Shen Yu stood tall with her back straight, radiating a majestic aura. The horse beneath her was adorned with a large red silk flower, walking proudly and spiritedly at the very front.
Yet, in reality, Shen Yu was panicking internally!
Because she…
She had no idea where she was going!
Fortunately, the horse was completely unaware of her inner turmoil, continuing to take steady, unhurried steps forward.
It carried her through with absolute confidence.
There was no other choice; it seemed she had no alternative but to…
Shops and upscale taverns lined both sides of the street. It was the Grand Princess’s wedding day, and crimson silk banners were intertwined everywhere. The faint glow of the setting sun spilled across the red bricks, green tiles, and the upturned eaves of the pavilions, making them look as though they were coated in a layer of golden light. Taking advantage of this moment, Shen Yu began to chant a spell. Her soul body expanded rapidly, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The spiritual energy gathered into a vortex and rushed straight toward Shen Yu.
Invisible to everyone else, the third eye on Shen Yu’s forehead slowly opened.
Myriad Eye: Ultimate
At this moment, the vast Imperial Capital appeared infinitely minuscule in Shen Yu’s eyes. She felt like a supreme deity overlooking all living beings.
Unfortunately, Shen Yu was no deity right now; she was merely a pitiful pathfinder.
The densely packed streets flashed past Shen Yu’s eyes in rapid succession, transforming into one blur after another.
The conversations and myriad facets of mortal life all surfaced within Shen Yu’s mind.
The burden placed upon the body by driving spiritual power through the soul was indescribable. Even someone like Shen Yu, whose soul had achieved sainthood, found it difficult to endure.
Within just a few breaths, Shen Yu’s expression grew visibly exhausted, and her thin lips turned deathly pale.
She bore an ineffable, uncanny resemblance to Song Shiwei’s usual appearance.
Two breaths later, Shen Yu’s eyes lit up, clearly having found her target. Yet her exhausted soul was faintly slipping out of control, bypassing the vermilion gates and heading straight toward a secluded courtyard.
Shen Yu’s soul was overwhelmed, and her eyes felt abnormally sore and strained. Through the blur, she saw a scene of blooming flowers and swaying green clouds. In a room warmed by a brazier, a frail and stunningly gorgeous woman was surrounded by an entourage. They were draping her in a grand crimson embroidered wedding robe woven with gilded threads, placing a golden crown and jade hairpins on her head, and dressing her in full phoenix coronet and ceremonial robes. Her pale lips were stained bright red with lip tint, her brows were delicately drawn with cosmetic pigment, and silver enameled double-happiness earrings hung from her earlobes. Yet her expression remained calm and detached, devoid of any discernible joy or sorrow.
The commotion of the surrounding crowd intertwined with the profound tranquility of the princess’s residence, making it difficult to tell where one ended and the other began.
Shen Yu was reaching her limit. She shook her head wearily, her lips moving rapidly. Relocating her inner four directions, her soul withdrew swiftly as her consciousness grew hazy. In her trance, she heard the cries of “Princess, Princess!”
The Princess?
That made sense! Today, the only person getting married was the Grand Princess.
The Grand Princess, her bride?
Shen Yu thought in a chaotic haze, her mind racing with fragmented thoughts even as her control over her physical body plummeted rapidly.
She really is stunning!
At the Princess’s Residence
“Princess! Princess?” A maid holding two different styles of jade arm guards called out from the side.
Song Shiwei, just snapping back to her senses, wore a look of slight bewilderment.
“What is it?”
“Which style of arm guards does Your Highness prefer?”
Song Shiwei raised her brows and glanced at them casually.
“Whatever.”
“Understood.”
Faced with the princess’s casual attitude, the maid did not say anything more. She picked up a jade arm guard carved with a dancing phoenix and prepared to slide it onto the princess’s arm.
“Wancui, did anyone come by outside just now?”
“People?”
“No one at all.”
“Is that so?”
Seeing the maid’s certain expression, Song Shiwei wondered to herself with a hint of doubt. Did she imagine it?
She actually thought it was her younger brother who had come!
Perhaps!
