Upon hearing what the guards said, Mu Beichen's face suddenly darkened, and his voice turned as cold as ice: "Hmph! A bunch of good-for-nothings, unable to even find a woman, yet they have the nerve to come back and report!"

The moment he finished speaking, no one saw his expression change like swirling dark clouds; the anger he had felt earlier had vanished in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly turning around and taking a step forward towards several guards, Mu Beichen's voice was low and deep: "How has she been lately?"

The guard cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, the Empress's condition is not optimistic, and is even worse than before. The only thing we can do now is to find an antidote..."

Finding Su Ruan and the antidote are the only ways to help Yu Qianqian recover as soon as possible. Otherwise... he doesn't know what he should do after losing her.

Mu Beichen sat in his seat all night for Yu Qianqian's sake. The next day, he had no choice but to put aside all his affairs, big and small, and carefully disguised himself. He left the imperial study and the palace quietly and traveled alone over mountains and valleys, just to find the antidote to prolong the life of his beloved.

As dawn broke, Mu Beichen, dressed as a young gentleman in blue robes, led several bodyguards disguised as attendants and searched the city and the nearby mountains at lightning speed, turning every possible place where Su Ruan might appear upside down.

However, no one has ever recognized his face along the way.

The realm beyond the mundane world, Lingxi Cliff.

A fierce wind rose from the vast plains, howled across the distant, continuous mountain range, and then seemed to abruptly cease in that instant.

Below, at the foot of the cloud cliffs, a landscape of lakes and mountains stretches into the distance. Two steep cliffs stand like pillars supporting the sky on the distant horizon, dividing the area below into a narrow mountain stream. The Yangtze River flows through the center of the five continents, passing through two canyons that lead to the Northern You Kingdom and the Jiang Lan Kingdom.

This place is located outside the borders of the Ten Kingdoms, and faces the Cloud Sea Immortal Pavilion in the distance. It is a secluded and unparalleled place.

After escaping from the palace, Su Ruan was secretly escorted to the outskirts of the Northern You Kingdom. She stayed in this secluded place for several days. Although she managed to escape a calamity, she was still unwilling to give up the phoenix position that was originally within her grasp.

Before her, the towering cliffs were reflected on the water, stretching for several feet, and her sorrowful face, with her hands supporting her cheeks, was also clearly reflected in the shimmering blue water.

Suddenly turning around, Su Ruan picked up a pebble from the shore and threw it into the water, instantly shattering the shimmering surface and stirring up even more silvery waves on the river.

She raised her hand to brush off the hem of her skirt, which was wet from the river, and her pretty face suddenly darkened. She turned her gaze to the attendant beside her and said irritably, "Hmph! It's all Qi Xuan's fault for taking it upon himself to send this princess to such a godforsaken place. Now it will be no easy task to return the way we came."

The attendant looked up in alarm and quickly interjected, trying to persuade her: "Princess, please calm down. For your safety, we can only ask you to stay here for a few days. If there is any trouble in the palace, Young Master Qi Xuan will inform you immediately."

"I don't care what Qi Xuan thinks. You have three days to take me away. Otherwise, I will leave this wretched place on foot!" Su Ruan said, then turned and walked away in no time.

As she walked, she pondered that the only way now was to find a way to hasten Yu Qianqian's death from the poison, ideally before Mu Beichen found the antidote, so that she could seize the opportunity and take over the position of queen of the country.