CHAPTER 16: ASKING EMPRESS JIN LI FOR HELP

Having run for an hour, Qi Yuan was gasping for breath.

After making sure no one was chasing him, he flopped down in a valley. "This is supposed to be a game, so why am I running for my life?!"

All he did was slaughter a dozen garment monsters in some remote corner! Yet the next moment, hundreds—no, thousands came swarming at him!

Thus, he fled without looking back, desperately struggling just to break free.

Sitting up, his face was clouded with doubt. "How did the others find me?"

The question gnawed at him.

"Don't tell me... all the garment monsters share the same senses?"

That thought made him recall a certain anime where the entire insect race was controlled by a mother-body and linked to the same system.

"If that's true, then I'm in trouble!"

It’d mean his divide-and-conquer strategy was useless!

Qi Yuan frowned. This map was much harder to grind than he had expected.

"Maybe I should ask Jin Li for help? She might have a walkthrough or something..."

With that in mind, he began sending her messages.

Qi Yuan: These garment monsters are ridiculous. I even came across a forest where every tree was adorned with bellybands. The sight... Tsk, tsk... If I'd uploaded the photo online, it would've gone viral!

Qi Yuan: I hunted some monsters today and ran into a problem.

He described his encounter in detail, then sent another line.

Qi Yuan: Do you have any guides over there? Send me one if you do. I'd be eternally grateful!

***

Meanwhile, in the imperial palace...

"Grand Chancellor, Her Majesty has returned to the palace," a robed official reported respectfully. "The men we sent are gone."

Sima Ting, seated over a game of chess, only chuckled at the news. He paid no heed to the messenger, his attention fixed on his scholar opponent.

"Uncle, are you certain that’s where you want to place your piece? My stones are connected in a single flow, every corner holds true eyes. The outcome is set. You’re playing dead stones."

The scholar smiled flatteringly. "Your chess skills are far beyond mine, Grand Chancellor. Since the game is lost, I may as well capture a piece where I can."

Sima Ting burst out laughing.

In his eyes, the empress was no different from the black stones trapped on the board. No path forward, no hope of life. Her struggle was nothing more than the death throes of a caged beast.

The scholar pressed the advantage. "In six days, once Lady Qin is defeated by the Northern Khan Court, we will rise together against the empress. At that time, the Southern Qian Empire will belong wholly to you."

Sima Ting's smile deepened.

Yes, the kingdom is already mine. But having it in name and in truth was far sweeter.

***

Jin Li's spirits, however, were uplifted. She’d just handed Aunt Qin the Emperor Medicine, Nine-Petal Qiluo. With this, not only would Aunt Qin’s injuries be healed, she could even ascend into the Emperor realm! In a world where strength was everything, having another Emperor realm ally gave her more confidence against Sima Ting. And it was all thanks to Qi Yuan!

Thinking of him, her heart felt complicated. Just then, the Linglong Xi Jade in her sleeve pulsed with light.

She drew it out, her mood lifting further. Then, she read the contents more carefully than she had ever read an imperial memorial, savoring every word.

When she saw Qi Yuan nearly overwhelmed by garment monsters, her heart skipped in fright. When she read about trees draped in undergarments, her lips helplessly curled into a smile.

The moment she saw his plea for help, her focus sharpened at once. "Information about the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone?"

Jin Li: I'll look for records immediately. Until then, be careful.

His reply came right away.

Qi Yuan: Ah, thanks for worrying about me.

Qi Yuan: I'm telling you, the monsters here are just too strange...

He went on and on, while Jin Li listened earnestly.

In that moment, she was no empress, and in her eyes, Qi Yuan was no mysterious powerhouse. They were simply old friends, with whom she could talk to without pretense.

Half an hour later, Jin Li frowned at a thin booklet spread upon her jade desk.

"Why is there so little information written about the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone?"

It was only a few pages, filled with surface-level knowledge that seemed useless for Qi Yuan.

She gave an order. "Summon Grand Scholar Dong Shishun of the Wen Yuan Pavilion!"

Dong Shishun was one of the most erudite men in the Southern Qian Empire. He was also one of her supporters. If anyone were to possess more knowledge, it’d be him. Before long, he was brought into the Fengluan Palace.

"Scholar Dong," Jin Li asked directly. "Do you know anything about the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone, especially the garment monsters?"

Dong Shishun froze in surprise.

The Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone was one of the Four Great Forbidden Zones of the Moonwatch Continent, lying more than ten thousand meters from the capital. Why would Her Majesty ask about it?

He admitted truthfully. "Your Majesty, I do not know."

Indeed, the place was too distant, hence the scarce records.

Hearing this, Jin Li felt disappointment weigh on her. Am I unable to help Qi Yuan after all?

Dong Shishun hesitated. "I... recall something."

"Speak."

"There may be books on the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone in the Duke Yu Residence. Back in his youth, the old duke personally ventured there."

He knew very well that Duke Yu Residence had detailed records. However, he also understood that the relations between the old duke and Her Majesty were strained.

The duke’s daughter had once been an imperial consort, but her enmity with the empress of that time ended in her mysterious death within the palace. The duke laid the blame squarely on that empress—now the empress dowager—and, more importantly, Her Majesty’s mother.

Jin Li knew she’d most certainly be humiliated if she went to request the records. Yet her heart lightened nonetheless. At last, a lead!

She flicked her sleeve. "Then, I shall go visit Duke Yu myself!"

Sending envoys would only invite rejection. Better she endured a bit of humiliation in person. As long as she could find information on the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone, it was worth it.

***

Later that night, Jin Li left Duke Yu Residence, tightly clasping a book. Her legs ached from kneeling too long, but her face shone with quiet joy. The imperial guard commander, Hua Xian, supported her.

Hua Xian’s eyes seared with fury. "Duke Yu went too far! He knew well that your legs were injured in youth, yet he deliberately made Your Majesty kneel in mourning for Imperial Consort Xi for six whole hours! You’re Her Majesty the Empress, noble beyond compare! How dare he humiliate you so!"

Still, no matter how angry she was, it was in vain. With the late emperor’s fall, imperial power was seized by Sima Ting. As if that were not enough, he went on to slaughter the imperial clan, placing a little girl upon the throne. The court no longer saw Jin Li as a ruler.

Hua Xian's heart ached bitterly to see Jin Li kneel for six hours.

To an ordinary person, such punishment was torment. The pampered would’ve long since fainted, and even a healthy adult would struggle. Only those who suffered it could understand the torment.

Though trained, Jin Li’s cultivation was weak, and her legs had always been frail. That was why she’d stumbled during her coronation day in the first place.

Kneeling for six hours was tormenting, yet Jin Li merely smiled faintly. "It's nothing. At least I get what I came for."

She hugged the book close, her heart full of satisfaction.