Misty Rain of the Old Times

On the night of the full moon, the air is dry.

A figure in cyan and gold left Jade City and sped towards the capital of Jade Flower Kingdom, leaving a faint trail of brilliant light in the night sky as it passed.

This woman was dressed in a cyan-gold palace gown, exuding nobility and majesty. Every gesture she made was graceful and elegant, and her appearance and figure radiated the charm of a mature woman, like a ripe peach. Yet, she was unattainable, inspiring no one to feel any sense of disrespect. Anyone who stood before her felt inferior.

It was Princess Song Yuzhi who left Yucheng under the cover of night.

Even as she left, a chilling, murderous aura lingered between her brows, sending shivers down one's spine.

In a single day and night, tens of thousands of people died directly or indirectly at her hands, including many of them from prominent families. She went on a killing spree, leaving a trail of heads and rivers of blood.

Yucheng was once the capital of Yuhua Kingdom, the ancestral home of the Qin family, and one of the main bases of the Qin family lineage. Now that Qin Yan is dead, Song Yuzhi naturally wants to take the opportunity to carry out a large-scale purge.

The change of power is always accompanied by violence and bloodshed, leaving no room for mercy.

Song Yuzhi didn't rest for a moment during that day and night, devoting all his energy to beating the fallen enemy. Those who needed to be suppressed were suppressed, those who needed to be captured were captured, and those who needed to be executed were executed. The interest group behind the Qin family was caught off guard, and in a short period of time, Yucheng was completely back under the control of the royal family.

The brutal and bloody events behind the scenes are unknown to ordinary people, but the tense and oppressive atmosphere makes people tremble with fear.

"We've apprehended most of the less important members; the specific trials and punishments will be dealt with later. We need to fill the numerous vacant positions as much as possible. Next, we need to focus on the capital. That's the key. Only by completely controlling that area can power truly return to the imperial family. After completing these tasks, I should rest a bit. My younger brother seems weak but is actually quite ruthless. If he seizes power, he could easily cause internal strife within the imperial family, which would be detrimental to the stability of the nation."

Song Yuzhi quickly thought it over. She was not a power-hungry person. As long as she didn't lose power to others, she was willing to be a carefree princess.

However, she herself knew that even after pacifying the Qin family and handing over power to her younger brother, the emperor, as long as she still possessed her cultivation, she would still be feared. But for the sake of the stability of the country, she did not mind staying away from the center of power and living a carefree life.

In a sense, this is also a case of a brother-supporting demon.

But things in this world aren't that simple. Often, it's not as simple as making concessions for the greater good and expecting everything to go smoothly. When you can threaten others, the charge has already been established, especially in a place like royalty where family ties are thin...

Just as she was rushing towards the usual direction to take charge and think about the next move, she came to a desolate mountain and suddenly stopped. Standing on a solitary peak, her face turned cold and she said in a voice, "Who is it? Get out here!"

As she spoke, she looked in the direction of the aura that made her wary, and saw a hazy figure standing on the top of a pine tree a hundred feet away. She was surrounded by a hazy white light, like a dream, as if she were wearing a sacred veil. The bright moon was behind her, supporting her like a fairy under the moon.

As Song Yuzhi looked at the other person, a pleasant voice teased, "Isn't this my good sister? It's been a while. Where are you rushing off to so late at night? Are you going to meet your lover?"

Tingyin had obviously been waiting here for a while. She had planned to go to Yucheng to find Song Yuzhi, but after seeing her leave from afar, she decided to come here first to wait.

Upon recognizing the newcomer, Song Yuzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, having initially thought it was some powerful figure from the Qin family in the capital who had come to ambush and kill her.

Song Yuzhi, naturally, didn't give this woman, who seemed both friend and foe, a friendly look. She retorted sarcastically, "Who do we have here? It's you, you crazy old woman! Instead of hiding in your mountain valley longing for a man, you're out here in the middle of the night pretending to be a ghost to scare whoever you want?"

"Oh, why does that sound a bit so sour to me? I'm a virgin, it's only natural for me to want men. Unlike you, a mean-spirited woman, your husband died before you even tasted a man's flavor. You can only think about it secretly. Do you dare to openly look for men? I'll drown you in spit!" Tingyin decisively confronted her and started arguing back.

With one hand on her hip, Song Yuzhi pointed at Tingyin and spat disdainfully, saying, "Shameless! How dare you, an old woman, call yourself a virgin? I'm ashamed for you!"

"So what? I'm naturally beautiful, the undisputed number one beauty. Unlike you, a widow who brings bad luck to her husbands, every man avoids you like the plague." The tone was so sharp and cutting that it was like the wind was piercing her lungs, relentlessly mocking her.

Upon hearing this, Song Yuzhi trembled with rage, her fury reaching the top of her head. She gritted her teeth and said, "Get out of my way! I don't have time to waste words with you, you shameless old vixen!"

She was in a hurry to get back to take care of important business.

