After Ling Xiao had examined the King’s condition, he understood it all. He marveled at the poisoner’s sophisticated plot; it was a rare kind of evil. The poison afflicting the King was an entirely different concept from the one that had afflicted Old Marshal Qiu Chen. The poison in Qiu Chen had been extremely aggressive, like an endless series of ocean waves. Each flare-up was like a surging high tide, wracking the victim with unbearable pain. A person with a weaker will would have been unable to endure the agony and taken their own life long ago.

But the poison affecting His Majesty the King was as gentle as moonlight on water. In its initial stages, it even gave the victim a pleasant sensation, as if their cultivation was advancing. The most insidious part was that the poison was actually crafted from several restorative medicines!

This was confirmed after Ling Xiao questioned His Majesty the King. For years, His Majesty had indeed been taking various nourishing supplements, both to maintain his health and to deepen his cultivation. He never would have imagined that those gentle restorative medicines were the very culprits that had brought him to death’s door. The King gritted his teeth, filled with the urge to slaughter that group of Medicinal Chefs. At the same time, however, he didn’t want anyone to know that he was aware of the poisoning. ’All of you involved... one day, I will personally kill every single one of you!’

Ling Xiao stood up and bowed to His Majesty the King. "The poison in Your Majesty is quite deep and cannot be cured in a short time. It will require at least half a year. I will write a list of the necessary medicines. I’m sure that for Your Majesty, finding them will not be difficult."

The King nodded. Indeed, as one of the top empires that dominated the continent, it was a simple matter to mobilize the nation’s resources to find some medicines. Although he would need to conceal his actions from certain people, as the Emperor who had held power for over forty years, if he couldn’t even manage this, he might as well abdicate and let a more capable person rule.

Even if Ling Xiao couldn’t yet grasp the true meaning behind the King granting him Cameron, it didn’t hinder his instinctive understanding of human nature. Especially when it came to the seemingly amiable old man before him—this was the sovereign of a nation! The King of an Empire! Who could possibly guess how many schemes lay hidden behind those warm, placid eyes? But one thing Ling Xiao was certain of: you could never judge a ruler like this in simple terms of good and evil. In that old King’s eyes, there were likely only two kinds of people: those who were useful, and those who were not.

’So, if I don’t take this chance to demand an exorbitant price and extort some benefits from him, I’d be letting myself down.’ The list he wrote was a long column filled entirely with top-tier Spirit Medicines from the Cultivation Realm. Whether they could be found or not, he wrote them down anyway!

His Majesty the King, however, displayed the magnanimity of a true sovereign. Without so much as a glance, he put the list away. He was confident that as long as the items existed on this continent, he could obtain them all. As for the cost? Was a King ever afraid of being short on money? ’The little guy is a bit naively cute, only thinking to ask for a few precious herbs.’ For a fleeting moment, a hint of regret surfaced in the King’s heart. ’Was it right or wrong to push a boy like him into the spotlight, just to draw the attention of my two ’good’ sons?’ But the thought was gone in an instant. The King’s eyes cleared, and he smiled faintly as he watched Ling Xiao depart.

After Ling Xiao had gone, the bookshelf behind the King’s desk suddenly parted, and two men who appeared to be middle-aged stepped out. The one on the left was tall and gaunt, with slightly sunken cheeks, high cheekbones, and eyes that flashed like lightning. The one on the right was of average build with a tranquil gaze, a ruddy complexion, and skin as smooth as a baby’s. Both were dressed in navy-blue robes, their movements free and natural.

The King, his beard already streaked with gray, was exceedingly polite to these two. "Elder Rong, Nangong Elder, what are your thoughts on this young man?"

The two elders glanced at each other. The tall, gaunt one, addressed as Elder Rong, spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, "Your Majesty, may I have a look at the list of herbs the young man wrote?"

The King immediately handed the list to Elder Rong. The other, Nangong Elder, chuckled. "Your Majesty, judging by the fluctuations of power from that young man, his strength should be at the level of a Third or Fourth-Rank Great Sword Master. If he truly was a Celestial Vein Master before, then I can only say he is a genius! His future achievements... will likely far surpass Elder Rong and me!"

"Ah!" The King’s aging face paled slightly. "In that case, placing him in a place like Cameron Town may not have been a good idea. Such a talent can only be for my use!"

Just then, Elder Rong spoke up, his voice raspy. "Your Majesty, if this boy isn’t playing a joke on us, then more than half of these ingredients are things I have never heard of. How strange. I wonder what effects they have, and where on earth did the lad learn of so many?"

"What?" Nangong Elder stared, looking at Elder Rong in disbelief. "There are herbs that you don’t know of?"

Elder Rong, however, was quite frank. His gaunt face twitched as he said, "The continent is vast, filled with countless rare and exotic plants. Who would dare claim to know every herb in the world? I fear even the Hundred Herbs Elder, the compiler of the Continental Flora, wouldn’t dare make such a boast."

Hearing this, Nangong Elder gave a carefree laugh and nodded. "You’re right. I was getting arrogant. Alas, we think that just because we’ve reached the Sword Sect level, we can go anywhere under the heavens. We forget that there are still Sword Emperors, Sword Venerables, Sword Saints, and even... the legendary Sword God." He gave a self-deprecating smile. "Our path of cultivation is still a very long one!"

Seeing how highly the two regarded Ling Xiao, the King’s regret deepened. Noticing this, Nangong Elder laughed heartily. "Your Majesty, you can rest assured. If that young man can’t even overcome a small hurdle like this, then he wouldn’t be worthy of the high hopes Elder Rong and I have for him."

