Qi Xuan hesitated for a long while before finally saying, "It's not good."
Upon hearing this, Feng Yinwan's heart sank. She opened her mouth to ask further, but just then, a bright light suddenly shone over, causing both of them to instantly conceal themselves.
She looked up and saw a small attendant holding a lantern, and behind him, Ling Xiang was leading someone past them.
Judging by their direction, it was the very prison where she was held.
There was no time. She had to return immediately.
Feng Yinwan's expression turned stern. She looked up at Qi Xuan and said gravely, "There is something urgent that I need you to verify for me."
As the small light grew further away, after giving her instructions, Feng Yinwan added her earnest advice.
"The situation in the palace is unclear. Be very careful. If you find anything, come find me near the prison."
Without further delay, she left these words and hurried back. By the time she reached the prison cell, there was a commotion outside.
Feng Yinwan restored the chains on her wrists and secretly calmed her breathing. The moment her expression returned to normal, the prison door was opened from the outside.
The small attendant entered first, holding the lantern. The wall lamp was lit, and only then did Feng Yinwan see clearly that the person who had been following Ling Xiang all along was actually Yu Che.
"It really is you."
She lowered her eyes, her tone not showing surprise.
Yu Che's expression was also calm. "You already guessed."
"Yes."
As early as when Ye Tingyan had incited chaos in the palace, she had felt a vague familiarity with the Gu master's figure.
Although she couldn't be sure after several confrontations, her intuition had already confirmed his identity.
However, she couldn't understand why. He had saved Feng Yue Li in the Pavilion of Silence and had even helped them fend off Ye Ting Yan. He was not someone who blurred the lines between good and evil. What reason did he have for doing this?
Feng Yinwan glanced at Ling Xiang beside them and asked, "You've reached an agreement with them? Why?"
Whether it was Ye Ting Yan or the Emperor of Yue, he had always stood on the opposing side, yet his motivations were so vague that it was hard to fathom.
Yu Che did not respond but stepped forward and took the hand she had placed behind her back.
The clanging of the shackles left a dark red mark on her wrist. He pressed his fingertips firmly into the red mark.
"Do you know where the life Gu within your body came from?"
At this question, Feng Yinwan froze, a doubt surfacing in her heart.
As Yu Che had said in the Pavilion of Silence, although the life Gu was within her, it consumed the vital essence of the person who cast it. It was a protective item that was harmless to her.
Initially, she thought it was left by Luo Qing Yu, but the book had answered all her questions except this one, which only made her more confused.
A sharp pain suddenly came from her wrist. Feng Yinwan frowned, and then she heard him say, as if with great ferocity.
"This belonged to my master!"
Feng Yinwan was startled. "Your master?"
She barely knew Yu Che, let alone his master.
However, the intense hatred in his eyes was not directed at her. Could it be…
She suddenly thought of something, her heart plummeting as if suspended in the air. She turned her head and met his intensely hateful voice.
"Ye Ting Lan killed my master, stole the life Gu, ordered the destruction of the spiritual valley, and tried to hunt us all down. He is an ungrateful villain!"
Yu Che roared, his words filled with agitation.
Feng Yinwan frowned, and the words of refutation came out before her thoughts could catch up.
"He is not that kind of person, nor would he do such a thing."
She didn't know the grievances between them, but she was absolutely certain that Ye Ting Lan was not that kind of person.