She imdiately spotted Sun Wukong winking at her.
The Great Princess was initially startled, then began to scan her surroundings; only after a long mont did she slowly utter, "Who am I? Wu Zhao, or Li Lanyi? Why do I feel like I have beco soone else?"
"You are no longer who you were before," he said, "from today onward, you all must adapt to your new lives. It can be said that the Queen Mother of the West has bestowed upon you a new life. I hope you will cherish it. As for the path you will take from here, that’s for you to decide. However, the na Wu Zhao must never be ntioned in front of others, even you can’t reveal your identity, otherwise, not even the Queen Mother of the West can save you, do you understand?"
Wu Zhao, rather, Li Lanyi, as they should now be called, had their soul rged with Li Lanyi. In reality, Li Lanyi’s impact was minimal; mostly, it was Wu Zhao’s temperant that prevailed.
Li Lanyi bowed to Sun Wukong, saying, "Thank you, Great Saint, for making this happen."
"You don’t have to thank , sister. I have a connection with That Luo Yun as deep as eight sworn brotherhoods; it’s only right for to help you. Alright, my task here is done, I, Old Sun, must leave now. But before I go, Old Sun would like to give you sothing."
As he spoke, Sun Wukong opened his right hand and gently blew on it, revealing a jade bracelet: "This item, called the Mixed Heaven Exquisite Bracelet, can attack and defend, a truly rare treasure. Take good care of it, Old Sun is off now!"
Sun Wukong left as soon as he said he would, feeling more hurried and anxious than ever.
After Sun Wukong left, Li Lanyi sat quietly and zoned out.
In fact, all this was predetermined by the Queen Mother of the West, who had foreseen that Wu Zhao would rge with Princess Li Lanyi of the Tang Dynasty.
Since Wu Zhao couldn’t reveal her identity, she specifically recited "The Phoenix Hairpin," written by Li Lanyi, as she left. You were familiar with "The Phoenix Hairpin," which initially caught the attention of Li Lanyi due to its correspondence with Li Shimin’s own "The Phoenix Hairpin."
Li Shimin once intended to marry Li Lanyi to you, but her health was simply too poor and the timing was wrong; after your ruckus at the arena, Li Lanyi beca severely ill, nearly dying. Now, with Wu Zhao and Li Lanyi rged, both had affection for you, which matched both of their desires.
Unbeknownst to you, however, you were suffering from both physical and emotional pain.
The war ended, and you naturally returned to Chang’an. Although Li Shimin granted you nurous titles and honors, you felt dead inside. You spent your days drowning your sorrows in drink, frequenting taverns.
Many were aware of your condition, but no one could offer solace, including Princess Li Xiangwei of Gaoyang.
"I an, how long do you plan to drink? From morning till now, you’ve nearly drained this tavern’s entire stock of liquor!"
Li Xiangwei had been keeping you company these past few days. Although Zi Yi and Little Yue also wanted to offer consolation, they were rudely blocked by Li Xiangwei.
You kept to yourself, drinking as if Li Xiangwei were rely air.
In fact, you were painfully aware and extrely depressed at the mont; others did not know that after breaking through the "Resting Door," you found that no matter how much alcohol you drank, you would not get drunk.
It seed you were immune to alcohol; any drink tasted like cold boiled water to you.
"Hey, hey, I’m talking to you, are you listening?"
Li Xiangwei, a petite figure with a significant presence, also had quite a temper. She fully inherited her mother’s beauty, renowned throughout Chang’an City for her grace and allure—of course, her terrible temper was just as well-known.
"Hey, have you heard? Sothing big happened again at Lan Ruo Temple?" At this ti, a drinker sitting not far from you said to his friend.
"What happened? Don’t tell soone died again."
"Exactly! And this ti, three people died in a row!"
"Who were they?"
"They were itinerant rchants, preparing to enter the city to sell their goods. They arrived late yesterday, after the city gates had closed. With nowhere to stay, they went to Lan Ruo Temple. Their manner of death was similar to the previous cases; they were all drained dry."
Hearing this, you couldn’t help but interject, "Hey, where is this Lan Ruo Temple you’re talking about?"
Ever since Wu Zhao left, very little had managed to pique your interest, and you had even stopped your cultivation, feeling that being an ordinary person, free from worries and sadness, might be better.
Although you clearly knew it was the power of order influencing your emotions, Zhao’er being taken away by the Queen Mother of the West had plunged you into a low point.
The Queen Mother of the West was an even more formidable existence than the Heavenly Emperor, born from the twilight nurtured by heaven and earth, eternal and indestructible. Now that Zhao’er was by her side, your current abilities were nowhere near sufficient to reach her.
Besides, after so ti, you needed to give yourself a chance to cool down.
Decadence was just a superficial appearance, and for now, you let the force of order guide you, going with the flow.
When you’ve road enough, you’d have to start fighting hard again.
Of course, under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t care about such matters, but just now you heard those three words: Lan Ruo Temple.
Lan Ruo Temple, to anyone from the 21st century, rang loud as a bell. The nurous adaptations of "A Chinese Ghost Story," and the legendary romance of Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen had been sung about by countless people.
And Lan Ruo Temple naturally made you think of your own identity.
Damn it, I’m a ti-traveler! I have the Eight Gates of Heaven, and once I seek an opportunity to break through, I’ll head straight to the Queen Mother of the West’s chamber to find Zhao’er!
Humph, although there’s a lot of bragging involved, in any case, it made you feel much better.
Suddenly enlightened, you felt completely relaxed and a smile quickly appeared on your face.
If Wu Zhao were here, she would definitely know, the you she is familiar with, mischievous and annoying, yet the one she uniquely liked, had co back.
That person seed not to recognize you. Upon hearing your question, he imdiately said, "Lan Ruo Temple is just outside the Northern City Gate on Pagoda Tree Slope. It’s well-known for being haunted, and is said to house a very powerful demon. The Wei Rong Team once sent people to investigate, but since it was during the day, they didn’t find anything. It gets very creepy there at night, and it’s said that ghosts co out to harm people."
"Oh, I’ve seen plenty in my lifeti, just never encountered ghosts or demons. Heh, well, since I’m free, why not go check out this Lan Ruo Temple."
Upon hearing "Lan Ruo Temple," the graceful and tragic figure of Wang Zuxian instantly appeared in your mind. You thought to yourself, if immortals exist in this world, then ghosts might not be entirely fictitious.
Since you’re idle anyway, why not go and et Wang Zuxian? She was an idol of your youth, after all.
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