The deep autumn midday sun wasn’t intense, scattering broken gold just right.

Sacred Land successors and demon capital people gathered under the tree shade at the foot of Sun-Moon Wheel Mountain. Three or five people stood chatting, while those who didn’t want to talk leaned against tree trunks with closed eyes, occasionally glancing toward the mountaintop.

“I can’t take it anymore. I really can’t.” Chen Longzhi, who had always been good-tempered and was famous as a peacemaker among the demon capital’s noble families, looked at Feng Shangyu and said through gritted teeth: “Count it up—in just two or three days, how many times has the teleportation array been activated?”

“I know, I know.” Feng Shangyu pressed his shoulder consolingly: “The Sui family isn’t refusing to pay either. They’re covering all expenses, right? Mainly, you’ve seen the situation—in these extraordinary times, even if we traveled from here to the imperial city with enforcement halls from everywhere chasing us with penalty notices, it would still take three or four days. The imperial city’s situation changes rapidly. For the sake of major affairs, just bear with it for now.”

“It’s not about money—how much money.” Chen Longzhi’s expression now, when looking at the Sui family group, was comparable to Jiu Feng’s when facing Sui Jinyu years ago. He glumly wiped his face: “Teleportation arrays have regulations for use—they can only be activated once every ten days. Too frequent use damages the array foundation.”

“Besides, my family’s teleportation array isn’t meant for transporting people.” Chen Longzhi raised his voice to emphasize, hoping the casually standing person not far away could hear, but Sui Yu acted as if asleep, not even glancing at him.

Teleportation arrays in this world came in two types—similar in principle but different in size. Large teleportation arrays were for transporting goods, small ones for people, with vastly different construction costs.

The teleportation array built by Chen Yu Pavilion was the former, used to transfer large quantities of fresh, perishable, and rare treasures. One trip’s profit could build half of another branch pavilion. In Chen Longzhi’s words, the people-transporting kind couldn’t compare to his family’s at all.

“Feng Shangyu, I’m talking to you.” Chen Longzhi looked at Feng Shangyu’s rather indulgent expression toward Chu Yaoxiang and said tragically, “Fine, just spoil her. I hope you won’t need me to drink with you and provide guidance next time. If I pay attention to you again, I’ll look down on myself.”

Feng Shangyu glanced at him sideways and lightly snapped his fan against his chest: “Brothers who’ve grown up together since childhood shouldn’t say such things.”

“…”

Four Sacred Land successors and Jiu Feng stood or crouched under one tree’s shade. After chatting briefly, the topic inexplicably turned to Lu Chengze.

He hadn’t been doing well recently. Falling from his Sacred Land successor position meant that from now on, Yin Ling would be sovereign, and he would be subject. The title “Your Highness” would also be replaced by “Young Master.” Not only did his years of effort lack resolution, but he also had no face to meet the clan elders who supported him, falling into self-blame and dejection.

“I don’t know what Lu Chengze is thinking. When I ask him, he won’t say.” Yin Ling brushed nonexistent dust from her sleeves, speaking coolly.

“I was puzzled at the time, too—no matter what, we grew up in the same Sacred Land. How did he make it seem like I was his enemy, wanting to harm him daily?”

Speaking of this, Yin Ling’s words paused slightly: “However, after the Human Emperor incident, I asked Lu Chengze about Song Heng’s whereabouts. He said he wasn’t very clear, but based on the words Song Heng left him, he should have gone far north to the Northern River.”

“Northern River.” Cang Ju lifted an eyelid: “He’s come to my family’s doorstep.”

“Ask Lu Chengze what that person came to do.”

“Speaking of Song Heng, that person has many secrets. Moreover, at the Feiyun Summit, he gained inheritance from several suspected ancestors. Unlike being granted secret techniques and manuals, what he obtained was all the cultivation and spiritual power of his predecessors. His current strength shouldn’t be underestimated.”

“Pulling up seedlings to help them grow is completely useless.” Cang Ju raised his eyes, looking at two white-robed figures approaching together in the distance: “There, they’re here.”

Xue Yu didn’t like making people wait, and this was also the first time she had kept people waiting so long.

In the dim curtains that fell, isolating all covetous light and becoming a secret paradise, Xue Yu spoke word by word, quite difficultly expressing her heart-revealing words. When a certain string snapped taut, he roughly pressed her down for kisses.

He couldn’t help but react.

Later, he was almost deliberately dragging her into entanglement, slowly entering and withdrawing. When her eyes inevitably misted with a crystal tear, he lowered his gaze, slowly licking her moistened lips with his tongue tip. When he raised his head and lifted his chin, suppressing the tail end of his panting, he was vivid and fragrant, seductively alluring.

