After Jiang Qingyi walked into the room, she looked pretty angry.

Xiao Mo looked at the tightly shut door and could not help letting out a couple of bitter chuckles.

In truth, it was not that Xiao Mo could not understand this Immortal Lady Jiang.

He had been getting along with Immortal Lady Jiang for nearly a year now.

Although Immortal Lady Jiang had a bad temper and a cold personality, she was still a good person. He could feel that she was very kind at heart.

Perhaps, in Immortal Lady Jiang’s eyes, he clearly had such talent, yet he still had to waste it in a place like this. It truly was far too much of a waste.

But Xiao Mo could not really explain it to her, either.

“Immortal Lady Jiang, it is late at night. Please rest well.”

Xiao Mo cupped his hands toward the door in salute, did not linger here any longer, then turned and walked out of the National Preceptor’s Residence.

“Idiot... I really don’t know what’s so good about that imperial palace. Could it be you’re that eager for those two royal consorts?!”𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Jiang Qingyi watched Xiao Mo’s retreating back and could not help pressing her thin lips together.

Only after the gate to the courtyard closed once more did Jiang Qingyi step out of the room and sit back down in the courtyard.

She took out the Frostlong Sword and a whetstone, and carefully honed the sword’s edge.

The Frostlong Sword was nothing more than an ordinary fourth-rank artifact.

But that whetstone was refined from Geng Metal Iron. In the world, it was nearly impossible to find a single piece, and it was usually used to hone immortal weapons.

Not long after, a woman emerged from the night and walked to Jiang Qingyi’s front.

The woman wore palace robes, with a thin, light silkworm-silk shawl draped over her shoulders, faintly revealing her fair, delicate, fragrant shoulders.

A chest wrap hugged two fair peaks like creamy mountains and snowy seas, faintly revealing a deep, bottomless pale cleft.

She stepped forward and dipped into a graceful bow. “Hall Master Xia He of the Pill Hall of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect pays her respects to Sect Master.”

“Mm.” Jiang Qingyi nodded, then casually set up a formation array that cut them off from the outside world. “There is something I need you to do.”

“Sect Master, please give your orders!” Xia He nodded. “So long as it is something this subordinate can do, even if I must go through fire and water, I will not refuse.”

“It doesn’t need to be that dramatic.” Jiang Qingyi shook her head, then tossed a glass bottle from within her robes.

Xia He caught it steadily. Her delicate fingers pinched the glass bottle, and inside was a dark red liquid.

Even though this glass bottle {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} was a fine treasure that concealed the aura of what was inside—

Xia He could still feel the vast spiritual energy and the incomparably domineering sword qi contained within that essence blood.

“Sect Master... this is...” A trace of surprise appeared in Xia He’s eyes. She immediately understood whose blood it was.

“You guessed right. This is my essence blood.” Jiang Qingyi said flatly. “I want you to use my essence blood to refine a pill.”

“I don’t know what pill Sect Master intends to refine that would require your exceedingly precious essence blood.”

Xia He was filled with doubt.

This was essence blood of an Ascension Realm sword cultivator, and the essence blood of an innate sword-bone at that!

If it were out in the open, this small bottle of essence blood would make countless cultivators fight each other to the death.

Jiang Qingyi glanced at Xia He and slowly said, “I want you to help me refine the Steal-the-Heavens Pill.”

“...”

Hearing Jiang Qingyi say those three words, Xia He froze slightly.

As a cultivator who had entered the Jade-Polished Realm by the path of pill refining,

Xia He naturally knew what the Steal-the-Heavens Pill was.

The so-called Steal-the-Heavens Pill, as its name implied, was meant to steal the secrets of Heaven, conceal oneself from the Dao of Heaven, and thus accomplish the impossible and do what could not be done.

“Sect Master, the Steal-the-Heavens Pill is no small matter. Back then, when this subordinate followed my master to cultivate the pill path, my master said that for a pill like the Steal-the-Heavens Pill that involves great karma, one must understand the cause and reason. So, may Sect Master tell this subordinate the purpose for refining this pill?

“Otherwise, even if I die under Sect Master’s sword, I would not dare refine this pill for Sect Master in ignorance.”

Xia He spoke solemnly.

Jiang Qingyi glanced at Xia He and said blandly, “You pill refiners are like Daoist priests. Whatever you do, you have to ask until you understand everything. You’re so afraid of bearing karma, I don’t even know how you cultivate on ordinary days.”

“Please forgive this subordinate, Sect Master.” Xia He insisted.

“Fine. There’s no harm in telling you.”

Jiang Qingyi drank a cup of tea and spoke slowly.

“Right now, the ruler of Zhou has decent talent. The man is a bit stubborn, but he is barely acceptable to look at.

“But he is unwilling to follow me to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

“And refining this pill is nothing more than my wanting the current ruler of Zhou to be able to cultivate.”

“Let an emperor cultivate?” Xia He looked at Jiang Qingyi, suspecting she had misheard.

“That’s right.”

Jiang Qingyi set down the teacup in her hand.

“In ancient times, it is said that the ruler of Qin used three imperial edicts to do three things.

“One of them was to set the rule that emperors could not cultivate beyond the Foundation Establishment.

“But a rule set by that ruler of Qin, relying on the Immortal Realm and dynastic fortune, ultimately has its limits.

“Not to mention Qin has been destroyed for tens of thousands of years. Now, that imperial edict is not so unbreakable.

“In my view,

“If this Steal-the-Heavens Pill is refined successfully, for an emperor to cultivate should not be anything difficult.”

“That may be true, but Sect Master, leaving aside that refining the Steal-the-Heavens Pill is incomparably difficult—

“Even if this subordinate truly refines the Steal-the-Heavens Pill and it can conceal part of the Dao of Heaven,

“The Steal-the-Heavens Pill must be taken regularly and cannot be stopped.

“And every time it is refined, it requires your essence blood. That may affect your future cultivation.

“Even more so, if you help someone conceal themselves from the Dao of Heaven, the karma involved is hard to say.”

Xia He’s tone was somewhat anxious. “Sect Master, even if the ruler of Zhou’s talent has caught your eye, how could he compare to a single strand of your hair? If you do this... is it truly worth it?”

Xia He truly did not understand what was special about the ruler of Zhou. Was it really because of talent?

To the point that it could make Sect Master make such a decision?

“If losing a bit of essence blood would affect my cultivation, then my Ascension Realm would be far too cheap.

“Besides.

“Worth it?

“Not worth it?

“Whether it’s worth it or not, only I get to decide.”

Jiang Qingyi stared into Xia He’s eyes, her tone leaving no room for doubt.

“One sentence. Can you refine it or not?”

Xia He’s mouth opened slightly. She still wanted to persuade her, but looking at the sect master’s eyes, Xia He knew that anything she said would be useless. “This subordinate understands. Please give me three months, Sect Master. Xia He will certainly do her utmost to refine this pill for Sect Master.”

“Good.” Jiang Qingyi nodded. “If you need any heavenly materials and earthly treasures, go to Qiuye. If Qiuye can’t provide them, then come to me. You may go.”

“Yes, Sect Master.” Xia He dipped into a bow. In her heart, she could not help letting out a sigh, and gradually vanished into the night.

“Is it worth it?”

In the silent courtyard, Jiang Qingyi lowered her head and gently stroked the Frostlong Sword’s blade.

“Back then, you exhausted everything for my cultivation. Did you ever think about whether it was worth it or not?”