Inner Demons

Inside the Qing Kingdom, the only person who could speak in such a tone was likely the Empress Dowager. However, the silver-armored guard knew that the Empress Dowager was currently residing within the palace walls, not the woman before him.

He thought that there must be very few people who knew of this woman's existence... With that thought, he gave a low, clear reply. He bowed, then turned and walked away.

After a dozen steps, the guard heard the jingling of jade ornaments from behind the gauze curtain, knowing that the woman inside must have risen. He had a strong urge to turn his head and look, but he couldn't help but think about things concerning her.

His Majesty called her Clear Water Daoist.

Others believed the meadow next to Meeting Dragon Avenue was the emperor's land, and that the female Daoist priest living there was the emperor's "mistress." But the truth was far from it. Within the entire Qing Kingdom, no more than five people knew the inside story, and the silver-armored guard was fortunate enough to be one of them.

The origins of the female Daoist priest, Clear Water Daoist, were untraceable, and it was also unknown when she and the emperor developed this relationship. After all, the guard was only sixteen years old, and before he could access this secret, it seemed to have already existed for many years.

What he knew now was that this female Daoist priest seemed to be the true master of the Qing Kingdom.

There was a rumor throughout the land that the world actually belonged to the "Zhao Family." It was believed that the civil official group, led by the current Minister of Personnel, Zhao Zheng, and his vast network of followers, had seized the emperor's power and held the real authority of the Qing Kingdom. This had also been the young silver-armored guard's thought and worry, but after he learned the secret of this meadow, he realized that he had been overthinking it all along.

The power of the Qing Kingdom was not in the hands of the Zhao Family, nor was it in the hands of the emperor.

At his age, hungry for glory and accomplishment, he had naturally entertained other ideas. For example, he thought it was a terrible and shameful thing for the imperial power to be controlled by a woman of unknown origin. He had once advised the emperor to kill the female Daoist priest and stop being a puppet.

But the emperor's reaction was unexpected. Not only did he refuse, but he also reprimanded the guard severely, warning him not to harbor such thoughts again.

The guard had once thought the emperor had some unmentionable difficulty or was testing his loyalty. But after several more attempts at advice, he realized that the matter was even more unbelievable than he had imagined.

The emperor truly thought that way. He respected and revered that woman, willingly surrendering his imperial power.

How... terrifying!

Probably because of these thoughts, the young guard, after walking dozens of steps, finally couldn't help but turn his head slightly and glance back quickly.

With that one look, he saw the female Daoist, Clear Water Daoist, step out of the gauze curtain. She wasn't wearing a Daoist robe, but a light blue, thin gauze palace dress, though not a formal one. Her black hair was loose without any hair ornaments. Her feet were bare, and her feet were as smooth and delicate as white jade. She stood on the grass, looking up at the sky for a moment, then turned her head to look at the guard who had walked away.

The silver-armored guard then saw her face, half-hidden by her black hair, and an eye that shone like a brilliant star in the night.

He quickly averted his gaze, not realizing that his heart was racing and his steps were quickening due to tension.

This was the first time in two years he had seen the appearance of Clear Water Daoist.

He couldn't find any words to describe her beauty.

At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), the emperor arrived.

The emperor was thirty-five years old, in the prime of his life. His appearance was also fitting for an emperor. Due to the excellent royal bloodline and its generational refinement, the emperor was handsome, with a sense of peace and impartiality.

He had a short beard and came alone. He wore a light yellow casual robe and a winged crown. He walked across the wide, empty, and deserted lawn and stopped ten steps away from Clear Water Daoist.

He then stood there with his head slightly bowed, as if he were a prince standing before his father years ago, or as if his own father had stood before this Clear Water Daoist.

The female Daoist was lost in thought, looking at the sky. After a while, she turned her head to see the emperor, then smiled slightly and waved to him: "Come closer."

The emperor took five steps forward and stopped: "There was a severe drought in Jizhou, and I was busy at noon, so I came a little late. Please do not be offended."

