Chapter 11: Someone's Regret is Somebody's Benefit

At night time, Ye Shin is relieved from her duty as the emperor's bodyguard. She is examining her weapon inside the room next to the emperor. The Spiral Sword is radiating in her palm. This sword is made of her inner force hence, the weapon has no weight. It is just floating above her hands. She examined closely the tiny blades one by one before she splits the weapon. After splitting the sword, she felt dizzy and it made her profusely sweating in the forehead. She still lacks the inner force needed to maintain the appearance of the two swords! She sighed deeply and stops manifesting the weapon.

As she glances outside her window, the moon is nowhere to be seen. Only the tiny stars are shining brightly in the vast sky. Ye Shin decided to take a bath to refresh her body and walks to a room in the left corner. She soaked her whole body inside a bath tub that is full of petals of wild orchids. The fragrance made her sleepy. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. It is a very relaxing feeling. Not long after, she went out and took a new pair of clean dress. After changing, she went into her bed to sleep.

Ye Shin was already in a slumber state when she felt a surge gathering of familiar energy. She jolted awake and take a look out of the window. It was strange! The moon is surely not lit up above but she feels the gathering of moon essence in her surroundings. She went out of her room to investigate.

As she walks farther away from the room, the essence has become fainter. She walks backs and follows the direction of the essence. It was in the room next to her. The emperor's room! The moon is full of yin energy and is beneficial to women but harmful to the opposite gender as men are full of yang energy. How is it possible that he has a pure moon essence in his room? The lady knocks on the door twice and without waiting for the emperor to speak, she went inside.

The emperor had just finished his bath and is changing his clothes when he saw the lady entered his room. Her entrance caught him by surprise as no one has ever boldly enters his room unless he gives permission!

"Finish changing your clothes." he heard the lady said. She was commanding her! He felt slightly irritated of how she used her tone towards him.

"Now that you are here, help me change clothes." the emperor told her as he tries to keep his usual composure. Inside, his heart is anxiously beating for an unknown reason.

The lady did not mind helping him. She steps forward and fixed his robe before she tied it. She is too close and her fragrance has reached the emperor's nose.

"What are you doing--" the emperor was about to ask the lady why she had entered his room when the lady covered his mouth with her soft hands.

"Ssshhh... Someone is watching...or listening." she whispered. The lady keeps staring at a particular corner of the room where some crystal was placed by the personal maid of Qing Lou for the endless nightmare formation. It was very strange. She could feel something invisible peering at them in the corner. But there is no one who has a skill to turn invisible.

The emperor stared at her and did not say anything. After the lady removed her hands in his mouth, her scent still lingers on his skin. He intentionally bends his body and smelled her fragrant neck.

"What do you mean?" the emperor whispered back into her ear.

Now, she finally notices the distance between them is almost an inch only. At first, she was just so anxious and only focuses on the surroundings. She did not put in mind how close their physical body are! She moves away but the emperor casually placed his arms on her shoulder. There is no way he would let the girl move away.

"Explain." the emperor demanded in hushed tone. The moon essence the lady felt becomes thicker and the emperor slightly yawned.

"You felt drowsy?" Ye Shin asked him while looking at his face.

"It's night time now." the emperor stated her the obvious. Isn't it normal to sleep during night? He asked himself secretly.

"It's still early." she responded while scanning the corner of the room with her eyes.

"I can't feel sleepy at this time? I was tired from my reading earlier!" the emperor said in defence.

"Hmm..." she hummed in understanding but did not speak anymore.

"What hmmm??!!! Besides what is this fragrance?" the emperor asked before he finally buried his face in the crook of the lady's neck. Her smell is so inviting. Intoxicating! He felt the lady stiffened before he felt danger.

"No weapons." he suddenly murmured in her ears as he had a gut feeling that the lady would probably manifest her sword and use it against him. The lady sighed in surrender before she gently pushed the emperor's head away from her neck.

"Stop it! I need to concentrate." the lady slightly hissed and he inhaled her scent one more time before his face gravely left her neck.

As soon as he loosened her, the lady calmly walks in every corner of the room until she stops in his bed. She looks calm but he can strangely feel her anxiety.

"What's the matter? Do you want to go to my bed? I'll share it to you." he inquired curiously. The thought of them sharing his bed undoubtedly excites him. But the lady looked at him with a face that is lacking of emotions.

"There's an abnormal gathering of moon essence in this area." she calmly stated.

"Moon essence? But the moon is not even shining out there!? " the emperor asked her in astonishment. He can use sword but his bloodline is different from Ye Shin. He could not detect what she had told him.

"I said it's abnormal. Anyway, it's a moon essence and it will benefit me greatly so I am staying here and cultivate. Your majesty, please don't mind me here and have a peaceful sleep. Anyway, you are already drowsy." the lady calmly explained.

The emperor was indeed felt drowsy earlier but now he is very energetic after smelling her scent. All parts of him are already awakening. Even some part that is supposed to be not awakened has been awake already! Shouldn't she take some responsibilities on the consequences of what she had done to his body?

The young sighed inwardly and helplessly climb to his bed. He laid there for a while reminiscing the remnants of her scent. He saw the lady sat on the floor and did not waste her time. She gradually absorbs the moon essence until all the crystal beads in the roof looses its brightness. It was dawn when Ye Shin went back to her room. After the three crystal beads turned into a dull appearance, the formation was destroyed. The endless nightmare was never triggered. She had absorbed tremendous amount of essence and she improved her inner force greatly.

***

In the Qing Empire, everyone inside the palace was restless. They have spent their whole night staring at the circle shape medium size crystal that will suppose to show them the dream state of the young emperor. Unfortunately for them, nothing was shown in the crystal. They suspected that the elder has scammed them greatly. Unbeknownst to them, their formation has given a lot of benefits to the emperor's bodyguard.

In the morning, the Qing Emperor was in a foul mood. He was scolding the elder from the Formation Master Association and threatened him. The elder has promised to give him a proper explanation before the night time.

The elder hurriedly made a formation to communicate directly to his daughter. He instructed his daughter to check the formation she had laid. After several hours, her daughter reported that the crystal beads have lost its brightness. When his daughter shows the object's appearance the elder shivered. Their sect has used hundreds of years to create such crystal beads but it was just gone for a single night! This has never happened in the history.

"Perhaps, the crystals were damaged father?" her daughter theorized.

"It was consumed." her father directly answered her theory.

"Consumed?! But who on earth can consume a three crystal beads in one night? Is the He emperor this powerful to dry up the brightness of our crystals?" the elder's daughter wondered.

"No, it is surely not the emperor. Maybe there is a master behind him that is secretly providing him a protection. There is no need for you to stay in the He Empire. Find an opportunity to leave the palace and go back to our sect. We cannot afford to offend such terrifying person." the elder instructed his daughter before they ended their communication.

Later that afternoon, he handed the Qing emperor the money they had paid to him. The elder has lost so much and did not gain anything. He did not give much explanation to the Qing Emperor and just left his empire. When he arrived on his sect he told all his members to avoid offending the people in He Empire. He explained his loses to the members of the sect and even they felt bad for what had happened. Some members has even criticized that he was too generous to return the money to the Qing emperor but the elder did not speak anymore. Regrets have enveloped his heart.