The Sovereign – Chapter 97

Volume Five: Remembering a Lifetime in the Sound of a Breaking Heart

Heart-Tearing and Lung-Rending

Her heart feels as if it has been torn apart

Yi Qingyu had never lost control like this before. Over the years, only Liu Zhu could stir waves in her heart. Now knowing she might still be alive in this mortal realm, she only wanted to confirm the truth immediately.

She hoped all this was real, not just empty joy. She rushed out of the Fengluan Palace, only to encounter Yi Qinghuan face-to-face.

“Xiaoyu~” Yi Qinghuan’s joy reached her eyebrows, for her, seeing Yi Qingyu was extremely difficult, each encounter was precious.

Yi Qingyu lightly pinched her brows and had no interest in conversing with her, merely passing by coldly as if they were strangers.

“Qingyu~” Yi Qinghuan stepped forward, calling her name. Could she truly not even spare her a glance? Had the hatred over these many years not diminished at all? She was her own elder sister, the one who doted on her since childhood, yet now things had come to this.

Yi Qingyu halted her steps and turned to face Yi Qinghuan, the coldness in her eyes making Yi Qinghuan’s heart turn cold. “Before I left the palace last time, I asked you to treat Xun’er well, and what happened?”

“She was a bewitching beauty who brings disaster, harboring evil intentions, harming the Emperor. Expelling her from the palace was merely a light punishment to prevent greater wrongdoing.”

Yi Qingyu stepped closer, sneering, “You are truly stubborn and unrepentant. You did this to me before, and now you do the same to Yan’er. Is it wrong for women to love each other? What wrong is there?”

“I… I’m doing this for your own good!” Yi Qinghuan’s eyes showed sorrow, looking at Yi Qingyu with both tenderness and helplessness.

“Hahaha, for our own good? You’ve probably never loved anyone, so you don’t know what love is. Someone like you has no right to possess love.” Yi Qingyu met her gaze coldly, speaking without mercy.

“I…” Yi Qinghuan was struck speechless, laughing helplessly, with a fishbone stuck in her throat, unable to utter a single word.

Yi Qingyu departed with a sweep of her sleeves, saying as she walked, “Don’t blame me for not warning you. If you remain stubborn in your delusion, you might even lose your own daughter. If you want my forgiveness, it’s impossible in this lifetime!”

Yi Qinghuan’s lips trembled as she watched Yi Qingyu’s departing figure, feeling unbearable heartache.

She didn’t understand love… Qingyu said she didn’t understand love. Perhaps so. In this lifetime, she had become like this, what else could be done? Qingyu would never understand her.

Yi Qingyu rode her swift steed, rushing from the Imperial Palace toward the loquat forest, memories of her time with Ah Ying floating in her mind. Her gaze, her silhouette, even her care for her, and those tears and emotions that shouldn’t have existed. If she was truly Zhu’er, everything would make sense!

Brown eyes – how foolish she was to believe that illness could change one’s eye color. She had always feared showing her face to her. Yi Qingyu suddenly recalled this important clue, along with the mask covering her face. Was she afraid of being recognized? Why was this so? Because of her terminal illness? Because her appearance was ruined?

Racing along the way, the whistling wind rushed past her ears as her graceful figure weaved through the bustling streets. The image of Ah Ying lingered in her mind as she wielded her whip to urge on her horse, quickly arriving at the loquat forest.

With no time to tether her horse or think of anything else, Yi Qingyu rushed into the loquat forest, calling out, “Ah Ying!”

No response!

She searched the bamboo dwelling front and back but found no one. Suddenly, she noticed the dwelling had been tidied up, looking neater, with even her clothes folded neatly.

“Ah Ying~” Yi Qingyu stroked the spotless furniture, her heart aching endlessly. She could almost see Ah Ying’s reluctant expression while tidying these things. Unwilling to give up, she ran deeper into the loquat forest, calling out again and again, “Ah Ying! Ah Ying!”

Each heart-tearing and lung-rending cry could no longer summon Ah Ying’s response.

Yi Qingyu searched almost the entire loquat forest without finding any trace of her. In anger, she struck several palm strikes into the forest, causing leaves to scatter everywhere. “Didn’t you promise me you wouldn’t wander off?”

She walked dazedly to Liu Zhu’s cenotaph, suddenly discovering a mask hanging before the grave. She hurriedly picked it up to examine it – it was indeed Ah Ying’s mask. Yi Qingyu’s lips curved into a faint smile as she cradled the mask like a treasure in her palms. “You’re Zhu’er, aren’t you? You must be Zhu’er, right?”

Yi Qingyu knelt on the ground, hating herself for being so foolish, never noticing Ah Ying’s unusualness. She had always felt familiar with Ah Ying, even developing strange feelings toward her, but she had deliberately ignored these feelings of tenderness and peculiar emotions. Looking back, none of these feelings were unnecessary.

She must be Zhu’er, she must be!

She needed to confirm this, she needed to find Zhu’er. But where had Zhu’er gone? In this vast world, where should she look for her? Right, she could first find Liu Qianxun – perhaps she had gone back to find her daughter out of concern.

