Nodding his head, Jian Shen who acknowledged but didn't agree or accept with what Xifeng said got off the table and turned around to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"Huh? Is there something you want from me?"
Rolling her eyes, the woman said, "More like there's something you want from me."
As Jian Shen chose to blink his eyes and act like he was oblivious, the Empress spoke with twitching lips.
"Don't you want to know why Luli's father sent an assassin to keep a watch over her?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Jian Shen said, "That isn't really a question which I can't find the answer out myself. And even if I didn't do some research around, I could just try and guess what it is that's happening."
"Let's see, that man wants to marry his daughter away for some kind of a personal benefit while you are against it. Right?"
In an instant, Xifeng's face which always looked calm and collected showed resignation and regret on it.
And like this, she began describing her past to Jian Shen even before he asked her.
"We were way too young when we married each other and I failed to realize the kind of man he really was until it was too late. Since the time she was born he kept on trying to arrange a marriage for her to try and increase his strength."
Such a cliché.
Showing on his face what he was thinking on the inside, Jian Shen looked like someone that was just forced to swallow a bitter medicine due to how boring the story was.
Seeing this, Xifeng's lips went back to twitching due as she said, "I'm sorry my sad past is boring you, but I'm going to finish the story anyway."
"Once I realized what it was that he actually had in mind since before the marriage, I immediately kicked him out. But since his family is also very strong and comparable to the Winter Jade Empire I couldn't kill him or put an end to his selfish desires."
"Are you done?"
Nodding her head with a pleased expression since she managed to finish her story, Xifeng said, "I'll arrange someone to guard you from now on so that nothing like this happens again. It looks like there is some bad blood between you and that man anyway."
Shaking his head and rejecting the proposal, Jian Shen unconsciously touched the two swords on the side of his waist which never let him down and said, "That won't be needed, I've got my own way to deal with such things."
"Huh?"
Spotting that action of Jian Shen where he touched the swords, Xifeng who was always curious about what they were felt even more interested in learning about what they are.
After all, since the first time she saw the unconscious Jian Shen, those swords were what made her doubt that he had ascended from the Mortal Realm and not descended from the Dao Realm.
If not for his cultivation which was so obviously weaker than hers, Xifeng really would've believed that Jian Shen had come down from the Dao Realm.
That was how scary she found those swords on his waist.
Still, since she didn't know what they actually were Xifeng once again asked to make sure that Jian Shen was confident in his decision.
"Are you sure? It wouldn't be any problem to have a few of my men guard you around the clock."
Shaking his head and turning Xifeng down again, Jian Shen who always preferred to be alone unless it was with some beautiful woman chose to take on any other assassin that might come for him and deal with them himself.
While a little surprised at this decision of Jian Shen, Xifeng didn't try and pressure him any further. Rather, she started to try and find out about what it was that he did to become an enemy of Luli's father.
Towards this question, Jian Shen didn't show any signs of avoiding or hiding and rather straightforwardly said, "I think I killed someone from his family."
"You think?"
Looking as if she was speaking to herself because Jian Shen had already walked away, Xifeng tried to think about when was the last time that she, an Empress was treated in this way. And why the hell was she not getting angry with him for treating her this way?
Chuckling and shaking her head to throw away these unnecessary thoughts, Xifeng with a smile on her face made a not to send Jian Shen a manual which describes the basics of Divine Cultivation to help him get started with cultivating in the Divine Realm.
After all, she couldn't just have his talent wasted by just teaching her daughter how to wield a Sword.
Considering that he was so young, there was no time better than right now for him to get started with cultivating his Middle Dantian since it was a very long and painful process which was best started when someone was young.
...
Leaving the Fairy Pavilion while feeling disappointed at how things turned out because he ended not being able to enjoy himself in any way due to the stupid assassin who forced him to change all of his plans, Jian Shen who made the snake woman have a vivid memory of him due to the Empress personally coming and killing someone for him.
Looks like his relationship with the Empress wasn't as simple as just being the sword teacher of her daughter.
Regardless of this all, Jian Shen who left the Fairy Pavilion was no longer in a mood to continue roaming around and therefore chose to go back to the palace and learn about cultivating his Middle Dantian using Soul Essence.