Looking at the confidence and determination overflowing on Jiang Ke’er’s small face, Si Lian burst out laughing, her body trembling with mirth.
However, that smile was filled with reminiscence and bitterness — she had seen too many innocent young people like this.
The owners of the several dozen badges in her pocket had all made the same oath as Jiang Ke’er, and they had all once been brilliant geniuses.
What made Jiang Ke’er any different…
The laughter was drowned out by the heavy snow. She lowered her body and pulled Jiang Ke’er into a hug.
Si Lian whispered, “I’m entrusting the Bagpipe Squad to you.”
“What?” An faint sense of unease rose in Jiang Ke’er’s heart.
“I have to leave for a while, but I’ll be watching you.”
As she spoke, Si Lian stood up and put on a pristine white fur-collared coat.
Jiang Ke’er’s mind raced as she pondered the reason for Si Lian’s departure.
“During the competition, prioritize protecting yourself. Remember not to push yourself,” Si Lian said, her voice raspy and solemn.
“This is what I am most worried about… Also, while I’m gone these next few days, you won’t have the protection of an Honored One. You must act with extreme caution.”
“Don’t worry, but…” Jiang Ke’er reached out her hand, unwilling to let go.
But before Jiang Ke’er could react, Si Lian had already leaped away, her figure vanishing into the hazy, snowy night.
Jiang Ke’er’s hand only managed to catch a few snowflakes in vain.
She stared blankly at the small house below where a dim light flickered.
Demons carrying children were still entering and exiting the building.
Jiang Ke’er clutched her chest and fled back to her room. She wrapped herself tightly in her blankets, trembling uncontrollably.
The snowy nights in Shenzhou were truly cold.
‘I suddenly miss Qiao Xiaoxian a little.’
‘If that energetic heater who doesn’t know the meaning of giving up were here, the air might be a little warmer.’
‘Sigh, I’ll just go play with the practice dummies.’
The airflow around Si Lian’s body swirled the wind and snow. She came to a halt outside the towering walls of the Palace of Myriad Fragrances.
The Palace of Myriad Fragrances was not located inside the Jiangdu Palace City.
Instead, it was a complex of buildings independent of the palace walls, specifically used to attend to the beautiful women gathered from all over the land and train them in court etiquette.
Xiao Yun should be here.
Sneaking in to find her and helping her change her appearance was Si Lian’s primary goal for this trip.
However, she didn’t hide her tracks at all. Instead, she walked through the main gate with total composure.
“Don’t move.”
From the dark shadows behind the gate, a knife pierced through the night and was placed gently against her neck.
Immediately afterward, the purple light of a Barrier glowed all around them.
Facing a courtyard full of the Black-armored Imperial Army and Emperor Jing, who was leisurely enjoying the snow under the eaves not far away, Si Lian did not show any sign of surprise.
She brushed the snow off her clothes and said calmly, “Release her.”
Emperor Jing was surprised. “You knew I was here?”
“The Imperial Guard you used to monitor Wei Ning was too weak. Next time, use someone more professional,” Si Lian said.
“Since I’ve come, stop making things difficult for the Wei siblings.”
Emperor Jing stood up, a flash of admiration appearing on his face.
“Straightforward. Release the girl.”
Wei Yun clearly hadn’t suffered much.
In fact, she was completely unaware of what had been happening in the courtyard.
When she came out, she was still rubbing her sleepy eyes. She jumped in fright when she saw the scene before her.
“Another high-ranking official?” She looked blearily at Emperor Jing sitting under the eaves.
Once she saw him clearly, she froze, stuttering. “This face… this face that has appeared in countless news reports and newspapers… if I’m not mistaken, this handsome man is… the Em-Em-Em-Emperor?!”
“…”
Emperor Jing waved his hand, feeling a headache coming on. “Take her away, quickly.”
“You aren’t happy when someone compliments you?” Si Lian teased.
