Guide to the Rebirth of the Evil Woman in the Immortal Realm - Chapter 30

The hand wearing the apple-green jade thumb ring rested lightly on the carriage window as the gauze curtain was lifted.

The noble inside possessed a face as refined as polished jade. Her gentle apricot eyes fixed on Shen Fuxin for a moment before she broke into a radiant smile. “The immortal’s magic is truly formidable. I wonder if I might have the honor of inviting you to accompany me to celebrate my Imperial Mother’s birthday feast?”

Without waiting for Shen Fuxin’s answer, the Third Prince of Taiyin, Chu Huailing, ordered her attendants to open the carriage door. Her hand, fair and slender, patted the seat beside her as she said softly, “If the immortal does not mind, you may ride with me.”

Seeing the Third Prince smile, Shen Fuxin curved her own lips slightly. “A pity, I’ve brought two others with me. With so many people, I fear the Third Prince’s carriage may not accommodate us all.”

Chu Huailing froze slightly.

Aside from the immortal blocking the carriage—who looked as fresh and ethereal as a green lotus—she saw two other women step out from the crowd. Even in Taiyin, their stature was remarkably tall.

One had honey-colored skin, with red hair and amber eyes like an exotic tigress. The other had a face as fair as peach blossoms and a poised, elegant bearing; she narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked over.

She looked like a long-buried divine sword, waiting to be unsheathed.

Inside the carriage, the Fourth Prince, Chu Tian, lowered his head with an unconscious air of timidity, completely losing the petty temper he usually displayed when sulking with his Third Sister. Chu Huailing didn’t bother with him further. Surrounded by guards, she personally stepped down from the carriage and led the guests to an empty carriage behind hers.

“So there are three immortals,” Chu Huailing smiled. “The Lunar Goddess must be merciful to have sent the three of you before me just as I was at my wits’ end. Please, immortals, enter the carriage.”

Shen Fuxin boarded without looking back, followed by Ji Ting and Shen Sha. Chu Huailing stood by their carriage waiting. At the moment Ji Ting passed closest to her, Chu Huailing stared at her profile and froze again, letting out a soft, confused “Eh?”

Ji Ting stopped and looked at her with an indifferent gaze.

Chu Huailing continued to scrutinize Ji Ting’s face. Seeing her stop, the Prince smiled and apologized, “The immortal’s grace and beauty are so striking that I was momentarily dazed. My apologies.”

Ji Ting boarded and sat next to Shen Fuxin. Shen Sha sat opposite them, stooping slightly with some effort; the delicate carriage was a bit cramped for someone of her build.

“Why transform a bird out of nowhere?” Ji Ting looked away, intentionally avoiding Shen Fuxin’s gaze and staring out the window instead. “I don’t like this Third Prince. She’s glib and has the kind of face meant to deceive innocent young girls.”

“Do you have someone you like?” Shen Fuxin exposed her ruthlessly. “Back at Spirit Mountain, you said you didn’t like Zhao Lanying or Yu Zhanxu either. You hate everyone you meet.”

That’s because you didn’t like them. This thought flashed through Ji Ting’s mind, and for the first time, her usually quick tongue was silenced. She fell quiet. Ultimately, she and Shen Fuxin were only traveling together by chance to uncover a shared truth.

She endured the silence for a while before turning to look at Shen Fuxin, only to find that the girl had already closed her eyes to rest against the window.

As the saying goes, a heartless lotus seed is truly carefree.

Ji Ting forced herself to look away and glanced at Shen Sha instead. Shen Sha had watched the entire exchange with wide eyes; seeing Ji Ting look over, she pretended nothing happened and looked away as well.

The carriage jolted for several quarters of an hour before finally entering the Taiyin Imperial Palace.

The palace walls, like a crimson tide, instantly swallowed their figures. Shen Fuxin didn’t know what Ji Ting was being moody about. As she lifted the gauze curtain to exit, she saw that hand with the jade ring reach out again to help her down.

Chu Huailing’s ink-black hair was tied up. Seeing Shen Fuxin look at her, she gestured gracefully, indicating Shen Fuxin should place her hand in her palm. “The carriage is high; be careful of your footing, immortal.”

