Yu Xiyan turned her head, and saw a man with a smile that could captivate thousands, curiously looking around.
Meanwhile, she herself was smiling, quietly watching the young man she had met by chance.
The two of them walked into the pavilion, one ahead of the other.
Yu Xiyan's face was as cold as frost; she would never forget the young man before her.
Lin Feng, who was only twenty-four years old at the time.
The man who had ruined her life, ruined Shen Zhao, and ruined her country.
That year, Yu Xiyan was twenty-seven years old, and it was the tenth year of her reign.
Because Shen Zhao had carried out sweeping reforms in the court, and the national strategy had shifted from conservative to expansionist, which brought countless wealth.
Yu Xiyan's cultivation soared thanks to Shen Zhao's endless supply of treasures, and she had already reached the threshold of the Supreme Realm within ten years of ascending the throne.
Due to her improved cultivation and the effects of the priceless Youthful Appearance Pills, Yu Xiyan's appearance remained at the age of eighteen, making her look even younger than Lin Feng.
Inside the pavilion, Yu Xiyan personally poured a cup of tea for Lin Feng.
This was Enlightenment Tea that Shen Zhao had gifted her. She rarely drank it herself, yet she didn't hesitate to offer it to Lin Feng, a man she barely knew.
"Sister, with such a breathtaking beauty, any man in the world would fall in love with you at first sight."
"You flatterer, am I really as good as you say?"
"I swear, Sister is the most gentle and beautiful woman in the world. I really wish I could be with you every day."
"If that's the case, then you should spend more time with your sister."
"Right, Sister, I heard your husband is the Great Yin Dynasty's God of War, and he's achieved countless great feats. Sister, you're truly blessed to have such a good man…"
"Xiaofeng, if you don't want to anger Sister, don't mention that person's name in front of me, okay?"
"What's wrong, Sister? Does he treat you badly? How could that be? If I could marry a fairy like you, Sister, I'd want to be with you every day."
"Xiaofeng, are you really trying to get Sister to kick you out?"
"I'm sorry, I'm just feeling indignant for you, Sister. I'll do as you say. Don't be angry with Xiaofeng, Sister."
"Alright, that's better. Tell me, where do you want to take Sister tomorrow? I'll go with you."
"Really? Tomorrow, I want to go to the Fuxi Abyss Secret Realm. I wonder if Sister can come with me?"
"You little rascal, if you want to improve your cultivation, you don't need to go to such a dangerous place. Just tell Sister. Sister has many good things to help you improve your cultivation. Anything you want, Sister can give you."
"I appreciate your kindness, sister, but I want to get what I want with my own strength."
"You've got spirit! Alright, then I'll watch over you."
"Great, sister! Why are you so nice to me?"
"What? You don't like me being nice to you?"
"No, it's just… I wish things could always be like this. Sister, can I stay with you tonight?"
"Xiao Feng, I know what you're thinking. I want to give you everything too, but not yet. Can we wait a little longer?"
"But I really like you, sister. Can you really bear to see me suffer like this? Let me be reckless just once, just this once, okay? I… I definitely won't let you down…"
"You little rascal, do you know what it would mean if we crossed that line?"
"I'll take responsibility, I swear."
"Little Feng, your sister really wants to give herself to you right now, but I'm not ready yet. Give me a little more time. My body and soul belong to you.
Also, I'll tell you a secret: nothing happened between him and me. I'm still a virgin."
"Ah? Sis, you..."
"Are you happy? Are you willing to wait for your sister?"
"Yes! Sis, I can wait for you. I don't even know what to say. I... I'm so excited...
Alright, let's not talk about this. Since you don't want to, I won't force you. How about I tell you another joke now?"
"Okay~"
Watching the scene before her, Yu Xiyan felt a chill run through her.
The two figures in the illusion moved closer and closer, their actions becoming increasingly intimate.
At that moment, it seemed that all of Yu Xiyan's smiles had been given to Lin Feng.
Looking at her own infatuated expression, Yu Xiyan suddenly felt her stomach churn with nausea, and she fought back a dry retch.