“Eh, Aunt Lian? Why are you here?” Wei Yun asked in confusion.
She wanted to come over and say hello, but she was forcibly grabbed by the soldiers and dragged toward the gate.
The gate slammed shut.
“Before you die, do you have any last words? If you can provide any useful intelligence, I may consider sparing your life,” Emperor Jing said, standing with his hands behind his back.
“If you wanted to kill me, I would already be dead,” Si Lian replied with total composure.
“Let me guess why you captured me… although the Bagpipe Squad’s achievements are impressive, they aren’t enough to make you flip the table. There is only one reason you caught me — the killer Blue Shadow.”
“Intelligent,” Emperor Jing praised.
“I don’t know where you heard that Blue Shadow and I are connected, but I truly do not know her identity,” Si Lian said steadily.
“There is no need to quibble. I have a mole,” Emperor Jing said, waving his hand impatiently.
“Quite a few people in the Northern Beijia Demon Kingdom know that before you left the Dragonkind, you and the killer Blue Shadow were close personal friends.”
Si Lian’s heart skipped a beat.
With Emperor Jing’s capabilities, she had expected him to be able to investigate the ancestral lands in Beiju Luzhou, but she hadn’t expected him to be able to dig up events from so many years ago.
When Qiao Xiaoxian was still young, she had encountered danger during an assassination mission.
It was Si Lian, who had been secretly following her, who stepped in to save her.
Only a few people knew about that incident, but she hadn’t expected it to reach Emperor Jing’s ears.
Fortunately, she had always kept Blue Shadow’s identity a secret, and even the internal members of the Northern Beiju Demon Kingdom were unaware.
Therefore, Emperor Jing still didn’t know that Blue Shadow was actually Qiao Xiaoxian.
The Northern Beijia Demon Kingdom… those scumbags. They had ruined things for her again.
Whenever Si Lian thought about that so-called Demon Kingdom in Beiju Luzhou, her heart burned with rage.
She hadn’t even settled the score with them for secretly sending Qiao Xiaoxian to her death back then.
Perhaps they were afraid she would come for them, so they decided to strike first by leaking this information.
Si Lian raised her hand. Without a word, she surged her Spiritual Power to strike her own Spiritual Platform.
She had to destroy her own Divine Sense so that she wouldn’t reveal Qiao Xiaoxian’s whereabouts through a Soul-Searching Technique.
“Don’t be in such a hurry.”
The light of a formation flashed, and Si Lian suddenly felt her body go limp. Her Spiritual Power was blocked, and she collapsed to the ground.
“You really spent a fortune,” Si Lian said in despair as she sat on the floor.
“Even while the national treasury is empty, you pulled out a single-use 8th Rank Array just to deal with me? It seems Blue Shadow really made you furious.”
“Blue Shadow? No, I wouldn’t let a mere killer bother me,” Emperor Jing sneered. “What I care about is her wife.”
“???”
“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you,” Emperor Jing said, not bothering to explain.
“I don’t particularly like the Soul-Searching Technique. That dark art requires me to sacrifice one of my beloved Honored Ones to activate. I won’t use it on you unless it’s absolutely necessary… if possible, I would much rather make a trade with you.”
“A trade?”
“Regarding the safety of the Bagpipe Squad.” Emperor Jing began to laugh.
“I know you care about them. They are too excellent — more excellent than any group of sacrifices you’ve found in the past. You wouldn’t be willing to fall here… and I am willing to give you and them a chance to make a graceful exit. They won’t have to die in the Resurrection Match, and they can fight again next year.”
“And if I refuse?” Si Lian gritted her teeth.
“Otherwise, you will feel the pain of your Soul being torn apart by the Soul-Searching Technique. And along with me, you will watch with your own eyes as they are ripped to pieces in the arena.”
Facing the wind and snow, Emperor Jing spread his arms and laughed joyfully toward the sky. “So, what is your choice?”
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