Does she take me for a piece of glassware that’s pretty to look at but easy to break? Chu Huailing didn’t realize she had stepped on one of Shen Fuxin’s pet peeves. Shen Fuxin simply extended her long legs and jumped down, ignoring the Prince standing beside her.

The Third Prince didn’t take offense.

Because the Crown Prince’s aura was too bright, and the Second Sister was sweet-tongued and knew how to please their Imperial Mother, she, as the youngest daughter, was used to being flawless in every action so as to leave no room for criticism. Seeing Shen Fuxin ignore her, she simply stood and waited for Ji Ting.

Ji Ting, who had been cold and silent in the carriage, stepped down with an air of triumph. She glanced at Chu Huailing’s hand and mimicked Shen Fuxin’s exit. “No need.”

Finally, Shen Sha stepped out, hunched over. Seeing Chu Huailing still waiting, she hesitated for a moment before placing her hand on the hand of this seemingly frail Third Prince.

Chu Huailing was prepared, but was still pulled into a stumble by the weight. Shen Sha quickly let go. “Apologies.”

The Fourth Prince, Chu Tian, knew his status was awkward. Only after they had all exited did he quietly step out according to etiquette. He wore bright colors, had both ears pierced, and cradled a white cat with heterochromatic eyes. Seeing Chu Huailing rebuffed, he wanted to say something, but ultimately kept his mouth shut and lowered his head to comb the cat’s fur.

He was in a foul mood and, lost in thought, accidentally pulled a tangle on the cat’s back too hard. The cat let out a loud cry and immediately bit down on the back of the hand supporting it, piercing two bloody holes.

Chu Tian immediately dropped the cat, cursing, “Little beast!”

Shen Fuxin and the others turned to look at him. Chu Tian’s hands were empty; the cat had already fled. Seeing Chu Huailing’s cold gaze fixed on him, he felt as if he had been submerged in freezing winter water. He was cold from head to toe, and even his tongue felt numb. “Third Sister, I—I—”

“If you do not know how to speak, go find your Tutor Eunuch to teach you again,” Chu Huailing said, turning to her personal guard. “Take him back.”

At the mention of the Tutor Eunuch, Chu Tian visibly shuddered. He nearly fell to his knees before Chu Huailing, reaching out to grab her robes, but only caught the cold scabbard of a guard’s blade.

What to do, what to do… should I send word to the Crown Prince Sister to save me? Chu Tian shook like a sieve. Recalling what the Crown Prince had said to him that day, he was filled with terror. His legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed onto the ground.

Two of Chu Huailing’s sword-bearing guards hoisted him up and carried him toward the inner courtyard of the harem. Chu Huailing watched indifferently until they were far away, then turned to the three immortals with a regretful smile. “I apologize for the unsightly scene.”

Shen Fuxin understood the situation; the scene was much like when her eldest brother was dragged off to be married away.

After that farce, Chu Huailing became even more attentive and stopped referring to herself with her royal title. Knowing they were from abroad, she proactively shared the history and customs of Taiyin. As they reached a small hall with a garden in the outer palace, the Third Prince stopped and smiled. “Until my Imperial Mother’s birthday feast, you may stay here for the time being.”

She paused, then continued, “For this milestone birthday, I originally wanted to find cultivators who could use magic to make the entire imperial garden bloom to please her. But seeing the immortal’s ability to command a divine bird, I would like to ask you to summon one again in three days to fly three circles around my Imperial Mother to scatter blessings. After the birthday feast, I will certainly provide a generous reward.”

Shen Fuxin agreed. High Immortals in the mortal world couldn’t use their life-saving artifacts, but their spiritual energy and cultivation remained. As long as there was spiritual energy, a few divine birds were no trouble at all.

Chu Huailing, seeing they didn’t mind Chu Tian’s earlier offense, breathed a silent sigh of relief. She took her leave politely and selected two attendants to wait at the small hall, instructing them to serve the guests with the utmost care over the next few days.

One moment Chu Huailing was smiling elegantly; the moment she turned around, her expression changed. Her lips pressed thin, and her eyes—which closely resembled the current Emperor Ruwen—narrowed. As she walked, she asked her attendant, “What is going with Chu Tian?”

The attendant’s expression was subtle. Thinking of this sole child left behind by the deceased King Shaoli, she feared being caught in the royal family’s secrets. She hesitated. “This…”

“Speak,” Chu Huailing said.

