The two women spoke for a while.

Lu Mingyuan watched them cautiously for a moment. He realized their conversation was dripping with sarcasm and couldn’t help but interrupt.

"Mu Xue, since you’re all right, I’ll have the Fairy head back now. She went to a lot of trouble to escort me, so don’t talk nonsense."

The implication was obvious.

’Show some sense.’

’She’s a big shot, too.’

’Mu Xue was always so sensible before. Why is she so aggressive today, as if she’d eaten gunpowder?’

Faced with this situation, Sui Yuqing was comparatively calm.

She was, after all, the number one beauty of the Dao Alliance.

The amount of gossip she had personally been involved in, and the gossip she had witnessed, was more than the rice most people ate in a lifetime.

What kind of scene hadn’t she witnessed?

As the gossip queen of the Celestial Master’s Mansion, only Yuqing Peak spread rumors about others; no one was allowed to spread rumors about her.

Sui Yuqing flicked her duster and smiled faintly. "Perhaps the Empress has misunderstood. In the past month, the Holy Emperor and I have only met today. Rather than getting entangled in this, Your Majesty might want to recall what happened at the scene. It would help the Cultivators from the Thunder Pool Daoist Academy capture the Demoness."

Seeing a chance to change the subject, Lu Mingyuan immediately seized on it. He shot Sui Yuqing a grateful look and said, "Yes, yes, why don’t you tell us what happened at the scene."

Qi Muxue began to recall. "That Demoness... she seemed to be looking for something."

"Looking for something?"

Lu Mingyuan was a bit stunned. He turned it over and over in his mind.

’Just as I suspected, the Great Nether Empress must have had a reason for coming to the Imperial Capital.’

Qi Muxue’s eyes flickered. "It seemed to be a pearl. Does Your Majesty know anything about it?"

"A pearl..." Lu Mingyuan murmured. An image of the Ancient God Celestial Gate surfaced in his mind, and he frowned.

"It couldn’t be that Divine Pearl, could it?"

"What Divine Pearl?"

Qi Muxue asked, her expression unreadable.

"It was apparently a Treasure my father sought to obtain eternal life."

"Back when the Demoness was imprisoned in the dungeons, this Divine Pearl was the collateral. It originally belonged to the Great Nether Empress. But my father couldn’t resist the Divine Pearl’s temptation and was ultimately controlled by it. His temperament gradually changed, leading to his downfall," Lu Mingyuan said seriously.

"Ever since Wei the Ninth began guarding the Celestial Gate, the Divine Pearl escaped into it and hasn’t been seen since."

"It disappeared?"

Qi Muxue pondered for a moment. "Your Majesty, how much do you know about that Demoness?"

"I don’t know her well, but she is familiar. I can only say we share a memory from the past."

Qi Muxue managed a smile, but it was a chilling one.

"Your Majesty is truly blessed with beauties. You find them wherever you go."

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan couldn’t ignore the conflict this time.

"The Demoness put you in grave danger, so she certainly deserves to die. The many Dynasties of the Central Plains World are all itching to kill her. But to be honest, I feel a bit of sympathy for her."

A flash of surprise appeared deep in Qi Muxue’s eyes. She asked curiously, "Sympathy? Why?"

Lu Mingyuan sighed. "It’s a tragic story. I happen to know some of her past, about the hardships of her youth. Perhaps all this conflict arose simply because of differing rules and circumstances."

At the side, Sui Yuqing couldn’t contain the burning flame of gossip. She asked with a light laugh, "Your Majesty, such a top secret matter concerning the Great Nether Empress’s youth... how did you come to learn of it?"

This time, Qi Muxue didn’t retort.

Clearly, she wanted to know as well.

Lu Mingyuan explained in a low voice, "Do you two remember the Grand Thousand Canglan Map?"

"Of course. Isn’t that the Painting Saint’s Treasure?"

Sui Yuqing nodded.

Lu Mingyuan began to narrate, "Correct. The artifact is a projection of a certain time and space recorded by the Painting Saint, with each scene being extremely realistic. I experienced nine lifetimes within it. In one of those lives, I happened to appear in the Holy Netherworld and had an experience with that Demoness. I learned that she once had an older brother. Moreover, I suspect there might be some connection between the Holy Netherworld and the Central Plains World."

After listening, Qi Muxue became thoughtful and asked seriously:

"So, do you think what the Demoness did was right?"

Lu Mingyuan replied, "It is right, and it is not right. It’s like the Confucian Family’s debate on good and evil. What’s the point of empty talk about them? All right and wrong lies within oneself. Everyone’s situation is different, so their perspectives are naturally different as well."

"Or perhaps, what she did is wrong in the Central Plains World, but in the Holy Netherworld, it couldn’t be more right."

Qi Muxue finally revealed an intrigued smile. "That is a very interesting perspective."

Sui Yuqing chuckled, crossing her arms. The white gauze of her lapels swayed slightly. "Your Majesty is already a qualified Emperor. Your thoughts and strategies are all based on your own judgment. That you can think this way is a great fortune for the people of Great Yan."

She glanced at Qi Muxue again, then took her leave. "If there is nothing else, this humble Daoist will take her leave."

"Very well. Take care, Fairy."

As Sui Yuqing left Fengning Palace, she still felt a bit weak.

She was clearly still affected by the Heart Demon and hadn’t fully recovered.

Qi Muxue stared at her retreating back, then turned to Lu Mingyuan. Her tone was cold. "That Demoness who barged into the Capital City today nearly cost me my life. The trace of Demonic Qi on her is still fresh in my memory. And this Fairy Ci Hang from the Celestial Master’s Mansion... she has a similar aura."

