Chapter 160: Changing Mindsets

After Jiucang left, Jianrong knelt on the ground, alternating between weeping and laughing.

"So, I truly am the next Heavenly Maiden! Heh, then what was I worrying about? Shuo, no matter how formidable your cultivation may be, I can never walk alongside you again. Isn't your goal simply to use my identity to open the Liguang Mirror? And then kill me? I will never let you get your way!"

With that, Jianrong crushed the snow lotus seed in her palm. "Let's see how you manage to reach the Snow Region! When you get there, just wait to be frozen to death by the endless ice and snow of the Snow Realm!"

Watching Jiucang's receding figure, Jianrong could not help but recall the panic-inducing scene from earlier that day:

"What did you say? Exalted Celestial, you are... my adoptive father?"

Jianrong stood frozen in place, staring at Jiucang in horror while desperately trying to suppress the tumultuous waves surging within her heart. Could the man standing before her really be the adoptive father who had raised her into adulthood?

"Yes. I was always worried about our respective positions, so I didn't dare tell you, fearing the gossiping tongues of the Tianshan disciples. But lately, I've seen you acting increasingly erratic, repeatedly helping outsiders against your own sect. I simply had no choice but to step in and intervene!"

"But why did you..."

"You must not blame me! There was no other way. I could only entrust you to the care of Celestial Master Bailing. Though you were right by my side, we could never acknowledge each other; I could only help and promote you in secret. Look at you—every proposal you made, didn't I always approve it? Yet that only applied to wholesome suggestions. I cannot simply turn a blind eye to the grave mistakes you are making now!"

Jianrong felt a mix of shock and joy, bitterness and sorrow, as she looked skeptically at the man before her. "Then where did you bring me back from? Who are my biological parents? Why was I abandoned the moment I was born?"

"Child, let the past remain in the past! Isn't everything fine as it is now? If you just apply yourself a little more, the position of Celestial Master is within your grasp. Without any other distractions, you can focus on your cultivation and achieve immortality—what is wrong with that?"

"All these years, I always believed I had no father and no mother, only a master. Therefore, the only thing I had left to rely on was power and status. To climb from an ordinary disciple to the position I hold now, I've endured so much. You saw it all—why couldn't you spare a single word of care or a greeting? Were the opinions of others really that important? If you had given me even half the gentleness you possess now back then, perhaps I wouldn't have ended up where I am today, perhaps I would be as confident and happy as Xueze..."

Jiucang sighed and turned his back to her. "Do you know? Tianshan is a sacred sanctuary of cultivation; there is no room for sentimentality here. If I had shown you special care, others would assume that everything you achieved was merely due to my backing. Would you still feel a sense of accomplishment then? Although Xueze knows her true lineage, she is not permitted to call Celestial Master Qinglian 'mother' while on Tianshan either; she receives the exact same care and treatment as everyone else. What difference do you think there is between the two of you?"

"Of course there is a difference! That is merely how the lot of you think! If you had let me know of your existence when I was a child, I wouldn't have viewed you merely as an ordinary, lofty Exalted Celestial; my heart would have been filled with joy and the utmost filial piety. I wouldn't have been a burden to you, nor would I have proclaimed it to the world—I only wanted a sense of peace and something to lean on. Just a spiritual pillar of support, was that really too much for you to give?"

"I did consider it once, but I had already raised you and brought you back to Tianshan; how could I tether you to my side forever? Everyone must walk their own path. I hope you can find your own way and walk it independently and freely, rather than being shackled everywhere by ties of affection!"

Jianrong smiled helplessly, finding herself with nothing to say yet bursting with the urge to vent, her eyes brimming with tears.

"How could one be shackled by familial love? Affection brings nothing but happiness. I would rather forfeit my current status and authority; I would rather be nothing more than an ordinary mortal, as long as I had grown up surrounded by care and love rather than living like this. Do you know the consequences of lacking familial warmth? Do you know that I sometimes even despise myself now? That fleeting satisfaction after gaining power, followed by an infinite sense of emptiness, drives you to seek it over and over again with no end in sight. But just how much power and status is there in this world? You pushed me to the very peak—and what comes after that?"

"If you reach the absolute peak, your state of mind will transform entirely, and you will certainly not be like this. Do you know? The ultimate realm of a cultivator is to be entirely free of desires and demands, with a mind as calm as still water. Achieving this requires casting aside all stray thoughts and emotions. Having been devoid of them since childhood is better than having experienced them, for it allows you to reach that supreme state of mind much faster!"

Jianrong shook her head and sighed.

"I have never wanted to cultivate immortality; all I ever wanted was someone to lean on, a conviction to keep living. Why do you still not understand? Just like Celestial Master Qinglian, if I could have true affection, I would willingly strip away every single title and position."

