Chapter 561 500: Pei Yuhang: "Jin'Er, to Recover Your Strength, Quickly Open Your Mouth and Eat It!

In the Cold Palace Sword Mansion, the candlelight was faint.

Ye Liyuan leaned against the carved wooden window, her slender fingers gently tracing the frost on the lattice.

She looked up at the snow-filled sky, her ink-black hair fluttering in the cold wind to reveal a pretty face that couldn't conceal its worry.

"The snow is much heavier than usual tonight."

Yu Xiaoyan approached, holding a hand warmer, her voice as soft as if she were afraid of shattering something fragile.

She gazed at her mistress's slender back, still as a statue awaiting a husband's return. She subconsciously clutched her sleeves and whispered:

"Don't worry, Mistress. Master will definitely come back safely. I'm supposed to sweep the snow with him tomorrow."

Ye Liyuan slowly turned around, forcing a faint smile to her lips. It seemed to be a reply, yet also a way of telling herself.

"Yes, Ah Han will definitely come back safely. He's so powerful, no one can hurt him."

"Besides, he promised he'd come back for the lantern festival with me. Ah Han... he never breaks his promises to me."

Ye Liyuan clasped her hands together, pressing her fingertips to her brow. Her long lashes drooped, hiding the turbulent emotions in her eyes.

She prayed silently to the bright moon in the sky. As the candlelight flickered, her shadow, cast upon the paper window, looked exceptionally frail.

「This night was exceptionally long.」

They waited in silence until the snow outside gradually stopped and the inky blackness of the horizon was tinged pale gold by the dawn.

A faint weariness had appeared in Ye Liyuan's eyes, but her back remained ramrod straight, as if the slightest relaxation would cause the very belief supporting her to collapse.

Suddenly, the buzzing of a Transmission Token broke the silence.

"Is that Ah Han?"

Ye Liyuan's head snapped up, a spark of hope instantly igniting in her eyes.

She didn't even notice her numb legs, stumbling once before steadying herself and rushing inside.

Ye Liyuan's fingertips trembled so much she could barely hold the cold Token.

"To all disciples of the Dao Sect: The powerful enemy who attempted to invade the Dao Sect last night has been repelled by the Taoist Lord... However, we cannot let our guard down. The Dao Sect will now enter a state of high alert and full mobilization!"

"No disciple is permitted to leave the sect without authorization!"

The voice from the Transmission Token echoed through the silent room. Ye Liyuan unconsciously held her breath.

"We won! Master and the others won!"

Yu Xiaoyan leaped for joy upon hearing the transmission.

Ye Liyuan nodded as well, the tension finally leaving her shoulders.

"With the Taoist Lord taking action, Ah Han should be fine. He'll probably be back soon."

She turned to look out the window. The morning light spilled across the snow, casting a brilliant golden glow.

Ye Liyuan let out a soft breath. The white mist dissipated into the cold air, as if the gloom in her heart was vanishing along with it.

Then... half an hour passed, but she and Yu Xiaoyan had not received a single message from Pei Yuhang.

'Maybe... Ah Han and the others just finished a huge battle and are in a meeting right now.'

Ye Liyuan muttered to herself, warning herself not to let her imagination run wild.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

"I'll get it!"

Yu Xiaoyan zipped over to the door.

"Master, welcome ba— What are you doing here?"

The door opened to reveal none other than Shang Miaoyan, the Saintess of the Yin Yang Sacred Land. Yu Xiaoyan's once joyful, excited little face immediately fell.

She even took an unconscious step back and covered her face, as if afraid Shang Miaoyan would lift her foot to trample and bully her again.

However, Shang Miaoyan just stood there like a soulless puppet, showing no reaction to Yu Xiaoyan's movement.

"Sister Miaoyan? Why are you here... Where's Ah Han?"

Ye Liyuan walked out from the room. However, when she saw Shang Miaoyan's face—pale to the point of being translucent and still stained with dried tears—her breath caught in her throat.

She had never seen Shang Miaoyan, the ever-radiant and noble Saintess, look so desolate and broken.

'But... didn't our Xuanyuan Dao Sect already repel the enemy? Why does she still look so tormented?'

'And why would she come to the Cold Palace Sword Mansion at a time like this...?'

In an instant, an immense fear surged into her heart, almost consuming Ye Liyuan's very soul.

She stared intently at Shang Miaoyan's chapped and broken lips, terrified of the unbearable, horrifying truth they might speak.

Yet, Shang Miaoyan spoke.

"Pei Yuhang... has been taken."

"Not even the Divine Calculator of the Celestial Secret Pavilion can divine his current whereabouts. Even the Life Lamps of your Xuanyuan Dao Sect have failed, making it impossible to determine if he's dead or alive."

"What did you say?!"

Yu Xiaoyan's mind went blank. Forgetting her fear of Shang Miaoyan, she questioned her furiously.

However, a dull THUD from behind made her whip her head around.

She saw Ye Liyuan, who just moments ago had been eagerly awaiting her husband's return, now collapsed on the cold floor.

"Mistress, Mistress, are you alright?!"

Shang Miaoyan closed her eyes, paying no more attention to the chaos behind her.

She walked away from the Cold Palace Sword Mansion in a daze, trudging through the white snow. After walking for an unknown amount of time, she stopped.

"What are your orders, Holy Daughter?"

Fan Xuan emerged from the shadows and bowed to Shang Miaoyan.

Today, her aura was even colder and more numb than before, as if she had reverted to being a Death Servant who knew only how to kill.

Shang Miaoyan did not look at Fan Xuan. Instead, she gazed in the direction where Ji Shenyun had taken Pei Yuhang. She began to speak slowly, her voice colder than the snow at the Cold Palace Sword Mansion.

"In a moment, I will write a letter. You are to deliver it secretly to the Jade Pool Sacred Land... into the hands of that woman, Lin Qianyan."