CHAPTER 1672: CHAPTER 1692: SMILING PROUD WANDERER

In the dark void, the supreme Jake King donned a new mask once more. This mask was that of a jester. Additionally, his attire today was rather outlandish—a vibrant mix of reds and purples, somewhat akin to women’s clothing.

Yet, no one dared to control what Jake King chose to wear, nor would anyone mock him for it.

He received the intelligence about Princess being kidnapped and Jordan Webb’s rebellion while discussing state affairs with the courtiers.

"On the eve of a grand battle, disruptions keep occurring in the rear. My dear courtiers, is there anyone who can ease my concerns?" Jake King’s voice was ethereal and hoarse; he used a false voice, not his real one.

However, the courtiers were long accustomed to this, as Jake King was always like this. At one point, he even spoke in a high-pitched voice, much like a woman’s.

The courtiers merely assumed it was due to Jake King’s cultivation practices or perhaps his intention.

"I am willing to return to the field to rid the court of these petty thieves!" A young woman suddenly stood up, no more than twenty-five or six. She was valiant and dressed in battle armor with a steel blade at her waist.

Perhaps due to years of braving the elements and fighting on all fronts, her skin was somewhat dark and coarse, giving her a rough appearance.

"Angela Presley always likes to be on the front line, so be it!" Jake King laughed heartily, "With Angela Presley returning to the court, no matter how many thieves there may be, they will not escape death. I am at ease!"

The courtiers remained silent. This woman’s surname was Presley; her father was a criminal, but due to Jake King’s broad pardons, her father’s death sentence was lifted. Thus, the Presley family was immensely grateful to Jake King. Later, an extraordinary woman emerged from the Presley family—Angela Presley. Her original name was Hallie Presley, but later she thought it too feminine and changed it to Lennon Presley.

Indeed, her name is Lennon Presley. This woman is a notorious killer and wields significant power; she is the leader of Jake King’s Hidden Guards and has waged wars on all fronts over the years, achieving great military merits.

Of course, few people in the royal court knew of her existence, as she was a Hidden Guard. Though powerful, she was not one of the courtiers.

After Lennon Presley received the order, the head eunuch personally escorted her out, bestowing upon her a Token. This Token was identical to the Command Token of the Yin-Yang Academy. It represented Jake King, and once activated, it could emit the Breath of the King. Not only could this Token allow free passage in the palace, but it also enabled the mobilization of troops from all quarters.

This Token was rare across the land and was only bestowed by Jake King when he could not attend to matters himself. It had to be returned afterward and could not be misused.

However, many years ago, a Hidden Guard took a Token to carry out a task, then disappeared, their life and death unknown. To this day, the Token’s whereabouts remain a mystery.

After receiving the order, Lennon Presley took only one Hidden Guard and hastily departed.

After Lennon Presley left, Jake King went to the harem and once again flipped the card of the demon woman, Elijah Burch.

The Palace of the Virgin was Elijah Burch’s palace, a secluded corner of the harem, with plum trees and waterside pavilions.

When Jake King arrived, Elijah Burch was in a white robe, with her hair undressed and face unadorned, merely sitting in a pavilion, staring blankly at the water.

Within the palace were maidservants and eunuchs, who wanted to kneel upon Jake King’s arrival. But Jake King merely waved his hand gently, signaling them to remain silent, and sat behind Elijah Burch!

The truth is, Elijah Burch was indeed the fox woman from Yusuf Zuck’s world, the Holy Maiden of the Demon Clan.

Elijah Burch’s life was filled with legend. She was originally born in the modern secular world, serving the country as the leader of the Dragon Group, only to enter the Dragon Gate World, never to return!

Throughout her life, she loved only one man—a man who was her lord, one she thought of and longed for, her lifelong attachment.

That one year, that one night, she once stood naked before him, desiring him and wanting him to desire her.

Unfortunately, that year he was still a gentleman, not having become the villain he is now. Thus, by chance and repeated mistakes, they never met. But she heard of him, a man who could summon winds and call rains, shaking the world, invincible!

She imagined what it would be like to meet him again. She even saved her most precious possession for him, for he was the only man who inspired both her admiration and heartache!

But alas, year after year, countless times have passed, and the two have never met again.

She long buried those feelings deep within her heart, refraining from thinking or daring to imagine, resolving to let it be, and forget it. So the day a masked man suddenly appeared before her, forcibly taking her away, she resigned to her fate!

After a long journey, she arrived in a foreign world, later discovering another world beyond the heavens—a divine realm, albeit of a different nature from her own, where this realm was ruled by a single person!

This person was the masked man who brought her here!

At first, she resisted and even sought death, yet the masked man, or Jake King, treated her with extraordinary affection, granting her every wish, indulging her in every way!

Eventually, she came to realize Jake King truly treated her well and, in all the thousands of years since abducting her, had never laid a finger on her!

By then, she accepted her fate, even fantasizing that if one day he desired her, she would give herself to him, for she longed to experience the emotions of male and female love—said to be soul-penetrating and ecstatic!

Having never tasted it, she waited for his favor, longing to become a true concubine of this divine realm and this dynasty, a powerful woman beneath one man but above billions!

Yet, alas, Jake King would often flip her card but would only talk to her or listen to her stories, tales of her past.

The two treated each other with respect, and Jake King never allowed her to serve him intimately.

But years later, one day she could no longer resist her emotional tide. Jake King happened to visit; she resolved to forget everything, forget the past, and accept her fate, wishing for Jake King to make her a true woman. But Jake King slapped her!

That slap woke her up and left her utterly bewildered.

After Jake King neglected her for a long period, he eventually returned, but she had lost all desire, for facing this masked man, her heart had died.

Until not long ago, she suddenly discovered a secret—a secret about Jake King, though she dared not speak of it, not to anyone.

...

After sitting in the pavilion for a long time, Jake King saw that White Concubine did not turn back, so he gently coughed.

Upon hearing the sound, Elijah Burch quickly turned around and discovered Jake King sitting behind her. She immediately performed a curtsy and repeatedly called herself guilty!

"Why do you feel guilty, my beloved concubine? Today I am free and want you to tell me a story again. Your stories are the best, most anticipated!" Jake King said with a smile.

"What kind of story does the King want to hear?" Elijah Burch asked, pouring tea for Jake King.

"Any story will do!" Jake King replied lightly.

Elijah Burch arched her eyebrows, inspiration dawning: "Then I... then I... I’ll tell a story of Swordsman!"

.

PS: In the world of Swordsman, who are the characters?