“That is all for today. You may all go about your business.”
“Understood.”
Fu Lingxi waved her hand while massaging her temples, signaling them to withdraw. She wanted some peace and quiet.
[It seems this Emperor Taiyong is truly no saint!]
After hearing Fang Quanzu recount numerous tales from the Emperor’s time in the Princely Manor, her headache only intensified. Her mind was so crammed with gossip that it felt like it was turning into mush.
She let out a light, mocking “tsk” and collapsed lazily onto the daybed.
At this moment, a long-absent trace of trepidation flickered in her lowered eyes before eventually coalescing into an endless sense of bewilderment.
[Where… should I go from here?]
It had been a very long time since she had experienced such a rich and volatile array of emotions.
In her previous life, after learning that her Eldest Senior Brother had entered into a Daoist companion covenant, she found herself unable to let go of her irrational obsession with him. Bolstered by her exceptional cultivation constitution and her Nascent Soul stage power—which was more than enough for self-preservation—she had decided to leave the Spirit Realm to gain experience in the mortal world.
Being in the Spirit Realm with her Senior Brother, belonging to the same immortal sect, and facing the person she yearned for day and night had caused an “inner demon tribulation” to sprout. She had no choice but to flee!
How laughable. Before entering a period of secluded meditation to break through her cultivation level, her heart had been full of the thought that once she reached the Nascent Soul stage, she would finally be qualified to reveal her feelings to him. To her surprise…
She did successfully reach the Nascent Soul stage, but the Senior Brother she loved with all her heart had entered a companion covenant with the Junior Sister she detested most! Even if the union was by their Master’s command, her Senior Brother hadn’t spoken a word in protest. Clearly, he held some measure of affection for that Junior Sister.
Whenever she thought of this, her heart felt as if it were being scorched by fire. Fu Lingxi had been forced to run!
Fleeing to the mortal world offered no benefit to her cultivation. Furthermore, the mortal world was technologically advanced but lacked spiritual energy; cultivators were even restricted by the Laws of the World! However, despite the many rules and frameworks of the secular world, it offered one thing: it kept her far away from her Senior Brother. It gave her the space to digest and purge the obsessive infatuation from her heart, using the experiences of human life to slowly refine her inner demon tribulation.
It was better than staying in the sect and falling into a demonic trance, obsessed with a love she could never obtain!
[Senior Brother…]
Fu Lingxi’s heart throbbed with a dull, rhythmic pain.
Then, the danger of world-ending destruction arrived. Upon hearing that her Senior Brother had met with an accidental death, she was consumed by a regret so profound it bordered on despair. Yet, the love was gone, and the debts of gratitude remained unpaid!
Ultimately, to repay the Fu clan and her grandfather—the clan leader—for raising and nurturing her, she had stepped forward without hesitation when she discovered the Emperor of the Upper Immortal Gate being attacked by a demon. She blocked the blow with her life and died.
Facing death, her final wishes were fulfilled. Her heart was unruffled; she met her end in peace. Perhaps it was only when facing her Senior Brother that her heart would race with a sudden throb, her face flushing with a shyness she couldn’t control.
Thinking of her brilliant Senior Brother, who was eventually dragged to his death by that “white lotus” tea-scented Junior Sister…
[No… I cannot think of this anymore.]
To be alive means one must face life properly. She had been granted another life; the events of the past life should not be dwelled upon. She ought to face her new life with courage.
Look—outside the veranda, the birds were singing and the flowers were fragrant. In the courtyard, delicate and brilliant flowers were in full bloom. At the corners, rockeries and flowing water created a vivid landscape, with koi swimming through the clear water. Further off, the lush greenery of the woods made the scenery in the hall feel vibrant and full of life.
[This is wonderful. This is a world of Ancient Martial Arts with only primitive spiritual energy. No immortals, no demons, and no monsters!]
[In this life, I shall only live for myself!]
Suddenly, the sound of hurried, light footsteps came from the hall. Before long, the sound grew louder. Fu Lingxi’s gaze, which had been happily admiring the garden, turned back, her eyes landing on the newcomer with a hint of a smile.