Lu Mingyuan’s heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He gave a bitter smile.

"Mu Xue, you can’t just say things like that."

"No matter what, the Fairy is a registered Tributor of our Great Yan. She’s incredibly powerful, and the Celestial Master’s Mansion has sided with us many times. How could she possibly be a member of the Demon Dao?"

"It’s true. Don’t you believe me?"

Qi Muxue suddenly looked aggrieved as she asked this in earnest.

Lu Mingyuan looked at her face, then wrapped a large hand around her slender waist and whispered, "Do you have any proof for saying that?"

Qi Muxue felt a shiver run through her entire body, and her face immediately flushed red.

’You dare...’ The two words nearly escaped her lips.

But she managed to hold them back.

Lu Mingyuan found it strange, and a doubt grew in his mind.

’We’ve been married for so long, why is she having such a strong reaction? It’s like it’s the first time.’

’It seems I’ve been neglecting her.’

Qi Muxue took a deep breath. Once she’d calmed down, she said, "It will be easy to tell truth from falsehood. The Mid-Autumn Festival is almost here. On that day, the Heaven and Earth Nether Qi will converge upon the Mortal World. It’s the day of the year when Demonic Thoughts and Demon Barriers are at their most potent. It’s said a single thought can separate a god from a demon. Countless Cultivators have become Fallen Demons on this day. Your Majesty can witness it for yourself and see if she reacts."

Lu Mingyuan sucked in a cold breath. "That’s some obscure knowledge. Where did you learn that?"

Qi Muxue smiled faintly. "Read more books."

"Fair enough."

Lu Mingyuan had no rebuttal.

"You’ve had a scare, so get some rest. I have to make arrangements for the next few days, so I won’t be staying with you tonight."

With that, Lu Mingyuan quickly stood up, gave a brilliant smile, and walked out the palace doors.

The moment he turned his head, his expression became grave.

He walked all the way out of the main hall.

After Lu Mingyuan left,

Zi Yun and Hong Wan exchanged a look, then turned to Qi Muxue and asked curiously:

"Empress, why would you baselessly and wrongly accuse Fairy Ci Hang?"

"What business is it of yours?"

Qi Muxue, who had been resting with her eyes closed, glanced at them. Her gaze was indifferent as a terrifying aura washed over them.

Zi Yun and Hong Wan were instantly dazed, as if they had fallen into an abyss.

’What a powerful, domineering presence!’

They felt that ever since the Empress’s encounter with the Demoness, she had completely changed.

The gentle, virtuous, and exceptionally personable First Talent of the Imperial Capital, who always wore a smile and paid great attention to etiquette, seemed to be gone.

But on second thought, maybe this...

...was how an Empress was supposed to be.

Qi Muxue sat before the copper mirror in her chambers, studying the exquisite face with its willow-leaf brows and lips as thin as a cicada’s wing. Her black hair was tucked behind her jade-like ears, her features naturally gentle and serene.

She couldn’t help but ponder her next move.

’If the Divine Pearl is truly gone, how am I to contact the Divine Beings again?’

...

「Deep in the night.」

In a dark alley in a city far beyond the borders of Great Yan.

The air was damp, and the alley was so narrow that only two people could walk abreast.

A cloaked woman leaned against a stone wall, panting. She sank down dejectedly in a corner, staring silently at her reflection in a puddle.

She had been relentlessly pursued by masters from the Three Academies of the Bright Lamp Bureau and had fled all the way here.

Faced with Great Yan’s numerous experts,

she ultimately chose not to fight back.

Instead, she just kept running.

Fortunately, this body’s Cultivation was high enough that even four Twelfth Realm masters working together in a formation couldn’t capture her.

Right now, no one was willing to believe her.

But then again, who would ever believe a Demoness?

She could only let out a deep sigh, climb up from the end of the alley, and knock on the door of a nearby residence.

The inns were all closed, and she didn’t dare go to one anyway. Her only option was to seek shelter in a commoner’s home.

She walked towards a spacious residence and knocked on the door.

’I hope there are still kind-hearted people around at this hour.’

"YAWN~~~ Who is it? It’s so late, we’re not receiving guests!"

The gate opened to reveal two Martial Artist house-servants, yawning. With their arrogant expressions, they looked every bit the lackeys of a wealthy family.

In the process, they saw the disheveled state of the cloaked woman before them. Noticing the slender figure visible beneath her cloak, their eyes filled with a lecherous, appraising look.

"Excuse me, may I stay for one night? I can pay with silver."

"I’m from the Capital City and have nowhere else to stay. Could I trouble you for a night?"

Witch Palace Language asked gently.

The two house-servants glanced at the dark sky and the deserted surroundings, no longer bothering to hide the greed in their eyes.

"Silver? I’m afraid that won’t be enough..."

"How do we know you’re not a wanted criminal?"

"Let me see what you look like!"

Seeing that the woman before them was just an ordinary person, one of the servants crudely reached out. He wanted to see her face, but his hand brushed against the necklace on her throat.

The next second.

A flash of blood-red light shot towards the sky.

Two heads instantly hit the ground.

The woman looked at the demonic shadow of the Artifact Spirit within the blood-red Demon Pearl, which was glowing faintly above her snow-white collarbone. She touched a spatter of blood on her cheek.

Staring at the bodies on the ground, she was stunned for a moment.

The Artifact Spirit coalesced into a human form, clasped its fist, and knelt.

"My apologies for startling you, Empress."

...