Someone said coldly and harshly: “Yun, watch your wording. Please maintain necessary respect for the Management Bureau, or you…”

Yun Buci smiled, made a zipping gesture across her mouth, stepped back with an expression of complete indifference.

Splash after splash of water sounds echoed as the people from underground came up.

Unlike their nonchalant attitude when going down, they were now all in a wretched state.

Their searchlights were all shattered, oxygen tanks broken, and they came up first sprawling on the ground like dead dogs, gasping desperately for air.

Someone’s combat suit had already been torn, which greatly shocked their companions above—they couldn’t imagine that Da Qian had weapons capable of ripping their combat suits.

Yun Buci’s gaze was profound—the only weapon in Da Qian currently capable of tearing such combat suits was Yuan iron. These water ghosts weren’t ordinary water ghosts; they were trained. Tie Ci… had truly always been on guard against her.

She trusted her, but also guarded against her.

Yun Buci knew Tie Ci’s feelings toward her—she was both teacher and mother figure, a life-saving benefactor who had taught her wholeheartedly and supported her countless times. Even during these years of political disagreements, she had appeared to act for country and people. Even in recent years, she had continuously sent her talented people, donated money for disaster relief, and supported the people’s livelihood. Tie Ci had always valued loyalty and righteousness; she wouldn’t trust others in this world, but she wouldn’t guard against her either.

What had caused her to change?

The silver-clad people suddenly became clamorous.

“Two are missing!”

The leader who had gone down fiercely threw off his hood, saying: “Dead underwater!”

Everyone was shocked.

They had never even thought they could lose personnel here, and lose two at first contact.

For them, with their constantly dwindling numbers where every life was precious beyond measure, this loss was simply unbearable.

The lead silver-clad person unfastened his already damaged combat suit, revealing a black fluorescent uniform underneath. His face was cold and hard as he pressed a red button on his right arm, saying coldly: “Notify the Management Bureau Combat Department, suggest raising Da Qian’s threat level by two grades and reassessing combat ratings.”

“Suggest abandoning the previous peace plan and preparing for war.”

“Suggest abandoning the emperor cultivation plan. Da Qian’s emperor cannot possibly accept us or any cooperation plans we propose.”

“Suggest adjusting the danger level sequence for Da Qian’s emperor and pursuing her with full force. A feudal monarch who has witnessed modern weapons and made preparations, received modern civilizational education yet clings to power with stubborn obstinacy, and possesses extremely high prestige and popular support in her domain—the danger and resistance she can bring may exceed our imagination.”

“Suggest adjusting to… S-level.”

…

Tie Ci moved forward along the passage.

The storm within her body still raged, more severe than any previous time. Currently only her upper body could move, but fortunately this passage was equipped with wheelchairs, and she had sat in one as soon as she entered.

This was another passage with no water flow, only a narrow corridor. Wherever she passed, lights on the walls lit up one by one due to air currents, and various items hung on the walls in compartments—bags of different colors, weapons, poisons, clothes, hidden weapons, silver… As she moved, she picked up various things she needed from the walls, placing them in bags and finally slinging them diagonally across her shoulder.

Suddenly there was movement ahead. She stopped and saw the door at the end of the path slowly opening. A person stood in the doorway, and upon seeing her, his face showed shock as he quickly approached, saying: “Your Majesty, what happened!”

Tie Ci handed him the birdcage she had been carrying in her other hand, saying: “Release the carrier pigeons first. Shen Mi, did you issue immediate warnings?”

Shen Mi took the birdcage, saying: “After sensing underground movement, I immediately sent people to warn the residences of important ministers. Your Majesty, rest assured—after the Chongming Incident years ago, the ministers are very experienced and prepared for hiding. Your Majesty, you…”

Tie Ci again cut off his words, saying: “Send another messenger. Tell He Zi that starting today, the court will take irregular leave, all government offices will stop handling official business, officials from other regions must stop coming to the capital, and when to return to work depends on my decree. Tell him that no matter what happens, don’t mobilize the capital’s troops, don’t organize any resistance—hiding and self-preservation is the first priority. If you discover I’ve disappeared, then transfer supplies, transfer the people, stop all commercial and civilian activities, activate the underground markets, only maintain necessary daily necessities flow—aside from this, the capital shuts down.”

Shen Mi’s scalp went numb, hardly believing what he heard: “Your Majesty!”

This would cause great chaos!

While speaking, both had entered the room. This was the second floor of the archives hall of Celü Academy, normally off-limits to people. The archive manager was an old man with poor eyesight, slight deafness, but a terrible temper. He enjoyed a mystical reputation at Celü Academy—it was said that anyone who offended him would fall ill. Over time, students who had originally been interested in the archives and wanted to imitate those two emperors who once snuck in to roast geese no longer dared to provoke him or cause trouble in the archives.

