ASER - Chapter 201
Chapter 201: Tonight
Is Chen A'Diao even human? Does such a question even need to be asked?
Asking is just bullying.
Of course, she isn't.
She's a little evil dragon and Diaodiao.
So, can she write a "healing" secret technique?
Toilet, on one hand, wanted to see A'Diao looking miserable, but on the other, worried she truly wouldn't believe it. So, it secretly poked and said, "I have some relevant information here, do you want it?"
Of course, I want it. You can never have too much information.
A'Diao glanced at the information Toilet exported.
"Postpartum Care for Sows."
Go, to, hell!
The little evil dragon in A'Diao's heart was already stamping its feet with its hands on its hips.
Only half an hour left.
Then, Toilet and the yet-to-appear Founder saw this person start to pick up her brush.
Her movements were quite elegant, befitting her face and figure.
Then they saw her write down— "XX's XXXX."
No inspiration at all, had she given up even on the name of the secret technique, just using XXXX as a placeholder?
This was like writing a college entrance exam essay: the content could be missing, but the title had to be there.
Toilet: "?"
Founder: "..."
Very good, her mental power hadn't exploded yet. The Lushan Founder truly had some skills, unfathomable.
A'Diao, however, looked to be in agony, erasing and rewriting, chewing on her penholder, like a student stumped by insanely difficult math problems in some college entrance exam, pinching the philtrum between her nose and upper lip to prevent herself from fainting.
This situation wasn't looking good. Toilet grew a little anxious and suddenly had an idea. "Diaodiao, Old Man Salted Fish outside said he was going to take you to get things from the Royal Treasury today. If you delay any longer now..."
Actually, it would be over in half an hour anyway, so delaying or not didn't make much difference. But Toilet understood A'Diao; it knew this person would crawl up to sniff the scent of gold even if she were on her deathbed.
It firmly believed that A'Diao would definitely find inspiration.
And so... A'Diao paused, suddenly remembering this matter, and her heart immediately...
Damn it! How could I forget this!
Her writing speed instantly picked up.
The Founder was probably a little surprised at this moment, perhaps thinking: Epiphany?
Epiphany my ass!
A'Diao thought about possibly missing the Royal Treasury today, and her heart was about to break, but her mind became clear.
Shua shua shua, her brush moved as if guided by a divine hand.
Fifteen minutes later.
The brush fell, the booklet was closed. A'Diao peeked around and said, "Old Ancestor, I've finished writing. Can I go now?"
Eager to leave?
The Founder sensed this little brat's urgency. Before, she was determined to win him over, but now she was acting like she'd given up?
"Use it. Let me see."
After the Founder spoke, a person appeared out of thin air.
A'Diao was startled. A living person?
"Lushan has prisons. I've brought one over. This person was a heretical cult leader from the first generation. You can deal with him as you see fit."
His words showed an extreme disregard for human life.
Of course, this was to be expected.
When A'Diao heard he was a heretical cult leader, and one from the first generation, she knew he was a Grandmaster. A scan with her spiritual sense confirmed it: indeed a Grandmaster.
This person was initially dazed, but also fierce. Upon seeing A'Diao, he was about to pounce.
A'Diao immediately used the technique from her little booklet.
And then... the cult leader suddenly let out a painful scream. He couldn't bother attacking A'Diao; he could only clutch his stomach.
Because...
His stomach grew large, swelling madly.
Toilet: "?"
Founder: "?"
No matter, he was the Founder, after all. What kind of technique hadn't he seen? He remained very cold at this moment. Then, the cult leader's stomach continued to swell, and in less than three seconds—Bang!
His stomach exploded.
Toilet: "!"
Isn't this supposed to be healing? My Diao, you've gone off-topic!
After the explosion, A'Diao didn't know where the Founder's soul body was, nor whether he would be satisfied seeing this technique. So, she braced herself and continued to cast.
