Sovereign of the Three Realms

Sacred Peafowl Mountain was brimming with noise and excitement as a result of this battle. The pill dao powers subordinate to other great emperors of Veluriyam Capital sent their men over to learn from Pill King Zhen and absorb some experience. Or that was what they claimed to be doing. In reality, they were simply checking to see if they could share in part of the Longevity Pill’s profits as well. Unfortunately for them, the share of interests had been decided a long time ago, so it was impossible for another party to try and take a slice of the pie now. Moreover, those great emperors had done nothing to aid in the fight for the right over the Longevity Pill, so of course they weren’t given a piece of the profits.

The great emperors themselves knew this very well. They were relatively certain that they wouldn’t luck out with a share of the profits. But trying cost nothing, and Sacred Peafowl Mountain might grant them the authority and pill recipe to refine the Longevity Pill. However, Emperor Peafowl was very resolute on this matter.

No meant no. His stance didn’t change no matter who came to persuade him. He knew very well that the Longevity Pill recipe belonged to Jiang Chen to begin with. Now that the matter of ownership had been decided, it was prime time to cash in on the pill. If he were to grant all these powers the authority to refine the Longevity Pill, then they would only be undercutting each other. If that happened, it was no different from undercutting Jiang Chen’s profit, the person who supplied the recipe and the main contributor to this battle.

Emperor Peafowl hadn’t discarded all of his principles just yet, so he turned them all down even when a great emperor personally came to ask for permission. In fact, every pill king who was selected to refine the Longevity Pill had gone through a meticulous selection process. If there were traitors, he would root them all out.

…...

Behind a mountain, inside the residence built behind the bamboo forest, Miss Dan’er was leaning against a window and decided to push it open. She took a deep breath in as the refreshing air from the bamboo forest rushed in and felt her knot of gloom and frustration subside a little.

“Are you finished with closed door cultivation, Miss Dan’er?” Servant girl Cui’er hurriedly rushed over from the garden in front after seeing her mistress opening a window. For some reason, she seemed rather joyful and excited at the moment.

“Cui’er, I heard some thunderous cheers from Sacred Peafowl Mountain now and then. What’s happened?”

Cui’er’s eyes lit up in delight when she saw the opportunity to share her excitement. “It’s a shame you didn’t see for yourself yourself, Miss. Even Cui’er feels sorry for you. From what I heard, Pillfire City made a huge fuss and came to snatch a pill recipe that belonged to us.”

“Pillfire City?” Miss Dan’er frowned slightly, “I heard that Pillfire City is the greatest pill dao power that exists in the human domain. Doesn’t that mean… that Sacred Peafowl Mountain is in trouble?”

“Pillfire City is pretty powerful, and everyone thought that Sacred Peafowl Mountain was in deep trouble at first. But later on… guess what happened, Miss!” Cui’er hurriedly replied.

“What happened?” It would appear that the situation had taken a surprising turn, judging from Cui’er’s cheerful appearance.

“I doubt that even you can imagine this, Miss, but Sacred Peafowl Mountain won the pill battle! We achieved complete victory over Pillfire City and sent them home with their tail between their legs!”

“We won?” Miss Dan’er looked startled, “Did the emperor take the field himself?”

“Of course not,” Cui’er said, “The emperor towers above the rest of us, so he wouldn’t act unless it is a very important occasion. Also, Emperor Pillzenith of Pillfire City himself didn’t participate in the battle. Pillfire City sent out a genius called Pill King Ji Lang. He’s said to be the most outstanding pill dao genius in Pillfire City, second only to Emperor Pillzenith himself. But obviously this Pill King Ji Lang is just a junior compared to Emperor Pillzenith.”

“If it was a junior who participated in the battle, then you’re correct in that Emperor Peafowl could not take part himself. So who did we send out to face this Pill King Ji Lang? I think I’ve heard of this pill king as well. People say that he is one of the strongest ever to dabble in pill dao, and that he is inferior only to some pill dao emperors. If I remember correctly, they also say that he is a half-step pill emperor who is destined to become a pill dao great emperor in the future. Is there really anyone in Sacred Peafowl Mountain who can defeat him?”

“Everything you say is right, Miss. But not only was Pill King Ji Lang defeated, I heard that he was beaten straight into the ground!”

“Who was it that defeated him?”

Cui’er giggled, “I doubt you’ve heard of this person, Miss. His name is Zhen Shi. Everyone calls him Pill King Zhen. He’s arrived for barely a year and is just the guest pill king of a ninth rank aristocratic house.”

“A guest pill king? Why on earth did the emperor choose him to participate in the pill battle?” Dan’er was completely stunned at this point. “Isn’t a ninth rank aristocratic house just a third level power in Veluriyam Capital? They come after a great clan and a great emperor, right?” Miss Dan’er might have lived at Sacred Peafowl Mountain for a couple of years, but she seldom ventured outside and lived a rather secluded life. She knew a little about Veluriyam Capital, but not the greater details.

“Exactly. That’s why this pill battle was so legendary. Right now, the most popular person in the entire Veluriyam Capital isn’t Emperor Peafowl, but Pill King Zhen!” Cui’er giggled again, “Miss, I heard that this Pill King Zhen is still unmarried.”

