Inside the solemn and dignified palace, the music ended and the guests dispersed, the unprecedented clamor finally drawing to a close. Now, the usual silence and quiet returned.

Bathed in the gentle, tranquil moonlight of the night sky, a soft breeze drifted in through the half-open window of the hall, as if soothing the turbulent emotions of the hall's master.

Cheng Liang silently took a white robe with cloud patterns from the side and carefully draped it over his head. Only then did he notice that after his master spat out a mouthful of blood, beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead, and his eyes seemed somewhat unfocused and dazed.

At this moment, his lowered face was full of frailty, yet he still clenched his fists tightly and supported himself on the edge of the bed, trembling incessantly, and even his breathing seemed to become rapid for a moment...

Seeing this, Cheng Liang said anxiously, "Is Your Highness feeling unwell? I will go find Physician Yue right away."

Just as he was about to turn around, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly reached out a long, slender hand with distinct knuckles that was supporting him on the edge of the bed and tightly grasped his arm. He remained silent with his head down, as if he was enduring an extremely unbearable pain in his body, or as if he was alone bearing and trying to calm down another huge blow to his heart.

In the vast bedroom, the master and servant remained silent for an unknown period of time. Finally, Xuan Yuanhan slowly released his hand from Cheng Liang's arm, and Cheng Liang immediately pressed the spot where he had grabbed him, seemingly in great discomfort.

Xuanyuan Han then raised his eyes, still speaking coldly and in a deep voice, "It's nothing. I was just momentarily overcome by a rush of blood and qi. I'll be fine after a rest."

"Then Your Highness should lie down and rest for a while. So much has happened recently, but no matter what, Your Highness must recover first." Seeing that he seemed to have finally come to his senses, Cheng Liang genuinely thought that his injuries had flared up suddenly, which was why he was in such a state. As he spoke, he hurriedly bent down and reached out to take off his shoes and socks.

Unexpectedly, Xuan Yuanhan quickly reached out and blocked him, placing one hand on his chest. He then slowly let out a sigh of relief, before suddenly shifting his gaze to Cheng Liang's face and asking with unusual determination, "Where is Yun'er? Is there any news about her?"

Xuanyuan Han had awakened, and Cheng Liang naturally had many things to report to him, such as: what happened after the events in the south of the city? And what was the real reason for the Empress Dowager's passing tonight, and what was the conspiracy between the Empress Dowager and Emperor Jing involved? What should be done with Lu Tianjiao? Of course, there was also the conspiracy about Dongning Kingdom that the maid in Yanqi Pavilion had just told him about, and so on and so forth…

Clearly, Cheng Liang never expected that his master, who had finally regained consciousness after being unconscious for so long, would be so eager to quell the events of the night, dismissing everyone in the palace with almost no punishment. And now, he was only concerned about Yi Shangyun's whereabouts.

This master is clearly no longer the wise prince who was once the one who "worried about the world's troubles before enjoying its pleasures," and whose only concern was the safety of the Western Qin land and the peaceful life of his people.

Even after learning tonight that his mother's sudden death was not an accident but a carefully planned conspiracy, he remained calm and indifferent.

Cheng Liang stared blankly at his master's face, which now felt completely unfamiliar to him, for a long, long time. Their eyes met, and Cheng Liang looked surprised. But looking at his master's unwavering and resolute gaze, it seemed that he was not allowed to evade or question him at this moment. But how should he answer him?

After a long pause, Xuan Yuanhan's gaze seemed to grow increasingly intense. Cheng Liang finally couldn't bear the relentless questioning in his eyes any longer, and could only ask haltingly, as if also feeling extremely reluctant, "Your Highness, do you really believe that Miss Yi... is she still alive?... On the night she fell off the cliff, there was thunder and lightning... a sudden downpour... the lake water was... so cold, and there was that rock on the lakeshore stained red with blood..."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan finally withdrew his gaze, but his brows, which had just seemed to have calmed down, suddenly furrowed again. He looked at a spot in the hall that had been silent for a long time, and said slowly in a deep voice, "I believe that she will live, and she will live well. Because she has not yet done what she promised me. She has never rightfully stepped through the gates of the Qin Prince's mansion. She is my person, protected by the ancestors of my Xuan Yuan royal family. Whether she lives or dies is up to me. Without my permission, she will absolutely not die, and no one dares to take her life, not even the heavens..."

Seeing that Xuan Yuanhan was so fixated on the slim chances of Yi Shangyun's survival, Cheng Liang couldn't help but worry, "But what if... after all, that night..."

