From a great distance, Ming Li observed the Martial Supervision Alliance headquarters using her Heavy Eyes Meridian. As far as places in the imperial capital were concerned, the Martial Supervision Alliance headquarters was the one she had visited most often and knew best.
Those guarding the Martial Supervision Alliance headquarters were at least at the Five Meridian Complete Boundary. Inside were two tall towers, various formation arrays visible everywhere, and many hidden Eight Meridian arrays.
Ming Li directly used Instant Shadow to break through the protective barrier of the Martial Supervision Alliance headquarters, triggering an alarm. The supervisors who had been relaxing inside the headquarters building were all startled to attention.
But they couldn’t even glimpse the intruder, who had already reached the top of the tower.
Inside the room, Fang Hui frowned and turned his head at the sound of the alarm outside. When he saw a figure appear at the door, he was surprised to hear the Scripture Sage say gently, “Please come in.”
The door was pushed open from outside, and the person standing in the doorway against the light stepped in, with the door closing by itself.
Fang Hui was surprised to see Ming Li enter, never expecting to meet her under such circumstances.
The stellar power surrounding Ming Li was still active. When she turned her head and saw Fang Hui sitting nearby, she was also somewhat surprised and withdrew her stellar power.
“Ming Li?” Fang Hui’s tense nerves relaxed slightly. “Did you just force your way into the Martial Supervision Alliance?”
“Just scaring them a bit,” Ming Li brushed the snow from her shoulder. “I have His Majesty’s permission, so it’s not forcing my way in.”
The Scripture Sage sat in a higher position, quietly waiting for the two.
Fang Hui was happy to see his old friend here: “When did you arrive at the imperial capital?”
Ming Li said, “Yesterday. I heard from my father that you and Qian Li visited Bei Dou before.”
Fang Hui smiled, “At that time, I thought you were in Bei Dou, but you weren’t there.”
Ming Li tilted her head toward the Scripture Sage: “So you left with your father?”
Fang Hui’s smile disappeared, and his expression became blank as he said, “No.”
Ming Li looked back at him and blinked. Not a father-son relationship?
Fang Hui looked at Ming Li and said, enunciating each word clearly, “He is not my father.”
Ming Li asked in surprise, “Then why did you go with him?”
Fang Hui pressed his lips together and didn’t speak.
The Scripture Sage smiled, “You won’t get an answer that way.”
Ming Li turned to look at him: “Why don’t you tell me?”
“This has nothing to do with your purpose for coming today,” the Scripture Sage said gently. “You refused to hear about the Northern Border tribes’ hiding place from the prisoner in the Sinking Prison.”
Ming Li leaned back against the chair in a relaxed posture, slightly raising her chin to silently indicate that yes, she had done so, and what of it?
The Scripture Sage’s words showed no hint of blame or threat, more like a concerned father: “The Northern Border tribes infiltrating the imperial capital is a serious matter. They’ve already managed to bypass the Northern Border defenses, and these years of lurking are surely in preparation for a greater conspiracy. The current priority is to ensure the imperial capital’s safety, finding the Northern Border tribes’ people before causing panic.”
Ming Li nodded slightly.
The Scripture Sage continued, “During this period, Chang Xi will activate the Protective Array to assist you.”
The Imperial Capital Protective Array.
This indeed gave Ming Li some insight.
The Scripture Sage said, “Resolving the Northern Border tribes’ issue, the sooner the better.”
Ming Li: “You seem to be rushing me to work.”
The Scripture Sage smiled, “If you’re unwilling, I can also ask His Majesty to hand this matter over to me.”
Ming Li also smiled, “If you want to take over, you can proactively tell His Majesty.”
Hearing this, Fang Hui felt that the conversation and atmosphere between the two were somewhat subtle, as if they were familiar with each other, yet also as if they were restrainedly unfamiliar.
With a wave of his hand, the Scripture Sage sent a map scroll flying toward Ming Li: “The locations where the Northern Border tribes frequently appear are already marked.”
