No wonder… no wonder she could casually reveal those secrets.
Knowing about ancient times wasn't surprising—one only needed to live long enough. But daring to speak of such forbidden matters meant either being foolishly naive or having the confidence to face no consequences. By any measure, Xuan Nu couldn't be the former.
So, she was the disciple of Dao Ancestor, the young mistress of Haotian Shangdi, one who could address the Supreme Deity by name directly.
An… ancient deity.
If not for the drunkenness, he might never have learned this until Xuan Nu left the Qin Empire.
Struck by this revelation, the First Emperor felt his intoxication fade. Pressing one hand against the mat, he slowly straightened his posture. Seeing two identical Xuan Nus swaying before him, smiling charmingly, he instinctively counted without much thought: One, two… Why did the State Preceptor suddenly use a body-splitting technique?
The First Emperor shook his head. "Then… is the Yellow Emperor currently serving beside Dao Ancestor, his master's master, immortal and ageless?"
"Emperor? There is no emperor! Nor is there any savior!"
Before Qing Ni could sing the latter half, the First Emperor looked bewildered. "No Yellow Emperor? Did he not achieve Ascension? Did he die of old age?"
If so, what about him? Could he still attain immortality?
Qing Ni was momentarily stunned by the question, her mind muddled as it sluggishly processed. "Ascension… emperor… Yellow Emperor!" Remembering the myths, she exclaimed, "Yes, he ascended to heaven in broad daylight!"
The First Emperor smiled with pleasure, murmuring in repetition, "Ascended to heaven in broad daylight."
Ascension was good—it proved the path to immortality existed. As for whether Xuan Nu was willing to teach him the Arts of the Bedchamber… it wasn't a major issue; he could strive for it himself. As for Xuan Nu's statement that "there is no Yellow Emperor," it likely meant that after Xuanyuan's Ascension, there was no longer a Yellow Emperor in the mortal realm.
Hearing Xuan Nu mutter, "Leaping beyond the Three Realms, outside the Five Elements," and "Once the Golden Elixir is swallowed, I know my fate is not bound by heaven," he committed these lines to memory, mentally marking "Golden Elixir" as of utmost importance.
It seemed the Fangshi's Alchemy was quite useful, though he wondered if it could produce an elixir of immortality.
The First Emperor gazed for a long while at the Divine Maiden, her cheeks flushed.
No, an elixir of immortality wasn't necessary. With Xuan Nu of the Nine Heavens' Arts of the Bedchamber, he too could ascend to heaven in broad daylight, just like the Yellow Emperor.
Overconfident? No, he wasn't overconfident. What the Yellow Emperor accomplished, he, the First Emperor of the Great Qin, could achieve as well.
"Master," the First Emperor smoothed his sleeves, subtly concealing the veins bulging on the back of his hand from tension. "What do you think of me?"
"Hmm?"
"How do I compare to the Yellow Emperor?"
Compare…
Compare what?
The drunkard's mind was blank.
And the First Emperor, having drunk at least seven or eight cups, was even more muddled. He blurted out directly, "I wish to be immortal, to share the lifespan of heaven and earth."
Hearing the First Emperor speak so matter-of-factly, with no awareness of his own audacity, Qing Ni stared at him unblinkingly, while he remained motionless, allowing her gaze.
"Immortality," Qing Ni finally uttered a word. "You can't."
The First Emperor frowned disapprovingly. "I am talented and brilliant. I can!"
Qing Ni looked at him, her tone firm. "You lack a Spiritual Root!"
The First Emperor was confused. What was a Spiritual Root, and why couldn't one achieve immortality without it?
"How do you usually study?!" Qing Ni looked at him with a pained and exasperated expression. "Only those with a Spiritual Root can practice Cultivation. Such basic knowledge, and you don’t even know it—you’re the worst group I’ve ever taught!"
The First Emperor suddenly felt he had let down his ancestors, the State of Qin, and all the classics and histories he had studied. Such fundamental knowledge, and he didn’t even… Wait, he had never learned it!
"I have never studied this," the First Emperor said very seriously.
"Tuition fee." Qing Ni extended her hand, palm upward. The First Emperor promptly felt around his person, then pulled off a Flying Jade Chi Dragon Pendant. He stood up, his steps steady yet slightly disordered from intoxication, and directly knelt to sit beside Qing Ni’s low table. Placing the pendant in her palm, the clear, watery jade was obviously of immense value.
Seeing Qing Ni make the Flying Jade Chi Dragon Pendant disappear—presumably storing it away—the First Emperor tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a sincere smile. "This piece is of the finest quality. My treasury has jade of slightly lesser quality. There is plenty."
"Scriptures should not be lightly transmitted, nor should they be taken for nothing," Qing Ni said with a stern face.
