Chapter 433: Nine-Colored Heavenly Pheasant (Fifth Update)

Qi Han hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did as he was told.

His Highness's orders were something the Thirteen Moon Guards only ever obeyed.

When he tore away the face mask and pulled back his hood, Chu Liuyue's heart gave a violent throb!

She saw that the left cheek of the young man before her, as well as everything above his neck, was covered in burn scars.

His originally delicate and handsome features had been transformed into such a state!

Only those long, narrow, and cold eyes remained unchanged!

"You... why did you..."

Chu Liuyue spoke with difficulty; just as she managed a few words, she felt as if something were choking her.

"Upon learning that Your Highness was in mortal danger, how could the Thirteen Moon Guards evade her duty? That we failed to rescue Your Highness is entirely due to our own incompetence!"

Qi Han did not care about the destruction of his appearance or his body.

The only thing he cared about was that he had returned too late back then and had failed to protect her.

Chu Liuyue remained silent for a long time.

She had always believed she had died lonely and without support, never realizing that the Thirteen Moon Guards had actually returned that day.

"And then?"

"Afterward, Jiang Yucheng continued to secretly send assassins to kill us. We intended to unite with others to seek vengeance for you. But..."

"But you discovered that most of them had already betrayed me, didn't they?" Chu Liuyue smiled faintly, her eyes calm, as if she were merely discussing someone else's business.

Qi Han hesitated for a moment before saying

"In truth, only a minority betrayed you. However, because some of them held positions of great importance, the matter became quite complicated. Furthermore, as we were merely your private personal guard, we did not have much say in the matter, so..."

Chu Liuyue nodded in understanding.

Even if Qi Han hadn't said it, she could have guessed the situation at the time.

"It was truly difficult to ask you to do such things. What happened next?"

Jiang Yucheng and Shangguan Wan would not let the Thirteen Moon Guards go easily; they would surely try to wipe them out completely.

"How are the others of the Thirteen Moon Guards doing now?"

Qi Han clenched his fists

"Rest assured, the others are all doing well."

Only then did Chu Liuyue's mood improve slightly.

Now, the Thirteen Moon Guards were among the few people she had left to trust.

"That's good, that's good. However, Qi Han, why did you leave the Sky Curtain Realm alone? And how did you find me?"

This was actually the point Chu Liuyue was most curious about.

Even she felt that something like "returning in another body" was too absurd; how had Qi Han found her?

Moreover, looking at his demeanor earlier, it was clear he had known for a long time.

His coming here today was likely just to seek confirmation.

"Your Highness, it is not just your subordinate; the others of the Thirteen Moon Guards are no longer in the Tianling Empire either. One month after the fire at the Imperial Ancestral Hall, Jiang Yucheng framed us for colluding with the enemy and treason. He claimed it was because they heard of our actions that you suffered a cultivation deviation... After that, he issued a wanted order for us. After deliberating, the Thirteen Moon Guards left the Sky Curtain Realm together."

Chu Liuyue's expression grew even colder.

"Jiang Yucheng has gone too far!"

Not only had he driven her to a dead end, but he had actually thrown the mud onto the Thirteen Moon Guards!

After her death, with Shangguan Wan's assistance, he could practically rule the Tianling Empire with a single hand!

Under such circumstances, the Thirteen Moon Guards' choice to leave was actually the most correct decision.

"Actually, even if you left the Tianling Empire, you didn't necessarily have to leave the Sky Curtain Realm. Each of you possesses great strength; going to the outside world would truly be a waste..."

Chu Liuyue felt it was a pity.

Qi Han, however, shook his head.

"Your Highness, there is something you do not know. The reason we ultimately left the Sky Curtain Realm was because we received a letter."

Chu Liuyue was stunned. "What letter?"

"A letter... regarding you!"

At this point, Qi Han suddenly raised his eyes and looked fixedly at Chu Liuyue.

"That letter said that if we wanted to avenge you, we had to leave the Sky Curtain Realm first!"

Chu Liuyue was startled

"Who wrote that letter?"

"It was anonymous. To this day, we still do not know who wrote it. But given the circumstances at the time, we had no other choice, so we simply did as it said."

"What?"

Chu Liuyue was shocked.

"It was just a letter, and you actually believed it and followed it?"

The Thirteen Moon Guards were people she had meticulously trained; every one of them was a powerful expert and extremely cautious.

How could they make such a choice based on a mere letter?

This was far too reckless!

Qi Han's expression became somewhat strange.

"Because... because the handwriting in that letter was exactly the same as yours! Most importantly, inside it, there was also one of your tokens!"

Chu Liuyue almost thought she had misheard, and she immediately frowned.

Many people had seen her handwriting; if someone intended to imitate it, it wasn't impossible.

The Thirteen Moon Guards would not have believed the contents of the letter simply because of similar handwriting.

Therefore, the token contained within that letter became extremely important, playing a decisive role.

"What token?"

"A feather from a Nine-Colored Sky Pheasant!"

Chu Liuyue stood up abruptly!

The Nine-Colored Sky Pheasant was her magical beast from back then!

When she chose to perish together with her enemy by self-immolation, she had even deliberately released the Nine-Colored Sky Pheasant, hoping to preserve its life.

But looking at everything that happened afterward, the Nine-Colored Sky Pheasant had clearly died that day as well!

And a feather from a Nine-Colored Sky Pheasant was extremely precious! It was a symbol of its identity!

Ordinary people could not even touch one, let alone pluck one!

Before she died, the Nine-Colored Sky Pheasant clearly still had nine whole feathers!

Since it was dead, how could anyone have obtained its feathers!?

—And where did the single feather in that letter come from!?