Rain suddenly began falling in the night, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, pattering against the tiles spread across the small courtyard’s rooftop, then flowing down along the slanted curves to form tiny rivulets. The early winter chill took advantage of this moment to seep in.

Xue Yu sat under the glazed lamp wearing a gauze dress, her half-dried hair pinned up, writing and reading.

When Su You entered, his figure was slender and tall, his shoulders still bearing the deep autumn chill that hadn’t completely dissipated. Frost formed from flower and leaf moisture clung to his sleeve edges, and upon entering the door, it immediately melted into two water stains that silently soaked into the fabric.

Xue Yu set down the ink brush in her hand onto the inkstone and looked toward him, asking: “Where did you go?”

Su You pressed his lips together, his raven-black lashes constantly lowered, not looking at her. When he answered, his tone remained as steady as usual: “I went to the back mountain. Those demon creatures are more restless than the previous days, but as if following some command, they all stay huddled around their lairs, not crossing the thunder pool by even half a step.”

“This minister suspects the court has prepared defenses.”

He always handled matters thoroughly. The things she had been concerned about but hadn’t had time to do, he completed quietly and seamlessly.

Xue Yu nodded thoughtfully and said, “Given Qiu Tong’s calculating personality that leaves nothing to chance, having defenses prepared is normal. Fo Nu’s search situation isn’t ideal either, facing many obstructions. Finally using Buddhist secret methods to investigate, she discovered the prefect’s inner residence was polluted, possibly hiding filthy objects.”

“This might be a decoy.” Xue Yu frowned in analysis: “The prefect being pushed to the forefront is too conspicuous. Qiu Tong isn’t Qiu Zhao – he’s much more cautious and shouldn’t do something so desperate.”

The entire mission was too deceptive, involving too many complications. Even she rarely used uncertain words like “might” and “should.”

“Knock knock.”

In the silence, several careful and tentative knocking sounds came from outside the door, followed immediately by Chao Nian’s voice: “Miss, Young Master Ruan has arrived.”

Hearing this, Xue Yu’s shoulders relaxed slightly. She leaned back and said, “Please let him in.”

Ruan Kun pushed the door open, bowed to both people in the room, then stepped forward several paces to present the token before Xue Yu’s desk, saying: “Your Highness, Commander, this token is a credential of our Chenyu Pavilion. Our young master says that during Your Highness’s time in Luozhou, if there’s any need, everyone in Chenyu Pavilion will respond without exception.”

After Ruan Kun left, Xue Yu picked up the token that seemed neither iron nor iron, neither jade nor jade, and examined it for a long while. Her eyes lifted slightly upward, her voice revealing some light amusement: “The Commander truly has great skill, finding a capable helper with just a few words.”

Su You’s breathing paused slightly, almost involuntarily remembering that “close your eyes” outside Shuanghua Tower.

He couldn’t even distinguish whether that was her instinctive protection of a trusted minister or something else.

Something else.

Su You’s Adam’s apple rolled slowly and deliberately as he spoke in a deep voice: “Sharing the sovereign’s worries is a minister’s duty.”

“The prefect’s situation is caught between advance and retreat, clues are cut off, but here at Shuanghua Tower.” Xue Yu didn’t notice the stagnant emotion in his words. After laughing, she quickly turned to business: “I found the Feitian Diagram spirit.”

“It was that one who remained silent in the room yesterday.”

“She appeared before me transformed as a moon fox, her aura and even true form were flawless, enough to pass for real.”

Su You hadn’t expected this breakthrough to come so quickly. He raised his eyes and asked: “How did My Lady identify her true identity?”

“Her handwriting revealed flaws. I’ve seen Qiu Tong’s characters before – the final stroke of each character always falls heavy and slow, giving a sharp sense of emerging talent. Combined with the timing being too coincidental, I became suspicious.”

Xue Yu extended her index finger. A thin silver thread was tied to her fingertip, connecting to somewhere in the void. The silver thread trembled from time to time, as if swaying with some movement. “Spirits aren’t bound by constraints – they can freely come and go through paintings. Capturing her at that time wouldn’t have held her and would have alerted our prey. I set up a restriction – if she suddenly attacks the people of Luozhou City, her power will be locked by the restriction, and she won’t succeed.”

