

How could a fish drown? It made no difference to Hao Chen whether he opened his mouth or not. He was just using his spiritual consciousness to communicate with Feng Ye in order to not expose himself.

Feng Ye had the same idea in mind, and spoke to Hao Chen in his spiritual consciousness: “It seems to me that you found me quite easily.”

He and Hao Chen had only been separated for an incense stick of time, and Hao Chen had found him with barely any effort.

Feng Ye was unsurprised, as he had already surmised that Hao Chen originated in the North Sea. No matter what Hao Chen’s true form was, there was no question that he was a variety of seafood.

If he wanted to find a Jianmu seed, he could only go into the sea, and trying to throw off seafood whose native environment was the sea wasn’t very realistic.

Feng Ye was naturally not that naive, and had long guessed that Hao Chen would find him. It was only a matter of time.

And Hao Chen had arrived in a timely manner, so Feng Ye wasn’t forced to wait too long.

“Hehe.” In the face of Feng Ye’s sarcasm, Hao Chen chuckled and replied: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye’s move was brilliant. I thought you helped those two people because you really couldn’t bear to see them become monster food.”

“I never would have thought that Fellow Daoist Feng Ye did all of that just to get rid of me. It really breaks my heart, ah.” As he spoke, he pretended to wipe away nonexistent tears with the corner of his sleeve.

This was his usual manner of speaking, and Feng Ye was used to it. He always ignored this sort of fake sadness from Hao Chen.

Only, his reaction this time was somewhat abnormal.

He leveled a steady look at Hao Chen and said abruptly: “You think I did this to get rid of you?”

What else? Did you really do it to save those two strangers?

Hao Chen was bewildered when he heard this. Although he didn’t reply, the expression on his face said it all.

Feng Ye saw his expression clearly through the sunlight-illuminated water. He smiled self-deprecatingly: “What kind of person am I in the eyes of Fellow Daoist Hao Chen?”

He answered himself without waiting for Hao Chen to speak: “Cruel and heartless? Able to kill people without hesitation? In short, that makes me cold and ruthless.”

Thus, in Hao Chen’s eyes, it was impossible for him to save someone without any reason.

Feng Ye still had a faint smile on his face as he spoke. But it didn’t reach his eyes, just lingering on the surface like a mask.

Hao Chen realized that this seemed to be a very serious topic for Feng Ye. He could only correct his attitude and reply carefully: “That isn’t the case. It’s just that those people are strangers to you and I. Since you have no relation to them and nothing to gain from them, why bother getting involved in their mess? Faced with that situation, most people wouldn’t…..”

“Most people wouldn’t what?” Feng Ye interrupted coldly. “When did it become natural to see someone in danger and not help them? Since when should a person’s reasons for saving someone be questioned?”

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye should have heard the saying, ‘the less trouble, the better.’ Going to great lengths to save someone may not yield favorable results. Will the ones you saved be grateful to you? Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, you must know the story about the farmer and the snake, right?” Hao Chen shook his head with a smile that revealed his contempt for Feng Ye’s questions.

This sort of useless kindness sometimes just brought disaster upon oneself.

It was unknown which of Hao Chen’s words touched Feng Ye, but he suddenly lowered his eyes toward the open sea, his thoughts concealed. After a long moment, he replied: “I know it.”

He knew what?

There was a long pause before Feng Ye spoke again. Hao Chen pondered for while before realizing that Feng Ye was referring to the story about the farmer and the snake.

“I don’t require gratitude.” Feng Ye raised his head as he spoke. After a brief bout of absent-mindedness, his face revealed a firmness even more unshakable than the legendary pillars supporting heaven and earth: “The best policy is to keep oneself out of trouble. An intelligent person like you would make this choice.”

He said word by word: “But I’m unwilling to be that sort of intelligent person.”

Hao Chen’s heart received a shock when he heard this. After a moment, he replied with a hint of sarcasm: “I didn’t expect Fellow Daoist Feng Ye to be such a kind-hearted person. According to your words, no matter what kind of person it is, whether they’re a thief or an unforgivable villain, Fellow Daoist Feng Ye will save them, right?”

Hearing this, Feng Ye refuted with a chuckle: “No, I only save those who should be saved.”

“The innocent should be saved, but as for the guilty…..” He raised three fingers: “No matter how people judge them, there are only three levels of crime. The first level is petty theft, which doesn’t warrant death, just sufficient punishment. The second level involves serious mistakes, but if the person has their own hardships and is able to correct their mistake, they should be allowed to make the correction. The first two are worth saving, but the third deserves……”

He paused, and unlike the descriptions of the first two, he only spoke one word: 

“Death.”

