Chapter 665: Aftermath

Yun Qingqing slowly opened her eyes.

“Qingqing!”

"Father Xi~!"

"Miss, you are finally awake!"

Several hurried voices were heard. Yun Qingqing turned her head and found that she had returned to her room in the palace.

Zhiluo, Su Tongyun, Su Anrong, Qiao'er and others crowded at the head of the bed and looked at her with concern, their faces full of worry.

The little beast scurried onto the bed, rubbing its furry head against her arm.

"Father Xi is injured~Tongtong is so worried..."

Su Anrong sighed softly:

"This kid suddenly said that his master was in trouble and insisted on coming to see the Pavilion Master..."

Yun Qingqing ignored the concerns around her, propped herself up and sat up, staring blankly at the door.

Once, even though she saw through Xiao Tianhong's conspiracy, she still couldn't understand what he did, why he was always full of contradictions and missed opportunities again and again.

If not, she would have instinctively confirmed earlier that Xiao Tianhong was the person hiding behind the scenes.

Now, everything becomes clear.

Xiao Tianhong is actually the incarnation of someone's practice.

The art of incarnation is extremely mysterious, giving the incarnation independent thoughts and emotions, but because the original body deliberately conceals it, the incarnation never realizes the true meaning of his existence.

When the primordial body transforms into an external body, it will implant a purpose deep in its consciousness.

That is the ultimate goal of the practitioner, and it will become the obsession of the body outside the body, making him do whatever it takes to fulfill this obsession. It also prevents him from having his own ideas and betraying his original body.

Xiao Tianhong and Qingfengzi are different incarnations of the same person. They can be said to have completely independent personalities, but their obsession must be the same.

Yun Qingqing had already known Qingfengzi's obsession.

He longed to ascend to heaven and gain endless life.

Xiao Tianhong was born with this obsession, and to achieve his goal he served the "Lord God", hoping that when the so-called "Lord God" came, he would enlighten them, the believers.

This obsession is unshakable, but an anomaly appears.

Xiao Tianhong has a history of killing and blood debts, but one day, he has the urge to save someone.

——The "container" that he watched grow up with his own eyes.

Perhaps this thought was just a trace of pity from the beginning, but it took root unknowingly, causing him to plan and separate at the same time. He could not resist the innate obsession, nor could he really kill Xiao Changheng.

Yun Qingqing was unable to see through the emperor's disguise of "elder brother like father" for a long time, simply because he didn't need to pretend in this matter.

The sword hanging over Xiao Changheng's head has always been real - the obsession from the depths of his soul forced him to be loyal to the Lord God.

But the hand that wanted to pull him out of the abyss was also real.

During countless sleepless nights, Xiao Tianhong believed he had found a way to have the best of both worlds: he endured the pain and broke Xiao Changheng's wings with his own hands, making him lose his value as a container; then he gradually drained away his luck, making him become the most ordinary person among all living beings.

To the Lord God, a useless mortal is naturally not worth taking his life.

But the appearance of Yun Qingqing ruined everything he had planned.

So Xiao Tianhong hated Yun Qingqing to the core, but at the last moment, he entrusted the most important person to her.

The silent lip shape before death only contained four words:

"Protect him."

In the illusion of memory reappearing, Yun Qingqing finally understood the fatigue deep in the man's soul, and also understood why he was going to stab with that sword before he died.

When Xiao Changheng was pierced from behind by his brother's cold sword, he didn't know that there was another substitute talisman behind him.

…

"Qingqing? What's wrong with you? Are you okay?" Zhiluo waved her hands in front of her eyes and looked at her with concern.

"Father Xi~! Are you okay?" The little beast also lay on her legs, nudging her with the small braid on its head. "Father Xi looks so uncomfortable..."

"...I'm fine." Yun Qingqing came back to her senses, retracted her gaze, and lowered her eyes to look at her fingertips. "It's just that the energy consumption is a bit high, and I need to regulate my breathing."

Zhiluo sighed and glanced towards the door:

"I've heard about what happened in the palace from Feng Yin... Alas, you were unconscious for a whole day and night, and that person stood at the door all day and night, refusing to come in... Do you want to go out and take a look?"

"No need..." Yun Qingqing pursed her lips without looking up, "He... has already left."

A moment after she woke up, Xiao Changheng's presence at the door had disappeared.

Zhiluo was stunned for a moment, released her perception and explored for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"He... really left... No, what does he want? You didn't do anything wrong..."

"Stop talking." Yun Qingqing interrupted softly and closed her eyes. "This isn't a question of right or wrong. If he doesn't want to see me, then... just let him be quiet."

Zhiluo was silent and could only sigh softly again.

Yun Qingqing rubbed his brows, cheered himself up and asked:

"What is the situation in the palace now?"

She was exhausted and unconscious at the time, and she didn't know whether the news of her killing the emperor had spread. If the news had spread, there would be a lot of things to deal with.

If we are not careful, the national movement will be shaken and the people will suffer.

"In the palace... wait a minute, Yuan Si is cleaning up the mess, let him come over and talk." Zhiluo raised her hand, a faint light popped out from her fingertips and floated out of the window.

Soon, the teleportation array in the yard lit up, and Yuan Si walked out from it. He quickly entered the house and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Yun Qingqing waking up.

"Master, you are awake!" Yuan Si stepped forward and saluted.

Yun Qingqing nodded and asked directly, "Tell me about the situation in the palace."

Yuan Si's expression was somewhat complicated:

"The news has been strictly suppressed. It's been announced that the emperor contracted an epidemic and died before the spiritual rain arrived. The Ministry of Rites is currently handling the emperor's funeral and preparing for the new emperor's enthronement."

Yun Qingqing was silent for a moment:

"He died of illness... This is indeed the most appropriate arrangement for the country and the people, but... have you asked for his opinion?"

He is Xiao Changheng's biological brother. Both publicly and privately, our side should not bypass him and make decisions on their own.

Yuan Si's expression became more and more subtle, and he said:

"This was arranged by the Regent, and Nan Zheng was responsible for its execution. We simply cooperated to conceal the true cause of the Emperor's death and...created a substitute for the Emperor to use in the funeral."

Yun Qingqing was stunned for a moment, her heart aching, but she also felt a little relieved.

Even after suffering such a blow, he still put national affairs first and cared about the people. This sense of responsibility made her respect him and even more distressed.

Yun Qingqing suppressed her surging emotions and said seriously:

"Since he has made all the arrangements, you should all cooperate fully. There is no need to report to me on palace affairs. I will be in seclusion for two days."

Yuan Si agreed and was about to leave when Yun Qingqing suddenly called him again.

"Wait a moment."

Yuan Si stopped and turned around, waiting for her instructions.

Yun Qingqing hesitated for a moment and waved her hand:

"It's okay, go ahead."

Yuan Si didn't understand, but he never questioned his master's decision. He nodded slightly and walked out.