She was disgusted by her past self.
Just then, she heard footsteps outside the door.
Yu Xiyan looked towards the door and saw Shen Zhao silently standing there, his expression cold, clutching his chest without saying a word.
That night, Shen Zhao had returned from a battle against the North Sea Dragon Clan. The Dragon Clan had surrendered, sending hostages to the court. His first thought was to personally inform Yu Xiyan of his victory.
His usual composed smile vanished the moment he heard the sounds from inside the room.
"Fool, open the door!"
Yu Xiyan called out softly to Shen Zhao.
However, a pained expression crossed Shen Zhao's face. The hand clutching his chest tightened involuntarily.
After a long moment, he gave a self-deprecating laugh, lowered his hand from the door, and turned away, his expression lost.
"She treats you like this, and you're not even angry?"
Seeing Shen Zhao's retreating figure, Yu Xiyan suddenly chased after him, wanting to embrace that figure tightly.
However, her body passed right through Shen Zhao's afterimage.
"..."
Shen Zhao sat quietly beneath the Azure Sea Glazed Tree, clutching his chest and saying nothing. Then, he looked at the bright moon hanging in the sky, his eyes gradually reddening.
Young master, there's more to this chapter! Please click to the next page to continue reading, it gets even more exciting!
Suddenly, Shen Zhao's eyes turned cold, and the hand gripping his chest tightened involuntarily.
The next moment, a stream of blood spurted from his mouth.
But Shen Zhao remained composed, wiping away the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth. He took a deep breath and resolutely stepped out of the courtyard.
"I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry…"
Yu Xiyan murmured softly to the departing figure, and the illusion gradually dissipated, returning everything to its former state.
She closed her eyes for a long time, not even realizing that two streams of tears had already soaked her clothes.
In Lin Feng's eyes, she could only see fragmented, gloomy, and pleading emotions, which easily aroused a desire to protect her.
But Shen Zhao's eyes were always firm and composed, without a trace of hesitation, as if no desperate situation could make him retreat.
Perhaps, this was the reason why she had felt moved by Lin Feng back then?
After all, as an emperor, she preferred to have an obedient dog by her side, rather than a strong and ambitious man.
However, when had Shen Zhao ever disobeyed her? He silently handled all the problems without even needing to speak.
It's just that Shen Zhao wouldn't say those cloying love words? Didn't understand romance?
But, Shen Zhao's romance was never just lip service, it was put into actual action!
It was she who, time and again, regarded his romance as a scheme, and even pushed him out of her heart.
Even the wedding with him was incredibly simple, with standards even lower than those of a third-class marquis.
Yet Shen Zhao didn't care at all, instead exhausting his last bit of energy for the sake of the Great Yin Dynasty and herself.
If only she had looked at him more, if only she had treated him better, if only she had tried to understand him more…
Thinking of this, Yu Xiyan felt even more self-reproach and guilt.
"This life, I won't abandon you again!"
Qingyang City, inside the fighting club.
"Boss Shen, I'm here to get the spear!"
Early on the third day, Su Yunying came to find Shen Zhao, her steps light and graceful.
At this time, Shen Zhao had just finished eating and was idly napping in a rocking chair.
He merely glanced at Su Yunying before directly retrieving the Lone Goose Spear from his Storage Ring, tossing it to her without even looking up.
The instant she grasped the spear shaft, Su Yunying's clear, watery eyes widened.
She felt a surge of abundant spiritual energy wash over her, constantly impacting the qi sea within her body. In just a few breaths, Su Yunying felt as though she was about to break through.
"This is...?"
She looked at the spearhead, wrapped in cloth, while the thousand-year-old Xuan Yin wood of the spear shaft, which should have been broken, was now perfectly intact. Moreover, the spear shaft was wrapped with a layer of solid ice silk.
"The spear shaft had withered. I used the Source of Life to give it a second life. Additionally, I reinforced it with Myriad Year Profound Ice Silk. Unless it encounters something incredibly absurd, the spear shaft won't break again."
