Chapter 14: Turning Calamity into Good Fortune

  Dì Kūn Gōng

  "Bang——" The exquisite golden silk blue and white porcelain crashed to the ground, making a loud noise. The slaves and palace maids inside and outside immediately knelt down on the broken porcelain, their bodies trembling as they kneeled on the shards of ceramic, their knees bleeding but not daring to move an inch, their heads hung low in submission to their master's anger.

  This is the fate of slaves, no one dares to resist, only obey.

  "Sister... sister, you..." The Empress's hand tightly grasped the silk handkerchief, covering her mouth as if she had received a fright, her body trembling slightly, with an appearance that was weak and pitiful, yet endearing.

  "Your Majesty." Ba Li Chang Jian put down the teacup in his hand, stood up and walked to the outer room, dismissing all the palace staff, leaving only two trusted men behind. He then continued, "Your Majesty, you have lost your composure."

  When he first heard the news, wasn't he shocked? That cold Ziyue had been pretending all along. Her weakness was fake. Otherwise, how could she have killed ten people in one night, all with a single fatal blow, without giving her opponents any chance to counterattack?

  She is the one who is truly ruthless.

  "She may have escaped the first time, but she won't escape the fifteenth. With her being like this, it's even more impossible to let her stay. If the assassins from Listening Wind Tower can't do it, then we'll find the top-notch ones to take her life. It's not possible for her to be so lucky every time." The Empress Dowager threw away the silk handkerchief that had been stained, her voice soft and gentle, yet with a hint of coldness.

  Zhang Xiao's decision to divorce was her own, but Leng Ziyue had been pretending to be herself all along. If she wanted revenge, the first person she would look for wouldn't be him, and in order to eliminate future troubles, she must die.

  "Sister has a good candidate." The killer of Tingfeng Building was also ranked among the best in Jianghu, and none of the four people were able to kill Leng Ziyue. With another group of killers who wanted to take her life, Empress Jiang had to reevaluate Leng Ziyue's value.

  If it can be used by her, then it's not a bad thing either.

  "Is the Imperial Concubine teasing her sister? As for things outside the palace, it's not like you can't think of a way to deal with them." Empress Zhuang was no fool; on the surface, she and Imperial Concubine Jiang were allies and got along harmoniously. In reality, however, they also engaged in open rivalry and secret struggles, using each other for their own purposes.

  They couldn't help her get rid of Leng Ziyue, so she would naturally think of other ways.

  "Xiao Jian, don't move her for now. Let me investigate thoroughly. Such things must not happen again." With the Linglong Banquet imminent and the imperial power within her grasp, Concubine Jiang would not permit any unexpected events to occur. Because she was merely the daughter of a Grand Tutor, she had been ruthlessly suppressed by the Empress, trampled underfoot, how could she be convinced?

  That woman, it was just a coincidence back then, otherwise how could she have become the empress. The knot that had been pressing on her heart for many years would be untied at the right time, and no one could stop her from moving forward.

  "I understand." Ba Li Chang Jian bowed his hands and spoke again, "Empress Dowager, Empress Zhuang, I will take my leave now." He had already been appointed as a king, it was better to visit the harem less often. Zhang Xiao left that day and they hadn't seen each other since, it was time for him to go see him.

  "Hmm." Consort Jiang nodded lightly, staring at the long and pointed armor, seemingly lost in thought. Consort Zhuang quietly sipped her tea, glancing at the scattered fragments on the ground, unaware that the woman sitting beside her had such a bad temper.

  The Emperor will have no rest until he appoints a crown prince.

  Throughout the entire Qi Yue Kingdom, there were only a handful of people who could rival him. The eldest brother, King Han, was not interested in politics and only knew how to indulge in pleasure. The empress dowager did not dote on or show affection to him, instead placing all her thoughts on this one person alone.

  The mother of the third imperial brother, Baili Hongfeng, was also a noble consort, and she received similar favors, but he had an external grandfather who held military power, making him his greatest opponent. In recent years, no matter what he did, he always opposed him everywhere, hateful to the extreme.

  The fourth prince, Baili Ziyu, was a solitary and eccentric person. Although he was the only son of the empress, he was not the legitimate heir to the throne. His thoughts were deep, and he seemed indifferent to everything, but Baili Changjian had to be on guard against him, fearing that he was a wolf in sheep's clothing who would snatch away everything he had worked hard for.

