Entering the Palace

There is certainly a reason for Madam Ye’s physical improvement.

Not many people know about it because she is unwilling to discuss it. If anyone asks, she generally just says she used a certain method to nurse her health back.

Even when the Third Princess asks, she gives the same answer.

Because she cannot speak of the matter regarding Gu Yi giving her the Boshui Ten-Bend Yang technique.

She is even more reluctant to speak of what practicing the Boshui Ten-Bend Yang would bring about.

Besides, from an outsider's perspective, since the reason for her sudden deterioration in health over two years ago was never quite clear, it doesn't seem to matter much that the reason for her sudden recovery is unclear now either.

There are quite a few miraculous events and miraculous people in this world; after enduring some hardships and suffering, having such a good ending in the end can be considered a blessing from the heavens.

Whether such a thing as divine pity exists or not is hard to say.

Others might not know, but Zhu Da certainly doesn't think so.

In fact, he was still immersed in the spirited and heroic charm of Madam Ye after she changed into her martial attire. Although that arrow was shot with immense force, love makes one's flaws seem lovely, and rather than thinking of violence, a single sentiment arose in his heart:

*Madam, truly a remarkable woman!*

This statement was both correct and incorrect.

When Madam Ye met the Dao Administrator, although she knew he was a tolerant man who had always curried favor with her, their respective statuses were right before their eyes, so she still paid her respects quite earnestly.

"Madam greets the Dao Administrator."

Zhu Da patted his belly. He didn't care for such formalities; etiquette meant distance. But he was naturally good-natured and not angry at all, waving his hand dismissively. "Hey, what Dao Administrator or not? You don't answer to me, and I don't answer to you, there's no need for this."

"Madam, I see your complexion has greatly improved. Have you already fully recovered?"

Madam Ye actually felt somewhat at a loss as to how to face him...

When chatting with Gu Yi previously, Gu Yi had also brought up this very issue, mentioning how heartbreaking it must be for a man who admired her...

Yet, she naturally made her own decisions regarding her own affairs. Whether or not to practice the Boshui Ten-Bend Yang was entirely up to her single thought. If this were to hurt any outsider...

Well, it would just be this Zhu Da.

He didn't know about it yet.

And Madam Ye didn't know how to bring it up.

With other thoughts on her mind, her attention drifted, and she reacted slowly to Zhu Da's question.

The Dao Administrator found it strange and pressed further, "Madam? What is it? Is there still something you need my help with? It's no matter, just say it. As long as it's within my power, whether it's miracle elixirs or famous physicians, I will find them. I will not refuse."

He assumed that Madam Ye's hesitant demeanor meant she had some difficult request to make.

In reality, however, he was entirely mistaken.

Coming back to her senses, Madam Ye shook her head repeatedly and said, "The Dao Administrator misunderstands. Although my body has not fully recovered, it is seventy or eighty percent better. I don't have any special needs."

In fact, the more wholeheartedly Zhu Da behaved, the more pity she felt for him.

"Ah, I've already said, you don't need to call me Dao Administrator. Just call me Zhu Da, or Brother Zhu, as long as you don't call me Dao Administrator."

Lord Dao Administrator was very happy now. Not only had Madam Ye's health recovered, but she also looked even better than before. Then, changing the subject, he asked, "Madam, when I returned, I heard that you also found your long-lost younger brother—'Western scriptures bloom in the Hall of Mann, scattering eternal light into the mortal night.' Is this matter also true?"

At the mention of this, Madam Ye's mood soured.

The Third Princess's words had only filled her with despair.

Her attire today and her practice of archery here were partly meant to foster the martial resolve to save her younger brother.

"It is true, but..."

"But what?" Zhu Da immediately pursued the question. Madam Ye never asked anything of him, which simply would not do. Therefore, he was extremely sensitive to that "but."

Madam Ye also spoke the truth, "However, my brother was captured by the Great Rain Palace at Desheng Pass, and his life or death remains unknown to this day."

"What?!" Zhu Da was shocked and angered upon hearing this. "How could this be? Madam has just reunited with her brother, and those people from the Li Kingdom truly deserve to die! Madam, you need not worry. Combining national enmity and personal grievance, I, Zhu Da, will surely devote my lifelong efforts until one day I raze the Great Rain Palace to the ground and rescue your brother!"

National enmity, Madam Ye could understand.

Personal grievance...

That was hardly the word for it.

However, Madam Ye was currently helpless and desperate. As a single individual, she could hardly stand against the entire Great Rain Palace, and Zhu Da seemed to be one of the few straws she could grasp.

Madam Ye also expressed her determination, "My archery practice today, and my future study of immortal cultivation, are likewise driven by the ambition to rescue my brother. I will never stop until I achieve my goal!"

