After the Great Dao Died

It was mid-August. The autumn chill had yet to arrive, and the summer heat remained oppressive.

The pond in the back garden of the Baosu Marquis Residence had been baking under the sun all day. By evening, a thin mist rose from the water, mixing with the fresh scent of lotus leaves and lingering around the pavilion.

Lin Longyue stood in the clearing before the pavilion, practicing her palm strikes.

She wore only a black martial outfit today, its cuffs tied tightly. As she struck out, a short, crisp crack exploded in the air, like a bamboo joint splitting in a fire.

County Princess Yunhe sat on a stone stool in the pavilion, holding a cup of cooled tea.

Lin Longyue struck out again, her palm heavier than the last.

Where the edge of her palm passed, visible ripples actually distorted the air, spreading outward ring by ring like a stone tossed into still water.

County Princess Yunhe set down her teacup and slowly clapped. ”Longyue, the speed of your progress is truly astonishing.”

Her voice carried genuine praise. ”You only stepped into the Silver Bone realm a few months ago, yet you already wield the Bone-Piercing Force so flawlessly. Your foundation for Silver Bone Great Completion is incredibly solid.”

Lin Longyue took a handkerchief from Liu Zhu to wipe her hands, stepped into the pavilion, and sat across from County Princess Yunhe.”I still must thank Imperial Consort Chun for bestowing that Wind-Riding Pill,” she said, picking up her teacup for a sip. ”Without the help of that elixir, it would have taken me at least another year to refine the silver marrow throughout my body.”

”Speaking of that Wind-Riding Pill...” County Princess Yunhe’s eyes shifted slightly. ”The slave who earned that elixir for you—is he still in your residence?”

”Naturally,” Lin Longyue replied casually.

County Princess Yunhe nodded. ”Come to think of it, that slave of yours is quite interesting.

”Over thirty beast fighters entered the Beast-Fighting Palace together, including Qiu Chihu, the son of the Capital Guard Commander. Yet in the end, only your slave came out alive.”

She paused. ”Not only did the Crown Prince not interrogate him closely, he even let him leave with you.

”The son of a powerful third-rank official died, yet the capital hasn’t reacted at all. This is truly abnormal.”

”If I didn’t know Chen Lingxi was an official bondservant from a confiscated household with a crystal-clear background, I would genuinely suspect he had some incredible backing.”

Lin Longyue did not reply.

County Princess Yunhe waited a moment. Seeing her unwilling to discuss Chen Lingxi further, she didn’t press the issue.

Lin Longyue suddenly turned her head, a trace of irrepressible excitement in her eyes. ”I heard that during the Imperial Consort’s current tour, she will be coming to Yuanjiang Prefecture?”

”That is true.” County Princess Yunhe set down her teacup. ”Her Highness the Imperial Consort has been feeling fatigued lately. The imperial physicians advised a tour to lift her spirits, so the Emperor allowed her to leave the capital for a stroll. Among the prefectures along the Jingji Circuit, Yuanjiang Prefecture is indeed on the list.”

The excitement in Lin Longyue’s eyes grew even more pronounced.

She stood, paced two steps in the pavilion, then suddenly turned around, speaking faster than usual. ”County Princess, Imperial Consort Chun has never been to Yuanjiang Prefecture.

”The imperial residence in Yuanjiang was demolished to build the canal and has yet to be rebuilt.

”In all of Yuanjiang Prefecture, my father has the highest status and background. Since that is the case...”

She took a deep breath, looking at County Princess Yunhe with burning eyes. ”Could I host the Imperial Consort’s entourage here in the Baosu Marquis Residence?”

County Princess Yunhe froze slightly. A fleeting look of vigilance flashed through her eyes, like a civet cat lurking in the dark suddenly having its tracks discovered.

But that expression lasted for less than a breath before she concealed it.

She lowered her eyes and placed the teacup back on the stone table, her fingers gently tracing the rim as if deep in thought.

After a few breaths, she shook her head, her tone carefully measured. ”The Marquis is currently engrossed in Daoist studies and has been in secluded cultivation for a long time. If the Imperial Consort were to arrive, wouldn’t it disturb his quiet cultivation?”

