Jiang Qingyi walked down the steps before the gate and came to Sili’s side, her gaze sweeping over Sili from head to toe.

Sili lowered her eyes and dipped her head. Both hands rested in front of her, looking extremely frightened.

Calm down. Calm down. Wangxin gave me a supreme treasure—there is no way she can see through my realm.

Being examined by an Ascension Realm sword immortal, Sili’s heartbeat only grew faster.

But Sili still forced herself to calm down.

Before entering the palace, in order to ensure nothing could go wrong, Wangxin had handed Sili a half-immortal weapon—the Heaven-Covering Pearl.

With the Heaven-Covering Pearl, as long as Sili did not use spiritual power and did not employ spell arts, Sili would not be noticed by the mountains-and-rivers fortune of the Qin imperial palace.

And even if an Ascension Realm cultivator stood right in front of Sili, the other party would not be able to perceive Sili’s realm.

Under the concealment of the Heaven-Covering Pearl, even this Myriad Flower Peak secret-transmission disguise art rose another level. The chance of being discovered was extremely low.

After Jiang Qingyi circled around Sili twice, her gaze moved off Sili and she looked at Xiao Mo.

“Your Majesty truly has good taste. This woman’s figure—how many would sigh in defeat before it.”

With the words falling, Jiang Qingyi sat back down on the stone stool, poured herself a cup of tea, and her tone carried displeasure.

“Why has Your Majesty come to my National Preceptor’s Residence today? Could it be that Your Majesty has a new favorite, and came specially to show off before me?”

“Lady Jiang is joking.” Xiao Mo smiled and shook his head. “I came today because I have a matter to ask.”

“Oh?” Jiang Qingyi lifted her eyes slightly. “What matter?”

“Before, when I was in the Library Pavilion, I once saw in a book that it mentioned rumors that, in this world, there are certain arts that can make a person speak true words.” Xiao Mo asked bluntly, and he did not hide anything from Sili at his side.

“Speak true words?” Jiang Qingyi glanced at Sili. “What do you mean?”

“The literal meaning. This palace maid is called Si Li. Yesterday, when she saw me, she directly said she was sent by the Empress Dowager to keep watch over me, but she said she is loyal to me and has no other intent.”

Xiao Mo explained.

“But Lady Jiang also knows that within this rear palace, there are many things I cannot help but guard against. That is why I came to ask whether Lady Jiang knows this type of art, to test whether Si Li is lying.”

Jiang Qingyi looked blandly at the woman with the exaggerated figure and spoke.

“Could it be that Your Majesty thinks that as long as someone has a high realm, that person knows everything?”

“There are indeed some common arts that, as one’s realm rises, most people naturally come to know.” Jiang Qingyi continued. “But the art of making someone speak true words is the specialty of Daoist cultivators or Yin-Yang school cultivators.”

Jiang Qingyi turned her head away.

“I am a sword cultivator. I do not know such an art, and I disdain learning it. If there is a target I suspect, I would rather kill the wrong one than let it go—I kill with one sword. Where is the need to be as fussy as Your Majesty?”

“All right, then I have disturbed you.” Xiao Mo did not count as disappointed. If she did not know it, then he would find another way.

“Wait.”

Just as Xiao Mo turned to leave, Jiang Qingyi called out behind him.

Jiang Qingyi stood up and walked to Xiao Mo’s side with a nasty expression.

“I also know other arts that can help Your Majesty. Why is Your Majesty leaving so quickly?”

“What art?” Xiao Mo asked curiously.

“Naturally, soul-searching.” Jiang Qingyi looked at Sili and sneered. “As long as the soul is searched, everything becomes clear. Is that not more useful than speak-true-words?”

Hearing she would be soul-searched, Sili’s heart tightened and she could not help taking a step back.

“Are there any side effects?” Xiao Mo asked.

“Yes. Lightly, one loses some memories. Heavily, one becomes witless. The extent varies by person.” Jiang Qingyi said indifferently.

Xiao Mo turned his head and looked at Sili.

Sili was clutching her fragrant sleeves tensely, her face carrying a trace of pallor.

“Forget it.” Xiao Mo shook his head and refused Jiang Qingyi’s suggestion.

“Oh?” Jiang Qingyi folded her arms. “Your Majesty cannot bear to part with a beauty?”

“If she truly is loyal to me, and because of my suspicion I turn her into a witless person, my heart would not be at ease.” Xiao Mo explained.

Hearing Xiao Mo’s explanation, Sili could not help lifting her head and looking at his side profile. Those watery eyes rippled.

“Heh. With Your Majesty so kind, how will Your Majesty seize power in the future?”

Jiang Qingyi sneered and tossed a small box to him from her storage pouch.

Xiao Mo opened the box.

Inside was a delicate little flying sword, only the length of an embroidery needle, and beneath it was a sheet of white paper with an incantation written on it.

