Chapter 506: Chapter 376: So-Called Feast for the Eyes
No one could tell, but just a moment earlier, someone was holding a dagger against Chen Hongru’s forehead.
Chen Hongru was also taken aback.
It had been many years since anyone had dared to wield a knife in front of him.
The icy sharpness of the dagger still pulsated between Chen Hongru’s brows.
The tea was of the finest Xuefeng Tea, and Ye Lingyue’s lips, nurtured by the waters and tea leaves of Hong Meng Heaven, couldn’t find anything to fault.
Just like the Beiqing Great Power sitting a few steps away, he was flawless too.
Before coming, Ye Lingyue thought that Chen Hongru, like other elusive Great Powers, would be unapproachable or repulsive.
But now, sitting in front of her, the man was as gentle as jade.
His gentleness was different from Feng Xun’s—tempered by the years without any sharp edges, sophisticated and smooth.
He was very young, yet seemed incredibly old.
"Before you arrived, Prince Feng and I were playing chess," Chen Hongru said as he sipped his tea, the steam clouding his eyes. "I said, ’How about we play a game? If you win, I’ll let go. If you lose, you let go.’ Do you know the outcome of my game with Prince Feng?"
"I, Ling Yue, do not understand chess and cannot comment," Ye Lingyue focused on drinking her tea.
She mumbled to herself, thinking how stingy this Beiqing Great Power was, serving only tea without even a pastry after she had spent so long refining the Reincarnation Elixir, making her hungrier with every sip.
Ye Lingyue kept mumbling to herself.
"Prince Feng just dropped his piece and said, ’Chess is like life, but it’s not life. Feng Xun’s life does not rely on mere strategies.’" Chen Hongru smiled slightly and stood up.
Ye Lingyue thought, what a terrible observatory, cold and drafty from the north wind.
The two talked past each other, yet seemed to get along quite well.
"Miss Ye, you are the second person who is not from Dan Palace to step onto the Observatory in recent years. If I’m not mistaken, you came here for the disaster of the Black Fog on the Xixia Plain."
Ye Lingyue’s eyes sparkled, thinking this centuries-old zombie indeed knew some tricks. She gave a dry laugh, tacitly acknowledging it.
"Please impart your wisdom, Master Hong Ru. The lives and people of Daxia depend on your good words."
"In Xingxiu Cave, there is a Spiritual Artifact—the Heaven Rank Spirit Yi God Breaking Void Bow. Whoever obtains this bow can break through the Black Fog," Chen Hongru said, then spoke no further.
Ye Lingyue quickly stood up, thanked Chen Hongru, and hurriedly bid her farewell.
As she descended from the Observatory, she wasn’t sure if she was sweaty because of hunger or the wind.
"Lord, just like that you let that vile woman go, she was the one who killed our son!" After Ye Lingyue departed, a figure emerged from the shadows—it was Noble Princess Consort Luo, who had fled from Daxia.
"Luo Wan, how many times have I told you not to come out unless summoned?" Chen Hongru saw Noble Princess Consort Luo and showed some displeasure.
The opening of Xingxiu Cave was imminent, and delegates from various nations were converging on Emperor City.
Given Luo Wan’s unique identity, even though she had altered her appearance, she remained a liability.
Had it not been for his occasional tender feelings for their past fleeting romance, Chen Hongru would have taken her life long ago.
"Lord, he was your only flesh and blood, the rightful Crown Prince of Daxia. It’s all because of that wretched Ye Lingyue that he met such a fate. Lord, just now, you clearly used the Nine-Star Soul Searching Technique; why not just put her to death directly?"
The power of the Nine-Star Soul Searching Technique was something Luo Wan knew all too well.
The strength of the Nine Stars could even instantly cause a person’s soul to disintegrate into ashes.
"How presumptuous, Luo Wan! Since when is it your turn to teach me what to do? Ye Lingyue is now a highly sought-after figure in the Qing Province Continent. If she dies in the Dan Palace, think of how many would blame it. Even Emperor Qing would not easily let the Dan Palace off," Chen Hongru was enraged, a chilling ferocity now apparent in his cold eyes.
