“Hey! Have you seen this guy named Xu Fan in the painting?”
Faced with the fierce interrogation from the gate guards, Xu Fan—disguised as a middle-aged uncle—merely shook his head and handed over his temporary pass. He also slipped 20 taels of silver into the guard’s hand, and only then did he manage to safely enter the last major city on the border of the Frozen Moon Empire.
He silently activated the No-Life, No-Trace Art while glancing back nervously at the towering city wall, then sighed. “Master’s gone insane. She actually killed the reigning emperor of the Frozen Moon Empire… just to find me?”
Xu Fan shrank his neck in fear. He didn’t even dare imagine what Ji Hanyue’s expression looked like now—it had to be dark and terrifying.
The system, confused by his hesitation, reminded him, “Host, if you want to leave, now is the best time.”
“It takes only a moment to open a space tunnel. If you activate it now to return to Blue Star, even if your master finds out, she won’t be able to make it in time.”
Xu Fan sighed helplessly. “Of course I know that, but what I’m really worried about is…”
He trailed off, unable to find the words, because there were just too many things troubling him.
He was afraid Ji Hanyue’s Dao heart would collapse completely, making it impossible for her to make any more progress in her cultivation.
He was afraid she would fall into despair and take a dark path—fall into demonic ways or seek revenge on the world.
But most of all, Xu Fan feared that if Ji Hanyue couldn’t find him for a long time, she would mistakenly believe he was already dead—and in her sorrow, take her own life.
That was something Xu Fan absolutely could not accept.
Because of all these concerns, he decided to stay in the Heavenly Cloud Realm a little longer.
Only after confirming that Ji Hanyue wouldn’t do anything extreme could he leave with peace of mind.
Xu Fan sat near the window in a tavern, sipping lightly from his cup while gazing at the blue sky and white clouds outside, half-distractedly chatting with the system. “To be honest, Master was actually really good to me. Even though she always looked cold, she never mistreated me…”
The system replied in a snide tone, fanning the flames, “Host, then why not stay with your master? That way, this system won’t have to waste energy giving you the final reward…”
Xu Fan’s mouth twitched. His eyes sharpened instantly as he rejected the idea flatly, “No way! That’s a separate matter! Master was good to me, yes, but I waited seven lifetimes to go home! No one—absolutely no one—can stop me from returning!”
The system asked with skepticism, “No one at all?”
Xu Fan was about to answer.
Just then, nearby voices caught his attention.
“You guys think this Xu Fan the city’s searching for—who is he really?”
A group of ordinary young men in their early twenties sat at a table nearby, chatting. The one who had just spoken was a noble named Wang Shan. “I heard this matter is really blowing up. Several key border cities nearby are also looking for that Xu Fan.”
“Did he commit some major treason or something? Is that why the court is reacting so strongly?”
At that, another youth named Li Ce suddenly gave a mysterious look and gestured for silence. “Shh! Young Master Wang, don’t speak so recklessly!”
Wang Shan and the others leaned in quickly, intrigued. “What? Li Ce, do you know something?”
Xu Fan didn’t think much of it. He calmly sipped his wine.
He had great confidence in his No-Life, No-Trace Art. Even a Half-God Realm powerhouse like Ji Hanyue couldn’t track him. There was no way a few ordinary mortals would say anything truly useful.
But Li Ce’s next words made Xu Fan’s smile freeze on his face.
“This Xu Fan guy didn’t commit any crime… The reason the court is digging up heaven and earth to find him is simply because the newly crowned Empress, before her death, wanted to see him one last time!”
Li Ce’s voice was very low, clearly afraid of trouble. But to Xu Fan, every word struck like thunder, blasting his mind into a blank state.
The newly crowned Empress… wasn’t that his master?!
But what did he mean by “before her death”?
When he left, Master was fine—how could it have turned into some tearful farewell in the blink of an eye?!
Xu Fan’s expression shifted rapidly. His face turned unreadable, and his fingers subconsciously clenched the wine cup so hard that fine cracks appeared on its surface. Countless chaotic thoughts churned in his heart.
No! This had to be a trap set by Master to lure him back! It couldn’t be real!
Trying his best to remain calm, Xu Fan focused all his attention on the conversation at the other table, hoping to extract more useful information.
Sure enough, Li Ce’s words didn’t just startle Xu Fan—they left all the youths around him stunned.
Wang Shan’s face changed. He leaned in and spoke in a low, serious voice, “Li Ce, don’t go spreading rumors like that!”
“The Empress rules by Heaven’s mandate and governs the empire. That’s the greatest fortune of our Frozen Moon Empire! How could something like that happen to her?!”
But Li Ce only gave a bitter smile and pointed at the ceiling. His tone turned mysterious again. “I’m not making this up. The court officials all know.”
The others frowned. “What’s the reason?”
Li Ce shrugged, looking conflicted. “Just cultivation stuff, apparently.”
“I heard that our new ruler was once a powerful cultivator, but she suffered a cultivation deviation because of love. Her meridians have reversed, her dantian is on the verge of collapse, and not only is she rapidly losing her strength—she might not even survive!”
“Sigh… no one knows who that person is, who could possibly capture the Frozen Moon Empress’s heart…”
Cultivation deviation?
Reversed meridians?
Dantian collapse?
Every light-sounding phrase from Li Ce hit Xu Fan like a million-ton hammer, shaking his soul into utter chaos.
Ji Hanyue was dying?
That cold, icy master—who only ever showed him warmth—who smiled and frowned just for him… was about to disappear from his life forever?!
Xu Fan panicked.
He didn’t even know how he stumbled out of the tavern. He didn’t hear the waiter chasing after him, yelling about the unpaid bill.
Based on what Xu Fan knew of Ji Hanyue, it was entirely possible she had leaked this story as bait to trick him into coming back. But what if…
It was true?!
Even though Xu Fan’s greatest wish was to return to Blue Star, that didn’t mean he could just stand by and watch Ji Hanyue die, alone and in despair, in some unknown corner of the world.
If he really let that happen, he knew he might spend the rest of his life buried under guilt.
His mind conjured up an image of Ji Hanyue staring at him with those melancholy eyes—no longer cold and unapproachable, but full of sorrow and abandonment. That made Xu Fan feel something indescribably bitter.
“Huuhh…”
Fortunately, Xu Fan had a mental resilience ordinary people couldn’t even imagine. He didn’t let the shock make him abandon his plan to return home.
Walking through a narrow alley, Xu Fan thought things through and quickly formed a cautious new plan. “I’ll use the No-Life, No-Trace Art to sneak into the Frozen Moon Imperial Palace and check on Master’s real condition…”
“If she really is faking this as a trap, then fine—I’ll leave immediately without hesitation.”
“But if she truly is in trouble… I’ll think of another way. No matter what, I can’t give up on going home.”
Xu Fan firmed his resolve and was about to head toward the Frozen Moon capital.
But just then, he overheard a passerby loudly spouting venomous remarks.
“What Empress of the Frozen Moon? She’s just some fraud who seized power through brute force—nothing but a sham! What’s so special about her?!”
…