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

Chu Qingyue chuckled softly, her voice exceptionally clear in the deathly silence.

She turned to Chu Xuanche, whose face was deathly pale, her tone filled with innocent confusion:

"Elder brother, just how many heinous things have you done?"

"Even Heaven can't bear to see this, forbidding the noble and compassionate Imperial Advisor... from healing you?"

She paused, then turned to the Chu Emperor, smiling brightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes; it only remained on the surface, like a layer of ice.

"Father, if the Imperial Advisor insists on saving my eldest brother, won't he get hurt?"

"Will it...affect the fate of my Great Chu?"

"This... the Grand Preceptor is the pillar of Great Chu. If he falls, what will become of Great Chu?"

The Chu Emperor's breathing suddenly became heavy, and his chest heaved violently.

He stared intently at Chu Xuanche, his eyes filled with a complex and unreadable expression—there was fatherly love, anger, disappointment, but more than anything, there was... weighing his options.

Chu Xuanche was terrified and screamed, "Chu Qingyue, are you trying to harm me?"

"So you want to become the crown prince after harming me?"

"Let me tell you, you're a woman, and a married one at that, you can forget about it for the rest of your life!"

Chu Qingyue stopped looking at him and said only to Emperor Chu:

"Your Majesty, you are wise. I had no such intention. I simply believe that everything in this world is subject to cause and effect, and reincarnation."

"The calamity that my eldest brother is suffering today is perhaps the fruit of the seeds he sowed in the past."

"Forced relationships are karmic hindrances. Forced blessings... are calamities."

"Moreover, if the Grand Preceptor is harmed as a result, then our Great Chu will truly be in danger."

"Imperial Preceptor..." Emperor Chu's voice was hoarse as he looked at Si Chen, "If... if we were to forcibly save Che'er, what would you do?"

Si Chen slowly raised his eyes and looked at Chu Qingyue again.

Eyes facing each other.

A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes—

He was disappointed by her murder, disappointed by her relentless pursuit, and disappointed by her pushing him to the brink of despair.

A flash of murderous intent crossed her eyes—

She was disappointed that he saved the person she was about to kill, disappointed that he still chose fate, and disappointed that he never stood by her side.

Between the two lies seven years of unspeakable resentment, four hundred years of destiny, this torrential rain, and... a past that can never be returned to.

Chu Xuanche's screams almost tore through the rain: "Father! Save me! My legs are ruined! I'm the Crown Prince!"

The empress also scrambled to her feet and collapsed at the feet of the Chu emperor, clutching his dragon robe and crying out:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Che'er is the future Crown Prince of Great Chu!"

"The very foundation of the nation!"

"If he becomes crippled today, how will he rule the world in the future?"

"Your Majesty, please order the Imperial Advisor to save Che'er!"

Looking at the scene before him, Si Chen suddenly felt very tired.

For four hundred years, he had witnessed too many dramas in imperial families: relatives killing each other, fathers and sons turning against each other, and brothers fighting each other.

Each time, he watched as an outsider, observing with a ruthless heart.

But this time, he was caught in the middle of it.

"Your Majesty, forcibly treating him might have some backlash, but it's nothing to worry about," Si Chen heard himself say, his voice eerily calm.

"Rescuing the eldest prince is no problem."

Just as his spiritual power was about to dissipate, the Chu Emperor suddenly spoke, his voice sharp:

"Imperial Preceptor! If you forcefully attempt to treat him, the backlash... could it endanger your life?!"

Si Chen paused slightly.

Before anyone could answer, Chu Qingyue spoke softly, her voice like silk threads soaked in ice, lingering in everyone's hearts:

"That's an interesting question, Father."

"The Grand Preceptor has been immortal for four hundred years, protected by the fate of the Great Chu. How could a mere backlash endanger his life?"

"At most... it will just hurt a little, be a little uncomfortable, and my Dao heart... will crack a few more times."

She turned to Si Chen, her eyes filled with undisguised malicious concern, her smile as alluring as the red spider lily:

"Right, Your Excellency, the Imperial Advisor?"

"You're so amazing, so incredibly capable, you'll definitely be able to overcome this, won't you?"

"After all, you are the guardian deity of the Great Chu."

Si Chen finally looked at her completely.

He saw the hatred, madness, mockery, and a destructive urge in her eyes.

She mouthed to him, "Ah Chen...you can't save him."

—You can never save the people I'm going to kill.

"The Princess is right." Si Chen spoke slowly, his voice as calm as a still well, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Your subject will not die."

Chu Xuanche's eyes lit up with ecstasy, and the Empress breathed a sigh of relief.

The Chu Emperor's expression softened slightly, and his imperial majesty returned to his face: "Then I will trouble the Imperial Preceptor."

Only Chu Qingyue stood quietly to the side, holding an obedient tiger cub in her arms, watching Si Chen hover his hand over Chu Xuanche's broken leg.

The hand that had once healed her scars and touched her face was now gently covering another person's wound.

And that person was the one she wanted to kill.

It was someone she hated.

He's the one who took everything from her.

She suddenly remembered the day seven years ago when she was sent onto the carriage for a political marriage.

She knelt on the observatory, sobbing uncontrollably, begging him to help her, begging him not to let her father send her to the man-eating Northern Sea.

He kowtowed three times before parting, his forehead was cut open, and blood mixed with rainwater flowed into his eyes, making everything before his eyes appear crimson.

Through the blood mist, she saw the solitary figure at Chaotianmen, dressed in purple robes with silver hair, seemingly isolated from the world.

He remained silent throughout.

He didn't look back until she was forcibly shoved into the carriage for the marriage alliance, the wheels rolling over the mud.

At that moment, she knew she hated him.

She hated his ruthlessness, hated his talk of destiny, and hated that he would rather watch her die.

He wouldn't budge an inch for her, nor would he say a word for her.

Tonight, history repeats itself.

He still chose destiny, chose the Great Chu, and chose that damned crown prince from his divination.

Even if she set up this scheme to force him to make a choice in front of the whole world;

Even if she blew up the Phoenix Palace, the First Prince's residence, and even his Star-Picking Tower;

Even though she tried every means to tell him: Look, the people and things you are trying to protect are not worth it.

He still chose that side.

Chu Qingyue chuckled softly, her laughter blending into the sound of the rain, unheard by anyone.

Yeah.

That way, she could be even more ruthless and drag him down to hell with her.

She would no longer harbor any illusions about him.

She no longer hopes that he will choose her.

From this day forward, it will be a fight to the death between her and him.

She stroked the white tiger cub in her arms and thought to herself, "Si Chen... you're quite something, but... if I want him dead, and Chu Xuanche lives to see the dawn, then I, Chu Qingyue, am... incompetent."

She suppressed the murderous intent surging within her and said softly, her voice as sweet as honey, "The Imperial Advisor is truly devoted to the Crown Prince."

"I wonder if this 'dedication' is a blessing or a curse?"

"Could it... backfire and harm my eldest brother?"

Si Chen did not respond.

He was focused entirely on controlling his spiritual power; fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and blood began to seep from the corner of his lips again.

Pale golden spiritual energy enveloped Chu Xuanche's severed leg, and the bone healed at a visible speed, the skin and flesh grew back, and the bloodstains faded.

The whole process was eerily beautiful, like a miracle, but the practitioner was enduring unimaginable pain.