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    After Xie Qing woke up from his sleep, his vision was blurry, and his thoughts were a jumbled mess.


    There was a slight feeling of dizziness, as if he were in a drunken state, and attempts to focus his thoughts led to only one result - failure.


    Nevertheless, Xie Qing felt something extremely small in his soul, in the deepest parts, resembling a golden watermelon seed.


    Deep silence reigned in the room where Xie Qing had been living for the past four weeks.


    Two dayster, his mind cleared, as if his body and soul had reunited. Although some fragments of his dream memories were still present, most of them had been forgotten.


    Two hours after he woke up, Xu Mei entered the room with a tray on which was a bowl of rice porridge made from a special kind of spiritual rice, considered a luxury even for influential families.


    "Master..." Xie Qing said in a hoarse voice, though it was more like a whisper.


    "Disciple!"


    However, the woman was a cultivator - her ears could pick up sounds beyond human capabilities.


    She ced the tray on the table and rushed to Xie Qing.


    First, Xu Mei checked his condition and, seeing that it was almost perfect, sighed in relief.


    "You''ve slept for so long. Your body is in excellent condition after being nourished with Qi, and your cultivation level has stabilized," Xu Mei smiled and pinched his cheek: "Congrattions, you are now in the higher league of cultivators."


    "Ahem... And is there a reward for this?" Xie Qing coughed.


    Xu Mei smiled and licked her lips.


    ***


    Yu Longfeng clenched her teeth, barely restraining her desire to smash her own throne to pieces.


    Of course, in her estate, every room had special formations that detected any movement and informed her if necessary.


    So, it didn''t take a genius to figure out the reason for her anger.


    "These lustful rabbits! Damn, they seriously did ''that'' in this Queen''s estate?" Yu Longfeng muttered, looking annoyed: "Hmph! Ungrateful... So annoying... No respect! Pfft!"


    There was something strange about Yu Longfeng''s behavior, as if she had caught her beloved cheating.


    But, more likely, she was just angry that her favorite estate had been turned into a love nest.


    A few hourster, the duo of Master and disciple appeared before her in the main hall, looking refreshed, their skin seemingly glowing.


    Yu Longfeng''s left eye twitched, but she held back her desire to express all her thoughts.


    "Hm, it seems your cultivation level has stabilized. And, apparently, your body is also in good condition," the woman said with a slightly sarcastic voice.


    "Your Majesty, this young master is grateful for your kindness and will never forget what you have done for him!" Xie Qing said righteously, sping his hand and fist.


    "It''s nothing, hm..." Yu Longfeng pursed her lips.


    Xu Mei, all this time, was just clinging to the young man''s arm, pressing her two arguments against him.


    "Shameless!" Yu Longfeng sighed.


    Xie Qing felt quite refreshed, and also very hungry, which was surprising.


    At his level of cultivation, food no longer had any value, except for aesthetic purposes.


    However, his stomach was rumbling, demanding food. Yu Longfeng noticed this and ordered the table to be set.


    "I''m sorry for this," Xie Qing said, a little embarrassed.


    "It''s fine. Although we cultivators don''t need food, there are special cases when a hearty meal is required," Yu Longfeng said calmly, waving her hand: "Better tell me, how do you feel? Usually, after a breakthrough, it''s hard to concentrate even a little Qi, and even the lightest use of techniques will consume a lot of energy."


    "Well, there''s something like that, but it didn''tst long - only two days," Xie Qing recalled, tilting his head to the side and furrowing his brow: "Is that normal? I haven''t tried my techniques, but I''m confident they work fine."


    "What?"


    Yu Longfeng couldn''t hide her reaction and showed disbelief on her face. But seeing Xie Qing''s sincere expression... She was speechless.


    In her time, she was also considered a genius, and her abilities were astonishing. But even so, it took her a year of rigorous training to learn to control Higher Qi.


    And when Xie Qing imed that he had strengthened his control over Higher Qi in just two days... Yu Longfeng began to doubt her life.


    Xu Mei showed no reaction - she was naturally carefree.


    "Oh, as expected from my disciple," was all that could be read on her face.


