Madam, please ascend.

Chapter 378 Fountain of Youth
After that awkward "confession," neither Nangong Zhuozhuo nor Ye Nianyi dared to see Yun Yi.

So they found a secluded spot in the valley—a towering ancient tree—and the two girls squatted under it, each holding a fruit in their hand, looking rather pathetic.

Ye Nianyi, who was usually timid and shy, wavered and asked, "Are we really not going to go and see him? What if he leaves again soon?"

Nangong Zhuozhuo retorted, "I said I'm not going, and that means I'm not going."

Now, whenever she thinks of Yun Yi, she sees an image of herself with her head against his chest, and she feels both ashamed and angry.

"This is so embarrassing! I never want to see him again!" the girl thought.

Ye Nianyi sighed, "It's all my fault for being too cowardly. You were only trying to help me that day."

"Good sisters don't talk about this. We agreed to stand together through thick and thin. Just don't secretly contact him."

"Okay, Zhuozhuo, I'll definitely stay with you."

Both girls were conflicted. One was afraid to see Yun Yi, fearing she would get an answer from him that she didn't want to hear.

The other is someone experiencing their first love and intentionally avoiding the person who is causing them distress.

Yun Yi had everything arranged and inquired about Ye Nianyi and Nangong Zhuozhuo's situation. He guessed that the two had not resolved their misunderstandings, which was why they were always avoiding him.

Zhuque followed beside him and asked, "Are you not taking me with you this time?"

"Both Xiu Niang and Jian Chen have gone out, so you'll have to work hard to manage the sect's affairs."

"I knew it." Zhuque then asked, "So when are you leaving?"

Yun Yi replied, "I'll take a look at the villa, and then I'll leave."

"Go by yourself, so I won't feel bad when you leave."

After looking around to make sure no one was watching, Zhuque mustered up her courage and hugged Yunyi tightly, burying her face in his shoulder and nuzzling him.

Yun Yi gently stroked her hair. After a moment of tenderness, Zhu Que took the initiative to leave, her back view revealing a resolute determination.

It was only a brief separation, but she seemed to have to make a firm decision to accept it.

If your heart is tied to someone, even a moment of separation is unbearable.

Yun Yi composed himself and walked alone towards the New Porcelain Villa on the mountaintop, where the decorations from their wedding night were still preserved.

That night, Song Xinci regained her memories of her past life. Afterwards, she set up a dragon and phoenix spirit-locking array and stayed alone in the bridal chamber. When they finally met again, she had lost her memories because she gave up ascension.

In order for Song Xinci to ascend to immortality, Heaven manipulated her memories several times, truly going to great lengths.

The villa remained unchanged, with only a faint trace of the wife's scent lingering in the bedroom. The red candle on the table was half-burned, its wax solidified into a small mountain, creating a desolate atmosphere.

Yun Yi sat in the empty room for a while, thinking that Song Xinci must have had a hard time being all alone there.

In fact, it was not just unpleasant, every minute and every second was torture.

Otherwise, how could Song Xinci have sensed Yun Yi's life-or-death crisis and rushed to save him without hesitation?

The sight of familiar faces in familiar places is the most sorrowful thing.

Yun Yi sat for a while, then got up and left.

However, before leaving the Valley of Burial Swords, he still found the "hiding place" of Nangong Zhuozhuo and Ye Nianyi.

"Zhuozhuo, remember not to run around. Nianyi, you need to keep an eye on her." Yun Yi only said this much before flying away on his sword, coming and going in a hurry.

Nangong Zhuozhuo watched his gradually disappearing figure and gritted her teeth, saying, "Who are you to interfere with me?"

Ye Nianyi whispered in her best friend's ear, "He is the one you love."

Zhuozhuo's anger vanished instantly, and she lost all her arrogance, becoming listless and preoccupied.

...The mysterious location sent by Lan Zhenxin was in the East Sea. Yun Yi was traveling by sword and happened to pass through Dong'an City, so he went directly to the palace to meet Su Qing.

Unexpectedly, with Qin Dingfeng now assisting the young Emperor Su Rui in court, the eldest princess actually left the capital a few days ago.

"Does Prime Minister Qin know where Su Qing has gone?"

Yun Yi's identity is "special," so Qin Dingfeng naturally tells him everything he knows. Su Rui also treats him as her brother-in-law, and their behavior is very intimate.

Qin Dingfeng explained, "The Eldest Princess has been asking me to investigate the deadly poison that the Emperor Emeritus was poisoned with. The Tian Shu Academy has a large collection of books, and I have never stopped investigating over the years."

Yun Yi asked in surprise, "Prime Minister Qin, have you found a clue?"

"It's less of a clue and more of an unverified rumor."

What rumor is this?

"This matter is also related to the Qin Dynasty thousands of years ago. Back then, the First Emperor unified the nine provinces and was ambitious, wanting to live forever. However, according to the rules of the Heavenly Realm, emperors were not allowed to cultivate, let alone live forever."

Yun Yi had heard about this matter; the First Emperor was said to have died in the chaos caused by Qi cultivators, and was killed by several Dao Integration Realm cultivators.

However, he used every means to achieve immortality during his lifetime, spending countless resources and causing the Qin people to lose their support and resentment among the populace.

Qin Dingfeng said, "Legend has it that there was a cultivator named Xu Junfang who went to sea to find the secret to immortality for the First Emperor. He eventually discovered the secret in a hidden place in the East Sea. Unfortunately, before the news could reach the Qin Dynasty, the First Emperor had already died."

The secret to immortality?

Yun Yi asked in surprise, "Could it be that the Fountain of Youth is located there?"

"Young Master Yun really does think the same way as the Eldest Princess."

"Could you tell me the location?"

"of course can."

Qin Dingfeng told Yun Yi about the legendary hidden place, which shocked him. He never expected that the location of this place would be seven or eight parts similar to the place that Lan Zhenxin was going to.

The treasure trove that the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect had been longing for was actually in the East Sea; perhaps there really were treasures there.

Another question is, isn't it very likely that Su Qing will run into Lan Zhenxin?

One is the most poisonous person in the Demon Sect, and the other comes from an immortal sect and cultivates alchemy. The two are inherently incompatible. If Su Qing really encounters Lan Zhenxin, his chances of survival are slim.

Su Rui asked, "Brother Yun, are you going to find my older sister?"

Yun Yi nodded and said, "That is indeed the intention."

"Then I'll have to trouble you to take care of my sister. I'm really worried about her going alone to find the legendary treasure land."

"I have another question for Prime Minister Qin. Have you ever heard of a Dao that can turn a person into a puppet, and whose original body can enter the puppet's body at any time and take its place?"

Qin Dingfeng pondered for a moment, "I've seen similar Dao principles in books, are there any other clues?"

Yun Yi said, "That person is at the Ascension Realm."

"Ascension Realm?" Qin Dingfeng asked in surprise, "I can't recall it for the time being, I need to look it up."

"Then I'll trouble Prime Minister Qin to investigate this matter. If you find any clues, please let Lu Ziwei know as well. She will understand after hearing it."

"This matter is actually related to Junior Sister?"

"This is just speculation at the moment."

Qin Dingfeng had a sharp eye and could tell that Yun Yi's cultivation had improved again, so he guessed that the Ascension Realm cultivator was no ordinary person.

So he stopped asking questions and agreed to the matter, intending to use the supernatural powers of the Tian Shu Academy to help with the investigation.

(End of this chapter)