Once the emperor's decree was issued, the hunting was swiftly put into progress.
Yan Qing stepped into Jingzhe Courtyard, while at the same time, Ji Ying and Yan Xiu's imperial carriage arrived at Liuyun Hunting Ground after two days of travel.
"Greetings, Madam."
"Greetings, Madam."
The servants of Jingzhe Courtyard held the mistress of the house in high esteem, unaware of the deep resentment and malice hidden within this seemingly gentle and beautiful woman.
Wei Pingxi leisurely brewed tea at Zhusong Hall, his true energy flowing freely within his body, endlessly.
She wore a plain white robe, her hair was unadorned, and her well-maintained long hair was tied with a black ribbon. She had a slender waist, long and straight legs, and sat elegantly and casually. Her eyes were like stars, and her lips were crimson.
When Yan Qing stepped across the threshold, this was the 'beauty's curls' she saw.
She paused.
A struggle between reluctance and resentment, as tangled like algae in her heart, made her waver for a moment as she looked at Wei Pingxi's captivating beauty hidden beneath his brows and eyes.
The wavering was not obvious.
Once she regained her balance, her murderous urge surged again.
"Mother."
Yan Qing looked at her without blinking, but did not respond with the gentle and tender manner she usually did.
Wei Pingxi remained calm and focused on brewing tea.
Jade and Agate were sent away by the young lady early on, unaware of everything that had happened in the courtyard.
The atmosphere was tense.
Yan Qing looked as if she wanted to see a hole in the face of the 'daughter' she had raised for eighteen years. After looking her over, she sighed with regret: "You look a lot like him, yet you don't look like him."
A touch of ethereal beauty clung to Yan Xiu; though her looks were not as striking as Ji Ying's, she had learned Ji Ying's unwavering devotion.
Do you resent me?
"Where did Mother get that from?"
"You should blame me."
Yan Qing continued, "I ruined your life, making you born without parents. I gave you a home, but it was an incomplete one..."
These things didn't happen in my past life.
In her previous life, Wei Pingxi died in a daze, not even knowing who had harmed her. Now, reborn, the woman who poisoned her is too lazy to even pretend anymore.
“I am not your mother, I am your aunt. But I don’t want to be your aunt.”
Yan Qing straightened her clothes and sat down, taking the seat closest to Wei Pingxi, her expression infatuated: "I lied to you. You are His Majesty's daughter, born of Yan Xiu after ten months of pregnancy."
Without questioning or arguing, Yan Qing sighed, "So you knew all along."
Wei Pingxi gazed at her silently.
"It's good that you know. Now that you know, Yan Xiu and His Majesty know, I can be more ruthless in killing you."
Yan Qing, surprised that her murderous intent remained unmoved by the person opposite her, asked in astonishment, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
I have nothing to say.
"How can you be speechless? I raised you for eighteen years, how can you be speechless on your deathbed?"
"You're crazy."
"Yes, I'm a madman."
"But I don't want to be a fool and be manipulated by you."
Yan Qing asked, puzzled, "Have I treated you badly?"
Having experienced heartbreak, pain, struggle, and resentment, Miss Wei Si remained calm: "That's not the kind of good I wanted."
"In your opinion, what is good?"
As the tea boiled, Wei Pingxi lifted the lid of the bronze stove: "A normal mother and a normal family are good enough."
"I see." Yan Qing smiled and said, "Your wish is so simple, I'm sorry I can't fulfill it."
She pointed to her chin, staring unabashedly at her adopted daughter's beautiful face: "I'm jealous of Yan Xiu, I resent Yan Xiu, I'm jealous that she has a lover like Ji Ying, and I resent why she can't love me forever."
"She has loved me for more than ten years. I've gotten used to her love. I'm an abnormally possessive person and I like the feeling of being held in the palm of her hand."
"But she ran off to love someone else halfway through her relationship."
"I was unwilling to accept it and wanted to see which wild man had stolen her heart."
"Upon looking, I saw Ji Ying dancing gracefully in women's clothing."
"I met him once when I was a child. He was very down on his luck and could have died at any moment."
“A prince in a sorry state would naturally not attract my attention.”
"Unexpectedly, he grew up to be more and more handsome. His dance not only broke my sister's heart, but also mine."
