Chapter 454: Hardship? What Hardship? |
"Elder Sister Sili... you have gone too far!"
Standing at the entrance of the side courtyard, Ning Wei called out in a low voice, her tone carrying a hint of complaint.
Sili did not respond immediately. She glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then quickly pulled Ning Wei toward the deeper part of the courtyard, ducked behind a tree, and only then spoke. "Ning Wei, why are you here?"
"Elder Sister Sili still has the nerve to ask."
Ning Wei puffed out her cheeks.
"Elder Sister Yunwei sent you to find Elder Brother Xiao. After you entered the palace, you kept saying you had not found him."
"And yet the Wind Listening Pavilion reported that you have been inside the palace this entire time without coming out."
"If you had not found Elder Brother Xiao, why would you just keep staying in the Zhou Kingdom's palace?"
"Does that not prove that Elder Brother Xiao's reincarnation is right here in this palace?"
"Elder Sister Sili, is it true that you are doing exactly what Elder Sister Yunwei said, trying to claim Elder Brother Xiao for yourself and hiding it from us?" Ning Wei looked at Sili sincerely and asked in all earnestness.
"How could that be? Is that the kind of person I am?"
Upon hearing this, Sili raised her small fist and gave Ning Wei a light tap on the head.
Ning Wei rubbed her head, her expression carrying a trace of aggrieved feeling, as though her face were saying, "If Elder Sister Sili is not that kind of person, then who is?"
"Ahem, ahem, ahem."
Sili felt a pang of guilt under Ning Wei's expression and faked a few coughs, then launched into her explanation.
"Ning Wei, the reason Elder Sister did not tell the Sect Master or you is actually because I had no choice. You have to understand, things have not been easy for me either..." As she spoke, Sili let out a sigh, as though she were genuinely beset by circumstances beyond her control.
"Hardship? What hardship?" Ning Wei asked curiously.
From what she could see, Elder Sister Sili spent every day following Elder Brother Xiao around and looked quite happy doing it. There was a chance Elder Sister Sili had already gotten what she wanted, since all Sili had to do was use even a hint of her charm techniques and who could resist? So what kind of hardship could she possibly have?
"Alas, it is difficult to explain in a few words..."
Sili sat down on a stone, her expression carrying a trace of weariness.
"It is true that after entering the palace, I confirmed very quickly that the Zhou Kingdom's ruler is Master's reincarnation."
"But just as I was trying to find a way to bring Master back to the Western Region, I discovered that the Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect was right there in the Zhou Kingdom's palace, serving as the National Preceptor."
"That I managed to avoid exposing myself at all was already something of a miracle. How was I supposed to find a way to bring Master back under those circumstances?"
Hearing Sili's words, Ning Wei was visibly startled. "Elder Sister, are you saying that the number one female sword immortal in the world, Ten Thousand Swords Sect Master Jiang Qingyi, is in this palace? A sword cultivator of the Ascension realm, serving as the national preceptor of this tiny little dynasty?"
"Mm."
Sili gave a nod and continued.
"It does sound unbelievable, but that is the truth of it. Who knows what a figure like Immortal Jiang is thinking?"
"If it were only that one female sword immortal, things would still be manageable."
"But the two women Master has taken as consorts in this lifetime are no ordinary people either. Their cultivation levels are extremely high."
"I do not know their true identities, but in my assessment, both of those women are at least at the Ascension realm."
"Ning Wei, given all of that, how was I supposed to bring Master to the Western Region?"
"Never mind bringing Master out of the palace, I had to think carefully three times over before even trying to contact any of you, for fear of drawing their attention."
"As for claiming Master for myself, do you think I did not want to... ahem, ahem... do you think I am that kind of person? Setting aside whether the two consorts would eliminate me for doing something like that, how could I, Sili, stoop to taking advantage of Master before he has recovered the memories of his past life? I would never do something so shameless."
Ning Wei clutched the hem of her skirt, her expression full of disbelief. "Three Ascension realm cultivators... how is it possible that there are so many of them..."
Seeing Ning Wei's reaction, Sili knew she had been convinced, and felt a quiet wave of relief wash through her.
Jiang Qingyi and those two consorts were indeed very troublesome.
If it were not for them, she would have already gotten what she wanted from Master, and Master would have been too content to leave her side but the matter of her wanting to claim Master for herself was not something that could be allowed to become established fact.
In the next moment, Ning Wei seemed to remember something and snapped her head up to look at Sili. "This is bad! Elder Sister Sili!"
"What is it?" Sili asked.
Ning Wei's face went slightly pale with anxiety. "Earlier, Elder Sister Xiao Chun took me to meet Noble Consort Xue. And I am not like Elder Sister Sili. I do not have the magical artifact that Elder Sister Wangxin gave you. Noble Consort Xue may have already seen through my cultivation level..."
"..."
A look of gravity surfaced on Sili's face as well but Sili quickly steadied herself, gripped Ning Wei's shoulders, and looked her in the eyes seriously. "Ning Wei, there is no need to panic too much. It is true that Noble Consort Xue may have detected your cultivation level, but since she did not move against you immediately, it means she has other considerations in mind."
"Moreover, from my observations over these past days, that Noble Consort Xue is not someone with a fondness for killing."
"Just act as though you know nothing, and go about your duties as normal. But above all, do not have any further communication with me."
"Then, if Noble Consort Xue seeks you out alone and asks about your identity, say this..."
Sili leaned close to Ning Wei's ear and whispered, coaching her on how to handle Noble Consort Xue.
The more Ning Wei listened, the brighter her eyes grew, and she nodded her small head continuously.
The following morning.
After Yan Ruxue had "attended to" Xiao Mo for an entire night, Xiao Mo walked out of the room looking refreshed and bright, his complexion even carrying a hint of healthy color.
By contrast, Yan Ruxue's brow carried what seemed like a measure of fatigue.
Every time the palace maids saw His Majesty looking splendid and their mistress looking slightly worn, they were convinced that His Majesty was truly something extraordinary.
After all, after a full night of such strenuous activity, their noble consort mistress should have been the one looking refreshed while His Majesty staggered out leaning on the wall.
And yet it was the other way around entirely.
"Thank you for your hard work last night, my beloved consort."
Before leaving Ning Xue Palace, Xiao Mo expressed his thanks to Yan Ruxue.
The night before, Yan Ruxue had once again spent the entire night guiding and purifying Xiao Mo's spiritual energy.
Xiao Mo knew that doing so had no meaningful impact on Ruxue's own cultivation, but it was still somewhat tiring.
"Your Majesty need not say such things. Attending to Your Majesty is your servant's honor." Yan Ruxue smiled and gave a bow.
In truth, purifying Xiao Mo's spiritual energy was not what tired Yan Ruxue.
After all, Xiao Mo had only just entered Foundation Building.
What tired her was the need to suppress her own spiritual energy, and the extremely precise control required over every thread of energy she channeled into Xiao Mo's body.
Otherwise, to someone like Yan Ruxue, an Ascension realm cultivator, Xiao Mo's spiritual veins and apertures would be as fragile as paper.
One moment of inattention on Yan Ruxue's part could very easily destroy him entirely.
"Rest well, my beloved consort. There is no need to see me off."
Xiao Mo exchanged a few more parting words with Yan Ruxue before returning to his own bedchambers.
Inside the bedchambers, just as Xiao Mo closed his eyes to meditate and intended to carefully sort through the spiritual energy within his body, the voice of the Book of a Hundred Lives sounded in his mind.
[The sixth lifetime of the Book of a Hundred Lives is ready. Is the host prepared to enter?]