Before the Lanruo Palace in the Feng Wang Palace, Jiu Wei stood gazing absentmindedly at a pot of orchids on the steps, her mind filled with visions of Xiyun’s face at the Xifeng Terrace two days ago. She recalled that after Feng Wang and Young Master Lanxi had been escorted back to the palace by the guards and attendants, all members of the Feng Wang clan had followed after them. Only she had remained standing before the Xifeng Terrace, raising her head to gaze at the pavilion for a long while before finally turning to look at her with a faint smile: “Jiu Wei, a new path is not so easily walked — it cannot simply be walked just because you wish to walk it.”

That smile was as faint as wisps of cloud and mist, yet deep within her steady gaze lay such profound sorrow, still harboring a trace of disappointment and heartache that had never once been shown before.

“Ah!” She exhaled a quiet, long sigh — only to find, to her surprise, that it had slipped out audibly. Lowering her head, she looked at the cup of orchid-dew tea in her hands, still hesitating over whether or not to bring it inside.

“楼主?” A remarkably clear and melodious voice called out tentatively.

She turned her head. A beautiful woman, lovelier and more pristine even than the orchids on the steps, stood before her.

“Oh, it is Qiwu.” Jiu Wei was somewhat surprised, but quickly smiled with understanding. “Here to see Feng Wang?”

Feng Qiwu nodded, and a rare flicker of astonishment appeared on her cool, strikingly beautiful face. “Why would 楼主 be here?”

“Feng Wang invited me to be her chef, so naturally I attend upon her.” Jiu Wei replied with a light smile. Her eyes shifted. “Since you are going to see her, take this cup of tea in for me.” Without waiting for Feng Qiwu’s agreement, she set the tea tray into her hands. “You go first — I will make a few delectable pastries and come find you both.” With that, she turned and walked away.

Watching Jiu Wei depart, Feng Qiwu lowered her gaze to the tea in her hands and could not help but give a slight shake of her head. She had not imagined that the proprietress of the Luori Tower — lofty and unhurried as a drifting cloud, free as a wild crane — would actually be willing to stoop to serving as her chef. In all this world, there was truly only one Feng Xi! She stepped forward and asked one of the attendants standing before the palace gates to announce her arrival. Moments later, a palace attendant returned with word that Feng Wang requested her presence.

Following the guiding attendant into Lanruo Palace, she found the palace at that moment filled with orchids just like Lanling Palace — the fragrance of orchids rushed to greet her the moment she entered, enveloping her entirely. In the distance, she could see a figure standing upon the Nine-Curve Jade-Belt Bridge, her skirts drifting in the breeze, like an immortal amid the orchids.

“Wang, Miss Feng has arrived.” The palace attendant walked to the foot of the bridge and softly announced.

“Mm.”

The figure on the bridge waved a casual hand, then turned and shifted her gaze toward Feng Qiwu. In that instant, Feng Qiwu could not help but feel a jolt — her hands nearly lost their grip on the tea tray. Who was this person? Was this truly Feng Xi?

The black hair reaching to her knees was Feng Xi’s, yet its ends were now bound by a white satin ribbon embroidered with twin phoenixes in silver thread. Her hair was gathered atop her head in a simple yet elegant flowing-cloud coiffure, adorned with a Shui Dan Sheng Yan crown placed crosswise, and a Tong Yun coral hairpin set at a slant. The robe was the white that Feng Xi so dearly loved, yet it was no longer that plain, simple white cloth garment — it was the Snow Qi Luo silk presented as tribute from the Shanyou Kingdom. Dragon patterns traced the collar and cuffs, phoenix wings adorned the hem of the skirt, and an exquisite jade belt cinched her waist, making this white ensemble one of breathtaking magnificence. As for that face — it was familiar — yet the expression it bore was utterly unknown: so noble and dignified, even the faint smile at the corners of her lips was incomparably elegant and restrained… Who was this?

“Miss Feng, it has been a long time.” Xiyun looked at the beautiful woman before her — still as cool and aloof as ever, still as breathtakingly lovely as ever — who stared at her with wide, unblinking eyes, perhaps taken aback by this unfamiliar version of herself.

This was not the reckless and willful Bai Fengxi. Bai Fengxi would never have called her “Miss Feng” — she would have called out loudly, “Feng beauty! Qiwu beauty!” Bai Fengxi would never have had a smile so restrained and unspoken; she would have laughed out loud, a laugh that could have reached the nine heavens above… The person before her was Feng Wang! She was Xiyun, the Queen of Fengguo!

“Qiwu pays respects to Feng Wang.” Feng Qiwu bowed gracefully.

