Ji Xuanyuan replied with a smile:
“A few days ago, Young Master Yuan stayed overnight in my chambers every night, which probably made you think I was plundering him daily, right? Actually, you’re only half right.”
“I did take a liking to Young Master Yuan’s constitution, but I only used him as a cushion and extracted a little bit of spiritual power. Aside from that, I haven’t done anything improper.”
Gu Qingwan was stunned: “So you mean… A-Yuan is still chaste?”
“Your Highness, why explain so much to a commoner like me?”
Seeing Gu Qingwan still half-doubtful, Ji Xuanyuan said directly:
“Because I need to! Of course I need to! After all, even a fool can see that Young Master Yuan has always had his heart set on you, Fairy Gu. I don’t want to be the third party between you two. Taking this opportunity, I also want to clear things up. If you still don’t believe me, I can swear by my position as Crown Prince that I have absolutely no improper intentions toward Young Master Yuan!”
At the end of this, Gu Qingwan’s mouth fell open slightly.
What?
The Crown Prince dares to swear by her own position as Crown Prince? That’s a heavy oath!
Could it be that she truly has no improper intentions toward A-Yuan? That they are merely in a cooperative relationship???
She secretly studied Ji Xuanyuan.
The latter was drinking tea, her profile sharp as a blade, with no trace of any abnormality when mentioning Chu Yuan.
Gu Qingwan’s heartbeat gradually calmed, replaced by an indescribable ecstasy.
After all, since Ji Xuanyuan had said this much, she certainly wouldn’t be playing tricks.
After all, when it came to “kingdom” versus “love,” a rational person would choose the former.
Moreover, the Crown Prince before her was an outstanding ruler; she wouldn’t abandon everything she had now for a man she’d only known for a few days.
If that were the case, then Gu Qingwan had lost a troublesome love rival.
But even so, there was still one thing Gu Qingwan didn’t understand:
“Your Highness, giving me a technique and clarifying misunderstandings—surely this isn’t just to make friends with a commoner, is it? If there is something you need from me, please speak plainly.”
Ji Xuanyuan set down her tea cup, the smile on her lips unwavering:
“You’re too kind, Fairy Gu. As the host of the Divine Hunt Grand Ceremony, I naturally wish to build good relations with talents from all sides. If you can stand out in the Medicine King Valley Trial, it will be a fortunate thing for me as well.”
Gu Qingwan’s eyes lit up:
“I see! So it’s still about the Saintess matter, isn’t it!”
Originally, she was already on good terms with Chu Yunlan of the Taixu Sacred Domain, and now she had the favor of the Crown Prince of the Immortal Dynasty—she had directly gathered the support of the two superpowers of the Realm of True Emotions.
The path through the Medicine King Valley Trial would be extremely smooth.
However, the fact that representatives of both major powers were laying groundwork in advance for the Medicine King Valley also showed how much weight the position of Medicine King Valley Saintess carried in the eyes of each faction.
Gu Qingwan thought this was only natural.
After all, the Heaven and Earth Laws of the Realm of True Emotions were intrinsically linked to “emotion.”
Cultivation was about resonating with heaven and earth, and also about wrestling with the deepest emotions within oneself.
Win, and one’s cultivation advances; lose, and one falls into ruin.
And the deeper one studied the Single Emotion Path, the more vulnerable they became to Heart Demon backlash during breakthroughs.
“Qi Deviation”—these four words were the Sword of Damocles hanging over every cultivator in the Realm of True Emotions.
Some were devoured by Heart Demons when crossing tribulations, turning into mindless slaughtering fiends; some broke down during the Love Tribulation, going mad until death; some even shattered their true intent during Essence Accumulation breakthroughs, their meridians severed, becoming cripples.
The alchemists of Medicine King Valley were the most crucial “external aid” in this battle.
A Peaceful Spirit Pill could suppress Heart Demons, giving cultivators a moment of clarity during breakthroughs; a Heart-Cleansing Pill could dispel the residual poison of the Love Tribulation, allowing cultivators on the verge of Qi Deviation to preserve the last shred of clarity in their spiritual platform; a Nine-Revolution Soul-Returning Pill could even pull a cultivator back from the brink of death brought on by Heart Demon backlash.
Not to mention, cultivators needed pills to assist cultivation; factions needed pills to maintain combat strength; families needed pills to nurture their juniors.
To some extent, pills were an even harder currency than Spirit Stones.
And Medicine King Valley stood at the pinnacle of the entire pill system in the Realm of True Emotions.
The valley was filled with spiritual herbs, countless pill formulas, and every generation of Saintess was an Alchemy Grandmaster.
The quality of pills produced by Medicine King Valley far exceeded that of the outside world, and naturally, the prices soared accordingly.
Every time Medicine King Valley opened to sell pills, forces from all sides would send people months in advance to secure their spot, terrified of missing their quota.
For this very reason, the identity of the Medicine King Valley Saintess was so sought after.
Whoever could befriend the Saintess could gain an advantage in pill distribution; whoever could marry the Saintess could hitch the resources of Medicine King Valley to their own chariot.
Now that the Crown Prince of the Immortal Dynasty wanted to use this to lay her groundwork, Gu Qingwan found it not at all surprising.
Taking a deep breath, she reached out and accepted the wooden box, cradling it in her arms. Lifting her head to look at Ji Xuanyuan, her eyes were now filled with sincerity and gratitude:
“Since Your Highness shows such kindness, this commoner will spare no effort. To become the Saintess, she does not mind putting on an act with the Crown Prince.”
Once she became the Saintess, Gu Qingwan would have the foundation to stand openly at A-Yuan’s side.
At that time, she wouldn’t have to watch him being “lovey-dovey” with other women, nor would she have to bite her handkerchief and cry in the shadows.
A-Yuan was hers.
He had always been hers, since they were children.
Gu Qingwan lowered her head, hugging the wooden box even tighter.
Seeing her expression, Ji Xuanyuan confirmed that the tension between them had eased.
But as Chu Yuan’s senior sister from a past life, she was not satisfied with merely this.
Ji Xuanyuan’s ultimate goal was to support Gu Qingwan from the side, as a close confidante.
Otherwise, if she continued to stay by her junior brother’s side afterward, it would seem suspicious.
After weighing her options, Ji Xuanyuan parted her crimson lips:
“I believe that with Fairy Gu’s talent, the Medicine King Valley Trial will not be a major problem. However… your romance with Young Master Yuan may not go so smoothly!”
Gu Qingwan’s heart clenched, and she quickly asked:
“Your Highness, what do you mean by that?”
As she spoke, she couldn’t help worrying: is the Crown Prince planning some other dirty trick?
Seeing that she had piqued the other’s curiosity, Ji Xuanyuan deliberately teased her, sighing and waving her hand:
“Never mind! Let’s talk about it after you become the Medicine King Valley Saintess! There’s no point telling you now anyway!”
The more the Crown Prince held back, the more Gu Qingwan’s heart itched:
“Your Highness, what is it? Since we’ve already come this far, why not just say it outright?”
Faced with Gu Qingwan’s persistence, Ji Xuanyuan pretended to waver:
“Fairy Gu, are you sure you want to know now?”
Gu Qingwan insisted:
“Of course! Please speak, Your Highness!”
Ji Xuanyuan raised her delicate hand and reinforced the soundproofing array within the carriage:
“Since Fairy Gu insists, I won’t drag it out. However, this involves a secret of the Taixu Sacred Domain, and I am only telling you because I consider you a trusted confidante.”
Gu Qingwan nodded vigorously, then listened closely as she revealed the secret.