This short word contained a hidden, unreleased killing intent. Like an arrow on a bow, the killing intent therein didn’t diminish in the slightest just because the arrow was still nocked.

As for the third type of sinner, not only would he not save them, but he would even take the initiative to kill them.

“Then…..which level am I at in the eyes of Fellow Daoist Feng Ye?” Hao Chen couldn’t help asking.

Feng Ye smiled and didn’t provide a direct answer.

It can’t be the third level, or Feng Ye would have attacked me long ago, Hao Chen thought.

Neither of them spoke. Just as Hao Chen thought the topic had passed, Feng Ye suddenly said: “Even if it was you in danger, I would still save you.”

Having said this, he moved ahead alone, continuing to dive along the underwater rock base of the floating island.

And Hao Chen stood there blankly, mulling over Feng Ye’s words.

What did he mean, even if it was him in danger? Was he so unfavored in Feng Ye’s eyes? He had become synonymous with those Feng Ye was least willing to save. But if he thought about it carefully, it seemed that he wasn’t really deserving of being saved…..

Hao Chen recalled that in the days he and Feng Ye had known each other, Hao Chen hadn’t done anything but secretly obstruct the other person, and had no other good deeds to his name. The more he thought about this, the guiltier he felt…..

And Feng Ye had actually said he would save him. This feeling was truly…..wonderful…..

This was the only word Hao Chen could come up with. There were only a handful of people who could pose a threat to him, and he had pretty much never been in a situation where his life was in danger. He had always been the one saving others, but Feng Ye actually said he was willing to save him……

Wonderful, and a little sweet…..the taste was a bit like eating the silver cod that was rarely seen in the depths of the North Sea. The meat was sweet and fresh, melting in the mouth, and that sweetness went straight from the tip of the tongue to the tip of the heart.

Feng Ye had already swam forward quite a ways while Hao Chen was in a daze, and he quickly gave chase. Ultimately, he was a fish. Although he was currently in human form, he was still as agile as fish in the sea, and easily caught up with Feng Ye.

He reflected on his actions the past few days and returned Feng Ye’s favor: “I am greatly moved by Fellow Daoist Feng Ye’s words. This is a matter of reciprocity. Since Fellow Daoist Feng Ye made me a promise, I will also make a promise to him.”

He pointedly swam in front of Feng Ye: “If Fellow Daoist Feng Ye ever beseeches me for help, I will definitely help him.” He looked Feng Ye straight in the eye and added: “No matter the cost.”

Having said this, he took out his fan and proudly fanned himself underwater.

He felt that he had made a very heavy promise. As the great god and master who guarded the North Sea, he had the power to blot out the sky and block the sun, and could accomplish things that ordinary people were incapable of.

Countless people had asked him for help, but he usually didn’t even bother to listen.

And he had promised Feng Ye that he would help him as long as he asked. If this matter were to be made public, it was certain that no few people’s eyes would pop out from envy.

This was the promise of the Lord of the North Sea.

What was the significance of this?

It meant great wealth, panaceas, all worldly splendor, power, and fame…..anything he wanted, he had only to say the word.

Hao Chen expected Feng Ye to thank him, but all he received was a look of contempt.

As Feng Ye directed this look of contempt at Hao Chen, he thought, this guy really doesn’t give up. Hao Chen had said something similar before, telling him that if he asked him for help, he might help him. Now, he had struck out the ‘might’ and written in ‘definitely.’

But Feng Ye still had to beseech him, as if begging for charity from a superior.

Not to mention whether Hao Chen could accomplish anything Feng Ye couldn’t already do for himself, just the word “beseech” was anathema to Feng Ye.

He never begged for help. 

He had never begged for help from anyone.

What he couldn’t do, no one in the world was able to do either.

He waved Hao Chen away in disdain and continued on his way, moving forward without paying attention to him at all.

The initially expectant Hao Chen was stunned by Feng Ye’s reaction. He was caught rather off guard. This situation was completely different from what he’d expected. He had clearly made such a heavy promise. Even if Feng Ye didn’t enthusiastically express his gratitude, he should at least say a word of thanks, shouldn’t he?

But all he received was a supercilious look…..

Hao Chen covered his chest as if wounded, but realized belatedly that Feng Ye was unaware of his true identity, so he naturally couldn’t know how heavy that promise was. In this case, his reaction was understandable.

Hao Chen tapped his fan with some regret, beginning to feel that wearing this disguise was a hindrance.