His stomach had exploded, and the cult leader clutched it in extreme pain because his entire bodily functions were destroyed. This appearance seemed a bit like...
But no matter how much pain he was in, a halo of light appeared.
A'Diao herself radiated a Madonna-like brilliance. She pointed at him, and a beam of light descended upon him, instantly repairing all his injuries.
Holy crap!
This effect!
After the beam of light faded, there wasn't a single scar on his body. Moreover, his skin was delicate and lustrous, and his condition was exceptionally good.
After the pain disappeared, he was a little dazed, but in the next second, his face suddenly turned deathly pale.
"My cultivation! I!! Where's my cultivation!"
He tried to raise his hand to launch an attack, but there was not a shred of energy, and he had even lost all sensation of it.
Toilet was stunned. This is?
Such a vicious technique, truly worthy of my Diao.
Just as this crazed cult leader was about to pounce on A'Diao, a wisp of wind suddenly came, and he vanished into thin air, not even leaving ashes behind.
"This technique, what is its name?"
Following this elegant voice, a person appeared before A'Diao just like that.
Naturally, it was also a soul body, but its form was very ethereal, not solid, almost vaporous, maintaining an appearance like mist or misty rain. Had a watercolor painting come to life?
But she and Toilet still saw him clearly.
It was a man (or a woman?), clad in a robe like mist and rain, with long hair draped over his shoulders, adorned with a jade hairpin. Tall and handsome, with exceptionally refined features, as if carved by the snowy peaks of Cangshan, then tempered and polished by the sun, moon, and stars for millennia into a perfect piece of jade.
Vaguely, one could see his lips were crimson, his eyes cool and indifferent. Born without desire, dying without resentment.
He was a pool of stagnant water.
In this stagnant water, he overturned the mortal world, blurring the lines between male and female, allowing the transcendent to enter the mundane.
And seeing the other person approach, A'Diao subconsciously thought: With a flick of a sleeve over green mountains, stunning beauty fills the grand tapestry of the world.
This person must have possessed a beauty in life that would startle even a monk at first glance, making it hard to resist falling for him, and also an untamable spirit that even gods and Buddhas would find hard to restrain.
So even though his soul was so faint, when he looked over quietly, one could still feel the profound abyss beneath his purple eyes.
The first generation must have been an incomparably brilliant era to produce such peerlessly magnificent treasures.
But why does my Old Ancestor look like a peerless pretty boy, while this person looks like an unattainable beautiful jade?
The difference is too great.
The Chen family's feng shui really is bad...
A'Diao was a bit distracted.
The Founder tilted his head slightly and called her name, "Chen A'Diao."
Coolly.
A'Diao instantly sobered up, subconsciously touched the corner of her mouth, found no drool, and then said, "Old Ancestor, this technique is called... 'The Enemy's Postpartum Care.'"
???
Toilet almost burst out laughing. What a vivid name.
But the Founder didn't laugh. This person probably wasn't born to smile. Instead, he seemed lost in thought. "Healing?"
He's going to blame me for not sticking to the topic!
This won't do.
If I had been eliminated without seeing him in person, it would have been bad luck. After all, he's the Founder. I could just try to win him over again after some time, and just consider it missing out on some nasty old man.
But now I've seen him in person.
The moment A'Diao saw his demeanor and aura, purely that of a super backer, she knew that if she was passed over on their first meeting, she wouldn't feel right. She had to try harder.
"Yes, first, all his body's spirituality and energy must be gathered in his abdomen, so he can experience the difficulty and pain of nurturing life through childbirth. Then, after giving birth, he is healed. This way, he will appreciate the preciousness of life, reflect on his past evils, and turn over a new leaf to become a new person. This is the compassion of us cultivators, isn't it?"
She said this so seriously, she could have set up an obstetrics and gynecology department, a postpartum care center, and a Buddhist hall on the spot.
Founder: "He lost his cultivation."
