The sun set in the west, and night enveloped the sky.
Before leaving the Imperial Palace, Xiao Mo first made a trip to the National Preceptor’s Mansion.
Just as the carriage stopped, a gust of wind suddenly lifted a corner of the curtain before letting it slowly fall back into place.
By the ti Xiao Mo realized what had happened, Jiang Rou was already sitting inside the carriage.
Xiao Mo stared, stunned, at the woman sitting before him.
Jiang Rou was no longer wearing her Wanjian Sect disciple uniform. Instead, she had changed into a simple white dress. Her long hair was tied back, cascading down her back to her slender waist.
Although Jiang Rou’s attire was plain and she still wore a veil, she exuded an understated elegance, like a fine tea.
"Your Majesty, why are you staring at ? Do I look strange dressed like this?" Jiang Rou asked with a frown.
Xiao Mo smiled. "Not at all. It’s just that I’ve grown so used to seeing you in your Sword Sect uniform, Fairy Jiang. Seeing you in a dress now is a stunning change."
Hearing Xiao Mo’s praise, Qingyi turned her head away. Her small hand tightened its grip on her longsword as a faint blush crept across her veiled cheeks.
"I own more than just a sword uniform. Your Majesty, rather than wasting ti on such talk, we should leave the palace at once so we can return sooner."
"Hehehe, you have a point." Xiao Mo just chuckled. ’This Fairy Jiang,’ he thought, ’can’t take a complint sotis, just like a little girl.’
Xiao Mo knocked on the carriage wall and said to Wei Xun, "Let’s leave the palace."
"Departing the palace!"
At the sound of Wei Xun’s quacking voice, the carriage started moving toward the outside of the Imperial Palace.
Once they were outside the gates of the Imperial Palace, Xiao Mo and Jiang Rou alighted from the carriage. Wei Xun and several guards followed behind Xiao Mo.
Unlike the last ti His Majesty went out for pleasure, which had Wei Xun on pins and needles worrying about potential assassins, today, with Fairy Jiang acting as His Majesty’s escort, Wei Xun felt much more at ease.
And within the Imperial City, things were just as Xiao Mo had expected.
Even though it was late in the evening, the streets of the Imperial City were still bustling with people and carriages, as lively as if dayti had yet to depart.
Beneath the eaves of every household, strings of lanterns tied with red silk ribbons glowed with a warm, yellow light, illuminating the entire street.
The red lanterns, one after another, looked like a river of stars that had fallen from the heavens to light up the mortal world.
"Miss, co take a look at the jewelry! It’s beautiful!"
"Dolls! Freshly arrived cloth dolls!"
"Freshly stead at buns! Piping hot at buns!"
All sorts of small stalls lined the street, their owners’ calls rising and falling, a constant, lively clamor.
Billowing steam, mixed with the sweet fragrance of sugar and dough, drifted through the night air.
Because tonight was the Poetry Lantern Festival, many young ladies from noble families with strict rules were also allowed out.
Dressed in colorful gowns, so gently held their mothers’ arms, whispering and laughing softly as they strolled down the brightly lit street.
Others gathered in twos and threes before stalls selling hairpins. One would pick up a jade pin to examine it against the light, while another helped a friend try one on, their gentle laughter, like the chirping of warblers in spring, drifting by from ti to ti.
Xiao Mo opened his fan and fanned himself as he walked forward.
Because Xiao Mo and Qingyi were both strikingly beautiful, with exceptionally refined auras, they often drew the stares of n and won on the street.
However, the two of them ignored the attention.
"Candied hawthorns! Candied hawthorns! Freshly made, sweet and crisp!"
As Xiao Mo passed by an old man selling candied hawthorns, Qingyi slowed her pace and turned to look.
Noticing Qingyi’s gaze, Xiao Mo assud the Fairy wanted so but was too shy to ask. He spoke directly to the old man, "Sir, one skewer, please."
"Right away." The old man selling candied hawthorns took down a skewer and handed it to Xiao Mo.
Wei Xun jumped, about to take it on His Majesty’s behalf.
But Xiao Mo had already taken the candied hawthorn. He tossed a piece of silver from his sleeve. "Keep the change."
"Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master!" The old man hurriedly accepted the silver, bowing repeatedly in thanks.
Xiao Mo offered the candied hawthorn to Qingyi. "Want so?"
Qingyi glanced at the candied hawthorn in Xiao Mo’s hand, hesitated for a mont, but finally took it. She lifted a corner of her veil and began to eat it in small bites.
Watching her eat, Xiao Mo couldn’t help but smile to himself.
’When she’s not practicing her swordsmanship,’ he thought, ’this Fairy Jiang is no different from any other young woman.’
"Fairy Jiang, you seem to enjoy candied hawthorns. Should I buy you a few more skewers?" Xiao Mo asked with a smile.
"No, thank you." Qingyi shook her head. "I only ever eat one skewer at most."
"Why is that?" Xiao Mo asked.
Qingyi looked at Xiao Mo and explained, "When I was little, my master would only let eat one skewer a day. It beca a habit."
"I see." Xiao Mo nodded, not thinking much of it.
As the two continued walking, Qingyi suddenly seed to sense sothing. She looked toward West City, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Fairy Jiang, is sothing wrong?" Xiao Mo asked curiously, seeing her expression.
"Two friends have arrived. I’m going to check on them."
"Hm?"
Before Xiao Mo could say anything else, Qingyi leaped into the air and vanished into the night.
...
anwhile, in a desolate patch of land in West City, Wangxin blinked as she stared at the Array before her.
This Array had been constructed with nurous Heavenly and Earthly Treasures. It was so obscure that even Wangxin, who had seen many Arrays and studied them a little, felt she could barely understand it.
"The Array is almost ready."
Si Li clapped her hands and said to Wangxin.
"Wangxin, place that half-piece of Dyed Ink inside."
Wangxin nodded, took the half-piece of Dyed Ink from her robes, and placed it in the center of the Array.
"Si Li, will this Array really work?"
Wangxin asked.
When Si Li had found Wangxin, she had proposed they cooperate to find Xiao Mo’s location, after which she had drawn this very Array.
"Let’s give it a try. We can figure sothing else out if it doesn’t work." Si Li appeared relaxed, but inwardly, she was faintly nervous.
If this Array failed, her only other option was to have Tinghai Pavilion continue searching for the Young Master’s whereabouts in the Imperial City.
As for the rumor that the monarch of the Zhou Kingdom was also nad Xiao Mo... that was completely irrelevant in Si Li’s eyes.
A na is just a label. There were so many people in this world nad Xiao Mo.
If they could find their Young Master simply by searching among everyone nad Xiao Mo, he would have been brought back to the Wandao Sect long ago.
"Alright, I’m going to activate the Array now. Stand guard for ."
After speaking, Si Li sat cross-legged in the center of the Array.
But just as Si Li was about to activate the Array, both she and Wangxin sensed sothing and looked in the sa direction.
A woman holding a longsword was walking toward the two of them, one step at a ti.
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