In the dream.
Amidst a vast, ethereal Peach Blossom Grove.
A man dressed in pristine bamboo-white robes stood quietly in the distance, gazing upon all living things, his sleeves fluttering in the breeze.
He resembled a snow-capped peak towering above the clouds, or a sacred snow lotus—a single glance was enough to know he was an aloof, untouchable immortal banished from the heavens.
Yet the words he spoke were as cold as ice, devoid of any human warmth, and deliberately aimed to wound the heart.
[Take your things and leave. There’s no need for you to come begging me. The Netherworld operates by its own laws—I will not help you.]
[Even if you lose, what does it have to do with me?]
Such detestable words fell upon Gu Xi’s ears.
They were utterly infuriating.
Even with only fragments from the dream, Gu Xi had already guessed what had happened.
As the proud Underworld King, she had once gone to plead with that damned Emperor Lord Dongheng when she faced rebellion.
And in return, she was met with such mockery.
A profound humiliation.
Utterly despicable.
What did he mean by, “Even if you lose, what does it have to do with me?”
How could she possibly lose?
Even if she did end up losing later, who was he to gloat?
Gu Xi clenched her fist, the ring on her finger crushed into powder that scattered onto the ground.
The Celestial Beast was startled: [An enemy? Who’s your enemy? Emperor Lord Dongheng?]
The Little Beast was shocked: [No way, you provoked the most powerful being in the Three Realms? Oh no, oh no… I’ve heard that Emperor Lord Dongheng is half-immortal, half-demon. Up in the Ninth Heaven, no one dares to cross him—not even the Heavenly Emperor. How did you manage to offend him?]
Gu Xi sneered: [I didn’t provoke him. He provoked me.]
The Celestial Beast sighed in relief: [That’s good, that’s good. Then just bear with it.]
Gu Xi’s icy gaze fell upon the Celestial Beast’s neck.
The Celestial Beast gulped, slapped its own mouth, and quickly fell silent.
Not long after the Lantern Temple Festival.
After resting for a few days, Gu Xi returned to the academy for classes.
Now, without the likes of Chu Ting and Chu Luo around, Gu Xi and Jun Qi’s days at the academy were much more peaceful.
The two often went together and returned together.
And so, days in the palace passed one after another—over a month went by in the blink of an eye.
During this month.
Gu Xi never stopped pursuing Jun Qi.
One day, she would personally make pear blossom pastries and send them to him.
The next, she would invite Jun Qi to admire the moon together.
Another day, she would craft small gifts for Jun Qi herself, and so on and so forth…
In the eyes of the Celestial Beast and Han Qi, the bond between the two grew stronger and stronger.
Meanwhile, throughout the palace during this period.
Emperor Chu was busy with state affairs, reviewing memorials all day, though he would occasionally visit Gu Xi.
Consort Rong remained under house arrest with no end in sight, venting her anger daily by smashing things in the Zhongcui Palace.
The other consorts were relatively respectful toward Gu Xi, the legitimate princess, and since they didn’t provoke her, Gu Xi naturally didn’t provoke them either.
The only noteworthy development was.
Princess Chu Yueling had been casting frequent glances between Gu Xi and Jun Qi during their academy days these past few days.
While others might not have noticed the overly familiar relationship between the two, Princess Chu Yueling, who had always harbored jealousy toward Gu Xi and often watched her every move, sensed that her relationship with Jun Qi was unusual.
She tightened her grip on the brush in her hand, lowered her head, her eyes filled with calculation.
Although the Chu Kingdom’s palace had only two princesses, she had never gotten along with Chu Mingxi since childhood.
Her imperial father doted on Chu Mingxi, even bestowing upon her a special title alone.
Her mother, Consort Rong, also showed Chu Mingxi much affection on the surface.
Chu Mingxi was beautiful, praised by the common people as the number one beauty of the Chu Kingdom.
Even Yan Wen, the brother she admired, had rejected her feelings, saying the person he liked was Chu Mingxi.
A few months ago, Chu Mingxi’s health had deteriorated so much that she thought Chu Mingxi would die soon, yet unexpectedly, she survived until now, and her complexion was getting better and better.
Why?
How could this be?
Chu Mingxi caused her mother to be placed under house arrest, caused her imperial brother to be caned, and stole the man she loved.
A fierce light flickered in Chu Yueling’s eyes, her hands clenched so tightly that veins bulged.
If that was the case, she would also take away the man Chu Mingxi loved.
Just a hostage, powerless and without influence, a useless person without even martial arts skills—only Chu Mingxi could fancy him.
However, she would not let Chu Mingxi have her way.
By any means necessary…
Evening.
The setting sun hung low, its fading light gathering intensely as it fell upon the palace halls, the twilight haze enveloping the entire palace path.
Beside the Cold Palace, in a remote palace hall.
Jun Qi was opening a carrier pigeon, reviewing the recent developments in the Jun Kingdom’s palace court over the past few days.
Movement came from outside the hall.
Han Qi beside him looked toward the direction outside the hall.
“Master, it should be Princess Yun Xi arriving. I shall withdraw first.”
Jun Qi put away the letters on the desk, pushed open the palace door, and walked toward the courtyard.
As the door opened.
The visitor outside the hall came into Jun Qi’s view.
Chu Yueling lifted the gauze curtain of the sedan chair. Dressed in a bright red gown, she stepped down from the sedan chair, using a palace maid’s back as a step.
Seeing Jun Qi, she covered her lips and laughed softly, “Young Master Qi.”
Jun Qi imperceptibly furrowed his brows, then returned to his usual expression, “Second Princess.”
The clear glow of the setting sun fell on Jun Qi’s face. Standing there, his hair had a faint luster like black jade, the skin on his neck as delicate as fine porcelain, his complexion fair, features exquisite, and his stature as graceful as a jade tree.
This was the first time Chu Yueling observed this useless hostage up close.
She suddenly felt that the man Chu Mingxi fancied was not bad-looking either—this face even surpassed her beloved Yan Wen.
That was just as well. Once she took Jun Qi as her consort, such beauty would not be a slight to herself…