Nightwatcher-Chapter 432: Luo Yuheng’s Secret

# 432. Luo Yuheng's Secret

*How long has it been? And it’s just… alive?*

*As expected of the reincarnation of the Flower God—there’s no rare treasure she can’t nurture!*

The Nine-Coloured Lotus was the supreme treasure of the Earth Sect, and there may only be one in the entire world. It matured once every sixty years, and the lotus seeds it produced could enlighten all things.

Because of it, the Taiping Sabre ascended to the ranks of peerless divine weapons.

And now, there were two Nine-Coloured Lotuses, one with the Heaven and Earth Society, and one in his possession.

*In terms of rarity, among all my treasures and trump cards, the Nine-Coloured Lotus Root ranks in the top three. Even the Taiping Sabre is not its equal. The Earth Book fragment is just a fragment; aside from messaging and storage, it has no other effects… Only fortune and Shenshu rank higher than the lotus root.*

*Wait, no—I need to ask if it can continue growing, if it can produce lotus seeds…*

Silently swallowing his saliva, Xu Qi’an suppressed his excitement. Leaning over the water jar, he glanced inside and chuckled.

"Princess Consort, I never expected your skill in tending flowers to be so remarkable, you can even nurture this treasure. Hmm, can it grow? Can it bear lotus seeds?"

The princess consort said flatly, "It is the natural order for plants to take root, sprout, blossom, and bear fruit."

*Did she mean that the lotus root could indeed produce seeds and grow from a small piece into a large one?* Xu Qi’an was overjoyed.

*Can you accelerate its growth…?* He resisted the urge to ask, knowing it would be too blatant, almost confirming outright that she was the reincarnation of the Flower God.

That might frighten the young widow.

"I don’t even know how long it will take to mature… I’ll be needing it before long, too," he mused.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the princess consort purse her red lips, as if hesitating. Then, making up her mind, she said, "It's growing well. It won’t take too long."

*As expected, my widow has a way to accelerate its growth. Suddenly, the princess consort has become the queen of my pond…* Xu Qi’an was both delighted and amused.

*The Nine-Coloured Lotus Root’s spiritual energy is still weak, but as it grows, it will become stronger. I’ll have to ask Yang Qianhuan for help in setting up a formation to conceal its aura—otherwise, if an expert happened to pass by, they might sense it…*

Xu Qi’an took a stroll around the courtyard and house. Everything was in order, nothing missing, nothing damaged.

When he reached the princess consort’s bedroom, he originally intended to check the furniture and beams for termites. Not long ago, his aunt had instructed the household servants to apply anti-termite powder to all the wooden furnishings.

This wasn’t a task for women, it had to be done by Xu Qi’an himself.

Just as he stepped inside, the princess consort hurried in after him, flustered, snatching a few small garments and a dudou off the screen and stuffing them under the bedding.

The young widow's face was faintly flushed, but she forced herself to act nonchalant.

*It’s not like I haven’t seen your dudou before…* Xu Qi’an smirked inwardly. Then he asked, "By the way, why don’t I see any clothes drying outside?"

The courtyard was completely devoid of laundry. In this sweltering summer, one ought to bathe and change frequently—how could there be no clothes hanging outside?

"I had Aunt Zhang wash them for me," Mu Nanzhi exhaled, sitting down on the bed. She discreetly pressed her round hips over the bedding to hide the undergarments beneath. While pretending to adjust her dress, she continued, "Her son hasn’t sent her any silver in two months, no, not even a single copper coin.

"I saw that she was struggling, so I asked her to do my laundry and paid her twenty percent more."

"You do remember not to flaunt your wealth, don’t you?" Xu Qi’an reminded her.

"Of course. You’re the one who taught me that." The princess consort huffed twice, her smile carrying a hint of mischief. "I deliberately let her see my money box in the wardrobe, there was only one tael of silver inside, all in broken silver and copper coins."

*You’ve improved a lot, you’re much smarter than before…* Xu Qi’an nodded approvingly.

For a woman living alone in the inner city, having one tael of silver saved up was neither too much nor too little, just the right amount to be considered lower-middle class.

In the morning, Xu Qi’an took her out for a stroll through the bustling market, the jewellery shops, and the silk stores. Along the way, she took a liking to a silver hairpin that cost five taels of silver.

The one she currently wore was a cheap, shoddy piece worth only a few cash.

As they left the jewellery shop, she trailed closely behind Xu Qi’an, glancing back at the store longingly every few steps, but she never asked for it.

After having lunch at a restaurant, the two returned home. Xu Qi’an brought out a small stool and a round table from the house to play Five-in-a-Row with her.

"You made the wrong move," the princess consort said loudly. "You shouldn’t have placed your piece there."

"No, I didn’t. With this move, I’ll connect five in a row and win."

"Exactly—that’s why you made the wrong move. If you win, how do we keep playing?"

"……"

…

"Can I move twice while you move once?"

"What do you think?"

…

"Bullying a weak woman—what kind of skill is that?"

"If I can't even bully a weak woman, how can I bully anyone else?"

"I'm not playing anymore!"

She threw down the pieces in a huff and turned away.

