Facing the terrified Holy Son of the Celestial Sect, Xu Qi’an raised an eyebrow and said, “Guess.”

The Holy Son of the Celestial Sect opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. The mystery Xu Qi’an exuded was so strong that he fell into great confusion and bewilderment.

Did I accidentally kill the conversation? This matter involves Celestial Sect secrets. Li Lingsu probably won’t tell me the truth. If I want to extract information, I can’t ask directly, and an exchange won’t work either. I need to make him volunteer the information… Xu Qi’an thought for a moment, then said calmly:

“For you, this is a secret that the Celestial Sect cannot make public. For me, however, it’s something I’ve known about for several hundred years.”

Several hundred years ago… Li Lingsu’s mouth opened slightly as he stared at him in a daze.

Who is he?

Has he lived for several hundred years?

Except for the Confucian system, only those at the Fourth Rank and above in any system can have long lifespans. Does this mean Xu Qi’an is at least at the Third Rank? No, although his methods are mysterious, he can’t even beat Sister Qing.

In an instant, various thoughts flashed through Li Lingsu’s mind.

“You can’t even beat Sister Qing, yet you’ve lived for hundreds of years?” he frowned and questioned.

“I may not be able to beat a Fourth Rank cultivator, but I know everything the Gu Clan knows,” Xu Qi’an said with a smile.

Li Lingsu was momentarily speechless, unable to refute, and increasingly felt that Xu Qi’an was a mysterious and unfathomable person.

Xu Qi’an continued, “Knowing doesn’t necessarily mean understanding the inside story.”

Li Lingsu, who had just opened his mouth, closed it again. He was about to question:

If you know the Celestial Sect’s secrets, why did you ask me earlier?

But he had already received an answer, not expecting the other party’s logic to be so meticulous.

The Holy Son of the Celestial Sect pondered for a moment, then said:

“I don’t know much more than you do, but it is indeed true. Of course, this won’t be recorded in any texts, but it can’t be hidden from any disciple. The reason is simple: the Celestial Sect has been passed down for thousands of years, producing generation after generation of masters. After reaching the Third Rank Transcendent level, one can possess an extremely long lifespan.

“Logically speaking, even with losses due to Heavenly Tribulations, battles, and other factors, it’s impossible for all the predecessors to have died out completely. But among the Heaven, Earth, and Human Sects, there are very few Transcendent masters.

“The Earth Sect cultivates merit, but risks falling into demonic cultivation. The Human Sect faces the scorching of karmic fire, with almost no Sect Leaders passing through the Heavenly Tribulation. So, what about our Celestial Sect?

“The Celestial Sect’s Supreme Forgetting of Emotions is a great way, unlike the scorching of karmic fire or falling into demonic ways. Where does the problem lie for the Celestial Sect?

“Many disciples have such doubts in their hearts, but they are destined to never get answers. Only the sect elders and a few outstanding disciples know that the higher the rank in the Celestial Sect’s cultivation method, the easier it is to encounter the danger of ‘disappearance’.

“No one knows where they went. I guess even the sect elders aren’t clear about it. Perhaps only the successive Sect Leaders themselves know, but they never speak of it.”

After finishing, Li Lingsu looked at Xu Qi’an and, in a gesture of exchanging information, asked respectfully:

“Does… Senior Xu know?”

These matters are Celestial Sect secrets. If it were anyone else, he would not disclose them. But this Xu Qi’an, who claimed to have lived for several hundred years, had seen through it with one sentence. Li Lingsu believed that he might know more about the inside story than himself.

It seems you don’t know the truth either. I was just about to fleece you, but you turned it around and fleeced me instead… Xu Qi’an maintained his persona of an enlightened master and snorted:

“Where did the Dao Venerable go?”

Li Lingsu’s pupils suddenly contracted, his expression frozen. A moment later, his frozen eyes trembled slightly, and his breathing became rapid.

In an instant, it seemed he had figured out doubts he hadn’t understood for a long time, or perhaps a previous doubt had been answered.

“Thank you for your guidance, Senior!”

The Holy Son of the Celestial Sect sincerely performed a Daoist salute.

