The mad princess forces love upon him, and the aloof imperial advisor trembles every night.

As Chu Xuanche was helped into the alley, Chi Xiao waved his hand. Twenty dark figures shot out like arrows, instantly surrounding the prince's guards. There were no shouts of battle, only the muffled sound of blades slicing throats, the crisp cracking of bones breaking, and the heavy thuds of corpses falling to the ground.

In less than ten breaths, the alley was deserted. Chi Xiao hoisted the unconscious eldest prince onto his back and was about to turn around—

A figure stood silently at the alley entrance. His purple robes billowed in the night breeze, and his silver hair flowed like moonlight. He simply stood there, yet it seemed to drain all sound and life from within a ten-foot radius. The eaves, the flying corners, the stench of blood and filth, even the cold moon overhead, all became mere background in the instant he appeared.

Si Chen, the Grand Preceptor of the Chu State.

He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze first falling on the person on Chi Xiao's shoulder, then turning to Chi Xiao. His gaze was as calm as a deep ancient pool, yet as heavy as a thousand pounds, pressing down on one's bones as if they were about to crack, and making one's soul tremble.

"Step back." The two words were as clear and cold as snow falling into a cold pool. The pupils beneath the Crimson Cloud mask suddenly contracted. It was his—his master's deepest obsession; it was also the "god" who hung above all living beings in this Great Chu Dynasty.

The thought of resistance had barely arisen when it was shattered by a deeper instinctive fear and sense of obedience. Chi Xiao clenched his teeth, his knuckles turning white, neither retreating nor daring to advance even an inch further.

Just then, Chu Xuanche slowly woke up.

Still under the influence of alcohol, his vision was blurred. All he could see were corpses scattered on the ground, black-clad assassins, and a figure at the alley entrance that looked like a god descending.

"Imperial Preceptor!" Chu Xuanche shouted hoarsely, struggling to slip off Chi Xiao's shoulder and staggering to his feet.

"Your Excellency has arrived just in time! These are traitors from the Blood Blade Sect! They have slaughtered innocent people and even attempted to assassinate me, the Prince! Their crimes are unforgivable! I beg Your Excellency to act immediately and kill them without mercy!"

Si Chen did not turn around, nor did he even glance at Chu Xuanche. His gaze had already swept past Chi Xiao and landed on the ancient locust tree with its lush branches and leaves not far away. The night wind blew, and the locust leaves rustled. Among them, a glimpse of a scarlet hem seemed to flash by.

"The Crown Prince is seriously injured. This place is filthy and we should not stay here for long." Si Chen's voice remained calm and composed. "Bai Chuan, escort His Highness back to his residence to recuperate."

Before the words were finished, a white figure appeared like a ghost—it was Si Chen's Daoist disciple, Bai Chuan.

He remained expressionless, reaching out to support Chu Xuanche. His movements appeared respectful, but his fingertips precisely gripped the vital acupoint, and a gentle yet irresistible surge of true energy flowed in, instantly suppressing all possible internal force resistance and verbal struggles from Chu Xuanche.

Chu Xuanche wanted to say more, but when he met Si Chen's calm and unwavering eyes, all his words stuck in his throat. That look was one of detachment from the world, of indifference as if a decision had already been made.

After Chu Xuanche was forcibly taken away, this bloody battlefield was left with only absolute silence and two opposing forces in silent confrontation.

On the ancient locust tree, Chu Qingyue held her breath, her five fingers digging deeply into the rough bark.

"Fine, very well." She gave a silent, cold laugh, her alluring red lips curving into a cruel smile. "Si Chen, you really did interfere. You dare to touch my people..."

A cold glint flashed in her eyes. "I'll burn down your Star-Picking Tower. I want to see if you'll continue to act like a god here, or go back to save your four-hundred-meter-high platform!"

She turned to leave, her dress rustling softly against the leaves. In that instant—

"If you leave," Si Chen's voice came coldly, "I can save your twenty-one carefully trained subordinates in a single breath."

Chu Qingyue froze. She slowly turned around and, through the gaps in the branches and leaves, met those eyes that were as clear as glass and as cold as ice.

Their eyes met, and after a long, long time, Chu Qingyue took a deep breath and leaped off the ancient locust tree. Her scarlet dress bloomed like a blood-stained flower in the night sky.

She first turned to Chi Xiao and the others, who were still standing frozen in place. Her voice was not loud, but every word was like a poisoned ice needle:

"Truly...a bunch of useless trash. Am I your master, or is the Imperial Advisor your master? He told you to step back, and you can't even hold your swords properly? With so many people, even if you pile them up, you can still create a gap for a moment. So what if each of you stabs him with a sword? After all, our 'incomparably noble and transcendent' Imperial Advisor..."

She suddenly turned around to face Si Chen, her smile as radiant as a blooming spider lily, "Immortal, unharmed, indestructible, isn't that right? This pain is probably less than a gentle breeze to him."

Chi Xiao was inwardly groaning.

It's an open secret throughout the entire Jinxue Pavilion—this purple-robed, silver-haired Imperial Advisor is none other than their master's beloved, the Moon of the Mortal Realm… Even the slightest inappropriate comment about the Imperial Advisor in private will result in punishment from their master, either openly or covertly.

In this situation, the master is clearly furious, but he only vents his anger on them, these "useless people," while towards the true master, the Grand Preceptor, it seems he is reluctant to actually scold him.

If they had actually dared to lay a hand on the Imperial Preceptor, even if it was just a scratch, he had no doubt that he and all the nine generations of his family involved would have been wiped out in the wrath of their master.

Chu Qingyue seemed to see through their thoughts, and a surge of anger rose within her. Her voice suddenly turned sharp: "What are you still standing here for? Are you waiting for me to invite you to your execution, or for the Grand Preceptor to personally 'send' you on your way?"

Chi Xiao and the others felt as if they had been granted a pardon. Without the slightest hesitation, they bowed and paid their respects. Then, their figures flashed and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

Now, only the two of them remained. The night wind carried the stench of blood through the alley and ruffled Si Chen's silver hair and purple robe. He stood there like a statue carved from white jade, perfect, eternal, and so distant as to inspire despair.

Chu Qingyue looked at him and suddenly smiled. The smile was extremely beautiful, as beautiful as the red spider lilies blooming on the banks of the Sanzu River, with a captivating charm; yet it was also extremely cold, as cold as the iron frozen for thousands of years under the Arctic ice field, soaked in a bone-corroding and heart-piercing poison.

"Your Excellency, the Imperial Advisor... you're in quite a good mood."

She approached step by step, her embroidered shoes treading on the bloodstains on the ground, staining them dark red.

"In the dead of night, instead of observing the stars and gazing upon the mysteries of the heavens from the towering Star-Picking Tower, seeking to uncover your profound and enigmatic celestial secrets, you condescend to this filthy and defiled place?"

She stopped three steps away from him, tilted her head back, and the moonlight shone on her pale face, making the cinnabar scar between her brows appear startlingly red.

"...Is it because you've been too lonely for the past four hundred years, and the Imperial Preceptor also wants to experience the joys of life, so you come to this Pavilion of Relief to find pleasure and relieve your boredom? Or..."

She suddenly took another half step forward, and the two of them could hear each other breathing.

"Or did you come here specifically to—make things difficult for me?"