Hearing this, however, she wouldn't back down an inch, and said mockingly, "Oh, you've hit a nerve? Come on, hit me then."

"You... get out of here! Tell me, instead of staying in your valley thinking about men, what do you want by stopping me here?" Song Yuzhi said through gritted teeth, suppressing her anger. Firstly, she didn't want to get entangled any further, and secondly, she had to accept that she couldn't beat this vixen who only thought about men all day long.

Song Yuzhi knew perfectly well about Tingyin's infatuated personality, always calling her a "seductive fox," while Tingyin always referred to herself as a "widow who brings bad luck to her husband." As the only two women standing at the top of Yuhua Kingdom, the two of them had never had a proper relationship and always bickered whenever they met.

Seeing that she had really angered him, Tingyin became even happier. She stepped through the air like a dancing elf and said with great interest, "I heard that Qin Yan is dead. You old widow must be so happy. We can't stand to see you doing well. What do you suggest we do?"

"Heh, you sound jealous? Once I regain power and become the most honored woman in the country, what will you have to compare with me? You'll be green with envy," Song Yuzhi said smugly, having regained her sense of superiority.

Tingyin remained unmoved, instead saying with ill intent, "So, as your sister, I'm just happy for you, that's why I came to congratulate you. But you might not like the way I'm congratulating you; I'm planning to beat you up. Laugh now, you'll be crying later."

"You vixen, don't go too far! I'm not someone to be trifled with. Believe me or not, I can order my troops to fill up your wretched mountain valley with a single command!" Song Yuzhi glared and said angrily. She had suffered a lot at Tingyin's hands, and was beaten quite miserably every time. Just thinking about it made her grit her teeth.

Hearing this, she replied nonchalantly, "Whatever, go for it if you dare. At worst, I'll take a stroll around the palace myself. Hehe, who knows, that might even help you out, right, my dear sister?"

Unable to defeat her in a fight, and with threats proving ineffective, Song Yuzhi glared fiercely at Tingyin before her figure flashed, transforming into a streak of light and hurtling away into the distance, muttering angrily, "You wretched old woman, I can't be bothered with you!"

"Hahaha, you think you can get away? No way! I haven't even given you a good beating yet. Take this! If you don't make me happy today, you won't be happy at all!" Tingyin's voice echoed in the night sky, sounding like a devil's whisper to Song Yuzhi. This beating was probably inescapable. The next instant, Tingyin's figure chased after her. The hazy white light surrounding her turned ice blue, and even her hair and clothes turned ice blue. After so many years of friendship, Song Yuzhi knew all too well that this was a sign that she was indeed about to make her move.

Turning around abruptly, Song Yuzhi's body surged with brilliant golden true energy. Facing the approaching Tingyin, she coldly said, "Do you think I'm afraid of you? Are you trying to flatter me?"

In the blink of an eye, Tingyin had already approached, its icy aura spreading outwards. The surrounding temperature plummeted under the night sky, the wind howled, and the icy mist mixed with snowflakes illuminated the surrounding area with a deep blue hue.

With a sharp look in her eyes, Song Yuzhi dared not be careless. Her aura surged, and a brilliant golden light swept across her body, as if ten thousand golden rays were shining upon her. The surrounding void was filled with only sharp energy. Her slender and graceful jade hand transformed into a gilded palm and struck out.

"You've got quite the nerve, but I wonder if you've made any progress lately, sister," Tingyin said with a playful laugh, her aura suddenly rising as if to freeze the heavens and earth, her ice-crystal-like palm directly meeting hers.

The two palms faced each other, both belonging to Grandmaster level experts. A terrifying aftershock spread, and the golden and dark blue aura swept out, destroying everything in its path. Rocks and vegetation crumbled and disappeared, accompanied by the sound of muffled thunder. In an instant, the area within several miles was completely destroyed, and a huge crater tens of feet high appeared in the center.

"Damn vixen!" In just one exchange, Song Yuzhi turned pale and flew backward, traveling hundreds of feet before finally regaining her footing. She almost lost her balance, and her once elegant and noble body was now covered in frost, making her look extremely disheveled.

Although the two women started fighting as soon as they met, they didn't actually have any deep-seated hatred for each other. So their attacks weren't meant to be deadly, but their power was by no means weak.

Tingyin gracefully and swiftly approached Song Yuzhi from the center of the fight, her tone mocking yet tinged with surprise: "No way, you old widow can't even withstand one of my moves. You've already given up? You were so arrogant just now, but I feel like you've not only not improved, but actually regressed. Tell me, is it because you don't have a man and are lonely all day long, secretly rewarding yourself too much, which has led to your weakness?"

"You've gone too far, you vixen! If I weren't unwell and hadn't tolerated your bullying, I would have beaten you until your face was covered in peach blossoms!" Song Yuzhi said with a deep breath and a look of indignation.