I didn’t say anything, I used a question… Xu Qi’an mumbled to himself. He didn’t dwell on this topic and instead asked:

“How did you know earlier that by going west, the Dongfang sisters wouldn’t pursue deeply?”

Li Lingsu snorted and said:

“Because they were already headed west, to be precise, to Leizhou. It seems they’re looking for a pagoda. I heard Sister Rong say that whether her master can be resurrected depends on this journey.”

A pagoda, from the name alone, one knows it belongs to the Buddhist sect; Leizhou is a state adjacent to the Western Regions, belonging to Great Feng; Dongfang Wanrong is a witch, and her master must also be a witch…

Xu Qi’an frowned, finding it difficult to connect these pieces of information. “Tell me more details.”

“I don’t know the specifics. I only know that Sister Rong’s master is Nalan Tianlu, the former lord of Jingshan City, the father of the previous lord Nalan Yan. He was killed by Wei Yuan during the Shanhai Pass battle.”

Li Lingsu’s gaze passed over Xu Qi’an’s shoulder, seeing the sister-in-law sitting on a large rock in the distance, smiling as she looked this way.

His heart sank, and he quickly lowered his head. He suspected this sister-in-law was peeking at him, but he had no proof.

A woman of ordinary appearance was not on his list for comprehending the Supreme Forgetting of Emotions, let alone when her man was such a formidable figure.

My cursed charm…

The Holy Son of the Celestial Sect steadied himself and said:

“But as you know, the Witch God Cult excels in soul cultivation. The physical body is easily destroyed, but the soul is hard to extinguish. As far as I know, Nalan Tianlu was a Second Rank Rain Master. Presumably, he didn’t truly die back then, and his soul was taken away by the Buddhist sect.”

What does this have to do with the pagoda… Xu Qi’an pondered.

…

In the capital city.

In the Jingxiu Palace, the Crown Prince sat in the warm hall, dressed in a dragon robe, holding a teacup.

“Mother, in half a month, I will ascend to the throne.”

When the Crown Prince said this, his voice was steady, seemingly possessing the composure to remain unmoved even if a mountain were to collapse before him.

This was a detail he had been emphasizing to himself recently. His deceased father the Emperor, the fallen Wei Yuan, and the still-standing Prime Minister Wang, all these once powerful figures had a calm and steady demeanor.

As the soon-to-be-enthroned ruler of the country, he naturally needed to maintain a poker face in all situations.

The graceful and well-maintained Consort Chen, radiant with vitality, walked to the Crown Prince’s side and gently stroked his sleeve, excitedly saying:

“Good, good, we’ve finally made it through, finally made it through.”

Tears glistened in the eyes of the charming mature woman.

She rejoiced for a moment, then suddenly frowned: “You need to be wary of the Fourth Prince’s desperate moves.”

The Crown Prince smiled and shook his head:

“It won’t happen. I’ve held the position of Crown Prince for over a decade. Whether it’s public opinion or the court, hearts are with me. I am the legitimate heir.

“Now that Father has passed away, the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Everyone in the court and beyond is looking forward to my early ascension. Moreover, after that announcement was posted, my reputation among the people immediately soared. The Fourth Brother doesn’t have the people’s support and poses no threat.

“Speaking of which, we owe all of this to Prime Minister Wang. Without his help, the Fourth Brother might have been able to struggle a bit using the faction left behind by Wei Yuan.”

Consort Chen smiled and said, “After you ascend the throne, you must rely heavily on Prime Minister Wang.”

“I understand, Mother.”

Consort Chen nodded with satisfaction, then suddenly said hatefully: “After you ascend the throne, I want that woman to enter Changchun Palace.”

Changchun Palace was the Cold Palace, and “that woman” referred to, needless to say, was obvious.

The Crown Prince frowned and said, “Mother, after I ascend the throne, you will be the mistress of the harem. Why bother with her position?”

He understood his mother’s intention. His mother wanted to become the Empress Dowager and wanted to send that woman to the Cold Palace.

But he was nominally the Empress’s son, and the Empress was his legal mother. Unless the Empress committed an unforgivable mistake, even if he ascended the throne, he couldn’t strip the Empress of her title.

“Hmph!”

