Murong Qingqing, draped in a Suzhou-embroidered golden phoenix robe over a sheer inner garment, stepped out of Huaqing Pool, her hair still dripping wet. The robe clung to her magnificent figure, accentuating her alluring curves. The eunuchs and palace maids standing guard at the archway knelt instantly, not daring to look the Empress Dowager in the eye.
"Welcome, Empress Dowager!"
No one noticed the flicker of rage in Murong Qingqing’s eyes. Through a bronze mirror just moments ago, she had clearly seen that hickey on her back! What made it worse was that the little scoundrel had been so infuriatingly bold; after climbing out of the pool, he had actually used her clothes to dry himself, leaving them faintly smelling of his masculine scent. *Could it have rubbed off onto me?* she wondered. *They... they shouldn't be able to smell it, right?*
Anxious, Murong Qingqing tried to maintain her composure as she asked, "Do any of you smell anything?"
The kneeling eunuchs and maids were bewildered, answering truthfully, "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, we smell nothing."
Only then did Murong Qingqing feel a little more at ease, though she vented all her lingering fury on the pool itself.
"Fill in Huaqing Pool!"
"From now on, whoever lets me bathe in Huaqing Pool will be executed along with their entire clan!"
Murong Qingqing had regained her status as the icy, high-and-mighty Empress Dowager. One word determined the fate of the world! One sentence shifted the sun and moon! One glance decided life and death!
The palace maids at Huaqing Pool pressed their foreheads to the floor, knocking their heads loudly, terrified that they had served her poorly and sparked her wrath.
"Mercy, Empress Dowager!"
"Mercy, Empress Dowager!"
Shangguan Wan'er also sensed that the Empress Dowager had been in a foul mood since emerging from the pool, and she didn't want these people to make it any worse.
"Calm your anger, Empress Dowager. If these maids have offended you, you can simply have them executed. Please, do not harm your own phoenix body!"
Shangguan Wan'er spoke with such nonchalance that human lives seemed insignificant to her. This made the kneeling maids even more terrified, as they had no idea how they had upset the Empress Dowager, and they pleaded for their lives repeatedly.
"Spare us, Empress Dowager!"
"Have mercy, Empress Dowager! Your maid knows her mistake!"
Murong Qingqing couldn't bear to keep frightening them, so she quickly offered reassurance. "Stop talking nonsense! The maids didn't offend me—it was that little scoundrel Jia Lingyun!"
"Huh?"
The moment she said this, everyone was confused. The tone the Empress Dowager had used just now sounded almost like a complaint.
Shangguan Wan'er frowned slightly. "Empress Dowager... what do you mean by that?"
Murong Qingqing realized she had misspoke and quickly covered for herself. "I... I am just angry that Jia Lingyun led the Imperial Guard to force his way into Qinzheng Hall today!"
"Oh..."
Everyone suddenly understood. So the Empress Dowager was still fuming over Jia Lingyun demanding the position of Prime Minister! *Well, that's why she’s the Empress Dowager, isn't it? She certainly has a temper!*
"Lower the palanquin!"
"Depart!"
"Return to the palace!"
"The Empress Dowager moves to the Yangxin Hall!"
Seated in the palanquin, Murong Qingqing’s anger had largely dissipated. Thinking of the current strain on the national treasury, she realized how much silver it would cost to fill in the pool. *Better save the silver for the state.*
"Forget it, forget it. Let's keep the Huaqing Pool!"
"As you command!"
"The Empress Dowager decrees: Huaqing Pool shall remain!"
...
"Young Master, why are your clothes all wet?"
"Ugh! It’s just so hot today, I’m covered in sweat!"
Because their horses had been killed by Qingniao earlier, the two had to walk back to the Prime Minister Estate. Qingniao, however, didn't buy Jia Lingyun’s excuse.
"Liar. Nobody sweats that much, and besides..." She sniffed the air near him. "You smell like a woman's perfume!"
"Don't be so narrow-minded. I keep telling you to read more, but you never listen. That’s the scent of a young master's 'fragrant sweat'!"
Having been served by the Empress Dowager, who had massaged his shoulders, Jia Lingyun felt exceptionally good and completely refreshed. They had laid a solid foundation today; once the time was ripe, he might just be able to "dig the well."
"Hey, Qingniao, that female official who entered Huaqing Pool earlier—is she strong?"
"Not really. Low-level Grandmaster strength. She'd have a hard time dealing with someone like me, a mid-level Grandmaster."
Jia Lingyun stopped in his tracks. This was the first time he had heard the term "Grandmaster" in this world. "Grandmaster? Low-level? What does that mean?"
Qingniao patiently explained. In the current world, martial arts practitioners were divided into five levels: Houtian, Xiantian, Pseudo-Grandmaster, Grandmaster, and Great Grandmaster. Each level was further divided into low, mid, and high tiers.
"So you're not that impressive after all, seeing as there's the Great Grandmaster level above you!"
Qingniao rolled her eyes at him. "If you don't understand something, do me a favor and shut your mouth so you don't embarrass yourself! Don't tell anyone you're my Young Master—it’s shameful!"
*Well, that’s the unique charm of his maid: she’ll roast the heavens, the earth, and her own Young Master.*
"Then, Lady Knight-Errant Qingniao, would you care to explain in more detail?"
Qingniao worshipped those who fought for justice, so she loved it when people called her a "Knight-Errant."
"The elite of the martial world are dwindling. Those who reach the Great Grandmaster realm are as rare as phoenix feathers or qilin horns; they are basically ancient monsters who never show their faces. Therefore, a Grandmaster can walk sideways across the world without fear!"
Jia Lingyun looked at her in disbelief. "If you're that strong, why are you my maid? You could be living a free-spirited life as a wandering hero!"
Qingniao’s eyes filled with longing. "You think I don't want to? But I have a pact with Jia Tu to protect you for a set period. Once that time is up, I’ll naturally be out there fighting for justice!"
*Huh? Hang on. I was just joking earlier—why would I let such a young, beautiful bodyguard walk away?*
"What if I don't want you to leave?"
Qingniao stared at Jia Lingyun for a few seconds, a complex emotion flitting across her eyes, before she patted him on the shoulder. "Restrain yourself! Restrain yourself!"
"I know I’m devastatingly beautiful, enough to make fish sink and geese fall from the sky. If I keep hovering around you, I’ll only trigger your restless young heart. I’ll be more careful in the future—I'll try not to walk in front of you!"
*Hiss!* Jia Lingyun winced. *Where does she get all this narcissism?*
"What I meant was... if you leave, what happens if someone tries to kill me?"
"Let them! As long as you don't die during the time I promised Jia Tu, it’s fine. You want me to burn incense for you on the first and fifteenth of every month?"
Jia Lingyun: "..."
Qingniao laughed, her voice as crisp and pleasant as silver bells. "Alright, I'm just teasing you. With the Ink Guards protecting you, never mind a Grandmaster—even a Great Grandmaster wouldn't necessarily be able to kill you. What are you worried about?"
"It’s better to rely on yourself than your father or mother! If I start training now, how long will it take to reach the Grandmaster level?"
Qingniao’s expression shifted from disdain to helplessness, then to pity. After a cycle of expressions, it finally settled into a sigh.
"Young Master, you’d better give up on that path."
"Not to mention your weak foundation, you're eighteen now. It's far too late to start training. Given your talent, you'll be lucky if you reach the Xiantian Martial Realm by the day you die."
Jia Lingyun: "..."
*To hell with training, then!*