Chapter 116 Xuanqing Snake Girl Water Palace
She saw right through the fox demon's schemes. For such an unruly fellow, she naturally had to suppress him with force to keep him in line.
Bai Yuheng reveals herself in her demon form to avoid standing out here.
"I know exactly what you're up to," she warned. "You'd better behave yourself. If I hear you using the names of the Celestial Venerable and me to cheat and swindle..."
The rest of the meaning is self-evident.
The fox demon shivered violently, swallowed hard, and seeing that she had no intention of killing him, his heart eased considerably. He stammered, "Fairy, fairy, I'll never have any more evil intentions! Please spare me, please have mercy on me..."
Bai Yuheng knew that this kind of demon was both bold and timid. After threatening him with some words, she stopped trying to scare him.
“If you take me to the Celestial Venerable, I will give you this bag of spirit stones.” Bai Yuheng conjured a bag in her palm.
The fox demon's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly: "I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
Bai Yuheng nodded aloofly, indicating that he should lead the way.
The fox demon chose a shortcut with fewer demons.
"Who is the Celestial Venerable, Fairy?" The fox demon, unable to bear the loneliness, forgot his earlier fear and struck up a conversation with her again.
"Fairy, please don't misunderstand!" the fox demon hurriedly tried to cover up. "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just curious..."
Bai Yuheng glanced at him and smiled at his reaction: "A friend I haven't seen in a long time."
"It's been so long, probably a hundred years," Bai Yuheng remarked, then asked, "What has your Celestial Venerable been doing lately?"
She thought about the message; almost two months had passed since she arrived in the capital, and she should have received it by now.
“You know what, we’ve rarely seen the Celestial Venerable in the last hundred years. We used to be able to see her all over the Netherworld, but in recent years… thinking back, we haven’t seen her even once!” The fox demon pondered for a moment and said in shock.
Bai Yuheng's heart skipped a beat: "Is there anything unusual?"
"Oh, I've heard that the Heavenly Venerable has now handed over all his affairs to the Snake Woman... I don't know any more details."
Bai Yuheng was filled with unease, worried about her friend's situation, and her pace quickened involuntarily.
The shortcut will get you there in no time.
Hidden away, the place is filled with towering pavilions in the sky, shrouded in colorful clouds and dazzling light.
—Xuanji Palace.
Bai Yuheng stepped forward and said to the white crane boy guarding the gate, "I am Emperor Hengluan of the Tianyan Sect, here to request an audience with Xuanlang Heavenly Venerable."
The white crane boys exchanged a glance, then cupped their hands and said, "A little later."
Hearing this from the side, the fox demon was both shocked and frightened.
"You are Emperor Hengluan!?"
The fox demon exclaimed in astonishment.
Bai Yuheng turned around, smiled, and nodded: "That's me."
The fox demon circled around her suspiciously, as if in disbelief or as if he had seen something extraordinary.
"You...you...you...weren't you destroyed?!"
Bai Yuheng laughed and said, "It's back to life."
Concise and to the point.
This caused the fox demon to break out in a cold sweat, feeling both excited and regretful.
What excited him most was that he had actually seen the living Emperor Hengluan! Who in the Three Realms doesn't know you?! The fox demon jumped up and down on the spot, baring his teeth as if he wanted to speak, but he didn't know what to say.
He was filled with regret that he had actually harbored such thoughts about the Emperor; he was both ashamed and angry, and hung his head in guilt.
Bai Yuheng had no time to care about his emotions; she was focused on Xuan Lang's situation.
A short while later, a half-human, half-snake creature emerged from behind the white crane boy.
The snake woman paused, her blue eyes wary, when she saw the person at the door: "Are you Emperor Hengluan?"
Bai Yuheng nodded: "Yes, that's me."
"Long time no see, Xuanqing Snake Woman."
"..." The Black-Green Snake Woman looked her over, and no matter what, she couldn't believe that the person who was rumored to have been turned to ashes long ago was still alive, and even more so, looking beautiful.
“But you look very different from the Emperor,” the Black Serpent Woman said warily. “Even your age doesn’t match.”
The person in front of her looked to be only sixteen or eighteen years old. The Hengluan Emperor she remembered was dignified and kind, unlike the playful and lively person in front of her.
"I first met you at the Yaochi Spring Banquet during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Great Qi Dynasty two hundred years ago."
"!!!" The Xuanqing Snake Woman's vertical pupils trembled, as if a distant memory had been stirred up.
