Chapter 471 455: Little Yueqiu: This White-Robed Gentleman is Seriously "Ill

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned frigid.

The officials prostrating on the floor pressed their foreheads against the cold tiles, the backs of their robes already soaked with cold sweat.

The leading Elder's Adam's apple bobbed, his white beard trembling uncontrollably. "Your- Your Majesty, please forgive us... That white-robed Swordsman's martial arts are too powerful..."

SLAM!

The Celestial Emperor slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet, the strings of beads on his crown shaking violently. "Right under my nose, in my Imperial City, you let some rogue from the Jianghu rescue her!

It seems to me you were all too busy lining your pockets at Prince Ning's Mansion! You can't even watch over a single person. What a bunch of useless oafs!"

He leaned forward, staring down at his officials, his eyes burning with furious flames. "Five days! If I don't see her..."

The Celestial Emperor of the Zhao Kingdom drew a finger lightly across his own neck, a gesture that made several of the old ministers collapse to the floor in terror.

After the officials scrambled and stumbled out of the great hall, the Celestial Emperor's furious expression suddenly vanished. He respectfully stepped back, moving to the side of the Dragon Throne.

The tinkling of jade pendants echoed from the shadows as a silver-haired woman gracefully emerged.

Though she wore no Dragon Robe, her every step carried a soul-stirring Suppression. She possessed an imperial aura even more potent than the Emperor's.

After the silver-haired woman sat upon the Dragon Throne,

The Celestial Emperor knelt on one knee, his voice filled with reverence.

"Her Majesty the Empress."

"You were right, as expected. Someone came to rescue Prince Ning's daughter."

Ji Shenyun gave a lazy nod, her red lips parting slightly.

"Now, proceed according to plan. Dispatch all the masters of the realm to hunt down the white-robed Swordsman and Prince Ning's daughter.

But remember, killing them is not the goal. The goal is to force them into a desperate situation."

"Yes."

The Celestial Emperor of the Zhao Kingdom nodded respectfully before carefully departing the great hall.

「Three days later.」

VMMM—

A crisp sword hum echoed through the mountain forest, startling a few roosting birds.

Pei Yuhang sheathed his sword. Watching the green bamboo crash to the ground, he bent down and gathered the fallen stalks into a pile.

'This should be enough bamboo for firewood for the next couple of days...'

It was the turning of autumn to winter. The weather was cold and damp; a light rain had fallen the previous night, and a biting wind had picked up today.

The autumn wind swept the damp, cold air through the woods. Even Pei Yuhang couldn't help but shiver, to say nothing of Little Yueqiu, who had been pampered since birth, especially within this Illusion Realm of the Sea of Consciousness.

The news that he had abducted Prince Ning's daughter from Prince Ning's Mansion had likely spread throughout the land by now. If Little Yueqiu got sick, it would be a real problem.

Pei Yuhang currently had no Cultivation, nor did he have his all-powerful Pure Yang True Qi. If Little Yueqiu fell ill, he would have to take her to an apothecary in a town, and that would inevitably lead to trouble.

Thinking of the small, silver-haired figure waiting for him in the thatched hut, Pei Yuhang felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had returned to decades ago, to the time he had just brought Yueqiu into his home.

Back then, it had been just like this. Every time he came home, the little one would be there to greet him.

An unconscious smile touched the corners of Pei Yuhang's lips. He hoisted the bundle of bamboo securely onto his shoulder and trudged, step by step, along the muddy mountain path.

At last, he arrived at a thatched hut hidden deep within the forest.

Smoke filled the hut's interior. Little Yueqiu was fumbling frantically with a fish she was trying to roast.

A few strands of her silver hair were singed by sparks, her fair cheeks were smudged with ash, and on the bamboo skewer in her hand hung a fish burned as black as charcoal.

Seeing him enter, Little Yueqiu hurriedly tried to hide the roasted fish behind her back, but in her haste, she knocked over a water jug, splashing her skirt.

"Here, let me."

Pei Yuhang took the skewer from her, his fingertips accidentally brushing against the back of her cold hand.

Little Yueqiu suddenly clenched the hem of her clothes. Her usually straight back was slightly hunched, and her crimson eyes were veiled with a layer of mist, making her look like a kitten caught in the rain.

She stared at the wet spot on the ground where the water had spilled, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "Am I... Am I really useless?"

Since she was a child, she had been praised by everyone around her. They called her a true genius, a literary star descended to earth who could compose all kinds of poetry at a moment's notice. But now, out here in the wilderness, she couldn't even roast a single fish properly.

She had no strength for chopping wood and no skill for hunting.

She needed help with everything from this white-robed young master who claimed to be her master. This filled Little Yueqiu with a profound sense of failure.

'Am I really just holding him back?'

Just as Little Yueqiu was sinking into despair, Pei Yuhang reached out and ruffled the top of her head. "You're my, Pei Yuhang's, disciple," he said softly. "How could you possibly be useless?"

"It's just that the time for you to display your talents hasn't arrived yet. Until then, just relax and rely on me."

Little Yueqiu was silent for a moment, then she gave a bitter laugh in her heart.

'But I'm not your disciple at all... How can I rely on you with a clear conscience?'

"Can you tell me about... that Qing Yueqiu... I mean, about me before I lost my memories?"

"About you before you lost your memories?"

Hearing this, Pei Yuhang's heart filled with joy.

After he had found Little Yueqiu, the girl had been constantly on guard around him. She detested the name "Yueqiu" and refused to accept that she was his disciple.

But now, she was actually curious about the identity of "Qing Yueqiu."

This change in Little Yueqiu excited Pei Yuhang greatly.

Over the past two days, he had been thinking. Hiding out in the wilderness wasn't a long-term solution. The key was for Qing Yueqiu to wrest back control of her own Sea of Consciousness from Ji Shenyun. Only then could the two of them safely return to reality.

Pei Yuhang theorized that the reason Ji Shenyun had twisted and sealed Yueqiu's memories was to weaken her Divine Soul, thereby solidifying her own dominion over the Sea of Consciousness.

'Perhaps if I can help Yueqiu recover her memories, she'll be able to seize control of the Sea of Consciousness back from that Demoness, Ji Shenyun!'

"You..."