Her tone was casual, not angry, but the attendant who had followed her for a long time heard her displeasure and spoke up. “The Fourth Prince has been visiting the Crown Prince’s palace frequently of late.”

“The Crown Prince’s palace?” Chu Huailing let out an ambiguous, soft laugh. It seemed he had hit a wall with her and was seeking protection from the Crown Prince.

“How pitiful,” Chu Huailing said, though no pity could be seen in her eyes. “However, such pitiful days are almost at an end.”

She returned to her own palace, but as she boarded her sedan, she couldn’t help but think of one of the three immortals again.

Chu Huailing unconsciously twisted her jade ring. Was it an illusion? That woman’s face was identical to a small golden ornament left in the treasury from an unknown era.

No, I’m too bothered by this, Chu Huailing thought. She decided she would go find that ornament tomorrow.

The Second Prince’s Warning

Chu Huailing had just left, and Shen Fuxin hadn’t even finished the snacks provided, when the side hall received another visitor.

Ji Ting glanced at the person walking through the imperial garden outside, then at Shen Fuxin, who continued eating as if nothing were wrong. That sense of subtle weirdness surfaced again.

Why are there so many women in Taiyin? Ji Ting shut the window ruthlessly as the newcomer dismissed several armed guards and entered the hall.

The visitor wore pale purple robes and a crown like Chu Huailing, but her temperament was vastly different. Compared to the polished and polite Chu Huailing, this one seemed relaxed to the point of disregarding etiquette entirely. She walked in, found a chair, and sat down with an unearned familiarity. “Have you eaten? I’ll have the imperial kitchen send over four portions of Eight-Treasure Duck Rice.”

Noticing Shen Sha sitting in the corner, she changed her order to the palace maid at the door. “Make that seven portions.”

Shen Fuxin noticed her features were subtly similar to Chu Huailing’s, though her eyes were more upturned and she appeared more regal and at ease. “And which prince are you?”

Chu Huaizhuang smiled, grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, and began cracking them. “My name is Chu Huaizhuang. I’m second in line and Chu Huailing’s Second Sister. You three just entered the palace with Chu Huailing and Chu Tian, right?”

Ji Ting asked, “You and Chu Huailing both have ‘Huai’ in your names. Why does the Fourth Prince only have the single character ‘Tian’?”

“That is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about,” Chu Huaizhuang leaned back in her chair in a most un-regal manner, stacking the seed shells on a small jade plate. “I heard about what happened outside the palace. If you truly are immortals from the heavens, leave as soon as the birthday feast is over. Immortals should not get involved in the affairs of the mortal royal family.”

Seeing even Shen Sha in the corner look over, Chu Huaizhuang spoke softly, “Chu Tian was not born to my Imperial Mother. He is the child of her younger sister, our late Imperial Aunt. Whether the Lunar Goddess of Taiyin actually exists in the upper realm, I do not know. But I do know that Taiyin is becoming less and less like Taiyin. In short, if anyone tries to cling to you over these few days, ignore them. Do not take sides.”

Ji Ting looked at Shen Fuxin. Coming early isn’t as good as coming at the right time. It seemed they had walked right into the Taiyin royal family’s internal strife. These people were likely going to have a showdown; entering this palace was proving worthwhile.

“In Taiyin, can only women ascend the throne and be named Crown Prince?” Shen Fuxin frowned. “So, what exactly is this Fourth Prince’s role?”

“A figurehead,” Chu Huaizhuang stood up to take the Eight-Treasure Duck Rice brought by the attendants. “Only by tolerating his presence can we demonstrate our magnanimity and virtue.”

She waved her hand, and the attendants closed the doors, leaving her alone with the three of them.

Seeing her behavior, Shen Fuxin smiled. “Why? Are you truly not going to ask us to take sides?”

Chu Huaizhuang opened the food box and glanced at the statues of the Lunar Goddess and Jie Fanyin enshrined in this side hall.

“I am second in line. I have never fought for anything in my life. After all, the Crown Prince was decided long ago, and I am not as ambitious as my elder or younger sisters. But I do have a few things I care about,” Chu Huaizhuang said gently. “Whether you are true celestial beings or fake cultivators, listen to the story of the past I am about to tell before you make your decision.”