135: Cute twins

Chapter 134: Dainty Twins

"Father, where are you taking us~"

"I am taking you to see a pretty aunt. You will know when we get there."

"A pretty aunt?"

Zheng Yuhuan puckered her chubby face and said, "Huan'er has way too many pretty aunts! There are at least a dozen of them!"

"Hahaha, let's get moving~"

Zheng Yi laughed out loud and walked out with five little lolis.

As soon as they stepped out of the gates of the Changxin Palace, Zheng Yuhuan bolted out like an excited little puppy, running away at top speed.

Princess Jinxia hurriedly followed, shouting while running, "Huan younger sister~"

"Keep up! If anything happens to the princesses, watch your heads!"

Liu Chengen gave the order, and seven or eight palace maids and eunuchs hurriedly rushed out to follow behind the two princesses.

After holding hands and exchanging a few words with Zheng Yi, Zheng Yuxuan and Zheng Yuyao also skipped happily toward the front.

Having finally gotten a day off, of course they wanted to have a good time.

Soon, only Zheng Yuyao was left in front of Zheng Yi, obediently following behind him.

Zheng Yi directly picked her up and asked, "Why didn't Yao'er go play with her younger sisters?"

Zheng Yuyao replied sensibly, "Yao'er prefers staying by Father's side."

"You child~"

Zheng Yi pinched her little nose, feeling a bit bitter inside.

Yuyao's mother was Yang Huan, the current Consort Yang.

Even after all these years, her background could still not be washed away.

Prime Minister Yang's daughter.

Her unhappiness in the palace made Yao'er somewhat precocious, unable to get along well with the other princesses.

Among this, their birth mothers' influence was also a factor.

"Should I let Huan'er have a son? At least it would liven up her palace and give her something to look forward to~"

Such a thought suddenly arose in Zheng Yi's mind, and soon it grew increasingly intense as he began to ponder it.

Before long, Yuyao suddenly said, "Father, put me down please."

"What is it? Does Yao'er not want Father to hold her anymore?"

"Mhm, Yao'er is going to the front!"

With that, she squirmed down from Zheng Yi's arms, ran forward a couple of steps, turned back to secretly blink at Zheng Yi, and then ran ahead under the guidance of her personal palace maid.

Zheng Yi was completely baffled. What was this little loli up to?

"Your Majesty~"

Before he could react, two young maidens pressed close against his sides.

Turning around, it was indeed Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu.

Dongyun Jie said, "You haven't come to see us and Mother in such a long time~"

Dongyun Yu counted on her fingers and said, "It has been forty-two and a half days, oh~"

Zheng Yi smiled and silently pulled the two maidens into his arms, saying, "What, did you miss Zhen so soon?"

"Of course we did! My younger sister, Mother, and I talk about when Your Majesty will come every single day~"

"Oh? Your mother?"

Zheng Yi exerted strength with his big hand. "Did your mother... also miss Zhen?"

The last time he went to Cuiping Palace, for some reason Noble Lady Zhen had been somewhat hesitant and politely declined when it came to serving in bed.

Zheng Yi didn't care at the time, and after he forcibly picked her up, she still compromised.

Why was it like this today?

"What on earth happened?"

Dongyun Yu lowered her head and whispered, "I-It seems Mother heard palace maids saying... saying that Mother is shameless, and something about a mother and daughters..."

Zheng Yi frowned. It seemed this matter had still affected them.

Noble Lady Zhen, Dongyun Jie, and Dongyun Yu were mother and daughters, after all.

A few years ago when the two girls were young, no one paid much mind, but as Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu grew up and became so beautiful—a pair of twin lotuses not yet sent out of the palace—

anyone with discerning eyes could certainly see Your Majesty's intentions.

Openly, no one dared to say anything, but in secret...

Zheng Yi asked, "Dongyun Jie, Dongyun Yu, what do you two think?"

Of course Zheng Yi could not possibly give up these two young girls, regardless of their identity or the slight possibility that they possessed Spiritual Roots.

Simply based on their figures and appearances, they were destined to become his captive beauties.

Dongyun Jie vigorously shook her head and said, "I-I don't know, Your Majesty, I don't know..."

Dongyun Yu whispered, "W-We can just stay by Mother's side from now on and not come out, right?"

Zheng Yi hugged the two maidens closer and said, "Rest assured, Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu, Zhen will not let you suffer."

"Just stay obediently in the palace and wait for Zhen to favor you."

"Your Majesty~"

Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu originated from the Shadow Guard as loyal retainers, having lived in subterranean palaces since childhood.

