The Blue Gelid Qi . . .
"Well… I don't put any stock in this fabricated information, but why is everyone so obsessed with it?"
"You're utterly clueless! This is the Empire's ploy to undermine Cha-Eun Xiao."
"Oh, goodness… This young lord has the worst luck. I doubt he'd even dare to harm a chicken, and now he's been framed for killing a skilled cultivator. He's become a murderer... heh heh... I'm at a loss for words regarding this obvious setup."
"You know nothing! To eliminate someone, all you need is an excuse..."
"That's true..."
"But what our prince is doing does seem a tad excessive."
"Yeah, I agree..."
...
"Quit spreading baseless rumors! Cha-Eun Xiao killing Mu Cheng-Bai? That's preposterous!"
"That's what people are saying..."
"A rumor's a rumor. Is your brain located in your rear end? If we believe this 'rumor,' what do we do with the 'truth'? ...You imbecile!"
...
"Can you believe this absurdity... actually happened? Cha-Eun Xiao killing Mu Cheng-Bai... You actually buy into that? Hahahahahahaha..."
...
The rumor was spreading like wildfire throughout Chen-Xing City, rapidly gaining momentum.
Suddenly, this incident had become the city's favorite joke.
The Crown Prince's Palace, initially preparing for decisive action, found themselves thrown into confusion due to this unexpected and overwhelming rumor.
"At present, this rumor has stirred quite the commotion in the capital... Pursuing Cha-Eun Xiao immediately might not be wise. I have my reservations about this." A middle-aged advisor sat across from the crown prince, wearing a wry smile. "Furthermore, I've heard that the king is keeping a close eye on this matter."
The advisor's words carried a subtle hint.
"My father is also keeping tabs..." The crown prince smiled lightly, his tone casual. "It seems that someone skilled and cunning within the General's House is manipulating things behind the scenes. They're manipulating public opinion, leaving us tangled in indecision... Fascinating. Heh..."
"So, we have two options." The advisor stated calmly.
"Let's go with the second one." The crown prince didn't even inquire about the two options, speaking with decisiveness. "Follow the usual procedures. Allow the Ministry of Penalty to conduct the investigation... Attempt to mitigate a major problem into a minor one, and a minor one into insignificance. At the very least, maintain appearances on the official front... After all, we must consider General Ye's potential reaction. The first option is too confrontational; we cannot pursue it."
The advisor nodded. "Understood, Your Highness."
Indeed, the crown prince only commanded that everything should appear well from the government's standpoint. He didn't broach the topics of clan involvement or the common people.
For now, those matters remained unnecessary considerations.
After the advisor departed, the crown prince remained seated in silence.
His eyes shimmered as he mumbled, "Mortal? The mortal world?..."
Then, he suddenly burst into a chilling laughter. "The splendor, wealth, and rank in the mortal world are treasures those mundane individuals will never comprehend! They chase after some supposed ultimate goal! Even if a mortal life is but a brief experience, I will savor every moment of it. If you aren't a fish, how can you understand the pleasures of swimming? How dare you spew such nonsense that we are insignificant..."
His laughter ceased, and he stood, departing with determined strides.
...
Meanwhile, Cha-Eun Xiao remained seated cross-legged, silently sensing the circulation of East-rising Purple Qi within his body. The sensation was exquisite, soothing him with each passing moment. He was so engrossed in this feeling that he lost track of time, neglecting to rouse himself.
Qi streamed into his body through his skin, one strand after another.
Thoughts of the time he'd killed Mu Cheng-Bai stirred mixed emotions within him.
In the present circumstances, Cha-Eun Xiao understood that killing Mu Cheng-Bai had been an incredibly ill-advised move. Many people had witnessed their fight that day, a fact that was impossible to deny or eliminate. He knew it was a terrible idea, a dangerous gamble he shouldn't have taken, yet he proceeded regardless.
It was as though the previous occupant of this body, the former Cha Eun Xiao, had left a lingering influence. That prior personality had been marked by indecision and cowardice, traits Cha-Eun Xiao despised. He had observed these tendencies in many other pampered young nobles like himself.
At times, Cha-Eun Xiao even questioned whether he could still consider himself a true cultivator in his current state. He recognized the urgency of the situation and decided to willingly plunge himself into grave peril. His aim was to awaken the instincts of his previous life fully and sever any remaining ties to the old Cha Eun Xiao.
Though he knew it was unlikely to be advantageous, he acted decisively. This was a deliberate effort to rekindle his survival instincts and hone himself by confronting perilous situations head-on.
