The Empress Raids a Prison, and the Great Scholar's Mind Crashes

Sixth-grade martial realm.

An ordinary martial artist who began tempering their muscles and bones at seven would take at least ten years to reach that realm.

Even martial arts geniuses needed at least five or six years.

Qi Yueli herself had taken half a year to advance from ninth grade to sixth.

Gu Yuan had taken less than five days.

Such a staggering speed was simply inconceivable.

Qi Yueli sensed the fluctuations of true essence within Gu Yuan and remained silent for a long time.

The Martial God Physique... How enviable!

As his true essence circulated, Gu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

"Thank you for helping me break through, senior sister."

"How does it feel?"

"My true essence is much tougher, and my punches are twice as powerful as they were at seventh grade."

Qi Yueli nodded. "Good."

"Here is a cultivation technique called the Vajra Indestructible Body. Once cultivated, your skin will be like copper and your muscles and bones like iron. Even against a higher-realm martial artist, you can preserve your life."

Good heavens, the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art!

Gu Yuan was overjoyed.

What he lacked most right now was a life-saving divine skill like this.

"I was just about to ask if you had a defensive technique, senior sister, and you brought out the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art. We really are of one mind!"

"Stop your chatter and get on with cultivating."

Qi Yueli gently chided him, though the corners of her lips curved upward without her even noticing.

"All right, senior sister!"

With his Martial God Physique and Qi Yueli's guidance, he achieved minor mastery of the Vajra Indestructible Body in just half an hour.

Qi Yueli was astonished.

This was one of the three great nation-defending techniques in the Great Qi Martial Repository, and its cultivation requirements were exceptionally demanding, yet it posed no obstacle to Gu Yuan...

True essence gathered in Gu Yuan's arms, turning them the color of impossibly hard metal.

Clang!

The crisp sound of blows rang out again and again.

"Senior sister, I did it!"

"You're still a long way off. Don't get arrogant." Qi Yueli suppressed her shock and spoke with a calm expression. "That's enough for today. I'll come see you again tomorrow night."

"Wait a moment, senior sister."

"Is there something else?"

Gu Yuan spoke hesitantly. "Well, senior sister, could you help me save someone?"

"Who?"

"Zhang Qiandao. He's being held in the Cloud-Soaring Pavilion. I've already looked into it, and the guards aren't particularly strict. With your abilities, senior sister, rescuing him would be effortless."

"Why do you want to save him?"

Gu Yuan smiled. "There's something you don't know, senior sister. Zhang Qiandao is very important. My life depends on him. I can't explain the details for now, but if we can save him, it'll be immensely beneficial to both of us."

Qi Yueli snorted inwardly.

Lie after lie. Anyone who believes you is a fool.

"As far as I know, the Cloud-Soaring Pavilion is a Mystic Shadow Guard prison, with a large number of guards stationed there. If someone raids it, the entire city will be sealed off. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"If the empress finds out, heads could roll."

The corners of Gu Yuan's mouth lifted. "Don't worry, senior sister. From what I've observed these past few days, the empress hasn't reached the point of being unable to tell right from wrong and slaughtering innocents indiscriminately, as the rumors say."

"Even if a first-grade expert like you raids the prison, there's no way it'll implicate a lowly Mystic Shadow Guard like me, no matter what happens."

Unable to tell right from wrong and slaughtering innocents indiscriminately? Where did those ridiculous rumors come from? Those are clearly your own preconceptions...!

Qi Yueli felt somewhat annoyed.

"Since you're my junior brother, it's only right that I help you this once."

Gu Yuan's eyes lit up. "Thank you, senior sister."

The Cloud-Soaring Pavilion.

Jin Yan, who was on duty, suddenly stood up, goosebumps rising all over her body.

"Who's there?"

An incredibly powerful fluctuation of true essence enveloped her.

It was the aura of a first-grade martial artist!

Qi Yueli appeared, wearing Lin Yao's face.

Jin Yan's pupils contracted. She drew her saber and faced her, unleashing her true essence without reservation.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass in the Cloud-Soaring Pavilion!"

A trace of satisfaction appeared in Qi Yueli's eyes.

Even facing an enemy stronger than herself, Jin Yan showed no fear.

Without another word, she flashed to Jin Yan's side and knocked her unconscious with a palm strike...

Inside the cell.

Zhang Qiandao stared at the unfamiliar woman before him, his face full of astonishment.