“Her true form, that Feitian Diagram, should be in Qiu Tong’s hands.”

Their eyes met, the lamplight flickered, and Su You seemed able to see from her eyes the countless considerations she had weighed at that time.

Such terrifying perceptive judgment and decisive methods made Su You wonder what would happen if he showed even the slightest abnormality.

Would she let him go, or give him some idle position where they’d never meet again?

In the complete silence of the room, Xue Yu flipped through the materials piled on the desk, picked out one document, and pushed it toward Su You, her voice lowering: “This is a traced copy that Fo Nu obtained through Buddhist temple connections. It traces the thousand-year-old Feitian Diagram created by a master. Though it doesn’t capture the divine essence, the details are quite realistic.”

“The reason Xuanji could manifest that fox tail is roughly because the lower left corner of this Feitian Diagram happens to depict a white moon fox gazing up at the moon. Strictly speaking, that was already part of her body, so naturally, no one would notice anything unusual.”

“What does My Lady plan to do next?” Su You’s brow ridge rose slightly, his gaze falling on the window as he spoke: “My Lady uses restrictions to lock Xuanji, preventing her from unleashing most of her demonic power. When the matter is exposed, I wonder how the Human Emperor will react to the prefect’s situation.”

“He cannot react much.” Mentioning Qiu Tong, the smile on Xue Yu’s lips completely faded. She stood up and said, “Honestly, I don’t want to think in that direction.”

“I’ve opened a water mirror. If Qiu Tong truly appears when Xuanji fails to absorb blood energy, I’ll immediately lead people to search the prefect’s residence and the law enforcement hall. If we truly find something, this matter won’t be up to me or even the Sacred Land to decide. Xihe will report this to the Heavenly Mechanism Book and the Fusang Tree, and we’ll all act according to instructions.”

This was the aspect Xue Yu least wanted to contemplate deeply.

The Qiu imperial bloodline had been passed down through generations since ancient times. The term Human Emperor symbolized absolute authority among the human race. Whether imprisonment for self-reflection or direct deposition, as long as this matter involved the Sacred Land, it would evolve into confrontation and deadlock between both sides.

Accusations like “long-planned,” “harboring ill intentions,” and “attempting to replace the court” would certainly pile upon the Sacred Land.

Meanwhile, there was also the demon race, restless and dissatisfied with the status quo.

Once this became reality, Xue Yu could even foresee that without waiting for the beast tide eruption hundreds of years later, the three-way conflict could reach its peak from this incident.

“The Human Emperor position has been obtained as desired.” Xue Yu rubbed her fingertips against the corner of her eye, murmuring: “Qiu Tong repeatedly acts beyond bounds – what exactly does he want to accomplish?”

“Greater power.” Su You’s index finger rubbed against the sword hilt, the corner of his eye drawn into a sharp line, his lips moving: “Or a higher position.”

“Yes.” Xue Yu looked at him and said, “The purpose is nothing beyond these two possibilities.”

Regarding the thousand years of her previous life, she could remember very few things now.

She repeatedly confirmed and screened through her memories, discovering that among the Heavenly Mechanism Book missions she had undertaken, very few involved the court or Human Emperor. Even when they did, they were all insignificant exchanges, like bizarre incidents where the pursuit of culprits led to court officials.

Not like now, where the Heavenly Mechanism Book almost seemed to be pushing her to investigate in this direction.

So during those blank hundreds of years, she didn’t know what Qiu Tong had done or whether he had succeeded.

This also meant that the rebirth’s advantage actually couldn’t provide her much help.

Whether it was the previous Worldly Lamp, Junzhou cases, or this Feitian Diagram incident, they had to follow the vine to find the melon, pursuing clues thread by thread.

“Before Qiu Tong ascended the throne, I crossed swords with him. He advanced step by step, cautious by nature, always emphasizing caution above all, with sufficient patience to maneuver with others.” Xue Yu spoke slowly: “Recently, he’s been acting too hastily, rather unlike himself.”

