The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

The streets of the capital of Ling'an Kingdom were unusually quiet today. Perhaps it was because of the bad weather, but there were hardly any people on the streets. Only one or two beggars were hiding in the dark corners of the bluestone walls, arguing fiercely over a piece of moldy steamed bun.

Mu Ran walked down the street, dressed in a dark robe with a large cloak that concealed his silver hair, pale face, and cold, indifferent eyes. But this attire only made him stand out more conspicuously on the deserted street.

"Hey, look, is that guy an idiot? If someone sees him, they'll probably cut off some of his blood for a treat." A beggar covered his mouth, which had several broken front teeth, and pointed at Mu Ran, rubbing half a piece of steamed bun he had snatched against his body.

"I think that guy's got some skills. We shouldn't mess with him. We might get targeted and have our arms and legs broken, that wouldn't be good." Another beggar had obvious scratch marks on his face; several layers of dark skin had turned red, making the blood-red streaks on his otherwise dark face particularly glaring. He was empty-handed, pleadingly looking at the first beggar, but his face showed fear. "Hey, give me some! We're brothers sleeping in the same beggar's den, after all, okay?!"

Mu Ran glanced at the two men, slowly approached, reached into his waistband, pulled out two silver ingots, tossed them to the two beggars, and asked, "How do I get to the Shen family of the Purple Gold Hall in the capital?!"

The two beggars were scrambling to grab the buns, each holding one in their hand, plotting to snatch the other's. Hearing Mu Ran's words, the more assertive beggar stepped forward with a fawning face, hiding the bun in his pocket, and said, "I wonder what news the young master wants to inquire about regarding the Shen family of Zijintang?! Recently, things have changed in the capital, and no fewer than a dozen groups of people have come looking for Zijintang. If the young master is interested, I am willing to tell him everything."

Looking into his greedy yet fawning eyes, Mu Ran silently grabbed another silver ingot from her waist and tossed it to him, saying, "Speak."

The man was overjoyed. He bit the silver in his mouth, the silver grinding painfully against his teeth. The beggar's face showed great pain. After a while, he put the silver away and began to explain, "Young master, you must also be wondering why the capital of Ling'an Kingdom is so desolate! It's all because of the trouble caused by the Zijin Hall. There are shouts of fighting and killing in the streets all day long, and the common people dare not come out easily..."

As the beggar spoke, Muran remained expressionless and unresponsive. Feeling awkward, he continued, "It seems you're not a talkative person, so I'll just briefly tell you the story of the Shen family's Purple Gold Hall. A few years ago, the young master of the Purple Gold Hall married a wealthy young lady named Li Xiyue. Everything was peaceful at first, but the young lady had a special constitution—a rare spiritual constitution. This was originally a good thing, but if someone with a spiritual constitution touches another, they will absorb the spiritual energy from that person. Given what kind of person this young master is, how could he allow such a woman to touch him?! So he neglected the young lady."

"The young master's parents, who are also the master and mistress of Zijintang, had been harboring resentment for three years since the young lady entered the family without having any children. When they heard that the young lady had a spirit body, they immediately thought that she was a monster sent to harm their family. So they conspired to kill her. From then on, the young lady's family stopped providing financial support to Zijintang, and the Zijintang's sword business gradually lost its customers, becoming increasingly desolate."

"It's obvious that in this world of spiritual cultivation, who still uses swords and blades? Wouldn't that be slapping themselves in the face and admitting their spiritual power is weak?! Later, less than a year later, Minmin, the second young lady of the Purple Gold Hall, passed away. After her death, the Purple Gold Hall immediately declined. Originally, it was just a story of a clan's decline, but who knew that the Purple Gold Hall would claim to have an ancient treasure in its possession? The patriarch, unwilling to accept the clan's decline, spread the news that the ancient treasure was the long-lost Immortal-Slaying Sword, something used by the Ghost Realm Emperor. As a result, the Purple Gold Hall was bustling with visitors, but the young master went against his father, insisting that the Purple Gold Hall did not have such a treasure. Thus, rumors spread throughout the martial arts world, and many people wanted to see if it was true or not."

As the beggar spoke, a sly glint flashed in his eyes. He looked at Muran with an expectant expression, while simultaneously raising his voice as if waiting for something.

"Clang!" Another silver ingot was thrown in front of the beggar. The beggar's face lit up with joy. He quickly picked it up, wiped the yellow dust off the silver, and continued, "Those who came to see if it was real or fake were all stopped at the door by Shen Lie, the young master of the Purple Gold Hall. Some of them went too far and insisted on breaking in, resulting in deaths!!! I thought fewer and fewer people were coming, but who knew that those who weren't afraid of death would come wave after wave, more than a dozen waves a day, but no one has ever actually seen the Immortal-Slaying Sword. Young master, I advise you not to go. With Young Master Shen Lie's temperament, it would be bad if things got bloody. But if you insist on going, turn right along this street and keep going until the end. The tallest mansion there is the Purple Gold Hall."

