Imperial Palace, Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Zhao Shoucheng knelt trembling on the floor, not daring to speak. In front of him hung a curtain made of strands of beaded strings.
Behind the beaded curtain was a graceful silhouette. It was the Empress of the Great Yan Empire.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Long, slender fingers tapped rhythmically, and in the silence of the grand hall, the sound was especially clear.
Zhao Shoucheng didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, afraid of further angering Her Majesty. The moment he received the imperial summons today, he had a bad feeling.
“Prime Minister, I heard that today’s tournament did not proceed according to my instructions.”
A melodious female voice rang out. It was majestic and devoid of emotion.
Though pleasant to the ear, it sent chills down Zhao Shoucheng’s spine, causing cold sweat to stream down instantly.
“Your Majesty! This was entirely this old minister’s fault. It was a moment of negligence. I beg Your Majesty for punishment! However, Young Master Chu Feng wasn’t seriously harmed…”
“Hmm?”
“What I meant is! In the future tournament contests, I will ensure that Young Master Chu Feng remains unharmed!”
After finishing his explanation, Zhao Shoucheng awaited the Empress’s judgment.
It’s over now. His son’s promotion to Vice Minister was as good as gone.
After a short pause, the Empress finally spoke,
“This shall be the only time. Forfeit ten years of salary. If it happens again, you can go farm in the far northern lands.”
Upon hearing that Her Majesty would not pursue the matter further, Zhao Shoucheng was so moved that he kowtowed and exclaimed,
“This old minister thanks Your Majesty for your great mercy!”
A mere deduction of ten years’ salary was nothing. He had served as Prime Minister for centuries. Whether he lacked it or not, spirit stones were never in short supply for him.
“You may leave.”
“As you command!”
Once Zhao Shoucheng departed, two other figures remained kneeling in the hall.
One had a sword at his waist and a strong, muscular build. He was clearly someone who focused on body cultivation.
The other had a thin, frail figure and white hair, and although clearly male, there was a hint of effeminacy in his features.
“Liu Qinggong.”
“Your servant is here!”
“Among the cultivators of the Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect, there is one named Lin Ruo. Kill him.”
“As you command!”
Liu Qinggong knew that arbitrarily killing a disciple of the Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect could potentially provoke conflict between the Great Yan Empire and the sect.
But such matters were not his concern. He was a member of the Dragon Phoenix Guard and was loyal only to Her Majesty!
Whatever Her Majesty ordered him to do, he would do it without question.
The Empress continued,
“Little Caozi, there’s someone in the Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect named Chu Feng. You—”
“This servant understands. Kill him as well.”
“Oh?”
A terrifying aura instantly swept through the entire hall.
“This servant deserves to die!”
With that, Eunuch Cao slapped himself across the face repeatedly.
“Enough. Tonight, I want you to tie this red string around the ring finger of his left hand. Remember, do not use force. If even a single hair on him is harmed, you know well how bad my temper can be.”
“This servant understands!”
“You may all leave.”
“As you command!”
As the two figures retreated, the grand hall was left with only the Empress.
No one knew how much time had passed when a soft murmur broke the silence.
“Husband… in our past life, we never married. But in this life, you won’t escape the palm of my hand.”
“However, the time for us to meet hasn’t come yet. For now, let us nurture our feelings… in dreams.”
***
Chu Feng tried to take off the clothes he was wearing, but no matter what he did, they wouldn’t come off.
And when he reached for his waist, he realized. His storage pouch was gone.
Creak—
At that moment, the door was pushed open. A young girl in palace attire walked in. When she saw Chu Feng, she bowed and said,
“This servant greets Your Highness. Her Majesty has been waiting for you in the Hall of Supreme Harmony for quite some time.”
Wait, what’s going on here?!
Chu Feng opened his mouth but suddenly realized he couldn’t speak!
Not only that, his limbs were no longer under his control.
“Understood.”
Chu Feng began to speak. But it wasn’t what he wanted to say. His mouth moved on its own, completely beyond his control.