"Shut up, there's no 'what if,' no..." But before he could finish speaking, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly stood up, turned his face to the side, and let out an unprecedentedly deafening, almost insane, stern shout at Cheng Liang, shutting out the rest of his words.

Clearly, although Xuanyuan Han said those words, how could he not be afraid? In fact, he was terrified. Only he himself knew how scared, anxious, and concerned he was about this woman.

This time, even someone as skilled in martial arts as herself was so badly injured, let alone Yi Shangyun. She was just a weak woman with no strength to even kill a chicken, yet every word Cheng Liang mentioned to her was an undeniable fact.

Then came another extremely heavy, almost suffocating silence. Suddenly, Xuan Yuanhan, holding his breath, burst out, "On the sixteenth day of the first month, if Yi Shangyun, the eldest daughter of Yi Shangkun of the Yi family in the west of the city, fails to report to the Qin Prince's Mansion on time, her portrait will be posted throughout the streets and alleys of every country in the Lingkong Continent to find her. Tell them that the Qin Prince's Mansion has lost a female physician. Anyone who can find her or provide useful information can come to me in person and make any demands."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang's eyes widened immediately, and he looked up at him in surprise, exclaiming, "Searching for people in various countries of the Spirit Sky Continent? Any conditions?"

"Yes, at any cost, I will find her safely." Xuan Yuanhan said with sharp eyes and unwavering determination.

However, Cheng Liang immediately looked worried and said, "But Your Highness, aren't you afraid of being questioned by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager? Leaving aside the fact that Miss Yi was requested for her by the Princess Consort from the palace, you, as the supreme and unparalleled Spirit Void War God, the unique and noble King of the Western Qin Kingdom, are going to such lengths to search the entire Spirit Void Continent for such an insignificant little healer. Aren't you afraid of being criticized by the world? In truth, Your Highness should know better than anyone how slim Miss Yi's chances of survival are in such harsh conditions; otherwise, you wouldn't have been so furious with your subordinates just now. Even if all of this ultimately proves futile, are you willing to become a laughingstock for the whole world? And what about the Empress and the Empress Dowager…?"

As Cheng Liang spoke, he seemed to dare not think any further.

However, Xuan Yuanhan seemed determined, gritted his teeth, turned around and looked into Cheng Liang's eyes, coldly and earnestly saying, "Cheng Liang, tonight, every word Lu Tianjiao uttered while I was unconscious in my bedchamber, every word I spoke, just like you, has been heard and etched into my heart, never to be forgotten. 'The hatred for killing one's mother is irreconcilable.' Remember this: from now on, in this entire Western Qin, in the entire Lingkong, and even in the entire world, I will no longer fear anyone or anything... except her."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang was completely stunned. "Your Highness, you really heard everything that happened tonight, you heard it all..."

Xuanyuan Han seemed to relax a little at this moment, his brows unfurrowing as he nodded to him and said softly, "I heard everything. In fact, I know everything. Although I can't open my eyes or speak, I've been able to clearly hear everything that's happening around me. To be honest, I'm quite puzzled. Although my skills are quite good, it's absolutely impossible for me to fall unharmed from such a nearly vertical cliff with almost no foothold. Moreover, when Yun'er and I were embracing each other as we fell, we were still above Tuoba Ze's guards. I truly can't understand it."

At this moment, Cheng Liang seemed to recall something as well. "When Physician Yue treated Your Highness, he also said that apart from the thorns that pricked you on the cliff edge, there was nothing else unusual about your body. He believed that Your Highness's coma was caused by some kind of mental block."

Xuan Yuanhan said sadly, "Indeed, after taking Young Master Yi's medicine, I did wake up for a while, but when I saw that Yun'er was gone, I became anxious, and it felt as if the whole sky had collapsed, as if my whole being had been instantly emptied out..."

"Perhaps it's the protection of the Dowager Consort in heaven. In any case, His Highness has finally woken up," Cheng Liang said with relief.

Xuanyuan Han, however, disagreed and silently walked to the table in the center of the hall and sat down. "No, actually, what brought me back to my senses was a few words that Zhang Mama whispered in my ear. I only opened my eyes after I heard those words."

"A few words?" Cheng Liang followed closely behind his master and stood beside him, asking in confusion.

Xuanyuan Han nodded, recalling the words as he repeated, "What Zhang Mama whispered in my ear was, 'The true dragon emerges from the sea, the spiritual sky is unified, the phoenix rises from the ashes, reborn from the flames, life is death, and death is life.' Not only that, I counted, and Zhang Mama repeated these words seventeen times. Finally, I woke up."

"These words don't seem to come from scriptures. Could they really have such great power? What does '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' mean?" Cheng Liang also repeated it once, but he looked completely bewildered.