Consort Chen said in a low voice, “I understand the Crown Prince’s concerns, but the Empress has long since lost her virtue and is unfit to be the mother of the country. Let me tell you…”

The Crown Prince listened, dumbfounded, and remained silent for a long while.

He never imagined that the Empress and Wei Yuan had such a history.

“But now Wei Yuan is dead, and there’s no way to verify…” The Crown Prince frowned deeply.

“Where there’s a will to accuse, there’s always a way,” Consort Chen sneered.

“Let me think about it.”

…

Eastern Palace.

Upon returning, the Crown Prince immediately summoned Prime Minister Wang.

He told Prime Minister Wang about Consort Chen’s thoughts and asked, “What is your opinion, Prime Minister?”

The gray-haired Prime Minister Wang was momentarily stunned, then sighed, “So that’s it. Your Highness has solved a puzzle that has confused me for years.”

After a pause, he said:

“Your Highness is about to ascend the throne. When making decisions, you should first consider the gains and losses, not blood relations. Using this reason to depose the Empress would be reasonable. But have you considered what would become of the royal family’s face?

“After your ascension, the face of the royal family becomes your face. After the late Emperor’s death, all past matters were attributed to him. From this point, Great Feng welcomes a new dynasty. At this critical juncture, if such a matter were to arise, it would not only tarnish Your Highness’s reputation but also that of the Empress and yourself.

“Furthermore, even if Your Highness disregards all this and insists on confirming this matter, what about Wei Yuan’s posthumous reputation… would Xu Qi’an agree?”

The Crown Prince’s breath hitched, his expression slightly stiffening. The next second, his face returned to normal, and he slowly said:

“Prime Minister’s view is very fair. It was my oversight.”

He lightly brushed past the topic and smiled, “I heard that your daughter is to be engaged to the Imperial Scholar Xu Xinnian?”

Prime Minister Wang immediately smiled, “We’ve already chosen an auspicious date. The engagement will be in three months.”

The Crown Prince smiled, “Don’t forget to invite me for a drink when the time comes.”

…

On this sunny day, Biaobiao, dressed in a red gown and adorned elaborately, rode on a spirit dragon, gliding through the lake, her slender waist swaying.

Huaiqing, dressed elegantly, held a wine cup and stood on the shore, watching the useless Lin’an exclaim and laugh with a clear, bell-like voice.

After Xu Qi’an left the capital, she could sense Lin’an’s mood, which could be described as having swept away the gloom.

Although there were still moments of being lost in thought, overall, she was mostly happy.

The reasons for this included the clearing of the palace atmosphere after Jeanne’s death and Lin’an’s joy for her full-blood brother’s imminent ascension to the throne. But Huaiqing believed the main reason was still Xu Qi’an.

“What did he say to her before he left? Or what did he promise?”

The eldest princess, as beautiful as a lotus flower, furrowed her brow.

After being secretly upset for a moment, she turned her gaze to the horizon and murmured:

“The wind fills the tower, heralding the coming storm.”

The mess left behind by Father Emperor was nothing. The rebels in Yunzhou were the court’s biggest challenge, and also the biggest challenge for the soon-to-be-enthroned Crown Prince.

…

On a narrow mountain path, three people on two horses galloped along, kicking up a cloud of dust behind them.

Before dusk, Xu Qi’an and his companions arrived at a small town, planning to rest at the local inn for the night.

Sitting at a square table in the inn’s hall, Li Lingsu sipped his wine and asked curiously:

“Senior, why aren’t we returning to the capital? Is there still something to handle?”

In his mind, the three of them should immediately head north to the capital, but Xu Qi’an continued westward, showing no intention of returning to the capital.

“If you want to go to the capital, you can leave on your own,” Xu Qi’an said, pouring a cup of wine for Mu Nanzhi.

“No, without you, I’ll lose the spell to move stars and change constellations. Sooner or later, Sisters Rong and Qing will catch me,” Li Lingsu shook his head repeatedly, touching the area around his waist.

After a hasty dinner, they retired to their rooms. Xu Qi’an took out a large water jar and several pots of poisonous plants from the Earth Book fragment, placing them by the bed, hoping they would grow and evolve under the nourishment of the reincarnated Flower Goddess.

