Ten-odd days passed in a flash. The mortal world was gradually controlled by endless emerging rumors, but even with the Demon Capital’s massive financial investment, public opinion still leaned heavily to one side. The five great families of the Demon Capital had never suffered such indignity – each pacing back and forth in their rooms, fuming with rage, shouting about the injustice.

But the Demon Capital was famously wealthy and powerful. Anything that could be solved with real gold and silver was like scattering money without blinking to them.

Nine Phoenix wasn’t surprised by this. Listening to Qin Mu’s indignant curses, she wrapped herself in a thin blanket, lazily reclining on a beauty couch, too lazy to even lift her eyelids: “What’s the rush? This matter was never meant to be resolved overnight. The human race might be mediocre in other aspects, but they’re famously united, with tens of thousands of years of loyalty-to-ruler ideology. Naturally, they won’t do anything that betrays their own.”

“Then aren’t we just working for nothing?”

“Qin Mu, use your brain for once.” Nine Phoenix frowned: “Do I want them to believe me? If they could believe me so easily, would I need to collaborate with the Sacred Lands in planning, and finally prepare to petition the Fusang Tree?”

“Honestly, you should go learn from Qin Qingchuan, spend some time in Hundred Crowd Mountain, and gain some sense following Xue Yu.” She half-sat up: “We’re spending money now just to muddy the waters. Whether they believe it or not, the more chaotic the better – ideally, everyone should know about this. That way, when Qiu Tong truly falls from the Human Emperor’s throne, they’ll all have a scale in their hearts and won’t cause major waves.”

Honestly, almost no one in the Demon Capital’s younger generation hadn’t been beaten by Nine Phoenix, and no one could escape her scolding. This had become routine – Qin Mu was even somewhat numb to it.

He naturally changed to a topic Nine Phoenix found interesting: “Sui Jinyu left.”

“Just him alone?” Nine Phoenix indeed lifted her eyelids: “Where did he go?”

“Just him and his attending servants. He went to Yedu.”

“Good.” Nine Phoenix lay back down with relief. Thinking of the psychological trauma Sui Jinyu had caused her these past years, for a moment she felt him finding his brother was more joyful than her finding a brother herself: “Good that he’s not stupid to that degree. Let him go, just don’t cause any more trouble.”

“By the way, send someone to Yedu with the Tiger Flood Pearl.” Nine Phoenix instructed: “Tell Xue Yu that Tiger Flood Pearls aren’t like other things. Those with strong cultivation after death are buried in clan ancestral lands, while those with weak cultivation can’t accomplish much. After picking and choosing, this one we found is already top quality – have her be careful when extracting memories.”

“A single pearl can only handle so much. Get the useful stuff.”

“Don’t send anyone else – let Qin Qingchuan go.” Nine Phoenix sipped rose immortal dew: “He knows Yedu like the back of his hand. It’s practically his second home now. Easy to talk to, easy to work with.”

“…” Qin Mu pressed his brow, swallowing his anger: “Fine. Any other orders?”

Nine Phoenix lazily waved her hand.

In the imperial palace, the atmosphere grew more stifling by the day. Palace servants coming and going served carefully, as if overnight entering a bone-chilling winter.

Qiu Tong was far from the calm composure shown in rumors. On the contrary, these ten-odd days were the most torturous period he’d experienced in over a decade, calling it frantic wouldn’t be excessive.

Time seemed to flow backward to the treacherous, endless struggles before his ascension.

Bai Su opened the last secret letter, his fingers trembling slightly. Steadying himself, he reported quietly under the emperor’s corpse-like pale complexion: “Your Majesty, the enforcement halls in Su Prefecture, Cang Prefecture, Luo Prefecture and other places have all been purged. All executors and elder-level officials who participated in cases ten years ago – not one escaped. They’ve been detained under house arrest, awaiting interrogation.”

He swallowed: “Meanwhile, Sacred Land people have appeared in these three prefectures’ government offices and city lord mansions, investigating something unknown. But in any case, none dare act rashly now. The Demon Capital has a foul reputation – originally no one believed them. Your Majesty, with the Sacred Lands getting involved like this, it’s tantamount to taking a stance.”

