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

Twelve years later.

"Don't glare at me like that. I've already said it, I just don't like the look of you. If it weren't for the Holy Lord's orders, you would have been beaten to death long ago. Do you think I would have kept you alive until now?! Ridiculous!" A well-dressed man with a cold expression was angrily rebuking a boy who was seven or eight years younger than him. The anger in his eyes intensified and seemed to be growing.

He simply couldn't understand why the Holy Lord, who possessed the supreme physique of both the Spirit and Ghost Realms and had been invincible in both realms since the age of eighteen, would protect a clumsy and wicked boy.

Although the Holy Lord's power had waned, those who spoke and governed the Spirit and Ghost Realms were all former subordinates of the Holy Lord. These people were always honest and loyal, and none dared to disobey the Holy Lord's will. This young man had caused trouble time and time again, and according to those people, he should have been dealt with by the Holy Lord long ago. If not driven away, at least kept away from the Holy Lord. However, everyone who saw the young man gave him a meaningful smile, which puzzled him greatly.

The reprimanded boy looked defiant, but as he looked at the newly presented tea set from the Ghost Realm Imperial City, which he had smashed to pieces, he gradually felt guilty. He had always been clumsy and awkward, born into poverty, begging for a living from street to street. If he hadn't been taken in by the Holy Lord, he probably wouldn't have lived to this year, at the age of twelve.

"I was wrong, Brother Li. Please forgive me and have a good talk with the Holy Lord to spare me a beating. I was young and ignorant, and I didn't mean to be mean to you just now."

"Don't beg me. No matter what you do, the Holy Lord won't hold it against you. I don't know what good deeds you did in your past life." The man called Brother Li looked at the boy's pleading face and his guilty expression, and his expression softened. He sighed.

The boy picked up the fragments from the ground, bowed to Brother Li, and then walked out carrying the pieces. Brother Li felt increasingly uneasy. Just as he was leaving, the boy turned back and stopped him again, frowning as he asked, "What's your name again? I've been so busy that I've forgotten."

"Oh, my name is Jiang Lai, the same Jiang as in scallion, ginger and garlic, and Lai as in coming and going without a trace."

"You brat, how could you make such a nice name sound so cloying? Get out of here! Get out of here right now!"

The boy, with a forced smile, quickly slipped away. Brother Li pondered the boy's name, and finally, as if remembering something, shook his head slightly.

"Have you found them?!" A cold voice came from the high seat in the main hall. Brother Li came back to his senses from his daze and quickly cupped his hands respectfully and said, "Reporting to the Holy Lord, we have found them. It is quite a coincidence that Ying Luo is in Ye Ling City, Jin'an Kingdom, on the Spirit Domain Continent. The people who poisoned the Master and the Second Young Master a few days ago have all confessed. It was Ying Luo who planned it and personally carried out the poisoning."

"A leopard can't change its spots. She's lived to such an old age, yet her perspective is still so narrow."

Brother Li was surprised that the usually aloof and self-possessed Holy Lord would say such rude things. His expression changed slightly, but then he thought that the woman had poisoned the Holy Lord's family. If it were him, he would probably be even more ruthless than the Holy Lord. So he felt relieved.

"Your Majesty, Lord Yin Huan is very angry and has sent people to capture Ying Luo. We don't know what to do with her."

Ever since the Six Shadow Guards helped Yin Li get rid of the blood of the Spirit Realm people, Yin Huan has never disappeared again. The vanished Mu Huan has never returned. As a result, the Mu Dynasty, which had ruled the Spirit Realm continent for thousands of years, was destroyed in one fell swoop.

"He's meddling in other people's business. He doesn't care about choosing his own Empress, but he visits the Master and Young Master very often. I heard that the people of Yeling City in Jin'an Kingdom are terrified of him. Tell him to break his arms and legs and let him go. Tell him to stop worrying about things and stop loitering around the Master and Young Master. The right thing to do is to train the next Empress."

Brother Li responded, feeling the punishment was too lenient, not at all like the Holy Lord's nature. But what he didn't know was that with the Nine Spirit Lords protecting her, and her status as the highest-ranking Spirit Lord, receiving offerings from all directions, crushing Ying Luo might be as easy as crushing an ant, but such revenge was far too mild. What was truly terrifying wasn't death itself, but the daily, nightly agony that followed. She wanted Ying Luo to endure this pain, to receive the punishment she deserved for her mistakes.

After a while, seeing that Brother Li showed no sign of leaving, Yin Li put her right hand to her forehead and asked, "Is there anything else?!"

Li Ge hesitated for a moment, then said, "The Ghost Realm Imperial City acquired a fine Spirit Blood Lotus the other day, which is currently being cultivated in the Imperial Palace. He sent someone to ask if the Holy Lord would have time to accompany him to admire the flower."

"I'm tired." Yin Li waved her hand, and Brother Li quickly shut his mouth, bowed deeply, and left the hall.

For a long time, the hall was silent and cold. The feeling of loneliness and helplessness kept spreading. Yin Li stared blankly at the empty hall, lost in thought.

“Auntie, you’re lying! Sitting here all day isn’t tiring at all! It’s Daddy who’s out all day and he’s exhausted!” A childish voice rang out from outside the hall. Yin Li perked up and watched as the chubby little girl in pink clothes with two buns tumbled and rolled across the threshold of the hall. Her eyes softened.

"Little Yihe, what brings you here?! I can't afford to keep you here. You made your Aunt Xuanhuo cry the other day, how dare you come here today?! Be careful, or I'll tell Xuanbing to come and beat you up on behalf of his wife." Yin Li walked over in a few steps, teasingly hooking Yihe's fleshy nose with her index finger.

