We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real? Chapter 653: She Is the Lord of the Four Seas?

Within the courtyard, Yan Ruxue poured Xiao Mo a cup of tea, and the two of them spoke of the small, unhurried matters of daily life. Though these were indeed small things, they were precisely the kind of talk that put one at ease, without any sense of formality or constraint.

Half an incense stick's time later, Yan Zhen returned to the residence.

Upon hearing that His Majesty had come, Yan Zhen wasted not a word and hurried at once to pay his respects.

As evening drew near, after sharing a meal with Yan Zhen and the others, Xiao Mo and Yan Ruxue returned together to the palace.

In the days that followed, the woman in the white gown appeared in Xiao Mo's dreams with ever greater frequency, night after night. And with each dream, her features seemed to overlap more and more with Yan Ruxue's own yet still Xiao Mo could not bring himself to be certain.

He always felt that the two did not quite look the same. And in particular, every time he woke, the memory of the dream would already be fading, which left him more uncertain than ever.

In his heart, Xiao Mo understood that this was very likely the memory of the second and third lives within the Book of a Hundred Lives. Those memories had long since been unlocked, lying latent like a spring buried beneath the earth, waiting to be released. Yet Xiao Mo felt, always, that one final catalyst was still missing. That catalyst was a shovel, he thought, needed to clear away the clay blocking the spring's mouth before the water could come surging forth.

Only he had no idea where to find it.

The one thing Xiao Mo could say with any certainty was this: Yan Ruxue was perhaps connected to that shovel.

"In truth, we came to the palace only to find something."

Without quite noticing it, Xiao Mo found himself recalling the words Yan Ruxue had once said to him. He had wondered at the time what anything in as small and remote a place as the Zhou Kingdom could possibly be that she and the others wanted.

Now, a suspicion had taken shape in his heart.

Was it possible... that what they had come seeking... was himself?

That those she had encountered through the Book of a Hundred Lives had, in this present life, found their way to his door.

Carrying this thought, Xiao Mo began to make his way toward Ning Xue Palace with increasing regularity, hoping that through spending time in Yan Ruxue's company, he might at last draw that buried memory fully to the surface.

But his frequent visits to Ning Xue Palace earned Qin Siyao's complaints. She felt that Xiao Mo was showing favoritism, and every day she came to find him, lips pursed in a small pout. When standing beside him, she would say nothing at all, only gaze at him with an aggrieved, sorrowful air.

At first Xiao Mo had no idea what had come over her. But then, gradually, Qin Siyao began to repeat herself.

"Imperial Brother truly does dote on Elder Sister Ruxue. Always running to her, always. It seems Elder Sister Ruxue is to be made Empress."

"Not that this concubine has any objection to Elder Sister Ruxue taking precedence. Elder Sister Ruxue is so lovely, so understanding. What man would not adore her?"

"This concubine can only come to Imperial Brother every single day, shamelessly, hoping to see a little more of Imperial Brother..."

"This concubine doesn't even know whether doing so might be getting in the way of Imperial Brother and Elder Sister Ruxue..."

"If Imperial Brother finds it a nuisance, then this concubine shall simply stop coming."

Hearing Qin Siyao speak in this manner, Xiao Mo could hardly fail to know what was going on in her mind. He had no choice but to devote more time to soothing her, and to spend more time in her company. After all, he had only unlocked the memories of the first through third lives within the Book of a Hundred Lives. If Siyao, too, was connected to the Book, and he neglected her now, the situation would only grow considerably more complicated later.

Beyond this, Xiao Mo had always felt that he had not conducted himself particularly well in the lives recorded within the Book of a Hundred Lives.

And so, whenever time allowed, Xiao Mo would make his way to Han Jiu Palace and to Ning Xue Palace both, giving more of his time to Yan Ruxue and Qin Siyao alike, doing his best to be fair and even-handed between them but this, in turn, drew Jiang Qingyi's displeasure.

"Your Majesty spends every day running to Ning Xue Palace or Han Jiu Palace, always with your mind somewhere else. You have come to the Dao Inquiry Platform considerably less often these days. I would very much like to see what has become of Your Majesty's swordsmanship."

One day, when Xiao Mo was practicing his sword at the Dao Inquiry Platform and Jiang Qingyi had come to instruct him, her words carried an unmistakable undercurrent of irritation. Even the force behind her blade was considerably greater than usual, as though she were using Xiao Mo as a training dummy.

Xiao Mo felt rather hard done by, in truth. It was true he had visited the Dao Inquiry Platform less of late, but he had not let his cultivation lapse. He ran through the Great Dream of the Yellow Millet every day as a foundation for his sword practice.

"Clang!"

With a clear, resonant ring, the sword in Xiao Mo's hand was flicked free by Jiang Qingyi's strike and sent spinning through the air.

"Considering that Your Majesty has been practicing on those two women's figures, the results are rather lacking. If Your Majesty continues to lose himself in such pleasures, I foresee an early end, right there in the bedchamber!"