"I remember when you descended to the mortal realm to become Emperor Wu's concubine, it seems like..." Bai Yuheng pondered, "If I remember correctly, it should be Lady Li, right?"
"..." The Azure Serpent Woman nodded, her expression somber. "It's me. I didn't expect you to still be alive."
Bai Yuheng smiled and said self-deprecatingly, "Evil deeds live on for a thousand years."
The stern face of the Azure Serpent Woman softened into a smile as she looked at the person before her in a daze: "I never imagined that the Emperor was so charming and lovely in his youth! I hardly recognize him..."
Bai Yuheng laughed heartily: "Who wasn't a beauty when they were young? But you, Snake Woman, are as beautiful as ever."
The Azure Serpent Woman couldn't help but chuckle: "It's so good to be young!"
It turns out that this person, who was originally solemn and dignified, was just as playful and adorable when he was young.
The two chatted for a while before getting down to business.
"Don't stand outside, come in," said the Azure Serpent Woman.
Bai Yuheng then remembered that the fox demon was still there, and asked him, "What's your name?"
The fox demon was overjoyed: "My name is Sixi!"
Bai Yuheng nodded and gave him what she had promised: "Inside here are spirit stones and several bottles of high-quality pills that can help you reduce the pain when you break through your cultivation level. Thank you for today."
Fox Demon Sixi was overjoyed. He never expected to have such a gain. He wished he could guide these important figures every day!
He laughed repeatedly and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Bai Yuheng gave him another warning, telling him not to spread it outside. Only after receiving his promise did he follow Xuanqing Snake Woman into Xuanji Palace.
How is Xuan Lang doing?
After Bai Yuheng and the other unrelated people left, he went straight to the point and asked.
The crane attendant went in to report, but Xuan Lang didn't come out. This meant that either Xuan Lang wasn't in Xuanji Palace, or something had happened that prevented him from coming out to see her.
The Azure Serpent Woman's usually stern face fell into worry as she sighed, "The Celestial Venerable nearly failed his tribulation and has been unconscious for decades..."
Bai Yuheng was startled and quickly asked her for details.
"Things are better now. She wakes up every now and then, and it's not as serious as it used to be..." said the Xuanqing Snake Woman. Recalling those difficult and painful days, she felt a pang of sadness. "The Heavenly Venerable ordered us to keep the news a secret and not tell anyone. Even when Emperor Yuanguang 'accidentally' passed by, he didn't find out..."
"The Celestial Venerable specifically instructed that Emperor Yuanguang must absolutely not know about this," Xuanqing Snake Woman hurriedly added.
"Now I handle all the administrative affairs. Many people want to see the Heavenly Venerable, but I have turned them away with excuses, for fear of arousing suspicion and allowing those with ill intentions to harm the Netherworld."
As the last celestial realm untouched by outsiders, she was determined to protect it well before the Celestial Venerable fully awoke, and there could be no mishaps in her hands. Therefore, the pressure on her was unprecedented.
Bai Yuheng nodded solemnly.
"Is she awake now?"
"Not yet. The last time I woke up was last year. Based on the pattern I've observed, I should wake up no later than next year."
Bai Yuheng breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Take me to see her."
"Hmm." Xuanqing Snake Woman did not hesitate and led the person directly to the special palace where Xuanlang Heavenly Venerable was housed.
"By the way, is there something important that brings you here?" Xuanqing Snake Woman guessed that she didn't know about the Heavenly Venerable and hadn't come specifically to see him. Seeing the sadness in her eyes from time to time, she understood a bit and took the initiative to ask.
Since Xuanqing Snake Woman didn't bring it up, Bai Yuheng had almost forgotten about Pei Yuan. At the moment, she was focused on Xuan Lang and, considering her situation, didn't want to talk about Pei Yuan.
Since the Azure Serpent Woman brought it up, Bai Yuheng spoke up. However, when she mentioned that Pei Yuan was her disciple, the Azure Serpent Woman's eyes flashed with a knowing smile that made her blush for a moment, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
The Azure Serpent Woman laughed: "There's a ripe Fusang fruit right now, and it's being guarded. I'll have someone pick it later."
"As for the method you mentioned for saving him..." the Azure Serpent Woman hesitated, "I've learned it, but not as well as the Heavenly Venerable. I'm not confident I can cure him..."
Bai Yuheng said urgently, "It's alright, it's alright. As long as there's a glimmer of hope, I'm willing to try!"
The Azure Serpent Woman suppressed a laugh and said with a hint of teasing, "It seems the Emperor is deeply in love. I'd like to see what kind of holy being has managed to pluck such a high-and-mighty flower as you!"