Zhu Da felt as though Madam Ye was radiating light at this moment. He clapped his hands domineeringly, "Good! I shall stand with Madam; I will never let you walk this path alone. Henceforth, no matter how perilous the Great Rain Palace may be—even if it is a sea of dragons and a den of tigers—we shall storm it!"

The aura Zhu Da emitted at this moment finally made him look like a true Dao Administrator, rather than merely a gentle, chubby man.

Moreover, his style of action seemed somewhat mismatched with his outward appearance. He was decisive and prompt, immediately asking, "Madam, what is your brother's name? I will have people investigate immediately—first find out what happened that day, and then find out where the Great Rain Palace has imprisoned him. Only then can our rescue plan be implemented, right?"

Madam Ye felt as though she had been injected with a stimulant. Although she had imagined various rescue plans countless times in her mind, she was, after all, a frail woman with no prior experience in such matters, and she had only recently learned immortal cultivation. She could truly be said to have the will but lack the means.

Zhu Da was different. In just a few words, he outlined the steps for implementation.

Truly worthy of being the Dao Administrator of Luyang Academy.

"His name is Gu Yi!"

"Gu Yi?" Zhu Da found the name somewhat familiar. "Isn't that the scholar of immortal talent personally bestowed by the Emperor, who has been the talk of Luyang recently?"

Madam Ye had given her word to the Third Princess that the matter could not be spoken of, so she merely nodded. "That's right. He is the younger brother I have searched for many years."

Zhu Da's spirit was lifted. "Your brother is a person of great talent, able to win the favor of the immortals of Xiaoxiao Mountain! Madam, rest assured. As long as I, Zhu Da, draw breath, I will not let Gu Yi fend for himself. I am going right now to have them investigate where he is being imprisoned."

Saying and doing things at once, Zhu Da turned to leave.

Madam Ye was somewhat surprised and called out, "Dao Administrator..."

"What is it? Is something amiss?"

"Not amiss, exactly. However, I met the Third Princess a few days ago, and she said the most important task right now is to guard Luyang. The Dao Administrator's warm heart and righteous spirit are deeply appreciated, but this..."

Zhu Da was quite magnanimous. "No matter, I will not let it interfere with important matters. As for the people of the Li Kingdom breaching Luyang, I don't believe it for a second; the Seventeenth Tower Master is waiting for them. Even setting that aside, the immortal of Xiaoxiao Mountain can arrive in Luyang from Xiaoxiao Mountain in the blink of an eye!"

Madam Ye's heart twitched. Just as the Third Princess had said,

at present, the vast majority of people truly placed their hopes on the immortal of Xiaoxiao Mountain!

For some reason, she felt a lingering sense of foreboding.

Would the impending battle of Luyang really go that smoothly?

"I shall never forget Brother Zhu's kindness in offering assistance. Yet, in this lifetime, I have no way to repay it."

Originally, this was meant as a refusal—in this lifetime, made perfectly clear.

The problem, however, was...

She had said it many times before.

And Zhu Da had heard it many times before.

Every time, she had meant it, and each time with increasing seriousness,

While Zhu Da gradually stopped taking it as a refusal, reaching a point today where hearing "never forget" was actually a form of progress for him rather than a rejection.

"Wait for my news!"

"Take care in all things!"

After Zhu Da walked away, Madam Ye let out a long sigh alone. What should be done if things continued this way?

Zhu Da certainly wasn't a bad person.

Before, she had felt she was someone on the brink of death, and marrying anyone would only bring disaster upon them.

Now, even if she wanted to marry, she couldn't.

Previously, when Zhu Da looked at her with eyes full of affection and tenderness, she had felt somewhat awkward.

Now, it was outright sickening—

She even felt the urge to give him a kick.

This thought was hardly normal, and Madam Ye was well aware of it. In the past, the notion of "kicking someone" would never have crossed her mind, yet now not only did it arise, but it took considerable effort to hold back.

Little Yueer came over from the front hall. She had entered almost immediately after Zhu Da left, trotting all the way. The current Madam Ye was quite different from before; her demeanor and posture carried a masculine air,

and now, whenever Madam Ye made affectionate, intimate gestures, Little Yueer would still blush.

Madam Ye was naturally good-looking—she was simply striking, and even dressed as a man, she was exceedingly handsome.

"He's gone?" Madam Ye asked.

"Mhm." Little Yueer was one of the few who knew the truth. "Madam, what should be done about the Dao Administrator?"

"How should I know what to do? We'll take it one step at a time."

Little Yueer said, "I'm just afraid that even if we told him, he wouldn't believe it."

Of course Madam Ye knew that. When Gu Yi first mentioned such matters back then, she had found it extremely bizarre.