Xiyun descended the Jade-Belt Bridge, reaching out to lift her up. “How could I let a guest carry the tea? Jiu Wei must be slacking off again.” With that, she gestured to an attendant standing nearby to take the tea tray.

Feng Qiwu rose, lifted her eyes to the person before her, and for a moment did not know what to say. A year had passed since they last met. In her heart were so many questions, so many private thoughts she had never shared with anyone else. She had come simply because she heard she was here — for this person was different from everyone else in the depths of her heart, and even without speaking a word, merely standing beside this person brought a measure of ease. Yet… the present moment was entirely unlike the past!

Xiyun looked at the quietly composed beauty before her, then turned to instruct the attending palace attendants: “You are all dismissed. I wish to speak with Miss Feng.”

“Yes!” The attendants withdrew.

“This Lanruo Palace is vast — these past two days I have yet to see all of it. Since Miss Feng has come, why not accompany me for a walk?” Xiyun said with a faint smile, taking the lead. Feng Qiwu followed behind her without a word.

They wound through the flower-lined path and passed through the long corridor. Along the way, orchids were most plentiful — of every form and color, with a pure, delicate fragrance drifting all around.

“Truly worthy of being called the land of orchids — such an abundance of orchid flowers, the likes of which I have never seen in my life.” Before a pavilion by the water, Xiyun finally came to a stop. She sat at the railing of the pavilion and turned to gesture for Feng Qiwu to sit as well.

“The orchids in Lanling Palace are even more numerous. Feng Wang really ought to go and see them.” Feng Qiwu did not sit. Instead, she looked at her and said so.

Hearing this, Xiyun shifted her gaze from the water’s surface back to Feng Qiwu. A knowing, amused glint appeared in her eyes. Feng Qiwu felt her cheeks grow faintly warm, aware that she had been seen through.

“This past year — has Qiwu been well during her stay in Fengguo?” Xiyun studied the beauty before her carefully. Though still cool and striking, the sorrow had faded from those glistening eyes, replaced now by a quiet serenity.

“Compared to before, it is like being in paradise.” Feng Qiwu thought of this past year and could not help but pull a faint smile. “And Feng Wang?”

“Compared to before, it is like being in the depths of hell!” Xiyun replied, mimicking Feng Qiwu’s tone, and then exaggeratedly put on a face full of melancholy aggrievance. In that instant, the refined and elegant demeanor she had been maintaining was entirely undone.

“Pfft!” Feng Qiwu could not help but let out a soft laugh. The moment it escaped her, she caught herself and swiftly raised her sleeve to cover her lips. Yet in that single laugh, the ease she had known before came flooding back. This nobly elegant Feng Wang had not lost even a trace of the nature that Bai Fengxi had always possessed.

“There is no need to cover your mouth.” Xiyun reached out and drew Feng Qiwu’s hand down, her fingertips lightly touching that face of frost-defying, snow-rivaling beauty. Unlike the former Bai Fengxi’s playful manner, she now bore an expression that seemed part regret and part sigh. “Laugh when you should laugh, weep when you should weep — that is your freedom.” As if still unable to help herself, she gently pinched those soft, tender cheeks. “A beauty such as Qiwu — if I were a man, I would spend my entire life ensuring you had not a single worry!”

“If you were a man, I would be shameless enough to follow you wherever you went.” Recalling Feng Xi’s teasing words at Qu City that day, Feng Qiwu could not help but blurt it out with a laugh.

“Truly?” Xiyun’s eyes shifted with a flash of mischief. “Does that mean I am better than that person?”

At the mention of that person, Feng Qiwu’s smile faded. She fixed her gaze on Xiyun, with both puzzlement and incomprehension. “Why does Feng Wang not go to see Young Master? His injuries are very severe.”

“Such injuries cannot take his life.” Xiyun dismissed her smile and withdrew her hand, speaking in a detached tone.

“Young Master… he is hoping Feng Wang will come.” Feng Qiwu said softly, her gaze fixed intently on Xiyun, searching that noble face — which held not a trace of expression — for any sign of feeling.

“I would imagine that these past two days, visitors to Lanling Palace to see him have been arriving in an unbroken stream. If I went, I fear there would not even be a place for me to stand.” Xiyun turned her gaze outward to the pavilion beyond. The surface of the pond was immaculate — not even a single piece of duckweed floated upon it.

“Were Feng Wang to go, even the great king would yield his place.” Feng Qiwu replied with equal lightness. She could not make sense of why the woman who was Young Master Lanxi’s betrothed, and who should by all rights be the most concerned for him, was so utterly indifferent — as cold as a stranger. Even setting aside that bond between them, they had known and kept company with each other for ten years!

