Wen Yiyue watched Wen Fengyuan leave, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. Finally, she had managed to send him away.
If he were to discover the things she had been doing in secret, with his rather conservative ideals, he would surely try to stop her. While this wouldn't change her mind, it would undoubtedly create some obstacles for her plan.
The next day, as soon as Xingyuan woke up, she went to the tall tower in the palace and gazed out expectantly, hoping to see the person she wished to meet.
Spotting a figure in the distance, Xingyuan quickly had someone push her forward. As the person drew closer, she disregarded her injured leg and lunged, her entire body crashing into Wen Yiyue's embrace.
"Be careful!" Wen Yiyue's eyes held a smile.
Xingyuan looked up, and a faint, fresh scent wafted into her nostrils. She instinctively held Wen Yiyue tighter, her eyes filled with adoration.
"Why aren't you waiting for me in your room?" Wen Yiyue's smile deepened as she looked at the young girl's seemingly inseparable attachment to her.
"Because I wanted to see you sooner!" Xingyuan's face was beaming.
Xingyuan was slender, and Wen Yiyue easily picked her up, carrying her to the room and gently placing her on the bed.
Xingyuan's face flushed with shyness. She hadn't felt this way before, but now, being carried by her sister in front of so many people, she felt a peculiar sensation, a mix of embarrassment and excitement.
"Alright! How are you feeling today, Your Highness?" Although their relationship had changed, Wen Yiyue had not forgotten her duties.
"I'm quite well, it's just that I can't sleep when you're not here at night." As she spoke, Xingyuan's eyes were filled with a hint of grievance, and she looked at Wen Yiyue expectantly, her meaning very clear.
"Alright, I'll stay with you tonight." Wen Yiyue gently stroked Xingyuan's head, a deep light flickering in her eyes. It was a good opportunity; that matter needed a little more time to ferment.
"Mhm!" Xingyuan, who had been incredibly nervous moments ago, now nodded with feigned composure.
After a month of their sweet, affectionate courtship, Xingyuan could finally walk again.
The first thing Xingyuan wanted to do after being able to walk was to go out and cause some trouble. She had been slacking off for so long; she needed to deal with those people quickly so she could enjoy her time alone with her sister.
So, she used her contract to summon Tian Ling, who had been missing for a long time.
Tian Ling's entire beast face was filled with dejection as it looked at its master, lost in deep self-doubt. After all, it was a creature created by the Heavenly Dao itself, yet it couldn't even find a murderer?
"What happened to you?" Xingyuan asked, full of confusion. She had been quite happy these days, and if her sister hadn't been busy recently, she wouldn't have even remembered she still had a mission.
Tian Ling silently licked its paws, not wanting to answer. Could it say that shortly after leaving, it was captured and treated like an ordinary cat? Later, it finally managed to escape to the scene of the crime, only to be driven away by the people at the shop.
Unfortunately, this was just an ordinary plane. Fearing the world's collapse, it couldn't use powers beyond this world's capabilities. Although its combat strength wasn't high, it shouldn't have been unable to defeat even an ordinary person!
If its master hadn't finally remembered it and summoned it back, it would probably still be wandering outside!
After this incident, Tian Ling deeply realized one thing: it was warmest and safest by its master's side. From now on, it would never leave alone again.
Xingyuan looked at Tian Ling, whose gaze shifted constantly, and seriously suspected it had gone foolish from being outside. It had seemed somewhat intelligent before, but now it looked so silly after returning.
"It's nothing... I just couldn't find the murderer and had nowhere to stay, so I didn't dare to come back," Tian Ling stammered, too embarrassed to tell the truth.
"Is that so? Tell me who those people were who might have hurt Grandfather, and I'll deal with them beforehand." Although Xingyuan found Tian Ling's attitude suspicious, she didn't intend to probe further.
"Master! That might not be possible." Tian Ling's face instantly fell into despair.
One or two could be considered accidents, but so many people had died. Even Tian Ling didn't believe there was nothing suspicious about it.
"What's wrong?" Xingyuan frowned, her intelligence finally kicking in as she sensed something was amiss.
"It's just... just that most of the people are dead." Tian Ling's tone was guilty; this was undoubtedly the biggest oversight in its career. The Heavenly Dao also feigned deafness and ignored its requests. What could it do?
"All dead?" Xingyuan's brow furrowed.
"Not all, a few are still alive." Tian Ling curled into a ball, afraid its violent master might strike it.
That was truly not very harmful, but extremely insulting!
Xingyuan's eyes showed a hint of displeasure. Who dared to touch her prey? Even if it was just to save face, she would find that person.
"Lead the way!" Xingyuan took a deep breath and said to Tian Ling.
She wanted to see who dared to be so presumptuous.
Xingyuan pestered Yue Tangqing for a long time, and only after promising to act cautiously did he finally relent and let her out.
Breathing in the fresh air outside, Xingyuan felt the joy of freedom!
Even though Azhi, her little follower, was still with her, Xingyuan was in a good mood. Xingyuan hadn't had an episode in several days, and her condition seemed to have stabilized.
Following Tian Ling's account, she eventually stopped in front of a very upscale-looking pavilion. From the outside, it appeared to be a restaurant, but inside, it had everything.
"Entrance fee!" A burly man guarding the entrance glared menacingly at Xingyuan, who wanted to go in.
Azhi immediately stepped forward and produced a jade token.
The man's expression instantly turned respectful. "So it's a distinguished guest! Please come in, my lord."
Azhi led the way expressionlessly, and they were finally led by a server into a very elegant private room.
"Azhi, have you been here before?" Xingyuan's face was full of curiosity. This place seemed to hold many secrets, and it was truly fascinating.
"I accompanied His Majesty here once!" Azhi said faintly, a flicker of melancholy in her eyes. It had been a long time since she had been here.
"How did Your Highness know about this place?" Although as the future Majesty's hidden guard, she was only supposed to obey her master's orders and shouldn't question anything, she was too puzzled. Logically, His Highness shouldn't know about the kingdom's dark side at this point.
"Ahem, I just heard about it by chance. Why are you asking so many questions?" Xingyuan gave Azhi a seemingly stern look, her eyes carrying a warning.
"This subordinate has overstepped. I beg Your Highness to punish me." Azhi realized her mistake and immediately accepted the punishment.
"Never mind! I'll let it slide this time. Now, tell me, what is the origin of this place?" Xingyuan said calmly.