As night falls, the city lights shine brightly.

Ji Fengyao immersed herself in the bathtub, silently reciting the "Gathering Spirit Technique" to circulate the meager spiritual power within her body. This, combined with the medicinal properties of the bath, actively expelled impurities from her body. For her, who had built her foundation several times over in countless lifetimes, this was a piece of cake.

The second medicinal bath wasn't as painful as the first, but it wasn't very pleasant either.

Ji Fengyao pursed her cherry lips, gritting her teeth to endure the stinging pain of the transformation, and carefully felt the progress of each step.

Just as the medicinal bath was reaching a crucial point, a soft cry suddenly came from outside the door.

"Who goes there!"

It was the sound of a magpie. Perhaps afraid of disturbing Ji Fengyao, she lowered her voice.

The magpie was answered by a sharp, piercing sound.

Xi Que's eyes narrowed, and she pushed aside Lin Shuang and Bai Lu, who were standing next to her, and whispered, "Hide well."

Immediately afterwards, with a muffled "thud," a black caltrop was nailed to the door panel.

A large group of masked men in black rose against the current from beneath the dense lotus leaves in the Qingyuan Lotus Pond, splashing water everywhere, and charged straight into the courtyard with long, gleaming swords in their hands.

Seeing this, all the guards left behind by Shang Xiye came out from the shadows and stopped the masked man.

They engaged in close combat, locked in fierce fighting.

The magpie stood guard at the door of the room without leaving its side, and would fight to the death if anyone tried to approach.

Ji Fengyao was distracted by the commotion outside, and her spiritual energy began to dissipate and become disordered.

"Don't get distracted, concentrate. There are Shang Xiye's bodyguards outside, it's okay," she told herself subconsciously, trying to block out her five senses and isolate herself from external interference.

Ji Fengyao herself was an eleventh-grade alchemist and a powerful cultivator. She knew better than anyone the consequences of going into qi deviation.

But what she didn't know was that the number of masked men in black who had come from outside was far greater than the number of guards Shang Xiye had left behind.

Meanwhile, Shang Xiye and Hei Xiao were on the river, far away from the Summer Palace.

Black Owl stood at the bow of the light boat, his slightly narrowed peach blossom eyes flashing with cold light, his patience almost exhausted.

Shang Xiye remained calmly seated on the chair wheel, but his handsome brows furrowed more and more tightly.

The light boat had been lingering in the middle of the river for quite some time.

Wu Shang and Wu Zhong patrolled the riverbanks on both sides of the river several times, but the alarm signal remained unchanged.

"Those people are usually so arrogant, why are they acting like cowards this time? Did they run away with their tails between their legs again?" Black Owl deliberately amplified his voice with his internal force, making it extremely provocative.

However, all that responded to him was the veins of night and the slightly chilly, gentle river breeze.

Shang Xiye's fingers, which were resting on his knees, twitched slightly. Suddenly, his brows furrowed, and he exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no! We've fallen into a trap! Go back quickly!"

"What?" Black Owl asked, puzzled.

Wuying and Wuhen knew very little about the Black Purgatory, and were even more confused at this moment.

"Wuhen, quickly send a signal to Wushang and Wuzhong, tell them to return immediately; those people are after the Princess!" Shang Xiye had never been so anxious and out of control. He slapped his palm on the river, causing the light boat to turn around and speed towards the shore.

"What are the people from Black Purgatory doing kidnapping Xiao Yao'er?" Black Owl still hadn't turned around.

“It’s not Black Purgatory!” Shang Xiye’s words were brief and heavy, with a slight tremor in his voice at the end.

“Yes…” Black Owl finally understood, but stopped after saying only one word.

Aside from the people of Black Purgatory, very few people in the world know that Shang Xiye was once trapped there; they can be counted on one hand.

Even he didn't expect that those people would use this as a ploy to lure Shang Xiye away. It shows how cold and ruthless they are. They never treated Shang Xiye as even half a family member.