A'Diao firmly argued sophistically: "Yes, he only lost his cultivation, but he gained his life!"
Obviously, her technique was indeed a healing masterpiece, absolutely awesome, but it was definitely also a "poisonous heal."
Thinking that if her teammates were ever fed a mouthful of her "poisonous heal," resulting in pregnancy + childbirth + loss of cultivation, they would probably want to die on the spot.
Toilet felt like lighting a candle for those people just thinking about it. But clearly, Chen A'Diao didn't like saving people; she didn't like saving anyone. This was fundamentally about crushing the enemy's spirit.
She went off-topic, but not completely.
It all depended on how the Founder defined it.
The two of them looked at each other, and the atmosphere in the space was silent.
Toilet was thinking: Does this Founder want to beat her to death now, or beat her to death?
A'Diao was thinking: The way this Founder is looking at me is a bit strange. It seems like he dislikes me a little, but this dislike also feels as if he's seeing someone else through me.
Finally, the Founder raised his hand... Huālā, A'Diao was instantly taken out of this space.
It's over.
She was PASSED over!
Sob sob sob.
Just as A'Diao was feeling dejected, in the next second, she found something extra on her hand.
On her middle finger was a pure ring with interlocking black and white inner bands.
This was the Secret Ring for entering and exiting the Secret Vault.
Old Man Yu finally saw A'Diao come out. He was just about to go up and give her a thrashing with a fake smile, but before he could make a move, A'Diao shua raised her hand to cover her face, "Master, Master, don't hit me! I know I was wrong."
The angle was just right for Old Man Yu to see the ring.
Yu Xuanji, after all, was one of the most cunning, crafty, and shameless figures among the successive chiefs. He was also the one who had led Lushan through the crisis since the spiritual energy was cut off in the first generation. He was actually recognized by the Lushan ancestors. He had naturally met the Founder and recognized this ring.
But he hadn't expected...
His internal organs and facial muscles twitched for a moment, then instantly recovered. Glancing at the peeking elder over there, he put on a stern face and snorted lightly, "Forget it. Considering your young age, you must absolutely respect your master and honor the Dao in the future. Time is short, we still have to go to Kyoto. Let's go."
After he left with A'Diao, he wasn't in a hurry to teleport. He first returned to his residence and asked A'Diao, "He gave it to you?"
"Yes."
A'Diao thought he would ask in detail, but this Old Man Yu instead paced back and forth twice, then said to her gravely, "Apart from me, don't tell anyone else about this matter in the future. I will also help you cover up what happened in the Secret Vault today. Just say that you will be attending all my classes from now on, and you don't need to attend anyone else's."
He thought A'Diao would agree, but he saw this wretched girl hesitate a little.
He had an epiphany in minutes.
Old Man Yu smiled, "What, can't bear to part with the good-looking Teacher Qing Zan and the others? Don't you like an old and ugly master like me?"
A'Diao immediately said seriously, "Master, what are you saying? How could I possibly dislike you?"
Once I've won over the flower-like beautiful Founder, I'll abandon you!
Old Man Yu: "You didn't deny that I'm old and ugly. Just as I thought!"
He was truly fishing for compliments.
A'Diao rolled her eyes and changed the subject, "Can we still go to the Royal Treasury at this hour?"
"Even if it's 4 AM, they will wait." Old Man Yu sneered.
"Otherwise, this matter won't be settled."
Indeed, someone was waiting.
Kyoto. A place A'Diao once needed a long airship ride to reach for exams. Now, not only could she teleport herself, but Old Man Yu could even casually teleport with her.
The inner gardens of the Imperial Palace, heavily guarded.
When A'Diao arrived, she saw the Imperial Family's NO1, and also a person standing beside him, dressed in a brocade robe, looking noble, yet it was a nobility dependent on the Imperial Palace.
He was truly striking in appearance, without a trace of cultivation aura, yet his presence wasn't overshadowed by the old dog of the Imperial Family.