Jiang Qingyi gave a cold snort, turned, and walked away, for all the world like a brooding little hen nursing a quiet grievance. And when she discovered that Xiao Mo's swordsmanship had not regressed in the slightest but had actually advanced further still, she grew even more annoyed.

It felt as though... even without her, he would walk his path of the sword just fine...

Watching Qingyi's receding figure, Xiao Mo could only feel a helpless resignation. One could only say that as girls grew older, their feelings became ever more complicated. They really had been more adorable when they were small.

Empress Dowager Yan, however, upon hearing that Xiao Mo was spending his days between Ning Xue Palace and Han Jiu Palace, was exceedingly pleased, feeling that Xiao Mo was doing entirely the right thing, and believing he had finally come to his senses. She even had a palace maid carry her message to him, "This Empress Dowager hopes Your Majesty will keep this up! Spend more time with your two consorts!" For in Empress Dowager Yan's view, while governing the realm was indeed important, producing heirs for the imperial line was more important still. His Majesty ought to be putting in greater effort on that front.

Faced with the palace maid's delivered message, Xiao Mo was at a loss for words, and simply waved his hand to dismiss her.

He had come to realize one thing: the affairs of the inner palace were genuinely very difficult to manage. He had no idea how the sovereigns of other dynasties managed to keep three thousand beauties in their harems.

After a month of this, Xiao Mo stopped forcing himself to try to draw the memories from the Book of a Hundred Lives to the surface. He trusted that recovering those memories was only a matter of time, and that the catalyst, whatever it might be, would come when it would come.

And just as Xiao Mo was settling back into his usual rhythm of daily life, a letter arrived from Luo Yang. In thirty years' time, the Demon Realm's territory intended to challenge the Ten Thousand Laws Realm to a great contest. The contest would call upon young talents under a hundred years of age. The stake would be thirty percent of each side's fortune.

In his letter, Luo Yang had sharp words for the sect masters and elders of the great sects of the Ten Thousand Laws Realm. For when the Demon Realm's declaration of war reached the Ten Thousand Laws Realm, Kong Sheng, the Dean of the Confucian Academy, had summoned all sect masters and elders of the Upper Three Realms to a great council at once. At the council, no small number had lost their nerve before a single blow had been exchanged, unwilling to accept the challenge, fearful of losing thirty percent of the Ten Thousand Laws Realm's fortune.

But there were also those sect masters and elders who had not lost their fighting spirit, believing the Ten Thousand Laws Realm must answer the challenge. If they did not, it would deal a devastating blow to the realm's morale, and such a show of cowardice might even cause the talented young cultivators of the Ten Thousand Laws Realm to grow dispirited and bitter, potentially affecting their cultivation for years to come.

In the end, with Kong Sheng's support, the faction in favor of accepting the challenge prevailed and took control of the debate, agreeing to meet the Demon Realm's challenge thirty years hence.

As for the matter of who would be selected to fight in thirty years' time, the Ten Thousand Laws Realm had not yet decided, and arguments were still ongoing. But regardless of how those arguments played out, when the moment came, the ten finest young talents of the Ten Thousand Laws Realm would be the ones to take the field.

As for all of this, Xiao Mo felt it had little to do with him. Though he believed his aptitude for cultivation was respectable, measured against the ten greatest talents in the entire realm, there was still a considerable gap, and surely no one would be selecting him.

By comparison, Xiao Mo felt he was better served attending to the matters immediately before him.

After a prolonged period of preparation, Xiao Mo was now ready to move against certain sects. They could not truly be called proper sects, in truth, only a scattering of small factions whose so-called sect masters were cultivators of no higher than the Golden Core realm, some barely even at Dragon Gate. These small factions had earned themselves poor reputations, and had grown excessively bold, frequently flouting the Zhou Kingdom's laws. The local officials, overawed by the fact that the other party were "immortal cultivators," did not dare to press too hard against them.

Xiao Mo intended to begin with these sects, killing the chicken to warn the monkey, and then work steadily upward, absorbing the Nascent Soul sects one by one as well.

Of course, for dealing with factions of this size, Xiao Mo had no intention of leading the campaign personally. He planned to send Zeng Qiang and the others first.

"Your Majesty, Chancellor Yan has arrived."

That day, as Xiao Mo was practicing his sword at the Dao Inquiry Platform as usual, Sili's voice came from outside.

"Let the Chancellor in." Xiao Mo drew back his sword stance, stilling his sword-intent.

"Yes." Sili acknowledged the command.

A moment later, the doors of the Dao Inquiry Platform swung open and Yan Zhen walked inside.

The moment the sword-qi within the Dao Inquiry Platform reached him, Yan Zhen could not help but halt in his tracks, staring.

He had known for some time that His Majesty had found a way to cultivate and had personally cut down Yan Shan'ao. But he had not expected His Majesty's sword-qi to be this dense and this sharp. Even breathing felt as though a thousand needles were being driven into his lungs with every inhale.

