"Tonight I'm going to Qingbai's sleeping quarters. I'll have to trouble Immortal Lord Bai Yu to watch over my second elder brother."
Ye Ziling said to Bai Yu as she stood up to leave.
Just as she was about to step out, Bai Yu suddenly pulled her back.
She turned around and saw that his brows were furrowed even tighter. He said in a deep voice, "Brother Jingxian is in the palace. He won't be threatened for now."
Bai Yu hesitated for a moment, his gaze suddenly fixed on her wrist. "Your injuries haven't healed. I'll go with you."
Bai Yu was Qingbai's sworn enemy. He knew Qingbai's way of doing things well after many years and could be of help when necessary, so Ye Ziling agreed.
"I'll go prepare. We'll set off tonight," Ye Ziling replied, then turned and left.
After she left, Bai Yu gazed at her retreating back and fell into deep thought.
Just as he was about to walk away, two figures descended from the sky and landed before him.
Ling Xi saw that the person in front of him was Bai Yu. His eyes flickered slightly before regaining their composure. He calmly asked, "It seems Immortal Lord Bai Yu is still one step ahead of me."
Bai Yu smiled warmly. "Oh? This lord doesn't know what the valedictorian means."
Ling Xi did not beat around the bush. He took out a token from his waist and presented it to Bai Yu. "The Heavenly Emperor has ordered that this matter concerning Li Yang be handled by Immortal Lord."
Bai Yu stared intently at the golden token in front of him, a fleeting surprise in his eyes. "I recall that Li Yang's matter concerns you, the valedictorian, not me."
He and Ling Xi were both subordinates of the Heavenly Emperor. Only one person was needed to handle matters. Since Ling Xi had already been informed to handle it, why was it being handed over to him?
Li Yang was one of Emperor Qingbai's subordinates. Could it be that Ling Xi didn't want to offend Qingbai and deliberately pushed the matter onto him?
But this did not fit Ling Xi's usual behavior at all.
Seeing Bai Yu hesitate, Ling Xi guessed his concerns and gave a mocking chuckle. "Does Immortal Lord Bai Yu think this valedictorian is passing a false decree?"
Ling Xi's words pierced through Bai Yu's doubts. He collected his thoughts and nodded. "Since I am involved in this matter, the Heavenly Emperor can only entrust it to you."
Bai Yu's eyes deepened. He accepted the token from Ling Xi and said, "Since it is the Heavenly Emperor's decree, this lord will do his best."
With that, his figure flickered and he disappeared from his original spot.
Ling Xi watched the direction he left in, a cold curve forming on his lips.
Mu Heng, standing beside him, directly exposed his hidden thoughts. "You dare forge the Heavenly Emperor's decree? How many lives do you have?"
Ling Xi glanced at him coldly. "My lord, perhaps you should worry about yourself first."
After speaking, he retracted his sleeves, untied Mu Heng's ropes, and left with a flick of his sleeve.
*
Ye Ziling sat by the window, having just read the spiritual message from Bai Yu. He said he had important matters to attend to tonight and asked her to go ahead alone, promising to follow closely after finishing his tasks and urging her to be careful.
She put away the spiritual message and went to Qingbai's sleeping quarters alone.
Since she was going to retrieve her memories, she might as well find her previous memories as well. That way, the origin of this body would be perfectly clear.
From the very beginning, this body had acted strangely when it encountered Ling Xi. Furthermore, Ling Xi's true identity was the God of War, Jun Lan. She didn't know what connection she had with the God of War General. She had to investigate clearly.
As it was Ye Ziling's first time sneaking into Emperor Qingbai's sleeping quarters, Qingbai had doubled the number of guards to prevent anyone else from entering.
She remembered that every night at Xu Shi (7 PM-9 PM), Qingbai would go into secluded cultivation in a secret realm until Zi Shi (11 PM-1 AM) before coming out. She planned to sneak in during this time.
Reaching the outside of the palace, Ye Ziling knocked out the patrolling celestial soldiers and made her way to Qingbai's sleeping quarters.
She flipped her body and leaped onto the wall, evading the patrolling celestial soldiers, and climbed through the window.
Upon landing, she cautiously scanned her surroundings before beginning to search for the treasures Qingbai collected memories in.
In an instant, a series of steady footsteps suddenly echoed in the silent room.
Ye Ziling's hands stopped abruptly, her expression instantly becoming vigilant as she looked around.
There was nowhere to hide in the room, so she focused her gaze on the only piece of furniture, the bed.