Not to mention outside the capital, they had never even stepped outside the imperial palace.

From a young age, they had been instilled with orders of loyalty to Your Majesty and the implication of becoming his consorts.

Throughout their twelve years of existence, there was hardly a single day without this conditioning.

If they were made to leave the palace now, where would they go?

Their sole goal in life was simply to serve Your Majesty; there was no second choice of path.

The five little lolis ran back and forth, sometimes running close and sometimes far away, extremely happy, their giggling laughter continuing uninterrupted.

It had been so long since they were this happy.

Along the way, which took nearly the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they soon stopped before the gates of an ancient, unadorned palace.

Zheng Yuhuan raised her head, her face still slightly flushed, and said word by word, "Yu... what... Palace?"

"That character is pronounced Heng!"

Zheng Yuyao walked over and said, "Yuheng Palace!"

"So that character is pronounced Heng, I thought it was read as Yu~"

What grudges could little girls hold? After playing together for a little while, they became intimate and held hands to play.

"Father, what are we doing at Yuheng Palace? Which aunt lives here?"

"It's your Aunt Zhuang. Go on in."

"Okay~"

The group walked inside. The eunuchs and palace maids of Yuheng Palace had long since known that Zheng Yi was coming, and had long ago cleaned Yuheng Palace thoroughly inside and out.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Led by Immortal Master Yuheng, everyone in Yuheng Palace knelt to salute Zheng Yi.

"Rise."

Today, Immortal Master Yuheng was still dressed in Daoist robes, though they were several times more exquisite.

The upper garment was narrow and delicate, with fine golden silk patterns embroidered on the outer layer, accentuating Immortal Master Yuheng's astonishing waist-to-hip ratio.

Her oval face was tender, white, and clean, and between her brows remained a lotus flower facial marking, exuding a sense of pure solemnity.

"Greetings, Aunt Zhuang."

Zheng Yuyao and the other four little lolis also stood by Zheng Yi's side, respectfully bowing in unison to Immortal Master Yuheng.

"The five princesses are so cute~"

Zhuang Yuheng also nodded slightly and ordered people to bring dried fruits and candied treats to serve them.

"Yuheng, has everything been prepared?"

When the group arrived in the inner chamber and Zheng Yi waved his hand to signal all the eunuchs and palace maids to withdraw, he asked.

"Replying to Your Majesty, it is already prepared."

Zhuang Yuheng brought out an exquisite wooden box from the inner room and placed it before everyone.

"Your Majesty, your concubine broke through to Qi Refining Level 3 a month ago. When I sent word back to Taiyi Sect, Revered Master was extremely surprised."

"Not only did they bestow the contents of the fourth to sixth layers of the Chaoyang Zixia Skill, but they also bestowed twenty Spiritual Testing Talismans upon your concubine."

"The Spiritual Testing Talisman is a Talisman used to measure whether a place possesses Spiritual Qi, and is also an important Talisman for measuring whether children possess Spiritual Roots within their bodies."

Zhuang Yuheng explained, "Newborn children possess a flawless physique, so even if they carry Spiritual Roots, they cannot be detected. Only after a child reaches five years of age do the Spiritual Roots within their bodies gradually manifest, and they only tend to stabilize after eight years of age."

"Therefore, many cultivation Sects and families use age five and above as the baseline when recruiting Disciples."

"The matter Your Majesty requested is to measure the Spiritual Roots for the ten princesses. Today, your concubine can fulfill Your Majesty's long-cherished wish."

Within the entire imperial palace, including Zheng Yi, there were a total of four Cultivators.

Needless to say, Zheng Yi, as well as Consort Cui, Yuechan, and Immortal Master Yuheng.

His own identity as a Cultivator was obtained through Dual Cultivation.

Let alone Cultivation Techniques, he didn't even know any spell arts or the like.

Although Consort Cui had a Revered Master's lineage, her Revered Master was also a Loose Cultivator. Aside from Cultivation Techniques and Magical Artifacts, there was no other Legacy.

As for Yuechan, she only knew Gu arts and Gu refinement.

Asking the two of them to help the ten princesses test for Spiritual Roots was unrealistic.

But Immortal Master Yuheng was different.

She originated from the Taiyi Sect, and the Taiyi Sect was the state religion of Great Yu. Zheng Yi had also crossed paths once with Zhao Xi Zheng, the Supreme Old Ancestor of the Taiyi Sect.

The Taiyi Sect also had a large number of Disciples serving in various departments within the imperial court.

