LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 77: Could He Be Trying to Align Himself with Me?
“Is the Third Princess seeing me out?”
Li Xun asked with a smile.
“Not at all.”
The Third Princess shook her head and continued, “I was merely considering your position. If you stay here too long, my royal brother might misunderstand.”
“And you should know…”
“If my brother misunderstands, it won’t bring you any benefit.”
“Thank you, Third Princess, for your consideration.”
Li Xun clasped his hands in a gesture of gratitude. Outwardly, he appeared to be thanking her, but he made no move to leave, looking as though he intended to stay until the end of time.
This demeanor left the Third Princess puzzled.
Could it be… he wants to align himself with me?
The thought involuntarily popped into her mind.
To be honest, after decades of scheming and counter-scheming with her eldest brother, she had always been on the losing end. To say she didn’t harbor some resentment would be a lie.
But no matter how fierce her anger burned, there was little she could do against her eldest brother. Her trump card lay in a demonic sect, one she couldn’t expose until she had seized control of Great Zhou.
If exposed prematurely, even her father, the emperor, would not tolerate her.
Yet now, when no one seemed to take her seriously, Li Xun of Profound Sun Sect had shown signs of wanting to support her. This brought a warm current to her heart.
No matter what, there were still a few people in this world who could see her potential to become the Empress of Great Zhou in the future.
“Daoist Li, it’s just the two of us here. If there’s anything you wish to say, feel free.”
The Third Princess, with her stunning beauty, fixed her unblinking gaze on Li Xun, trying to discern from his words whether her assumption was correct.
Everything earlier had been mere speculation on her part. Whether it was true depended on what Li Xun said.
“Since the Third Princess has said so, I won’t beat around the bush.”
Li Xun drained his spiritual wine in one gulp. After setting down his cup, he flipped his hand, revealing a crystal-clear jade bottle.
“Hm?”
The sight of the jade bottle made the Third Princess frown slightly. She glanced at Li Xun curiously and asked, “Daoist Li, what is this?”
“An Enlightenment Pill,” Li Xun replied concisely, uttering three simple words.
“An Enlightenment Pill?”
The Third Princess’s heart skipped a beat, and a tempest of emotions surged within her. Her slender, jade-like fingers clenched the armrests, and her poised frame straightened slightly.
Outwardly, however, she maintained her calm composure.
“Daoist Li, are you showing off the wealth of the Profound Sun Sect by presenting an Enlightenment Pill?”
The Third Princess cast a casual glance at the pill, speaking with a calm tone.
The value of an Enlightenment Pill was simply too immense.
Firstly, the ingredients were incredibly rare, and secondly, the pill was exceedingly difficult to refine. Even a master alchemist faced a 90% failure rate.
Within the Great Zhou royal family, Enlightenment Pills were exceedingly scarce.
Even as the Third Princess, it was difficult for her to obtain one from her father, the emperor.
And now, Li Xun has suddenly produced one.
The Third Princess couldn’t help but overthink. She desperately needed an Enlightenment Pill right now, and Li Xun just happened to bring one. Was this his way of expressing loyalty?
After all, her eldest brother had earlier used a jade token to try to recruit him, but Li Xun hadn’t taken out the Enlightenment Pill then.
Yet now, without her offering anything in return, he had brought out such a treasure. If he wasn’t planning to give it to her, she wouldn’t believe it for a second.
After all, no one would be foolish enough to flaunt an Enlightenment Pill in front of the Third Princess of Great Zhou without an ulterior motive.
“Third Princess overthinks. I have no such childish intentions,” Li Xun said casually as he tossed the jade bottle toward her. “The Third Princess happens to need an Enlightenment Pill, and I happen to have one. Consider it a gift from me to you today.”
“Oh?”
The Third Princess extended her hand and caught the Enlightenment Pill with ease. After scanning it with her spiritual sense, she confirmed it was indeed a top-grade pill, which softened her gaze toward Li Xun.
Anyone who receives an Enlightenment Pill for free would find it hard to harbor ill will toward the giver.
After placing the pill aside, the Third Princess spoke unhurriedly, “How did Daoist Li know I needed an Enlightenment Pill?”
“Just a hunch.”
Li Xun casually made up an excuse.
As for whether the Third Princess would believe it or not, that was none of his concern. He had given his reason—what more could be expected of him?
“Daoist Li’s intuition is truly sharp.”
The Third Princess chuckled softly, her radiant beauty further amplified by her smile.
She didn’t believe a word of Li Xun’s explanation, but one thing she was sure of—Li Xun was likely standing on her side.
Otherwise, how else could the Enlightenment Pill be explained?
After all, she and Li Xun had only met once.
Even with her status as the Third Princess of Great Zhou, she didn’t believe she could compel someone she’d only just met to give her such a precious item.
After a moment’s thought, the Third Princess flipped her hand, and an ancient bronze token appeared in her palm. She casually tossed it toward Li Xun.
“Since you’ve given me an Enlightenment Pill, I won’t be stingy either. Earlier, my eldest brother gave you a jade token that grants you unrestricted movement in Zhen Tian City.
“Today, I’ll give you this token. While it can’t be used in Zhen Tian City, anywhere outside of it, you can activate this token, and a powerful individual will come to your aid.”
“Hmm?”
Li Xun’s eyes lit up.
He reached out to catch the token and examined it closely.
The token was entirely bronze-colored, made of an unknown material. It was cold to the touch and engraved with a moon and several stars, exuding a sense of deep mystery.
“Investing in people with high status does seem to bring unexpected rewards.”
Li Xun accepted the token, clasping his hands in gratitude. “In that case, my thanks to the Third Princess.”
After expressing his thanks, he added, “It’s getting late. I shall take my leave for now.”
“Take care, Daoist Li,” the Third Princess said, standing up to see him off.
For Li Xun, this was exceptionally courteous treatment. It wasn’t every day that the Third Princess of Great Zhou would personally see someone off—an honor few geniuses could claim.
But to the Third Princess, Li Xun was deserving of such respect.
After all, he was the first person to align himself with her without her recruiting efforts. Moreover, Li Xun’s talent was exceptional, and his future achievements were not to be underestimated.
“Have the tides of fortune begun to turn in my favor these past few days?”
“First, a mysterious figure brought the Life and Death Pill to my doorstep, and now the Profound Sun Sect genius Li Xun delivers an Enlightenment Pill to me unbidden.”
The Third Princess turned to glance at the bottle containing the Enlightenment Pill, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
“With fortune like this, how could my eldest brother hope to stand against me?”
“Speaking of which, that mysterious figure who came with the Life and Death Pill sought to trade for a spot in the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm. I should give them my answer today.”