"Palace Master, something's gone wrong! The Vice Palace Master and the Commander are arguing. Perhaps you should go take a look?" a disciple burst into the hall, realizing his abruptness. He quickly knelt, his face flushing.
The vast palace, besides some elegant seating, contained only a carved wooden table and a sandalwood bookshelf. Before the disciple could scan the room, a cold voice emanated from behind a screen.
"What are they arguing about?"
The voice was clear, cold, and devoid of emotion.
Ye Ziling lay on a chaise lounge, propping her face with one hand and rubbing her temples. Her gaze was distant.
"It seems to be about the right to set exam questions for the Immortal Trials... The Vice Palace Master wants to give the examination rights to the Shaolin Sect, but the Commander refused. They started arguing in the main hall..." the disciple stammered, lowering his eyes, afraid to look further.
Ye Ziling immediately understood.
Currently, the right to set the martial examination questions was held by the Jiuling Palace. While the disciples were happy with their own people setting the questions, Xuan Lang's transfer of these rights would be disadvantageous to the Jiuling Palace, and the disciples would naturally cause a scene.
Xuan Lang was a disciple of the previous Palace Master. He had cultivated diligently but had never been valued by the former Palace Master, leading him to harbor resentment. He had colluded with her to usurp the position, massacred the disciples of the former palace, and re-established the Jiuling Palace.
Now that the former Palace Master was dead, Xuan Lang was ambitious, having long coveted the position of Palace Master. He was secretly plotting how to scheme against her and seize the position.
Ye Ziling knew Xuan Lang's character. The Jiuling Palace was his brainchild, and he generally wouldn't do anything detrimental to it. His current transfer of the Immortal Trials examination rights must have been a trade with the Shaolin Sect.
With the Palace Master herself still present, what right did Xuan Lang have to transfer the examination rights on her behalf? Did he think she was dead?
Ye Ziling entered the main hall, just in time to see the disciples kneeling in unison, while Xuan Lang sat on the main seat with an air of authority, his expression solemn.
The man was dressed in a purple robe, his eyes slender, making his gender ambiguous. He smiled, fanning himself gently with a feather fan, his long fingers tapping idly on the table, ignoring the pleas around him.
"Vice Palace Master, the right to set questions for this Immortal Trial absolutely cannot be transferred!"
"Please reconsider, Vice Palace Master!"
...
The disciples raised their robes and knelt with clasped hands.
"Vice Palace Master, now that our Jiuling Palace has finally secured the examination rights through our own strength, you speak of handing it over so readily?" Mu Heng said indignantly, his words resonating with force.
"The Palace Master is currently away traveling. I am the master of this palace. What right do you, a mere Commander, have to yell at me?" Xuan Lang smiled ferociously, his eyes filled with smugness.
The Jiuling Palace would one day be his. With that lunatic Ye Ziling gone, he was in charge of the palace!
Mu Heng laughed in anger, slamming the table and rising. "According to you, if the Palace Master is absent, you can make decisions for her?"
Xuan Lang let out a few dark snorts, leaning back lazily in his chair. He glanced at Mu Heng and retorted, "According to you, if the Palace Master is absent, the matter of the Immortal Trials has to be delayed?"
"You..." Mu Heng was speechless. He caught sight of a graceful figure at the entrance, and his eyes lit up.
Suddenly, a disciple cautiously followed Mu Heng's gaze, and immediately knelt. "This disciple welcomes the Palace Master's return."
Without seeing who it was, the disciples all knelt in unison: "Welcome the Palace Master's return."
Ye Ziling, clad in a light blue gauze dress, had a perfectly beautiful face devoid of any expression. Her eyes exuded an aloof coldness, and she swept a casual glance over the surrounding disciples, as if looking at dead people, as she walked past them.
Sensing a chill in the air, the disciples secretly glanced at her out of the corner of their eyes.
The Palace Master was often away traveling. They had only recently joined the Jiuling Palace and had rarely seen her. They had imagined the Palace Master to be either an old man with white hair or a highly cultivated old woman. Who knew she would be a woman no older than twenty, and a rare beauty in the world?
Xuan Lang frowned as he looked over, his posture instantly straightening. A hint of obvious shock flashed in his eyes.
Why did her face look so different from before?
She was no longer the aloof, noble Epiphyllum. Now she looked like a seductive hussy.
