In the end, they only wrote each other’s names on the lantern and did not follow the woman’s suggestion to continue writing sweet words.

Walking to the riverside, Fu Huan cradled the lotus lantern in her hands, her gaze falling on their names written side by side. She glanced at Si Qing beside her, a trace of melancholy crossing her heart.

After tonight, there might never be such an opportunity again.

On second thought, Fu Huan couldn’t help but knock herself on the head. What nonsense was she thinking? Why was she constantly thinking about this Underworld God?

“Shall I release the lantern now?” After collecting her thoughts, Fu Huan turned to look at Si Qing beside her.

Si Qing nodded slightly, his gaze similarly passing over their names written side by side on the lotus lantern.

After receiving Si Qing’s affirmation, Fu Huan crouched down and placed the lotus lantern on the edge of the lake, watching as the lantern bearing their names drifted farther and farther away with the ripples of the water.

Only when the lotus lantern had drifted to a speck did Fu Huan withdraw her gaze, turn around, and walk back to the shore.

“It’s getting late. We should head back,” Fu Huan said as she walked, looking at Si Qing beside her.

…

…

“You go ahead first,” Si Qing stopped, gesturing for Fu Huan to leave first.

Fu Huan was slightly taken aback, frowning. “What about you? It’s so late, where are you planning to go?”

At these words, a hint of a smile appeared on Si Qing’s previously expressionless face. He bent down slightly, leaning closer to Fu Huan, and teased, “What? Reluctant to leave me?”

“…” Fu Huan immediately frowned, instinctively wanting to retort, but when the words reached her lips, she immediately changed her response.

Fu Huan reached out to adjust Si Qing’s collar, the corner of her lips curving into a “sweet” smile. “Brother Qing, of course, Huan’er is reluctant to part with you.”

“…” The smile on Si Qing’s face froze at the corner of his lips, his eyelid twitching, leaving him finally speechless.

This mischievous girl.

Before Si Qing could speak, Fu Huan had already waved to him, and then her figure disappeared before Si Qing’s eyes.

Si Qing stood there alone, returning to the direction of the Mortal Life Tree.

……

When Fu Huan returned to Phoenix Feather Pavilion, she was informed that Leng Yuan had come and had been waiting for her for quite some time.

“Huan’er, you’re finally back. Where did you go just now? Even Granny Yu didn’t know your whereabouts.” Inside Phoenix Feather Pavilion, as soon as Leng Yuan saw Fu Huan, she hurried over.

Fu Huan looked at Leng Yuan and smiled slightly. “Why has Sister Leng Yuan come here in the middle of the night?”

“Middle of the night?” Hearing this expression, Leng Yuan laughed lightly. “We are both people of the Celestial Realm; we don’t distinguish between day and night. Only you live as if you were a mortal.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Fu Huan smiled awkwardly.

Leng Yuan also smiled. “Huan’er, the reason I came today is that I have something to tell you.”

“Oh? What is it?” Fu Huan raised an eyebrow.

“This morning, I saw Immortal You Lan from the Underworld making complaints to the Celestial Emperor,” Leng Yuan said.

Hearing this, Fu Huan’s face showed doubt. “This morning? How early?”

Last night, You Lan had been trapped in her star formation array, and this morning, Si Qing had helped release her. If she had gone to complain to the Celestial Emperor, how early would that have been…

“Around nine to eleven in the morning,” Leng Yuan said.

After a pause, Leng Yuan sighed lightly. “It’s said she complained to the Celestial Emperor that while you were in the Underworld, you were very close to Si Qing, and because of Si Qing’s protection, you suppressed her as a King of Hell. She also said many other things.”

“So it was indeed she who complained.” Fu Huan rested her head on her hand, sighing with exasperation.

You Lan truly was not well.

Twisting facts so blatantly—what benefit was there for her?

Could it be that when she trapped You Lan in the array, it drove You Lan to desperate measures?

“Huan’er, you must remember, in the Celestial Realm, you call the Celestial Emperor uncle, the Great Emperor Ziwei is your father, I am your sister—no one dares to bully you or speak ill of you.”

“But the Underworld is different. Although it’s within the Celestial Emperor’s jurisdiction, it’s still a separation of heaven and earth. Not everyone is like us, truly wishing you well.”

“Remember, while you should not harbor intentions to harm others, you must be vigilant against those who might harm you.” Leng Yuan reached out to hold Fu Huan’s hand, instructing her with a concerned expression.

Fu Huan nodded, taking all of Leng Yuan’s words to heart.

Indeed, this You Lan seemed to disregard her far too much.

Noticing the displeasure in Fu Huan’s eyes, Leng Yuan gently patted her hand, her expression becoming more serious. “However, since You Lan dares to spread rumors before the Celestial Emperor, we shouldn’t let her off easily. Otherwise, where is the face of us Upper Gods? Don’t you agree?”

“If we don’t teach her a good lesson this time, there might be a next time.”

Fu Huan nodded in agreement. This Immortal You Lan indeed needed to be taught a lesson.

However, as Leng Yuan said, You Lan belonged to the Underworld, and all Underworld personnel were under Si Qing’s management. It didn’t seem appropriate for her to rashly punish her.

“I heard that in two days, it will be the Celestial Empress’s birthday, and Immortal You Lan is on the invitation list. If you want to teach her a lesson, two days later would be the best opportunity,” Leng Yuan said with a smile.

Fu Huan pouted. “The Celestial Emperor’s birthday just passed, and now it’s the Celestial Empress’s turn. Just thinking about having to send another birthday gift gives me a headache.”

“…” Leng Yuan frowned slightly, not understanding how Fu Huan had changed the topic so quickly.

She had wanted to continue discussing You Lan, but then felt that saying too much might reveal her intentions, so it was better to say less.

