The Sovereign – Chapter 22

Volume Two: An Abundance of Blossoms Always Feels Lonely

Step by Step for Camp

So afraid she will fall in love with the Empress, will the Sect Leader also feel uneasy?

At the top of Suyuan Tower, Lin Wuming’s long robe hangs down, hand holding a feather fan, extraordinarily enchanting. He sees Liu Qianxun return and gracefully descends from the rooftop.

“Why is it you, where is the Sect Leader?” Liu Qianxun frowns, searching all around for a moment. Just now, that xun sound was clearly played by Ling Yu.

“Xun’er, do you really not want to see me?” He raises an orchid finger, sliding it over his temple hair, truly full of flirtation.

Only then does Liu Qianxun realize that all the shadow guards are gone, even Mo Feng and Mujin are nowhere to be seen. She immediately understands what’s happening and steps toward the underground palace.

The underground palace is brightly lit; all the assassins of Suyuan Tower are lined up in two rows, kneeling on both sides, with one of them painfully rolling on the ground.

Liu Qianxun fixed his gaze for a look; this is Qi Ye, who often executes missions together with Mo Feng. Among the people who went unauthorized to the execution ground that day, he is exactly one of them.

“Xun’er, you have come.” Ling Yu, in her dazzling violet gauze clothes, sits at the main seat, playing with an intricate box, holding a whistle flute in her hand, emitting a subtle sound.

If it were not for Liu Qianxun’s profound inner strength and sharp hearing, fundamentally, she would not have heard her using sound to control a gu insect¹ inside her box.

“Ah~ Ah~” Qi Ye, sometimes covering his head, sometimes covering his chest, is painfully shouting. One miserable scream after another ripples through the underground palace; no one dares to plead for him. His eyes, ears, mouth, and nose are already gradually seeping blood, and the veins at exposed places are already covered with blood threads.

“Sect Leader~ Spare me~” His face is painful, sometimes rolling, sometimes flying to hit the wall, as the gu insect inside his body is gnawing at his internal organs bit by bit and spreading poison throughout his whole body.

Liu Qianxun coldly looks at him and only sees him stretch out his hand, bitterly pleading with her, “Tower Master, Tower Master, save me…”

“When did the Sect Leader start liking playing with gu?” Liu Qianxun does not pay attention to her and coldly walks forward. Ling Yu stops blowing the flute, and Qi Ye’s pain temporarily stops.

“Recently, I have started liking researching gu poison. Don’t you find it very interesting?” She presses the long flute against the worm’s body in the box, forcefully pokes it, and the gray body splashes out green blood. The worm twitches a few times, then stops moving.

“Whew~” Qi Ye also spits out a mouthful of fresh blood, his pupils dilate, and he slowly falls to the ground.

“Drag him away,” Liu Qianxun lightly says, as if seeing dead people is already normal, her expression not changing at all. This is not the first time she saw Ling Yu kill people, just that every time the methods are renewed. One or two subordinates dying for the Shura Sect is nothing much.

“This is a mother-child gu; if the mother gu dies, the person possessed by the child gu will inevitably die.” Regarding killing, Ling Yu has long become numb. Today, in front of all the people of Suyuan Tower, it is actually to establish authority for Liu Qianxun.

“This kind of insidious thing, the Sect Leader should touch less.” Liu Qianxun obviously disdains using such a method to kill people, but Ling Yu is naturally fond of control, and the mother-child gu greatly satisfies her preference.

“If Xun’er doesn’t like it, I will touch it less.” Ling Yu reaches out to pull Liu Qianxun to sit beside her, glancing at the subordinates kneeling all over the ground, “Mo Feng, I heard that one day you disobeyed the Tower Master’s order, and you almost caused trouble for the Tower Master by going to the execution ground without permission. Are you ready to commit s*icide, or are you also prepared to taste the mother-child gu?”

“Sect Leader, calm down, Sect Leader, calm down, we subordinates know our mistake.” The remaining three people shiver and plead, fearing they will meet the same fate as Qi Ye.

“This matter is already in the past; moreover, it did not cause harm, and I have already given them a whipping punishment. The Sect Leader should not pursue it further.”

“Whipping punishment is too light, Xun’er. You are too indulgent with the subordinates. Since these few dared to act privately, keeping them is useless. My Shura Sect does not use those who do not obey.” Ling Yu smiles with hidden daggers; the meaning in these words is still wanting to dispose of those few people. Actually, she is also showing determination; Liu Qianxun always feels she sends people to monitor her, so she might as well directly kill those spies to avoid Liu Qianxun’s inner resentment.