After listening, Mu Ran didn't waste any more words with him. She turned the corner of that street and headed towards the Zijintang.

The two beggars continued to wrestle, and the sky over the capital, covered in dust, seemed even colder.

The Immortal-Slaying Sword, the Shen family, the Purple Gold Hall, a girl with a spiritual constitution—Mu Ran found this matter increasingly interesting. Without breaking a sweat, she arrived at the Purple Gold Hall. It was indeed the largest mansion, but it was already dilapidated. The ancient door was covered with various scratches and stains of both old and new blood, and a musty smell emanated from within. Mu Ran slightly raised an eyebrow, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.

The desolate courtyard, the dilapidated ancient well, and the cobwebs everywhere made Mu Ran think that the beggar might be lying to him. This was hardly the residence of a noble family. He had heard people say that it had only been dilapidated for a year or two, so how could it have become so old and run-down?!

"Bang!" "Bang!" The sounds came from the inner courtyard. Mu Ran looked up and saw several maids carrying a huge antique vase running towards him. They were not surprised to see him and said, "Our young master is in the secret room, in the secret room of the last courtyard. If you want to get the treasure, go now, or it will be gone."

After saying that, the group of men joined hands and carried the antique vase, which looked to be worth some money, out of his sight. "Bang!" There was another sound of the door being kicked open, and the three men quickly disappeared.

Mu Ran shook his head and walked towards the last courtyard. It took him a full half hour to reach the last courtyard. There were corpses all around, their origins unknown, but it was clear that the bodies of people from different clans lay scattered in the courtyard, and blood dripped from the ancient well in the center of the courtyard into the house.

Muran entered the house and easily found the secret room. The door to the secret room was ajar, and there were some tables and chairs inside, which could not block people at all. She opened the door with just a little spiritual power.

Mu Ran walked in, opened her cloak, and revealed her face. A man lay in the corner, stabbed in the heart, blood gushing out. Beside him lay the sword—the Immortal-Slaying Sword. This precious item was not in the man's hands, but discarded to the side. In his arms, the man held a very ordinary, very common bronze mirror.

“Taking that Immortal-Slaying Sword won’t do you any good. It’s sealed away. You’re not the sword’s owner. Holding it… it’s nothing but scrap metal…” the man said weakly, struggling to lift his eyelids to stare at Muran. He no longer had the strength to be angry.

"Where are your family?!" Muran's seemingly irrelevant words puzzled the man. His mind was heavy, and it took him a long time to understand the meaning behind Muran's words.

"They're all dead..."

"Did you kill the people outside?!" Mu Ran asked.

“They came to steal from Zijintang…their things…they came to steal from us for no reason…they killed my parents…they must die!!!” The word ‘die’ was uttered clearly, containing endless hatred.

"Why didn't you just hand over this sword earlier?! You wouldn't have to guard it, and you wouldn't have to be coveted by others. Wouldn't that have been better?!" Mu Ran said, looking at the ordinary mirror and thinking about the girl with the spirit body. A bitter smile appeared on his lips. If that's how it is, why did you do it in the first place?

“My life, I have lived, is to protect this sword… to protect this sword, to protect my family… I have given up so much, and I have never regretted it… My life, everything I have… belongs to my family… I will give my all for them… So… I killed those people outside to avenge my parents and clan…”

"But, at this moment of my death, as I approach my end, I am no longer a member of the Purple Gold Hall. I am just Shen Lie, just Li Xiyue's husband. I'm too tired... Indulging myself a little before I die isn't so bad..."

Shen Lie spoke, a serene expression on his face. Mu Ran coldly watched him, his right hand gathering spiritual energy to grasp the Immortal-Slaying Sword. He watched as Shen Lie stared blankly ahead, a satisfied look on his face. He took two steps toward the door, then suddenly seemed to remember something, turning back again. His indifferent eyes fixed on Shen Lie's serene face, he said, word by word, "You are not worthy to be Li Xiyue's husband. Don't try to make yourself sound so noble. She wouldn't want you to be her husband anyway."

After saying that, Shen Lie stared at Mu Ran with his mouth agape in astonishment, his eyes filled with boundless terror. His hands, which were clutching the mirror, suddenly went limp and crashed to the ground with a loud "crack!" shattering into pieces!

Shen Lie's head slowly drooped. He looked at the fragments, at his own pale face reflected in them, and then everything went black. His head fell heavily to his chest.

On the Mingjing Lake of Hongyu Palace, a gentle breeze blew, warm and comforting. Li Xiyue lay on the lake, her eyelashes fluttering in the wind. Her peaceful face seemed to carry a smile, and she seemed to be asleep on the shore of Mingjing Lake as if she were still alive.