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"Don't act like you're half-dead. You've gotten a good deal but you're still acting innocent. To be honest, you're the one who actually benefited."

With her back to the river tide, a woman with cascading black hair, tidying herself in front of a bronze mirror, said softly:

"I've remained chaste for decades, but in the end, you're the one who got the benefit."

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Chao's lips twitched slightly before he said:

"hehe."

He had nothing more to say, only a cold laugh.

Why act innocent after getting the benefit?

Who really benefited?

Jiang Chao was very suspicious of whether Xu Miaozhen was controlled by her inner demons at the time, or whether she deliberately did it while her inner demons were causing trouble.

In short, no matter what, he suffered a great loss!

In vain...

Thinking of this, Jiang Chao immediately regretted his actions.

If he had known this would happen, he should have taken advantage of the other party's shock and his bold guess and made a quick getaway down the mountain.

Instead of continuing to verify their bold conjectures.

Now look what's happened; this old hag, who's lived for at least several decades, has gotten away with it all for nothing.

but……

On another note, this Supervisor is really well-preserved.

Indeed, he is a highly skilled practitioner of the Xuanmen sect, possessing profound Xuan techniques.

It is perfect inside and out.

Even with his extremely discerning eye, he couldn't find the slightest flaw in the other person.

She was just like a beautiful young girl in her late teens.

Time seemed to have no effect on her, leaving no trace of the years.

If there is anything to say, it is that there is a hint of vicissitude in the other person's eyes, which are no longer as clear and pure as a young girl's.

Please do not spread this matter.

After a long silence, Jiang Chao spoke, his tone flat.

With her back to him, she hummed in response.

Jiang Chao added, "I have no clothes left."

As soon as he finished speaking, the woman, who had her back to him, casually made a gesture.

A black robe appeared out of thin air and landed on the ice jade couch where Jiang Chao was.

Jiang Chao picked it up and put it on.

After getting dressed, Jiang Chao didn't say anything more and strode away from the rather deserted palace.

Witnessing that the sleeping quarters were located at the highest point of the main hall, Jiang Chao arrived at the entrance of the sleeping quarters, hesitated for a moment, and then walked towards the platform on the left.

Looking down from the platform, one sees a sea of ​​clouds.

At some point, a large cloud of mist appeared above this astronomical platform, obscuring the view.

Jiang Chao took a deep breath, tightened the fairly well-fitting official robe of the Imperial Observatory, and leaped off the platform, which was hundreds of feet high.

The wind whistled in his ears, and Jiang Chao closed his eyes, letting his body fall straight down.

The boy's mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts.

Whether this trip to the Imperial Observatory was right or wrong, he didn't know, but he had no other choice but to do it this way.

Hopefully, all that he's sacrificed will ultimately be worthwhile...

boom!

The surging waves crashed straight into a deep pool at the foot of a mountain as the river tide fell from a height of hundreds of feet.

The icy pool water instantly swallowed the boy.

Just as it was more than an hour ago.

The difference is that what engulfed him before was a blazing sea of ​​fire that caused him to lose his mind.

The present moment was a freezing pool, which kept him clear-headed.

Jiang Chao did not surface immediately.

Since he swallowed the dragon's flesh, his physique has undergone tremendous changes, and he can now breathe freely underwater.

Therefore, this icy pool had no other effect on him besides restoring his sanity.

Jiang Chao, whose given name and surname both contain the character for water, simply sat cross-legged in the deep, cold pool and began to cultivate.

He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that cultivating the Myriad Spirits Technique was much smoother and faster now.

The speed at which the spiritual energy circulates within the body is more than three times faster than before. The true energy generated from cultivating martial arts techniques is also being transformed into purer spiritual energy by the Myriad Spirits Technique.

Jiang Chao was so engrossed in his cultivation that he was unaware of the passage of time in the outside world.

……

Three days later.

Zhuque Street, Qingshui Lane, Jiang Mansion.

Two handsome men and female servants knocked on the gate of the Jiang residence.

The one who opened the door was the chivalrous woman from Chu.

Looking at the two unfamiliar men in front of the door, Chu Ning frowned slightly and asked:

"What brings you two here?"

One of the young men, with rosy lips and white teeth, and an aura that made Chu Ning's heart tremble, stepped forward and said:

"My young master is a good friend of Young Master Jiang. He has come to visit today, and I hope you will inform him of his arrival."

Chu Ning looked suspiciously at the young man who hadn't spoken. The man was incredibly handsome, almost unrealistically so. After a moment's hesitation, she asked:

"May I ask your name, young master? I will go back and report to Jiang Qilin."

The young man smiled slightly at Miss Chu, his narrow eyes curving into a smile, and said softly:

"My name is Ji Wuyou."

Surname Ji?

Chu Ning's heart stirred, and he carefully examined the two people in front of the door a few more times, his suspicions growing stronger.

Could it be the current Empress?!

Thinking of this, Chu Ning felt a chill. "Please wait a moment, I will go and report to Jiang Qilin immediately."

After saying that, he turned and left in a hurry.

Ji Rui, dressed as a man, and Jiang Xueyi exchanged a glance at each other, a hint of a smile flashing in their eyes.

Jiang Xueyi transmitted her voice, "Your Majesty, this must be one of Young Master Jiang's lovers."

