Chapter 186: Staying in the Northern Frontier as a Female Immortal
Jinsui quickly said there was nothing to apologize for. She understood that building a Taoist temple was not something Batel could decide alone. Batel had just ascended the throne and couldn’t oppose the powerful people and officials over such a small matter.
She understood Batel very well, so she didn’t need his apology.
Princess Tuoya said with difficulty, “You know Batel’s temperament. If you don’t go to see him, he’ll definitely think you’re angry that he didn’t keep his promise.
If he becomes stubborn and insists on building a Taoist temple for you, things will become even more troublesome.”
Jinsui thought about it and agreed. It wasn’t like she couldn’t practice medicine in the Northern Frontier if she couldn’t build a Taoist temple. She could let her junior brother Liu Yun dispense medicine in the Northern Frontier as a Taoist. It would be good to talk to Batel in person.
She found Miss Yan, who was surrounded by noblewomen. Miss Yan was showing them scented creams and rouge, which, like perfume, were also favored by noblewomen and ladies.
Jinsui kept it brief. She couldn’t say she was going to see Batel in front of the noblewomen, so she just said, “I’ll be right back. Wait for me when you’re done!”
Miss Yan thought she was going to the toilet and repeatedly said, “Okay, hurry back.”
Tuoya was also busy and didn’t personally take Jinsui, casually pointing a maidservant to lead the way.
As she left the felt tent, she saw Batel. However, he was on horseback, waving to Jinsui from afar, pointing to the nearby Sacred Mountain, and galloping towards it.
Jinsui was stunned. What was he going there for? If he had something to say, he could just say it! She decided to catch up to Batel, chat for a bit, and then hurry back.
After galloping out of the gathering place, she realized Batel hadn’t brought any bodyguards. This made her worried again. How could this guy be so careless?
Lei Zan’s former subordinates were still lurking. So many clan leaders attended the enthronement ceremony; it was hard to guarantee that none of them wanted you dead.
Having such a partner is truly worrying. Because the business they are cooperating on is too large, you also worry that if he dies, and you still have to worry about his company going bankrupt and not being able to collect the final payment.
Moreover, if you are still in his company, you worry even more that if something happens to him, you will be surrounded and killed by his angry shareholders…
Jinsui’s face darkened. What an unreliable partner! Once I open up the overseas market, I will absolutely not cooperate with you Northern Frontier people. It’s too much of a drain on energy!
When they reached the Sacred Mountain, Jinsui dismounted and started scolding, “Why didn’t you bring any bodyguards? Do you know how dangerous it is to act alone!”
Batel raised an eyebrow, “I have ascended the throne as king. This is the Royal Court. Who dares to kill me!”
Jinsui was speechless, “There have been quite a few kings who were killed!” If you were to be killed, the first suspects would be us Han people. Aren’t you putting us in a difficult position!
Seeing her genuinely angry, Batel smiled again, “I want to take you to the Divine Palace. I can’t let others see.”
Jinsui looked up and saw a palace halfway up the mountain. This was the Divine Palace located in the Northern Frontier Royal Court. They had an even grander Divine Palace located on the Snowy Mountain.
When Jinsui heard that others were not allowed in, she decided not to go up. “What do I need to go into your Divine Palace for? If you have something to say, say it quickly. I still need to go back and sell glazed glass artifacts!”
Batel pointed to the Divine Palace and said, “This is the Divine Palace of our royal family. You are a Female Immortal who serves the Gods, so it’s fine for you to go up.
I want to take you for divination, and then present the divination results to the Grand Shaman. They won’t be able to object to building a Taoist temple for you.”
Jinsui was a little touched. It was already very good that Batel could do this for her. But she still refused, “Building a Taoist temple can’t be rushed. We can wait a few more years…”
Batel didn’t wait for her to finish and entered a very narrow stone gate first, beckoning her with a smile:
“Are you coming? If you don’t, our agreement to build a Taoist temple will be void!”
Jinsui didn’t care whether it was void or not. She had other ways to achieve her goal, and she wasn’t a real Taoist.
She just couldn’t watch Batel take risks alone. If he had brought a bodyguard, she would have turned around and left without a second word.
She had no choice but to follow, “Then we’ll go up, have a divination, and come down.”
As she entered the stone gate, it closed with a heavy thud. Looking at the narrow staircase ahead, which resembled a heavenly ladder, she regretted it a little. Her legs would be ruined after climbing this!
“King Batel, has your enthronement ceremony ended? How about we come back tomorrow? I haven’t eaten yet.”
Batel laughed heartily, “Tomorrow, those annoying guys will all be gone. Who will we show the divination results to? Only today will have miraculous effects!”
“Hurry up. When we come down, I’ll personally roast lamb chops for you!”
