Chapter 439: We Name You Consort Luo!
This was the very first time Kirin, the Mortal Alter Ego of the Empress, had ever experienced the backlash.
Before this moment, even she had no idea what exactly would happen during such an event. The only descriptions she'd ever seen came from the Trinity of Pristine States scripture, under the section detailing the Mortal Alter Ego technique—and even there, the explanation was frustratingly vague.
"When the mind is disturbed by mortal dust, the myriad forms of the human world manifest; one loses control of oneself."
She'd read that line countless times, but it always felt abstract and distant—like gazing at flowers through a fog.
As for the notes left by her predecessors… even in the ancient Daoist Sect, those who had both practiced the Trinity of Pristine States technique and lived through the backlash were exceedingly rare. The few records that existed spoke of it in cryptic, cautious terms.
Among them, one warning appeared again and again:
"When enduring backlash, one must be in solitude."
But realistically, when circumstances are dire enough to force one to use such a forbidden method, few have the luxury of choosing where to face the consequences.
At least, that was what Kirin thought before the backlash began. In that life-or-death moment, she simply couldn't afford hesitation.
And the only person who could have possibly been near her during the backlash… happened to be the trustworthy Holy Saint of the Demon Sect.
Besides, after reading the so-called warnings, the whole thing didn't sound all that terrifying anyway.
Surely nothing unacceptable would happen, right?
All of this is to say one simple thing.
Kirin had absolutely no idea what she was in for!
Which is how the current scene came to be.
Luo Wusheng stared blankly at the girl in his arms—still unconscious, eyes closed, her face now completely unmasked.
In his mind, ten thousand alpacas stampeded past.
This… surely wasn't his fault, right?
When Miss Kirin woke up, she wouldn't kill him to "silence any witness," would she?
The thought of that unfinished phrase—"Otherwise…"—echoed in his head, making his expression twitch uncontrollably.
'Still… as I thought, she really does have the exact same face as the Empress's other two Mortal Alter Ego…'
Beneath the discarded mask was a face of breathtaking beauty—pure and unadorned, yet flawless beyond reason.
From such close range, it was as though every inch of her skin had been carved by divine craftsmanship—no flaws, no excess, not even the faintest imperfection.
Truly, it's the looks that the main character harem member would have!
Luo Wusheng couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Though all three of the Empress's Mortal Alter Ego shared the same face, each carried subtle distinctions.
The Imperial Alter Ego radiated majesty and innate authority, the Daoist Alter Ego exuded ethereal transcendence, and the Mortal Alter Ego, which Miss Kirin represented, possessed a quiet, earthly grace—a kind of pure, natural beauty that blended seamlessly into the human world.
It was… oddly captivating.
She could fit into almost any role imaginable without seeming out of place.
A famed officer of the Six Gate Bureau?
A peerless courtesan whose every glance ensnared hearts?
A learned scholar lecturing at a prestigious academy?
Luo's imagination started to drift further—into scenes involving sailor uniforms, maid outfits, maybe even—cough—other things better left unspoken.
In all cases, it somehow worked.
Utterly no sense of dissonance.
"Anyway, what should I do now? Just… put her mask back on?"
He muttered to himself, quickly deciding on a course of action.
Glancing down, he noticed that Miss Kirin was still holding two masks—one was the scale-patterned mask she had just removed, and the other was the blank white mask he had lent her earlier.
After a moment's thought, Luo Wusheng gently took both from her unresisting hands.
'She must be too deep in backlash to react…'
Holding the two masks, his eyes flickered mischievously.
Then, an idea struck him.
He placed the masks one atop the other—the blank one on top, the scale-patterned one beneath.
"Since she's so determined to hide her identity… wearing two masks should be even safer, right?"
He grinned.
'Let's see how many faces you've got, Miss Kirin!'
Luo Wusheng had always been a firm believer in multi-layered defense.
Back when facing the black flood dragon, he'd gone so far as to stand behind two spatial barriers and wear a mask that concealed his aura—just in case.
'Come to think of it, how did Miss Kirin never realize she could just double up like this?'
Probably too exhausted to think straight, he decided.
Her brain must've short-circuited from mana drain.
As that thought crossed his mind, Luo Wusheng slowly brought the two-layered mask closer to that stunningly beautiful face.
By sheer coincidence, just at that moment, Miss Kirin's long eyelashes trembled ever so slightly.
A pair of beautiful eyes gently opened.
Luo Wusheng froze, his hand still holding the mask mid-air.
At this point, there were two possible interpretations of what she was seeing:
One—he had gone completely insane and forcibly removed the mask the girl used to conceal her face.
Two—he had gone completely insane, realized what he'd done, and was now trying to put the mask back on.
'No! Listen to me! It's not what it looks like!'
Luo Wusheng's heart screamed in panic, but before he could say anything, the woman in his arms spoke in an indifferent tone.
"Little Young Master Luo, what exactly do you think you're doing to Us?"
—Huh?!
...
Luo Wusheng was utterly dumbfounded.
The hand holding the mask instinctively moved away as he blinked, his now-unobstructed gaze sweeping up and down the woman in his arms.
If he remembered correctly, the one he'd come here to save should indeed be Miss Kirin—the Mortal Alter Ego of the Empress.
Her Majesty's true body—the Imperial Alter Ego—should still be outside, wielding the Human Emperor Sword and boosting the morale of the Immortal Nation's cultivators!
So why… was the girl in his arms referring to herself as "Us"?!
The Holy Saint of the Demon Sect felt as though a dozen complaints were stuck in his throat, fighting to come out.
