Chapter 82: The Holy Maiden of the Palace of Supreme Emptiness

The fact that Song Ye could draw “Wei Li” as a violet-ranked guardian meant that Wei Li had already passed away and no longer existed in this world. Wei Li had been the ninth generation leader of the Grand Void Palace, and his daughter was now the current Saintess of the Grand Void Palace.

Song Ye often heard storytellers boast about the Saintess’s beauty, claiming it was renowned across the land. She now ranked third on the list of immortal beauties. The Grand Void Palace itself was located near the capital city of Luocheng in the Kingdom of Li, far from Yan City. Thus, Song Ye reckoned he would likely never have the chance to witness the Saintess’s legendary beauty for himself.

But Song Ye wasn’t particularly interested. No matter how stunning the Saintess was, she could never surpass the beauty of his own beloved.

Upon leaving the prefect’s office, Song Ye bought breakfast at the Eastern Market, then headed straight for the small courtyard where Qin Xuanxi resided. However, as he reached the mouth of the alley, he saw Qi Shuyi emerging from within.

Qi Shuyi noticed Song Ye, saw he was alone and that the princess, Qin Xuanxi, was not with him, and lowered her voice to say, “Take good care of the princess. But as for certain matters between men and women, you must not do anything with her right now. Do you understand? If I ever find the princess… acting strangely, I won’t forgive you!”

Song Ye was perplexed. What exactly counted as “strange”? If one day Qi Shuyi saw the princess walking with a slight limp, would she come looking for trouble with him?

He could tell that even Qi Shuyi herself wasn’t entirely clear on the matter of relations between men and women. Moreover, Song Ye felt it was unnecessary for Qi Shuyi to worry about such things; the princess, Qin Xuanxi, was a fierce woman—she wouldn’t even let him kiss her, let alone anything more intimate.

So Song Ye didn’t bother to reply, simply said, “The princess is probably hungry. I’m bringing her breakfast,” and darted into the alley. Naturally, Qi Shuyi dared not stop the future prince consort.

As he walked further in, Song Ye heard the intoxicating sound of a zither drifting from Qin Xuanxi’s courtyard. He unconsciously lightened his steps, afraid to disturb such heavenly music.

The courtyard gate was left open, and from outside, Song Ye could see Qin Xuanxi herself playing the zither within.

Qin Xuanxi believed that the reclusive Flute Immortal might, through some channel, have already learned that “Su Qingyu” had arrived in Yan City. Therefore, each time she played the Song of the Long Night, it was possible the music-loving Flute Immortal would be lured out.

Playing music was a cherished hobby of every generation of Jade Solitude Sect disciples, and now, as she was impersonating Su Yuyu, she could not neglect this.

Seeing Song Ye arrive, Qin Xuanxi stopped playing, smiled gently, and said, “Your sister is still asleep inside.”

Song Ye grinned. “Let her sleep a bit longer, then. She always rises early to patrol the streets with me, and it’s been ages since she had a chance to sleep in. Let’s have breakfast first.”

Song Ye wasn’t sure what Qin Xuanxi liked, so he had bought a bit of everything: buns, sesame cakes, and steamed pastries.

He glanced around the courtyard and at the now-empty handcart, but saw no sign of Murong Qingyi. Before he could ask, Qin Xuanxi explained, “The woman you brought last night, after she woke this morning, left on her own.”

“She seemed to know you were the one who saved her. Before leaving, she told me she had nothing valuable, so left that jade pendant as thanks.”

She glanced at a jade pendant on the stone table in the courtyard. “She said it could fetch a little money, and asked me to give it to you, as gratitude for saving her life.”

Song Ye laughed. “I didn’t do much, really. I just happened to pass by, saw her collapsed in a courtyard, and brought her here.”

Qin Xuanxi smiled faintly. “My little husband truly has a kind heart. I remember when I was wounded, collapsed outside the teahouse you used to watch, unconscious for a time, and you brought me home as well.”

Song Ye scratched his head awkwardly. “You remember that?”

Qin Xuanxi pressed her lips together. “How could one forget a debt of life? But see—her thanks for saving her life was just a jade pendant, while I… I promised myself to you. Clearly, I treat you better.”

Song Ye laughed, “Of course! No one in the world treats me as well as you do.”

Hearing this, Qin Xuanxi felt a small, inexplicable joy in her heart. Before meeting Song Ye, she had never realized how simple happiness could be.

…

Murong Qingyi had hurried away from Qin Xuanxi’s courtyard because a new rouge shop had opened on Huaiye Street that morning, offering the latest rouge from Luojing. Yesterday, Murong Jing had ordered her to queue early for the new shop’s goods.

After waiting in line for a long time and obtaining the newest rouge, Murong Qingyi delivered it straight to the Murong estate and placed it in Murong Jing’s hands.

Murong Jing was delighted with the new rouge and, without so much as a thank you, took it to her room.

Murong Jingtian was in the main hall at that moment. Seeing Murong Qingyi appear unharmed, he was quite surprised. He had expected her to be imprisoned in the Seven Stars Gate, suffering torment.

Yet here she was, standing before him unharmed, and he showed not the slightest remorse for betraying her yesterday, still looking down at her coldly.

Murong Qingyi did not confront him about why he had sold her out to the Seven Stars Gate; she simply bowed her head and quietly left the estate.

She knew that, though she bore the Murong name, in the Murong clan she was no better than a lowly servant. Even if she told the elders about Murong Jingtian’s betrayal last night, not one would speak up for her—she understood this well.

Thus, she had long since learned to endure. These years, she had lived cautiously, even though her cultivation surpassed most peers in the clan. She always kept it hidden, never stood out, never sought attention.

The elders with high cultivation could surely see that Murong Qingyi was more talented than most of her generation and suited for special grooming, but because of her mother, they simply ignored her, letting her live as a servant.

After leaving the Murong estate, Murong Qingyi didn’t know where to go. The small courtyard where she used to live had long since been destroyed; the ground was cracked and uninhabitable.

She also feared the Seven Stars Gate might return to seek trouble, so she dared not stay there anymore.

Fortunately, she still had a little money, so she would have to lodge at an inn tonight.

As she returned to the Eastern Market, suddenly, a head of white hair poked out from an alley, startling her.

Murong Qingyi looked closely and saw that the person who suddenly appeared was the strange old man who had eaten three of her Blood Essence Pills earlier. And it was very likely that this eccentric elder was none other than the Blood Sword Demon Lord!