The coup at White Horse Lake quickly spread throughout Wusel’s upper circles through the elder ministers and military officials present, and through the thousand-plus Imperial Guards who rescued the sovereign. Everyone knew that Fu Lingchuan had lost power and the Queen had regained control—everyone except the commoners.
Naturally, there are no walls that are completely sealed, and news from the upper class gradually seeped into the marketplace, transforming into various legends.
Wusel City had changed power.
And at the center of these rumors, Feng Miaojun had just secured her position on the throne of power. This Queen had hidden her capabilities for over a year, and with one move had taken down Fu Lingchuan. Only then did most people realize her cultivation was profound, actually no less formidable than the State Preceptor’s.
In fact, on the third day after reclaiming her authority, she passed the trials and successfully obtained the Sacred Vessel in her capacity as the new State Preceptor of New Xia.
With Feng Miaojun’s current cultivation level, it was uncertain who would prevail in a confrontation with Fu Lingchuan, but handling the preliminary seven trials wasn’t particularly difficult. Though the process was somewhat perilous, she only suffered minor injuries.
Then came the crucial moment of claiming the Sacred Vessel.
This small tripod had been transferred from Fu Lingchuan to her on the day of the power seizure, but only after she passed the trials could she officially take possession of it and assume control.
This was the unique power belonging exclusively to the State Preceptor.
Upon her first contact with this legendary artifact, Feng Miaojun took a deep breath to suppress her excitement. Everyone aspired to become State Preceptor not only for the power to control the Kingdom’s fortune but also to receive a heaven-bestowed benefit: the opportunity to comprehend the will of heaven.
In the current world, as cultivators’ overall standards declined, individuals gained fewer and fewer insights from daily practice. This was true for individuals, but the Sacred Vessel was the Kingdom’s greatest treasure. When the State Preceptor controlled it, the entire Kingdom’s fortune was bound to them, and only those with great destiny could obtain it. As a reward, when a State Preceptor first took control of the Sacred Vessel, Heaven would grant them one chance to glimpse heavenly secrets. As for what form this would take, what insights they would gain, or how much benefit they would receive—that depended entirely on each person’s fate, with no two experiences being alike.
Feng Miaojun had begun cultivation late in life. Apart from what Mo Tizhun and Yun Ya had taught her, everything else was self-taught, resulting in a complex and varied mixture of techniques. Even she couldn’t clearly explain how many supernatural abilities she had learned. Precisely because of this, she especially yearned to glimpse some heavenly secrets to guide the future direction of her cultivation.
After completing the preliminary trials, she took out the small tripod and, like Fu Lingchuan when he became State Preceptor, recited a prayer.
Afterward, the small tripod in her hand emitted light. When Fu Lingchuan had claimed the Luofu Island for the Sacred Vessel, it had flashed a green light, but now it carried a hint of light purple. Feng Miaojun didn’t quite understand why, but perhaps it was because the fortune of New Xia was flourishing, with purple qi approaching from the east.
The light grew increasingly dense, eventually overflowing from the tripod’s lid.
Seeing the lid twitch a couple of times as if something inside wanted to emerge, Feng Miaojun had a realization and reached out to remove it.
Sure enough, a fruit with a green hue tinged with purple lay quietly inside the tripod.
Every newly appointed State Preceptor received such fruit when taking charge of the Sacred Vessel. Called the Fruit of Heavenly Secrets, consuming it would grant the supreme opportunity to glimpse heavenly mysteries.
Of course, there was only one fruit, so there was only one chance.
Despite her current spiritual cultivation, Feng Miaojun still hesitated for quite some time before picking up the fruit and tossing it into her mouth, swallowing it in one gulp.
She smacked her lips a few times—it seemed to have no taste.
The smoke from the small tripod in her hand grew increasingly thick, surrounding her. Feng Miaojun waved her hand for a long while before it gradually dispersed.
Everything before her eyes had changed.
She had eaten the Fruit of Heavenly Secrets in her study, but now before her stretched clear river waters, with duckweed floating on the surface and willows hanging along the bank—a very pleasant scene.
Most importantly, this scenery seemed familiar. Where had she seen it before?
Then, she heard crying. Soft, whimpering sobs that still retained a childish innocence.
But there was no one nearby.
Feng Miaojun was shocked to discover that it was she who was crying.
Or more precisely, it was the “body” she now inhabited that was crying.
The feeling was extremely bizarre as if she were living inside someone else’s shell, with only the ability to observe but unable to direct the body to do anything—evidently, the owner of this body was unaware of her presence.
What was happening?
Feng Miaojun quickly composed herself and took the opportunity while looking down to glance at her chest.
Yes, it was flat.
Her figure was also very petite, like a child’s.
She wore a small lambskin jacket, very close-fitting and lightweight. Feng Miaojun still thought it looked familiar. Wasn’t this…
This was exactly what she had worn the day she fell into the Rising Dragon Pool!
So, after consuming the coveted Fruit of Heavenly Secrets, the so-called opportunity to glimpse heavenly secrets wasn’t about obtaining supernatural techniques or learning experiential tips, but about returning to when Princess Changle was eleven years old.
When the Kingdom fell and her family was destroyed, the Princess was already nine. She knew what this meant—like other children who had lost their parents, she often hid away to cry alone.
As Feng Miaojun was pondering this question, she glanced at the water’s surface and was startled.
A light breeze was blowing, causing ripples in the water, making the reflected images unclear. Nevertheless, Feng Miaojun could still see that apart from Princess Changle, there was another figure reflected in the water!
This figure appeared to be fully cloaked, with even the head covered, making it impossible to discern their features or even their gender.
As Princess Changle cried, this shadow simply stood quietly, seemingly waiting patiently for her to finish. Feng Miaojun desperately wanted to turn her head to get a better look, but she could only follow Princess Changle’s perspective.
Finally, the little Princess wiped her tearful eyes and discovered the figure in the water, letting out a frightened cry!
She suddenly turned around, but the riverbank was empty—apart from trees and grass, only she remained.
Yet, Princess Changle, that figure was still reflected in the water, seemingly staring at her.
The little girl was terrified and scrambled to her feet, about to run back, when the figure in the water suddenly removed its hood, revealing a fair complexion.
Princess Changle suddenly froze, gazing at the water’s surface in confusion, and tentatively asked, “Mother?”
That single word sent chills down Feng Miaojun’s spine.
Her foster mother Xu was still in the county, and Changle never referred to her as mother. The only person who could make her instinctively utter this word was the Queen of An Xia!
How could this woman in the water possibly be the Queen of An Xia?
The water rippled, making the figure’s features unclear to everyone. But Feng Miaojun recognized the pair of red coral earrings she wore, as well as the red coral pendant on her chest, both distinctively dragon-shaped. The Queen of An Xia particularly loved this set of jewelry, and Princess Changle had seen it countless times since childhood, leaving a deep impression.
Thus, even though the figure remained blurry, the little girl still identified her just by this jewelry.
More terrifying still, the figure nodded.
She acknowledged it!
Princess Changle, while amazed, also felt somewhat afraid.