"Fan Li, what's wrong?" Xiang Ning noticed the troubled expression on his face and asked with concern.
Fan Li had already ended his conversation with the system. He returned to reality and gaze at Xiang Ning with a complex look in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, you will never know what this humble servant just experienced."
Ten years?
Annihilate the Great Ci Dynasty?
Although Fan Li had long accepted that his conflict with Empress Yao Guang would inevitably end in a fight to the death, the mission issued by the system still left him shaken to his core.
Xiang Ning didn't truly understand the specifics of his predicament. But she knew, at least, that the man before her bore a heavy burden, a burden he carried for her.
She wanted to say something, anything, but the words wouldn't come out.
Thank him?
Many women were adept at using cheap gratitude to repay the men who toiled and bled for their happiness.
Xiang Ning refused to utter those words. A simple "thank you" seemed inadequate and unworthy of Fan Li's sacrifices.
Apologize to him?
Blame herself for dragging him into this mess?
No.
Between them, such false pleasantries had long since been discarded.
"Are… are you alright?" Xiang Ning finally asked in her most gentle voice.
She boldly raised her gaze and met his. Her eyes lingered on his handsome face, noticing a faint paleness she hadn't seen before.
She had found it. The man was skilled at hiding his fatigue, but she had seen through his facade.
A single white hair, a strand that didn't belong to a man of his age, stood out against the black strands at his temples.
"It's nothing."
Fan Li forced a smile and his hand unconsciously reached out to gently pat Xiang Ning's head.
Between a ruler and their subject, such a gesture was undeniably inappropriate, regardless of any justification.
Moreover, aside from their roles as ruler and subject, there was also the matter of their genders. Yet, Fan Li seemed oblivious to this.
"This is merely my duty, Your Majesty. Please do not worry. Everything… is under my control."
Xiang Ning stared at him, stunned. She noticed another detail. The bloodshot veins in his eyes were more prominent than usual.
Had he not been sleeping well, or perhaps… he hadn't had time to sleep at all?
"Fan Li!"
Finally, Xiang Ning couldn't hold back any longer. She threw herself into his arms, causing her soft and fragrant body to press against him.
Fan Li froze. Based on their past interactions, he even suspected she was about to launch a surprise attack. However, within his embrace, he felt only her softness, and her soft sobs.
"Wuuuu… Wuuuu…"
"Fan Li… It's all my fault… I am useless! If I were as strong as the Great Ancestor, the Overlord, they wouldn't dare to treat you like this… Fan Li, I wish I could fight alongside you…"
As Xiang Ning cried, her words poured out in a jumbled mess of emotions, confessions, and regrets. Although her sentences were often incoherent, they were her true feelings.
Xiang Ning was grateful to Fan Li.
"Ahem… Your Majesty, please rest assured. I can handle it."
Fan Li's mind was still relatively clear. He quickly realized that he and Xiang Ning had adopted a… posture? … that transcended the boundaries between ruler and subject, even the boundaries between ordinary men and women.
They had crossed a line! What should he do?
Fan Li tried to gently push Xiang Ning away, but his slightest movement was met with her arms tightening around his waist.
The woman continued to cry as her heartfelt confessions still poured out.
Fan Li sighed and resigned himself to the situation.
"I am a traitorous official. What does it matter if I have a bit of… intimacy with the Empress? I've even completed the 'Corrupt the Imperial Harem' mission!"
This self-reassurance, intended to justify his inaction, backfired spectacularly. His cunning mind, his greatest asset, began to conjure up all sorts of scenarios.
By the time he was mentally planning their future children's names, he finally realized the danger of their current situation.
Slap!
He slapped himself across the face.
Xiang Ning, startled by the sound, raised her tear-stained face and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"There… There was a mosquito," Fan Li stammered.