    Soon, the table was set, and Xie Qing and the others were invited to dinner. Surprisingly, the young man ate with such an appetite for the first time in his life.


    It felt as if he had been starving for many years, and although he tried to maintain etiquette, it still looked funny from the side.


    Of course, no one pointed this out - who would dare? A young man who reached Spiritual Ascension at the age of twenty is something extraordinary.


    Yu Longfeng''s expression remained shocked even after the meal ended.


    ***


    Two dayster. Lu Yin arrived at the imperial pce, looking quite nervous.


    "Don''t worry, Her Majesty is a person of great heart!" said the apanying Xie Qing, who stood out with his mysterious aura.


    "''Great heart, huh?''" Lu Yin muttered something under her breath.


    Xie Qing narrowed his eyes. It seemed like another love drama was unfolding for him…


    "What a sin... why was I born so handsome?" he thought, puffing out his chest.


    It''s a shame, of course, that the Heavenly Punishment didn''t kill him to hell that day, but we have what we have.


    Passing through the inner part of the pce, they went through a strict check and only after twenty minutes found themselves in the throne room.


    Making a half-bow - as thews exempted the direct heirs of the main sects from the need to bow to the waist, Lu Yin and Xie Qing sat on chairs brought by servants.


    Soon, the hall emptied - the guards and eunuchs were ordered to leave the hall. Only Xie Qing, Lu Yin, Yu Longfeng, and Xu Mei, who was lying on the bed and eating ripe apples, remained.


    "Could you not be so carefree? You are in the presence of your juniors," the Empress frowned, seeing Xu Mei''s carefree behavior. Then she looked at Xie Qing: "And you, don''t indulge her too much!"


    "Hahaha..."


    Xie Qingughed awkwardly, as the bed belonged to him. However, how could he refuse his Master, who was too bored with all this formality?


    Lu Yin, watching the whole situation, also began to rx. She thought it would be a very formal meeting, but everything turned out to be much simpler.


    Yu Longfeng gave up all her attempts to reason with these two, concentrating all her annoyance in a quiet sigh. Then, turning her gaze to Lu Yin, she regained her calm expression.


    "Lu Yin, being a disciple of the great alchemist Liu Yang, your achievements have reached even my imperial court," Yu Longfeng said, behaving majestically, as befits an Empress: "Stories of your kind heart are widespread, and your skills are known to all but the deaf and blind. It must be said that after your teacher, you are the most talented person on the path of alchemy."


    "Your Majesty is too kind!" Lu Yin said excitedly, looking happy.


    "Yes... hm... by the way..." Yu Longfeng''s tone became strange, and her previous majestic aura disappeared when she started looking back and forth between Xie Qing and Lu Yin: "Between you... there is a friendship, right?"


    "Ah?"


    Lu Yin made a strange sound, not quite understanding the meaning of the Empress''s question, but did not dare to remain silent.


    "Your Majesty is right. We and young master Xie Qing are old acquaintances and can be considered CLOSE friends!" Lu Yin said with a bright smile, for some reason emphasizing the word ''close.''


    "I see..." the corner of Yu Longfeng''s mouth twitched when she saw the girl''s satisfied face. She asked a second question: "I very much hope that you maintain a sufficient distance between a man and a woman, right? After all, one should not forget about etiquette... even if you are CLOSE friends."


    "Your Majesty has a kind heart, but you don''t need to worry. I only allow young master Xie Qing to be so close to me!" Lu Yin replied again.


    Surprisingly, when it came to Xie Qing, Lu Yin lost her submissive behavior, bing as aggressive as a hungry tigress.


    Sparks seemed to fly between Yu Longfeng and Lu Yin. Xie Qing, meanwhile, was sweating.


    "Heavens... my Heavenly Punishment continues?"


    Although, fortunately for him, everything soon calmed down. Yu Longfeng narrowed her eyes and said:


    "In any case, did you inform us of Liu Yang''s desire to meet?"


    "Yes, Your Majesty!" Lu Yin replied and looked at Xie Qing: "However, his personal request... was criticized and denied."