Chapter 314

"Hmm~"

Immediately, Sheng Bailan let out a soft cry and her whole body went limp.

Soon, the air inside the hall began to warm up, filling the space with a romantic and ambiguous atmosphere...

The night was utterly silent.

Summer capital, inside the Princess Mansion.

Squeak!

With a crisp sound of a door opening, a girl dressed in a pale yellow dress walked into a quiet room.

The young woman was Ye Ruoshui. After entering the room, she glanced at Luo Qianhua, who was interrogating the prisoner, and asked, "Have you gotten all the answers?"

Luo Qianhua glanced at the unconscious Daoist priest and said, "This is what happened..."

It turned out that after Ye Ruoshui and Luo Qianhua returned to the Princess Mansion, they found that the place had been occupied by a Daoist priest of unknown origin. After Ye Ruoshui revealed her name and background, the priest not only failed to recognize his mistake, but also tried to attack her.

Ye Ruoshui was not about to let them get away with it, so she immediately took action, captured them all, and handed them over to Luo Qianhua for interrogation.

After half a day of interrogation, Luo Qianhua had gotten almost everything the Daoist knew.

"According to him, he was ordered by the Grand Preceptor of the Great Xia Dynasty, the Daoist Siming, to guard this place and prohibit anyone from entering or leaving without the Grand Preceptor's orders."

"The Imperial Advisor?"

Ye Ruoshui frowned slightly, "How come I didn't know that Xia Kingdom had a national advisor?"

"The Grand Preceptor came to the Xia Kingdom six years ago to practice the Path of Incense and Sacrifice. The Emperor Xia was influenced by the Grand Preceptor and also practiced this way. He built many temples in the Xia Kingdom to worship the Emperor Xia and the Grand Preceptor, and launched wars against neighboring states to seize land and people."

At this point, Luo Qianhua paused, then continued, "Furthermore, the Daoist Siming ordered his disciples and servants to topple His Highness's statue, demolish the temples dedicated to His Highness, and bewitch Emperor Xia, stripping His Highness of his title. This mansion was also taken back."

412. The Guizang Heavenly Book

After listening to Luo Qianhua's account, Ye Ruoshui's gaze turned icy, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "These bastards, I will make them pay the price!"

"So, what should we do?" Luo Qianhua asked, frowning.

"No rush. Let's first find out the whole story, including what happened in the past few years. We'll make a decision after His Highness returns."

Ye Ruoshui calmed herself down, thought for a moment, and then spoke.

Over the years, she is no longer the impulsive and naive girl she once was; she has learned to plan carefully before acting.

"I'll go to the Wu'an King's Residence first to check on Xiu'er's situation. You keep a close watch on this person and don't let him escape."

"Good."

Luo Qianhua nodded.

Immediately, Ye Ruoshui vanished from the spot in a flash.

The Wu'an King's Residence.

In a quiet room in the backyard.

"Cough cough~"

A violent coughing fit rang out.

"Grandpa, I have been away from home for so many years and have not been able to fulfill my filial duties to you. This is truly my fault. Please forgive me, Grandpa."

On the bed, King Wu'an sat up, his face pale and his expression exhausted.

He looked at his granddaughter Xu Xiuer beside the bed, noticed her closed eyes, and hurriedly asked, "Xiu'er, your eyes?"

"It's alright." Xu Xiuer smiled slightly and explained, "This is a normal state of my cultivation. After a while, I'll get through this stage, and my strength will also increase."

Upon hearing this, King Wu'an breathed a sigh of relief and smiled with satisfaction, "Seeing you getting better and better makes my wish fulfilled."

Xu Xiuer was his only granddaughter and his only relative in the world. As long as Xu Xiuer was well, he had nothing else to worry about.

"Grandfather..."

Xu Xiuer's eyes were filled with tears, and her voice was trembling with sobs. With her keen eyesight, how could she not see that King Wu'an's health had reached its limit and he didn't have many days left to live?

King Wu'an patted her little head and said with a smile, "Silly girl, don't cry. Grandpa has no regrets even if he dies."

"Grandpa, I have some pills here that all have the effect of strengthening the body's foundation and nourishing the vital energy. Please take them!"

Xu Xiuer wiped away her tears, took out a Brocade Box from her storage bag, and handed it to King Wu'an.

King Wu'an took the Brocade Box but did not open it, placing it aside.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuer asked in confusion, "Grandpa, why don't you open it?"

"Why open it? It's a waste to eat it!" King Wu'an shook his head and sighed, "I know my own body best. I should have died during the chaos of the True Demons. It's all thanks to Princess Xiao that I've been able to prolong my life for a few more years..."

At this point, he changed the subject and asked, "Have you and Princess Xiao had any dealings over the years...?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiuer lowered her pretty face slightly and whispered, "Grandpa, don't worry, His Highness treats me very well."

"I'm relieved that you're alright."

Upon hearing his granddaughter's words, a look of relief appeared on King Wu'an's face.

He then struggled to get up from the bed.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuer quickly fetched a pillow and placed it behind his back.

After regaining his balance, King Wu'an looked at Xu Xiuer:

"Xiu'er, I was planning to write to you even if you hadn't come back this time. Besides seeing you, the most important thing was to tell you a secret, a secret about your parents."

He paused for a moment, a look of reminiscence appearing in his eyes, as if he were lost in memories.

"Grandpa, what secret?"

Xu Xiuer stared wide-eyed at her father, eager to know the answer.

All she knew was that her mother died in childbirth, and that her father had apparently gone out to gain experience when she was very young and never returned.

Other than that, I know nothing.

"That was when your mother was just pregnant with you..."

King Wu'an was lost in his memories. "At that time, your mother was very weak. The doctor said that she and her unborn child might die during childbirth. Even though we sought medical help from many sources and even asked the Imperial Family Enshrined medical care, they all said there was no good cure."

