In order to avoid exposing their identities and getting killed by an Immortal’s sword, Jiang Ke’er and Qiao Xiaoxian had no choice but to change their appearance and use the aliases Jiang Qingyi and Qiao Qianxue.
Leaving behind a few Human Sword Cultivators who were so scared they nearly wet themselves, Jiang Ke’er and Qiao Xiaoxian followed a few members of the Demon Revival Society and departed.
Once they were a short distance away, the two of them burst out laughing.
“Thank you both for your help!” Changsun Qingyue smiled and gave Jiang Ke’er and Qiao Xiaoxian a polite bow.
“No need, we just happened to run into you,” Jiang Ke’er waved her hand. “By the way, why were those guys giving you trouble?”
“It’s all thanks to that Jiang Ke’er,” Changsun Qingyue replied with a hint of helplessness.
“What about Jiang Ke’er?” Jiang Ke’er asked, feigning surprise.
“Although Jiang Ke’er really did something incredible that finally allowed our Demon Race to hold our heads high, ever since the Myriad Blades State incident, Human Sword Cultivators in the Realm of Novice Cultivator have been unable to lift their heads in front of others. As a result, they’re feeling quite resentful…”
“Some of them don’t channel that resentment into their cultivation. Instead, they vent it by making trouble for the Demon Race.” Changsun Qingyue sighed. “Perhaps the word ‘Revival’ touched a nerve, so these past few days, people keep coming to pick fights with us… Not a single new member has joined.”
“If Jiang Ke’er were still alive, they wouldn’t dare be so arrogant!” Yan Liben stomped his foot in anger.
Now, the whole world believes Jiang Ke’er is dead. Only the Immortals of Jiexian Hall still have their doubts, but even they can’t figure out the truth.
For Jiang Ke’er, that’s actually a good thing. As long as she keeps a low profile, at least her life is safe.
But keeping a low profile isn’t really in line with Jiang Ke’er’s values.
Hmm… She could only stay as low-key as possible. If she really had to put on an act… or show her real skills, Jiang Ke’er wouldn’t force herself to hide. At worst, she’d just switch identities again.
Feeling comfortable was more important than anything.
“Does the guild provide room and board?” Jiang Ke’er asked.
“Well…” Changsun Qingyue looked embarrassed, “Our guild is still small and weak. We can’t take on high-paying mercenary jobs, so we don’t really have a steady income. So, as for room and board…”
So there’s none, huh? No food or lodging included. Terrible! Jiang Ke’er grumbled inwardly.
But as soon as she finished, Changsun Qingyue seemed to realize something and exclaimed, “Wait, are you two really planning to join us?!”
“Of course. Why would we lie?”
“But with your abilities… you could join the best guilds out there!” Changsun Qingyue was utterly incredulous. “Why would you choose a small guild like ours? Aren’t you worried it’ll slow down your growth?”
“I promised a friend I’d come, so here I am,” Jiang Ke’er smiled. “Besides, I actually quite like the name of this guild.”
Overwhelmed with excitement, Changsun Qingyue couldn’t quite keep up her ladylike demeanor.
“May I ask the name of that friend?” Changsun Qingyue asked carefully, still trying to guess which capable member had managed to recruit two such high-quality members.
“I forgot his name…” Jiang Ke’er played dumb.
With things so tense lately, it was better to stay hidden.
“Then there’s nothing to be done.” Changsun Qingyue sounded a little disappointed.
“Since we’ll all be in the same guild from now on, let me introduce myself first,” Jiang Ke’er changed the subject. “I’m Jiang Qingyi, a passable sword novice at the peak of the Dual Polarity Stage. That long-legged weirdo behind me is Qiao Qianxue, my bodyguard. You can call me Xiao Jiang, and her Xiao Qiao.”
“…Show-off,” Qiao Xiaoxian, called a bodyguard, helplessly ruffled Jiang Ke’er’s hair, but couldn’t be bothered to argue.
“I’m Changsun Qingyue, at the early stage of the Three Talents Stage, and I’m a healer,” Changsun Qingyue also introduced herself.
