Emperor Yuanjing awoke with a start in the silent, vast hall. The head eunuch was slumped over a small desk, fast asleep.
There were no consorts or palace maids in the imperial bedchamber. Emperor Yuanjing had been practicing abstinence and cultivating the Dao for over twenty years. The emperor’s once-bustling chambers had become a forbidden area for the palace concubines.
Regarding Emperor Yuanjing’s Dao cultivation, the concubines’ feelings could be summed up in one phrase:
A scholar burning the midnight oil—exhausting!
Naturally, they were full of complaints, but Emperor Yuanjing never paid attention to the concubines’ opinions. As an emperor with numerous offspring, concubines had long since become dispensable.
If he had started cultivating twenty years earlier, his ministers would have remonstrated to the death.
“Has Your Majesty awakened?” The head eunuch, a light sleeper, immediately roused and hurried to the dragon bed.
“What time is it?” Emperor Yuanjing rubbed his brow.
“The first quarter of the Yin Hour,” the head eunuch replied, turning to lift the teapot from the small stove and pouring Emperor Yuanjing a cup of warm water.
After serving the emperor for so many years, some small tasks required no inquiry.
Emperor Yuanjing drank the tea and slowly exhaled: “Since the ancestral worship ceremony, I have been restless. Prepare the imperial carriage for Lingbao Temple. I wish to cultivate with the National Preceptor to calm my mind.”
Just as the master and servant reached the outer chamber, a resounding bell suddenly rang through the night sky, echoing throughout every corner of the palace.
The imperial palace entered a state of high alert.
Emperor Yuanjing frowned, seeing a squad of imperial guards running towards them, their expressions filled with panic.
The leader of the imperial guards shouted, “Your Majesty, an explosion occurred at Sangbo Lake. The Yongzhen Mountain River Temple has been destroyed. The three hundred imperial guards on duty all perished, with no survivors.”
Emperor Yuanjing stood frozen in place.
After a long while, he spoke in a deep voice: “Notify Wei Yuan to bring his men to the palace immediately; summon the National Preceptor to see me; inform the Supervising Censor… tell him the Yongzhen Mountain River Temple has been destroyed.”
…
That night, the diviners of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau awoke inexplicably, terrified as if it were the end of the world.
…
The first to arrive was the female National Preceptor, riding a Seven Stars Sword through the air.
She wore a lotus crown and a Taiji Dao robe, with wide, flowing sleeves. An otherworldly aura emanated from her presence.
She was a woman of indeterminate age, with breathtaking beauty and an ethereal demeanor. She possessed both the fair skin of a young maiden and the allure of a mature woman, combining the grace of one beyond the mortal realm.
Her beauty seemed as distant as a thousand mountains and ten thousand snows, visible yet unreachable.
“National Preceptor…” Emperor Yuanjing opened his mouth, then sighed, “The thing beneath Sangbo Lake has emerged.”
The female National Preceptor nodded slightly, her voice ethereal and crisp: “This poor Daoist is already aware.”
Wei Yuan arrived shortly after, bringing two Golden Gong bearers from the night watch office and two adopted sons—a total of four high-ranking martial artists.
Along with the experts within the palace, a group of formidable martial artists and the Human Faction Dao leader escorted Emperor Yuanjing to Sangbo Lake.
Over a thousand imperial guards had gathered on the shore of Sangbo Lake, holding torches. The high-ranking martial artists serving in the military were also present, awaiting Emperor Yuanjing’s arrival.
The Yongzhen Mountain River Temple no longer existed. The high platform had partially collapsed, and broken beams floated on the water’s surface.
Upon seeing this scene, Emperor Yuanjing’s brow twitched violently. He barked, “Where is the divine sword?”
An imperial guard leader bowed and replied, “Men have been sent to retrieve it.”
Emperor Yuanjing took a deep breath, walked to the shore, and extended his hand, curling his fingers.
A clear yellow light shone from beneath the water, and a three-foot-long bronze sword broke through the surface, flying into Emperor Yuanjing’s hand.
After carefully examining it and confirming that the divine sword was undamaged, Emperor Yuanjing let out a sigh of relief.
The stunningly beautiful National Preceptor, standing on her Seven Stars Sword and holding a feather duster, circled above Sangbo Lake before hovering in midair. She said:
“Your Majesty, there are no abnormalities in Sangbo Lake.”
