At this moment, Ye Ziling and Ling Xi had just arrived at the palace gates.
Even knowing they were about to miss the appointed time for the Peach Banquet, their expressions remained calm and unruffled.
Seeing their late arrival, the fairy attendant rushed forward to greet them, "Zhuangyuan, Shen..."
Ye Ziling placed a hand to her lips, signaling for her to be quiet. The attendant, quick-witted, changed her address, "The two of you, please come in."
Ye Ziling composed herself slightly.
Damn it, why was it only an hour late? She should have taken more time. She needed to find a way to trap Ling Xi quickly, otherwise her identity would be exposed.
As Ye Ziling was lost in thought, she realized Ling Xi was also looking at her, a hint of confusion in his eyes. When their gazes met, he smiled at her.
Only after Ye Ziling walked past him did he leisurely follow her footsteps.
According to the rules of the Celestial Realm, invitations were only sent to celestial beings of high status or to academies in the mortal world. Even as a disciple of Jiuling Palace, she wouldn't have received an invitation to the Peach Banquet.
If he remembered correctly, Mu Heng, who always stayed by her side, held a commanding position.
But why was he behind her like a personal guard? Looking at it this way, her status should be even higher.
Halfway there, Ye Ziling gave the fairy attendant a look. The attendant immediately understood and quietly withdrew with the maids behind her.
Watching the retreating figures of the fairy attendants, Ling Xi's brow furrowed as he pondered.
Could it be that he had arrived too late, and even the maids were too lazy to guide them?
Soon, he dismissed this doubt. With his status in the Celestial Realm, let alone being late, even if he were absent from the Heavenly Emperor's banquet, no one would dare treat him with such disrespect.
Ling Xi could only follow Ye Ziling helplessly.
Although the paths in the Heavenly Palace were complex, and he had only been there a few times, for some reason, he had long remembered the palace paths clearly, as if it were his own home.
Ye Ziling's palms tightened, her usual composure gone.
She had to find a place to take a detour and, at the same time, set up an illusion to trap him when Ling Xi wasn't paying attention.
Ling Xi never expected her to deliberately deviate from the main hall and head towards the garden instead.
At first, he thought she was unfamiliar with the path. But she didn't even look at the road signs, heading straight for a rockery, clearly having a plan.
As Ye Ziling took two steps, she was suddenly grabbed by the wrist by Ling Xi. He smiled, his eyebrows raised, and asked her, "Did we take a wrong turn?"
Ye Ziling's heart jumped. Seeing the smile on his lips, she feigned confusion, "I remember this was the way, how could we be wrong?"
Ye Ziling knew that although Ling Xi was the Beast Tamer Zhuangyuan of the Celestial Realm, he had always handled affairs in the mortal world. The paths in the Heavenly Palace were extremely complicated, and even celestial beings who had been there for two or three years found it difficult to navigate.
Ling Xi had only visited the Heavenly Palace a few times, so it was impossible for him to remember it so well.
"Has Miss Ye visited the Heavenly Palace before?" The man in front of her smiled meaningfully, his gaze burning, making her feel a little guilty.
With a smile, he approached her in a few steps, forcing her into the corner of the rockery. He propped one hand on the rockery, and the other brushed past her cheek, asking ambiguously, "Or, did Miss Ye deliberately bring me here?"
His tone was somewhat flippant, as if he were flirting, but Ye Ziling heard it as a probe.
Her eyes sharpened. Meeting his gaze, she tried to salvage the situation, "Thanks to our Commander Mu, I've had the honor of visiting a few times, but I'm not very familiar with the paths."
Her words were flawless. Ling Xi raised an eyebrow and suddenly leaned forward, "Why do I feel that Miss Ye is quite familiar with them?"
Ye Ziling's palms began to sweat. Facing his words, she instinctively took two steps back, only to suddenly step on empty air. The back of her head was about to hit the rock behind her. She closed her eyes, but what she hit was a soft, large palm.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw that handsome face leaning towards her ear, their noses almost touching.
"Miss Ye, are you perhaps planning to have a tryst with me here?"
Saying that, the tip of his tongue traced her earlobe, and a tingling sensation instantly spread throughout her body.
Ye Ziling was slightly stunned and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
She then hooked her arms around his neck, stood on her tiptoes, and lightly pecked his lips, "You guessed right."
Ling Xi was suddenly taken aback. Looking at the lips so close to his, he lost control for a moment. He clasped her waist with one hand, and his thin lips pressed against hers.
At this moment, the sound of footsteps echoed in the garden. Two figures walked on the bluestone path, both with displeased expressions.
"Your Highness, are you truly not going to apologize to the Heavenly Emperor?" the celestial official asked sternly, his voice deep.
The man beside him flicked his long sleeves, his eyes narrowing coldly, and said dismissively, "Apologize? What crime have I committed?"
Anyone who betrayed him deserved to die. Since Tu Yao's heart was not with him, what use was keeping her?
The celestial official gasped, his tone still respectful, "Now that the Heavenly Emperor is about to emerge from seclusion, you should still..."
The celestial official wanted to remind him not to focus too much on his personal vendetta with the goddess Tu Yao, but upon seeing his stern expression, the words were choked in his throat.
"I have my own plans for everything," a sharp glint flashed in Qing Bai's eyes, spoken with conviction.
He was the ruler of all beings; no one was qualified to tell him what to do!
The celestial official, knowing he could not persuade him, could only sigh, cup his hands in a salute, and find an excuse to withdraw.
"Everything I've done is for the Celestial Realm. What is wrong?" The man's expression grew colder, his eyes emanating a chilling light.
As he became agitated, the sword wound on his chest began to ache faintly.
He held his chest and was about to get up when he saw the two people passionately kissing beside the rockery.
He looked several times, veins bulging on his hands, his gaze filled with frost.
Is that—Tu Yao?
Good, very good. Involved with Jing Mo, involved with Jun Lan, and now indulging with whom?
Qing Bai spat out a mouthful of blood in anger, his solemn handsome face now looking haggard.
He pressed his chest and suddenly felt something was amiss. Why did the figure of the man next to her seem so familiar?
Qing Bai's pupils suddenly constricted, and he couldn't help but take two steps back, trying his best to calm his chest.
Jun Lan?
Qing Bai looked several times with uncertainty, his eyes sharpening.
He was not mistaken. It was indeed Jun Lan, the God of War who had disappeared without a trace over ten years ago, once the foremost general of the Celestial Realm.