Dan’er chided her, “You ditzy little girl.”

“Heehee, I’m not ditzy, Miss, I simply thought that…”

“Thought what?” Dan’er asked with an annoyed sigh.

Cui stuck out her tongue. “I don’t have the courage to say it, Miss. I’m afraid that you’ll yell at me for it.”

Dan’er sighed quietly, “That’s for the better. Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth anyway.”

Cui’er started complaining, “What? Come on, Miss! Cui’er has only ever thought for you. I think there must be a reason why the emperor regards this Pill King Zhen so highly.”

Dan’er pondered for a moment before nodding, “The emperor has just lost his most beloved personal disciple not long ago. Perhaps he is seeking a new personal disciple.”

Emperor Peafowl’s wellbeing was one of the few things Dan’er was concerned about. Not only had the emperor saved her from her plight, he’d also granted her a huge favor and appointed the Plumscore Monarch herself to educate her child. Dan’er was not a heartless person. She was very grateful to Emperor Peafowl for everything he’d done for her.

Cui’er tittered, “Personally, I think the emperor is choosing a son-in-law.”

“Son-in-law?” A moment of surprise caught her off guard, but Dan’er immediately thought of something and blushed. “Oh, you naughty girl. I see you’re setting your sights on me again without me noticing, hmm?”

“Miss, the emperor treats you like his own daughter and cares so much for you. You can’t always turn down his kindness.” Cui’er instantly begged for forgiveness.

“Hah,” Dan’er sighed softly. “It is true that I owe the emperor my new life, Cui’er. But still, you should restrain yourself from such nonsense. I’m still a married woman, even if the emperor has such thoughts. I would never accept another man in my life.”

“Miss, you always said that you’re a married woman, but why hasn’t your husband come to see you after all these years? Also, if he really loves you that much, why would he ever allow you to wander by yourself before the emperor found you? How can a man like that possibly deserve your undying love?” Cui’er was an honest and unfiltered person. She was the kind who would speak her mind without any scruples.

But Dan’er’s expression froze when she heard Cui’er’s words. She stared at Cui’er solemnly, “Cui’er, I hope that this is the last time I hear words of that sort from you. Remember this well: he is absolutely not the kind of man you speak of. He is responsible and ambitious, and possesses a talent equal to none in this world. I didn’t leave him because he abandoned me. I left him because I don’t want to tie him to my side and keep him from the great future that lies ahead of him!”

Dan’er’s face glowed with a divine radiance as she spoke. She wouldn’t allow even half a sentence of disrespect for her man. The way she spoke, it was as if the man she had left behind was her greatest pride and joy in this entire world. It was as if he was worth a lifetime of silent sacrifice.

Cui’er had served Miss Dan’er for many years. She knew that her mistress was very easygoing on small things, and she never spoke a word of censure even when Cui’er sometimes failed to perform her duties adequately. However, Miss Dan’er was more stubborn than anyone else when it came to her principles.

It was obvious that this man whom no one knew a thing about was a taboo subject to Miss Dan’er. No one but herself was allowed to tread harshly upon it. Anyone who tried would be met with a stern rebuff. Dan’er hadn’t mentioned his name even to Emperor Peafowl himself. In fact, she never talked about her past. Therefore, for all the power Emperor Peafowl wielded, even he didn’t know what’d happened to Dan’er before he’d met her.

Dan’er herself was the only one who knew the forlornness, the pride, and the longing she felt every time she thought of the man she missed day and night. She wanted to know where he’d gone after the Myriad Domain had been destroyed. She wanted to know if he thought even a little about her during his idle time when he was wandering outside. Every time she thought a little too deeply, the headstrong Dan’er couldn’t help but tear up a little. It was true that she had left that man of her own accord. In fact, he never knew that she’d borne and given birth to his child. But Dan’er never regretted her decision to leave him, even now.

She knew that he would definitely take responsibility if he learned of their child and the sacrifices she’d made for his sake. But Dan’er didn’t want to do so. She didn’t want to tie him to her side just because she wished to. She thought that it would be very selfish of her if she did something of that sort. This was why she’d left to wander the world alone. It was her pride and her selfless love that had driven her to make such a choice.

She firmly believed that he would understand her feelings one day. If a bond of destiny truly existed between them, the heavens would bring them together. She didn’t need to force things if this bond didn’t exist. But even then, he was still irreplaceable in Dan’er’s heart, even in a place hundreds of times stronger than the Myriad Domain like Veluriyam Capital where geniuses abounded.

No matter how brilliantly these geniuses of Veluriyam Capital shone, they were ultimately incomparable to that young boy she’d met back in the Myriad Domain; the boy who had barged deep into her heart before she’d noticed. For the past few years, Dan’er had neither mentioned him nor attempted to inquire about his whereabouts. She only knew that the Myriad Domain had been destroyed, and she had no idea where he’d gone or how he was doing. But she was absolutely certain that a genius like him wouldn’t go down silently just because his sect was destroyed. Even if that man was currently buried in dust, it was only a matter of time before his brilliance would see the light of the world once more. Of this, Dan’er had no doubt at all!