The Evergreen Immortal Empire was different from the Eastern Sage Immortal Sect. The Evergreen Immortal Empire was the official name for the nation, while the Eastern Sage Immortal Sect used the structure of a sect to govern the Eastern Sage Thirteen Prefectures. Hence, the people of authority had different t.i.tles.
The position of the Everpeace Marquis was equivalent to a prefecture lord in the Eastern Sage Thirteen Prefectures. He controlled a large area and his authority towered up the sky. He was also an immortal king, and it went without saying that he was an exceptionally powerful one.
In addition, all the powerful officials of the Evergreen Immortal Empire had been personally anointed by the Evergreen Immortal Emperor, and they all had outstanding war merits. They were all subordinates who"d aided the Evergreen Immortal Emperor in the war he"d fought for this empire. After the Evergreen Immortal Emperor had seized authority of this region, he began a complete "cleansing" and restructured its power hierarchy. Hence, all the great officials currently in power were all subordinates that were fully trusted by the Evergreen Immortal Emperor.
The Everpeace Marquis Manor was a majestic building that exuded boundless authority. It was situated right at the center of Everpeace City, and there were numerous guards patrolling the surroundings, with many troops stationed inside.
At this moment, two figures could be seen walking over. They stopped outside of the Everpeace Manor and stared ahead at the straight pathway that led all the way into it.
"Halt." Seeing Qin Wentian and Qing`er approaching, the guards advanced and called for them to stop moving. They pointed the spears in their hands at the two of them as they spoke, "Outsiders are forbidden from entering the Everpeace Manor."
"I want to see the Everpeace Marquis," Qing`er replied icily, staring straight ahead. Upon sensing Qing`er"s extraordinary aura, and the fact that she"d immediately demanded to see the Everpeace Marquis, the guards didn"t dare to show her any disrespect. One of the guards asked, "How may we address you, my lady?"
Qing`er then took out a jade command token, which was engraved with the runeword that represented the color "Green". The guards glanced at it as their brows furrowed. This seemed to be a token of the immortal empire. But what did the word "Green" represent?
Glancing at Qing`er again, their eyes involuntarily narrowed. Then one of them asked, "My lady, are you Princess Evergreen…?"
"It is I," Qing`er affirmed. After which, the guards instantly knelt down on bended knee. "Your subordinates pay their respects to Princess Qing`er."
All the surrounding guards were extremely shocked. Their attention was over here, and an immortal-foundation expert walked over. Upon seeing the authority token in Qing`er"s hand, he instantly knelt as well. "Your subordinate pays his respects to Princess Qing`er."
Behind him, all the guards knelt down, each one filled with incomparable respect.
"All of you may rise. I wish to see the Everpeace Marquis," stated Qing`er.
"Princess, please follow me." The immortal-foundation expert stood up. The surrounding guards instantly opened up a path between them, allowing Qing`er and Qin Wentian to pa.s.s through as they continued down the pathway.
"Inform Sir Marquis that Princess Qing`er has decided to grace the Marquis Manor with her esteemed presence!" a voice rang out. An instant later, the sound of this command rang out endlessly through the manor, circulated by the servants.
Within a certain majestic hall, two figures were currently sitting there and enjoying their tea. This pair was a couple; the male exuded a powerful presence while the female was clad in luxurious clothing, emitting an extraordinary aura. One look and everyone could tell that they were of the n.o.bility, possessing a dignified air that no commoner would have.
"Reporting to the Marquis, Princess Qing`er has arrived…"
At this moment, a voice rang out in the great hall. The couple exchanged glances as astonishment flashed in their eyes.
The daughter of His Majesty, Princess Qing`er?
However, these two were immortal kings and their expressions soon returned to normal. The Everpeace Marquis stood up and spoke, "Since Princess Qing`er has come all this way, we must go and welcome her."
"I heard that Princess Qing`er has spent these past few years in the City of Ancient Emperors to temper herself. She must have arrived here by chance, and now wishes to borrow the spatial transference array to directly reach the empire"s royal palace." The Marquis Madam"s eyes flashed with intelligence, accurately guessing Qing`er"s circ.u.mstances and her intentions in coming here today.
"Why do we need to care about her reasons for coming here? Since she"s already here, we naturally just have to welcome her and provide protection to escort her back," said the Everpeace Marquis.