Bai Yuheng retorted angrily, "Snake Woman, your mouth is getting more and more discerning!"
The Azure Serpent Woman laughed heartily. Seeing Emperor Hengluan display such a delicate, womanly demeanor was truly an eye-opener for her. It was a pity the Heavenly Venerable hadn't witnessed it; otherwise, her words wouldn't have been as embarrassing and infuriating as the Heavenly Venerable's. Once the Heavenly Venerable recovered, she would give her a good talking-to about Emperor Hengluan's behavior today! Truly a rare sight indeed!
The Azure Serpent Woman knew her place; after teasing her a few times, she changed the subject.
The two arrived at a magnificent palace. The palace gates opened, revealing a pond filled with water lilies, their blossoms overlapping and blooming beautifully.
The person they wanted to see was sleeping on a platform in the middle of the pool. Apart from being a little pale, he looked no different from when he was awake, and it was clear that he was being well taken care of.
Stepping on the water, a lotus leaf instantly blooms to support you.
The two walked gracefully, like lotus blossoms emerging from the water, to the middle of the water.
"You've worked hard all these years," Bai Yuheng said, looking at her.
The Azure Serpent Woman shook her head and smiled, "This is what I should do. If it weren't for the Heavenly Venerable saving me, there would be no Serpent Woman today." The two were silent for a moment. Bai Yuheng squatted down and placed her hand on Xuanlang's forehead.
"The mind is in chaos, the spiritual energy is disordered, and the meridians are blocked..."
Bai Yuheng tried to channel her spiritual energy into it.
The Azure Serpent Woman also frowned as she watched, her sorrow growing with each symptom she described.
Every cultivator deeply understands the difficulty of transcending tribulations, and the pain endured during tribulations is beyond description. Therefore, very few can successfully overcome tribulations.
Thankfully, Xuan Lang was only injured; it's a miracle he survived.
Bai Yuheng used her profound spiritual power to clear her meridians and soothe her disordered spiritual energy.
"The situation is much better than I imagined." Bai Yuheng breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'll teach you a medical technique first. It was taught to me by a friend from the Five Poisons Sect. She said it's very useful for stabilizing spiritual energy and purifying the spiritual platform. It's especially useful for cultivators who are suffering from tribulation."
Pei Yuan shielded her from several bolts of heavenly lightning, but his symptoms were similar to Xuan Lang's yet not entirely the same. In addition to the same chaotic mind, disordered spiritual power, and blocked meridians as Xuan Lang, Pei Yuan's primordial spirit was also nearly shattered by lightning. It was only through the combined efforts of Cen Ying and Yuan Guang that his primordial spirit and soul were forcibly kept within his body.
The Azure Serpent Woman was intelligent; she only needed to teach her twice before she mastered the technique.
"Using this method, she'll recover quickly!" Bai Yuheng said happily.
Pei Yuan was healed by her every day, so sometimes she could sense his subtle movements and confirm that he was conscious and could hear and feel everything in the outside world.
The Black Serpent Woman was also happy, as every additional treatment offered a greater chance of recovery and awakening.
After seeing Xuanlang Tianzun, Xuanqing Snake Woman led her to a side hall of the main hall, which was also a pond, filled with lotus flowers that bloomed while lying in the water, but smaller than the one where Xuanlang was.
“This is the Water Palace of the Netherworld, where water gives birth to all things and lotus brings new life. This pond of lotuses has healing properties; you can place your disciples here.” She teased her mischievously, “It’s very effective for injuries.”
"Okay." Bai Yuheng immediately released Pei Yuan from the Qiankun bag.
This time, the Black-Green Snake Woman finally saw clearly what Emperor Hengluan's beloved looked like.
A very stunning man.
His features were cold and sharp, and even when he was unconscious, he was extremely aggressive; he possessed a kind of righteous and unyielding beauty.
But what caught her eye the most was his white hair. Against the backdrop of the white hair, his originally upright and cold features now appeared somewhat sinister.
Seeing that she had looked at his white hair a few more times, Bai Yuheng smiled and said to her, "How about it? My taste is pretty good, isn't it?"
The Azure Serpent Woman nodded, wisely refraining from saying anything else, and followed suit, replying, "Yes, that's excellent!"
Bai Yuheng puffed out her chest with pride and grinned.
"No! Someone who isn't good-looking won't catch my eye! They can't be my Daoist partner!"
The Black-Green Snake Woman chuckled and immediately began to play along.
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