Madam, please ascend.

Chapter 88 Lots of doubts
Yun Yi was actually a little curious at this point: "Who is this princess you always mention?"

"She is very talented. If she were a man, the throne would definitely be passed on to her!"

"Since you are so outstanding, why don't you stay in the court to assist the young emperor?"

"Well, this is a long story..." Cui Wuming shook his head.

Instead, Luo Tong continued, "It's not a secret. Everyone in Daxia knows about this. The old emperor fell seriously ill and fell into a coma many years ago. Although he didn't die, he was still unconscious. The eldest princess had been exposed to a mountain sect when she was young and was regarded as gifted. So she simply joined a righteous sect, hoping to find a way to cure the old emperor."

After hearing what he said, Yun Yi suddenly remembered that the surname of the Great Xia Dynasty seemed to be "Su", Prince Xian was Su Xin, and Prince Duan was Su Cen.

Then the eldest princess...isn't she...

Su Qing?!
Considering that Su Qing had no interest in fighting for power in Fuyao Sect and was devoted to practicing alchemy, everything seemed to make sense.

She once said that when the little red snake turned into a dragon, she would take a drop of its heart blood. It is likely that the elixir she refined was also related to saving the old emperor.

The emperors of secular dynasties are protected by dragon energy. Although few people can practice it due to the laws of nature, they are born with good luck and can avoid misfortune.

This was also the fundamental reason why the mountain sects, no matter how arrogant they were, dared not rashly kill the secular emperor. Once they did so, they would be counterattacked by the emperor's dragon energy, affecting their own path.

Recalling that Su Qing had been hesitant when talking about his life experience, and had said that he had been homeless since childhood and was sent to the Fuyao Sect to make a living, Yun Yi found it a little funny.

This Senior Sister Su is really kind and beautiful, and she is extremely low-key.

On the other hand, a certain senior brother who loved to show off ended up in a miserable state. It shows that it is better to keep a low profile.

Cui Wuming and Luo Tong opened up their chatterboxes, rambling about the chaotic state of the imperial court. Since Hongxiu Tower was far from Kyoto, they weren't worried about anyone overhearing their conversation.

Yun Yi had no intention of drinking, so he refused the beauty's kindness.

He asked, "Is there any girl in her twenties in this building?"

The beauty opened her red lips slightly, looking surprised: "Sir, you..."

"Don't think too much. I have a younger sister who ran away from home. I suspect she sneaked into this place to play."

"Huh...you really scared me."

The beauty patted her chest, causing it to tremble slightly. She frowned slightly, looking pitiful.

Yun Yi didn't avoid the other person's gaze, but just looked at him openly, but there was no affection in his eyes, let alone infatuation.

Seeing that these little tricks were useless, the beauty pouted and said, "Sir, what does your good sister look like?"

"She's very beautiful, and most importantly, she has a quirky personality. If you've ever seen her, you'll definitely be unforgettable."

"Well, let me think about it."

While the beauty here was thinking, another beauty stood up and asked to leave, saying that she had a pot of good wine that she had kept privately for many years and was willing to give it to the three guests.

Luo Tong was a drunkard and Cui Wuming was a eunuch, so they naturally had no resistance to good wine and agreed to both requests.

But Yun Yi felt suspicious no matter how he looked at the beauty leaving the house.

Why did you leave here when I was looking for someone?

Could it be that he wants to tip off the authorities?

Seeing Yun Yi's suspicion, the beauty moved closer and said with a smile, "I remember that Yun Niang picked up a young girl a while ago. However, she was dirty and looked hungry for a long time. She didn't look like a runaway girl."

Yun Yi shook his head secretly, thinking that the girls in Hongyanlou were not good at lying.

Fortunately, I am not a member of the magic world, otherwise I would use the soul-searching technique to force them to tell the truth immediately.

But he would not attack innocent people after all. Moreover, judging from the reactions of the fat woman and the beauty beside her, although they were deliberately concealing it, they did not seem like evil people who harmed others.

Instead, they were extremely wary of him, as if he was the evil one.

After some careful thought, Yun Yi guessed that Nangong Zhuozhuo must be here, and she was doing well, so much so that these people could sincerely cover up her tracks.

But what is her purpose in staying here? Is it because she hasn’t had enough fun yet and is reluctant to go home?
Although the Hongxiu Tower sounds grand, it is still difficult to conceal its "sad" background. After all, it is a place where a group of poor people gather together to make a living.

It is not a long-term plan for Nangong Zhuozhuo to stay here.

Yun Yi chatted with the beauty for a few more words before leaving and returning gracefully, holding a wooden tray with a bottle of wine and a cup in his hand.

She secretly glanced at Yun Yi, and Yun Yi saw everything.

They are all mortals without any cultivation, so it is naturally difficult for them to conceal their every move.

When Cui Wuming and Luo Tong saw the good wine, they took advantage of their drunkenness to start talking nonsense. Seeing that Yun Yi was unwilling to drink, they did not force him and just let him do whatever he wanted.

The two beauties exchanged glances secretly, and then the one next to Yun Yi said softly, "There's a sister who matches your description. She currently lives in the backyard of Linlang Pavilion. Why don't I take you there to see her?"

You can tell there's something fishy going on at first glance.

Yun Yi thought about it and decided that it would be better to counter the opponent’s moves, otherwise it would take a lot of effort to find Nangong Zhuozhuo.

So he stood up and said, "Please lead the way, young lady."

……

At the same time, in the northwest desert.

