Out in the plaza, Xiao Mo had just withdrawn his consciousness from the Hundred Lives Book when a string of text surfaced in his mind—
【The Host has now fully adapted to the hundredfold time ratio between the Hundred Lives Book and the real world.
The time ratio between the Hundred Lives Book and real time is unlocked.
The time ratio between the Hundred Lives Book and the real world may be raised to 1000:1.
A thousand years in the Hundred Lives Book, one year in the real world.
The Host may select any time ratio by his own will.
Note: The Hundred Lives Book offers the Host only limited protection. The Host is advised to decide according to his own circumstances. Should the Host choose too high a ratio, then upon withdrawing from the book he is highly likely to suffer the bewilderment of a thousand years in a single glance, which would strike his soul a tremendous blow.】
The words in his mind dispersed.
Xiao Mo's heart leaped with joy.
A higher time ratio between the book and the real world meant he could collect his rewards faster.
Naturally, time still flowed inside the book at the same pace as ever—just like ordinary daily life.
So what the book was worrying about was this: after experiencing a thousand years inside it, he would return to reality and find that only one year had passed...
That really would be a shock to the soul—enough to drive a man mad on the spot.
But either way, a higher ratio was good for him.
He drew a deep breath, stood up, and began to practice his sword.
Over these past days, Xiao Mo had already entered the first layer of Qi Refining.
Not a slow pace of cultivation, but hardly heaven-defying talent either.
Give him a little more time and he ought to reach the second layer of Qi Refining.
Qi Refining was, after all, the easiest stage to cultivate; as long as one had a spirit root, most cultivators could work their way up to the ninth layer of Qi Refining.
But past that, reaching Foundation Establishment was hard.
Foundation Establishment was a great pass every cultivator had to cross.
Once you reached that point, even with a Foundation Establishment Pill, you could only add twenty or thirty percent to your chances of success; the rest was up to you.
And you only got one attempt at Foundation Establishment.
If that one attempt failed, and you later wanted to establish a foundation,
it was not impossible—only harder than climbing to heaven.
If Xiao Mo had to put it in terms he knew, it was about like his national team making the World Cup in his last life.
After Foundation Establishment came opening a cave dwelling.
Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Cave Dwelling—these were called the lower three realms.
Only after the Cave Dwelling realm came Dragon Gate.
The Dragon Gate realm was the first of the middle three realms, and another hard pass besides.
How on earth did Yan Shan'ao ever reach the Dragon Gate realm? Xiao Mo felt rather helpless.
Xiao Mo figured that even if he summoned the man into the palace and quietly had him assassinated, with every element of surprise on his side, he would still need to be at Dragon Gate himself first.
But compared with prodigies like Qingyi and Ruxue, Xiao Mo felt that with his own cultivation talent, he had no idea how many years that would take.
"And in this world the imperial arts are gone too..."
At that thought, Xiao Mo heaved another sigh in his heart.
Back when Xiao Mo had left the Hundred Lives Book, he had gone to the palace library and read a few old texts.
Legend had it that in ages long past—the records were hazy—an emperor could not use the official arts, but he could use the imperial arts.
And now emperors did not even have the imperial arts.
If it was not just legend, if emperors really had once been able to use the imperial arts,
then something must have happened that changed the laws of heaven and earth, placing a restriction on emperors.
The official arts, at least, still existed in this world.
By stripping an official of his post, an emperor could cut away his mountain-and-river fortune.
The problem was that Yan Shan'ao had cultivated his own way to the Dragon Gate realm, with little to do with mountain-and-river fortune—and Zhou, though it called itself "Great Zhou," was in truth nothing but an ordinary dynasty.
Compared with the Qi of the Hundred Lives Book, it was a minor state.
Not to mention that Zhou's national fortune was now in freefall, showing every sign of the "eat dates, swallow pills" condition—
so even if Xiao Mo appointed a new chancellor, the man's cultivation would at the very most be Cave Dwelling consummation...
And if he dared appoint a new chancellor, he would probably be strangled by a palace maid the very next day.
"To hell with it. No more of that. One step at a time, practice the sword properly, and try to earn more rewards in the Hundred Lives Book."
Xiao Mo set his mind to practicing the sword.
An hour later.
Dripping with sweat, Xiao Mo decided to go next door to Qingquan Palace for a bath.
The spring water in Qingquan Palace eased fatigue. It could not compare with the spirit springs of those sects, but it was better than nothing.
"Your Majesty..."
Just then, Wei Xun's voice came from outside the door.
"Come in." Xiao Mo laid the peach-wood sword on its rack.
Wei Xun pushed the door open, scurried up to Xiao Mo in small quick steps, and bowed. "Your Majesty, the Chancellor came by just now. This servant said Your Majesty was cultivating the Dao and should not be disturbed, so the Chancellor left, and asked this servant to relay a few words to Your Majesty."
