Villainous Emperor (15)
Song Xu Yi couldn’t know the extent to which Jiang Ruoyu was currently being possessed by the Divine Attractor. In that last moment, Jiang Ruoyu’s face was the same as before, but her entire demeanor seemed completely different.
Yet, Jiang Ruoyu still yearned for her.
Even though her room held the dragon robe, seemingly indicating that she was about to become the Emperor, for some reason, Song Xu Yi always felt that Jiang Ruoyu was like a candle nearing its end, and everything she saw was just the final brilliance…
Since she had decided to keep Jiang Ruoyu, Song Xu Yi considered her her responsibility. Moreover, this time, Jiang Ruoyu had made a contract with the Divine Attractor for her sake.
During their time in Guozhou, all the “Saintesses” possessed by the Divine Attractor had eventually turned into flowers and disappeared from the Mortal Realm. With two years left until the Divine Attractor’s designated ten-year period, Song Xu Yi worried that Jiang Ruoyu would also meet the same fate in the end.
But now that she had just recovered from a long illness, compared to the Divine Attractor, her strength was indeed too weak. If she were to confront the Divine Attractor, not only would she be unable to save Jiang Ruoyu, but she might also end up being caught in the situation herself.
Song Xu Yi racked her brain but couldn’t think of any good solutions. Throughout the whole day, she furrowed her brows, feeling helpless. It was then that the system came up with an idea for her.
“Xu Yi, you need to learn how to seek support,” the system sighed and advised Song Xu Yi. “The reason you can’t do anything in this situation is that you’re currently a little fox with weak powers. But don’t forget, behind this body, there are your parents who relied on the original host. They are also people who believe in repaying kindness; otherwise, they wouldn’t have let the original host go to Jiang Kingdom for so many years to repay the favor.”
“You can try telling your parents about this situation. Perhaps they will come up with a solution to help you…”
Song Xu Yi felt a bit embarrassed from relying on her parents.
I never expected that after being in this world for so long, I would still end up relying on my parents. However, the flow of time between the Divine Realm and the Mortal Realm is not the same. If I continue to procrastinate, by the time I have the ability, Jiang Ruoyu might have turned into ashes. After much consideration, Song Xu Yi decided to tell her parents about Jiang Ruoyu being burdened by her and possessed by the Divine Attractor.
“Xu Yi, you’ve really grown up!”
Father Song and Mother Song looked at Song Xu Yi with deep emotion. Their family has always believed in karma and doing good deeds, but they ended up with the original host, who solely focused on cultivation and disregarded the outside world. Now, seeing Song Xu Yi finally have the desire to repay her benefactor and save her savior from danger, Father Song and Mother Song felt extremely gratified.
And indeed, Father Song came through. Before long, he presented Song Xu Yi with a special mirror.
“This mirror is called ‘Mirror of Illusions.’ The time inside is a hundred times slower than the outside world, but we need to be cautious not to disrupt the heavenly balance. Each person can only spend a maximum of three months inside the mirror in their lifetime, which happens to suit your current situation.”
As Father Song spoke, he handed a talisman to Song Xu Yi. As soon as Song Xu Yi’s finger touched the talisman, it seamlessly merged into her body.
Immediately, Song Xu Yi underwent a visible transformation—
Her original appearance was exceptionally beautiful, with a celestial air due to her innate divine heritage. However, after touching the talisman, Song Xu Yi’s cheeks became chubby, her nose became more rounded, and her eyes became slightly larger. She resembled a playful deer leaping through the woods, sharing only about 30 to 40 percent resemblance with her former self.
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“Recently, the Divine Realm has vaguely sensed the disturbance caused by the Divine Attractor,” Father Song expressed his concern. “Now that Jiang Bai is absent, and we haven’t reached a consensus, but if the turmoil in the Mortal Realm continues, it is likely that divine beings will descend…”
“Xu Yi, for now, you will act in the Mortal Realm using this body. See what the current situation is in Jiang Kingdom. This is a physical transformation talisman. Unless you voluntarily reveal yourself, no one can detect your divine origins. However, you must be cautious. The Divine Attractor is cunning and treacherous. Unless absolutely necessary, do not expose your magical abilities.”