"Have you stared long enough?"
The "Miss Kirin" in his arms let out a cold snort.
Her tone actually carried a faint hint of imperial authority, enough to make Luo instinctively avert his gaze.
Flustered, he stammered, "Yes, yes, I've looked enough…"
"Looked enough? You mean to say you tire of Our face after only a few glances?"
"Uh?" Luo Wusheng blinked, completely thrown off by the turn of events. "Then… not enough?"
"We are the ruler of the Immortal Nation! Do you think you can look merely because you wish to? If not for your small merit in saving Our life, We would have already charged you with great disrespect!"
"???"
So no matter what he said, he was in the wrong?!
Luo Wusheng suddenly recalled a string of ominous words: "tyrant," "unpredictable sovereign," "to serve a ruler is to walk beside a tiger."
Then it hit him.
"…Your Majesty?"
He ventured the title cautiously.
'According to Miss Kirin's earlier words, she should currently be under backlash from the technique that her Mortal Alter Ego used… Could it be that the Empress's Imperial Alter Ego has somehow swapped places with her Mortal Alter Ego?'
But that didn't feel quite right either—he'd met the Empress before, and this definitely wasn't her usual demeanor.
Even if they had swapped, the Empress would never openly reveal the connection between her Mortal Alter Ego… unless she'd decided to stop pretending altogether?
As Luo wrestled with his confusion, "Miss Kirin" gave a slight nod in response to his tentative "Your Majesty," tacitly accepting the title.
Then her gaze shifted toward the masks in his hands.
"Now then… explain this."
Her expression revealed no emotion.
Luo Wusheng's own stiffened.
He wasn't sure what was going on, but judging by her tone, this situation was definitely dangerous.
Best to start by playing along.
"About that… Your Majesty may not believe this, but this mask was actually—"
"—removed by Us just now."
"???"
The Holy Saint of the Demon Sect descended into yet another spiral of bewilderment.
At that moment, Miss Kirin seemed to know exactly what Luo Wusheng was thinking just from the look on his face. Her tone was calm, regal—almost chilling.
"While We had Our eyes closed recuperating, you took the mask We had removed. For what purpose?"
Luo Wusheng was stunned.
'Wait, so that's how she's interpreting this?'
'No! Absolutely not! That's completely wrong!'
There was definitely something off about Miss Kirin's state. Even if the Empress's Imperial Alter Ego were speaking through her, she wouldn't talk like this!
Looking at her now, Miss Kirin didn't seem like the composed Empress of the Immortal Nation at all.
She looked more like… a fully delusional monarch from some old feudal dynasty.
'So this is what the backlash looks like?!'
While Luo Wushend stood frozen in disbelief, Miss Kirin suddenly shook her head slightly.
"Forget it. Compared to the merit you've earned by saving Our life, such trifles are beneath notice."
As she spoke, she fixed her eyes on Luo Wusheng's face and, regaining some strength, slowly straightened up from his embrace.
Then, with elegant precision, she raised one slender jade hand—her fingertips brushing his chin, lightly lifting it as she studied him.
After a few seconds, she gave a satisfied nod.
Luo Wusheng felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
'What now? What is she planning this time?!'
"Hmm… not bad."
Her voice was calm, almost thoughtful.
"We were just considering how best to reward you for saving Us."
"Reward…?" Luo Wusheng echoed dumbly, unable to connect her words to her actions.
"We've thought it over. Little Young Master Luo, you have rendered great service in saving Our life. Your looks also happen to please Us. When We return to the palace, We shall personally confer upon you the title of 'Consort Luo.' Consider that both your reward and absolution for daring to touch Our person without permission."
She raised her chin ever so slightly as she said this, her tone utterly regal—declaring, not suggesting.
Before her stood a young man who looked as if his entire brain had just crashed.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing right now?!
Miss Kirin's expression clearly said, You should be grateful. Hurry up and thank Us for this immense favor.
Luo Wusheng's lips parted, but not a sound came out.
What was he supposed to do—actually thank her and accept being called Consort Luo?!
Just hearing the title made his skin crawl!
But before he could even untangle his thoughts, the "tyrant" version of Miss Kirin suddenly closed her eyes again. Her body went limp, collapsing back into his arms.
'It's over? That fast?'
The thought barely formed before she opened her eyes once more—but this time, the trace of majesty was gone.
Completely gone.
In its place was… innocence. Pure, unguarded innocence.
Her clear eyes blinked up at him, and then—
Her lovely lips curved into a bright, cheerful smile as she chirped sweetly:
"Daddy!"
Pfffff—!
The Holy Saint of the Demon Sect felt like his brain had just exploded in a thunderstorm.
. . .
Meanwhile, high above the royal capital.
The Empress's face had been growing darker and darker by the minute.
Ever since her Mortal Alter Ego had fallen into that trap—and the memory synchronization between them had stopped—she'd lost all connection to that Alter Ego.
Even the Trinity of Pristine States link had been severed.
A dreadful premonition swelled in her heart, one she could no longer suppress.
She could feel it—something unthinkably bad was happening to her Mortal Alter Ego.
For the first time, the Empress truly feared she might… permanently lose one of her Alter Ego.
<+>
Note:
When Royalty refer to themself, in some place, they would refer themself with thing like 'Us', 'We', 'Our', and the like.
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 571: To See or Not to See?[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/u93297024/posts/chapter-571-to-163855664[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/u93297024/posts/chapter-571-to-163855664
[2] https://www.patreon.com/u93297024/posts/chapter-571-to-163855664