Chapter 81: Five Years

As summer approached, a sudden heavy snow blanketed the Capital City, covering the area around Tianhu Temple in a vast white expanse. Cui Wangshu wore only a thin garment.

It was the cloud brocade that Jiang Chenbi loved most, white cloud brocade, now thoroughly soaked in blood.

There were two streaks of red in the snow: one on Cui Wangshu’s body, the other on the ground.

Cui Wangshu knelt beside that patch of blood, unsure how long she had been there. Snow had accumulated on her body, eyelashes, and hair, piling up white and thick.

The Qingjin Haiyan had been torn apart, its beads scattered across the ground.

Xun An dismounted and approached the kneeling figure in the snow. The woman seemed to have lost her soul, her eyes vacant as she mechanically picked up the lapis lazuli beads from the ground, stubbornly trying to thread them onto the already broken string.

The string was snapped, so Cui Wangshu couldn’t thread them. They would scatter after she tried, scatter again, forcing her to start over repeatedly.

Xun An couldn’t bear to watch her like this. She squatted down and snatched the beads from her hands, roaring, “Cui Wangshu! If she’s alive, we find her alive; if dead, we find her corpse. What are you doing here?!”

Cui Wangshu looked up. A crack appeared in her wooden expression, and her vacant eyes finally focused a little. She nodded frantically. “Right, right. I need to find her.”

She staggered to her feet. Her gaze fell to the cliff below, where the trail of blood dragged right to the edge.

Jiang Chenbi was down there. She had to go find her.

Xun An hurriedly grabbed the figure heading toward the cliff’s edge, snapping sternly, “What are you doing?”

Cui Wangshu lowered her eyes. “I need to go find her.”

Incredulity flashed in Xun An’s eyes. She hadn’t expected Cui Wangshu to be so out of her mind. If she didn’t watch her, would she jump straight off the cliff?

“When I left, I called for troops. They’ll be here soon,” Xun An said with a frown, trying to steady her.

Cui Wangshu looked at her, anxiety surging in her eyes. “Troops? There’s no time. I need to go down now and find her.”

Her emotions flared. She broke free of Xun An’s hold and ran toward the cliff. Xun An hurriedly pinned her down and bound her with rope.

“Let me go! I need to find her!” Cui Wangshu struggled, even trying to bite the rope binding her wrists.

In the midst of her thrashing, a stone rolled out from her embrace—vividly red. Cui Wangshu saw it and stared fixedly, clutching it tightly in her palm. She pleaded with Xun An as if seeking confirmation, “She’s still alive! Go find her, quick!”

Cui Wangshu’s emotions overwhelmed her, tears streaming down. She begged Xun An, “Please, Xun An, let me go find her. She’s still alive… I can’t live without her…”

Xun An had never seen her beg so humbly. Her own eyes reddened. That pale face was filled with terror, unease, and fragility. She nearly untied her.

Hoofbeats sounded from behind—the Huguo Army had arrived.

Xun An swallowed hard and turned, barking, “Search the mountain! Below the cliff—if alive, bring her back alive; if dead, bring her corpse!”

Xun An turned back to Cui Wangshu, who cradled the stone, mumbling to herself, nearly mad.

Xun An squatted down, her gaze complex as she weighed her words. “Cui Wangshu, you’re not just carrying Jiang Chenbi—you carry all the people of Great Zhao. Don’t forget why you seized the throne. I can untie you, but promise me: no matter what, you’ll live on and shoulder your responsibilities.”

She had a premonition: if they couldn’t find Jiang Chenbi, Cui Wangshu would jump off the cliff. She couldn’t let that happen. At least now, she had to keep Cui Wangshu alive.

Cui Wangshu gripped the stone tightly. Hearing Xun An’s words, she froze, stopped mumbling, and fell silent.

Xun An watched quietly as the emotions in her eyes gradually returned.

After a long moment, Cui Wangshu rasped, “Untie me.”

The hysteria was gone from her expression, but it wasn’t much better. Anyone could see she had forcibly suppressed it, the faint signs of an explosion buried deep in her eyes.

“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything,” Cui Wangshu repeated.

Xun An hesitated but untied her. Cui Wangshu’s expression was indifferent as she stood, bent to pick up the Qingjin Haiyan from the ground, tucked it into her embrace, and stared wordlessly at the stone in her hand.

The sky grew brighter. Search parties came and went, but brought no news.

Xun An eyed the increasingly dim stone in Cui Wangshu’s hand and quietly ordered someone to fetch Fang Qiutan.

Day turned to night, the snow stopped. Looking out, fire torches dotted the mountainside like stars—held by the searchers. Cui Wangshu still stood there, clutching the now-ashen stone, stubbornly staring down the cliff.

Seeing the exhausted soldiers, Xun An couldn’t help advising, “We’ve searched all day. I’m afraid…”

Cui Wangshu whipped around, staring coldly at Xun An, who choked back her words.

Suddenly, a faint cracking sound reached their ears. Xun An tensely looked at the stone in Cui Wangshu’s hand.

It had shattered.

Cui Wangshu stared down at it, her expression taut. Suddenly, nausea overtook her uncontrollably. She knelt and dry-heaved on the ground.

