After Transmigrating as a Wealthy Woman: Don’t You Dare Touch My Baby! [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 82

The following morning, at dawn, the funeral bell tolled once more.

The ministers knelt before the Hall of Eternal Glory. The new sovereign, holding the Flying Dragon Tally, sat high upon the Dragon Throne. He gazed out at the breaking light of the horizon and let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Yesterday, the late Emperor passed away. The Second Prince, Jing Yi, staged a coup at the Hall of Eternal Glory, which the Eldest Princess personally quelled. Jing Yi is dead. The Eldest Princess, having fallen victim to a treacherous scheme during the conflict, has also passed away.”

“Today, I, Jing Rui, in my capacity as the Crown Prince of Great Rong, issue this special imperial edict: The Eldest Princess is posthumously titled ‘Imperial Sovereign of Great Rong,’ and her consort, Zhong Wan, is titled ‘Empress Zhong’.”

“The Crown Prince is wise!” the ministers cried. “However, Your Highness, a nation cannot go a day without a ruler. You must ascend the throne immediately…”

“Indeed, Your Highness! Since the Eldest Princess entrusted the Flying Dragon Tally to you, it was her wish that you succeed the throne and lead the people into a new era of prosperity!”

Jing Rui shook his head. The pale gold imperial robes made him appear less fragile than before. He declared, “My mind is made up. The matter of the enthronement shall be discussed in seven days.”

The ministers were baffled, yet they had no choice but to comply. They knew more or less what had happened the previous day: a failed coup, the death of the Emperor, and the suppression of the rebels. However, the exact circumstances of the Eldest Princess’s death remained a mystery.

With the Second Prince dead and the Eldest Princess gone, the only heirs left were the First and Third Princes—one a sickly youth, the other a foolish non-entity. They had no choice but to accept the Crown Prince.

Great Rong’s destiny, they thought, is truly growing shorter.

Meanwhile, the “dead” Imperial Sovereign and her Empress were currently seated in a carriage, preparing to leave the capital to travel the world.

In Zhu Xingtong’s words: they had seen the peak of interstellar technology and gazed at the stars from spaceships, but they had yet to see the magnificent mountains and rivers of the ancient world. This beauty, carved by nature itself, was surely second to none. If they didn’t see it now, it might be even harder to find later.

Furthermore, Zhu Xingtong personally had zero desire to be an Emperor.

“What’s so good about being an Emperor? Handling mountains of memorials every day is a nightmare. I didn’t realize it before, but after experiencing life as a Star Master in the last world, I understand completely: the higher the status, the greater the responsibility. If I became Emperor and couldn’t provide a good life for the people, my heart would ache.” She smiled and snuggled into Zhong Ying’s embrace. “Being an Emperor can’t compare to the sweetness of cuddling with my wife!”

“But Cub,” Zhu Xingtong added, looking a bit worried, “you spent a lot of gold coins to buy that longevity pill for Jing Rui, didn’t you? You still need those coins for the life-saving capsule! Is it really okay?”

Before leaving, Zhong Ying had purchased a pill from the System for Jing Rui. It was rumored to be quite expensive. Jing Rui’s natural lifespan was short, but he was a rare, capable ruler. To ensure the continued prosperity of Great Rong, Zhong Ying had spent a staggering 1,000 gold coins on the medicine.

As Zhong Ying put it: “I don’t want to be wandering the world only to hear news that the Emperor has died again, forcing my Little Bao to go back and take the throne.”

Of course, she was joking. They wouldn’t be staying in this world much longer anyway. Zhu Xingtong didn’t quite understand the reason for the gift, but she guessed it was simply because Jing Rui had earned her “cub’s” approval—and toward those she considered her own, Zhong Ying was always exceptionally generous.

“It’s no problem. After completing the mission for this world, the System rewarded me with 10,000 gold coins. Including the earnings from the previous worlds, I have nearly 30,000. After one more world, I should be able to buy the Time Reversal Capsule.”

Zhong Ying thought to herself: One more world, and I can return to my original reality. Back to the moment before the plane crash.

Though Little Bao had stayed by her side, they were still bound by missions, and she couldn’t stay in any single world until old age.

“Will you appear in the next world too?” Zhong Ying looked at the woman in her arms, her eyes filled with hope. In a world with Little Bao, even just standing still and breathing felt right. If she wasn’t there, the prospect seemed utterly dull.

Zhu Xingtong blinked. “I don’t know. But… I’ll try my best to show up, okay?”

Zhong Ying shook her head. “Don’t force it. I’m afraid of something happening to you. The System says trans-dimensional travel is difficult. I’d rather you wait for me in our original world than have you put yourself at risk.”

“Okay. Pinky swear. I definitely won’t get into trouble.” Zhu Xingtong raised her head and held up her pinky finger, insisting on the childish gesture.

“Mhm.”

The two slender fingers hooked together as they shared a smile.

“By the way, Cub, we never had a grand wedding in this world! The whole world should know I love you. I’ll send a messenger pigeon back to the palace and have Jing Rui write a book about us,” Zhu Xingtong teased.

Zhong Ying flicked her forehead playfully. “Why involve Jing Rui? You write it, and I’ll publish it for you.”

“Eek! No, no, no! I hate meeting deadlines!”

“The book doesn’t matter, but do you want to experience an ancient wedding ceremony?”

“Now that, I’d like! Like we agreed—this time, I’ll be the one to ‘marry’ you!”

“Deal.” Zhong Ying leaned down and gave her a kiss, her eyes full of infinite tenderness.