“Is that so? I am a queen of a nation — everyone ought to give way to me by at least three measures.” Xiyun curled her lips in a slightly sardonic smile and let her gaze drift casually to the water’s surface. A breeze passed over it, stirring ring after ring of gentle ripples.

“You will still be his wife.” Feng Qiwu’s voice was neither loud nor soft — just enough to reach the ear before it dissolved.

Hearing this, Xiyun turned her head and looked at her. This beauty who was deeply devoted to Young Master Lanxi spoke of this matter now with no jealousy in evidence, no resentment — standing gracefully upright, seemingly cold as frost and proud as ice, yet just as clean and pure as frost and ice. Such a person was truly rare.

“Given my position, I will one day become his queen consort. When that time comes, where will Qiwu stand?” Xiyun raised a hand to smooth back a strand of hair the wind had lifted from her temples, asking in an utterly casual manner. Both her expression and her tone indicated she had no real interest in Feng Qiwu’s answer.

“Qiwu only hopes to be able to sing songs for the two of you for the rest of her life, and that would be contentment enough.” Feng Qiwu gently sat down before Xiyun, reaching out to clasp the hand resting on her knee. Her gaze was pure and clear, untainted by a single impurity, and her face bore an expression as though she had already seen through everything. “That day in Huaguo, Qiwu already knew — there is no second person in Young Master’s heart.”

“Heh heh…” Xiyun suddenly let out a soft laugh — looking at Feng Qiwu with a mixture of tenderness and helplessness. “Qiwu is truly a person of ice and snow purity. He does not know in which past life he cultivated the fortune to receive such genuine devotion from you in this one. Only… Qiwu, you do not truly understand him.”

“Young Master, he…” Feng Qiwu was about to continue, but was cut off by a wave of Xiyun’s hand.

“Qiwu, I have known him for ten years — I understand what kind of person he is far better than you do! You have only seen his good side: gentle and refined, peerlessly graceful… yet you do not know his cold and ruthless side!” Xiyun rose to her feet. In that moment, she transformed once more into the noble and stern Queen of Fengguo, a sharp, frigid light flashing in her eyes. “Just like this time… hmph, such methods — I freely admit I cannot match them!”

“This time? What happened this time?” Feng Qiwu was bewildered. She could not help but rise to her feet as well and seize Xiyun by the hand. That expression of cool composure rarely showed a trace of agitation, yet now it did. “These past several months, Qiwu has witnessed with her own eyes everything Young Master did in preparation for Feng Wang’s arrival — those flowers, that palanquin… every detail so beautiful… Young Master truly exhausted his every thought. Even the Xifeng Terrace — from its very structure to its very name — all came from Young Master’s hand. His devotion to Feng Wang has been witnessed by all under heaven! Although… the ceremony was disrupted by assassins, that was not Young Master’s wish. And he used his own body to shield the great king from the blade — such benevolence and filial piety moved the entire kingdom’s subjects and ministers! Such a Young Master… why does Feng Wang… why must she… be so harsh in her judgment of him?”

Xiyun stared blankly at Feng Qiwu, who was moved to such rare agitation, listening to the sharp and urgent words from her. After a long moment, she suddenly burst into loud laughter. “Ha ha… ha ha… Qiwu… ah, Qiwu…”

She laughed while repeatedly calling Feng Qiwu’s name — that kind of laughter, that manner of speech, seemed at once extremely joyful and extremely indignant, carrying still a trace of sorrow that could not be suppressed. It left Feng Qiwu standing there in a daze, at a loss for what to do. Vaguely, she sensed that she herself had been mistaken — profoundly and outrageously mistaken — to have provoked such unrestrained laughter.

At last, Xiyun’s laughter ceased. Perhaps because of that great laughing outburst, her eyes were especially luminous, so much so that for a brief instant Feng Qiwu thought she saw tears in them.

“Qiwu, you are in truth a person who is cold on the outside but warm within. And moreover… pure from the inside out.” Xiyun walked over and gently patted her shoulder, her gaze coming to rest on a pot of snow-white orchids beyond the pavilion. “You are like that snow orchid — clear, proud, and magnificent. Someone like you, in truth, is not at all suited…” At this point she abruptly fell silent. After a brief pause, she sighed: “What a pity… what a pity…”

A pity about what? That day left Feng Qiwu with many questions, yet she had no chance to ask anything clearly, for after uttering those words, Xiyun let go and stepped away. She stood before the pavilion with her hands clasped behind her back, her bearing so noble and unapproachable that it forbade all encroachment. Immediately after, a palace attendant was seen hurrying toward them.

“Wang, Young Master Lanxi has sent a gift. The one who delivered it says it must be received by Wang personally.” The palace attendant bowed and reported.

