Jiang watched as they all disappeared in the blink of an eye. It was as if they were never even here. He decided to take a quick bath before leaving as his body felt sticky, dirty and sweaty. Also, he had to examine his appearance carefully. He couldn't believe such a hideous face wasn't recognisable. Jiang was really curious about the matter. He must know why those murderers didn't recognise him.
He removed his old black robe and thanked the heavens that it was only his ugly face in the poster and not his full body. He guessed that was probably why he wasn't found out. If not for that they might have recognised him from the robe he wore. But then he realised that was also very unlikely as he normally wore clothes made from leaves. Maybe the person he believed to be his brother, wasn’t attentive enough or had never seen him wear the same robe before.
Jiang was quite certain at this point that the Metal Elemental was his brother. Not only was his voice familiar, but his physique, mannerism and the aura around him was also similar to his brother. Jiang decided not to think about the matter any further. What was more important was that the heavens had saved him yet again.
He dived into the river completely nude. As a 'country bumpkin' who lived all his life in the forest, he was very comfortable with his present naked state. He hated wearing robes if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. Besides, he couldn’t afford them so he used whatever material he could find in the forest to cover the more private parts of his body.
Jiang knew not to wade too far into the river otherwise he might get washed away by the currents. He had noticed that the river wasn't a common one, and chose to stay closer to the banks. When Jiang finally raised his head from the water he noticed that the hair cascading down his shoulders and slightly obscuring his sight had reverted back to its original white colour. It had been dyed black to resemble the colour of his sister’s hair. Upon taking a closer look, Jiang discovered that his original white hair wasn’t white anymore but silver. It became very soft, lustrous and healthy, it was even glowing in the sunlight. Jiang believed that the strange change must be due to his ability to cultivate.
Jiang was too busy marvelling over the change in his hair colour to check the rest of his body. When he accidentally saw his reflection on the surface of the water, he was so stunned that he started breathing heavily. Jiang frantically touched his face as if to confirm that it was indeed his own, that he wasn't hallucinating or having lucid dreams. He even tried to remove his head from his neck fearing that an evil spirit might have placed its head on his somehow to possess him. Of course, such thoughts were nonsensical. However, Jiang could not be blamed for his disbelief. He was in no state to think coherently after the dramatic changes with his body.
His once almost non-existent tiny eyes were now large, bright and clear. The eye colour was a typical brown but if one was to observe closely, there was a hint of pink on the iris that glittered mesmerizingly on several occasions. It made his eyes look like rare mythical gems. Jiang had long eyelashes and just below the outer corner, his left eye was a tiny beautiful tear drop shaped mark. That tear drop mark was so tiny that he could hardly call it a mole but it accentuated his features. His lips were small and pink. Jiang unconsciously bit on his lower lip upon seeing them, it literally made a person want to bite and suck it and he was no exception.
Jiang thought out loud, “I am not boasting but with my present appearance, I mean… with a look like this, I can definitely cause the downfall of nations.” Jiang started laughing weirdly by himself because he thought he was being frivolous. But he could be forgiven for his frivolity because he had momentarily become witless. In such a short time he was transformed from a beast to a beauty. Jiang now understood the reason why those people who were hunting him couldn't recognise him at all. The difference was so great, no one would have thought even in their wildest dreams that such a drastic transformation could occur. Jiang felt that it was fortunate he didn’t get abducted by the group because of his looks. When the Earth Elemental and even his brother were giving him such weird looks, he had thought it was because they were suspicious of him, but what if they were coveting his enchanting looks instead? It’s a good thing that they were in a rush to find him. If only they knew that they did indeed found him and were even mesmerised by his appearance but had let him go, they would definitely go mad with rage.
But Jiang had a dilemma. He didn't know whether to be happy or afraid. Of course, he was very happy that he no longer looked so hideous but at the same time, he was afraid that his looks might bring the Emperor’s attention to him. He was slender and his skin was soft, tender and as fair as snow. If he wore his sister’s clothes and managed to act elegantly like her, he could easily pass himself off as a noble girl. What would happen if the Emperor favoured him and then found out that he was an impostor? An illegitimate child? More pertinently, if it was ever revealed that he was not only an impostor but a male to boot and not a female as expected, there was the distinct possibility he might get his head cut off.
Jiang was told by his father to take the place of his sister as the Emperor’s Empress elect and he was expected to marry the Emperor in time. But in order for his secret not to be discovered, he had been instructed not to try and gain the Emperor’s favour. That way, he could remain hidden beneath the veil and the Lei family wouldn't get implicated in the capital crime of not only disregarding an Imperial edict but deceiving the Emperor as well. Jiang understood that all the things said to him by his father were just to secure his compliance since the best way to ensure that the Lei Manor wouldn't be implicated was through his death.
Nevertheless, now that he wasn’t dead he was still planning to go through with some of his father’s plan. He decided to enter the Palace because he didn’t want to implicate the Lei Manor. And he didn't want the blood of nine generations of the Lei family who knew nothing of the General’s evil acts on his hands. Also, some part of him wanted acknowledgment from his family. Though that didn't mean he was going to accept being part of the family after everything they had done to him in his previous life. Most importantly, he needed a place where he could stay safe from his vengeful father.