“I pay my respects to Master. May Master have ten thousand blessings.”
Xuduo stopped outside the veranda, her face flushed red. After performing her salutation, she requested urgently, “Your servant has an important matter to report!”
“Mhm. Speak. What is so urgent?” Fu Lingxi waved her hand to dismiss Huichun and Xiuxia before asking, “You’ve run yourself into a sweat.”
Taking a deep breath to steady her breathing, Xuduo replied anxiously: “In response to Master: your servant just found out that Ruan Ji was summoned to Qianqing Palace at the first quarter of the Wei hour (14:15), and she actually hasn’t returned to the inner court yet!”
[That’s it?!]
Looking at the young girl’s flushed face, Fu Lingxi pointed out the obvious with a hint of amusement: “Look at how nervous you are. Is it not a common occurrence for the Emperor to summon a concubine to serve by his side? Ruan Ji is a consort of the Emperor’s harem; being able to serve the Emperor is her fortune. Do not make a fuss over nothing—it’s embarrassing.”
“No, but according to the rules, shouldn’t it have been the turn of—”
“Shut up!”
Fu Lingxi’s expression hardened instantly as she let out a sharp bark. Her gaze turned cold as she stared at Xuduo.
[This girl! Is who the Emperor chooses to favor something that a lowly little palace maid like her can gossip about recklessly?]
[Even I am not angry, yet this little girl has a bigger temper than me!]
With a loud thump, Xuduo instinctively dropped to her knees in fear. She stared at her master with an open mouth, her expression one of horror. She was still in a state of dazed shock.
“How impudent! Get out. Go kneel on the veranda!”
Fu Lingxi’s sharp, angry gaze swept heavily over Xuduo. She commanded sternly with a somber face, “Think long and hard about where you went wrong!”
“Yes… your servant obeys.”
Xuduo kowtowed to accept her punishment and honestly retreated to the front of the hall. She knelt down and lowered her head in penance. At this moment, having been pierced by her master’s fierce, blade-like gaze, a cold sweat broke out across her back. She finally snapped out of it; she realized her impulsive nature had caused her to misspeak!
Fortunately, there were no outsiders on the veranda where her master was…
“Fool.”
Fu Lingxi muttered under her breath. She couldn’t even bear to look at the girl. She summoned Huichun and Xiuxia and returned to the inner hall in a huff.
As she moved, she swept her spiritual sense out. She found that Suran and Ziluan were still in the secret room, recording the dowry list. The two of them had been working together for over an hour and still hadn’t finished; this was only the relatively more valuable portion of the thirty-six chests.
One could imagine just how much effort the original owner’s mother had put in for her only daughter. This debt of karma… it would have to be repaid.
[Mmm. The spiritual core crystal still hasn’t finished strengthening this physical body; one can see just how scarce the spiritual energy in this Ancient Martial world is!]
[It seems that even if I start cultivating again now, it will be impossible to return to the peak of my previous life. At most, I can succeed in Foundation Establishment, practice a few minor spells for self-defense, and live a few extra decades without illness or pain, ensuring that villains and thieves cannot harm me…]
The sense of regret was strong. Fu Lingxi instructed Xiuxia to prepare hot water; she wanted to bathe.
Ugh. When will this “monthly visitor” finally leave?
Her mood was terrible. She found everything she looked at to be annoying.
Hearing their master’s call for hot water, Suran and Ziluan immediately put down their work in the secret treasury. They restored the room to its original state, locked it, and went to serve their master in her bath.
It was only then, after a subtle hint from Huichun, that Suran and Ziluan learned Xuduo had been kneeling outside the main hall in punishment for over half an hour!
“Mhm… what is it?”
Feeling refreshed and comfortable after her bath, Fu Lingxi heard the hushed exchange behind her. She looked away from her reflection in the bronze mirror and glanced at Suran and the others, who were respectfully drying her hair. She asked clearly:
“Do the three of you want to plead for Xuduo?”
“Your servants are terrified.”
“Master, please appease your anger.”
Seeing the three of them immediately drop to their knees and shake their heads in unison to admit their fault, Fu Lingxi let out a “hmpf.”