Chapter 2 – Hopefully a Blessing, Not a Curse

About five li outside the capital, three men wearing veiled hats rode leisurely down the official road on fine horses.

The man on the right squinted at the path ahead. “We sneaked back to the capital this time—do you think His Majesty has already caught wind of it?”

The man in the middle remained silent.

The one on the left said, “There are plenty of Jinyiwei around the Emperor. Perhaps when we left the city, he’d already sent some to secretly tail us and report our every move.”

The man on the right immediately refuted, “Impossible. Have you forgotten who our master is? He’s the National Preceptor himself, a man of profound spiritual power. Who could possibly hide from his sight to spy on us?”

The left-hand man rolled his eyes. “If you trust our master that much, why bother guessing whether the Emperor has received word of our return?”

“You—!” The right-hand man huffed and turned to the man in the middle, whining, “Master, Yuxia is bullying me again!”

Yuxia mimicked his tone in mock petulance. “Master, Shuyin really shouldn’t disguise herself as a man—she’s far too girlish. Just looking at her makes my skin crawl.”

“Yuxia!” Shuyin snapped, brandishing her whip at him in anger.

Caught between them, Feng Sinan suddenly pulled on his reins. The whip cracked against him instead.

Shuyin’s face turned pale. She quickly dropped her whip. “Master, are you all right? I didn’t mean to—really!”

Feng Sinan didn’t respond. His gaze was fixed ahead.

Following his line of sight, Shuyin’s face darkened. “Master, there are palace guards and Jinyiwei up ahead.”

Yuxia frowned. “If they’re here, that means the Emperor must be too. But why would he come here himself? Don’t tell me he’s really here to welcome us?”

“Impossible.”

The word had barely left Shuyin’s lips when a flash of bright yellow silk came rushing toward them, surrounded by a group of officials.

“National Preceptor—!”

The Emperor’s eyes lit up the moment he spotted the three riders. Ignoring all decorum, he lifted his dragon robe and ran toward them.

“Your Majesty, slow down! Careful of your footing, don’t fall!” The head eunuch hurriedly caught up and steadied him.

Shuyin’s eyes widened. “He really is here to welcome us!?”

Yuxia looked baffled. “But we’re wearing veils—how did they even recognize us?”

Feng Sinan dismounted gracefully and lifted the white gauze from his hat, revealing a face more ethereal than that of an immortal.

He clasped his hands and bowed. “Your servant greets Your Majesty.”

“National Preceptor, you’ve finally returned!” The Emperor grasped his hand excitedly. “I’ve missed you dearly.”

It was the first time Feng Sinan had seen the Emperor so unrestrained. He frowned slightly. “Your Majesty, what is this about?”

Before the Emperor could answer, a clear and melodious female voice suddenly rang in his ears—like the chime of silver bells.

【Wow! The people of Great Qian didn’t lie to me—the National Preceptor really is stunning! Even more handsome than a fallen immortal! If someone told me he was a god, I’d believe it!】

Feng Sinan paused mid-motion, his hand still in the Emperor’s grasp. His gaze swept coolly across the crowd.

But everyone’s faces remained unchanged—the Emperor, the ministers, even Yuxia and Shuyin showed no reaction at all.

Had he imagined it?

【Perfectly sculpted features, a sharp, noble profile, eyes as dark and cold as the snows of Tianshan—so beautiful, yet so distant. His lashes flutter like twin fans, tugging at my heart. I want to get close… but I don’t dare. Absolutely divine! And that tall, lean figure—definitely one of those “looks slim in clothes but built underneath” types.】

【Ahhh, I kind of want to tear off the National Preceptor’s robes to see if his body really is as perfect as I imagine…】

Feng Sinan: “……”

Several ministers choked on their own saliva, coughing violently.

The Emperor leaned closer and whispered, “National Preceptor, did you… hear someone talking?”

Feng Sinan furrowed his brows and nodded. “Your Majesty heard it too? What in heaven’s name is going on?”

“We’ll discuss this in the palace—no, at your Dengxing Pavilion.”

The head eunuch immediately raised his voice. “Make way for the imperial procession! Return to Dengxing Pavilion!”

The vast entourage of tens of thousands turned and marched back toward the capital.

When they finally arrived at Dengxing Pavilion, the Emperor dismissed everyone for lunch.

【Finally! Food at last! If they’d made me wait any longer, I might’ve just grabbed a knife and assassinated the Emperor myself!】

Mu Nanjin skipped off cheerfully.

The civil and military officials: “……”

Not being heard by everyone sure had its perks. Even such treasonous thoughts wouldn’t get her executed.

The Emperor glared at her retreating figure, beard bristling in fury. It took several deep breaths before he calmed himself enough to follow Feng Sinan up to the top floor of the pavilion.

“National Preceptor,” the Emperor began, “that voice you heard—it belonged to a young woman. This all started about half a month ago…”

Half a month earlier, during a private inspection tour, the Emperor had been ambushed by assassins. He was saved by a group of Jinyiwei handling affairs outside the city—one of whom was Mu Nanjin.

At the time, she had fainted after being slashed on the arm by an assassin’s blade.

When she awoke the next day, the Emperor and several court officials bearing official seals began hearing her thoughts. Through her inner voice, they discovered she knew all their secrets.

Fearing exposure, the Emperor had secretly sent assassins to the Tang family to eliminate her—but every one of them disappeared without a trace. Whether they’d been killed by the Tang family’s guards or silenced by her uncle, no one knew.

After multiple failed attempts, the Emperor gave up on killing her—for the time being. But he couldn’t rest easy letting her roam freely, so he promoted her to a ninth-rank Jinyiwei officer to keep her close under watch.

Later, they realized Mu Nanjin’s mind also held the secrets of other nations. Thanks to her, Great Qian had averted several crises. Thus, the Emperor held his hand, waiting for the National Preceptor’s return before deciding her fate.

Feng Sinan frowned. “Besides Your Majesty and the court officials with official seals, who else can hear her thoughts?”

“The Empress Dowager, the Empress, and a few consorts with personal seals,” the Emperor replied.

“The princes and princesses can’t?”

He shook his head. “Nor can the officials stationed outside the capital.”

A hint of surprise flickered in Feng Sinan’s eyes. “Such a strange phenomenon indeed.”

No wonder he’d sensed an impending disturbance these past few weeks—that was what had driven him to return in such haste.

He swiftly calculated with his fingers, brows knitting tighter and tighter.

The Emperor anxiously asked, “National Preceptor, have you divined the cause? Should this woman be eliminated?”

Feng Sinan lowered his hand. “For now, I cannot discern the origin or consequence. Your Majesty would be wise not to act rashly. She is a subject of Great Qian—she won’t harm the empire. It’s better we avoid antagonizing her and instead make use of her ability to gather intelligence on other nations. Also, under no circumstances must she learn that we can hear her thoughts, nor may those who cannot hear them be told—lest she discover it and hide her mind from us.”

The Emperor nodded. “We’ll do as you say. But tell me, should I raise her rank? Perhaps make her my personal guard—so I can hear her thoughts more easily?”

“Keep things as they are. Don’t arouse suspicion.”

“Very well.”

Feng Sinan turned his gaze to the window, murmuring softly, “Let’s hope this is a blessing, not a curse.”