Who wouldn't want to stay young?
Who wants their skin to sag, their walk to falter, and their teeth unable to chew even a piece of meat?
The more you have, the longer you want to keep it. The Jiajing Emperor saw hope and made up his mind to seize the opportunity at any cost.
◇
Li Changzhou was reading Daoist Books in the inner treasury. Turquoise Pool left the Heavenly Palace and met up with Yang Qinglan and Li Qianxia to gather information together.
Bi's five subordinates had arrived, and Turquoise Pool's five subordinates were on their way.
The snow model of the Capital was spread out in the courtyard, exquisitely made.
"Turquoise Pool, I heard you're my brother's wife?" Li Qianxia said with a smile.
"What Turquoise Pool?" Turquoise Pool gave her a glare, "Call me sister-in-law."
Li Qianxia pretended to be shocked and widened her eyes, then mischievously looked at Yang Qinglan.
Turquoise Pool also looked at Yang Qinglan, smiling and saying, "This is the identity the Value Game has assigned to me—what they call a match made in heaven."
Yang Qinglan, with her unsurpassed beauty, smiled indifferently, "You forgot we're Black Card holders."
"Changzhou and I also hold White Cards. Without you, Qianxia, you wouldn't have met him—Changzhou and I are the true pair."
"She said without you," Yang Qinglan told Li Qianxia.
Li Qianxia immediately wrapped her arms around Yang Qinglan's slender waist, with two stunningly gorgeous girls standing together.
She lifted her chin and said to Turquoise Pool, "There can't be two suns in the sky. I only have one sister-in-law, Lanlan!"
Turquoise Pool slapped her forehead and said, looking up, "My mistake. I was only thinking of competing with my sisters, forgetting to please my little sister-in-law."
"She's calling you 'sister'," Li Qianxia whispered in Yang Qinglan's ear, "what will you do?"
"It's not about what I should do, but what your brother intends to do."
"I have faith in my brother!"
"About what?"
"Qing~~Lan! How could you ask me such an embarrassing question! We are siblings!"
"I meant whether you have faith in his philandering ways or his loyalty."
"Oh, that. Yes, I have faith." Li Qianxia nodded, then asked Turquoise Pool, "Where's my brother? Why didn't he come?"
Subject change!
"Your brother is currently playing with the Jiajing Emperor," Turquoise Pool said with a smile.
As she spoke, she glanced towards a corner of the courtyard, where a clear pool of water bubbled up, and four people emerged, followed by the pool transforming into a semi-transparent female Player.
"Turquoise Pool, we're here," a female Player among the five said.
"Turquoise Pool, why all girls?" Li Qianxia asked curiously. With Turquoise Pool's instinct to be a Favored Concubine, logically, all her subordinates should be men.
"Because I'm pursuing your brother. Of course, there can't be any men around me. Oh, and remember to tell your brother this," Turquoise Pool specifically instructed.
Li Qianxia looked at Turquoise Pool's five female Players— one voluptuous, one enchanting, one elegant, one like a dainty jade, one brimming with spiritual energy, all with Charm around seven points.
Li Qianxia bit Yang Qinglan's ear again: "Sister-in-law, I heard that in ancient times some ladies would have their maids help them vie for favor. Be careful."
This is not the Forbidden City, and even if it were, it wouldn't matter. Which Player present didn't have keen abilities?
The five female Players appeared composed, some shy, and some... eager to try?
Turquoise Pool neither denied nor admitted, standing there with a smile, in a purple dress of noble elegance, yet somewhat otherworldly.
"Are you here to become immortals or fall in love?" Bi crossed her arms, the candy in her mouth as she flew over.
"I want both," Turquoise Pool said with a laugh.
Li Qianxia said nothing, merely clenched her hand into a fist and held the "microphone" up to Yang Qinglan's lips.
"There are always some people who lack self-awareness and wish to challenge my Charm," Yang Qinglan stated.
"Your Charm?" Turquoise Pool seemed to hear something amusing.
"Li Changzhou fell in love with me at first sight," Yang Qinglan said calmly.
"..."
Li Qianxia brought the "microphone" to her own mouth: "I can testify that it's true."
Turquoise Pool pulled her into an embrace, played with her ruthlessly, the purple and red dresses clinging together, along with the other colorful dresses, making the courtyard a riot of color.
"So annoying, are we going or not? A bunch of twenty-year-old aunties!" Bi said impatiently.
"Wow, you dare to call me an auntie? I'm only ten years old, younger than you, and I'm my brother's good little sister!" Li Qianxia cried out from Turquoise Pool's embrace.
"Enough," Yang Qinglan glanced at her.
"... Can I say the last line, please?" Li Qianxia raised her slender, pearly index finger.
"Speak," said Yang Qinglan.
"Qing Lan, suddenly I feel like you have the aura of the master of a harem."
Yang Qinglan wanted to be angry but couldn't help but laugh, and she said, "Let's stop talking about this. Since everyone is here, let's go."
"Wait," Turquoise Pool interjected, "Let's not look for people outside the palace. Let's go to the Forbidden City. There's at least one animal Player there, and the Empress is behaving strangely too."
"No," Yang Qinglan rejected, "We won't get much information from a Player. Besides, if we make a move in the Forbidden City and get caught, it'll trouble Changzhou and disrupt his plans."
Turquoise Pool looked at her and said, "Last night, the Empress tried to seduce Li Changzhou and touched his hand stealthily."
Yang Qinglan fell silent, like a snow lotus that had been dancing in the wind but suddenly came to a standstill.
"In the Forbidden City," her voice was cool and pleasing as she spoke deliberately, "Dao Cultivators can't use Mana. We have plenty of people now, and with our diverse Skills, we can join forces to capture them and find out about the Dragon Vein."
"And to give the Empress a warning on the side?" Li Qianxia asked tentatively.
"If she knows anything," Yang Qinglan didn't deny it.
Li Qianxia covered her mouth and laughed.
Turquoise Pool gave Yang Qinglan a second look and said, "You're quite cute."