Then, Chu Feng found himself watching as if viewing a movie. His own body was moving skillfully through the palace complex.
The Empress? Your Highness? What’s all this?
Chu Feng couldn’t recall having anything to do with any of that.
Given the situation, he decided it was best to watch and see how things played out.
Inside the grand and imposing hall, red lanterns and celebratory decorations adorned the space, creating an atmosphere of joy and festivity.
The hall was filled with people, and as they saw him, they all bowed respectfully, addressing him as “Your Highness”.
At the highest point in the center of the hall, a graceful figure stood waiting, already veiled in a red bridal hood. From where he stood, he could see that the woman’s figure could easily rival that of his master.
Chu Feng watched as his body slowly walked toward the veiled woman.
As the ceremonial official began to recite, “First bow, to Heaven and Earth,” he and the woman began the formal rites.
Finally, after the last call of “Bow to each other as husband and wife”, Chu Feng’s hand lifted the red bridal veil.
Before him was a woman exuding mature elegance. Her hair which was dark as ink was adorned with golden phoenix-and-dragon hairpins.
Her face was breathtakingly beautiful. She had bright and cool phoenix eyes, a perfectly shaped oval face, and delicate collarbones that gave her a stunning charm.
Even the wide wedding robes couldn’t hide her commanding figure and elegant bearing. She possessed an elegance that could captivate hearts.
Even though Chu Feng had seen beauties like his master and Senior Sister Yuyan, he couldn’t help but admit it. The woman before him was indeed gorgeous.
Right after that, he heard himself say:
“Your Majesty. Oh no, I suppose now I should say… my wife.”
A blush rose on the woman’s cheeks, and with a serious gaze, she replied:
“Mhmm. Husband!”
***
Suddenly, Chu Feng’s eyes snapped open.
There was no woman in a wedding gown….only a ceiling above him.
A dream…?
But… how could it feel so real, as if he had personally experienced it in the past?
“Hoo—”
At that moment, a soft breathing sound came from beside Chu Feng.
Someone was next to him!
Chu Feng was instantly alarmed and tried to sit up, only to realize he was being firmly pinned down.
Sleep paralysis?!
He turned his head….and a familiar, breathtakingly beautiful face appeared before his eyes.
Long eyelashes trembled slightly, rosy lips slightly parted, and her warm, sweet breath brushed against his face. A light, elegant fragrance filled his nose.
Chu Feng’s mind went blank for a moment. When did he end up lying together with Senior Sister Yuyan?!
Thankfully, Chu Feng had already endured his master’s three trials of spiritual endurance.
Otherwise, in a situation like this, Little Chu Feng might have embarrassed himself.
Chu Feng tried to get up, but just as he was about to exert strength, he realized that Senior Sister Yuyan had a hand resting on his chest and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move.
“Se… Senior Sister Yuyan…”
Chu Feng tried to wake her, but no matter how many times he called her name, nothing happened….aside from her long lashes fluttering slightly.
After calling for a while and realizing it was useless, Chu Feng had no choice but to go back to sleep.
Fortunately, he didn’t dream of that same scene again.
When Chu Feng woke up again, he sensed a gaze on him. Turning his head, he saw that it was Senior Sister Yuyan.
In truth, Bai Yuyan had already been awake for a while. She had woken up the first time Chu Feng did.
But, wanting to linger a bit longer in her junior brother’s embrace, she pretended to still be asleep.
“Senior Sister Yuyan.”
“Mm~ Did you sleep well, junior brother? Want to sleep a bit more? It’s still early~”
Bai Yuyan’s fair hand rested gently on Chu Feng’s chest, her pretty face full of laughter.
To be honest, Chu Feng had slept quite well.
Of course, if it weren’t for that vivid, dreamlike scene earlier, he would’ve slept even more soundly.
Speaking of which…who was that woman in the dream?
Chu Feng racked his brain but couldn’t recall where he might’ve seen her before. Logically, how could the face of someone he had never met appear so clearly in his dreams?
And that one word of “husband” had pierced deep into his soul. Even now, Chu Feng could still vividly recall the sound of her voice.
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