The people of the Dahuang are dumbfounded.
The pursuers from DaYan were stunned.
People collectively raised their heads to look at the moon— the sky hung like a lowered curtain, with starlight and moonlight calmly twinkling, and the night was as still as water. The earlier howling descent, perhaps it was a dream?
But no matter how bizarre the dream, it couldn’t create a pit like this and legs with such a shape.
The legs were attractive and well-formed.
Slim, straight, and perfectly round, the socks were a layer of strange, shimmering black silk, clearly dim in the night, exceptionally tempting.
A woman?
Is the one with the onion-shaped pose no longer alive?
Oh no, those toes are still twitching.
The pursuers from Da Yan were inclined to approach for a closer look, but unfortunately, their master seemed to have suffered a severe injury. They had no choice but to quickly withdraw to find a doctor first. In the field, only the people of the Dahuangze remained.
The man’s eyes gleamed more brightly than the emeralds sparkling on the ground.
“Hey, what do you think… about that scene just now?”
“Wasn’t it like a thunderbolt from the sky, a massive pit forming on the ground, jewels scattered everywhere, flying discs suspended, and a woman emerging from the midst of the earth-shattering event?”
“Oh dear, then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and start digging!”
“Dig!”
The men searched for shovels and spades, getting ready to begin the work.
“Pa!” Suddenly, an arm struggled out of the soil, landing heavily on the ground.
The people from Dahuang were shocked
“Playing dead?”
“Pa!” Another arm reached out, slapping on the ground on the other side. Immediately, the loose soil rustled as a head with long hair eerily emerged from the ground…
Cold moon, mournful wind, corpses, green light, sinkhole, and a head with long, black hair…
“Ghost!” The people from Dahuangze scattered and fled in all directions.
“Ghost!” The one emerging from the soil sounded even shriller, screaming while spitting out the dirt from their mouth, “Pah, pah, ghost -Pah, pah- don’t pull me! -Pah, pah- what? This look -Pah, pah- where are my high heels?”
The people from Dahuangze, having escaped about three yards, quickly stopped in their tracks, looked at each other, and turned around.
In the pit, an elegant silhouette emerged gradually, shaking off and kicking away debris, hastily fixing clothing, and patting the chest, “Thank goodness, thank goodness, not squashed, not squashed…”
She turned her face, and under the moonlight, revealed a mud-covered yet lively countenance.
The Dahuangze residents seemed to realize something and hurriedly came closer, extending their necks for a closer look.
“Hey! She fell right onto the sacred altar!”
“There are broken pieces of chairs below, and she fell while sitting on one!”
“That young man from earlier was underneath her, and she crushed him to death!”
“Ah! The queen is found!”
Jing Hengbo had been plucking at her silk stockings on the side all along—there was a corpse underneath her just now, and her socks were stained with a lot of blood. She frowned, distanced herself from the corpse, raised her delicate fingers, and delicately flicked off the blood-stained soil. Upon hearing this sentence, she was so startled that her fingers trembled, and with a sharp sound, her silk stockings were torn.
“Queen?” She abruptly turned her head.
“Your Majesty!” The men knelt with a thud, tears welling up in their eyes.
“We have followed the sacred guidance of the Royal Master, traversed thousands of miles, endured hardships, and finally found you reborn! May the protection of the heavenly gods and the Royal Master be upon us!”
“Reborn?” Jing Hengbo’s eyes flickered.
She accessed her memory inventory instantly, swiftly recalling various classic time-travel novels she had studied for over a decade. She thought that perhaps, just maybe, or possibly… she had hit the jackpot of good luck.
It’s clear that before her were a bunch of fools searching for a reincarnated queen, and her magical arrival probably met all sorts of so-called conditions for reincarnation, right?
Heavens be praised!
Just let me tell you, after such an earth-shattering time travel, how could anyone be used as cannon fodder? This is not logical.
As for the queen… well, so-so. Just wondering, how many consorts will the handsome king be paired with? Three palaces, six courts, and seventy-two concubines – seventy-two seems a bit much, thirty-six would be more reasonable.
Jing Hengbo lowered her head and saw half of a broken chair exposed on the ground, faintly accompanied by embroidered cushions. Wasn’t this the throne they had just mentioned?
“Your Majesty,” the people of the Dahuangze contemplated how to explain the situation to the woman before them. They wondered if this magically descended queen could understand and accept their talk of “reincarnation.” Would there be any resistance or opposition? Should they use force, or should they immediately inform her about the many rules and restrictions concerning the queen, and how exactly to treat her later on? Although the Royal Master agreed to search for the reincarnated queen, deep down, he might not be eager to find her. Now that they had indeed found her, what would the Royal Master think and do? So, what should be done with this woman…
Torn between choices, contemplating left and right, amid hesitation, she raised her head.
Huh?
Under the moonlight, in the dirt pit, on the “throne” reduced to just a broken chair seat, the woman in black silk had already turned around and sat down gracefully. She crossed her legs, propped up her chin, curled her delicate fingers, alluringly, confidently, smilingly, casually, without any resistance… she beckoned with a crooked finger.
