Chapter 230: An Empress And Her Food
Li Yao, who had been walking slightly behind Xiang Yu, suddenly jumped forward and wrapped her arms around his back, hugging him tightly from behind. Her breath was warm against his ear as she spoke softly, "Senior brother, why were you looking for me?" Her voice carried a playful tone as she continued, "Do you want to..."
But before she could finish her sentence, Xiang Yu smoothly pried himself free from her grip and stepped forward, creating distance between them. "There’s something I want to test out," he said without turning back to face her.
Li Yao stood frozen in place, completely stunned by what had just happened. She slowly raised her hands in front of her face, staring at them with wide eyes. Her complexion turned completely pale, as if she had just seen a ghost.
"He escaped?" she thought in disbelief, her gaze fixed on her empty hands. Her senior brother had actually managed to break free from her grip. Did this mean he could get away from her now? That he could actually escape if he wanted to?
[Insane choice of words]
Her face gradually shifted from shock to something far more resolute and determined. It seemed she had been slacking off in her cultivation. The Empress had already warned her that her senior brother had received some kind of powerful inheritance, but she hadn’t thought it was that powerful.
No, she couldn’t let this continue. She needed to become stronger—much stronger. That way, she would be able to tie him up...
[...]
"Are you listening?" Xiang Yu’s voice cut through her spiraling thoughts.
Li Yao blinked rapidly, her expression instantly transforming back to her usual cheerful demeanor as if nothing had happened. She rushed forward toward him with renewed energy. "Ah, yes! You were saying?" she replied brightly, closing the distance between them once more.
"Senior brother, what did you want to test out?" she asked.
Xiang Yu felt a wave of unease wash over him. He had been watching her during that brief moment. The way she quickly changed expressions was genuinely unsettling. She really was a ticking time bomb.
Pushing these concerns aside, he focused on the task at hand. "Can I see your sword?" he asked, extending his hand toward her.
"Sure," she replied without hesitation, immediately retrieving the weapon from her spatial storage and placing it in his outstretched palm.
The moment Xiang Yu’s fingers closed around the sword’s handle, he activated his appraisal ability to examine its properties more closely:
[Name: Azure Cloud Sword]
[Type: Weapon]
[Grade: Pseudo-Divine Weapon]
[Info: Feng Tianxu used all his Void Traversing realm cultivation and his soul energy to refine this sword into an extremely sharp weapon. Unfortunately, his soul regressed to Nascent Soul level and all his cultivation withered before he could completely refine the sword. It’s now just a step away from the Divine realm]
Xiang Yu’s eyebrows rose slightly as he processed this information. He knew that Feng Tianxu was the founding ancestor of their Azure Cloud Sect, but discovering that the ancestor had actually reached the Void Traversing realm was genuinely surprising. As he held the sword, examining its weight and balance, he could indeed sense the incredible power contained within the blade. It truly was just one step away from achieving divine-level status.
The ancestor really had possessed an incredibly strong foundation to push this weapon so close to the divine level. Xiang Yu found himself wondering if he might be able to help the sword take that final step forward, though he wasn’t entirely certain it was possible. At the divine level, this sword would be coveted by cultivators far beyond even the Void Traversing stage. Divine-level artifacts were no joke—they represented the pinnacle of craftsmanship in the mortal world.
Even though the sword was supposedly just one step away from that pinnacle, Xiang Yu could feel that this single remaining step was like an enormous chasm that separated it from true divinity. The gap might appear small, but bridging it would require something extraordinary.
He placed the sword gently on his work surface, then raised his hand and summoned his Abyssal Void Flame.
"Senior brother, do you want to test if it can burn?" Li Yao asked, her eyes sparkling with childlike enthusiasm and curiosity.
Xiang Yu smiled at her innocent excitement, finding her reaction genuinely endearing despite his earlier concerns. "No, I want to upgrade it," he said, shaking his head gently.
"Upgrade?" she repeated, and he could see visible disappointment cross her features.
Xiang Yu couldn’t help but wonder if she was actually more interested in watching things burn than in seeing the sword improved. He shook his head to dismiss these thoughts and forced himself to concentrate on the task ahead. After all, trying to understand this girl’s thought processes would probably require some immortal-level enlightenment.
...
"What is he doing?" Li Yao asked, settling herself comfortably on a smooth boulder as she watched Xiang Yu work.
She found herself particularly enjoying the view since Xiang Yu had removed his shirt while working, revealing his well-defined chest and muscular abs that she quite admired. Every movement he made seemed deliberate and graceful, like watching a master craftsman at the peak of his artistry.
[Why not ask him?] the Empress replied.
"He looks so focused, I don’t want to interrupt," Li Yao said softly.
The Empress nodded in satisfaction within the spiritual sea. It seemed not all hope was lost after all—this girl could still be taught.
But then the Empress caught Li Yao’s actual thoughts: "If I talk to him now, he’ll definitely notice me recording him with this memory crystal,"
The Empress immediately shook her head in exasperation. "Never mind, she’s too far gone," she thought with resignation.
[He’s engraving runes into the sword,] the Empress explained, and there was genuine admiration in her voice. [I didn’t expect to see a runemaster in this era. He probably gained insights into it after studying talismans for so long. Your senior brother is incredibly talented.]
Li Yao felt a complex mix of emotions swirling within her as she heard this. She wondered if he was really that impressive—even the Empress, who usually looked down on mortal affairs with disdain, was actually genuinely impressed by his abilities.
She found herself feeling conflicted about this revelation. Logically, she knew she should feel happy and proud that he was so talented. After all, he had promised to marry her when he became the strongest person in the world, and he would need exceptional talent to achieve that goal. But at the same time, his growing strength made her increasingly anxious. If he became too powerful, too skilled, wouldn’t he eventually be able to escape her grasp entirely? What would she do then?
[Don’t think too much about it,] the Empress’s words cut sharply through her spiraling thoughts.
[With his current skills, he should be able to easily leave if he wanted to,] the Empress continued, causing Li Yao’s downcast expression to lift slightly with confusion.
[But he chooses not to,] the Empress added pointedly. [Even now, he’s strengthening your weapon for you.] She paused to let this sink in before continuing. [If he truly wanted to escape, would he make you stronger?]
[There’s no need to be so constantly on guard,] the Empress said gently. [He doesn’t love you simply because he can’t escape from you.]
Li Yao’s eyes brightened considerably at these words. "Then... why does he?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
The Empress smiled knowingly.
[Why don’t you ask him yourself?] she suggested.
"He’s busy right now, I’ll ask him later," Li Yao replied dismissively, though her earlier worried expression had transformed into a radiant smile as she continued watching him work.
Deep within the spiritual sea, the Empress scoffed with amusement. "Kids, you’re a million years too young to play these games with me," she thought smugly. "Did you really think I’d allow your relationship to be damaged that easily? Don’t underestimate the lengths an empress will go to to protect her supply of spiritual food! Muahahahahah "
...
A/N: Li Yao’s character is a little complicated, I should do some more Chapters about her as a person