"We'll wait for an appropriate opportunity." Madam Ye could think of no good solution, or perhaps deep down she was unwilling to speak of it to others—the fewer who knew, the better.

Little Yueer nodded.

When she raised her head again, she found Madam Ye staring with strange eyes at her chest, causing her to instantly blush. "I'm going back to the front hall."

"Wait a moment, Yueer," Madam Ye stepped forward a few paces and grabbed her hand. "I still have something to discuss with you. Come with me."

"Madam, I have matters to attend to as well..." Little Yueer remembered it was daytime, the hour of Yang.

...

...

The fluctuations of spiritual energy coming from the direction of the imperial palace grew increasingly intense.

Yet there was still no signal whatsoever.

Gu Yi felt he could no longer wait like this. He was not a particularly impatient or anxious person, but remaining entirely in the dark about the situation over there was certainly not his style.

"No, I'm going to take a look," Gu Yi said, standing up.

Shuyu considered it for a moment and replied, "Alright."

Gu Yi was slightly stunned. "You're agreeing just like that? Just so easily?"

"Is being agreeable... bad?"

That was certainly not what he meant; being agreeable was, of course, good.

The fierce battle outside had already stirred the entire city. Although the rain poured in torrents, the main streets remained bustling with crowds—times like these were a paradise for rumors.

People outside were shouting that the Xu Kingdom's forces had breached the city, while others claimed there was a mutiny within the imperial palace. Whichever the case, chaos had suddenly descended upon the city.

Under such chaotic circumstances, if Gu Yi and Shuyu went out right now, they wouldn't easily attract the enemy's attention.

Spiritual talismans rose around Gu Yi. While at Luyang Academy, he had used them on the immortals as well; repelling rain was the simplest of tasks.

The profound and exquisite runes opened Shuyu's eyes wide. When she went outside and discovered that the rainwater could not penetrate them, she exclaimed in wonder and asked Gu Yi why he hadn't used them sooner.

Gu Yi replied that holding an umbrella looked more dashing.

The main streets were thoroughly in chaos, and energy waves from clashing spiritual powers occasionally rippled from within the palace. The pleasant rain had turned into a storm. Yet amidst this confusion, as Gu Yi hurried toward the imperial palace, he noticed that Huang Ren remained completely unaffected.

He was still writing his calligraphy.

*What a peculiar person,* Gu Yi thought to himself.

He still had a question he wanted to ask, so he stepped forward. "Master Huang, the Dao of Heaven you mentioned last time—you saw it from somewhere else. Can you tell me where?"

On the left was the chaos of the bustling market; on the right was the steady brushwork of focused devotion.

Huang Ren ignored him entirely.

Gu Yi couldn't help sighing. He couldn't possibly toss out a gold coin every time he spoke a sentence to the man.

"Are you trying to harmonize with the Dao of Heaven?" Shuyu asked.

"Mhm. I feel those principles make a lot of sense. I understand them, but I can't seem to comprehend anything profound from them. Perhaps I'm still lacking an opportunity."

Shuyu consoled him, "There's no rush; I can accompany you and wait slowly."

Huang Ren didn't utter a single word.

Perhaps he truly didn't know.

Even so, Gu Yi made a mental note of this man. His singular devotion to his craft actually matched Gu Yi's inner understanding of an 'immortal.'

Much like the Poetry Immortal and the Wine Immortal from three hundred years ago.

Perhaps he, too, was simply waiting for an opportunity.

To this day, Gu Yi refused to believe the standard teachings passed down in the world—that one could become an immortal simply by being taught cultivation techniques and practicing swordsmanship.

If that were true, wouldn't those 'things' simply be the secret formula for immortality?

In reality, however, immortals were illusory and ethereal; where could there ever be a standardized routine?

Gu Yi only occasionally practiced the Thousand Needle Spiritual Light Technique, yet his realm advanced by leaps and bounds, proving that the two were not closely correlated.

"Let's go," Gu Yi said, taking Shuyu's hand.

It wasn't that he was dense;

with so many people around now, various walks of life were colliding left and right, and a stray bump might easily separate them.

This was purely for protection.

Shuyu didn't pull away; in fact, she gripped his hand even tighter. Gu Yi could guarantee she certainly wasn't doing it for protection!

Ah, women.

Venturing out rashly without any intention of exposing their identities meant the two did not travel by flying. Shuyu looked like a fairy maiden, and if they were in the sky, she truly would have looked like an immortal descending to the mortal realm.

Even just walking on the ground, however, they drew numerous gazes.

Shuyu disliked these glances, so she hid behind Gu Yi, never straying too far.

