With complex emotions, Liu Ji touched the jade pendant at her waist. She sighed and walked out of Roy's residence.
Xiao He and several others, who had been pacing anxiously outside waiting for her, brightened upon seeing her emerge unharmed. They hurried forward and asked quietly, "...Did General Xiang give you any trouble, Duke of Pei?"
Xiao He spoke softly to avoid being overheard by the soldiers at the gate.
"No, General Xiang... he's very kind."
Liu Ji shook her head slightly and said to Xiao He, "...Master Xiao, you shouldn't speak ill of the general behind his back in the future."
Xiao He was taken aback. Studying the Duke of Pei before him, he felt that despite the short time spent inside the residence, she seemed like a changed person. Though her roguish, carefree demeanor remained, she appeared more composed—like someone without direction who had suddenly found purpose, radiating new vitality.
Xiao He marveled inwardly, burning with curiosity about what exactly had transpired between the Duke of Pei and General Xiang. But he knew some matters weren't his to inquire about, and he secretly rejoiced at Liu Ji's transformation.
Xiao He could be considered Liu Ji's most devoted follower. Back during the Pei County uprising when lots were drawn to decide the leader, he had secretly written Liu Ji's name on every slip, ensuring she became their chief. Though Liu Ji had led the rebellion competently before, there had been many shortcomings. Now her entire bearing had changed, as if she'd finally found her true purpose.
"Duke of Pei, what should we do next?"
"The general has given me ten thousand soldiers. We'll train them well so they can be useful in the attack on Xiangcheng."
Liu Ji thought for a moment before answering.
She didn't tell Xiao He and the others that her current goal was actually to help Roy conquer the empire. She knew that if she said this outright, some of her followers might become disloyal. After all, people had their own ambitions and desires—those who followed her did so hoping to benefit when she rose to power.
Though others might see her as somewhat flighty and of limited talent, when it came to understanding people's hearts or recognizing talent like a true judge of character, Liu Ji was undoubtedly among the best in the world.
While the other subordinates were invigorated, now that they had the ten thousand troops granted by General Xiang, they felt they had capital once more. Only Xiao He could discern Liu Ji's thoughts. However, Xiao He was frugal and virtuous by nature, and though he had ambition, it was not excessive—he was content to drift along and thus said nothing.
Back in Pei County, he had taken one look at Liu Ji and recognized her as someone capable of great deeds, which was why he had pledged his loyalty. Yet, it had to be said that after meeting that General Xiang in the mansion, he finally understood what it meant to be a true dragon among men. Still, he didn't think Liu Ji was the type to be disheartened just because someone else was stronger. He suspected General Xiang must have said something to cause such a change in the Duke of Pei.
...
Outside the mansion, Liu Ji seemed distracted, while inside, the atmosphere was awkward and eerily quiet.
"So that's the Liu Ji the king has been waiting for?"
Yu Ji had returned to her cushion, her jade fingers lightly plucking the strings of the zither. The gentle, flowing melody once again filled the quiet space, evoking the breathtaking beauty of nature and cleansing the soul.
Though Yu Ji's tone seemed unchanged, Roy detected a hint of irritation in her subtle mannerisms—like a wife suddenly confronted with a mistress, the atmosphere was delicate.
Roy also felt somewhat awkward, silently cursing history books for misleading him. He had assumed Emperor Gaozu would be a man in his fifties at this time, not a voluptuous woman in her twenties.
"Why does the king favor her? I don't see anything special about her."
Yu Ji had witnessed the ancient history of the Celestial Dynasty, seen the Five Emperors, and beheld countless human sages of the past. Compared to them, Liu Ji's rogue-like demeanor was utterly unimpressive to her.
Roy, on the other hand, had struck her from their first meeting as a once-in-a-lifetime figure, destined to leave his mark in history like those ancient sages.
This thought made her unable to resist asking, "...From what I gather, the king intends to nurture Liu Ji?"
"Exactly!" Roy nodded in confirmation.
"What is it that the king truly seeks?"
Yu Ji sighed softly. Though she had spent considerable time with Roy, she still couldn't quite grasp his ambitions or actions. He didn't seem to crave power—otherwise, with his abilities, he would have long held great authority, and becoming a king or emperor would have been effortless.
Nor did he seem to pursue beauty. Though he had forcibly kept her here by various means, he treated her with respect and courtesy. Many of his subordinates, assuming he had a taste for women, had offered him beauties, yet he refused them all. Instead, he spent his days with her in this quiet room, either listening to her play the zither or engaging in casual conversation, exuding an air of refined elegance akin to the harmony of high mountains and flowing waters.
Yu Ji knew well the fickleness of men—if she didn't, she had seen enough of it. Even King Zhou of Shang, though bewitched by Daji's illusions, had indulged in countless concubines and decadent pleasures.
So Yu Ji found Roy somewhat incomprehensible. His actions even seemed contradictory at times. If he truly cared about the so-called welfare of the people, with his abilities, he could have swiftly pacified the world. Why bother nurturing that Liu Ji, who seemed nothing more than a female rogue? Wasn't that just unnecessary trouble?
If he had taken a fancy to Liu Ji, that didn't seem to be the case either. Otherwise, when Liu Ji had offered herself to him earlier, he could have easily accepted the gesture.
This man was truly as enigmatic as a mist. Even she, who wasn't particularly interested in humans, found herself wanting to understand him.
"What I seek is merely the correct development of human order... If in the past I sought this for myself, now I also seek it for you, Yu Ji."
"For me?"
Yu Ji's jade-like fingers trembled, striking a wrong note. She looked at Roy with slight confusion, unsure of what he meant.
"I fear you might disappear, Yu Ji."
"But I'm right here, my lord... If my lord does not change like other humans, if my lord is still willing to grant me a peaceful life, then... I would gladly stay by your side forever."
As soon as the words left her lips, Yu Ji's fair, jade-like cheeks flushed red. She lowered her head in shy embarrassment, feeling as though her words might be misinterpreted.
"Yet some things cannot be stopped."
Roy sighed deeply.
The pruning of human order—this fundamental mechanism of the world, tied to the Moon Cell, was not something Roy could prevent in his current state.
He walked behind Yu Ji and removed the cloak draped over her shoulders, his hands resting gently on her smooth, rounded shoulders. Her jade-like skin tinged pink, but Roy did not take any liberties, merely embracing her lightly from behind.
Yu Ji did not rebuke him or resist, though her body stiffened slightly.
To resolve the curse of human order and prevent this world from being pruned—that was Roy's current goal.
He sighed inwardly at his own lack of strength. If he had enough power, even if the human order of the entire multiverse cursed him, even if curses beyond imagination were cast upon him, he could simply laugh them off.
If it were merely the curses of seven billion people, Roy could bear them effortlessly. But the human order he had incinerated was no simple matter—millions of curses every second, and Roy had burned it all for a full millennium. The sheer magnitude of that number was beyond calculation.
And if this curse were allowed to spread endlessly across the multiverse, it might even reach the scale of a googolplex. Unless he could transcend the abyss and attain the will of the gods, he could not ignore it.
This was for himself.
And preventing the pruning of human order—that was for Yu Ji.
"Once we reach Xianyang, we'll ransack the Qin imperial palace. Let's see if we can find the elixirs and research materials left by the First Emperor. Perhaps what you need is among them."
Roy spoke these words.
Yu Ji opened her mouth, about to say that Xianyang definitely wouldn't have those things. But seeing Roy's earnest expression, she ultimately remained silent, merely giving a soft "Mm."
Her jade-like fingers plucked the strings once more, and a faint, ethereal melody flowed through the air.