However, Ye Qingcheng’s lips did not land on his cheek as he expected. The first thing that drew his attention was the pain emanating from his abdomen.
Ye Qingcheng’s face remained radiant with a smile, blooming like a flower.
She then released Xiao Wangye and retreated step by step.
Xiao Wangye lowered his head and saw a short dagger plunged into his abdomen.
Ye Qingcheng looked at him coldly, "Xiao Wangye, everything I said just now was a lie."
Xiao Wangye looked at her in disbelief, could no longer hold himself up, and collapsed.
In his dream, Bi Xi saw himself being held in Xiao Wangye's arms, and his body moved uncontrollably towards Xiao Wangye.
Just as he was about to touch Xiao Wangye's cheek, the movement thankfully stopped.
Bi Xi woke up to find himself in an unfamiliar environment.
He opened his eyes, initially a little nervous, but his heart settled somewhat upon seeing the familiar face.
Xue Ji sat by the bed. Seeing him awake, she smiled, "You're awake? How do you feel?"
"I feel good," Bi Xi looked at her.
"That's good." Xue Ji nodded slightly, "This is an inn in the capital. For now, you shouldn't return to the Gu Manor, nor do you need to come back to the palace with me."
Bi Xi intuitively asked, "Did something happen in the palace?"
Xue Ji frowned and said, "Yes."
Bi Xi asked, "Can you tell me?"
Xue Ji glanced at him, hesitating for a moment.
It wasn't that she was unwilling to tell him the events; it wasn't out of suspicion, but rather she didn't want him to be too involved, didn't want him to be harmed.
"I am a martial artist, have you forgotten? I am also worried about you. It must be very hard for you to bear those things alone," Bi Xi said sincerely.
Xue Ji sighed.
For the next period, about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Xue Ji, speaking concisely, told Bi Xi what had happened in the palace in recent days.
This included how the usually cautious Crown Prince became infatuated with courtesans, only to be discovered and killed by the Emperor, and how the Empress grew increasingly extravagant, eventually being confined to the cold palace by the Emperor.
Xue Ji recounted all these events to Bi Xi.
After finishing, even Xue Ji felt a profound chill within her.
They were once a family, born of the same roots, and no one knew it would turn out this way in the end.
Bi Xi, however, merely frowned at the time.
He wasn't surprised by the bizarre nature of those events.
To Bi Xi, these events did not feel like mere hearsay; rather, they felt as if he had personally experienced them, or more like events he had orchestrated and put into practice himself.
Xue Ji finished speaking, her face somewhat pale.
"Xue'er," Bi Xi called out calmly, "Shangguan Hong must be behind those events."
"Why do you say that?" Xue Ji was somewhat surprised.
Bi Xi said, "I can sense my inner core, and it is currently within Shangguan Hong. As he was carrying out those actions, my inner core communicated with me."
Xue Ji frowned, "Wasn't he the Crown Prince's advisor? Why would he do these things?"
"Pure ambition."
Bi Xi made to get out of bed. Xue Ji stepped forward and steadied him.
She asked, "What are you doing getting up? Your body is still very weak; you should rest more."
Bi Xi shook his head, "If I rest any longer, the entire empire might be in ruins."
Xue Ji was momentarily taken aback.
Bi Xi continued, "Shangguan Hong's target is undoubtedly more than just this; what he desires is far more terrifying. Therefore, we must stop him."
"How can we stop him? Your magic is gone, your inner core is with Shangguan Hong, and your body is still so weak."
Xue Ji was genuinely worried that the person before her might collapse midway.
Bi Xi said word by word, "Let's go see the Emperor!"
He looked at Xue Ji and smiled, "You come with me. If anything happens to me on the way, like if I pass out, you can carry me."
Xue Ji looked at him.
Wearing Gu Pan'er's face, he pouted coquettishly, "Pretty please? I'm not heavy, you can definitely carry me."
This was Bi Xi's first attempt at such a display, and its effect... seemed to be quite remarkable.
Xue Ji raised an eyebrow and scooped Bi Xi up horizontally.
She walked towards the door, "No need to wait until then to carry you, we'll start now."
Bi Xi, his face flushed, wrapped his arms around her neck, not protesting.
The carriage slowly made its way towards the imperial palace.
Leaning in Xue Ji's embrace, Bi Xi played with a strand of his hair and said, "I imagine the Regent must have encountered significant trouble too. Shangguan Hong, impersonating my master Ye Qingcheng, met with him."
"Met him?"
"Yes, I could sense it," Bi Xi said. "I can feel that Shangguan Hong likely did something unfriendly to Xiao Wangye."
Xue Ji sighed.
She had once thought Shangguan Hong was meticulous and could effectively support the Crown Prince.
Yet, she never imagined that such a meticulous person would nearly ruin the entire royal family.
Just then, the carriage jolted and stopped.
Xue Ji frowned and asked sharply, "What's going on outside?"
There was no sound from outside the carriage; the silence was eerily profound.
As Xue Ji was about to lift the curtain to look, Bi Xi grabbed her sleeve and shook his head.
He could sense that the situation was very abnormal.
It felt like something unnatural was about to happen.
But his inner strength was completely depleted, preventing him from better detecting the happenings outside. He could only rely on his martial artist's intuition to barely cope.
Xue Ji sat down beside Bi Xi, looking at him with concern.
The surroundings became silent again for a moment, then a fierce gust of wind suddenly blew.
The entire carriage was torn apart in the middle by an inexplicable force!
Bi Xi and Xue Ji remained unharmed, but the carriage was utterly shattered.
Xue Ji, holding Bi Xi, leaped down and landed on the ground. In an instant, figures in black surrounded them.
Xue Ji quickly scanned the surroundings. Indeed, the guards who were supposed to protect her were all dead or wounded, with bodies scattered everywhere.
And that slaughter seemed to have happened in an instant.
There was no sound, and even Bi Xi hadn't heard anything. Before the crisis arrived, he hadn't sensed it.
But Bi Xi knew that this assassination was arranged by Shangguan Hong.
It seemed he had effectively utilized Bi Xi's inner core; this magic was now almost surpassing Bi Xi's own.
"I will create a diversion from one side, and you run out from the other," Xue Ji turned and said in a low voice.
"Won't that put you in danger?" Bi Xi looked at her.
"I'll be fine; you are the most important," Xue Ji smiled.