Chapter 538: Senior Brother, Let’s Rest Briefly
Under the crimson sky, a single lamp glowed like a bean in the mountain forest.
Inside a temporary small tent erected beside a cave dwelling, Xu Mulan sat by her bed, her upper body bare, a bloodstained white cloth wrapped around her chest as a female physician accompanying her bandaged her wounds.
“Commander Xu, although the injuries are not too severe, the killing aura in the Eastern Domain is overwhelming. It would be best to recuperate quietly for the next few days.”
“Mmm…”
“Then, I shall take my leave.”
“Mmm.”
After seeing the physician out of the tent, Xu Mulan let out a long sigh. She pulled her clothing back over her shoulders and then used her finger to retrieve a jade slip bearing the Hundred Lotus Sect’s emblem from her storage bag, clutching it tightly.
The jade slip was given to her by Ye Anping earlier when she encountered him.
Due to the presence of other Snow-clothed Guards during her return, she hadn’t had the chance to examine it.
Xu Mulan stood up and walked to the tent entrance, lifting the curtain to peek outside. Seeing that no one was around, she felt relieved and sent her spiritual sense into the jade slip to read the letter within.
[Commander Xu, Sun Juehu’s current invasion of the Eastern Domain with the Hantian Kingdom is not aimed at the Tian Mo Sect, but at Dan Yue Shang Xian.]
[After the immortal family eradicates Yu Yan, she will inevitably settle the thousand-year-old family feud with Dan Yue Shang Xian.]
[Ye predicts that Sun Juehu will very likely appoint you as her personal attendant. This action is not a reward, but a ploy to use you to intercept me, hence this jade slip as a warning.]
[The feud between Dan Yue Shang Xian and the Empress is a family matter, unrelated to the Hantian Kingdom.]
[If Commander Xu believes me, you may escape to a solitary shrine located at a peak approximately three hundred li south of the Tian Mo Sect’s main branch. Within the shrine lies an ancient cultivator’s array that can sever Sun Juehu’s spiritual sense. Wait within the shrine until the matter has concluded, then you may safely return to the Northern Region and reunite with your sister.]
[Ye knows Commander Xu possesses a loyal and courageous heart, unwavering in allegiance to the Hantian Kingdom, but I implore you not to stand between me and Sun Juehu.]
Xu Mulan read the contents of the jade slip word by word, her brow furrowing. Numerous questions arose in her mind:
—Does Her Majesty intend to kill Dan Yue Shang Xian?
—And use her to intercept Ye Anping?
And the last two sentences, were they telling her to flee the Hantian Kingdom immediately and look out for herself?
As Xu Mulan pondered these questions, her mind grew increasingly muddled. She recalled Ye Anping and the group of demonic cultivators from before, and a look of difficulty gradually appeared on her face.
Ye Anping had saved her life twice; that was a fact.
She also believed Ye Anping wholeheartedly.
If Ye Anping asked for her help, or even to marry him, she would undoubtedly oblige.
But now, Ye Anping was asking her to defect?
Her Xu family had served as Snow-clothed Guards of the Hantian Kingdom for generations! Wasn’t this asking her to betray her ancestors?
Furthermore, would Sun Juehu really appoint her as a personal attendant?
Although the Hantian Kingdom’s imperial system was derived from mortal rule, cultivators and mortals were inherently different. Sun Juehu, as the Empress of the Hantian Kingdom, was already a powerful cultivator. She wouldn’t need a “personal attendant.”
Therefore, while the Hantian Kingdom had the position of “Imperial Personal Attendant,” it was only granted under specific circumstances.
This was when the previous emperor was nearing death, and the crown prince lacked sufficient cultivation.
In such a situation, the former emperor would choose the person he trusted most and bestow upon them the title of “Personal Attendant” to protect the crown prince while he was still young and weak.
However, since ancient times, the immortal emperors of the Hantian Kingdom had, at the very least, possessed late-stage Deity Transformation cultivation upon their ascension.
Thus, the position of “Personal Attendant” had not been bestowed in ten thousand years.
Xu Mulan let out a light breath, feeling that Ye Anping might have overthought things. She put the matter out of her mind and prepared to enter the nearby Spirit Gathering Array to cultivate and heal her injuries, resting properly.
But at that very moment.
Tap tap—
“Snow-clothed Guard Commander, Xu Mulan, come out and receive the imperial decree!!”
The voice of the National Preceptor, Chen Yin, came from outside the tent.
Xu Mulan immediately held her breath, her mind going blank. She rushed to go out.
But after taking a step, she immediately came to her senses, turned back to look at the jade slip Ye Anping had given her, and froze in place.
“…”
After Chen Yin’s declaration of the decree, silence fell upon the tent.
