Chapter 147

Inside the study of the Imperial Palace.

Wang Tianlong, dressed in a golden nightgown, leaned against the couch. The stunningly beautiful Qi Tingqin stood behind him, her snow-white hands resting on his shoulders, gently kneading them.

Wang Tianlong sighed comfortably and said, “My beautiful zither, your playing is still the best.” Qi Tingqin smiled slightly and said, “If Your Majesty is comfortable, then I am at ease.”

Wang Tianlong’s tiger-like eyes flashed, and he suddenly said, “My dear consort, you stay in the palace all day long. When you have time, you might as well go out for a walk, get some fresh air, and change your mood.”

Qi Tingqin said, “I don’t like going out. I’m already content just being able to stay by Your Majesty’s side.”

Wang Tianlong nodded and said, “My dear consort, I see that although your strength is not great, it is steady and agile, with a good balance of lightness and heaviness. It is no less than that of a master of innate martial arts. Have you practiced martial arts?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Tingqin paused slightly, but quickly chuckled and said, “Your Majesty, what are you saying? You know that I don’t like fighting and killing. Although I practiced some martial arts when I was traveling the world, it was very rudimentary and not worth mentioning. Your Majesty knows this.”

Wang Tianlong said, “Hmm? I’m asking if you’ve specifically practiced massage techniques.”

Qi Tingqin said calmly, “As for massage techniques, we did study them specifically for His Majesty for a period of time.”

“My dear consort, you are very thoughtful.” Wang Tianlong let out a soft breath. “I suspect there is a traitor in the palace, and this person is no ordinary individual. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have suffered such a crushing defeat. The enemy clearly knows everything about our actions. What do you think, my dear consort?”

Qi Tingqin’s movements were not affected at all. She just smiled and said, “There are many people in the palace. It is not impossible that there are a few traitors. Your Majesty must keep this in mind and find the traitors as soon as possible.”

“Yes, my beloved is right…” Wang Tianlong’s eyes kept flickering.

Just then, a eunuch stepped forward and reported, “Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince requests an audience.” Wang Tianlong straightened up and said, “Let him in.”

Soon, Wang Hongyu walked in from outside. He glanced at Qi Tingqin casually, swallowed hard, and then bowed to Wang Tianlong, saying, “Father, I have already visited the Thousand Mountains Sect, the Phantom Shadow Sect, and the Cuiwei Nunnery. The Snow Mountain Divine Nun, Granny Honglian, and Abbess Suyin have all indicated that they will take action. They will make some preparations and then descend the mountain. I believe they will arrive in the capital soon!”

“very good.”

Wang Tianlong was overjoyed upon hearing this and stood up.

At this moment, Qi Tingqin said, “Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now.” “Hmm, escort Consort Qi back to the palace.”

After Qi Tingqin left, Wang Tianlong led Wang Hongyu out of the study and towards the main hall. On the way, Wang Hongyu said:

“Father, have the traitors in the palace been caught?”

Wang Tianlong squinted and said, “We’ve made some progress, but we’re not entirely sure yet. Hongyu, what do you think of Consort Qi?” Wang Hongyu pondered and said, “Consort Qi is stunningly beautiful, the most beautiful woman in the world, and also virtuous, gentle, well-educated, and never competes with others. She is a perfect person, one in a million. I really can’t find any fault with her. My sister Wanru has also inherited many of her virtues, which I cannot match.”

“Hmph.” Wang Tianlong sneered. “Everyone in this world has flaws; no one is absolutely perfect. If someone appears too perfect, it must be intentional. So, have you ever thought about why she would deliberately appear so perfect?”

Wang Hongyu thought for a moment and said, “There are many beauties in the harem. It’s understandable that Consort Qi would put on a show for Father Emperor to gain favor. Could there be another reason? Does Father Emperor suspect that she is the traitor? That’s impossible…”

Wang Tianlong said, “I also think it’s impossible. She has never shown any weakness in the past ten years. However, at Banyue Pass, someone sent a letter telling me to be careful of her. This made me rethink things. After thinking it over, I thought of a possibility, which is… Consort Qi is from Kun Kingdom.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Hongyu was taken aback, his eyes shining as he said, “It’s highly likely. It seems that our Great Gan Dynasty has never had such a perfect woman before. Even ‘Jade Maiden Sword’ Gu Yinzhang and ‘Danxia Jade Maiden’ Li Huiyu pale in comparison!”

Wang Tianlong said, “I’ll leave this matter to you.”

“Leave it to me.” Wang Hongyu nodded, then said, “By the way, Father, I think that even with the help of the Snow Mountain Goddess and the others, defeating the Kun Kingdom will be quite difficult. There are just too many experts in the Kun Kingdom now, especially that bastard Qi Fei, who has caused us heavy losses time and time again!”

