Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

Li Qingge left decisively; the sound of her horse's hooves echoed through the woods for a while before being dispersed by the wind.

Luofengpo fell silent again.

The sun rose and set, and a few leaves on the sycamore tree turned yellow.

Gu Xiang polished the bluestone slab until it shone, and every morning he would review the memorials sent from the capital there.

The bald bandit has now become a full-time errand runner, traveling between the forest and the Divine Capital Post Station every day. His legs are so tired that they cramp, but he dares not utter a single complaint.

After all, that man is the current prime minister, and he can crush them, these ants, with a flick of his finger.

Su Qing was trapped inside the barrier, feeling utterly bored.

She walked barefoot on the thick layer of fallen leaves. The silver bell on her ankle didn't ring; Gu Xiang had tied it with a strip of cloth so as not to disturb her sleep.

"Gu Xiang," Su Qing called out.

Gu Xiang didn't stop writing, nor did he look up: "Yes."

I'm thirsty.

Gu Xiang put down his pen, got up and walked to the clay stove next to him.

A ceramic pot was warming on the stove; inside was the dew he had collected from lotus leaves that morning, which he had used to brew freshly picked wild tea.

He poured a bowl, tested the temperature, and then carried it through the screen.

That barrier, which even the righteous energy couldn't stop, was like air in front of him.

Su Qing took the bowl, took a sip, and frowned: "It's bland."

"Wild tea is bitter, so I dare not put too much in." Gu Xiang took the empty bowl, took out an oil paper package from his pocket, unfolded it, and inside were a few bright red wild fruits. "I just picked them by the edge of the forest, have a taste."

Su Qing picked up a piece and popped it into her mouth. It was so sour that she squinted, but she didn't spit it out.

"How many days has Li Qingge been gone?" Su Qing asked.

Gu Xiang calculated the days: "The fifth day."

"Given her pace, she should have returned to Shendu by now." Su Qing leaned against the tree trunk, her fingers twirling the drooping aerial roots. "Why haven't we even sent a message? Didn't she say she was going to bring good wine to welcome us?"

Gu Xiang placed the oil paper package beside her and sat back down on the bluestone: "Perhaps she was playing on the way and got delayed. You know her personality; if she sees something exciting, she'll definitely go to join in."

Su Qing snorted and didn't say anything more.

The woods were quiet, except for the soft scratching of a pen on paper.

After reviewing the last memorial, Gu Xiang rubbed his temples.

He turned to look at Su Qing.

Su Qing was dozing against a tree trunk, her red clothes spread all over the ground like a burning fire.

The old sycamore tree drooped its branches and leaves, shielding her from the dappled sunlight.

Gu Xiang got up and tiptoed over.

He squatted down beside Su Qing, his gaze tracing her features.

These past few days, he's felt like it's all unreal.

Perhaps it was all a dream, and when I woke up, I was back in that cold, desolate prime minister's mansion, surrounded by boundless loneliness.

He reached out, wanting to touch her cheek, but stopped in mid-air.

Su Qing's eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes.

Those fox-like eyes were still hazy with sleepiness, glistening with moisture.

"Spying on me?" Su Qing's voice was a little hoarse.

"Look openly and honestly." Gu Xiang withdrew his hand and tidied her messy hair at her temples. "Get up and move around when you're awake. If you keep sleeping, your bones will become limp."

Su Qing stretched, her figure graceful.

"If we can't get out, what are we doing?" Su Qing kicked the invisible barrier, causing ripples to spread across it. "This damn tree, it's treating me like a pig."

Gu Xiang chuckled: "What kind of pig is this good-looking?"

"You insulted me?" Su Qing glared.

"I'm so proud of you." Gu Xiang pulled her up. "What do you want to eat tonight? Baldy said they caught a roe deer in the back mountain."

"Let's grill it." Su Qing perked up. "Add lots of chili."

Gu Xiang nodded in agreement.

As the two were talking, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly came from outside the woods.

It wasn't the sound of horses' hooves.

It's a flying sword.

Gu Xiang's expression changed, and he turned his head sharply.

A streak of blood-red light pierced through the thin mist in the forest and shot straight toward this place.

As the streak of light drew near, its momentum waned, and it wobbled and fell.

Gu Xiang dodged and caught the thing.

It is a broken sword.

The sword was full of nicks and stained with black and red blood, and the hilt was engraved with the seal script character "Li".

The sword of the Great Zhou royal family.

Gu Xiang's heart sank.

A letter was tied to the hilt of the sword; the paper was soaked in blood, and the writing was blurred.

Gu Xiang untied the letter, his hands trembling slightly.

Su Qing also sensed something was wrong and walked to the edge of the barrier: "What's wrong?"

Gu Xiang didn't speak, but unfolded the letter.

The letter was written by Li Yu himself, in messy handwriting, clearly written in a state of extreme anxiety.