Jiang Qingyi no longer paid attention to Xiao Mo. She turned and walked into the room, and her voice carried from behind her.

“This sword is called the Heart-Piercing Sword. It is a seventh-rank magic artifact. Before, when I passed by some place, I casually wiped out a demonic sect and obtained it. As for the flying sword’s effect and how to use this miniature flying sword, it is written on the white paper. Your Majesty can read it personally.”

As the woman’s voice fell, the door shut, and the courtyard sank back into silence.

“Many thanks, Lady Jiang.”

Xiao Mo cupped his hands toward the room, stored the box away, and led Sili out of the National Preceptor’s Residence.

After returning to the sleeping palace, Sili served Xiao Mo in removing his outer robe, then poured Xiao Mo another cup of tea. She puffed her lips, her expression carrying some displeasure.

“This National Preceptor truly is something. Just because she is a cultivator, she thinks she is impressive? She actually spoke to Your Majesty in that kind of tone!”

Xiao Mo took the teacup and smiled.

“Lady Jiang is just like that—sharp mouth, soft heart. On the surface she looks cold to the point of death, and her words never let anyone off, but in truth her heart is very soft. If she truly can help, she will not refuse.”

After drinking a sip of tea, Xiao Mo opened the box and took out the flying sword and the white paper.

Just as Lady Jiang said, this sword was a seventh-rank magic artifact. With Xiao Mo’s current realm, it was just right to use.

So long as Xiao Mo dripped one drop of essence blood onto this miniature flying sword, then inserted the miniature flying sword into Si Li’s brow—

Then whatever Xiao Mo asked Si Li, Si Li would have to answer truthfully. Otherwise, Si Li would suffer heart-devouring pain.

Beyond that, after Si Li had the sword inserted, Si Li would have to receive one thread of Xiao Mo’s sword qi every day.

If more than three days passed without receiving sword qi, this sword would scramble the meridians and Si Li would die violently.

Of course, this magic artifact only worked on those in the Qi Refining Realm and ordinary people.

But that was enough.

“She even said she does not understand ‘speak true words’ type arts.” Looking at the sword, Xiao Mo shook his head speechlessly.

Still, the National Preceptor had not lied. She truly did not know such an art—she had only given him a magic artifact to replace it.

Setting the flying sword down, Xiao Mo handed the white paper to Sili.

“Read it yourself.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Sili took it and read it carefully once through.

As she read, Sili’s eyes carried a trace of tension.

“How is it? Are you willing?” Xiao Mo asked. “If you are unwilling, it is also fine. After all, palace maids like you are originally not in control of yourselves. At that time, I will send you out of the palace. Protecting your life is still something I can do.”

“This servant girl is willing!” Sili knelt before Xiao Mo. “This servant girl is already single-mindedly devoted to Your Majesty and has not the slightest selfish intent!”

“Good.”

Xiao Mo nodded, then used the tip of his sword to pierce his fingertip and dripped # Nоvеlight # one drop of essence blood onto the small sword.

With the incantation recited, the small sword trembled without ceasing and floated in the air.

“Go.”

With Xiao Mo pointing with his sword tip, the miniature flying sword turned into a streak of light and sank into Sili’s brow.

However, the moment the flying sword entered Sili’s brow, it was already suppressed by spiritual power. It could not exert any effect at all, and Sili could destroy it at any time.

“Were you sent by the Empress Dowager?” Xiao Mo asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Sili answered truthfully.

Seeing Sili had no reaction at all, Xiao Mo continued.

“Do you truly intend to be loyal to me and never betray me?”

“This servant girl is absolutely loyal to Your Majesty. No matter what happens, this servant girl will not betray Your Majesty.” Sili spoke again, her eyes extremely sincere.

Seeing Sili still had no reaction, Xiao Mo nodded in satisfaction, knowing that everything she said was true.

“Say it. For you, what do you want most at present?” Xiao Mo continued to ask.

“This servant girl... this servant girl wants nothing at all... this servant girl only wants to serve Your Majesty well.”

And just as Sili finished speaking—

Sili’s brows knit. Her pearly teeth bit tightly into her thin lip. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She panted in great gulps, and her chest rose and fell violently with each breath.

“Mmm...”

Sili clenched her fists and collapsed to the ground, her cheeks flushing with an enticing red.

“Your Majesty... this servant girl... Your Majesty...”

Her eyes looked at Xiao Mo in a haze. With every word, she looked incomparably pained.

Those rounded, springy legs beneath her skirt crossed together, rubbing again and again.

Seeing Sili like this, Xiao Mo could not help going blank for a moment.

Compared to the meridians-being-scrambled pain written on the paper—

Xiao Mo felt Sili looked more like someone who had been dosed with an aphrodisiac.