But Feng Ye refused to drop his disguise, so Hao Chen couldn’t be the one to drop his first.

But if you take off your disguise, I’ll take mine off too, and we can be honest with each other. How nice!

---

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Chapter 43 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 45

“Do you know this person?” Ling Yi showed Xi Lei a photo on his phone.

Xi Lei’s first concern was odd: “How do you have a cell phone?”

Even his own cell phone had been confiscated for security reasons, and he wasn’t allowed to contact the outside world.

But when he took the phone and saw the person in the photo, his expression immediately changed.

“Of course I do.”

These days, news about Ling Yi’s murder was everywhere, and the person in the photo often appeared in those reports. 

This person had also been present on the day Xi Lan was tricked into going to the club and almost defiled by Lu Dawa. He was an eyewitness to Lu Dawa’s death.

Ling Yi: “His name is Wu De. I checked his identity online, and he’s a relative of Duke Sully.”

“Why are you investigating him? Is he involved…..?”

Xi Lei and his friends had only learned what happened that night afterward, and their lives were turned upside down overnight.

The police refused them visits, and the court refused their attendance. All the information they received came from the media, and Xi Lei still didn’t know exactly what transpired that night.

“I received a call for help from Xi Lan that day. There were only two people in the room when I arrived, and that scumbag was trying to do something vile to Xi Lan. In a fit of rage, I stabbed him several times with a fruit knife that was on the table and he unexpectedly died. I learned later that he was the youngest son of the Lu family.”

Xi Lei keenly grasped the key point: “There were only two people in the private room?”

“Right. This person wasn’t there, and never appeared from beginning to end.”

“Then how did he become an eyewitness to the scene?”

“He went to the restroom before I got there. Later, he heard the commotion and saw the bloody scene through a crack in the door. He didn’t dare to go out, and stayed hidden inside. But what’s strange is that during the first trial, he said that he had videotaped the entire process, but the second time, he flatly denied it. He said that he only saw it with his own eyes and couldn’t produce any other evidence.”

“Could it be that he lied the first time?”

“I don’t think so. But if you ask me why, I can only say it’s…..intuition.”

Xi Lei knew that Ling Yi wouldn’t tell this to him easily.

“What do you intend to do?”

“If this video really exists, I need to get my hands on it. It can never leak out.”

“Why, are you afraid others will see you…..” Xi Lei shuddered. “Are you afraid it will cause harm to Xi Lan?”

Ling Yi nodded slightly.

Xi Lei sent him a look of gratitude.

“Whatever you want to do, I’ll help you. But you and I can’t leave the medical college at the moment, so how does knowing this person’s identity help?”

“I heard from Tang De that Duke Sully will be holding a ball soon. There is a high probability that Wu De will also be there, so we need to find a way to sneak in.”

Grand Duke Fengdi Sully, a distant royal cousin of Oser’s, had married the renowned princess of a neighboring country.

This princess was of royal blood from the Three Kingdoms period, and had countless suitors when she was young. Marrying her was Grand Duke Sully’s proudest achievement, which led to his favorite hobby of showing off his love in public.

Sully was also a sociable person. He held balls in his castle now and then, and always invited Oser to attend.

The reason was simple. Everyone was willing to feed dog food to a perennial bachelor, for fear that he might not have enough to eat.

. . . . . .

Sully’s face appeared on the video screen.

“Your Highness Oser, how can you not do me the honor of attending my masquerade?”

Oser was the picture of laziness: “Your dances are so boring. It’s better not to attend.”

“If Your Highness finds dances boring, could it be because you lack a dance partner? This is my fault. How can I ask every guest to bring a partner? Not everyone can find a suitable dance partner, can they?” Sully smiled maliciously.

Oser scoffed and didn’t respond.

“How about I introduce you to an excellent Beta as your dance partner tonight?”

“Unnecessary.”

“I know you look down on Betas, but most Omegas have their own dance partners. It would be too much to ask for an Alpha to accompany you.”

“You’ve really thought this through, ah,” Oser said unhappily. “Aside from dances is there nothing else you enjoy in life?”

“Of course there is.” Sully feigned being shy. “You haven’t come to a gathering in a long time. My wife and children miss you very much, and look forward to seeing you. My fourth child will be born soon. Although it won’t be my first time being a father, I still want to share my joy with you.”

Oser’s right eyelid twitched slightly, but Sully was fortunately too complacent to notice such a detail.

“Since this is such an important matter, I must be there in person to express my congratulations and demonstrate my sincerity.”

