The Empress Cheated Again

In the days that followed, Yeh You no longer took the initiative to mention the matter of serving the Emperor in bed.

He merely acted like a confidant, accompanying Wu Lingxiao to play chess, discuss the Dao, and talk about the general trends of the world.

Although Ye Xuan was smart, he ultimately lacked the perspective and experience for such topics.

Yeh You, on the other hand, could truly resonate with Wu Lingxiao.

"Your Majesty's move of 'retreating to advance' is truly brilliant."

"Yeh You, this chess move of yours quite resembles my style from back in the day."

The more the two talked, the more congenial they became.

In front of Yeh You, Wu Lingxiao did not need to disguise herself as a "docile little wife." She could freely display her domineering aura, her wisdom, and her imperial tactics.

The thrill of "being herself" eroded her defenses like a drug.

Ye Xuan, meanwhile, knew absolutely nothing about this.

He had been frequently going into secluded cultivation lately.

A month later.

On an early summer afternoon, the stifling heat made it hard to breathe.

Ye Xuan went into secluded cultivation once again.

After finishing with the memorials, Wu Lingxiao, as if driven by ghosts and gods, arrived at Yeh You's residence.

"Your Majesty."

Yeh You had anticipated this and had already prepared fine wine.

"I was just... passing by, and came to listen to some music," Wu Lingxiao said, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"I understand," Yeh You smiled faintly, not exposing her lie.

After three rounds of wine, the sound of the zither grew decadent and alluring.

Yeh You put down the zither, looked at the tipsy Empress, and suddenly spoke:

"Your Majesty, I heard that in the royal court today, those old ministers pressured you again regarding the matter of an heir?"

Wu Lingxiao frowned and irritably slammed her cup down. "Those old fogeys! Staring at my belly all day long! My husband is, after all, only at the Golden Core stage, making it difficult for us to conceive, so they force me to take concubines! Damn them all!"

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty."

Yeh You walked behind her and gently massaged her temples, his voice like the whisper of a demon:

"Actually, what they say makes sense. You are the Empress; if you have no heir, the empire will be unstable."

"Furthermore... Your Majesty, are you truly willing to accept this?"

"Accept what?"

"Accept spending the rest of your life living at the whims of a man?"

Yeh You's fingers traced across her neck, eliciting a shudder. "Are you willing to serve him like a maidservant every day? Are you willing to possess the entire world, yet be unable to have even one night that truly belongs to the strong?"

"I heard... a few days ago, just because you drank a few extra cups of wine, Consort Xuan punished you by making you sit outside the door for half an hour?"

Bang!

The wine cup in Wu Lingxiao's hand was crushed to pieces.

This was the deepest thorn in her heart.

That night she had indeed drunk too much and wanted to force herself on Ye Xuan, but as a result, she was coldly kicked out by him and made to sit in the snow to reflect on her actions.

Even though she sat there and Ye Xuan eventually forgave her.

But this sense of humiliation, the feeling of her dignity as an emperor being trampled upon, gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake.

"Say no more!" Wu Lingxiao gritted her teeth.

"Your Majesty, you are a dragon, not a snake."

Yeh You suddenly embraced her from behind, his burning chest pressing against her back:

"A dragon should soar through the nine heavens and act as it pleases."

"As long as you are willing... today, the Limitless Holy Sect will immediately announce its submission to the Great Xia, sweeping away all obstacles for you."

"As long as you are willing... I can let you experience right now what true pleasure is."

Wu Lingxiao's body went completely stiff.

"No... my husband will find out..." She was still putting up her final resistance.

"He is in secluded cultivation, how would he know?"

Yeh You sneered coldly and kissed her earlobe:

"Moreover, we will go to the Elysium Heaven. There are countless barriers there; let alone a Golden Core cultivator, even a Tribulation Transcendence realm expert would not be able to pry."

"Your Majesty, just this once."

"You have stayed faithful to him for ten years, do you not even have the right to indulge yourself just once?"

"Don't you want to know... what a real man is like?"

The final straw crushed the camel's back.

That's right.

I am the Empress.

I have sacrificed so much for him and suffered so much grievance.

I will just indulge this once... just once...

As long as I don't say anything, he won't know.

Furthermore, this Yeh You is indeed very tempting.

