Chapter 51: The Princess Brings News of Mourning

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Upon hearing that Princess Changle was about to arrive, Fan Li remained unruffled, but Xiang Ning broke out in a cold sweat.

“What should I do? I’ve never met the princess before. To have our first meeting like this, and at your house no less—what if she gets the wrong idea…”

Fan Li rolled her eyes.

How could there be such a vast difference between two women? Princess Changle was like an enchantress from the legends, a fox spirit who had toyed with countless men. Xiang Ning, on the other hand, resembled a fledgling chick just out of her shell, startled by the smallest matters.

“What could the princess possibly imagine?” Fan Li asked, exasperated.

With a flushed face, Xiang Ning stammered, “What if she thinks there’s… something… between us?”

She could not bring herself to utter the words “an affair.”

Fan Li easily guessed what she meant and rolled her eyes again in frustration.

“In that case, since Your Majesty and the princess have never met, I suggest you keep your head down for now. Just pretend to be an ordinary maidservant, and she won’t pay you too much attention.”

“Oh, all right.” Xiang Ning nodded repeatedly.

She was utterly at a loss and resolved to follow Fan Li’s every instruction.

“How strange—why would Princess Changle come all this way just to see this traitor?” The thought flickered across Xiang Ning’s mind.

Before she could ponder it further, a faint scent of peonies drifted in on the lakeside breeze, wafting through the halls of Jiangshan Pavilion.

“How fragrant!”

No woman could ignore the allure of such a scent, and Xiang Ning was no exception.

She turned toward the source of the fragrance and saw, in the distance, a breathtakingly beautiful figure approaching.

It was clearly a woman.

Dressed in white more dazzling than snow, stately as an orchid.

Just from her graceful, lotus-like steps, even before Xiang Ning saw her face clearly, she was certain that this woman possessed a beauty to topple empires.

“Princess Changle truly lives up to her reputation. As for Fan Li…”

Xiang Ning couldn’t help but steal a glance at Fan Li, suddenly worried that he might be enchanted by the princess’s charms.

Fortunately, Fan Li looked utterly bored, yawning as he went to greet the princess.

Relieved, Xiang Ning gave him an approving mental nod—at least he knew how to behave.

As the princess drew nearer, Xiang Ning finally saw her face.

“So beautiful!”

A wave of awe swept through Xiang Ning, and an accompanying sense of inferiority made her shrink within herself.

Princess Changle’s beauty could crush the pride of any woman in the world.

She was as regal and splendid as a peony, exuding an air of superiority above all others.

Her snow-white gown seemed to hint at flawless perfection, while the vermilion on her lips declared a sovereign arrogance fit for a queen among women.

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Princess Changle stopped five paces before Fan Li, the corners of her lips curling into a smile rich with meaning, but she did not speak right away.

With a languid gaze that mirrored Fan Li’s own, she idly surveyed the interior of Jiangshan Pavilion.

For just a few seconds, her eyes lingered on Xiang Ning.

“Your Highness honors my humble abode with your presence. Is there something I can help you with?” Fan Li spoke deliberately, drawing the princess’s attention away from Xiang Ning.

Sure enough, the princess’s gaze shifted.

“Hehehe!”

That laugh left Xiang Ning dumbfounded.

The darling daughter of the Han Empire—why did her laughter sound so wanton, like a courtesan of Qinhuai?

“I’ve come to see Lord Jin, of course. I mean to stay the night at your residence. If fortune smiles and I bear your child tonight, then the Great Chu will have an heir to the throne—hehehe!”

Fan Li’s face darkened. “Your Highness, please mind your words. Such talk is not to be taken lightly.”

Princess Changle’s gaze swept over Xiang Ning, seemingly by accident. The latter bowed her head, not daring to speak, though her mind was now running wild with scandalous imaginings.

As if one power-hungry noble wasn’t enough, was the Han princess—soon to be her husband—actually involved with Fan Li as well?

And were they conspiring to control the succession of the Chu throne?

“Oh? And who is this young lady? She looks a little jealous. Lord Jin, is she your new favorite?” Princess Changle asked with a mischievous grin.

Xiang Ning’s head snapped up. “Nonsense, I am not jealous!”

Then, fearing the princess would remember her face, she lowered her head again.

Fan Li was truly exasperated.

These two women—each one was more troublesome than the last.

“Hey! Liu Man, that’s enough. If you have business, speak. If not, I’ll have to show you out!” Fan Li put on a stern face to assert his authority.

This was his territory, after all. How could he let outsiders put on a show here?

Princess Changle, seeing it was time to stop, sat down gracefully in front of Fan Li.

She still wore a smile, but her next words were anything but trivial.

“Someone wants to kill you.”

“A Holy Master from the Pureland of Brahma, along with an expert from the Lihuo Sect.”

Fan Li’s expression tightened, instantly recalling Xiang Chong, whom he had seen in court.

Xiang Ning exclaimed, “The Pureland of Brahma? Isn’t that a sacred retreat for cultivators? Why would they meddle in mortal affairs?”

A sacred haven? Fan Li shook his head.

Even as someone who had traversed from another world, he knew this was an era of great strife.

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Mortals vied for fame and fortune, cultivators for secrets of immortality.

The Pureland of Brahma was made up of cultivators; they sought the very secrets of ascension—how could they remain aloof from the world?

Moreover, Fan Li held deep contempt for those who boasted of their purity in name.

Pureland? Those who called themselves pure were often the least pure of all.

Princess Changle continued, “Last time you humiliated Xiang Chong. Not only is he the direct disciple of the Lihuo Sect’s master, but he has also become the chosen son-in-law. The master of Lihuo Sect has only one daughter, and she is already betrothed to Xiang Chong. So, by offending him, you have made yourself an enemy of the entire Lihuo Sect.”

“Then… why would the Pureland of Brahma get involved?” Xiang Ning couldn’t help but ask.

Fan Li shot her a look and answered before the princess could, “The Holy Master of the Pureland is likely Xiang Chong’s mother-in-law, isn’t she?”

“Hahaha, correct. You’re clever indeed.”

Princess Changle’s laughter was odd, and she even winked exaggeratedly at Fan Li—as if he weren’t being targeted by powerful enemies, but had just won the lottery.

“So tell me, Princess—are you here to warn me of impending doom, or to offer your help?” Fan Li asked bluntly.

From their very first meeting, Princess Changle’s attitude toward him had always been proactive.

Yet Fan Li knew that there was no such thing as causeless hatred, nor causeless love.

Princess Changle had no obligation to help him, so he kept his expectations low.

Xiang Ning was now holding her breath in anxiety.

The Lihuo Sect was one thing, but a Holy Master from the Pureland of Brahma?

What kind of being was that?

Since the fall of Former Qin, the world had been plunged into chaos. A Holy Master from the Pureland was at least as powerful as any warlord capable of conquering the land.

Xiang Ning no longer wished for Fan Li’s death.

She hoped Princess Changle would help him.

“Hehehe…”

Princess Changle let out another coquettish, picture-worthy laugh.

“I myself am but a junior member of the Pureland. How could I possibly oppose a Holy Master? Even though, admittedly, the Blood Phoenix Holy Master is the lowest-ranked among them.”

Fan Li listened quietly, not rushing to speak.

Just from this vital piece of information—that it was the lowest-ranked Holy Master—he already owed Princess Changle a debt of gratitude.

Princess Changle fixed her gaze on him for a long moment, her enchanting eyes gradually filling with admiration—clearly impressed by Fan Li’s composure.

“Lord Jin, you are making me want all the more to bear your child. Provided, of course, that you survive your encounter with the Blood Phoenix Holy Master…”