Just as she was about to hide under the bed, she heard the footsteps suddenly halt. A chilling aura emanated from behind her.
Ye Ziling held her breath, daring not to move. The aura grew closer and closer, finally standing behind her.
Ye Ziling trembled all over. She gathered her strength and struck out with a palm at the person. To her surprise, the person was prepared and easily deflected her attack.
Ling Xi gripped her fair wrist with one hand and pulled her towards him. "It's me."
The room was pitch black, and neither of them could see each other's expressions. They could only feel each other's breaths on their necks, warm and moist.
"Ling Xi? What are you doing here?" Ye Ziling asked in confusion.
She tried to retrieve her wrist, but he held it tighter.
Ling Xi's eyes darkened slightly. "Since this is the Emperor's sleeping quarters, why is the goddess here?"
His question rendered Ye Ziling speechless, blocking all her arguments.
Ling Xi held her wrist tightly. Ye Ziling tried to pull away, but he gripped it so firmly that she couldn't break free.
Ye Ziling looked up and heard a soft chuckle from the face close to hers. He then released her hand.
Ye Ziling clearly remembered Bai Yu saying he would find her after finishing his tasks. Why was Ling Xi appearing here?
She rubbed her reddened wrist and replied coldly, "To get back my things."
With that, she bypassed him and continued searching the room for treasures.
Ling Xi watched her back, his thin lips pursed into a line. Then he turned around, placed a restriction on the door, and a look of confusion appeared in his eyes.
Mu Heng's words flashed through his mind.
People who grew up in ice cellars were the most callous and detached, just like the way she looked at him now.
Unfamiliar and distant, as if everything had returned to the beginning.
Ling Xi snapped back to attention. He looked at her busy, searching figure, and his heart felt a dull ache.
"Ye Ziling, I found it." Ling Xi's voice came from behind her, causing her movements to halt.
Ye Ziling turned around and saw him holding an object, walking slowly towards her with determined steps.
Her eyes shifted as she looked at the jade bottle in his hand.
It was the treasure she was looking for.
Ye Ziling was confused and asked him, "How did you know I was looking for this?"
Ling Xi walked to the table, reached out, and placed the jade bottle into her hand, his voice tinged with some unknown melancholy. "What do you think you can hide from me?"
"And when have you ever trusted me?"
"Or, you don't believe I would be on your side?"
Ling Xi's words struck Ye Ziling's heart one by one, leaving her momentarily speechless.
A cold air permeated the surroundings. His gaze was burning, fixed on her, as if waiting for an answer.
"Thank you, Valedictorian Ling, for the treasure."
Ye Ziling put the jade bottle into her芥子袋 (mustard seed bag). She looked at him, her gaze still indifferent. "I ask that you forget everything that happened before."
"As a sinner, I am not worthy of the General."
More than ten years ago, the Heavenly Emperor had betrothed the Divine General Jun Lan. Even if those events hadn't happened, she could not have ended up with Ling Xi.
Besides, she had already been hurt once and didn't want to be deceived a second time.
Therefore, whether he was Ling Xi or Jun Lan, their fate was not intertwined.
"...General?"
Ling Xi was stunned for a moment. He tugged at his lips bitterly, lowered his head to look into her eyes, and gave a self-mocking laugh. "If the goddess doesn't want to answer my question, you don't have to assign me certain identities."
Ling Xi's words caused Ye Ziling to pause slightly.
He averted his gaze, no longer meeting her eyes, and said faintly, "It's getting late. I bid you farewell."
With that, he walked past her side and disappeared from her sight.
Ye Ziling watched his retreating figure disappear into the night, lost in thought for a long time.
It seemed like fate. This way, it was considered a closure for her.
Ye Ziling sighed deeply and followed him into the darkness.
Just as she reached the outside of the palace, she happened to meet Bai Yu, who was rushing over.
"Bai Yu? What are you doing here?" Ye Ziling asked in surprise.
"Just finished dealing with some matters." Bai Yu glanced at Ye Ziling and asked with concern, "Did anything happen?"
"No, the spiritual artifact is safely stored by me. Nothing will happen."
Bai Yu paused, his lips moved, and a subtle smile appeared on his cold, handsome face. "I was asking about you."
Ye Ziling looked at him, puzzled. She saw a strange glint in his eyes, and when he met her gaze, he casually looked away.
However, the roots of his ears were tinged with a slight blush.
"I'm fine."