Revelation of the Way of Heaven

Chapter 314 Crimson Royal Court

After the wood priest bowed to Qin Xiaochuan with his hand on his chest, he said, "Your Excellency, this is the audience hall. I can only escort you this far. Next, these maids will lead you to your bedchamber and meditation room. If you have any needs, please feel free to ask them. If you have any other questions or wish to see me, you can also notify me through them or the guards outside the gate. As for specific matters of daily life, you can also ask Miss Han. I believe she knows the rules of the inner court better than I do."

"Thank you for your trouble, Priest Wood." Qin Xiaochuan nodded in reply. "I happen to have a question I'd like to ask you."

"Please speak, Your Excellency."

"The High Priest just mentioned the Dustless Trial. What exactly is it?"

The Wood Priest said, "This trial dates back to the second Blood Witch King. At that time, he was still an uncrowned one. In order to convince all the Blood Witches, he specially set up this trial to show that the reincarnation of the Blood Witch King was the will of the Goddess Nuwa. For this purpose, he specially designed an extremely difficult test. Because the second Blood Witch King was already very powerful at that time, he easily completed the trial. Since then, this trial has become a tradition and has been passed down to this day."

"Is this trial difficult?" Qin Xiaochuan asked curiously.

"Actually, since the second Blood Witch King, the form of this trial has become more important than its meaning, so the difficulty of the trial is not that great. But this time it may be different." The Wood Priest said meaningfully.

"You mean, the difficulty of this trial is actually controlled by someone?" Qin Xiaochuan instantly understood the meaning the wood priest hadn't explained.

The Wood Priest did not answer his question, but instead said something unrelated: "If Your Majesty has any needs here, you can directly give orders to the guards outside the door. They were specially sent by the Gold Priest to protect Your Majesty."

Qin Xiaochuan frowned, glancing at the wooden priest, then at the imperial guards standing watch outside the door. Understanding the implication, he didn't press further. While surveying the private reception room, he casually asked, "Speaking of the imperial guards, I once heard Han Kexin mention that their leader was originally Zhu Yihu. Why was he changed later?"

The wood priest replied, "The fire priest is in charge of the laws of Crescent City. According to him, Zhu Yihu was punished for disobeying orders. Not only did he refuse to accept it, but he also defected from Crescent City. The fire priest has been trying to capture him."

"Is that so?" Qin Xiaochuan asked skeptically. "But I've met Zhu Yihu before. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would defect from Crescent City. Besides, he once saved me. I wonder if we can atone for his past mistakes and recall him to Crescent City?"

"I'm afraid that's not appropriate," the Wood Priest replied seriously. "Firstly, Your Excellency has just arrived in Crescent City and is not yet firmly established. The people of Crescent City are not familiar with you and may not support your decision. Secondly, the Imperial Guard is currently under the command of the Gold Priest, while Your Excellency is merely an uncrowned one and has no administrative power. Therefore, we cannot recall Zhu Yihu, but rather we must capture him and bring him back to Crescent City."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaochuan pondered for a moment, and finally could only say, "I understand. I have no other questions. Fortunately, the Wood Priest answered my questions. I hope to consult the Wood Priest more often in the future."

"I am willing to serve Your Excellency at any time." The wood priest bowed to Qin Xiaochuan with his hand on his chest before leaving the hall and departing.

After the wood priest left, the middle maidservant respectfully curtsied and asked, "Would you mind escorting His Excellency to his bedchamber to rest?"

Before Qin Xiaochuan could speak, Han Kexin stepped forward and said, "I'm more familiar with this place, so I'll take him there. You can all go down first."

The three maids bowed and then left together. Qin Xiaochuan gave Han Kexin a thumbs up and said, "It's good that you're here. There are too many rules here, it's really hard to get used to."

"No matter how many rules there are, they are set for them. You are the uncrowned one, what are you worried about?" Han Kexin said dismissively. Judging from her appearance, she had been doing whatever she wanted and was not restrained in this royal court before.

"But I always feel a bit awkward and embarrassed," Qin Xiaochuan said with a wry smile. "It's like traveling back to feudal society."

"I feel the same way," Guo Shiyi echoed from the side.

"Right?" Qin Xiaochuan smiled at Guo Shiyi and said, "As expected, the two of us are still the most in sync."

"Tch, what kind of tacit understanding is this? It's clearly wishful thinking." Han Kexin subconsciously criticized, but then she seemed to remember something and immediately changed her attitude, pretending that nothing had happened.

Qin Xiaochuan glanced at her, scratched his head, and said, "Actually, I think it's better if you just keep doing what you used to do... roast me however you want, otherwise I won't be used to it."

Han Kexin gave him a disdainful look and said, "You're such a pervert. I've never seen such a perverted request. Who said I wouldn't argue with you? I just don't feel like arguing with you right now." Han Kexin said arrogantly.

"Haha, that's good, that's good." Qin Xiaochuan said nonchalantly, while Guo Shiyi covered her mouth and chuckled beside him.

"Uncle, let me show you around. This is where Xiaoying grew up, and there are many fun places here," Xiaoying said happily and proudly, holding Qin Xiaochuan's hand.

"Okay, then let's follow Xiaoying around and take a good look at what this inner court is like," Qin Xiaochuan said, holding Xiaoying's hand.

"Mmm." Xiaoying skipped and hopped, leading Qin Xiaochuan and Guo Shiyi on a tour of the bedroom, study, dressing room, and other places, while Han Kexin was in charge of arranging accommodations for Kaiming and Feifei.

Xiaoying led the two to the meditation room and said, "This is where my dad used to like to stay. I often come here to see him and ask him to play with me."

As Xiaoying spoke, she became a little downcast. Qin Xiaochuan noticed this, picked her up, and said, "Shall we go in and take a look together?"

"Mmm." Xiaoying nodded obediently, and then the three of them pushed open the door of the training room. Unlike what Qin Xiaochuan had imagined, it was not a training room, but more like a collection room. There were rows of bookshelves with many books and collectibles on them. After turning past the bookshelf in the center, they finally saw the actual training area.

It was a huge training platform, illuminated by more than a dozen luminous pearls. On it sat a whole piece of Blood Lotus Jade, a translucent red jade nearly two meters wide, containing a liquid golden lotus. It was beautiful and mysterious. Just by looking at it, one could feel the rich energy flowing inside. Around the Blood Lotus Jade was a huge rune array. When Qin Xiaochuan approached the jade, he could clearly feel all the spiritual power gathering on it. It was clearly a rare treasure land for cultivation.