At times, she would cause a group of people to suddenly hold their breath, gasping quietly with words like, "So pretty, truly gorgeous."

Hearing that, Gu Yi gripped her hand even tighter.

A smile curved the corners of Shuyu's lips as wind gathered beneath her feet, running forward in happiness.

Along the way, they also encountered a band of ruffians—likely street thugs taking advantage of the chaos in Qiuxia City, where the streets were filled with people roaming about. Those who usually flouted the rules while fearing the authorities now felt it was their time to shine.

Lacking worldly experience and utterly blind to situational cues, three or five robust men dared to block Gu Yi's path.

These individuals seemed incapable of rousing Shuyu's anger; knowing Gu Yi would handle it, she simply turned and buried her face against Gu Yi's shoulder, leaning into him.

Even if she didn't want these people to pollute her sight, she certainly didn't want them looking at her.

Gu Yi stopped holding her hand and instead wrapped his right arm around her shoulder, leading her forward step by step.

Dealing with these people wasn't a matter of whether his right hand was convenient—he didn't need to use his hands at all.

Wherever his footsteps fell, spiritual energy surged outward. The aura of the Returning to Simplicity realm left them physically immobilized. Those brandishing axes and holding long sabers could only watch as Gu Yi passed right before their eyes, unable to move so much as a muscle.

And as Gu Yi walked past, they collapsed in a sprawling mess.

Looking at the rainwater splashing across the ground, Gu Yi suddenly found it quite fitting. "This must be what they call bringing disaster with beauty."

It wasn't a very pleasant phrase, but fortunately Shuyu couldn't understand it.

Approaching the imperial palace wasn't difficult, but it was troublesome due to the sheer number of people blindly stumbling around like headless flies.

Yet the closer they got to the palace walls, the more orderly the situation became. Soldiers stood along the streets, blocking ordinary citizens from approaching the palace.

A culture-valuing city could not avoid having its share of earnest old scholars. They shouted slogans, declaring that when a sovereign is humiliated, his subjects must die, and that since someone meant to harm the Emperor, they had to rush in and protect the Emperor's dignity and the Li Kingdom's decorum, even if it meant reducing their withered bones to ashes.

For a moment, the scene took on a somewhat tragic and heroic air.

Gu Yi said to Shuyu, "There are too many people here. To avoid causing a commotion, we shouldn't force our way through. Do you have a token or something proving your identity that can get us inside?"

"I do." Shuyu pulled a long, rectangular tablet from her sleeve. "We'll enter through the Deyang Gate!"

*Bang!*

Suddenly, a violent wave of spiritual energy surged from within the palace toward their direction.

Both Gu Yi and Shuyu froze. The palace walls blocked their line of sight, but they both sensed it almost instinctively and leaped into the air. Below them, a blast of spiritual energy instantly shattered the city wall, sweeping across the street with the force of thunder!

Fragments of houses and fragments of human bodies drifted through the air! Those who survived were unable to even approach that beam of energy.

"Mother!" someone shouted.

They were shouting toward the sky because their mother happened to be flying through it.

With the situation changing, Gu Yi relied on his quick wits. "Forget the token; let's slip inside amidst the chaos."

With two *whooshing* sounds, Gu Yi and Shuyu flashed inside the palace walls. A single guard spotted them, and then instantly ceased to be.

Gu Yi wasn't particularly interested in helping the Emperor of Li fight a life-or-death duel against the people of the Two Peaks; his interest lay entirely in the poetry papers.

Those poetry papers held the romantic elegance of men from the past, and perhaps many secrets as well.

Whatever they were, they were bound up with the past.

The past held immense allure.

"I've thought of a possibility," Gu Yi said as they walked along the stone slabs within the palace.

Shuyu asked, "What possibility?"

"That night, I only saw one horse and one person, but you also mentioned that the Two Peaks usually operate in pairs."

Where was the other person, then?

*Slap.*

Gu Yi stopped in his tracks. "Their target is the poetry papers, not fighting a life-or-death battle against the high-level experts of the Li Kingdom here. Moreover, since the Xu Kingdom is a common enemy they both need to eliminate, the people of the Two Peaks will actually try to avoid causing excessive damage to the Li Kingdom."

"Therefore, how this battle ultimately unfolds is not the main focus right now. That's merely a distraction to draw attention and buy time. We don't need to approach the 'combat zone'; the Two Peaks aren't here to kill people, nor will they settle the score here. We need to focus on the places where no fighting is taking place."

The Li Kingdom's imperial palace was vast. However, cultivators could sweep across most areas at immense speed.

Realizing this, Gu Yi stopped approaching the battle circle inside and instead quickly swept through the other areas.

Somewhere in this place, the Returning to Simplicity expert from the Two Peaks was surely hiding!