Une aura glaçante

Chapitre 93

A moment later, the door opened, and several soldiers walked out dejectedly, followed by several panicked maids. The leading soldier summoned a large group of men, "Find them quickly!"

The soldiers looked at each other, asking, "What are you looking for?"

"The Queen's national treasure has gone missing."

Everyone was shocked and quickly scattered to search.

Chonghua looked at Youyou, as if asking, "What is the Imperial Jade Treasure?"

Youyou smiled and reached out, taking out a jade pendant of emerald green hanging around her neck. By the moonlight, Xue Beifan and Chonghua could see that the jade was crystal clear, green and moist, and carried an indescribable spiritual energy—truly a fine jade.

Neither Xue Beifan nor Chonghua understood how Youyou managed to take the jade pendant out of the palace.

Youyou pointed to her shoes, and the two immediately understood. It's true, even the most honest woman has a clever side.

Xue Beifan asked Youyou in a low voice, "Why did she fly into a rage when she couldn't find the jade pendant?"

Youyou answered softly, "This jade pendant is just as important as the jade seal of you Central Plains people. When my mother was leaving, she took it off from her neck and gave it to me, telling me not to tell anyone and to hide it in my shoe."

Xue Beifan was slightly taken aback. So, Youyou's mother hadn't been unaware that someone might be plotting to usurp her throne. Why didn't she warn her daughter? It would have spared her so much suffering...

Chonghua then reminded Xue Beifan, "The Imperial Preceptor is not here."

Xue Beifan understood what Chonghua meant and smiled, "They're not a couple, so it's normal that they're not together."

Seeing that he was still being stubborn, Chonghua stopped talking.

At this moment, the room fell silent. Xue Beifan and Chonghua were wondering what had happened when they heard a calm and indifferent voice from inside, "No need to look anymore, we've found it."

Several soldiers turned around, and the general also turned around.

The Queen stood at the door. "Disperse, everyone. Prepare for tomorrow's competition."

"Yes!" The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. They had felt that the Queen was acting strangely these past few days, but she seemed to have recovered today.

After the guards had all left, Xue Beifan thought the opportunity was good and was about to go down when Youyou grabbed his sleeve.

Youyou frowned and shook her head, seemingly confused. "Something's not right again."

Just then, a voice came from inside the house, "Youyou? Are you nearby?"

Youyou was startled and was about to go down, but Xue Beifan and Chonghua quickly stopped her, as if to say—how could she have noticed?

Youyou waved her hand, "Don't be afraid, that's not the Grand Steward!"

The two were puzzled. "Who is that?"

"My mother!" Youyou exclaimed excitedly, sliding down the roof. Xue Beifan and Chonghua were also surprised by the unexpected turn of events, but they followed her down.

Inside the room, vases and kettles were smashed to pieces on the floor. A woman sat at the table drinking tea, with several guards behind her and a woman bound hand and foot kneeling at her feet—the head steward.

The woman sitting at the table was not wearing a veil and looked very young and stunningly beautiful.

"Mother!" Youyou was both surprised and delighted. The woman sitting at the table was clearly the true queen of Ghost City. She looked to be in good spirits and beckoned to Youyou. "Come here."

Youyou ran over, and the Queen pulled her to her side, saying, "I've made you suffer in your mother's place."

Youyou shook her head repeatedly, and seeing that the Grand Steward had already been executed, she immediately said, "Mother, the Imperial Advisor was also involved..."

"Mother knows." The Queen nodded, glancing at the two men behind Youyou. She looked Xue Beifan and Chonghua up and down, seemingly evaluating them carefully. Finally, the Queen looked away and asked Youyou, "My dear girl, which of these two men is your sweetheart?"

Youyou was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook her head, her face flushed, "No, Mother! It wasn't them..."

"Oh?" The Queen raised an eyebrow sharply. "So, you really have someone you like? Your father was absolutely right. To get someone you like, you'd have to kick them out of the house first."

With a blush, Youyou asked softly, "Did you find Dad?"

The Queen smiled. "We found him, but he escaped again."

"How could this be..."

"Let's leave that aside for now," the Queen sighed softly, looking down at the chief steward. "I'll lock this traitor up for now, and tomorrow I'll show you a good show."

Xue Beifan and Chonghua vaguely felt that perhaps this was a scheme devised by the Queen. What was the purpose of all this elaborate plan?

...

Meanwhile, Xiaodao and Xiaoyue secretly arrived at the courtyard where the three members of the Beihai Sect were staying. The three were gathered in the study, discussing tomorrow's competition, and... listening to Qin Ke speak ill of Xiaodao.

Xiao Dao lay on the roof, his face contorted in a grimace, as if he were being scolded and couldn't retaliate, feeling utterly stifled. Inside the house, Qin Ke was calling her "thief" and "little slut" over and over again, thoroughly enjoying herself.

The three then talked about Wang Bibo, seemingly distrusting him.

Xiao Dao was getting sleepy after listening for a long time. Xiao Yue looked at her, as if to say, "Should we leave?"

Just as Xiao Dao was about to nod, he saw the Imperial Advisor arrive outside the courtyard.

The two were overjoyed; there was indeed more to the story, and they were glad they had come.

The arrival of the Imperial Advisor surprised the three people in the room. Xue Xing got up to greet him, knowing that he was also a participant in the competition, but he didn't know what his purpose was in coming here.

The Imperial Advisor didn't mince words and got straight to the point, saying he wanted to make a deal with the Beihai Sect. The Imperial Advisor would help Xue Xing become the Ghost King, and in return, Xue Xing would promise to let him visit the Beihai Crystal Palace someday.

Xiao Dao found this odd—when exactly is "later"? That's too vague. Whether the Crystal Palace in Beihai even exists is probably only known to Xue Beihai. Besides, what's the point of just taking a look? It won't cost him anything. Who would believe he'd help someone choose the Ghost King for something so trivial!

Xue Xing and the others weren't fools; they felt that the Imperial Advisor had made a rather unprofitable deal.

The Imperial Advisor noticed the three men's confusion and simply smiled faintly. "Gentlemen, I am proficient in divination and propose this trade because I believe I will not suffer any loss. However, what I am interested in has absolutely nothing to do with your power struggles or your dominance of the martial arts world. Therefore, this is a mutually beneficial deal for all three of you. I hope you will consider it carefully."