PUA the Empress

Deep within the Great Xia Imperial Palace, in the side pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

This was the core of the entire imperial city's grand array. Ordinarily, it could only be opened when emperors of past generations entered secluded life-or-death meditation.

At this moment, however, the space was filled with a sickeningly thick stench of blood, along with several massive fluctuations of spiritual energy.

On a bed carved from ten-thousand-year warm jade, Ye Xuan lay quietly.

His face was as pale as paper, almost blending in with his white inner garments. Although his chest was still rising and falling, his breathing was as faint as a candle in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any moment.

Faint golden cracks could be seen meandering across the surface of his skin. These were the terrifying Dao wounds left behind by the self-destruction of his Nascent Soul, making him look like shattered porcelain—a shocking sight.

Surrounding the bed were five white-haired old men.

Each of them exuded an ancient and powerful aura. Shockingly, they were all Grand Elders at the peak of the Tribulation Transcendence realm, the ultimate hidden trump cards of the Great Xia Immortal Dynasty.

Right now, these five great figures—who could cause earthquakes in the lower realms just by stomping their feet—were covered in sweat. They carefully manipulated their spiritual energy, guiding a crimson fruit suspended above Ye Xuan.

The fruit was shaped like an infant and radiated a seven-colored glow. Every trace of medicinal fragrance that leaked from it caused the withered potted plants nearby to instantly sprout and bloom.

The Nine-Revolution Nirvana Immortal Fruit.

The only genuine immortal medicine left in the Great Xia treasury. Legend had it that even if only a single drop of blood remained, it could allow a person to reconstruct their physical body and live a second life.

Drip.

A drop of red-gold medicinal liquid fell from the fruit and merged into the center of Ye Xuan's brow.

Ye Xuan's body trembled violently. Those wandering cracks were bound together by some kind of power, and the golden light dimmed slightly.

Phew...

The leading old man, who had white hair but a youthful face, let out a long breath and retracted his trembling fingers.

He turned around and looked at Wu Lingxiao, who had been standing behind them like a statue, and said in a solemn voice:

Your Majesty, Lady Consort Xuan's life has been temporarily preserved.

Wu Lingxiao had been staring fixedly at Ye Xuan's face. Hearing this, her body swayed, and a trace of life finally flashed through her bloodshot phoenix eyes. Temporarily? What do you mean temporarily? I used the immortal fruit! I used the best medicine in the treasury! Could it be that he still can't be saved?

The old man smiled bitterly and cupped his hands in a salute:

Your Majesty, if it were an ordinary injury, even if his physical body was completely destroyed, this immortal fruit could save him. But Consort Xuan self-destructed his Nascent Soul.

The Nascent Soul is the very origin of a cultivator. He grew weary of life from the very depths of his soul. If Your Majesty hadn't frozen that instant in time using the Laws of Time, his soul would have already scattered.

Speaking up to here, the old man glanced at the unconscious Ye Xuan, a flash of admiration and apprehension in his eyes:

This old man has lived for three thousand years, yet I have never seen such a fiercely unyielding person. To be able to act so ruthlessly against himself.

Your Majesty... The old man hesitated for a moment before offering grave advice. This healing process is extremely perilous. During the upcoming fusion period, a single misstep will result in his soul scattering. Even with the immortal fruit protecting his body, if he subconsciously generates strong suicidal thoughts again, even a Great Luo Golden Immortal would find it hard to save him.

Wu Lingxiao's face instantly turned deathly pale. Her fingers tightly gripped her sleeves, her knuckles turning white.

There is one more thing.

The old man's expression was serious: Your Majesty previously mentioned that you placed restrictions on Consort Xuan? Sealing his cultivation and divine sense?

Wu Lingxiao nodded, her voice hoarse. I sealed his nine seas of qi and planted the Heart-Locking Curse, among other methods. As long as he mobilized his spiritual energy, he would suffer agonizing pain... Why? Why was he still able to break through them?

That explains it. The old man sighed. Your Majesty, you were foolish.

Consort Xuan possesses the legendary Flawless Dao Body. This physique is impervious to all methods and has a natural resistance to all restrictions, charms, curses, and soul spells in the world.

Although your restrictions are tyrannical, to him, they are nothing more than a thin veil draped over his body. As long as he is willing to pay the price, he can tear them apart at any time. Even if you are a Half-step True Immortal, you cannot completely suppress this heaven-bestowed physique.

The old man looked deeply at Wu Lingxiao and said earnestly:

Your Majesty, you absolutely must not provoke Consort Xuan anymore.

Consort Xuan's fiercely unyielding nature is well known. Eight hundred years ago, he dared to charge out of the imperial palace, and today, he dared to self-destruct his Nascent Soul to preserve his integrity.

If you use force again, if you force him again... next time, I'm afraid you won't even have the chance to use an immortal fruit.

These words were like a basin of ice water, completely extinguishing the last bit of cruelty and wishful thinking in Wu Lingxiao's heart.

She looked at the man on the bed, an unprecedented surge of lingering fear welling up in her heart.

Just a little bit.