Yi He tilted her head back, glaring angrily at Yin Li, and said, "Hmph, I'm not afraid of him at all! Aunt Xuan Huo stole my chess pieces and cheated. I said a few words to her, and she started crying, but Yi He didn't even cry. Aunt Li, Mother was angered by that crazy woman again today, that one named Qing Dai. Father doesn't like her, but she still tries to get close to her. If Mother hadn't taken pity on her, Father would have kicked her out long ago."

Yin Li, holding Yi He's hand, lifted her to sit on a high chair in the main hall, playfully pinching her chubby cheeks. Hearing Yi He speak so maturely, she paused for a moment, then laughed, "Your father is highly skilled in martial arts, handsome, and treats your mother very well. Naturally, other girls flock to him! Your mother keeps her by her side partly out of pity, and partly because your mother dislikes her and wants to see just how far she can deceive herself. The more she acts up, the more your father likes your mother. Don't you know that yourself? Look at your mother's birthday last time; your father almost emptied the entire palace to celebrate. Even I envy your mother!"

As she spoke, a shadow of darkness flashed in Yin Li's eyes. When Yi He turned around, that shadow of darkness quickly disappeared, and she once again wore a teasing smile.

Yi He stared at Yin Li for a long time. The child's mind raced, and finally he couldn't help but say, "Yi He naturally knows this. Aunt Xi Yue and Aunt Lian Yi said the same thing. But Uncle Bing Yin said it's because my father did something wrong, so someone came to complain about him. Aunt Li, you always say that Daddy is good, but why do you never smile at Daddy? Daddy always tries his best to make you happy."

"What do kids know? I don't know anything about them."

"You are!" Yi He suddenly became agitated, stubbornly and awkwardly arguing with Yin Li, "Now outside, everyone is saying that Aunt Li has favored a twelve-year-old boy, saying that Aunt Li's behavior is improper. Everyone else, including Aunt Lianyi, just laughs when they hear it, but only Father is really angry. He had a huge tantrum about it. Aunt Li, Father truly respects you. Can't you be a little nicer to Father, even just a little?"

"Yi He, you're only five years old, how come you speak so eloquently? Have you memorized the martial arts technique of condensing water into snow that your aunt taught you?"

"Don't even think about running away. If Auntie doesn't agree to my request today, I'll stay here and not leave." After saying that, Yi He stubbornly hugged Yin Li's neck, and the way the little ball of meat acted was quite funny.

"Alright, alright, I'm scared of you. I promise you, Auntie promises you, okay? You're going to strangle Auntie to death, get down now." Yin Li pleaded helplessly.

Yi He then let go of Yin Li and slid down from her knees. Just as the two were playing around, Yi Bicheng walked into the main hall, looking travel-worn. Seeing Yi He climbing and sitting on Yin Li without any manners, he said sternly, "Yi He, if you continue to be so unruly, go home and reflect on your behavior."

The sound startled Yi He, who shrank back and hid behind Yin Li.

"She's only five years old, why are you being so fierce? Besides, if Sister Lingyun finds out you're setting rules for her here, it'll probably be you and your daughter being punished behind closed doors. Tell me, what kind of trouble has Yin Huan caused this time with his concubine selection? I want to hear what bizarre reason Yin Huan has for not taking a concubine this time." Yin Li flicked Yi He's nose, and the two exchanged a knowing smile, which made Yi Bicheng even more exasperated.

Yi Bicheng gazed at Yin Li, who was dressed in plain clothes, with a serene face and eyebrows like distant mountains. Suddenly, she recalled Yin Li's appearance at the age of fifteen. They met in the city of Linshui through a pawnshop, and their bond had been unbreakable ever since. Fifteen years ago, fifteen years later, Yin Li's appearance remained unchanged, but the coolness in her bones had intensified.

Yi Bicheng suddenly bowed solemnly and said, word by word, "Holy Lord, the Ghost Spirit Fruit has matured."

Yin Li's smile froze, and the air in the entire hall seemed to stand still. Yi He looked at Yin Li's stunned face and then her slightly reddened eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but was pushed behind him by Yin Li.

Yin Li stood up and walked step by step to Yi Bicheng's side. In the past twelve years, she had never lost her composure like this.

Yin Li grabbed Yi Bicheng's arm and asked with extreme caution, "What you said, is it true?! What you said, is it... true?!"

“It’s absolutely true, but… I didn’t find this Ghost Spirit Fruit. It was Lan Xiangning who asked me to give you a message: the Ghost Spirit Fruit can prevent death, restore a crippled body, and summon souls from the Nine Stars’ withered bones. Everything is in your hands.”

A tear slid down Yin Li's cheek. Yi Bicheng instinctively wanted to step forward, but ultimately held back and continued, "She said thank you. She took that twelve-year-old child away. Her debts with you are now settled, as are her debts with Jiang Huai. You don't need to look for her anymore, and she doesn't plan to come back."

"Okay." Yin Li felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and the coldness emanating from her body dissipated with that one "okay."

"Aunt Li, why are you crying? Is it because Uncle Huai is sleeping all the time? Or did someone bully you? Aunt Lianyi used to cry like you, but after she dealt with all the Chu family members who bullied her, she never cried again. Don't cry, Aunt Li. When Yihe grows up, he will help Aunt Li fight and beat up the bad guys." Yihe tugged at Yin Li's clothes in a daze.

Yin Li looked at her, squatted down, and gently hugged her in her arms, saying, "Silly Yihe, your aunt is happy, very happy."

In the twelfth year of the Ghost Realm Imperial City calendar, Yin Li, the Holy Lord of both the Spirit and Ghost Realms, and her husband Jiang Huai went into seclusion. The Cloud Mountain Palace changed hands to Chu Lianyi, the personal disciple of the Great Sage Jue Ling.