Clouds Drunk, Moon Slightly Sleeping

Chapter 90

"Master." Although Ye Feng did not agree, his tone was clearly hesitant.

"Xiao Ye, just let me get closer. I won't show up unless Xiao Bai is alright, okay?"

He looked at me, hesitated for a moment, and finally put his arm around me and strode forward.

Night Wind and I hid behind a clump of flowers and trees not far from the palace gate. We weren't too far away, and I could basically see the figures in front of us. Some people had already dispersed, leaving only Fox, Li Fu, Fox's two guards, and Little White. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I vaguely saw that Fox and Little White seemed to be arguing.

"Moon." Almost at the same time that the night wind pulled me behind him, Yunfeng's voice came from behind us.

"Brother, what brings you here?" I could only temporarily put the fox and Little White aside, tugged at Nightwind's sleeve, and asked softly.

"I haven't seen Yue'er come back for a while, I'm a little worried. Is Yue'er alright now?" He ignored the night breeze in front of me and walked straight towards me.

"Yes, I feel much better."

"Then come back with me." Yunfeng said as he reached out to take my hand, but Yefeng brushed it away.

I was startled and quickly ran to Ye Feng, stopping him as I said to Yun Feng, "Brother, I have some things to do. I'll come find you right away."

"Yue'er, come back with me now. This is not something you should be involved in." After saying that, Yunfeng took my hand and walked towards the banquet.

This time, Ye Feng didn't stop him. Perhaps it was because of the fox's instructions earlier. If I could stay away from the palace gates, that would be better than anything else.

"master!"

It was Xiaobai's voice, louder and slightly hoarse than ever before, but I was sure he was calling me.

"Brother, let go of me." I tried to break free from Yunfeng's grasp, but he held my hand tightly, refusing to loosen his grip. I tried to stop, but for the first time, Yunfeng disregarded my wishes and dragged me forward. I stumbled along, following Yunfeng's steps, while glancing back towards the palace gate. I saw Yunbai seemingly heading towards me, but he was stopped by Fox's two guards. The three of them fought, and Yunbai retreated as if easily defeated.

"Night Wind, help me pull my brother away!" I shouted to Night Wind, who had been following me.

Night Wind stepped forward as ordered, while Cloud Wind looked at me with surprise and disbelief. I took the opportunity to break free and said to Cloud Wind urgently, "Brother, Little White not only helped me, but also saved my life. I can't turn a blind eye to this."

After saying that, I immediately ran towards the palace gate, only to hear Yunfeng shouting behind me, "Yue'er, come back quickly!"

But I had already run into their line of sight. Perhaps because of Xiaobai, Fox had kept the others at bay, so no one came out to stop me. When I ran up to them, panting, they all seemed a little stunned.

"Qianqian?" The fox grabbed me, its eyes narrowed dangerously as it glanced at me, then looked up at the direction of the night wind and cloud wind behind me.

But I couldn't care less about all that; all I saw was Little White, who was clearly injured.

"Little White, are you injured?" I broke free from the fox's hand and went straight to Yun Bai. He was holding his chest with one hand, his face was an unusual pale and bluish-white, and there seemed to be blood at the corner of his mouth. But when he looked at me, his eyes were filled with joy.

"I'm fine, I just have something to give you." His voice sounded a little weak.

What? What is it? Why was Xiaobai injured? Yefeng seemed to say he was fine that day. Did Xiaobai encounter something else afterward? Is it related to what he was rushing back to Wangyue Palace that night to do?

I nodded and asked again, "Xiaobai, are you really alright? What do you need me for?"

“Master, I can’t give this to you in front of so many people. When I rushed back to the outskirts of Wangzhou City that day, you had already left.” He glanced at the people around him and said with a slightly cold tone.

"You may all step back," the fox said before I did.

"Your Majesty?" Not only Li Fu, but the two guards also looked at Xiao Bai with suspicion and asked nervously.

"Step back!" The fox's voice was unusually stern, and the others had no choice but to bow and retreat, leaving only the three of us.

"I don't want you to see this either." Xiaobai glanced at the fox, her expression complicated, but her voice had turned much colder.

"Insolence!" The fox pulled me to his side and said coldly to Yun Bai as well.

Xiao Bai didn't say anything, just looked at me, as if waiting for my response.

Xiao Bai is the one who saved me. Even after I confessed what I did to him, he rushed to save Xi Lan without hesitation when he saw that I was in trouble. Now he has come to the palace in such a hurry to give me something. I don't know if his injuries are related to this thing, but it must be very important to him.

"Big brother, could you please leave?" I looked up at the fox and asked cautiously.

"Qianqian!" He looked at me, then at Yunfeng, his face showing hesitation.

"Big brother, please trust me this once?"

He stared intently into my eyes, finally nodding. He looked up at Yun Bai without speaking, but his gaze sent a chill down my spine. I had never seen such a cold and sharp look in a fox's peach blossom eyes before.

"Master, please come with me to the Feather Palace," Little White said, ignoring the fox and looking only at me.

Yuhuang Palace? Yuhuang, isn't that Xiaobai's real name?

"No!" Before I could even speak, the fox spoke first.

Xiao Bai just looked at me, his lips moved but he didn't say a word. His eyes were filled with deep sorrow, just like when I first saw him, with a hint of despair.

"Let me go with him. He saved me and Xilan. I'll be fine."

I looked at the fox and spoke with unwavering conviction. The fox might not trust Little White, but I couldn't.

The fox squinted at me, then glanced at Little White beside me. After a long while, it finally gripped my hand tightly and said softly, "I've got people guarding outside Yuhuang Palace. Just call out if you need anything."

I nodded, then gestured for Xiaobai to lead the way. We walked in silence. Besides Xiaobai and me, a few other people followed behind us. Xiaobai didn't seem to mind. After nearly two years, he had returned to the palace. What were his feelings now? While I couldn't fully empathize, I could at least understand. So I didn't initiate conversation, simply following him towards the west side of the palace.

After walking for nearly ten minutes, Xiaobai finally stopped. I stopped as well, looked up, and saw the three large characters "Yuhuang Palace" faintly glowing with a dark golden light under the dim glow of the palace lanterns. Only two guards stood watch outside the palace gates; looking inside, it was pitch black. Two years ago, this would have been the liveliest place in the entire palace, wouldn't it?

The two guards were startled when they saw Xiaobai, momentarily flustered about whether they should bow. Fortunately, Li Fu came out in time and dismissed them, then instructed someone to light candles in Yuhuang Palace. I took the palace lantern from Li Fu and followed Xiaobai inside. The rest of the people stayed outside, including the fox, who stood far away in the shadows, his figure indistinct in the night, yet I could feel his gaze fixed on me.

The once magnificent and resplendent Yuhuang Palace now exudes a sense of desolation.

“Xiaobai…” I began hesitantly.

I thought he would be moved by his emotions, or at least pause for a moment, but he didn't. He just walked forward, across the rather large courtyard, and straight to the row of rooms. When I called him, he didn't answer. He just stood in front of the room in the middle, and then, as if he hesitated, his hand trembled slightly as he gently pushed the door open. The creaking sound was particularly abrupt in the quiet Yuhuang Palace.