Volume 1, Chapter 19: The Consequence

In the eastern courtyard of the sixth courtyard of the Xingtian family estate, a perfectly square garden was created. It was a time of blooming, with red flowers and fragrant herbs filling the garden. Occasionally, points of light floated up from exotic plants, swirling in the air and gathering strands of spiritual energy before returning to the flowers, making them more vibrant and lush. Drops of nectar and sap naturally seeped out, flowing along small white jade channels into the central pool of the garden.

The pool, about ten yards long and wide, and only two feet deep, was lined with white jade sand. Scattered on the sand were thumb-sized oval jade stones in various colors: green, red, purple, and black. The clear water in the pool shimmered with a faint silver hue, and despite its icy coldness, the gentle ripple of water produced a metallic clinking sound. At the center of the pool, a silver-white pearl the size of a bowl floated, emitting cold light. The water seemed to be attracted to the pearl, swirling around it endlessly.

The white jade channels emptied into the edges of this pool, allowing nectar and sap of deep purple, milky red, pale green, and bright blue to flow in, filling the air with a light, elegant fragrance. A layer of faintly colored mist hovered over the pool, sparkling like a massive gemstone under the scorching sunlight.

Xingtian Huaying lay naked in the pool, her perfectly sculpted body exposed to the daylight. Her skin was flawless, without the slightest pore, except for her long, dark hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes, all without a trace of body hair, as if she were carved from the finest white jade. Occasionally, she would slightly part her legs, revealing a faint pink hue, the only contrasting color on her body besides her red lips.

At that moment, Huaying's abdomen was rising and falling rapidly. Her hands formed a peculiar seal on her navel, with cold flashes of light flickering between her blue-white fingers. The faint silver water of the pool was being absorbed into her skin, only to be expelled with faint traces of blood. Her skin grew even more translucent, taking on a deep jade-green hue. The cold air in the garden intensified, and the flowers and plants absorbed spiritual energy even faster.

Suddenly, a purple jade stone in the pool shattered into fine dust, releasing a milky white stream of energy that Huaying absorbed into her body. A blue-white glow rapidly flickered between her eyebrows, as the surrounding spiritual energy of the five elements converted into streams and flowed into her brow chakra. Overwhelmed with extreme pleasure, Huaying's red lips parted, emitting bone-chilling moans, her body enveloped in a solid blue light.

A melody floated up from a corner pavilion in the garden, reminiscent of cliffs, ancient pines, and branches reaching towards the sky. As the wind blew, the branches swayed, producing a thunderous roar like ocean waves. The melody resonated with nature, drawing hundreds of colorful birds to dance above the garden, joyfully chirping in harmony.

The blue light around Huaying receded as she lazily climbed out of the silver pool, patting her lips with the back of her hand and yawning. Silver droplets rolled off her delicate skin, unable to cling to it.

A gentle breeze rose, styling Huaying's long, cloud-like hair into a large bun, lazily draped at the back of her head. She remained unclothed, walking towards the jade pavilion with a cold, lazy smile on her face. As she strolled along a white jade path, she suddenly stopped, turned her head, and instructed softly, "Zi Qing, bring two cups of tea."

Several girls in heavy black dresses emerged from behind a row of flowering vines. One, with purple-painted nails, knelt respectfully and then exited the garden. The others silently returned to their places behind the vines, sitting motionless like statues around a white jade table.

In the pavilion, Qingyue sat thoughtfully with a jade flute in her hand. A bamboo board covered in tiny script lay before her, marked with red seals indicating it had been reviewed many times before reaching her.

Huaying, with a boneless grace, slid onto a couch beside Qingyue and said coldly, "These are all the details on that barbarian. Qingyue, why do you care so much about a mere southern savage? I even had to call in a favor to have someone rush to his tribe and secretly ask their shaman about him."

Huaying sighed regretfully as her fingers traced her firm chest, "It wasn't worth it. Three primeval jade pieces could save me a year of cultivation. But you, Qingyue, seem to value this information more."

Qingyue placed the jade flute on the table and said with a bitter expression, "Chi Hu Baolong? He's just a barbarian. But he did help me at a critical moment, so I owe him. If I don't repay this debt, my flute playing will suffer, and my skill will not improve."

