Chapter 154: I Am Late

Li Xiao stood up and walked step by step until he was right in front of Tan Qingjiu. "Could it be that you've forgotten who I am?"

Tan Qingjiu blinked. "You're... my sixth master."

Seeing Li Xiao narrow his eyes as he looked at her, Tan Qingjiu chuckled softly. "You are my sixth master, but you are also the Grand Preceptor of the Qingning Kingdom."

Li Xiao nodded, his lips pressing together slightly. "That's right. I am the Grand Preceptor of the Qingning Kingdom. It was also the Grand Preceptor who told the Emperor that the convergence of the seven stars portended a catastrophe."

"I can go tell the Emperor that although the catastrophic star of the seven-star convergence has not yet been found, it has already fallen."

Li Xiao raised his chin slightly. "The Emperor is superstitious; he will surely believe it. I can even tell him that six years ago, another person blessed with the seven-star convergence was born. But unlike the one from more than twenty years ago, this time, the one born is a star of great fortune."

Tan Qingjiu laughed and gently shook her head.

Seeing her shake her head, Li Xiao narrowed his eyes. "What does that head shake mean? Do you think my idea is no good?"

"Or do you think my influence with the Emperor is insufficient, and he might not listen to my words?"

"It's not that the idea is bad, nor is my influence insufficient. It's just that... the Emperor has been searching for that catastrophic star for more than twenty years. Now over sixty, he has reigned for a very long time and may even be nearing the end of his days, yet he is still searching. What does that signify?"

"Signify what?"

"It signifies that finding the catastrophic star of the seven-star convergence has already become an obsession for the Emperor."

"You can tell the Emperor that the person of the seven-star convergence has fallen. But I believe that even so, the Emperor will not stop searching."

"As for mentioning a star of great fortune, I think it's better left unsaid."

"To anyone, a catastrophic star matters far more than a fortunate one, let alone to an Emperor. If there is a catastrophic star in this world, the Emperor will go to any lengths to eradicate it."

"But if there is a star of great fortune, to the Emperor, it is something dispensable."

"Furthermore, after twenty years of obsession, those six words—the mark of the seven-star convergence—in the Emperor's eyes probably mean only one thing: catastrophe. Even if you were to tell him that this newly appeared one is a star of great fortune, once he finds them, the most likely outcome is still that he will kill them."

Tan Qingjiu pressed her lips together, her eyes dark and deep. Having lived as a physician for two lifetimes, she had seen her fair share of those in high positions and with great power; by now, she had a pretty good grasp of what went on in their minds.

While she couldn't claim she would guess correctly every single time, she was almost always close to the mark.

And most importantly, the person bearing the mark of the seven-star convergence was Xingqi; she must not, and absolutely would not, take any risks with Xingqi.

Therefore, the best approach was to thoroughly sever the root cause before anything was discovered at all.

Moreover...

Tan Qingjiu raised her eyes to look at Li Xiao. "Moreover, previously I didn't quite understand what Sixth Master meant by those words regarding Shen Yingjue. Before interacting with Shen Yingjue, I always felt that he was merely an idle, sickly prince born and raised in the cold palace, who was quickly placed under house arrest after leaving it. What could possibly be special about him?"

"Yet after interacting with Shen Yingjue, I realized my previous thoughts were entirely wrong."

"Around Shen Yingjue, there seem to be layer upon layer of mysteries, shrouded in heavy fog. And right at the very center of all those mysteries is Shen Yingjue."

"Although I stepped into this unintentionally, I am already caught within the game now. Wanting to extricate myself is likely going to be difficult."

Tan Qingjiu reached for the teapot nearby and poured herself a cup of tea. "It doesn't matter, though. After all, as Sixth Master said, my original purpose was to come into contact with members of the imperial family and get close to the Emperor."

"Since that purpose has not yet been achieved, naturally I will not return empty-handed like this."

Li Xiao's eyes were pitch-black. "You can use me."

Tan Qingjiu laughed. "Mm, I could, but I don't want to."

"Because Sixth Master is someone very important that I've come to know over these years. This matter inherently carries risks, and when I appeared by Shen Yingjue's side, the Emperor was already suspicious."

"If I were to get entangled with you as well, Sixth Master, the Emperor's reaction would likely go far beyond mere suspicion. Sixth Master is important, and therefore, I do not want to drag you into this."

Hearing this, Li Xiao let out a cold chuckle. "Understood. I could tell earlier that you deliberately pretended not to know me precisely because you didn't want to be involved with me."

Li Xiao's gaze turned somewhat vacant. "When all is said and done, I was simply a step too late."

"When I received the news that you had come to the capital, I should have sought you out directly, revealed my true identity and my standing at court. That way, appearing before Shen Yingjue did, and knowing that I am the Grand Preceptor of the Qingning Kingdom, you would have considered me."

"Yet I never expected..."

Li Xiao's eyes were filled with chagrin. "Knowing you had returned to the capital, I merely assumed you wanted to seek revenge on the Tan residence. I figured that to you, a mere Tan residence was like an ant that could be crushed between your fingers at will. You probably just wanted to watch that ant struggle helplessly, never imagining you were plotting something so grand."

Tan Qingjiu's eyes curved into crescents. She couldn't deny that if she had known earlier that Li Xiao was the Grand Preceptor, she most likely would have used him as a stepping stone to approach the Emperor.

It was just a pity she hadn't known.

Li Xiao took a sip of tea, fell silent for a long while, and then asked again, "Is Xingqi also in the Prince Duan Manor?"

"Yes, she is."

Li Xiao raised his eyes. "You've just brazenly placed Xingqi in the Prince Duan Manor? The various factions within the Prince Duan Manor are intricately intertwined, and Xingqi knows nothing whatsoever about the seven-star convergence. Weren't you afraid that Xingqi might accidentally expose her own secret?"

Tan Qingjiu lowered her eyes. "The most dangerous place is the safest place. Xingqi's situation is far too special; I still prefer to keep her right under my own nose."

Li Xiao casually plucked at the strings of the zither, producing a series of discordant, tuneless notes.

"Fine, I understand."

Tan Qingjiu's eyes curved as she coaxed softly, "Master, don't worry. If I encounter any situation I truly cannot handle, I will certainly come looking for Sixth Master to step in."

Li Xiao let out a huff. "You always say that."

"Alright, go on. Your Fourth Master has matters to discuss with you as well."

"Understood."

Only then did Tan Qingjiu stand up, leave the private room, and head downstairs.

As soon as she reached the lower floor, Tan Qingjiu saw her Fourth Master, Chu Xin, staring worriedly at a pile of slips of paper, her brows furrowed tightly and her expression rather irritable.

"Fourth Master, what's wrong?"