"Qingge has gone missing. Three people were killed and two were injured while escorting the tribute. The incident occurred 30 miles outside Qingniu Town. Investigate immediately."

The short line of text exudes a strong sense of bloodshed.

Gu Xiang's knuckles turned white as he gripped the letter.

Thirty li outside Qingniu Town.

That was the only route Li Qingge could take on her return to the capital.

It's not far from Luofengpo; if you ride at full speed, it's only a day's journey.

"Something happened?" Su Qing asked in a deep voice, looking at Gu Xiang's face.

Gu Xiang handed her the letter.

Su Qing took it, glanced at it, and her brows furrowed instantly.

"Three cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage and two at the Cauldron Casting stage." Su Qing's voice turned cold. "With this lineup, they could easily dominate the Eastern Continent. To be able to kill them like this, the opponent must be at least at the Transformation Realm."

"Li Qingge has a protective magic artifact given to her by the Imperial Preceptor, as well as the protection of the royal family's fortune," Gu Xiang said in a low voice. "Ordinary demons simply cannot get close to her."

"Unless someone deliberately set an ambush." ​​Su Qing held the broken sword in his hand, his fingertips dabbing at the bloodstains on the blade, and sniffed it.

It had a faint fishy smell.

It's neither human blood nor the blood of ordinary monsters.

"Demonic energy." Su Qing's eyes sharpened.

Gu Xiang's aura of righteousness surged instantly, and his original gentle scholarly demeanor vanished, replaced by a chilling aura of menace.

"Who dares to touch her?" Gu Xiang gritted her teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth.

Li Qingge was not only a princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but also a friend of his and Su Qing.

Back in the capital, that bright and beautiful girl had protected them countless times.

Just a few days ago, she was standing here, smiling and saying she would arrange their wedding.

Now their fate is unknown.

"Don't panic." Su Qing placed her hand on the barrier, her palm against Gu Xiang's hand. "Li Yu said he's missing, which means he's not dead yet. If he were dead, his life tablet would be shattered, and he wouldn't have written that."

Gu Xiang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the violence in his heart.

"I have to go." Gu Xiang looked at Su Qing. "You wait for me at home."

"Take me with you," Su Qing said.

"You can't get out." Gu Xiang pointed to the old sycamore tree overhead. "This barrier is to protect you, but also to confine you."

"I have a way." A ruthless glint flashed in Su Qing's eyes. "This broken tree can trap my body, but it can't trap my spirit. I can use the Soul Splitting Technique to possess your body."

"No," Gu Xiang refused decisively. "Your soul is unstable right now; splitting your soul would damage your foundation."

"Gu Xiang!" Su Qing shouted sharply, "That's Li Qingge! She called me 'sister'!"

Gu Xiang fell silent.

He looked into Su Qing's eyes and saw the anxiety and determination in them.

He knew he couldn't stop her.

This fox may seem carefree on the surface, but it is actually extremely protective of its own.

"Alright," Gu Xiang conceded, "but you can only attach yourself to the jade pendant and are not allowed to act forcefully. If you encounter danger, immediately sever the connection."

Su Qing nodded: "As you wish."

She sat cross-legged and formed a mudra with her hands.

A red light shone from between his brows; it was the light of the celestial fox's origin.

A red light flashed, and a very fine thread split off, passing through the barrier and entering the dragon-patterned jade pendant at Gu Xiang's waist.

Su Qing's face paled, and she swayed slightly.

Gu Xiang felt a pang of pain in his heart. He wanted to help her from behind the barrier, but he couldn't reach her.

"I'm fine." Su Qing's voice rang in Gu Xiang's mind, sounding somewhat weak. "Let's go. If we're late, that girl might suffer."

Gu Xiang gave her a deep look, then turned away.

At that moment, the aura of the Grand Chancellor of the Great Zhou Dynasty returned to him.

He whistled.

Outside the woods, the black horse that the bald bandit had presented came galloping towards them.

Gu Xiang mounted his horse and gave it a shake of the reins.

The black horse neighed, its hooves whistling through the air, carrying Gu Xiang, who was radiating murderous intent, as it charged out of Luofeng Slope.

The wind whipped up the fallen leaves on the ground, making them swirl.

Under the sycamore tree, Su Qing's true form leaned against the trunk with her eyes closed, as if she were asleep.

Only her slightly trembling eyelashes revealed her unease at that moment.

It got dark.

A cold moon hung on the treetops, illuminating the empty mountain forest.

"Ta Sha Xing: A Startling Change"

Mist shrouds the empty forest, and coldness rises from the ancient trees.

The setting sun sinks amidst the cries of wild geese.

Suddenly, a blood-red sword pierces the clouds; news of an old friend arrives in the wind, a cruel tale.

Jade shattered on the palace walls, souls vanished in the wilderness.

The beautiful woman is gone and cannot be found again.

The cold moon shines on the lonely mountain, and the longing for each other has not yet faded, but they are already separated.