Tears welled up unstoppably. She bit her lower lip hard, staring at the shattered stone on the ground. The suppressed emotions she’d tried to pretend weren’t there finally erupted.

Before, she could pretend nothing had happened. But now, Jiang Chenbi’s Life Gu was shattered. She could no longer deceive herself…

How could Jiang Chenbi leave her alone? Hadn’t she promised to come back no matter what?

She had so many questions for Jiang Chenbi. How could she just die like this?

Hadn’t she said she was Jiang Chenbi, that there was nothing in this world she couldn’t do?

Why lie to her?

They had agreed: once she seized the throne, they’d be together openly. Why break that promise? Why leave her alone?

Cui Wangshu clenched her fists, her shoulders trembling tensely. Her choked sobs were swallowed down—heart-wrenching, yet forcibly endured.

In the past, someone would gently hold her when she held back, letting her tears soak into that person’s embrace.

But from now on… no more.

It was her fault Jiang Chenbi was lost. If she hadn’t wanted the throne, she wouldn’t have missed the chance to save her, wouldn’t have let her venture alone.

Were the Twin-Born Daughters real? What else had she hidden? Nothing had been figured out, so how could she just leave, dumping everything on her?

Even if… she didn’t care about any of it—the Twin-Born Daughters, the secrets—she wouldn’t have minded. But couldn’t she have given her a chance? She hadn’t even had time to tell Jiang Chenbi these things.

Cui Wangshu struggled to breathe, sobbing without drawing air. Her body swayed, and she fainted into the snow.

Xun An’s heart leaped to her throat. She’d thought letting Cui Wangshu cry would help her vent, but she fainted instead.

She rushed over, turning her face-up. No color in her cheeks, snow frozen on her brows and lashes.

“Put her down, quick!”

Fang Qiutan—no, Liu Wuyong—came blustering in. Xun An hurriedly laid Cui Wangshu down.

Liu Wuyong rushed over, face anxious. He sealed several acupoints, locking her soul in place.

He exhaled in relief, like surviving a disaster. “Good thing I got here in time, or she’d be dead.”

Xun An gasped, “What?!”

Liu Wuyong didn’t reply. He propped Cui Wangshu up and poured a vial of medicine into her mouth.

Only then did he frown. “Standing in thin clothes in the snow all day—evil chill invaded her body. Then grief-stricken rage attacked her heart. What did you think?”

Xun An bowed her head in self-reproach. She’d been too negligent, overlooking it. If only Jiang Chenbi were here…

Liu Wuyong asked, “While she’s out, tell me everything you know.”

Xun An glanced at the still-unconscious Cui Wangshu, emotions complex. Liu Wuyong added, “I’m her master—would I harm her? If you don’t tell me, how can I give her a reason to live?”

Xun An pursed her lips and recounted it all.

Liu Wuyong listened, shock sliding through his eyes. He glanced at Cui Wangshu, evidently surprised at her boldness.

Seizing the throne was one thing, but even her own elder sister…

Not bad. His disciple from the Untiring Sect was no ordinary soul.

Xun An dismissed the men and took Cui Wangshu back to the Imperial Palace with Liu Wuyong.

The Capital City awaited Cui Wangshu’s awakening to take command…

Five years later—

At the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, in a bamboo hut, a woman with delicate features wore a veil. Her back basket held strange herbs and flowers. She entered from outside, hoe in hand.

She set down the basket and glared at the old man sneaking candied hawthorns at the tea table. “You’re eating them again!”

The old man froze, silently set down the hawthorns, and coughed lightly. “What do you mean ‘eating’? I was just checking if they had dust on them.”

The woman removed her veil, revealing a stunning face—Jiang Chenbi.

Jiang Chenbi sat down and pulled a package from her pouch, handing it over. “Here, your favorite Dragon Whisker Crisp.”

Liu Xuan’s eyes lit up. He took it with a grin. “Good, good. You’re still a filial girl.”

Jiang Chenbi: “…”

Liu Xuan popped a piece into his mouth. The sweet taste smoothed even his wrinkles. Jiang Chenbi chuckled at his delighted face, shook her head with a smile, and stood to sort the day’s herbs.

“I got everything today. Teach me to make Soul Return Incense, quick,” Jiang Chenbi said while sorting.

Liu Xuan swallowed his bite disdainfully. “Got it. You were eager when learning poisons. Why not this eager when I told you to return to the Capital City?”

Silence fell. Jiang Chenbi’s lashes trembled, her gaze dimming. She paused, straightened, and said, “Go back for what? I like researching this stuff. Mind your own business.”

Liu Xuan chuckled. His palm clenched in the air, and her herbs vanished. Reacting, she yelped as he tossed them away. “You did it again!”

Liu Xuan stroked his beard with a smile, then vanished into thin air. Jiang Chenbi ground her teeth—the old coot had hidden in the Divine Sea again!

Her hard-gathered herbs!

Fuming, Jiang Chenbi kicked over the basket and stormed out. She refused to believe he’d toss every herb on the mountain!

She had to learn that Soul Return Incense!