Looking at her from different angles, different aspects of her beauty stood out…

_Sideways mountains their peaks proud and tall, near and far up and down no flat land shows._ Out of nowhere, a poem surfaced in Xu Qi’an’s mind. He took out the silver hairpin and placed it on the board.

"For you."

Her eyes flickered, stealing a glance at him. Then, a smile quickly blossomed on her face as she happily took the hairpin.

Seeing Xu Qi’an’s teasing expression, the princess immediately straightened her back and said with a reserved air, "I don’t actually like it that much..."

"Then give it back." Xu Qi’an reached to take it.

The princess swiftly hid the hairpin behind her, glaring at him. "Consider it payment for raising your lotus root."

"Fair enough."

Xu Qi’an nodded with a smile and casually remarked, "This place is quite far from the market, and it's hot. Best not to stockpile vegetables at home. I’ll arrange for a hawker to deliver fresh produce every morning."

Many hawkers in the city would buy cheap produce from farmers at the morning markets and then carry them into the inner city for wealthy households who didn’t like going out early.

The princess nodded.

After a brief silence, Xu Qi’an continued, "I might have to leave the capital soon, and it won’t be for just a short while. Will you come with me, or will you stay?"

The princess huffed, "I won’t follow you. The capital is so lively—why would I leave? When you decide to go, just inform the National Teacher. We’re quite close; she’ll arrange something for me."

Xu Qi’an was a little disappointed. "I’ll leave you some silver when the time comes."

The princess studied him for a moment but didn’t respond.

After a while, she said quietly, "Is it because Emperor Yuanjing is coming after you?"

"Not yet, but I have a feeling it won’t be long."

"This empire belongs to his dynasty. Leaving isn’t a bad idea." The princess nodded slightly, her voice soft. "But your cousin is now a Hanlin Academy bachelor. Would he be willing to leave with you? Hmm… I suppose you’re thinking of finding him a backer?"

"You're quite sharp," Xu Qi’an chuckled.

Emperor Yuanjing’s hatred was for him, not Xu Erlang. As long as he left and Xu Erlang found solid backing, his future might be uncertain, but his life wouldn’t be in danger.

Besides, with Cloud Deer Academy behind him, the worst Emperor Yuanjing could do was dismiss him from office and strip him of his rank.

"Clever or not depends on the situation. These past days living alone, I often felt I wasn’t smart enough. Cooking and tending the fire was such a mess, I broke a few bowls and nearly cried out of frustration."

The princess sighed. "Emperor Yuanjing is a smart man, yet sometimes he seems incredibly foolish. For the sake of an elusive immortality, he abandoned his harem and his reputation. But after twenty years of cultivating, he’s gained nothing. Even an idiot would know to give up by now. The National Teacher says he has a strong obsession… but no one knows where it stems from."

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"You and the National Teacher are close?"

"She’s the only woman in the capital I can speak freely with," the princess said wistfully.

*That makes no sense. The National Teacher seems smart, how does she have anything in common with someone as foolish as you?* Xu Qi’an silently lampooned.

"But she’s also a pitiable woman."

The princess let out a mischievous "hehehe" and grinned. "Want to hear a secret?"

*You look like a ruffian right now…* Xu Qi’an listened attentively. "What secret?"

"The Human Sect’s cultivation method has a terrifying side effect: it causes practitioners to be plagued by karmic fire, flaring up once a month. Lower-ranked cultivators can endure it with sheer willpower.

"But the higher their rank, the more unbearable the fire becomes. If they don’t find a way to quell it, they’ll be burned alive, body and soul." The princess lowered her voice as if revealing a great secret.

… Xu Qi’an looked at her blankly. "I already knew that."

Daoist Jinlian had told him about the flaws of the three Daoist sects: the Human Sect suffered from karmic fire, the Earth Sect was prone to falling into demonic ways, and the Heaven Sect was devoid of human emotions.

The princess giggled again, like a ruffian up to no good. She whispered, "But do you know how to solve it?"

Xu Qi’an shot her a sidelong glance. "You do?"

She nodded eagerly, her face practically shouting, "Beg me, beg me!"

"What’s the secret?" Xu Qi’an played along, putting on an interested expression.

"I heard… they need to dual cultivate with a man to survive the tribulation," the princess said conspiratorially.

"?"

Xu Qi’an’s first thought was that she was lying. His second was that she’d picked up some ridiculous gossip. His third was—

*Wait… what?!*

The Human Sect needed fortune to cultivate and suppress karmic fire. That’s why Luo Yuheng became the National Teacher, guiding Emperor Yuanjing in Daoist practice.

Looking at it another way, if she found a man with immense fortune and dual cultivated with him, it would be even more effective — ten times, a hundred times more effective.

Xu Qi’an wasn’t just guessing. He possessed the ancient Daoist dual cultivation technique. Though he hadn’t found a partner, his extensive theoretical research suggested that at the highest levels, true dual cultivation involved a brief "fusion".

A moment when their energies and souls intertwined.

A genuine, mutual exchange.

*Luo Yuheng is second rank. If she can't extinguish the karmic fire, she will perish. To survive, she was forced to become the National Teacher because Emperor Yuanjing, as the Son of Heaven, possesses immense fortune.*

*But if she found a man with even greater fortune… a man with even greater fortune…*

Xu Qi’an’s expression suddenly froze.