“Is that so?” Xiyun turned to glance at Feng Qiwu. “Qiwu, you may go for now — we will speak again another day.” She then turned to instruct the palace attendant: “Have someone escort Miss Feng back.”

“Yes!”

Before the Xiyan Pavilion, Ren Chuanyun stood on the steps waiting, his gaze resting on the three characters “Xiyan Pavilion” above the entrance, quietly lost in thought.

“What gift has Young Master entrusted you to deliver?”

That voice seemed to arrive from beyond the heavens — bright and clear as a spring of ice water bursting forth from a mountain ravine, freezing all his thoughts in an instant. He turned — and for a moment he too could not help but be struck still.

On the day of the alliance ceremony, he had caught a distant glimpse, yet the features had been indistinct, the impression blurred. But today, at a distance of no more than one zhang, he saw with perfect clarity. All at once he understood why those flowers, that grand welcoming ceremony, that Xifeng Terrace — which had cost Young Master months of effort and hundreds of thousands of gold leaves from the national treasury — were all worth it for the person standing before him. All at once he understood why the orchid “Lanyin Biyue” existed.

“Ren Chuanyun pays respects to Feng Wang.” Ren Chuanyun knelt with great deference to offer his salute. Yet in the very instant he opened his mouth, he felt Feng Wang’s gaze sweep across his face like an icy blade, chilling him to the bone.

“Rise.” Xiyun said lightly, yet her gaze remained fixed upon him. “Chuanyun? Ren Chuanyun?”

“That is this humble one.” Ren Chuanyun rose and replied.

“This Wang has heard of you. The world praises you as the cleverest man in Fengguo. Having met you today, I find that you are indeed… not unworthy of the name.” Xiyun’s tone was extremely mild, yet within this praise lay a hidden edge of cold cutting wit. She then stood quietly before the pavilion, with no apparent intention of moving inside.

“This humble one’s obscure reputation — how could it be worthy of reaching Feng Wang’s ears?” Ren Chuanyun replied, neither servile nor overbearing.

“Master Chuanyun is too modest.” Xiyun regarded him with a smile that was not quite a smile. “Since Young Master has sent Master Chuanyun to deliver a gift to this Wang, he must hold Master Chuanyun in very great trust. Moreover, that day before the Xifeng Terrace, this Wang personally witnessed Master Chuanyun’s loyalty to Young Master with her own ears!”

“Chuanyun is but a man of low standing, yet Young Master has treated him with great courtesy. I ought to dedicate my heart and spare not my life to repay Young Master’s kindness!” Ren Chuanyun replied with lowered head, his demeanor exceedingly respectful.

“To have an attendant such as you — this Wang truly feels glad on Young Master’s behalf!” Xiyun pulled a faint smile, yet her gaze was as clear and cold as ice.

“Everything Chuanyun does is for Young Master. Anything done for Young Master is worth doing.” Ren Chuanyun raised his head slightly, his gaze meeting Xiyun’s directly without the slightest evasion.

“Indeed.” Xiyun gave a slight nod, her gaze shifting past Ren Chuanyun to what lay behind him. “What is it that Young Master has entrusted you to bring?”

“Young Master has instructed that this item must not be opened by anyone other than Feng Wang, and so Wang must view it in person to know what it contains.” Ren Chuanyun waved his hand, and four palace attendants came forward carrying something draped with layer upon layer of light gauze.

Xiyun looked at the tightly wrapped gift for a moment before speaking: “This Wang accepts the gift. Please trouble Master Chuanyun to return and report to Young Master that this Wang thanks him for his kind intentions, and that when Young Master is at leisure… this Wang will come to visit him.”

“Yes.” Ren Chuanyun gave a bow. “This humble one takes his leave.”

With that, he turned and departed. After walking the distance of an arrow’s flight, a sudden stirring in his heart made him glance back — only to find Feng Wang’s gaze resting steadily upon him. That look made his spirit sharpen in an instant, and he immediately turned back and continued on his way. In the very moment of turning back and then turning away again, he silently cursed himself: that gesture had been a lapse of propriety and a miscalculation. In that one act of looking back and turning away, he seemed to have been seen through entirely by that Feng Wang. In this first meeting, he had lost.

“All of you, withdraw.” Xiyun looked at the gift and said lightly.

“Yes.” All the palace attendants quietly retreated.

The door to the Xiyan Pavilion softly opened, and Jiu Wei stealthily poked his head out.

“I knew you were hiding in there.” Xiyun turned to glance at him.

“I made the pastries but could not find you, and I figured you would be coming to this Xiyan Pavilion anyway — so I came in first and took a nap.” Jiu Wei stretched lazily and said, “You seem to be quite wary of this Ren Chuanyun?”