She understood this girl, Fu Huan—she always sought revenge. If she truly wanted to teach You Lan a lesson, she definitely wouldn’t miss the perfect opportunity in two days.

“Yes, choosing birthday gifts is mentally taxing, but the Celestial Empress has always been fond of you. She likes whatever you give her,” Leng Yuan also immediately shifted the topic.

Fu Huan responded with a sound, then couldn’t help but yawn. “I’m getting sleepy. Why don’t you stay here tonight, sister?”

“No need, I’m not tired. I just came today to inform you and warn you to be careful, fearing you might be taken advantage of by You Lan again in the future.” Leng Yuan said, standing up and preparing to leave.

“Mm, I’ll remember that.” Fu Huan acknowledged Leng Yuan’s words and had one of her subordinates escort Leng Yuan out.

After seeing Leng Yuan off, Fu Huan went to her room.

Back in her room, after Fu Huan lay down to sleep, she didn’t think about anything regarding You Lan at all. Her mind was filled with the writing on that lantern.

Brother Qing…

She felt she had become somewhat obsessed.

……

She slept until noon the next day, and it was only when Granny Yu came to knock on her door that Fu Huan gradually awoke from her dreams, rubbing her eyes and checking the time.

“Master, there’s news from the Celestial Realm,” Zi Yu’s voice came from outside.

Fu Huan sat up on the bed. Hearing it was from the Celestial Realm again, she frustratedly ruffled her hair. What was going on with the Celestial Realm? In the past, they wouldn’t contact her for ten or fifteen days, but recently it seemed they were fixated on her, contacting her every day.

“What news?” Fu Huan asked.

“It’s a secret edict from the Celestial Emperor,” Zi Yu said in a low voice.

Upon hearing it was a secret edict, Fu Huan’s drowsiness immediately dissipated somewhat. Her fine brows furrowed slightly as she clutched the blanket, her eyes showing deep suspicion.

The Celestial Emperor’s secret edicts to her were always about one thing.

That was to use the phoenix’s divine power to modify the spell on the forbidden area.

But these secret edicts usually came once every half year or even a year. The last modification was just a month ago, so why was there another one now…

Could it be that the Celestial Emperor knew the spell-breaking technique had been leaked?

Or had she or Si Qing revealed some clue?

Fu Huan felt she couldn’t be negligent. She hurriedly got up and began to wash and dress.

After leaving her room, Zi Yu was waiting outside. “Master, the messenger from the Celestial Realm has already left. They only mentioned the words ‘secret edict,’ so it’s probably about that forbidden area again.”

“Mm, I’ll go to the Celestial Realm first,” Fu Huan said.

“I’ll go with you. The Celestial Emperor suddenly issued a secret edict today; something might have happened. Zi Yu was Fu Huan’s most trusted confidant, so she knew all of Fu Huan’s affairs very clearly.

Fu Huan didn’t refuse Zi Yu’s suggestion and nodded in agreement for her to accompany her.

Soon, Fu Huan and Zi Yu appeared in the Celestial Realm, heading straight to the Celestial Emperor’s palace.

Coming to see the Celestial Emperor so frequently lately, Fu Huan didn’t know what to say. After entering the Celestial Emperor’s palace, she respectfully bowed as usual.

After her arrival, the Celestial Emperor had already dismissed everyone from the hall.

“Uncle Celestial Emperor, didn’t you modify the spell on the forbidden area just a month ago? Why do you want to change it again this time?” Fu Huan inquired.

The Celestial Emperor frowned and sighed. “In recent days, I’ve been restless, suffering from headaches and anxiety. Last night, I suddenly dreamed of the prisoner in the forbidden area. I feel in my heart that something is about to happen. After much consideration, I decided it would be best to have you modify the spell again for peace of mind.”

Fu Huan bit her lip. Every time the Celestial Emperor mentioned the person in the forbidden area, she always wanted to blurt out and ask who exactly was confined there and what great crime they had committed.

But since this person was locked in the forbidden area, it must also be one of the Celestial Emperor’s taboos. If she rashly asked about it, she would inevitably face punishment from the Celestial Emperor.

Better not to ask.

However, Si Qing should know about the person in the forbidden area.

Realizing she was thinking about Si Qing again, Fu Huan rubbed her head in frustration. Why did she keep thinking about him for no reason? It was truly annoying.

“Let’s go,” the Celestial Emperor concealed his form and instructed Fu Huan to go with him to the forbidden area.

Fu Huan also concealed her form and left with the Celestial Emperor.

They arrived at the forbidden area behind a rockery. On an open space, countless golden characters were inscribed, floating from the ground up into the air, forming an impenetrable barrier.

This was the seal that Fu Huan had created using her phoenix power.

“Do you want to modify it now?” Fu Huan turned to look at the Celestial Emperor.

The Celestial Emperor gazed deeply toward the forbidden area and said softly, “First, remove the seal. I want to go in and see the person inside.”

“Mm.” Fu Huan nodded in agreement, mobilizing spiritual energy from her fingertips. Countless strands of fire-red spiritual energy flowed from Fu Huan’s fingertips, gradually converging to form a fire-red sphere.

When this fire-red sphere touched the barrier before them, it instantly transformed into a cloud of smoke, infiltrating every corner of the seal.

Suddenly, the seal inscribed with characters was consumed bit by bit by this red mist until it disappeared completely.

After the seal on the forbidden area was removed, the Celestial Emperor instructed Fu Huan to wait outside while he walked into the forbidden area.

Fu Huan estimated she would have to wait for a long time. Just as she crouched down, preparing to sit on the ground, she heard hurried footsteps from inside, followed by the Celestial Emperor’s angry roar overhead—

“What’s going on?! Where is the person in the forbidden area?!”