The system’s voice was like a bucket of ice water poured over her head. The cold pierced her bones and instantly dragged her back into the hell of the Gu cauldron.
Mu Zhaoran felt as if the mark of sin on her soul was burning, trying to burn all her hatred to ashes. She forced herself to swallow it down.
Her body swayed. Her soul seemed to be suffering in flames, yet under the hot sun her body shook uncontrollably. She clenched her trembling fingers and slowly hid them inside her wide sleeves, forcing herself to slow her breathing and calm her heartbeat.
Seeing her pale face and painful expression, the person in front of her stepped closer and tried to help her, full of concern.“Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
Mu Zhaoran suddenly avoided her hand and steadied herself. As the dizziness faded, she finally saw the person clearly.
It was not Ye Lizhi.It was Ye Lingyan.
From behind came Ye Rong’s helpless scolding. His voice was deep.“Yan’er, didn’t the general’s residence already prepare a carriage for you? Look at this occasion—how can you cause trouble like this?”
Though he was scolding her, his words were clearly filled with indulgence, so it carried little force.
Ye Lingyan was not afraid at all. She pouted and muttered,“I already agreed privately with Her Highness to ride together to the Tiandao Palace. We could chat on the way. Father, you should look at yourself—so fierce-looking that you scared Her Highness.”
Ye Rong turned his gaze back to Mu Zhaoran. The probing look in his eyes had not fully faded. He clasped his fists and said,“His Majesty repeatedly instructed me to escort the Yaoguang Saintess out of the city. I was anxious for a moment. Please forgive me, Saintess.”
Mu Zhaoran’s overheated mind slowly cooled. She forced her emotions back down, raised a hand to her forehead, and said,“I’m fine. I just stood in the sun too long at the altar and felt a bit dizzy.”
Ye Rong was a military man. Even though he spoiled his daughter, he still trained Ye Lingyan in martial arts, unlike Mu Zhaoran, who looked delicate.
He glanced at the sun, which was not very harsh, and did not think much of it. He gestured and said,“Since that’s the case, it’s getting late. Saintess, don’t delay—please set off.”
Mu Zhaoran did not follow his instruction right away. From what the system had said, Ye Lizhi must also be here. She stepped aside and looked past the Ye father and daughter toward the crowd.
Ye Lingyan turned back curiously as well.“Who is Your Highness looking for?”
Mu Zhaoran ignored her and scanned the crowd. At last, among the people seeing Ye Lingyan off, she saw a figure standing at the very back with her head lowered.
The current Ye Lizhi was plainly dressed, without hairpins or jewelry. She looked even less presentable than Ye Lingyan’s maids. She stood timidly behind everyone like a dull shadow, completely unnoticed.
In her previous life, Mu Zhaoran had been close friends with Ye Lingyan since childhood. She often heard the name “Ye Lizhi” from her.
But whenever Ye Lingyan spoke of her half-sister, her tone was full of dislike and contempt.
Ye Lizhi’s mother had no proper status. She was merely a woman offered to Ye Rong during a military campaign by a local official, meant only for his pleasure. No one expected she would give birth to a child.
Ye Rong did not like this daughter of low birth, but he could not allow his own bloodline to remain outside. So he brought her back to the general’s residence, allowed her to take his surname, but never openly acknowledged her status.
It was easy to imagine how Ye Lizhi lived in the general’s household.
Mu Zhaoran now stood at the center of attention. When her gaze paused on Ye Lizhi for even a moment, many eyes followed it and landed on Ye Lizhi.
Suddenly becoming the focus of everyone’s attention, Ye Lizhi looked like a startled bird. She raised her eyes weakly, then quickly lowered her head again, standing there nervously, not knowing whether to leave or stay.
Ye Lingyan raised her brows and glared at the attendants angrily.“On such a happy day, why did you let her come out too? How unlucky. What if she brings bad luck to Her Highness? Hurry and drive her away!”
As soon as she finished speaking, several attendants walked over and dragged Ye Lizhi away.
Even though Mu Zhaoran carried some so-called “reform system,” she had not yet figured out how to love and befriend the person she had fought against her entire past life. She felt indifferent to Ye Lizhi’s situation—and even felt a twisted sense of pleasure seeing her once again isolated and helpless.
Ye Rong also pretended not to see anything. He only reminded Ye Lingyan to mind the occasion and not make a scene, then urged Mu Zhaoran again,“Saintess, it’s late. Please get on the carriage.”
Mu Zhaoran took one last look at her father and mother, then turned and stepped onto the carriage. As she sat down on the cushioned seat inside, the system’s voice sounded again at the worst possible time.
System:“First reform task issued: In your previous life, the host repeatedly obstructed the female lead, causing her to face many dangers on the way to the Tiandao Palace and leaving her with a weak body. In this life, please assist the female lead in safely entering Tiandu City to atone for past sins.”
Mu Zhaoran: “……”
She looked up at Ye Lingyan, who was about to follow her onto the carriage, and said unwillingly,“You get down. Call Ye Lizhi over.”
Ye Lingyan was so shocked she nearly missed her step, making the beads on the carriage curtain rattle loudly. She doubted her ears.“Ye Lizhi? We’re about to leave. Why call her? Someone that lowly isn’t worthy of being summoned by Your Highness.”