“Because he is wary of me.” Xiyun replied evenly, turning to gaze in the direction Ren Chuanyun had departed. “This Ren Chuanyun is a figure that cannot be overlooked. That day, it was precisely because of his cry of alarm that Feng Wang was struck by the palm strike — which, one could say, brought their plan to a perfect completion right under my very hands!”

“You seem to dwell on this with much vexation?” Jiu Wei looked at her, a note of deep contemplation in his eyes.

“Ha…” Xiyun let out a cold laugh. “I am only once again confirming that whatever he does, there is always a purpose behind it. Every person, every matter, every thing in this world — in his eyes, all are available to be made use of!”

Jiu Wei sighed softly and looked at Xiyun without words. The present Xiyun wore an expression of loneliness and melancholy. It seemed that since she had become queen, all the ease, joy, and unrestrained freedom that had once belonged to Bai Fengxi had vanished — replaced by a heavy burden, a helpless sorrow, and a trace of loss buried very, very deep. Yet it was only in his presence that she would reveal these true feelings and emotions. Before others, she remained still the noble, solemn, and unapproachable Feng Wang. Wordlessly, he patted her shoulder, as though wishing to offer her some small measure of comfort.

“Jiu Wei, promise me — you must take good care of yourself.” Xiyun suddenly said softly. In her voice there was a kind of weariness. She raised her hand and took hold of Jiu Wei’s hand, her fingers tightening involuntarily. “Someone like him — if he were to… your being at my side could put you in danger.”

“Me?” Jiu Wei smiled lightly and glanced down at the hand Xiyun was gripping with some slight pain. “I am nothing but your chef. I pose no impediment to him whatsoever.”

“Let us hope so.” Xiyun released Jiu Wei’s hand and raised her fingers to gently touch her brow, as though trying to cover something. “When it comes to scheming and methods, there is no one in this world who can surpass him from left or right — so be more careful from now on.”

“Is he truly so formidable?” Jiu Wei had never seen her show such worry over any matter. “Yet did he not just the other day sustain injuries at an assassin’s blade? Even the most calculating person must have something they miscalculate.”

“Heh…” Xiyun curled her lips in a slight smile. “Jiu Wei, you have been too far removed from the royal court for too long, so you do not understand the struggles within the royal house — the scheming within the royal family… how deep and ruthless those machinations can be!”

“Are you saying that even the injury he sustained that day was within his plan?” Jiu Wei said, his brow furrowing slightly.

“Of course.” Xiyun replied without hesitation. She raised her hand and looked at her own palm, fingers slightly spread apart. “With his level of martial skill, how could those four men have injured him? He and I roamed the rivers and lakes together for ten years — have we not encountered a great many formidable fighters? Those in this world who can truly injure either of us… are exceedingly few!”

“Then why did he arrange such a scene? If everything that day was already within his plan, then what exactly was that plan? Were those assassins arranged by him?” Jiu Wei asked, a little perplexed, finding himself genuinely unable to fathom the depths of it all. He truly had been too far removed from such things for too long.

“The assassins were not arranged by him — but those people’s actions had long since been within his calculations. He merely turned their scheme to his own advantage. Otherwise, with his capabilities, how could those assassins have ever appeared?” Xiyun slowly closed her hand into a fist, then raised her head, her gaze drifting far into the distance. “You were present that day as well, so you saw for yourself — the alliance ceremony was guarded by nothing more than ordinary imperial guards. His trusted subordinates — the great generals of the Mo Yu Cavalry, the formidable fighters from the rivers and lakes whom he had brought under his command, and then… those Lan covert envoys whose martial skill was unfathomably deep — not one of them appeared! It was because he wanted those assassins to make their move. He wanted exactly that kind of situation!”

“As for why he allowed himself to be injured… Jiu Wei, tell me — how do you see the current situation in Fengguo?”

“At present? Feng Wang is gravely injured, Shizi is gravely injured. On the surface, the two great pillars of the nation appear to have both fallen, and the court ministers are all in a state of alarm and unease.” Jiu Wei said.

“Fallen? Heh heh… how could they have?” Xiyun laughed softly. “Who is presiding over Fengguo’s affairs at this moment?”

“Xun’an Hou.” Jiu Wei answered.

“The assassination case is also being investigated by him, is that correct?” Xiyun continued.

“On the day of the alliance ceremony, Feng Wang immediately issued a decree entrusting Xun’an Hou with the stewardship of state affairs and charging him fully with investigating the assassination case.” Jiu Wei recounted what everyone already knew, while in his mind he began to grasp, however dimly, the broader shape of things.

“If Shizi had not been injured, then all of these matters should have been taken over by Shizi.” Xiyun said gently. She exhaled a long breath, as though with a measure of feeling. “On the surface, it appears that Xun’an Hou is presiding over Fengguo right now. But in truth… someone like him — this Fengguo has long since been in his grasp!”