Tall and thin, with a black jade ring at his waist, adorned with patterns of flying fish and red sparrows. His features were androgynously beautiful, yet his temperament showed no trace of vulgarity; instead, he was remarkably graceful and dignified, possessing the charm of ancient gentry from before the founding of the Three Kingdoms in the primordial era.
It's said that the best-looking people in the entire country are in the Imperial Palace.
Three thousand beauties, indeed it was so.
But this wasn't a concubine.
Toilet: "You've seen quite a few androgynous beauties today. But this one can't compare to the Founder; that one is transcendent."
A'Diao: "Exactly. That old dog King Dantai doesn't deserve him either."
Toilet: "Indeed, he doesn't."
But even if he was unworthy, didn't a woman like the Empress still marry him?
A'Diao, who had been schemed against many times, felt immense animosity towards this old dog, but she could still smile and politely accept NO1's kind praises.
It was just a hypocritical formality. NO1 wouldn't stoop to bickering with A'Diao and her master here. After all, when it came to sharp tongues, few in the entire Tang Song Nation could out-argue this master-disciple duo.
"Next, let Shangxie take you in. Mountain Head Yu, how about joining me for a drink?"
NO1, at this moment, seemed to be challenging him, as if asking if the Mountain Head dared to leave A'Diao alone.
The Mountain Head glanced at him, took off his own bracelet, and handed it to A'Diao. "Activate it if there's danger."
A counter-challenge.
NO1 showed no anger or smile and quickly left with the Mountain Head. Shangxie, polite and respectful, raised his hands and bowed, "This subordinate, Shangxie, pays respects to Your Highness."
"I haven't been ennobled yet. Lord Shangxie, you're addressing me too early."
"Since it's a matter of time, it doesn't matter. Your Highness, this way, please."
Shangxie led the way. His etiquette in walking and guiding was impeccable, but it didn't hide his origin—a eunuch.
Such an outstanding person was actually a eunuch.
A'Diao scanned his spiritual body. No cultivation aptitude?
"I've heard before that Lord Shangxie is deeply trusted by the Emperor and the Imperial Family, managing the inner court and imperial affairs at such a young age. Truly a talent."
She had indeed heard this reputation when she was Zhao Ritian within the bureaucratic system. However, he was a favored courtier directly serving the palace, somewhat distant from the military side, so she had never met him.
Toilet: "Is that the treacherous minister many in the military gossiped about? They said the old dog King's favor for this eunuch was extraordinary, and that this person, along with the mother of the former Eldest Princess, were his 'twin favorites'."
"But now that the Empress has arrived, it seems the favor for these two has faded considerably."
Regardless, power dependent on the Imperial Family was easy to gain and easy to lose. But seeing him in person, one had to admit he was an astonishingly talented individual.
"This subordinate is apprehensive. Your Highness is the true pillar of the state... This way. The treasury is in a forbidden area of the Imperial Palace, guarded by two Lesser Spirit Kings. After this subordinate takes you there, I will wait outside. Once you have chosen three good items, this subordinate will escort you out."
Without an inner attendant leading the way, it was rather taboo for outsiders to enter and exit casually.
These stinking rules came one after another. A'Diao didn't particularly mind them and soon arrived at the treasury. The two Lesser Spirit Kings looked at her with unconcealed hostility, their faces stern like door gods.
Perhaps the two Lesser Spirit Kings who died that day were their fathers or brothers.
A'Diao took a look and casually asked, "Has the treasury been tidied up? You didn't specially clean it for me, did you?"
These words sounded casual but were full of hidden meaning.
The two Lesser Spirit Kings' faces turned even uglier, their eyes spitting fire, but how could they dare to make a move? They could only endure it.
Shangxie lowered his head and said softly, "Your Highness jests. The treasury is sealed and has not been organized since its creation. Taking treasures out requires permission; it's not like an ordinary library that can be inventoried according to regulations."