Lin Longyue didn’t care in the slightest, waving her hand. ”Hosting the Imperial Consort is a supreme honor that countless people beg for and cannot get. What does it matter if it disturbs his quiet cultivation a little? Although my father loves the Dao, he is not someone who fails to grasp the gravity of such matters.”

County Princess Yunhe pondered for a moment before speaking again. ”Your elder brother is the one in charge of the Baosu Marquis Residence now. Would he agree to this?”

Lin Longyue frowned, as if recalling something.

She sat back down on the stone stool and remained silent for a few breaths before speaking. ”It is rather strange, now that you mention it. In the past, my brother was quite perverse and domineering. He loved places of pleasure, was a regular on the flower boats of the Yuanjiang, and loved to throw his weight around as the head of the family.

”But for some unknown reason, he has completely changed his behavior over the past year or two. They say he spends all day cultivating in the South Courtyard. He no longer takes pleasure in whipping the residence’s servants, and he absolutely never visits those pleasure houses anymore.”

She paused, the confusion in her eyes deepening. ”He even... seems to care very little about the Baosu Marquis Residence now.

”Almost everything here has been handed over to Zhao Yong to manage, and Wang Chu handles all matters, big and small, in the South Courtyard.

”Other than inviting a few figures with profound cultivation to serve as guest ministers, he completely ignores all business.”

Hearing this, County Princess Yunhe raised a brow and smiled. ”Isn’t that a good thing for you?”

Lin Longyue nodded slightly, but didn’t smile.

She suddenly added, ”Because of this, I have already submitted a memorial in the name of the Baosu Marquis Residence, and my brother didn’t stop me.

”If the Imperial Consort is willing, I will clean out the long-vacant East Courtyard and arrange it perfectly to host her.”

A trace of panic immediately appeared in County Princess Yunhe’s eyes.

Although she suppressed it in an instant, Lin Longyue was currently immersed in her excitement and didn’t notice.

A few breaths passed. County Princess Yunhe looked left and right. Outside the pavilion, other than Liu Zhu and two maids waiting far away, there was no one else.

She suddenly leaned forward and lowered her voice. ”You acted a bit rashly in this matter.”

Lin Longyue furrowed her brows. Just as she was about to speak, County Princess Yunhe continued, ”Imperial Consort Chun is currently in favor, and she wields the power of life and death over many officials through her Mirror-Listening Technique. Catching the Imperial Consort’s eye would indeed bring endless benefits.”

She paused, lowering her voice even further until it was almost a whisper. ”It’s just that... the number of people in this world who hate Imperial Consort Chun is countless. Of the nineteen rebel kings, twelve have raised the banner of purging the Emperor’s side of evil advisors!

”I don’t need to explain who it is they want to purge.

”With the Imperial Consort on tour, who knows how many figures are glaring at her like tigers in the dark. Even though she is within the Jingji Circuit, the likes of Xiao Changlv and Wu Mohe will definitely not pass up such an opportunity.”

Hearing this, Lin Longyue merely sneered and shook her head. ”Although the Baosu Marquis Residence cannot compare to the estates of those founding supreme generals and royalty in the capital, we do have several Golden Body figures in our residence.

”That lantern-holding old steward by my father’s side is even more extraordinary.

”Moreover, the Imperial Consort’s tour will inevitably bring many powerful experts along. Could it be that she’s afraid of those rebel kings?”

Speaking up to here, a glint flashed through her eyes. ”Besides, if someone truly attempts an assassination, successfully protecting the entourage would be counted as a great merit for our residence.”

Hearing her so fixated on this, County Princess Yunhe knew that further persuasion was useless. She set down her teacup, her expression returning to normal.

”Right.” Her tone became lazy and casual once more. ”Yang Zhuri, the son of the Sun-Holding General, actually asked me about that surnamed-Chen slave of yours. He asked me to pass a message to you: would you be willing to transfer this slave to him?

”He enjoys flower arranging in his free time. Hearing that a vase arranged by this slave was once rewarded by the Imperial Consort, he took an interest.”

