Chapter 99 The journey began in early spring (End of Volume Three...)

On the third day of the second lunar month, the Spring Search for the Classics takes place.

The sky seemed to darken suddenly, even though it looked as clear as ever today. But there was always a hint of tension in the air.

"...Your Highness."

Jiang Heng touched Wei Jingchen's lower back with concern.

Her Highness seemed a little off when she returned last night. She and her sister changed their clothes without saying a word, then turned and went to the Second Prince's tent. The two of them did not allow anyone else to enter, and they barely slept all night. Their figures, sitting at their desks, were reflected in the tent, their lips moving as the candles on the table burned out one after another.

It wasn't until dawn that His Highness returned to his residence, but he was still preoccupied and even after the spring search began, he showed little interest, completely unlike his former self who wanted to compete with His Majesty for attention in front of the Princess.

"Jing Chen".

Wei Jingchen snapped out of his daze and looked in the direction where her name had been called. He saw Wei Yun'e standing on the command platform of Qixia Terrace, looking very concerned.

"What's wrong, Jingchen?"

Aunt... no, she should be called Wuma Yi now. Wei Jingchen pursed her lips slightly, her feelings extremely complicated, unable to describe exactly what she was feeling. It was like a huge boulder stuck between two narrow mountains, unable to fall, and unable to go back.

Fortunately, that person wasn't there.

But where was that person? And what had become of Lin Chengye? She had so many questions, but no one to ask.

"Didn't sleep well last night? You look exhausted," the person on the platform continued.

"Your Majesty, I am fine. It was just that there were strange phenomena in the sky last night, and I was awakened in the middle of the night and could not fall back asleep."

She didn't believe the man was asleep. The clouds were tinged with blood red, and terrifying loud noises rang out from time to time. Even Wei Jingyu's face turned pale upon hearing the sounds. Not to mention the accompanying officials.

But she was even less convinced that he knew nothing. Wei Jingchen forced a smile, returning a strained, insincere one.

What are you pretending for?

"...His Majesty asked you and His Highness the Crown Prince to each shoot an arrow. His Highness the Crown Prince has finished, it's your turn," Jiang Heng said in a low voice.

An arrow struck the bullseye. Wei Jingrui, standing beside her, held a bow. He looked much better than before, no longer as pale. He adopted the air of an elder brother and urged her on.

"Jingchen, hurry up!"

"...Bring me my Lan Chen Bow."

Actually, she was more skilled with a bow than a sword. In the past, she would have definitely put in her best effort to compete with Wei Jingrui, but this time, Wei Jingchen found it extremely boring for the first time.

She had so desperately wanted to prove her abilities to the Emperor and the Princess, but now she was being told that one was a fake, and the other was nothing but an incompetent man. And Wei Jingrui was merely a pawn used by the fake.

She could no longer feel any awe for anyone surnamed Wei, yet she was worried about the future of the Lai Kingdom.

Wei Jingchen took the bow and arrow from Jiang Heng with little interest, casually drew the bow to its full extent, and shot an arrow. But the arrow didn't even hit the target, instead whizzing and embedding itself in the wall to the side. Wei Jingchen raised his hand at Wei Jingrui, giving a perfunctory reply.

"I am naturally no match for His Highness the Crown Prince."

Wei Jingrui felt a little annoyed. He didn't understand why Wei Jingchen suddenly seemed like a different person. Although she spoke respectfully, she clearly didn't take him seriously at all.

"Alright, Jingchen must be tired." Wei Yun'e coughed twice, covering his mouth, and Liu Yue immediately stepped forward to drape a thick robe over him. He raised his hand and waved his sleeve, announcing.

"The hunt begins!"

The spring breeze swept across the vast grasslands and dense forests of the royal hunting grounds, turning them a tender green in just a few days; everything should have been a scene of flourishing prosperity.

Wei Jingchen mounted her horse, but instead of flying off like an arrow like the young noblemen, she stared blankly at the horizon. The blood-red clouds of last night had been replaced by a clear blue sky and soft white clouds, as if last night had been nothing but her overthinking.