She always felt she was missing a very important link. Without this link, all subsequent speculation and deduction couldn’t proceed.

But careful examination revealed no omissions or problems.

Xue Yu turned to look at Su You.

At this moment, he stood upright, the suppressed, silent emotion about him made especially obvious by the lamplight.

“Let’s set his matter aside first – it will surface in these few days anyway.” Xue Yu walked to stand before him. At the moment she stopped, her hair swung in an arc with her sudden movement. Her eyes were like spring wind suddenly warming, frost and mist gathering cold, even her voice dropped two degrees: “Let’s talk about you.”

“What’s been wrong with you these past few days?”

The topic unexpectedly falling on himself, Su You suddenly raised his eyes, then quickly lowered them again. The emotions in his eyes remained tightly and densely hidden from beginning to end, like harboring a net full of debts, trying to conceal the evidence.

He wore an expression of confusion, as if not knowing where this question came from.

Ten years had passed in a flash. The youth of those days had now shot up tall, more than a head taller than her. When she occasionally looked at him, she would still think of leading him out of the formation years ago, feeling that time had left a moving and bright shadow on him.

“You used to be more carefree.” The corner of Xue Yu’s eye curved into a thin, long arc, each word spoken lightly, but when they fell, they were like stones dropped into a lake’s heart: “Now you’re powerful, steady, and also bound by etiquette, beginning to have concerns.”

Beginning to fear her.

The youth whose eyes once held only violent energy, whose temper was not so good, who remained indifferent to her status and continued acting as he pleased – he had shed his naive exterior and become someone who could be entrusted with important responsibilities and completely relied upon. But his words never strayed from “sovereign and minister,” and even occasional eye contact was quickly averted.

Su You’s chest swelled with a huge surge of bitter sourness, his hand gripping the sword hilt loosening and tightening.

Xue Yu was right, yet not right.

He wasn’t bound by etiquette.

He was simply – the stronger he became, the more inferior he felt.

When he first followed by her side, what did he care what she thought? The more others looked down on him, the more he wanted to prove himself, believing in the principle of eye for eye, blood for blood. Later, from some unknown point, his thoughts changed to wanting to get closer, to be even closer to her.

When he sat in the Commander position, becoming her true right-hand man with the right to know all her secrets and unuttered thoughts, he fell into another kind of huge emptiness.

He had to remind himself again and again, telling himself:

He couldn’t get any closer.

Xue Yu asked: “In ten years, your power has advanced too quickly. Is it that your mental state hasn’t kept up?”

When Su You spoke, he discovered his voice had already taken on a hoarse quality: “A small matter.”

He immediately added, “This minister will handle it quickly.”

At this moment, he seemed trapped in some indescribable stubbornness. Xue Yu looked at his shadow, neither long nor short, stretched by the lamplight, and asked: “Can you manage?”

“Yes.” Su You answered with decisive certainty, like making a promise. His dark eyes turned silently, his voice so light it almost merged with the flickering lamp wick: “Very soon.”

Xue Yu nodded and sat back at her desk. In the unbearably quiet atmosphere, Su You opened his mouth almost as if making conversation: “That Feitian Diagram spirit – how should she be dealt with after capture?”

Speaking of this, Xue Yu picked up the ink brush and then set it back on the inkstone. After a long silence, she said with considerable distress: “Take her back to Yedu and follow the rules.”

“Spirits like diagram spirits and book spirits that become sentient often depend most on fate and are most pitiable.” Xue Yu spoke frankly: “They understand nothing, see nothing clearly, comprehend nothing. Whether they’re good or evil depends entirely on their master’s character. Like Xuanji, the lives that were taken by her hand numbered over a hundred. Calling her extremely evil wouldn’t be excessive, but if you truly asked her, she wouldn’t even know what she had done or what it meant.”

“In such cases, even the Palace Investigation Department can’t conduct trials.”

“Xuanji, she…” Xue Yu’s eyes seemed to see those deer-like, innocent, and gentle eyes that contained no false sentiment. She paused and said: “Keep her if possible, waiting for future merit to offset crimes—” Before her words finished, she looked up toward the window.