After receiving the scroll, Ming Li asked, “Since you’ve already found the Northern Border tribes’ bases in the imperial capital, why didn’t you act earlier?”
The Scripture Sage said, “Having you handle the Northern Border tribes’ matter is His Majesty’s wish.”
Ming Li thought the Scripture Sage was still playing the role of Emperor Wenxiu’s most loyal dog.
The Scripture Sage suddenly asked, “But… with your current realm, can you subdue the Wandering Ghosts?”
Ming Li lowered her eyes to look at the map in her hand. “It sounds like you won’t intervene.”
The Scripture Sage said, “Perhaps not.”
Fang Hui listened to their conversation and gradually found it strange.
At this moment, both the Scripture Sage and Ming Li somewhat subverted his impression of them. The atmosphere of conversation between these two always felt subtle to him. Both enemies and friends, with boundaries difficult to distinguish in his eyes, yet clearly defined between the two of them.
What Fang Hui found bizarre was the Scripture Sage’s attitude toward Ming Li, as if addressing an old friend.
Yet Ming Li’s attitude toward the Scripture Sage was sharper than her usual self.
“If you need anything in eliminating the Northern Border tribes, feel free to ask,” the Scripture Sage said. “Beyond that, perhaps I won’t be able to help.”
The word “help” coming from the Scripture Sage’s mouth, with her as the recipient, made Ming Li feel momentarily absurd.
Ming Li stood up with the map scroll and said to the Scripture Sage, “I’d like to meet Princess Chang Xi.”
The Scripture Sage’s answer was equally straightforward: “She’s in the Haotian Tower behind.”
After hearing this, Ming Li left. At the door, she glanced at Fang Hui. Fang Hui was about to stand up and follow, but was stopped by the Scripture Sage: “There’s someone else to see you.”
Fang Hui was forced to sit back down, gesturing with his eyes for Ming Li to meet later.
Only then did Ming Li leave.
Fang Hui looked at the Scripture Sage with displeasure and asked, “Who else am I meeting?”
The Scripture Sage said, “Those who come are all your friends. Why neglect one for another?”
What did that mean?
Fang Hui’s expression gradually became solemn as he slowly turned his head back to the door. He waited quietly until footsteps approached from afar, and someone stopped at the door.
The Scripture Sage said, “Come in.”
The door creaked, and the young man who entered had smiling eyes. Against the light, he looked at the seated Fang Hui and said casually, “Well, long time no see.”
*
On the highest floor of the Haotian Tower, Princess Chang Xi sat quietly under the eaves, resonating with the cosmic Qi. Suddenly foreseeing the imminent visitor, she opened her eyes and looked back.
The sound of the sliding door opening was faint, but it still startled Princess Chang Xi. As she turned her head, she saw Ming Li walking leisurely toward her.
At the wedding in Nan Que, Princess Chang Xi had glimpsed Ming Li from a distance. The current Ming Li most matched her childhood memory of the Bei Dou Sacred Pilgrim.
Time seemed to have never changed Ming Li. It was she who had grown up, while Ming Li remained as she was when she had first broken through to become a Sacred Pilgrim.
Princess Chang Xi bowed her head slightly to Ming Li.
Ming Li got straight to the point: “I’d like to ask you to find someone in the imperial capital using the Protective Array.”
Princess Chang Xi asked, “Is it someone from the Northern Border tribes?”
“Yes,” Ming Li lied with open eyes, transmitting her brother’s appearance to Princess Chang Xi through a memory map. “I hope to find this person in the imperial capital.”
Princess Chang Xi had received orders from Emperor Wenxiu to fully assist Ming Li in finding the Northern Border tribes, so she didn’t question it much. She took out a star disk and closed her eyes.
The star lines of the Protective Array materialized in Princess Chang Xi’s mind the moment she infused it with stellar power. A huge black eye appeared, searching above and below the imperial capital.
Heavy Eyes: Celestial Eye.