“If this Fengguo has already long been in his grasp, and given his position as Shizi, the kingship of Fengguo will sooner or later be his regardless — then why… why did he let that day’s scene unfold? He could have stopped those assassins entirely, and your alliance ceremony would have been completed perfectly. In that case… you and he…” Jiu Wei looked at Xiyun, watching that fleeting shadow of desolation pass through her eyes. He paused, and gave a soft sigh. “Why must he make things so complicated?!”

“That is precisely why you all do not understand him.” Xiyun smiled with a tinge of bitter resignation. “The reason things happened the way they did that day at the alliance ceremony is that he wanted to ascend to the throne with absolute cleanness. And he is a person who does not like to act with his own hands!”

“Absolutely clean?” Jiu Wei murmured to himself. What kind of cleanness was that? How deep were that person’s schemes and calculations? Did he even have to plot against Feng Xi?

“Very soon — you will see for yourself very soon. When that moment comes, you will understand what true cleanness looks like!” Xiyun sighed, lowering her gaze to the gift that had been delivered, and stepped toward it. “Let us see what he has actually sent…”

Her words vanished in the instant the light gauze was lifted. She stared in a daze at the crystal tower beneath the gauze. In that moment, she did not know whether to feel moved or sorrowful, whether to smile or to weep.

“This is…” Jiu Wei stepped forward and looked, and could not help but be struck with amazement. “How can there exist in this world such a flower!”

Beneath the gauze was a six-sided crystal tower, and inside it grew a black-and-white twin-stemmed orchid. The flowers were now in full bloom — each blossom as large as a bowl. The petals curved like crescent moons, black as night, white as snow, the white flower with an ink-dark center, the black flower with a snow-white center, pressing close against one another upon a single stem. They emitted a crystalline luminescence like that of jade, dazzlingly beautiful as a dream — utterly enchanting.

“He actually cultivated such an orchid?! But why — what need was there for it?!” Only Xiyun’s murmured words could be heard, as she reached out to touch the blooms through the crystal wall. The very tips of her fingers trembled, beyond her control. Her eyes were like a misty, haze-shrouded jade lake.

Soaring steps, soaring vermillion lacquered columns, soaring palaces, soaring eaves… everything here was exceptionally lofty. Carved into the white-jade, green-stone embroidered balustrades were flame patterns of every shape. Nestled between the decorated roof ridges and blue-green tiles were clusters of blazing crimson clouds, and the golden flame-bells hanging at the corners of the eaves blazed brilliantly in the bright sunlight, dazzling to the eyes… This was the Diyan Palace of Huangguo. Anyone who stepped inside this palace would, in that very instant, feel pressed down by an invisible force of presence and could not help but lower their head in submission. It had been built for the first ruler of Huangguo — the “Bloodless Flame King” — and for more than three hundred years it had stood towering within the Huang Royal Palace, looking down upon its countless subjects.

Hua Chunran moved slowly through the Huang Royal Palace, surrounded by palace attendants. Compared to the Hua Royal Palace where she had grown up, this place could not rival it in lavishness or opulence — but in solemnity and gravity, the Hua Royal Palace fell far, far short. Each and every palace hall here was imposing and majestic, radiating an imperious pride that descended from on high. Without being able to identify what it was, one felt a silent pressure — becoming constrained and careful, not daring to take a single unnecessary step, nor to utter a single unnecessary word.

In the distance, she could see a figure in white emerging from the Diyan Palace. The oppressive magnificence of the Huang Royal Palace had no power to constrain that person — at all times, in all places, he appeared so ethereal as to seem unreal. That bearing, that temperament, always put one in mind of an immortal from the Bili Mountain. Yet he insisted on wandering through this world of mortal dust and splendor. As she watched him draw gradually nearer, Hua Chunran suddenly felt that this solemn and grand Huang Royal Palace was like a richly magnificent painting, yet that person was a wisp of white floating above the painting — blink once, and he might drift away and vanish.

“Has the Princess come to find Huang Chao?” Yu Wuyuan looked at Hua Chunran as she came toward him and gave a slight nod of greeting.

“Yes. Where is Young Master Yu headed?” Hua Chunran gave an equally slight inclination of her head. Apart from the King of Huangguo and Shizi, the only one who could move freely in and out of this Huang Royal Palace was Yu Wuyuan. Even she herself had to have someone announce her before going to the Diyan Palace. And the only one who could address Huangguo’s Shizi directly by name was also this Yu Wuyuan!

