Three days later, Liu Liu stopped breathing. A deathly silence permeated the vast imperial palace.
Feng Xie was finally overwhelmed and fainted. While the Emperor was unconscious, the Empress was placed in a coffin.
That very night, Nangong Yue appeared. After a dose of aphrodisiac incense, all the eunuchs and palace maids in attendance fainted. Nangong Yue replaced Liu Liu with a dummy and then dispelled the incense from the attending palace maids and eunuchs.
As soon as the Emperor awoke, he demanded the coffin be opened, insisting that the Empress not be sent to the imperial mausoleum. Only after the Empress Dowager’s stern command was the Empress finally interred in the imperial mausoleum.
The Emperor, having suffered a great loss of vitality, ordered the harem abolished once his health slightly improved. All concubines who had not been favored, with the exception of the pregnant Lou Sijing and Zhang Xiuyi, were bestowed upon high-ranking court officials.
Thus, the Empress of Tianfeng passed away. The Emperor did not establish a new Empress, leaving the position vacant. Time would heal the wounds in people’s hearts, and Feng Xie slowly recovered from his grief.
However, in the quiet of the night, when he sat alone in the Wei Yang Palace, that peerless visage would emerge in his mind. Her words had accompanied him, supporting him through the days ahead. She had said that her absolute indifference was because she had fallen in love, and the person she loved was him; she had liked him.
As for Liu Liu, having left the imperial palace, she finally obtained the freedom she had always desired. The child within her was born safely. What kind of ripples would mother and child create in the jianghu?
...
In a carriage, a beauty of unparalleled grace slept, her complexion pale. Yet, on her face, as small as a palm, her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her fan-like eyelashes veiled eyes as bright as stars. Her proud, small nose sat above plump, petal-like lips.
Although her face lacked color at this moment, her tranquil expression made her appear as if she were merely sleeping soundly.
“I never expected the Empress, whom everyone believed to be ugly, to possess such a peerless appearance. Yinhuan, would you say this beauty is unmatched in the world?”
A young maid in green attire, who was one of Nangong Yue’s subordinates, looked at the Empress, who was in a death-like state, and asked another pretty maid beside her in amazement.
Yinhuan was equally astonished. Even as women, they were deeply captivated. How much more so their master? This woman and their master were truly a perfect match, both stunningly beautiful and equally proud and untamed.
“Do you think Master was attracted to her, that he switched her out and brought her away?”
Yinhuan asked Luyi seriously. Luyi pouted, saying their master wouldn’t be so superficial; he had liked her long ago. The Empress’s peerless beauty had only appeared very recently.
“Stop talking, we need to be careful. Last time, when the Empress escaped, Master almost took our lives. We cannot be careless this time. Here, give the antidote to the Empress.”
Luyi took out a pill and motioned for Yinhuan beside her to help the Empress sit up. Yinhuan nodded, helped the Empress sit up, and Luyi fed the pill into her mouth, channeling internal energy to send it down her throat before signaling Yinhuan to let her lie down.
“Sister Luyi, you are too cautious. I heard the Empress has lost her internal energy, how could she escape? Last time, we didn’t know she knew martial arts. This time, without her martial arts, even if she wakes up, we are not afraid.”
Yinhuan giggled, lifting the carriage curtain. Several skilled guards followed behind the carriage. Their master had been very cautious this time, but they didn’t think anything would go wrong. Once they were out of the capital, they would wait for their master in the woods ahead.
Late autumn, all flowers had withered and fallen, leaves swirled and flew. The wind, with its cool, watery chill, blew through the carriage curtains, causing Yinhuan and Luyi to tremble slightly. Suddenly, a sense of unease arose in their hearts, a prickling sensation. Could something have gone wrong?
“Luyi, why does it feel strange?” Yinhuan shivered, lowering her head to look at the sleeping Empress. She prayed the Empress would be alright. If anything happened again this time, their master would surely punish them. Both of them vigilantly watched their surroundings, but after a long time, no movement was heard.
