From slave trader to the Immortal Lord of Ten Thousand Laws

The sun shines brightly, and the spring breeze is gradually warming.

In the Cihang Nunnery in the western part of the capital, a woman is kneeling before the Buddha, burning incense and praying.

The woman was about thirty years old, with a beautiful face, a delicate nose, lips as pale as cherry blossoms, and eyes like autumn waters containing stars. Although the years had added a few fine lines to the corners of her eyes, they had not diminished her beauty, but rather added a touch of serenity.

She wore a moon-white crepe dress, its color simple and elegant, exuding a refined and otherworldly air. Although the dress was unadorned, it radiated a pure and noble beauty. Her hair was lightly styled into a cloud-like bun, without any pearls or jade ornaments, only secured by a white jade hairpin. A few strands of black hair fell to the side of her neck, making her skin appear as white as porcelain.

At this moment, the woman is clasping her hands together, fiddles with a string of prayer beads, and softly chants Buddhist scriptures.

Suddenly...

A series of hurried footsteps approached from outside the hall, accompanied by a young girl's urgent and clear voice:

"Madam! Madam!"

"Young Master has locked Miss in her room. Please return immediately and seek justice for her, Madam!"

The sound was getting closer and closer.

Suddenly, a graceful figure in pale yellow flashed in through the door; it was Ju'er, who had come out to look for Madam Zhao.

The woman remained silent, continuing to chant Buddhist scriptures in a low voice.

She was Zhao Qiaoling's mother, Shen Nianci, who was once the most beautiful woman in the capital.

She was also Zhao Jiaren's stepmother.

It's worth mentioning that the "Capital Beauty Record" is revised every ten years, with its list of beauties widely searched throughout the land. This winter marks the tenth anniversary. Before this, Shen Nianci was still the renowned number one beauty in the land, prominently featured on the list.

Back then, she was supposed to enter the palace as a concubine, but due to an accident, the youngest daughter of the prime minister's family ended up benefiting instead.

Speaking of the youngest daughter of the Prime Minister, this girl was incredibly lucky. On the day she became a concubine, before she even had a chance to serve the emperor, the old emperor passed away. Later, she inexplicably supported the current emperor, who was originally out of favor, to become emperor. As a result, she was so meritorious that she was made empress dowager by the current emperor. Before her hymen was even broken, she had the emperor and Prince Jing's children.

The whole process was incredibly smooth.

So much so that to this day, the legend of Consort Xiao becoming empress after nine days still circulates among the people.

...

...

Meanwhile, inside the main hall, Shen Nianci clasped her hands together, bowed her head, and chanted Buddhist scriptures, completely ignoring Ju'er's words.

She remained silent, as if Zhao Qiaoling were not her biological daughter.

Seeing this, Ju'er became somewhat anxious.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade the lady, she decided to give up and said in a desperate voice, "Madam, is this all you're capable of? You'd rather hide and cower than go out and avenge Master?"

"Who in the household doesn't know? The master's illness was caused by the young master. He puts medicine in the master's soup every day. How could the master not die? It's just that we servants are lowly and have no power, so we dare not say anything. We can only keep it from the young lady."

Click—!

Upon hearing this, the woman paused abruptly in her prayer beads, looked up, and asked a trivial question:

"Have you cleaned the master's bedroom?"

"Um?"

Ju'er was taken aback by the lady's sudden question, but she still answered truthfully:

"Yes, Madam, I have cleaned it."

"Hmm." Madam Zhao closed her eyes again. "What about the bedside poem? Have you read it too?"

A poem for the bedside?

Ju'er was completely confused: "What's that?"

"It's nothing, just a casual poem."

Madam Zhao continued to fiddle with her prayer beads, remaining silent.

After a long silence, she suddenly paused and said, "I have already become a nun with my hair still intact, so there is no need to call me Madam Zhao anymore."

"That won't do!"

Ju'er shook her head hurriedly and said anxiously, "Miss treats us servants very well, and you are Miss's mother. Naturally, wherever you go, you are the lady whom we servants should respect and serve."

"Please, Madam, come home with me..."

The young girl curtsied.

The woman remained kneeling before the Buddha, her back turned, eyes closed, chanting Buddhist scriptures softly, never raising her head to look at the girl behind her.

"I have already entered the Buddhist order and need not concern myself with right and wrong anymore. You say that Qingling is trapped by her brother, so just bow your head and admit your mistake. Why go to such lengths to invite me back to the mansion?"

"But Madam, you know Miss's temper. She would never...bow down and admit her mistake to Young Master."

As she spoke, Ju'er pouted and said aggrievedly:

"This servant came to see Madam this time by sneaking out. If the young master finds out when I go back, I will definitely get a good beating. Since I will be punished anyway, I might as well not go back. Madam, as long as you do not want to go back with me, I will not leave. I will just... I will stay in Cihang Nunnery and disturb your peace."

