Chapter 12: The Three Lords on the Throne.
‘Hey, your grandpa! Why so much nonsense?’
Qian Junyou cursed inwardly. He had just managed to salvage a bit of his image, yet here he was handing back the simp gifts that the idiot “Qian Junyou” had prepared for Bai Shuxi.
“Wait? Little shopkeeper, don’t talk nonsense! These two items are not prepared for Miss Bai!”
Qian Junyou hurriedly added, but no matter how he said it, it sounded fake—like a last-minute change of plan. The little fatty stood there stunned for a moment, clearly confused.
When Bai Shuxi heard about the two treasures, her expression changed instantly. She had been searching for these two items herself. If she could obtain them, her cultivation would advance even faster!
“Shopkeeper, how much did Prince Rui pay you for them?”
“These two treasures are extremely valuable. This cultivation manual has been lost for many years, and this sword is the only one of its kind in the world. Prince Rui really went all out! He spent 1,200 superior-grade spirit stones!”
The small shopkeeper’s face was full of excitement, clearly very skilled in business. When helping the Prince Rui’s heir put on a show, the more expensive the items, the more sincerity the heir displayed!
But Qian Junyou wanted to strangle him! Damn it, he had inflated the price by forty times! He actually dared to say that! Did that mean he had thrown away an entire year’s income of the Prince Rui’s residence?!
Bai Shuxi gritted her teeth. The importance of these two items to her was self-evident, but she refused to lower her head to the person she hated in front of her just for them.
“From what you just said, the payment hasn’t been made yet, right? I’ll pay you 1,300 superior-grade spirit stones. Sell them to me directly.”
1,300 superior-grade spirit stones was no small sum for the entire Bai family, but on the path of immortal cultivation, many things could not be measured by money.
“Huh? Little shopkeeper, these items were ordered by me!? Do you want to offend the Prince Rui’s residence? Think carefully!”
Qian Junyou spoke with some reluctance, but he knew that 1,300 superior-grade spirit stones was equivalent to five full years of income for a merchant like this!
Even if the small shopkeeper offended him and ran away with the money, he could simply stop doing business in the capital. He would be making a fortune. After all, merchants were profit-driven, and this amount was enough for an ordinary person to live on for a lifetime!
The small shopkeeper’s eyes turned green with greed. He looked like a startled groundhog, his fat cheeks trembling as he stared wide-eyed at Qian Junyou.
‘What does that look mean? Is he still expecting me to raise the price?’ Qian Junyou cursed inwardly.
Raise the price? That would be too much of a loss. These items were useless to him, and his father might skin him alive.
Don’t raise the price? After being humiliated by Bai Shuxi, the items would still end up in her hands. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became!
Seeing the small shopkeeper hesitating, Bai Shuxi continued to press her advantage:
“I know you’re in a difficult position. If you feel this price is not enough, we can discuss it further. I just need to speak with my family first.”
“This…”
The small shopkeeper looked terrified and took a step back. Seeing him waver, Bai Shuxi kept striking while the iron was hot.
“Our Bai family is also the vice-chair of the Yong’an City Chamber of Commerce. If you’re interested in developing business there, we can make things convenient for you.”
Bai Shuxi had guessed his concerns and even arranged a way out for him.
Qian Junyou sighed and shook his head. He wasn’t a true great villain and didn’t want to make things difficult for others.
“Miss Bai, are you planning to snatch something from this young prince?”
He turned to look at Bai Shuxi, preparing to pressure her directly. However, before her father was imprisoned, this Miss Bai wasn’t afraid of him at all!
Just as Qian Junyou felt this round was probably lost and was about to give up,
the small shopkeeper rubbed his eyes, lowered his head, pouted, and spoke with a voice that even carried a crying tone as he slowly said to Bai Shuxi:
“I’m truly sorry… Miss Bai. My father taught me from a young age that in business, we can sell anything except our credibility!
…These items were entrusted to me by Prince Rui. If you truly want to buy them, you should speak with the heir himself!”
After the little fatty finished speaking with a wronged expression, he even clasped his hands and bowed.
