After the Fire Started in the Back Courtyard

At dawn, a shaft of sunlight streamed into the bedroom.

Di Xin opened his eyes and saw Gun Juan sleeping nestled against his chest like a kitten.

Di Xin's cultivation had already surpassed the mortal realm. He had reached Grain Avoidance, and could go for months without sleep, but he could still sleep whenever he wanted. For him, it was much like entering a meditative state.

The sight of Gun Juan tossing and turning on the bed the previous night, unable to fall asleep, had been rather amusing. Though he'd let her indulge in her girlish daydreams, Di Xin had pretended not to notice.

He rose quietly and left the bedroom for Daji's chambers.

Daji had already finished washing and dressing with the palace maids' help. She greeted King Zhou warmly, smiling sweetly as she explained what had happened when she got drunk the previous day, then invited Di Xin to breakfast.

She was all tender affection, yet didn't mention Gun Juan at all.

Since she didn't bring it up, Di Xin naturally said nothing either, acting as though nothing had happened.

It suited his status perfectly. The Great King didn't need to explain to his Noble Consort whom he wanted to bed.

After a few quick bites, Di Xin told his attendants to bring over the tonic You Hun had presented the day before and wash it. Then, right in front of Daji, he ate half of it with loud, crunchy bites, as if it were a giant radish.

Daji's small, cherry-red lips stayed parted in astonishment.

When he finished, Di Xin wiped his mouth, swept out with a flourish, and left without a trace.

Only after Di Xin's figure had disappeared did Daji's smiling face suddenly darken. "Come with me!"

Fuming, she led several palace maids straight to King Zhou's bedroom and hauled the still-sleeping Gun Juan out of bed.

Gun Juan had been having a romantic dream. In it, the Great King had been vigorous and powerful, and she'd been enjoying herself immensely. She jolted awake to the sight of the Noble Consort's furious face and hurriedly dropped to her knees in fright.

"Your Highness, the Great King summoned me last night. I didn't dare disobey."

"Gun Juan, I've treated you well. Even if the Great King summoned you, why didn't you report it to me first?" Daji grew even angrier and scolded her sharply.

How dare she? One of her own maids had gone behind her back and snuck off with the Great King. Daji had already been trying her hardest to win his favor, with little success. Now this little minx, Gun Juan, had gotten in her way. Daji couldn't help feeling threatened.

"This servant knows she was wrong! This servant knows she was wrong! I did mean to report it to Your Highness last night, but you were drunk and asleep, and I didn't dare disturb you. Please see the truth of it, Your Highness!"

Gun Juan kept kowtowing and explaining. In truth, she'd only dared peek in at Daji, and seeing her seemingly asleep, she'd sneaked off to Di Xin's bedroom.

Daji had sensed Gun Juan's presence at the time, but she'd been pretending to be drunk and hadn't paid her any mind.

Hearing Gun Juan's explanation, Daji's expression softened a little. She continued, "What did you and the Great King do together all night?"

Gun Juan hurriedly pointed to her clothes. "Your Highness, look. My clothes are still in order. I didn't do anything with the Great King. He only had me lie here and listen to him tell a story."

"A story? I think you're the one telling stories to me. You spent the whole night alone with the Great King, and all he did was tell you stories?" Daji clearly didn't believe her.

Gun Juan insisted, "Your Highness, please believe me. Even if I had a hundred times the nerve, I wouldn't dare lie to you. You can ask the Great King yourself. If a single word of this is untrue, I'll gladly pay for it with my life."

Daji gave a slight nod. "Then tell me: what story did the Great King tell you?"

"Well... well... I didn't really understand it!" Gun Juan's expression turned blank.

Daji snorted and ordered, "You don't need to add your own interpretation. Just repeat the Great King's exact words."

"Yes!"

Gun Juan didn't dare disobey. She thought back to what had happened and began recounting it. "The Great King said, 'Once upon a time, there was a mountain. On the mountain was a temple. In the temple, an old monk was telling a story to a young monk. The story went: once upon a time, there was a mountain. On the mountain was a temple. In the temple, an old monk was telling a story to a young monk. The story went: once upon a time, there was a mountain. On the mountain was a temple...' In short, he just repeated those few lines over and over..."

"Utter nonsense!"

Daji's expression changed, and her voice turned stern again. "How could the Great King tell you such an absurd story? What old monk and young monk? The Great King ate a lot of tonics this morning. Was he hoping to get you pregnant with a royal heir last night, but failed?"

"Your Highness, I truly don't know what the Great King was thinking, but I really didn't do anything. You can examine me yourself!"

If the Great King had actually touched her the day before, Gun Juan might have had a little more confidence. But now... before the Noble Consort, she trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind.

The Noble Consort had the power of life and death over the maids in her palace. She didn't need the Great King's approval to deal with matters in the harem.

"Gun Juan, I have no interest in examining you. You've broken the rules, so get out of the Royal Palace now. Don't let me see you again, or you're dead! Guards, take her away..."

After this, Daji naturally couldn't allow Gun Juan to remain in Shouxian Palace and cause more trouble. Without further ado, she ordered the others to drag Gun Juan out of her chambers.

"Great King... Great King..."

As Gun Juan was dragged away, she kept calling out to the Great King in her heart, searching for him. But she found nothing.

At that moment, Di Xin was beside the ruins of the Imperial Study.

The palace had to remain quiet at night, so the work of excavating the meteorite had been suspended. It had only resumed that morning, with the clanging and banging starting up again.

They needed to clear away the Imperial Study ruins, and Di Xin also wanted to find out what exactly this Extraterrestrial Meteorite was. Only by smashing it apart completely could he get to the bottom of it.

He hadn't found anything valuable among the pieces he'd crushed the day before.

It was just a somewhat unusual rock.

The meteorite's fall had given Di Xin a sense of danger. Unless he figured out what was going on, he couldn't put his mind at ease.

If there was something unusual inside the meteorite, then it would prove that the disaster had been deliberately caused. Someone was definitely trying to kill him.

That was already his leading suspicion, but he still had no hard evidence.

Several hundred Imperial Guards were taking turns chipping away at the meteorite, but so far they'd only broken off a fifth of it. That showed just how hard the meteorite was.

After watching for a while without noticing anything unusual, Di Xin walked away.

He'd gone only a dozen steps when two options suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Option One: Stay here and wait to die. Quest Reward: High-grade Innate Spirit Treasure - Immortal Slaying Sword.]

[Option Two: Leave this place. Quest Reward: High-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure, Monster Summoning Banner.]

Holy crap, the legendary High-grade Innate Spirit Treasure, the Immortal Slaying Sword!

I choose option two!

In alarm, Di Xin suddenly drew the sword at his waist and charged forward, shouting, "Imperial Guards, seize the assassin!"

As he ran, he waved his sword wildly, as though fighting some invisible foe.

Seeing this, the Imperial Guards hurriedly rushed toward Di Xin. Their duty was to protect him; excavating the meteorite was only a temporary assignment.