Thunder!
It shattered the artificial hill outside His Majesty's bedchamber?!
As soon as Di Xin spoke, the palace attendants around him stiffened slightly, their gazes darting away.
But Di Xin was in such high spirits that he failed to notice those little changes in their expressions.
Soon, the attendants led Di Xin to Shouxian Palace, where he met Daji.
"Your Majesty, I'll summon my two sisters right away to help ease your troubles!"
The moment Daji saw Di Xin, her legs went weak. She thought she was in for another flogging like the one she had endured during the day. Only after learning that he wanted to deal with those trying to force his hand did she relax, nodding without hesitation and giving him a firm answer.
Di Xin nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed Daji's words, "Please command me as you wish," applied not only in bed, but to other matters as well.
And when he saw the shy yet loving look in her eyes, Di Xin became all the more convinced that the saying from later generations-if you wanted to conquer a woman's heart, you had to go all the way in one stroke-truly hit the nail on the head!
Just look at Daji now. What fox spirit? She was clearly a fine consort who shared the nation's burdens.
"What cultivation level has your sister, the Jade Pipa Spirit, reached?"
Di Xin promptly put the question to Daji.
In Investiture of the Gods, Jiang Ziya had used Samadhi True Fire to refine the Jade Pipa Spirit back into her Pipa True Form. That showed his strength surpassed hers. Her cultivation realm would therefore also give him a rough idea of Jiang Ziya's level.
"Sister Jade is only in the Essence Refining into Qi Realm..."
Daji answered.
Just as I thought!
Di Xin immediately frowned. He had wondered why the Jade Pipa Spirit had suffered such an undeserved calamity right at the start merely by asking Jiang Ziya to tell her fortune, getting burned back into her original form. So her cultivation was only at the Essence Refining into Qi Realm.
"Sister Jade's remarkable qualities lie not in her cultivation, but in her original form. Her jade pipa was the very first pipa born between heaven and earth after the world was cleaved into existence! It's only because she suffered a grievous injury in her early years that her cultivation has remained stagnant. If someone could play her, the sound would tear all three souls and five spirits out of even a True Immortal!"
Seeing Di Xin's expression, Daji hurried to explain.
So that was it!
At her words, delight immediately spread across Di Xin's face.
He had always thought that the three demons must have extraordinary origins to be living in Xuanyuan Tomb. Sure enough, the Jade Pipa Spirit had quite a background too.
As the first pipa made between heaven and earth after creation, surely the Jade Pipa Spirit's body contained a considerable amount of Heavenly Dao Merit!
But an acquired Merit Spiritual Treasure with such origins should, at the very least, have ended up in the hands of a second-generation disciple of the Three Teachings. How had she wound up in Xuanyuan Tomb instead? Presumably, it had something to do with the grievous injury Daji said she had suffered in her early years...
Meanwhile, watching delight appear on Di Xin's face before he fell into thought, Daji felt a faint pang of jealousy. Pouting, she wrapped both tender, pink arms tightly around his arm and asked sweetly, "Your Majesty, why are you asking so much about Sister Jade? Could it be that you haven't even met her, yet already like her more than Daji? Now that someone new is coming, are you going to forget the old?"
*???*
Was Daji jealous?
Di Xin was momentarily taken aback.
[Loyalty and affection from Daji +10, cumulative total +20...]
At the same time, a string of values scrolled through his mind.
"Hahaha! Since she's my beloved consort's sister, naturally I should ask about her! Haven't you heard, my beloved consort? To conquer a woman's heart, you must first conquer her closest friends." Di Xin lifted his hand, stroked Daji's head, and chuckled.
"Closest friends?" Daji looked puzzled.
"It means good sisters-friends of the inner chamber, sweeter than honey," Di Xin explained with a smile. Then he asked, "Now tell me about your sister Hu Ximei. What remarkable qualities does she have?"
"Your Majesty certainly has a way with words..." Daji beamed and cooed, then continued, "Sister Ximei's original form is a Nine-Headed Pheasant Spirit. She has some phoenix blood in her veins. Because of certain karmic entanglements, she's sheltering from calamity in Xuanyuan Tomb. Her cultivation is about the same as mine. We're both at the third level of the Spirit Refining into Void Realm..."
The Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb all had extraordinary backgrounds!
Daji belonged to the Qingqiu Fox lineage, which had considerable standing within the Demon Tribe!
The Jade Pipa Spirit was an acquired Merit Spiritual Treasure-the first pipa after creation, awakened into a spirit!
