Chapter 349: An Important Matter with the Empress?
Ji Yanyao felt somewhat conflicted inside.
Just as Luo Wusheng had speculated, she had indeed arrived in Qifeng City a bit earlier the day before.
In fact, the moment the Holy Saint of the Demon Sect had left the Royal City, she had already received word of it—and soon after, learned that the group of three was heading toward Qifeng City.
Unfortunately, all three of her Alter Egos had been tied up at the time.
Her Imperial Alter Ego, naturally, had to stay in the capital.
Her Mortal Alter Ego was assisting in dismantling Nether Formations.
As for this current Daoist Alter Ego, she was dealing with leftover issues in the Daoist Artifact Pavillion.
Ever since the former Pavilion Head had vanished—apparently out of fear of being held accountable—a huge backlog of tasks had piled up.
Although Elder Yang, the Pavilion's chief artifact refiner, had helped manage some of the mess, plenty of trouble still remained.
On top of that, the disciples of the Daoist Sect who had participated in the Human Immortal List had suffered quite a bit, and she needed to make proper arrangements for them—and publicly clear the names of these so-called "madmen claiming to be Daoist Sect disciples" in the capital.
Then there were all the factions friendly with the Daoist Sect who came by to pay their respects… Given the relationship between the Daoist Sect and the Immortal Nation, and the fact that someone of her standing was visiting the capital, it was inevitable.
And of course, the curious and gossip-hungry came in wave after wave...
Once word got out that she was in the capital, the city once again exploded in commotion.
From then on, the three most gifted cultivators of the current human generation—the Daoist Sect's Chief Disciple, the Empress of the Immortal Nation, and the Holy Saint of the Demon Sect—all gathered in the capital.
Three legendary prodigies, who were in fact just two people. That… made sense?
In any case, by the time everything was finally settled and her Daoist Alter Ego was able to head for Qifeng City to check things out, it was already a bit too late.
Under normal circumstances, she might have hesitated, especially since it was nearly time for the royal ban to come into effect, and the Holy Saint was likely on his way back...
But in the end, she went.
Because there was something she wanted to confirm, something she had only recently discovered, yet cared deeply about.
And it was because of that matter that she had hesitated to act outside of Xiaofeng Mountain.
Now, as she looked at Luo Wusheng—who had just spoken words that sounded playful yet bore not a hint of falsehood—a subtle, unnatural expression flickered across her face, though she quickly suppressed it.
"You seem to have quite a high opinion of the Empress?"
The young lady, who had been seated at the bedside, stood up and turned her back to Luo Wusheng, her tone still casual.
(Generally speaking, it's usually not a good idea to praise one woman in front of another… but this situation is just a little different…)
What kind of praise is most effective at touching someone's heart?
Direct compliments are nice, but often feel too deliberate. No matter how naturally you bow and scrape, people tend to assume you're just kissing up… and if done poorly, it can even feel like a veiled insult.
So the most effective method is to praise someone sincerely behind their back, and then let those words reach them naturally through others.
Right now, however, this moment sat at a curious quantum superposition of both styles…
Luo Wusheng shifted his position slightly, moving from the bed to sit on the edge.
"At the very least… from my perspective, everything she has accomplished so far is no less than any famed emperor in human history—perhaps even greater."
Just enough, no need to go overboard.
After his words fell, the room was quiet for several seconds.
"…If the Empress were to hear you speak of her like that, even if she didn't show it on her face, I'm sure she'd feel very pleased inside."
Ji Yanyao turned around, her stunning face still cold and composed. But with a flick of her finger, a delicate little bottle flew into Luo Wusheng's lap.
"Here. It's a pill to restore spiritual energy. Yesterday, I used a secret a Daoist technique to ease the effects of your spiritual depletion. Now that you're awake, using this should help you return to peak condition shortly."
Luo Wusheng was momentarily stunned as he held the pill bottle in his hand.
Sensing the surging medicinal power within and glancing down at his dantian, where his spiritual energy had already recovered by about ten percent, an odd expression appeared on his face.
This one pill alone might just completely refill his reserves.
As if sensing his thoughts, the Daoist Chief Disciple casually averted her gaze.
"After I reported your condition to the Immortal Nation, they retrieved this pill from the national treasury for you," she said matter-of-factly.
"Though that chicken Netherkin's origins were unclear, it did appear deep within the Immortal Nation's territory and was resolved by your hand. Removing a hidden threat like that is no small matter for the current Immortal Nation—so it's only natural they'd be generous."
Ah yes, of course—Your Majesty, your word is law.
Suppressing the twitch at the corner of his mouth, Luo Wusheng tucked the bottle away into his storage bag.
His spiritual energy was either going to be completely replenished or utterly drained tomorrow—either way, now was definitely not the right time to use this pill.
Just then, her cool voice continued into his ears.
"By the way, when the pill was delivered, there was also a message for me to pass along once you awoke."
"Hmm?"
"It said that if you, Daoist friend Wusheng, were still feeling unwell today, the Empress—who had planned to meet with you—would be willing to postpone the meeting until tomorrow. How would you like to respond? I can relay it for you."
Ji Yanyao spoke as if she were reciting an impersonal memo.
Cough
"No need to postpone. Today is fine," Luo Wusheng responded with a soft cough. "I also have an important matter to discuss with Her Majesty as soon as possible."
Tomorrow, he simply wouldn't have the time.
Also, from what the girl before him had just said, his Junior Sister was currently healing in the Immortal Life Pool, located inside the Imperial Palace.
That pool was one of the most renowned places in the Immortal Nation for healing cultivators, with various tiers suited to different cultivation levels.
Perhaps considering his Junior Sister's participation in the Human Immortal List—and the fact that he, a future not-yet-official employee of the Immortal Nation, was involved—the Empress had specifically opened the Immortal Life Pool for his Junior Sister to help her recover faster.
Given that, after meeting with the Empress, it would be the perfect opportunity to go check in on the little girl.
Ji Yanyao, of course, had no idea what Luo Wusheng was currently planning… but for some reason, she suddenly thought of a certain Demon Sect Holy Maiden who had reluctantly agreed to recover in the Immortal Life Pool—only because this very youth was also going to the palace today.
She shook her head quietly, then pondered for a moment before her gaze flickered with an unreadable emotion.
"Important matter…? If that's the case, I can only think of one matter you might discuss with the Empress."
Ji Yanyao's face remained calm, giving nothing away. "Since you hold such a high opinion of Her Majesty, and your sect elders already arranged the engagement…"
Her words trailed off into silence.
???
Luo Wusheng stared at her in mild shock, his thoughts briefly tangled.
But soon, realization dawned in his eyes, and a wry smile naturally appeared on his lips.
"Daoist Yanyao, please don't tease me… While it's true that Her Majesty's beauty is unparalleled, her grace world-shaking, and she possesses both statecraft and the highest level of cultivation talent—these are things the entire world knows. It's not just my personal opinion."
"And as I've said before, that so-called engagement... isn't nearly as simple as it seems."
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
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