Wang Tianlong said, “You’re right, but I’m still absolutely confident I can defeat them. Today, I’ll take you to the underground palace and tell you the biggest secret of our Great Qian Dynasty!”

“We’re uncovering the biggest secret?” Wang Hongyu was taken aback. He couldn’t believe there was anything in the palace he didn’t know.

The two arrived at the main hall of the imperial court, activated the mechanism behind the dragon throne, revealing a passageway. After descending the stairs, they were greeted by an underground palace. The palace was very large, with multiple portals, each leading to a new stone chamber. After walking through the underground palace for a while, Wang Tianlong opened a hidden mechanism and entered a secret stone chamber.

Although Wang Hongyu had been to the underground palace before, he had never entered this stone chamber, so he couldn’t help but feel curious.

Upon entering the stone chamber, illuminated by the luminous pearl, one can see an offering table with fruits, incense, and candles. On the table is a memorial tablet inscribed with “The Divine Tablet of Wang Aotian, the Founding Ancestor of the Great Gan Dynasty”.

Wang Tianlong led Wang Hongyu to light an incense stick, then said, “This is our greatest secret.” Wang Hongyu was slightly taken aback: “Isn’t this the memorial tablet of our dynasty’s founding emperor?”

Wang Tianlong chuckled, turned around the offering table, and pointed to what lay behind it. Wang Hongyu followed him to the back of the offering table, and upon looking up, he was astonished to find a coffin lying across it—a pure gold coffin!

The coffin, gleaming under the light of the luminous pearl, was made entirely of pure gold and was over ten feet long, giving it a heavy and solid feel.

Wang Hongyu glanced around and guessed, “This… could it be the coffin of our ancestor Aotian?”

“Indeed!” Wang Tianlong nodded, his face full of pride. “For nearly three hundred years, our ancestor Aotian has been recuperating here. Once he awakens, what is the mere Kun Kingdom worth?!”

“Rest…rest?” Wang Hongyu said, somewhat dazed. “Father means…Ancestral Aotian isn’t dead? He’s been lying in this coffin all along? How is that possible?”

Wang Tianlong’s words completely overturned Wang Hongyu’s understanding. You know, the lifespan of a normal person is at most a hundred years or so, and this is already extremely rare in the world. How many centenarians can you find in the world?

Let alone three hundred years?

How could a person live for three hundred years?

Besides, it is said that the Great Ancestor Wang Aotian passed away at the age of seventy. Even if he were to lie in this golden coffin, he would not survive for three hundred years without eating or drinking. His body would probably have decomposed by then.

Wang Tianlong chuckled and stroked his mustache, saying, “There are many mysteries in this world that ordinary people don’t know or can’t access. In short, Ancestor Aotian is indeed lying in this golden coffin, and he is still alive, but unfortunately… he can’t wake up yet.”

Wang Hongyu said with skepticism, “Even if Ancestor Aotian is still alive, even if he has unparalleled martial arts skills, how can he help defeat Kun Kingdom if he cannot wake up?”

Wang Tianlong said, “Our ancestor Aotian once left a message for his descendants: ‘The day you retrieve the dragon blood will be the day I am resurrected!'”

“Dragon blood? The essence blood of a legendary beast?!” “That’s right!”

Wang Hongyu said with emotion, “It is said that the ancient mythical beasts were incredibly powerful, possessing the ability to destroy the heavens and the earth. Many of them were eventually killed, leaving only the dragon, phoenix, white tiger, black tortoise, and the Qilin, known as the ‘King of Mythical Beasts.’ These five mythical beasts have always lived in a hidden place somewhere in the world. They can only be killed when the stars shift once every three thousand years, and they enter a weakened state. Otherwise, no matter how many people there are or how strong they are, they are just ants in front of the mythical beasts…”

Wang Tianlong nodded: “Three hundred years ago, the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Demon Gods wreaked havoc on the world. It was with the help of the strange beast dragon that our ancestor managed to kill those demons!”

Wang Hongyu asked, “Then how can we obtain the dragon’s blood?”

Wang Tianlong said, “The essence blood of the dragon can grant immortality and the power to bring the dead back to life. It’s impossible to get the dragon to willingly offer its blood; it must be killed. Perhaps there was no chance three hundred years ago, but things are different now… because the once-in-three-thousand-years shift in the stars is about to arrive!”

“Oh?!” Wang Hongyu was startled upon hearing this.

Wang Tianlong looked up and said, “At most two years. By then, under the suppression of the power of the stars, the alien beast will enter a weakened state, and its strength will decline by more than ten times. We can then take the opportunity to kill the dragon, obtain its blood, and revive our ancestor Aotian!”

