Chapter 424: Omen (Fifth Update)

Mu Qinghe and Jian Fengchi returned to the Imperial Capital together, attracting no attention from anyone.

As soon as they returned, Mu Qinghe shut himself away in his room.

Jian Fengchi had originally intended to help him examine his injuries, but he was met with a closed door.

His temper was not particularly good to begin with; seeing Jian Fengchi acting this way, his patience was exhausted. He couldn't be bothered to care and went about his own business.

Staying inside his room, Mu Qinghe handled his wounds simply and alone.

His face bore no expression, making him look like a block of wood.

However, within his mind, he was constantly replaying everything that had happened in the Imperial Mausoleum.

Especially... that illusion.

Even knowing that it was all merely a fantasy, every time he thought of it, waves of emotion surged in his heart.

Particularly when he was quiet and alone, various images seemed to flash incessantly before his eyes, and his ears were filled with noisy sounds.

Mu Qinghe closed his eyes in frustration, only to find that the person's countenance became increasingly clear.

There was a smile on her face.

"Qinghe, why are you calling for this Palace?"

Her voice was clear and gentle, resonating deeply in his ears.

It felt as if something had poked the bottom of Mu Qinghe's heart, leaving him feeling intensely bitter.

But soon, the smile on her face vanished, replaced by a face full of shock and disbelief.

"Qinghe, you betrayed this Palace?"

The brilliant starlight within those eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by endless disappointment and sorrow.

Mu Qinghe snapped his eyes open!

In that short span of time, he had broken out in a cold sweat.

Sweat and blood mixed together, stinging painfully.

He stood up, intending to clean himself up first.

However, just as he took a step, his expression changed abruptly, and he stopped.

A bronze mirror flew out from his body! It blocked his path!

An endless sea of blood surged!

A terrifying aura descended, covering the sky and the earth!

Mu Qinghe's body swayed, and he fell to his knees.

A violent, bone-eroding pain radiated from his heart!

He gripped the clothes at his chest tightly, pressing down desperately, but he could not alleviate even a shred of the pain.

"Where is the item?"

An icy, majestic voice drifted from within.

Mu Qinghe clenched his teeth, sweat dripping continuously from his forehead, his lips trembling and turning pale.

"Sub... subordinate was incompetent and failed... failed to seize the item..."

"Useless!"

A surge of pain several times more intense instantly swept through his entire body!

Mu Qinghe finally couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, violently spitting out a mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground!

This time, he could barely utter a single complete sentence.

"To think that I gave you just this one task and you still cannot do it! Mu Qinghe, when did your abilities decline so drastically? Or... are you doing this on purpose?"

"Sub... subordinate did not..."

Mu Qinghe's body trembled as he struggled to squeeze out a few words.

That single sentence nearly exhausted what little strength he had left.

"You have been away for long enough. If you do not return soon, it will inevitably arouse suspicion. Therefore, you must return as quickly as possible!"

Even though Mu Qinghe was in extreme agony, he heard these words clearly.

"But... but that item..."

"Since you do not have the ability to seize it, staying there any longer is merely a waste of time! You need not concern yourself with this matter again!"

Mu Qinghe's lips quivered.

No...

He had fought so hard to secure this opportunity; how could he just let it go like this?!

"Subordinate... subordinate knows, it was taken by a mysterious person..."

"What mysterious person?"

Mu Qinghe's words clearly caught the other party's attention.

"That person's... appearance... subordinate did not see it, but if I see him again, I will surely recognize him... his aura..."

Mu Qinghe spoke in broken fragments.

"Please... please allow subordinate to continue... subordinate will not disappoint you..."

By the end, Mu Qinghe was so weak that his voice was almost inaudible.

But these words were clearly effective.

"In that case, I will give you a few more days! If there is still no progress, you know the consequences!"

After speaking, the bronze mirror quickly vanished once more.

In the room, Mu Qinghe was left alone again.

He lay on the ground, his clothes soaked through, looking utterly wretched.

A cyan shadow appeared beside him.

It was Hong Yao.

It approached Mu Qinghe, nuzzled against his face, and then buried its head.

It had always been proud and rowdy, as if it wanted to throw the whole world into chaos.

But at this moment, it was exceptionally quiet, simply accompanying Mu Qinghe in silence.

"I am fine," Mu Qinghe said in a low voice.

Hong Yao's wings twitched; it looked up at him, wanting to say something but hesitating.

In the end, it said nothing.

***

Chu Liuyue had returned to Seven Corner Alley with Chu Ning, but this investigation yielded no findings once again.

By the time they finished, it was late, so Chu Ning let her go home.

Chu Liuyue knew he had to go back to continue the investigation, but since her identity would follow him, it was truly inappropriate, so she did not insist.

The night was deep, and the bright moon hung high.

In her room, Chu Liuyue sat cross-legged, absorbing the Primordial Energy of heaven and earth around her.

After breaking through to a Third-Stage Martial Artist in the Imperial Mausoleum, her strength had significantly increased.

However, because this advancement had been too sudden, she worried about an unstable foundation, so she had returned to focused cultivation.

Sensing that the aura within her body had stabilized much more, Chu Liuyue couldn't help but look at her palm.

After the level of her Primordial Veins had increased, her speed of absorbing Primordial Energy had clearly accelerated.

This would obviously be of great benefit to her future cultivation.

What she lacked most right now was time.

Originally, she had intended to wait until she had recovered sufficient strength before heading to the Tianling Empire to seek revenge against those people.

But she hadn't expected that she would have to go while only being a Third-Stage Martial Artist.

With her current level and strength, she feared she would encounter a great deal of trouble once she arrived there...

Suddenly, a ripple surged within her dantian!

(End of Chapter)