"Gu Yuan sent me to rescue you," Qi Yueli said calmly.

"So it was young friend Gu..." Zhang Qiandao rose and bowed to Qi Yueli. "Thank you for saving me."

"Let's go."

Qi Yueli grabbed Zhang Qiandao and vanished into the night.

The Mystic Shadow Guards in the Cloud-Soaring Pavilion had all been knocked unconscious and noticed nothing.

Outside Qi Capital.

Zhang Qiandao looked somewhat dazed.

He hadn't expected to actually escape, much less so easily.

"May I ask your name, young friend? I will surely repay you someday."

With her back to Zhang Qiandao, Qi Yueli tilted her head slightly to gaze at the bright moonlight in the sky and spoke calmly:

"Elder Zhang, are you sure you want to know?"

Zhang Qiandao froze.

That posture and tone... They were exactly like one person's.

He looked up in astonishment.

Qi Yueli had already shed her disguise, revealing her true face.

"Your... Your Majesty?!!"

Zhang Qiandao's mind crashed, leaving him utterly bewildered.

The empress had raided a prison to rescue a major criminal the empress herself had imprisoned?

What was any of this?

He couldn't understand at all. Why had the empress done this?

Had his prison escape succeeded or failed?

"This guilty minister pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Zhang Qiandao bowed his head in salute.

Qi Yueli turned around. Moonlight fell upon her, lending her an added air of dignity.

"Elder Zhang, are you going to Qingzhou?"

Zhang Qiandao nodded. "Yes."

"Qingzhou is about to rebel."

!!!

Zhang Qiandao abruptly raised his head, his eyes full of disbelief.

"Is what Your Majesty says true?"

Qi Yueli didn't answer, merely watching Zhang Qiandao in silence.

Cold sweat broke out all over Zhang Qiandao.

"On your trip to Qingzhou, Elder Zhang, I imagine the King of Qingzhou will surely receive you warmly..."

"Hiss-!"

"Your Majesty! This guilty minister is going to Qingzhou only to seek out the Green Lotus Layman. I have no other intentions."

Zhang Qiandao squeezed his eyes shut and prostrated himself on the ground.

As he saw it, the empress had staged this entire prison raid herself.

Perhaps his end really had come!

Yet the empress's next words left him frozen in place.

"That's good, then," Qi Yueli said calmly. "You may go."

"Your Majesty... aren't you going to kill me?"

"Killing you would dishearten the scholars of the realm."

Hearing this, Zhang Qiandao sighed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

He knew.

What the empress had said was merely a pretext.

There was no one else around, and with the empress's martial cultivation,

she could make him vanish from the face of the earth without the slightest effort.

Silently and without a trace, with no third person ever finding out.

But the empress hadn't.

She truly had no intention of killing him.

Zhang Qiandao didn't know why. He only knew he could no longer fathom the empress's thoughts...

"Your Majesty, this guilty minister takes his leave."

He rose anxiously and looked at the carriage and horses already waiting nearby, his feelings complicated.

Qi Yueli watched the carriage quietly until it disappeared completely into the night.

In the past,

she would have killed Zhang Qiandao without hesitation.

But now,

she chose to trust Gu Yuan.

The Gu residence.

Gu Yuan waited anxiously until he finally caught sight of Qi Yueli.

"Senior sister, is it done?"

Qi Yueli pursed her lips. "He's already been sent away."

"Thank you, senior sister."

"To show my gratitude, I'm going to give you a gift."

"Oh? What is it?" Qi Yueli had already made up her mind: if Gu Yuan dared say "black stockings," she would give him another thorough lesson.

"It's a secret for now."

"Anyway, it's very practical and looks great. That's all you need to know."

Qi Yueli: ...

"I have other business. I'll be going now."

As soon as she finished speaking, Qi Yueli flashed away and disappeared.

Gu Yuan was somewhat puzzled.

"Strange. Why does it seem like senior sister isn't looking forward to it?"

"Then again, as a first-grade martial artist, what good things hasn't she seen? She must think I'll just bring out some ordinary trinket."

"Oh, senior sister, you're really underestimating me."

"The gift I've prepared is one of a kind in this world!"

Gu Yuan was brimming with confidence.

"Come to think of it, now that Zhang Qiandao's been rescued, the empress will definitely be furious. Maybe I should ask for tomorrow off...?"