Morning arrived at the imperial palace—loud, chaotic, and far too bright for anyone's liking.
The imperial palace was still in a state of elegant panic. Palace servants dashed through corridors. Messengers ran in and out carrying scrolls, important-looking people whispered important-looking things in corners, and guards stood around trying to look like they knew what was going on. With one of the empire's top generals mysteriously missing, the emperor was probably on the verge of brewing a second pot of paranoia tea.
Linyue, on the other hand, was calmly chewing on meat pie from last night and watching the madness from the window.
"What an amazing sight," she muttered around a bite, watching two ministers argue over a missing report while a poor palace servant tripped over a broom.
There was absolutely no way the current imperial disaster could be traced back to her. Everything had happened underground, literally. She hadn't even broken a vase.
She hadn't asked He Yuying about the thing she told him to grab last night. It wasn't urgent. Just another optional side quest. Let him hold onto it. He was the luggage manager anyway.
After finishing her pie, Linyue stood and stretched lazily. She got dressed, fixed her hair with minimal enthusiasm, and prepared to leave the palace. She'd already passed her message to the palace maid who brought breakfast: "Tell His Majesty I'm going back to Shulin."
The emperor, being polite (and possibly still dazed from last night), had arranged an official carriage and even assigned a full team of imperial guards to escort her. Very royal. Very formal. Very suspicious.
Naturally, she refused.
"I'll be fine," she had told the emperor with calm smile. "You need those guards here. The palace needs them more."
He'd blinked. Then nodded solemnly, touched by her "selfless consideration." He even praised her for being understanding and generous.
Linyue told the emperor in her most diplomatic voice she could manage, that she wanted to stroll around the capital before returning to Shulin. Perhaps visit a market or two. Try some street food. Absorb the culture. Definitely not walk around followed by twenty armored men like they were hunting bandits.
"It would attract attention," she said sweetly, "and I'd rather blend in."
Translation: I do what I want. Please don't follow me.
The emperor, whose brain was currently juggling at least five emergencies, agreed. He did, however, give her one last royal reminder. "Don't forget your important mission when you reach Shulin."
Linyue smiled. Bowed gracefully. Filed the request under: Considered, but not promised. Possibly next to "Eat more pie" and "Take fewer naps in public."
He didn't even bring up what she had said in the ancestral hall. Maybe he'd forgotten. Maybe he was pretending to forget.
As Linyue walked away from the palace, her sleeves swishing gently with every step, her thoughts wandered back to the truth behind all the chaos.
The emperor never cared about Princess Fu Yuxin. Not as a person. Not as family. She was a chess piece to him, and not even a good one, more like the pawn you sacrifice to bait the enemy.
He arranged her marriage to Shu Mingye, but not once had he mentioned wedding preparations. No banquet, no dowry, not even a courtesy gift basket. He never expected her to survive it. Just like the six other "brides" before her. All sent to tame (spy) the infamous demon king. All failed. All gone. Probably eaten. Or maybe they just gave up and ran away to pursue another career. Who knew.
Princess Fu Yuxin was just another tool in the emperor's plan to bring Shu Mingye down.
Linyue never planned to keep this role as fake Princess Fu Yuxin for long either. All that bowing, polite smiling, and walking around in heavy robes. It was exhausting.
Now that she got what she came for and stirred up just enough chaos to make herself satisfied—it was time to leave, preferably while eating something delicious.
She'd already told the others to pack up. No dramatic exits, no fireworks. Just four suspiciously cheerful people casually strolling out the imperial palace gate like they hadn't been involved in at least three palace disasters in one night.
As they stepped into the sunlight, Linyue took a deep breath. Finally fresh air, breathable, non-scheming air. No layers of perfume thick enough to knock out a mid-level cultivator. No jeweled hairpins threatening to stab her skull with every head tilt. And most importantly: no silk robes with fifty layers designed by someone who clearly hated walking.
Beside her, Song Meiyu practically buzzed with energy. "Where should we go first?" she asked, eyes sparkling with endless potential for chaos.
He Yuying answered without pause, eyes already scanning the streets. "Thousand-layer pie. Garlic dumpling noodles. Moon rabbit cake. Capital specialties."
Technically speaking, cultivators didn't need food. Their spiritual energy kept them going most of the time. But "need" and "want" were two very different things. And Linyue absolutely wanted food. She liked to try different kind of cuisines. She also liked naps. And quiet mornings. And naps. Did she mention naps? She was pretty sure naps were her true cultivation path.
If there was a chance to eat something delicious or sneak in a quick snooze under a tree while pretending to meditate, Linyue was halfway there.
Shen Zhenyu, the calm and patient leader (and also the one who usually ended up paying for snacks), glanced at Linyue's hopeful expression. "We can try them all."
He Yuying fist-pumped. Song Meiyu squealed. Linyue smiled and nodded.
This was why Shen Zhenyu was the best. No pointless lectures about discipline or moderation, just full moral (and financial) support in the pursuit of delicacy. He understood. Skipping snacks was not an option. It was a crime.
