Xuanyuan Han hurriedly reined in his horse and stopped, saying, "It is indeed so! Cheng Liang, quickly bring me the portrait of the guardian that I have reassembled and copied."

Nowadays, Xuan Yuanhan's behavior has become more and more calm and reserved, and even his skills in calligraphy and painting have become more and more profound. The figures he paints are peerless in their demeanor, with flowing clothes and a composed air, which is even better than Lu Xian's.

Cheng Liang stepped forward and slowly unfurled the scroll. Lu Tianlin was immediately stunned and exclaimed, "Your Highness's portrait is painted with exquisite detail, capturing both form and spirit, so lifelike! It's truly astonishing!"

However, Xuanyuan Han only spoke up coldly, asking, "I never expected the guardian to be a woman with such unparalleled beauty. But where could such a celestial being have gone?"

"This person is both far away and right before your eyes, Your Highness, please take a look!"

As Lu Tianlin spoke mysteriously, he reached out and grabbed his sleeve to cover the face of the portrait, revealing only the area above the eyes.

Xuanyuan Han was stunned by the scene before him: "This is...this is...it's Yun'er!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang also leaned closer in astonishment to take a closer look, then looked at Xuan Yuanhan's face and said, "No wonder Your Highness always felt that these eyes were very familiar. It turns out that these are Miss Yi's eyes."

Lu Tianlin nodded to the two of them, then took a deep breath and slowly began to speak: "Your Highness, there are rumors circulating in the western part of Xiqin City that the eldest daughter of the Yi family is no ordinary person. She was in a coma for a year before she was able to wake up because she was protected by the power of the phoenix. It is said that on the night she woke up, a seven-colored phoenix phantom appeared in the sky above the Yi family mansion, and also..."

Xuan Yuanhan already knew everything Lu Tianlin had said. He just hadn't expected the truth to be like this.

Lu Tianlin's words continued to echo in his ears, but Xuan Yuanhan stared blankly at his mouth, which was moving as if he couldn't hear what he was saying at all: "Therefore, Father deduced that Miss Yi is very likely a descendant of the long-lost vampire clan and a descendant of the guardian of Western Qin. That's why, after learning that Miss Yi was missing, he asked Tianlin to stay in the south of the city to help His Highness search for her."

"This is truly something that seems so far away, yet so close at hand!" Clearly, Xuan Yuanhan was stunned by this result.

Lu Tianlin, however, remained excited and continued to testify: "According to the information that Tianlin and his father have collected over the years, the blood of the vampire royal family all inherits the unique bloodline of their ancestors, which can cure all kinds of poisons in the world. At first, Tianlin was somewhat skeptical, but after witnessing Miss Yi's maid Yan'er come back to life, how else could it be explained except that Miss Yi's vampire blood dripped onto her wound and cured her poison?"

"How could this be?" Xuan Yuanhan's face was already grim, his fists clenched tightly. In his incredulous eyes, he seemed to be trying hard to suppress the extremely complicated emotions he was experiencing.

That strong yet stubborn, kind and brave, seemingly fearless, delicate little figure suddenly appeared before his eyes. Scenes from their past, her every smile and frown, her gentle tenderness, her sadness and helplessness, everything about her began to churn in his mind.

At this moment, Lu Tianlin, who had suddenly stopped, seemed to have thought of something again, and said seriously, "Actually, there is another point that can prove it. Your Highness can ask Yi Shangkun to confess honestly and see if Yi Shangyun is really his biological daughter. There must be something fishy going on in the Yi family. I believe we can find out by asking!"

Xuanyuan Han paused for a moment, then said coldly, "No need to ask anymore, Yun'er... she is indeed not Yi Shangkun's biological daughter."

"What? Then she is very likely to be..." Lu Tianlin's eyes widened instantly, extremely surprised.

However, Xuan Yuanhan then added quietly, "Not only that, Yun'er is also the savior I met when I was young, the only bloodline left in this world after I risked my life to fall off a cliff."

Upon hearing this, the three of them fell silent in shock, as if even the surrounding air had frozen, and an unusual aura was quietly spreading and dissipating.

Along the road leading to Xiqin, meandering streams flow on both sides, shimmering in the bright moonlight. Occasionally, a few apricot blossom petals drift away with the current.

The pink and white apricot blossoms, the pale yellow forsythia, and the emerald green willow leaves create a gentle and enchanting scene, with spring in full bloom everywhere, yet no one seems to appreciate it.

In their eyes, the soft night seemed to have instantly become as dark and profound as their own complicated emotions.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Tianlin frowned deeply as he looked at Xuan Yuanhan's face, his expression grave. He spoke solemnly, "So, Your Highness, for the grand cause of unifying this continent, you really... want to deal with Miss Yi? Otherwise, according to the rumors of the Guardians' immense mysterious power, we will never be able to defeat Emperor Jing, let alone the entire Lingkong. Right now, Miss Yi seems unaware of her true identity. If Your Highness intends to act, you must do so soon! If she learns everything, she will surely side with Emperor Jing to fulfill her mission and turn against us. At that time, I fear..."

