As if the wind that carried her away when she was rescued, by the time she reacted, she was already on the escalator.
"You..."
She looked at the Crown Prince before her, somewhat surprised. He had clearly said it was not allowed just moments ago, yet here he was, sending her up the escalator leading to the third floor.
"Go!" he said softly, his smile now appearing exceptionally melancholic.
"Thank you!" Xue Zining turned and ran towards the bright opening that was about to close.
She heard the wind whistling past her ears and a voice reach her, "Xue Zining, you have failed me once again in this life."
She trembled all over, stopped, and looked back. Behind her was a dark abyss-like night, unseen and unfelt.
She must have misheard.
Turning, she stepped into the light.
On the escalator opposite her, the tall, slender figure in white knelt there, a patch of bright red on the ground.
The bright red blood flowed from his chest.
Xue Zining saw that the third floor was also empty, except for a crystal box in the center emitting light. She walked forward. Inside the crystal box was a palm-sized gem radiating a seven-colored glow. It didn't quite look like a gem.
With a wave of her hand, the crystal box opened, and the gem's light suddenly dimmed. It was a seven-colored stone.
She picked up the stone, and a warm current flowed through her entire body from her palm, surprisingly comforting.
This must be the supreme treasure of the Divine Hall.
She tucked the gem into her embrace, feeling it seem to beat, pulse by pulse, rhythmically.
Suddenly, the entire Divine Hall began to shake. She had no time to think and rushed towards the escalator, only to find it collapsing from below.
She leaped down to the second floor. The books that had attacked her were nowhere to be seen, leaving only an empty room.
Descending to the first floor, she saw the man in armor kneeling there.
The blood she had pierced into his neck had turned black.
She walked towards the entrance. Suddenly, a voice from behind called out, "The Divine Hall's supreme treasure has been lost. This place will no longer be a Divine Hall. Young lady, are you determined to go your own way?"
"I'm sorry," Xue Zining uttered, throwing the words back without looking, and pushed open the door.
Outside the hall, Xue Yan, with a worried expression, saw her appear and said, "You've finally appeared."
Xue Zining nodded, her eyes instinctively raising to see a neat troop of soldiers appearing before her.
Leading them was the Jingzhao Yin, Mo Ran.
His expression was cold and sharp. "Lady Feng, leave the supreme treasure taken from the Divine Hall, and this official will spare your life."
"I'm afraid I cannot leave," Xue Zining replied, looking up, her gaze filled with piercing coldness.
Upon hearing this, Mo Ran's eyes chilled. With a wave of his hand, he commanded, "Take her!"
Xue Yan stepped forward, blocking her. "Your Majesty, you go first. This servant will cover your retreat."
"With so many people, you won't be able to handle it alone."
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is in grave danger," Xue Yan turned back and said urgently.
Hua Yunjin. Xue Zining bit her lip and said, "Xue Yan, take care of yourself. I hope you're not lying to me."
Xue Yan smiled. "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will take good care of herself."
Xue Zining nodded and looked at Mo Ran. "Lord Mo, I must offend you."
She turned and flew away.
Seeing this, Mo Ran gritted his teeth and cursed, "She actually knows martial arts."
"Send men to pursue!" Mo Ran angrily pointed in the direction Xue Zining had gone.
Xue Yan blocked the pursuers, smiling wickedly. "With me here, no one will be able to chase my lady."
"Xue Yan, this official advises you not to be stubborn," Mo Ran said with a frown.
Xue Yan chuckled softly. "I'm not joking."
"Xuesong, it's up to you," Mo Ran said through gritted teeth.
Xue Yan froze. A person stood before her, and inexplicably, she felt a sense of familiarity.
"Move aside," Xue Yan said coldly.
"Xue Yan, do you know what she took?"
Xue Yan replied, "The Divine Hall's supreme treasure."
Xuesong shook his head. "What she took was..."
He suddenly stepped forward and delivered a chop with his hand to Xue Yan's neck. Before she lost consciousness, Xue Yan angrily exclaimed, "You tricked me!"
The Hua Residence
Hua Yunjin suddenly sat up in bed, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
Drip, drip, drip, so much of it.
The door was suddenly pushed open. He looked out; under the moonlight was a slender figure.
He trembled all over and was about to speak those two words when a gust of dust-covered wind rushed into his embrace.
"Yunjin, I'm back." The maiden's voice was slightly choked.
Hua Yunjin's eyes flickered. He forced a smile. "Your Majesty, you've finally returned."
"Yunjin, you can be saved. I've retrieved the supreme treasure from the Divine Hall."
Hua Yunjin paused. Seeing this, Xue Zining smiled. "Aren't you happy?"
Hua Yunjin smiled. "Yes, I didn't expect Your Majesty to be so quick."
Xue Zining threw herself into his embrace again, greedily inhaling his familiar scent. "Yunjin, from now on, you can stay by my side."
Hua Yunjin blinked slightly and chuckled softly, a flicker of something unusual in his eyes. "Your Majesty, you have suffered."
Xue Zining raised her head and shook it. "It wasn't suffering. As long as your illness can be cured, I am willing."
The maiden's gaze was too clear and bright, like a radiant pearl, shining brilliantly.
Hua Yunjin lowered his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, this minister is a little tired."
Xue Zining suddenly came to her senses and quickly stood up. "I forgot. You are still very weak. Rest first. I'll go ask Hua Rong how to use this thing."
With that, she turned and left.
Hua Yunjin raised his head, his eyes filled with a chaotic mixture of emotions. He gave a bitter smile.
In the Hua Residence study, Hua Rong looked at the gem Xue Zining had brought back from the Snow Country Divine Hall, also with a troubled expression.
"The Elder doesn't know?" Xue Zining asked.
Hua Rong bowed. "Forgive this old man's limited knowledge. I only heard rumors before, never seeing the real thing. Now that I see it, I don't know what to do."
"There will always be a way," Xue Zining said.
Hua Rong suddenly recalled something and said, "Your Majesty, the Poison King Valley should know."
Xue Zining paused. Poison King Valley?
She seemed to remember that Qing Yi had come from the Poison King Valley.
"Alright, I know. I'll make arrangements." Xue Zining left the room.
Hua Rong looked at her receding back, a hint of reluctance in his gaze.
"Why the reluctance?" a voice called out. Hua Rong trembled.
"Why are you still here? If Your Majesty finds out, the Hua family will truly be finished."
"If the Hua family is finished, what does it have to do with me?" A person walked out from the darkness, their appearance surprisingly somewhat similar to Hua Rong's.
"Whatever you did in the past, this old man cannot control, but the Hua family must not fall."
"Stubborn old man, what meaning does a mere Hua family hold? How about..."
"Silence! If it weren't for Yunjin, I would never agree to cooperate with you. You only need to cure Yunjin; you don't need to manage anything else," Hua Rong said coldly.