Chapter 478 459: Silly Girl, How Could I Not Come Back for You?

But they never expected that the moment they set foot inside, countless strange ropes would shoot out from the ground and walls, trussing them up completely.

Faintly golden Runes flowed along the chains. Every time they struggled, the Runes would tighten like living things, tearing their flesh open.

They had long since been scared out of their wits by this miraculous Array. How could they not realize now that a transcendent realm beyond mortals truly existed?

This was a power that perhaps... only the Immortals of legend could wield.

"Im-Immortal, spare us! We were wrong! We beg you—"

They begged for their lives, tears and snot streaming down their faces, their voices as grating as sandpaper.

Yet Pei Yuhang didn't even pause his steps. He simply lifted a finger, and the chains instantly burst into orange-red flames.

Before they could even scream, they were reduced to wisps of smoke that dissipated in the wind.

Pei Yuhang would never show mercy to those who dared harm his disciple, not even a sliver of pity in his heart.

He reached out and pushed the door open—

The next moment, a small figure lunged into his arms. To keep the little fool from hurting herself, Pei Yuhang—the man who had defeated all the world's masters in a single night—even took two steps back to absorb the force of her impact.

"Sob... Master... Why did you take so long to come back? Didn't you say it would be over quickly?"

Little Yueqiu buried her face in his chest, her shoulders trembling violently. Her fingers clutched his lapels, as if she feared he would disappear the moment she let go.

Pei Yuhang's gaze softened.

He gently stroked the top of Little Yueqiu's silver-white hair.

"Scared? Didn't you say before that you weren't afraid of anything?"

Pei Yuhang chuckled teasingly, his fingers combing through her slightly messy hair.

Little Yueqiu shook her head frantically but hugged him even tighter. Her voice, muffled by his robes and thick with nasality, pleaded, "Master, don't tease me..."

Although Pei Yuhang had set up an Array to completely soundproof the room and prevent the conflict outside from frightening Little Yueqiu, the rather long wait was still an ordeal for the lonely girl.

She was terrified—terrified of losing Pei Yuhang... the only family in this world who still cared for her.

But thankfully, he was finally back.

Pei Yuhang was silent for a moment, then bent down and lifted her up, letting her sit in the crook of his arm. He patted her back soothingly, as if calming a frightened little animal.

"Silly girl, why would I not come back for you?"

"I came here specifically to take you away from this place."

Little Yueqiu froze at his words. She looked up, her small face tilted, and her crimson eyes filled with shimmering tears, trembling like two pools of clear spring water.

"Take me away... Master, what do you mean?"

She murmured softly. Pei Yuhang was also taken aback for a second, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Yueqiu, did you just hear what I said?"

"I heard you..."

Little Yueqiu nodded, but her eyes remained bewildered. Her brow furrowed slightly, and she blinked uneasily like a lost little animal.

Suppressing his joy, Pei Yuhang tried saying a few other words. "Ye Liyuan." "Yu Xiaoyan." "Ji Xichan." With each name, his gaze locked onto Little Yueqiu, watching her reaction closely.

But Little Yueqiu's crimson eyes were filled with immense confusion, as if the connection between them had been lost again.

Seeing this, the light in Pei Yuhang's eyes dimmed slightly, but a flame of hope quickly rekindled. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

He guessed that perhaps through practicing her Swordsmanship, or perhaps through their long time together, Little Yueqiu was gradually awakening her "true self," which was why she could hear some of the "words" that had been blocked from her before.

It was only because the awakening was incomplete that she couldn't hear everything.

Regardless, this was a good sign!

But in the eyes of Little Yueqiu, who was still in his arms, this smile looked like something else entirely.

She watched her Master suddenly start laughing for no reason, a flicker of worry in her eyes. Her little face scrunched up.

'Master is having another one of his strange episodes,' Little Yueqiu thought sadly.

Only then did she remember that her Master was a patient.

It was just that he had been so gentle and normal before that she had forgotten this fact.

'I can't always let Master protect me anymore. What if he has an episode in the middle of a fight with an enemy...'

Little Yueqiu shivered at the thought.

'From now on, I have to be the one to protect Master!'

Little Yueqiu decided that she would practice her Swordsmanship even more diligently in the future.

