Xie PanâEr grabbed Princess Ataâs hand, pulling her to a deserted place. She told Princess Ata what Ji Youzhi had said to her earlier, and about how she had cried on the Emperorâs shoulder.
She also shared her worries. "Do you think His Majesty the Emperor will think Iâm actually a bad woman? That Iâm fickle? Because thereâs absolutely no chance of anything romantic developing between me and the Seventh Young Master, so Iâve turned my attention to him? Actually, I wasnât thinking that way. At the time, he was constantly comforting me, whispering those things in my ear. He kept talking and talking, and finally even said he wanted to be friends with me. I panicked for a moment, my mind went blank, and all I could do was cry. I really wasnât thinking about anything, I swear! You have to believe me!"
The more Xie PanâEr spoke, the more agitated she became. Towards the end, she even stared into Princess Ataâs eyes, saying she would swear an oath.
Princess Ata was bewildered by her agitated words, an incredulous expression on her face. Finally, she burst out laughing. "Look at you, making a mountain out of a molehill! Let me ask you, since when did you start caring so much about what His Majesty the Emperor thinks of you?"
Xie PanâEr blinked, taking a moment before saying, "I... Do I care?"
"You donât care?"
Xie PanâEr pondered for a long while, finally saying with great uncertainty, "Do I? I just care about my... about my reputation... I suppose!"
Hearing this, Princess Ata gently shook her head, patted Xie PanâErâs shoulder, and said with a soft smile, "Think about it some more. Thatâs definitely not the real reason."
With that, she got up and left.
As dusk settled, the Emperor, Ji Youzhi, and Princess Ata, their stomachs empty, walked into the kitchen. Smoke was curling up from the stove, but the usual delicious dishes were missing from the dining table.
"Dugu Xiao! What are you doing?"
Upon entering the kitchen door, they glanced at the empty table and questioningly looked towards Dugu Xiao, who was by the stove.
"Iâm cooking!"
Dugu Xiao replied, quite matter-of-factly.
"Coo... Cooking?"
Everyone took a few steps forward, glanced at the pot of rice gruel bubbling on the stove, and one of them remarked, "This is food? It looks more like pig feed!"
Ji Youzhi said bluntly.
Hearing this, Dugu Xiao was displeased.
"What pig feed? This is rice gruel. Eat it or donât. Let me tell you, if youâre going to be picky, then donât eat. Who asked you to offend Miss Xie PanâEr? She locked herself in her room and refuses to cook. Princess Ata is severely injured; I canât very well ask a critically wounded patient to cook, can I? If you donât want to eat this, cook for yourself! Iâm not picky!"
Ji Youzhi was speechless.
How did the blame for this end up on me?
The Emperor said, "I am not hungry. I will not eat today."
The National Master stated, "This National Master... I am a member of the Daoist Sect. Skipping a few meals is nothing to me."
Princess Ata touched her stomach. "Do you really have the heart to serve rice gruel to a severely injured patient?"
Dugu Xiao replied very bluntly, "Iâm not a Doctor; I canât write you a prescription or dispense medicine!"
Princess Ata patted his shoulder. "I hear General Dugu is twenty and still unmarried. Now I see thereâs a reason for it."
With that, she walked away.
Dugu Xiao stood there, puzzled, and asked, "What does my marital status have to do with you?"
After his puzzled question, he shouted again at Princess Ataâs retreating back, "The term âprime of youthâ is used for women! Iâm a man; you canât use that word for me!"
The Emperor and the others, who were just heading to their rooms, all stumbled in unison upon hearing this, nearly falling over.
The National Master looked at the Emperor and asked, "Your Majesty, do you think itâs alright to entrust the Great Hanâs army to such a simpleton?"
The Emperor rubbed his forehead and shook his head. "I too would prefer a Grand General who isnât a blockhead, but someone doesnât want the job! Inheriting the family profession is such a good thing, yet he looks down on it, insisting on traveling far and wide to investigate cases!"
Ji Youzhi covered his face and walked on, pretending not to hear.
The Emperor and his companions, amidst their bickering and laughter, awaited the unknown morrow.
Meanwhile, in Nanjiang, the person on the throne was not so comfortable.
The King of Nanjiang coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood; it took a long while before his injuries were stanched.
"Damn that Tiandaozi! I never expected she would possess an Ancient Divine Artifact! She has made this Seat suffer so miserably. This Seat truly underestimated her!"
A vicious expression appeared on the King of Nanjiangâs face.
"Ancient Divine Artifact... just wait. Sooner or later, it will belong to this Seat! Tiandaozi, you collect these Divine Artifacts and magical treasures; it must be easy for you! Fine, this Seat will let you live a little longer. When the time comes, after this Seat kills you, all your magical treasures, Divine Artifacts, and even heavenly and earthly treasures will fall into this Seatâs hands!"
The King of Nanjiang sat on his throne, lost in this beautiful dream.
Suddenly, a twisted expression contorted his face.
"You have some nerve! After cowering like a turtle in its shell for so long, you dare to think of counterattacking now that this Seatâs divine power has been weakened? Dream on!"
Abruptly, the eyes of the King of Nanjiang on the throne bulged fiercely as he stared ahead resentfully, cursing under his breath. Once the stream of curses ended, he spoke again.
"You have used this Kingâs body to do too many evil deeds. This King wanted to resist before, to expel you from this Kingâs body. But you were too strong. Even by borrowing the entire kingdomâs Qi of fortune and Dragon Qi, this King could not contend against you. Thatâs why this King hid at the final moment when you tried to completely devour this Kingâs Divine Soul. Now that youâve been injured by Tiandaoziâs Divine Artifact, this King wants to reclaim his body. This is the best opportunity!"
At this moment, the King of Nanjiang on the throne was not entirely Xunyang. Although the King of Nanjiangâs body was controlled by a sliver of Xunyangâs Divine Sense, this wisp of Divine Sense did not truly master the Kingâs body, because the King of Nanjiangâs Divine Soul had not been completely devoured by him.
Kings possess Dragon Qi and bear the burden of their kingdomâs Qi of fortune. Therefore, when Xunyang attempted to completely devour the King of Nanjiangâs Divine Soul, a part of the Kingâs Divine Soul fled and hid in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness. The King used his kingdomâs Qi of fortune to envelop it, preventing Xunyang from completely devouring it.