So this place was very quiet, suitable for many purposes.

Tie Ci waved her hand, the wheelchair rolling into the room. Shen Mi immediately forgot his earlier shock and chased after her: “Your Majesty, your legs…”

Then he stopped speaking, his face drastically changing.

Across from him, Tie Ci removed the black cloak wrapped around herself with one hand, her entire upper body covered in blood, especially the waist and abdomen area, a deep crimson red.

Shen Mi was so shocked he could barely stand steady.

Tie Ci still appeared nonchalant, leaning against the table and opening a medical kit with one hand while saying: “Go release the pigeons!”

Shen Mi could only first climb to the attic to release pigeons, worriedly looking back while releasing them, just seeing the Emperor leaning against the table, unfastening her blood-soaked clothing and reaching her hand inside.

Shen Mi didn’t dare look anymore, quickly turning his head, feeling his heart beating like a drum.

Several carrier pigeons were released from his hands, flying in different directions.

Below, Tie Ci found thin membrane gloves in the medical kit and put them on, reaching into the wound on her lower left abdomen and pressing slightly with her fingers.

After a moment, a blood-stained, pale golden metal object fell onto the tray on the table with a clink.

The archives manager, an old man who was coming upstairs with a roasted duck leg, saw this scene and immediately stopped in his tracks.

He wanted to turn and run.

Every one of them was so… perverted.

Tie Ci’s face was very pale, still expressionless. She glanced at him, applied medicine herself, but the blood flow was too rapid and washed away the medicinal powder.

“Use this.” The old man came over, took a bottle, poured out some paste, and applied a thick layer to Tie Ci, finally stopping the bleeding.

He noticed the wound was small but very deep, nearly injuring internal organs, and couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

Tie Ci found a large adhesive bandage and stuck it over the wound, then wrapped it tightly with gauze before putting her cloak back on.

She sat at the table edge, picking up the metal object and examining it carefully. The old man beside her nearly leaned his face over: “What kind of strange weapon is this? It doesn’t look sharp—how did it drill into your body?”

Tie Ci stared at the smooth, golden pointed tip and smiled without expression.

No, it didn’t drill in.

It exploded inside Jian Xi’s body, and the aftershock could still penetrate Jian Xi’s body and shoot into her side, leaving this bullet.

If Jian Xi hadn’t blocked it, she would be the one torn to pieces now.

She knew it was called a bullet because she had heard about it from her second senior brother Le Wuxun, who loved all kinds of inventions, when she was young.

Although she had never seen this thing since then, it didn’t prevent her from recognizing it at first sight this time.

This was something that only existed in Master’s era.

Weapons of world-destroying power that only demons could possess.

Before such weapons, no amount of human lives would be enough to harvest.

And she still didn’t know how many of them there were, how many such weapons they had.

Tie Ci slightly closed her eyes.

She and her Da Qian had encountered an enemy more terrifying than the Chongming Incident this time.

Because the previous enemies were still human, with equal power.

This time, she understood better than anyone that the power from beyond the heavens transcended the era and was irresistible.

After a moment she opened her eyes and asked the old man across from her: “Who told you to run back here yourself? What do you want to do hiding here all this time?”

“Bah.” The old man suddenly threw the bullet he was studying back into the tray, angrily saying: “Two lunatics! Kicking the great Medical Madman around like a ball! He chased me to Da Qian, my butt hadn’t even warmed the seat when you chased me back again. I was in Da Feng for only a month when he tied me up and shipped me back, directly stuffing me to Shen Mi, even threatening Shen Mi not to tell. I was too lazy to come out and see you two—wouldn’t I just be chased away again after meeting?”

Tie Ci nodded: “Mm.”

Jingxu had originally just been complaining, but didn’t expect her to actually agree. For a moment he was stunned, blinking: “Ah? You’re not really going to send me to Da Feng again, are you? Don’t you think this is very boring?”

“So this time you’re following me,” Tie Ci said. “It’s you sending me instead.”

“Sending you where?”

Tie Ci didn’t answer, looking toward Shen Mi who was coming down. Shen Mi had already ordered people to send messages again and was looking worriedly at her legs.

Seeing this, Jingxu took Tie Ci’s pulse. As soon as his hand touched her, his eyebrow jumped.

“Your meridians…”

“Have reversed again.”

“So your natural abilities…”

“Following the original order of activation, going backwards, slowly returning again.”

