The night grew cooler. Jun Lan stood alone outside the door, his cold eyes lost in thought.
Ye Ziling had waited for a long time. Mu Heng finally climbed through the window with a food box, his footsteps interrupting her melancholy.
He opened the food box, laid out the dishes with his hands, and took out two jars of peach blossom wine, muttering to himself, "How can you eat dishes without wine? Guess where I got it?"
Mu Heng raised his eyebrows at her. Seeing her lost in sadness, he answered his own question, "These are all fine goods I took from Bai Yu's wine cellar."
"I don't know why, but his Yunzhong Ling's grand wine cellar has no one guarding it. What a bargain!"
He thought Ye Ziling would be amused, but her expression grew even worse. Resting her chin on her hand, she seemed lost in thought.
"Don't worry… that girl Shen Yueru isn't dead. Her injuries are quite severe, and she won't wake up for a while," Mu Heng said, taking a large gulp of wine from a jar and praising it with a thumbs-up, "Good wine!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, don't be so pessimistic. She's not going to die. I guarantee, before dawn, we'll all be out of here."
Seeing her unease, Mu Heng clicked his tongue and added, "Let's go home, back to Jiuling Palace! If the sky falls, Jiuling Palace will protect us. I don't believe the Heavenly Emperor would dare cross us Jiuling Palace for a mere Heavenly Consort!"
Mu Heng put down the wine jar heavily, indignant.
Ye Ziling suddenly looked at Mu Heng, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, "Really? You have a way to get out?"
Seeing her react, Mu Heng patted his chest and said firmly, "When has this young master ever lied to anyone?"
Mu Heng put a piece of food into her mouth, speaking indistinctly, "Don't just stand there, wasting all this good wine and food. You need to eat to have the strength to run…"
"…Run?" Ye Ziling frowned, repeating the word in confusion.
This fellow, from time to time, would utter words she couldn't understand.
Mu Heng beat his chest and stamped his feet, swallowing a mouthful of food and waving his hand to explain, "Escape… it means to escape."
At midnight, the surroundings were peaceful.
Mu Heng leaned on the table, dozing off.
Ye Ziling was startled awake by a sound of digging. She looked around.
The ground beside the table caved in with a "bang," raising a thin layer of dust.
"Cough, cough…"
As the dust settled, a figure in cyan climbed out of the hole.
Ye Jingxian, choked by the dust, carried a hoe and dusted himself off. He happened to see Ye Ziling's cautious gaze and hesitantly said, "...Ling'er?"
"Second Brother…?" Ye Ziling's eyes widened, her sleepiness gone.
She stared at the hole in the ground for a long time, then let out a laugh of mixed amusement and disbelief.
This was… digging a tunnel? She hadn't thought of this method.
Mu Heng looked up and saw Ye Jingxian, asking in confusion, "No, brother, wasn't I supposed to tell you to finish digging later? Won't we be discovered if we go out so early?"
Ye Jingxian retorted, "Didn't I want to rescue Ling'er sooner?" He then looked around and mumbled, "Even the prisons in the Heavenly Realm are this luxurious?"
He had thought his sister was being mistreated.
Ye Ziling suddenly understood, pointing at the tunnel and looking at them, "This is… the method you were talking about?"
Mu Heng put his hands on his hips and nodded, "...Otherwise? This barrier doesn't cover underground anyway. And it doesn't matter how we get out, as long as we get out."
"Big brother speaks wisely… Ling'er, your subordinate is quite clever… thanks to his brilliant idea, although it was a bit strenuous." Ye Jingxian stretched his sore arm.
Ye Ziling: "..."
The moon hung high. The three left the Heavenly Palace and flew towards Jiuling Palace on a flying boat.
"Brother Ye, I didn't expect you to know so much about the entertainment and dining spots in the capital. Take me along sometime." Mu Heng crossed his legs, sitting lazily at the bow of the boat.
Ye Jingxian patted his shoulder and chuckled, "If Brother Mu doesn't mind, you can find me at the largest pharmacy in the capital!"
"I will definitely visit another day!"
...
Ye Ziling watched the harmonious scene between the two with a speechless helplessness.
How long had they known each other?
They were already calling each other brothers?
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Palace was already in turmoil.
