Feeling the connection between her soul and body finally restored, Su Qianqian let out a huge sigh of relief.
She felt that if she wanted to, she could return right away, but she decided to stay a little longer for now.
There was someone heartbroken here—it would be dangerous to leave her alone, lest she do something desperate…
Su Qianqian hoped Luo Wuhen would learn her lesson, but she didn’t want her to die, either. If that happened, Luo Siqian would be devastated.
Looking at Luo Wuhen, who was sitting slumped and still in a daze, Su Qianqian sighed and called out, “Are you alright? Sorry I could only wake you up like this.”
Hearing Su Qianqian’s voice, Luo Wuhen’s consciousness gradually returned.
She looked at Su Qianqian, now back in her ordinary attire, her hand still unconsciously reaching out, longing to get closer.
But when she saw the calm yet guarded look in Su Qianqian’s eyes, her mouth opened and closed, yet she couldn’t utter a single word of intimacy. She no longer had the right…
In the end, Luo Wuhen could only force a bitter smile as she stood up and replied, “I’m fine… and… thank you.”
Su Qianqian nodded. Seeing that Luo Wuhen had not continued to sink into her dream, she was relieved as well. She got straight to the point: “So, what exactly happened? Why were you so heavily eroded by the Heaven Abyss Power at that time?”
“I… miscalculated. I thought I’d found the mastermind behind the scenes and let down my guard. I was anxious to resolve things quickly and bring Siqian back, so I acted too hastily—and fell into an ambush.”
Luo Wuhen clenched her fingers tightly. She couldn’t believe she’d made such a mistake and had nearly been doomed forever!
Su Qianqian nodded and pressed further, “I remember you went to handle internal chaos in the court. How did you end up entangled with the Heaven Abyss Power?”
Luo Wuhen felt the lingering, turbid aura around her, recalling the final scene. Her expression grew grave as she answered:
“It’s much more serious than I thought. During the time I neglected state affairs because of childbirth and caring for Siqian, most of the main officials were likely already corrupted and controlled. This power even used Faith Corruption to distort Faith Power, lurking in the shadows all along.”
“Even someone as high-ranking as Ouyang Wen was corrupted. Because I knew and trusted him, I gradually gave him a lot of authority. When chaos broke out in the court, I didn’t suspect him at first—in fact, I even had him help me purge the Chongzhi. Only when more and more clues pointed to him did I realize he’d been changed, corrupted by power…”
“As I said, I let my guard down. In the end, I fell into a Supreme Array, and a group of corrupted or tempted officials together triggered the Heaven Abyss Power hidden within the massive Faith Power. I, trapped inside the array, was counterattacked and eroded…”
After Luo Wuhen finished, frowning, Su Qianqian’s face grew increasingly solemn as well. This was no minor matter!
“So what’s your physical state now? Since your soul is here talking to me, your body must be out of your control, right?!”
“In my last memory, I was enveloped in thick black energy within the array, forming a… ‘Chrysalis’. Now I can vaguely sense that my body is still inside the chrysalis…”
It was easy to imagine how dangerous Luo Wuhen’s situation was. Even if Su Qianqian had temporarily saved her, the danger hadn’t been resolved. The entire country was practically a ticking bomb!
Thinking of Luo Wuhen’s predicament, Su Qianqian couldn’t help but worry: “This is a hidden threat to the whole world. It’s not something you can handle alone. When I go back, I’ll spread the word about your situation. Hang in there!”
“Are… you worried about me?” Luo Wuhen suddenly smiled as she asked.
Su Qianqian was exasperated and somewhat inexplicably angry. “Is this really the time for that? You should focus on your own safety!”
“Sorry… but please don’t spread the news,” Luo Wuhen looked seriously into Su Qianqian’s eyes.
“Why not?”
“We still don’t know where the corruption came from. You may know that, before, a King of a small country near Ziyuan Kingdom was also controlled in this way. If the source was some outside channel, then yes, we should spread the word quickly. But if… it came from the City of Broken Abyss?”
“You mean…?” Su Qianqian’s expression grew even graver; she understood what Luo Wuhen was getting at.
“Ouyang Wen went to the City of Broken Abyss on my behalf. At that time, many people of high rank from various factions gathered there. If Ouyang Wen could be corrupted without anyone noticing, what about the others? If we suddenly spread the news and alert them, the situation could become even more unpredictable!”