I was just asking casually, and you all took it seriously.
You all said it casually, but I won't take it seriously.
A'Diao really didn't believe that the Imperial Family hadn't specially hidden the good stuff.
"Then the Imperial Family isn't very clean. That's not a good habit."
Shangxie: "..."
The faces of the two Lesser Spirit Kings turned black.
Just like that, A'Diao "farmed" the mental power of the two door gods and entered the mysterious gate. But as she walked in, she gave Shangxie a deep look.
An ordinary person with no cultivation aptitude, yet with such high looks and strong abilities, but no mental power.
Abnormal.
In the Kunning Palace, Daoguang Jingci couldn't possibly accompany the Emperor every night. Even if she could endure it and her techniques wouldn't be exposed, this old Emperor wouldn't come every day.
After all, he had to consider the worries of the harem and the imperial court.
She was of a heterodox race, after all. She couldn't be favored too much, not even as the Empress.
Daoguang Jingci leaned against a small couch, drinking wine, as she heard a servant whisper about A'Diao's situation.
She lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, "It's not about whether they're stingy or not. It's that even if the Imperial Family is shameless, they don't want to give her the truly good things. This girl is too monstrous, already beyond their control."
"Then tonight..."
"Tonight, what?"
Daoguang Jingci propped up her face, lost in thought.
Naturally, something would happen tonight.
The Royal Treasury wasn't a burial mound; instead, it was piled high with various treasures.
The outer layer consisted of worldly jewels and gold... A'Diao's steps immediately slowed.
Toilet: "Control your paws! These are all vulgar things. Your target is inside, inside!"
A'Diao gritted her teeth and walked inward. The further in she went, the more good things there were.
Things like Grandmaster-level Dao Tablets and skeletal remains, and quite a few Lesser Spirit King-level treasures. However, A'Diao had already released her spiritual threads, beginning to madly cover the entire treasury.
Soon, she discovered—there was a secret space outside this treasury.
A'Diao walked to the center of the treasury and saw shelves of treasures floating around, as well as many treasures displayed in the center.
There were several Middle Spirit King Dao Tablets, as well as some precious manuscripts. A few items made A'Diao's heart pound, especially since her Yinglong totem was very excited, clearly having found something good it needed.
But her and Toilet's attention was drawn to the secret space behind the shelves.
Toilet: "They definitely moved the best things in there."
A'Diao: "Probably, but I can't go in."
Toilet was surprised, but A'Diao sneered and said aloud, "Perhaps some Imperial Family seniors are waiting for me inside. Things about dimensional spaces are hard to say."
If it was a dimensional space, with two spaces folded, once she entered, all the protections on her body would activate, and especially the triggering of the bracelet Old Man Yu gave her would be restricted.
At that time, the other party could even falsely accuse her of prying into Imperial Family secrets.
A'Diao said this directly, and then... the two elders hidden in the space exchanged a look, a cold glint flashing in their eyes.
And in the next second, the Mountain Head's voice came through.
"It is hard to say. How about I go take a look?"
The Mountain Head's words were relayed through the bracelet. Clearly, A'Diao's words were meant for the two old men inside and were also heard by the Mountain Head, and his words, in turn, were meant for NO1.
NO1 said with a fake smile, "A'Diao must have misunderstood. That treasury is a place of worship for our Imperial Family. Only the monarch can enter. How could there be anyone else? Even if it were me, I would suffer heavenly retribution for entering."
Heavenly retribution aside, one would need to master some secret method to arrange entry. But he was definitely warning A'Diao.
However, those two old men definitely wouldn't dare to linger. Otherwise, if the Mountain Head really barged in, it would confirm their actions, which would be a huge loss of face, and they might even have to pay several times over in compensation.
The Mountain Head smiled and relayed this to A'Diao.