Su You’s thumb rubbed against one end of the scabbard, his gaze dangerously darkening.

Shortly after, the door was struck open by some force from outside with a bang. A snow-white moon fox with fluffy fur, holding melon seeds, stood within both people’s sight. Her eyes swept over Su You before staring directly at Xue Yu.

“Xuanji.” Xue Yu immediately recognized the visitor’s true identity and asked sternly: “What is this—”

The little fox jumped onto Xue Yu’s desk in two or three steps. Her long, soft tail gently swept, and all those manuals and papers moved to different positions, clearing just enough space for her to curl up. She lay there languidly, eyes moist, nose pink, her fluffy, long tail silently coiling around Xue Yu’s little finger like a vine, swaying coquettishly.

This spirit, who had been surprising from their first meeting, seemed particularly fond of her.

Xue Yu quietly watched her for a long while, then extended her long finger to tap her forehead, her voice carrying unpracticed coaxing: “Don’t hurt people anymore.”

Xuanji looked at her, quickly yawned, and lazily closed her eyes.

The snow-white moon fox didn’t stay long. At a certain moment, she suddenly awakened, her ears moving several times, then with a bang exploded into a cloud in the air and disappeared.

Truly free to come and go, with no one able to restrain her.

Su You looked toward Xue Yu.

“The prefect’s rear residence.” Xue Yu’s beautiful eyes slightly condensed as she said softly: “If I’m not mistaken, Qiu Tong is currently in Luozhou.”

So it was another grand teleportation formation connecting the imperial palace to the prefectural city.

What a grand gesture from Qiu Tong.

Shortly after, Xue Yu pushed out the token that had just been delivered, her lips pressed straight and tight, speaking as if with prescience: “Have Chao Nian go to Chenyu Pavilion to select people – those skilled in formations who won’t panic in crisis. Fifty will do.”

Though everyone was mentally prepared, no one expected the crisis to come so quickly.

The next evening, a torrential downpour began without warning. At this time, Xue Yu, Shan Shu, Lu Chengze, and others were sitting around the courtyard discussing the case’s progress so far.

Suddenly, there was a thunderous crash, lightning danced wildly, and crackling raindrops gave no time for reaction as they poured down overhead.

Chao Nian was particularly adept at handling such situations. A transparent rain-proof barrier quickly rose, so while torrential rain poured outside with thick moisture in the air, inside remained calm and dry.

This rain came too suddenly – it didn’t seem natural, but rather like… demonic interference.

Xue Yu stood up with a “swoosh.” Without a word, she headed outside. Su You reached out to half-block her, his eyes deep, voice low and urgent: “Let this minister go.”

Having said this, he shot toward the turbulent black sky like an arrow without looking back, soon becoming just a small, blurred dot.

People in the courtyard also formed various suspicions, all becoming serious as they confirmed with each other: “Are the formations isolating combat in the southwest properly set up?”

“The Feitian Diagram’s true form can bewitch people – remember to bring the Clarity Pills.”

Shan Shu looked toward Lu Chengze with a grave expression, handing over the token in her hand: “I must serve as the formation’s heart and likely won’t be able to break away. This is my command token.”

“I’ve positioned sixty Buddhist cultivators to guard the southwest at various temples in Luozhou City. If the situation goes wrong and the prefect and law enforcement hall are truly connected and involved in this matter, Holy Son needn’t hesitate – lead people to search both places. Count them one by one – none can escape.”

Lu Chengze understood the gravity of the situation. He solemnly accepted the token and promised to handle it.

Su You quickly returned. He had come through wind and rain, yet only his eyelashes bore a layer of moisture, wetly clinging to his eyelids, rarely revealing a clean, youthful air.

He looked toward Xue Yu, nodded, and spoke in a deep voice: “Almost all the demonic beasts in the mountains have fallen into agitation.”

Xue Yu glanced at the sky, calculating the time in her mind.

It was just nightfall, still far from the zi hour. The demonic beasts were going mad early and in increased numbers – she didn’t need to think to understand what this meant.

“There’s still no movement from Xuanji’s side.” Xue Yu was first to step out of the courtyard gate: “Don’t worry about so much – let’s go guard the southwest.”