Huaying, resting her chin in her hand, stared at Qingyue with a teasing voice, "Could it be that you have feelings for this barbarian?"

Sitting up excitedly, Huaying continued, "If you do, you have good taste. He is quite powerful and more manly than those pretty boys of Anyi's aristocracy." She slowly lowered her hand back to her chest.

Qingyue stomped her foot in frustration, "Huaying, stop it! I'm only grateful. Li Tianhou wanted to take me by force. You know his temper. Many girls have died from his abuse. I was in danger, and none of my four brothers helped me. Only that barbarian dared to speak out against Li Tianhou."

Huaying shrugged, seeing Zi Qing return with two cups of tea. With a wave, one cup floated to her hand, and the other landed in front of Qingyue. Sipping the fragrant tea, Huaying placed it on a small table beside her and laughed, "That barbarian didn't know better. He probably didn't understand what it means to be a Marquis. These southern barbarians are fierce and don't care about chivalry. He might have spoken out because he was infatuated with your beauty."

Qingyue huffed, "Regardless, I owe him. And Hun Tianhou made things worse by saying he gave me to that barbarian in front of Li Tianhou. Now Li Tianhou will target him."

Huaying stood and embraced Qingyue from behind, licking her earlobe, "What can I do? Should Hun Tianhou have said he gave you to one of my brothers? If you were with any of them, you'd be in their bed by now."

They sat side by side on the stone bench, Huaying smiling, "Besides, it's better for Li Tianhou to take out his anger on that barbarian than on our family. Who knows, he might become the king one day. It's best not to make him an enemy."

Qingyue sighed, while Huaying eagerly picked up the bamboo board and shattered it into pieces with countless wind blades, scattering the fragments into the garden. She kissed Qingyue's cheek and said, "Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets a good reward. You don't need to worry about it."

Qingyue smiled and kissed Huaying back, their lips meeting in a passionate embrace. After a while, they parted, both with flushed faces.

The two girls playfully teased each other until Qingyue, panting, lay in Huaying's arms. She sighed, "I thought I'd be tortured by rough men. I might as well have died."

Huaying kissed her lips, "How could I let that happen? I made sure Hunyuan Marquis saved you. Even if I couldn't help your family, at least you're safe. There's always hope."

Qingyue glanced at her flute and vowed, "I will make those who betrayed my family pay. The king may be untouchable, but those who slandered us will not escape my wrath."

Her flute emitted a clear note as Qingyue continued, "I will make sure my flute playing is the best in the world. Huaying, make sure that barbarian is safe. I don't want him to suffer because of me."

Huaying nodded, "I'll have Hun Tianhou warn Li Tianhou not to harm him. Plus, my brothers will look after him in the camp. If he dies in battle, it won't be our fault."

Qingyue relaxed in Huaying's arms, softly humming, while Huaying caressed her lovingly.

Just two streets away, in the mansion of Li Tianhou, the thirteenth prince of the Daxia Kingdom, he shouted angrily, "A southern barbarian? Ninth brother gave Qingyue to him? Where is that barbarian? I want him dead!"

In a vast hall, more than ten yards in length and width, devoid of any pillars, stood a scattered group of diverse men. Li Tianhou, his eyes red and his brows furrowed, paced quickly back and forth in the center of the hall. With each step, green light encircled his feet, emitting thunderous sounds, indicating his extreme anger.

There were only a few chairs in the hall, and an old, emaciated man sat on one of the stone stools. The old man, holding a bamboo board, glanced at it and then at the furious Li Tianhou, suddenly letting out a cold laugh, "Thirteenth Prince, you are mistaken."

Li Tianhou halted abruptly, his face switching to a respectful expression. He walked slowly to the old man and sat down beside him, asking for advice, "Mr. Jiang, your words are never wrong. Where have I erred?"

Mr. Jiang rolled his eyes, revealing three pale, ghostly pupils in his left eye that spun rapidly. He said coldly, "Where did you go wrong? What does this have to do with that barbarian? It's clearly Xingtian Huaying who wants to save Qingyue. Hunyuan Marquis, trying to curry favor with the Xingtian family, naturally helped her. And Hunyuan Marquis didn't want to take on the trouble that comes with Qingyue. Among those present, who else could he shift the blame to but that barbarian?"

