Legacy of a Benevolent Lord
Chapter 31: Sister Azhula.... You stink!

Chapter 31: Sister Azhula.... You stink!

Azhula sat quietly, her heart unsettled as she pieced her thoughts together.

She had been sent here by Murong Fu. It made sense for Riven Ashvale to remain wary.

Her heart continued to grow heavy. In her life, was she ever free?

Will she ever find freedom? Freedom from another man?

How much longer can she keep lying to little Azira, telling her everything will be okay?

Her dantian pulsed like a heart with a sudden surge, and a wave of warm energy flowed through her body, filling every meridian.

She looked inward hurriedly.

Yet what surprised her was that the pure yang true energy left in her body wasn’t harming her at all.

On the contrary, it was slowly purifying her internal energy, making it clearer, stronger, closer to Innate energy.

Which, in turn, was drawing her entire self closer and closer to the Heaven and Earth around her.

She was an intelligent girl.

Azhula understood then.

As long as she stayed obedient, the benefits would never stop.

"Such sophisticated methods," she thought, her heart in a mix of relief and incredulity, "Young Master Murong could never compare."

The realization stung.

Murong Fu, always playing at being clever, thought he was playing chess, and his opponent had ended up losing everything without even realizing it.

He had lost both his soldiers (his maids)... and his wife (could have been a potential wife).

Azhula steadied her breathing, carefully withdrawing from cultivation.

A soft breath of turbid air escaped her lips as she opened her eyes. Her gaze instinctively drifted toward Riven and Selene.

She rose to her feet gracefully, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Selene Virelyn, lounging lazily nearby, wrinkled her nose and laughed behind her hand.

"Sister Azhula, you stink! Quick, go wash up!"

Azhula froze. Only now did she catch the heavy, greasy smell rising from her skin; impurities forced out by the realm-breaking process.

Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

She fled toward the inner rooms without a word.

..........

After bathing and changing into a fresh light crimson dress, Azhula returned, breathing in the fresh air with relief.

Her entire being felt renewed; lighter, cleaner, more alive.

She stepped outside, her smile as bright as a flower. A faint, sweet fragrance clung to her skin.

She twirled once, playfully facing Selene.

"Dear Sister~ do I still smell?"

Selene, still holding her writing brush, lifted her head and took a dainty sniff.

She grinned. "Not stinky anymore. You smell like spring now!"

Azhula laughed lightly, her eyes glimmering, then looked around.

"Where’s his Highness?"

Selene raised an eyebrow, smirking. "What’s this? Just a little while, and you’re already calling him ’his Highness’ so naturally?"

Azhula giggled like a stream over stones.

"Oh my, who’s the jealous one here? Someone drank a whole jar of vinegar, didn’t they?"

Selene rolled her eyes, shaking her head with mock annoyance.

She set her brush down and handed Azhula a slim booklet.

"This is the ’Minor Phaseless Skill’ of our family. Start practicing it."

"Ah?" Azhula blinked in surprise. "This..."

"If you don’t learn it," Selene said casually, "you’ll expose yourself sooner or later. Besides..." she smiled sweetly, "It’s not free."

Azhula’s heart skipped.

Selene’s smile faded slightly, and her tone turned serious.

"From now on, if your Young Master sends you any messages, you have to tell me. Understood?"

She froze.

Azhula’s brows furrowed in hesitation..

Wasn’t this asking her to become... a double agent?

Of course, she now knew Murong Fu could never win against Riven. But stil.... Wasn’t this too soon to ask such a question directly?

Seeing her hesitation, Selene sighed quietly.

"Azhula," she said softly, "do you really think Young Master Murong can restore his kingdom?"

Her voice was almost a whisper now.

"He gave you away today. What about tomorrow? Or the day after?

If you don’t help him... he’s only digging his own grave."

Azhula hesitated, feeling torn, her heart aching as she looked at Selene.

The gentle and soft girl she once knew... where had she gone?

Before her now stood a woman with silent brewing strength, with eyes like still waters, unwavering.

Even Selene didn’t know... but she was changing.

"I... I don’t know," Azhula murmured. A bitter smile tugged at her lips.

"I owe the Murong family too much. I can’t betray him."

Selene stood up from her seat and took her hands in hers.

"It’s not betrayal," she said. "It’s saving him."

Azhula lifted her head slowly, searching her face.

What did she mean by saving him?

"You’ve seen it yourself," Selene continued. "Do you think he can ever beat his Highness?"

Azhula stayed silent.

Selene took another step, voice calm but firm.

"The Prince Riven is a member of the imperial family of the Great Ashenvale Dynasty. Murong Fu’s dream is to destroy their rule. How can they ever walk the same path?

Riven... is not someone who would stop because a woman cried in front of him. If he felt like his cousin’s plotting was life-threatening."

She paused. And whispered. "He will kill him."

She pressed the manual into Azhula’s hands.

Turning away, Selene walked to the window, the morning light falling on her figure.

Her hair fluttered lightly in the breeze, her robe swaying gracefully.

For a long moment, she stood there, beautiful and distant, like a painting come to life.

Then she spoke.

"To be honest with you," Selene hesitated for a moment and said quietly, "the Young Master... he’s already broken into the Second realm after his Innate rebirth."

Azhula gasped aloud.

Second Realm?

She remembered Bao Butong once saying that even a single stage in the Innate Life phase could take a lifetime to cross.

Some never crossed it at all.

But Riven had already done it?

"So fast..." Azhula whispered.

Selene turned her head, her expression soft but determined. Not a trace of her lie was there.

"That’s why, Azhula... please. Help me.

I don’t want them to fight. If they do... cousin will die"

............

At that time, Riven wasn’t in his usual pavilion.

He was seated in the main hall, facing the Old Lady and a few city officials.

City Lord, along with some other officials from the office, stood respectfully, presenting a small lacquered box.

"Matriarch, your Highness," he said, "the Lockwood family’s restaurant, thirteen inns, and over a thousand acres of land are all recorded here."