No abnormalities… Emperor Yuanjing’s eyes darkened slightly.
Wei Yuan turned and asked the imperial guard leaders: “Where are the remains of the fallen soldiers?”
A dozen or so corpses were brought up, all in the same condition—their flesh withered, resembling mummies that had been desiccated for decades.
“The other soldiers died in the same manner,” a commander reported, carefully glancing at Emperor Yuanjing. “Your Majesty… we did not detect any powerful enemies infiltrating…”
The imperial guard leaders knew well that the true cause of this strange incident might be related to the accident during the recent ancestral worship ceremony.
They had an even more terrifying guess: the explosion at Sangbo Lake and the sudden deaths of the patrolling soldiers might not have been due to an enemy invasion, but rather some secret hidden within Sangbo Lake itself.
Although the commanders had their suspicions, as loyal subjects, they knew which words should be spoken and which should not.
Emperor Yuanjing’s sharp gaze swept over the corpses before he turned to look at Wei Yuan’s face. “Wei Yuan, come with me to the imperial study.”
…
The curtains of the brocade couch hung low, and sandalwood incense burned in the bedchamber.
The Imperial Princess was awakened by the bell. The moment she opened her eyes, instead of dressing, she grabbed the long sword hanging by her bed. With a crisp, forceful sound, she rushed into the hall wearing only her white undergarments, which outlined her delicate, curvaceous figure.
The tall, cold beauty, wielding a gleaming sword, had her black hair cascading down like a waterfall, slightly disheveled in a lazy manner.
The white, form-fitting undergarments accentuated her well-proportioned figure. She wasn’t a frail woman but rather exuded the sexiness of a gym-toned beauty. If Li Qiusheng were here, he would sigh and say: “This woman is my perfect match.”
“Your Highness…”
The maids in the side hall had also been startled awake and came running in a panic, grabbing the Imperial Princess’s palace robes.
“Bring me my training outfit,” the Imperial Princess commanded, her beautiful eyes filled with authority.
After changing into light, more figure-hugging training clothes, with a military crossbow on her left hip, a firearm on her right, and a long sword in hand, the Imperial Princess led her guards and quickly made her way to Emperor Yuanjing’s bedchamber.
The Imperial Princess was stopped by the imperial guards protecting the emperor’s chambers. At times like these, princes and princesses were especially forbidden from approaching the emperor.
Who knew if a prince might be secretly plotting to usurp the throne?
The Imperial Princess didn’t force her way through. Her gaze swept past the imperial guards and fell upon several familiar figures—members of the night watch and high-ranking martial artists from various military units.
What on earth had happened… If it weren’t for a powerful enemy invasion, the palace guards would never sound the alarm bells… But if it were an invasion by a powerful enemy nation, the scene seemed too quiet. Moreover, the people from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau hadn’t arrived…
The Imperial Princess gripped her sword, pondering carefully.
At this moment, the Crown Prince and several other princes and princesses also arrived with their entourage.
“Huaiqing!” The Crown Prince, dressed in military attire, looked serious.
“The situation is currently unknown,” the Imperial Princess replied concisely.
The Second Princess, whose peach blossom eyes were alluringly charming, saw that the Imperial Princess was dressed in training clothes. Her brow, usually cold, now looked fierce, as if she might start fighting at any moment. The Second Princess opened her cherry-like small mouth but chose to remain silent.
There were important matters today, so she didn’t feel like arguing with Huaiqing.
A quarter of an hour later, the door to the imperial study opened, and a eunuch in blue robes walked out.
“Lord Wei…” The Imperial Princess was closest to Wei Yuan, barely qualifying as his half-disciple.
Wei Yuan sighed and said, “The Yongzhen Mountain River Temple has collapsed. It was the work of criminals, but they have long since disappeared without a trace.”
The princes and princesses gasped in shock. The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes, suppressing his emotions, and stepped forward. “Is this related to the incident during the ancestral worship ceremony?”
Wei Yuan shook his head and glanced at the Imperial Princess. “His Majesty has ordered me to uncover the truth and capture the culprits within half a month. I’ve been frank with His Majesty that this case will be extremely difficult to solve…”
He shook his head and left.
The Imperial Princess’s eyes flickered.
The door to the imperial study opened again, and the head eunuch, wearing a black gauze cap and a brown python robe, walked out.
“Your Highnesses, His Majesty requests your presence.”
