The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 470 A rebellious spirit, unruly and difficult to tame

Lang Jiuchuan's words to A Piao were actually partly a joke. It's okay to rely on external forces, but how can she grow if she always depends on them?

Even if you rely on someone else, they might crumble. She's not some parasitic plant that depends on others for survival. The most important thing in life is to rely on yourself. Since the Rong family head is so disgusting to her, she has to retaliate. So, a rumor quietly spread.

Shocking! The young master of the Rong family of the Xuan clan has fallen into demonic possession. The Rong family patriarch, upholding righteousness, has destroyed his own daughter's Dao foundation and severed her demonic roots.

The news that Young Master Rong had gone mad with his cultivation was no longer news. Now everyone's focus was on the fact that the Rong family head had crippled his own daughter's cultivation foundation. What did this mean? Wasn't Young Master Rong his granddaughter? How did she become his own daughter?

Amidst the rampant rumors, Lang Jiuchuan received an imperial decree summoning her to an audience with the Emperor.

Lang Jiuchuan did not allow Fu Qi to follow. The palace still possessed auspicious energy and was a place where the energy of mortal dragons was concentrated. It was not a good place for Fu Qi, who did not have divine power. She only carried Jiang Che, who was disguised as a white cat, to the palace.

Stepping through the palace gates, Lang Jiuchuan frowned as he looked at the golden glazed tile palace in the distance.

"Why did you stop?" Jiang Che asked in a low voice.

Lang Jiuchuan's eyes were somewhat strange as he said, "This place disgusts me."

Jiang Che was taken aback: "You used to frequent the palace?"

"I don't know, I don't remember, but I feel like I've been here before." Lang Jiuchuan idly stroked its fur.

There might be incense burning in some places within the palace, but the fragrance couldn't mask the rotten smell of imperial power, which was utterly disgusting.

Lang Jiuchuan followed the palace servants to a side hall of the Golden Palace. The huge three-legged dragon cauldron, filled with ambergris, was even more repulsive.

There were only two palace maids in the hall, and Emperor Anhe was not seen. Lang Jiuchuan was not in a hurry. Perhaps the emperor was going to give her a hard time. She found a chair and sat down, and asked the palace maid to serve her tea. Her familiar manner made those who were secretly watching her twitch.

You must have eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard to dare to do this!

Emperor Anhe walked out of the side gate, and the chief eunuch announced loudly, "His Majesty has arrived."

Lang Jiuchuan got up with some regret. She hadn't even had her good tea yet. She stared at Emperor Anhe, who was dressed in bright yellow robes, as he walked out and sat on the soft couch covered with brocade. Her gaze swept over his face. This person looked somewhat familiar.
She frowned, but did not dwell on it at that moment. The other party did not give her a chance either. The head eunuch beside him shouted sharply, "Ninth Lady Lang, why do you not kneel and bow before His Majesty?"

Lang Jiuchuan came to his senses and simply cupped his hands in a Daoist salute: "Lang Jiuchuan greets Your Majesty."

So perfunctory!

The head eunuch's eyelids twitched. This man was indeed as the Rong family head had said—rebellious and unruly.

Emperor Anhe leaned against the soft couch, his slightly cloudy eyes scrutinizing Lang Jiuchuan, who was boldly meeting his gaze below. A hint of inquiry flashed in his eyes as he asked, "Are you the Lang Jiuchuan who led the Golden Lotus to enlightenment?"

She looked frail, but her posture was ramrod straight, her chin slightly raised. Her small face was a little pale, but her dark eyes were clear and bright, as if a light was flowing within them, capable of seeing into people's hearts.

Emperor Anhe looked into her eyes, and his heart skipped a beat. Those eyes seemed familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

Lang Jiuchuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive my humble words." Emperor Anhe's thoughts were interrupted. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Your father was posthumously honored as the Earl of Zhongwu by me. Shouldn't you refer to yourself as 'your subject's daughter'? Is referring to yourself as 'humble Taoist' to highlight your status or to challenge my authority?"

