She was still alive. When Siao Feng Xian saw her, his eyes showed slight relief, but unfortunately, he couldn’t speak. He could only barely move his fingertips, pointing twice in the direction of their child.
This gesture meant that he wanted her to raise their child well. Princess Han Yue shook her head, pearl-like tears falling, with two drops landing on his face. “No, no, without you, I cannot raise him alone!” She turned her head toward Mo Tizhun as if grasping at a life-saving straw. “Save him quickly!” In her desperation, she even omitted the respectful title of State Preceptor.
Mo Tizhun shook his head regretfully. “This poison is fierce, its source unknown. I also… I cannot cure it.”
“How is that possible!” Princess Han Yue shouted shrilly. “You are the State Preceptor! How can you not be able to counter a mere poison!”
Mo Tizhun remained silent. If Siao Feng Xian had been wounded in his limbs, an immediate amputation might have saved his life. Even if wounded in the torso, Mo Tizhun would have had ways to prolong his life. But this female assassin who had impersonated Princess Han Yue had specifically stabbed Siao Feng Xian in the brain, allowing the poison to directly invade. It was beyond remedy now.
After Princess Han Yue finished speaking, she looked back at her husband, only to find that Siao Feng Xian’s gaze had already become fixed.
This mysterious poison was astonishingly fierce. Once it entered the brain, even with Siao Feng Xian’s cultivation level, he couldn’t last twenty breaths.
She wailed in grief. Around them, amid rustling sounds, thousands of officials and citizens knelt facing them, their faces filled with sorrow.
Within a single day, the Kingdom of Yao had lost both its ruler and crown prince in succession.
Worst of all, the only royal heir was not yet two years old!
Princess Han Yue cried as if heaven and earth were collapsing.
Though Zhao Ru Shan was also weeping openly, he wiped his eyes and said, “The Crown Prince reminded us before his death to protect the foundation stone.”
As if responding to her cries, several streaks of golden light emerged from Siao Feng Xian’s seven apertures, reforming in the air into a small figure no larger than a palm. Its features were visible, identical to Siao Feng Xian lying on the ground!
His soul had emerged.
After death, a lifeless body can no longer contain the spirit, so it is forced out of its former dwelling. The souls of ordinary people are exceptionally fragile; after leaving the body, they wander in confusion, unable to face light or be seen or sensed by the living. But cultivators’ souls are more substantial. After death, they can actively leave the body immediately and still remember their former lives.
Witnessing this scene, Mo Tizhun sighed with regret. At such a young age, Siao Feng Xian had already cultivated his soul into human form, with limitless potential. Unfortunately, he had been taken advantage of by villains and stopped there.
Immediately afterward, another beam of golden light flew from Siao Feng Xian’s body, heading directly northward. This light wasn’t particularly bright, nor was it flying very fast, yet it couldn’t be intercepted by anyone.
Of course, no one would try to intercept it. Because this was the sacred artifact from Siao Feng Xian’s body.
With the country still existing but the State Preceptor dead before passing on his legacy, the sacred artifact would automatically return to the ancestral temple, until the next State Preceptor took office and could use it.
All observers were deeply saddened.
Mo Tizhun pulled out a dark piece of wood from his robe and handed it to Princess Han Yue, saying to Siao Feng Xian’s soul, “This is soul-nurturing wood, where you may temporarily dwell.”
The small golden figure nodded but did not enter it. Instead, he faced north, pointing with one hand, and then looked toward Zhao Ru Shan.
The latter had been staring wide-eyed at this scene. Understanding the gesture, he quickly wiped his eyes and called out loudly, “Come! Command the royal forces to head north and protect the ancestral temple!”
The soldiers present immediately received the order, formed ranks, turned around, and headed north. Dozens of messengers mounted horses to relay the Crown Prince’s final command.
Only then did Siao Feng Xian’s soul sink into the soul-nurturing wood. Princess Han Yue’s gaze swept over her son, and tears welled up uncontrollably again. She clutched the soul-nurturing wood tightly. “Can Feng Xian stay by our side, mother and child?”
Mo Tizhun saw the hope in her eyes but could only sigh. “I’m afraid not. The rules of heaven and earth differ from those of a thousand years ago. The souls of the dead are all summoned back to the underworld to reenter the cycle of reincarnation. Those who dare to obstruct or delay will necessarily be punished by the Heavenly Dao.”
“Are there no exceptions?” Princess Han Yue was incredulous. “Don’t you powerful cultivators have ways to evade the detection of the Heavenly Dao?”
“If it were during a time of storms and darkness, thunder and lightning, there might be a one-in-ten-thousand chance. Unfortunately, when the Crown Prince passed away, the cosmos was clear, and heaven and earth were aware. Now, trying to conceal it is difficult.”
Princess Han Yue laughed coldly without stopping. “So you’re saying Feng Xian died at an inopportune time?”
Mo Tizhun knew she was speaking out of excessive grief and inevitably being extreme, so he didn’t respond.
The situation had become clear now. Yun Ya had implemented a cascading poison plot. Infiltrating the main hall to kill the old King of Yao was just the prelude. After accomplishing this step, the Wei people’s next target shifted to Siao Feng Xian. Siao Feng Xian was the pillar of the Kingdom of Yao; only by killing him could the Wei people quickly devour the Kingdom of Yao.
Yun Ya’s disguise as Mo Tizhun to approach Siao Feng Xian was just the first attempt. When this assassination failed and even Yun Ya himself was severely wounded, not only the people of Yao but even Siao Feng Xian believed that Wei’s assassination attempt on the Crown Prince had failed. After all, the strongest among the Wei people had fled with injuries—who would dare launch a second attack on the Crown Prince of Yao?
Yet someone dared.
The female cultivator who impersonated Princess Han Yue did not have cultivation as high as Yun Ya, but the timing of her deployment was perfect to the extreme.
Before Feng Miao Jun rescued Princess Han Yue, Siao Feng Xian’s son had already been taken away by the Wei people, and that’s when the fake Princess Han Yue appeared. Even more ingeniously, she had encountered Mo Tizhun on her way.
The great State Preceptor Mo had just arrived and was now facing a time of war and chaos. The fake Princess Han Yue, adhering to the principle of “speak less, err less,” cried much and spoke little. In this brief span of less than half a quarter-hour, Mo Tizhun had not detected anything unusual about her.
After Siao Feng Xian’s fierce battle with Yun Ya, she rushed over to seek her “husband.” The warmth of family is something no man can refuse after bloody combat, and Siao Feng Xian was no exception. Moreover, he had just lost his father, his emotions were unsettled, and he urgently needed his wife’s comfort.
For a strong warrior like him, the instinct for vigilance was extraordinarily powerful, but only at this moment did his mind falter, revealing a moment of carelessness.
The fake Princess Han Yue seized this opportunity, and surprisingly succeeded in one strike!
The most ingenious part of this plot was that while “Princess Han Yue” was fake, the son was real. Both Siao Feng Xian and Mo Tizhun naturally recognized the child’s appearance and knew that such a small child couldn’t possibly be impersonated. Yet when the child’s bright eyes looked at them, how could they have imagined that while the child was genuine, the woman holding the child was an assassin?
This was Yun Ya’s backup plan. The Wei people all thought he would put more effort into arranging his escape route, but instead, he had made such arrangements—if his assassination failed, he would send someone else to deliver the final blow.
His ability to gauge people’s hearts was truly formidable. Mo Tizhun silently clenched his fist.
Just then, Zhao Ru Shan said, “The Wei traitors have killed the Crown Prince. Their next step may be to target the ancestral temple. We must all hurry there, and we request the State Preceptor’s assistance as well!”