Chapter 598 - 597: Nothing is More Fun than (Fill in the Blank)

Jinghuan’s independent world is picturesque and especially fitting for her refined temperament.

The core of her world is embodied in a secluded valley.

Inside, there is a small and tastefully decorated building called the Leisure Court. A pavilion graces the front of the building.

This is where Li Jing and Jing Huan arrived.

It was Li Jing’s first time entering such an exquisite independent world and he could not help but admire it.

Like his, her world was also full of beautiful landscapes and it was likewise the core of the world.

However, her mountainous region’s layout was more majestic and naturally formed than that of his Little Universe.

Comparatively speaking,

his Canglong Mountain was only superior due to the four Life Trees at the foot of the mountain that constantly released a lot of vitality.

However, this was a hardware issue.

The distinctive feature of Jing Huan’s independent world was its "soft furnishings".

As Li Jing was admiring the scenery, Jing Huan smiled charmingly and spoke out.

"Little brother King Li, don’t just stand there. Please have a seat."

"..."

Li Jing.

Caught off guard by her words, he was in a state of disarray.

Good heavens!

It was already frustrating to be addressed as King Li all day, and now she had just added "little brother" in front of it.

Strangely enough,

her salutation was not inappropriate.

Moreover, her intention was to show closeness to him. What could he possibly say to that?

Quietly cursing Xiang Dong, who had spread his name of King Li all over Donghua Immortal Palace, Li Jing maintained his composure and responded accordingly,

"You are too polite, sister-in-law."

Whilst speaking, he sat down as she had requested.

Jing Huan also took her seat, and with a wave of her hand, she poured two cups of soothing tea from a jade vial and passed one over to him.

"This tea is our Zhongzhou Jing family’s unique creation, named Clear-Heart Tea. It’s quite a common name, but it’s very effective in purifying both body and mind. Little brother King Li, please taste it."

Having personally poured the tea, Li Jing could not possibly refuse.

Jing Huan’s introduction had indeed adequately revealed her lineage.

She was not a native of the Eastern Immortal Domain.

Instead, she was a native of Zhongzhou.

However, Li Jing was not entirely sure about the background of this Zhongzhou Jing family.

Since she was Xiang Dong’s Taoist companion, Li Jing guessed that the Jing family must not be simple.

The Immortal Realm did not advocate the freedom of love like Blue Star.

Here,

they focused more on matching families rather than feelings.

Any woman worthy of Eastern Emperor Donghua would undoubtedly have an enormous legacy behind her.

It would not be surprising if a member of the Jing family held one of the top positions in Donghua Immortal Palace, ensuring the palace’s stance in Zhong Shen Zhou.

Without overthinking, Li Jing took the tea cup and took a whiff.

The tea,

was indeed extraordinary.

Just a whiff of the tea gave him a sense of enlightenment, instantly clearing his mind.

Taking a small sip, Li Jing was taken aback.

The tea was slightly bitter.

However, after swallowing, a sweet aftertaste lingered on his tongue.

In that moment of experiencing the lingering sweetness, all his worries seemed to dissipate, and his thoughts became clearer.

"Excellent tea."

Li Jing praised sincerely.

"If little brother King Li likes it, I can give you some."

Jing Huan casually produced another jade vial and placed it on the table.

"I really appreciate it, sister-in-law."

Without any hesitation, Li Jing accepted the jade vial and discovered that the tiny interior contained several tonnes of specially preserved tea water.

Good heavens!

Such generosity!

Li Jing immediately thought of Li Lingyin.

In the entire immortal realm, only someone like her, a Divinity Taoist who used objects for refining, would casually carry such a large amount of corresponding artifacts.

With this realization, Li Jing instantly understood that the Jing family, which beckoned Jing Huan, was also of Divinity Taoist practice.

They were following the principle of using tea for their spiritual cultivation.

Now that he had understood the background of the Jing family, without a second thought, Li Jing gave her a package of Life Tree leaves.

"It’s not courteous to receive something without giving something in return. I, Li Jing, don’t have much to offer. These are Life Tree leaves, they have limited use for our cultivation, but they can be used in making tea. Since you have a profound understanding of the art of tea, this might be of some use."