“Going out of the palace for a walk.” Yu Wuyuan’s gaze drifted to the soup pot being carried by a palace attendant, and he could not help but smile faintly. “Huang Chao should presently be at the East Hall attending to court affairs. Princess, go and find him there.”

“Many thanks for Young Master’s guidance.” Hua Chunran smiled warmly.

“A restorative soup is best enjoyed while hot — please go quickly, Princess.” Yu Wuyuan stepped slightly to one side to make way.

“Mm.” Hua Chunran nodded and led the palace attendants forward. When she reached the gates of the Diyan Palace, she suddenly glanced back — and saw only a corner of white robes drift past the palace gates, and then disappear without a trace. This Yu Wuyuan — as naturally pure as white jade, without a single blemish. Yet like white jade as well: no matter how intently you looked through him, you could see only pure white. His thoughts, his emotions, seemed as though petrified, as though stilled. Even if you gazed upon him for a thousand, ten thousand years, you would not perceive a single thread of either!

With a soft sigh, she set aside that unfathomable person and turned her head — only to find Huang Chao striding toward her.

“Paying respects to Young Master.” The palace attendants knelt and bowed.

Hua Chunran also dipped slightly. “Greetings, Young Master.”

“The Princess need not stand on ceremony.” Huang Chao reached out to support her. “What has brought the Princess here?”

“Seeing that Young Master has been busy with court affairs of late and working very hard, Chunran prepared a pot of restorative soup — hoping Young Master might replenish his strength.” Hua Chunran lowered her head, her cheeks carrying a slight blush as she spoke.

“Oh?” Huang Chao cast a glance at the soup pot held by the palace attendant. “Many thanks to the Princess for her kind consideration.”

“Young Master’s steps are quick and purposeful — it seems there is something urgent. In that case, Chunran will take her leave first. Young Master, please attend to your business. When you have time at leisure, Chunran will prepare another pot.” Hua Chunran raised her eyes and glanced at Huang Chao, then spoke without haste and turned, making as though to depart.

“The Princess has taken such trouble — how could I allow that effort to go to waste?” Huang Chao stepped closer toward Hua Chunran and turned to instruct the attending inner attendant: “Keep the soup warm. Wait until I have finished my business and return to drink it.”

“Yes.” The inner attendant took the soup pot.

“Young Master is burdened with court affairs, but you must also take care of your health.” Hua Chunran lowered her eyes slightly and spoke in gentle, measured tones.

“Many thanks to the Princess for your concern.” Huang Chao turned his head to look at the arrestingly beautiful woman before him — his flowery, dazzling young wife — reaching out to lightly pat her shoulder. “I will take care of myself. Princess, please return to your palace first to rest. When I have time this evening, I will come to see you.”

The Tianbi Mountain on the outskirts of the imperial capital was the highest mountain within Huangguo’s borders. Its terrain was rugged and precipitous, and in ordinary times few people ventured to climb it.

Yet at this moment, the sound of a qin drifted down from the mountain’s summit — serene and secluded as an echo in an empty valley, as though only a single voice singing to itself in accompaniment. It was solitary and sorrowful, as though heaven and earth had grown old together through the ages of shifting seas and crumbling lands, and upon suddenly looking back, one found oneself still standing alone, still playing and listening only for oneself. At times the notes turned low and lingering and meandering; at times they floated like drifting silk threads. Through the vast and boundless heaven and earth, along the endless long road, no matter how many times one turned and circled back, one could never grasp even the corner of a sleeve, could never hold back even a strand of hair.

On and on the playing went, round and round. Heaven and earth seemed to be moved by the qin’s music, gradually growing dim. The last trace of golden radiance also receded and hid, and the dense hues of dusk fell lightly and swiftly.

The music stopped. Tianbi Mountain returned to silence. Only occasionally would the chirping of birds returning to their nests ring out.

A curved hook of a cold moon appeared faintly on the night sky, slowly brightening from dim to clear. A few scattered stars glimmered with weak and faint light in the moon’s haze.

The qin music rose again, yet now it was smooth and gentle — cool and light and carefree, like this breeze of early summer’s night. Drifting and swaying, it brushed over the lush green treetops, coaxing open a wildflower quietly blooming in the dark of night, stirring up white feathers scattered across a meadow. Cool and limpid, like a fresh stream seeping out from a secluded valley deep in the mountains — flowing unrestrained and unbound, at times nourishing the mountain flowers, at times watering the verdant trees. Plain and unhurried, yet permeated with a still and tranquil serenity.

“Why do you always love to climb this Tianbi Mountain?”

When the music ceased, Huang Chao’s voice rang out brightly.

“When there is nothing to do, I come up here for a look.” Yu Wuyuan glanced back at him and replied with quiet indifference.