"But regret is useless. Ji Ying and her elder sister are in love."
"I'm late."
"Regret is the most useless thing, but isn't regret the thing that people love to do? With each regret, I put myself in the role of my older sister."
"They really enjoyed their trysts. Ji Ying was a gentleman, and his sister was a dignified and virtuous lady from a noble family. Their trysts were actually quite boring; they would just sit together, drink tea, dance, recite poems, and paint."
"I'm so envious."
"Back then, I was just beginning to understand love, and I dreamed countless times of Ji Ying kissing me under the moonlight."
"When I woke up from the dream, I thought, if Ji Ying marries my elder sister as empress, it wouldn't be bad for me to be his concubine and serve him together with my elder sister."
"I don't want to leave my older sister, and I'm also obsessed with Ji Ying."
"It's a pity that Ji Yingying became empress, and I abandoned my three palaces and six courtyards for her alone. From that time on, I hated people who were devoted to one person."
Yan Qing laughed wantonly: "I treated you like a lover, but you treat me with the respect due to a mother."
"That's fine, we can still live together for a lifetime this way. If you don't know how, I'll teach you. If you're afraid to, I'll also teach you."
"If my elder sister and His Majesty were unaware of the truth, I would always cherish you as my precious darling."
“From the day I switched you, I envisioned many possibilities. One was to stay with you until we grow old. The other was to kill you when the truth could no longer be hidden, to take revenge on my sister, and to make Ah Si never forget me for the rest of his life.”
Wei Pingxi's knuckles turned white, then he suddenly laughed: "If the truth is revealed and I know nothing about it, what would you do if you wanted to kill me?"
She was asking about her death in a previous life.
Yan Qing hesitated for a moment: "If you really know nothing, I will not do it myself. I will find a way to use your brother to poison you."
She opened a packet of finely ground white powder and poured it into a teacup: "This poison is called Forget-Me-Not, and I prepared it especially for you."
Forget your worries, they dissolve in water, and steam rises from the water.
"Drink up."
She pushed the teacup towards her.
"I don't want to die."
You have no choice.
"Is the Old Ancestor of Suspended Yin one of your people?"
"Didn't you already guess?" Yan Qing said with a smile. "She's right outside the door. Do you want to see her?"
That one meeting meant death.
Drinking the medicine is death, and being beaten to death by Gu Chenzi is also death.
This was the dead end that Yan Qing had prepared for her.
Feeling emboldened and fearless, they completely disregarded their former "good daughter".
"Aren't you afraid I'll take you hostage and threaten her?"
"Go ahead and give it a try."
The one speaking was Gu Chenzi, who was standing outside the window.
Wei Pingxi sighed softly, "Do you think I'm a fool?"
Before the words were finished, a white shadow appeared in the wind.
"Trying to run?"
Gu Chenzi put his arm around Yan Qing's waist and disappeared in the blink of an eye using his light-footed skill.
The world's number one martial arts master abducted his wife from the mansion, followed by twelve powerful Xuan Yin Sect protectors. Wei Hanqing appeared from around the corner, his brows furrowed as if he wanted to crush a fly.
Flowing Clouds Hunting Ground.
Yu Zhi stayed by the Empress's side.
Wei Pingxi flew swiftly for a hundred miles, then used his Compassionate Magic to directly enter the sixth level of the third realm.
"Your martial arts have improved greatly; I underestimated you." Gu Chenzi put Yan Qing down and ordered in a deep voice, "Protect the lady well."
"Yes, Sect Master!"
The twelve guardians formed a circle around Yan Qing.
A hundred experts had been waiting behind Wei Pingxi for a long time.
A hundred people spoke in unison, their voices booming like thunder: "By order of His Majesty, please invite the Old Ancestor of Suspended Yin into the urn!"
Chapter 71 I Want to Subdue Demons
"Please, Ancestor Xuanyin, enter the urn—"
The sky was overcast, a long wind rose, and the sound carried far.
The ministers who had accompanied the emperor were buzzing with discussion. Inside the luxurious tent at the Flowing Cloud Hunting Ground, Yu Zhi's heart skipped a beat: "Your Majesty, is it Xi Xi who has arrived?"
It's her.