“Hmm, in the future, I can’t take out the Earth Book fragment in front of Li Lingsu. He’s most likely Number Seven.”

Long ago, when Golden Lotus Daoist introduced the members of the Heaven and Earth Society, he mentioned that Number Seven was being hunted and had an extraordinary relationship with Li Miaozheng.

Number Seven and Li Lingsu matched perfectly. He had also said that his savings were with his junior sister Li Miaozheng, in other words, the Earth Book fragment was in Li Miaozheng’s hands.

This was understandable. Li Lingsu wasn’t very confident about escaping the pursuit of the flower sisters.

And since the Earth Book was a gift from Golden Lotus Daoist and a treasure of the Earth Sect, it was understandable that Li Lingsu, preparing for the worst, would entrust the Earth Book fragment to his junior sister.

At this moment, Xu Qi’an felt an inexplicable stirring in his heart, sensing the unique vibration of a certain magical device within the Earth Book fragment.

His fingertip lightly tapped the mirror surface.

Clatter… a conch shell inscribed with incantations fell onto the table.

He picked up the conch shell and held it to his ear.

A man’s voice came through clearly: “You…”

Xu Qi’an maintained his listening posture. After a while, the conch shell fell silent, with no sound for a long time.

“You?”

Xu Qi’an fell into deep thought, wondering what the Second Disciple of the Supervisor wanted to express.

He began to imagine and ponder, and then, after a long silence, the conch shell finally transmitted a sound: “Are…”

“You are?”

Xu Qi’an’s brow furrowed even more tightly. He thought, what does this mean? What is this Second Senior Brother trying to express?

He began to imagine and ponder again…

Unfortunately, there was no more sound from the conch shell.

Unable to guess the Second Senior Brother’s meaning, Xu Qi’an gave up. He removed his shoes and socks, soaked his feet for a while, and was about to go to bed when his powerful hearing caught a faint voice coming from the conch shell on the table:

“Where…”

Finally, a sound! Xu Qi’an repeated softly: “You, are, where…”

He suddenly raised his voice: “Where are you?!”

A series of question marks flashed through Xu Qi’an’s mind. The second Senior Brother was asking: Where are you?

Was he asking about his location…

Is that all?

It must be due to the long distance affecting the “signal” of the magical conch, Xu Qi’an guessed inwardly. He responded:

“I’m at the border of Yongzhou, in a place called Qingya Town.”

After waiting for a long time, a voice came from the conch: “O, kay.”

Then there was another eternal silence.

That should be it, right? The conch given by the Supervisor isn’t very good, the signal is so poor… He grumbled while walking to the cabinet to take out a clean set of bedding.

“Move over a bit, the space you’ve left me is too small.”

Xu Qi’an tossed the blanket onto the bed and pushed Mu Nanzhi’s fragrant shoulder.

“Why didn’t you get two rooms?” Mu Nanzhi turned her head, her bright eyes full of questioning.

“I was worried you’d be scared sleeping alone.”

Xu Qi’an slipped under the covers. Although they were sleeping under different blankets, the distance between them was very close, close enough for him to count the strands of the princess’s hair, close enough to smell the unique fragrance of the reincarnated Flower Goddess.

Mu Nanzhi glared at him, then turned away, facing the wall with her back to him.

Between her disheveled hair, her snow-white, delicate neck was faintly visible.

Xu Qi’an moved closer, and Mu Nanzhi also moved closer to the wall. In this back-and-forth, Mu Nanzhi was forced to the edge of the wall with nowhere to retreat.

She turned back, glaring, and angrily said, “What are you trying to do?”

Sorry, it was the love gu that made the first move… Xu Qi’an fell silent, unable to answer.

He gazed at Mu Nanzhi’s ordinary features and said softly, “I, I want to see your appearance again, your true appearance.”

Mu Nanzhi’s face instantly turned red, along with her ears.

They stared at each other in the darkness, their breathing gradually becoming rapid, their heartbeats accelerating.

Go for it, go for it… Just as Xu Qi’an was about to take a chance and turn his bicycle into a motorcycle, he suddenly heard a third person’s heartbeat.

Startled, he abruptly raised his head and looked towards the head of the bed.

A white-robed cultivator stood there, silently watching the man and woman on the bed.