As he contemplated, the qi within his body suddenly surged and began to flow erratically, following the pathways of his Jing and Mai. Cha-Eun Xiao, not one to be complacent, concentrated his mind and gradually tamed the unruly qi. However, the sheer quantity of chaotic energy became overwhelming, making him feel queasy. Despite his best efforts using the supreme spiritual method he was skilled in, the turbulence persisted.
Cha-Eun Xiao, seasoned in the art of cultivation, remained composed. The tumultuous qi, while perilous, also presented an extraordinary opportunity. Stopping the East-rising Purple Qi from its chaotic rampage would eventually calm it down, ending the danger. Alternatively, enduring this ordeal might yield tremendous benefits. But surrendering to the boiling qi risked damage to his Jing and Mai.
Conventional wisdom would dictate that Cha-Eun Xiao halt his cultivation the moment the qi began to boil within him. Yet, at that very moment, he experienced an inexplicable surge of intuition. He believed that if he ceased cultivation now, he would miss out on a golden opportunity.
Faced with a choice between experience and intuition, the Xiao Monarch opted to trust the latter. Gritting his teeth, he pressed on, determined to see this through.
Unfortunately, the situation didn't improve. Instead, his dantian began to swell dangerously, teetering on the brink of explosion. Should the continued accumulation of qi persist in his Jing and Mai, catastrophe seemed inevitable.
Fear gripped Cha-Eun Xiao, and uncertainty clouded his judgment. Had his intuition led him astray? Just as he contemplated putting an end to this perilous journey, something unexpected occurred. The boiling qi within his dantian abruptly subsided.
Moments later, the once-roiling qi reversed course, returning to his dantian. Simultaneously, an excruciating, searing pain surged throughout his body. Cha-Eun Xiao's vision darkened, and he spat out a mouthful of blood before losing consciousness.
In an instant, Cha-Eun Xiao found himself surrounded by a sea of crimson, the unmistakable hue of blood staining everything before him. The sight was both shocking and surreal.
In the following moment, something extraordinary occurred within him. The swirling qi in his dantian inexplicably divided into two distinct streams—one was a vibrant crimson, while the other gleamed with a serene blue radiance.
Cha-Eun Xiao immediately recognized that these were two distinct types of qi, each possessing unique attributes and powers. The red qi exuded scorching heat, as if it could reduce anything it touched to ashes, while the blue qi exuded an intense frigidity, capable of freezing even the warmest of hearts.
Were these options presented to him? Did he need to choose one over the other? Or could these seemingly opposing forces coexist within him, representing the delicate balance of yin and yang?
Furrowing his brow, Cha-Eun Xiao grappled with this perplexing decision. The scorching power of the red qi held undeniable allure, yet the icy might of the blue qi had its own merits. He was unwilling to relinquish either.
After careful contemplation, Cha-Eun Xiao reached a conclusion—he would primarily cultivate the power of the icy blue qi. This decision was not arbitrary. He was keenly aware of his precarious situation. Currently residing within a realm akin to the one from his previous life, he had been renowned for his fiery attacks. Reincarnating into a body that bore the same name and attributes would surely draw attention from the three factions, resulting in his demise, as he remained powerless to contend with them.
Therefore, he resolved to conceal his true identity as the late Xiao Monarch until he regained sufficient strength to confront them. Most cultivators, when forced to rebuild their cultivation from scratch, would choose to cultivate the method and attribute they were most familiar with, and would certainly avoid conflicting attributes.
The icy-cold attribute, therefore, served as a perfect disguise for Cha-Eun Xiao's true capabilities. Moreover, another factor influenced his choice—the East-rising Purple Qi. Though originally characterized by a pure yang attribute, it currently displayed a completely contrary nature. Given the profoundness of the East-rising Purple Qi, Cha-Eun Xiao believed the blue gelid qi held extraordinary potential.
With his decision made, Cha-Eun Xiao attempted to redirect the gelid qi. Yet, to his astonishment, it swiftly surged into his dantian, while the red scorching qi began to fade from his body. A wave of icy energy emanated from his dantian, coursing through every fiber of his being, gradually supplanting the previous mild qi.
During this transformation, Cha-Eun Xiao experienced a newfound mental clarity. It was as though a fog had lifted from his thoughts, unveiling an enhanced sense of awareness. The pristine power of this gelid qi flowed freely throughout his body, its touch akin to a gentle caress.
Curiosity compelled him to extend a single finger, lightly tapping an adjacent chair. Instantaneously, an intense frost radiated from his touch, encasing the chair until it shattered into pieces. The frigid chill continued to spread, swiftly transforming the entire room into an icy sanctum.
Yet, remarkably, Cha-Eun Xiao felt no discomfort. Instead, the bone-chilling coldness enveloped him in a profound sense of pleasure and tranquility, an experience unlike any other.