Ideally, Jiang would have not chosen to enter the Palace if he had a better option. But his life was more at risk if he kept roaming around, and his strength wasn't enough to protect himself. Right now, the Palace was the best and only refuge he could think of. Jiang was absolutely certain that his father wouldn’t stop searching for him. “If I don't enter the Palace I will be eventually hunted down and killed for sure. I know it won’t be long before father ordered them to use a Jinx tracer to find me. With the Jinx tracer, I won't be able to hide from them even if my appearance has changed beyond recognition because it traces people through their blood. And father had me drop my blood on the tracer before leaving for Yang province.” Jiang sighed deeply.
A Jinx tracer was a very expensive artifact and even more costly to operate since it consumed a lot of spirit mana stones, the currency used in Tang Qin Shang Empire. The artifact could also be used to gather mana as well as set up spiritual arrays, such arrays were usually set up by Formation Elementals also know as Spiritual Elementals.
Some very powerful elementals could block the magic of a Jinx tracer from tracking them, so it wasn't all-powerful. But with Jiang’s current capability, he wouldn't be able to prevent being located. He had also read somewhere that there were certain ancient sites that the tracer supposedly couldn't get a reading but that supposition had never been verified as true. However, Jiang had an inkling that the tracer wouldn’t be able to locate his whereabouts if he was to enter the Imperial Palace.
Jiang knew that when he entered the Palace, he must stay away from the Emperor at all costs. To conceal his identity as an impostor, he had to make the Emperor disliked him. Thus, he would be ignored by him and his secret could remain a secret. Until he was able to leave the confines of Palace again, Ice Jewel would become his new best friend, his face forever hidden beneath the veil. When he became powerful enough to protect himself from his father’s influence and the assassins he sent after his life, then Jiang plans to set out on him own, he would escape from the Palace and live a free and unencumbered life. But how was Jiang to know that the moment he decided to enter the Imperial Palace his fate was completely and forever sealed?
Jiang came out of the water and put on his black robe. He thought of his tattered bag and it appeared before him. He had long figured out that it was in the Space Area located in his core where mana was stored. He now knew that he could store anything there if he so wished. All he had to do was to will it in, or out.
When Jiang took Ice Jewel, he instantly knew it had undergone an upgrade. The veil could now change colours and shape. He believed that as he grew stronger, and his Space Area evolved, if he put the Ice Jewel in there it would undergo another upgrade. And another upgrade would give Ice Jewel the ability to disguise people with almost undetectable flaws. Nothing was perfect in the world after all. Jiang was overjoyed with his new discovery. He immediately willed Ice Jewel to change itself into a mask. He had decided not to wear Lei Yue’s clothes until he arrived in the Capital. Thus, a veil would look odd with the male robe he was wearing.
He then dyed his hair black again with the substance given to him by his father. Jiang didn't know how his father obtained the substance. He also wondered why his father had to bother giving him the dye when he had already planned his death, it was not like Jiang was going to need it after he died. He used the dye without any reservations that it might be harmful. His reasoning was that his father didn't plan to get rid of him by using poison. Although he had a strong suspicion that his father probably regretted not poisoning him to death when he had the chance.
Once Jiang was ready, he hurriedly made his way towards Yang province.
"Are you visiting Yang Province for business or pleasure?" The guard at the gate recording entries to the city asked, without even looking up from his record book to see who he was talking to. Jiang couldn't really blame him as the guard looked completely exhausted.
"Business," Jiang replied succinctly as he handed over Lei Yue’s seal. Anyone that saw the seal would know that it was from the Lei Manor. Jiang was sure he wouldn't have any problem passing through the city gate using it. With Lei Yue’s identity, he wasn't an illegitimate son that no one knew existed. He was a noble lady, the Young Mistress of Lei Manor.
The guard looked up and was momentarily surprised when he saw him but he quickly recovered his senses and said, "Please proceed, Young Mistress." Jiang awkwardly bowed his head and that earned him another surprised look from the guard. Jiang didn't understand why the man was so surprised. What he didn't realised was that nobles would rarely condescend to bow to a mere guard, especially one whose cultivation wasn't even high. Most children from powerful families were usually arrogant and overbearing especially Lei Yue. Many people had heard of her arrogance and temper. But what stunned the guard was the difference between the person in front of him and the rumours he had heard.
Common cultivators could raise their status and even become nobles if they were very talented and extremely strong. In this world, strength was what really mattered. Strength would gain you the respect of others but without strength, even a noble young master or mistress would be treated like nothing. The Lei family was unique in the sense that even if the General’s child was trash so long as the child had his name and was under his protection no one would dare to slight them. It was too bad that Jiang was never acknowledged by General Lei. He was not even given a name. He had to name himself Jiang because he was on the brink of death in his previous life and refused to die without a name.
As Jiang walked into Yang Province he felt nervous, overwhelmed and giddy inside, he wondered what the Capital city held in store for him.
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