Having witnessed the boundless splendors of the cultivation world, Shen Yu had still been utterly awestruck by the Grand Princess’s appearance.
It was a beauty unlike anything she had ever seen before.
Most women in the cultivation world were bright and vivid, or else cold as ice, but they all resembled the bright moon in the sky—noble and untouchable.
Yet the Grand Princess seemed somewhat different.
She was also an immortal, also a moon, but…
Shen Yu felt that her current state was terrible; her body could not stop churning with nausea.
What a massive loss!
She had not gained a single thing, yet she had tortured herself to this degree!
She tried to maintain her composure as best as she could, though it was likely not very convincing. She could feel the strange gazes of the people around her, as well as…
The presence… gradually drawing closer to her.
“My Lord Husband? My Lord Husband?”
She felt someone walk up to her side, their voice tinged with urgency and worry.
She raised her head, trying hard to squeeze out a warm and pleasant smile, entirely unaware of how deathly pale she looked to everyone else.
“My Lord Husband! What on earth is wrong with you!”
Chu Fang was in a state of sheer panic, terrified that Shen Lan might meet some unexpected fate.
It had only been a short while; why did the groom suddenly look like he was at death’s door?
In broad daylight like this, if anything were to happen to the Lord Husband, executing him ten times over would not be enough to pay for it!
Weren’t they just laughing and chatting amicably a moment ago?
Hearing the voice, Shen Yu recognized Chu Fang.
“Brother Chu, I am fine. It is likely just the strong sun today, I’ve suffered a mild bout of heatstroke. It’s nothing to worry about.”
As she spoke, she circulated her incantation, regulating her internal energy.
“This…”
Chu Fang was momentarily at a loss. Well, what should they do then?
They couldn’t just rest here in the middle of the street!
How could Shen Yu fail to notice Chu Fang’s dilemma? Sensing the intense, watchful gazes of the generals behind them, Shen Yu could only feel that the road ahead was fraught with difficulty.
“Brother Chu, please don’t worry. It’s a minor issue; it won’t impede anything.”
Shen Yu smiled, her complexion regaining a hint of rosy color after regulating her breath, looking genuinely as fine as she claimed.
Half-doubting, Chu Fang could only cup his fists in a salute before turning back to report to the rear.
Shen Yu steadied her expression, cupped her hands toward the surrounding onlookers as an apology, and then spurred her horse onward once more.
Before long, Chu Fang rode back over and handed Shen Yu a vial of medicine. Shen Yu first smiled, then her expression froze for a fraction of a second as if seeing something.
“Rest assured, Lord Husband, these are good things. Just be sure to take them with care, after all, Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess is of rather delicate health.”
Even though it was spoken in a hushed whisper, Shen Yu felt as though the entire world had heard every single word, and her ears burned fiercely!
Shen Yu gave the grinning Chu Fang a forced smile, grinding her teeth slightly as she hesitated over whether or not to accept it.
After Chu Fang left, Shen Yu felt that the object in her palm was burning hot to the touch!
Could Chu Fang ever give her something normal for once!
Thinking about it, she could only angrily hide the item away.
What good was this even!
Did she still want to live or not?
Besides, how were two women supposed to do that?
Uh……
Could two women actually do that?
Shen Yu’s thoughts suddenly began to wander.
Go! Go! Go!
Realizing what she had been thinking about, Shen Yu wanted nothing more than to drag Chu Fang back, slap him straight into the ground, and bury him so deep he could never be dug out!
Shen Yu! What on earth are you thinking about!
Nearly driven to a faint by her own thoughts, Shen Yu grew increasingly convinced of the treachery of the mortal world.
Amidst her flying thoughts, she finally reached her ultimate destination—the Princess’s Residence.
The Princess’s Residence was naturally extravagant and luxurious beyond measure, featuring carved beams and painted pillars. Even the four pillars at the main entrance were made entirely of golden-thread nanmu wood that required three people to encircle them. The decorative door nails on the gates numbered a staggering seventy-two!
One had to remember that the Emperor himself only had eighty-one door nails!