She spoke with absolute certainty, as if every word she uttered was a nail. After she finished speaking, she sat down and began to pester the lady, occasionally telling her about the young lady's daily life and interesting stories.

certainly....

Madam Zhao did not respond to any of these words.

Ju'er talked on and on until her mouth was dry, but the lady didn't even lift her eyelids once from beginning to end. It was as if she was throwing a punch but hitting cotton, with nowhere to put pressure on it and not even feeling any pain from the impact.

But she kept nagging on and on, as if she didn't know what it meant to stop when you've said something.

finally....

Madam Zhao stopped chanting the sutra and said another sentence:

"You refuse to leave, but I can't stop you. After all, this Cihang Nunnery is not a Zen temple under my name."

"Madam, you are mistaken. Cihang Nunnery has already been purchased by the young master and is now our family's shop."

"Um?"

The crisp sound of the prayer beads being fiddled with suddenly stopped.

Madam Zhao's expression hardened.

Cihang Nunnery is located in the west of the city, in a remote and secluded area with many forests and few markets. There are also few devout men and women in the nunnery, and the donations are pitifully small, with hardly any profit to be made.

But Zhao Jiaren still bought it.

Why? It's all to monitor Madam Zhao!

"well...."

Thinking of this, Shen Nianci sighed deeply.

She raised her eyes, her gaze distant, and looked at the Buddha statue in front of her, as if reminiscing: "Well, it's good to go out for a walk. I'll go back to my room to pack and then go back with you immediately."

"Oh! Madam, how can I let you do it? I'll take care of it." Ju'er hurriedly ran to help the madam.

Shen Nianci was patting her skirt as she stood up.

"By the way, who did you say the young lady wanted to buy?"

"Buy a husband."

"Well, at least it's not a woman..."

...

...

"Buy... Huh? That's strange. Why can't I buy it?"

Inside the teahouse, Jiang She tried to buy Madam Zhao's information using the control panel, but to his surprise, he was unable to do so. In fact, Madam Zhao's information did not even appear on the control panel.

What does this mean?

Am I the man she can't have?

"It's strange. I can even buy corpses, so why can't I buy a living person like Madam Zhao?"

Jiang She frowned slightly, feeling somewhat puzzled.

Everyone he saw, whether gods, immortals, demons, or ghosts, born from wet eggs, was paid ten thousand coins each.

But Madam Zhao... was unable to purchase it.

Could it be... that she isn't human?

No, it doesn't count as people.

Jiang She pondered for a moment, feeling that only this answer made sense. But if this Madam Zhao wasn't even human, then what was she? Was she dead? Or alive?

No, perhaps she isn't even considered dead.

After all, Jiang She could buy even a dead person.

Thinking of this, Jiang She had a headache. He really couldn't figure this woman out, so he could only continue to observe her.

...

...

Inside Cihang Nunnery.

Shen Nianci instructed Ju'er to wait outside the door, while she herself walked gracefully to a clean room behind the nunnery.

The clean room was small, with only a window, a bed, and a bathtub.

Warm water was prepared in the bucket, and a few orchids picked by the hermitage floated on the surface, their petals floating and the water droplets glistening.

She walked to the bucket.

She gently raised her hand, her fingertips touching the hem of her white dress.

"despair!"

With a soft click, the jade hairpin that had been used to tie her hair up in a slanted bun was removed, and her long, black hair cascaded down to her shoulders.

Then, she lowered her eyes slightly, her jade-like fingers gently twirling, and unbuttoned the knotted buttons on her clothes.

One, two, three...

The moon-white dress fell onto her fragrant shoulders, but slipped off like soap hitting water, all the way down to her ankles, revealing a plain-colored fur coat, as thin as a cicada's wing, bulging and wrapped around her chest, vaguely revealing the inner lining.

But the woman's hands did not stop.

She hooked her fingertips around the tie, gave it a gentle tug, and the tie came undone, revealing the front of her coat. The fur coat then slid down her smooth skin to her ankles.

Her snow-white body was revealed.

Her shoulders were like those of a sculpted figure, her back as white as jade, her chest full and bulging, plump and firm, the two mounds of flesh narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, shaped like sand dunes, thrusting forward with force, exuding youthful vitality like a young girl, with two delicate pink nipples on them still standing out.

She bent down.

Her jade-like fingers reached towards the waistband of her skirt.

"Rusting..."

The skirt sash came undone, and the moon-white long skirt and fur trousers slid down her straight, long legs to her smooth ankles.

She lifted one jade-like foot and stepped out from the pile of clothes.

Immediately afterwards, the other leg also lifted and stepped out.

Her fair skin and delicate bones were now fully exposed.

But the woman didn't rush into the water.

Instead, she walked barefoot, her lotus-like steps light and graceful, to the window, where she closed most of the hinged window, leaving only a small gap for ventilation.

Golden sunlight streamed through the window cracks, slanting across her naked body. The interplay of light and shadow outlined the rolling mountains and valleys, the valleys fragrant with dew, inviting one to explore their depths.