Lu Tianlin's words came to an abrupt end, but everyone already knew what was going to happen next.

Just then, Xuan Yuanhan's already cold and stern face grew even darker. Suddenly, he shouted "Giddy up!" and, looking at the road ahead, spurred his horse and galloped away. He seemed to be deep in thought, or perhaps he wasn't thinking about anything at all.

Lu Tianlin gazed at the road ahead, watching Xuan Yuanhan's departing figure kick up clouds of dust. He reluctantly bid farewell to Cheng Liang: "General Cheng Liang, please take good care of His Highness. Tianlin and Father are now under close surveillance by the palace, and they also have spies within the Western Qin Academy. Otherwise, Emperor Jing wouldn't have known so quickly that Father had completed the restoration of the Guardian's portrait. It seems we must be even more cautious in the future. We are about to enter the Western Qin territory. Emperor Jing must have many spies there. Please convey to His Highness that whatever His Highness decides, Tianlin and Father will always follow him, ready to serve at any time, even unto death. Farewell, General. Take care, until we meet again!"

"Until we meet again, Young Master Lu, please take care in all things!" Cheng Liang then clasped his hands in farewell before hurriedly leading his men to catch up with his master.

That night, in the Fenghua Palace of Xuanyuan Yue, the imperial palace of the Western Qin Dynasty, the lights were dim.

The beams were made of sandalwood from the cloud-topped mountains, and the curtains were made of pearls. A pinkish-purple silk canopy hung beside the six-foot-wide agarwood bed, embroidered with begonia flowers sprinkled with pearls and silver threads. When the wind blew, the silk fluttered, as if one were floating in a cloud-covered mountain or a dreamlike sea.

Even lying in such a luxurious and comfortable bedchamber, Xuan Yuan Yue tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

"Jinlan, Jinlan!" Suddenly a shout rang out, waking the lazy maid who was slacking off at the gate in the dead of night from her sweet dream.

Upon hearing the sound, Jinlan suddenly woke up, hastily wiping the drool from the corners of her mouth. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, then stumbled to her feet, pushed open the door, and walked around a newly made screen depicting the moon and plum blossoms in winter. As she rushed to the bedside and lifted the curtain, she anxiously asked, "Your Highness, did you have a nightmare?"

"No, I don't know why, but I've always felt uneasy, as if something is about to happen. By the way... has Uncle Qin not come to court recently?" Xuan Yuan Yue asked worriedly as she got up from her bed with the help of her maid.

The maid helped Xuan Yuan Yue sit down, then poured her tea while replying, "It seems not yet! I heard that there are still some restless rebels on the southern border who are trying to take advantage of the situation to cause trouble, so His Highness Prince Qin personally led people to investigate. They are just some remnants of the rebels, nothing to worry about, Princess. Dealing with a few petty thieves is nothing to Your Highness Qin personally handle. However, His Highness Qin always does everything personally, no wonder he is so beloved by the people."

The maidservant presented a bowl of brightly colored, fragrant flower tea to Xuan Yuan Yue with both hands: "Princess, please try this new rose tea. I've heard it's the most popular tea among noble ladies in the capital recently. Look, these lovely roses even have golden edges!"

"Uncle Qin, he went to the south again? I wonder how the search for Yun'er is progressing? Unconsciously, so much time has passed. Could she really be..." Xuan Yuan Yue blankly accepted the tea handed to her by the maid, muttering to herself as if she were deep in thought, suddenly becoming at a loss, as if she had not heard what the maid said.

She took a sip of the tea in her hand, and suddenly came to her senses. She stared intently at the teacup and asked in surprise, "Hmm? This tea tastes different from usual! Is it a new batch? It doesn't have that faint bitterness it used to have. It's fresher and sweeter, and the aroma isn't too strong, but it has a sense of tranquility and peace."

As he spoke, he seemed to enjoy the taste and took another sip, his face beaming with delight.

Seeing this, the maid smiled, then tilted her head and teased mischievously, "What was the princess thinking about just now? Was it the plum tree that 'accompanies the moon' in the screen in the bedchamber that you see every day? You were really engrossed! I said so much about this tea, but the princess didn't hear a single word?"

"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting? I'll tear your mouth apart!" Xuan Yuan Yue suddenly sensed something was off about her words, so she glanced at the screen beside her and started to get up to pinch her ear.

The maidservant quickly pressed her back down, pleading, "I was wrong, I was wrong. This is from the Sihai Tea House. I heard it's a kind of tea that's recently become very popular among noble ladies in the capital. It can beautify the skin, calm the mind, relieve anxiety, and improve blood circulation. It's very beneficial for women!"

“‘Sihai Tea House’…I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it before?” Xuan Yuan Yue asked, frowning in confusion as she sipped her tea.