Ping An lunged forward, screaming, "Scram, get out! Ye Qingtian, you wolf! How could you treat the Empress like this? If you hadn't been pestering her, she wouldn't have ended up like this!"
Ye Qingtian glared at Ping An, then turned and walked away.
Inside the imperial chambers, a chorus of weeping erupted. But she was not yet dead, and her torment was far from over.
...
Fifteen days later.
In a secret chamber of the Yunshui Villa, a stone door creaked open, and a graceful man, like an immortal descended from the heavens, emerged.
His three thousand strands of ink-black hair were tied up with a jade hairpin. His skin was like fine jade, his long, narrow eyebrows as cold and clear as the moon. His eyes were deep and dark, holding a pool of icy water, concealing unfathomable guile. The corners of his lips curved into a bold smile.
Confidence and dominance emanated from his very bones. He wore a white brocade robe, the cuffs and hem intricately embroidered with silver thread, depicting several floating lotus flowers. The petals were distinct, exuding a cool, chilling aura.
Upon seeing their master emerge, Zhuifeng and Zhuiyue immediately bowed their heads respectfully and called out, "Master."
"Mm."
Murong Chong nodded, his ethereal face displaying a cold, ruthless, and devilishly sinister expression. He strode out, heading straight for a clearing behind the Yunshui Villa.
He wanted to test how his cultivation had recovered.
The people of the villa, upon hearing the news, rushed over. Leading the group were Shangguan Lin and Yi Yuxuan, followed by Yun Mo and Sima Qingyun. Even Murong Yingxue had hurried to the scene.
In the spacious clearing behind the Yunshui Villa, surrounded by lush green trees and ancient, towering trees in the distance, with strangely shaped rocks arranged evenly.
A white figure was practicing martial arts.
Swift as lightning, agile as a swimming dragon.
He soared into the air from time to time, his treasured sword weaving numerous dazzling patterns, his movements a blur of light.
Only flashes of white and silver were visible. Wherever the sword passed, fallen leaves scattered. The sword in the air slashed through the floating green leaves, slicing each one in two with perfect precision, without the slightest deviation.
What exquisite swordsmanship! It was no less than before; in fact, it was even superior.
Everyone's hearts were filled with joy. The sword was swung, piercing a large tree opposite them. The white figure then leaped into the air like a soaring dragon, unleashing a palm strike. A boulder thirty meters away let out a loud explosion and shattered into powder.
Such profound internal energy! The onlookers were stunned, then as they regained their senses, they burst into applause.
Shangguan Lin exclaimed, "Excellent, truly excellent!"
His imperial brother's cultivation had fully recovered. He wondered how he had managed it. It was wonderful! It seemed they could return to the capital soon.
The figure slowly drew back his palm, stopping his movements. He let out a soft sigh, and Zhuifeng, standing to the side, immediately offered him a white cotton cloth.
Murong Chong took it, wiped the sweat from his face, then walked over with steady, powerful strides. He glanced around at everyone and spoke in a calm voice.
"Since everyone is here, let's quickly devise a plan to return to the capital."
"Yes."
Everyone nodded simultaneously, but they soon noticed something amiss.
Murong seemed to have forgotten a crucial matter. By his character, this was impossible. The first thing he should have done after recovering his martial arts was not to return to the capital to reclaim his throne, but something else entirely.
Although reclaiming the throne was most important, given the depth of his love for Yun Xiao, he should have wanted to inquire about Yun Xiao's condition immediately, rescue her first, and then proceed with his plans.
They exchanged glances, wondering what could have gone wrong.
Shangguan Yao coughed and began, "Imperial brother, I?"
Before he could finish, Murong frowned suddenly, rubbed his forehead, and slowly said, "Lin, I seem to have forgotten the most important thing. What could it be?"
A flicker of confusion crossed his dark, inscrutable eyes, and everyone felt a buzzing in their minds.
Murong had forgotten something, something concerning Yun Xiao.
What had happened to him?
As everyone was in a state of panic and unease, Murong Yingxue quickly stepped forward, looked at Murong Chong, and said urgently, "Murong brother, have you practiced the Six Pulse Divine Heart?"
"Yes."
Murong Chong's confusion lasted only a moment. Soon, his entire demeanor returned to its icy coldness, and even his gaze towards Murong Yingxue was chilling, no different from his previous demeanor in the villa.
Hearing Murong Yingxue's question, he raised an eyebrow, realizing that his adoptive father had also shared this martial arts secret with Yingxue.
Murong Yingxue stepped back, casually grabbed someone's hand, and a faint smile touched her lips as she said lightly, "No wonder your cultivation is even more powerful than before."
At this moment, Shangguan Lin had recovered from his shock and immediately said, "Imperial brother, you?"
But this time, Murong Yingxue quickly interrupted, "Your Highness, please let Murong brother rest for a while. He must be extremely tired after practicing in the secret chamber."
Hearing Murong Yingxue's words and seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, they knew something had gone wrong. They stopped speaking and nodded in unison.
"Alright, then Imperial brother should go and rest for a while."
Murong felt nothing was amiss and gave a slight nod, leading Zhuifeng and Zhuiyue to his own Wind Pavilion.
The group of people behind him all turned to the main hall of a side courtyard in Yunshui Villa. Once seated, they all looked at Murong Yingxue and began to question her.
"What's going on? Murong Yingxue."
Shangguan Lin, anxious, spoke first. He could see that his imperial brother had forgotten someone, and that someone was Yun Xiao. If he hadn't forgotten, he wouldn't be so indifferent. Moreover, he seemed colder and more icy than before, completely lacking the gentle and mild demeanor they had seen earlier.
"Yes, the Palace Master seems different."
Yi Yuxuan followed up, "He has now returned to the time when they were struggling together, completely lacking the gentleness he showed when he was with Miss Yun."
Yun Mo and Sima Qingyun were also very worried, not knowing what had gone wrong. They all looked at Murong Yingxue, who stood in the hall.
She slowly exhaled and said calmly.
"Murong brother has practiced the Six Pulse Divine Heart, a secret technique of Yunshui Villa. It is specifically for enhancing internal energy and repairing damaged internal energy. I believe Father must not have told him one thing back then. Because Murong brother's martial arts were so powerful, Father thought he wouldn't practice it, so he didn't explain. He didn't explicitly tell me either, only mentioning it once accidentally. This internal cultivation method cannot be practiced by ordinary people. It has a drawback: it severs feelings and love."
"Severing feelings and love."
Several voices exclaimed simultaneously, filled with shock and disbelief. Shangguan Lin, in particular, was on the verge of despair. Such a thing had happened.
Severing feelings and love. Imperial brother and Yun Xiao were so in love, yet because of this internal cultivation method, their feelings and love were severed. Could it be?