Chapter 2111: Indecent Swords
“Be careful!” Sang Hong said, his expression grave. He quickly activated his ki and slowly approached. When he finally saw the person’s appearance, his expression changed as he called out, “Empress dowager?”
Sang Qien and Zheng Dan were both shocked. They had never expected this beautiful woman with so many wounds on her body to actually be the empress dowager! In that instant, countless thoughts appeared in their minds. If even the empress dowager had suffered such serious injuries, it seemed the Imperial Palace had already reached a certain degree of chaos.
Also, why had the empress dowager run all the way here? They didn’t seem to have any form of relationship.
Just then, Liu Ning’s lips twitched, as if she wanted to say something. Since men and women needed to watch their interactions with each other, Sang Hong couldn't really touch her. Zheng Dan handed Sisi to Sang Qien and squatted down to support Liu Ning, asking, “What happened, your highness?”
Liu Ning looked at Zheng Dan's beautiful oval face.
As expected, that guy Zu An’s beauty standard is always first-rate.
However, she was incredibly weak and could only say, “I am Zu... Zu An’s woman...”
Afterward, she could no longer endure her injuries and fainted. Everyone else was left baffled just like that.
When Zheng Dan had somewhat recovered from her shock, she asked in a trembling voice, “I... didn’t hear wrongly just now, did I?”
Sang Qien’s expression also changed continuously between shock and embarrassment. She said, “I think... I also... heard wrongly."
Even so, they knew fully well that they were all cultivators. Even though the empress dowager's voice was soft, how could they not have heard it well?
Sang Hong’s old face was now full of amazement.
That kid Zu An really is fickle in love! My own daughter and daughter-in-law have already been stolen... ahem, I seem to have given out my daughter on my own. But I never expected him to be so daring that he would even dare to try to steal the empress dowager!
If news of this got out, that would be enough for the entire clan to be executed!
That kid might be the only one in this entire world who would dare to do such a thing!
In her annoyance, Zheng Dan tossed away the woman in her arms, letting her fall heavily to the ground. She grumbled, “What is wrong with this woman? She ran all the way to our place just to say such weird things. Is there something wrong with her head?!”
Sang Qien sighed and said, “She is the empress dowager, and yet her injuries are so severe. It’s obvious that the rebellion was directed at the Liu clan. Judging from how injured she is, she clearly had to fight her way out of an encirclement and had nowhere else to go, so that's why she came to us.”
“The capital has so many places. What do you mean she has nowhere else to go? Doesn’t the Liu clan normally always strut around? Why is she running over to us? Are we even that close to her?” Zheng Dan replied as she continued to pace back and forth in the courtyard, clearly in a terrible mood. At the same time, she was actually starting to respect this sister-in-law of hers. Sang Qien had actually managed to piece together the truth with just a few words.
Sang Qien gave her a look and said, “Why do you think the empress dowager would say those strange words before going unconscious? It’s probably because there's already no place left in the entire capital that she trusts. Only our place is left, and the only reason that she trusts us should be because she knows that we...” She gave her father an embarrassed look before continuing, “Because she knows about our relationship with Ah Zu and that we won’t harm her.”
Zheng Dan exclaimed angrily, “What right does she have to do that? Does she really think that we won’t harm her just because of that? Even if we don’t harm her, that doesn’t mean we should take the risk to save her!
“That guy Ah Zu really is something. Does he not have any back at home? He just had to go around and fondle other flowers.”
Sang Qien gave her an upset look.
Did she forget that we aren’t Ah Zu’s own proper wives either? We were also the result of his ‘flower fondling’.
“Also, Ah Zu really isn’t picky. He even wants a woman this old!” Zheng Dan got angrier the more she spoke. But in the end, she gave the empress dowager on the ground another look and had to admit that she was indeed beautiful.
Her ass is so big and perky...
Ahhh, I’m getting more and more upset!
Sang Hong finally said, “Regardless of what reason she has to come here, I don’t think we should keep her here. She is someone from the palace, and furthermore the respected empress dowager. The fact that she is injured to this extent means that the Liu clan is completely done for. Those rebels will definitely search everywhere for her whereabouts. We’ll only be bringing trouble onto ourselves if we keep her here.”
Sang Qien shook her head, saying, "We can't do that. Since she came all the way here, she has a close relationship with Ah Zu. How can we just watch without doing anything? Otherwise, if Ah Zu returns and finds out what happened, he'll definitely blame us.”
A hint of viciousness flickered across Sang Hong’s face as he replied, “Won’t it be fine as long as he doesn’t know? We can just silence her, or throw her out on the street. There’ll definitely be rebels who will help us take care of things.”
Now, Zheng Dan also spoke up. “Ah Zu might not know, but we'd never have a clear conscience. We wouldn’t be able to face Ah Zu anymore. Besides, if it were me in her situation and I looked for other sisters while on the verge of death, I definitely wouldn’t want that to happen to me.”
