The two stared at each other for a long moment, then Mei Zhixuan took a deep breath and exhaled, saying, "That's right, I have heard the rumors about the guardians of Western Qin. It is said that they were the most loyal clan who followed the ancestors of Western Qin in expanding their territory, and for generations they swore to protect the emperor of Western Qin to the death. However, 18 years ago, due to an internal strife in Western Qin, the entire clan was wiped out, leaving only a 15-year-old orphan girl. It is said that she grew up to be as beautiful as a fairy, and the emperor of Western Qin was particularly fond of her, so he wanted to take her into the harem, but she unexpectedly fell off a cliff and died on the way to the palace. Taoist Master, if that is the case, then what does my Eastern Ning Kingdom have to fear? I was just about to present the results of the search for the guardians to my father."

“Oh, really? I originally thought that the Third Prince of Dongning would be different from those ordinary people in the world. I didn’t expect that the Third Prince would also believe that the guardian would disappear from this world so easily?” The Taoist priest in the green robe raised his eyebrows and said.

"Could it be... that the Taoist priest means..." Mei Zhixuan was stunned upon hearing this.

A moment later, he slowly lowered his eyes, thinking: The unspoken meaning behind the words of this mysterious old Taoist in green robes who suddenly appeared tonight is that the mysterious guardian of the Western Qin Kingdom is still alive.

Could it be... that someone in the Western Qin Kingdom deliberately spread the rumor that the Guardian is dead, hoping to lull the various kingdoms of Lingkong into a false sense of security, thus brewing a massive conspiracy...?

Thinking of this, Mei Zhixuan suddenly felt a pang in his heart, as if his heartbeat had stopped for a moment. He realized he had indeed been somewhat arrogant towards his rival, almost making a grave mistake.

He raised his eyes in alarm, staring intently at the face of the old Taoist priest in the green robe before him, pondering repeatedly: If what he said was true, and the guardian was still alive, then why had the Western Qin Kingdom suffered so many disasters in recent years, never again seeing the peace and prosperity of the past? If even this was a smokescreen used by the Western Qin Kingdom to deceive the outside world, then the price was far too high!

He carefully examined the seemingly insightful old Taoist priest in the green robe before him again and again, but considering his profound knowledge of the many secrets of the Dongning Kingdom's royal family, it didn't seem like he was deceiving him.

As the saying goes, "all's fair in war" and "caution is the best policy," it seems that all his plans are now forced to come to a standstill.

As he pondered, it seemed that he had already made a decision and a new plan in his heart. His thick eyebrows suddenly furrowed, and his large, well-defined hands clenched tightly.

At this moment, Mei Zhixuan could never have imagined that the various rumors and legends spread over the years about the guardians of Western Qin were actually the work of the old Taoist in green robes standing before him.

That year, the late emperor, misled by others, ignored the advice of his ministers and insisted on taking the orphan of the guardian as his concubine. On his way to the palace, he was tricked by treacherous people and accidentally fell off a cliff.

At first, he did indeed believe that the orphan had truly fallen to his death on the way to the palace. But later, after careful consideration, he thought that although the guardians were always passed down through a single lineage, their lineage was perpetual and could not have died so easily. He couldn't bear to accept such a cruel fact, so he went down to the bottom of the cliff to verify, and sure enough, he found no trace of the orphan's body.

So he sat alone at the bottom of the cliff for three days and three nights, racking his brains without sleep, and came up with the plan of "burning the boats and breaking the cauldrons".

Although it is a risky move, once this plan is discovered, other countries will swarm in to take advantage of the situation, and Western Qin will fall into a state of annihilation surrounded by enemies.

However, he believed that once this news broke, those who were extremely wary of this powerful force and all wanted to claim it for themselves would, for safety's sake, first investigate the source and veracity of the news. At this moment, it was as if all the forces across the entire Spirit Sky Continent were helping him search for the Guardian's whereabouts.

As he had expected, 'hard work pays off.' Seventeen years ago, one day, the orphaned guardian girl who had returned to Western Qin after hearing the news was now a woman about to give birth. Moreover, she had transformed into the powerful and noble Empress of the wealthy Dongning Kingdom. She came to his door with a large retinue and appeared before him at the City God Temple.

After questioning her, he learned that, by divine intervention, she had not died after falling off the cliff, but had lost her memory. She had ended up in Dongning with a merchant returning to his homeland, and with her extraordinary medical skills, she saved Dongning from a near-collapse caused by a plague. She earned the high praise and favor of the Dongning king, entered the palace, and received the highest honors a woman could receive.

That year, the Guardian overheard someone in the Dongning Imperial Palace discussing in court that the Guardians of Western Qin no longer existed and that the people of Western Qin were living in dire straits. For some reason, his mind suddenly seemed to explode, and then his memories abruptly returned.

However, after hearing this, the old Taoist in the green robe felt that she seemed to sense the heartfelt call of the Emperor of Western Qin in his moment of crisis, and she decided without hesitation to return and fulfill her mission to the death.

