Chapter 16

Jiang Daoyi found her heart beating with excitement as she followed the legendary Sword Empress Xi and her son out of the emperor’s study room.

The famed Sword Empress Xi, the strongest under all heavens. Naturally she would have heard of her tales, Xi Mengfei was practically worshipped as a living god in the Great Xi Dynasty even more so than the emperor.

Although she had despaired when she was summoned by the imperial decree to be a concubine, especially one younger than her and still a child no matter how good his looks were. But in the end she discovered that she had a Heavenly Spiritual Vein and would be taken in as a disciple of the famed Sword Empress Xi.

It was like plummeting off of the steepest cliff, only to find oneself in the celestial realm.

It was like ascending the heavens in a single leap, no she didn’t even need to leap.

The three of them Xi Mengfei, Xi Tianyi, and Jiang Daoyi arrived inside Mengfei’s room. While Mengfei and Tianyi sat down, Daoyi stood still in front of Mengfei, her heart palpitating with nervousness.

She could only stand there waiting for the person in the main seat to begin. 

“Junior…” Mengfei started to say.

‘Jiang Daoyi’ Tianyi helped his mother. Heavens, I didn’t know mother couldn’t remember names at all. She immediately forgot Jiang Daoyi’s name after all that!

“...Daoyi.” Mengfei remained unperturbed. “Although I have decided to accept you as a disciple, one reason is for my son.”

Daoyi inwardly nodded. How could she not? The Sword Empress originally wanted her to be a concubine for her son, luckily Xi Tianyi wasn't a dishonorable and heartless person. Even speaking for her after hearing that the emperor had issued a decree summoning her to the palace. 

“The other reason is for you.”

For me? Jiang Daoyi revealed a confused expression.

“Do you know what a Living Pill is?” Mengfei asked.

Jiang Daoyi shook her head negatively.

“Mortals raised livestock, they fattened them up before harvesting them. A Living Pill is in essence, livestock. A cultivator will raise a Living Pill by raising her realm before he harvests all the hard work of the Living Pill. Often the Living Pill will die because of having her vitality and qi sucked away or she would immediately become a crippled old woman with only a few days left to live.” Mengfei glanced at the young girl who seemed to be around fifteen to sixteen in front of her. “Do you know what the requirement to be a Living Pill is?”

Jiang Daoyi felt her face pale. She wasn’t stupid, there was reason she was being told this and why Tianyi suddenly became solemn after hearing about her Spiritual Vein. “Is it...having Heavenly Water Spiritual Vein?”

Mengfei nodded. “That is precisely so. Your mother must have discovered your Spiritual Vein and casted a spell to hide it, hoping although you may not live glamorously you will live safely and die of old age. However for a cultivator who had their core shattered to cast such a spell, it must have dramatically shortened her lifespan.”

Jiang Daoyi felt her eyes become a bit red, thinking of back then when she had argued with her mother over forbidding her from cultivating, even secretly cultivating the martial way. Now she understood why. If she cultivated the martial way, what if someday her Heavenly Water Spiritual Vein was exposed? 

Jiang Daoyi knew that her father might even gift wrap her to someone to curry favor with, she had no illusion about her father’s love.

“Don’t worry, now that you’re mother’s disciple there aren’t many that will dare to take you as a Living Pill. But just to be safe do not expose that you have a Heavenly Water Spiritual Vein and be especially careful of the demonic sects, they were the reason the process of Living Pills were created.” Tianyi interjected from the side. 

“Actually it was an orthodox sect that created the Living Pills.” Mengfei lightly said.

Mother! You aren’t my mother but my arch nemesis aren’t you!?

Tianyi felt incredibly stifled right now. Jiang Daoyi was going to be his junior sister, a disciple of the Buzhou Immortal Sect, an orthodox sect. Even if you only had a little bit of tact you wouldn’t say this.

“But to say that the demonic cultivator had no play in this would be a lie.” Mengfei continued. “It was the Flowing Cauldron Sect, a former first rate sect, but had fallen into hard times reducing its power to that of a second rate sect. The sect had been besieged by demonic cultivators and their enemies so the current Grand Elder devised a way to gain strength in a short period of time.”

Mengfei stopped and took a sip of tea. “The Flowing Cauldron Sect was a sect that focused on water and they had many members who had Water Spiritual Veins and thus the Grand Elder devised the method of using a Living Pill. Almost all the females who had Water Spiritual Veins were wiped out but in return the sect was able to fight back against their invaders.”

“For a while the world was puzzled at how the experts of the Flowing Cauldron Sect repelled the invasion. The dead females were accounted as casualties of the invasion with none the wiser. Until one day the news leaked out and numerous sects banded together in a coalition to wipe out the Flowing Cauldron Sect that had strayed from the proper path at the urging of female powerhouses. In a way, the Living Pill was indeed created because of the demonic sects.”