Jingxu didn’t think this was a good thing. Without question, he grabbed Tie Ci’s hand and felt her pulse carefully for a while, suddenly understanding: “I get it!”

Tie Ci looked up at him.

“Your meridians—when I checked your pulse before, I said they were severely damaged, though I didn’t understand how this trauma came about. I said it was caused by reversal, but since the reversal was successful and continuously opened natural abilities, logically this should equal re-widening the meridians. Though there was damage, there should also be benefits. Previously, that boy Rong Pu once secretively consulted me about a pulse case, and thinking about it now, that must have been your pulse case—sufficient qi and blood, no abnormalities. When he later told you to seal your own acupoints and not use natural abilities, I laughed at him for being overly cautious and choking on food for fear of choking. Now thinking about it, he must have discovered something early on.”

“Discovered what?”

“When he consulted me then, he asked whether this pulse case was abnormal. It clearly showed nothing wrong, yet someone diagnosed that the major acupoints were secretly locked, yet also reversing to break through acupoints, with qi and blood throughout the body reversed. Short-term, no harm and even beneficial, but long-term, the more progress, the more urgent the reverse flow, eventually leading to blood reversal and death.”

“I didn’t think much of it then, just said it was a countryside quack doctor trying to make alarming statements to cheat more consultation fees. I said you actually believed such things, and not to say you’re my disciple when you go out.”

“But now I understand. Your Tie family’s imperial clan must awaken natural abilities before age twelve, and back then you had a hard time because you had no natural abilities, right? But actually you didn’t lack natural abilities—they were locked. When you were young, someone locked your natural abilities, using acupoint-sealing methods to lock all your hidden capabilities deep in your meridians. Unless you reversed your true qi to break through acupoints, you would forever be an ordinary person.”

Tie Ci suddenly looked up.

Shen Mi on the side was already stunned listening.

He also knew about Tie Ci’s past. Because her natural abilities couldn’t be activated for so long, how much suffering she endured, and because of this she was forced to leave the capital.

Also because of this, Murong Yi never thought of Tie Ci as a potential Crown Princess, because back then Medical Madman Jingxu had also examined the Tie imperial clan and was very clear about their constitution. He had declared that the imperial clan’s natural abilities were innate and would definitely activate before age twelve at the latest. If there were none before twelve, they definitely weren’t direct bloodline, or had weak constitution unable to practice martial arts and couldn’t live past twelve.

Later when Tie Ci’s identity was exposed, everyone thought it was an accident. Who knew there was actually no accident, only human design.

“You didn’t lack natural abilities at all—your natural abilities were incredibly strong, okay? But you were locked for many years, your meridians blocked. When someone taught you the method of reversing qi to break through acupoints, they truly had ill intentions. It’s like having layer upon layer of doors locked inside your body, with the locks all rusted. You could only use much more force to break through acupoints. Each breakthrough required major cutting and uprooting, making that section of meridians extremely fragile. So the more natural abilities you opened, the more severe the meridian damage.”

“Your so-called discovery of instability when using teleportation was actually your meridians no longer able to support your natural abilities. If you continued using them, forget teleportation in the future—even a simple x-ray vision could kill you.”

“Fortunately you pulled back from the precipice and sealed acupoints in time, maintaining balance these past years.” Jingxu said, “If you had sealed your natural abilities permanently and slowly recuperated, your meridians still had a chance to recover. At worst they wouldn’t deteriorate. But unfortunately, you were just forcibly reversed again.”

“This reversal is like river embankments already ravaged by floods but not promptly cleared and reinforced—they can no longer withstand battering or be controlled. You’ll very easily reverse and break through acupoints. Each breakthrough will restore your natural abilities but also worsen your meridian condition, until one day you reach the limit and die from meridian explosion.”

“And this process is irreversible, unstoppable, and won’t cease.”

Jingxu stared at Tie Ci and sighed deeply: “Who was so calculating in harming you? First sealing your natural abilities, then giving you the method of reversing qi to break through acupoints, making you step by step into a death trap. When you pulled back from the precipice, they still had to finally push you off the cliff. Brilliant, truly brilliant.”

Tie Ci sat silently, staring at that smooth, blood-stained, golden glittering bullet.

Sealing natural abilities was to make her more dependent and trusting of oneself.

Giving the method of reversing qi to break through acupoints was to stimulate her potential to compete with full strength, helping them seize this kingdom.

But they were also uneasy about her strength, so they simultaneously opened her path to collapse, leaving behind more convenient means to control her.

An emperor with hidden illness who could die at any time—if she didn’t obey, death would come quickly.

What meticulous planning, a sinister scheme stretching across thousands of li.

Except—they never treated her as a person.