Sang Hong’s expression changed. He asked, “But do you know the price that has to be paid for letting her stay? If the rebel army found out... We still have Sisi to think of. Not a single one of us would survive! You have to take responsibility for everyone’s safety!”
Sang Qien took a deep breath before saying, “Father, I understand your misgivings, but this is something I can't watch as a bystander. We must save her.”
Sang Hong’s expression changed several times. In the end, he said with a sigh, “Love truly is irrational.”
Afterward, his figure flickered and he disappeared outside the courtyard wall.
Zheng Dan exclaimed in surprise, “What is he doing?”
Sang Qien stopped her, saying, “Don’t worry, father left to clean up after the traces that the empress dowager left behind. Otherwise, the rebel army soldiers would easily track her to us.”
When she looked at the scars on the empress dowager’s body, Zheng Dan was starting to feel a bit of admiration. She said, “Sir Sang really is tough on the outside, but soft on the inside. He is the most meticulous after all.”
Sang Qien said with a bitter smile, “Father’s personality is exceedingly rational. It was only because he couldn't persuade us that he ended up playing along with our nonsense.”
They gave the empress dowager on the ground another look. Both girls harrumphed at the same time.
“It’s all that playboy Ah Zu’s fault!”
Then, Zheng Dan picked up Liu Ning and hid her in a secret room. This whole affair was too important, so they couldn't even let the manor’s servants and maids see. They could only take care of things between the two sisters themselves.
The two women undid Liu Ning’s clothes and treated her injuries. When they did so, the entire room seemed to brighten a bit. Zheng Dan couldn't help but say with a snort, “Her skin really is good. She’s already so old, just how does she do it? No wonder that guy Zu An couldn't hold himself back.”
When Sang Qien heard that Zheng Dan wasn’t even calling him Ah Zu anymore, she couldn't help but smile with amusement. She said, “The empress dowager was incredibly famous in the capital in the past. Now that she's a grandmaster, her body doesn’t age like a normal madam's would.”
“Is this the massive butt rumored to easily bear sons? And yet even after all these years, we’ve never heard of her giving birth to anyone, neither male nor female,” Zheng Dan said; she took out some medicine and pressed it against Liu Ning’s body while giving the empress dowager's butt a slap. That shocking elasticity made even her tremble.
“Hey, don’t treat the empress dowager with disrespect!” Sang Qien reflexively said, startled.
Zheng Dan smiled ambiguously and replied, “What empress dowager? She's nothing more than a boorish woman who's trying to steal our man.”
“Maybe you have a point...” Sang Qien said, blushing. Then, she also gave Liu Ning’s bottom a slap, producing a white wave. She clicked her tongue in amazement. “It really is big!”
As someone from a distinguished clan, she had been taught to follow the rules inflexibly and remain absolutely loyal to the royal family. Who would have thought that she would actually do something so unfilial to the empress dowager?!
“I really wonder just what this woman eats to get that big.” Zheng Dan harrumphed. However, her hands didn’t stop continuing to apply medicine on Liu Ning’s body. “Hmph, these were medicines that Ah Zu prepared for us in the past, and yet we’re actually using it all on this woman.”
“Exactly!” Sang Qien felt as if she had just opened the door to a brand new world. She gave that perky bottom another strike.
Zheng Dan couldn't hold herself back and gave Liu Ning’s breast a squeeze.
Wow! Mine aren’t that small either, but this woman is actually so impressive. Maybe only Manman can win against her.
The unconscious Liu Ning seemed to have sensed something. Maybe it was because of the pain of her injuries, or because of their movements, but she couldn't help but groan.
The two women shivered, their faces turning red.
“Look at this woman moan. No wonder Ah Zu was bewitched by her.” Zheng Dan scowled. She took a dab of ointment and threw it right onto the empress dowager's body.
Sang Qien was a bit dejected too. She was now wondering if maybe she was a bit too bashful when she was with Ah Zu, as she didn’t even dare to loudly speak her real feelings. And yet each time, the more she acted like that, the more Ah Zu seemed to go on the offensive, forcing her to speak up.
Maybe that’s what he likes?
... The mood in the room was a bit heavy. The two of them silently applied the medicine and patched up her wounds. But as they saw just how many injuries Liu Ning had suffered, the two women’s hostility also gradually lessened.
“Just how many battles did she have to fight in order to receive so many injuries?” Sang Qien wondered worriedly.
“Exactly! She’s a grandmaster, you know? And yet she was still injured this badly. If it were the two of us, we might’ve already died eight hundred times over,” Zheng Dan said, starting to feel a bit of admiration.
If the rebel army dared to go against the empress dowager, they had definitely prepared a powerful cultivator of the same level, and they would even have needed a numbers advantage. Even after all of that, this woman had still been able to escape from a situation of inevitable death like that. As expected of one of Ah Zu’s women!
Hm? What is this mysterious sense of pride I’m suddenly feeling?
