From a Cold Palace Princess to the Heavenly Empress Chapter 15

The woman was none other than Lin Wanqiu, the only daughter of the Beiyang City Lord.

She had been born with blocked meridians. Relying on perseverance and the scant resources provided by the City Lord's Manor, she had forcibly cultivated to the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Level.

But as her realm rose, the disadvantage of her blocked meridians became increasingly pronounced.

In order to treat his daughter's blocked meridians, the Beiyang City Lord had once sought out an Imperial Family Enshrined, but to no avail.

A month ago, Lin Wanqiu had seen a record in an ancient book.

There existed a spirit herb between heaven and earth that could break through blocked meridians after being consumed.

By coincidence, she received word several days ago that a similar spirit herb was likely growing in the Savage Forest. Thus, she hurried over with her guards.

After much searching, she had finally obtained the spirit herb. Unexpectedly, it had long been targeted by evil cultivators. Her guards all died protecting her.

Unable to defeat them after a bitter fight, she was captured by the evil cultivators.

But before being captured, she had hidden the spirit herb.

The evil cultivators coveted the spirit herb and had never laid hands on her.

But this morning, the evil cultivators forced her to put on these clothes herself, proving that their patience had likely run out.

"Little beauty, let your master cherish you properly..."

A fat man dressed in bright red, with a huge belly and a greasy, powdered face, narrowed his eyes into slits. Wearing a lecherous grin, he steadily approached the woman.

Just then.

The door silently opened. A light breeze swept through, and the candles in the room were instantly extinguished, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

The sudden turn of events startled the fat man in the midst of his wicked designs, but before he could react—

A faint glimmer of gold arrived in an instant, piercing through the fat man's heart before vanishing a moment later.

Xiao Minghuang grabbed the fat man by his sleeve and directly flung him out the door, sending him more than ten zhang away.

Her movements were incredibly swift and clean. She used spiritual energy to open and close the door, making not the slightest sound throughout.

After doing all this, Xiao Minghuang returned to the room, walked to the bedside, and gave the woman a once-over.

After reaching the Body Tempering Ninth Layer, one could see in darkness. Thus, the woman's graceful figure, her fiery-red bridal gown, and her neck, delicate and lustrous as white jade, were completely exposed before Xiao Minghuang's eyes.

"Was she abducted on her wedding day?"

But after another glance at the obviously cheap bridal gown, whose loose threads had not even been neatly trimmed, and then recalling the red-clothed fat man she had thrown outside—

"She must have been forced to put it on after being abducted."

Xiao Minghuang raised her right hand and pulled the towel stuffed in the woman's mouth free.

The towel felt rather nice, smooth and soft, but perhaps because the woman had bitten it for too long, it was covered in saliva and sticky.

In the pitch-black room, all was silent.

Before Xiao Minghuang could speak, the woman seized the initiative.

"Chief Chen, how about we discuss terms?"

You and the Ninth Princess Are Very Close?

Xiao Minghuang's expression froze, then a strange look appeared on her face.

"Does she take me for one of those evil cultivators?"

The corners of her lips curled slightly upward. Her eyes held three parts cunning, three parts teasing, and four parts impish mischief.

"What terms do you wish to discuss?"

Xiao Minghuang lowered her voice and imitated a man's voice.

Upon hearing it, the woman visibly froze. Why does the voice sound different? Did they switch people?

"Who are you, sir? Where is Chief Chen?"

Xiao Minghuang thought for a moment. The Chief Chen the woman spoke of should have been that fat man from before, the Third Brother she had initially heard mentioned among the evil cultivators.

"I am his eldest brother. You may speak directly with me if you have business. There is no need to go through him."

Hearing this, the woman thought, That demon Chen cultivates an evil art of harvesting yin to nourish yang. Negotiating with him would likely be difficult. But perhaps the person in this room does not cultivate that kind of evil art. This is an opportunity!