Qian Junyou was instantly moved by him and even felt like crying. He patted the man’s shoulder and leaned close to his ear:
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you earn it back!”
After speaking, he straightened his back with great satisfaction and said to Bai Shuxi:
“Miss Bai, this small shopkeeper misunderstood earlier. These two treasures are a congratulatory gift I prepared for my aunt. She also possesses the Water珀 Glazed Jade Body! If Miss Bai were to obtain these two items, her cultivation speed would indeed increase tremendously. But I’m sorry!”
Bai Shuxi frowned. His aunt? There were only a few princesses in the imperial city, and none of them had the Water珀 Glazed Jade Body! He was clearly trying to make things difficult for her on purpose…
“I was rude. It was Shuxi who overstepped…”
Bai Shuxi lowered her head slightly in a polite bow, but she still clenched her teeth. She thought that Qian Junyou probably couldn’t win her over and had become angry out of embarrassment…
Although she felt somewhat unwilling to miss out on these two treasures, it was fine. At least things would be quieter.
Seeing Miss Bai’s anxious and puffed-up expression, Qian Junyou felt extremely refreshed. Before leaving, he couldn’t resist adding one more line:
“By the way, next time you see me, just treat me as a stranger! Also, the Prince Rui’s residence doesn’t have the ability to meddle in your Bai family’s affairs! This prince will take his leave first!”
No matter how arrogant Bai Shuxi acted now, tomorrow she would still have to come beg him. No matter how proud she was at the moment, she would have to lower her head tomorrow. There was no need to entangle with her any further right now.
However, Qian Junyou had only taken a few steps into the main hall when he heard rapid footsteps behind him. Someone was rushing toward him from behind.
The filthy whispers sounded in his ears once again. He turned his head to the side and saw that Bai Shuxi had already charged up behind him. Before he could react, she grabbed his arm and yanked him backward with force.
Along with his butt hitting the ground came a loud crash in front of him—
“Bang—!”
The massive spirit stone chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the hall suddenly came crashing down. It landed right in front of Qian Junyou. Everyone in the hall was startled. The originally noisy hall erupted in cries of alarm, fell silent for a moment, then became noisy again. All eyes and conversations focused on them.
Bai Shuxi helped Qian Junyou up and asked:
“Young Master… are you alright?”
“…”
Qian Junyou clenched his teeth tightly and remained silent. Bai Shuxi, holding his arm, could feel every muscle in his body tensed up, his arteries pulsing and swelling along with his heartbeat, as if he was arm-wrestling with someone…
“…Young Master, please be careful. Shuxi will take her leave first.”
Bai Shuxi bowed politely and turned to leave.
The sudden shock brought Qian Junyou a brief moment of clarity, but the power inside his body did not let go of this opening. Only after Bai Shuxi walked away could he finally catch his breath.
The huge square-shaped bronze chandelier had fallen from such a height. If it had hit him, even if it didn’t kill him, he would probably have to lie in bed for quite some time.
Watching Bai Shuxi’s departing figure, Qian Junyou’s feelings were complicated… Owing her a favor at a time like this…
The accompanying attendant and the hall’s young master were both terrified. If it had really hit the heir, they would be in deep trouble. They stepped forward and offered all kinds of apologies.
As Bai Shuxi walked away, she thought to herself: Why does it feel like Qian Junyou has suddenly become a completely different person?
Has he lost interest in her? Or does he have a new love? Neither seemed right. His entire way of speaking and his aura were completely different from before.
…………
…………
Qian Junyou made his way to the treasure pavilion and indeed found the immortal sword. It didn’t have any dazzling golden light or gorgeous special effects, but the blade reflected an extreme silver brilliance.
After a thousand years, it still shone so brightly—it was probably the real thing. Qian Junyou tapped it with his hand. Sure enough, the inside was hollow as well.
“The pawn period for this sword has also expired. Shall we discuss a price?”
This was the ninth loop. Qian Junyou had finally seen the treasure he had been longing for and was eager to claim it on the spot.