Jing Huan’s eyes shone upon hearing his words.

As Li Jing had guessed.

Her cultivation was in Divinity Taoism.

She used tea as a means of cultivation.

The Jing family had been known for this in the entire Zhongzhou.

Li Jing possessed the Life Tree.

Its leaves could be brewed into tea.

Jing Huan had heard of it from Xiang Dong long ago.

She was eager for Xiang Dong to had the opportunity to procure some.

But this man!

He had no initiative!

He was always busy, never charging ahead to take care of such important matters .

today Li Jing "actively" brought his gifts, Jing Huan had a bit of an ulterior motive in mind.

But she hadn’t expected.

Before she had decided how to bring it up, he already offered them up.

Looking at Li Jing who had the demeanour of a Taoist, Jing Huan found him more and more pleasing to the eye as she took the Life Tree leaves and said.

"Your gift is truly valuable this time, younger brother. With these Life Tree leaves, the cultivation in my tea field will surely reach the next level."

After hearing these words, Li Jing indeed was amazed.

No wonder Jing Huan’s tea was so unique.

The several tons of Clear-Heart Tea could be enough for a while.

When the stock runs out, he could always return to ask for more without feeling embarrassed.

Compared to Li Lingyin’s wine.

This tea was better for entertaining guests.

After all, Li Lingyin’s drink was something that could make her drunk, too potent for ordinary humans to handle.

With this in mind, Li Jing fetched another bag of Life Tree leaves.

"I’ve got plenty of these, since they concern sister-in-law’s cultivation, I’ll give you more."

Seeing this, Jing Huan was overjoyed, her radiant smile enchanting.

If Li Jing was not steadfast enough,

This one smile would make him seriously consider if dumplings were more delicious or something else was more fun.

Pulling his gaze from Jing Huan’s face, who was clutching the two bags of "tea leaves" like a treasure, Li Jing took a sip of Clear-Heart Tea to calm himself, then looked up.

"Sister-in-law, did Brother Xiang leave any instructions when he left?"

Hearing his question, Jing Huan looked back.

"Dongzi always said that Prince Li is more cunning and insightful than others. Now that I see it, it’s true. You definitely live up to your reputation."

Saying so, she became serious.

"Dongzi left two days ago. Initially, there was nothing unusual about him going out. After all, given his cultivation level, there are not many who can trouble him in the entire Immortal Realm. But this time, he gave me many instructions before he left, including how to run Donghua Immortal Palace if he doesn’t come back. It was as if he was arranging his last affairs."

Hearing this, Li Jing frowned slightly, waiting quietly for what she would say next.

Jing Huan continued.

"As for you, Prince Li, Dongzi predicted that you might encounter some problems during your journey and would come looking for him. He instructed me that if you do seek him out, you should go back to the Eastern Immortal Domain and wait for his message. Furthermore, he asked me to convey a message to you."

Then, she whispered.

"There are some matters that do not yet need to be dealt with. He must engage in this situation himself. When the time is right, Dongzi will certainly involve you in it. Remember, don’t meddle in affairs recklessly. If you delve second, nobody in the Immortal Realm dares to be first."

Upon hearing Jing Huan’s solemn words, Li Jing fell silent.

Xiang Dong intentionally made it sound like a riddle, insinuating that his involvement would mess things up.

However, one thing was clear to Li Jing.

Xiang Dong knew about this situation.

As the Eastern Emperor Donghua, he was certainly not a pawn.

But he wanted to have a share of the pie.

There was one Xiang Dong.

Then the other three were certainly not left out.

Everyone knew about the "love-hate relationship" among the Four Emperors.

But only a few understood.

Once there were enough benefits, these four could easily band together.

Of course.

Strictly speaking, it’s no longer the four of them, Shi Zixuan had decided to step back.

She might know about this, but she was in the midst of breaking through her cultivation.

Moreover, without Emperor Beiming, she was alone and weak; chances were, she wouldn’t rashly intervene.

What to do?