The carriage clattered along as their laughter faded into the distance.

Ultimately, the two did not linger in that world for long. Their consciousness gradually faded into sleep, marking the end of that journey.

When Zhu Xingtong woke again, she was in a different world. As expected, she had followed her “cub” through the transmigration.

However, this time, she wasn’t even human…

She was a chubby little bird. No—to be precise, she was a Phoenix.

This world was one of Xianxia (High Fantasy/Cultivation). The universe was divided into the Three Upper Realms and the Three Lower Realms.

Upper Realms: The Celestial Realm, the Demon Realm, and the most ancient of all, the Eternal Realm.

Lower Realms: The Mortal Realm, the Cultivation Realm, and the Spirit-Monster Realm.

This hierarchy functioned like a pyramid. The Eternal Realm sat at the apex; it was sparsely populated, but even a blade of grass plucked there might be a “Grass Immortal” who had lived for tens of thousands of years. The Mortal Realm formed the base—vast in population but incredibly weak.

Mortals sought to cultivate, cultivators sought to ascend to godhood or demonhood, and Celestials and Demons sought to enter the Eternal Realm to become undying Primeval Gods.

Zhu Xingtong was currently a small phoenix chick in the supreme Eternal Realm. Her mother was the world-renowned Divine Phoenix Yan Feng, one of the Four Cardinal Deities.

As the offspring of a Divine Phoenix, Zhu Xingtong was born with a semi-divine body. But unlike her sisters, she couldn’t breathe fire. She could only spit out Spirit Stones.

“No wonder I craved Spirit Stones when I was brooding this egg,” her Divine Phoenix mother said, fanning her chubby youngest chick with a massive wing. “It turns out I didn’t give birth to a Fire Phoenix, but a Golden Spirit Phoenix. If those cultivators or demons ever saw you, they’d lock you up and treat you like a treasure chest. Remember, you must never leave my side.”

No sooner had the Mother Phoenix finished her warning than two reckless fools intruded upon the Eternal Realm. Two streaks of light—one black, one white—tore across the sky from the East and West. They collided and exploded directly above the Divine Phoenix’s head, creating a dazzling display of clashing light.

Such a strange disturbance was unheard of at the Phoenix Terrace of the Eternal Realm. Zhu Xingtong poked her tiny bird head out from her mother’s plumage. “Chirp?”

“People from the Celestial and Demon Realms,” Mother Phoenix sighed. “Their feuds are common, but fighting all the way to the Eternal Realm is a nuisance. The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise are still slumbering, so I shall deal with this myself.”

Zhu Xingtong actually knew exactly who was fighting: Immortal Venerable Beimeng of the Celestial Realm and Demon Venerable Chilian of the Demon Realm. They had been arch-enemies since before their ascension.

The reason was simple: Before ascending, Chilian had loved a girl and wanted her as his cultivation partner. However, the girl was a righteous cultivator. She rejected Chilian not because of his demonic path, but because she was deeply in love with her Senior Sister—who was none other than Beimeng.

Thus, before even meeting her, Chilian harbored a bitter grudge against Beimeng. Upon finally meeting, it got worse: Chilian discovered that Beimeng surpassed him in both cultivation and looks. From then on, she became his ultimate nemesis.

Beimeng was equally confused. The first time they met, this demon had been nothing but sarcastic. It was fine that he was a demon and coveted her Junior Sister, but why did he keep coming back to pick fights? They spent their lives in cycles of fighting and secluded meditation, vowing not to be outdone by the other. Ironically, this rivalry pushed them both to ascend rapidly. Meanwhile, the Junior Sister they had fought over failed to keep up and faded into obscurity.

After ascending, one lived in the Celestial Realm and the other in the Demon Realm, yet they still sought each other out to fight. This time, they had accidentally stumbled into the Eternal Realm guarded by the Four Cardinal Deities.

The outcome was swift. Mother Phoenix unleashed a breath of Divine Fire, instantly obliterating their physical forms. Only their tattered souls remained, fleeing to the Mortal Realm to find new bodies for rebirth.

This marked the beginning of this world’s plot. The two Venerables would be reborn in the Mortal Realm and encounter the protagonist of this world, who was currently a mere mortal… her cub!

In the original story, those two were nearly invincible in the Mortal Realm, and her cub—who had just started her journey of cultivation—was bullied relentlessly by them.

At the thought of this, Zhu Xingtong’s temper flared. She raised her tiny head and chirped furiously at her mother: “Chirp chirp chirp! Chirp!”

Mother Phoenix stroked her chick’s sparsely feathered head and laughed. “We are Gods. Beneath us, all living things are equal. They likely didn’t intrude on purpose. A small punishment is enough.”

With a flap of her wings, the Divine Phoenix’s body blotted out the sun. The two Venerables froze in terror, but before they could plead for mercy, the Phoenix Fire reduced their bodies to ash. Their souls were cast out, drifting down to the lowest level of the six realms: The Mortal Realm.

“Chirp!”

Mother Phoenix looked at the chick poking its head out from her feathers and gently nudged her back. “You are still small. You cannot go to the Mortal Realm.”

Zhu Xingtong: !!!

Then how am I supposed to find my cub?!

Seeing the chick’s “my world is ending because I can’t go to the Mortal Realm” expression, Mother Phoenix chuckled. “Cultivate for a few more years.”

Cultivate? Cultivate what?! Zhu Xingtong thought bitterly. She knew exactly what her “cultivation” would lead to: advancing from spitting out one Spirit Stone at a time to spitting out two!