Just a tiny bit more.

And she would have truly lost him forever.

I... understand.

Wu Lingxiao closed her eyes, two streams of clear tears sliding down her cheeks. Her voice was so weak that she no longer sounded like the all-powerful Empress:

You may step down. I will... watch over him personally.

This vigil lasted for a full month.

During this month, the Great Xia royal court was shaken.

The Empress suspended court and ignored state affairs, throwing all major military and national matters to the Prime Minister. She locked herself in the side pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, never leaving for a single step.

She didn't dare to leave.

She was afraid that the moment she turned around, Ye Xuan would disappear or once again turn into an exploding mist of blood.

Like the lowliest of maids, she personally wiped Ye Xuan's body, personally fed him medicinal liquid mouth-to-mouth, and even transmitted pure origin spiritual energy every two hours to help smooth out his chaotic meridians.

The dignified Half-step True Immortal, the Empress of Great Xia, had literally exhausted herself to the point of losing weight.

A month later.

Sunlight filtered through the window lattice, spilling onto the golden thread nanmu floor. The air was filled with a faint scent of ambergris and the bitter smell of medicine.

Ye Xuan's eyelashes fluttered.

His consciousness slowly floated up from an endless dark abyss. Although the soul-tearing agony was still there, it had become bearable.

Did I fail to die...

Ye Xuan smiled bitterly in his heart.

He slowly opened his heavy eyelids, his vision gradually shifting from blurry to clear.

What met his eyes was no longer the suffocating ruins of the imperial study, but an extremely warmly decorated room.

His hand felt a bit heavy.

Ye Xuan turned his head slightly and saw a head of jet-black hair resting beside his bed.

It was Wu Lingxiao.

She was still wearing the imperial robes from that day, only the magnificent garments were now wrinkled and even stained with some medicine.

Her originally smooth long hair was casually tied up, with a few messy strands hanging by the side of her face.

Even in her sleep, her brows remained tightly locked. One of her hands held onto Ye Xuan's hand in a death grip, as if it were her only lifeline.

Ye Xuan looked at her.

The current Wu Lingxiao lacked her overbearing arrogance and her suffocating madness.

She looked just like an ordinary, utterly exhausted wife guarding her severely ill husband.

A Mahayana realm expert... a Half-step True Immortal, actually tired to this extent?

A trace of complex emotion flashed through Ye Xuan's heart.

He knew that having reached Wu Lingxiao's realm, she had long since achieved inedia and possessed endless energy. For her to show such fatigue meant that the mental effort and origin energy she had expended over this past month were simply unimaginable.

Why bother...

Ye Xuan sighed softly.

The sigh was extremely faint, yet in the dead silence of the room, it sounded like a crack of thunder.

Wu Lingxiao, who had been resting her head by the bed, jolted awake.

She sprang up as if struck by lightning. Her eyes were unfocused for a brief moment before locking onto Ye Xuan's now-open eyes.

Hus... Husband?

Wu Lingxiao's voice trembled, thick with emotion and sheer disbelief.

Frantically, she reached out to touch Ye Xuan's forehead, then fumbled to check his pulse, her movements as clumsy as a child's.

You are awake... You are really awake...

Upon confirming that Ye Xuan had truly regained consciousness, this normally ruthless and decisive empress instantly broke down.

Husband! You have finally come back to life!

She threw herself onto Ye Xuan, yet did not dare to put any weight on him. She could only loosely wrap her arms around his neck, bawling loudly.

You scared me to death... You scared me to death...

What would I do if you died? If you died, I would not want to live either...

Large drops of tears smashed against Ye Xuan's face, scalding and fervent.

Ye Xuan quietly let her cry for a while.

Only when her emotions had settled slightly did Ye Xuan slowly speak.

His voice was hoarse and cold, carrying an icy detachment that pushed people a thousand miles away.

Why are you crying?

Weren't you the one who told me to die?

These words were like a sharp knife, stabbing precisely into Wu Lingxiao's most painful wound.

Wu Lingxiao's crying came to an abrupt halt.

She stiffly raised her head, looking into Ye Xuan's utterly warmthless eyes.

Remorse.

A monstrous wave of remorse instantly drowned her.

Slap!

A crisp slapping sound rang out.

Incredibly, Wu Lingxiao raised her hand and viciously slapped herself in the face!

I was wrong... Husband, I was wrong!

Slap! Another strike.

I was just speaking out of anger! I was out of my mind! How could I ever truly want you to die!

Wu Lingxiao frantically slapped her own face. She struck with extreme force, causing her originally flawlessly beautiful cheeks to instantly swell and turn red, with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Do not die... Please, do not die...

I will give you whatever you want. I will give you my empire, my life, as long as you do not leave me...

At this moment, she had humbled herself into the dust.

Watching the self-flagellating empress before him, the coldness in Ye Xuan's eyes finally showed a hint of loosening.

That was about enough.

In this high-stakes gamble with his life on the line, he had won.

Although he had lost his cultivation, he now wielded a weapon far more terrifying than any martial strength.

Enough.