"Later, one day an old Daoist priest with a sage-like demeanor came to our door, saying that he had foreseen that a noble child would be born in this place, so he gave you a scripture and told your mother to read it day and night to accumulate good fortune for herself and to protect the safety of mother and child."

"At the time, I didn't believe the old Daoist priest because I thought it was too absurd. The scripture he left behind was just a short booklet of a few hundred words, containing only ordinary prayers and blessings, nothing special. So I didn't pay any attention to it. After all, you can just listen to these kinds of things."

"However, although your father and I don't believe in the old Daoist priest, your mother firmly believes in him. Every night, she holds the booklet and recites it in her room, praying for your safe delivery and healthy growth..."

"But later, when your mother was six months pregnant, she suddenly experienced unbearable abdominal pain and severe contractions, and it was time for her to give birth."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiuer was also taken aback. She had never heard of a child being born after six months of pregnancy.

However, the outcome was predictable: she survived, while her mother died in childbirth.

As expected, the King Wu'an's face was filled with grief as he continued, "During childbirth, your mother kept reciting those prayers, and they actually worked, protecting you as you were born instantly, but your mother..."

"Grandpa... it's been so many years... please don't be too sad."

Seeing this, Xu Xiuer gently comforted her.

"Well!"

The King Wu'an let out a long breath, and looking at his granddaughter who had grown into an increasingly beautiful young woman, the sadness in his eyes eased considerably.

"Later, your father discovered that you weren't particularly talented, so he went out to find medicine, but he never returned... Alas, it's all fate!"

"If your father and mother could see you now, they would surely be able to find peace in heaven."

As he spoke, he pointed to his desk.

"In the second cabinet is the booklet left by the Daoist priest. Grandpa is nearing the end of his life and has nothing left to leave you. Consider this booklet the last gift from Grandpa, your parents, to you."

After King Wu'an finished speaking, he gestured for Xu Xiuer to take the document and read it.

"Um!"

Xu Xiuer nodded, walked towards the desk, pulled out the second cabinet, and saw an old-fashioned book.

Four large characters were written on the cover.

"The Guizang Heavenly Book..."

She reached out and took out the booklet, touched it briefly, and found that it actually only had a few pages and was not very thick.

Flipping through two pages, it was indeed just some prayers and blessings, nothing particularly unusual.

Then, she took the booklet and returned to the bedside.

"Grandpa can no longer discern your current cultivation level. If this booklet is of use to you, that would be wonderful. If not, consider it the last memento that Grandpa, your parents, and I are leaving you..."

King Wu'an looked at Xu Xiuer with kind eyes. "If possible, I wonder if I could see Princess Xiao one last time. There are some things I want to say to her..."

He understood, of course, that his granddaughter would not have returned to Xia alone; Princess Xiao must have also come back.

413. The Origin of the Imperial Preceptor

"Um!"

"Grandpa, you should rest first." Xu Xiuer nodded emphatically and said earnestly, "I'll go find His Highness right away, and I'll have him come to see you tomorrow morning!"

After speaking, she helped King Wu'an to rest.

She said this for two reasons: first, she didn't know where His Highness was now; second, she wanted to leave King Wu'an with something to worry about, in case he passed away after his wish had been fulfilled.

"Good... good child!" King Wu'an said with a face full of satisfaction, "Go then..."

Xu Xiuer put the booklet away, then stood up and left the room.

She had just stepped out of the room when she received a talismanic message from Ye Ruoshui.

"Xiu'er, where are you? I need to talk to you about something urgent!"

"I'm in the back courtyard living room of the Wu'an King's Residence."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Xu Xiuer flashed, becoming a blur before disappearing into the darkness.

A moment later, she walked through the garden and into the living room.

In the center of the living room, Ye Ruoshui sat cross-legged on a futon, her eyes slightly closed, her aura perfectly balanced and concealed, like an ordinary mortal.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuer sighed inwardly. She realized that, without knowing when it started, Ye Ruoshui and His Highness were becoming more and more alike.

"Sister Ruoshui," Xu Xiuer called out, sitting down beside her.

"Xiu'er, the matter is urgent, so I'll get straight to the point."

Ye Ruoshui spoke solemnly, and then briefly recounted what had just happened at the Princess Mansion.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiuer was immediately startled.

Seeing her expression, which suggested she knew nothing about the situation in Xia Kingdom, Ye Ruoshui frowned slightly and asked, "Xiu'er, you've been back for so long, hasn't the King Wu'an mentioned any of this to you?"

Xu Xiuer shook her head, tears still clinging to her slightly red eyes, a hint of sadness appearing on her pale face. "Father's health isn't good... I didn't ask."

Upon hearing this, Ye Ruoshui immediately sensed something was wrong. If it were just a matter of poor health, Xu Xiuer wouldn't be so overwhelmed with grief.

She quickly pressed on, asking, "Is there something wrong with King Wu'an's health?"

Xu Xiuer knew that Ye Ruoshui was a master of alchemy, and that she might have a solution. So, she told her about the situation of King Wu'an.

Upon hearing this, Ye Ruoshui frowned slightly and said, "So, it's still caused by the demonic invasion back then. Now the old wounds have recurred, and the decaying life force has led to..."

Normally speaking, this means that one's fate is completely sealed and there is no hope of recovery.

Most importantly, King Wu'an himself did not seem to have a strong desire to live.

"Sister Ruoshui, do you have a way to cure her?" Xu Xiuer asked hurriedly.

Upon hearing this, Ye Ruoshui remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "This is a disease of severed life force. Ordinary pills are ineffective; only the legendary elixir of immortality might offer a glimmer of hope."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiuer remained silent, unable to respond.