Xue Zining saw a figure in black robes slowly descending before her, accompanied by a chilling presence that seemed to thin the air around them.
She looked up at the boy in black.
The boy in black looked back at her, his formerly pale face gone, his clear gaze replaced by eyes that held a piercing chill and an expression of decisive ruthlessness.
"Am I to call you Lin Yanzhi, or Wen Yuxi, the Master of Qianjin Tower?"
A flicker of a half-smile, half-smirk crossed Wen Yuxi's eyes. "Your Majesty, I trust you are well!"
"I am not," Xue Zining said slowly, looking at him.
Wen Yuxi chuckled softly, his expression still a mixture of amusement and mystery, his demeanor both wicked and uninhibited. "You are already the Empress of Huangze, unified. What troubles you so?"
"Wen Yuxi, with your renowned Qianjin Tower, would you not be able to inquire about me?"
Wen Yuxi's enigmatic smile slowly faded as he looked into the girl's clear eyes. He slowly stepped aside. "Please, come in."
Xue Zining stepped into Qianjin Tower for the first time, and only then understood what Qianjin Tower truly was. The vast courtyard housed a pavilion built entirely of gold. It was not just a thousand pieces of gold, but tens of thousands.
Upon entering Qianjin Tower, the attendants were momentarily stunned by her appearance, their expressions laced with surprise.
Following Wen Yuxi into a room, she found everything carved from jade. "Please!" Wen Yuxi said faintly.
Xue Zining sat down without ceremony. Even as the Empress of Huangze, this was her first time sitting on a jade chair.
She picked up a jade cup and poured herself some tea. As expected, it was a tea she had never tasted before, leaving a lingering fragrance with every sip.
Seeing this, Wen Yuxi also sat down. "Your Majesty, you did not come here merely to sample this humble subject's tea, did you?"
"Naturally not," Xue Zining said, setting down the teacup.
"Your Majesty, even though you are the Empress of Huangze, my Qianjin Tower has its rules."
"I know. I can afford it." As the Empress of Huangze, she certainly had money.
"Your Majesty, please speak." Wen Yuxi said.
"I wish for you to help me save three people."
Without lifting his head, Wen Yuxi poured himself a cup of tea, brought it to his lips, took a sniff, and then set it down. "The three people hanging in Xuanwu City?"
"Yes," Xue Zining replied.
"Your Majesty, Qianjin Tower only kills. Saving lives is not within the scope of Qianjin Tower's services."
"I know."
Wen Yuxi slowly raised his head, a chilling intensity in his gaze. "Your Majesty, since you know this, you must also understand that this business is not something this humble subject will undertake."
"I know," Xue Zining said again.
Wen Yuxi looked at her coldly. "Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?"
"Qianjin Tower cannot accept it, but you, Wen Yuxi, can."
Wen Yuxi's gaze sharpened. He looked at the girl before him. Her gaze was too clear, without a shred of hesitation or evasion. Her target, from the moment she arrived, was him.
He chuckled softly. This Empress always surprised him, just as before.
"What if this humble subject refuses?"
Xue Zining heard him. She had considered this possibility when she came. Years ago, she had suspected foul play in the death of Wen Yuxi, who was then Lin Yanzhi, but she had found nothing.
It was only when Hua Yun Jin betrayed her that she remembered that Hua Yun Jin had also been arranged in the palace on the day she performed the sacrificial rites to heaven.
Could Lin Yanzhi's death be related to Hua Yun Jin?
Following this line of thought, the matter began to unfold.
Lin Yanzhi had faked his death to escape the Lin family.
His true identity was the Master of Qianjin Tower, and one of the individuals who funded all the expenses of the Honglian Cult.
"I have heard that the Master often suffers from angina. If the medicine taken contains heart blood, its effects would be doubled."
Xue Zining saw Wen Yuxi's gaze flicker slightly. She picked up the teacup she had just drunk from, and a dagger, released from her hand, pierced her fingertip. A drop of blood fell into the teacup.
Wen Yuxi's expression froze. He looked up at the girl, who showed no change in her countenance.
She stopped only when the teacup was filled with blood.
A bloom of red stained her robes.
She withdrew the dagger, a slight frown creasing her brow.
She pushed the teacup towards him and said faintly, "If you help me save them, I will bring you this heart blood for forty-nine days."
Wen Yuxi felt a tremor in his heart. "Is it worth it?"
The girl licked her lips and smiled, a smile he found to be the most beautiful in the world. "Do you have someone you wished to protect but were powerless to do so?"
Wen Yuxi wanted to shake his head, but seeing the girl's bright, clear eyes, he lowered his gaze. "Those who are protected by you are fortunate."
"No, I am fortunate to be protected by them."
"You are the Empress of Huangze. Anyone you wish to protect will rush to do so. Why go through such lengths for those few people..."
"Wen Yuxi, though I am the Empress of Huangze, the ones who can truly do so for me are always just a few. They are worth it."
Wen Yuxi smiled at her words. "The condition of your heart blood is too tempting. I accept, but I have a condition."
"What condition?" Xue Zining asked.
Wen Yuxi looked at her and said slowly, "For forty-nine days of heart blood, I want you to reside in Qianjin Tower."
Xue Zining was taken aback, but considering the urgency of rescuing Xue Yan and the others, she nodded. "I agree."
"Deal," Wen Yuxi said, standing up.
Xue Zining also rose from her chair. "I need to return for a moment. Someone is waiting for me to come back."
Wen Yuxi nodded. "Alright."
Xue Zining turned and left.
Now alone in the room, Wen Yuxi looked at the place where Xue Zining had sat, his gaze growing deeper.
Upon seeing the teacup filled with heart blood on the table, he picked it up. There was no metallic taste of blood; it was faintly sweet.
Over the years, he had consumed the heart blood of many others, but it had all been difficult to swallow.
Only the Empress's heart blood was sweet, making it palatable, even somewhat addictive.
"Master, King Xue Yuan wishes to see you," a voice called from outside the door.
Wen Yuxi's gaze darkened slightly. "This Master sees no one," he said coldly.
"Master, does that mean you will not even see this King?" a voice echoed from the air.
Wen Yuxi's eyes narrowed. He quickly tucked the empty jade cup containing the heart blood into his sleeve. "Is it that becoming a King so quickly makes one so presumptuous as to announce oneself as such?"
The door was pushed open, and a figure in green entered.
"Master, the guards could not stop him," the gatekeeper outside said apologetically.
"Retire," Wen Yuxi waved his hand, signaling the guard to leave.
The guard did not dare to delay and quickly retreated.
Wen Yuxi looked up at the man who had barged in, sneering. "Does Your Highness think Qianjin Tower is a place you can enter and leave as you please?"