Inner Study, Mastery Achieved, Prince Consort

"It's just a matter of each person getting what they need; success or failure depends solely on their individual methods."

Jiumozhi frankly stated.

"Well said, each gets what they need, each uses their own methods. Since we're not going to spar, I'll take my leave. I'm going to get what I need too."

Ji Boying said in a clear voice.

With a swift movement, Ji Boying disappeared from the crossroads, leaving only a black dot on the distant horizon.

Just then, a group of warriors on tall horses, imposing and majestic, escorted a nobleman as they arrived from behind.

"Imperial Advisor, have we encountered enemies? Who are they?"

The Tubo prince arrived at Jiumozhi's side, escorted by numerous warriors.

Jiumozhi stared blankly at Ji Boying's graceful departure, still muttering to himself.

"Who in the world can rival him? Who can be his opponent? Dugu Qiubai, Dugu Qiubai, the Central Divine is indeed Dugu Qiubai..."

The Tubo prince paused for a moment, stunned.

"The enemy is Dugu Qiubai? What an arrogant name. Did the Imperial Advisor suffer a loss? Who is he protecting? We must think of a way to deal with him."

Jiumozhi remounted his horse.

He shook his head.

"He protects no one. If he becomes our opponent, we are doomed to defeat. However, he probably isn't after the Western Xia princess. Let's go."

The caravan continued its journey.

The Tubo prince reached out and waved his hand behind him.

Several warriors remained where they were, blocking the intersection.

The menacing guards set up a checkpoint here, and as the prince had ordered, they forbade any unauthorized personnel from passing through.

Ji Boying continued on his journey, and was not far from the Western Xia Imperial Palace.

The streets were visibly bustling with activity.

Many martial arts figures and people from other regions seemed to have arrived outside Lingzhou even earlier than the Tubo prince.

The Western Xia government also dispatched many civil officials and soldiers to manage various places.

It was chaotic, but also very lively.

However, the excitement belonged to them and had nothing to do with Ji Boying. Ji Boying walked straight towards the imperial city along the main road.

The further in you go, the tighter the security becomes.

Once outside the imperial city, they were completely surrounded by soldiers.

It wasn't just to guard against these outsiders; it was probably also because the battle between Tianshan Child Elder and Li Qiushui in Lingzhou a while ago had made people quite paranoid.

Furthermore, the young emperor and the royalists needed to take this opportunity to assume personal rule, which naturally led to internal struggles. Therefore, strict precautions were necessary to prevent any unexpected events from occurring.

We must guard against the desperate actions of the maternal relatives, and also against these outsiders from the martial arts world being exploited by them.

Even with such tight security, Ji Boying didn't take it seriously.

It was still bright outside, not waiting for nightfall.

Standing at the street corner, he leaped into the imperial city.

So openly and honestly, yet it didn't cause the slightest disturbance; no one noticed.

It was simply because Ji Boying was too fast, his figure was elusive, like a ghost, and as fast as lightning, which was beyond the range that the eyes of these ordinary warriors could capture.

Even if you slap them in front of them, they won't know who did it.

Upon entering the imperial city, Ji Boying set out to search according to his memories.

He only remembered that the martial arts technique should be in a place called Green Phoenix Pavilion.

It appears to be Li Qinglu's study.

The palace complex has many buildings, and the houses are neatly arranged, so finding one in a short time would naturally be a bit of a hassle.

But according to Ji Boying's thinking, that place was indeed extraordinary, and he could find it by looking for something special within the palace.

It then activates internal energy, enhancing hearing and vision.

After circling the palace twice, I could faintly hear the sound of flowing water.

Following a long passageway, we indeed saw two large stone gates.

"This is a bit troublesome. Opening these two large stone gates isn't difficult, but the noise they make is indeed annoying."

Although even if everyone in the entire Western Xia palace rushed forward, it wouldn't be enough to deliver food to Ji Boying, it was still a troublesome matter.

Ji Boying then did not enter through the main gate.

They searched around the stone gate.

It seemed that we had encountered two or three long passageways, but they were all connected and we could not find a way in.

After spinning around in circles for a while, the sound of the flowing water became increasingly clear.

We followed the sound of the flowing water and turned towards it.

A deep ravine suddenly appeared inside the imperial palace.

Such a sight was indeed somewhat unbelievable, but Ji Boying knew that he had found the right place.

This is Secluded Orchid Ravine.

Four bright torches were planted on the four sides of the stream.

Only one steel cable runs from one bank to the other, spanning the ravine.