However, the eyes of the Marquis Madam flickered incessantly. A moment later, she smiled, "Of course, we must provide a warm welcome and escort her back. But since it"s so rare for Her Highness to come to our Manor, we definitely need to make good use of this opportunity. Send some men to inform Fan`er, let"s give him the chance to interact with the Princess."
"You and your ideas. Haven"t you heard of Princess Qing`er"s personality? She"s like an ice beauty—she"s never expressed any interest in men before. And even though Fan`er"s talent isn"t bad, he is still a distance away when compared to Princess Qing"er," said the Everpeace Marquis; he was well aware of their limitations.
"My father is a half-step immortal emperor and has fought many wars for his Majesty. In the end, he was bestowed a kings.h.i.+p for his merits. Fan`er is my son, the maternal grandson of my father. How is his status inferior?" The Marquis Madam"s eyes gleamed with sharpness as she continued, "My father now needs to take the final step to reach the upper echelons in the royal palace. It"s naturally for the best if Fan`er and Princess Qing`er can form a relations.h.i.+p. Even if Princess Qing`er doesn"t like Fan`er, it won"t be disadvantageous for them to become friends."
"Your words aren"t without logic. But the Princess is only here to use the spatial transference array. I"m afraid she won"t stay for long," said the Everpeace Marquis.
"Well, if you enter closed-door seclusion, there will be no one in the Everpeace Manor that has the authority to activate the spatial transference array, right? Just go lock yourself in closed-door seclusion, and let me handle the rest." The Marquis Madam was extremely decisive. The Everpeace Marquis nodded, "That sounds good. Handle this well."
After speaking, he departed and headed to the depths of the great hall.
The Marquis Madam stood up, her eyes gleaming sharply as she moved out of the great hall.
Qin Wentian and Qing`er continued heading into the manor. This manor was extremely vast, and they hastened their steps. But then, they caught sight of a group of people in the distance walking towards them. The person in the lead was a middle-aged woman, a smile painted on her face as she exuded gentleness and elegance. She walked before Qing`er, gave a slight bow with a smile and said, "I pay my respects to Princess Qing`er."
"Your Highness, this is the Marquis Madam. She is also the daughter of the Cloud King." The immortal-foundation expert made the introductions. Although Qing`er had never been at this manor before, she still knew who the Cloud King was.
"Madam is too courteous. Is the Marquis available?" Qing`er nodded slightly, speaking politely. She naturally knew of the Cloud King, who was someone with immense power and authority in the empire. The Cloud King had fought countless wars, and because of his many impressive battle achievements, had gained numerous war merits.
"The Marquis is currently in closed-door seclusion and is now at a critical moment prior to breaking through. He should emerge a few days from now. To welcome Princess Qing`er"s arrival, I have given the order for a banquet to be prepared, if it pleases you." The Marquis Madam politely extended her hands out in invitation. Qing`er wouldn"t feel right if she rejected this offer, hence she continued to follow her. She then asked, "When will the Marquis finish his closed-door seclusion? I wish to use the spatial transference array here, and head towards the royal palace."
"Is Your Highness in a hurry?" asked the Marquis Madam.
"Mhm." Qing`er nodded; she wasn"t willing to waste time staying here.
"Alas, there"s a rule in the immortal empire. Without the authority of a Marquis-level figure, no one can activate the spatial transference array. Your Highness, how about resting at our manor for a day? After enjoying the banquet, I will accompany Your Highness to select a demonic beast mount. If the Marquis still doesn"t exit his seclusion by tomorrow, we will send a demonic beast king as protection to escort Princess Qing`er back." Marquis Madam smiled. She had covered all the aspects, to the point where Qing`er had no reason to reject her. She glanced at Qin Wentian, who could only smile and nod in a.s.surance.
The Marquis Madam naturally saw this scene. But she didn"t say anything in response.
The Marquis Manor was located in a very luxurious and elegant region of the Immortal Empire. The banquet was instantly prepared and served, and other than the Marquis Madam, many major characters had also come to pay their respects to Qing`er.
At this moment, a young man and woman could be seen walking over to their table. The young man was handsome, while the young woman was also quite lovely in appearance.
"Fan`er, Lian`er, quickly go pay your respects to Princess Qing`er. Her Highness was innately born with an immortal king physique, so you two would do well to learn from her." Marquis Madam smiled at the two of them. The young man was clad in simple clothing, yet that couldn"t mask his extraordinary demeanor. The young woman"s eyes were filled with a lively intelligence. The two of them walked to the front of Qing`er and Xia Fan greeted her. "We pay our respects to Princess Qing`er."
