Watching her son’s lonely, downcast figure walking away with his head lowered, Ziqing felt a dull ache creep into her heart. She set Jun Yaotiao down and walked to the railing, watching in silence.
Back in the northern frontier, every time her son left, she’d watched him the same way.
Through those ten years, he’d been alone. And all these years since, he was still alone.
She’d said she’d let it go—but really, she’d only let go of the matter concerning Consort Li. How could she ever truly let go when it came to her son?
She’d probably worry about him for the rest of her life.
At this moment, Ziqing couldn’t help wondering whether that ban she’d once issued—forbidding Consort Li from ever setting foot in Prince Yao’s estate—had been the right decision after all.
Had she acted too impulsively back then?
She simply didn’t like the woman—so be it. If there were secrets, so be it. It wasn’t as if she herself was incapable of putting on appearances for the sake of propriety. Perhaps if she’d kept up appearances for her son’s sake, he might have had an easier time of it.
Seeing her mother’s spirits dim, Jun Yaotiao pressed her lips together, her own heart sinking along with it.
She hated seeing her mother like this. She hated seeing her brother like this too.
All this turmoil, over some outsider—their hearts weren’t even together anymore because of it.
Whatever this huge matter was, why couldn’t it just be brought out into the open and discussed?
Was it all because of that Consort Li?
Fine then. She would definitely expose that woman’s true colors, expose the fox’s tail hiding beneath the disguise.
She wanted to tell her brother: even if the sky came crashing down, Father and Mother were both here—what was there to fear? They’d all patch things up together!
That night, Jun Buli didn’t stay at Prince Yao’s estate, returning instead to the palace to handle urgent memorials and prepare for departure the next morning.
Jun Yaotiao was punished to kneel in a horse stance facing the wall for an hour. Ziqing said nothing more to Jun Beiyue about it and went to bed early.
Deep in the night, Yingzi, having timed it carefully, brought over a late-night snack—a cool bowl of eight-treasure porridge.
Jun Yaotiao sat on the doorstep, grinning at him, and Yingzi felt a chill run down his spine, having no idea what mischief she was scheming now.
“Princess, eat up and go to bed quickly. We’re leaving early tomorrow morning—please don’t cause any more trouble for the mistress,” Yingzi pleaded earnestly.
Jun Yaotiao rolled her eyes at him. “I know.”
“You know, and yet you still caused all this trouble!” Yingzi scoffed. Though Jun Yaotiao was mischievous and often gave the servants a hard time, deep down she was kind to everyone, never putting on airs. So around her, Yingzi always spoke his mind freely.
“I finally made it here after all this trouble—staying just one night before leaving—could I really not go pay her a visit?” Jun Yaotiao countered.
“My little ancestor, even the mistress has let this matter go—why are you so worked up about it?” Yingzi said, exasperated.
Unexpectedly, Jun Yaotiao fell silent, and after a long while, said quietly, “I just want Brother to have a real family. Mother’s only been with him for a little over six years, and Father’s only been with him for a little over three…”
Jun Yaotiao counted on her fingers, and Yingzi, thinking it over carefully, realized it really was true.
The young master had been born in the world of the poison beasts, and it had been three years since he’d left it. From age three to six, he’d traveled far and wide with his two parents, weathering more than a few storms—but if it came down to true companionship, there probably hadn’t even been a full year of it.
Most of the young master’s companionship had come from the four great poison beasts, and from his bear-father.
Suddenly, Jun Yaotiao stood up. “Uncle Shadow, I’ve decided!”
Yingzi jumped, startled. “Little ancestor, decided what?”
“After we get to Nanzhao, I’ve decided I’m not going back to the northern frontier. I’m going back to the capital with Brother!” Jun Yaotiao declared with great seriousness.
Yingzi had no wish to discourage her, giving an awkward laugh instead. “Sure, sure, sure. Can my little ancestor go to sleep now?”
Satisfied, Jun Yaotiao turned and went back inside.