The struggle in Wu Lingxiao's eyes slowly transformed into a hazy blur of desire.

She turned around and threw her arms around Yeh You's neck, a trace of vindictive pleasure in her eyes:

"Alright."

"Take me there."

"I want to let him know... that he isn't the only one for me!"

Elysium Heaven.

This was a hidden forbidden ground deep within the imperial palace, surrounded by top-tier isolation arrays.

That night was utterly absurd.

It was as if Wu Lingxiao wanted to vent all the grievances, all the pressure, and all the unfulfilled desires that had accumulated over the past ten years.

She was no longer a cautious embroiderer; she was the Empress, a conqueror.

And Yeh You was indeed just as he had promised.

His formidable physique, also at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, allowed him to endure the Empress's frenzy and even turn the tables to take control.

Spiritual energy intertwined, and their souls surged.

This unprecedented, evenly matched thrill made Wu Lingxiao completely lose herself.

"Your Majesty... you are so beautiful..."

"Call me Lingxiao!"

"Lingxiao... you see, I am still the one more suited for you... can that Ye Xuan give you this kind of feeling?"

"Shut up... you have no right to mention him."

The next day.

The barrier of Elysium Heaven slowly opened.

Wu Lingxiao adjusted her messy clothes, a lingering flush still on her cheeks.

She glanced back at Yeh You, who was straightening his white robes, and an inexplicable surge of vanity and satisfaction welled up in her heart.

"Your Majesty, are you leaving already?" Yeh You leaned lazily against the jade couch, twirling a strand of her hair around his fingertip with a smile on his lips.

"I still have to go back and accompany... accompany him for a meal." Wu Lingxiao's voice was a bit dry.

At the mention of "him," the flush on her face rapidly faded, replaced by a trace of panicked guilt.

She hurriedly left Elysium Heaven, cleaned the scent off her body as quickly as possible, and changed into her familiar coarse linen clothes. She even deliberately used her spiritual energy to force out some sweat, pretending to look exhausted as if she had just finished handling state affairs.

When she pushed open the doors of the Sweet Dew Hall, the aroma of food wafted over.

Ye Xuan was just placing a plate of freshly steamed spirit fish on the table. He wore an apron, his long hair casually tied up. Amidst the swirling steam, he looked as beautiful as a painting.

Seeing this scene, Wu Lingxiao's heart violently twitched.

An immense sense of guilt, almost enough to drown her, washed over her.

Just moments ago, she had been moaning in pleasure beneath another man, while her husband was here washing his hands to make soup, waiting for her to come home.

"You're back?"

Ye Xuan looked up and revealed a gentle smile.

The smile was clean, pure, and without a trace of impurity.

"Mhm... I'm back." Wu Lingxiao didn't dare to look him in the eyes. She walked over quickly, hugged Ye Xuan's waist from behind, buried her face in his back, and greedily sniffed the faint scent of cooking smoke and soap pods on him.

This was home.

"What's wrong? Why so clingy?" Ye Xuan smiled and patted the back of her hand.

Right at that moment, Wu Lingxiao's fingers touched Ye Xuan's arm.

"Hiss!"

Ye Xuan drew in a sharp breath, his body instinctively flinching.

Startled, Wu Lingxiao quickly let go and pulled up Ye Xuan's sleeve.

On the arm that was originally as white as jade, large patches of red swelling were now spread all over. The skin displayed a bizarre burnt red color, as if it had been scorched by raging fire, or forcefully crushed by some tyrannical spiritual power.

"What is going on?"

Wu Lingxiao's voice trembled, the guilt in her eyes instantly turning into shock and fury. "Who did this? Who dared to hurt you?"

Ye Xuan hurriedly pulled his hand back and pulled down his sleeve. He squeezed out a forced smile on his face, though his eyes were somewhat evasive.

"It's... it's nothing."

"It's just that during my secluded cultivation of the Nine Turns Nirvana Sutra these past few days, I was a bit too eager for success. My spiritual power went astray, and I suffered a bit of backlash from fire poison."

"Really?" Wu Lingxiao stared at him intently.

"Really." Ye Xuan turned around, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and said with feigned relaxation, "Let's eat. The fish won't taste good if it gets cold. Isn't my cooked fish your favorite?"