After a while, possibly seeing Xu Mulan’s lack of response, Chen Yin outside cleared his throat and asked:
“Commander Xu, are your injuries preventing you from moving easily? May Chen enter the tent?”
“Ah… just a moment.”
Xu Mulan took a deep breath, quickly ran back to put the jade slip on the table into her storage bag, then lifted the tent curtain and walked out.
Chen Yin stood outside, holding a scroll with a golden dragon totem in one hand. After Xu Mulan knelt on one knee, he announced:
“By order of His Majesty. Commander Xu Mulan of the Snow-clothed Guard, for meritorious service in demon subjugation, for virtuous conduct within the palace, and for unwavering loyalty to the Hantian Kingdom. Effective immediately, Xu Mulan is relieved of her position as Commander of the Snow-clothed Guard and is hereby appointed Imperial Personal Attendant. From this day forward, you shall diligently serve the Sun clan’s endeavors. Thus decreed!”
“…”
Xu Mulan nodded and remained kneeling, her expression stunned. The contents of the jade slip once again flashed through her mind.
Seeing her reaction, Chen Yin raised an eyebrow slightly and asked:
“What is it? Commander Xu is unwilling to accept this position? The Imperial Personal Attendant, within the Hantian Kingdom, is of equal standing to myself, the National Preceptor. I recall you have a sister, do you not? After the war in the Eastern Domain concludes, your sister may also receive honors…”
Xu Mulan swallowed and stepped forward, taking the scroll from Chen Yin’s hand with both hands:
“…Yes, this subordinate obeys the decree and thanks His Majesty for his grace.”
“This appointment should have been performed with full ceremony, but given our current location in the Eastern Domain, the proper courtesies cannot be observed. Upon returning to the Northern Region, His Majesty will host a banquet to personally bestow the honors upon you.”
“Yes!!”
Xu Mulan nodded in agreement. After Chen Yin transformed into a beam of spiritual light and returned to Sun Juehu’s cave dwelling not far away, she stood up somewhat unsteadily, holding the dragon-patterned scroll in her hands, and stood there dumbfounded.
Perhaps because Chen Yin’s voice had been quite loud, several Snow-clothed Guards in nearby tents had also heard it. They now emerged from their tents and surrounded Xu Mulan.
“Commander Xu, have you been demoted or promoted? What is an Imperial Personal Attendant? I’ve never heard of it before.”
“It’s said that only those personally chosen by His Majesty can hold this position. It seems to be equivalent to the National Preceptor, and it’s a high-ranking official position that can be hereditary. When His Majesty is absent, one can freely command the cultivators of the Hantian Kingdom.”
“That’s amazing…”
…
Xu Mulan looked at the few young women gathered around her. After a moment of silence, she said:
“Alright, alright! Didn’t you girls just get injured by the demonic cultivators? Go back and tend to your wounds properly.”
“Yes~ Minister Xu! Heh…”
“…”
These were all women Xu Mulan had personally trained. Because of this, they were genuinely happy for her upon hearing that Xu Mulan had become the “Imperial Personal Attendant,” but Xu Mulan herself could not feel any joy.
She urged the girls to return to their tents with a furrowed brow, then sighed and looked up at the moon, stained crimson by the killing aura, hanging in the sky.
“Young Master Ye, what exactly is this…”
…
——-
Amidst rolling clouds, over twenty flying swords skimmed the treetops of the forest below, accompanied by the occasional chirping of birds and the calls of beasts.
Feng Yu Die and Gu Ming Xin followed at the rear of the group, one on each side, their eyes scanning for any disturbance in their surroundings. Above, Xiao Tian and Xue E acted like two radar units, continuously sweeping the area within a hundred li with their spiritual sense for any living beings.
At the forefront of the group, Ye Anping, wearing a bamboo hat, gazed thoughtfully at a small tower, no larger than a bean, on the horizon.
Honestly, before coming to the Eastern Domain, he hadn’t expected to encounter Xu Mulan.
What surprised him most was that Xu Mulan had also reached Nascent Soul Formation.
He surmised that after he returned from the Northern Region to the Western Regions, Xu Mulan must have been directly transferred to Han Yue City, where she received ample pills and rare materials for cultivation, thus enabling her to successfully form her Nascent Soul.
This, in turn, confirmed one thing.
—He had made a mistake.
Back in the Northern Region, he had been worried about Xu Mulan being targeted by Sun Juehu, so he had left in quite a hurry.
Now, it seemed his relationship with Xu Mulan had still been discovered by Sun Juehu.
He had to admit, she was indeed an old hag.
But Ye Anping wasn’t surprised.
This was Sun Juehu’s typical modus operandi.
She and her ancestors, when wanting to control someone, would most often use that person’s family, friends, or lovers as hostages, thereby coercing them into serving her.
Previously, Sun Juehu had used him to threaten Si Xuanji.