Noble Princess Consort Luo was rarely seen to have thrown Chen Hongru into such a loss of control, and she dared not speak further, shrinking to the side.
Heavenly Maiden Xue Pianran stepped forward, curtsying gracefully. "Senior Sister Luo, do you truly believe the Palace Master intends to let Ye Lingyue off? If he really wanted to spare her, he wouldn’t have informed her about the Yi God’s Void-breaking Bow—that bow is deadly to those nearby!"
Now that Ye Lingyue’s reputation had greatly risen, she could not die at the hands of the Dan Palace, but if she died in Xingxiu Cave, then it would all be justifiable.
"So that’s how it is. Luo Wan should die for misunderstanding her superior," Noble Princess Consort Luo immediately turned her worry into joy.
Chen Hongru snorted coldly, his gaze fixed on the nine stars in the sky.
The Nine-Star Soul Searching Technique was ineffective against Ye Lingyue; just like the former Prince Feng, her soul had a blind spot that even the Nine-Star Soul Searching Technique could not penetrate.
Chen Hongru distinctly remembered how, at a particular moment, his spiritual power had been rebounded.
Ye Lingyue possessed a mysterious power.
When Ye Lingyue left the Dan Palace, it was already deep into the night, and in her heart, she was sure that Lan Cai’er, the heartless one, wouldn’t wait for her.
Indeed, outside the bustling daytime Dan Palace, there was not even the shadow of a carriage or ghost.
With her mind clouded by thoughts of the Yi God’s Void-breaking Bow, Ye Lingyue found herself unable to locate the path back to the Feng Residence but, under the moonlight, caught a glimpse of a beauty.
The beauty stood amidst the lush moonlit scenery, looking deliciously appealing... the snacks in his hand looked deliciously appetizing.
Ye Lingyue immediately rushed over as if she were a long-lost daughter finally seeing her mother.
The tender-featured Beauty Feng, holding a piece of cake with his slender, attractive fingers, fed it into Ye Lingyue’s mouth, and it was still warm.
It was the chestnut cake she had tried and praised endlessly one night at the night market.
Ye Lingyue was moved to tears as she ate. After swallowing the chestnut cake, she suddenly realized how foolish she was; starving despite sitting on a mountain of gold, she could have eaten the fruits from Hong Meng Heaven to stave off hunger.
But then again, cold fruits could not compare to the warm, freshly served cake by someone’s hand.
Of course, the focus was on the cake, not the person.
"Feng Xun, it’s good to have you. I knew Cai’er, that heartless one, wouldn’t care whether I lived or died. I nearly got tormented to death by that old zombie, Chen Hongru," Ye Lingyue mumbled with cheekfuls of food, while Feng Xun also handed her a pot of water, casually wiping away the crumbs beside her mouth.
Upon hearing that Chen Hongru had troubled Ye Lingyue, Feng Xun’s hand stiffened, and his knuckles turned cold and pale.
"Did Chen Hongru use the Nine-Star Soul Searching Technique on you?"
"So that thing is called the Nine-Star Soul Searching Technique. But luckily, I held out. Meeting Chen Hongru this time was somewhat fruitful; he revealed to me the method to dispel the black mist on the Xixia Plain," Ye Lingyue frowned, quickly swallowing a few bites of the cake, oblivious to Feng Xun’s displeasing expression.
After having her fill, the carriage from Feng Residence arrived, driven by Lan Cai’er. Upon inquiry, it turned out that she had grown impatient waiting at Feng Residence and had decided to come pick her up herself.
After boarding the carriage, Feng Xun’s expression slightly eased.
"Ling Yue, after a few days, I want to enter Xingxiu Cave with you guys."
"That won’t do, Xingxiu Cave is too dangerous. Even if I agree, Sister Cai’er definitely won’t,"
Without a second thought, Ye Lingyue flatly refused.