Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Holy Palace –

Besides in the palace where the Holy Queen was residing, the entire atmosphere was shrouded in a pall of anxious dread. Everyone had solemn expressions. They were all aware of how intense the situation was concerning the Holy Queen’s treatment and how little progress was being made. The normally warm and generous Holy Monarch had several outbursts. In this sort of situation, no one dared to make even a single mistake.

But people were like this. The more anxious they were, the easier it was to make mistakes. As the Holy Monarch, Holy Queen, and Holy Concubine were preparing to eat a meal, the hands of a maid responsible for setting down utensils suddenly shook and she knocked over a few dishes. The sound was especially grating. The other palace maids behind her were so frightened that the trays they held in their hands came clattering down to the floor.

Smashing sounds filled the air for a time. The palace maids that made a mistake instantly turned pale white. They fell to their knees and bowed their heads repeatedly, “This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die!”

Outside and inside the hall, all the palace maids fell to their knees, their bodies shaking.

Qin Yu’s eyes darkened for a moment. When Ning Ling looked at him, he immediately smiled and said, “These people are too careless. I will switch out new servants for you.”

He originally wanted to shift the topic, but when these words fell into the ears of the palace maids it actually represented a terrifying possibility. The blood drained from all their faces.

“Holy Queen, Holy Queen, we beg you to ask His Majesty to show mercy. We do not want to die!” A palace maid wept.

“Holy Queen, please show mercy!”

The hall was filled with the sounds of crying.

Ning Ling was silent for a moment. She softly said, “Your Majesty…”

Before she could finish speaking, Qin Yu had already understood her meaning. He wryly smiled and said, “Since when have I randomly killed innocent people? They are just overthinking things.”

He glanced over and said, “Clean up the mess and all of you may withdraw!”

“We thank Your Majesty for showing mercy, we thank Your Majesty for showing mercy!” The several palace maids looked as if they had survived a disaster. They excitedly cleaned up the mess and quickly left.

Qin Yu sensed the questioning expression on Ning Ling’s face as she looked at him. Pretending he didn’t notice, he smiled and said, “Is my face dirty?”

Ning Ling shook her head. She thought for a moment and said, “Your Majesty, you haven’t been in a good state recently. Are you hiding something from me?”

Qin Yu’s heart ached. He quickly said, “What are you thinking about all of a sudden? Nothing is wrong.”

Ning Ling lowered her head, “Your Majesty, although we haven’t spent much time together these past years, I still understood you. Please don’t lie to me.”

Her eyes swept over the hall. “These palace workers have tried to remain as calm as possible, but their manners are nervous and worried. The last several times I’ve gone out I’ve rarely seen other palace workers, and even if I see them they retreat far from me and don’t come forward to greet me.

“And…these past days, I frequently feel weary and I sleep longer and longer…each time I wake up, you hurry to see me…even after I’ve seen so much, do you still plan on keeping the truth from me?”

Qin Yu opened his mouth repeatedly, a bitter feeling in his chest. That was right, Ning Ling was an extremely intelligent woman to begin with. He was able to hide the truth from her for some time, but how could she not have realized something was wrong after all this time?

But how could he explain this?

On another side, You Qi lowered her head, her eyes quickly turning red.

The atmosphere in the hall turned sad and morose.

Ning Ling was originally only making a guess, but now her heart sank. She forced out a smile, “Your Majesty, please tell me the truth…what is wrong with me?” Seeing Qin Yu remain silent, Ning Ling said, “Is this related to the Immortal Sect?”

Qin Yu took a deep breath and held onto her hands. He earnestly said, “This is the work of the Immortal Sect. They cannot do anything to me and they dare not come to the Demonic Path to take revenge, so they can only play such little tricks and schemes. The reason you have been so weary recently is because you have suffered a curse attack from the Immortal Sect. But, Ning Ling, do not worry, you have me. These are just some mere methods from the Immortal Sect. It will only take a bit of time and you will be all back to normal.”

You Qi vigorously nodded, “That’s right, that’s right, His Majesty will soon resolve this matter. Sister, you simply need to rest.”

Ning Ling looked at Qin Yu and You Qi, an absent-minded expression on her face. She seemed to have fallen into a daze, her mind in a trance.

Qin Yu quickly pulled her into his arms. “I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you would be worried, and that’s exactly what is happening right now. I already said that there is nothing for you to worry about.”

Feeling a warm wetness spread across his chest, Qin Yu stiffened.

“If it really was simple, then you wouldn’t have hidden it from me for so long. The reason you only told me today is because you haven’t found a method to undo it, right?”

Ning Ling’s eyes were full of tears as she looked up at Qin Yu. “Your Majesty, tell me the truth!”

Qin Yu couldn’t hide his pained expression. He slowly nodded and said, “It is a little troublesome, but I promise you that you will be fine, you will definitely be fine!”

