With a major battle imminent, morale is of paramount importance at this critical juncture. If he were to learn that his master had already pronounced Yi Shangyun dead, it would undoubtedly affect Yi Shangjun's morale in leading his troops and in battle.
At this thought, Cheng Liang, completely at a loss, suddenly turned his gaze to Xuan Yuanhan's face as well...
At this moment, not a single drop of rain fell on the grassland. Instead, a bright moon hung high in the sky, its light cascading down on Xuan Yuanhan, illuminating his cold and stern face, which was as frigid as ice, its chill shimmering.
He stood with one hand behind his back, remaining silent for a long time, seemingly still lost in thought about the strange phenomenon in the night sky, and completely oblivious to what Yi Shangjun had said.
The atmosphere around them instantly became deathly silent.
Unexpectedly, Yi Shangjun suddenly turned his gaze to Cheng Liang's face.
When Cheng Liangyi met his eager and hopeful gaze, his mind went completely blank. He stared at him blankly and said, as if possessed, "Miss Yi, she..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xuan Yuanhan interrupted her sharply, saying, "I have personally searched the south of the city and confirmed that she is dead!"
"What? This...this is impossible! I don't believe it! Eldest sister...eldest sister couldn't have died like this!" Yi Shangjun boldly questioned him loudly.
Xuanyuan Han put his hands behind his back, took a breath, and said, "If you don't believe me, you can write back to your father and ask him. He already knows everything about this."
“Father already knows everything… This is impossible, absolutely impossible, impossible, impossible…”
Yi Shangjun slowly lowered his head and kept shaking it. Although he refused to accept it, his face grew paler and paler, and his eyes were filled with despair. His body felt powerless as if his bones had been removed in an instant. His eyes were fixed on his feet, and he kept muttering to himself.
Seeing him lost in thought and dejected, Xuan Yuanhan slowly turned around, placed a hand on his shoulder, and gazed into the distance at the vast, now silent night sky, before speaking slowly and earnestly.
"The dead cannot be brought back to life, but in order for more people in this world to live better lives and stay away from endless brutal rule and slaughter, we must do our best to protect this continent. I believe that this must also be Yun'er's wish."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangjun slowly raised his head as if he had come to his senses, looking at Xuan Yuanhan's profile with awe.
At this moment, Cheng Liang, who was behind Xuan Yuanhan, also nodded heavily to him.
The two stared at each other for a long time. The veins on Yi Jun's hands throbbed as he suppressed his grief and indignation, clenching his fists tightly, as if filled with boundless strength and determination for victory in this war.
The two then stood behind Xuan Yuanhan, gazing together towards a faint light emanating from the heart of the Northern Lie region…
Not far from where the Western Qin army had set up camp, by a quiet little lake, Yi Junhao and his two maids were resting on a rock beside a newly lit campfire.
After a long journey, the maid Bai Zhi's stomach had been rumbling loudly for a long time, and she was now earnestly munching on the dry rations in her hands.
Suddenly, I looked up and caught a glimpse of that magical, seven-colored light twinkling in the night sky.
He stood up blankly, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, took two steps forward, rubbed his eyes, and confirmed that what he was seeing was indeed a rare sight. He then pointed to the distant night sky and exclaimed, "Zisu, come and see! What is that?"
Upon hearing the sound, Zisu, who was diligently brewing a pot of fragrant flower tea for her master who looked solemn and deep in thought, suddenly stood up.
She walked up to Bai Zhi, stared intently in the direction Bai Zhi was pointing, carefully examined the dazzling light and shadow, then lowered her head and pondered for a moment before slowly revealing herself, exclaiming with joy and excitement, "Phoenix phantom...that's a seven-colored phoenix phantom!"
"A phoenix phantom?" To everyone's surprise, this exclamation made Yi Junhao, who had been frowning for who knows how long, suddenly brighten up. He immediately put aside his worries, and with a thought, he got up and moved closer to the two of them in surprise.
The search for Yi Shangyun in the Western Qin Kingdom with Mei Zhixuan yielded no results for a long time. The news that Mei Zhixuan received from Mei Xiyuan was the same as everyone else's, which was the result officially announced to the world by King Xuanyuan Han of Qin.
Forced by the upcoming wedding, Mei Zhixuan, though doubtful of the conclusion, had no choice but to temporarily put aside his affairs and return to China to complete the ceremony.
Before leaving, he vowed that he would not let the matter rest with King Xuanyuan Han of Qin, and that he would definitely come back to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Yi Junhao always felt that Xuan Yuanhan's actions were highly suspicious and that there must be something fishy going on. So, he followed behind his army, traveling day and night to get here, wanting to see what he was really up to.
As the illusory image faded, the three of them, still astonished, slowly sat back down.
At this moment, Bai Zhi tilted her head and asked Zi Su in confusion, "Zi Su, how did you know about the phoenix phantom?"
Zisu was tossing a few dry twigs into the campfire with one hand, while gently poking at the firewood with a twig in the other to make it burn brighter and provide more warmth for the three of them.
The grassland grew increasingly cold at night, and the two thinly dressed women were clearly not used to it.