Jinsui took out an energy bar from her sleeve and ate it. Batel recognized it as the ‘brown sugar’ that the Black Feather Camp Soldiers loved the most and reached out familiarly, “Give this King a piece.”
Jinsui chuckled, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll poison it!”
There was a hint of apology in Batel’s eyes, but it quickly returned to calm, making Jinsui think she had imagined it.
“Of course not! Anyone in this world could harm me, but you and my sister wouldn’t.”
Jinsui gave a dry laugh. Elevating me to the same status as your sister, I’m truly flattered!
The two of them chewed on the energy bars. Their mouths felt a bit dry and greasy. Batel directly reached for the snow by the steps to eat it. Jinsui quickly stopped him:
“You can’t eat that! I have sugar water for you to drink.”
She took the opportunity to explain the dangers of drinking raw water. Batel didn’t say anything like “you people from the Central Plains are too fussy” but listened very seriously.
He suddenly understood how the plague spread in the tribes. It was true. The water flowed, and if people upstream got sick, the plague would follow the water downstream. People downstream would drink raw water directly, and of course, they would get sick.
Jinsui was about to get mineral water but suddenly thought of inviting Batel to drink a can of the youth’s favorite, so she took out two bottles of cola.
She specifically tore off the paper label on the bottle before handing it to Batel, “Try this. It’s a special product from our border city, soda.”
“Soda?”
Batel unhesitatingly tilted his head back and took a big gulp. Then, as Jinsui wished, she saw him frown, open his mouth, and then let out a long burp. Only then did he laugh and say,
“Refreshing, it’s delicious!”
He urged Jinsui again, “You drink too.”
Jinsui didn’t have any restraint of a woman at all. She also tilted her head back and took a big gulp, letting out a burp as well. Batel burst into laughter.
“You are different from other women. I’ve never met a woman like you.”
Jinsui had already heard many people comment on her like this. She agreed, “I’ll take that as a compliment! Come, cheers.”
At this moment, Batel pointed outside the steps and said, “Look.”
Jinsui looked up and saw the square where the ceremony had just taken place laid out before her. The people coming and going were as small as ants, and various colored banners fluttered in the wind.
Looking further, there was the vast, boundless prairie, and snow-capped mountains. The felt tents looked like clusters of white mushrooms, and the large flocks of sheep looked like clouds that had fallen to the ground.
One had to admit, the Northern Frontier was beautiful. Even in such a desolate winter, it still possessed a rugged, vast beauty.
Jinsui sincerely praised, “It’s so beautiful!”
Batel was very pleased, “Right! Our Northern Frontier has the most beautiful scenery in the world!
I really don’t understand why kings in past dynasties wanted to go south. The south is not suitable for herding or running horses. The land is cut into small plots for farming, which is suffocating.”
Jinsui strongly agreed with his point and nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes! The south is not good!
It’s warm and humid there, making people lazy. Even the fiercest warriors would not want to draw their swords and nock arrows in Jiangnan.
There are mountains and ridges everywhere, and the roads are difficult to travel. It’s impossible to gallop horses! You Northern Frontier men could never like the south.”
Batel smiled, “This King knows what you are worried about. Don’t worry, I am not like Lei Zan. I have never been to the Central Plains, nor do I want to go to the Central Plains.
It’s just that our food is always insufficient. For the tribes to not starve, they can only cross the border to plunder. Even as the King of the Northern Frontier, I sometimes cannot control those poor tribes.”
Jinsui seized the opportunity to say, “Actually, it’s just a lack of food. You don’t have to go south at all. To the west, there is a country that produces abundant grain and spices.
And the people of that country are not like us Han people; they are very docile and will not resist.”
Batel became curious, “What country? Is it like the country of Wa? Once I have complete control, I will send people to that country.”
Jinsui took out some dried beef and ate it. Batel became curious, “How much stuff do you have on you?”
Jinsui chuckled, “I brought everything I should have. Here, have some fruit.”
They climbed for a full half-hour, climbing countless stone steps. Jinsui was so tired she was panting, but she cherished the opportunity to be alone with Batel.
Because she wanted to take the opportunity to instill in Batel her plan to have the Northern Frontier serfs cultivate cash crops on a large scale and exchange them for grain with the border cities.
She also wanted to describe to Batel how good the country of Tianzhu was, with gold and spices everywhere, and how they liked warriors.
Besides Tianzhu, Jinsui described in detail which countries could be reached by going west, even bringing up the ancestors of the nomadic people.
Your ancestors once went to these places and were called the Scourge of God by the locals…
In short, Jinsui wanted to influence Batel, so that when he needed to, he would use his troops to conquer to the west, instead of pointing his sword to the south.
Although she didn’t know how much impact her words would have, planting a seed in him would be good! Let Batel realize that the world is vast, and Great Xia is not the only enemy he can have.
Batel’s reaction was strange. No matter what Jinsui said, he agreed, unlike the middle schooler who used to argue with her.