With her cultivation level, she wouldn't have been so badly defeated if neither side was serious. But unfortunately, the moment she made her move, she activated her true energy, and the icy aura that Chen Xuan had left in her body that day started to cause trouble. In addition, Tingyin was also an icy move, which was equivalent to working together from the inside and outside, making her look extremely embarrassed.

Upon hearing this, they immediately restrained their breathing and lost their interest in fighting. They came to have some fun, but they didn't really intend to beat Song Yuzhi badly. After all, they were the inseparable Liuli sisters.

As she approached, she looked at Song Yuzhi and teased her in a tone that was both concerned and made one want to give her a good scolding: "Tsk, old widow, aren't you rewarding yourself too much?"

"If you're going to fight, then continue. Otherwise, get out of here. You're rewarding yourself every day?" Song Yuzhi also restrained her aura and said irritably. Fortunately, Tingyin didn't continue to fight, which allowed her to suppress the icy aura that was acting up in her abdomen.

Even Song Yuzhi, a strong woman, felt a little aggrieved at this moment. What had she done to deserve this? She was bullied by Chen Xuan a few days ago, and today she was bullied by Tingyin. It seemed like they were all targeting her. The worst part was that she couldn't even beat them. Who could she complain to?

With her hands behind her back, she circled around Song Yuzhi, and Tingyin said with a grin, "I haven't rewarded myself. I'm still a virgin, so I can't bear to expose my true nature. I've always protected myself and saved it for my future man. Otherwise, I'll be looked down upon, and who will I cry to then? You, an old widow, have been married before, although your husband died right after you got married. You've at least smelled the scent of a man. Can you really resist?"

Song Yuzhi's gaze became somewhat uneasy. She turned and left, muttering, "Who has time to deal with you, you vixen? Do you think everyone is as idle as you? Go die wherever you want."

"She seems genuinely angry?" A hint of suspicion flashed in Tingyin's eyes. She stopped and naturally put her arm around Song Yuzhi's shoulder, saying seriously, "Old widow, you said you were unwell. Were you injured when you killed Qin Yan? If you had said so earlier, I wouldn't have hit you."

"Nonsense, mind your own business. Let go of me. Are we that close?" Song Yuzhi said irritably, shaking off her hand. She was even more embarrassed to admit that she had been bullied by a young upstart, and that she was so embarrassed that she felt cold even when she peed.

Tingyin persisted, pressing on and asking, "You really weren't injured by Qin Yan? That old guy is certainly skilled, but he's nothing special in front of me. I've never lost to anyone since we were kids. If you ask me, you should have acted a long time ago. I would have helped you as your sister by giving you a heads-up. But where did you get the guts, old widow? You just attacked without warning. I was quite surprised when I heard Qin Yan was dead. Logically speaking, you shouldn't be a match for him. How did you manage to do it?"

"Are you ever going to stop? You're driving me crazy!" Song Yuzhi was furious because she couldn't beat you up or get rid of you.

Although their relationship was fragile, they didn't want to drag her into the power struggle. Tingyin wasn't alone; she had a whole family in the sect.

Don't be fooled by Song Yuzhi's seemingly helpless bullying at Tingyin Bar. To put it bluntly, that's just playful banter between fair-weather friends. If things really get involved in the power struggle, even a master like Tingyin Bar wouldn't be able to withstand the serious power of the imperial court.

Hearing this, Song Yuzhi's emotions were completely ignored. He pressed on, "Hey, just tell me! You, the person involved, tell me what happened. I'll understand the details and then I won't bother you anymore."

"Is he really that easy to talk to?" Song Yuzhi raised an eyebrow, a little skeptical.

He listened with disdain and said, "Do you think everyone is like you, changing their minds all the time?"

"Pah, you uncultured vixen, if you can't speak properly, then read more books... Alright, Qin Yan's death was truly an accident. I, and even the entire royal family, have benefited immensely. We owe you a huge favor. You, a vixen who only knows how to stay in the mountains and think about men, probably don't know what happened. The Qin family has kept things well hidden, especially that Qin Ruyu who's usually half-dead. This is a long story. Yesterday morning..."

Upon hearing that Chen Xuan had appeared in Yucheng, Tingyin had no interest in listening to any other nonsense and immediately asked with delight, "You mean that Young Master Chen from Jing Kingdom is in Yucheng now?"

At this moment, Aunt Tingyin's heart was pounding. Was he here to find her?

"What's with your reaction? That's a bit strange... He's the one who killed the Qin family grandfather and grandson. They're gone today. Hey, you vixen, are you even listening to me?" Song Yuzhi stopped in her tracks, looking puzzled.

Just moments before, Tingyin was overjoyed, but her expression instantly somber. Upon learning that Chen Xuan had come and gone, she felt utterly empty and devoid of any interest. She waved weakly and said, "You go ahead with your work, I'm going back."

Seeing her leave so abruptly, Song Yuzhi, completely bewildered, watched her figure vanish into the distance into the night and exclaimed inexplicably, "Is she crazy? Wait, she really is crazy. No, something's wrong. Something's very, very wrong!"

...(End of this chapter)