Chapter 162

Chapter 162

Shadow Seven was right.

This was her last chance. No one dared imagine what would happen if she failed.

Sheng Zhaoning clenched the fire starter in her hand until it dug into her palm.

The affairs surrounding the selection of an empress had delayed the court session at Taihe Hall for most of the day.

Wei Yi was determined to marry Sheng Zhaoning. No one could stop him.

As expected, the censors once again put on the spectacle of banging their heads against the pillars. One after another, they were dragged away. After the third man had been dragged away, the fourth hesitated as he looked at the pillars, thick enough for several people to encircle, and the fresh blood smeared across them. He sullenly pulled his head back.

Only then did the Censor officials of the Censorate finally quiet down.

Wherever there were stubborn diehards, there were sycophants as well. Once they realized they could not win the argument, the opposition to making Sheng Zhaoning empress somehow turned into a discussion about how to proceed with the matter.

Led by the newly appointed Minister of Rites, the assembled officials discussed the arrangements with great enthusiasm for most of the day, and the plan to establish an empress began to take shape.

After court, the gloom that had hung over Wei Yi for days finally lifted, and a hint of joy appeared on his face.

He had not yet told Sheng Zhaoning about this.

She was ill and perhaps did not understand what it meant.

But he was determined to make her his wife. No one could stop him.

Wei Yi quickened his pace as he left Taihe Hall. The corners of his lips curved up slightly, and he wanted to return at once to tell Sheng Zhaoning the news.

Unexpectedly, his palanquin had barely gone halfway when Chi Wan stopped it.

After the incident at the Temple of Ten Thousand Blessings, Chi Wan had been placed under house arrest. She was not released until members of the Chi Family came to plead for her two days ago.

Wei Yi had refrained from severely punishing her out of consideration for the Chi Family. Naturally, he had no desire to see her now. Chi Wan, however, stood beside the palanquin and solemnly claimed that Chi Yu had found a shaman-healer.

Chi Wan held her head high and said, “That shaman-healer is particularly skilled at treating lost-soul illnesses. However, the treatment requires the flesh and blood of the person closest to the patient as a catalyst. The person is currently in my palace. To prevent Zhaoning from being frightened, I ask Your Majesty to come and see him.”

Wei Yi raised an eyebrow at her words.

Zhaoning?

How affectionate.

He was well aware of how much Chi Wan hated Sheng Zhaoning.

Back when they were in Liangzhou, she had constantly made trouble for Sheng Zhaoning.

Wei Yi had already found it unbelievable that she was willing to help Sheng Zhaoning escape. Now she had gone out of her way to find a shaman-healer as well. The whole thing was far too strange.

A shaman-healer was supposedly someone who drove away evil spirits by beseeching the gods and spirits and divining good and bad fortune.

Wei Yi did not believe a word of it.

A man who had fought his way off the battlefield one blade and one spear at a time did not even believe in gods and spirits, much less a shaman-healer who clearly looked like a fraud pretending to possess supernatural powers.

Even so, Chi Wan had managed to seize upon his one weakness.

Neither the Imperial Medical Institute nor Divine Doctor Zhou Lingsheng had been able to cure Sheng Zhaoning’s illness. At present, this might be the only method left worth trying.

The palanquin was intercepted halfway along the road and redirected elsewhere.

At the same time, every side was making preparations for the great fire that was about to come.

“General, the secret passage has been cleared,” a soldier reported in the study at the Chi Residence.

Chi Yu glanced at the sky. He had already received word that Chi Wan had intercepted Wei Yi.

The shaman-healer had been bribed in advance. Under the pretext of setting up an altar to summon Sheng Zhaoning’s lost soul, he would keep Wei Yi occupied long enough for a raging fire to engulf Changhua Hall.

“Have the arrangements for after the carriage leaves the city been made?” Chi Yu asked in a low voice.