“Repaying kindness should not be forced. Do what you can and leave the rest to fate. If your benefactor is completely taken over by the Divine Attractor, remember not to insist on it. Return home as soon as possible. With so many gods in our family, we will surely help you avenge your benefactor and eradicate the Divine Attractor…”
Father Song admonished Song Xu Yi for a while before sending her to the Mortal Realm.
She landed outside the capital city of Jiang Kingdom.
To Song Xu Yi, this city gate was not unfamiliar. In her memory, it hadn’t been long since she and Jiang Ruoyu left the city to go to Guozhou. However, in reality, eight years had passed.
The city wall looked no different from before, towering as it always had. However, as soon as Song Xu Yi reached the city gate, she noticed something unusual.
When Song Xu Yi left the capital city years ago, it was like any bustling capital. People constantly flowed in and out of the city gate, and tourists crowded the streets.
However, at this moment, both the people entering and leaving the city gate appeared somber. Everyone had a serious expression, avoiding eye contact with others. There was no one exchanging greetings as they passed by…
What had happened?
Song Xu Yi discreetly surveyed her surroundings, keeping her head down as she mingled with the crowd and entered the city gate.
Compared to the lively atmosphere she had secretly maintained eight years ago, the streets of the capital city now appeared much quieter. Many storefronts displayed white flags, and although there were still vendors along the way, everyone had a tense expression. The entire capital city was enveloped in a suffocating atmosphere.
Song Xu Yi felt too conspicuous walking alone on the road. After some thought, she checked into the inn closest to the palace.
Song Xu Yi rented an upper room and called a waiter to bring some snacks to her room. Her original intention was to use money to loosen the waiter’s tongue since inn waiters were often well-informed.
However, to Song Xu Yi’s surprise, when she expressed her intention, the waiter repeatedly refused and nervously glanced at a corner of the room.
Song Xu Yi noticed a wooden carving of a crescent moon made from locust wood placed in the corner.
This is…
Song Xu Yi widened her eyes.
“Some things are better left unasked. This is the guidance of the Divine Attractor,” the waiter’s words further confirmed Song Xu Yi’s speculation. The waiter respectfully bowed to the wooden carving, saying, “Miss, if you stay in the city for a little longer, you will come to know what you seek.”
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Song Xu Yi furrowed her brows as she watched the waiter leave the room.
Her gaze involuntarily fell upon the wooden carving of the crescent moon, the representation of the Divine Attractor in the Mortal Realm, just like Song Xu Yi’s divine statue served as her eyes and ears in the Mortal Realm. The promotion of the Hidden Moon Sect had established the locust wood crescent moon as a symbol of the Divine Attractor’s presence in the Mortal Realm.
Ever since she couldn’t find any divine statues in the capital city the last time, Song Xu Yi had mentally prepared herself for Jiang Kingdom no longer worshiping her and instead worshiping the Divine Attractor. However, she never expected that the eyes and ears of the Divine Attractor would be present in a small inn room. Fear, anxiety, and other emotions nourished the Divine Attractor, and judging by the waiter’s evasive attitude, the strength of the Divine Attractor had likely become even more unfathomable over the years…
Song Xu Yi settled down in the inn. During the day, she strolled through the streets, and at night, she entered the Mirror of Illusions to cultivate her powers. After a few days, Song Xu Yi’s divine power had somewhat recovered, and she finally learned what had happened during these eight years.
Eight years ago, a massive fire broke out in the palace. After the flames were extinguished, the palace had suffered extensive damage. The Emperor lost several children in the fire, and although he survived, he was injured and unable to attend court due to his burns. As a result, his authority gradually waned.