“I see…” Wang Hongyu’s confidence increased after hearing this.

Then he thought, “Since the essence of strange beasts can make people immortal, if I consume a whole ball of it, wouldn’t that be…” Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but get excited, and his heart started pounding.

Wang Tianlong looked at Wang Hongyu and asked, “Hongyu, are you confident in defeating Kunguo?” “Yes!” Wang Hongyu replied happily.

“Ha ha……”

The father and son burst into laughter at the same time.

…………

Dust filled the official road, and the sound of wheels rolling slowly drifted over.

A luxurious carriage moved slowly along the official road, followed by several riders, each carrying a sword and with bulging temples, clearly skilled martial artists.

Inside the carriage, Xia Yushu and Wang Wanru sat facing each other.

Seeing Wang Wanru’s anxious expression, Xia Yushu smiled and said, “Princess, there is no need to worry. My people just sent back news that Kun Kingdom has not yet launched an attack on Da Gan. Besides, even if Kun Kingdom attacks, with the strength of His Majesty the Gan Emperor and Brother Hongyu, they will definitely be able to turn the danger into safety.”

“I hope so.” Wang Wanru sighed. Although she didn’t agree with Wang Tianlong’s actions, they were ultimately a direct challenge to the imperial court.

The princess is on Da Gan’s side.

“We’ll be arriving in the capital soon. Here, Princess, have some tea to soothe your throat.” Xia Yushu poured her a cup of tea. The aroma of the tea was enticing, and Wang Wanru, in high spirits, didn’t refuse and drank it down.

Xia Yushu watched as she slowly brought the teacup closer to her pink lips, her face full of anticipation.

After many days of persistent pleading and cajoling, he still couldn’t win over this noble and stunningly beautiful young woman. He really couldn’t understand why his tricks didn’t work on her.

With their return to the capital imminent, Xia Yushu could wait no longer. He had finally had a chance to be alone with Wang Wanru, but he just couldn’t win her over. If he missed this opportunity, he feared he would never have another chance like this. So he decided to take a risk and force himself on her.

Just as the teacup was about to touch Wang Wanru’s pink lips, a white light flashed, and with a crisp “ding,” the teacup in the beautiful girl’s hand fell to the ground, shattering into several pieces scattered inside the carriage, spilling tea all over the floor.

“who?!”

Xia Yushu and Wang Wanru both turned to look out the car window.

The carriage stopped, and the several strong horses outside were also pulled back by their reins, standing still.

Xia Yushu stepped out of the carriage with a gloomy face. He wanted to see which bastard had ruined his plans and he would tear the person to pieces.

On the official road a few dozen feet away, a nun dressed in a moon-white robe stood tall and straight, holding a whisk in one hand, her eyes coldly watching the carriage.

The moment Xia Yushu saw the nun, his eyes lit up!

Although the nun was simply dressed, she was exceptionally beautiful, with arched eyebrows, bright and lively eyes, a fair and smooth oval face, a delicate nose, and pink lips. In addition, her full breasts were prominently displayed under her monk’s robe, and her plump buttocks were high and rounded below her slender waist. Her long legs could not be concealed. She possessed an otherworldly and refined air, as if she were not of this world, like a fairy descended to earth. She did not look like an ordinary nun at all.

Xia Yushu stared at him, his eyes wide with disbelief, almost drooling.

However, when the nun saw his gaze, her expression changed, and she angrily rebuked him, “You lecherous scoundrel, where are you looking?!” Her voice was melodious and sweet.

As the sound faded, countless palm shadows appeared out of thin air, transforming into thousands of snowflakes, and struck Xia Yushu in the face.

“How dare you speak to our master like that!” Yao Ye, riding on horseback, shrieked as he leaped in front of Xia Yushu, unleashing his signature move, the “Flower-Picking Finger Technique.” Golden light flashed, shattering the nun’s barrage of palm strikes.

A powerful aura swept outwards in all directions, shattering the surrounding sand and rocks with a series of explosions. Xia Yushu thought to himself, “Impressive.”

This nun’s martial arts skills are in no way inferior to Yao Ye’s; she seems to be no ordinary martial arts master.

The nun withdrew her hand and looked at Yao Ye, scrutinizing him for a moment before suddenly saying, “Judging from your androgynous appearance and your high level of martial arts, could you possibly be Yao Ye of the Yin Yang Sect?”

Upon hearing this, Yao Ye examined the other party closely and exclaimed with emotion, “What you just used was the Thousand Hands Divine Palm of the Thousand Mountains Sect… Could you perhaps be the Snow Mountain Divine Nun, the sect leader of the Thousand Mountains Sect?”