Wu Lingxiao looked at his back.

She did not press further.

Because she felt guilty.

Her mind was full of the scenes from Elysium just now, leaving her with no confidence to delve into Ye Xuan's injuries.

"Alright, let's eat."

Wu Lingxiao sat down, picked up a piece of fish meat, and put it into her mouth.

The fish was delicious, melting in her mouth.

However, she felt it tasted like wax, and there was even a bloody taste churning in her throat.

In the days that followed, once Pandora's box was opened, it could never be closed again.

Wu Lingxiao began to frequently visit Elysium.

From once every half month at first, to once every seven days later, and now once every three days.

She was like an addicted gambler.

She sought the thrill and release of a strong person from Yeh You, and then returned to Ye Xuan to seek spiritual comfort and peace.

She felt she could balance all of this well.

After all, she was the Empress; she had the ability to control everything.

As long as I don't say anything, as long as I still treat him well, this is not betrayal.

This is just the privilege of an emperor.

However, what she did not know was...

During this month when she was sinking into desire.

What kind of hell Ye Xuan, who she thought was "in secluded healing", was experiencing.

The back mountain of the Sweet Dew Hall, the secluded cave dwelling.

This was originally a place for Ye Xuan's quiet cultivation, but over the past month, it had become his torture chamber.

"Pfft!"

Ye Xuan suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his whole body collapsing limply onto the stone bed.

Even with a Golden Core stage cultivation base, he still appeared incredibly fragile when facing the "Heart Refining Fire" that specifically targeted the divine soul.

His whole body's skin was as red as a boiled shrimp; that was the pain projected onto the physical body after the divine soul was scorched.

"Can you still endure it? Consort Xuan."

A cold, elegant voice, yet revealing a bone-piercing chill, rang out.

Shangguan Wan'er, dressed in a purple robe, stood at the entrance of the cave dwelling, looking down at Ye Xuan while playing with an array disk that emitted a faint blue fiery light.

For this past month, she had used an ancient forbidden array to torture Ye Xuan day and night.

Ye Xuan raised his head with difficulty, his clothes already soaked with sweat.

He looked at Shangguan Wan'er with no plea for mercy in his eyes, only deep shame, anger, and confusion.

"Sister Wan'er..."

Ye Xuan panted heavily, his voice hoarse:

"This month... taking advantage of Her Majesty being busy, you secretly used private torture on me... I have endured it for a long time."

"What exactly do you want to do?"

"Are you not afraid that I will tell Her Majesty? With her temper, if she knows you treated me like this, you will die."

"Die?"

Shangguan Wan'er laughed. She put away the array disk and slowly walked in front of Ye Xuan. The look in her eyes was complex and hard to distinguish—there was jealousy, contempt, but also a trace of imperceptible pity.

"Ye Xuan, you are truly pitiful."

"Do you think you are still as important in Her Majesty's heart as you were ten years ago?"

Ye Xuan's brows furrowed tightly. He forced himself to sit up, maintaining that crumbling dignity:

"Her Majesty and I became husband and wife, ten years of deep love, depending on each other through life and death. I don't understand what you are saying."

"Deep love? Depending on each other through life and death?"

Shangguan Wan'er seemed to have heard a joke. She leaned down, stared into Ye Xuan's eyes, and asked word by word:

"Ye Xuan, ask yourself honestly."

"For an Empress, for a woman destined to have three palaces and six courtyards, you kept yourself pure and confined yourself, is it worth it?"

Ye Xuan fell silent for a moment.

He thought of the bits and pieces of these ten years, thought of the Wu Lingxiao who would cry for him, laugh for him, and clumsily embroider "ducks" for him.

"Naturally, it is worth it."

Ye Xuan raised his head, his eyes clear and firm:

"She disbanded the harem for me and stood against the world for me. Keeping myself pure for her is only right and proper."

"Heh heh... what a right and proper thing."

The pity in Shangguan Wan'er's eyes deepened. She stood up straight, her tone becoming bone-chillingly cold:

"Then do you know what your good Majesty who 'disbanded the harem for you' has been doing this past month?"

Ye Xuan froze for a moment and instinctively replied, "Her Majesty is handling court affairs, and... in secluded cultivation."