“Ai, I knew Your Highness wouldn’t agree…..eh? You’re coming? You changed your mind?”

Sully happily faced the camera: “Madam, Madam! His Highness Oser has agreed to attend the ball tonight!”

He turned back and said: “Then I’ll arrange a dance partner for you tonight.”

“No need,” Oser declined.

“That won’t do. Everyone will be dancing in pairs on the dance floor. If you’re alone, it will look like we’re mistreating you.”

“When did I say I was going alone?”

“Do you mean to say you’re bringing a partner?”

His voice rose an octave: “Madam, Madam! His Highness Oser says he’s bringing a dance partner!”

Mrs. Sully appeared in the camera with a smile: “Is that true, Your Highness? I’m sure everyone will be looking forward to it tonight.”

Sully couldn’t hide his excitement: “I’m going to tell everyone about this. And I’ll be waiting at the door to greet you and your distinguished guest!”

“You had better make the venue more luxurious, so that my partner won’t despise your castle for its shabby appearance.”

After ending the video call, Oser pressed his hand to his forehead, attempting to suppress his irritability.

“Go and get ready.”

Tang De, the only other person in the room, pointed at himself: ? ? ?

“Who else?”

“No way.” Tang De said incoherently, “How can I take on such an important task…..what about Pat? Pat likes dancing!”

“One month’s salary plus two weeks of annual leave.”

This excited him a bit…..but not that much!

Tang De righteously refused: “It’s not that I don’t want to dance with you, it’s just that I’m not greedy for money, nor do I love vacations!”

Ling Yi pushed open the door and walked in: “Your Highness, I heard everything. I’ll go with you tonight.”

Oser covered his eyes the same as before: “Don’t be silly.”

“Isn’t this a masquerade? I’ll be wearing a mask, so no one will know who I am.”

Oser then revealed a sliver of his eyes through his slender fingers.

Ling Yi sat on the table in front of him, his dangling ankles “accidentally” rubbing against Oser’s trouser legs.

“As a commoner, I’ve never been to a high-society ball, so I want to broaden my horizons.”

“There will be more opportunities in the future than you’ll ever want to attend.”

Ling Yi’s lips curved slightly: “But I’ve been locked up for the past few months, either in prison or the hospital, with no freedom of movement at all. I’m practically suffocating.”

Tang De realized that this was his only chance at salvation: “His Highness Ling Yi is right. Staying inside for too long can lead to psychological problems, and it’s not good for physical recovery either. If you bring His Highness Ling Yi to the ball, the guards will absolutely do their utmost to ensure his safety.”

“Lu Hulun certainly won’t expect me to attend. Even if he knew, he wouldn’t dare attack me at Grand Duke Sully’s ball.”

Tang De nodded vigorously in agreement: “Even if the Prime Minister himself was present, he would have to give face to Grand Duke Sully. No one would want to make enemies of three countries at once.”

Seeing that Oser was still hesitating, Ling Yi coquettishly hooked his arms around his neck: “Your Highness, you told Grand Duke Sully you’re bringing a dance partner. But if you show up with Tang De, I’m sure the guests will laugh at you.”

Oser said disdainfully: “Let them laugh if they want to. I’m used to it.”

“You didn’t have an Omega in the past, because you didn’t have a choice. Now that you have me, it’s time for you to hold your head high.”

. . . . . .

Luo Li came in and asked: “How can His Highness Ling Yi attend a ball without me?”

He spread out his hands, revealing foundation, eyeshadow, and lipstick between his fingers one by one. “Let me show you the power of Luo Li’s formidable skills.”

Half an hour later, Luo Li’s formidable skills shocked everyone in the room.

After the application of makeup, Ling Yi retained the sharpness of an Alpha alongside a bit of Omega charm. His iconic upturned eyes were emphasized, and just one glance was capable of captivating a person to the very core.

Luo Li had found a waist-length silver wig somewhere that was the exact same shade as Ling Yi’s hair, and after putting it on, he possessed a beauty that made it difficult to tell whether he was male or female.

Tang De was the most shocked: “Luo Li, why did you choose nursing as a profession? It doesn’t fully utilize your strengths.”

Luo Li pushed his fingers forward in a lotus pose and said with a smile: “Captain Tang De is looking down on me. I know you’re praising me, but I also do an excellent job as a nurse.”

Ling Yi did a spin in front of Oser: “What do you think, Your Highness?”

Oser narrowed his eyes, and something seemed to move slowly under his tightly pursed lips.

Tang De shouted internally: Stop spinning! Haven’t you noticed that His Highness Oser’s gaze hasn’t left your face this entire time? If he keeps staring, sparks will fly!

