Chapter 356: Junior Sister, You're— Wait, What the Hell?!
As Luo Wusheng stepped out of the fog at the entrance of the Imperial Pool, he still felt a little light-headed, like he was floating—but at least he was mostly back to normal now.
This trip had brought him quite a few unexpected gains.
For one, thanks to that strange spiritual tea brewed by Her Majesty herself, the spiritual energy within his body had recovered by a full ten percent in a single go.
(Though honestly, there's definitely something wrong with that tea. The more I drank, the more I wanted to commit crimes…)
And not just petty crimes either—his mind had been flooded with rebellious thoughts, from seducing the Empress and doing it with her for days and night non-stop.
Her Majesty's outfit today had already been dangerously seductive, and with that tea working its strange magic, the effects were straight-up explosive.
(That said, the tea wasn't that horrifying. At most, it just reawakened my deeply buried self-destructive instincts. It didn't quite wire them to my nervous system… I had some very bold ideas, one after another, but thankfully none of them made it into action.)
And the spiritual recovery effects were real and potent. This current state of his was entirely due to overindulgence—it really wasn't fair to pin the blame on Her Majesty.
Still, Luo Wusheng had his suspicions.
If Her Majesty had done it on purpose… what exactly was she after?
Was she hoping he'd fantasize about her beauty?
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Luo Wusheng seemed to think of something, but didn't dwell on it. He simply looked ahead.
He was currently walking along the intersecting stone paths of the Imperial Palace. Just ahead of him was a familiar figure—a graceful back leading the way.
Miss Kirin was guiding him toward the Immortal Life Pool, the current location of his mischievous junior sister.
Perhaps this was another deliberate arrangement by Her Majesty herself. Originally, he was supposed to be led by both Kirin and Wutong, but the latter had been called away by something urgent, leaving just this "Mortal Alter Ego" of the Empress—one of her three Alter Egos—to finish guiding him on this final stretch of his palace visit.
Watching the girl walk ahead, Luo Wusheng recalled the question Her Majesty had asked him earlier.
(Why did she insist on assigning her Mortal Alter Ego to me? She said it was so I'd have assistance if I wanted to operate under my Six Gate Bureau Golden-Ranked member identity without exposing my trump cards… sure, that sounds reasonable on the surface, but something still feels off.)
If he hadn't known that Miss Kirin was actually the mortal Alter Ego of the Empress, Luo Wusheng probably wouldn't have thought much of it.
But knowing the truth—knowing that Her Majesty had essentially hand-delivered herself into his hands—even in his semi-dazed state, he couldn't help but feel something was very wrong.
Of course, his first thought back then was… Ahem, should he "go for it" with this "little sister" the Empress had gifted him?
But if he didn't, wouldn't his earlier lie be exposed?
The Holy Saint of the Demon Sect was deeply conflicted.
So, after laying on the flattery and praising Miss Kirin to the skies in front of Her Majesty, he eventually agreed.
His brain had short-circuited a little at the time, sure, but honestly, even now, he'd probably still say yes.
After all, they were on the same team—he and the Empress—and it made sense to go along with her wishes.
(That said… the idea of someone who was originally Her Majesty's personal attendant now being my follower… that's kinda thrilling.)
Luo Wusheng's gaze briefly swept over Miss Kirin's figure.
Despite her layers of disguise, her silhouette was clearly different from that of the Empress's main Imperial Alter Ego, yet still tall and elegant. If she ever removed that mask and revealed the same stunning face as her other two Alter Egos… that would be something else entirely.
Unfortunately, he hadn't yet decided to act under his Six Gate Bureau Golden-Ranked member identity. He hadn't even picked a codename yet, and he'd been too busy to bother.
Otherwise, he might've dragged Miss Kirin along to personally demolish a couple of Nether Formations or something.
And if he got tired during the process, maybe he could have the Mortal Alter Ego of the Empress herself feed him grapes…
Wait, wait—no! He was drifting off again!
Frantically recalling the laborious experiences of his two comrades, Night Crow and Xuan Ming, Luo Wusheng tried to dispel his increasingly outrageous thoughts.
