Chapter 438 |
"I wonder what brings Fairy Jiang to visit me today with such free time on her hands. Is there something you need?"
Seeing the National Preceptor Jiang seated before him, Xiao Mo was somewhat surprised.
In the past, it had generally been Xiao Mo who went to the National Preceptor's residence to discuss the way of the sword with her.
Or, when Xiao Mo was cultivating at the Dao Inquiry Platform, she would come of her own accord to exchange pointers on swordsmanship with him but for Jiang Qingyi to come to Xiao Mo's chambers on her own initiative, as she had done today, was a very rare occurrence.
"Nothing in particular."
Jiang Qingyi's skirt swept across the bench as she sat down before Xiao Mo with a straight back and upright posture, giving him a light, measured glance.
"I simply came to see how Your Majesty was faring. After all, Your Majesty is in the prime of your years, and the two noble consorts who have entered the palace are both of remarkable beauty. I was worried that Your Majesty might have overindulged and died right there in a woman's arms."
"Fairy Jiang is joking." Xiao Mo gave a helpless smile. "Never mind overindulging. Last night I simply passed out drunk on the bed and ended up sleeping quite well."
"Passed out drunk? Ha..." Jiang Qingyi looked at Xiao Mo with an amused glint in her eyes and let out a cold laugh. "Does Your Majesty truly believe you were simply drunk last night?"
"You are not sure?" The corner of Jiang Qingyi's mouth curved slightly upward. "Does Your Majesty truly have no suspicions about those two consorts of yours? Do you genuinely believe they are ordinary people?"
Xiao Mo was momentarily at a loss for words.
He naturally had his doubts, though he truly had no evidence to point to and when Xiao Mo recalled his past interactions with the two of them, they had both seemed perfectly ordinary in every way but now that Jiang Qingyi had brought it up so directly, those doubts in Xiao Mo's heart naturally began to grow larger and larger.
"Does Fairy Jiang know what happened last night?" Xiao Mo asked.
"I do." Jiang Qingyi's tone was without the slightest hesitation.
"Well then, I will not beat around the bush with Your Majesty." Jiang Qingyi lifted her eyes and looked at Xiao Mo. "Whether it is the Yan family's daughter or the First Princess of the Qin Kingdom, neither of them is an ordinary person. In mortal terms, they are both beings of the immortal world, and their cultivation levels are no small matter."
"How high?" Xiao Mo asked.
Jiang Qingyi took a sip of tea. "Comparable to mine."
Hearing Jiang Qingyi's answer, Xiao Mo's brow furrowed and he sank into thought.
Although Xiao Mo did not have a clear understanding of Jiang Qingyi's cultivation level, having asked her about it before only to receive no answer, he had come to know through their time together that her level was far from low.
Not to mention that this National Preceptor Jiang was an inner sect disciple of the world's foremost sword sect, appointed by her sect to serve as the national preceptor of an entire kingdom.
So in Xiao Mo's estimation, Fairy Jiang had to be at least at the Dragon Gate realm.
Which meant that the Yan family's daughter and the First Princess of the Qin Kingdom were both at the Dragon Gate realm or above.
"I have many doubts in my heart. I wonder if Fairy Jiang would be willing to answer them for me," Xiao Mo said.
"Ask whatever you wish to ask directly. But what I choose to answer, that is my business." Jiang Qingyi set down her teacup and looked at Xiao Mo with calm, steady eyes.
"What are their true identities?"
Xiao Mo asked in earnest. Having two cultivators of the Middle Three Realms slip into his inner palace was no small matter.
Xiao Mo was worried about whether they were truly the Yan family's daughter and the First Princess of the Qin Kingdom.
He was worried that his original brides might have been switched out.
Jiang Qingyi chose her words carefully before answering. "The Yan Ruxue in the palace is indeed the Yan family's daughter, and Qin Siyao is indeed the First Princess of the Qin Kingdom. That much is accurate. But their identities do not stop there."
"However, because I have reached an agreement with the two of them, I cannot tell Your Majesty more than that."
"Your Majesty may also set your mind at ease. Although those two women are keeping things hidden from Your Majesty, they would absolutely never harm you."
Xiao Mo asked again, "Does the agreement Fairy Jiang reached with the two of them include their consent for Fairy Jiang to inform me of this much?"
Jiang Qingyi neither confirmed nor denied it.
Based on Xiao Mo's understanding of Jiang Qingyi, anything this Fairy Jiang did not deny could be taken as silent acknowledgment.
Xiao Mo's brow furrowed as he rubbed his fingers together. "What is their purpose? Is there something in this imperial palace that they are after?"
As Xiao Mo's words settled, Jiang Qingyi's gaze fixed directly on him, her eyes filled with amusement.
"Fairy Jiang?" Xiao Mo asked, puzzled.
"That question I cannot answer either."
With that, Jiang Qingyi rose to her feet.
"That is enough questions from Your Majesty for now. In short, Your Majesty need only interact with the two of them normally going forward, and there is no need to worry too much about anything. Many matters are simply beyond Your Majesty's reach at this time. What Your Majesty should be focused on right now is entering the Foundation Building realm one month from now."
"Furthermore, it is not that Your Majesty cannot spend the night in their chambers in the future, it is just that, well... heh heh..."
Jiang Qingyi let out a cold laugh, placed both hands on the table, and leaned forward to look at Xiao Mo.
"It is just that matters between men and women are likely not possible for the time being. Though that is actually for the best. Before reaching the Dragon Gate realm, as long as your essence remains intact, cultivation can yield twice the results with half the effort."
"Or perhaps..." Jiang Qingyi leaned in closer and looked straight into Xiao Mo's eyes. "Since they cannot be intimate with Your Majesty, and you have two breathtaking beauties by your side yet cannot touch them, is Your Majesty feeling restless and itchy with longing?"
"Fairy Jiang is joking. If I said there was not the slightest itch, that would be a lie, but to call it unbearable would be an exaggeration," Xiao Mo replied with a lighthearted tone.
"Hmph! Men!"
Jiang Qingyi straightened her slender waist, picked up her long sword, turned, and left Xiao Mo's room through the window.
"She really does arrive suddenly and leave just as suddenly."
Watching the direction in which Jiang Qingyi had departed, Xiao Mo shook his head helplessly.
Xiao Mo turned over everything Jiang Qingyi had just said.
He then recalled the various moments he had spent with Yan Ruxue in the past, and the bright, lively smile on Qin Siyao's face whenever he had been in contact with her.
"They came close to me only because of something in this Zhou Kingdom's imperial palace?"
"But what could possibly be in this palace that would catch the eye of someone like them?"
"Forget it, forget it. No use dwelling on it."
In the end, Xiao Mo shook his head and cleared his mind of those thoughts.
"The most pressing matter right now is to raise my cultivation level and strength. Without sufficient cultivation, I will always be at the mercy of others. Once my level is high enough, most things will clear up on their own."
Having made up his mind, Xiao Mo called the palace maids in to help him change into fresh clothes.
Today was the second day after his wedding, and Xiao Mo needed to bring the two newly entered consorts to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager with tea and just as Xiao Mo finished changing and stepped out of the Yangxin Hall, Consort Xue and Consort Mu were already standing on either side of the palace entrance, waiting for him to emerge.
"Your servants greet Your Majesty. We hope Your Majesty is well."
Yan Ruxue and Qin Siyao gave a graceful bow and spoke in soft, gentle voices.