For the Prince Rui’s residence, money was naturally not an issue, and this was already beyond what money could compare to.
“Prince Heir, although it is an ordinary-grade item, its appraisal belongs to the Heavenly-grade collection. We cannot make the decision. We have to wait… until the hall master returns. We are truly sorry!”
The pavilion master and vice hall master both shook their heads, indicating they were powerless.
“Ah? Then when will the hall master be able to return?”
“It should be… in another four days.”
Four days later again? Qian Junyou could only give up for now and repeatedly instructed them to keep it for him. He was determined to obtain this sword.
…………
…………
When he returned home that evening, Prince Rui was overjoyed to learn that Qian Junyou could continue cultivating. He had the servants prepare a large table of fine dishes and invited several officials from the palace along with a few high-cultivation elders to the residence as guests.
Even the Grand Preceptor, Grand Tutor, and Grand Protector—the Three Dukes, first-rank ministers who assisted the emperor—were invited. Two were at the Body Integration stage and one at the Hollow Void stage. The Emperor also said he would host a private banquet to celebrate another day!
There weren’t many officials in the palace with cultivation. Most civil officials rose through the imperial examination system. The entire imperial clan was actually like a sect, relying on extremely high-cultivation elders and ancestors to maintain their rule.
Qian Junyou was stunned. He knew his family had high status, but he hadn’t realized it was this high…
After the feast, Prince Rui left with the other officials first, leaving only the “Three Dukes” and Qian Junyou behind.
The Grand Preceptor, Grand Tutor, and Grand Protector were collectively called the Three Dukes. They were the highest positions assisting the emperor. The phrase “Three Dukes and Nine Ministers” referred to them. Although the three held no real power, their status was the most noble and prominent. It was said they had retired from the Cabinet a long time ago.
It was said that all three were over five hundred years old. When Qian Junyou’s grandfather was still a prince, these three had already held these positions.
He had thought the three were only here to check his cultivation, examine his spiritual roots and talent. But the first words from the Grand Preceptor shocked Qian Junyou.
“Prince Heir, when you were guiding qi into your body, were there strange beasts circling in your state of mind?”
Qian Junyou’s facial expression froze completely. His heart received a massive shock.
He had thought that only he knew about the evil qi and the demonic beings in his heart. Turns out these old fellows already knew!
After he described what he had seen in his sea of consciousness to the three elders, their expressions became complicated. Their faces were filled with worry, distress, and a trace of relief.
“Remember… you must never mention this matter to others, or you will be targeted by those with ill intentions.”
“If you wish to continue cultivating, you must strengthen your mind and consolidate your primordial spirit. Do not push yourself too hard.”
“Your ability to suppress your heart demons and drive away the evil qi has already far exceeded our expectations. You can take cultivation slowly. Do not be impatient.”
Each of the three spoke one sentence, but they remained silent about what exactly the heart demons were and where they came from.
The Grand Preceptor gently patted Qian Junyou’s shoulder and adjusted his qi meridians as he slowly said:
“Three hundred thousand years ago, giant beasts roamed this world and demons ran rampant. Primordial gods divided the world into two, making it difficult for demons to harm the human realm again.
Later, great immortal experts sealed that world and demoted it into a dream realm.
Do not investigate their existence too deeply. Even we do not know their true appearance.
However, as long as you are still alive, treat them as if they do not exist! If you have any questions, you can come to us anytime.”
Listening to them felt like listening to a speech! The useful information the three gave Qian Junyou was very little. As for all the questions he raised—
including death and time reset, the voices in his mind, the dead horses at home, the notebook, the black-clothed man, and the wine given by that old Daoist—the three either didn’t know or couldn’t say…
“Some immortals still yearn for the worldly pleasures of the mortal realm. As for that pot of wine, there is no need to overthink it.”
Before leaving, they also gave one final suggestion:
“When you reach Foundation Establishment, go to the Spirit Gate Sect. We will help recommend you to the sect master.”
The Spirit Gate Sect was one of the largest sects on the continent and a holy land in the hearts of countless immortal cultivators.
