Chapter 6

"Your Highness?"

After a brief silence, the voices rose in a clamor.

"When did she return?"

"How could we know? There was no news at all?"

"She... is still alive."

Song Ce sighed, his hand trembling uncontrollably in his sleeve, unable to hide his fear and unease.

Ning Xiaoling was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Could it be her?"

Ning Changjiu asked, "Who?"

Ning Xiaoling immediately explained, "It is said that in the palace, when people mention 'Your Highness,' they do not refer to the crown prince or any prince, nor to any princess, but to... a lady's adopted daughter."

Ning Changjiu became even more puzzled, "Adopted daughter?"

Ning Xiaoling nodded, "It is said that over ten years ago, the late emperor returned from a personal campaign and encountered a woman who seemed like a celestial being on the city wall. He brought her back to the palace, built a grand hall for her, and revered her as a divine child. By her side, it is said, was a little girl about four or five years old. Some say she was the emperor's illegitimate daughter, while others say she was an orphan she adopted. In any case, she was raised in the inner palace. And over ten years ago..."

Ning Xiaoling's voice became even lower, "Over ten years ago, the grand hall had just been completed when the emperor, in the prime of his life, fell seriously ill and eventually died without recovery."

The surrounding voices were noisy, and Ning Xiaoling spoke cautiously, looking around to make sure no one was paying attention before heaving a sigh of relief.

Ning Changjiu pieced together many things, "So, the one who died twenty days ago was that lady."

Ning Xiaoling widened her eyes, taking a moment to understand what he meant.

There were many speculations about the lady who had long resided in the inner palace. Although many people said she was a demon who brought disaster to the Zhao Dynasty and that the emperor's sudden death was certainly related to her, who dared to truly act against her over the years?

This lady, though never seen, left many stories in the Zhao Kingdom, such as the Dry Jade Palace's ten-thousand-mile flying sword to slay demons, and the Azure Dragon's arrival from the ninth heaven...

In the Zhao Kingdom, whether she was a deity or a demon, she was considered a legendary figure.

So, she had never thought in that direction.

Now, with Ning Changjiu's words, she suddenly saw things clearly. If the one who died was indeed that lady, as her daughter, the princess would certainly not let it go. The varied expressions of the people in the hall, mostly fear and dread, suggested that they were all somehow involved in the lady's death.

No wonder they were so afraid...

Ning Changjiu said, "Even so, why are they afraid? If they dared to kill that lady, why not kill her daughter as well?"

Ning Xiaoling quickly tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to stop.

Fortunately, no one paid attention to him because a vague figure was seen moving through the rain outside, and the voices gradually quieted down.

Ning Changjiu stood in the shadow behind the door, looking out.

The autumn rain was cold, and the leaves rustled. In the courtyard, half green and half yellow, a girl in a white dress, with a slender waist and an old red umbrella, slowly walked over.

She walked up the stone steps and closed the umbrella under the eaves. The girl held the umbrella like a sword at her waist, and the water droplets fell from the sharp tip, each drop clearly audible.

She glanced around the people in the hall, finally settling her gaze on Song Ce. The girl pursed her lips and smiled slightly,

"Everyone... how have you been?"

At that moment, a beam of light broke through the dark clouds, passing through the autumn rain and landing on her.

She stood under the eaves, half in light and half in shadow.

The people finally reacted, bowing one by one and respectfully saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

In fact, except for that day three years ago, few had seen her since. Today, they saw that the wild girl who stood in blood at the steps of the Dry Jade Palace three years ago had grown into such a beautiful young woman.

Ning Xiaoling stared at her for a while, then quickly averted her gaze, lowering her head, her heart pounding.

Ning Changjiu looked at her, similarly mesmerized.

The girl was extremely beautiful, her features naturally perfect without any makeup, and her simple white dress was captivating.

Ning Changjiu looked at her as if he were looking at a black and white ink flower, delicate and blooming on a cliff, making everything else lose its luster, leaving only pure black and white.

The girl met Ning Changjiu's gaze.