"This little woman's family resides in Beiyang City and possesses some modest wealth. I am willing to offer one thousand spirit stones and ten Ascension Yuan Pills to assist the Great Chief's cultivation. I am also willing to truthfully reveal the whereabouts of that spirit herb, so long as the Great Chief lets this little woman return home. My father will certainly prepare everything in full!"

"One thousand spirit stones and ten Ascension Yuan Pills—such immense resources are not something even the imperial family could produce at will. Who are you? Is your life truly worth so many resources?"

Mentioning her family background, the woman said proudly, "My father is the Beiyang City Lord, ruler of Great Xia's northern lands. Let alone one thousand spirit stones, even two thousand spirit stones are not beyond his means."

At this point, the woman paused before continuing.

"The Great Chief possesses Qi Refining Realm cultivation, yet has been branded an evil cultivator, hiding here and there, rarely able to sleep peacefully for a night. You may enjoy yourself today, but how can you fail to plan for tomorrow?"

"If the Great Chief lets this little woman return home, my father is not only willing to offer two thousand spirit stones and twenty Ascension Yuan Pills, but is also willing to employ the Great Chief as an enshrined expert of Beiyang City. From then on, you would be a member of the Great Xia court, far better than being a bandit forever skulking about in hiding!"

"I have said all this to the Great Chief. Those like Chief Chen have evil lodged in their brains, beyond the cure of medicine or stone. Great Chief, you must not willingly debase yourself and collude with such petty scum!"

The woman spoke many words in one breath. Perhaps because she had not eaten for several days, even with her Body Tempering Realm Seventh Level cultivation, she still felt a trace of exhaustion. Her rosy lips panted continuously, her low voice echoing through the room.

"Listening to you, this chief is somewhat tempted."

Hearing this, delight rose in the woman's heart. She immediately struck while the iron was hot and flattered him.

"Great Chief is deeply aware of righteousness and would surely make a pillar of Great Xia. Today, a hidden dragon lies in the abyss; someday, you will certainly soar into the heavens with a single flight!"

"But if I directly cook the raw rice into cooked rice and become the Beiyang City Lord's son-in-law, would that not be even better?"

At those words, the woman's face turned pale. She had not expected that after saying so much, she had achieved no effect whatsoever.

But even in the face of such a desperate situation, she would not simply await death. She had to fight for every possibility and break open the deadlock.

If softness would not work, then she would come hard.

"By saying that, Great Chief, you intend to show Beiyang City no respect?"

The woman's voice turned cold as she spoke lightly.

"I am the knife and chopping block; you are the fish and meat. What is Beiyang City to me?!"

Suddenly, the aura of the Fourth Level of Qi Refining Realm spread out, filling the entire room.

Sensing that powerful aura, the woman's expression darkened. It seemed her efforts had still failed.

Even invoking Beiyang City's name had not worked. What was she supposed to do now?

But at that moment, she suddenly recalled something from the distant past.

She vaguely remembered that when she was young, her grandfather had arranged a marriage for her.

"If Beiyang City's prestige is useless, then what about the Great Xia imperial family's?"

"I am the fiancée of the Ninth Princess, the ninth daughter beneath Emperor Xia's knee. If you dare touch even a finger of mine, the Ninth Princess will certainly not spare you!"

"Furthermore, this marriage was personally arranged by Emperor Xia. If you touch me, you are slapping Emperor Xia in the face. Emperor Xia is at the peak of the Divine Sea Realm and the sovereign of a nation—how could he suffer such humiliation? At that time, there will be nowhere in all of Great Xia for you to stand!"

After speaking such a long stretch in one breath, the woman's mind was in turmoil. This was her last chance. If she still could not grasp it, then she could only perish together with him.

She possessed a Low-grade Yellow Tier Magic Treasure, a pendant she had worn since childhood that was linked to her bloodline. With a single thought, she could detonate the magic treasure.

A Low-grade Yellow Tier Magic Treasure possessed immense power. There were not even a few of them in all Great Xia. This one had been bestowed by Emperor Xia as a token when the engagement was made.