This was what Wu Lingxiao had told him.

This past month, she always said she needed secluded cultivation to stabilize her realm; she came in a hurry and left in a hurry.

"Secluded cultivation?"

Shangguan Wan'er sneered and took out a recording stone from her sleeve, but did not activate it, only holding it tightly in her hand:

"She is quite busy. Busy cultivating in someone else's bed."

Ye Xuan's mind buzzed.

He suddenly stood up, but because the movement was too fierce, it aggravated his injuries, and he staggered again.

"Nonsense!"

Ye Xuan shouted sternly, "Shangguan Wan'er! I don't want Her Majesty to kill you because I consider your contributions to assisting the state over these ten years! If you dare to slander Her Majesty's innocence again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Seeing Ye Xuan defending Wu Lingxiao even though he was deeply tortured, the last trace of hesitation in Shangguan Wan'er's eyes disappeared.

"Slander?"

"Ye Xuan, you are too naive."

"Fine. Since you won't give up until you see the grim reality, I will let you die knowing the truth."

Shangguan Wan'er turned around, waved her long sleeve, and the door of the cave dwelling swung open with a bang.

"Follow me."

"Where to?"

"To a place... that can make you see clearly how dirty this world is."

Outside Elysium was a deserted cliff.

This place had a natural barrier and directly faced the main hall of Elysium.

Shangguan Wan'er brought Ye Xuan to land here.

"Here are the nine layers of barriers laid down personally by Her Majesty. Besides her and that man, no one can enter, and no one can pry."

Shangguan Wan'er pointed to the palace shrouded in pink mist ahead and said flatly:

"Naturally, I cannot break these nine layers of barriers. But I have figured out one of the loopholes."

"And this loophole is sound."

Saying that, she took out a peculiar conch-shaped magical treasure from her bosom and tapped it lightly towards the mist.

"Listen."

"This is your 'worth it' love."

The magical treasure vibrated.

The next moment, on the dead silent cliff, incredibly clear sounds came out from the conch.

It was not the sound of wind, nor the sound of rain.

But... a sound that made one blush with shame, yet made Ye Xuan feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"Mmm... Your Majesty... slow down..."

It was a man's voice. Deep, magnetic, with undisguised pleasure and teasing.

Immediately after.

It was a voice Ye Xuan was familiar with down to his very bones.

The voice that had once sworn in his ear, "One life, one lifetime, only you and me."

"Why call me Your Majesty? Call me Lingxiao!"

"Night Consort... you are so beautiful. I love your eyes so much..."

Ye Xuan stood at the edge of the cliff like a stone statue.

The wind blew past his long hair, hiding his eyes, but it could not hide his trembling hands.

The voices from the conch shell continued, every sentence feeling like the blade of a thousand cuts.

"Your Majesty, there is a matter your subject does not understand."

"Speak."

"Do you truly like me, or do you like that Consort Xuan?"

Ye Xuan's breathing stopped.

He stared fixedly at the conch shell, as if awaiting his final judgment.

After a moment of silence.

Wu Lingxiao's drunken, unbridled laughter rang out:

"Haha... why bring him up?"

"He is merely at the Golden Core stage. His body is frail; he cries out in pain at the slightest touch. He is incredibly boring."

"How could he compare to you?"

"You and I are both at the Tribulation Transcendence stage... As expected, you bring me far more pleasure."

"This is the enjoyment true experts deserve..."

Clatter.

The fine steel longsword at Ye Xuan's waist, which never left his side, fell to the ground.

It let out a crisp, despairing wail.

His eyes widened, his pupils contracting violently as he stood there in a daze.

His complexion went from pale, to deathly white, and finally to an ashen, corpselike gray.

"Did you hear that?"

Shangguan Wan'er put away the conch shell. Looking at Ye Xuan's soul-shattered appearance, a cruel smile curled on her lips, though her eyes remained as cold as iron:

"This is the truth."

"She thinks you are weak. She thinks you are boring."

"Her so-called 'one life, one lifetime' was nothing but coaxing a pet. When she met a true equal, she tossed you into the trash heap without a second thought."

Ye Xuan did not speak.

It was as if he could no longer hear anything.

In this moment, his world completely collapsed into a pile of ruins.