“If you kill all the people, whom will I use?” Liu Qianxun does not plead or have any reaction, just calmly says this sentence.

“I can reassign people to you.”

“Right now is not the time to use people; you know how strict the household system in Jidu is. The distant water from the the Yu Kingdom cannot quench immediate thirst. Besides, although they have guilt, their merits and demerits offset each other; keeping them has other uses. If you just kill them, I will be short of three capable men.” Liu Qianxun is ultimately protecting her subordinates. Even the dumbest person can hear from these words that she is trying her best to save the remaining three people’s lives.

“Alright then, since Xun’er, you personally plead for them, I will temporarily spare their lives. Jidu is an important branch of the Shura Sect; whoever dares to do anything slightly detrimental to the Tower Master, come and see me with your head!” Ling Yu’s slightly raised brow shoots out a sense of majesty, every word like a knife, making everyone shudder.

The Sect Leader is truly the master who kills invisibly. The people of Suyuan Tower suddenly feel that following Liu Qianxun seems indeed safer. At least there is no feeling of being with a ruler as being with a tiger.

Although Liu Qianxun appears indifferent, she is not a master who is bloodthirsty and kills recklessly.

“We subordinates obey orders!” The loud voices resound uniformly in their ears. Ling Yu waves her hand and dismisses everyone.

“I heard you are going to accompany Qin Junlan on a southern tour?”

“She indeed invited me, but I have not agreed yet.” Liu Qianxun is not surprised by Ling Yu’s well-informed nature. She clearly understands that any news she can obtain, Ling Yu will certainly know as well, even earlier than herself.

“This southern tour is a rare opportunity. Originally, I was worried you didn’t have enough reason to enter the palace. After the southern tour, Qin Junlan will definitely find ways to bring you into the palace.” Ling Yu strategizes carefully, even able to thoroughly analyze Qin Junlan’s behavior and psychology.

“You are indeed very clear…” Liu Qianxun is already disheartened. Anyway, Ling Yu only wants the things she desires, so she will strive to obtain them to satisfy her ambition.

Ling Yu slightly turns her body, her fingertips brushing across Liu Qianxun’s profile, her body leaning slightly forward, “Did you tell her your real name?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you afraid she’ll investigate you in the Yu Kingdom?”

“She will definitely go to the Yu Kingdom to investigate me, but the Yu Kingdom has never had a person named Liu Qianxun, right?”

“Heh… Xun’er is indeed wise. After all, the name Liu Qianxun is one you changed yourself. This is why I sent you to personally carry out the mission. You are the most beautiful woman in the world. In today’s world, in terms of wisdom and talent, who can compare to you?”

“Thank you, Sect Leader, for your appreciation.” Liu Qianxun is not moved at all by Ling Yu’s praise. Is this glory? She doesn’t feel so. Many times, she wishes she could be a bit more ordinary, not having to care about country and people, just focusing on her own world.

She sees through the warmth and coldness of human relations and recognizes that what is called true affection may actually be false, and what is called infatuation ultimately results in being used.

“In private, when no one is around, can’t you call me Yu’er?” Ling Yu helplessly tugged at her hand. The reason she came back was not only because of reluctance but also because she always wanted to appear for a moment, hoping Liu Qianxun’s heart would stay only for her.

“Yu’er…”

“Mm?”

“This name is unfamiliar.”

“Xun’er~” Ling Yu truly has no way with her, knowing that in her heart she is angry with herself, yet unable to express it. She pulls her over to sit on her lap, wraps her arms around her waist, and buries her head in her shoulder. “Xun’er, you must remember that Qin Junlan is just your target mission. After finding anything, immediately return to my side, okay?”

For some reason, Liu Qianxun actually felt Ling Yu’s helplessness and weakness. Is this her illusion? The Sect Leader whose methods are chilling and who has always acted with swift and decisive action, how could she easily show weakness?

“What? Are you afraid I will really fall in love with her?”

“Will you?” Ling Yu lifted her head, a trace of panic flashing in her eyes, along with a look of expectation. “You are mine, you cannot fall in love with someone else, absolutely not!”

Liu Qianxun sighed slightly, cupping her face and gazing at her. “What if it’s physical intimacy? Yu’er, do you know what a beauty trap means?”