At this moment, Wang Wanru suddenly rushed out of the carriage. After seeing the nun’s face clearly, she immediately flew over and exclaimed in surprise, “Master!”

Xia Yushu was dumbfounded when he saw Wang Wanru throw herself into the nun’s arms. The nun looked to be at most forty years old. How could she be Wang Wanru’s master?

It is said that Wang Wanru’s master, the Snow Mountain Divine Nun, has been famous for over forty years. As the leader of the Thousand Mountains Sect, she became famous even earlier than Yao Ye, and must be at least over sixty years old. Even Wang Tianlong would have to call her “senior.” How could she be so young?!

The Snow Mountain Nun held Wang Wanru in her arms, a gentle expression on her face. After exchanging pleasantries for a moment, the Snow Mountain Nun’s expression suddenly turned serious, and she said coldly, “Wanru, before we went down the mountain, I told you not to eat anything given to you by strangers. How could you forget?”

Wang Wanru quickly replied, “This disciple has not forgotten.”

The Snow Mountain Nun asked, “Then why did you dare drink the tea that this boy gave you?” Wang Wanru explained, “Master… Young Master Xia is not a bad person.”

“Hmph!” The Snow Mountain Nun glared at Xia Yushu. “I could tell from this kid’s face that he’s no good, a complete hypocrite. How could you trust someone so easily?!”

Wang Wanru said, “Master, Young Master Xia is the last disciple of Layman Haoyun, and he takes good care of me.”

“Oh? So you’re the successor of Haoqi Manor?” Upon hearing this, the Snow Mountain Divine Nun’s expression softened somewhat, and she looked Xia Yushu over again.

Xia Yushu quickly stepped forward, bowed his head and said, “Junior Xia Yushu greets Senior! I have often heard my master mention Senior, saying that the Snow Mountain Divine Nun has reached an unimaginable level in both character and martial arts, even surpassing Empress Feng Liyao of Kun Kingdom. Seeing you today, I realize that my master was not lying to me!”

The person before him was Wang Wanru’s master, and she was so beautiful. How could Xia Yushu possibly offend her? He was too busy trying to curry favor with her. If possible, he would like to take both of them under his wing and pamper them day and night. He wondered what a wonderful experience that would be.

The Snow Mountain Goddess snorted coldly: “Glib tongue!” Despite saying that, her expression softened and her tone became much gentler.

Seeing that things were looking promising, Xia Yushu quickly stepped forward to continue flattering him, while Yao Ye and the others beside him also kept helping him out.

Ye Taixuan said:

“Back when the Divine Nun came to my Red Leaf Manor, I was still very young. I never imagined that so many years would have passed in the blink of an eye. Now, all four of the world’s greatest masters have passed away. It is truly regrettable that the Divine Nun has had to descend the mountain!”

“I’ve heard about Ye Hongyi’s matter, and it is indeed regrettable,” the Snow Mountain Nun said slowly. “Not long ago, I was invited by the Emperor of Gan to come and help the Great Gan, saying that a demoness from Kun Kingdom was causing chaos in the world. Although I am unwilling to get involved in the mortal world, I have received favors from the Great Gan court over the years, so I have no choice but to take action. By the way, where are you going?”

Xia Yushu said, “I am just an onlooker. I have nothing better to do than come to escort Princess Wanru back to the capital. If the nun has any needs, I am willing to serve her faithfully.”

The Snow Mountain Nun sighed and looked at the sunset on the horizon, saying, “Alas, the world is in chaos now. It would be best if you could stay out of it. I really don’t want you to get involved in these things and waste your precious time fighting each other. It’s really not worth it.”

Xia Yushu thought to himself, “Although this beautiful nun is not young and is quite wary of outsiders, she seems to have little experience with human relationships and the dangers of the martial world, having spent so many years in the Thousand Mountains Sect. This is actually a good thing…”

“Please get into the carriage, nun. I’ll take you to the capital.” “No need.”

The Snow Mountain Goddess took Wang Wanru’s hand and said, “We monks are used to walking. Please make yourselves at home.” With that, she and Wang Wanru set off on the official road.

“Divine Nun, Divine Nun…” Xia Yushu tried to persuade her repeatedly, but the Snow Mountain Divine Nun refused to accept his favors. Wang Wanru, standing to the side, looked helpless but could only obey her master’s arrangements.

At that moment, the Snow Mountain Goddess and Wang Wanru walked towards the capital, with Xia Yushu and others following behind. Although their pace was slow, the journey was smooth, and they soon entered the capital.

After entering the capital, the two sides quickly parted ways. Snow Mountain Nun and Wang Wanru went to the palace, while Xia Yushu stayed at an inn in the capital, repeatedly saying that he would provide assistance whenever Snow Mountain Nun and Wang Wanru needed him.