Viewed this way, the Taiyi Sect and Great Yu could already be considered bound by a shared destiny.

Therefore, after Zhuang Yuheng broke through her Bottleneck and stepped into Qi Refining Level 3, Zheng Yi also personally wrote a letter and passed it to Zhao Xi Zheng.

The Cultivation Technique contents for the fourth to sixth layers of the Chaoyang Zixia Skill, the Spiritual Testing Talismans, and the spell arts for testing Spiritual Roots were all passed down by Zhao Xi Zheng.

"Include those two as well."

Zheng Yi motioned toward Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu standing behind.

Seeing Zhuang Yuheng's strange look, Zheng Yi explained, "They are both descendants of Cultivators and are very likely to possess Spiritual Roots."

"Your concubine understands."

Zhuang Yuheng nodded and said, "Your concubine will test the Spiritual Roots for the princesses right away."

With that, she signaled the seven of them to stand in a line, with Dongyun Jie taking the lead for the test.

Dongyun Jie hesitantly glanced at Zheng Yi, her eyes as pitiful as a puppy's. "Your Majesty?"

Zheng Yi nodded and said, "Just listen to Consort Yu later and don't move around randomly."

"Okay~"

Zhuang Yuheng smiled rarely and said, "Little sister, you don't need to be nervous. Just close your eyes."

"Okay~"

With that, she closed her eyes, carefully waiting for something.

Zhuang Yuheng solemnly opened the wooden box, took out an apricot-yellow Talisman covered in numerous complex embroidered patterns from it, and placed it on the table.

Then she saw her hands quickly form hand seals, and the Spiritual Testing Talisman before her suddenly moved without wind, floating before Zhuang Yuheng and Dongyun Jie.

After a few breaths, with a "boom", the Spiritual Testing Talisman ignited without wind, instantly rushing before Dongyun Jie.

What was bizarre was that the burning flames of this Talisman possessed no temperature at all, turning into a wisp of blue smoke that enveloped Dongyun Jie within it.

Zheng Yi's eyes suddenly lit up as he saw the Spiritual Testing Talisman, which had already burned into ashes, suddenly reappear before Dongyun Jie.

The difference was that what appeared this time was a nearly transparent Talisman!

Zhuang Yuheng also exclaimed in surprise, "Your Majesty! Dongyun Jie indeed possesses Spiritual Roots, though we don't yet know what kind of Spiritual Roots she has."

As her voice fell, that transparent Talisman also suddenly began to change gradually.

The upper part of the Talisman turned cyan, constantly fluttering and drifting away with the wind.

The lower part of the Talisman turned light blue, rippling like water waves and emitting a wisp of moisture.

The areas occupied by the two on the Talisman were about the same, almost a fifty-fifty split.

Zhuang Yuheng's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly said, "Your Majesty! Dongyun Jie turns out to have dual-attribute Spiritual Roots, and furthermore, a portion of her Spiritual Roots is actually a Wind-attribute mutant Spiritual Root!"

Among Cultivator Spiritual Roots, besides the Five Elements Spiritual Roots of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, special mutant Spiritual Roots also existed.

Wind, Lightning, Ice, Blood, Light, Darkness, and so on.

When Cultivators with these mutant Spiritual Roots cultivated Cultivation Techniques of the corresponding attributes, their progress was far superior to Cultivators with Five Elements Spiritual Roots, falling only slightly short of the Heavenly Spiritual Root!

"Hahaha, Dongyun Yu, you really do have Spiritual Roots, well done!"

Zheng Yi laughed heartily, grabbed her up in his arms, and kissed her fiercely.

"Your Majesty~"

Dongyun Jie's face immediately blushed. Seeing this, the other little lolis also hurriedly cried out for kisses.

"Alright, alright, a kiss for each, everyone gets a share!"

With that, he gave a kiss on the lips to each of the five young princesses and Dongyun Yu; even Zhuang Yuheng did not escape.

"Your Majesty~!"

Zhuang Yuheng gave Zheng Yi an unamused look, adjusted her clothes, and said, "Alright, next."

"Among Mortals, those who possess Spiritual Roots are less than one in ten thousand. Since the Dongyun sisters are both descendants of Cultivators, their chance of possessing Spiritual Roots is much higher than that of descendants of Mortals."

With that, another Spiritual Testing Talisman once again ignited without wind, turning into a wave of heat that enveloped Dongyun Yu.

After a few breaths, true to form, another transparent Talisman manifestation appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Spiritual Root!"

[Recommendation of a friend's book, a level-5 veteran author specializing in supernatural stories.]

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