The Nine-Headed Pheasant Spirit carried the Phoenix Clan's blood and could only shelter from calamity in Xuanyuan Tomb!
Still, that was hardly surprising. After all, ordinary little demons would never have caught the discerning eye of a Sage like Nuwa.
Di Xin clicked his tongue in wonder, feeling as though he had picked up three treasures.
"Your Majesty, I've already summoned my two sisters. They'll reach Chaoge early tomorrow morning, and you'll be able to meet them then."
Daji smiled with a thousand charms, her seductive allure spilling out unbidden and prompting Di Xin to show her a little sign of respect.
"My beloved consort is so considerate of me. I must reward you properly!"
Di Xin gazed at Daji with a smile as he spoke.
"How does Your Majesty intend to reward me?" Ripples seemed to shimmer in Daji's eyes, tempting him beyond all self-control.
"Like this, of course!" Di Xin roared with laughter and slapped Daji's full, shapely bottom. Then he pressed her down onto the soft couch, his eyes smiling as he asked, "My beloved consort, could you keep your human form while also revealing your nine tails and ears? Let me have a look at a fox girl..."
"Your Majesty, you're so naughty!"
Daji let out a soft whimper, her pretty cheeks flushing crimson. Yet a pair of snow-white fox ears suddenly appeared amid her hair, while nine large, fluffy tails swept out from beneath her skirts. Pure white and utterly flawless, they swayed gently, utterly enchanting.
Hmm, no Negative Emotion Points. Looks like I'm still not naughty enough!
Di Xin laughed heartily, reached out to take hold of a snow-white fox tail, and slowly slid his hand downward...
What followed was naturally a case of good and evil receiving their due, with everything he had poured out in instruction-a scene that even a Sage's arrival could not make fit for description!
The spring night was bitterly short; the sun rose high before they woke, and from then on the king held no morning court!
Then again, Di Xin had never been in the habit of holding morning court. After all, trouble came sooner or later; noon was a little safer.
If anyone recited that verse before him, he would certainly ask who "Gao Qi" was. Judging by the name, was that king pressing ahead despite the difficulty?!
The morning sun hung high. Of course, "hung high" was not a person's name, but a description of position...
The previous night, Zheng Lun had written several letters and sent them by secret arts to the friends he had met at Cloudlight Cave on Iron Brake Mountain. He had invited them to Chaoge, asked them to bring their friends as well, and praised Di Xin in his letters as an enlightened ruler seldom seen in heaven or on earth. Now that dawn had come, he donned his armor and prepared to head to the palace to carry out his duty of guarding the imperial city.
Hmm?!
But the moment he stepped outside, he saw a Daoist with snow-white hair and beard standing at his door, watching him quietly.
"You there, Daoist! Out of the way!"
An ominous feeling immediately rose in Zheng Lun's heart at the sight of the Daoist. He urged his Fiery-Eyed Golden-Pupiled Beast forward and snapped coldly.
"Well, Zheng Lun! Your audacity knows no bounds! You see your martial uncle before you, yet still won't hurry up and pay your respects!"
Who else could this Daoist be but Jiang Ziya? Hearing Zheng Lun's words, he gave a cold snort.
"Martial uncle?" Zheng Lun frowned in bewilderment.
"I am Jiang Shang, Jiang Ziya, disciple of Heavenly Lord Yuanshi of Jade Void Palace in West Kunlun!" After announcing his background, Jiang Ziya raised two fingers and pointed at Zheng Lun, barking coldly, "Did Senior Brother Du'e teach you all your abilities so you could help a tyrant like Di Xin perpetrate his atrocities? Out of consideration for our shared Daoist lineage, if you have any self-awareness, leave Chaoge at once and return to Cloudlight Cave on Iron Brake Mountain to confess your sins to Senior Brother Du'e and ask for punishment! Otherwise, I'll go before Senior Brother Du'e and lodge a stern complaint against you. Let's see how severely he punishes you!"
"Hahaha! I wondered who you were. So you're a disciple of Jade Void Palace!" Zheng Lun threw back his head and laughed. Then his eyes blazed as he stared at Jiang Ziya and said coldly, "The only fellow disciples my master has in Jade Void Palace are the Twelve Golden Immortals. What the hell are you, Jiang Ziya, to dare call yourself my martial uncle? Aren't you afraid a gust of wind will snap that big tongue of yours?!"
Before you continue