"What words?" Xiao Mo picked up a cloth and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"The Chancellor said Elder Huang of the Myriad Sword Sect is expected to reach our Great Zhou capital in about ten days, and he hopes Your Majesty will not forget to suspend his cultivation in a few days' time, and will without fail go in person to welcome Elder Huang."
Wei Xun spoke with great care.
Xiao Mo's brows knitted. "Go and tell him I understand."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Wei Xun hurried to withdraw.
"Wait."
"What orders does Your Majesty have?"
"Go and find out what sort of man this Elder Huang is."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lingxin Palace.
A woman of graceful figure stepped forward and curtsied to the Empress Dowager, who sat directly ahead of her, still very much in possession of her beauty. "This subject's daughter, Yan Ruxue, pays her respects to the Empress Dowager."
"You and I are of the same clan. There's no need for such formality." Empress Dowager Yan stepped forward with a smile and helped Yan Ruxue to her feet.
Looking at this talented girl of the clan whom she had not seen in years, the Empress Dowager's face was full of affection for a junior. "When you were little, you were barely as high as my knee, and look at you now, Ruxue—grown into such a graceful young lady."
The Empress Dowager drew Yan Ruxue down to sit beside her. "And then, when you were eight, you fell into the Canglan River. When I heard of it, I nearly died of fright. Thank the heavens you came through safe and sound."
Yan Ruxue inclined her head with a smile. "I'm sorry to have worried you, Empress Dowager."
"A great calamity survived means a great blessing to come." The Empress Dowager patted the back of Yan Ruxue's hand. "Now you are our Great Zhou's foremost talented lady. In the future you will be our Great Zhou's empress, and your children will be Great Zhou's emperors."
Yan Ruxue smiled shyly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
That sweet, bashful look only made the Empress Dowager fonder of her.
"What a pity that by the customs of our Zhou, you and His Majesty may not meet before the wedding. Otherwise I would have him come over this very moment and let him see what you look like—he'd be bewitched out of his wits."
"And what Dao would he be cultivating then? His heart would be set on nothing but you."
Yan Ruxue simply kept smiling and said nothing more.
"What do you generally do with your time at home, Ruxue?"
"This subject's daughter mostly just reads, occasionally cooks something to eat, tends the flowers and plants, and sometimes..."
Yan Ruxue answered honestly, one thing after another.
The Empress Dowager nodded along as she listened.
The two of them began with ordinary household talk.
Then the Empress Dowager explained some of the palace rules to Yan Ruxue.
Mostly how to manage the inner palace, how she ought to conduct herself once she became Great Zhou's empress, and so on.
These were things no one else could teach her; only the Empress Dowager could.
The Empress Dowager had originally meant to test Yan Ruxue's palace etiquette as well.
But from the moment Yan Ruxue walked into Lingxin Palace, every word and every gesture had already shown the Empress Dowager that Ruxue passed muster.
In the end, the Empress Dowager took Yan Ruxue to Chunhe Courtyard to admire the flowers and fly a paper kite.
For the Empress Dowager,
Ruxue's entering the palace would, besides further consolidating the Yan clan's standing,
And second, here in the depths of the palace she would have a woman of her own clan, someone to chat with now and then, so the days would not be quite so dull.
"Oh! The kite string's broken..."
In Chunhe Courtyard, just as the Empress Dowager and Yan Ruxue were chatting and flying the kite, it snapped its line and came down in a courtyard not far away.
"Please forgive us, Empress Dowager." The maids of Lingxin Palace all knelt.
"I broke it, not you." The Empress Dowager looked toward where the kite had fallen—it seemed to be in the direction of Xianxin Palace.
The Empress Dowager smiled slightly. "Ruxue, would you do me a kindness and go bring that kite back for me?"
"This subject's daughter obeys."
Yan Ruxue curtsied, took her own personal maid, and went off to fetch the kite—without asking why.
Once Yan Ruxue had gone, Palace Matron Huang said softly at the Empress Dowager's side, "Empress Dowager, His Majesty is cultivating at the Wendao Altar beside Xianxin Palace. Miss Yan has not yet entered the palace; if His Majesty and Miss Yan should meet, I fear it would breach propriety. If word of this got out..."
The corners of the Empress Dowager's mouth curved upward. "I merely sent Ruxue to fetch a kite. I did not arrange for her to meet His Majesty on purpose. If they happen to run into each other, it can only be fate. What could the ministers possibly say?"
Palace Matron Huang: "..."
"All right, there's nothing to fret over..."
As she spoke, the Empress Dowager sighed.
"Ruxue is an excellent girl who understands the larger picture. She has come into the palace this time for the prosperity of our Yan clan. When I entered the palace thirty years ago, my heart was full of unease—I had no idea what sort of man the late Emperor was.
So now, let this child have a look at her future husband. At least when she marries out, her heart will rest a little easier."
"For the Empress Dowager to think so much of Miss Yan is Miss Yan's good fortune indeed."
