After bidding farewell to Zhang Tianzhi and the others, Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing entered Lijing. Like ordinary travelers, they strolled casually through the city streets.
"Little Feng, why don't we go straight to the palace of Yuanhai Kingdom? Aren't you supposed to deliver that letter for your maid?" Su Miaoqing asked curiously.
"Senior Sister, entering the imperial palace isn't that simple. There's no rush-let's go find two people first!" Xiao Yifeng said with a smile.
"Little Feng, you know people here?" Su Miaoqing opened her bright eyes wide.
"Of course. A distant relative of my Xiao family lives here. Let's head over to find him first," Xiao Yifeng replied with a chuckle.
"Oh, alright then!" Su Miaoqing did not doubt him at all.
The story about a distant relative was naturally utter nonsense. The two people Xiao Yifeng wanted to find were a man and a woman. The woman was Yurou, a famous courtesan in Lijing.
The man was much older, in his fifties, and was Yurou's husband. How two people with such a large age gap had ended up together remained a mystery.
In his previous life, after obtaining the unhatched Profound Frost Ice Python, Xiao Yifeng had come to this city and chanced upon the couple being hunted down. He saw that although Xiao Tian was far weaker than their pursuers, he recklessly risked his life to protect his wife.
Xiao Yifeng had intervened to save them, but Yurou was already mortally wounded. He escorted them along their way, only to be dragged into their deadly feud.
In the end, because the enemies were too formidable, despite Xiao Yifeng's desperate efforts to protect them, he could not save their lives. After Yurou passed away, Xiao Tian was deeply moved by his protection and handed him a jade token before dying.
Xiao Yifeng never knew its true purpose back then. It was not until fifty years later that he accidentally activated the jade token and entered an immortal abode.
After fierce battles with the other holders of matching tokens inside, he discovered the remains of Daoist Qingxu, the former master of Wuya Hall who had died unexpectedly, along with his personal sword-the Ink Snow Sword, the supreme heirloom treasure of Wuya Hall!
Unfortunately, the treasure fell into the hands of others and was lost to him. Moreover, by that time, Xiao Yifeng had already defected from the Wentian Sect.
Retrieving this legacy for Wuya Hall was his main goal in coming here. At the very least, he wanted to secure the jade token and hand it over to his master so Su Qianyi could find a way to enter the immortal abode and claim the treasure-and perhaps save Yurou and Xiao Tian in the process.
They wound their way through a maze of small alleys. Following the route in his memory, Xiao Yifeng located a modest residence in Lijing. Standing before the small courtyard door, he knocked gently.
After a short moment, the wooden door creaked open. A slightly chubby, middle-aged woman stood before them and asked in confusion, "Who are you looking for?"
"Greetings. We are looking for Brother Xiao Tian. Is he at home?" Xiao Yifeng asked, slightly puzzled.
"Xiao Tian? There's no one by that name here. Did you get the wrong house?" the woman said.
"Ah? Could I have remembered wrong? Auntie, are you familiar with this neighborhood? Is there a Brother Xiao Tian living around here?" Xiao Yifeng asked in surprise.
"No, no! I know this entire street, and there's definitely no Xiao Tian here. Young man, you must have come to the wrong place!" The woman shook her head repeatedly.
"Then forgive the intrusion!" Xiao Yifeng said apologetically.
As the two walked out of the alley, Xiao Yifeng smiled bitterly. "Senior Sister, perhaps my relative moved away. Looks like we made a wasted trip!"
He had not expected his memory to be so unreliable. First the Profound Frost Ice Python, and now the matter of Xiao Tian and his wife. He could not help but feel bewildered-had he truly reincarnated into a completely different timeline?
"It's fine. Where do we go now?" Su Miaoqing asked.
"Come, let's get something to eat first. Then we'll go check out the imperial palace and see how it compares to our Wuya Hall!"
After finishing their meal, the two walked hand in hand toward the heavily guarded imperial palace. Su Miaoqing looked closely and saw a sprawling complex of magnificent, grand halls. Yet it felt far too vulgar-a endless sea of brilliant gold that dazzled harsh in the sunlight.
"Restricted imperial grounds! Halt!" As they drew near, guards holding weapons crossed their blades to block their path.
"I am Xiao Yifeng, a friend of Princess Lianyue. By the princess's order, I have come to deliver a letter to the Empress. Please inform her," Xiao Yifeng said, pulling out the keepsake Xiaoyue had given him-a crescent-shaped pendant.
Hearing that they were friends of Princess Lianyue, the guards immediately showed deep respect. Everyone in the kingdom knew that the princess was a cultivator, so her friends were naturally esteemed cultivators as well.
Not daring to delay, the guard respectfully took the token Xiao Yifeng handed over and hurried inside the palace to report.
Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing stood idly outside the palace gate, chatting softly. Soon, a group of eunuchs wearing gauze hats hurried out. Seeing the two from afar, they did not dare to look directly at them.
The leading eunuch stepped up to Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing and bowed respectfully. "This servant greets the two immortal masters. You must be the friends of Princess Lianyue. Please forgive us, but His Majesty and the Empress are currently entertaining foreign envoys and cannot come out to receive you in person."
"It is no trouble. We only came to deliver something on Lianyue's behalf. Once we hand it over to the Empress, we will be on our way," Xiao Yifeng said with a warm smile.
"Young immortal masters, His Majesty and the Empress have ordered this servant to lead you to Qingyuan. Please follow me," the old eunuch replied with a smile.
Xiao Yifeng nodded and motioned for him to lead the way. Su Miaoqing could not help but observe the old eunuch with curiosity. She keenly noticed that these men were different from normal men-their yang energy was lacking, while their yin energy was exceptionally heavy. However, she refrained from asking aloud.
They followed the eunuch through the resplendent, golden palace. Su Miaoqing looked around with great interest at the grand architecture. Passing palace maids and eunuchs quickly stepped aside, keeping their heads bowed and eyes lowered, not daring to cast a single glance at the two.
The palace complex was vast, but the eunuch walked at an extraordinarily swift pace. He led them to a quiet courtyard attached to a side hall. Before stepping inside, the old eunuch called out in a loud voice, "The two immortal masters request an audience!"
Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing stepped inside. Before them lay an open-air courtyard with a rectangular lotus pond in the center. A walkway spanned across the water, forming the shape of the character for "middle."
On both sides of the courtyard sat rows of low tables, where civil and military officials as well as foreign guests were seated.
Their arrival immediately drew everyone's attention. Suddenly, a voice called out in surprise, "Young Master Xiao?"
The two followed the sound and saw Yuge sitting on the lower left side alongside Zhang Tianzhi and the others, whom they had only recently parted with.
Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing were equally surprised, not expecting to meet them again so soon.
Nodding slightly in greeting, the two walked along the bridge over the water. Standing straight, they addressed the ruler of Yuanhai Kingdom seated above-Xiaoyue's father.
"Wentian Sect disciples Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing pay respects to the ruler of Yuanhai Kingdom!"
Given their status as disciples of the Wentian Sect, they still accorded the monarch basic courtesy. Yet after bowing, no response came for a long time, prompting them to look up at the high platform in confusion.
There sat the monarch of the kingdom upon his central throne, staring fixedly at Su Miaoqing without moving a muscle, his mouth practically drooling.