“Rest assured, General. We have people stationed at every checkpoint. They will let the carriage pass all the way through and ensure it meets no obstacles.”

“Have the condemned prisoners been arranged?”

“Everything has been arranged.”

“What about Lingsheng?”

The soldier lowered his head and replied, “Divine Doctor Zhou has sent word as well. He will follow them and escort them along the entire route out of the city.”

Only then did Chi Yu relax slightly.

“Go and tell Lingsheng again that he must not leave the capital immediately after the fire starts. Have him set out three days later.”

If Divine Doctor Zhou Lingsheng galloped away on the very day Changhua Hall caught fire, Wei Yi would likely become suspicious.

“Yes, General.”

The message was swiftly relayed to Zhou Lingsheng.

He packed away his medicine chest, which already contained everything he would need for the journey.

Suizhou was a long way away. The preparations for their previous escape had not been thorough enough, and many details had been overlooked.

Now that he had Chi Yu’s assistance, his influence was more than enough to ensure that they reached Suizhou safely.

“Meow-”

An orange cat let out an anxious cry by his feet.

Zhou Lingsheng remembered the secret letter Zhou Wei had sent not long ago. After finding this cat, there was still one more matter he had not had time to handle.

He put away his medicine chest and hurried to a certain place before nightfall.

He could only hope there was still time.

……

The carriage Chi Yu had arranged departed through the back gate, quietly made its way to a secluded alley, and waited in silence.

Atop the palace wall, Shadow Seven sat beside an apricot tree with one knee raised, silently gazing toward Jinhua Hall.

The altar had already been erected there.

Chi Wan was keeping Wei Yi occupied.

Listening to the faint strains of drums and music drifting from afar, she casually plucked a leaf and crushed it between her fingers, her gaze settling on the plaque entwined with gold and jade.

Changhua Hall, the place that had imprisoned Sheng Zhaoning in body, heart, and soul. It seemed everyone was doing everything in their power to help her escape.

Shadow Seven sighed, leaped down from the palace wall, and silently waited for the final moment to arrive.

At sunset, the evening sky blazed like fire. Vast banks of flaming clouds spread across the heavens like scales, burning with a desolate yet magnificent brilliance. They melted into a heady crimson-gold that dyed the mountains and seas red and spilled across the Imperial City.

As the last trace of sunlight faded, towering flames erupted from Changhua Hall.

“Fire!”

“It’s coming from Changhua Hall!”

“Hurry! Alert the Five Cities Capital Patrol Office!”

The entire Imperial Palace descended into utter chaos because of the blaze.

Palace maids and eunuchs carrying buckets of water raced down the palace paths in panic, all surging toward Changhua Hall.

The other palaces also sent people to help as soon as they heard the commotion.

When the Capital Patrol Office learned that the emperor’s residence was on fire, the entire force mobilized in alarm without daring to waste a single moment.

Every member of the Twelve Guards of the Imperial Guards rushed toward Changhua Hall, no matter how far away they were.

Meanwhile, only the final step remained in the soul-summoning ritual at the altar.

Wei Yi lowered his clasped hands and slowly opened his eyes.

“Your Majesty, please offer your blood to guide the lost soul home.”

The shaman bowed his head and presented a dagger with both hands.

Wei Yi took the dagger from him, cut open his palm, and filled half a bowl with blood.

The instant the blade sliced deep into his palm, the raging fire in the distance was suddenly reflected in his pupils.

“Your Majesty, Changhua Hall is on fire!” Zhao Quan cried as he ran over in a panic.

The dagger fell from Wei Yi’s hand.

He stared blankly toward Changhua Hall, the flames staining his eyes red.

Blood streamed from his palm and spattered the ground. He staggered, seeing nothing but the fiery red blaze stretching to the horizon.

A shrill ringing screamed in his ears.

Sheng Zhaoning. Sheng Zhaoning…

At that moment, hers was the only name in his mind.