The distraction worked, and Xiang Ning's tears subsided. But she still seemed oblivious to the impropriety of their posture as she snuggled comfortably within his embrace as she whispered, "Fan Li, I am truly grateful to you. Please do not blame me. I have nothing to offer you right now. But if we can overcome this, what would you desire in the future? Would you like to be granted the title of King? I will grant you land within the Great Chu, and you can establish your own kingdom.
Just like in the ancient Zhou Dynasty, I will be the Chu Emperor, and you will be the King of Jin, your status second only to mine."
Before Fan Li could respond, she quickly added, "But you are forbidden from going to your kingdom! You must stay by my side! I… I am still young. I require your assistance in managing the affairs of state."
Fan Li was speechless. He couldn't help but picture himself rising from Duke Jin to King Jin, a powerful ruler with his own territory within the Great Chu. His ambitions would be clear to all.
"Your Majesty…"
"Hmm?"
"Have you finished crying?"
"Ah!!!"
Finally, Xiang Ning realized the gravity of the situation. She, the Chu Emperor, the descendant of the Overlord, had been crying in her subject's arms for quite some time.
Her face burned with shame, and she wished she could disappear. But… the feeling of being held by him, the warmth of his embrace, it had been truly wonderful.
"Fan Li!"
She bit her lower lip lightly, feeling annoyed. But she couldn't tell whether she should blame herself or Fan Li.
"This subject is here," Fan Li said wryly.
"You are forbidden from speaking of what happened here!" Xiang Ning stamped her foot and declared.
"Yes." Fan Li agreed readily. "I will forget everything."
He assumed she regretted promising him the title of King.
So be it.
Fan Li had already established his own kingdom. He didn't need the empty title of Chu King. But hearing that he intended to forget, Xiang Ning panicked.
"Forget… Well, you don't have to forget. Just remember it in your heart."
"Uh… Yes."
Fan Li was surprised. But he also realized that Xiang Ning was a woman of her word, unlike Xiang Chong.
It seemed his future as the King of Great Jin was secure.
"Your Majesty, Bai Shijiu has been waiting for quite some time. I should depart now. Please take care, Your Majesty. Endure these hardships. I swear that I will bring you back to the Great Chu one day."
Fan Li didn't have the heart to mention that he needed Xiang Ning to wait for ten years. Although ten years, to a cultivator, wasn't a long time.
Hearing his promise, Xiang Ning's eyes welled up with tears once more.
"Mmm… I'll wait for you…"
…
Fan Li and Bai Shijiu each rode in a carriage pulled by six spirit horses. Their speed was astonishing. They could travel thousands of miles in a single day.
The carriages were crafted from unique materials, fireproof and waterproof, incredibly sturdy.
Pulled by spirit horses, they could not only traverse mountains and rivers as if they were flat ground, but also sail across water.
Although incredibly expensive to manufacture, such a price was nothing to the wealthy Fan Li.
"Nanchao, established during the Xia Dynasty, by the descendants of Youchao."
"Nanchao was the kingdom of Chao Bo, a distant land in the south."
Fan Li spoke eloquently. Thanks to the original Fan Li's extensive reading, he possessed a wealth of knowledge.
As if engaging in casual conversation, he shared the information recorded in ancient texts about Nanchao.
Bai Shijiu listened intently at first, but her expression gradually turned impatient.
"Those are just empty words. They contain no useful information. I've already determined the general location. Nanchao is not just the ruins of an ancient kingdom. It also holds the tomb of an ancient Emperor. The ancient Go game I seek is within that tomb."
After finishing her explanation, Bai Shijiu glanced at Fan Li with a hint of pride and disdain.
Show off his knowledge?
All talk, no substance!
Truly useful information should be like what she had just revealed.
"Oh? So, we're going tomb raiding?" Fan Li asked curiously. He continued driving the carriage. "Which ancient Emperor? Please tell me, Sage Ruler. I need to prepare accordingly."
"This…"
Bai Shijiu suddenly fell silent. Her knowledge, in fact, was limited to what she had just revealed.