Ye Xuan raised his hand with great effort and grabbed Wu Lingxiao's wrist just as she was about to strike again.

His hand was ice-cold and devoid of strength, yet Wu Lingxiao felt as though she had been clamped by iron tongs, instantly freezing in place.

Stop hitting yourself.

Ye Xuan looked at her swollen face and sighed. His gaze gradually softened, even carrying a trace of helpless doting.

If you ruin your face, you will not be pretty anymore.

This sudden gentleness caused Wu Lingxiao to freeze entirely.

She stared blankly at Ye Xuan, tears still hanging from her eyelashes, completely at a loss.

Exerting a slight amount of force, Ye Xuan pulled her hand down and pressed it against his chest.

Lingxiao.

It was the first time he had called her by her given name, rather than the icy Wu Lingxiao or the sarcastic Your Majesty.

Do you know why I did this?

Wu Lingxiao shook her head, her eyes filled with confusion and fear. Because... because you want to go find Bai Qianqiu...

No.

Ye Xuan interrupted her.

His expression became extraordinarily serious, even bearing a profound weariness of one who had seen through the ways of the world.

The reason I made Bai Qianqiu my official wife is not because of how deep my feelings are for her.

To be honest, I have only known her for a few days. How could that possibly compare to our eight hundred years of entanglement?

A glimmer of hope flashed in Wu Lingxiao's eyes. Then... then why?

Ye Xuan took a deep breath, his gaze lingering on the void outside the window as if recalling some unbearable past.

It is because... she is pure.

Wu Lingxiao was stunned for a moment, and then the flames of jealousy ignited in her eyes again. She was just about to retort.

But Ye Xuan glanced at her, his eyes holding a sharpness that seemed to see through everything.

Back when you captured me and brought me into the palace, was I not also pure?

Back then, I was clean, with nothing but cultivation in my heart.

But what about later?

Ye Xuan pointed at the luxurious palace, then pointed at the imperial robes Wu Lingxiao wore.

Over these eight hundred years, you cannot possibly be ignorant of what you have done, right?

Wu Lingxiao was instantly rendered speechless. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but found she had nothing to say.

Ye Xuan turned his hand over and grasped hers. The faint warmth transmitting from his palm made Wu Lingxiao tremble all over.

We are bound by marriage.

Ye Xuan's voice became deep and magnetic.

In your heart, the title of official wife is very important. But to me, whether someone is the official wife or not does not matter.

What matters is whether they can bring peace to my heart.

He looked tenderly at Wu Lingxiao, his eyes filled with a deceptive light that seemed to say he was thinking of her.

Bai Qianqiu is my obsession. She is like a blank sheet of paper, untainted by the filth of this cultivation world.

Looking at her, I can forget those foul and unbearable memories of my past lives.

The memories of my past lives are full of nothing but bloodshed and betrayal. It is too exhausting.

He took a deep look at the empress, implying something more.

Even with you, it is the same.

Seeing you reminds me of the days I was imprisoned by you, bringing up scene after scene of filthy images.

This heaviness suffocates me.

Ye Xuan's words were like a gentle knife, slowly carving open Wu Lingxiao's psychological defenses.

He was secretly swapping concepts.

He was swapping the idea of no longer loving her with the idea that their past was too heavy, and he needed something pure to catch his breath.

For someone with as extreme a possessive streak as Wu Lingxiao, this was an immense comfort. So it was not that he did not love her anymore, but rather that he was in too much pain and needed some companionship.

Ye Xuan held her hand, gently caressing it.

If you do not want me to die again, then you have to accept it.

It is not that you cannot compare to her, nor is it that I do not love you.

It is just that the timing is wrong.

Right now, we both need a little space. We need something pure to act as a buffer.

Only by letting Bai Qianqiu be the official wife, letting her stand in front to purify that karma, can we... have a chance to catch our breath.

This line of logic would be full of holes under normal circumstances.

But for Wu Lingxiao, who was currently in a state of extreme fear and remorse, it was nothing short of a lifesaver.

She did not need logic.

She only needed a reason.

A reason that would allow her to accept Bai Qianqiu's existence without negating her own worth.

The timing... is wrong?

Wu Lingxiao muttered to herself. The madness in her eyes gradually receded, replaced by the relief and compromise of someone who had just survived a disaster.

As long as it was not because that woman was better than her.

As long as it was not because he did not love her anymore.

Then it was fine...

Alright, I understand.

Wu Lingxiao lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong, her voice as quiet as a mosquito.

I will not force you anymore.

"If you want her to be the official wife... then let her be."

Her heart bled as she spoke those words. But compared to losing Ye Xuan, compared to watching him explode into a mist of blood right before her eyes, what did this shred of dignity matter?

In that moment, she was utterly terrified.

Ye Xuan's fierce resolve to end his own life without hesitation, his unflinching readiness to embrace death, had once again awakened the most primal fear deep within her soul.

She no longer wanted to fight for the title of official wife.

She no longer wanted to fight for her pride.

As long as Ye Xuan lived, that was enough. As long as he could still let her hold his hand like this, it was enough.