"We"ve long heard of Princess"s name, but I didn"t expect Sister Princess to be so beautiful, just like a celestial maiden." Xia Lian smiled. Qing`er wasn"t adept at conversing and merely nodded her head at them.
"Sister Princess, can I sit beside you?" Xia Lian giggled. She glanced at Qin Wentian, who smiled back at her. "You can take my seat."
After speaking, Qin Wentian s.h.i.+fted. Xia Lian smiled at him, "Thank you! I wonder, where are you from? Since you and Princess Qing`er left the City of Ancient Emperors together, you must be a descendant of an immortal king or emperor, right?"
Qin Wentian shook his head, "An expert of the senior generation sent me there. I am not a descendant of an immortal king or emperor. At the City of Ancient Emperors, Princess Qing`er and I decided to travel together. We are currently heading to the Evergreen Royal Palace to broaden my horizons."
"I see." Xia Lian"s beautiful eyes flickered. After that, she raised her wine cup to Qing`er. "Sister Princess, let me toast you. In the future when I go to the royal palace, can I trouble Sister to look out for me?"
"Sure," Qing`er replied. In the banquet, the Marquis Madam and Xia Lian seemed to be extremely excited, and they livened up the conversation with their chatter. All of them were extremely polite, treating Qing`er as a valuable guest. However, Qing`er wasn"t used to these kinds of situations, and not long after, she suggested, "Why don"t we go and select a mount now?"
"Naturally, it"s no problem. Let the banquet come to an end." The Marquis Madam stood up. She then bowed slightly and turned to Qing`er, "Your Highness, please follow me."
After that, she soared into the air. As the Madam Marquis led the way, Qing`er and Qin Wentian followed suit, while Xia Fan and Xia Lian trailed after them.
Not long after, they came to a vast area occupied by many demonic beasts. The weakest were at the Celestial Phenomenon Realm, and in fact, there were many immortal-ranked demonic beasts here. Their eyes were incomparably sharp, and were all powerful variations of demonic beasts that had mutated. Naturally, there were also many powerful demonic beast keepers working at the Marquis Manor, specifically to feed them all.
"Princess Qing`er, do you need a demonic beast as a mount? This demon forest has many demons with powerful bloodlines. Your Highness can choose whichever you like," offered Xia Fan.
"It"s fine." Qing`er shook her head. Little Rascal, who she was currently embracing, took a good long glance at Xia Fan when he heard that.
"Fan`er, go and accompany Princess Qing`er, and help her choose a demonic king beast."said the Marquis Madam as she glanced at Xia Fan. Xia Fan nodded, and he turned to Qing`er, "Princess, the demonic king beasts all have very violent temperaments. Do let me accompany you."
"I will choose one for the Princess instead," interrupted Qin Wentian, stepping out. How could he be unaware of the Marquis Madam"s intentions? In addition to what had happened at the immortal banquet, it was clear that the Marquis Madam was intending to form more chances for Xia Fan to interact with Qing`er.
"Mhm, okay." Qing`er nodded at Qin Wentian.
"Princess Qing`er, trust me. All the demon kings are extremely violent, and strangers will be easily injured if they approach them," said the Marquis Madam.
Qing`er frowned, after which she turned to the Marquis Madam. "Since this is the case, why don"t you accompany me instead?"
The Marquis Madam naturally understood Qing`er"s intentions when she heard this. Evidently, Qing`er had no wish to interact with any men. Hence, it wouldn"t be appropriate for her to continue pus.h.i.+ng her either. She then smiled and said, "That"s fine. Then I will accompany Princess Qing`er instead. You guys can wait here for us."
"Okay." Xia Lian smiled sweetly. After the Madam and Qing`er left the area, she turned to Qin Wentian and laughed. "Brother Qin, Princess Qing`er must hold you in high regard since she"s willing to bring you back to the royal palace. Does she intend to recruit you as her subordinate?"
"I guess?" Qin Wentian replied softly. He didn"t really mind what these people thought of him.
"Oh." Xia Lian nodded, continuing to smile. However, a second later, her smile turned into a sneer, "In that case, you are nothing but a d.a.m.ned slave. Are you planning to use your connections to the Princess to rise up in power?"