Chapter 43: A Perilous Situation

Qi Yuan half-reclined against a coffin within the underground palace, eager to share all his uncanny encounters of the day to Jin Li.

Qi Yuan: Jin Li, I've got good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?

***

In the imperial palace...

Jin Li was getting a headache over a stack of memorials when the Linglong Xi Jade flickered. She smiled at once, the troubles of the Southern Qian Empire seemingly dissipating like mist.

Jin Li: Tell me the good news first.

Qi Yuan: The good news is I got married.

Jin Li: Married???

Qi Yuan: The bad news is... my bride turned out to be a wedding garment.

For some reason, she sighed in relief when she read that. Then, Qi Yuan gave a brief recount of the day's bizarre happenings.

Qi Yuan: With Little Bride, I'll definitely be able to grind monsters much faster. I should be able to clear the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone soon. What about you? How's things on your end?

Reading his message, her brows furrowed and gloom fell upon her expression.

Since the late emperor’s passing, the imperial clan had been massacred, leaving Jin Li as the sole survivor. The Southern Qian Empire was now in Sima Ting’s grasp. For the sake of legitimacy and rightful claim, he hadn’t seized the throne outright. Furthermore, he was also wary of General Tianqi, a regional warlord who commanded armies abroad and the Heaven-Fate Holy Sect.

The recent duel with the Southern Feng Empire had been his doing as well. But even with that scheme foiled, Jin Li’s strength was nowhere near Sima Ting’s. Even in the late emperor's time, her father’s authority had been fictitious. Her coronation was just in name, stripped of any real power. Of the Six Ministries, only Kong Qi of the Ministries of Rites stood by her. The rest were Sima Ting’s puppets.

Her true strength lay only in Aunt Qin and her two thousand imperial guards. Even combined, their strength wasn’t enough to guarantee Sima Ting’s death, not even when he was trapped in the palace. There was also his troublesome eldest son, Sima Riyue, who was far more ambitious than him. Unlike his father, Sima Riyue cared nothing for face.

Jin Li sighed softly.

Jin Li: My side remains difficult. I have limited power in my hands.

Although the Xuanyuan Forbidden could accelerate her subordinates’ cultivation, it still wasn’t fast enough to overturn the balance. If she were given about ten years to steadily grow, she could’ve gathered more Emperor realm cultivators.

On the surface, the Southern Qian Empire only had three Emperor realm cultivators: Aunt Qin, and two more under Sima Ting. Still, who knew how many he concealed in secret?

To avoid arousing Sima Ting's suspicion, Jin Li could only dispatch her confidants into the Xuanyuan Forbidden Zone in secret. In fact, his very power made him arrogant enough to let her leave for the Xuanyuan Forbidden Zone. Now that Aunt Qin had revealed her true strength, he grew fearful. It’d be far more difficult for Jin Li to leave the palace again.

Qi Yuan: Your plight is worse than Emperor Xian of Han's. [1].

At least in Emperor Xian's time, the warlords and the people still acknowledged the Liu clan as the imperial house. Meanwhile, Jin Li was treated like a trophy. The moment Sima Ting deemed her a threat, he would cast aside all pretense of civility, talk of legitimacy and face, and crushed her with thunderous force.

Jin Li: What about your side? How's your quest progressing?

Jin Li was on the same channel as Qi Yuan gradually.

Qi Yuan: I've run into a big boss... a powerful one. Perhaps, not even the Celestial God is his match.

Jin Li couldn't help but type.

Jin Li: The Celestial God? You mean the deity of myth and legend?

Qi Yuan: I don't know.

He’d read the Celestial God’s records within the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone’s underground palace, but he wasn’t sure if it was the same as the myths.

Jin Li: You must be careful. Don't forget your promise to meet me in person.

Qi Yuan shrugged.

Qi Yuan: A pity I can't leave the Forbidden Zone right now, or I'd lop off Sima Ting's head for you, ending everything once and for all. But that would probably lower your quest rating, and reduce your rewards considerably.

At present, only the Xuanyuan Forbidden Zone and the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone were open to him. To meet Jin Li, he first had to clear the latter and unlock the remaining maps. He was curious how his online confidante, whom he’d chatted with for almost a year, looked like.

Beauty would be ideal. Plain is acceptable, too.

Although her temperament was nothing extraordinary, speaking with her always left him feeling strangely at ease. She neither exuded the air of an empress, nor was she superficial or fussy. This alone made her a rare confidante for Qi Yuan.

After all, in this fleeting life, it was a blessing to meet a girl who could sit quietly by one’s side, watching clouds drift and sunrises pass. One seemingly untroubled by youth slipping away, serene and tranquil instead.

Qi Yuan: Go on with your duties. I'll send a message to you if I meet with any mishap.

Warmth welled in Jin Li's heart.

Jin Li: And you as well, even though I can't help you much.

Since birth, she had known neither kinship’s warmth nor genuine care. At the time, her father had long been stripped of power by the grand chancellor. Spending his days drowning in wine, he was moody, never once showing her concern. She’d never met her mother either. The only one who’d shown her kindness was Aunt Qin and Qi Yuan.

***

Qi Yuan: That last time, your intel on the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone helped me greatly. A pity I can't be of help to you now.

Sending his last message, Qi Yuan turned his gaze on the buried Garment Forbidden Army. A thought stirred in his mind.

If I gain control of the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone, then the Garment Forbidden Army should be mine, shouldn't they? Individually, they did not seem formidable. But as a unit, their might could surely sweep across the world, save only against the Forbidden Zones themselves.

***

Meanwhile, in the grand chancellor’s mansion, which resembled a palace...

Sima Ting sat high upon his seat, narrowing his eyes as he endlessly twirled walnuts. No one knew what was in his mind.

Sima Riyue scowled. "Father, why not rebel outright? Further delay is just meaningless!"

Sima Ting glanced at his son, his expression remaining the same. "Withdraw. I have matters to discuss with your Uncle Wen."

My son is nothing like me. Were it not for his mother's clan being tied to the Heaven-Fate Holy Sect, I would’ve...

Watching Sima Riyue depart, Sima Ting turned to the man in scholar’s robes beside him. "Brother Wen, have you found the reason for Lady Qin's progress into the Emperor realm? Did someone help Empress Jin Li? Are they targeting me, or the Heaven-Fate Holy Sect?"

He was Wen Zhongyong, the Emperor realm cultivator whom Sima Ting relied on. As the Heaven-Fate Holy Sect’s disciple, he had great combat prowess and was most skilful in the dreaded Curse Arts.

Even the late emperor, who was shielded by the Heaven-Fate Imperial Seal, had perished under Wen Zhongyong's curse. That was how terrifying his baleful sorcery was.

1. Emperor Xian of Han was the last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty, a puppet monarch beneath the warlords' power. Though he bore the imperial crown, he wielded no true authority, living in humiliation and fear, until he was finally forced to abdicate, marking the end of the Han. ☜