A'Diao naturally gave a perfunctory reply and then began to pick treasures. Meanwhile, she quietly opened her spiritual domain and soon saw the two Spirit King old men slip out, invisible, and observe her for a moment.
At that moment, they definitely wanted to kill her forcefully, but after considering the consequences, they left resentfully.
A'Diao sneered inwardly, picking things... while her spiritual threads seeped in.
Passing through the spatial barrier, she reached this hidden space.
It did somewhat resemble an ancestral hall, solemn and imposing, but it always gave A'Diao a feeling of intense disgust.
It was strange, but she seemed to naturally detest royalty.
Ever since she was a child and saw them on TV, she disliked them. Back then, she even thought: This old emperor, with skin like an orange peel, so ugly. Technology is advancing rapidly, yet rural areas haven't changed much in over a decade. However, his Imperial Family controls more and more good things. Clearly, he's not a good emperor, just occupying the latrine without shitting.
And it was outside these ancestral tablets that the most core treasures were truly offered.
A'Diao saw several Great Spirit King Dao Tablets!
There were also complete phoenix and dragon bodies, all sealed within miniature crystals.
Holy crap! I want them so badly, I want them all, ah!!
A'Diao's heart itched... her eyes didn't even move. But she also discovered that these Dao Tablets had very strong restrictions on them, the kind that could strike a Lesser Spirit King dead.
Damn it, this old dog of the Imperial Family had double insurance. As expected, they wouldn't give her the best things.
So, at most, she could only take away three Middle Spirit King-level Dao Tablets from the outside?
Although that was... also very good.
But she was just unwilling to accept it.
The dog Imperial Family had almost killed her, and today they were being stingy and trying to assassinate and trap her again!
A'Diao: "Logically speaking, this entire treasury should be mine, right?"
Logically? What?
Toilet: "..."
It was silent for three seconds, and finally, its values followed its senses. "Right, right, right, Diaodiao, whatever you say is right! These should have been yours originally! These old dogs have usurped what's yours!"
That's right!
The thought of the Imperial Family's shamelessness made A'Diao burn with anger, but she observed without batting an eyelid. Since there were restrictions everywhere, she had to find one she could break...
She searched around, but basically, none of them would work; they weren't something she could handle. A'Diao was almost about to give up when suddenly!
Wait, what's this?
A'Diao's spiritual threads swept over a spot, and she suddenly discovered that the restriction totem on this object seemed familiar.
This, it seemed like the restriction on the small statue in that temple. However, there it protected a statue, while here it protected a book.
Could it be a Book of Civilization?
She still hadn't figured out much about the terrifying Book of the Yellow Springs, and she had already coveted this one. She hadn't expected one to be right in front of her.
But don't Books of Civilization usually require immense spirituality to be nurtured? Why doesn't this one need it, nor does it have special equipment to protect it? It seems like... a ruined Book of Civilization?
But she clearly felt a throb of excitement from it.
Dubiously, A'Diao seemed to have no other choice. The strength of this restriction was far less than those on the other treasures here, but it was indeed a restriction capable of killing a Lesser Spirit King.
A thought flashed through A'Diao's mind. She was familiar with this restriction! She had memorized it with a single glance back then and had even specifically studied it later. If she didn't have the time to study and crack other restrictions, this one didn't need cracking—she knew it!
Hahaha, a heaven-sent opportunity!
A'Diao's thoughts surged. She also faintly felt that this book held a strong attraction for her. Even before seeing the title, she felt a sense of excitement.
I want it!
Then, while A'Diao picked and chose among some Dao Tablets, staring at those dragon-type supreme treasures, seemingly very hesitant and wavering, her spiritual threads had actually already enveloped some energy bodies and begun to work on this restriction.
Her speed in cracking it was very fast, because the faster she was, the better she could manage the situation.
Moreover, she didn't have much time. The Imperial Family wouldn't just let her pick and choose in here indefinitely.
Faster, faster, faster!
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