We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real? Chapter 422: How Is That Crazy Woman in the Palace?

“Immortal Lady Jiang has assisted me immensely. How could I harbor inappropriate thoughts towards you? Miss, please do not jest in such a manner.”

Xiao Mo offered a helpless smile.

“It’s merely that the hour grows late. Outside my sleeping quarters, palace maids frequently pass by. I worry it might tarnish your esteemed reputation.”

“I am a woman, and I harbor no such concerns. What troubles Your Majesty so?” Jiang Qingyi shot Xiao Mo a look of mild exasperation.

“Let us depart!”

With those words, Jiang Qingyi purposefully exited the Altar of Heavenly Dao.

Her back now to Xiao Mo, Jiang Qingyi couldn’t help but purse her lips, a flicker of displeasure crossing her features.

“You don’t even dare to set your heart on me, what a coward!”

The woman whispered the words softly, audible only to herself.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, Jiang Qingyi made her way to Xiao Mo’s sleeping palace.

Jiang Qingyi lifted her delicate nose, inhaling deeply.

Within the sleeping palace, only Xiao Mo’s familiar scent lingered; no other person’s aura was present.

It seemed no other woman had spent the night within these walls.

This was hardly surprising.

Given that the Empress Dowager’s cherished “granddaughter” had yet to conceive Xiao Mo’s imperial heir, how could she possibly permit him to dally with the palace maids?

“Imperial heir…”

The very words that had crossed her mind caused Jiang Qingyi to let out a soft, cold laugh.

Indeed, an imperial heir!

“Is there something amiss with my sleeping palace?” Xiao Mo observed Jiang Qingyi scrutinizing his chambers. Her earnest expression was akin to someone examining a significant ancient relic.

“Nothing of the sort. I simply find Your Majesty’s room rather simpler than I had envisioned,” Jiang Qingyi offered a convenient excuse to mask her true thoughts.

Yet, Jiang Qingyi’s assessment was accurate. Xiao Mo’s chambers were indeed understated.

The sleeping palace predominantly housed Daoist texts, diagrams of the yin-yang fish, the Eight Trigrams, and other items associated with the Dao. Luxurious adornments were notably scarce.

Jiang Qingyi’s thoughts drifted back to a humble wooden hut from three millennia prior.

Despite his status as a Sect Elder then, that simple wooden dwelling contained naught but a bed and a table.

“I reside alone. I possess no particular hobbies. How many possessions could I possibly accumulate?” Xiao Mo responded.

Jiang Qingyi cast a glance at Xiao Mo. “Currently, you live in solitude. However, before long, two exceptionally beautiful royal consorts are expected to join the imperial harem. As the long nights unfold with such stunning beauties by your side, will Your Majesty not find joy? Just ensure it does not impede your cultivation pursuits when the time comes.”

Xiao Mo exhaled a soft sigh. “If given the choice, I would gladly remain alone. Compared to the company of women, cultivation offers far greater fascination.”

“Heh heh.” Jiang Qingyi emitted a few dry chuckles, clearly unconvinced by Xiao Mo’s declaration. “Cultivation is a personal endeavor for Your Majesty. Your own understanding of it suffices. You need only acknowledge it in your heart.”

Gathering her focus, Jiang Qingyi produced nine long swords from her spatial storage pouch.

A cursory inspection revealed that the quality of these nine long swords was far from ordinary.

Each blade was intricately etched with cryptic runes.

“Descend!”

With a flick of her hand, Jiang Qingyi sent the nine long swords soaring. They embedded themselves into the ground, occupying nine distinct positions within the sleeping palace.

Jiang Qingyi then retrieved another scroll.

Unfurling it, she executed a series of precise hand seals and chanted an incantation. The formation diagram depicted on the scroll detached itself, enveloping the entire sleeping palace before vanishing along with the nine swords.

“This formation is of my own design. Within its confines resides a wisp of my sword intent, coupled with nine strands of sword Qi. It serves as a whetstone for swords. When Your Majesty retires for the night, this formation will activate autonomously, refining Your Majesty’s sword Qi and sword intent.

“Your Majesty may also engage in careful contemplation of the sword intent I have left behind.

“With the passage of time, perhaps you shall achieve some enlightenment. This will undoubtedly prove immensely beneficial to Your Majesty’s subsequent Foundation Establishment stage.”