"And what of the position of the Heavenly Maiden? Isn't that what you have always prayed for?"

"Does that not depend on fate? Can you simply grant it to me?"

Outside the main gates of the imperial palace in Beihua, rows of soldiers stood at attention, each wearing a solemn expression and guarding the area with strict vigilance.

Liu Liu strode toward the palace gates, his eyes devoid of any emotion, holding only an endless sense of desolation.

Gao Hai followed closely behind Liu Li, leading a troop of soldiers as they barged through the palace gates, traversed the long corridors, ascended the stone steps, and entered the main hall.

It was mid-August, and the Mid-Autumn Festival was fast approaching. Both inside and outside Beihua, the atmosphere should have been brimming with festive cheer, yet here, not a trace of it could be found.

The stern, chilling atmosphere of the Mingkun Palace was enough to put anyone on edge. The master of this place was finally returning; having just survived harrowing trials and weathered great storms outside, Liu Li's homecoming was met with mixed feelings of sorrow and joy.

Heyu stood atop the city tower, witnessing the entirety of Liu Li's procession as he entered the palace. She had watched him leave, and now she welcomed him back.

"You have finally returned safely, yet regrettably, I am no longer the same Heyu I once was!"

Liu Li could not perceive anything amiss; he only understood what he was about to do. This place was no longer a home, but a battlefield. Liu Li needed to match wits, engage in schemes, and fight a bloody battle with numerous adversaries!

The Empress Dowager and Liu Zhong waited outside the hall, offering their congratulations to Liu Li on his safe return.

Liu Li returned the gesture with a smile that seemed entirely ordinary, though everyone present understood the true meaning behind that smile.

"We warmly welcome our third brother's safe return. I heard that Third Brother's journey was not entirely smooth—did you manage to achieve the original purpose of leaving the palace?"

Liu Li smiled indifferently and took his seat. "Thank you for your concern, Second Brother. Everything on this trip went quite normally! I merely encountered a few rogue bandits and outlaws, nothing out of the ordinary!"

"Then did you pay your respects to the late Eunuch Liu?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"That was the very first thing I did. Afterward, I even went to visit Eldest Brother." Liu Li glanced at the Empress Dowager and smiled. "Eldest Brother asked me to relay a message wishing Mother Empress good health, and to say that he is doing very well, so please do not worry about him!"

The Empress Dowager smiled faintly and nodded. "That is good! Since all of you are safe, I can finally set my mind at ease!"

Liu Li smiled without speaking, thinking to himself: *Mother Empress, you must be inwardly shocked and displeased! After all, even that supreme fiend failed to eliminate me; anyone in your position would find this infuriating!*

"Third Brother, when you left the palace, it happened to coincide with the selection of talented individuals. The Empress Dowager and I have already selected a batch of new talents on your behalf, so that you may choose from them and deploy them as you see fit in the future. You are turning twenty this year, which is a crucial juncture for consolidating all matters of state. We did this out of pure goodwill, so do not read too much into it!"

Liu Li smiled nonchalantly and replied, "With me out of the palace, having the two of you manage everything was certainly a way to alleviate my burdens. However, now that I have returned safely, it is also time for me to tend to the duties that fall upon me, lest I continue to cause you both such toil."

"Naturally!" Liu Zhong looked toward the Empress Dowager with a smile, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Liu Li's return was undeniably an unexpected development that disrupted the plans of Liu Zhong and the Empress Dowager, and the deadline set by the ancestors' decrees was fast approaching.

Liu Zhong clenched his fists tightly, sighing inwardly: *Something feels wrong the moment he returns; he seems to radiate an aura of vengeance! Once autumn passes, he will turn twenty-one, and he must seize power before then. Why on earth did the ancestors set down such a rigid rule? I only hope the Empress Dowager can manage to cover the skies with one hand and sweep this matter under the rug!*

"Your Majesty, what matters do you wish to attend to in order to ease your burdens?" The Empress Dowager closed her eyes slightly and took a sip of tea, finally subduing the agitation within her heart.

Liu Li replied without a moment's hesitation, "Naturally, the matters that an emperor ought to handle!"

"Your Majesty is over twenty years old this year; it is indeed time to grasp imperial authority and undertake major affairs to plan for the future. This is the ancestral rule and cannot be transgressed—upon reaching the age of twenty, one must ascend the throne and wield the three supreme powers. However, before handling affairs of state, you must first put your domestic affairs in order. Once you are able to properly care for the consorts of the inner palace and produce an heir of your own, this mourning-clad dowager will naturally relinquish power to you."

"The Empress Dowager is simply advising Third Brother to sire a imperial son early to stabilize the foundation of the state. Such an arrangement is exceptionally wise. What do you think, Third Brother?"