Getting a Sugar Mommy in Cultivation World!!

At first, it was mere coincidence. Concubine Wen Ji appeared in the corridor as Noah was passing by.

"Ah, Lord Noah," she said, her voice soft like silk. "Twice in one day. Fate must enjoy our meetings."

Noah lowered his head slightly as a greeting. "Fate has a strange sense of humor, my lady."

"Perhaps it wishes us to know each other better."

He gave a courteous smile and walked away, whispering to himself, "And I always felt like kicking fate in the balls."

The next day, she strolled into the eastern garden just after dawn, humming a tune and pretending to check on the flowers and the soil…

Oh, the flowers grow in soil. The soil is red in color… How fascinating.

After a few 'serious' glances here and there, she suddenly turned her head as if she was looking around before landing her gaze on a sitting area in the distance.

Unfortunately for her, the pavilion was empty, different from what she had been informed.

With narrowed eyes, the concubine walked up to the table and picked up something, a cup.

The teacup is still warm.

"He was just here," the maid behind her spoke fearfully in an explanatory tone.

Wen Ji's smile twitched.

Without saying anything, she turned around and walked out of the garden, crushing a few flowers that appeared in her path.

Three days passed like this.

Each time she tried to set up a coincidental encounter with Noah, he would vanish from the area like smoke.

He never addressed her directly, never acknowledged her efforts.

And yet he never insulted her either, which only made the game more frustrating.

One morning, she cornered a passing servant. "Where does the envoy of Feng spend his mornings?"

"It changes, my lady. He is... unpredictable."

Wen Ji clenched her fan. "So is the wind. But even the wind is bound to return." She watched the maid walk away and whispered coldly, "No matter what happens, I will find the reason you are here one way or the other."

What she did not know was that—

From a balcony above, Xin Yan watched the exchange, her eyes calm. As Wen Ji walked away, the corners of Xin Yan's mouth lifted ever so slightly.

That evening, Noah and Xin Yan returned from a private meeting with one of the Emperor's advisors. As they walked down the lantern-lit hallway, she finally spoke.

"You could have stopped her more directly. She seems to be digging the information about us and the reason we are here."

Noah shrugged. "She will then create a show of my actions, acting like a victim to toss us out of the kingdom."

Xin Yan understood the politics, but that did not mean she liked it. "How long do we have to keep up this charade? You already know about the people who have been affected. The longer we wait, the more their souls become altered."

"Just a few more days." With a sharp look in his eyes, Noah assured her, "I have already stopped the corruption from seeping deeper into their souls while talking to them. After a few days, my goal will be achieved."

He slowly took her hand and wrapped her fingers within his own. "As for that concubine, she will be dealt with by the emperor himself."

The following days unfolded without any surprises. Someone would be on the lookout for Noah, trying to make connections with him for one reason or another.

But Noah only talked with two or three people in one day; after that, he would surprisingly vanish from the castle, or so the people who could not spot him thought.

And even during the talks he had, he made it perfectly clear that he was not interested in supporting any one of them or willing to answer any of their advances.

Eventually everyone got to talk with Noah alone… well, not everyone. Concubine Wen Ji was seen roaming the halls of the castle, but she never found Noah ever again until the final day of his stay in the palace.

That morning, Noah entered the emperor's private study. The old man sat behind a table, staring out the window at the mist-covered mountains.

Seeing his dazed look, Noah knocked on the door calmly and announced his presence. "Your Majesty. I have completed my assessment."

"Ah, young hero Noah." The Emperor snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Noah with gratitude. He sat up from the corner seat and led Noah to sit at the table in the middle.

Once both of them were seated, Noah let his gaze wander briefly around the room.

The study, though smaller than the Emperor's grand hall.

Scrolls lined the shelves, some old and some new; he could even sense different auras coming from some of them, while many appeared ordinary.

There was a faint scent of sandalwood lingering in the air from the incense pot on the corner table.

The light that filtered through the paper windows cast long shadows across the wooden floor and the aged, exquisite-looking wooden table between them.

"I've completed the list, Your Majesty," Noah said at last, his tone calm but firm. "These are the members of the royal family who have shown signs of being affected by the soul corruption."

The Emperor, who had been adjusting his robes, froze mid-action. His fingers twitched. His breath caught in his throat before he exhaled sharply.

"Is Concubine Wen Ji at the top?" he asked, a trace of bitterness curling around his words. "I've heard whispers… treacherous things. She thinks I don't see what she is doing, but I've already given up on her."

The indifference in his voice as he spoke those last words was startling.

But Noah said nothing.

He only offered a faint, wry smile and raised his hand slightly. From the empty air above his palm, a sheet of paper materialized. This parchment was nothing out of the ordinary, with a bunch of names written on it.

The Emperor reached for it at once.

His eyes scanned the list, fingers trembling slightly as they moved down the page. Names. Titles. Fates.

The silence stretched as he read, the only sound in the room being the occasional crackle of the incense coil.

Finally, he looked up. His expression was no longer one of bitterness—but something colder. Stunned.

"So many?" he whispered with genuine disbelief.

Noah gave a single nod.

The emperor's gaze dropped to the paper again, scanning it again, slower this time, as though hoping a name had simply been overlooked.

His brows furrowed deeper. His eyes were filled with disbelief and doubt. The mystery around the names deepened. Several questions arose in his heart when he noticed that a name was missing.

"But… I do not see Wen Ji's name on this list."

Seeing the seriousness in Noah's eyes, the emperor felt like a heavy weight had been placed on his heart. He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping lower and rougher. "Then… Who is Concubine Wen Ji?"