That settled it—Jun Yaotiao was full of confidence, and Yingzi didn’t take it seriously at all. But neither of them could have imagined that once they reached Nanzhao, everything would unfold in ways completely beyond expectation. Man’s plans could never match heaven’s own.
The next morning, Jun Buli had arranged everything—a comfortable large carriage, guards and servants, and, worried that Jun Yaotiao might not be used to food outside the palace, he’d even brought along a cook.
Of course, he hadn’t brought Consort Li.
The moment Jun Yaotiao saw him, she immediately leapt at him, demanding a piggyback ride. The siblings roughhoused and laughed together until Ziqing finally had to hurry them along before they boarded the carriage.
Meanwhile, at the highest point in the palace, atop the roof of the Xuanwu Hall, Li Qinqin watched the departing procession of carriages with a face full of malice.
That Jun Buli—abandoning her again!
The fifteenth had only just passed, and he thought he could hold out, did he?
Very well. She had waited so long, and finally the opportunity had come. This time, she’d see just how long he could really hold out.
She hated being trapped within the vampire clan, reduced to some insignificant, ordinary guard—that was why she’d fled.
But amid all her love of fun and games, what she truly craved most was that feeling of being the center of attention, elevated above everyone, utterly peerless.
Back then, the reason she’d assumed the identity of Li Qinqin and struck a pact with him was precisely because she’d set her sights on the wealth, glory, status, and power within the palace.
Over those years, Jun Buli had satisfied her too—living in Prince Yao’s estate, enjoying an extravagantly luxurious lifestyle, wielding genuine power, second only to the ruler himself.
Back then, even Hongyi and Guxi, within Prince Yao’s estate, had to watch her moods before speaking or acting.
Back then, her fame had spread far and wide—the entire nation knew she was Jun Buli’s exclusively favored consort. She had loved that feeling so much.
The vampire clan was the most noble of all races, disdaining to associate with lesser beings. Having lowered herself to come to Da Zhou, of course she deserved special treatment—otherwise, why would she have come at all?
But what about these past years?
She could no longer even set foot inside Prince Yao’s estate, and with Jun Buli delaying the naming of an empress for so long, that unparalleled feeling had plummeted. She’d gradually come to realize she was nothing more than a tool to him—used when convenient, discarded when not.
If that was how things stood, what reason did she have to stay here any longer?
The vampire clan’s activity in Nanzhao had grown remarkably frequent these past few years. She’d received word before that Guardian Feng was searching for her everywhere.
None of this had she told Jun Buli.
Because she didn’t want to return to the vampire clan—and Jun Buli was actually capable of helping her with that.
It was also five years ago that she’d discovered something strange—Jun Buli’s bite had begun to hurt her. Before, no matter how hard he bit, it never hurt at all. But starting five years ago, every full moon night, his bite caused genuine pain, a feeling as if her body were about to fall apart!
She couldn’t help but think of a bloodline that had vanished from this world long, long ago—the Sky Wolf bloodline.
The Sky Wolf bloodline was the nemesis of the vampire clan—their fangs, on the night of the full moon on the fifteenth, could destroy a vampire’s supposedly eternal, undying body.
For five years, she’d tried everything to uncover Jun Buli’s true origins.
She’d discovered he was the union of two bloodlines—the Dream Clan and the Solitary Isle—the blood of a hundred poisons. If she wasn’t mistaken, the Sky Wolf bloodline had resurfaced once again!
“Jun Buli, before they find the Blood of the Five Elements, why don’t you come with me to pay a visit to the sleeping Left Envoy first?” Li Qinqin said, and then burst into laughter, looking up at the sky.
Once the Left Envoy was destroyed, the vampire clan would descend into chaos—and at that point, who would still bother to take a mere guardian like herself seriously?
Thinking of this, the amusement in Li Qinqin’s eyes deepened further. Her figure flashed as she took off, chasing after the carriage ahead…