Chapter 1539 - 825: Imperial Concubine? (2-in-1)_2

Mr. Wang pondered over these words, feeling uncertain. He could only agree, "Sir... Your Majesty is wise beyond compare. It's my limited understanding as a servant. If it truly is an immortal's warning, it is a blessing for the country."

Emperor Jianji no longer continued the conversation and walked towards the Golden Immortal Temple. As he passed the Three-legged Bronze Tripod, his steps paused briefly. His gaze swept over the thin layer of ash inside the tripod, and he placed the three half-burnt incense sticks he was holding, then moved on.

Mr. Wang hurriedly followed, matching his pace.

They passed through the slightly chaotic forecourt towards the giant ancient cypress and the deeper and more secluded Three Pure Ones Hall behind it. The deeper they went, the dimmer the light became.

The brocade-robed eunuchs and palace maids who had been bustling around earlier seemed to have vanished completely. The rear courtyard of the Daoist Temple was eerily silent, with only the wind whistling through broken windows and columns, making the silence particularly spooky.

"Inside there," Emperor Jianji spoke, his voice distinctly clear in the courtyard, "Are you ready?"

Mr. Wang quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Returning to Your Majesty, according to your instructions, everything is prepared. However... that thing... seems even more restless than last time. Several True Men had to exert great effort to temporarily calm it."

Emperor Jianji responded with a calm "Hmm," revealing no emotion, and continued his steps directly towards the weathered painted doors of the Three Pure Ones Hall.

No lights were lit inside the hall; only a few beams of daylight filtered through the damaged roof and windows, faintly illuminating the murky space. Dust swirled in the light, forming beams that could not penetrate the deeper darkness.

An indescribable scent permeated the air.

Deep in the hall, where the statues of the Three Pure Ones used to be enshrined, the statues had long vanished, leaving only an empty stone platform. In front of the platform, on the ground, lay a massive and exceedingly complex talisman array, drawn with a dark red liquid that seemed mixed with something beyond vermillion.

The talisman lines twisted and turned, faintly glowing with a foreboding dark red hue in the dim light.

The talisman seemed like a surface of water disturbed by an invisible force, reflecting the thin daylight from the broken roof. The dark red lines appeared to come alive, slowly circulating.

In the center of the talisman array, amid the rippling waves, initially emerged a vague shadow that gradually became clear, revealing its figure.

It was unmistakably a dragon.

A True Dragon, covered in wounds, with a faint breath. Its body was not flesh and blood but displayed a texture like earth vein jade. At this moment, the jade-like body was riddled with web-like cracks, and most shockingly, dozens of sharp, withered black peach branches, like the most vicious punishment nails, pierced deeply into its neck, abdomen, claws, and tail, pinning it down completely, unable to move.

As Emperor Jianji's figure appeared above the talisman array, the once listless dragon seemed to sense something. It suddenly raised its battered head and opened its mouth, letting out a roar filled with immense resentment.

The entire Three Pure Ones Hall shook slightly, and accumulated dust fell from the beams and columns.

However, this struggle lasted only a moment.

The dark red talisman array on the ground suddenly brightened, and those peach branches embedded in the dragon body seemed to be driven by an invisible force, abruptly tightening and rotating inward. More tiny cracks exploded on the dragon's body, golden and red light specks burst like tears falling, and the dragon twisted violently in pain, but no sound could escape its mouth. It was hopelessly trapped.

Emperor Jianji watched the scene quietly, his face showing no fluctuation, only a trace of intensity in his eyes.

This Dragon Vein... was a fragment taken by Master Xuanlong's teacher, that mysterious old monk, by stepping into the River of Time with Great Divine Power from the past history.

It is said to have belonged to Former Qin, Fu Jian.

"This child Yuan'er..." Emperor Jianji suddenly spoke softly, almost as if to Mr. Wang, yet speaking to himself, "Still thinks too simply, too hastily. Without my will, how could his elder brother foster demons?"

.........

.........