The Sacred Lands differed from the Demon Capital. Their reputation and prestige were built from solid, real cases. In common people’s hearts, they were the most noble and untainted. If asked who was least likely to muddy waters and frame innocents at this time, the Sacred Lands would definitely rank first.

Sure enough, once the Sacred Lands acted, many cultivation sects changed their tune and began waiting to see how things developed.

“Cough cough!” Qiu Tong’s complexion was an exaggerated, extremely forced grayish defeat. Those eyes that always looked at people sinisterly now showed death’s aura. During this period, he couldn’t eat or sleep well. With anxiety attacking his heart, his body was already at its limit – he didn’t even have strength to slam the table and rise.

This cough brought up a handful of fresh blood.

Bai Su fearfully went to support him, but was pushed away by one hand.

Qiu Tong’s eyes flickered. After a long while, he leaned back exhaustedly, his voice so weak it needed to be heard close to the ear: “Which Sacred Land?”

“Your Majesty, it’s Chi Shui.” Bai Su gave an unexpected answer: “I heard it was Yin Ling’s order.”

“Chi Shui.” Qiu Tong repeated these two words viciously, his palm slightly clenching: “Is it possible?”

“The Sacred Lands and court don’t interfere with each other, each keeping to their affairs. Chi Shui didn’t participate in those cases back then. At this time, they come to investigate, to dig up old accounts – is this possible?”

Hearing this, Bai Su understood – Qiu Tong thought this matter originated from Yedu.

“…Your Majesty.” Bai Su spoke with difficulty: “What should we do next?”

“How many days can this body of mine live?” When it came to this, Qiu Tong was actually quite calm.

Bai Su immediately knelt on the ground, head lowered: “The imperial physicians said, using full effort and sustaining with immortal ginseng, at most ten days of life can be extended.”

“Ten days.” Qiu Tong’s chest trembled with a “heh,” struggling to exhale a long breath: “Enough.”

“Spread word that I am gravely ill, life hanging by a thread.” Qiu Tong struggled to keep his eyes open: “Transmit my decree – have Prince Zhao bring his son to the palace to attend my sickbed.”

“You go again, contact Yedu’s side. Say I have urgent matters to discuss with Yedu’s princess. If she won’t come, reveal something about the deal Xue Rong made with me in the past.”

Bai Su’s heart trembled with alarm. About to ask more, he heard the emperor’s gaze sweep over coldly, his tone brooking no argument: “Do as I say.”

Bai Su acknowledged and withdrew.

This morning, a female attendant came to report to Su You, who had just emerged from Yedu’s private prison: “Young Master, someone from the Demon Capital’s Sui family has come, specifically asking to see you.”

Su You’s casual motion of wiping blood from his hands paused. He stood in the spring breeze for a long while before finally speaking: “Tell him it’s inconvenient to discuss private matters within Yedu. Ask him to wait in Shenyu Pavilion’s private room – I’ll come shortly.”

The female attendant acknowledged and silently withdrew.

Hundred Crowd Mountain had some disturbance last night. Xue Yu took Chou Li early in the morning to handle it and hadn’t returned yet.

Su You thought for a moment, changed clothes, crossed the Sun-Moon Wheel, and headed toward Shenyu Pavilion.

Shenyu Pavilion’s private rooms for distinguished guests were on the third floor. The transparent glass cover was wiped clean and spotless. From the seated angle at the table looking out, the view was unobstructed – opposite were two verdant, lush broken mountain ranges. Looking further up was the Sun-Moon Wheel towering into the clouds.

Cross that spectacular seven-colored ring, and inside was Yedu’s territory.

A pot of tea went from hot to cold. Shenyu Pavilion’s female attendants had come twice to add water and brought two plates of exquisite pastries. Sui Jinyu sat frowning, not touching anything.

Waiting for someone until heart-scratching anxiety and burning impatience – he learned what this felt like today.

Sui Jinyu rarely waited for people like this.

But thinking of who he was waiting for, even after standing up and sitting down several times, he only slightly frowned. Before the well-trained, neither servile nor arrogant Yedu servants – who very likely were personally trained by his own brother, he couldn’t show the slightest impatience.

Time passed particularly slowly at this moment.