The carriage slowly stopped before a patch of woods. Bare branches and fallen leaves, the lingering sunlight pierced through the gaps, casting mottled shadows. Luyi extended her hand and coldly signaled to the checkpoint outside.
“Stop, let’s rest by the woods for a while.”
“Yes,” the subordinates behind the carriage responded. Everyone stopped to rest while waiting for their master.
Suddenly, a rich fragrance drifted through the air, and falling leaves swirled around. Several figures floated in mid-air. The person in front, dressed in alluring red, with a silver shawl, swept by like a vibrant crimson cloud, slowly landing in front of the carriage. A chillingly terrifying, yet alluring voice reached into the carriage.
“This trick of substituting the beam and replacing the pillar is quite clever. However, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware that the oriole is behind.”
Upon hearing this person’s voice, Luyi and Yinhuan’s hearts filled with anger. They leaped out of the carriage. Outside the carriage stood a man with silver hair reaching his waist, his skin as white as snow, his eyes like specters, and a distinctly blue hue. He exuded a strange, eerie aura, yet his voice carried an unusual coldness. His blue eyes stared at them wickedly.
Luyi knew she had encountered a formidable opponent. The person before them was none other than Hua Wuyou, the flower of the Demon Palace, feared by everyone in the jianghu. She wondered why Hua Wuyou wanted to intercept their carriage and speak such strange words. Did he intend to take the Empress away? Luyi’s expression darkened.
“Bold! What do you want?” she exclaimed, then sprang forward, her long sword aimed directly at Hua Wuyou’s vital points. Hua Wuyou smiled sinisterly, his face like a flower of death in the night, and spoke coldly, “Seeking death.”
With a wave of his hand, a silver chain appeared, spinning in the air and directly confronting Luyi and Yinhuan. The guards behind the carriage immediately moved to intercept. Hua Wuyou waved his hand, and those guards surged forward. He did not want to get entangled with them slowly.
If Nangong Yue were to appear, it would be much harder to escape. Thinking of this, he intensified his internal energy, and the massive airflow spun faster. Luyi and Yinhuan were no match for him, and even their master might not be able to defeat him. Thus, they were quickly injured by the radiance of the silver chain.
Hua Wuyou waved his hand, and a vast, powerful airflow struck Luyi, who could not resist. She was thrown back several steps, spitting blood.
Seeing Luyi injured, Yinhuan quickly went to check on her. Hua Wuyou spun around, retracted the silver chain, leaped onto the driverless carriage, and quickly pulled the reins, driving the carriage away at high speed.
Luyi and Yinhuan, left behind, watched the carriage being hijacked by Hua Wuyou and became anxious, their faces turning ashen. What would their master do when he arrived? Just as they were thinking this, a white silhouette descended rapidly beside them. Looking at the severely injured guards, he spoke with chilling severity.
“What happened? Where is she?”
Luyi, due to her severe injuries and panic, coughed out a mouthful of blood and collapsed. Yinhuan and the other guards, seeing their master radiating anger and looking at them coldly, quickly bowed and reported.
“Reporting to Master, she was taken by the great devil Hua Wuyou of the Demon Palace. They poisoned us. We beg for your punishment.”
Upon hearing Yinhuan’s words, Nangong Yue’s face turned grim, his lips forming a straight line. His gaze fixed on the distance, he spoke with cold charm, “Hua Wuyou, you wait for me. How dare you snatch someone from my hands! I will not rest until I’m done with you.”
Nangong Yue unpoisoned his subordinates and led them southward, following the direction the carriage had disappeared.
Floating clouds, a gentle breeze caressing the face, silver snow swirling, robes fluttering, Hua Wuyou’s demonic face flashed with excitement. He hadn’t expected to snatch the person. He had originally intended to enter the palace to see her, but he didn’t expect Nangong Yue to interfere.
Everyone in the world believed the Empress had passed away, but who knew this was merely a substitution trick played by the Empress? Even the Emperor was unaware. However, Nangong Yue had overlooked one detail: the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.