Therefore, disregarding her own safety and that of her unborn child, she traveled a long distance back to the Western Qin Kingdom to see the late emperor one last time.

Just as Mei Zhixuan was deep in thought, the old Taoist in the green robe suddenly chuckled and shook his head. Then he turned around and walked towards the Zen temple, muttering to himself, "The true dragon emerges from the sea, the spiritual realm is unified, the phoenix is ​​reborn from the ashes, life is death, and death is life."

"The true dragon emerges from the sea, the spiritual realm is unified, the phoenix rises from the ashes, reborn from the flames, life is death, and death is life." Upon hearing this, Mei Zhixuan silently repeated it to himself.

After a moment's thought, Mei Zhixuan suddenly volunteered, "Taoist priest, please perform a divination for this prince. This prince only wants to know..."

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his head, but the old Taoist in the green robe seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace.

Only silence surrounded them, the night as black as ink. Just then, the old Taoist in the green robe suddenly rang out again in a strange way: "Peach blossoms in the small shop are red and pink, willows on the street are green and wispy."

"‘Peach blossoms adorn the small shop, their pink petals gleaming; willows line the roadside, their green wisps like smoke.’ What do you mean by this, Daoist Master? I only wish to know the whereabouts of my Dongning Kingdom's legitimate princess, who was lost in Xiqin many years ago. I was blind to your greatness just now, and I apologize. I hope you will forgive me and guide me. I would be extremely grateful and willing to pay any price.” However, no matter how sincere and pleading he was, the old Daoist Master offered no further response.

Mei Zhixuan walked out of the City God Temple gate with his head down, a rare sight indeed.

Everything that had happened and heard tonight felt like a dream. As he walked, he pondered deeply.

When the guard saw him finally emerge, but his usually gentle and refined face now appeared unusually grim, he quickly stepped forward and cautiously asked, "Your Highness, what has happened?"

Upon hearing this, Mei Zhixuan snapped out of his reverie and asked, "Has the secret letter to Father regarding the final results of the search for the guardian of Western Qin been prepared?"

The guard said with delight, "It's all ready. Shall we send it out immediately? I'm sure His Majesty will no longer object to Your Highness's military expedition after reading it. We've waited far too long for this moment."

Mei Zhixuan let out a long sigh of relief and said, "It should be issued, but not this request to raise an army."

"What is that?" Upon hearing this, the guard immediately lost his smile and asked in surprise, stamping his foot.

Mei Zhixuan also stopped, turned to face the guard, gritted his teeth, and said, "Draft a new letter for Father Emperor, saying that this prince... agrees to marry the princess of Western Qin, and asks Father Emperor to make arrangements as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, the guard immediately raised his voice excitedly, "Your Highness, why is this? Marriage is a serious matter, not a game! Hasn't Your Highness always refused political marriages, preferring to remain single rather than settle for less? Even if you really want to find someone, you should at least find a powerful minister's daughter who can help Your Highness in court!"

"A powerful minister or noblewoman who can help this prince... No need to say more, just order someone to do it immediately, the sooner the better," Mei Zhixuan insisted silently.

He muttered to himself, "This princess is said to be Emperor Jing's darling, so she must know a lot about the guardians of the Western Qin emperor."

Mei Xiyuan has been in Western Qin for so long, yet she still doesn't know the whereabouts of the King of Western Qin. It seems that she is completely unreliable if it comes to accomplishing great things.

If it weren't for her interference and delay in obeying orders to cooperate in the search, the legitimate princess would not have suffered this calamity.

Hmph… Emperor of Western Qin, this princess practically delivered herself to my doorstep, so don't blame me for being impolite to her…

"Yes, I understand." He took the reins from the guard, climbed onto the horse with him, and galloped into the deep night of the city.

Just as the two rode away, another man emerged from the gates of the City God Temple. He wore a purple-red cotton robe, his long, black hair half-tied with an exquisite hairpin, with two slightly curled strands of hair hanging down at his temples, which he would occasionally dab at. He had a pair of warm, peach-blossom eyes, as gentle as a spring breeze, and exuded a captivatingly alluring and unrestrained charm.

He lifted the hem of his robe with one hand and hurriedly chased after her down the stone steps by the door. Standing in the middle of the road, he half-closed his bewitching peach blossom eyes and stared blankly at her back as she gradually disappeared into the night, muttering to himself.

When there was no longer any sign of movement or the clatter of hooves, he turned back to take a serious look at the plaque of the City God Temple, and then looked at the spot where the old Taoist in green robes had stood. He said, "Who is that old Taoist in green robes? He knows so many little-known things about the Spirit Dragon Continent. Obviously, he knows far more than that."

"The true dragon emerges from the sea, the spiritual realm is unified, the phoenix rises from the ashes, reborn from the flames, life is death, and death is life."

"The peach blossoms by the small shop are pink and beautiful, and the willows along the street are green and wispy."

The man muttered to himself...