Su Yunying was startled. "Source of Life? Myriad Year Ice Silk? Either one of those is worth a fortune, and you used them to repair my spear? Wait a minute, did my spear's grade also increase? This is... a Heavenly Grade Spirit Artifact?"
Feeling the changes in the Lone Goose Spear, Su Yunying was shocked beyond measure.
Any cultivator would know what a Heavenly Grade Spirit Artifact meant.
She never expected that repairing a broken, Earth Grade spear would result in a Heavenly Grade Spirit Artifact? What the hell was going on?
"Heavenly Grade? Heh, why don't you take a closer look? Touch the spearhead, but don't open the cloth. I'm not responsible for what happens if you do."
Hearing this, Su Yunying placed her hand on the spearhead.
Immediately, an even more vast and boundless spiritual energy surged into her body like a breached dam, and in a single breath, her cultivation rose from the first rank of the Nascent Yuan Realm to the second rank.
"This is an Emperor Grade Spirit Artifact!"
Spirit artifacts are graded from lowest to highest as: Yellow, Xuan, Earth, Heaven, Emperor, Immortal, and Creation.
Su Yunying couldn't help but cover her lips, her face filled with disbelief.
He also instantly understood why Shen Zhao had told him not to open the cloth.
The appearance of an Emperor Grade Spirit Artifact would inevitably cause a phenomenon in the world, attracting countless strong individuals to pursue it. At that time, he would definitely face an endless life of running for his life.
Shen Zhao yawned and said, "Conditions are limited, let's make do with it for now. How is the repair? Satisfied? If you are, then settle the payment."
Su Yunying immediately put the Lone Goose Spear back into his Storage Ring, and then asked, "How much is it?"
"First time opening, I'll give you a discount. Labor costs plus material costs, a total of one thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones. Cheap, right?"
One thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones for an Emperor Grade Spirit Artifact. If the Mystic Sects knew about this, they would probably break their heads trying to get it.
"This isn't cheap at all! It's practically free!"
Su Yunying thought for a moment, her bright eyes flickering. Then, she pulled out three Spirit Crystals from her bosom.
(One Spirit Crystal is roughly equivalent to one-tenth of a Low-Grade Spirit Stone)
"One thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones!"
"Just three Spirit Crystals."
"One thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones!"
"Three Spirit Crystals, take it or leave it!"
Shen Zhao straightened up abruptly at this, staring at Su Yunying's pure and beautiful face. He sneered, "Little girl, are you trying to freeload? Do you believe I won't sell you to a brothel to pay off the debt!"
Su Yunying heard this and said with a smile, "Old Shen, I know this might be, perhaps, difficult for you to accept.
But I really don't have any extra money. How about I stay and work for you to pay off the debt? I'm easy to take care of; just provide me with food and lodging, and give me a few dozen low-grade spirit stones each month."
"You want to freeload an Emperor Grade Spirit Artifact and then have me pay you? Are you freaking kidding me?"
"Don't be so hasty. How about we make a trade?"
Su Yunying directly dragged a stool and sat down beside Shen Zhao.
"I have an idea. Would you like to consider it?"
"Spit it out. I'm listening. I want to see what kind of flowers you can weave."
"I've had a dream since I was a child, and that's to become the Empress of the Xianwu Continent. I see that Old Shen, you have great capabilities and vision. As long as you can help me realize this dream..."
"Don't even talk about a mere thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones. Even ten thousand, I can pay easily. Do you want to reconsider?"
"Little girl, do you know the difference between a dream and a delusion? Do you think you look like an empress like this?"
"Then, do you know what an empress looks like?"
"An empress exudes an imposing aura with every gesture. Do you have anything in common with an empress? By the way, how old are you this year?"
"I'll be sixteen in two months. Why?"
"Heh, get lost..."
Shen Zhao looked at the girl's cunning smile and immediately showed a look of disgust.
Cultivating an empress?
"Easy for you to say!"
"Do you know how much resources and effort this will cost?"