The two of them had already finished patching up her injuries, but they knew that the most important wound was still the one around her waist. Half of Liu Ning's body was already covered in a layer of ice, and that was most likely due to the effects of some sinister palm force.
The two women both used their ki. One of them took Liu Ning's hand, while the other sent ki into Liu Ning’s body. The two women’s aptitudes were genius-class among their peers to begin with. Furthermore, Zu An had used a secret method to clear up their meridians and even used spiritual medicines to improve their aptitude. The two of them had even secretly competed against each other, so their cultivation speeds had improved tremendously.
Roughly two hours later, they both broke out into a shiver. They let go of Liu Ning’s hand.
“I can’t do this anymore! It’s way too cold,” Zheng Dan hugged her arms and said in a shaking voice. The cold poison in Liu Ning's body was too strong, and the cultivation of the one who had used it was extremely high. Even though their own cultivation ranks weren’t low, they were still too young and had only had their aptitudes raised not too long ago. The difference was still too great.
“I can’t take it anymore either.” Sang Qien’s teeth were chattering. “But we’ve already helped her remove some of the cold poison, and we’ll help her dispel a bit each day. The rest will be up to her.”
“I guess you’re right. Hmph, how could a glorious grandmaster be so useless?” Zheng Dan muttered as she felt a cold wave surge through her body. She quickly spread her arms and hugged Sang Qien. “Qienqien, please stay with me. I feel so cold.”
“Me too,” Sang Qien said. She and Zheng Dan usually hugged each other when they slept together. They had still been pretty embarrassed at first, but now, they instinctively held each other tightly, borrowing each other for warmth.
The two of them thought of something. They took out the Yin Yang Swords Zu An had given them and pressed them together. They borrowed the yin and yang force to remove the cold from their bodies. An hour later, the two of them opened their eyes. They felt that a lot of the coldness had disappeared, and they no longer felt as if they were in a frozen cellar like before.
Just then, their internal energies flowed naturally between each other. On top of that, with the harmonizing of yin and yang energy, the way they looked at each other now was much more intimate. For some reason, a trace of redness appeared on their faces. They looked into each other's eyes, and they unknowingly moved their faces closer and closer.
Right when their lips were about to touch, Sang Hong suddenly knocked on the door and called out, “Qienqien, how are things looking down there?”
The two women felt as if they had been pricked by a needle. They instantly separated in alarm. Sang Qien replied in a bit of panic, “Noth... Nothing happened. We were helping the empress dowager with her injuries. Her other injuries are fine, but the cold poison inside her body is really strong.”
“You have to be careful too. Don’t force it!” Sang Hong hurriedly warned her.
“Okay,” Sang Qien replied quietly.
“I’ll wait for you guys outside,” Sang Hong said, his footsteps receding into the distance.
Only now did the two women look at each other again. They saw each other's necks become red. When they thought of what had just happened, they both looked at the Yin Yang Swords in their hands, then threw them away.
“What kind of stupid swords are these? They actually have such an effect,” Zheng Dan said angrily.
“Yeah, these swords are really weird.” Sang Qien’s face also reddened.
“That guy Ah Zu, really! Even the weapons he gave us are indecent just like him!” The two women quickly began to denounce Zu An.
...
Meanwhile, Bi Linglong was reading through the memorial to the emperor when she suddenly heard the activity in the palace. She couldn't help but frown, asking, “Momo, what happened outside?”
Rong Mo quickly ran in, saying, “There seems to be a fire by Cloud Dragon Gate. I wonder if there are assassins.”
“Assassins? What assassins would be that audacious?” Bi Linglong’s beautiful brows furrowed as she instructed, “Continue to look into it.”
“Understood!” Rong Mo quickly ran out.
Normally, even if there were assassins, Bi Linglong didn’t need to worry too much because of the strict security around her. But for some reason, she just felt a bit uneasy and could no longer continue her work. She got up and walked outside. As soon as she walked through the entrance and looked toward Cloud Dragon Palace, she felt some terrifying blast waves coming from another direction.
Bi Linglong looked in that direction and was horrified, murmuring, “That’s the direction of the empress dowager’s palace!”
Shockwaves that intense could only be from a battle at the grandmaster level. Sure enough, under the moonlight, she saw a dancing figure with long hair. She immediately realized who it was.
“Devil Sect Master Yun Jianyue!”
The impression Yun Jianyue had left her with back when she invaded the palace was too deep. Unfortunately, Zhao Han was no longer in the palace to stop her. Furthermore, Zu An wasn’t in the palace either.
Even though Bi Linglong normally always argued with the empress dowager, if the honorable empress dowager was assassinated by the Devil Sect Master, the entire empire would lose too much dignity. She picked up her weapon and said, “Men, send messages to the palace armies to strictly defend their stations. Furthermore, send some people to assist the empress dowager’s palace!”
“Understood!” Her subordinates quickly ran out to pass on the message. However, as soon as they reached the exit, they quickly backed up step by step.