After finishing her analysis, Luo Wuhen continued anxiously, “And most importantly for me: I’ve seen that corrupted King from the small country. Once triggered, such corrupted people are prone to suicidal acts. Even if I survive by some miracle, if all my ministers die, this country will fall into unprecedented chaos!”
Su Qianqian hadn’t thought of all that. Now that she did, she realized just how complicated the situation was—she really had no solution. She could only look to Luo Wuhen.
“I… need to confirm something first.”
As she spoke, Luo Wuhen took the initiative to gather the remaining Heaven Abyss Power into her palm.
But this time, clearly, she was not actively being eroded…
“As expected, for some reason, this power no longer madly erodes me. I can even manipulate it a little.”
Su Qianqian watched Luo Wuhen’s actions with confusion, then suddenly realized what Luo Wuhen intended!
“Are you planning to pretend to have been fully corrupted, and… infiltrate them from within?” Su Qianqian asked uncertainly.
Luo Wuhen nodded. “That’s right. To prevent chaos, I need to act as the corrupted King and rein them in first, then continue researching this power to find a proper solution!”
“Are you sure you want to put yourself in such danger…? If you’re not careful, the consequences… you understand them, don’t you?”
“To wear the crown is to bear its burden. For the sake of the millions of common people in this nation, this is my responsibility.”
Luo Wuhen’s resolve was clear and unwavering. Su Qianqian stared at her, unable to doubt her determination and sense of duty.
That was probably the one thing about Luo Wuhen she still admired.
Luo Wuhen gazed directly into Su Qianqian’s eyes; this time, there was only resoluteness in her gaze!
“It may be shameless, but… Su Qianqian, if I fail and perish, I hope you’ll take care of Siqian. At that time, you’ll be the only family she has left in the world… I’m sorry to force this responsibility on you. I know you’re a victim, too…”
Su Qianqian didn’t refuse, but neither did she want this to come true!
“Little Siqian could never accept news of her mother’s death. You’d be fulfilling your duty as ruler by leaving her behind, but you’d be failing her as her mother.
So… live on. Make it up to her.”
“I will…”
Time fell into silence. Neither of them knew what to say next. In truth, there wasn’t much left to talk about between them…
“How is Siqian doing at the Sword Sect?” Luo Wuhen broke the silence first.
“Siqian is doing very well at the Sword Sect. My third sister, Su Nuonuo, is the same age as her—they get along great. My parents adore their granddaughter, too. I’ll teach both Siqian and Nuonuo the common knowledge and cultivation skills they need.”
“That’s good. Thank you…”
“She’s my daughter, too. I should look after her.”
Silence again. This time, there really wasn’t much left to say—or perhaps, there were things to say, but no way to begin.
“Then, I’m going now. Take care.”
“Wait!”
Just as Su Qianqian was preparing to return, she opened her eyes in confusion. Did Luo Wuhen still have something to say?
“Siqian’s favorite pastry is Osmanthus Cake. She might be too shy to tell you—if you can, take her to buy some.”
“She loves to read, especially Storybooks. She’s got a great mind, so even harder classical stories are fine for her.”
“This child is very afraid of loneliness, but she won’t show it. If possible, please keep her company more.”
“Siqian likes being cradled in someone’s arms like a rocking cradle. If she’s anxious and can’t sleep, you can comfort her like that…”
“She’s sentimental and likes to keep old things, but she keeps them organized, so please try not to throw away anything she saves.”
“And also…”
Luo Wuhen kept listing detail after detail about how to care for Luo Siqian. It seemed she truly feared she’d never see her daughter again…
Su Qianqian remembered them all, one by one. After a long time, Luo Wuhen finally stopped and looked at Su Qianqian nervously:
“Finally… I’m sorry for hurting you. But I still want to say—I really love you! I made mistakes. You don’t belong to me, or to anyone, but because of love, I just wanted to possess you… Everything is irreparable now. I don’t expect you to accept my apology, but this may be the last time we meet, so… I want to say it one last time… I’m sorry.”
Su Qianqian didn’t know how to respond to that. She could only stay silent.
“I wish you well. Siqian needs a mother who remembers all her little habits…”
When she finished speaking, Su Qianqian’s figure completely vanished from Luo Wuhen’s sight.
Luo Wuhen stood silent for a while. It was time for her to truly awaken from the dream!
At the center of a Supreme Array, dense cracks like spider silk spread across the black chrysalis.
Luo Wuhen slowly opened her eyes, her gaze icy and sharp.
All around her, the traitorous officials knelt to the “New King”!
“Welcome back, Your Majesty!”
……