Ning Changjiu looked at her calmly, his eyes not wavering or avoiding.

The autumn rain continued, and the cold wind entered the hall. The officials still bowed their heads, and the charred corpse in front of the statue emitted a mix of decay and burning, creating a strange silence. Their gazes met in this eerie quiet.

Ning Changjiu felt she was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had seen her.

Perhaps it was just her beauty that stirred his heart, and now, in his mortal form, he couldn't escape the human emotions.

Ning Xiaoling watched them uneasily, mustered her courage, and took a step forward, bowing and saying, "Greetings, Your Highness. My master and I came to exorcise demons, but my master unfortunately died. My senior brother has been acting strangely lately, so I hope Your Highness will not blame us."

Ning Changjiu slightly regained his composure, remembering the secular court etiquette, and awkwardly bowed, "Greetings, Your Highness."

The girl smiled, her clear and cold voice still carrying a hint of childishness, "Since you came to the palace to exorcise demons, you are guests. I don't like these formalities, so there's no reason to blame you."

Ning Xiaoling retreated to Ning Changjiu's side, slightly relieved.

"You all see me..." The girl narrowed her eyes and smiled softly, "Why do you look so sad?"

The people came to their senses, hurriedly kneeling and saying they dared not.

The girl raised her hand, signaling them to stand, "I just said, I don't like these formalities."

Some stood up, but seeing others still kneeling, they knelt again.

The girl's gaze slowly swept over the surroundings. She sighed, her voice growing colder, "If you all don't want to stand, do you have something to hide?"

The people's gazes secretly met, but no one spoke.

Among them, Song Ce held the highest rank and was mainly responsible for the investigation of the sparrow demon.

He sighed softly, standing up first, looking at the girl in a white dress with black hair, and said, "Your Highness's safe return is a good thing. We... are overjoyed."

"Hmm..."

The girl laughed, her lips pale, thin, and slightly upturned, now gently curved, making her features more vivid. She took two steps forward, as if stepping out of a painting, into the midst of the people.

"Twenty days ago, the iron cavalry surrounded the palace. Where was Lord Song, who had sworn loyalty to my mother in the hall?"

Song Ce was drenched in cold sweat, "That day... that day was too chaotic, the city was full of fire and blood. I didn't know what to do."

"You didn't know what to do?" The girl's face was gentle, but her expression grew colder.

Song Ce closed his eyes, not daring to answer.

The girl stared at him, her tone suddenly sharp, "Surrounding the palace, setting fires, killing people, the iron cavalry trampling the hall... After all this planning, it's just 'I didn't know what to do'? You are truly... bold."

Song Ce said sadly, "The situation is as it is. What could I, Song Ce, do with my limited power?"

The girl looked at him coldly, silent for a moment, then asked, "Why?"

Song Ce bowed deeply, then slowly straightened his body, trying to look her in the eye, "If the lady had not always stayed in the inner palace, if she could have seen the suffering of the people and listened to their petitions, this would not have happened."

The girl said, "My mother always watched over the Zhao Kingdom."

Song Ce said sadly, "But the people don't know, and I don't know either..."

The girl said, "Whether they know or not, my mother doesn't care."

Song Ce stared at the girl's incomparably beautiful face, "What about you, Your Highness? Do you care?"

The girl did not answer, looking at him calmly, waiting for him to continue.

Song Ce sighed deeply, his eyes growing more determined, "The Zhao Kingdom's fate is already in decline. We lost to the Rong Kingdom, and the Rong Kingdom is eyeing our territory. The signs of national collapse are already visible, and the Rong Kingdom has repeatedly made threats. Your Highness, who has been in the inner palace, doesn't know the torment we endure day and night! Now that it has come to this, I have no regrets, only a wish to die. I hope Your Highness will stop..."

"Stop?" The girl's eyebrows furrowed, then pointed to the charred corpse on the ground, smiling, "Do you think I killed them?"

Song Ce lowered his head, not speaking.