At such close range, the force of a Low-grade Yellow Tier Magic Treasure's self-destruction would certainly kill the Great Chief on the spot, even if he possessed Qi Refining Realm cultivation!

"So, by your account, you and the Ninth Princess are very close?"

Hearing this, the woman froze. She had never expected the Great Chief to ask such a question.

In truth, ever since she was born, she had never met the Ninth Princess. She had only heard her grandfather mention the matter during her childhood.

After the old Beiyang City Lord passed away, no one ever brought it up again.

But in her current circumstances, she could not show weakness!

"That's right!" the woman declared proudly. "The Ninth Princess and I have sworn vows to the seas and mountains. Our bond runs deep. We promised to hold each other's hands and grow old together. I will marry no one but her."

Immediately afterward, she said viciously.

"If you dare touch even a finger of mine, the Ninth Princess will certainly ask Emperor Xia to act and have you sliced into a thousand pieces, chopped into a pulp of flesh!"

"Oh? Is that so? Then you know her very well?"

"Of course. We have been open and honest with each other, close beyond measure. I even know that she has a sesame-seed-sized mole on her chest. How could I not know her well?"

"Then do you know the Ninth Princess's name?"

Oh no!

Hearing this, the woman's breathing immediately caught, and she involuntarily clenched her palms.

Her knowledge of the Ninth Princess was limited to knowing that such a person existed and that she was a woman.

As for everything else, she knew nothing.

She did not even know the other woman's name.

After all, that so-called marriage had merely been an offhand joke between elders at a banquet.

Moreover, ever since her grandfather passed away—

Her father, the current Beiyang City Lord, had sustained hidden injuries. His cultivation had remained stuck at the peak of the Spring Gushing Realm, unable to break through.

With the mere strength of the Spring Gushing Realm, he simply lacked the power to guard the vast Beiyang City. Emperor Xia had long been displeased and wanted to recall their family to the capital. He had merely refrained from acting out of consideration for his old bond with the former Beiyang City Lord.

She knew these matters very well.

She also understood that Emperor Xia would never allow the Ninth Princess to marry down into Beiyang City. That would be far too beneath her status.

Therefore, everything she had just said to the Great Chief was nothing but fabrication, borrowing a tiger's might to frighten others.

Things having reached this point, she could only continue making things up.

After sorting through her thoughts a little, the woman vaguely remembered that she seemed to have seen the Ninth Princess's name on some imperial edict.

"The Ninth Princess is naturally called Xiao Ming..."

But she only remembered the first two characters and could not recall the last one.

Just as she was about to make up a name—

A crisp and pleasant voice, like the sound of a clear spring, suddenly rang out in the room and clearly pronounced a name.

"Xiao Minghuang."

Making the Best of a Mistake

As the words fell.

The red cloth covering the woman's eyes was removed as well.

The room remained so dark that one could not see one's fingers.

Yet merely from hearing that crisp, pleasant, and incomparably lovely voice, one could determine that its owner had to be a peerlessly beautiful young girl.

The instant she heard that voice, the woman's expression froze [<

"???"

The next moment.

A pearl-like glow lit up in the pitch-black room, and the owner of that pleasant voice finally appeared before the woman's eyes.

She was an incomparably beautiful young girl with bright eyes, dazzling and radiant like stars. Her dark hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and she wore a bright yellow dress. Even within the muddy, dim mountain cave, she remained spotless and clean as new, untouched by dust.

The girl's pink lips were soft and tender, the corners of her mouth slightly curved upward. There was a faint, almost imperceptible smile in her gaze as she looked at the woman, making her appear all the more noble, ethereal, and peerlessly elegant.

In the woman's original expectations, the person before her should have been a burly middle-aged man. She had never imagined it would instead be such a peerlessly beautiful young girl.

Under the girl's gaze, the woman's cheeks could not help turning faintly red. She averted her eyes, not daring to meet her gaze.

Just as she was beginning to feel somewhat embarrassed.

The girl suddenly spoke.