They still had some time before heading back to the south. Enough for snacks. Enough for naps. Possibly another snack after the nap.
The fake princess was free.
The chaos crew was on the move.
And the first stop?
Snacks. Obviously.
Round one: Thousand-layer pie.
The stall was easy to find. Just follow the smell of sweet, buttery goodness and the sound of people fighting politely over the last slice. A long line had already formed, winding through the street.
Naturally, they had no choice but to queue up like ordinary citizens. Tragic.
Linyue stood still, eyes locked on the glistening pie. He Yuying had already calculated the number of slices based on surface radius and suspected thickness. Song Meiyu was softly humming an emotional song.
Then just when it was finally almost their turn—when the golden, flaky pie was practically within reach—the spirit transmission jade tucked in Shen Zhenyu's robes lit up.
Everyone froze.
Shen Zhenyu sighed and took it out. "... Master Tian Mo?"
A very familiar, very grumpy voice crackled through. "Worthless disciple. Still dare to call me Master? How long has it been? Not even a word, not even a whisper. Am I a ghost to you?"
Song Meiyu immediately went full drama mode. "It's not like that, Master! We were really, really busy. Life-and-death busy! We haven't even had time to gossip!"
Master Tian Mo scoffed. "Really? And I suppose you're not eating delicious food right now? I can even smell it from here."
Linyue, being painfully honest, answered helpfully, "It's true, Master. We're not eating it yet. We're still waiting in line. Very patiently."
There was a long pause.
Song Meiyu eyes widened in horror. He Yuying's face crumpled in silent despair. Shen Zhenyu… just smiled and looked up at the sky. Probably praying the heavens would spare him from this conversation.
Linyue had done it again.
Master Tian Mo had obviously just been fishing for a confession. And Linyue handed it to him so easily and casually.
Then came the inevitable question. "Where are you now?"
Before Linyue could happily declare their exact location, Shen Zhenyu jumped in, smooth and swift. "In the capital. We're heading back to the south later."
He glanced at Linyue. Then, in a much quieter voice, he added, "... after eating. And maybe napping."
Linyue nodded in agreement. Priorities.
But Master Tian Mo's voice sharpened. "Do you even know what's happening in the south?"
Linyue remembered overhearing something last night. About the second wall shaking, demons, chaos, people (probably assassins) attacking, Shu Mingye galloping off like a storm. But she hadn't thought too much about it. Shu Mingye was on it. And it didn't sound like something they needed to handle. Right?
She said helpfully, "Yeah, we heard."
"Heard? The situation got worse!" Master Tian Mo's voice rose. "The demons almost broke through the second wall. People are panicking. It's spreading fast."
They all fell silent.
Okay. That sounded worse than she expected.
Linyue blinked. "... That bad?"
Now that Master Tian Mo mentioned it, the air did feel a bit heavier.
If the second wall in Shulin had really almost fallen, that wasn't something they could just ignore. The space between the first and second wall was short. Very short. Like "blink once and oops, demon in your kitchen" short. If the second wall fell, demons would basically be knocking politely (or not) on the last wall. And Shulin wasn't even the only one at risk. Other states would get dragged into it. Shenlin was right next door. Technically, they should've already offered help.
"What about the neighboring states? Do they not care?" He Yuying muttered.
"Or maybe they just hate that Demon King that much," Song Meiyu added, frowning.
Linyue crossed her arms, sighing. "Can't even finish one pie before the world starts ending."
Before they could even pretend to have a group discussion about responsibility, destiny, and dessert, Master Tian Mo's voice returned through the jade:
"Go back to the south. Right now. It's good for training and strengthening your cultivation."
Linyue narrowed her eyes. Ah yes. That tone. She knew it well.
Classic Master Tian Mo tactic: mix crisis and guilt with discipline. He definitely knew they were having a good time and almost having good snacks. Linyue could practically hear his smug, invisible, grumpy-old-man smile echoing through the jade.
The pie was right there. Warm. Flaky. Smelling like happiness and dreams.
But no. Now they had to go fight demons. Again.
Shen Zhenyu let out a long sigh.
Song Meiyu whimpered softly, mourning the future that could have been filled with buttery crust and sweet filling.
He Yuying looked longingly at the pie like it was a long-lost lover. Tragic. Beautiful. Gone too soon.
And Linyue muttered under her breath, "One day... one day I will eat that pie."
With the weight of lost snacks dragging heavily at their feet, they turned around and trudged off to rent horses.
Carriages were out of the question. Too slow. Too comfy. Too easy to fall asleep in. Master Tian Mo would definitely know if they tried to nap inside one.
So, no shortcuts. No naps. No pie.
Two horses it was.
Linyue climbed onto Shen Zhenyu's horse, while Song Meiyu paired up with He Yuying. The horse let out a small, offended huff. Probably sensing it was now part of an emergency mission and snack abandonment.
The group rode off toward Shulin.
Hearts heavy.
Stomachs empty.
Pieless… but determined.