The King was instantly relieved. ’He’s right,’ he thought. ’I was worrying too much.’ But then another thought came to mind. ’If the boy finds out in the future that I’ve used him, will he still serve me willingly?’ With this in mind, the King called out, "Pass down my orders! General Ling Tianxiao has rendered great service guarding the Empire’s western frontier. Reward him with one hundred thousand Gold Coins, ten fine steeds, and ten jars of the palace’s finest vintage wine... and his wife, Mrs. Ling, shall be granted the title of First-rank Imperial Decree Lady!"

The old King bestowed this string of heavy rewards upon the Ling Family all at once, causing the corners of both Elder Rong’s and Nangong Elder’s mouths to twitch. Nangong Elder raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, ’The last time His Majesty so heavily rewarded a court official was... several years ago, wasn’t it? It seems the entire Ling Family is deep in the Emperor’s favor!’

The material wealth was one thing, but the title of First-rank Imperial Decree Lady... that was the highest honorary title a noblewoman outside of the Royal Family could possibly receive!

The Palace Maid outside quickly jotted down the order. After the King finished, she couldn’t help but gently remind him, "Your Majesty, isn’t conferring the title of First-rank Imperial Decree Lady directly on Mrs. Ling a bit much? Madam Qin of the Bauhinia Clan in the north holds a Second-Grade Imperial Decree..."

The King considered this for a moment, then said, "No changes!"

The Palace Maid whispered, "Understood."

Ling Xiao stepped out the door. He no longer sensed the presence of that powerful expert; ’He must have been warned off,’ he figured. As he walked out of the Traveling Palace, he was met with a scene of brilliant lights and lively celebration. Throughout the Royal Garden, Palace Maids bustled about, carrying trays of exquisite pastries and fine drinks, while elegantly dressed nobles gathered in groups, chatting and laughing.

From their conversations and mannerisms, one could get a clear sense of what the Lanyue Empire’s high society was like.

Every one of them seemed to be wearing a false mask. Ling Xiao took a few glances and quickly grew bored. The noblewomen wore the most gentle and elegant smiles, speaking pleasantries, yet the depths of their eyes held a trace of disdain and arrogance, all while they forced a look of humility.

The young noblemen were all dashing and debonair, like male peacocks desperately showing off their most impressive feathers.

Ling Xiao curled his lip slightly. He decided to find Chunlan and Qiuyue and then leave. There was no point in staying here any longer. He would be better off returning to his cultivation.

A sharp voice suddenly rang out from up ahead, drawing the attention of many. Ling Xiao couldn’t help but look over as well. He saw a beautiful girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed in a bright yellow gown, with exceptionally fair skin. She was glaring furiously at two stunningly beautiful women across from her. Ling Xiao instantly recognized the person standing behind the girl in yellow—it was the Grand Imperial Prince he had encountered the other day, Prince Li Tianlie! And another person’s presence made Ling Xiao’s pupils contract and his lip twitch: Wulan Tuo, whom he hadn’t seen in days! A faint smile played on Wulan Tuo’s face, as if he were just enjoying the show.

The young woman in the yellow gown pointed a finger at Chunlan. "For this Princess to take an interest in you is your good fortune! Hmph. Who is your master? How could he raise such an ill-mannered maid? You dare defy my command? Do you have a death wish?"

Standing beside Li Tianlie, Wulan Tuo added in a sneering, oddly-pitched voice, "Your Highness, these two maids clearly have no respect for you. They dare to refuse your kind offer. It seems their master must also lack any noble breeding!" For some reason, Wulan Tuo’s voice was unusually high-pitched, almost like that of an eight or nine-year-old child, which was rather bizarre.

The girl in yellow shot a glare at Wulan Tuo over her shoulder. "Shut up! You have no place to speak!" She then turned back huffily to face Chunlan and Qiuyue. "I’ll ask one last time. Are you two coming with me or not?"

Chunlan and Qiuyue were both flushed red with anger. ’If she weren’t a princess and we weren’t in the Royal Garden,’ they thought, ’we’d have run her through with our swords long ago! How could we let her be so outrageous?’ But with their young master not by their side, the two were in a predicament. Agree to become her maids? That was out of the question; they would never be willing! But if they refused... she was a member of the Royal Family. A misstep could bring disaster upon the Ling Family.

’Young Master... where are you? Why haven’t you come back yet?’ Chunlan and Qiuyue thought anxiously. Chunlan spoke softly, "Your Highness, we are merely servants. Your station is far too noble to bother with the likes of us. We beg you, please let us go."

"Servants? Hmph, how amusing. Since when were slaves and other such riffraff allowed to wander freely in the Royal Garden? Is there no sense of order anymore!" The princess’s expression turned severe as she stared coldly at Chunlan and Qiuyue. "Does your master have any sense of propriety at all?!" she barked.

Tears welled up in Chunlan and Qiuyue’s eyes. Being called ’riffraff’ cut them to the core, and they looked as if they were about to burst into tears.

Seeing the faint smiles on both Wulan Tuo’s and Li Tianlie’s faces, Ling Xiao understood. ’This so-called princess was most likely put up to this. What an idiot,’ he thought, and strode forward.

"What’s this? Just because you’re of the Royal Family, you can do whatever you please? You can just forcibly take someone’s maids?" Ling Xiao’s cool voice rang out as he walked right up to the girl in yellow, stopping so close they were almost touching.

This drew a soft gasp from the nobles who had been watching. ’Heavens, who is that young man? How dare he be so disrespectful to the Princess!’

"Without your royal status, you’re worth even less than they are," Ling Xiao said coldly, staring directly into the princess’s eyes.