Kong Hou vaguely felt something was off about Huan Zong. She observed his complexion. In recent days, since they’d begun Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation, Huan Zong’s color looked much better. Even Senior Lin said that perhaps after a bit more time, Huan Zong would be able to recover eighty percent of his former cultivation.
Huan Zong’s current cultivation was already unfathomable, yet unexpectedly this was only sixty percent of his power. When they found the spirit grass and his inner demons were completely eliminated, what magnificent bearing would he display?
There was a type of person in the world who, from the first glance, made you feel they should stand on high places and shouldn’t live an ordinary, aggrieved life. In Kong Hou’s eyes, Huan Zong was such a person. Both teacher and friend, also like an elder brother—as long as there was the slightest hope of recovery, she didn’t want Huan Zong to give up.
Watching the young girl’s distracted, puzzled expression, Huan Zong’s face returned to normal. “You’ve been accompanying me in cultivation these past days. The scenery here is beautiful. Let’s rest here for a day before going to the bottom of Tingfeng Valley.”
“Alright.” Kong Hou was uncertain, but the scenery here was indeed picturesque. No wonder Huan Zong liked this place.
Walking to the pond’s edge, she sat cross-legged. As spiritual energy circulated through her body, the contents of the Heart Sutra secret manual floated into Kong Hou’s mind. In the secret realm, the Secret Realm Spirit had required her to memorize the Heart Sutra. At the time she hadn’t thought much of it, but now she discovered the manual’s contents were carved into her heart—impossible to forget no matter what.
Discovering her body subconsciously wanted to cultivate according to the methods described in the manual, Kong Hou quickly controlled her mind, embraced primordial spirit and guarded consciousness, and circulated the spiritual energy in her body.
“She’s naturally suited for cultivation.” Lin Hu looked at Kong Hou by the pond’s edge, who had rapidly entered meditation and merged as one with heaven, earth, and nature. He stroked the horse’s head, fed it several spirit grasses, his eyes showing amazement.
“In this world, everyone is born with talent. It’s just that each person’s talents differ in type and amount.” Huan Zong looked at Lin Hu. “You needn’t feel inferior.”
Lin Hu smiled wryly. The young master was really joking. At his age, how could he feel jealous or inferior because of a junior’s talents?
Knowing the young master was joking, Lin Hu said, “We encourage each other.”
“Mm.” Huan Zong nodded. “They say a life-saving debt should be repaid with one’s person…”
“Young Master, you’re mistaken. In the mortal realm, that phrase means if you’re ugly you become their servant, only if you’re good-looking can you repay with your person.”
“I’m very good-looking. Kong Hou is also very good-looking.”
Lin Hu was silent for a long while. “Young Master, are you joking with me?”
Huan Zong asked back, “When have I joked with you?”
Lin Hu’s face was expressionless. “Many times.”
“Then this time you can rest assured—I’m serious.”
Lin Hu’s lips trembled. He turned his head away without speaking. He unfastened the reins from the horses, letting them forage and drink on their own. The horses running about were like his unsettled emotions—running wild but not yet gone mad.
“Please, save us.”
“Immortal Princess, please manifest, look upon us.”
“All past wrongs were this empress’s fault. Please manifest and save the people. This empress is willing to sacrifice ten years of life.”
Kong Hou woke from meditation, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead, her face deathly pale. She opened her eyes to flowers and beautiful scenery—where was anyone speaking?
“Kong Hou, what’s wrong?” Seeing Kong Hou covered in sweat with a pale face, Huan Zong worried she’d made an error in cultivation. He strode to her side and reached out to check her spiritual meridians.
Everything was normal. There was no chaos in her spiritual energy.
“Huan Zong, I’m fine.” Not yet recovered from those painful, desperate voices of prayer, Kong Hou stared ahead blankly. “Just now I seemed to hear strange voices.”
“Strange voices?” Huan Zong’s expression became even stranger. If a cultivator had cursed Kong Hou, being this close to her, he couldn’t possibly have failed to notice any abnormality. So how did these voices appear?
“Yes.” With Huan Zong’s company, Kong Hou’s emotions gradually calmed. “These voices were old and young, male and female. They were begging me to save them. One voice was especially familiar—like the Empress’s voice from when I lived in the mortal realm.” Her impression of the Empress was very vague. She dimly recalled a serious woman, not favored by Emperor Jing Hong but greatly respected by him.
She wasn’t like a person, more like a symbol in the imperial harem, an example for noble ladies. Back then, Kong Hou only noticed how Emperor Jing Hong’s women competed for his favor and couldn’t pay attention to the Empress. Now suddenly hearing what sounded like the Empress’s voice made it especially strange.
Even if she’d encountered problems during cultivation, she shouldn’t be hearing the Empress’s voice. Between them, apart from surface politeness, there was no other interaction, let alone any conflicts or inner demons.
The one who took the Ji family’s realm was Emperor Jing Hong, not that expressionless Empress who watched the imperial consorts compete for favor.
Hearing Kong Hou mention the mortal realm’s Empress, Huan Zong was somewhat surprised. He thought for a moment. “Someone built you a temple and erected a monument, receiving incense from mortals.”
“Built a temple and monument?” Kong Hou thought she’d heard wrong. “I’m not an immortal. Why build me a temple and monument?” After saying this, she recalled the rumors about immortals in the mortal realm and fell silent.
The mortal realm had many stories related to immortals, but how many people had actually seen one? To people in the mortal realm, immortals were symbols, spiritual sustenance, but immortals were more like elusive, intangible existences. They revered immortals but didn’t depend on them.
