Chapter 332 - 125: Don’t Return My Heart, Let’s Make a Clean Break. How Can He Possibly Satisfy Both?

"Thank you all for your efforts tonight, but I must ask you to remain silent about what happened."

"Once we return to the Prime Minister’s Mansion, my father will prepare some rewards for all of you. I hope you will not turn them down when the time comes."

Jiang Lan looked toward the group of Tributors and retainers.

A few of them were heavily injured, but Jiang Ruxian had clearly held back. Compared to the significant gains from tonight’s events, he considered this minor internal strife an acceptable loss.

"Thank you, Young Master."

Hearing this, the Tributors and retainers all cupped their fists in thanks and refrained from asking any questions about Jiang Ruxian.

They had no idea what happened between Jiang Ruxian and Jiang Lan afterward.

Mr. Chu, Daoist Qingxu, and Jiang He were still shaken by Jiang Ruxian’s terrifying power. When they saw her send them flying and go after Jiang Lan alone, they had been worried. Only later did they realize their fears were unfounded...

HUMMM!!!

Just then, the Void before them trembled, and ripples spread outward.

A rift tore open, and a colossal figure flashed through it. They could vaguely make out a long, draconic form, both ferocious and majestic. Its scales were menacing, glinting with a cold, bloodthirsty light.

A middle-aged man with horns on his head appeared. He wore dark gray robes, and his face bore a slight resemblance to Jiang Lan’s father. He exuded a tyrannical, domineering aura that seemed to suppress the very starry sky around them.

"Jiao..."

Jiang Lan said, looking at the man.

This man’s name was Jiang Jiao. He had once been his father’s mount—a three-headed fiendish flood dragon with an ancestral True Dragon Bloodline.

He spent his years cultivating in the Jade Flood Dragon Pool, deep within the Prime Minister’s Mansion. His power was immense, and he was on the verge of breaking through to the Eighth Realm.

The reason he dared to test Jiang Ruxian tonight was not only because he knew she wouldn’t kill him. His other source of confidence was the certainty that his father would not let him take such a risk alone and would secretly have Jiao protect him.

"It’s good you are unharmed, Young Master," Jiang Jiao said. "The Imperial Capital is restless tonight. Many powers and Noble Families were already probing yesterday, but I’ve dealt with all the spies along the way."

Jiang Lan nodded slightly. "Thank you for your trouble, Jiao. My business here is more or less resolved. We can return to the Imperial Capital."

Jiang Jiao nodded, glanced at the Tributors and retainers, and acted without hesitation, tearing open a rift in the Void.

This was one of his innate talents—the ability to stabilize the chaotic gales within the Void, allowing for rapid passage.

Meanwhile.

「Imperial Capital Jingyang City.」

「Deep within the Imperial Palace, inside Chengming Hall.」

Emperor Xia sat upon the Throne. Before her, the ancient, hazy Celestial Observation Mother Mirror suddenly shattered with a CRACK. The final image it displayed was a pair of beautiful, chilling eyes.

The figure seemed to meet her gaze through the Celestial Observation Mother Mirror. Then, her face was shrouded in mist and quickly vanished.

Emperor Xia was intrigued, not at all afraid. In the very instant the Celestial Observation Mirror shattered, she met the gaze in the image.

’But I have to admit, that’s terrifying Perception Power. Truly worthy of a being beyond the Eighth Realm...’

’Even the Prime Minister’s Mansion would likely struggle to deal with this person.’

’Still, it let me watch a good show. The image was blurry and indistinct, but I could still piece together some of the truth.’

Afterward, however, as Emperor Xia caressed the shattered surface of the mirror, her thoughts began to churn, and her eyes grew profound.

Although Xia Zhu was quite talented, she hadn’t dared to get too close to such a powerful expert. She could only hide from a distance, using a Secret Skill to observe the events and transmit them back to the Celestial Observation Mother Mirror.

The torrential rain and roaring thunder made the scene even blurrier and harder to see. Hearing any conversation was out of the question.

This left Emperor Xia, who was already intensely curious about Jiang Lan’s secrets, at a loss.

But she could still discern a few things from the interactions between the mysterious woman in white and Jiang Lan.

’That woman in white—Jiang Lan’s sister—is full of hatred for the Prime Minister’s Mansion, yet filled with guilt toward Jiang Lan. Did she do something to hurt him in the past?’

’"Giving a heart back to a sister?" Could it be that the Prime Minister’s Mansion once took that woman’s heart and transplanted it into Jiang Lan?’

’Is that why Jiang Lan lost his cultivation?’