Go back to find Shi Zixuan?

This might be a way to understand the insider dealings, but it would be improper to disturb her while she was meditating.

Moreover, Xiang Dong wanted him to go back.

So, should he just go back like that?

No way!

Although he still didn’t know what kind of situation it was, it certainly had benefits that could move the Emperor. He had to meddle in it too.

No way!

He couldn’t just "sit and wait".

Waiting for Dongzi’s news, then all the benefits might be gone!

Thinking of this, Li Jing stood up.

"I understand Brother Xiang’s point, sister-in-law please stay here, I will leave first."

Saying this, he turned to leave this independent world.

However, before he could move, Jing Huan suddenly spoke.

"Wait a moment, Brother King Li!"

?

Li Jing paused, turning his head in confusion.

Meeting his gaze, Jing Huan revealed a somewhat shy expression.

"There’s something I would like to ask you, Brother King Li."

Ask?

Me?

Li Jing was taken aback.

Without waiting for his response, Jing Huan bit her red lips and spoke.

"A while ago, someone saw Dongzi in the Western Immortal Realm, inseparable from a stunningly beautiful fox demon. According to what he personally told me, at that time, you, Brother King Li, should have disguised your identity and come to the Donghua Immortal Palace to invite Dongzi to go to the Western Immortal Realm together. However, he did not mention the fox demon later. That fox demon... You should have also seen her, right?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing blinked.

From the sound of Jing Huan, it’s apparent she seemed to be a possessive and jealous individual.

And Xiang Dong told her quite a bit.

This...

Xiang Dong didn’t tell her that the fox demon was his transformation?

She also didn’t ask directly?

Subconsciously, Li Jing wanted to explain.

But then he changed his mind.

"I did indeed see that Fox Demon Empress."

Li Jing spoke out.

"She was absolutely gorgeous! But such a beauty is not within reach for someone like me, who has neither money nor power. She seemed to have a warmer affection for Brother Xiang."

Hearing this, Jing Huan uttered an "oh?" and pulled Li Jing down to sit.

"Please, Brother King Li, explain in detail."

At this moment, Jing Huan’s face was all smiles, yet there was a murderous glint in her eyes.

Seeing this, Li Jing couldn’t help but click his tongue secretly.

Just a moment ago, she was a playful sister-in-law...

Cough!

But in the blink of an eye, she became a ferocious tiger!

As he thought, his own family members were much gentler...

Having come this far with the story, Li Jing naturally couldn’t stop.

At this moment.

He realized he was in a bind.

Essentially, he was happy to see Xiang Dong being bullied...

This guy had made numerous instructions about him at the Donghua Immortal Palace and also had no shortage of plotting behind his back.

Now that the opportunity for revenge had come, how could he miss it?

Immediately, Li Jing quickly drafted a plan in his mind and vividly recounted it to Jing Huan.

It went something like this.

He teamed up with Xiang Dong to stir up trouble in the Western Immortal Realm, but halfway there, they met Xiang Dong’s old acquaintance, the Fox Demon Empress, Jiu Li.

The Empress Jiu Li and Xiang Dong hit it off right away.

Being a wise man, Li Jing immediately retreated behind the scenes and observed their intimate behavior in the shadows.

The more he told this story.

The more murderous Jing Huan became.

To the point where she kept pouring Clear-Heart Tea into her mouth like drinking water, trying to calm her mind.

But once her murderous intentions rose, they were uncontrollable.

The supposedly effective Clear-Heart Tea could only suppress her anger for a few seconds at most.

At this point.

Li Jing realized.

This woman was not the kind and gentle lady he had imagined.

She had a rather explosive temper.

Seeing that Jing Huan kept drinking Clear Heart Tea without uttering a word, Li Jing couldn’t help but secretly laugh and said a silent prayer for Xiang Dong.

"Sister-in-law, men have broad horizons. It’s quite normal for someone like Brother Xiang, who is highly cultivated and of high status, to have a few intimate female friends outside. You shouldn’t take it to heart. I have other matters to attend to; I’ll take my leave now."