Wei Yi went cold all over. His heart nearly stopped. He stumbled down the steps as the metallic taste of blood surged into his throat, and a crushing sense of helpless despair threatened to engulf him.

Sheng Zhaoning was still inside!

“Save her! Hurry, save her!”

Wei Yi screamed hoarsely, then spewed a mouthful of blood.

He tumbled heavily down the steps, blood from his palm splashing across the ground.

Chi Wan stood to one side, fists clenched, silently watching Wei Yi flee in helpless panic.

They had always been pitiful souls, doomed to love without ever possessing the one they loved.

No one could truly have their heart’s desire.

Go, Sheng Zhaoning.

Do not look back again.

The resentment born of unrequited love should have been left behind in Luochuan long ago.

She had now repaid everything she owed Sheng Zhaoning, down to the last debt.

The sky was high, the seas vast, and the road through the green mountains long. She only hoped they would never meet again.

…

Thick smoke billowed into the sky.

Bucket after bucket of water was hurled onto the flames from outside the hall, but the inferno was far beyond human control. It would only begin to subside once the ruins had burned through and there was nothing left for the fire to consume.

Covering her mouth and nose, Sheng Zhaoning had begun moving toward the northern windows the moment the fire started.

The Shadow Guard stationed inside the hall saw her and immediately sprang forward to seize her.

“You aren’t insane!” the Shadow Guard shouted sharply.

His hand was stopped barely half an inch from Sheng Zhaoning.

Shadow Seven burst through the window at incredible speed. Using the force of her momentum, she twisted his arm and brutally snapped his wrist.

The Shadow Guard screamed in agony and roared, “Shadow Seven, you betrayed His Majesty! You deserve death!”

Shadow Seven sneered. Applying more force without even bothering to draw a weapon, she pivoted several times and snapped his neck in a few swift moves.

“You want to condemn me? You’re not qualified.”

She dusted off her hands as though ridding them of something filthy, then looked at the lifeless man on the floor and curled her lip.

These Shadow Guards had been hastily trained to bolster their numbers. As expected of such shoddy work, their quality was abysmal.

She extended a hand toward Sheng Zhaoning and jerked her chin. “Let’s go.”

Sheng Zhaoning placed her hand in hers. Amid the thick smoke, Shadow Seven pulled her through the second window on the north side, just as they had planned.

Shadow Seven had already cleared everyone from this side of the hall.

As Sheng Zhaoning climbed over the windowsill, the prison that had bound her was swallowed inch by inch by the flames. The fresh breeze and clear moonlight embraced her once more. Tongues of fire licked past the hem of her robes without leaving so much as a scorch mark.

Sheng Zhaoning stood facing the wind, silhouetted against the blaze, her robes snapping around her.

Her gaze drifted to the clouds, to the moon, to the vast world beyond the towering palace walls. Not once did she look back.

The air was hot and thick with the smell of drifting smoke and dust.

Shadow Seven watched her in silence, unable to put into words what she felt at that moment.

It was like looking at a bird whose wings had been broken. Even with its cage destroyed, it could never regain the spirit it once had.

She took Sheng Zhaoning by the hand and turned to leave.

Yet after only two steps, she stopped dead.

Shadow Seven’s grip on Sheng Zhaoning’s hand tightened.

Staring at the man who had appeared before them, Sheng Zhaoning worked her parched throat and said in a low voice, “Han Xu.”

Amid the flames and billowing smoke, Han Xu stood in their path, dressed in black with a saber in hand, his tall figure barring the way.

He looked at Sheng Zhaoning. Something flickered in his eyes, perhaps the reflection of the flames, perhaps a sudden gleam of emotion. Whatever it was, it vanished too quickly to catch.

Shadow Seven frowned and secretly clenched one fist, while her other hand crept toward the concealed weapon beneath her sleeve.

Han Xu was the Commander of the Shadow Guards and the most skilled martial artist among them.