In the original novel, after the protagonist killed Qian Junyou and was captured, he eventually escaped to the Spirit Gate Sect. It happened that an inner sect disciple had gone missing, so he was taken into the inner sect.
If possible, Qian Junyou still hoped to stay far away from the protagonist. After all, his family was the one that had wiped out the protagonist’s entire clan!
After seeing off the Three Dukes and the officials with his father, Qian Junyou returned to his room and took out the notebook that belonged to the “original owner of this body.” He thought there might be relevant records inside.
While reading the notebook, he could understand its contents, but after finishing, his memory would be erased and the notebook would burn to ashes.
This time, Qian Junyou planned to read while recording the key contents on another piece of paper.
As before, the moment he opened the notebook, even the content on the first page shocked him greatly. The later pages left him even more dumbfounded.
In the end, the result was the same. A wave of headache hit him, his memories receded like a tide, and the notebook spontaneously combusted, burning into ashes.
All the key information he had recorded on the other piece of paper also disappeared completely…
…………
…………
However, that night, the Prince Rui’s residence was not the only place holding a banquet. On the other side, a group of people were also discussing around a wine table—except one side was joyful while the other was worried.
“Everything is going according to plan, but the spy from the Court of Judicial Review said that this morning the Prince Rui’s heir went to the scene to take a look.”
A fat, big-eared old man with a dry, hoarse voice spoke while tapping the table, his face full of worry. A circle of gloomy-faced people sat around him. After the old man spoke, everyone began discussing noisily.
“Then… since Prince Rui is not behaving, shall we… treat him as a discarded piece?”
“The Prince Rui’s residence has too strong a foundation. Let the Bai family clash with them. Whichever side loses… will take the blame.”
“Fine, I’ll make the arrangements.”
After the group reached an agreement, a relatively young man put on black clothes, left the banquet, and headed straight for the Bai family.
…………
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Time arrived at the third day. The night before, Qian Junyou had gone to sleep thinking about how to ruthlessly mock Miss Bai the next morning to feel the most satisfied.
Although he owed her a favor, remembering her prejudice against him, he still felt he couldn’t swallow his anger. As for whether he would actually help her or not? He would decide after talking.
‘Finally, it’s my turn!’
He would first make her wait for several hours, then properly praise her for being young and promising and reaching Foundation Establishment eighth layer. After that, he would show off the two treasures from yesterday and chat about…
However, before he could finish his sweet dream, he was woken up early in the morning by a servant.
“Young Master, wake up quickly! You need to enter the palace to meet the Emperor!”
“Damn, so early?”
Normally, Qian Junyou would sleep until noon since he had nothing to do. According to the previous loop’s plot, there was no palace visit on the third day, right?
So when the old emperor said he would host a private banquet another day, he meant the next morning?
Of course the Emperor wouldn’t come to their house for a meal like yesterday. Calling him to the palace was normal, but it was still way too early.
Because he rarely ate breakfast, his stomach hurt a little in the mornings. He had this bad habit before transmigrating, and surprisingly, this guy had the same habit after transmigrating. In a way, the two of them were somewhat similar.
“I’ll sleep a little longer. Tell them I’ll be there later.”
Muttering nonsense with almost no regard for consequences, Qian Junyou dove back under the covers. The main reason was that he still wanted to wait until Miss Bai arrived so he could thoroughly wash away his previous shame!
Last night he had already prepared over twenty sets of sharp lines. He wanted to make this girl suffer a bit and let her know that he had the ability to help, but he simply would not help!
Nalan Xueya quickly walked into the room and explained softly from the side:
“Young Master, you can’t sleep anymore. Get up quickly! Miss Bai has filed a complaint with the Emperor, saying that the fire at the disaster victims’ camp was orchestrated behind the scenes by the Prince Rui’s residence. Now it awaits the Emperor’s judgment.”
“So annoying, it’s Bai Shuxi again…”
Half-asleep, Qian Junyou wrapped himself tighter in the blanket. After sulking for a few seconds, he suddenly jumped up from the bed.
“Huh? That crazy girl filed a complaint with the Emperor?!”