“As long as the one you love in your heart is me, then…”

“Then it doesn’t matter, right? Heh, it doesn’t matter. Otherwise, how can you gain the Empress’s trust? She is suspicious and vigilant, not so easy to get close to.”

“I’ve wronged you, Xun’er…” Ling Yu’s heart twitched painfully. Besides tightly holding Liu Qianxun at this moment, what else could she do? What she needed to do had to be completed, even at the cost of everything.

“Do not fall in love with her, not allowed to fall in love with her…” Ling Yu kept murmuring this sentence.

What meaning does it have to worry about these things? Liu Qianxun sighed slightly, gently stroking Ling Yu’s head, “I won’t, rest assured.”

When one’s heart is set on a person, how can it be so easy to change affection? Only when saying this sentence, Liu Qianxun’s mind was full of Qin Junlan’s image, Qin Junlan’s smile.

She always believed her feelings for Ling Yu would never change, and she always knew that no one would ever occupy her heart like Ling Yu did, including Qin Junlan.

She thought this was a mission, merely just a mission only.

One in the Yu Kingdom holds a high position, possessing Yu Kingdom’s first beauty reputation, the other gathers beauty, talent, and strategy in one body, under heaven’s first beauty. The picture of these two people embracing is more beautiful than anything in the world.

Once, Liu Qianxun and Ling Yu were always together with no distractions, with their eyes and hearts only on each other, but now she is often distracted, always inexplicably thinking of Qin Junlan.

“Report to the Sect Leader, Tower Master!” Ye Ming hurriedly came, seeing this scene, quickly backed out, “Subordinate deserves death.”

“Come in, what is the matter?” Liu Qianxun rose from Ling Yu’s lap and sat at the side. Ye Ming’s expression was dazed, and she suddenly realized and understood everything.

Surely, one is wishful thinking; the Tower Master and Sect Leader truly are a heaven-made earth-set pair.

Seeing Ye Ming again gazing at Liu Qianxun in a trance, Ling Yu’s heart was displeased, “Ye Ming, as an assassin, you only need to remember who your master is and what the mission is. Other things need not concern you; what you should not see, do not look; what you should not think, do not even consider.”

“Subordinate knows guilt. The Yu Kingdom sent a message, recently discovering the Ji Kingdom’s spies movements in Zhengyi.”

“Oh? This indeed is Qin Junlan’s style of conduct. Although in reorganizing the army, cultivating military power, and governing the country, she is unmatched, in espionage tactics and tracking techniques, she is not my opponent. Sending people to watch is enough; first, do not startle the snake in the grass.”

“Yes!” This time, Ye Ming dared not even lift her eyes before retreating.

“If I am not wrong, Qin Junlan at this moment begins to investigate your identity. You see, even if she usually cares about you, she will still investigate and suspect you. This is the nature of a cold-blooded emperor; even if one day she says she loves you, do not believe it. Nothing is more important than her kingdom and throne.” Ling Yu gently analyzes; she merely hopes Liu Qianxun does not truly get moved by this empress, after all, she indeed is full of talent and strategy and deeply wins people’s hearts as a wise ruler.

“Many thanks to the Sect Leader for the advice.” What Ling Yu said, she understood all too clearly; wasn’t she speaking of herself when she spoke of Qin Junlan?

“You have started calling me sect leader again; I forbid you to call me this way…”

“If the Sect Leader has no other matters, this subordinate will take leave first.” Liu Qianxun was unmoved; what waves could a heart-dead person feel? Her cold face was covered with a layer of frost, chilling Ling Yu’s heart.

Heaven knows how much self-control Ling Yu needed to endure the inner torment; no one knew the great pain she endured to let the person she loved most execute this mission. She wholeheartedly wished to strengthen the Yu Kingdom, even at the cost of sacrificing her own feelings, and she only hoped it was all worth it. As for her Xun’er, she was determined to spend a lifetime compensating for the grievances she suffered.

She just didn’t know that she calculated people, calculated matters, calculated everything, but miscalculated love…

1. Gu insect: a creature from Chinese folklore and traditional medicine, often used in tales as a type of malicious parasite or venomous being that is controlled by sorcerers to inflict harm or manipulate others. It is said to be created through a process of fermenting multiple venomous creatures together, with the surviving entity becoming a powerful tool for magic or curses.