After closing the window, the woman turned around, walked gracefully back to the edge of the bathtub, and then raised her jade-like foot, her toes lightly touching the water like a dragonfly, to test the temperature of the water.

The water temperature is just right.

Then, holding onto the edge of the bucket with both hands, she bent one long leg, her pink knee touching the edge of the bucket, her buttocks sinking slightly, and stepped out with her long leg.

"Splash—!"

The water rippled slightly as the woman slipped into it.

Warm water instantly enveloped her voluptuous, supple body, the water level reaching above her collarbone, petals clinging to the side of her neck...

The air was thick with heat, and white smoke rose into the air.

The small, clean room was filled with a blurry white light.

"Gurgle..."

Jiang She's Adam's apple bobbed.

He believed he had seen many beauties in the water, such as Madam Xu's alluring wet body under the white waterfall, the Third Madam bathing and washing her feet, or Xu Qingyue undressing in her elegant room, her breath hot and sensual, all of which were captivating and enchanting.

But these...

None of them could compare to Shen Nianci's ethereal and outstanding presence at this moment.

She was like a fairy untouched by worldly affairs, her snow-white skin reflecting in the water, yet still unblemished by the dust of the world.

If it were said that Xu Qingyue and several other beauties were bathing, it would unreservedly arouse men's "sex".

Shen Nianci is the one who can arouse desire.

This kind of "desire" is more terrifying than a momentary surge of lust; it can make a person deeply immersed in it, willing to die for it.

They would be more willing to give than to receive.

"That won't do!"

Jiang She shook his head, trying to shake off this feeling, but a woman's voice suddenly rang out:

"Come out, stop peeking."

Ok?

I was actually discovered?

Jiang She was startled and was about to give up the idea when he saw a white figure flash out from outside the window.

"Madam Zhao is indeed very vigilant."

A man's voice rang out, creating a breeze that drifted through the window cracks to the edge of the bathtub.

The woman glanced at him.

"Dong Yunqi, I never expected it to be you again."

Dong Yunqi?!

Jiang She was taken aback upon hearing this.

He had almost succumbed to Shen Nianci's lust, and hadn't noticed Dong Yunqi for a moment.

However, Dong Yunqi's technique of concealing his aura was truly remarkable.

It seemed to blend seamlessly with the window frame.

Looking closely, one could see him standing outside the window, his body turned to the side, his left arm pressed against the window frame, his head not looking inside, but glancing sideways at the courtyard, watching the incense sticks burning faintly outside the main hall.

"May I ask what brings Master Dong here?"

The woman's voice rang out again, sounding somewhat anxious, with a hint of impatience in her tone.

In fact, Dong Yunqi had already looked for her several times.

Every time I come, it's for the same purpose.

"Madam Zhao, I have come here for the meditation painting you have. I humbly request that you grant me this favor."

Dong Yunqi raised his hand in a salute.

Jiang She was taken aback upon seeing this.

This man, who was usually so serene and reserved, was surprisingly polite to Shen Nianci, which was quite strange.

He continued listening.

But then the woman scooped up a handful of warm water and gently poured it on his shoulder, looking at Dong Yunqi with an inquiring gaze:

"What visualization diagram? I don't have one."

"Then why are there bedside poems?"

"Oh! That was suggested by Master Zhao."

Shen Nianci answered fluently, emphasizing the words "Master Zhao" as if Master Zhao was just Master Zhao, not her husband, and had nothing to do with her.

Dong Yunqi was used to this and simply assumed that the young couple had a disagreement. He reasoned that an old man over fifty years old marrying a beautiful woman must mean they were not getting along in that area.

After all, back then, Master Zhao had taken a lot of supplements to help Madam Zhao conceive successfully.

But listening to Shen Nianci's words.

Jiang She felt that Shen Nianci was Shen Nianci and Madam Zhao was Madam Zhao, and that the two were unrelated yet secretly connected.

Just as he was pondering this, he heard Dong Yunqi snort coldly:

"Oh!"

"Does Madam mean that Master Zhao is a cultivator? If so, why haven't the Zhao family's descendants pursued cultivation?"

"How would I know? Like begets like, and a rat's son knows how to dig a hole. What does Zhao Jiaren's failure to cultivate have to do with me? And now you're blaming me?"

Shen Nianci scoffed.

With a casual remark, she shifted the topic from "Zhao family descendants" to the term "Zhao Jiaren".

Dong Yun frowned.

Seeing that reasoning with him was ineffective, he reached into the house to grab something.

"Thump!"

A large, semi-transparent hand entered through the wall from the window, grabbed into the bucket, but ended up with a handful of water.

He failed to catch the woman.

Instead, it passed through the woman's delicate body!

"this......."

Jiang She looked astonished.

Dong Yunqi remained calm: "Indeed, Madam... you are the three corpses severed by the immortal..."