Huang Chao walked over and sat beside him on a large boulder at the summit, looking at the ancient qin resting on his knee. “I heard your qin music from the foot of the mountain. What piece were you playing? I don’t believe I have heard you play it before.”

“I do not know.” Yu Wuyuan lowered his gaze to the qin in his lap, then raised his eyes to look at the night sky. “I simply play whatever my heart leads me to.”

“Simply play whatever your heart leads you to?” The brilliant golden gleam of Huang Chao’s eyes suddenly deepened. “That first piece could be said to have turned and circled a hundred times. It seems you are not entirely without feeling.”

Yet Yu Wuyuan gave no reply, his gaze looking far out toward the horizon, his expression placid and without any trace of feeling.

“She has already formed a marriage alliance with Young Master Lanxi.” Huang Chao also tilted his head back to look at the night sky. No matter how many of those scattered stars there were, they could not illuminate the night canopy. Even that single curved cold moon was intermittently hidden and revealed. “Why must she choose him? Simply because of ten years? Can someone as cunning as a fox truly give her happiness?”

Yu Wuyuan drew back his gaze from the distant horizon and turned to glance at Huang Chao. Watching the trace of unwillingness and bewilderment on his face, he smiled with tranquil calm and said: “Huang Chao, in all this world, perhaps only she can make you miss her so much, make you admire her so deeply. A pity that you do not understand her well enough.”

“Oh?” Huang Chao turned to look at him, yet saw his face carrying an expression of quietude and serenity. In this faint starlight and moonlight, that face still radiated a jade-like luminescence.

“A person such as her…” Yu Wuyuan raised his eyes to search the horizon. At that moment, the curved cold moon once again broke through the clouds and shed its clear, cold silver radiance. “Her happiness must be created by herself — not given to her by another!”

Huang Chao, hearing this, stared blankly at Yu Wuyuan for a long moment before letting out a long sigh: “Perhaps this is exactly why I was defeated!” Then, after a pause, he said: “Bai Fengxi could have freely created the joy and happiness that belonged to her — but today’s Feng Xiyun — can she still do so?”

“A person’s identity, position, speech, and conduct can all change — but the nature that runs in one’s very bones cannot.” Yu Wuyuan said in an unhurried tone. The cool, pale glow of the crescent moon fell into his eyes, making those motionless, waveless eyes gleam like a still, mirror-like lake.

“It seems you have truly let go. What in this world can still hold you?” Huang Chao looked at Yu Wuyuan with bright, burning eyes.

“If I never held it, what is there to speak of letting go?” Yu Wuyuan lowered his head and spread open his palm, looking at the center of his hand. He smiled faintly — an empty, hazy, intangible smile. “The people of the Yu Family are the most impoverished — having nothing whatsoever, what is there to be held by?”

“The people of the Yu Family are also the most mysterious.” Huang Chao said. “With your capabilities…”

“What business have you come to find me about?” Yu Wuyuan did not wait for him to finish, and instead asked in return.

Huang Chao shook his head, gazing at him as though with a tinge of sigh as well, then said: “This past year, court affairs and military matters have been more or less put in order. Although the Bai and Nan kingdoms have shown some restraint since the Wuhui Covenant, recent intelligence from scouts indicates they have been growing increasingly restless. With Baifeng and Heixi having already formed a single unified force…” He rose to his feet as he spoke, tilting his head back to look up at the vast heavens. “With the situation as it is, the time has come!”

Yu Wuyuan sat in composed stillness, his gaze looking far out over the mountain below. In the distance was a vast darkness. A cool mountain breeze swept through, lifting the robes of the two men, rustling and rushing.

After a long silence, Yu Wuyuan finally spoke: “If you are going to move, then move before they do. Only… ” He raised his eyes to look at Huang Chao standing before him. “Raising an army cannot be without cause — on what grounds do you intend to proceed?”

Hearing this, Huang Chao lowered his gaze and glanced at him, then declared in a clear and resonant voice: “This decayed and rotten Dong Chao is already riddled through with wounds, beyond any remedy. Causes to raise an army — how plentiful they are. But I… I want no excuse at all. I want to proclaim openly and boldly to all under heaven — I, Huang Chao, shall create a new and unblemished world!”

These words laid bare all his untamed pride and arrogance. In that moment, standing there at the summit of Tianbi Mountain, he seemed like a titan holding up heaven and earth. Even the dim stars and moon seemed drawn by his force of presence, competing all at once to shed their clear radiance, illuminating those golden eyes — resolute, unyielding, and blazing like the sun.

Yu Wuyuan regarded him for a moment, then finally smiled with tranquil ease: “This is indeed the kind of words that only you, Huang Chao, would say. And this kind of domineering act — only you, Huang Chao, would have the audacity to carry it out!”