The way down the mountain seemed faster than the ascent. The three made their way in silence until the town at the foot of the mountain came into view.

Chen Yi did not hurry back to Chang'an but found a quiet yet tidy inn on the outskirts of Zi Wu Town and requested a two-room guest courtyard. The shopkeeper, seeing they were travel-worn and descending from the mountain, assumed they were ordinary incense customers and did not ask more.

"We won't continue today; let's rest here for the night," Chen Yi said to the two women.

Donggong Ruoshu naturally had no objections. Yin Weiyin glanced at Chen Yi, noticed his calm demeanor, but saw him occasionally glancing towards the road leading back up the mountain. She understood he had other plans and nodded slightly.

The intention was to explore the Golden Immortal Temple, but who would have thought to directly encounter Emperor Jianji? Sitting in the room, Chen Yi couldn't help but wonder how much of this was due to the stupid girl's fortuitous luck?

Ever since she started following him, there seemed to be more coincidences and surprises.

But this also precisely indicated that whatever was hidden in the Golden Immortal Temple might be more extraordinary than he had imagined, even enough to draw the Emperor himself here.

Chen Yi pondered whether to explore under the cover of night.

Yet, the encounter in the Dream Sea made him wary. There would likely be experts around Emperor Jianji, and who knows what the temple hid... such a rash nighttime exploration might be fraught with danger.

"To be prudent, it's better to wait," Chen Yi muttered to himself. Emperor Jianji would inevitably descend the mountain back to Chang'an, and since they'd already struck a chord today, even left a good impression, this could be a celestial path. With this path, even killing the Crown Prince would be more straightforward, the toughest part being security afterward.

He rubbed his brow, feeling a trace of fatigue. The encounter and verbal sparring with Emperor Jianji today, though seemingly effortless, was mentally exhausting. With his mind settled, weariness surged in.

"Time to rest." He said to Yin Weiyin, who had just walked into the room. They were accustomed to sharing a room.

Donggong Ruoshu naturally slept alone in the other room in the courtyard.

Yin Weiyin responded with an "Mm" without saying much, went to the screen for a simple wash. Candlelight flickered, casting her slender shadow. Chen Yi lay back against the headboard, watching her movements, his mind inexplicably recalling the morning when he wiped her face... like an old married couple.

Unconsciously, had he and Yin Weiyin become an old married couple?

Yet sometimes, it still felt like they were newlyweds. Rather than himself not being mature enough, perhaps she was too much the young wife.

In the other room, Donggong Ruoshu had long fallen onto the bed, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Climbing the mountain left her legs and feet sore, her mind muddled with Emperor, Empress Dowager, Immortal, Primordial Qi... She shook her head, decided not to think about it, her eyelids heavy, quickly drifting into slumber.

Night was deep and quiet.

Zi Wu Town was small to begin with, quieter still at night, the occasional distant dog barks only adding to the tranquility.

Donggong Ruoshu did not sleep soundly, perhaps due to the unfamiliar setting. She constantly floated between dreaming and waking. After some indeterminate time, in her hazy state, it seemed she heard faint footsteps in the alley outside the courtyard.

The footsteps were very soft, very slow, as if deliberately slowed down.

She frowned without fully waking, muttering vaguely, "Who's there?"

Outside the door, silence remained.

Just when she thought she had misheard or it was the wind moving the door, a suppressed female voice drifted in through the door gap, creeping into her ears:

"Don't make a sound, it's me."

That voice...

Donggong Ruoshu suddenly shuddered awake. She sat up, stunned, her mind temporarily unable to process.

That voice carried a natural grace and dignity she had only heard from one person.

How could it be?

Before she could think further, the door gently opened a crack, and a slender graceful figure like a shadow in the night slipped in without a sound, quickly closing the door behind her, her movements deft and smooth.

In the faint moonlight filtering in from the window, Donggong Ruoshu finally saw the visitor's face.

Donggong Ruoshu widened her eyes, her mouth gaped unconsciously,

"Im... Imperial Concubine?!"