Wei Jingchen gripped the horse's reins tightly, her nails digging deep into her flesh. Countless questions swirled in her mind, but only two people could answer them…

What happened after she left? Who won and who lost? Why did they both disappear without a trace?

...

The wind was strong today, and Wei Yun'e walked down from the high platform without stopping. Instead, he returned to his tent wearing a thick robe. However, when Liu Yue tried to follow him, she was stopped outside.

Wei Yun'e lowered the heavy curtain of the tent, glanced at Liu Yue, and whispered.

"From now on, don't let anyone in."

Liu Yue's shoulders trembled, and he nodded haphazardly. He didn't even dare to open his eyes, but just the half-step he took closer had allowed him to smell the strong stench of blood coming from the tent.

The curtain fell, and the light, which was less than two people wide, became a thin line an inch long, falling on the hem of the person sitting in the center of the tent, whose clothes were already stained red, and passing through the person's dark eyes.

"...You actually have a moment of such disarray."

Wei Yun'e sneered, standing three steps away from the man. His hands, which had been hanging by his sides, slowly clenched into fists, and excitement flashed in his eyes.

"Isn't this what you wanted to see? If you hadn't deliberately demoted Wei Jingchen out of the palace when I was promoted to a half-immortal and had no time to attend to things, there wouldn't have been so much trouble."

Wang Yi rested her fingers on her forehead and slowly exhaled. Her body was almost entirely stained red, and it was impossible to tell whose blood it was, but there were two deep, bone-revealing sword wounds on her shoulder and side.

"Yes, seeing you like this..."

"Bian Yi is still a formidable child, but unfortunately, he has molted himself and is likely to die."

Wei Yun'e was interrupted before he could finish speaking. Wang Yi glanced at him and sneered.

"But what does that have to do with you? You don't think you're so great, do you? Or do you think you've finally gotten your way with me?"

Wei Jingchen so astutely seized such a tiny opportunity to rebel, and her past was actually deeply intertwined with the martial arts world; there must have been someone from the martial arts world advising her. Wang Yi had a hunch that A-Ye, whom she had previously disregarded…

And Bian Yi, that child, has indeed grown up. Wang Yi frowned, pinched the bridge of his nose, and finally tilted his head, giving Wei Yun'e a few glances.

"Back when we were conquering the world, it was good that you were surnamed Wei, but now, which of you Wei descendants is any good? Is it Wei Jingrui, whom I could make betray you with just a few words?"

She watched as Wei Yun'e's face flushed red from his words, then he laughed a few times, finding it all meaningless, and stopped looking at him. Blood welled up in her throat, so she spat it out onto the edge of her shoe, where it burst open like a blood-red plum blossom.

She should have been in a sorry state, but if someone were to peek into the tent at this moment, they would only think that Wei Yun'e standing to the side looked like her attendant, or even a servant.

Wang Yi propped his head up with his fingers, looking at the light shining through the curtain, no longer paying attention to anything inside the tent.

There was really nothing worth caring about here, let alone the emperor who needed her help to ascend the throne. Thinking of this, Wang Yi suddenly smiled and shook his head.

It's ironic that Heaven gave her innate ambition, yet refused to grant her the surname Wei.

She slowly opened her mouth again.

"...The only interesting one is that it still carries the blood of my master."

...

Lin Chengye finally saw Bian Yi, just before dawn that night, as Qin Ruoliu finished telling her the story of the past.

A thought struck her, and when she looked up, she saw blood-stained clothes emerging from the clouds alongside the light. The person she cared about was tattered and stumbling towards them, but anyone with eyes could see that he was barely clinging to life.

"See, I was right. As long as she's alive, she'll come looking for you two." Qin Ruoliu followed her gaze and smiled faintly.

Lin Chengye frantically reached out and gently embraced Bian Yi as if catching a feather. But the man still fell to the ground like a broken string of pearls, clutching the broken Liaochen sword tightly in his hand.