Southwest Luozhou, the prefect’s inner residence.

Qiu Tong stood atop a high platform, gazing at the jade marrow box placed at the bottom of a giant pit. Inside the box was half a dim black demon pearl. Even with several layers of breath-concealing formations and multiple spiritual treasures for cover, the aura occasionally leaking from that demon pearl still caused demon beasts within hundreds of li to involuntarily prostrate themselves.

Qiu Zhao and the prefect climbed the steps with unsteady footing. After paying respects, no one dared speak. All stood to one side, both nervous and anxious as they looked at the dignified sovereign before them.

Before long, Grand Eunuch Bai Su presented an ancient painting covered with black gauze before Qiu Tong, speaking respectfully: “Your Majesty, the Feitian Diagram has been retrieved.”

“Set it there.” Qiu Tong’s gaze finally shifted from that half-demon pearl. He swept his eyes over everyone in the high pavilion and asked: “Where is Xuanji?”

“Already in the formation.”

“Good.” Qiu Tong nodded without the slightest reluctance, speaking with particular coldness: “Let her begin.”

“Ah Zhao, come to my side.” Qiu Tong gave methodical instructions: “Once the dragon’s breath absorbs blood energy, the Sacred Land inheritor will certainly notice. Xue Yu will force her way into the residence. We cannot appear in Luozhou City. When the time comes, immediately activate the teleportation formation to return to the imperial palace.”

Having said this, he looked toward the Luozhou prefect, his tone rarely softening as he asked: “Do you know what to say?”

“Your Majesty, rest assured.” The Luozhou prefect was loyal and devoted. He straightened his chest and spoke righteously: “This minister will take responsibility for all errors alone. In the end, it’s merely death.”

Qiu Tong nodded approvingly: “Precisely because I have ministers like you who sacrifice themselves for the greater good, our human race can be self-reliant and prosperous to this day.”

“The Yun family’s contribution – I will not forget.”

The Luozhou prefect was moved to surging emotions and boiling blood by these few words, wishing he could immediately die to fulfill the great human cause.

At this moment, Xuanji suddenly appeared before them. She had long, loose hair, a small, pointed face, and black-and-white eyes that moved like a cat’s when they turned. She took Qiu Tong’s hand and quickly wrote a line of characters in his palm.

After sensing this, Qiu Tong’s pupils immediately churned like ink. He swept his sleeve heavily, his temples throbbing with restraint as he said coldly: “I’ve told you many times not to provoke Xue Yu. What kind of person do you think she is? You repeatedly appear before her – how could she not recognize you?”

Xuanji stared blankly at that face clouded with irritation from anger.

He had lost patience with her.

That handsome face no longer seemed so pleasing to look at.

She couldn’t help but frown, her head full of black hair swaying with her half-step backward movement.

Qiu Tong took a deep breath. After a moment, he reached out to pinch her delicate chin, his voice carrying heart-softening weariness that almost overflowed: “Xuanji, you know the dragon’s breath is extremely important to me.”

Xuanji knew – since her birth, he and those around him had been constantly saying this.

Some words, said too often, grew tiresome to hear.

Qiu Tong leaned forward, his cold lips falling one by one on Xuanji’s eyelids, speaking word by word: “I like you, but I am emperor, with more important responsibilities and burdens.”

Xuanji blinked.

“Come here, I have a way to break Xue Yu’s restriction.”

Having spoken, Qiu Tong pulled away the black cloth from the Feitian Diagram. Bai Su very tactfully brought over brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Qiu Tong stared at the seal in the lower right corner of the Feitian Diagram. He stood in place for a long while, then finally picked up the brush and smeared that seal into a blotch with ink.

Almost instantly, Xuanji’s figure lengthened, the corners of her eyes flushed red, her hair cascading to her snow-white ankles. Colorful silk surrounded her, dancing gracefully with some ancient melody from a thousand years past.

She felt her entire being ignite.

That was the taste of life rapidly draining away.

“Xuanji.” Qiu Tong glanced at the sky, squeezed her palm, and said: “Go.”