Huh, isn’t that what Tathagata said to Tang Sanzang in Journey to the West? Does Yiyi have a cosplay hobby when drunk?
The snow weasel lifted its head, looking at Qing Ni with eyes full of admiration.
Yiyi is amazing—drunk and imitating other characters, yet seamlessly connecting it to real conversation. Next… could it be using the Joyful Buddha’s concept of "using desire to overcome desire" to reasonably sleep with Qin Shi Huang? Or Guanyin Bodhisattva’s offering of the physical body!
It quietly crept to the side of the low table, jumped up, and lay down not far from the jade cup. Seeing that the First Emperor’s full attention was on Qing Ni’s words and that he wouldn’t turn to notice his own cup, and using the System’s detection function to confirm there were no hidden guards or the like spying nearby, it raised its paw, about to toss the aphrodisiac in.
Yiyi! I’ll help you!
A line of bold, red, capitalized warnings flashed before its eyes: 【Without the host’s command, the System does not permit autonomous action.】
The aphrodisiac automatically returned to the System grid.
"Whimper…"
The snow weasel’s head instantly drooped, lying listlessly.
Meanwhile, Qing Ni was still vigorously bamboozling the First Emperor. "The Dao is not transmitted to the unworthy, the Dharma not shared with a third ear. You must remember: from my mouth, into your ears…"
The First Emperor solemnly continued, "Never to be known by a third person."
"Mm.The girl’s exquisite face lost its smile, taking on a proper, teacher-like demeanor. "You have no Spiritual Root; you cannot cultivate."
The First Emperor nodded gently, waiting for the Divine Maiden to mention a remedy.
"Only an unorthodox path remains: an Artificial Spiritual Root."
"How is it made?"
Qing Ni solemnly declared, with resounding force, "To practice this art, one must first castrate oneself!"
Clatter—
The snow weasel’s limbs slipped, knocking the First Emperor’s jade cup to the floor.
The First Emperor: "…"
A jolt ran through him; he sobered up instantly.
The night wind blew chillingly against the sweat-dampened fabric clinging to his back. The First Emperor’s pupils trembled with shock, his eyes fixed straight on Qing Ni, even somewhat dazed.
Qing Ni also stared back at him, her pupils clear as water, faintly tinged with innocence.
The First Emperor: "…Teacher, you are drunk."
Qing Ni enunciated clearly: "I am not drunk!"
"…" The First Emperor silently stood up. "Teacher, tonight, Zheng has been presumptuous. I hope you will not take offense."
Qing Ni repeated herself, seeming displeased: "I'm not drunk!"
The First Emperor suddenly raised a hand to press against his temple. The aftereffects of intoxication were already setting in, his head throbbing painfully. He held the position for a while before saying, "Zheng will take his leave now."
The young maiden's tone was light and cheerful, inexplicably carrying a lively air: "See you later, classmate!"
The First Emperor: "…Mm."
The snow weasel covered its face in a manner beyond words.
And she still insists she isn't drunk.
However, when the First Emperor reached the doorway, he stood there as if someone had cast a Freezing Spell on him. The cold moonlight spilled over his hair and shoulders, making him resemble a stone statue.
After an unknown length of time, the First Emperor's slightly hoarse voice was finally heard: "Is what you said… true?"
If the snow weasel had a human face, its complexion would likely have paled beyond recognition.
Unfortunately, the young maiden could not comprehend its crumbling state of mind. With the certainty of a modern person who believes neither in fate nor deities, she delivered the fatal blow: "A successor of socialism disdains lying!"
The First Emperor's expression grew even graver. "Thank you for your guidance." He fully opened the door, stepped over the threshold, and disappeared into the night.
As soon as he left, the snow weasel immediately leaped three feet high: "Yiyi, wake up quickly! Something huge has happened! A catastrophe of sky-falling proportions, wake up!"
However, not even the sky falling could stop someone from sleeping. Sensing the First Emperor's departure, the taut thread of tension in Qing Ni's subconscious suddenly relaxed. Her head slowly, slowly tilted toward the table, and within moments, she was sound asleep.
Before drifting off, she managed to force out a sentence: "Activate the Palace Intrigue Self-Protection System." A clear light flashed, ethereally enveloping Qing Ni.
The maidservants instructed by the First Emperor tiptoed in, intending to half-support, half-carry Qing Ni to the bed. But bathed in that clear light, confusion rose in the maids' eyes. They mechanically turned around and walked out in unison.
In the courtyard, they seemed to awaken from a deep dream. One maidservant asked another dazedly, "What were we supposed to do?"
The other was momentarily bewildered before replying, "We need to prepare sobering soup for His Majesty."
The other maidservants all wore expressions of sudden realization.
They left the courtyard together, leaving only the hidden guards lurking in the deep shadows, their backs drenched in cold sweat, their awe for the Divine Maiden growing even deeper.