“Mother how about we talk about the main topic now.” Tianyi said after listening to the little bit of history that he didn’t know about.

Mengfei nodded. “Currently we have not conducted the disciple acceptance ceremony yet and so you cannot be considered my disciple yet. That will be done when we return to the Buzhou Immortal Sect. You will not need to go through the trials that the other hopeful disciples will, but until then I will not pass on any scriptures until then.” 

Jiang Daoyi nodded, and solemnly kowtowed. “Many thanks for Sword Empress’s care. I will not forget this aid for the rest of my life.”

Mengfei remained unperturbed. “Right now, if you have any lingering attachments here be sure to resolve it. We will leave in five more days.”

When Jiang Daoyi left the palace on a carriage, another person was with her, Xi Tianyi. If this was in a world in ancient times where cultivation did not exist, two people of different genders sitting together in a single carriage would definitely cause numerous rumors.

But thankfully this was a world with cultivation and although it was rarer in a dynasty, females only lacked a bit compared to male and as such rumors wouldn’t sprout. That is, if you discounted the fact that Jiang Daoyi had been summoned to the palace with a decree that hinted at her being picked by Xi Mengfei to be her son’s concubine.

Very soon the carriage arrived at Duke Qi’s estate. Duke Qi along with his madam and his children immediately arrived at the front gates to receive the guests, his steward having told him that it was people from the palace. He was immediately stunned when he saw Tianyi step down from the carriage and his daughter afterwards.

“Duke Qi please,” The eunuch who was traveling with the carriage said to Duke Qi. Duke Qi immediately stilted recognizing the eunuch. This eunuch had the cultivation of a peak Foundation Establishment expert and was one the emperor’s most trusted servants.

“Your highness, eunuch Gao, please come to my humble abode.” Although his gaze lingered on Tianyi and his daugher in confusion he still quickly welcomed them in. He had taken the hint in his majesty’s imperial decree and plus the bestowment had already been granted. Giving his useless daughter away for those bestowments filled with pills and rare materials was worth it.

When she had been born, he had hoped this daughter of his would be filled with limitless potential. After all her mother was a former Core Formation expert, but alas he was disappointed. He had hoped to try again and make another child but Daoyi’s mother’s body was too fragile and injured. Using precious materials to keep her alive just for the chance of a child with good potential was not worth it especially after the Daoyi’s failure.

“Jiang Daoyi, prepared to receive his majesty’s decree.” After the group closed the gate and entered the main hall, eunuch immediately said this.

Jiang Daoyi found this scene extremely familiar, after all this morning this was how she was summoned to the palace. Duke Qi and his family also immediately knelt down puzzled as to why there was a second decree.

Eunuch Gao glanced over at Tianyi who stood upright and now kneeling immediately at the Xi Emperor’s decree. Tianyi looked over and raised an eyebrow before unleashing a bit of his hidden majesty that came from his tribulation essence.

Eunuch Gao’s back was immediately drenched in cold sweat before looking away, his small thoughts hidden deeply once more.

“Jiang Daoyi, third daughter of Jiang Wenshu, Duke of Qi. The heavens have blessed Maiden Jiang with noble birth, virtuous disposition, limitless future, and praised by the Immortal Empress. Seeing this, we conferred Jiang Daoyi as princess of the second rank with the title of “Xian De”.”

Eunuch Gao rolled up the imperial decree and gave an amiable smile to Jiang Daoyi. “Congratulations Princess Xian De.”

Jiang Daoyi took the imperial decree with complicated feelings. Just a few words from the emperor nearly sent her to hell and now with just another few words she became one of the most honorable women in the Great Xi Dynasty. 

“Junior sister, mother is still waiting. Hurry and retrieve your belongings.” Tianyi said as he smiled kindly at Daoyi.

Daoyi broke out from her stupor and bowed to Tianyi. “Thank you, your highness.” 

Tianyi waved his hand noncommittally. “Call me senior brother, you’re going to be my mother’s disciple soon. Calling me senior brother now won’t be a problem.”

Daoyi bowed once more before she walked towards her room, two palace maids following her to help her pack her belongings.

Jiang Wenshu, the current Duke Qi, was stunned. Just earlier today he sent his daughter away to be a concubine and now she came back as a princess of second rank with the title of virtuous. But the more concerning matter was that from Prince Tianyi’s words, his daughter was going to become the legendary Sword Empress’s disciple?

“Prince please come in and have a cup of tea.” Duke Qi said to Tianyi hoping to discover the root of the matter and use this chance to establish a relationship with Tianyi. One had to know that making a connection with Tianyi was perhaps even better than having the emperor’s favor!