Mr. Jiang sneered a few times and glanced sideways at Li Tianhou, warning him, "Your biggest rivals are your brothers, yet you only see a small barbarian taking your woman. Ridiculous. If it wasn't for Hunyuan Marquis stirring things up, could that barbarian have taken Qingyue? Moreover, from the information gathered by the secret service, Qingyue is now entangled with Xingtian Huaying. Has that barbarian even touched a strand of her hair?"

Li Tianhou, realizing his mistake, laughed sheepishly, "Mr. Jiang's reprimand is justified. I lost my cool. Qingyue is indeed a fine piece of meat, but now she has fallen into the hands of that cold woman from the Xingtian family. What a pity." His eyes flashed with malice as he lowered his voice, "However, since we cannot touch Hunyuan Marquis, I need Mr. Jiang's help to vent this frustration."

Mr. Jiang pulled out a string of fiery red dried leaves from his sleeve, tore off two leaves, and slowly chewed them. Soon, a flush appeared on his face, and small flames rose from his head. With half-closed eyes, he said, "Indeed, though you cannot vent your anger on that barbarian directly, you can still target him. You can't touch Hunyuan Marquis or the Xingtian family, but taking action against the barbarian is feasible."

Li Tianhou quickly asked, "How so?"

Mr. Jiang gave Li Tianhou a cold look, "First, it will tarnish the reputation of Xingtian Da Feng and his people, gaining favor with the Xiangliu family. You want to ally with the Xingtian family, but can you be as free as Hun Tianhou? Hun Tianhou might already be entangled with Xingtian Huaying, and she might end up marrying him. When Hun Tianhou marries a woman from the Xingtian family, who do you think Xingtian Huaying will favor?"

Li Tianhou, his face dark, touched his groin and said maliciously, "That may not be certain. The Xingtian family has other women. I can always find one to torment."

Mr. Jiang glared at him and snorted, "Nonsense. Why thoroughly offend the Xingtian family? Just tarnish their reputation. This is the perfect opportunity to build a good relationship with the Xiangliu family. Among the four major shaman families, aligning with one is a significant advantage in the future struggle for the throne. Although the Xingtian family controls most of the military power in Anyi, who is weaker among the four shaman families?"

Li Tianhou nodded repeatedly, his face showing excitement, "Alright, I will send someone to the new army camp to kill that barbarian. Xiangliu Laorou and Shengong Kun would be pleased to see his head. Excellent, the Xiangliu and Shengong families, perfect."

Mr. Jiang carefully placed the remaining leaves back into a hidden pouch in his sleeve, nodded, and said, "Good. This is the most direct benefit. If you can't be friends with the Xingtian family's young men, how does it hurt to thoroughly offend them?"

Spitting out a cloud of fire, Mr. Jiang's shriveled form suddenly appeared full of vigor. He advised, "Then, make Hun Tianhou underestimate you. He is watching you closely, waiting for your reaction. If you do nothing, Hun Tianhou will be wary of you. But if you immediately send someone to the new army camp to injure or kill that barbarian, heh heh."

Li Tianhou understood, smiling smugly, "My ninth brother will think I am a foolish hothead who overreacts over a woman, thus shifting his guard away from me."

Mr. Jiang continued, "Yes, and towards the other Marquises. Recently, Feng Tianhou and Cheng Tianhou have gained new followers and resources. If you do something foolish, it will provoke the Xingtian family's anger, making them target you instead of focusing on more critical matters."

Li Tianhou laughed sinisterly, "So, they will underestimate me, while I secretly build alliances."

Mr. Jiang nodded repeatedly, "Exactly. The king fears the princes fighting amongst themselves. Let Hunyuan Marquis and the others fight, while you remain underestimated, quietly building your power."

Thinking of something, Li Tianhou let out a foolish laugh that lasted quite a while.

Mr. Jiang shook his head, looking at the dense script on the bamboo board, muttering, "Seventh-rank shaman warrior? I don't trust Xingtian Da Feng's records. Chi Hu Baolong is likely an eighth or even ninth-rank shaman warrior. Sending four top-tier ninth-rank warriors to the new army camp should suffice. Besides, we might not be the only ones sending people."

Half a day after Xiahou defeated the quartermaster, four ninth-rank shaman warriors from Li Tianhou's estate arrived at the new army camp.