Jiang Qingyi explained the function of the formation to Xiao Mo.

“I see. Thank you kindly, Immortal Lady Jiang,” Xiao Mo expressed, cupping his hands in a gesture of gratitude.

“Your Majesty is too kind. Ultimately, achieving Foundation Establishment depends on one’s own efforts. External assistance serves merely as a supplementary boon. Should Your Majesty achieve success, it will stand as a testament to your own inherent capabilities.”

“Nevertheless, Immortal Lady Jiang has provided an extraordinary amount of assistance these past days.”

Xiao Mo conveyed his genuine appreciation, his words reflecting his true feelings.

Without Immortal Lady Jiang’s guidance, Xiao Mo felt his cultivation progress would certainly not have been this rapid.

He might still be struggling and uncertain of his path.

“An extraordinary amount?”

A fleeting trace of recollection flickered within Jiang Qingyi’s eyes.

“Perhaps it is because, long ago, someone extended similar aid to me. If not for that individual, far from embarking on the path of cultivation, I fear I would have succumbed to starvation somewhere.”

“The senior who assisted Miss Jiang must have been a truly benevolent soul,” Xiao Mo remarked kindly. “Should an opportunity arise, I would be honored to meet such a respected individual.”

As Xiao Mo finished speaking, Jiang Qingyi’s exquisite eyes fixed upon him.

“Immortal Lady Jiang, what is it?” Xiao Mo inquired, a hint of confusion in his voice. Was it possible he had uttered something incorrect?

“It’s nothing,” Jiang Qingyi replied, turning her head away, her tone becoming icy. “What is there to see in someone like that? Only a fool would wish to meet him.”

Xiao Mo found himself momentarily speechless, unsure how to steer the conversation back.

Just as a heavy silence descended between them within the sleeping chambers, a mosquito, which had been observing from the shadows, unfurled its wings and took flight towards Xiao Mo.

The horned mosquito alighted upon the back of Xiao Mo’s hand, its delicate legs gripping a remarkably thin silver needle, poised to pierce his skin. However, at the very brink of success, Jiang Qingyi abruptly shifted her gaze.

The instant her eyes landed on the insect, the sword qi surrounding her coalesced into a slender thread, swiftly piercing the mosquito’s minuscule body. Before the horned mosquito could even register its impending doom, its vision faded to black. It detached from Xiao Mo’s hand, tumbling to the ground, its tiny legs twitching feebly before growing still.

“Immortal Lady Jiang?”

Though unaware of the exact events that transpired, Xiao Mo couldn’t ignore the palpable surge of killing intent radiating from her.

Jiang Qingyi traversed past Xiao Mo, her skirt swishing lightly. She slowly knelt, retrieving the corpse of the horned mosquito.

“It is of no consequence.”

After a thorough examination, Jiang Qingyi glanced up, her gaze sweeping past the window. Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly. “Merely a few ‘mosquitoes’ have found their way into the ‘residence.’”

Meanwhile, in a secluded courtyard elsewhere within the inner palace, the palace maids, exhausted from their rigorous daily training, had all succumbed to sleep.

Sili lay on her bed, meticulously inspecting the soul pearl clutched in her hand. Having continuously absorbed the blood of the Zhou ruler for five consecutive days, the pearl had taken on a deep, blood-moon red hue. With the blood from tonight and the following night, Sili was confident she would uncover the Zhou ruler’s true identity.

Lifting her head, Sili observed the moonlit beams gracing the window, sensing that the opportune moment had arrived.

Yet, as Sili turned to rise from her bed, her fair, jade-like foot just slipping into an embroidered slipper—

A sudden tremor ran through Sili’s mind. She snapped her head up, her attention instantly drawn towards the sleeping chambers of the Zhou ruler. She could sense it with absolute clarity: her horned mosquito had met its end.

While the demise of the horned mosquito itself was of little concern to Sili, the potent sword qi that had ended its life sent a shiver of profound dread through her, as if she stood before a formidable adversary. “It truly is her!”

Recalling the night that ferocious woman had relentlessly pursued her and Wangxin, Sili’s delicate fist clenched tightly, a chilling premonition gripping her heart. “What has become of that madwoman within the palace?”