Chapter 64: In the Ruined Temple
In the corner stood a headless statue of a mountain god, its hollow neck letting in shafts of sunlight from outside.
"As expected, it has all come true..."
Ji Lingxiu murmured to herself as she cautiously kicked aside the decayed offering table. She ignored the startled nest of gray rats and, with a light tap of her finger, burned the table along with the meditation cushion she had used last night into a small pile of ashes.
Having grown up in the palace as half a disciple of Xuantian Jun, she naturally understood—so long as she erased all traces of her presence, no matter how profound the divination, it would be difficult to determine her exact location.
The hidden line buried before leaving the palace had already been triggered last night.
The dream of six Saints slaying the emperor and the fall of the imperial city had replayed once more.
As expected, aside from Ling Zhanxue being an unexpected variable, everything had unfolded swiftly along the very track she had foreseen in her dreams, not even a moment off.
Ji Lingxiu suddenly laughed, her voice startling the crows roosting under the eaves into flight.
She had prayed countless times that the nightmare was false. Now, she no longer had to deceive herself.
"Qingzhou..." She narrowed her eyes, carefully recalling the contents of the dream.
In her past life, when the imperial city fell, she had fled like a lost dog under her father's final protection, taking Li'er with her to Qingzhou.
It was only because one of Great Zhou's Eight Pillars, the Ling Tian Army, was stationed there.
And its commander, Fu Yunlan, was her betrothed husband.
Great Zhou had been too prosperous.
With its deep foundation, even if the founding ancestor fell, once it recovered its breath, it would still surpass most clans and sects.
Though it could no longer unify the entire Xuanying Continent as before, forming a single hegemon among many powers was still well within reach.
Indeed, even if only the Ling Tian Army's thirty thousand iron cavalry remained, Great Zhou could still dominate as a fierce tiger.
This was no ordinary cavalry of mortals, but an assault formation composed of thirty thousand cultivators!
Its commander, Fu Yunlan, was even a peak Heavenly Human Realm expert, ranked among the top ten of the Earth List!
With her aid, it was not impossible for him to reach the Saint Realm in the future and rebuild the Immortal Dynasty!
Yet, in her past life, she had never seen Fu Yunlan himself. He had sent only his personal guard captain to receive her, and at the time, she had thought little of it.
But now, in hindsight, the doubts were many.
With her status—whether as the resplendent princess of Great Zhou or as Fu Yunlan's fiancée—he should have come personally.
Yet, up until the moment of her death, Fu Yunlan had never once appeared!
So then, this Qingzhou—
Should she go this time? Or should she not?
Ji Lingxiu sighed. In truth, she had no other choice.
According to her past life's memory, among the Eight Pillars, the strongest and most loyal to the royal family, the Imperial Guard, had already perished together with the sect-clan coalition in last night's battle.
As for the other six Pillars, all their generals were kin to her younger brothers' factions. In today's situation, if she rashly went to them, her fate might be even worse than falling directly into the hands of the sects and clans.
Thus, in the end, she could only gamble.
If she could secure a foothold in Qingzhou, with the prestige she had accumulated in past years, at least half of the remaining royal forces would gradually gather around her once more. Perhaps even—Great Zhou's National Preceptor: Xuantian Jun!
In her past life, she had never heard news of Xuantian Jun's demise. Understandable—though the heavenly secrets might be obscured for a time, a man of such subtle calculation would still be able to avoid misfortune and escape alive.
As long as Xuantian Jun was willing to support her, then even if Fu Yunlan feigned indifference at first, when weighing the benefits later, he might still become a force she could wield in her hands!
At this thought, resolve once again returned to Ji Lingxiu's eyes.
Casting one final deep look at the path she had come from, she quickly resumed her hurried journey toward Qingzhou.
...
...
...
Within Tianjing City, the smoke of battle had yet to disperse.
The once-prosperous imperial palace now lay in ruins. Blackened beams jutted into pools of blood, broken walls and collapsed pillars littered the ground, and several corpses sprawled lifeless across the jade steps, eyes still wide open. The wind carried a heavy stench of blood, rustling the tattered banners with a mournful sound.
Inside a side hall not yet completely collapsed, a middle-aged man paced furiously, unable to contain his rage.
"Why did Ji Lingxiu suddenly leave? She did not even take you with her?!" he demanded sharply, his eyes burning as though to scorch the woman before him.
Standing opposite him was a woman of gentle appearance—Ji Lingxiu's personal maid, Li'er.
She stood quietly, her brows lowered, lips still curved in her usual soft smile, as though the man's fury was no more than a petty farce unworthy of her concern.
"I do not know either," Li'er answered softly, her voice as gentle as spring wind brushing against willow, tender to the point of seeming false. "Her Highness has always had her own mind. She does not consult me on everything."
"Nonsense!" the man roared, kicking over a low table with a violent crash, wood fragments scattering. "We sent you to Ji Lingxiu's side when you were three! To her, you may be master and servant in name, but in truth you are sisters! How could she not have told you anything?!"
He strode forward, seizing Li'er's chin in his grip, forcing her to lift her face. His eyes glinted with murderous intent. "It must be you, wretched girl—you grew attached to her, and secretly let her go, didn't you?!"
Forced to tilt her head back, Li'er remained unruffled. The smile at her lips did not fade in the least. She neither struggled nor argued, only gazed back at him with calm eyes, as though watching a clumsy performance.
Her composure enraged the man further. He flung her away in fury, teeth clenched. "Good. Very good! You think that if you don't speak, I won't find out?!"
Li'er staggered, but steadied herself, lifting her hand to gently touch her reddened chin. She still smiled, silent.
With a furious sweep of his sleeve, the man stormed out. The hall doors slammed violently behind him, shaking the broken window lattices.
Only after his footsteps faded into silence did Li'er slowly walk to the window. Gazing at the still-burning palace in the distance, a trace of genuine emotion finally flickered in her eyes.
"Your Highness..." she whispered, her voice so faint it nearly dissolved into the wind. "Without Li'er, you must stay safe."
Pausing, her fingers unconsciously clenched the window frame until her knuckles whitened, yet her voice remained as gentle as flowing water—
"By no means... by no means... must you go to Qingzhou. Do not seek out Fu Yunlan..."
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