Even alone, Shadow Seven was no match for him. With the frail Sheng Zhaoning beside her, looking as though a gust of wind might knock her over, their chances of escaping him unscathed were slimmer still.

Shadow Seven tightened her grip on the blade hidden in her sleeve, already prepared to fight him to the death.

But the next moment, Han Xu merely gave Sheng Zhaoning one long, searching look. Then, without a word, he turned sideways and stepped back, opening a path for them.

Shock flashed through Shadow Seven’s eyes.

Sheng Zhaoning looked toward the unobstructed path he had opened. Her gaze slowly lifted, the emotion trembling in her eyes like something stirred by the wind.

She gazed at him, her expression indescribably complicated.

Perhaps only now did she truly understand Han Xu.

And perhaps she finally understood why, despite knowing that a month without daylight in Changhua Hall would never drive her mad, Han Xu had still kept the truth from Wei Yi.

Ten children who had grown up together.

They had fought side by side as comrades, entrusting their lives to one another.

Together, they had endured adversity, despair, and desperate struggle. Together, they had clawed their way out of the abyss. They trusted one another enough to turn their backs in battle. Even if they were not friends, they would never be enemies.

By stepping aside, Han Xu had opened a path for Sheng Zhaoning.

It was also the last shred of fellowship he could offer her.

The three passed one another, parting toward opposite ends of the road.

Han Xu remained where he was, silently watching the two women disappear into the distance before turning away with a solemn expression.

Two black figures hurried along beneath the palace walls.

Shadow Seven draped a Shadow Guard robe over Sheng Zhaoning. Its oversized hooded cloak concealed most of her face, and it was the clothing Sheng Zhaoning knew best.

With the fire raging, the entire Shadow Guard had been mobilized. Black-clad figures could be seen rushing throughout the palace, so dressed this way, they blended into the crowd instead of attracting attention.

Chi Yu had planned their route well in advance. After leaving Changhua Hall, Shadow Seven led Sheng Zhaoning eastward.

When they pushed aside the layers of shrubbery concealing the palace wall, Sheng Zhaoning stared at the dark entrance to the secret passage and could only marvel at the cruelty of fate.

On that rain-soaked day, the secret passage blocked by fallen rocks had extinguished Wei Heng’s last hope of survival.

And now, beneath the light of the flames, that same thread of hope had wound its way back to her.

The rubble had been cleared, revealing an opening wide enough for one person that descended into the darkness underground.

Sheng Zhaoning did not know what she felt as she stepped into that secret passage. It was only a short distance, yet it marked the divide between life and death.

So the passage had never been long at all, and yet her Ah Heng had never made it out.

A carriage waited at the other end.

The driver was one of Chi Yu’s men and a highly capable fighter. The moment he heard movement inside the passage, he hurriedly jumped down from the carriage and reached out to help Sheng Zhaoning emerge.

“Miss Sheng,” the driver greeted her.

Sheng Zhaoning acknowledged him with a nod.

The carriage was parked in a deserted alley. In the distance came the chaotic clamor of the Capital Patrol Office and the Twelve Guards of the Imperial Guards.

Shadow Seven stood beneath the corner of a wall and watched Sheng Zhaoning board the carriage. When Sheng Zhaoning turned back, their eyes met.

Of the ten children, after all their meetings, partings, and brushes with death, all that remained in the end was another farewell.

There was no longer any trace of Shadow Ten in Sheng Zhaoning. The woman standing before Shadow Seven now seemed to be nothing more than the poised and elegant Lord Sheng who had once stood in Taihe Hall.

“Thank you,” Sheng Zhaoning said solemnly.

For some reason, Shadow Seven felt an unexpected sting in the corners of her eyes.

She waved, speaking silently with her gaze: Go.

Go wherever you wish to go. Leave this Imperial City behind.

Between them, a single glance had always been enough. No words were necessary.

The carriage set off, bursting from the alley and racing away with the flames at its back.

Northward.