Chapter 1540 - 826: Overseer

That was an incredibly beautiful face; her cloud-like hair slightly disheveled, with strands hanging down by her cheeks, adding a lazy grace. Her eyebrows arched like distant mountains, her eyes clear like autumn water, looking quietly at her now with a hint of a faint, elusive smile on her lips.

She was wearing a dark purple robe, the fabric soft, almost blending into the darkness of the night. Only the intricate silver embroidered lotus patterns at the collar and sleeves occasionally reflected a little light. Her long hair hung straight down, seemingly bathed in moonlight like the Milky Way.

Donggong Ruoshu widened her eyes, exclaiming in disbelief:

"Impe... Imperial Concubine?!"

Donggong Ruoshu never expected to meet Consort Dong here.

"Shh, keep your voice down."

Consort Dong raised her slender index finger gently against her lips. Her eyes, glistening with subtle light, carried a hint of warning, and her voice dropped even lower: "Shh, quieter, don't alert others."

As she spoke, she had already walked gracefully into the room, casually closing the door behind her with a soft rustle of her purple robe brushing against itself.

Donggong Ruoshu's mind was still in a bit of a muddle, her thoughts chaotic and jumbled.

Why would Consort Dong be here? This place is so far from Great Yu, and Zi Wu Town is such a secluded area. How could an Imperial Concubine appear alone in this remote tavern at night?

Could it be... that the Empress Dowager wasn't at ease, sending the Imperial Concubine to... oversee?

This thought suddenly struck her heart like a drum, as if she'd been caught red-handed. She immediately recalled the heavy responsibility the Empress Dowager had entrusted to her.

But over these one or two years... all she did was eat and sleep, running around everywhere, never mastering Primordial Qi, nor achieving any progress in seduction. Not to mention seduction, she barely even had opportunities for private encounters... no, there were some instances, but she let them slip by.

It's strange, she always thought she was quite charming.

That being said, has she made no progress at all, completely failing the Empress Dowager's trust and expectations?

Donggong Ruoshu immediately felt guilty, her cheeks heating up a bit, her gaze wandering towards the shadows in the corner of the bed.

Consort Dong stood quietly a few steps away from her bed, not in a hurry to speak, just looking her up and down carefully.

"You..." Consort Dong finally spoke, her voice blunt, "are still a virgin?"

"Ah?" Donggong Ruoshu suddenly looked up, opening her mouth, instinctively wanting to deny it: "No... I..."

"Can't even spread your legs." Consort Dong interrupted her plainly.

The words were too blunt, and Donggong Ruoshu felt embarrassed, like a child whose lies were exposed.

She indeed... was still chaste, but she never actually intended to give herself to Chen Yi, only thinking of seducing him. Of course, the Empress Dowager surely wouldn't see it that way.

"I... he..." she stammered, at a loss for words, wanting to explain but not knowing where to begin, "Chen Yi... his eyes only have Miss Yin... I can't do anything... plus there are so many things, and I have to practice Primordial Qi... I..."

Consort Dong watched her flustered, defensive yet guilty demeanor and could only sigh softly.

She didn't continue to question or blame, but instead sighed gently, her voice softening further:

"Forget it, the Empress Dowager anticipated this. This matter... can't be rushed."

"Oh, okay." Miss Donggong nodded like a pecking chick, "Imperial Concubine, why are you here?"

Consort Dong was about to speak when her gaze drew towards the door, saying softly, "Stop eavesdropping, come in."

There was silence outside.

Just as Donggong Ruoshu thought Consort Dong might be overly suspicious, the door opened from the outside, and the person said:

"How did you know I was outside?"

"Intuition."

With those words, Donggong Ruoshu noticed Consort Dong's discerning eyes, playfully pointing with her finger,

"A woman's intuition."

Chen Yi casually lit a lamp, sneering on his face, stepping into the room. The lamplight illuminated it, and he saw the Imperial Concubine, alluding to past affection. Today she was dressed like a noblewoman. Chen Yi wanted to speak intimately, but found the words couldn't come from a genuine place,

So he said nothing, just looked at her, trying to infuse his scrutinizing gaze with a trace of past sentiment. The attempt seemed not too successful.