Having gained all the sweetness, yet seeming like the one being bullied.

Xue Yu finally understood what he meant by “suffering losses.”

This situation made Xue Yu somewhat uncomfortable. Throughout, she maintained a wooden expression without smiling. Su You clasped her hand, the seductive color at his eye corners completely dissolved. When looking toward Jiu Feng and others, he tugged his mouth corner: “Sorry, we’re late.”

Jiu Feng raised an eyebrow, looking Xue Yu up and down from all angles. Finally, under her coldly icy gaze, she restrained herself slightly and turned toward Su You’s upper collarbone exposed under his wide robes. She could see a bite mark on the smoothly flowing prominent bone, faintly embedded in the skin, colored so richly it seemed stained with rouge and blood.

Real force had been applied here.

“So… fierce.” Jiu Feng murmured with interest, then waved: “Everyone returning to the demon capital, come over here.”

The Sui family’s large group made particularly exaggerated movements. Su You ignored them, his fingertips teasingly hooking in Xue Yu’s palm.

At the moment of parting, he lowered his head slightly, looking at this exquisite, charming face that shot cold arrows outward, making people dare not peek or scrutinize from a long distance, and said softly: “A Yu, I’m leaving.”

“Mm.”

“There’s still half a month before the Three Realms Grand Assembly begins. I’ll enter the ancestral grounds, so spirit talismans might not be able to contact me.” His eyelids drooped, creating two or three distinct lines, his pupils showing an even black: “Miss me.”

Xue Yu squeezed out another muffled “mm” sound from her nose, as if unable to let go of what had happened recently, thus showing a stubborn, cold indifference.

Su You watched for a long moment, brushing her cheek with his fingertip, slowly asking: “Are you still uncomfortable?”

Xue Yu suddenly looked up, then expressionlessly reached out to push his face to the other side, coldly spitting out words: “You all talk. I’m leaving.”

Su You clasped her hand with no intention of letting her go like this. Since the two had stumbled through talking things through, he could finally confidently reveal part of his true self, like now, and like two hours ago—if he didn’t hear a satisfactory answer, he planned to keep pressing, with patience that seemed endless.

“Miss you.” After looking for a while, her eyelashes drooped: “Take care of yourself.”

Su You smiled and slowly released his hand.

She floated to the other side of the teleportation array like a ribbon, where all the Sacred Land successors were—they were going to the imperial city to negotiate with Prince Zhao’s consort.

The teleportation array activated, with overwhelming spiritual light weaving overhead. Su You leaned his back against the light pillar and methodically peeled off the white gel skin on his left hand that sealed the Human Emperor Lock’s power. Scalding blood immediately sprayed out. Sui Jinyu’s heart tightened, and he was about to speak when he heard Su You say, “It’s fine. If kept sealed, it will never heal.”

Unless this extremely painful method was used to gradually wear away the power attached to it.

“Why not remove it earlier or later—afraid Xue Yu would find it hard to see?” Jiu Feng turned away, remembering something: “But I’ll remind you, taking over the demon capital isn’t easy, and interfering with the mortal realm’s chaotic forces is even harder. You might throw eight or ten years into it without even seeing a splash. Both you and Xue Yu will be busy—you might not even have time to meet.”

“Anyway, think it over carefully.”

“No need to consider.” Su You calmly interrupted her. At this moment, his presence was no weaker than this future ruler who had dominated the demon capital since childhood: “Without settling this situation, she can’t spare the heart to love someone.”

When Prince Zhao’s consort appeared at Jade Fragrance Studio, Xue Yu and Shan Shu were already sitting upstairs, having sipped half a cup of hot tea. To prevent their conversation from leaking out, they had booked the entire third floor in advance, so the noble and precious princess consort, who had never suffered any hardships in her life, found them immediately upon entering.

Due to simultaneously losing her husband and son in a short time while also being pregnant, even wearing a veil, Prince Zhao’s consort’s weakness could be easily perceived.

It could be said that without the Imperial Medical Academy’s top medical skills and spiritual pills sent by various mortal realm sects supporting her simultaneously, this child would have been lost the moment she learned of Prince Zhao and Qiu Ren’s deaths.

“I know what you want to say.” Prince Zhao’s consort removed her veil and placed it on the table, revealing a worried, haggard face. She was quite beautiful, but not with seductive, bewitching features. Instead, she had large, round eyes, and when her cheeks lacked flesh, they appeared particularly prominent, showing a kind of well-protected innocence and goodness.