Mu Zhaoran still didn’t understand the system fully and could only follow its task for now. With a cold face, she looked past Ye Lingyan and said to Ye Rong outside the carriage,“General Ye, the journey is boring. I want one more person to keep me company. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Ye Rong narrowed his eyes and looked at her carefully.“The Yaoguang Saintess has always been close to Yan’er. Since when did you become close to Lizhi as well?”
Mu Zhaoran lifted her chin arrogantly.“I’ve heard Yan’er mention her many times, so I’ve long wanted to see her. I heard her mother was once a famous singer, so her voice should be good. She can entertain me on the road. If you’re unwilling, I’ll ask my father to issue an order.”
Seeing her about to step down from the carriage, Ye Rong waved his hand.“There’s no need to trouble His Majesty over such a small matter.”He signaled to a guard, who immediately went after Ye Lizhi.
Ye Lingyan jumped down angrily and complained to her father,“Father, are you really letting her go with us? What if she talks nonsense and—”
Ye Rong shot her a warning look, stopping her words. He snorted softly and said in a low voice,“She wouldn’t dare.”
Soon, Ye Lizhi was brought back. When she heard that the princess wanted her to ride along, she looked terrified. Only after being reminded did she kneel to thank her. As she climbed onto the carriage, her knees were shaking.
Ye Lingyan snorted and tried to get on as well, but Mu Zhaoran sent her away with the excuse that the carriage was too crowded.
Being driven off the carriage twice in front of everyone was a huge humiliation. Ye Lingyan’s face turned red with anger. She couldn’t understand why the sister who had been so close to her yesterday suddenly treated her like a stranger today—choosing to bring along the person she hated most instead of riding with her.
She wanted to ask if she had done something wrong, but they had already delayed too long. Ye Rong raised his hand and ordered them to depart.
Ye Lingyan swallowed her grievance. Though furious, she still remembered her status and did not vent her anger on Mu Zhaoran. Instead, she glared fiercely at Ye Lizhi, who sat in a corner with her head lowered, not daring to lift her eyes.
In the end, Ye Lingyan unwillingly returned to the carriage prepared by the general’s residence.
Gongs sounded, and the carriage slowly moved forward.
The princess’s carriage was extremely luxurious. The interior was spacious, with a soft couch large enough to lie down comfortably, padded side seats, and an incense burner in the center. It could easily fit several more people.
Mu Zhaoran did not let Ye Lingyan ride with her simply because she did not want to see her.
She had not forgotten that in her previous life, when the Tiandao Palace judged her as someone who had strayed from the path and stripped her of her cultivation, every listed crime came from Ye Lingyan—her so-called good sister.
Ye Lingyan had advised her, stirred things up, secretly collected all the evidence of her crimes, and in the end bit her back hard, righteously testifying against her.
Because of this, the two Ye sisters made up, shook hands, and became “friends” again. In the end, only Mu Zhaoran was left to bear all the blame and became the villain who needed to be “reformed.”
It was only then that Mu Zhaoran realized how unwilling Ye Lingyan truly was to live beneath her—always acting humble, flattering her, and pretending to be obedient. Both father and daughter hid the same ambition and desire.
Mu Zhaoran lifted the beaded curtain of the carriage window and looked at the tall figure riding a horse at the front. Then she glanced at the soldiers escorting them and sighed, letting the curtain fall as she leaned back onto the soft couch.
Ye Rong controlled the Nanrong military forces and was deeply trusted by her father. From this journey alone, it was clear how much trust there was: aside from the eight spiritual envoys arranged by the Sacred Hall, all the other guards came from Ye Rong’s troops.
Along the road, the people seeing them off shouted not only “Saintess,” but also “General Ye,” showing how high his reputation among the common people was.
In her previous life, she had been buried in sorrow over leaving home and noticed none of this.
In this life, even though she knew everything in advance, bringing Ye Rong down would still be extremely difficult. Based on her understanding of her father, even if she sent word warning him that Ye Rong harbored rebellious intentions, her father would likely treat it as a joke.
After thinking it over, Mu Zhaoran decided to first send a message to Yao Gu and have the elders of the Sacred Hall pass the warning to her father. That might make him more alert.
Even if Ye Rong already had thoughts of rebellion, he would not dare act rashly. The Chengti Mirror in the Sacred Hall had not yet completely lost its divine power and could still protect Nanrong for several more years. As long as she cultivated properly this time, opened the gates of the Juntian Hall, and brought back a new Chengti Mirror to Nanrong, the country would surely survive the crisis.
After sorting this out, Mu Zhaoran finally felt less anxious and had the mental space to look at the other person riding with her.
Ever since getting on the carriage, Ye Lizhi had been tense and barely breathing. Her face was flushed from holding it in. If she could, she would have liked to curl herself into one of the embroidered patterns on the carriage curtains, afraid that even breathing too loudly would draw the princess’s attention.
Now, with just a light glance from Mu Zhaoran, her whole body jolted. Her fingers twisted her sleeves so tightly they were nearly torn.
Seeing her exaggerated act, anger rose in Mu Zhaoran’s chest. She said coldly,“Stop pretending. If you were really that timid and cowardly, how did you dare to run away from the general’s residence alone and go to the Tiandao Palace?”
In her previous life, she had been fooled far too many times by Ye Lizhi’s false performance.