Initially, the Emperor intended to nurture a favored child as the Crown Prince. However, that child, whom the Emperor had chosen, died shortly afterward. The Emperor had no choice but to support another candidate…
Yet, this candidate did not last long either.
As the succession of heirs kept dying one after another, the Emperor grew suspicious. However, it was already too late. Jiang Xin, who had become a cripple with disabled legs due to the fire and had become an invisible presence in the palace, approached the Emperor with a bowl of poisoned medicine and revealed the truth: all the successors he had intended to groom were killed by her!
Jiang Xin, by some means, managed to establish contact with the Hidden Moon Sect. With their assistance, she killed all the successors the Emperor had chosen and ascended to the throne herself.
Once Jiang Xin became the Empress, her madness and tyranny grew even more pronounced. First, she overthrew all the shrines dedicated to the Divine Goddess and declared the Hidden Moon Sect as the state religion. The entire nation began to worship the Divine Attractor, and in the following years, she ruthlessly slaughtered her remaining siblings, framed loyal officials, and plunged Jiang Kingdom into chaos.
A few years after Jiang Xin took the throne, witnessing her increasingly brutal and capricious rule, the ministers who found themselves trapped in a perilous situation sought out the exiled child of the late Emperor, the only remaining heir, Jiang Ruoyu. They detained Jiang Xin and brought Jiang Ruoyu back to the capital, imploring her to assume the throne.
Strangely enough, the Hidden Moon Sect, which had been complicit with Jiang Xin, did not oppose Jiang Ruoyu’s ascension.
According to the common people, initially, Jiang Ruoyu was reluctant to assume the throne. It was only after Jiang Xin, who had been under house arrest, suddenly committed suicide in her room not long ago, that Jiang Ruoyu reluctantly agreed in order to prevent a change of regime.
Now that Jiang Ruoyu had become Emperor, it hadn’t been long since she ascended the throne. The people, having experienced several Emperors in the past few years, were like frightened birds, uncertain of how long this Emperor would reign. When it came to political matters, they naturally sealed their lips.
Song Xu Yi was momentarily stunned upon learning about the tumultuous history of Jiang Kingdom in these past years.
She had never imagined that Jiang Xin would kill the Emperor, let alone foresee that it would eventually lead to Jiang Ruoyu becoming the Emperor.
While the common people remained unaware of any anomalies, Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but feel that the madness of Jiang Xin, Jiang Ruoyu’s ascension, and the chaos in Jiang Kingdom over the years seemed like someone manipulating events behind the scenes.
In the midst of Jiang Kingdom’s turmoil, the only ones benefiting were the Hidden Moon Sect.
Now that the new Emperor had ascended, the Hidden Moon Sect remained the state religion without any disruption to its position. Meanwhile, the fear and anxiety generated by the war that had plagued the people for years were excellent nourishment for the Divine Attractor.
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With the Divine Attractor now having complete control over Jiang Kingdom, what would be the next step?
Having gained power, what would the Divine Attractor and the Hidden Moon Sect seek to accomplish?
If only there was a chance to visit the palace…
Although Song Xu Yi had partially regained her divine powers, she dared not make any reckless moves near the palace since the entire Jiang Kingdom worshiped the Divine Attractor. She could only rely on her current mortal body and find a way to infiltrate the palace.
And soon, an opportunity presented itself.
Emperor Jiang Ruoyu was about to celebrate her twenty-second birthday, marking the first birthday since her ascension to the throne. The Hidden Moon Sect attached great importance to this occasion and planned to select eighty-one fortunate women from across the country to enter the palace and pray for blessings upon the Emperor.
While it was called a blessing, there were rumors among the common folk that the new Emperor, Jiang Ruoyu, had a preference for women instead of men. These women selected to enter the palace were likely to become new concubines within the palace, which sparked intrigue among many ministers.
When Song Xu Yi discovered that Lin Zhu, the female protagonist in the original plot summary who eventually became the Celestial Sword, was among the selected women, she could no longer sit still. She also enrolled herself in the selection process…