Chapter 106: Renowned Throughout the World

Today, the landmark known as Yan City has essentially ceased to exist, leaving only the residence of Prince Xiang standing.

As evening fell, most of the guests who had come to witness the ceremony had already departed. After all, with the princess no longer present, the marriage was naturally impossible to consummate.

The majority of the common guests, along with the ordinary townsfolk whom Lord Zhou Junhao had promptly saved using paper cranes, had taken refuge in the neighboring Chen County.

Indeed, aside from the solitary Xiang Prince’s Mansion, hardly a single stone or brick of Yan City remained in sight.

Naturally, the offices of the Prefect, the Commander, and the Great Yu Temple had all disappeared as well. The officials from these three government institutions had no choice but to temporarily reside within the Xiang Prince’s Mansion.

Princess Li Xiuling immediately assured them on the spot that the court would allocate funds to rebuild Yan City in the near future.

At this moment, Wu Yuan, the Recorder, who had been unconscious, finally awakened under Su Xiqiu’s care. The wounds on her legs had been bandaged.

Upon waking, she immediately called out, “My Memory Disk... where is my Memory Disk?” Only when she saw it firmly clenched in her hand did she relax.

Su Xiqiu glanced at the disk in her palm and then asked softly, “What is your name?”

Wu Yuan replied quietly, “My name is Wu Yuan.”

Su Xiqiu smiled gently, “Wu Yuan, you will soon be renowned throughout the land.”

Wu Yuan hugged the Memory Disk tightly and nodded, “Yes, I know.”

She quickly stowed the disk away in her storage space, as if fearing someone might snatch it from her.

In truth, each Memory Disk was unique and could only be opened by the Recorder to whom it belonged. Even if others seized it, it would be useless.

“Your aura is still weak; you must have overexerted your magic. Rest here in the mansion tonight, and return to your Recorder Sect tomorrow,” Su Xiqiu advised.

Wu Yuan nodded gratefully, “Thank you for healing my wounds.”

“It was nothing; no thanks necessary,” Su Xiqiu replied.

Turning, she addressed Zhang Zixuan and the others, “It’s time for us to return to Xuanqing Palace.”

At that moment, Zhang Zixuan was comforting Song Ye, “Brother Song, don’t worry. Your wife will be fine. Trust me, soon the court will help you find her. Then you can hold another wedding, and I will come to celebrate again—”

“My master is calling me; I must go. Brother Song, remember not to overthink. Your wife will return safely,” Zhang Zixuan said.

Song Ye nodded, “You go back to Xuanqing Palace without worry. I won’t let my thoughts run wild.”

After all, he knew well that Qin Xuanxi was not dead; he just did not know where she had gone.

The original family of three was now reduced to just him and his adopted sister Song Yan, relying on each other for survival.

When Song Ye returned to his former courtyard, he found it utterly empty. The black-armored sheep that once lived there had either run away or become fertilizer beneath the soil.

His demon pet, Blackie, was also “dead,” but a player’s pet never truly dies; there is just a cooldown before revival. By tomorrow, he would be able to summon the little black tree intact once more.

In the days to come, he would, like Prefect Wang and others, temporarily reside in the Prince’s Mansion.

However, since he had not yet formally married the princess, he could not live there as the Lord of the County.

He and the officials were merely outsiders temporarily lodging in the mansion.

...

The next day,

Early in the morning, the imperial eunuch envoy Wang Yan arrived at the Xiang Prince’s Mansion bearing an imperial edict.

Wang Yan looked around at the desolate surroundings, suspecting he had come to the wrong place. He carefully examined the plaque above the mansion gate labeled “Xiang Prince’s Mansion” several times.

At that moment, hearing the arrival of the court’s envoy, Li Xiuling came out to greet him.

Wang Yan asked, “Princess, is this truly Yan City?”

Li Xiuling smiled bitterly, “It’s a long story. I will explain it to you later. I have only recently arrived here. Why have you come? Is there an urgent matter from the court?”

“There is no urgent matter, Princess. His Majesty merely asked me to bring you this imperial edict. I will not read it aloud; you should read it yourself,” Wang Yan said, handing her the document.

Li Xiuling unfolded the edict, and her expression immediately darkened. She quickly closed it and looked up angrily, “Wang Yan, His Majesty—”

But Wang Yan was already mounting his horse, calling back without looking, “Princess, I must return to the palace to report.”

He knew well that the contents of the edict would anger Li Xiuling, and he fled before she could chastise him.

Seeing this, Li Xiuling picked up a small stone from the ground and hurled it at Wang Yan’s fleeing horse.

“Ah!” came a cry as Wang Yan tumbled from his mount.

As Wang Yan had expected, the edict enraged Li Xiuling, yet beneath her anger was a deep, helpless sorrow.

The edict commanded her to immediately leave Yan City and take up garrison duty in the northern borderlands.

Moreover, generals stationed there were forbidden from returning to the capital Luocheng for three years.

Clearly, Li Qianshi had grown weary of her supervision. Sending her to the border was merely a way to sideline her.

In truth, Li Xiuling could have ignored the edict and returned to Luocheng directly; no one dared to reprimand her.

But doing so would disgrace her brother’s imperial authority, undermining his power and making it difficult to command respect in the future—something she did not want to see.

In fact, going north had its benefits for her. The northern border was desolate and quiet, affording her the perfect opportunity to cultivate her spiritual practice.

Thus, she resolved to obey the edict and depart for her post, knowing that three years was but a fleeting moment for a cultivator.

...

At the Wànxiàng Mountain, the headquarters of the Recorder Sect,

Recently, the sect was conducting its “Top Ten Recorder” evaluation. From these ten, the highest four would be ranked Heaven, Earth, Mystery, and Yellow.

The first-place “Heavenly” Recorder would receive the “Heavenly Record” golden talisman personally bestowed by the sect master.

Possessing this talisman marked a Recorder as the highest-ranking within the sect, granting the utmost privileges and access to the “Secret Records Pavilion.”

The Secret Records Pavilion housed precious imprinted scenes from the five Great Immortal-Demon Wars, making it a sacred place coveted by every Recorder.

This evaluation occurred only once every ten years, with Recorders voluntarily registering to participate. Applicants submitted their most proud real-scene imprints.

The Elders’ Evaluation Council then selected the ten best Recorders from among these submissions.

At this time, the sect master asked Elder Ye, “Elder Ye, who has yet to return to the sect?”

Elder Ye replied, “It seems Wang Li has not come back yet. Also, Wu Yuan, who descended the mountain with him to record scenes, has not returned either.”

“Have Wang Li and Wu Yuan registered for the Top Ten Recorder evaluation?” the sect master inquired further.

Elder Ye answered, “Both have registered but have yet to submit their imprints to the council.”

“Presumably, they went down the mountain yesterday to capture better scenes to bring back for the evaluation. Wu Yuan is making her first descent to record,” the sect master said.

“Though Wu Yuan is only participating to gain experience and is unlikely to win, we must give newcomers a chance. Let us wait for their return before beginning the evaluation.”

“Understood,” Elder Ye nodded.