Back then, in front of Emperor Jing Hong and numerous officials, she had flown away with her master. In those people’s eyes, she had “become an immortal.” Emperor Jing Hong was a cautious man skilled at scheming. Seeing her “ascend to immortality,” he would definitely use this opportunity to consolidate his position.
After all, in name, she was still Emperor Jing Hong’s adopted daughter. His adopted daughter “ascending to immortality,” building temples and monuments to receive incense from all people—that was perfectly natural. And the common people, hearing someone from their country became an immortal, would only feel happy. Who would be unwilling?
Having one of their own among the immortals brought too strong a sense of security to the people.
Understanding all this, Kong Hou wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Huan Zong, with so many voices of prayer reaching me, did something happen to them?”
Huan Zong didn’t say yes or no, but instead said, “For us cultivators, incense is useless. It’s just a method ordinary humans use to seek protection when they’re weak and helpless. When you embarked on the path of cultivation, past affairs became unrelated to you. Even if everyone in the entire mortal realm burned incense and worshipped you, you don’t owe them karma.”
“I know.” Kong Hou nodded.
“Rest a while longer.” Huan Zong stood and gave Kong Hou quietude.
Kong Hou watched Huan Zong’s retreating back, sighed, hugged her knees as she sat, and fell into thought.
In the mortal realm’s imperial palace, the Empress rose from her prayer cushion, inserted the incense stick in her hand into the incense burner, and stared blankly at the immortal maiden statue on the altar.
“Your Majesty, you haven’t slept all night. Please rest for a while.” Worried about her health, the female official supported her arm. “Why must you do this? Yesterday the most favored Imperial Consort received the finest rouge from the Palace Administration, yet you’re in this small room kneeling to pray to the immortal on His Majesty’s behalf until your knees are bruised.”
Would doing all this make His Majesty remember her kindness? These words were too harsh. The female official who had followed the Empress for over twenty years ultimately didn’t dare say them.
Back when His Majesty wasn’t yet His Majesty, he and Her Majesty had been harmonious, with vows of eternal love. Now having gained the realm and countless beautiful women, past promises had been forgotten.
Men were like this—their vows were true, their affection was true, but their fickle hearts were also true. Poor Her Majesty had accompanied His Majesty in conquering the realm, bearing and raising children, only to end up watching His Majesty flirt with other charming women.
But what of it? In history books thousands of years hence, only His Majesty’s greatness would be recorded. Her Majesty was merely an ornament beside His Majesty. All scholars flipping to records about the Empress would probably sincerely praise with one word: virtuous.
And then?
Then nothing.
Current history books recorded previous dynasties’ founding emperors and empresses thus. History books thousands of years hence would record His Majesty and Her Majesty the same way.
“I’m not doing this for His Majesty, but for all the people under heaven.” The Empress shook her head, her tone flat. The husband in her heart had long since died. Who the current Emperor favored or doted on—what did it have to do with her?
“The epidemic has broken out. Countless people are suffering in agony. Praying to other gods is useless. We can only pray to Kong Hou.” The Empress smiled mockingly. Who could have imagined that former dynasty princess she’d ignored back then would be taken away by an immortal?
“Your Majesty, you mustn’t speak the Immortal Maiden’s name directly.” The female official bowed toward the statue. “The Immortal will hear.”
“I didn’t treat her well back then. If she bears a grudge, it won’t just be because I called her name.” The Empress sighed. “His Majesty took the realm that belonged to her father. We also let her suffer years of bullying and cold treatment in the harem. Do you think she’ll set aside past grievances and manifest?”
The female official silently shook her head. “This servant doesn’t know.”
“You’re not ignorant—you don’t dare speak the truth.” The Empress’s expression turned stern, becoming that威压 Empress of old. “Pass down my order: have the Eldest Princess copy sutras and pray for Immortal Kong Hou’s blessings. Those princesses and commandery princesses of similar age to Immortal Kong Hou must burn three incense sticks daily for the Immortal. Send someone to personally supervise.”
“About the Eldest Princess…” The female official worried. “Will she defy your orders and make a fuss before His Majesty?”
“This involves the life and death of all people under heaven. Even if she complains to the King of Heaven himself, it’s useless.” The Empress said coldly. “All women in the realm are under this empress’s authority. If His Majesty wants to stand up for the Eldest Princess, he must first depose this empress.”
With hundreds of thousands, millions of common people unable to preserve their lives, how could she still worry whether one shrew was happy or angry? She’d been spoiled enough!
“This servant receives the command.” The female official accepted the phoenix decree and withdrew.
The room returned to silence once more. The Empress turned to look at the goddess statue. “I can give you every explanation, even my life, as long as you’re willing to save the people.”
Smoke curled upward. The statue’s face remained cold.
“Your Majesty, the Empress has issued several phoenix decrees ordering the Eldest Princess and all princesses and commandery princesses to pray for Immortal Kong Hou’s blessings. The Eldest Princess got into a dispute with the Empress’s people.”
Hearing the guard’s report, Emperor Jing Hong, who hadn’t slept properly for several days straight, was silent for a moment. “The Empress is the mother of all people. Her commands are my commands. No one may defy them.”
Emperor Jing Hong was silent again for a while. “Send an order to the Imperial Observatory to have them set up an altar on the Star Observation Platform. I will lead the male and female members of the imperial family to worship… Immortal Kong Hou.”
—
**Author’s Note:** Empress: Who says women can’t care about all people? Men? Hah.