She couldn't always let her Master, a patient, stand in front of her.

...

...

「The next day.」

Just as dawn was breaking, soldiers from the Great Zhao entered the small town.

However, not only did they not disturb Pei Yuhang, but they also moved as quietly as possible to carry away the bodies in the town.

After the bodies were removed, they even meticulously cleaned up all the bloodstains and traces of last night's battle.

At a glance, the town looked as good as new, as if the previous night had been nothing but an illusion.

By the window, Pei Yuhang watched in silence as the Great Zhao soldiers tiptoed away.

'Ji Shenyun... What exactly is that woman trying to do?'

Pei Yuhang couldn't figure out the true intentions of the old woman who wanted to possess Yueqiu.

In the end, he could only choose to bide his time.

No matter what, the longer he stalled, the faster Yueqiu would recover, which was more advantageous for him.

At this thought, Pei Yuhang glanced back at Little Yueqiu, who was lying on the bed lost in a peaceful dream. A doting gentleness surfaced in his usually deep, cold eyes.

'Yueqiu, I'll be taking you out of here soon.'

...

Time flowed like water, day and night passing by.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed for Pei Yuhang and Yueqiu in the deserted town.

Pei Yuhang also gave Yu Tianxiang's personal sword to Little Yueqiu.

After receiving a real Treasure Sword, Little Yueqiu was overjoyed and practiced her Swordsmanship even more diligently.

In the quiet, undisturbed daily routine, Pei Yuhang felt as if he had returned to the Cold Palace Sword Mansion, wholeheartedly nurturing Little Yueqiu's study of Swordsmanship.

And Little Yueqiu was incredibly bright, learning extremely quickly.

Her sword skills soon surpassed those of the first-rate masters in the Jianghu, marking her as a peerless genius.

If Yu Tianxiang, the Pavilion Master of Sword King Pavilion, were to come again, perhaps Pei Yuhang wouldn't even need to act. Little Yueqiu alone would be enough to take him down.

At that point, the "World's First Sword" might find his Dao Heart shattering even further from being unable to defeat a little girl.

Watching Little Yueqiu's increasingly rapid progress, Pei Yuhang thought to himself:

'Perhaps soon, Little Yueqiu will be able to awaken all her memories.'

When that time comes, no matter what schemes or tricks Ji Shenyun tries to use, once Qing Yueqiu is fully awakened, Ji Shenyun will surely lose control over her Sea of Consciousness.

Pei Yuhang prepared to wait quietly for Little Yueqiu to become his first disciple once more.

...

「At the same time, in the Gilded Dragon Hall of the Zhao Kingdom's Imperial Capital.」

The Coiled Dragon Golden Pillars reflected the flickering candlelight, casting the Emperor's unreadable face in fragmented patterns of light and shadow.

Several officials knelt before the Emperor of Zhao, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

Finally, the Prime Minister took a deep breath and mustered the courage to speak. "Your Majesty, there are rumors spreading among the common folk that Prince Ning's daughter is protected by a True Immortal."

"Those foolish commoners, incited by some miscreant, have begun spreading rumors that Prince Ning's daughter is heaven's true chosen maiden... They're saying that by annihilating Prince Ning's entire family, Your Majesty, you have angered the heavens!"

"Your Majesty! Those rumors are stirring up the people's sentiments. I fear they will shake the very foundations of our Great Zhao!"

"Our Great Zhao army is currently stationed near Prince Ning's daughter. Why haven't they moved to capture that Demoness and the white-robed Swordsman with her!"

The Emperor of Zhao narrowed his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, he froze as if he had received some kind of signal, then said, "All of you may leave."

"Your Majesty..."

The officials wanted to persuade him further, but they were cut off by the Emperor of Zhao's impatient shout.

"Leave!"

"Yes..."

After leaving the hall, the officials exchanged glances. For some reason, ever since His Majesty had ordered the pursuit of Prince Ning's daughter, they felt he had become more and more like a stranger.

The Prime Minister and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War looked at each other, both seeing the worry in the other's eyes.

Now, a so-called Sword Immortal has appeared... Is it possible that the evil spirits from mythology, said to be able to bewitch the emperors of dynasties, have also emerged?