  The last one, Baili Changjian had never considered him as an opponent because that person posed no threat to him whatsoever. Born less than a day and was sent out of the Moon City Imperial Palace as the Blood King, not allowed to be summoned, forever unable to return to the palace.

  What qualifications does such a person have to be his opponent?

  、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、

  In the small bamboo house in the center of Bi Lake, for the nth time, a certain old man let out a sharp howl like killing a pig, painfully hugging an empty white porcelain bottle, Mu Rong Cang was so angry that he wanted to die.

  He painstakingly refined, only fifteen grains of the sacred medicine Washing Marrow Dan, was actually... actually... that little girl took it as candy to eat, wu wu, he wants to leave home and run away, he doesn't want to live anymore.

  Leng Xue knitted her brow and glanced at the thin old man who was packing his luggage, wondering what kind of family property would take a whole quarter of an hour to pack but still couldn't be packed properly. He had said he wanted to leave home many times before, but unfortunately, none of those attempts were successful.

  "Girl, you really won't stay with me." An old man, with a nose full of snot and tears in his eyes, threw down his bundle and grabbed the sleeve of his female apprentice, asking pitifully.

  He's really heartless, he's about to leave and doesn't even keep him, the scoundrel girl is cursing in her heart but her feet don't move. Even if she looks at his hard work and running around, can't she say a word to retain him?

  Nothing, she just sat calmly and composedly on the bamboo chair watching him make a fool of himself, infuriating him to death.

  "If I'm going to leave, it's me who leaves, you don't need to go." Those assassins failed to kill her, but instead brought her good fortune, leading her to meet this strange old man. The title of "Medical and Poisonous Saint" was indeed not fake, at least after being nursed by this old man for just three days, she felt like a completely different person.

  Leng Xueyu knew that the reason why the Washing Marrow Pill was precious was because it had the effect of washing one's bones and purifying one's heart. After taking the medicine, all the martial arts she had learned before would be completely purified, and her body would reach its purest state, only then could she accept new martial arts.

  However, for Leng Zixue who was used to eating washing powder as sugar since she was a child in her family, the toxin in her body could not be washed away completely and could only be constantly improved and changed through adjusting her physical constitution.

  "Ya Tou, you're leaving." Murong Cang stopped messing around and stared at Leng Ziyue with wide eyes. He had been bored for most of his life, and finally had a disciple he could talk to, but now she was actually leaving.

  "I'll be back, aren't I still following you to learn martial arts?" In just three days of being together, Leng Ziyue felt a warmth from Murong Cang that was like the affection between family members.

  Murong Cang's age was about the same as her grandfather's, but her grandfather would never say so many words to her, only knowing that she should practice martial arts and cultivate again and again.

  She has truly been reborn since coming here, she wants to live a different life from before, a more wonderful one.

  "You little scamp, you'd better keep your word." Mu Rong Cang's mouth twitched slightly. Ever since he had given her the Washing Marrow Dan to eat and then soaked in the ice pool for five hours, she began to meditate on her own. He personally witnessed the aura emanating from her body growing stronger and stronger until it returned to its optimal state.

  He didn't know what school or sect Cold Ziyue belonged to, but he could be sure that this girl had no internal strength, but her martial arts foundation was exceptionally good. In close combat, he couldn't gain the upper hand and almost lost. When he taught all his skills to Cold Ziyue, this girl would also be able to laugh proudly at the world, and that would be his lifelong pride.

  "Arithmetic. Before I left Jingyue An, every night you would come here to practice martial arts with me. After I left, you can secretly go to Zhongjun Houfu to teach me. Old man, one day I will defeat you." Leng Ziyue not only had to learn ancient martial arts but also had to learn Murong Cang's medical and toxic dual techniques. Only by becoming stronger could she grasp her own destiny.

  Murong Cang rummaged through his chest for half a day, then tossed a bottle to Leng Ziyue and said, "Girl, don't let yourself get hurt again." He also ran errands for her and inquired about her background, which made him feel heartache too. This girl had lived a hard life, so from now on, he would be the one to hold up the sky for her until she grew strong enough to soar through the blue skies and dominate the world.

  "Master, I will." Leng Ziyue tightly grasped the bottle containing the Washing Marrow Dan, her voice still lingering in the air as she disappeared beyond Bi Lake.

  Murong Cang stroked his white beard, grinning foolishly. That one term of address, "Shifu", truly warmed his heart.

  Digression

  Mumu, Xiang's new article has been renamed, haha.