But just then, the clear, cool voice of the girl in front of him broke the silence.
"We've arrived. The Immortal Life Pool is just ahead."
Miss Kirin's cool, detached voice snapped Luo Wusheng back to reality.
And in his eyes, a strange light flickered.
. . . . . . . .
Imperial Palace – The Immortal Life Pool
Despite being called a "pool," the Immortal Life Pool was not what its name suggested.
Within the imperial palace, the so-called "pools" were in fact separate chambers, housed within pavilions surrounded by towering palace walls. Each pool corresponded to a different rank or cultivation level, categorized meticulously across the nation's cultivation hierarchy.
Inside these pavilions, each room had a raised platform built in the center. The platform's core was hollowed out, and within it bubbled spring water that shimmered with dazzling rainbow hues. This mystical water flowed upward from deep beneath the earth, filling the miniature baths to their brims.
The Immortal Life Pools were widely known as sacred healing springs, capable of drastically accelerating the recovery process for injured cultivators of all realms. Many rumors surrounded them.
Some believed the pools were born from a natural spiritual phenomenon—a sacred site deep beneath the ground where a hidden ancient sage of the Immortal Nation cultivated in isolation, using divine powers to channel the waters to the surface for other cultivators to use.
Others theorized that the Immortal Life Pools themselves were an ancient artifact—an unending source of holy water that manifested itself wherever it was needed within the palace grounds.
There were even wild tales that claimed the pool waters were formed from the blood essence of a fallen Tribulation Crossing Realm powerhouse, one who had comprehended the Dao of Healing before perishing.
Unlike her blockhead of a Senior Brother, Bai Xiaoyao had done her homework well before even arriving at the royal capital. She'd long since dug up all these rumors and facts, filing them away in her clever little mind.
Still, she hadn't expected that she herself would one day be allowed to use such a place.
Her delicate, pale fingers gently cupped a palmful of the shimmering water.
As it slipped between her fingers and splashed back into the pool with a crisp, melodic sound, she could already feel the transformation within her.
Her injuries—severe as they had been—were now nearly 80% healed. Just a little longer, and she'd be fully recovered.
Her soft gaze flickered slightly as she took in the changes.
After a long moment, she let out a deep breath.
"Phew… I wonder if Senior Brother has woken up yet…"
"That Daoist Sect Chief Disciple said his condition was stable—just a case of extreme energy depletion. He should be awake sometime today… That shouldn't be wrong. But when will he come looking for me?"
She puffed her cheeks slightly in frustration.
She'd been in rough shape earlier, yes, but she'd still assumed her Senior Brother would visit the palace to meet the Empress as they'd discussed—and then come fetch her so they could return to the Demon Artifact Pavilion together.
But she'd overlooked the possibility that he might postpone that meeting.
By the time she realized, she was already here—sent to recover under the Daoist Sect Chief Disciple's arrangements.
And then there was Lu Yuliu—still sound asleep back at the Daoist Artifact Pavilion's healing wing.
In contrast, she was now here in this entire Immortal Life Pool chamber opened just for her alone, and somehow that made her feel… strangely awkward.
Even if she was a contestant in the upcoming Human Immortal List and had been gravely injured during the recent incident, didn't it seem like overkill for the Immortal Nation to open a personal-grade Immortal Life Pool for just her?
She stared down at her slender, jade-like arm. Around her wrist, a red mark—like the lingering imprint of a silken cord—stood out subtly against her snow-white skin.
Something flickered in her eyes.
Then her lips curved into a small, mischievous smile.
(Heh… I still haven't collected today's "payment" from Senior Brother, have I?)
"My injuries have mostly healed by now… There's still plenty of time before the Human Immortal List begins. Leaving now might be an option."
"Or maybe… I should at least confirm whether Senior Brother is even coming to the palace today?"
Muttering to herself, Bai Xiaoyao weighed her options.
But just as she began to move, a sudden knock knock knock came from the chamber door.
Then, from outside, came a familiar voice—
"Junior Sister, you're— wait, what the hell?!"
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