Chapter 345: Peeping (Second Update)

Situ Xingchen frowned.

"Yeah! It seems she was personally escorted by Elder Ye, the Dean of Tianlu Academy. She should have arrived at the Library by now, right?"

"Hasn't she already been selected by the envoys of the Tianling Empire? Why would she come here?"

"Who knows? But since she's here, she must have been permitted, right? Have you guys heard? She was born a useless cripple with incomplete original veins, but a few months ago, she suddenly became a genius!? I really don't know what kind of person this Chu Liuyue actually is."

"A genius, sure, but unfortunately, she has an engagement with the Prince of Li from the Yaochen Kingdom. He's nothing but a walking medicine jar."

"I heard that Prince of Li is exceptionally handsome; maybe some people just like that sort of thing? Haha!"

The figures of the group gradually receded, and their voices slowly faded away.

Situ Xingchen remained silent in place for a long time, standing until her feet went numb.

She realized that she truly still could not accept everything that had happened.

Whether it was the Qingjiao Assembly, or the engagement between Rong Xiu and Chu Liuyue!

After a long period of contemplation, she turned and headed back up toward the Medicinal Mountain.

On the mountainside, there were several wooden houses.

One of them was her private resting place.

She entered, locked the door, and sat down at her desk.

A thick medicinal fragrance filled her nose.

In the past, this scent always brought her peace of mind, but now, it only served to remind her of that humiliating day.

She sat quietly for a while before taking out a letter.

This letter was from Rong Jin.

Before she had left the Imperial Capital, Rong Jin had privately sent someone to deliver it.

However, her mind had been entirely focused on Rong Xiu at the time, so she had not opened it.

Now...

She stared at the letter for a moment, then opened it without hesitation.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled through the window, casting Situ Xingchen's shadow in an extremely long stretch.

A ripple suddenly appeared in the void.

A figure stepped out from within—it was Elder Lian Ning.

"Eldest Princess."

A low, raspy voice echoed in the room.

Only then did Situ Xingchen snap out of her trance. She shifted her gaze away from the letter and subconsciously tucked it away before looking at Elder Lian Ning.

Seeing it was him, Situ Xingchen breathed a sigh of relief, but her eyes still carried a lingering trace of shock.

Sensing that something was wrong, Elder Lian Ning could not help but ask

"Eldest Princess, what is the matter?"

His gaze swept over the letter in Situ Xingchen's hand, and his expression tightened slightly.

"This is..."

"When you went to investigate Chu Liuyue previously, did you find anything out?"

Situ Xingchen interrupted Elder Lian Ning's thought and asked.

Elder Lian Ning did not press further into the matter of the letter; he merely bowed slightly.

"I have uncovered two things."

"First, on the tenth of July, Chu Xianmin once sent people to assassinate Chu Liuyue. Those people took Chu Liuyue out of the Imperial Capital, intending to kill her in the mountains. However, on that day, Chu Liuyue did not die; instead, she returned to the Chu family completely unharmed."

Situ Xingchen's willow brows furrowed slightly.

She had heard rumors regarding Chu Xianmin. It was obvious that her attempt to kill Chu Liuyue was to seize the position of Crown Princess, which was quite normal.

"Do you think there is something wrong with this matter?"

"Of course. Your Highness, do not forget that at that time, Chu Liuyue was still a useless cripple with incomplete original veins, while the people Chu Xianmin sent... according to my investigation, included a third-stage martial artist."

Situ Xingchen looked stunned.

While a third-stage martial artist might not be considered a powerhouse, they would certainly have no trouble dealing with a young girl with no cultivation!

"Chu Liuyue returned alive, then... what about those three people?"

"They died."

A strange smile appeared on Elder Lian Ning's face.

"Furthermore, it was the kind of disappearance where no body was ever found. Because those three had ordinary identities, and because Chu Xianmin was terrified of exposure and intentionally suppressed the matter, their disappearance failed to attract anyone's attention. And precisely—it was from that day onward that Chu Liuyue underwent a heaven-and-earth-shaking transformation. After returning to the Chu family, she bought many medicinal herbs from the Treasure Pavilion, and not long after, she passed the entrance exam for Tianlu Academy. Everyone knows what happened after that."

Numerous conjectures flashed through Situ Xingchen's mind, and she hurriedly asked

"What about the second thing?"

"The second thing—coincidentally, it is also related to that forest. You likely do not know yet, but the Fourth Princess of the Yaochen Kingdom, Rong Zhen, has gone missing."

Situ Xingchen knew of Rong Zhen, but since the two sides had no dealings, she did not have a deep impression of her.

"Wasn't her original core shattered? Wasn't she recovering in the palace? How could she suddenly go missing? Moreover, there seems to be no news regarding this matter."

Although she had returned to Taiyan Academy, she had not cut off contact with the outside world.

If Rong Zhen had truly gone missing, such a major event should, in principle, have spread.

"Because Rong Zhen ran out on her own."

He had been investigating Chu Liuyue in secret during this period, and unexpectedly, he had actually found something.

"That day, Chu Liuyue was forcibly taken away from Tianlu Academy by a fifth-stage martial artist. I concealed my aura and followed them, eventually discovering they went to that forest. Although I did not follow them inside, it wasn't long before Chu Liuyue emerged. After that, people in the Imperial Capital began secretly searching for Rong Zhen's whereabouts."

As long as one connected these events, it was not difficult to imagine what had happened that day.

Situ Xingchen was filled with shock, and it took a long while before she spoke

"In other words, Chu Liuyue also killed Rong Zhen?"

Elder Lian Ning pondered for a moment.

"That is not necessarily the case. However, after she left, I entered that forest to search but found no trace. As for the Empress's side, they still do not dare to make a grand spectacle of it."

Situ Xingchen's eyes flickered, and she murmured in a low voice

"So, Chu Liuyue's movements are indeed secretive enough. However, there is no wall in this world that does not leak. She likely hasn't realized that the things she has done have actually been discovered, has she? Heh!"

How ridiculous!

She had now gained both fame and fortune, even managing to reach the Library of their academy!

"Eldest Princess, what do you plan to do?" Elder Lian Ning asked. "Rong Zhen targeted Chu Liuyue so much; there must be another reason. Perhaps you should..."

"Rong Zhen was once showered with affection. Even if her original core was shattered and she became a useless person, she was still the noble Fourth Princess. Since when was it anyone else's place to decide her life or death? Currently, there is no news from the Yaochen Kingdom, which shows that Emperor Jiawen does not know about this yet. She was his most beloved daughter; if he finds out, I truly wonder how heartbroken he will be..."

Situ Xingchen spoke slowly, a hint of pity appearing on her face, yet in the depths of her eyes, a cold and vicious light flashed and vanished in an instant.

"Are you saying—"

"Elder Lian Ning, you have worked hard during this time. Leave the next steps to me."

Situ Xingchen took out paper and a pen.

"I will tell these matters to the people who need to know."