Whose ruins were they?
Which Emperor's tomb was it?
She had no idea.
After all, Emperor Qin Shi Huang had burned the books, countless ancient texts had been lost, and records of ancient history were incomplete.
Moreover, before the Qin Dynasty, the Son of Heaven had divided the land among countless vassal states.
Who knew how many kingdoms had once existed on the site of Nanchao? It was impossible to know which Emperor's tomb Bai Shijiu sought.
Fan Li's questions had stumped Bai Shijiu. He was a bit disappointed.
He continued, "Sage Ruler, why did you specifically request my presence on this journey? With me here, won't it affect your ability to utilize your full strength?"
Bai Shijiu's face darkened. It was true!
Fan Li was her heart demon, thus the reason her cultivation was now only at the fifth rank of the Unity Realm, a full major realm lower than her true strength. This was the greatest humiliation of her life!
'If I do not kill Fan Li, my path in Go will never be complete!' Bai Shijiu thought. She forced herself to suppress her rage.
"According to my intelligence," she said, "within the ancient Emperor's tomb, there is an unfinished Go game. Only by completing the game, can the victor inherit the Emperor's Go manual."
Fan Li nodded. He turned to the man beside him. "You take over driving. I'll chat with the Sage Ruler for a while."
"Yes, Duke Jin."
Bai Shijiu was driving her own carriage. But Fan Li's carriage held another passenger – a scholar in a green robe. The scholar had a thin build and a reserved demeanor.
Upon hearing Bai Shijiu's title – Sage Ruler – he immediately revealed an expression of shock and awe.
His reaction was genuine. Bai Shijiu could see it with a single glance. Moreover, the thin scholar's cultivation was only at the ninth rank of the Nascent Soul Realm. Facing a powerful figure like the Sage Ruler of Great Ci, his fear was understandable.
Initially, Bai Shijiu had been worried. When Fan Li had requested to bring a companion along, she had suspected he had some scheme in mind. But after meeting the thin scholar, Bai Shijiu had immediately relaxed.
This man was as insignificant as an ant. He posed no threat to her.
"Let me introduce you. Huang Longshi, a disciple of Marquis Lu Chunqiu. He is well-read. He will surely be a valuable asset to us on this journey."
Fan Li deliberately emphasized Huang Longshi's status as a Lu City scholar.
Marquis Lu Chunqiu was renowned throughout the land as a Confucian master. He had three thousand disciples, seventy-two of whom were considered sages. Perhaps their cultivation levels weren't high, but their Confucian knowledge was profound, earning them recognition as true scholars.
Among them, a select few, such as the deceased Yan Yuan, had even achieved the status of Great Scholars.
"Oh?"
Bai Shijiu feigned interest.
"Is he one of the seventy-two sages? What is his courtesy name?"
Huang Longshi, hearing this, trembled. He nearly lost his grip on the reins.
He stammered, "This… This humble… This lowly… This junior…"
Seeing Huang Longshi's nervousness, Fan Li patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.
"Take a deep breath. Calm down. Speak slowly."
Huang Longshi nodded repeatedly and glanced at Fan Li with gratitude.
"This junior is Huang Longshi. I dare not be compared to the seventy-two sages. I had the fortune to study under Marquis Lu, but I am merely one of his most ordinary disciples."
Bai Shijiu's eyes flickered with disdain.
So, he wasn't even one of the seventy-two sages?
Among Marquis Lu's three thousand disciples, there were indeed many ordinary individuals. But Marquis Lu valued both talent and character. Even those who lacked aptitude, as long as their hearts were pure and they possessed a genuine desire to learn, he would accept them as his students.
Bai Shijiu studied Huang Longshi carefully. She couldn't discern any extraordinary qualities. He was clearly an ordinary, even mediocre man.