This steel wire is very thin and has been coated with a layer of dark black paint.

Even with torches illuminating the surroundings, it was still difficult to spot this dark place.

This stream is very deep, and it would be difficult for someone with ordinary martial arts skills to advance here.

Given Ji Boying's Lightness Skill, he didn't need to walk on a tightrope.

With a light sway, it had already drifted across to the other side.

Keep moving forward after being grounded in reality.

After passing through another passageway, a hidden world opened up behind it, revealing another large pine forest.

This place is naturally outside the imperial palace grounds.

Otherwise, how could there be such a deep stream, such a large pine forest, such a high mountain, and such a natural cave in that palace?

Once inside the cave, there was another long passageway.

After walking a few steps, the view suddenly opened up before me.

They had already entered a large hall.

This is a natural cave in the mountain, and I reckon it would have required a lot of man-made construction as well.

The surrounding stone walls were all polished to a very smooth finish.

Calligraphy and paintings were hung everywhere.

In an ordinary cave, there would be a lot of moisture, and water droplets would condense on the walls.

The calligraphy and paintings naturally couldn't be hung on the wall either, as they were all soaked.

The cave is uniquely well-constructed; it is extremely dry, and even when calligraphy and paintings are hung against the walls, there is absolutely no sign of dampness.

On one side of the hall is a large sandalwood desk, on which are placed many antiques and writing implements.

There were also a few bookshelves and stone benches; this must have been Princess Xixia's inner study.

There was not a trace of feminine charm or human presence in this study.

It is estimated that the Western Xia princess is still in the palace and has not been moved here.

And once the gates are closed, getting to this place becomes extremely difficult.

Naturally, it doesn't need anyone to watch over or manage it, just like the forbidden area of the Vulture Peak Palace. It doesn't need any guards at all.

The Western Xia was located on the frontier and had a relatively short history, so the calligraphy and paintings it collected could not compare with those of the Great Song and Great Liao.

However, he was, after all, an emperor, and thus possessed many exquisite artifacts.

There are also some calligraphy from the Northern Wei and Western Jin, and paintings from the Late Tang and Five Dynasties hanging on the walls.

Several calligraphy scrolls by Su Dongpo and Huang Shangu are also hanging there.

With nothing else to do, Ji Boying took his time to look at the exhibits, finding them quite pleasing to the eye.

However, it was just a bit of entertainment.

After reading it, he waved his hand and a gust of wind suddenly rose from the sealed cave.

The strong wind swept up hundreds of paintings and calligraphy hanging on the surrounding walls.

It floated lightly into the air, then gently landed and rolled up.

Clearly, Ji Boying's control over internal energy had already reached a sublime level.

Such a huge commotion was caused in an instant, with hundreds of paintings and calligraphy being manipulated remotely, yet not a single piece of damage was caused.

The paintings and calligraphy works were arranged on the ground, not even slightly crooked.

The calligraphy and paintings were all taken down from the wall, which was covered with many uneven patterns.

It is engraved with many yin and yang lines, and many of them are in the shape of human figures, some meditating, some jumping. All kinds of strange postures are gathered in a circle, and next to the circle are some Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches and numbers.

It is very similar to the pattern carved on the stone wall of the Vulture Peak Palace.

This shows Li Qiushui's martial arts skills.

Ji Boying then secluded himself here to meditate and practice martial arts.

Inside the cave, no one knew when the sun rose and the moon set, or when time passed.

Immersed in the mysteries of martial arts every day, I lost track of how much time had passed.

The martial arts in the Vulture Peak Palace and the martial arts here complement each other, yet also counteract each other.

Ji Boying became more and more comfortable with practice.

Even before, when he was practicing martial arts at the Vulture Peak Palace, he already felt like he was floating on air.

Meditate and meditate here.

Unconsciously, the body sitting cross-legged on the ground began to float slightly in the air.

It seemed as if an invisible force was lifting his body up.

The soul wanders beyond the heavens, a wondrous experience beyond words.

After an unknown amount of time, they suddenly heard a slight noise outside the cave.

There were some light footsteps approaching the cave.

Such lightness skills were naturally insignificant to Ji Boying.

But even in the martial arts world, it's not considered weak.

Ji Boying opened his eyes, and the empty room was filled with light; he looked radiant.

He turned his head to look outside the passageway.

Several palace maids walked through the dark passageway.

They could see everything clearly, but the other side couldn't see anything at all.

Ji Boying stood up.

I sat cross-legged for an unknown amount of time, but I didn't feel any soreness or numbness.

