Yingruo slowly ascended Zhaixing Pavilion, walked all the way to the top floor, and stood where Jiutu and Shen Xiheng had just been.
The twilight lent a touch of softness to her exquisitely unparalleled face, yet it failed to dispel the chill in her eyes.
Qi Yu hid in the shadows, widened her eyes, and stared at that face for a good while before frowning and muttering softly, "Could it really be that I’ve run into a ghost?"
She thought her voice was very faint, but just as her words ended, Yingruo suddenly called out coldly, "Who’s there?"
Realizing that her piercing gaze was sweeping in her direction, Qi Yu quickly hid herself and Li Mingjue into the space, took a deep breath, and said with so lingering fear, "How can this person have such sharp ears?"
Li Mingjue shook his head with amusent, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Would anyone who can beco a Saintess be simple?"
"Saintess?" Qi Yu frowned, "You an that person who looks exactly like Ning Yue is the Saintess?"
Li Mingjue nodded and said, "With the ability to co and go freely in the palace, her status must be distinguished, and within Tulan Kingdom, there are only two Princesses, one of which has married into Dazhao, and the other one..."
At this point, he paused, seemingly recalling sothing, and a hint of disgust flashed through his eyes.
Qi Yu was listening intently and seeing that he was silent for a long ti, urged, "Who is the other one?"
Li Mingjue returned to his senses and said indifferently, "The other princess is nad Qiya, with an arrogant nature, and would not act so indifferently."
Qi Yu thought about his words and detected sothing, looking at him with so teasing, "So, you are quite familiar with this Princess Qiya?"
Li Mingjue breezed over the subject lightly, "I’ve only t her once." He continued, "A hundred years ago, right after the fall of Luoyue Country, Witchcraft Technique beca prevalent in Tulan Kingdom, and according to historical records, these Witchcraft Techniques were all brought by a Saintess."
Qi Yu felt confused and asked with furrowed brows, "But isn’t Witchcraft Technique a secret technique not to be shared by Tulan with outsiders? How could it have fallen into the hands of others?"
"As for this matter, the historical records do not detail it, and the intricacies are likely known only to those involved," said Li Mingjue gravely.
Contemplative, Qi Yu stroked her chin, "So, Ning Yue didn’t want us to be aware of this, which is why she reneged at the last mont and sent us out of the illusion."
Although she wasn’t entirely sure how long they had stayed in the illusion, it was that night, after her confrontation with Ning Yue, that they were inexplicably expelled from the illusion.
It seed that there were so things Ning Yue did not want them to know.
"But why Zhaixing Pavilion of all places? What secret does this place hold?" Qi Yu looked towards Li Mingjue, and both their eyes were filled with seriousness.
Not until midnight, when all was quiet, did Qi Yu and Li Mingjue erge from the space.
Because Yingruo had a face nearly identical to Ning Yue’s, Qi Yu felt sowhat intimidated at the sight of her, so they stayed in the space for quite a while before feeling confident enough to co out.
The cool breeze that swept over dispersed so of her drowsiness.
She peered out and looked down to see that the guards standing watch were all drowsy and nearly unable to stay upright, she raised an eyebrow and sprinkled a handful of sedatives down.
Having watched the guards drop, she clapped her hands and said cheerfully, "Done!"
Li Mingjue subtly raised an eyebrow, "These guards are indeed easy to deal with, but getting out of this Imperial Palace won’t be simple."
Hearing this, Qi Yu’s lips, which had just turned up slightly, drooped down again, and she said sowhat resignedly, "Even if we’re discovered, the Emperor of Tulan wouldn’t really harm us, would he?"
Li Mingjue’s eyes darkened, "The people of Tulan might not dare, but others might well do so."
Qi Yu imdiately understood, "Are you talking about Li Ming’an? But he should still be in Qingzhou, right? After all, a city apart, his reach shouldn’t be that long."
Given Li Ming’an’s character that was more likely to ss things up than to succeed, she wasn’t too worried that he would foolishly rush over and make a move on them.
However, Li Mingjue said, "He can’t sit still that easily. Right now, he must be in the city, just hiding without showing his face."
Qi Yu waved her hand indifferently, "Let’s not worry about him for now. We should first search this loft and see what secrets are hidden here."
Whether it was Jiutu’s cryptic words or Saintess Yingruo’s unusual deanor, all made her certain that sothing big was going to happen.
Not to ntion, Jiutu was also the person who had sent them into the illusion.
The cause laid down a hundred years ago was yet to bear fruit today, a mystery that remained in her mind.
On the other end, in the residence of the second prince.
The study was lit all night long, and in it, a figure was pacing back and forth anxiously.
This person was Li Ming’an, who had arrived in Tulan Imperial City not long ago, trying to locate Qi Yu and Li Mingjue.
But for many days, wave after wave of his sent n had made no progress.
These two were like evaporated from the world—alive without a trace, dead without a body—leaving him with a mix of satisfaction and nurous anxieties.
"It’s been over a month; the person should be long gone by now. You don’t need to worry too much," the second prince said languidly after taking a sip of tea.
Li Ming’an nodded, the anxiety on his face diminishing slightly.
But having suffered so many losses at the hands of Qi Yu and Li Mingjue, he did not dare to be careless without finding their corpses.
"In a while, the Hidden Guard I sent out will be back. We’ll make plans then," Li Ming’an said calmly, suppressing the emotions in his heart.
The second prince saw through him but kept quiet, raising an eyebrow and said with an amused tone, "If those two are really dead, you’ll be able to leave that ghostly place of Qingzhou."
Li Ming’an snorted coldly, "If not for making that old undead lower his guard, why would I have stayed in Qingzhou for so long?"
The second prince’s lips curled in a aningful smile, "So it seems that you are ready."
The thought brought a sense of satisfaction to Li Ming’an, and he smiled sinisterly, "The old man has been sitting in that position for too long, blind and deaf. Now, with his good son gone, where does he have the strength to compete with ?"
Upon hearing this, the second prince laughed heartily, "That’s right. In the future, this world will be ours."
The two n exchanged knowing glances, both seeing in each other’s eyes a full determination to succeed.
But the celebration didn’t last long, as the Hidden Guard returned without any good news.
Li Ming’an furrowed his brows fiercely, waved them off with a gesture, and spoke with a worried tone, "Could it be that those two are still alive?"
The second prince laughed at his paranoia, "If they were alive, why is there no sign of them at all? Most likely they died in so desolate mountains or wild ridges."
Li Ming’an forced a smile with stiff lips, his voice dry, "I hope so."
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