Ting Ni, covered in blood, watched Shan Changqing flee to the horizon, only breathing a sigh of relief after he disappeared from sight. Her crape myrtle soft armor was largely damaged, and her hair was stained with blood, a few strands clinging to her face, making her look utterly dejected.

Throwing the half tiger talisman in her hand to the nearby Xian Wang Su Xin, she said, "Shan Changqing's injuries are more serious than mine. He is probably too weak to come again."

Su Xin took the tiger talisman, examined it carefully, and said with a smile: "The great thing is already halfway done. It is really cause for celebration."

There were many corpses of cultivators lying around the two of them, including some at the Qi Refining Stage and some at the Spirit Transformation Stage, all of whom had lost their lives in the battle just now.

Ting Ni asked, "What are your plans next, Your Majesty?"

"Of course, I'll go to Crescent City and see if I can get the other half from Ye Ling."

"I've been injured and may need some time to recover."

"That's fine. We can recover slowly after entering the city."

Ting Ni suddenly said, "Your Highness has already used up two chances. This leaves only one last one."

Su Xin said, "How about a third chance, and we get married?"

"Yes, but after the marriage, I will kill the prince."

"Haha, I was just joking. I haven't thought about this last thing yet, so please come with me to Crescent Moon City and we'll discuss it later."

Su Xin's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he felt the urge to destroy her. But then he thought about Ting Ni, who came from the well-established Righteousness Sect. If he provoked her, he would surely incur the sect's revenge.

Everyone knew that the Righteous Qi Sect, though known as the leader of the righteous sect, was actually petty and protective. If it weren't for the chance encounter with Ting Ni, how could he have the opportunity to command the fairies of the Righteous Qi Sect's Divine Heavenly Dao?

Moreover, Tingni had already reached the Return to Void Realm at a young age, and was once regarded as the "Song Xinci" of the righteous path. Unfortunately, Song Xinci later achieved the Dao, leaving his peers far behind.

Su Xin was also familiar with Song Xinci. That nominal senior sister seemed to have never looked at him straight in the eye, even though he had clearly brought a lot of benefits to the Burial Sword Valley.

Haha, the fairies in this world are really arrogant.

……

Yun Yi was led by the beauty to a group of houses behind Linlang Pavilion. She pointed to the rockery not far away and said, "The person living in the house behind the rockery might be the one you are looking for."

This place is full of spiritual energy, with several side rooms, rockery and flowers, pavilions and flowing water. At first glance, the environment is even more elegant than the place where guests are entertained outside.

Yun Yi asked with a smile: "Miss, do you already know who I'm looking for?"

The beauty suppressed her panic: "A young girl in her twenties~"

"Then you should have greeted her secretly?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, sir."

"Haha, go back and take care of those two drunkards."

Yun Yi didn't want to embarrass the beauty with no cultivation, so he let her go. He took a quick look at the layout near the rockery and saw at a glance that someone had set up a formation here.

Nangong Zhuozhuo actually knows this trick?

Thinking of Taohua's kindness, Yun Yi knew that even if she set up a formation, it would probably not harm anyone's life. So, he took a step forward without hesitation, and the scenery before his eyes changed in an instant.

The original courtyard was shattered, like a piece of fallen glass, and then it was pieced together again, revealing a brand new scene.

Late at night after a snowfall, soft moonlight shone over the tree-lined embankment. The embankment, like a winding silver ribbon, traversed the shimmering waters, while the snow beneath the trees cast mottled shadows, creating a mysterious painting.

Not far from the embankment stands a broken bridge, which, under the intertwined moonlight and snow, resembles a jade dragon lying across the lake. The snow on the sunny side of the stone bridge has melted, revealing the brown bridge surface, giving it the appearance of a broken bridge covered in snow.

The evening breeze blew on his face, and Yun Yi felt a chill, thinking that this environment was indeed realistic.

He walked onto the broken bridge, looking for the center of the formation.

For ordinary formations, the eye of the formation is the key core. Once it is destroyed, the formation will be dissolved.

But the problem is that although the scenery of the broken bridge and the lingering snow is pleasing to the eye, I can't figure out what the center of the formation is.

Yun Yi frowned as he searched, thinking that Nangong Zhuozhuo came from the Feitian Secret Realm and then lived in Crescent City for several months. He had never been to Jiangnan, so it was impossible for him to imagine such a beautiful scenery.

In the vast desert, it is not easy to see snow, at least Nangong Zhuozhuo has definitely never seen it.

Could it be that this formation was not created by Zhuozhuo?
Or maybe she listened to some storybooks and watched some related operas?
He walked and thought, and unknowingly came to the "break" of the broken bridge, which was the boundary separated by snow stains.

As he stepped onto the brown bridge, heavy snow began to fall from the sky the next moment.

The snowflakes fell in a strange way, because once they touched Yun Yi, they stuck to his body tightly, neither melting nor falling off.

Even though Yun Yi used spiritual energy to raise his body temperature, he was unable to dispel these strange snowflakes.

"Interesting." Yun Yi found that the cold air gradually enveloped his body, and his consciousness became numb, as if he would be frozen into a sculpture in the next moment.

In just a blink of an eye, Yun Yi had turned into a snowman. He raised his foot and wanted to move forward, but found that he could not take a step forward no matter what. He was trapped in the snowy half of the broken bridge.

This feeling was different from the stone steps. At that time, I felt suffocated by the huge pressure and could hardly move forward.

But now it is completely covered in snow and is too cold to walk.

(End of this chapter)