"What is Chancellor Yan doing, simply staring at us like that?" Xiao Mo put away his sword, picked up a gourd and took a drink of water, smiling. "We are no sheltered young maiden, after all."

"This subject Yan Zhen pays respects to Your Majesty," Yan Zhen said, recovering himself and bowing with proper ceremony.

"Speak directly. There is no need to beat around the bush," Xiao Mo said, wiping the corner of his mouth. "There are only the two of us here."

"In reply to Your Majesty..." Yan Zhen's brow furrowed. "There is something this subject has been turning over for several days now, uncertain whether it ought to be said."

"You have already come to us. What is there left to say or not say? Say it directly." Xiao Mo commanded.

"Yes..." Yan Zhen paused briefly, gathering his words, then spoke plainly and without preamble. "This subject believes that this subject's own daughter, Consort Xue, Yan Ruxue, is not quite right."

"Oh? Consort Xue is not quite right? What does the Chancellor mean by that?"

Xiao Mo looked at Yan Zhen, uncertain for a moment what the old man was trying to say. He suspects his own daughter is not right? No. You suspect your daughter is not right only now? You do not even know your daughter is a great cultivator...

"In reply to Your Majesty, when the Four Seas delegation came to pay their visit to Great Zhou, this subject was on leave and went out with my wife for the day. Upon returning, we encountered Yan Shuang at the gate of our residence, and my wife invited her inside for tea and refreshments," Yan Zhen continued.

"What is the problem in that?" Xiao Mo did not quite follow. "And how did you come to mention Yan Shuang? What connection does she have to Consort Xue?"

"Your Majesty, that is precisely the point. This subject had not at any time introduced my wife to her, and my wife had never met her before, and yet Yan Shuang knew immediately that she was this subject's primary wife."

Yan Zhen's brow furrowed ever more deeply, and even he himself felt that the conclusion forming in his mind was rather bold.

"Does Your Majesty still recall that at the welcoming banquet held for the Four Seas delegation, Yan Shuang was exceedingly cold and aloof, without a trace of warmth or humor? Yet on that day when Ruxue returned to the residence, Yan Shuang was remarkably deferential in her presence, even appearing somewhat afraid."

"In particular, during this recent period, Fairy Yan Shuang came to the capital, claiming to be traveling the world and experiencing mortal life, and at my wife's invitation, stayed at our residence for a time. This subject noticed that Fairy Yan Shuang was thoroughly familiar with the entire layout of the Yan residence, as though it were her own home, though she had never been there before."

"Thinking back on what this subject once discussed with Your Majesty, that the true Lord of the Four Seas is another, this subject has been unable to let the matter rest, always feeling something is not right, and has ultimately decided to report it to Your Majesty."

"Your meaning is... that the current Consort Xue is the true Lord of the Four Seas, and Yan Shuang is your actual daughter?" Xiao Mo's brow drew together, understanding now what he was trying to say.

"This subject only suspects as much..."

Yan Zhen let out a slow sigh, his expression complex and heavy.

"More than ten years ago, our family went on an outing. When my daughter was ten years of age, she fell into a river. My wife and I were both beside ourselves with despair, yet, to our astonishment, our daughter emerged completely unharmed, not even her clothing dampened, lively and sprightly on the riverbank."

"At the time, Ruxue said she had been saved by an immortal, and so we thought no more of it."

"Yet reflecting on it now, there were indeed a number of strange things about it. We never once laid eyes on that immortal, not from beginning to end. And after Ruxue returned home, she seemed unfamiliar with many things in the house, and her mind felt considerably more mature than before."

"Of course, if things truly are as this subject supposes, this subject does not understand why the Lord of the Four Seas would do such a thing. And all of this remains nothing more than this subject's conjecture, without the slightest evidence."

Xiao Mo turned a finger slowly across his knuckle, sinking into a long silence.

"We have taken note of this matter," he said at last, lifting his head. "The Chancellor need not concern himself with it further. Continue on as before. And the conversation between you and us today need not be known to any third party."

"Yes." Yan Zhen nodded. "Your Majesty may rest assured. Not a word of this has this subject said to my wife."

"Does the Chancellor have any other matters?" Xiao Mo asked.

"This subject has nothing further, and shall take his leave." Yan Zhen folded his hands in a bow.

"Go." Xiao Mo waved a hand, his thoughts now carrying a certain weight.

After Yan Zhen departed, Xiao Mo clasped his hands behind his back and paced back and forth.

He had known that Ruxue's identity was far from simple, but he had not imagined it extended to quite this degree.

After a long while, Xiao Mo shook his head, quieting the current of his thoughts. He knew that turning it over further would yield no conclusion.

"Sili."

He called out toward the woman beyond the Dao Inquiry Platform's doors.

"Your Majesty." Sili stepped inside, bowing.

"Prepare the carriage. To Ning Xue Palace."