Chapter 204: Chapter 164: This Sword is Named [Inversion], How Will the Young Lord Choose (Part 2)

’What a shame,’ Jiang Yi thought. After the Divine Dao fell into decline, Kunlun collapsed as well, losing its former glorious splendor.

The few divine, undying herbs remaining in the Yanfu Vast Land had all been claimed by various Daoist Lineages and stored within their grotto-heavens. For an ordinary True Monarch, even catching a whiff of their fragrance was a feat harder than ascending to the heavens.

Qiao Yu blinked her eyes and said in a charming voice:

"I only remember that the divine, undying herbs of Kunlun were divided into Yang herbs and Yin herbs.

The Yang herbs allow the physical body to become immortal and incorruptible, with life force permanently residing within, as if a god lived inside;

The Yin herbs, however, refine the form and transmute its substance, causing the body to enter a state of temporary death where the blood settles and the pulse vanishes. After three thousand years, the blood reconverges to grow flesh, saliva is produced to form fluids, and the body’s substance reshapes itself, becoming even more beautiful than before death."

’Do her words have some deeper meaning?’

Jiang Yi’s brow furrowed. A moment later, a hint of astonishment appeared in his eyes.

"Lady Attendant, you’re not a ’yin spirit’? You took the Yang herb, so you’re a living person of the Mortal World!"

As he said this, he gave Qiao Yu a rather blunt, appraising look.

’No wonder she seemed so vibrant for a ghost when we first met. She doesn’t have the slightest trace of cold, yin energy on her.’

"So you’re not that slow after all."

Joy danced at the corners of Qiao Yu’s eyes, as if she thought it was a grand accomplishment that it had taken Jiang Yi so long to uncover the truth.

"My sister took the Yin herb. She has always been resolute in her pursuit of the Dao. After taking that Yin herb, she was able to use the Tai Yin to refine her form, cleanse herself of all impurities, and study the orthodox teachings of the Ghost Dao."

Jiang Yi’s eyes showed his amazement. ’Am I really talking to a "living fossil" of a girl who’s been around for tens of thousands of years?’

The feeling was truly surreal.

"It hasn’t been that long!"

Qiao Yu grew flustered, clearly offended that Jiang Yi was treating her like a crone who was tens of thousands of years old. She hastily explained:

"The drawback of the Yin herb is that the body must undergo corpse liberation multiple times, experiencing the agony of the flesh rotting away while the bones remain. My sister died nine times before she achieved the Unity of the Divine and the Form and forged her Tai Yin Dharma Body."

She paused for a moment before speaking about herself:

"The drawback of the Yang herb is that you constantly forget the past and fall into a deep slumber. You have to sleep for a very, very long time before you can wake up each time, and then you don’t remember anything. You have to recall it all again, little by little. Anyway, it’s really not good at all."

Jiang Yi asked with curiosity:

"Lady Attendant, how many times have you ’woken up’?"

Qiao Yu counted on her fingers.

"The eighth time. Hehe, I only woke up a little while ago, so I can stay out for a long, long time before I have to go back to that little black room."

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow, realizing the girl in green was referring to the Profound City Central Palace.

It was no wonder Miss Xiaoqiao was so lively.

Anyone who slumbered for millennia at a time would find everything novel and interesting upon waking.

"Miss Xiaoqiao, why did you call me the new monarch of Shao Yang?"

After all this beating around the bush, Jiang Yi finally returned to the main topic. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

He had to admit, when Qiao Yu had just performed a formal bow and spoken those three words, "Shao Yang New Monarch," his heart had hammered in his chest, nearly throwing him into a panic. Even True Master Xuanmiao, huddled in his robes, had long since curled into a ball, not daring to make a sound.

"Although the Yang Qi Taiyin Heaven is suppressing Young Master Jiang’s destiny and Luck, preventing your ’Saint King’ fate from flourishing and making you immune to karmic divination and the influence of Divine Techniques..."

Qiao Yu rested her delicate chin on her knees and tilted her head to look at Jiang Yi, her tone laced with a hint of mischief:

"But a Daoist Monarch has plenty of methods, so of course there are ways to find you."

After saying this, Qiao Yu pursed her lips and fell silent, her face clearly written with the four words: "Go on, beg me."

Jiang Yi sighed internally. Miss Xiaoqiao’s quiet and graceful demeanor, much like True Master Xuanmiao’s sliver of dignity, was nothing more than a superficial front that couldn’t be maintained for long.

He cleared his throat, clasped his hands in a formal gesture, and said aloud:

"I humbly request that Miss Xiaoqiao, the great Lady Attendant, resolve my confusion."

Qiao Yu smiled so broadly her eyes narrowed to slits, so happy she looked like she might float up to the heavens.

"Hmph, hmph! Today, under the Shuoshan peach tree, the new monarch of Shao Yang requests guidance from Qiao Yu of the Sword-Debate Pavilion!

No, I must carve this sentence down... Oh, but would that count as harming Grandpa Peach’s ’flesh and blood’?"

Jiang Yi was quite experienced when it came to placating children, so he quickly said:

"Carving words into a tree isn’t something a refined young lady should do. Miss Xiaoqiao could write a book instead. Call it *Fairy Qiao Answers Shao Yang’s Questions Beneath the Peach Tree*. What do you think?"

Qiao Yu’s eyes widened, and she almost clapped her hands in delight. Then, a glint appeared in her bright eyes as she said with a grin:

"So, Young Master Jiang finally admits he’s the new monarch of Shao Yang?"

Jiang Yi replied calmly:

"Fairy Qiao hasn’t answered my question yet."

Qiao Yu tilted her head, pressing her cheek against her knee as she seriously studied Jiang Yi’s face.

He wasn’t what you would call devastatingly handsome, but his features were well-proportioned and pleasant to look at. He had a face that naturally drew people in, like a white cloud in the sky—pure, gentle, and warm.

His eyes, in particular, were gentle and bright, as tranquil as still water, hinting at a graceful, open-hearted bearing.

"Fairy Qiao."

Jiang Yi called out calmly.

"Oh my! Where was I?"

Qiao Yu seemed to snap out of a daze, guiltily averting her gaze as she slowly picked up the thread of conversation:

"Oh, right, Shao Yang! To be honest, I’m not entirely sure myself. This is all stuff my sister told me after I woke up.

Apparently, some Daoist Monarch from the Eight Demonic Sects used their Great Magical Power to mystically link the ’supreme position of the Daoist’ with Shao Yang, forcibly binding them together."

A Daoist Monarch from an Ancestral Sect? The supreme position of Daoist?

Jiang Yi was stunned and suspicious. Which Great Power would be willing to make such an enormous investment?

True Master Xuanmiao, still huddled in his robes, suddenly poked its head out, its amber eyes darting about, filled with shock.

The supreme position of Daoist in an Ancestral Sect Dharma Lineage was no empty title; it was essentially equivalent to the Crown Prince of a nation. The authority it wielded was so immense that it might not even be inferior to that of the current Sect Leader.