If Xiao Mo had not cultivated a heart-calming technique, and the rewards from the Book of a Hundred Lives had not strengthened Xiao Mo’s will by quite a bit—

Then with Sili looking like this, ripe for the taking, Xiao Mo truly might not have been able to hold to his original heart.

Only after a full one cup of tea’s time did Sili’s pain seem to gradually lessen, her eyes carrying a trace of lingering fear.

“Say it. What do you want?” Xiao Mo asked again.

Sili trembled as she propped herself up from the ground and sat to the side. Her palace dress clung tightly to her graceful curves.

“This servant girl...”

Sili’s cheeks looked as though she wanted to speak and could not. Her voice seemed guilty to the extreme.

“This servant girl... wants to be favored by Your Majesty...”

“From the moment this servant girl first saw Your Majesty, this servant girl’s heart belonged to Your Majesty. This servant girl has never had this kind of feeling. It is like love at first sight from the books. As long as this servant girl can be with Your Majesty, this servant girl is willing to do anything.”

“This servant girl deceived Your Majesty just now. This servant girl begs Your Majesty to punish this servant girl, but this servant girl truly did not know how to say it out loud...”

“This is truly... truly far too shameful...”

The more she spoke, the more the flush on Sili’s face spread, as though red ink had stained a vat of water, until even her pale earlobes and neck were bright red.

“....” Listening to her words, Xiao Mo fell silent for a time.

Xiao Mo had thought she was hiding something.

Never expected—

What she wanted was actually Xiao Mo himself.

“I forgive you. Get up.” Xiao Mo said to Sili.

“Many thanks, Your Majesty...”

Sili stood and timidly smoothed the rumpled hem of her clothes.

“Your loyalty—I already know it. From today onward, you truly belong to me.” Xiao Mo looked seriously into her eyes. “Rest assured. As long as I am here, I will definitely do everything I can to protect you, and I will absolutely not treat you poorly.”

Xiao Mo poured a cup of tea and handed it to her.

“However, the miniature flying sword within you—I still need to keep it. When the great matter is accomplished, I will remove it.”

Sili accepted the teacup with both hands. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

“In fact, Your Majesty does not need to remove this flying sword. Even if this servant girl keeps this flying sword for a lifetime, it is fine.”

Xiao Mo asked, “Why?”

“Because this servant girl already belongs to Your Majesty. This servant girl wants to remain at Your Majesty’s side for an entire lifetime. With the flying sword or without it—what difference is there?”

Sili smiled brightly.

“Moreover, as long as the flying sword is there, Your Majesty will need to often send sword qi into this servant girl’s body, and this servant girl will be able to see Your Majesty often.”

“...”

Looking at the pure smile on the woman’s face, guilt could not help rising in Xiao Mo’s heart.

She trusted him and was loyal to him like this, yet he still left the flying sword inside her to guard against her changing her heart.

Why did it feel as though Xiao Mo was not being human?

“Go down and rest well.” Xiao Mo gathered his thoughts, waved his hand, and spoke to her.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Sili offered a curtsey and withdrew.

Leaving Xiao Mo’s sleeping palace, Sili returned to her room to rest.

As a personal maid, where Sili lived was only a single wall away from Xiao Mo’s sleeping palace, so that she could quickly come to Xiao Mo’s side.

“My acting just now should have been acceptable.”

Recalling every move and every gesture just now, Sili felt there should not have been any omissions.

“For now, Master should already trust me completely.”

“And after this, as long as I solidify that trust, I can walk further and further into Master’s heart.”

“Perhaps then, I can even accomplish the thing Master and I did not do before...”

The more Sili thought, the more Sili felt the plan was feasible.

But very quickly, Sili frowned.

Inside Sili’s storage pouch, a magic artifact sent a response.

Sili took the magic artifact out of the storage pouch.

It was a jade disk.

On the smooth jade disk, etched marks gradually appeared, quickly forming line after line of words—

“How is it? In Zhou, have you found any clues of Senior Brother’s reincarnation?”

Those words were written by Yu Yunwei, the sect master of Myriad Dao Sect.

Sili extended a finger, about to reply.

But when Sili’s fingertip just touched the jade disk, Sili paused.

Those fox-charming eyes shifted left and right, and in the end, Sili wrote on it—

“For now, I have not discovered Master. I am still inquiring for news.”

At the same time, within a small courtyard in the western outskirts of the Zhou imperial capital—

A woman dressed in plain coarse hemp clothes sat on a stone stool and lifted her head to look at the deep blue sky.

“Migu Migu.”

Hundun flew to Wangxin’s shoulder and rubbed against Wangxin’s cheek.

“I know Sili has already entered the palace for nearly a month.” Wangxin lifted Hundun down from the shoulder, set Hundun on the lap, and stroked Hundun’s head. “Do not worry. Sili is very formidable. Nothing will happen.”

“But...”

Wangxin’s eyes blinked lightly, carrying confusion.

“Sili has been in the palace so long—why has there still been no message sent to me?”