With that, Li Jing made a move, decisively choosing to leave.

Seeing him fleeing away so quickly, Jing Huan furrowed her brows, having a vague suspicion that something was wrong.

But by this point, her anger was uncontrollable, even by the Clear-Heart Tea. How could she figure out what was wrong?

Look at how straightforward Brother King Li was,

He gave her two big bags of Life Tree Leaves when he met, which others couldn’t even dream of. They would aid her in her cultivation.

Just like this.

He definitely couldn’t be lying to her, could he?

Thinking back,

Naturally, Jing Huan understands this.

For a character like Xiang Dong, having a few more intimate companions doesn’t really matter.

But she just couldn’t stand this.

"Well done, Dongzi! You probably don’t know why the flowers are so red!"

She grumbled under her breath, abruptly crushing the teacup in her hand, "kacha!". She immediately grabbed the jade vial of tea and threw her head back to down it all.

There were still many people waiting outside.

She wouldn’t allow them to see her in this enraged state.

Otherwise, her carefully cultivated image as the gentle and virtuous Empress of the Immortal Palace would be shattered.

...

Outside.

A few divine emperors indeed were still waiting.

Jing Huan and Li Jing had gone into the separate world together, just the two of them.

Asking them to leave, was simply unthinkable.

Every second and every moment that passed by, they became increasingly restless.

Jing Huan’s fiery temper.

None in the Donghua Immortal Palace knew of it, save for Xiang Dong.

In everyone’s eyes.

This queen was known to be gentle and virtuous, magnanimous and pleasant, her every word and action conforming to the demeanor of a noble lady.

The emissary who arrived was fearsome and forceful.

Without considering the what-ifs.

If the two started fighting and threw words at each other, wouldn’t Jing Huan be at a disadvantage being all alone?

Just as the divine emperors were growing increasingly anxious, Li Jing appeared alone before the crowd.

The sudden appearance of a certain someone, shocked the divine emperors present and they all froze momentarily.

Hm?

He came out!?

Why’s he alone?

That was fast!

Wrong.

Where’s Empress Jing Huan?

Before the crowd could delve too deep into their thoughts, Li Jing gave a toothy grin, ripped open a space-time rift with a wave of his hand and stepped through it, leaving them behind.

Spatial laws!?

And it was the kind of mastery!

The divine emperors present all drew a sharp breath.

...

Haoran City.

At this moment, all was calm once again.

After all, they were in the Immortal Realm of Zhong Shen Zhou, where everyone had rather thick nerves.

Even a fight between immortals was not a big deal for them, who did not take the incidents that happened not long ago seriously at all.

Only after Sun Qu announced that the ancient demon problem had been solved by an expert did the topic become the talk of the town.

The only ones who took it to heart were the Yun family.

After all, they were "imprisoned" in the Little Universe en masse.

After they were put inside, they couldn’t investigate what was happening in the outside world.

They were confined within their own residence.

Before they could figure out what was going on, a few insiders mysteriously felt a change in the demon mark in their bloodline, and this new master seemed to have a familiar relation.

This time.

They naturally thought of Xiang Yunxian who wasn’t "specially taken care of" and not locked in.

The crux of the matter was that everything happened too quickly.

They were only confined for a short while when they felt an abnormal change in the demon mark in their bloodline. Even if it was not related to Xiang Yunxian, she definitely knew what had happened.

Now, the whole city was filled with people from the Yun family looking for Xiang Yunxian.

When Li Jing returned to Haoran City and saw many members of the Yun family, dressed as pharmacists on the streets heading towards the destroyed City Lord’s Mansion, he had to shake his head.

Eastern Immortal Realm.

It was impossible for him to go back for the time being.

At least.

He needed to figure out what was going on.

It wasn’t tactful to find Nalan Que at this moment.

Who knew if he had come out from the blessed land, there was no rush to go to the Nalan family in a couple of days.

Before that.

He might be able to find some sort of connection with Kong Zhi amongst the Confucian scholars.

As for the ancient demon.

His target was clearly not Confucianism.

There must be a connection between the two, but it had nothing to do with the situation.

...