As soon as Qing Bai returned to his sleeping quarters, he saw Jun Lan sitting alone at the table. Judging by his demeanor, it didn't seem like he was here for official business.
"Why didn't General inform me when you came?" Qing Bai adjusted his sleeves and sat opposite him.
After a long while, two immortal maids slowly approached and poured tea for them.
"General's arrival, I presume, Emperor, is something you are well aware of." Jun Lan's eyes were deep as he glanced coldly at Qing Bai.
It was almost impossible to escape the barrier he had set up. In the Heavenly Realm, no one dared to openly oppose him except Qing Bai.
Qing Bai's eyes flickered with confusion. He flicked his sleeves and met Jun Lan's cold gaze, "What do you mean?"
Jun Lan offered no further explanation and waved for his guards to bring forward the corpse of a Qilin beast.
"If my memory serves me correctly, this should be a divine beast under the Emperor's command."
"An hour ago, it appeared in my palace."
"And then Divine Lady Tu Yao disappeared."
Qing Bai sneered, putting down his teacup, "General can't keep your own people in check, yet you come to ask me for someone?"
Jun Lan knew Qing Bai's character. If he had abducted someone, he would have readily admitted it.
"You didn't do it?" Jun Lan's brows furrowed, and he looked at the Qilin.
Qing Bai's expression turned suspicious, and he looked at the divine beast with him, "...This Qilin beast is indeed mine."
The two realized something simultaneously.
Jun Lan returned to his palace and, with his entourage, meticulously searched the palace for clues.
"General… there's a passage." A Heavenly soldier stepped forward and said respectfully.
[System: Lord Ling, don't bother searching anymore. They've already left.]
Jun Lan looked up, his eyes as sharp as ice blades, and said indifferently, "Presumptuous."
[System: ...]
[System: Do you forget the path your subordinate walked with you?]
...
Jun Lan mused, a faint gleam flashing in his eyes, and spoke, "Weren't you supposed to become the Heavenly Emperor? Is this it?"
Seeing that this fellow had finally returned to normal, the System breathed a sigh of relief.
It had thought he had forgotten the mission.
[System Prompt: You have deviated from the strategy plan.]
[System: Lord Ling, stop playing around. The main quest has deviated, quickly salvage it!]
Jun Lan, who was searching for clues in the room, was interrupted by a voice in his mind.
He stared fixedly at the hole in the ground, his gaze sinking, and waved to stop the Heavenly soldiers' search.
"Never mind, you may withdraw."
The Heavenly soldier who was carefully examining the tunnel paused, then walked up to him, cupped his hands, and said respectfully, "General, are you sure you don't want to search? If the criminal is lost, the responsibility..."
The subordinates all knew the consequences of losing a criminal, which could lead to severe punishment.
Jun Lan's cold eyes flashed, and he said sternly, "Go down. I have my own judgment."
The Heavenly soldier reluctantly withdrew.
"Main quest?" Jun Lan frowned in confusion.
[System: Lord Ling… even if you switched to your main account, you shouldn't deviate from the main quest, or your current immortal position will be threatened.]
Jun Lan raised his eyebrows slightly, the gloom in his eyes gradually receding, and his thin lips moved, "Answer my question, is this the immortal position you gave me?"
[System: I never promised to make you the Heavenly Emperor… don't blame me for this.]
[System: Let's not worry about that for now… the current task is to retrieve the ultimate prize and help her clear her name.]
"Her name?" Jun Lan's eyes cleared of confusion, and he suddenly looked up in realization.
"You mean, this time… she was framed?" His eyes lit up, and he asked incredulously.
A vortex seemed to be forming in the pupils of the man's eyes, and gloom gradually enveloped him.
This time… had he misunderstood her again?
[System: I think I've revealed something...]
[System: ...I didn't say anything, you know it yourself.]
But he had personally seen her holding a long sword with blood on her body when he arrived at the back mountain, and then he saw his junior sister fall into a pool of blood.
The grievances between Jiuling Palace and Shao Lin, coupled with the fact that Ye Ziling indirectly caused the sect leader's death, might have led his junior sister to hold a grudge...
As the night deepened, the man's brows were tightly knitted. He stood by the window, gazing blankly at the round moon in the sky, his mind in turmoil.