Could this be the legendary "eighteen years and a great change"?
"You may rise." Ye Ziling walked closer, her gaze casually falling on the person in the seat.
Xuan Lang's heart faltered. He immediately stood up and yielded his seat, smiling, "Greetings, Palace Master."
Ye Ziling nodded indifferently, walked directly to the seat, and fixed her gaze on the disciples.
Mu Heng, seeing Xuan Lang's ashen face, felt a surge of satisfaction. He crossed his arms, smiling provocatively at Xuan Lang.
Xuan Lang's entire face darkened. He was furious but had no outlet for his anger, so he could only grit his teeth and endure.
Why did this lunatic return again!
Ye Ziling's gaze swept across the hall, finally settling on Xuan Lang. Her expression was calm. "Vice Palace Master has worked hard managing the Jiuling Palace for many years. This time, I will handle the examination rights for the Immortal Trials."
Xuan Lang's heart jolted, his expression becoming even more unpleasant, yet he had to force a smile to respond, "Yes."
"Furthermore, Vice Palace Master has been overworked recently. All the palace's miscellaneous affairs will be temporarily managed by Commander Mu. Do you have any objections?" Ye Ziling's lips curved into a faint smile, but her eyes were chillingly cold.
Before Xuan Lang could reply, Mu Heng spoke first.
"Thank you, Palace Master. I will certainly handle all palace affairs with utmost diligence." Mu Heng stepped forward, bowed, and was overjoyed in his heart.
"If there is nothing else, you may disperse," Ye Ziling said indifferently, rising and stepping down from her seat.
"Thank you, Palace Master."
The disciples breathed a sigh of relief, a flicker of joy in their eyes, and then orderly exited the hall. Xuan Lang remained frozen as if his feet were lead, a shadow of gloom in his eyes.
Mu Heng stood tall and swaggered past him, looking at the resentful man beside him. He lowered his head innocently and said, "Oh dear, Vice Palace Master, I'm truly sorry to have taken your power so quickly. It seems the position of Vice Palace Master is merely an empty title!"
Xuan Lang's face was taut as he replied, "Don't get cocky. The higher you climb, the harder you fall. Frankly, what good are you? You're just Ye Ziling's dog."
"Dog? Xuan Lang. You don't even qualify to be this dog. Moreover, this dog of mine has truly ridden over your head. What can you do about it?" With that, Mu Heng let out a scoff, turned, and followed Ye Ziling, leaving Xuan Lang alone.
Watching their receding backs, Xuan Lang clenched his fists, his eyes dark.
One day, he would overthrow Ye Ziling. When that day came, he would strip her bare, parade her through the streets, and subject her to every torture she had devised.
"What about the matter I asked you to handle?" Ye Ziling stopped and asked the person behind her.
"Don't worry, it's all done," Mu Heng said, taking out a bag and handing it to her with a beaming smile.
"That boy is locked up in a cave. He should be waking up by now. Should I go down and give him some more of that soul-confusing poison?"
Mu Heng's eyes lit up, and he raised an eyebrow at her.
"No need." Ye Ziling walked into the hall, pulled out a chair, and sat down. She unhurriedly opened the bag.
Inside, apart from a booklet and a golden token, there was nothing else.
Ye Ziling's gaze darkened. She picked up the booklet and flipped through it casually. Various indecent images met her eyes.
Seeing her somber expression, Mu Heng cautiously glanced over and smiled meaningfully at her, "Crazy girl, so this is the treasure you were talking about! If you want to see such books in the future, you don't need to go through all this trouble. I have plenty of them. You can have them anytime you want..."
"Shut up." Ye Ziling closed the booklet with a placid expression, but her earlobes were burning red.
She was already eighteen, but seeing such erotic pictures still made her blush involuntarily.
Mu Heng shut his mouth. Seeing a faint blush on her face, he lowered his head and chuckled secretly.
"Give me the token." Ye Ziling turned her head away, her gaze tightening.
"Yes." Mu Heng paused, stifling his smile.
Ye Ziling carefully caressed the token in her hand, her expression solemn.
This was... the Scholar's Heavenly Token?
The Scholar's Heavenly Token was personally bestowed by the Heavenly Emperor and held a much higher status than even the celestial generals of the Heavenly Court.
It seemed she had run into not a scoundrel or a rogue, but an exceptionally talented top scholar of the Immortal Trials.