"What good fortune is that?" The Empress Dowager smiled. "Let's see whether they're fated to meet at all."
Meanwhile, having bathed at Qingquan Palace, Xiao Mo changed into a fresh Daoist robe and felt instantly refreshed.
As for the dragon robe—
Xiao Mo could not remember how long it had been since he last wore it.
A part must be played to the hilt; his persona could not change.
Xiao Mo walked alone through the palace.
He had not let the maids and attendants follow him.
He wanted to wander a while by himself, and clear his head.
But when Xiao Mo came to a garden beside Xianxin Palace, he saw two women standing under a tree, looking up.
One was dressed like a young lady of a good house, the other like her maid.
Following their gaze, he saw a kite caught up in the tree.
Just as Xiaochun was at her wit's end over how to get the kite down, she turned her head, spotted Xiao Mo, and said brightly, "Excuse me, Daoist Priest, could you help us get this kite down?"
Xiao Mo blinked, and only then realized the maid was speaking to him.
Yan Ruxue turned as well, and looked in Xiao Mo's direction.
The moment Xiao Mo met the woman's eyes, his heart gave a jolt.
Her oval face was whiter than snow, so fine that not the least line or pore could be seen, as if carved with care from the finest mutton-fat jade.
Her nose was small and elegantly straight, and below it were two diamond-shaped lips naturally red as cinnabar, the corners lifted ever so slightly, so that even without smiling they carried a warm, gentle sweetness.
Her neck was long and fair, curving as elegantly as a swan's, and the swell beneath her collar, drawn in by her cinched waist, looked frankly exaggerated.
But what made Xiao Mo's heart tremble was not her beauty.
It was her pair of peach-blossom eyes.
Those peach-blossom eyes were like two petals of a newly opened peach blossom floating lightly on spring water; the outer corners, as if carefully drawn on, tilted faintly upward and held a trace of damp rouge.
Xiao Mo thought of a woman.
The two of them had eyes so very, very alike.
The only difference was that Ruxue's peach-blossom eyes held a hint of playfulness and innocence beneath the allure.
But this woman's eyes seemed to have weathered a thousand years of vicissitude.
A single glance at them stirred pity in the heart.
As if she had endured thousands of years of solitude, bearing alone uncounted days and nights of despair.
"Daoist, why do you keep staring at my young lady? That's terribly rude!" Xiaochun said with a frown.
"Sorry, sorry—this poor Daoist was rude." Xiao Mo smiled and made a Daoist salute with folded hands. "Let me get the kite down for you two."
Xiao Mo stepped forward, leaped up, took a few steps along the branches, and brought the kite down out of the tree.
Though Xiao Mo was only at the first layer of Qi Refining, this sort of small feat was well within his reach.
As for exposing his cultivation—
It was common enough for emperors to cultivate to the ninth layer of Qi Refining. Even if Yan Shan'ao heard of it, he would not care, because in his view an emperor could never establish a foundation.
"Here you are." Xiao Mo handed it to them.
"Thank you, Daoist Priest." Xiaochun took the kite happily. "Miss, let's go back."
"Mm." Yan Ruxue nodded and curtsied. "Thank you, young master."
"It was nothing at all."
Yan Ruxue lifted her head, glanced at Xiao Mo, and turned to leave.
Watching the two of them walk away, Xiao Mo could not help shaking his head. "Those eyes... they really are so alike..."
On the way back to Chunhe Courtyard, Xiaochun, hugging the kite, finally caught on. Puzzled, she asked, "Huh? Miss, why is there a Daoist priest in the imperial palace?"
Yan Ruxue covered her mouth and laughed softly. "This is the inner palace. Without His Majesty's permission, no ordinary man may enter; and even when summoned by His Majesty, a man may not move about on his own—a palace maid must accompany him. Yet this man walks openly through the inner palace by himself, and His Majesty is fond of cultivating the Dao these days. So why do you think there's a Daoist priest in the palace?"
Xiaochun stopped dead in her tracks, as though struck by lightning, her face ashen.
"Then, Miss... this servant just now... just now was rude to... to His Majesty... this servant..." Xiaochun babbled incoherently, on the verge of tears.
"It's all right." Yan Ruxue smiled. "His Majesty isn't so petty. He won't hold it against you."
"R-really? But Miss, how do you know?"
"Of course I know." Yan Ruxue's eyes curved, and she turned and walked on. "I've known for a long time."
"Eh?" Xiaochun hurried after her. "Miss, do you know His Majesty well?"
"I suppose so..." The woman nodded.
"Then what else do you know about His Majesty, Miss?"
"Hmm..." Yan Ruxue thought for a moment. "He doesn't look good in Daoist robes."
Xiaochun tilted her head. "Then what does His Majesty look good in, Miss?"
"A blue robe."
The woman's smile was like a flower.
"He wears a blue robe—"