Before Jinsui could ponder the reason for his change in attitude, they arrived at the Divine Palace.
The Divine Palace was not large, consisting of one main palace, two side halls, a long corridor, and a small courtyard.
But it was extremely luxuriously decorated. The floor was made of jade, the offering table was inlaid with gold, and the hanging banners were inlaid with gemstones.
As expected of a Divine Palace built in the Royal Court, and only the King of the Northern Frontier or the Crown Prince could come here, right?
Built on the mountainside, with only this narrow mountain path, one could imagine the immense human and material resources it took.
The powerful people did not treat the lower class as humans, and it was even worse in the Northern Frontier. The lives of slaves were not as important as a cow or sheep. Jinsui couldn’t help but wonder if this Divine Palace was built by Han Slaves.
Did any of them die of exhaustion here? Many people, when seeing magnificent and imposing ancient buildings, first react with pride and admiration.
So grand! Like the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids, the Potala Palace…
The Jinsui of the past was also like that, but now she couldn’t help but think, how much blood and tears were stained on each brick and tile? How many withered bones were buried beneath these luxurious palaces?
Batel was still waiting for her reaction. She smiled and gave her evaluation, “Magnificent! To build a Divine Palace on a mountain, that’s amazing!
Let’s finish the divination quickly and go down the mountain! It’s getting dark.”
Batel asked in a low voice, “Do you like it here?”
Jinsui looked at the luxurious but cold palace. What was there to like or dislike? Palaces were for appreciation, not for liking.
But she still nodded, “This is much more magnificent than the Taoist temples in the Central Plains! If my Grandpa could have had a divination here, he would have been very happy.”
Batel’s voice was full of temptation, “In the summer, you can see the stars clearly here. The stars are so low that it feels like you can pluck them with your hand.
In spring, the scenery is even better. The rivers are like jade belts inlaid on the prairie. This is a land blessed by the Gods…”
Jinsui became a little anxious. Young man, now is not the time for your poetic outbursts!
She walked towards the offering table first, “Do you want to use a turtle shell or wolf bones?”
She found that Batel hadn’t moved and was staring at her intently, “Miss Ji, will you stay in the Northern Frontier? Be the Saintess of the Royal Court, the future Grand Shaman.”
Jinsui was stunned. She had encountered another boss trying to poach her. But she could be poached by Yan Jiu because she was unemployed then!
It’s different now. Not only am I concurrently serving as a consultant for two major enterprises, but I’m also starting my own business. How could I be a charlatan in the unfamiliar Northern Frontier?
She hurriedly said, “Thank you for your high regard, Your Majesty. However, I am a person of Great Xia and do not wish to leave my homeland.”
Batel sincerely persuaded, “As long as you stay, I will give you whatever you want.”
Jinsui hit the nail on the head, “You want that Thunder Fire, don’t you? I’m truly sorry, but that can only be made in Taoist temples in Great Xia. Even if you keep me in the Northern Frontier, I can’t make Thunder Fire by myself.”
She wasn’t so narcissistic as to think Batel liked her. She was always clear-headed. In such chaotic times, beauty was just a bonus. Men with power valued ability more than beauty.
When they fought Lei Zan, Batel had shown extreme curiosity about Fish Oil Firearms. It was just that he didn’t pursue it later, nor did he investigate secretly.
To guard against him, Jinsui had collected all the Fish Oil Firearms and put them into her space, only taking them out for Hei Hu before entering the Royal Court this time.
She thought Batel had given up, but she didn’t expect him to be saving his ultimate move! If he couldn’t get the Fish Oil Firearms, he would directly recruit the person who made them.
Batel did not deny it, but he persisted, “I can give you time. I guarantee in the name of the King of the Northern Frontier that you will receive the highest treatment in the Northern Frontier.
I can grant you pastures, give you farmland, give you slaves, give you this Divine Palace! As long as you stay!”
Jinsui became vigilant. She looked around. There was no one else in the Divine Palace, only the two of them.
Batel continued, “What’s so good about returning to Great Xia? That Yan Jiu treats you like a maidservant, and King Li doesn’t respect you either.
They don’t call you Female Immortal!
If you stay in the Northern Frontier, my people will worship you as an incarnation of the Gods!”
Jinsui felt that this young man was too stubborn to communicate normally. It would be better to talk when his sister, Princess Tuoya, was present.
She got up to leave, “It seems you don’t really want to have divination. I’m going down the mountain!”
Batel shook his head, “No, you cannot go down the mountain. Tonight, your companions will leave, and you will stay in the Northern Frontier.”
Jinsui snorted coldly. Damn it, I can’t give you a good look!
She raised her hand crossbow. If Batel dared to stop her from leaving, she would knock him out.
As a result, she saw Batel slam his palm onto a stone pillar, and instantly, the palace door closed with a rumble.