She thought for a moment, then said, seemingly incredulously, "I overheard it from a crazy old beggar on my way to Baicaotang in the streets of Xiqin Imperial City. He told everyone he met that the person who landed where the phoenix's phantom landed was no ordinary person, but was protected by the phoenix's divine power. It was something like... the phoenix recognizing its master, the guardian appearing in the world or something? At first, I thought it was just a crazy thing to say, but I never expected that there really is a phoenix's phantom in this world!"
"The phoenix recognizes its master? The guardian has appeared in the world?" Upon hearing this, Yi Junhao muttered to himself.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, his eyes lit up, and he felt incredibly surprised. He thought to himself, "Phoenix divine power... Guardian... Could it be... the guardian of Western Qin?"
However, after a moment's thought, he immediately rejected his idea: "How could the guardians of Western Qin appear on the grasslands of Northern Lie Kingdom?"
Just as he was pondering this, Zisu approached him with a cup of fragrant hot tea, sat down, and handed it to him while mysteriously asking, "Third Young Master, have you ever heard of the legend about the phoenix phantom in the Western Qin Kingdom?"
"There are also rumors about the phoenix phantom in the Western Qin Kingdom?" Yi Junhao asked in surprise as he took the teacup from Zisu.
Zisu said, "Not only that, but also, Third Young Master, why don't you guess who this phoenix phantom rumor from the Western Qin Kingdom is related to?"
"Could it be... the Yi Mansion in the west of the city?" Yi Junhao inquired.
Zisu looked astonished, then laughed and said, "As expected of Third Young Master, you guessed it right away! The rumor about the phoenix phantom in the Western Qin Kingdom happened in the Yi family mansion in the west of the city, and... it happened in the pavilion of the eldest daughter of the Yi family, Yi Shangyun. It was on the night she woke up after being in a coma for a year. I heard that there was thunder and lightning in the sky that night, and torrential rain..."
After listening to Zisu's vivid and detailed account, Baizhi stared wide-eyed at her mouth, which was opening and closing, clearly stunned.
Yi Junhao, holding the teacup in one hand, was also extremely surprised.
At this moment, Zisu bit her lip, seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then said, "Now, it is widely rumored in the Western Qin Kingdom that the eldest daughter of the Yi family has changed drastically since she regained consciousness, that she has been possessed by a ghost and has become a demon..."
Before he could finish speaking, a loud "bang" was heard as Yi Junhao slammed the teacup to his feet. He suddenly stood up and angrily shouted at them, "A bunch of ignorant scoundrels who love to spread these harmful and self-defeating rumors all day long, how dare they slander the girl like this!"
Seeing her master gritting his teeth, his eyes blazing with anger, Zisu quickly stood up and tried to comfort him, saying, "People won't believe the words of a crazy beggar, but what people say themselves may not be the truth. Since they're all just rumors, then only 'the innocent will remain innocent, and the guilty will remain guilty.' Hasn't Third Young Master always boasted that he understands Miss Yi's character best? Why care about these people's opinions and get so angry?"
"I..." Yi Junhao glanced at her in surprise, then turned away angrily and said, "No matter what, I won't allow anyone to say a bad word about this girl. It seems that this girl really can't stay in this Western Qin Kingdom any longer!"
Zisu pondered for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "What do you mean by that, Third Young Master? Could it be that you intend to elope with Miss Yi after finding her? Then..."
Then he glanced anxiously at Bai Zhi, who looked bewildered behind him, and asked urgently, "What about Bai Zhi and me? Does Third Young Master not want us anymore?"
Yi Junhao stood with his hands behind his back, gazing quietly at the gently flowing lake water before him. He sighed softly and said, "'All good things must come to an end.' Even the most wonderful gatherings must eventually end. From now on, Baicao Valley and Baicao Hall will be yours."
"Can't"
"Can't"
Before he could finish speaking, the two maids said in unison, sounding anxious.
However, Yi Junhao suppressed the faint sadness in his heart, and his face remained completely expressionless.
"Third Young Master, you've done so much for her all by yourself, is it worth it? Last time in the desolate mountains, you almost lost your life searching for Layuechun. This time, you've traveled thousands of miles to this dangerous battlefield. What kind of amazing things will you do for her next time? Could it be..." Zisu said with a melancholy expression, feeling deeply sorry for him.
He paused, hesitated for a moment, and said sadly, "Is it really her who can't be replaced? You know in your heart that she is the one that King Qin Xuanyuan Han has his eye on, and she is a citizen of Western Qin. Even if we take a step back, will she really treat you the way you treat her? Or... is this just wishful thinking on your part from the very beginning?"
“Zisu, I understand everything you’re saying. But you don’t!” After a long silence, Yi Junhao said meaningfully.
Zisu gave a bitter laugh through her tears: "I don't understand? If I didn't understand, who would come to a place like this with you?"
For a moment, all three of them fell silent.
After a long while, Bai Zhi pouted and asked pitifully, "Third Young Master, can we really never go back to the carefree and happy days in Hundred Herbs Valley when it was just the three of us?"
Yi Junhao gazed at the distant horizon and fell silent...
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