A spirit technique that could only be used within the formation array.
Ming Li quietly waited for Princess Chang Xi to provide an answer.
Princess Chang Xi opened her eyes, with some confusion in them, and shook her head at Ming Li: “Not found.”
She hadn’t found this person in any corner of the imperial capital.
Despite the disappointing answer, Ming Li remained calm, only showing some deep thought.
After some hesitation, Princess Chang Xi said, “Perhaps he has temporarily left the imperial capital. I’ll search again later.”
But Ming Li shook her head, her gaze pointing to the small star disk in her hand: “Theoretically, the Protective Array coexists with the imperial capital, constantly recording any changes in the imperial capital, including past scenes.”
Princess Chang Xi understood her meaning but also shook her head, saying, “It’s impossible. No one has ever been able to reverse and rewind within the Protective Array.”
She had tried before but failed.
“The Protective Array was originally a natural formation array, later modified due to damage. Its attack and defense capabilities were enhanced, and its range expanded to cover the entire imperial capital, making the star line directions extremely complex.”
As soon as Princess Chang Xi finished speaking, she suddenly remembered that the person before her had once modified a natural formation array in Nan Que, also expanding a natural array to cover the entire Nan Que.
“Indeed, it’s complex and needs some time, but it’s not impossible. Even if we can only reverse and rewind for a brief period, we can learn many useful things.” Ming Li looked up and asked Princess Chang Xi, “Isn’t there a past you wish to glimpse?”
Princess Chang Xi’s fingertips trembled slightly.
She did.
Many things.
She wanted to see what the Empress looked like when alive.
She wanted to know what Fang Hui had learned that day that made him distance himself from her.
She wanted to know why Emperor Wenxiu would look at her that way.
But if she handed the star disk to Ming Li and allowed her to modify the Protective Array at will, there were too many uncertainties.
Princess Chang Xi was silent for a moment and finally shook her head, saying softly, “My orders are to help you confirm the Northern Border tribes’ location, preventing them from harming ordinary people.”
An expected answer. Ming Li saw Princess Chang Xi’s inner wavering, but knew she wouldn’t easily take risks.
“Then I’ll trouble Your Highness to search again later,” Ming Li smiled slightly.
Princess Chang Xi watched Ming Li leave, holding the star disk in both hands, lost in thought. After a moment, she decided to try it herself.
The plum blossoms in the vase on the table quietly watched her try and fail repeatedly. The faint cold fragrance occasionally drifted toward the princess, carrying a barely perceptible bewitchment compared to usual.
*
Snow began to fall again from the gloomy sky.
The wasteland around was covered in snow, with flowers and grasses all concealed, making the black well in the snow particularly distinctive, easily noticeable at a glance.
Snowflakes fell into the well, silently perishing before touching the ground.
The bottom of the well was a darkness that snowflakes could not reach.
Dark, damp, deathly still, silently warning living things to stay away.
In this world, only rats would like such a place.
A rat that had fallen to the bottom of the well, yet fortunately survived, moved quickly along the wall. In the darkness, one could occasionally hear the sound of chains colliding, causing it to stop and look around, continuing forward after the sound disappeared.
Before leaving, it wanted to search this area for any food it could eat. The pitch darkness made it increasingly difficult for the rat to move forward. When it sensed fear from its instincts and tried to turn back, it was suddenly pinned to the ground by a hand with long, thin fingernails.
The rat let out a squeal, but didn’t cry out for long before being killed by those thin, dirty fingernails piercing its flesh.
Perhaps because the rat’s squeal triggered something, a flame appeared suspended in the air, illuminating this space.
In this light, two opposing prison cells could be seen.
The person who had killed the rat with his bare hands was crouched on the ground, barefoot, with chains around his ankles. The old man stood up, threw the rat into the prison cell, and said in a hoarse voice, “Little mute, for you to eat.”
The mute opposite threw the rat back to him.
The old man laughed strangely, bent down to pick up the rat, and swallowed it in one bite, raising his head.