"Your gaze is giving me goosebumps."

Chen Yi adjusted his expression to dispel that unnatural, affectionate look, straightforwardly asking, "Why are you here?"

"Dragon vein," Consort Dong's answer was astonishingly concise.

With Chen Yi present, she obviously didn't intend to beat around the bush, glancing past the confused Donggong Ruoshu before returning her gaze to Chen Yi. "The Empress Dowager has recently sensed something unusual about the Western Jin Dragon Vein."

"No, I meant, why are you here, why did you come to me?" Chen Yi cut in.

That she could sense disturbances in the Dragon Vein was not surprising.

But...

Chen Yi's eyes suddenly narrowed.

"...The Empress Dowager sensed… you were here."

Consort Dong, being keen as she was, immediately sensed a change in his demeanor, feeling a slight chill. She clicked her tongue softly, and instead of retreating, she took half a step forward naturally, reaching for Chen Yi's hand.

Her fingers were slightly cool, yet delicate and smooth to the touch.

"Don't be angry," she said softly, her voice gentle and pliant, "Even if you are, don't take it out on me. I'm just a messenger caught in between, struggling on both ends."

She looked up at him, her water-like eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight and his profile. "The Empress Dowager now... might glimpse ripples of the River of Time. She can see fragments but only fragments, unclear and consuming a lot of energy. Her sensing of your presence here was indeed unexpected; she... doesn't intend to monitor you constantly, at least not for now."

Feeling the cool softness in his palm, and hearing the mix of explanation and consolation in her words, the sudden coldness in Chen Yi's heart slowly subsided.

He was not the type to lash out at those close to him out of anger, even if with Consort Dong, it was more an affair born of desire. But that fleeting intimacy had inevitably left its mark.

Lightly gripping her fingertips back, he then released her, an acknowledgment of her explanation.

"What have you uncovered?" he asked, his tone returning to its usual calmness.

Seeing his attitude ease, Consort Dong also let out a breath of relief, withdrawing her hand. She then sat gracefully on the round stool near Donggong Ruoshu's bed, tidying her sleeve before speaking: "Following the clues from the Dragon Vein disturbances, we investigated and ultimately were led here, to the Golden Immortal Temple.

According to some dusty records and ancient secrets held by Xique Pavilion, this Golden Immortal Temple was entirely destroyed over a hundred years ago during Emperor Zhao Wen's reign.

"Destroyed?" Chen Yi's brows furrowed.

"Exactly," Consort Dong confirmed, "Not abandoned, destroyed. It is said that in those days, everyone in the temple, be it Daoist, servant, or occasional lodging guest, all perished overnight under mysterious circumstances. The government concealed the news, labeling it as an epidemic to handle the aftermath quickly. Thus, the Golden Immortal Temple became a Forbidden Land, no one dared approach it, and gradually it was forgotten, assumed as merely abandoned."

She lifted her eyes to Chen Yi: "Since then, in the eyes of the world, the Golden Immortal Temple has been a dead temple, devoid of life."

Chen Yi's expression turned peculiar.

After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, "But... in the Dream Sea in Chang'an, I distinctly encountered those claiming to be from the Golden Immortal Temple, more than one."

Consort Dong's breath caught, her usually languid and smiling eyes becoming needle-sharp in an instant.

"The Dream Sea... people from the Golden Immortal Temple?" She repeated, biting each word clearly, "Are you certain?"

"Certain." Chen Yi recalled what he saw in the Dream Sea, the Dragon Vein nailed by a peach branch, and those claiming to be Daoists from the Golden Immortal Temple. "One was called Dragon Dao Adept, another called Zhan Yuezi, and they had a master. So I suspect the techniques causing disturbances in the Dragon Vein originate from the Golden Immortal Temple, even if not directly, are certainly related."

Consort Dong fell into a dead silence.

The flame crackled softly, shadows dancing across her face.

A temple in history deemed "destroyed," its entire populace dead for a century, yet in the mystical Dream Sea, there are still its followers, even involving such a sensational secret as a nation's Dragon Vein?

Consort Dong's expression became extremely grave. She slowly exhaled, speaking in a low voice, "This is truly problematic. I initially came just to take a look and incidentally brought myself to you."