Xuanji looked at him once, then soared into the sky.

This time, the Heavenly Mechanism Diagram covered a much larger area than before. Dark clouds obscured the sky, lightning flashed, and thunder roared as the beauty with cloud-like hair roamed between heaven and earth under tens of thousands of gazes.

But Xue Yu’s restriction forcibly locked Xuanji. Even with all her potential forcibly activated, the restriction seemed to pull her back root by root – breaking then growing, growing then breaking in endless cycle. When she finally flew completely into the sky, Xue Yu had just arrived.

Seeing Xuanji’s condition, Xue Yu’s expression showed understanding.

She took a deep breath. Water-like patterns spread outward from beneath her feet in all directions. The ripples she sent out were as vast as the area covered by the Feitian Diagram.

Xuanji retained a trace of reason and gestured for her to leave.

“Can’t leave.” Xue Yu was angry. Rouge-colored flush spread across her cold jade-like face, her voice resentful: “Today, not one person in Luozhou City is allowed to be harmed.”

Xuanji had barely taken one step when a sword qi sharp beyond all resistance slashed diagonally from behind. As that sword scraped past her cheek, the curtain of rain throughout the sky seemed to be split open in mid-air, with a moment of stillness.

At this time, Xuanji was already unable to think.

She extended her fingertip, touched the scraped cheek, and when she spoke, everyone in the entire city seemed frozen under a binding spell. Her blood-streaked pupils fixed on Xue Yu and Su You as she smiled charmingly: “All of you, stay.”

Xue Yu and Su You struck almost simultaneously. Ice frost arrows and giant sword phantoms struck her chest and back at the same time. Xuanji shattered like a huge mirror, breaking into countless pieces that fell.

In the sky, the Feitian phantom blazed like fire with brilliant light.

“She’s completely lost control.” Xue Yu pressed heavily on her brow bone, looking toward Su You: “I need to enter the painting once. You assist Fo Nu in maintaining the great formation.”

“My Lady.” Su You’s voice was clear and moist: “Together.”

He was rarely stubborn, lowering his eyes and repeating once more: “Together.”

Seeing this, Xue Yu said nothing more. She shot up like a flowing light, with solemn, killing sword qi following closely. Two points of light tore through the moon fox phantom in the lower left corner like fireworks and rushed heavily inside.

On the high platform, Qiu Tong squinted at this scene. Before him sat a fire basin containing the original Feitian Diagram that had just been thrown in.

He remembered Xuanji’s eyes that smiled like peach blossoms with brilliant innocence, carelessly curving his lips and sighing in a low voice: “What a pity.”

A delicate beauty – pity she followed such a stone-hearted master as him.

For the sake of his great cause, she could only meet her fragrant demise.

This rain lasted a long time.

The entire sky fell into terrible silence. This deadlock with only wind and rain sounds was like a dull knife scraping against everyone. Before long, not only did Shan Shu, Shen Jingshi and others frown, even Qiu Tong suddenly felt the situation slipping from control.

He couldn’t help pressing hard on his finger joints.

Until countless openings broke in the sky and rich blood energy, wrapped by some force, was sent down to land steadily in the jade box holding the dragon’s breath at the bottom of the pit.

Qiu Tong’s eyes slightly lowered as he quietly sighed in relief.

A court magician brought the jade box to Qiu Tong. That half dragon’s breath, nourished, visibly became lively. It greedily absorbed the power that could strengthen itself, its surface luster flickering bright and dim with breathing-like rhythm.

But the next moment, a section of white wrist materialized, drooping gracefully in the jade box with a moist jade bracelet hanging loosely on the wrist.

This was Xuanji’s hand.

Qiu Tong had held it countless times, so he recognized it immediately.

He had set no defenses, naturally never thinking that Xuanji, who had already accepted her death and indeed could never return, would temporarily change her mind right under his nose and extract a strand of life essence from the dragon’s breath.

The dragon’s breath, having lost its most important component, began rapidly changing between black and white as if about to explode, rolling frantically within the jade box.

After a while, under Qiu Zhao’s unexpected gaze, it cracked open with a snap, splitting down the middle, and moved no more.