Led by the Crown Prince, the eight princes and princesses who had come to inquire about the situation entered the imperial study together.
The emperor’s desk was placed in the front hall, which was empty. The head eunuch led them into the inner chamber, where they saw low-hanging curtains and Emperor Yuanjing sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion. Opposite him sat the stunningly beautiful female National Preceptor.
The two were seated at a distance neither too far nor too close, maintaining the proper distance for Daoist friends discussing the Dao.
In recent years, Emperor Yuanjing had been cultivating the Dao under the guidance of this female National Preceptor, with excellent results. Previously, Emperor Yuanjing had been worn down by state affairs, his hair graying prematurely. In his early thirties, his temples had already turned white.
After twenty years of cultivation with this Human Faction Dao leader, his hair had turned completely black again, and both his vital energy and physical condition had improved.
Privately, the Crown Prince wished he could stick needles in a voodoo doll to curse her.
The other princes had mixed feelings about this Daoist priestess—half lustful admiration, half fearful disdain.
“National Preceptor, I am still uneasy,” Emperor Yuanjing emerged from his meditative state, opening his eyes and sighing.
“Your Majesty has a troubled heart; only heart medicine can cure it,” the female National Preceptor spoke, her voice carrying the pleasant timbre of a mature woman.
“Indeed, I do have a troubled heart…” Emperor Yuanjing gazed at the Daoist priestess’s exquisite face and smiled. “I have been waiting for the National Preceptor to practice dual cultivation with me.”
Hearing these words, the princes and princesses’ expressions became odd.
Only the Imperial Princess and the Crown Prince maintained their composure, their thoughts running deep.
Ten years ago, Emperor Yuanjing had proposed dual cultivation with the National Preceptor, but she had refused. Emperor Yuanjing then issued an imperial edict to bestow upon her the title of Immortal Consort.
The National Preceptor still refused, and Emperor Yuanjing, relying on her for immortality cultivation, had no choice but to give up.
Outsiders thought Emperor Yuanjing merely coveted the National Preceptor’s extraordinary beauty, and perhaps this was part of the reason, but certainly not the main factor. The princes and princesses knew their father’s true nature best.
With three thousand beauties in the imperial harem, what kind of woman couldn’t he obtain?
That Marquis’s wife, hailed as the greatest beauty in the capital, had once been in the palace. But Emperor Yuanjing, who had already begun practicing abstinence and cultivating the Dao at that time, hadn’t laid a finger on her.
What their father truly desired was immortality.
Not receiving a satisfactory answer, Emperor Yuanjing didn’t mind. He lifted the curtains and led his children to the front hall. Sitting at his desk, he said, “There’s no need to worry. Everything is fine now.”
The Crown Prince, as the eldest son and leader of the princes and princesses, bowed and asked, “Father, is this related to the anomaly during the ancestral worship ceremony?”
Emperor Yuanjing frowned, unwilling to explain.
The Crown Prince discreetly signaled to the Second Princess. Princess Lin’an, dressed in magnificent and alluring palace robes, with a bewitching appearance, smiled and took a teacup from the head eunuch’s hands. Swaying her hips, she approached Emperor Yuanjing and coyly said:
“Father, Sangbo Lake is our imperial family’s forbidden area. What kind of thief could sneak into Sangbo Lake and destroy the temple of our founding emperor? Doesn’t that mean they could also sneak into Lin’an’s residence?”
Her alluring and beautiful face wore a furrowed brow, appearing pitiful and scared.
The Second Princess was the most favored because she knew how to act coquettishly and please Emperor Yuanjing.
Emperor Yuanjing was a strong-willed person with a powerful desire for control. He might not necessarily like the talented but domineering Imperial Princess, but he liked the weak and harmless Second Princess who relied on him and knew how to act coquettishly.
The emperor, with his black hair making him appear to be in his prime, patted the Second Princess’s delicate hand and comforted her, “Nonsense. The imperial palace is a restricted area. How could thieves come and go as they please?”
The Crown Prince opened the offensive, the Second Princess assisted, and the Imperial Princess stepped forward, bowing and saying, “I just met Lord Wei at the door. He hinted at his difficulties to me, probably wanting me to help plead for a few more days of extension.”
Hearing this, Emperor Yuanjing snorted.
The Imperial Princess continued, “Father, I happen to know an expert in solving cases. If he could participate in this investigation, I’m certain the truth would be uncovered within half a month.”