Ji Rui nodded and said softly, "This woman has a chivalrous spirit and doesn't have the jealousy that is common among women. She's quite an interesting girl. Jiang Lang's judgment is not bad."

Jiang Xueyi sighed inwardly, thinking to herself, "Your Majesty, you are truly magnanimous. As the ruler of the world, you are still so carefree."

Willing to share a husband with such an ordinary woman...

Jiang Chao is truly ungrateful. He doesn't appreciate his good fortune. He has a woman like His Majesty but is still not satisfied. He dares to be fickle and indecisive. He is truly hateful!

Thinking of this, Jiang Xueyi, who had been by Ji Rui's side all along, couldn't help but let out a cold snort.

Ji Rui turned to look at her and said seriously, "Xueyi, don't act rashly. Our purpose in coming here is for the sake of all living beings, not for personal feelings."

Despite her dissatisfaction, Jiang Xueyi nodded.

However, the two waited at the door for a long time, but Jiang Chao did not appear.

Although Ji Rui remained calm, Jiang Xueyi beside her looked somewhat impatient.

"Young master, he won't refuse to see us, will he?"

Ji Rui shook her head. "Probably not. He's not that kind of person. Besides, I've given him enough time to prepare. Maybe something has delayed him. Let's wait and see."

Nearly half an hour later, Ji Rui finally frowned slightly.

"Xueyi, go and take a look."

Jiang Xueyi, who was already impatient, responded and disappeared into the courtyard in a flash.

Almost instantly, Jiang Xueyi returned to Ji Rui's side with a grim expression and whispered:

"There is no trace of the river tide in the mansion!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Rui's expression darkened. "He's not in the manor? Where did he go?"

Jiang Xueyi said, "Could it be that you deliberately left the capital to avoid the young master?"

Ji Rui shook her head and said firmly, "No, if he were to leave the capital, he would definitely inform me. He would never leave without saying goodbye."

"Then...where will he go?"

Ji Rui pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "Let's go back to the palace first."

He then turned and left.

Jiang Xueyi glanced at the plaque above the door, gritted her teeth, and then followed Ji Rui.

Inside the Jiang residence.

The female knight-errant was sulking in front of Su E.

Su E smiled helplessly and said:

"Ning'er, don't be angry. Ah Lang must have been delayed by something. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone so long without sending us a message."

The female knight-errant snorted coldly and said, "That's not what I'm angry about. Who is Jiang Qilin? The young master of the Wind and Snow Temple, and a favorite minister of the Empress, how could anything happen to him? What I'm angry about is that he's not even here, yet he's still attracting attention! It's truly, truly despicable!"

Chu, the female knight, did not reveal that the empress had secretly visited the gate. She had been waiting at the gate, hoping to see Jiang Chao return as soon as possible.

Since Jiang Chao was summoned away by the Director of the Imperial Observatory three days ago, there has been no news of him. She had asked Zuo Xiaoqian, who was patrolling the city, but Zuo Xiaoqian did not know what had happened. She only said that since the Director had kept Jiang Chao, he should be fine and she could wait patiently.

For the past three days, Chu Ning has been worried that something might have happened to Jiang Chao. She has lost her appetite and sleep, and each day feels like an eternity. She has even lost the will to do the tasks that Jiang Chao originally assigned to her.

He would wait at the gate of the Jiang residence all day long, hoping for the return of the Jiang tide.

Su E had also advised her not to worry too much, as this was, after all, the capital, and Jiang Chao was still working at the Imperial Observatory, so nothing bad would happen.

But Chu Ning was somewhat uneasy.

She always felt that something might have happened to Jiang Qilin, otherwise there wouldn't have been no news for so long. Besides, that Supervisor, although the Supervisor is rumored to be a pure and ascetic person of the Xuanmen, very few people have ever seen him. Who knows what kind of person he really is?

What if Jiang Qilin, being so sharp-tongued, offends someone and gets imprisoned?

And the Empress...

Thinking of the empress at the door, Chu Ning felt a surge of irritation.

The ruler of a nation is so unscrupulous that he even resorts to using his body to win over Jiang Qilin for his own purposes!

They went so far as to personally visit him, displaying an attitude of respect and deference.

And Jiang Qilin's two maids have also disappeared these past few days, their whereabouts unknown, seemingly disregarding Jiang Qilin's safety.

"Shi Gandang, come out!"

Thinking of this, Chu Ning couldn't help but shout.

A small figure darted out from the kitchen not far away.

It was also holding a white radish that was longer than its body.

"Miss Chu, what are your orders, little deity?"

The little stone figure holding the radish looked up and asked.

Between words, he would take a bite of radish, chewing it with relish.

Chu Ning's lips twitched as he looked down at it. "You might be able to sense Jiang Qilin's location?"

The little stone figure shook its head, looking puzzled, and said, "Miss Chu, that's a very unreasonable question. I'm not Chao Ge'er's spirit pet, how would I know his location?"

Chu Ning stared at it and said, "Aren't you the mountain god? The legendary mountain god is all-powerful and omniscient, how could you not know?"

The little stone man said confidently:

"Mountain God? It hasn't been officially conferred a title yet. Without the incense offerings from the local people, where would this minor deity get its supernatural powers? Besides, even if it did, this minor deity couldn't abuse them, or it would be punished by heaven."

Before he could finish speaking, the little stone man suddenly beamed with joy:

"Hey hey, Chao Ge'er's back."