Although the place wasn't very well-ventilated, the calligraphy and paintings displayed on the ground still accumulated some dust.

Ji Boying was not covered in dust.

Both feet dangled naturally, but did not touch the ground.

There was still a gap of two or three inches above the ground.

Standing in the void, it seemed that everything was caused by the flow of internal energy within him, naturally generating a sense of energy.

There was no sense of using Lightness Skill as originally intended, because no matter how high the level of Lightness Skill is, it always requires exertion to propel it.

And this floating in the void does not require any effort.

Ji Boying lightly touched the air with her toes.

She floated past the palace maids, already facing them directly.

The passageway wasn't very wide, barely wide enough for two or three people to walk side by side.

Ji Boying almost brushed past them.

But they only felt as if a gentle breeze was blowing.

Perhaps it was the gentle breeze in the cave that slightly ruffled their hair; otherwise, they noticed nothing else.

Only a few breaths passed.

Then, a series of faint, excited, and chaotic sounds could be heard coming from inside the cave.

"Oh dear, what's going on?"

"Who took all these paintings and calligraphy and threw them on the ground?"

"Was it blown down by the wind?"

"It certainly wasn't blown down by the wind. There wouldn't be that much wind in a cave. Look how neatly it's arranged. Could it be that a thief has broken in?"

"Who knows if it was one of those unsuccessful candidates for the imperial son-in-law position who wandered around aimlessly and ended up here by accident."

"But this shouldn't be the case, right? He didn't steal anything, nor did he destroy anything, and he didn't seem to be angry or ashamed."

"Never mind, never mind. Don't look at the wall, hurry up and go to the princess to report. The princess still needs to entertain the prince consort here."

In the time it takes to say a few words, Ji Boying has already gone far away.

However, extremely faint sounds could still be heard coming from inside the cave.

Ji Boying could hear their conversation very clearly.

Ji Boying, who could stand in mid-air, possessed a level of skill that was truly unfathomable.

His five senses were also enhanced many times over.

It seems that his entire body has undergone a kind of evolution and sublimation.

"Has the selection of the imperial son-in-law been completed?"

Ji Boying thought to himself.

"According to the original plot, the final step should have been leading everyone to this cave to choose the prince consort. The situation is very different from the original story. Could it all be because of the changes I caused?"

Although Li Qinglu doesn't have many scenes, she is Li Qiushui's granddaughter. Look at the skills of the palace maids around her and the arrangement of her study.

Clearly, Li Qinglu is no ordinary person.

It won't be so easy for the young emperor to arrange a marriage between her and his concubine.

The choice of a prince consort must be exactly what one desires.

Will you still choose Xu Zhu?

Probably? Perhaps Xu Zhu followed his own advice and sneaked into the palace to meet Li Qinglu.

Everyone else, of course, made a wasted trip.

Ji Boying did not rush to leave the palace after leaving.

The selection of the imperial son-in-law had just ended, and people from all over the country had not yet left Lingzhou.

The main road was still bustling with activity.

I don't know how well the young emperor is managing his personal rule, but in any case, the defenses around the imperial city are not as tight as before.

Perhaps they succeeded and defeated their political enemies.

Perhaps it was a failure, and they fell into even tighter control.

There was no movement within Western Xia at the moment.

It seems we'll have to wait until later to settle accounts.

After all, many outstanding individuals from all walks of life have come here. If they cause a great disturbance and their true nature is exposed, it will naturally cause more trouble.

Ji Boying was walking down the street.

Among the bustling crowd, there were also a few familiar faces.

"Oh dear, what brings you all here? Are you all here to vie for the title of prince consort?"

Ji Boying greeted him with a smile.

Among the group, several people I recognized happily came forward to greet me.

It was Xiao Feng, Duan Yu, Wang Yuyan, A'Zhu, several women disguised as men, and several middle-aged people.

"I knew Young Master Ji would be here."

Duan Yu clapped his hands and said happily.

Duan Yu spent a considerable amount of time with Ji Boying at the Vulture Peak Palace.

They had talked about it, Duan Yu naturally had his own guesses.

Ji Boying has already seen the martial arts of the Vulture Peak Palace, and he certainly won't let Li Qiushui's martial arts go unnoticed.

If I come to Lingzhou, I might run into Ji Boying again.

It has indeed come true.

"My benefactor, it's been a long time."

Xiao Feng respectfully bowed deeply to Ji Boying.

A'Zhu, feeling somewhat like a wife following her husband's lead, also followed behind and bowed.