Lin Longyue shook her head with almost no hesitation. ”Then please tell Young Master Yang that Chen Lingxi is currently teaching me the art of flower arrangement and cannot be transferred.”

County Princess Yunhe stared at her for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. ”Then could he be transferred to me?”

Lin Longyue raised a brow slightly, looking at County Princess Yunhe with a flash of confusion in her eyes.

But County Princess Yunhe waved her hand, her eyes curving in a smile. ”I was merely joking, don’t take it seriously. How could I make you part with what you love?”

Only then did Lin Longyue relax her brows, picking up her teacup to take another sip.

Twilight gradually fell, and lanterns were lit one after another throughout the garden, their dim yellow halos swaying gently in the night breeze.

County Princess Yunhe stood up, smoothed her robes, and gave Lin Longyue a slight nod. ”It’s getting late. I should return to my residence.”

Lin Longyue rose to see her off, escorting her all the way to the moon gate of the West Courtyard.

County Princess Yunhe’s carriage was already waiting there. The carriage curtains were drawn low, and two maids stood by the vehicle with their hands resting at their sides.

County Princess Yunhe boarded the carriage, lifted a corner of the curtain to wave at Lin Longyue, and then let the curtain fall.

The carriage rumbled out of the Marquis Residence’s side gate and disappeared into the darkness of the long street.

The carriage did not head toward the county princess’s palace. Instead, it turned down a few streets and came to a stop at the back door of a secluded residence.

County Princess Yunhe stepped out of the carriage and went straight into the residence.

In the residence’s garden, moonlight spilled over a rockery piled from Taihu stones, casting sharp contrasts of light and shadow across the jagged rocks.

A person sat beside a stone table next to the rockery.

The man wore a moon-white brocade robe with a white jade belt wrapped around his waist and a jade crown atop his head. He had a handsome face, and his peach-blossom eyes gleamed with a faint, dark light under the moon.

It was none other than Yang Zhuri.

Yang Zhuri asked, ”How did it go?”

County Princess Yunhe shook her head.

Yang Zhuri frowned slightly, a flash of displeasure passing through his peach-blossom eyes. ”I don’t have luck as good as yours, to be able to obtain a great medicine like Lin Longyue.”

His voice wasn’t loud, and his tone was flat, but beneath that flatness lay a trace of unconcealable anxiety. ”My medicine has already been exhausted.”

There was not a shred of charm in those peach-blossom eyes now; instead, they were quite ruthless. ”As early as the Beast-Fighting Palace, I set my sights on that Chen Lingxi.

”When I observed him with the Qi-Reading Method, a dense, swirling essence was rising from his body and lingering around him. Judging by that quality, he is absolutely a superb stalk of medicine.”

County Princess Yunhe frowned slightly. ”Have you asked the Crown Prince?”

Yang Zhuri smiled and shook his head, his smile carrying a hint of dismissiveness.

”He’s an official bondservant. Why would I need to ask the Crown Prince?”

He paused, a glint flashing through his eyes. ”Besides, the Crown Prince didn’t throw him in prison, perhaps meaning to save him for medicinal use. I will just snatch him for now and raise him into a great medicine. If the Crown Prince wants him later, presenting him will be the perfect merit.”

He picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and continued, ”With the Qi-Devouring Method passed down by the Crown Prince, cultivation has become much easier. It’s just that great medicines are hard to find.

”Now that I’ve seen an optimal choice for a great medicine, and he happens to be a mere slave, this is serendipity.”

He lifted his eyes, looking at County Princess Yunhe, the smile in his eyes deepening a bit. ”Since Lin Longyue isn’t willing, then I’ll just snatch him in secret.”

County Princess Yunhe was somewhat absent-minded. She nodded slightly, then suddenly said, ”Lin Longyue said she wants to welcome Imperial Consort Chun’s carriage at the Baosu Marquis Residence.”

Yang Zhuri’s brows knitted. ”The Imperial Consort?”

A trace of dread flashed through his eyes. ”With the Imperial Consort’s Mirror-Listening Technique, could she see any clues about a great medicine?”

County Princess Yunhe did not answer.

Yang Zhuri lowered his head in thought. ”Let’s report this to the Crown Prince for now.”