His voice carried a hint of languor, as well as the unquestionable authority of a long-time ruler.

Lang Jiuchuan said calmly, "I have lived in the manor for many years and studied Taoism under my master. I am not familiar with the etiquette of noble ladies in the capital. Please forgive me, Your Majesty. Moreover, I believe that the extraordinary phenomena of the Golden Lotus Path have already indicated the identity that I should assume. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

"How dare you!" Emperor Anhe slammed his hand on the soft couch and said, "According to my investigation, no Daoist has ever appeared in the manor where you have been living. You claim to have followed a master to learn the Dao, so why is no one aware of this? You lie to me so readily, it's utterly outrageous!"

"This is where my master's Taoist skills lie. He never appears in public, but only imparts his teachings to me in my dreams, or comes in disguise. As for why he does this, it is because my master only wants to cultivate in seclusion and does not want to be disturbed by 'worldly affairs'. The Xuan Clan Temple is too big for him to enter!"

This sarcasm, this veiled insult, made Emperor Anhe's temple throb with anger. He sneered, "How come I heard you say your master is already dead?"

Lang Jiuchuan's eyes flashed, and he said with a heavy heart, "The physical body is mortal and will eventually perish. My master will, His Majesty will, and so will I. What's so strange about that? Look at Prince Jing, he died just like that. So it's only a matter of time."

"How dare you curse His Majesty!" the chief eunuch roared angrily.

Emperor Anhe's face was gloomy.

Lang Jiuchuan said, "I am merely stating the facts. Mortals have a fixed lifespan. We cultivators are only more knowledgeable about health preservation than ordinary people. With cultivation, we may live a little longer, but we will never achieve immortality."

Emperor Anhe seemed lost in thought for a moment, filled with disbelief.

Is it really impossible to live forever? Yet the Imperial Preceptor has lived for so long, long enough to outlive so many emperors!

"Your Majesty?" the head eunuch called out softly.

Emperor Anhe regained his senses and changed the subject, saying, "The death of Prince Jing was truly unexpected. My bestowal of marriage upon you and Prince Jing has become an unfulfilled bond. If you are willing to remain faithful and pray for his well-being, I will build a Taoist temple for you, bestow upon you the title of Immortal Master, and erect a Taoist pagoda to enshrine you, so that you can cultivate in peace. What do you say?"

The head eunuch then said, "This is an act of imperial grace. Miss Lang, why don't you kneel down and express your gratitude?"

Lang Jiuchuan smiled sarcastically: "Imperial grace is so great that it means severing my Dao affinity and forcing me into marriage with someone else, and someone who is a villain rejected by the Heavenly Dao and whose evil power is backfiring? Such great grace is too much for my delicate and weak body to bear."

"You, you're being insolent!"

"Your Majesty has been deceived. Doesn't Your Majesty know that those who suffer the backlash of evil are those whose evil deeds are obvious? Now Your Majesty wants me, a righteous person of the Xuanmen sect who is determined to cleanse the evil atmosphere and punish evil and protect the righteous path, to uphold my integrity for such a person. Aren't you afraid of becoming the next person rejected by the Heavenly Dao?"

Emperor Anhe rose angrily, pointing a finger at her: "You, do you really think I dare not touch you?"

"Your Majesty, your health is failing, yet you remain oblivious? Such insidious poison can seep into your very being. Why don't you try scratching your hand harder, and see if it bleeds black blood?" Lang Jiuchuan stared directly at Emperor Anhe, a wicked smile on his face. He continued, "To be honest, Your Majesty, my master arranged a marriage for me before his passing, a union witnessed by Heaven. Any disobedience will be condemned by Heaven. It's one thing for Prince Jing to be dead, but you still want me to remain faithful to him? The person who made this suggestion is trying to use Heaven's hand to turn against you, isn't they?"

what?
Emperor Anhe suddenly felt an itch on the back of his hand. He instinctively scratched hard, and a thick, black line of blood spurted out.

(End of this chapter)