“I deceived those guards, having someone impersonate me lying in the palace for ‘fetal protection,’ but they’re very concerned about my health now. I can’t stay out long, so we can keep this brief.”

At such times, Shan Shu’s gentle temperament could well comfort anyone who had been frightened. She looked at Prince Zhao’s consort, her gaze falling on her slightly protruding belly, softly stating their purpose: “We came today wanting to discuss the future path of the child in your belly.”

“Before that.” Prince Zhao’s consort’s palm stroked her belly, her words carrying forcibly suppressed grief: “I want to know about the deaths of the prince and Ren’er…” She took a deep breath, almost unable to speak through tears.

It was clear that this princess consort, who was strictly protected and controlled, seemed to have guessed some behind-the-scenes truth through intuition.

“Yes.” Shan Shu gently completed the remaining sentence: “Their deaths were orchestrated by Qiu Tong, with Qiu Zhao as the blood catalyst in between, while Qiu Ren was the young body he had raised for years.”

Any wife and mother hearing such words would be heartbroken. Prince Zhao’s consort’s ten scallion-like fingernails showed sudden white on the table surface. Shan Shu worriedly wanted to channel some spiritual power to ease her emotions, but was stopped by Prince Zhao’s consort: “Don’t touch me. They’ve placed many layers of protective talismans on me. If outsiders touch me, they’ll be triggered.”

This was within expectations.

After all, the child in her belly was the Qiu family’s last bloodline, the future emperor.

“I guessed it.” Even Prince Zhao’s consort’s bitter smile seemed forced: “Ren’er was spoiled by Qiu Tong since childhood, not knowing his place. I often had the illusion that this wasn’t the kind of doting an uncle would have for a nephew. He protected Ren’er like protecting a delicate, fragile piece of porcelain.”

And it was.

“But Ren’er was smart. A ten-year-old child, no matter how naughty, being raised like waste, would still have an instinctive intuition when facing danger and abnormalities. He told me twice that he saw many books in Imperial Uncle’s study, several with blood written on them. When he looked out of curiosity, he accidentally drew a line on one book with a pen, fortunately, Imperial Uncle didn’t discover it.”

Xue Yu immediately understood why there was crooked handwriting on the Xu family’s life-exchange manual that Su You had found.

This manual had originally been entrusted from the Xu family to Qiu Tong’s desk, was looked at, then placed on a bookshelf, and due to Qiu Tong’s vigilance, all returned to the Xu family before the life exchange, finally being collected by Su You by chance.

Yet even so, Qiu Zhao and Qiu Ren still died.

“The dead are gone, please accept my condolences.” Shan Shu looked at the darkening sky: “As you said, let’s keep this brief. We have no ill intentions toward this child. We need him to grow into an emperor completely different from Qiu Tong—benevolent, gentle, yet not lacking the resolution a ruler should have.”

“The recent widely circulated events are all true.” Shan Shu said, “He was the one who slaughtered subjects, destroyed the balance of the three realms, and acted against the demon capital. Not just the princess consort’s family and child, for his gain, over three hundred babies in swaddling clothes permanently lost their lives.”

“He has no reverence for life whatsoever. He’s unfit to be emperor.”

Shan Shu looked at Prince Zhao’s consort and whispered gently: “What kind of things will the ministers Qiu Tong leave behind teach this child? Think about it—you know in your heart.”

“Alright.” Prince Zhao’s consort grasped her veil and slowly put it on, as if donning a layer of impenetrable armor: “Compared to that kind of madman, I trust the Sacred Lands.”

It should be said that to prevent her unborn child from following Qiu Tong’s path in the future, becoming that kind of monster who didn’t recognize family and had lost all conscience, she could only trust the Sacred Lands.

This was also why she had gone to such trouble to come out today.

“I have Prince Zhao’s mansion’s hidden networks and forces. These people will also help the future regent and this child in court.” Prince Zhao’s consort said slowly: “I will cooperate with you, properly educating him, teaching him right from wrong, and enabling him to distinguish between black and white in this world.”

Shan Shu showed a relieved smile: “That the princess consort thinks this way is truly wonderful.”

“There’s one more thing—I want to see Xue Yu.” Prince Zhao’s consort’s gaze moved between the two, as if having made some decision. Her pale, bloodless face even showed a sickly flush, appearing much more spirited. Her words were exceptionally firm as she repeated: “I must see her.”

Xue Yu sat to one side, having said nothing from beginning to end. Now, her fingers pressed on the handle of the hot tea cup, her eyes observing Prince Zhao’s consort’s every expression, still not speaking.

