Chapter 50: Are You Familiar with This Emperor?
“Thanks to the immortal who hooked such a talent, a simple strategy managed to persuade everyone in the court,” Emperor Li said with a smile.
Chen Xiyi recalled that “a great talent” probably referred to that noble young lady, Lü Xian. It was rare for her to possess three abilities, especially the last one, which was cunning—she was likely the one coming up with the strategies.
Chen Xiyi didn’t have much of a reaction to this; after all, it was just an NPC that was fished out, and not something particularly good.
“I see,” Chen Xiyi nodded and chose not to delve deeper.
Observing this, Emperor Li naturally took the opportunity to continue: “Immortal, I haven’t made any progress in nurturing my spirit lately, I still feel…”
Listening to Emperor Li, Chen Xiyi couldn’t help but let out a silent sigh; this situation was going to require some manipulation.
All he could do was listen earnestly and then fabricate some targeted nonsense. This nonsense of his couldn’t be randomly made up; otherwise, wouldn’t it just leave room for flaws?
“How can you talk about entering the Dao after just a few days, Your Majesty? If it were that easy, wouldn’t everyone in the world be an immortal?” Chen Xiyi countered.
“But that Master Xuanli is just…”
Emperor Li intended to rebut, but was interrupted by Chen Xiyi.
“Master Xuanli has dedicated his years to serving the Dao, investing his heart and soul into it; that’s why he could nurture such sharpness. Does Your Majesty have that kind of commitment?”
“Don’t think that just eating spiritual nourishment every day will lead to rapid advancement. Nurturing the spirit focuses on the spirit itself, not just on sustenance.”
Chen Xiyi’s persuasive words left Emperor Li deep in thought.
He constantly reflected, realizing that he might indeed not be as good as Master Xuanli.
Emperor Li’s daily duties were not light; he had to attend morning court, handle official matters, review memorials, manage important affairs, and so on, with each task consuming a significant amount of his mental energy. Thus, even if he found time to nurture his spirit and enter the Dao, it couldn’t possibly compare to Master Xuanli’s full-time dedication.
Seeing Emperor Li lost in thought, Chen Xiyi precisely grasped the other’s mindset and continued speaking: “Spiritual nourishment is beneficial, but it is merely part of the nurturing process. Eating more certainly helps with entering the Dao, but it does nothing for the spirit sword. If the spirit sword wishes to be born, it still relies on you, not just on spiritual nourishment.”
“If your heart is not pure, nurturing the spirit and entering the Dao will be a difficult task.”
As Chen Xiyi manipulated the conversation, the light in Emperor Li’s eyes grew brighter, as if he had broken through some kind of bottleneck.
Chen Xiyi understood that he had effectively manipulated the situation, perhaps even prompting Emperor Li to conjure up some chaotic thoughts of his own.
“Thank you, immortal. Your words have truly opened my mind,” Emperor Li said with a hint of gratitude.
“There’s no need for that. If you can quickly enter the Dao, perhaps I can also quickly refine the Divine Earth Essence,” Chen Xiyi replied lightly, feeling somewhat out of place with his elevated persona.
However, thinking of the substantial resources ahead, he felt he had to adapt. As a player, immersive gameplay was also a way forward.
As the two were chatting, Wang Li, the Prince Zhuang, occasionally chimed in.
The conversation was very harmonious; while Chen Xiyi wasn’t a genius or a seasoned veteran, he was astute enough to know what to say, what not to say, and when to remain silent.
Thus, more often than not, Chen Xiyi played the role of a listener rather than actively engaging in conversation.
Fortunately, whether it was Emperor Li or Wang Li, both seemed accustomed to Chen Xiyi’s persona, so they didn’t insist on him speaking up.
Therefore, he didn’t insist on him speaking.
Chen Xiyi remained silent, which only made his character appear more profound and mysterious—most of it was just their imagination.
This fishing session yielded all sorts of bizarre items, greatly widening the horizons of the two, especially Wang Li, who was astonished that so many things could actually be caught in the small pond in the courtyard.
“Then I shall take my leave, so as not to disturb the Immortal’s enjoyment of fishing,” Emperor Li said as he stood up.
As the Yellow Gate attendant behind Emperor Li helped him, he suddenly drew a dagger from his sleeve and stabbed it directly toward the back of Emperor Li’s heart.
The scene unfolded too quickly for anyone to react.
The Jianghu might have noticed, but they ignored it; after all, it was the Emperor who was dying, not Chen Xiyi.
Indeed, the strike was particularly cunning, landing directly on the Emperor’s heart. He wasn’t dead yet, but Chen Xiyi wondered if he should deliver a finishing blow.
【Emperor Wang Sheng, Life Points: 5%, Status: Near Death】
【Abilities】
【Slightly…]
If he delivered the finishing blow, he would surely collect the Emperor’s outfit, which tempted Chen Xiyi a bit.
However, while he was contemplating this, the others rushed over and pinned the Yellow Gate attendant down. The attendant merely smirked contemptuously, crushing and swallowing a poison pouch in his mouth.
The scene became chaotic; Wang Li realized what was happening and hurried to cover the Emperor’s wound, his tone filled with urgency: “Immortal, please use your celestial powers to save His Majesty.”
Chen Xiyi would like to help, but the problem was, he lacked the ability.
He also knew that if the Emperor died, it might not make much difference. Whoever became emperor still had to provide him with resources. His initial promotion was centered on immortality, and now he had sufficient martial strength. If a less competent emperor were in charge, wouldn’t that yield even more resources?
As for Emperor Li, his intelligence was certainly more refined than that of Chen Xiyi. He was an ordinary person, while Emperor Li was a ruthless character who fought tooth and nail for the throne. It was precisely this information gap that allowed him to deceive others; without it, Chen Xiyi felt he might have been outsmarted.
If Emperor Li died here, it seemed like it would bring him quite a lot of trouble afterwards.
However, it also seemed that this trouble wasn’t much of a trouble after all?
“This is calamity; it’s not appropriate for me to intervene. If I do, the calamity will only escalate, leading to a great loss of life,” Chen Xiyi shook his head and said.
“Quickly summon the imperial physician!” Wang Li was decisive; since Chen Xiyi wouldn’t help, they had to call for the physician.
‘Jianghu, quickly seize the opportunity; otherwise, the health bar will drop to zero. I was counting on collecting a full set of outfits, so be discreet and don’t let anyone find out,’ Chen Xiyi silently gave Jianghu an order in his mind.
After all, they were going to die anyway; it was better to benefit from it.
【Jianghu used Water Control on Emperor Wang Sheng, causing 5% life damage.】
【Jianghu killed Emperor Wang Sheng.】
Jianghu’s usage of Water Control was silently executed as a covert attack beneath the Emperor’s royal robes, directly taking away the last 5% of Emperor Li’s life points.
After this, it became simple. He needed a reason to collect Emperor Li; otherwise, it would all be for nothing, and he still wanted that royal outfit.
He might not wear it, but it would be perfect for collecting. It was a case of repurposing waste.
(End of this chapter)
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