Tianyi nodded and walked inside the main hall where he sat on the main seat. The image that was conveyed was especially strange with how Tianyi’s legs couldn’t even reach the floor and Duke Qi smiled flatteringly at him.

On the lower seats sat the madam of Duke Qi, their two sons and two daughters.

Jiang Chunye lowered her head, allowing her hair to cast a shadow over her face to hide the disdain she was expressing. Her dear father looked especially pathetic at this moment, flattering a child who was not even a teen. 

She hadn’t thought much of it when her younger half sister had been summoned to the palace, only thinking that the men of this time sure were disdainful even with the existence of cultivation. 

But now that Jiang Daoyi became a princess of the second rank when she returned, before she thought Jiang Daoyi was a sheltered girl with no knowledge of the outside, easy to bully, and only having beauty. But now she knew that Jiang Daoyi also had wiles to seduce men.

She, a famed assassin from the modern world, will show these backwards people how strong a woman can be, that a woman didn’t need to rely on men!

“Your highness...this my daughter has a pentad Spiritual Vein, how could she enter the Sword Empress’s eyes?” Duke Qi said.

Below the Madam of Duke Qi, tightly grasped the handkerchief in her hands to the point her hands began to whiten. Not only did that slut’s daughter beat her own daughter in front of everyone at the banquet, now the other slut’s daughter was going to become the Sword Empress’ disciple and step over her and her daughter, Qinqwa!

She was unwilling, even the thought of poisoning Daoyi entered her mind. She had originally thought that Daoyi was an understanding one and made herself invisible, who knew that slut would choose to strike at this moment.

“Duke Qi, are you doubting my mother’s judgement?” Suddenly a suffocating pressure descended on the room causing everyone inside to have trouble breathing.

Tianyi scanned the room with ice cold eyes and a smile that was not a smile. Did the Madam of Duke Qi think that he couldn’t discern her ill intent in her eyes? It was already bad enough that his junior sister’s father didn’t care for her, yet having such a poisonous official mother?

Duke Qi felt himself even unable to shiver under the pressure Tianyi admitted. He found himself fearful of the child before him, clearly a child yet he already reached the Spiritual Crucible Foundation Establishment realm that he spent decades to achieve. 

And judging by how dense the pressure was, Tianyi’s Foundation Establishment was perfect without flaws and reaching Core Formation was just a matter of time. Even the time he felt the pressure of his father’s cultivation base, the previous Duke Qi and the one that made the emperor bestow the non-hereditary title of Duke Qi to the Jiang Family, wasn’t as overbearing and tyrannical as the youth before him.

“Nn-no! I would never!” Duke Qi managed to grit out through his teeth.

Just as sudden the pressure came, did the pressure disappear. “Then what is there to doubt? Jiang Daoyi will be my junior sister soon, her potential limitless. As her virtuous family, shouldn’t you be happy for her?”

“Of course! She is my daughter, how could I not be happy for her!” Duke Qi quickly replied, but Tianyi just scanned the people in the room.

The Madam of Duke Qi quickly averted her eyes before her eyes could meet Tianyi’s. Her two sons were fearful of Tianyi and could only force out a happy smile and the same with Jiang Qingwa.

The only one with a strange reaction was Jiang Chunye. While the other people of the room had fearful but revenant expressions, Chunye had an altogether different look in her eyes. Her eyes were blazing hot with passion as she stared at Tianyi.

Chunye was surprised by the sudden power Tianyi showed, she had thought her father was powerful enough despite his disdainful character, able to break steel with his bare hands. But Tianyi showed how powerful he was like it was nothing.

Her gaze was passionate, not because of Tianyi’s peerless features but because of the power he showed. I should leave this weak country soon, and see the wider world! Perhaps Tianyi might not actually be that powerful for his age, just that I haven’t seen how big heaven and earth is.

Tianyi felt Chunye was especially strange, but he didn’t put much thought on it since there were plenty of strange people in the world.

The main hall soon descended onto an awkward silence, once Tianyi didn’t try to dispel as he was rather displeased with the conduct of the family as a whole, especially Duke Qi. His madam, Tianyi could understand her hatred but for Duke Qi to be so negligent just because Daoyi was thought to have a Pentad Spiritual Vain? Trash, absolute trash.

Perhaps my Emperor-uncle might be similar. Tianyi thought self deprecatingly.

Thankfully for the Jiang Family, Daoyi soon finished packing her belongings and Tianyi left with her.

He saw how few things she brought with her, what especially caught his eyes was the old erhu* that she had. Tianyi didn’t say anything as he ordered the driver as he and Daoyi sat in the carriage.

“Go to the capital’s most famous jewelry shop. I want to buy a gift for my mother.”

[author] *A traditional chinese instrument preferred by commoners because of how cheap it was. [/author]