The girl said calmly, "When did I return to the palace, and where was I last night? With Lord Song's intelligence, it shouldn't be hard to know, right?"

Song Ce was silent for a moment, then nodded, speaking in a deep voice, "I know... Your Highness was at the Dry Jade Palace, kneeling all night."

This was something many knew, but if not her, who could have killed them? Could it really be the elusive sparrow demon? But if she was kneeling at the Dry Jade Palace all night, how could she have killed them?

The girl said no more, directly asking, "Where is my mother's body?"

Song Ce answered, "We couldn't find it."

"Hmm?" The girl lightly raised her eyebrows.

Song Ce sighed, "But I am certain that no one escaped from the Dry Jade Palace that day."

The fire, the iron cavalry, the arrows, and the divine intervention made escape impossible.

The girl said no more, slowly raising her hand. Her long, white fingers emerged from the wide sleeves, looking even more delicate.

Her hands rested on Song Ce's shoulders.

Song Ce's body stiffened, drenched in cold sweat but not daring to move.

The people, seeing this, involuntarily recalled the small girl at the Dry Jade Palace three years ago, covered in blood but unflinching.

Song Ce closed his eyes, ready to die.

The girl, however, just smiled, straightened his clothes, and said, "Lord Song, you should cherish this hard-earned official robe."

Song Ce was stunned, not yet realizing he had just escaped death, his body still tense.

The girl no longer looked at him, her gaze turning to the others. She smiled, "I will be at the National Master's residence. If you have matters to discuss, feel free to come."

"The National Master's residence?" Song Ce's eyes widened.

The girl had already turned to leave.

The rain continued outside the eaves. She opened her umbrella again, her voice clear through the rain,

"My teacher is gravely ill. As a student, I should take care of him."

A gentle breeze blew, and a small yellow flower on the side of her dress swayed in the wind.

...

...

"The National Master's residence? Why would she go there?"

"The National Master is her teacher, now her only relative, but during the attack twenty days ago, the National Master chose to stand by..."

"Does she not know that her teacher is now against her?"

"It's possible."

"Right, what about the assassins? The assassins sent by the Rong Kingdom to intercept her? Why did she return?"

"Did they fail... How could they? It's said that the third-ranked assassin of the Rong Kingdom was involved. How could they fail?"

"It seems we can only rely on the National Master and the Witch Lord. These two, who are at odds, are now united. Unless the girl has extraordinary abilities, she will end up like her mother!"

The people discussed, mostly thinking positively, but a voice suddenly rang out.

"Do you really not understand? The girl's words clearly indicate that she has already taken the National Master hostage."

The people looked at the speaker, seeing a young man in a Taoist robe looking at them with confusion, as if they were fools.

Many recalled the girl's words, feeling enlightened, but their frustration turned to anger at being pointed out by a young man.

Song Ce, unable to bear it, shouted, "What do you want? This is none of your business. Get out of the city, and if you speak again, your master's funeral expenses will be withheld!"

Ning Changjiu looked at him helplessly, thinking that he was just trying to help, why was he so ungrateful?

This is the secular world below the mountain.

Ning Xiaoling tugged at his sleeve, almost pleading, "Senior brother, let's go..."

Song Ce, in a bad mood, dismissed them without a word, signaling the guards to escort them out.

"Wait!"

Someone suddenly stepped out of the crowd.

Song Ce looked at him, displeased, "Zhao Shisong, what are you doing here?"

Zhao Shisong bowed apologetically, then looked at the young couple, tentatively asking, "I wonder how the young Taoist's skills are?"

Ning Changjiu said, "They are acceptable."

Zhao Shisong thought for a moment, "To be honest, my wife has been affected by a malevolent spirit. We've invited doctors and Taoists, but none have been able to help. Would you be willing to try?"

Clearly, he was trying to treat a hopeless case.

Song Ce was about to scold him, but Ning Changjiu had already spoken, "We can."

Ning Xiaoling, forced, pretended to be confident and nodded.

Song Ce looked at them, no longer trying to dissuade them, and left with a cold expression.