On the precipice of danger, Oser finally shifted his gaze from Ling Yi’s eyes to his hairline. He used his index finger to lift a lock of shimmering silver hair, which slipped playfully through his fingers.

“Not bad.” He gave a two-word evaluation.

Luo Li shook the metal accessory in his hand: “This is an Omega ear cuff, which inhibits the leakage of pheromones. If you wear this, even a dog with the sharpest nose won’t be able to smell any pheromones.”

“With all of this, it will be foolproof,” Tang De said. “Even if the mask accidentally falls off, nobody will recognize him.”

Ling Yi thought of another person whose opinion could be consulted.

“If even he can’t recognize me, there definitely won’t be a problem.”

Xi Lei found someone standing outside his father’s intensive care room window with their back turned to him.

“Are you looking for someone?”

The head of long, straight silver hair turned, and Xi Lei’s pupils dilated little by little.

His aura pulled back a bit, and he spoke in an awkward tone Ling Yi had never heard before: “Do you know my dad? Why did you come to see him?”

Xi Lei saw familiar disdain on an unfamiliar face.

“I came to visit his eldest son, I heard he’s blind. What a pitiful thing.”

Xi Lei heard this voice and was dumbfounded: “You’re Ling Yi? Why are you dressed like…..”

His tone softened involuntarily: “Like this?”

Ling Yi: “…..”

Why hadn’t he realized before that Alphas were such superficial visual animals?

“What are you still standing there for? Why haven’t you changed your clothes?”

Xi Lei: “Ah?”

“Hasn’t it always been your dream to guard His Highness? Tonight, I’ll make your dream come true.”

. . . . . .

At the entrance of Florian Castle stood a large group of people.

Standing in the front center row was the owner of the castle, Grand Duke Sully, along with his pregnant wife.

Sully was curious about the mysterious dance partner Oser had mentioned, but was also concerned for his wife’s health, so he craned his neck to look out into the courtyard and fussed over the person at his side, swinging back and forth like a busy pendulum.

“Madam, that fellow Oser isn’t worthy of you personally welcoming him. Just sit in the hall and rest. When he arrives, I’ll bring him to see you immediately.”

Mrs. Sully was already the mother of three children, but she still maintained the beauty of her youth along with the sort of dignified temperament that came with time.

“It won’t hurt me to move around more. Besides, who wouldn’t be eager to meet the dance partner His Highness Oser brought with him?”

Those gathered around were all nobles who had heard the news and couldn’t wait to watch a good show.

“It’s just as Madam Sully says. It’s rarer for His Highness Oser to have a partner than it is for the sun to rise in the west. Even if I missed my son’s birth, I wouldn’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime event.”

“If I were to guess, His Highness Oser probably hired an Omega to accompany him to the ball. With His Highness’s financial resources, such a minor thing would be easy to accomplish.”

Sully disagreed: “His Highness only said in the video call that he would bring a dance partner. He didn’t mention an Omega, but the possibility of an Alpha can’t be ruled out.”

“An Alpha? An Alpha would be expensive, and also wouldn’t be willing to dance with His Highness Oser.”

The guests burst into laughter and agreed with him.

“Dance with His Highness Oser? How many layers of mental attacks would that result in? Even Tang De wouldn’t be able to do it.”

“I think he fell for Grand Duke Sully’s provocation and set his goals too high. I’ll bet my family heirlooms that he’s going to bring Tang De again.”

Speak of Tang De, and Tang De would arrive. The bettor was very pleased to see him: “See? What did I tell you?”

Tang De also wore a very formal and festive uniform. When he set aside his carefree nature, he was a handsome man with a dignified appearance. No wonder Luo Li was always inexplicably flirting with him.

Tang De saluted everyone present: “Grand Duke and Madam Sully, ladies and gentlemen, good evening.”

Mrs. Sully said in a pleasant tone: “Tang De, why are you here alone? Where is His Highness?”

“His Highness Oser will be here soon.”

“That’s great,” said Mrs. Sully. “We’ve been waiting anxiously for him and his mysterious guest.”

Tang De lowered his head and nodded, the corners of his mouth curving up involuntarily: “You won’t be disappointed.”

The black extended-cab vehicle arrived late and slowed to a stop. The blackout window film blocked all curious gazes.

The nobles eagerly craned their necks like finely-dressed meerkats.

Tang De put one hand behind him and opened the back door with the other, making a gesture of invitation under the gazes of everyone.

“Your Highness, please—”

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Chapter 24 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 26