The Desolate Marsh Snow Palace
A dark shadow landed before the curtain and said in a low voice, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, Princess Anning is in danger. Mo Yuan must return. I ask that Your Highness the Crown Prince take care!"
After speaking, Mo Yuan looked up at the Snow Kingdom's Crown Prince behind the curtain. Since Princess Anning had asked him to gather information about the Snow Kingdom's Crown Prince, he had stayed by his side, protecting him.
Now that the Princess was in danger, he had to leave.
The man who had been closing his eyes suddenly opened them, and in an instant, his gaze was like ten thousand feet of rosy clouds, flowing with light, resplendent and varied.
"Do you know how to disguise yourself?" Xue Jingyun asked.
Mo Yuan did not know why the Snow Kingdom's Crown Prince asked this, but he truthfully replied, "Yes."
"You stay here..."
Mo Yuan: "..."
While he was stunned, the Crown Prince before him had already vanished without a trace.
Mo Yuan was utterly bewildered, not knowing what was going on. Was he not supposed to be the one leaving?
What did it mean for the Crown Prince to leave?
What if Xue Chang'an found out?
Right, the Crown Prince had asked him if he knew how to disguise himself just now.
He should have said no.
"Your Highness, it's time for breakfast." A voice came from outside.
Mo Yuan knew it was the voice of Ziyun, a maidservant here.
He touched his face, sat behind the curtain, and imitating the Snow Kingdom's Crown Prince's voice, said, "Put it down!"
Ziyun placed the breakfast down and left. Ever since that day, she had only placed the food and left, never asking any questions, even if she sensed anything unusual.
Watching Ziyun leave, Mo Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, inwardly praying for the Snow Kingdom's Crown Prince to return quickly. This atmosphere made him feel uneasy.
Suddenly, footsteps could be heard again from outside, somewhat hurried. "What is it?" Mo Yuan asked.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty has arrived." Ziyun said in a low voice before the curtain.
Mo Yuan almost fainted. What was his luck?
The Snow Kingdom's Crown Prince was here, and Xue Chang'an rarely visited. Why was it that after he had only sat here for less than an hour, Xue Chang'an had arrived?
Xue Chang'an was furious at this moment. Fan Min's sudden departure had annoyed her, and she had unknowingly come to the Snow Palace.
She had made all these preparations for him, yet he remained indifferent to her.
Thinking of this, she stepped forward and lifted the curtain. Xue Jingyun, who was seated, did not open her eyes.
"Why won't you look at me?" Xue Chang'an's tone was not good.
Mo Yuan: "..."
He was afraid of being exposed.
"Open your eyes and look at me." Xue Chang'an walked up to him.
Mo Yuan was on the verge of crying for his parents, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth, open his eyes, and pretend to be profound. "Is there something?"
"Tell me, what am I not as good as her?" Xue Chang'an took a step forward.
Mo Yuan: "..." How would he know?
Liking is liking, and not liking is not liking. Women are so troublesome.
He definitely did not want to be tied down by a woman he liked.
He would never seek out a woman in the future.
"Say it!" Xue Chang'an asked hysterically.
Mo Yuan: "..." What should he say?
"Say it!" Xue Chang'an reached out as if to grab his collar.
Mo Yuan's gaze turned cold, and he said, "Xue Chang'an, a man and a woman should not be too intimate."
Looking at the man before her speaking to her with the coldest words, Xue Chang'an felt a humiliation she had never experienced before.
She did not stop. Just as she was about to touch him, a hand suddenly grabbed hers, and a chilling sensation spread from her palm throughout her body.
"Yan Zhao..."
"Don't call me by my name, you are not worthy!"
Xue Chang'an trembled all over. She looked at the man before her, his gaze so cold and filled with frost.
She couldn't help but take a step back. "You..."
Mo Yuan closed his eyes. These conversations had already made him sweat profusely. If he stayed any longer, he feared he would be exposed.
After a long while, Xue Chang'an turned and left.
Hearing the footsteps disappear, Mo Yuan opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had managed to pass this time.
Crown Prince, come back soon!
When Xue Zining woke up, the sky was already bright. Liu'er's voice could be heard from outside. She put on her clothes and found that the black cat had still not returned. She vaguely felt that the black cat might have encountered something. She hoped everything was safe.
She walked to the window. Liu'er said, "Miss Ning, it's time for breakfast."
"Come up," Xue Zining suddenly said.
Liu'er was stunned. In her daze, Xue Zining had already come downstairs and pulled Liu'er up into the bamboo house.
She used the sacred artifact from Miao territory that Elder Yu had given her, a golden beetle. It flew out of the box and hovered around Liu'er before returning to the box. The golden beetle showed no change, and Liu'er had not taken the sacred medicine.
But why had she become like this?
She took out the medicine bottle that Elder Yu had given her before leaving, took out a small pill, and fed it to Liu'er.
Soon, focus returned to Liu'er's vacant eyes.
"Miss Ning." Liu'er looked at Xue Zining, her expression somewhat excited.
"Liu'er..."
Han Xiwén's voice came from outside. Liu'er suddenly grabbed her, her expression filled with fear.
Xue Zining patted Liu'er's hand and said, "Don't be afraid."
Liu'er bit her lower lip and said in a low voice, "Young Master, he..."
"He is still himself, merely blinded by greed."
Han Xiwén appeared at the doorway. Xue Zining looked up at him and said, "I feel like Liu'er is acting strangely."
Han Xiwén walked forward and saw that Liu'er was fine. He said, "There's nothing wrong. Miss Ning, you're worrying too much."
Xue Zining nodded. "That's good then."
Han Xiwén said, "I'll take you to see someone today."
"Who?" Xue Zining asked.
Han Xiwén's expression was somewhat gentle. "My mother."
Xue Zining's brows furrowed slightly, her expression unchanged. "Alright."
She felt a little uneasy. Why would Han Xiwén suddenly want to take her to see the Saintess?
Han Xiwén led her to where they had breakfast for the past few days, then pressed the mechanism she had found on the painting last night.
A dark, square opening appeared in the ground.
"This..."
Han Xiwén said, "This is the secret chamber of Miao territory."
Xue Zining nodded. As she went down, she discreetly threw out some silver coins she had with her, on which she had carved some words.
She didn't know why she did it. She felt that someone would come to rescue her.
She landed and walked forward. Before the stone chamber, the three elders were nowhere to be seen, but the marks where the three elders had always sat remained on the ground. Xue Zining touched the soft whip at her waist, ready to act immediately if anything seemed wrong.
Han Xiwén walked to the stone chamber and went to open the door. Liu'er behind him gently touched her back with her finger. Xue Zining shook her head, signaling her not to move rashly, to avoid Han Xiwén discovering any flaws.
The stone chamber door was opened. Han Xiwén stepped aside and said, "Miss Ning, please."
Xue Zining tightly clenched her right hand at her waist and stepped forward. The sight before her was as bright as daylight.
As she stepped into the chamber, something felt wrong under her feet. She lowered her head to see that it was a formation. She had actually entered the formation.
A voice also came, "Should this old man call you Princess Anning? Or Xue Zining?"