This negotiation wasn’t as difficult to persuade as imagined. Prince Zhao’s consort was also a powerless, pregnant, weak woman. Shan Shu appeared rather gentle: “Yedu is far from the imperial city. Even if she came, you might not be able to come out again. If you have something to say, you can tell us first, and we’ll convey it.”

Prince Zhao’s consort’s feet seemed nailed down. She looked at the lively shouting from the street outside, her body trembling, shoulders sliding down as if her bones had been removed. Xue Yu instinctively moved her fingertips, but saw her slowly steady herself.

“Forget it.” Her eyes turned dully: “Let’s wait until there’s another chance to meet.”

“I am Xue Yu.”

Xue Yu drew out her waist token and pressed it on the table, neither lightly nor heavily: “Speak.”

A layer of thick surprise flowed from Prince Zhao’s consort’s eyes, which she couldn’t cover despite trying hard to conceal it. She carefully observed Xue Yu’s appearance, from eyebrows to lips, until the gemstone ring in her hand rotated and lit up as if urging her, then she spoke hastily: “…The people in the palace may have already noticed something unusual. I must return quickly.”

Prince Zhao’s consort knew of Xue Yu because of Qiu Zhao.

Regarding court matters and Qiu Tong’s plans, she, a sheltered woman, knew nothing. But Qiu Zhao treated her extremely well, unchanging for over twenty years. Often when he was angry, he wouldn’t hide from her, speaking without restraint at home, smashing teacup after teacup.

The period of lowest pressure was when Qiu Tong repeatedly suffered setbacks at Xue Yu’s hands, then implicated the subordinate officials handling affairs. Because of the name Xue Yu, Prince Zhao’s consort had witnessed Qiu Zhao’s defeated, dead-drunk appearance multiple times.

Hearing it often, she remembered.

Xue Yu was a very capable person who could make someone as ruthless as Qiu Tong repeatedly suffer setbacks. In imagination, she should wear black clothes, independently traversing various places in the mortal realm, ready to draw swords when two sentences didn’t agree—a woman who wasn’t much like a woman.

But what she saw wasn’t that. The real Xue Yu wore a long dress, with snow-white skin and black hair, a slender, snow-white neck. When speaking, she was cool but didn’t appear overbearing.

“I…” Prince Zhao’s consort’s voice caught, not knowing where to begin for a moment. After organizing her thoughts, she continued: “As soon as I learned I was pregnant, I was summoned to the palace by Qiu Tong under the name of tending to illness, but they wouldn’t let me do these things. Recently, seeing the prince’s complexion was terrible, I thought I’d serve him myself for half a day. That day, the palace people outside the side hall were dismissed. Just as I was about to go around the screen, I heard voices from inside.”

“I heard him tell his subordinates that he wanted to divide the dragon’s breath into several parts, summon all the world’s demon clans, then slaughter them all at once.” Prince Zhao’s consort walked outward while forcibly holding back her choked voice to compose herself: “He said this was his lifelong goal and the most beautiful path he could imagine for the human race.”

“Prince Zhao’s consort.” Shan Shu raised her voice for the first time: “Do you remember specifically how many parts Qiu Tong said to divide it into that day? This is very important to us, and also very important to the child in your belly. Please tell us truthfully.”

Prince Zhao’s consort shook her head, her wrist so thin it was only bone. When she moved, her bracelet swayed along, almost unable to hang on her wrist bone: “Qiu Tong is naturally cruel and suspicious. As soon as I heard them discussing serious matters, I hurriedly withdrew. I didn’t hear clearly how many parts to divide it into.”

Xue Yu pressed that token and stood up abruptly, saying to Shan Shu: “Regardless of truth or falsehood, send down the thorough investigation order. Check immediately.”

Soon, just when everyone thought the Sacred Lands coveted the imperial throne in the imperial city, led by Yedu, the Sacred Land’s successors took action. Starting from Su Prefecture, which had shown signs early, the city lord’s mansion was bloodbathed. Local government officials from top to bottom couldn’t escape—all went into Chi Shui’s great prison.

They caught enemies unprepared, working day and night, investigating four cities for reckoning. The rest, no matter how investigated, had nothing to do with dragon’s breath, though quite a bit of corruption and bribery was uncovered.

On the sixth day after reaching an agreement with Prince Zhao’s consort, the ninth day before the Three Realms Grand Assembly began, Xue Yu and Shan Shu simultaneously burned incense and bathed, entered the ancestral grounds, and activated the inquiry array left by the Fusang Tree.