“Beloved, please rise. Quickly bring me a bowl of papaya and snow clam stew with snow ginseng.”
…
At the same moment.
Deep within the Dahuangze.
A jade palace, a golden hall, with curtains drawn deeply. In the depths of the curtains, there was a faint glow of night pearls, illuminating a pair of steady hands.
The hands were like carved jade, fingertips pure white, nails clear and glossy, yet lacking any hint of color.
The fingers adeptly turned over a set of ancient tortoise shells, and the bluish-black shells complemented the palms, making them as delicate as snow.
“Snap.” The tortoise shells turned, revealing hexagrams.
The hand paused, fingertips gently resting on the shell, the back of the hand slightly arched, resembling a crane about to take flight.
“… Found it?”
The tone carried a hint of surprise.
The voice was extremely light and clear, exceptionally even and cold. It resembled the sound of ice crystals in the depths of a chilly swamp, resonating with a breeze that had passed through.
Enchanting, yet it sent a chill from the depths of the heart. It tempted one to immerse oneself in the beautiful and pure tones, yet at the same time, there was an internal understanding—that such beauty, distant and cold, was like the snow on a high mountain, gleaming with icy brilliance, capable of causing harm upon touch.
He gracefully stood up, the edges of his cloud-like robe gently swaying, resembling a vast expanse of snow spreading down the steps.
Countless pearls gradually illuminated, igniting the night’s silence. The servants kneeling outside the curtains bowed even deeper.
A pale golden curtain hung down, illuminated by the palace lamps on the dust-resistant shelf, creating a dazzling sheen. It obscured his face, and all people could see was a snowy-white robe covering every inch of skin. The high, tightly fastened collar extended up to his jaw, secured with a delicate golden pearl.
At this point, no one dared to lift their gaze upward.
He stood quietly. Slim and erect, the loose yet cinched garment accentuated his neck and waist, displaying a compact and bold silhouette. Amidst his overall cleanliness, grace, and nobility, there emanated a sense of strict formality and restraint—an intriguing contradiction that left onlookers breathless.
“The reincarnated queen has been found,” he announced.
The tone remained unhurried and emotionless, yet everyone shuddered, drawing their shoulders even tighter. The palace fell silent as if a faint air of hostility wafted through.
“I have decided to personally go and welcome her.”
…
As for the papaya and snow clam stew with snow ginseng, it certainly didn’t get eaten. The people of the Dahuangze were too busy gaping in astonishment.
The tradition of seeking a reincarnated queen in the Dahuangze arises when the reigning queen leaves no heir. Usually, the National Master, proficient in divination and wielding significant national authority, presides over the search. After stringent conditions and checks, a queen is identified.
Historically, many of these reincarnated queens were infants or children, and convincing their families and tribes required careful explanation. However, the current one arrived in the most peculiar and seemingly incongruous manner. Despite the odd appearance, she swiftly and naturally accepted the role of “queen.” Just look at that expression, it seems quite pleased.
The people of the Dahuangze exchanged glances and decided that since the Queen accepted the role happily, there was no need to explain things too thoroughly.
For instance, the queen of Dahuang is essentially a puppet, symbolizing purity and loyalty.
For example, once crowned as queen, she can never see any of her relatives again.
For example, the queen must maintain chastity throughout her life unless chosen by the Royal Master.
For example, if the queen is unfaithful or breaks the rules, she will face a tragic fate.
For example, with numerous tribes in the Dahuangze and a volatile culture, conflicts between tribes are common. In times of turmoil, the queen may, when necessary, be offered as a “divine sacrifice” to the Supreme Deity to appease calamities and unrest. The necessity could arise from a rebellion or even just an ominous dream of the Master.
For example, the queen will be bound by extremely strict palace rules, and every word, action, and movement must adhere to numerous rigorous regulations. These doctrines act like ropes tightening around her entire life, creating a stifling and oppressive existence. Many queens not only miss out on their youth but also succumb to premature sorrowful deaths.
For example, due to the aforementioned reasons and many more unspoken ones, being a queen in Dahuangze is never an enviable position. Over the centuries of its existence, there have been over a hundred queens, with each queen, on average, ruling for no more than six years, and most of them meeting an untimely demise. So, when a family’s daughter is chosen as the reincarnated queen, the family is often plunged into inconsolable grief.
Because of this, dissent regarding the queen’s reincarnation system has been raised since a century ago. Of the two contemporary Royal Masters, the Left Royal Master adheres to tradition, while the Right Royal Master believes that the queen system can be abolished.
In this situation, the Right Royal Master laid out stringent conditions for finding the reincarnated queen, even for the first time revealing the extent of Dahuangze’s territory. People thought it was a clever arrangement by the Right Royal Master, believing that there wouldn’t be another queen this time. The Right Royal Master, who held significant power, commanded the military, and had alliances with several influential tribes and small nations, was expected to ascend to the throne, becoming the first male emperor in the history of Dahuangze.
People were eagerly anticipating this turn of events.
Little did they know, a queen indeed descended from the heavens.
“Hey,” Jing Hengbo looked left and right, always feeling that these people’s expressions were somewhat mysterious. “Are you hiding something from me?”