She had clearly come to Linjun Mountain on her last breath. As Lin Chengye frantically laid her flat on the ground, Bian Yi's lips moved slightly, and he mouthed something in Qin Ruoliu's direction.

Thanks.

"The injury is too severe." Qin Ruoliu squatted down and checked Bian Yi's breathing, which was very weak.

"How...how can we save her? Where can we go..."

For the first time, Lin Chengye felt so panicked. She wanted to cover the wounds on the man's body with her hands, but she didn't know where to start. The piece of flesh that had been gouged out of his chest pierced her with pain, as if her heart was aching along with it.

She looked at Qin Ruoliu and asked again.

"How can we save her?"

"...She'll definitely die if this continues. The worm is connected to her heart. She's still alive only because of the miraculous power of 'Spring Breeze and Rain' that prolongs her life." Qin Ruoli paused, then suddenly looked towards the misty north and said.

"Go to Northern Yan. The Golden Double-Corn Poisonous Herb, one of the two legendary medicines that can revive the dead, is in the Northern Yan royal family. That's the only way."

"good."

Lin Chengye didn't hesitate at all. She knew how unlikely it was to ask the Northern Yan royal family for the divine medicine, and how could they possibly hand it over to a mere江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world)?

But even if the chance is small, she'll still give it a try.

"There's no need to be so bitter and resentful. Aren't she and Tuoba Sui old friends? She shouldn't just stand by and watch someone die," Qin Ruoliu said.

An old friend? I don't think I've heard Bian Yi mention him before... Lin Chengye paused, then suddenly widened his eyes in disbelief.

"Wait, could it be... that A-Sui is Tuoba Sui?"

"How would I know what they call each other in private? Probably."

In her hazy state of consciousness, Bian Yi heard Lin Chengye and Qin Ruoliu talking. The voices seemed to be right next to her ears, yet also seemed to be coming from a very far place.

She heard a familiar name: Tuoba Sui.

She suddenly remembered that person's departure without saying goodbye, and then one day she heard that Tuoba Sui had become a demigod.

To this day, that person has never explained a single reason to her, nor offered a single word of greeting. Why did he leave, and how did he become a demigod? Tuoba Sui seems to have completely abandoned her identity as A Sui from her travels, and discarded her friends in the martial world, devoting himself solely to being the Prince of Qin of Northern Yan.

She had complained before, and didn't understand why Tuoba Sui acted this way, so in her youth, she stubbornly refused to ask. Over time, she and Tuoba Sui lost all contact.

But now she finally understood that after becoming a demigod, she no longer dared to visit Fang Yanzhou or Guan Yuenan. It wasn't that she didn't want to.

"Chai Hu Nan, send Bian Yi back to Jiang Jin Alliance. I will set off for Bei Yan immediately."

Lin Chengye made a decisive decision. Suddenly, a hoarse and weak voice rang out.

“…I’ll go too, I’ll go with you.”

“But your injury… no, it’s too risky.” Lin Chengye looked down and saw Bian Yi’s eyes, which were barely open and whose fingertips could not move. His nose tingled with emotion.

"Do you know how far Northern Yan is from here?" Qin Ruoliu couldn't help but interject.

"...I know what I'm doing. I won't die. Wang Yi isn't dead, and neither am I."

Lin Chengye saw Bian Yi smile gently at her, tug at her sleeve with his fingers, and make her lean down, speaking softly and gently.

"The road to Northern Yan is very long."

"And then, along the way, you slowly... tell me everything, okay?"

(Volume 3, Act 3: Fire Blade, End)

Author's note: The story has finally come to this point.

There's so much I want to say, but I feel like everything I need to say is already in the article. The characters in it all have their flaws; it's hard to say whether someone is good or bad. But I actually love every woman I've created (^_^;). Sometimes I really want to ask everyone, who left the deepest impression on you?

Chengye's journey has been difficult, but he's finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

As usual, thank you all for your support. My writing is just average; it's not particularly enjoyable or interesting. But I'm still flattered by the many comments and encouragement I've received, haha. I hope my next book will be better.

The title of the next volume is: Debts of the Predecessors. [Yuanbao]