"This Nine Stars..." An Ning spoke hesitantly.
"No abnormalities have been found for now, but if she insists on staying, we must be extra cautious," Wen Yu Xi said.
An Ning glared at Wen Yu Xi with displeasure, "If it weren't for you, why would there be an extra person?"
It wasn't that she lacked sympathy. Storybooks said such tricks were all to gain people's sympathy. No one knew what she was up to.
Wen Yu Xi clicked his tongue twice, "How would I know you women have so many intricate schemes?"
An Ning sneered, "However, I'm not worried about myself. She's probably after you?"
"Why?" Wen Yu Xi asked.
An Ning looked Wen Yu Xi up and down, making him feel uneasy. "What... what are you staring at me for?"
An Ning smiled a bit eerily, "With such a handsome and elegant appearance, dressed in fine silks and satins, clearly a young master. If I were her, I'd choose you too."
Wen Yu Xi said indignantly, "What about Gui Ning? He's not bad either!"
"Him? A perpetually frozen face, looks ordinary, I don't fancy him..." An Ning waved her hand.
For some reason, An Ning suddenly felt a chilling breeze blowing from behind.
She turned around, seeing only Gui Ning's frozen face and no one else. But why did she feel so cold?
Wen Yu Xi smiled, "Then how about Little Ning Ning and me?"
An Ning looked him up and down and said, "Only if you can find a way to permanently seal my soul within this body."
Wen Yu Xi was startled, a trace of emotion she couldn't understand flashing in his eyes.
An Ning said no more, "Be more careful!"
Barren Marsh
Xue Chang An, with a furious expression, smashed the teacup in his hand onto the ground, roaring, "Useless! All of you are useless! Couldn't even secure a corpse."
Those below trembled in fear. Only one person stood, coldly watching Xue Chang An's outburst.
Xue Chang An also noticed this person's cold gaze and sneered, "Fan Min, you made a promise to朕, and it seems you haven't fulfilled it."
Fan Min said, "The empress's corpse is now in the Snow Kingdom. However, I think, if Your Majesty is so worried about the empress being revived, why not cut off this soul transference at the source?"
Hearing this, Xue Chang An looked up at Fan Min, "Do you have a way?"
Fan Min said, "Fan Qing will definitely use soul transference to revive the empress. Now that Fan Qing is dead, soul transference will be extremely difficult for them. If the body preserving the soul is killed along with the soul, the empress will forever be just an empty shell."
Xue Chang An sneered, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You want to possess that corpse forever."
Fan Min lowered his gaze, "Yes."
"I don't care how you do it, I only want Xue Zi Ning to never be reincarnated, to disappear forever," Xue Chang An said, word by word.
His voice was filled with a chilling and eerie quality, utterly terrifying.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will handle this matter. I will not disappoint Your Majesty."
Xue Chang An glanced at Fan Min, "However, don't forget, Wen Yu Xi is by her side."
"Your Majesty, since I dare to say this, I have made full preparations," Fan Min said confidently.
Xue Chang An nodded, "I await your good news."
"Fan Min takes his leave!" Fan Min departed.
Xue Chang An walked out of the sleeping quarters, gazing into the distance, and coldly smiled, "Xue Zi Ning, your destiny will forever be in darkness, while mine will be brilliant and radiant."
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince of the Snow Kingdom has entered the divine temple and activated the formation. I cannot enter."
Although the divine temple was destroyed when Xue Zi Ning entered, Xue Jing Yun later sent people to repair it. The current divine temple remains mysterious, and ordinary people cannot enter.
Especially now, with the two gems sent by Hua Yun Jin, the divine temple emanates a powerful, mysterious energy.
Anyone who approaches is repelled by this force.
Xue Chang An's gaze held some anger, "For the sake of one Xue Zi Ning, he's truly willing to sacrifice."
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. Activating the formation will also dissipate his internal energy."
"Xue Yu, I don't trust this Fan Min. Go follow him. If he has ulterior motives, then you..."
Xue Chang An made a throat-slitting motion. Xue Yu nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Don't blame me for being ruthless, I can't afford to lose.
Nine Stars' injuries healed quickly, and they could finally set off for the Barren Marsh.
In the carriage, Nine Stars stared at Wen Yu Xi, who felt his head throbbing. His compassion had brought him a persistent clingy follower.
The carriage suddenly stopped. An Ning lifted the curtain and asked Gui Ning, who was driving, "Why did we stop?"
"It's about to rain. If we go further, it will be even more difficult to camp," Gui Ning said concisely.
An Ning nodded, "Alright, we'll camp here tonight."
She turned to tell Wen Yu Xi, but saw Nine Stars sitting next to him, offering him pastries.
An Ning coughed lightly. Nine Stars turned to see her, quickly put down the pastries, her face blushing.
"I'm going out for some air," Wen Yu Xi quickly got out of the carriage.
"Miss, Nine Stars will also go." Nine Stars also left.
An Ning shook her head. Observing Nine Stars these days, she hadn't noticed any unnecessary actions, only her particular attentiveness towards Wen Yu Xi. She probably really fancied Wen Yu Xi.
"Before long, there might be a happy event," An Ning said, twitching her lips.
"A happy event? Not a funeral?" Gui Ning said indifferently.
An Ning was startled. She looked at Gui Ning and asked, "Do you think this Nine Stars is problematic?"
Gui Ning withdrew his gaze and said faintly, "It's best to be cautious."
"Wen Yu Xi checked, Nine Stars has no internal energy, she's just an ordinary girl," An Ning said, otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to bring Nine Stars along.
"Underestimating things is a grave mistake," Gui Ning uttered only these words.
"What is she after? We don't have much to offer her."
"Miss, what are you looking at?" Nine Stars ran over playfully and placed something in her hand.
An Ning saw it was some wild fruits and bird eggs.
Nine Stars happily said, "Miss, Brother Yu Xi is so amazing! He actually caught a wild boar."
As Nine Stars finished speaking, An Ning saw a dark shadow flickering in the distance. After waiting for a while, she saw Wen Yu Xi carrying a colossal creature towards them.
A wild boar, as big as three or four men.
"We'll have wild boar meat tonight!" Nine Stars clapped her hands gleefully.
Wen Yu Xi looked at her and asked, "How?"
"Amazing!" An Ning said.
Wen Yu Xi said, "Get down and help."
An Ning got off the carriage. Wen Yu Xi divided the meat into several pieces and had Nine Stars wrap the rest. "We don't know how long it will take to get out of this forest. Having extra food is always good."
An Ning nodded. Wen Yu Xi's thoughts were right. Nine Stars had already started the fire, and soon the wild boar meat was placed on it to roast.
"Nine Stars, do you like Wen Yu Xi?" An Ning asked as she added firewood to the fire.