Ning Ling suddenly collapsed. She held onto him and said, “Qin Yu, you must save me, you have to save me…I can’t die…I can’t…”

She placed a hand on her stomach and shivered.

You Qi’s eyes widened and she almost lost her voice as she said, “Sister…sister, you…”

Qin Yu’s mind buzzed and his thoughts fell into confusion. But, he clearly realized that in this current situation he had to maintain a stable and calm demeanor. He forcefully composed himself and looked closely at Ning Ling.

“I am with child…I cannot die…my child has not yet been born…they still haven’t seen this world…I can’t die…not yet…”

Ning Ling repeated her words again and again, tears running down her cheeks. She seemed to not be fully conscious.

Qin Yu’s heart shrank. His chest ached so much that it became difficult to breathe. In the next moment he grabbed tightly onto Ning Ling and roared out between clenched teeth, “Don’t cry, if your emotions fluctuate too much it isn’t good for the child. I vow to you that I will not hesitate to pay any price to ensure that you and your child will be safe!”

After a long time, Ning Ling fell asleep in his arms, crying.

Qin Yu looked at her pale face. Even when sleeping, her expression was filled with fear and despair. Fires raged in his heart, making him wish he could destroy everything.

“Immortal Sect! Immortal Sect!”

He roared in his heart.

You Qi felt a chill subconsciously run down her back. She grabbed onto Qin Yu from behind and said, “Your Majesty, what you need to do now is save sister and her child. You cannot lose your sense of reasoning!”

Hu –

Hu –

Qin Yu took in a deep shuddering breath and the anger he released slowly faded away. But, he gave off an even more terrifying feeling.

“You Qi, please look after Ning Ling for me, okay?”

His voice was deep and hoarse, as if he had been thirsty for countless years. There was no fluctuation in his tone, as if he had lost all of his emotions.

You Qi said, “I will stay close to her at all times. Please do not worry and do what you must.”

Qin Yu nodded. He entered the inner palace and placed Ning Ling on a bed. After looking at her face, he turned and walked away.

Ning Ling was pregnant…with their child…this was a union of their bloodline…but there was a chance that this child would die before they saw the world…

No!

He would not allow it!

Qin Yu stepped forward and the surrounding space vanished. He walked in, appearing in front of the Demon Envoy moments later. He icily said, “In the shortest time possible, obtain every method possible for saving the Holy Queen!”

The Demon Envoy’s heart skipped a beat. Without daring to hesitate he directly said, “I will immediately do so!”

Qin Yu’s steps were heavy. He slowly walked towards the throne and turned around, sitting down.

This simple action seemed to exhaust all of his strength. He closed his eyes and leaned back.

His chest rose up and down. Each breath he took was difficult. Every time he breathed in it was like sharp blades were cutting at his organs, bringing with it a pain that tore his very marrow.

Although the Demon Envoy had no idea what was happening, Qin Yu’s attitude was sufficient indication. The Demon Envoy worked at the highest possible efficiency to complete his task at the fastest speed possible.

There were 13 different methods, involving both pills and secret arts. As for which aspect to start from, that would all depend on Qin Yu.

The Demon Envoy respectfully said, “Your Majesty, everything has been processed. Please look over it.”

Qin Yu received the jade slip and searched through it with his divine sense. Moments later he looked up and said, “Start from the first option. But remember to be careful. No harm can be brought to the Holy Queen.”

The Demon Envoy bowed, “Yes.”

With a wave of his hand, the cultivators in the hall bowed and left. After leaving, the cultivators all let out a long breath of relief. The current Holy Monarch was far too terrifying. Even just approaching him made it difficult for any of them to breathe.

The wheels of the Holy Palace began to turn as everyone was put to work. The first method Qin Yu chose to resolve the punishment of Immortal Origin was a strange pill called the God Transforming Pill. It could eliminate and erase all sorts of curse strengths.

After refining the pill, Qin Yu took the pill and purified it to the next level with the little blue lamp.

When Ning Ling took the pill, she woke up an hour later in much better spirits. But after Qin Yu carefully examined her, his heart sank.

The God Transforming Pill was indeed able to eliminate a portion of Immortal Origin’s punishment. The most direct sign of this was that the red line which had risen five inches up from her wrist had receded a little.

But this pill wasn’t capable of completely erasing Immortal Origin’s punishment. It was only dealing with some of the symptoms and not the root cause.

Although Qin Yu appeared calm, Ning Ling could sense his true emotions from the small clues he gave off. She took a deep breath and calmly said, “I feel much better. Don’t pressure yourself too much…”

But as she spoke to here she had no idea what else to say.

This was because she wasn’t just herself anymore. For the child that was in her belly, she had to grasp onto any hope of survival.

Qin Yu smiled, “We’re just attempting one method. There are still many other options that might succeed.”

However, less than an hour after saying this, Qin Yu lost his calm. Ning Ling fell into a deep sleep. As for the red line spreading up her wrist, it was an entire finger longer than it was before.