The roof tiles were crafted from Qingchuan glazed tiles; across the entire realm, aside from the Emperor’s Zichen Palace, only this princess’s residence possessed them.
The ground was paved with a layer of white jade, its distinctive color instantly making the princess’s residence stand out from the surrounding mundane architecture. It was rumored that the rooms inside the princess’s private courtyard used top-grade mottled stone, beneath which a layer of warm jade stones was specially laid out for her…
Whether those rumors were true or false remained unknown.
Looking up at the towering, majestic mansion, Shen Yu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: whatever else might be false about the rumors surrounding the Grand Princess, her wealth was undeniably real.
Walking upon these white jade slabs, even a beggar would feel a good deal more valuable.
Dressed in a grand crimson straight-collared wedding robe, tied at the waist with a gold-threaded spider-web pattern sash, her dark hair bound high and secured with a golden crown and jade pearls, Shen Yu looked dashing, unrestrained, and as handsome as jade. She respectfully followed the ceremonial flow, waiting for the matchmaker to present the wedding invitation before bowing to the matron of honor representing the princess’s household.
The matron cast an evaluative, probing gaze at Shen Yu, who displayed flawless etiquette before her, a subtle hint of satisfaction flickering in her eyes.
“There’s no need for the Lord Husband to just stand there! Why don’t you hurry inside to welcome Her Royal Highness the Princess?”
The matron spoke with a teasing smile, the atmosphere growing visibly lively as she motioned for the maid standing nearby to step forward.
Shen Yu appropriately displayed a youth’s shyness and hesitation, respectfully bowing before following the leading maid and striding into the princess’s residence.
The residence was naturally massive—at least, if Shen Yu were left to walk on her own, she would undoubtedly get lost.
She watched as the maid twisted and turned through several corridors, eventually leading her into a deep, secluded courtyard.
…
This…
If Shen Yu hadn’t just scouted the place out moments ago, she might actually have fallen for it!
However, Shen Yu did not stop. She continued following closely behind the maid, though her body subtly tensed as she readied herself, quietly maintaining her vigilance and pulling her aura inward.
It wasn’t that she suspected the maid of trying to harm her; after all, this was the Princess’s Residence—who in their right mind would dare make a move on her here?
Yet, there was a certain presence here that she thoroughly disliked!
A shadow of gloom rose in Shen Yu’s heart, a dark flash crossing her eyes.
Seemingly oblivious to Shen Yu’s abnormality, the maid walked straight up to a grand hall and respectfully bowed.
“Lord Husband, please enter!”
Shen Yu’s gaze tightened, but she instantly replaced it with a smile carrying a trace of mild confusion.
“Good maiden, is this… Her Royal Highness the Princess’s chambers?”
The maid wore a troubled expression, looking as though she was reluctant to speak further, and merely repeated herself.
“The Lord Husband will understand once he goes inside!”
Shen Yu smiled faintly, having already formed her judgment.
She then lifted her foot and walked forward.
Knock, knock.
When she looked back, the young maid had already quietly retreated to who knows where.
Accompanied by a dignified, commanding voice from within calling out “Enter,”
Shen Yu stepped forward, her foot seeming to cross the threshold into a boundless abyss.
As the sun sank toward the western horizon, the distant mountain ridges gradually swallowed the final trace of twilight.
Before long, Shen Yu emerged once more, wearing a faint smile as she strode out briskly.
The maid reappeared right on cue, holding a lantern in silence, seemingly indifferent to Shen Yu’s demeanor as she dutifully resumed her role as a guide.
Shen Yu raised her brows, the smile in her eyes deepening slightly, though the corners of her eyes occasionally leaked a thread of dangerous sharpness.
After Shen Yu departed:
“How is he?”
“Extremely suitable.”
“Are you certain?”
“With him here, within two years, our grand plan will surely succeed!”
“Two years?”
“Yes!”
“How much longer can we hold on?”
“Two years.”
“…”
Within the empty courtyard, a voice of considerable dignity and an ambiguous voice conversed in secret, faintly plotting something in the shadows.
“Hmph! Very well, then We shall wait another two years!”