And now, she was trying to use Xu Mulan to threaten him.
…
“Young Master Ye, the Palace Master is in the cave dwelling at the base of that mountain ahead.”
The ghost-faced demonic cultivator beside him pointed forward and nodded to remind him.
Upon hearing this, Ye Anping immediately stopped his thoughts, glanced in the direction indicated, nodded, and then followed him as they flew down on their swords, landing at the entrance of a cave dwelling protected by a restriction.
Mo Chi Ling seemed to have known they were coming.
As their party landed, she rolled her wheelchair out of the cave dwelling with a rumbling sound.
Her eyes, visible beneath the bandages covering her face, looked at Ye Anping silently for a moment before she softly asked the ghost-faced demonic cultivator to return to the cave:
“Chi Gui, take your people back into the cave to rest. You’ve worked hard.”
“…Yes, Palace Master.”
After seeing them off, Mo Chi Ling pouted slightly, glanced at Feng Yu Die and Gu Ming Xin beside her, then rolled her wheelchair forward and said:
“Fairy Feng and Sister Gu, please rest inside the cave. I wish to speak with Young Master Ye alone.”
Feng Yu Die didn’t say anything. She glanced at Ye Anping, and upon seeing him nod, moved to pull Gu Ming Xin into the cave entrance.
“Blackie, let’s go! Young Master Ye wants us to excuse ourselves!”
“I’ll go, don’t pull me.”
“I will!”
Watching the two enter the cave, Mo Chi Ling couldn’t help but chuckle, teasing:
“It seems Gu and Fairy Feng are getting along quite well?”
“Is that so?”
Ye Anping sounded uncertain. He glanced at Xue E and Xiao Tian, who had flown down.
It seemed they had been arguing in the sky again, and now Xue E was chasing Xiao Tian with her sword:
“You goldilocks! Stop right there!!”
“Hmph~~ You want me to stop? Am I stupid?”
…
“Sigh-” Ye Anping let out a long breath, looking somewhat helpless. He then turned to Mo Chi Ling and asked, “Palace Master Mo, what did you wish to discuss?”
“I previously received a jade slip from Chi Gui, saying that Commander Xu Mulan of the Hantian Kingdom’s Snow-clothed Guard had been pursuing them, but you suddenly appeared and saved Commander Xu.”
Ye Anping shook his head and gave a wry smile, squinting sarcastically:
“Heh heh, Senior Mo, your ears are indeed sharp. I’ve been traveling with Chi Gui the entire time, and I didn’t see him send you any jade slips.”
“Ah… please don’t misunderstand. This isn’t a lack of trust in Young Master Ye. It’s precisely because of my sharp ears that I’ve been able to survive since escaping the Tian Mo Sect.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Mo Chi Ling narrowed her eyes and smiled, carefully choosing her words as she asked:
“So, Young Master Ye places great importance on Commander Xu?”
“I know what you’re trying to say.” Ye Anping shrugged slightly. “I’m not such a fool that I would forget the bigger picture for one person. Letting her go was simply because I didn’t see the necessity of killing her.”
“Mmm…” Mo Chi Ling lowered her gaze slightly and asked cautiously, “If Young Master Ye is still hesitant, why not leave this matter to me?”
Hearing this, Ye Anping pondered for a moment before understanding her intention.
In other words, if he nodded now, Mo Chi Ling would likely send someone to help him “bury” Xu Mulan.
“No need.”
“Really no need?”
Ye Anping shrugged slightly and smiled, “Palace Master Mo’s objective is only Yu Yan. Xu Mulan’s matter has nothing to do with Yu Yan. You don’t need to interfere.”
Mo Chi Ling replied softly:
“I also wish to help Young Master Ye resolve his troubles…”
“Really no need. This matter has already been arranged. Palace Master Mo should focus on matters concerning the Tian Mo Sect… Where is the Xuan Xing Sect now?”
“They have passed Blood Demon Gorge and should reach the Tian Mo Sect within about fifteen days.”
“Then we wait. I’ve been traveling for so long; I want to rest properly.” Ye Anping stretched.
Mo Chi Ling smiled, her eyes narrowing:
“Naturally. I have already prepared sleeping quarters for Young Master Ye. Please follow me into the chamber.”
Ye Anping looked at her and jokingly replied with a shake of his head:
“Speaking of which, Senior Mo, aren’t you much older than I am?”
“Do cultivators care about age?” Mo Chi Ling pursed her lips and glanced at him. “Could it be that my voice sounds old, or that I look old?”
“Heh… Older than the last young lady who referred to herself as ‘Xiao Nü Zi’ in front of me.”
Mo Chi Ling puffed out her cheeks and complained:
“…Young Master Ye really doesn’t know how to please young ladies. How can you say such things in front of them?”
“Heh heh…”
…