'Could it be that this man has read countless ancient texts? Does Fan Li need his assistance in deciphering ancient records, hoping to find useful information about Nanchao?'
The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Bai Shijiu could never have guessed that this thin, unremarkable scholar was the very man who had soundly defeated her at Go just a few months ago!
Nanchao, the distant country in the south, was truly worthy of its name.
The group traveled southeast from the Great Ci Dynasty, located in the southwest. They crossed the Chu kingdom's borders and entered the vast Southern Ridge Mountains.
"The Southern Ridge Mountains are isolated and uninhabited. But in terms of sheer size, they are no less grand than the Central Plains. During the Zhou Dynasty, countless vassal states existed within these mountains. But they fought amongst themselves for many years, their rise and fall a constant cycle.
Finally, the Qin Dynasty swept across the land, unifying it under a single rule. The isolated Southern Ridge Mountains, lacking the prosperity and resources of the Central Plains, gradually fell into decline.
During the Qin Dynasty, the southern people migrated north, and the mountains became deserted."
On the second day of their journey, Bai Shijiu took every opportunity to share her knowledge.
She might be the Sage Ruler of Chess, but she was well-read, familiar with classics, history, philosophy, and even poetry.
Only Confucianism hadn't caught her interest. Otherwise, the title of Sage Ruler of Literature would have been more fitting for her than for Jin De.
The two men before her – one, the Duke Jin of Great Chu, the most powerful official in the land; the other, a disciple of a renowned Confucian master – presented the perfect audience for her display of erudition.
To her surprise, besting Fan Li and Huang Longshi in knowledge and insight brought her even greater satisfaction than surpassing them in cultivation.
"Have we reached Nanchao yet?"
Fan Li looked down at the map and notes in his hands. He had asked casually, not truly listening to Bai Shijiu's ramblings.
"Humph!"
Bai Shijiu's face hardened. Facing her Go heart demon, she felt a mixture of helplessness and fear.
She couldn't kill Fan Li. Otherwise, her heart demon would remain, her progress in Go would be stunted, and she would never achieve immortality. Only by defeating Fan Li in another game, could her heart demon be dispelled.
But before obtaining the ancient Go game she sought, Bai Shijiu had no confidence in her ability to win.
Endure. She could only endure.
"At most, half a day, and we'll arrive," she said coldly.
"Half a day?"
Fan Li nodded.
The carriage's speed was relatively constant. Knowing the approximate travel time, he could calculate the distance between Jin City and Nanchao.
…
At the same time, in Jin City.
The Great Jin imperial palace was complete.
Within the palace, not only were Chancellor Wang Ban and Princess Fan Yuehua present, but seated upon the Dragon Throne was Fan Li.
Dressed in imperial robes, he radiated an aura of authority, the true presence of an Emperor.
Wang Ban knelt respectfully. Even Fan Yuehua, usually playful and mischievous, now adopted the formal demeanor of an imperial princess. In this moment, Fan Li truly resembled a born Emperor.
"Summon him," Fan Li commanded.
The Fan Li clone who usually played the role of Emperor was still within the Great Ming Dynasty.
This Fan Li, dressed in imperial robes, had just arrived from the Great Chu.
There was a single task he had to accomplish as Emperor of Great Jin.
A man in simple clothes, tall and imposing, slowly entered the palace. His expression was resolute, but a hint of astonishment lingered in his eyes.
He ignored the beautiful Fan Yuehua and the powerful Wang Ban. His gaze was fixed upon Fan Li, seated upon the Dragon Throne.
Thud!
The man dropped to his knees and began performing the grand kowtow.
"Your subject, Hu Zongxian, greets Your Majesty."
"Excellent." Fan Li nodded.
"Hu Zongxian is hereby appointed as Grand Marshal of Great Jin, with a First Grade rank. He shall be granted a golden seal and a purple sash, and entrusted with all military matters."
Hu Zongxian bowed again.
"Your subject obeys. Thank you for your grace."