Sui Jinyu looked at Yedu’s light ring. Before his eyes seemed to float Nine Phoenix’s ambiguous, inscrutable attitude and words.

That was two days ago.

Due to the dark cloud that “Sui Nineteen” might have been tortured to death by Xihe Sacred Land, the entire Sui family had been tense during this period. The reason they still held onto that last thread of rationality was because Shenyu Pavilion sent new information daily, all different. For instance, he had once stayed in which cities, or he had very likely done certain things.

These were all ancient history. The person was gone – what use was saying more?

Just Nine Phoenix’s balancing act to appease people. Frankly speaking, it could only fool idiots.

But no matter what, Sui Jinyu couldn’t charge out now to die together with Xihe Sacred Land, making them pay blood for blood. Setting aside other things, over the past twenty years, the Nine Phoenix family had truly spent effort helping them search.

Burning bridges after crossing – that wasn’t how things were done.

That afternoon, Nine Phoenix entered the Sui family alone. The main gate opened before her and closed again.

She played with a palm-sized sachet in her hands. A rich floral fragrance, like dozens of complex perfume powders mixed and stirred together, capable of making one’s scalp explode, quickly filled the entire reception hall.

Sui Jin wanted to pinch his nose to breathe. His eyelid twitched: “Say whatever you have to say, Chu Yaoxiang. Take that sachet of yours further away.”

“What for?” Nine Phoenix completely ignored him, pretending not to hear. Her gaze swept over the wine pot in his hands, her words obviously mocking: “What’s this, drowning sorrows in wine?”

Sui Jinyu dangerously narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that – I don’t fall for your tricks.” Nine Phoenix always spoke to them like addressing underlings. She casually reclined in the wide chair, her fingers winding the pouch and casually swinging it against the armrest: “Let me ask you a few things.”

“When exactly did you lose that brother of yours?”

“Two hundred twenty-three years ago.” Sui Jinyu gave an extremely detailed time, adding: “In Mountain Sea City.”

“If nothing unexpected, every member born to Demon Capital families, whether direct or branch lines, would have a life lamp – person exists, lamp exists.” Nine Phoenix looked up at him, her tone unhurried: “Why doesn’t he have one?”

“He’s different.” Sui Jinyu said, “He’s different from all of us.”

“I have another question.” At this, Nine Phoenix sat up enthusiastically, as if this entire trip was just to ask the next sentence. With special meaning, she spoke: “What if he suffered countless hardships outside, survived near-death experiences several times before meeting a benefactor, and now, even if you invite him, he’s unwilling to return?”

Sui Jinyu suddenly looked up, placing his wine pot on the desk with a “clang.” When speaking, even his breathing was twice as heavy: “Chu Yaoxiang, you have leads about him, don’t you?”

“Don’t worry about leads or not.” Nine Phoenix tapped her fingertips, speaking leisurely: “Answer my question.”

After a long standoff, Sui Jinyu spoke quietly: “At this point, who cares about returning or not.”

“As long as he’s alive.”

“Can’t tell – you’re actually a good older brother.” Nine Phoenix stood up, her stunning waistline displayed. She patted her sleeve edge before saying: “Then how do you know that back then on the Judgment Platform, he wasn’t rescued by someone?”

“I investigated.” Sui Jinyu said coldly: “Only three survived that round – two were human race, one was a demon ghost—” At this, he suddenly realized something, his voice hoarse: “You mean he was rescued by Yedu’s successor?”

“Not necessarily – I don’t know either.” Nine Phoenix deliberately didn’t give him a straight answer, hooking him sentence by sentence: “But this Yedu young master has golden wings, is also just over two hundred years old. Most coincidentally, being demon race with exceptional talent, he shows no reaction to my bloodline suppression.”

“If I remember correctly, among the entire demon race younger generation, only you and I are fairly evenly matched, able to face bloodline suppression without avoiding or yielding, right?”

“Tell me, isn’t this a bit coincidental?”

Indeed coincidental. The more Sui Jinyu thought, the more coincidental it seemed.

Nine Phoenix’s words seemed to say everything, but whether it was true or not – only he could verify.

