Chapter 1395 - 759: Who? (Double-Length)

The mountain scenery was vast and desolate, the overlapping peaks of the Southern Border resembling jagged teeth of a giant beast. The winter night's cold wind swept over, and its vast outline gave an eerie feeling.

Deep in the night, the official road was deserted. Occasionally, a flock of crows would sweep over the trees, their shrill cries startling briefly before subsiding.

Chen Yi dashed through the night.

Back then, when he left the Capital City, he was pursued all the way to the Beiyao River and then to Huishou Cliff. Chen Yi never understood what the Mad Empress Dowager was thinking, nor did he need to know.

The hatred that nearly cut into his bones had long settled and fermented, making him yearn to end it all by killing her.

Unfortunately, the Imperial City was high and the moat deep, the Forbidden Guards were stringent, and further, the Emperor was far away.

Coupled with his inadequate Martial Arts level at that time, even after consulting with Wu Buxu, he was only Third Rank. Not to mention infiltrating the deep palace to assassinate the current Empress Dowager, even a safe return to the Capital City was nearly impossible. This killing intent could only be suppressed till now.

But now things were different, with this thought, Chen Yi's gaze was cold and fierce. Now he had become the Ming Venerable, having just entered Second Rank, a level sufficient to establish his own school in the Jianghu; his True Qi was surging like great rivers. If he were still in the Capital City at this moment, perhaps Empress An could rely on the grand formation of the Imperial Palace, her various bottom-drawer sinister means, and that nameless old maid constantly by her side, to hold her ground, making it difficult for him to succeed easily.

But if she dared to leave the Capital City herself... he was curious to see how she would protect her head.

In the blink of an eye, his speed was three points faster, heading straight for the Forbidden Army stationed at the pass guarding the Southern Border.

Below the pass were continuous barracks and towns.

It was now near midnight, and the majority of the town's lights had long been extinguished, falling into slumber, with only sporadic points of light like solitary fireflies in the wilderness.

The streets were empty, only the cold wind stirred up dust and dead leaves, making a moaning sound, further adding to the killing calm and desolation of a winter night at the frontier pass.

Chen Yi's figure blended into the shadows of the town, his presence retracted to the extreme. He didn't search blindly but quickly scanned the clusters of low dwellings and simple shops, finally fixing on a high-walled courtyard at the town's northwest corner, conspicuously out of place with the surrounding environment.

The courtyard was vast, with high white walls, and black tiles stretching continuously, appearing particularly imposing and grand in this border military town.

And at this moment, the courtyard was brightly lit.

What further confirmed it for Chen Yi was the spacious stables on the side, currently housing many carriages. The carriages were uniformly designed, with large compartments, and though not lavishly decorated, they exuded an air of refinement beyond that of ordinary merchant teams or wealthy town households. The horses pulling the carriages were all plump, vigorous, and exceptionally majestic, presently standing quietly at the feeding trough, occasionally snorting.

Bright lights, carriages filling the courtyard...

It could only be her.

Chen Yi suppressed the tremor in his hands.

If that woman was indeed here, it would save him the trouble of storming Jingren Palace in the future.

Chen Yi hesitated no more, his figure like a weightless falling leaf, silently flipping over the high wall, landing in the brightly lit courtyard.

Under the corridor, a few maids carrying tea and fruit hurried past, heads bowed, their expressions respectful, their steps light. Chen Yi's shadow passed by them at a mere arm's length, the breeze from his movement not even disturbing their skirts. They remained unaware, completely oblivious that a harbinger of death had brushed past them.

His target was clear, heading straight for the brightly lit main hall.

With a few flickers, he was already in the courtyard outside the hall, the shadows of jagged rocks concealing him. Chen Yi paused briefly, his eyes sweeping over the entrance hall, tightly observing inside the hall.

There was a figure in a bright yellow imperial robe.

Despite years unseen, even though she was only side-facing, head down, flipping through a scroll of Buddhist Scripture, that familiar silhouette, that bright yellow garment only she could wear, and that deeply ingrained grace and indifference, matched Chen Yi's memory almost perfectly.

Although he didn't know why she would personally risk coming so far from the Capital City to this frontier pass, Chen Yi was filled with only killing intent at this moment.

He suppressed the impulse to strike, his fingers swiftly calculating in his sleeve, divining the surrounding qi.

The Divination indicated that within this area, aside from the person in the hall and some faint maidservant presences, there were no other strong qi fluctuations and no sign of an ambush.

Confirmed.

Chen Yi took a deep breath, no longer hiding, slowly stepping out from the shadows of the rockery, his steps steady, moving towards the open hall door.

The soles of his boots made a slight sound on the stone slabs, standing out especially in the stillness of the night.

In the hall, the figure flipping through the Buddhist scripture seemed to have heard the unexpected footsteps, her hand paused slightly, and without raising her head, she asked lightly, her voice carrying the aloofness of someone accustomed to authority,

"Who is it?"

As the words followed, she slowly raised her head, her gaze turning towards the door.

At that moment,

time seemed to freeze.

Chen Yi just stepped onto the threshold of the hall, standing in the shadow cast by the candlelight over the door.

She sat dignifiedly, a hint of astonishment flashing between her brows, soon hidden within her grace, as if melting ice into water.

Chen Yi didn't speak, not even in the mood for derisive words, some weight on his neck, yet he still slowly raised his hand.

It was she who spoke first,

"It's been years, it seems you haven't forgotten this palace."

"Following these fine details today to deduce this palace's whereabouts, you've finally come all this way to pay your respects."

"I see you haven't been captivated by the Prince of Annan's gentle embrace after all."