Time rewinds to when Su Qianqian first entered the Secret Realm to cultivate…
“Heavenly Emperor, please wait a moment. The entrance to the Secret Realm you last entered takes some time to open.”
Shun fiddled with the command token as he spoke helplessly to Su Qianqian.
Su Qianqian didn’t mind at all. At worst, she could just wait a little. Time wasn’t so urgent for her now.
“Take your time, there’s no rush. Or you can just find me another Secret Realm at random. I’m not the type who cares much about the cultivation environment,”
Su Qianqian replied casually, still holding the book ‘Being Imprisoned by the Yandere Empress, I Will Never Give Up!’
Although the story inside was quite different from reality—how could anyone get along so harmoniously?!—she had to admit, the writing was excellent.
Su Qianqian planned to finish the first volume before going into seclusion.
As they waited for the Secret Realm entrance to open, someone else emerged from another Secret Realm…
Footsteps echoed from the depths, and soon, an elderly man with a weary look appeared.
Anyone who could show up here was, of course, a person of great importance to the kingdom.
And this man was the new Prime Minister, Ouyang Wen, who had previously attended the City of Broken Abyss conference in Luo Wuhen’s stead.
The moment Ouyang Wen stepped out of the Secret Realm, he sensed the people at the entrance.
He was familiar with Shun and Ying, but the girl he had never seen before must be…
“Prime Minister…?” Ouyang Wen asked hesitantly.
“Ahem, it’s me. I’m surprised you can still recognize me,” Su Qianqian replied awkwardly, twirling her hair around her finger.
Sure enough, running into acquaintances in her current appearance and body was still embarrassing…
But Su Qianqian wasn’t the only one feeling awkward. Ouyang Wen was uncomfortable as well.
After all, he had taken over Su Ling’s position, and now the original had returned.
Everyone knew that, in Luo Wuhen’s heart, there was only one ideal Prime Minister…
“I am honored to have succeeded as Prime Minister after your departure. Now that you’ve returned, it is also time for—”
“I have no intention of reclaiming that position. Both Luo Wuhen and I know full well your honesty and capability. Back then, it was only because of your upright nature that you weren’t heavily relied upon, which is why she let you take my place after I left.”
“In the art of governing the nation, I am nothing special. Back then, the situation was chaotic, and I managed to suppress the disorder thanks to my cultivation, which led to my abilities being exaggerated. I’ve recently seen the ordinary civilians living in peace and prosperity—you’ve done very well…”
“You’re always so overly modest, but to receive your approval is the greatest honor of my life!” Ouyang Wen replied sincerely.
Having lived through that chaotic time and suffered persecution, Su Prime Minister and the current ruler were the people Ouyang Wen respected most in his life.
In his eyes, he truly was the One Prime Minister Through the Ages! Turning the tide, saving the nation at the brink of collapse—his abilities were beyond doubt!
Su Qianqian glanced at the rather dispirited Ouyang Wen and asked curiously, “What’s going on with you? Why do you look so tired? Has Luo Wuhen been making things hard for you?”
“No, not at all! The Emperor has always worked diligently, and I worry constantly about not being able to ease Her Majesty’s burdens! I was injured on the recent journey on Her Majesty’s behalf, but my wounds have already healed. My fatigue might just be an aftereffect—I should recover after some time.”
Ouyang Wen hurriedly denied her suggestion, explaining with deference. As a minister, how could he gossip about the sovereign behind her back!
“I see. Then you should rest a while longer. I’ll speak to Luo Wuhen for you, and if you have any work that needs handling, I can take care of it for you. I can probably still manage the simpler matters.”
“How could I trouble you with that, you’re now—”
As Ouyang Wen spoke, his expression grew odd. He really couldn’t quite accept it: “Su Ling, such a powerful man, becoming a little girl the same height as his own granddaughter, and even becoming the pampered Heavenly Emperor.”
It was simply too much of a shock.
Seeing Ouyang Wen hesitate, Su Qianqian could guess what he was thinking and waved her hand helplessly.
“Alright, alright, I get it. You should go rest. I’ve been cultivating for a while myself. In a while, you may have to attend my… wedding.”
Her tone grew especially weary as she spoke the last word.
After chatting a bit longer, the Secret Realm’s entrance finally opened.
After Ouyang Wen respectfully bid farewell, Su Qianqian, under the watchful eyes of Shun and Ying, stepped into the Secret Realm…
“Big sis, what should we do next? Just wait here?”
“Let’s treat this as a time to rest and recuperate. The wedding in a few months—we must do our best to prepare.”
“That’s true… do you think there’ll be a banquet when the time comes…”
“…”
The perspective returns to Lin Muxue.
By now, she had already re-entered the Ziyuan Kingdom, and had even reached the city where the imperial palace was located, but she was confident she had not yet been discovered.
At this moment, in a guest room of an inn, Lin Muxue had altered her appearance to look completely ordinary, and her cultivation was suppressed at the Foundation Establishment Stage…
To avoid being detected by Luo Wuhen, Lin Muxue had already sealed her cultivation a long distance from the main city, then made her way here at a speed consistent with her disguised cultivation.
Luo Wuhen was undeniably a cunning enemy. If Su Qianqian truly was in her hands, she would be on high alert and would never reveal a weakness lightly.
Now, with information Luo Wuhen did not possess, Lin Muxue had all but confirmed her suspicions.
By exploiting this information gap, she knew Luo Wuhen wouldn’t expect her to return so swiftly after a thorough investigation elsewhere.
This was the key to retrieving Su Qianqian…
“Qianqian, wait for me a little longer. I’m sorry for losing you again… I will find you, I swear I will…” Lin Muxue muttered endlessly.
The fear of losing Su Qianqian once more, the endless, fruitless search—her mind was becoming ever more on edge…
After pulling herself together, Lin Muxue quietly stepped outside.
The streets beyond bustled with activity, but the noise had nothing to do with her.
In Lin Muxue’s eyes, the world had become a mass of symbols; amidst the tangled web of causality, she had to find that one, unique trace…
Yet, Lin Muxue still harbored some doubts in her heart.
If she confronted Luo Wuhen while still unsure, she might be fooled once more by that sliver of uncertainty.
She needed irrefutable evidence—proof that would allow her to believe without any doubt that Su Qianqian was here, proof strong enough to make her risk everything, to ignore all excuses and secrecy and bring Su Qianqian back!
But ah, how cautious was Luo Wuhen? Within these borders, all traces of a certain someone would be buried beneath the endless tide of Faith Power…
Lin Muxue knew this search might well be in vain. Yet even a futile search was for the sake of their next meeting!
Even if only the faintest trace of her remained amid the world’s dust, she would search resolutely…
In this world of abstracted symbols, Luo Wuhen searched day after day, until, one day, she encountered a little girl leading her younger sister…