Just as Sui Jinyu was contemplating deeply, the private room door was pushed open. He looked up to see a man with a pine-bamboo posture, clean and upright, wearing Yedu’s first-rank young master court robes. The deep purple color usually looked aging, but on him it created a mature charm.

“Wait outside.” Su You looked at the servant beside him, voice gentle: “No one is allowed to enter and disturb.”

“Yes.”

Only when Su You sat across from Sui Jinyu did their gazes truly meet.

“Young Master Sui.” Su You nodded to him, his attitude neither warm nor cold. He rose to pour him tea like a proper host: “Yedu’s government affairs are busy. I have urgent matters at hand – sorry to keep you waiting.”

From his appearance, Sui Jinyu’s gaze never left his face.

Similar, yet not similar.

Sui family members all had good bone structure – smooth, sharp brow bones, phoenix eyes that always conveyed arrogance when looking at people seriously.

But this person before him not only had bone structure but also a face like a painting. When sitting lazily and leisurely, his brows slightly downward, peach blossom eyes rippling and warm – the bearing of a flawless immortal with clear wind and bright moon.

One could imagine that if he became angry, all those Sui family characteristics would unconsciously emerge.

If this was his brother, then truly, he was more outstanding and excellent than all his imaginings.

Su You lowered his eyes, unhurriedly pushing the hot tea to Sui Jinyu’s hand, asking: “You sought me today – for official business or private matters?”

“Private matters.” Sui Jinyu finally moved his gaze with difficulty, flattered as he reached for the teacup: “Sui family affairs – as an official in Yedu, you should have heard something.”

He lightly exhaled: “Two hundred twenty-three years ago, the Sui family lost a child, a boy, ranking nineteenth in my family.”

“He’s my brother.” Sui Jinyu stared intently at Su You: “My real brother.”

Su You’s finger bones paused slightly. When he smiled with raised brows, he had the composure and grace of a noble young master in his very bones: “I’m slow-witted and don’t understand Young Master Sui’s words. Since this is private business and no one else is here, just speak directly.”

Sui Jinyu slowly stood up, shaking off his cloak to reveal lean shoulders. Circle after circle of invisible ripples spread outward from his tall frame like bean-sized raindrops falling into a lake center, instantly enveloping the entire room.

That was an inescapable bond between blood relatives destined to connect.

One stood, one sat. The standing one nervous and anxious, the sitting one inscrutable.

When the energy waves peaked, Su You’s fingers resting on the table suddenly curled. He finally looked up, frowning: “What do you mean by this?”

The instant his words fell, that invisible thread in his body finally burst out uncontrollably. That golden light with flowing golden luster, once appearing, couldn’t help responding to the summons filling the room.

The two colors finally mixed completely under Sui Jinyu’s trembling gaze.

At this moment, all words seemed superfluous.

Nothing could better prove the relationship between them.

“…Nineteen.” Sui Jinyu took a deep breath, straightening his clothes and sleeves, showing rare nervousness: “We—”

They were blood brothers.

Just then, the door was knocked three times and pushed open from outside.

Su You’s long lashes moved slightly as he looked toward the sound.

Before entering, he had instructed that no one should enter, but for him, there was one situation that required no consideration of timing – an exception everyone in the Palace Guard Bureau knew well.

Sure enough, the person entering was Chao Nian.

He entered and surveyed the atmosphere, sensing something wrong. His steps hesitated in place for a long while before he scratched his head and walked to Su You’s side, saying quietly: “The Imperial Guard Bureau couldn’t find you. I asked the attending servants and searched everywhere before finding you.”

Finished speaking, he restrained his playful expression, leaning to Su You’s ear: “Young Master, my lady urgently summons—”

When they spoke, out of respect for his brother’s principles, Sui Jinyu tactfully focused on looking out the window. But with powerful cultivation as foundation, these words still drifted to his ears.

Then Sui Jinyu saw Su You stand up. Whether the gentleness shown earlier or the subsequent confusion and anger, all faded like paint from a scroll, revealing the sharp edge proper to a Yedu young master.

Su You nodded to the expectant, heart-stirring Sui Jinyu, saying his first words since their brotherly recognition.

“Excuse me.”

With that, he followed Chao Nian out the door.