“I’m Mu Guoguo, mid-stage Dual Polarity Stage, reconnaissance cultivator.”
“I… I’m Yan Liben, mid-stage Dual Polarity Stage, spell cultivator!”
After hearing the three introduce themselves, Jiang Ke’er was secretly astonished.
Since this world had the legendary Emperor Taizong of Tang, it was very likely that other famous historical figures would appear as well.
Unless it was just a coincidence in names, at least two of these Demon Revival Society members were absolute legends from Earth’s history.
Yan Liben, the creator of one of the Ten Legendary Paintings of China—“Emperor Taizong Receiving the Tibetan Envoy”—an undisputed epic painter!
And as for Changsun Qingyue… wow, the surname Changsun was truly illustrious in history.
The two most famous people with the surname Changsun both lived during the Tang dynasty, in the same era as Li Shimin.
One of them was a woman, known as Empress Changsun, the principal wife of Li Shimin, celebrated as the greatest empress of all time! She was wise and studious, not only managing Li Shimin’s household affairs with perfect order, but also capable of repeatedly correcting his mistakes at just the right moments—truly the strongest support in history!
Unfortunately, history never recorded Empress Changsun’s real name. People only remember her surname and her posthumous title, Empress Wende Shunsheng.
Who knows if Changsun Qingyue is related to Empress Changsun, or… maybe she’s actually Empress Changsun herself?
“Qingyue, do you have a fiancé?” Jiang Ke’er suddenly asked.
Changsun Qingyue’s face turned red. “I do.”
“…Li Shimin?” Jiang Ke’er probed.
“Huh? How did you know?” Changsun Qingyue gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.
“…”
It seemed there was no doubt.
But according to the records, Empress Changsun married Li Shimin at age thirteen. Here, things were clearly a little different—the two were still in an ambiguous, unmarried relationship.
…What would happen if she stole Li Shimin’s wife?
Uh, what a ridiculous thought.
Jiang Ke’er quickly shook off that dangerous idea. Although Changsun Qingyue was certainly one of her ideal partners…
She didn’t really have any designs on Changsun Qingyue.
It’s just that ever since Qiao Xiaoxian caught her, even a dog seemed charming in her eyes. She felt like being with a dog would be better than being with Qiao Xiaoxian.
Of course, sometimes Qiao Xiaoxian’s behavior did make her reconsider, but only for a fleeting moment.
In any case, she’d just have to make do.
This world was really quite interesting. Jiang Ke’er smiled.
Looking at these familiar yet unfamiliar people, sharing names with legendary figures from history, and watching their similar yet different fates… her long-suppressed mood was much improved.
It was a feeling only she could understand—like helping Empress Changsun out of a jam, or watching Yan Liben draw pig heads on paper… inexplicably entertaining.
Since the guild didn’t provide room or board, Jiang Ke’er and Qiao Xiaoxian had to look for a place to stay.
“The Yan Family has a few properties here. We can stay there for now. Why don’t we all squeeze in together tonight?” Changsun Qingyue invited. “It’ll save on lodging costs. The inns here really aren’t cheap.”
“Exactly!” Jiang Ke’er agreed.
The past two days, she and Qiao Xiaoxian had spent quite a bit in the Realm of Novice Cultivator.
She’d even had to pick up her old trade again, and started pinching pennies, not daring to spend recklessly.
“Yes! Come to my house! My house is huge!” Yan Liben was very excited, like a child showing off his favorite toy. “Sister Qingyi, I’ve drawn so, so many pictures. Do you want to see them?”
Qingyi was what Yan Liben called Jiang Ke’er—Jiang Qingyi being her alias within the Demon Revival Society.
Jiang Ke’er had once praised Yan Liben’s drawings, which had greatly encouraged him.
“Sure,” Jiang Ke’er agreed happily.
Recently, she’d even drawn a painting skill from the system, so this was the perfect chance to observe the young master painter Yan Liben and see if she could learn anything new.