The female Daoist smiled and shook her head: "You have been busy lately, but you must also take care of your body. You are thinner than when you came on New Year's Eve. You don't like meat, but you must eat it. Eating meat gives you strength; don't believe in the idea of a light diet. Eat all sorts of things and don't be a picky eater, and your health will not be poor."

The emperor nodded: "Your words are wise. I will remember them."

"You should say 'I,' " the female Daoist looked at him seriously, "No matter what, you are still the emperor."

"Yes. I will remember that."

Clear Water Daoist then said: "This time it is about the matter of Weicheng. Looking at the current situation in Weicheng, what do you plan to do, Your Majesty?"

Her beauty was beyond description, yet her attire was not meticulous. Standing on the grass with her bare feet and hands behind her back like a man, she possessed a grander aura than the emperor of the Qing Kingdom.

And the emperor, standing before her, was like a student answering his teacher's question. After a slight hesitation, he said: "I have heard that after the great change there, many rumors have spread. For example, stories about seeing the soul of the last emperor of the previous dynasty. The situation in Weicheng was indeed unstable a few days ago, but now that people from Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect have arrived, it is not good for Weicheng to be outside of imperial rule for long. I plan to send a moderate and peaceful person to Weicheng. Someone who can manage the people's livelihood and also knows how to be tolerant and restrained so as not to conflict with Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect. I have initially decided on Zhao Zhihe."

Clear Water Daoist nodded slightly: "Zhao Zhihe is indeed a suitable candidate. But I do not want you to manage the affairs of Weicheng."

The emperor was taken aback. He then said: "You must have your reasons for doing this."

"The world is about to fall into chaos," the female Daoist took two steps forward, her bare feet stepping on the soft tips of the grass, visible from under her skirt as she moved. The emperor quickly glanced at her feet, then just as quickly looked away, suppressing his emotions.

"Because Emperor Li became a Ghost Emperor and harmed the cultivators of Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect. This is the fuse."

"And then Daoist Orthodoxy lost two more people in Weicheng, which further fermented the situation."

"And the background is that for thousands of years, humanity has flourished, and the world's population has grown. The more people there are, the more demons there will be. So, at this time, whether there is an Emperor Li or not, whether people die in Weicheng or not, a war is bound to happen."

"This war will affect the entire world, and no country will be able to escape," the female Daoist said, then turned to face Emperor Qing directly, "Your Majesty, you have often sighed to me that the world is not fair, and that Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect are the fences of the world. Then you should now know that this great war is a good opportunity to break those fences."

The female Daoist was silent for a moment. Then a smile appeared on her face: "Just as you cannot become a true emperor without leaving me, the world cannot become a true world without leaving Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect. They have made the world peaceful and stable, but they have also caused the world to lose its vitality. No one likes to be raised in captivity, do they?"

The emperor was slightly stunned, blinking, not knowing whether he should say "exactly." He wasn't sure if Clear Water Daoist was asking if he "disliked being unable to leave her" or the latter part of the sentence.

But his doubts were quickly answered.

"You are a good emperor, and you should become a true emperor." The female Daoist lowered her eyes and sighed softly, "I should go. Without me, you can be a true emperor. And I will go to do what I have been waiting for. To make this world a world for the people of the world, not one for Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect."

The emperor was stunned. After a moment, he lost his composure and took a step forward: "You... you... you are leaving?!"

"You all must grow up," the female Daoist looked at him, "You should know there is a person in Weicheng named Li Yunxin. I want to see what he is capable of."

"Li Yunxin... I know him." But the emperor did not pay attention to the name, and instead anxiously asked, "When... when will you return?"

This time, the female Daoist was silent for an even longer time.

Then she said: "You should hope never to see me again. If you see me again, it means I have failed. How things should be done... someone will tell you. Your Majesty..."

The emperor took another step forward, even wanting to reach out and hold her.

But he only grasped a wisp of light. The moment he stepped forward, the figure of Clear Water Daoist had already begun to fade.

The emperor heard her last words, which she left behind:

"Do not be afraid."

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