The Changning Manor of Yu Kingdom! Yi Qingyu mounted her horse, her gaze blazing like torches. If Zhu’er wasn’t dead, this time she wouldn’t let her leave her side again!

First find Zhu’er, then go to Shennong Valley. Yi Qingyu rode south with grace.

Ji Kingdom lay in the north, Yu Kingdom in the south. The Changning Manor in Zhengyi was only one li from the Yu Imperial Palace. Though not as magnificent as the palace, it was still a deep-courtyarded mansion with two thousand garrison soldiers and countless sentries.

Ling Yu lived in seclusion within the manor, rarely entering the palace unless for important matters. The manor frequently hosted royal descendants and noble ministers, along with arms and thighs ministers (a Chinese idiom for vital officials). Because Yu Kingdom was preparing to relocate its capital, if war broke out between the two kingdoms, Zhengyi’s proximity to Feng City posed numerous dangers.

Before the majestic Changning Manor, a figure in cyan appeared. She walked straight in without anyone stopping her; instead, they welcomed her return with utmost respect.

“Miss Qianxun has returned, quickly report to the Princess,” the garrison soldier hurried to announce.

Liu Qianxun’s face was cold as frost without a trace of expression. The dusty journey had left her visibly tired, and inflammation from the whip wounds across her body caused her to burn with fever. Strong discomfort filled her body, yet she calmly ignored it.

She needed no announcement, moving through Changning Manor like a walking pass token (an ancient Chinese authority symbol), with everyone bowing wherever she went.

“Where is the Princess?” she asked coldly.

“In response to Miss, the Princess is in the back garden,” the maid led her to Ling Yu’s location.

Ling Yu held a porcelain bowl filled with five-spice pork, using chopsticks to feed Lightning. Lightning, with its sharp eyes, first glanced at Liu Qianxun, then lowered its guard. Eagles eat meat, and every day Ling Yu had people prepare its favorite meats to feed it personally.

“Are you full?” Ling Yu set down the empty bowl, and Lightning flapped its wings contentedly before soaring into the sky.

Ling Yu raised her head to watch Lightning, a smile playing at her lips, “Fly freely, no matter how far you go, just remember to return.”

These words seemed to carry hidden meaning. She turned around, looking at Liu Qianxun, tenderness rising in her eyes, “You’ve finally returned.”

“Was it you who administered the poison?” Liu Qianxun’s icy words carried not a trace of emotion. Her only purpose in returning was to get the antidote from Ling Yu.

Faced with Liu Qianxun’s questioning, Ling Yu merely gazed at her, her eyes reflecting unfathomable thoughts, a faint smile playing at her lips, “What if it was?”

Liu Qianxun clenched her fists, her expression frozen, her breathing gradually becoming uneven, “What poison did you use, and when did you administer it?”

“Are you interrogating me?”

“Yes!” Liu Qianxun answered firmly.

Ling Yu approached Liu Qianxun, raising a wicked smile, “I originally didn’t want to use poison, but who knew you’d be so easily affected. What I gave you was only the Jade Dew Pill, not the real thing. When I saw Qin Junlan showed no symptoms that day during the drinking contest, I knew you hadn’t given it to her.”

“You never trusted me!” Liu Qianxun’s anger rose.

“Xun’er, you’ve truly disappointed me. The Mother-Child Gu (a paired toxin where the “mother” Gu is implanted in one person to control the “child” Gu in another, ensuring obedience or leveraging harm between the two.) is the price for your betrayal!”

“What did you say? You gave her the Mother-Child Gu??” Liu Qianxun’s shock carried terror, as she remembered the scene of Ling Yu using Mother-Child Gu to kill Qi Ye – it was absolute torture between life and death, with an even more tragic end.

“That’s right, the baby Gu is far more obedient than you, knowing to crawl into Qin Junlan through the wound in her palm…” Ling Yu deliberately provoked Liu Qianxun with cold words.

Liu Qianxun’s face darkened, her emotions fluctuating. Suppressing her anger, she extended her hand, “Give me the antidote.”

Ling Yu sneered, “What if I don’t?”

A gentle breeze rose in the back courtyard as Liu Qianxun suddenly raised both arms to strike. Ling Yu lightly touched the ground with her toes, her body floating backward like the wind, her eyes fixed directly on Liu Qianxun, drawing ever closer.

She retreated to the wall, one leg braced against it, her arms opening and closing like a crane spreading its wings. As Liu Qianxun’s technique swept past, she raised one arm to block it effortlessly before leaping behind Liu Qianxun.

The manor’s people thought they were merely practicing martial arts, so they didn’t draw their swords to protect their master. Only Lin Wuming sensed the wrong atmosphere, watching worriedly from the side.

Liu Qianxun had no intention of stopping, striking with both hands while shouting, “Give me the antidote!” Her mind was filled with images of Qin Junlan’s weakness, coughing blood and suffering stomach pain. Combined with Ling Yu’s sharp words, she had lost her usual composure.

“Heh…” Ling Yu only defended without attacking, her face like a peach blossom. She suddenly raised a powerful current of qi, forming a resonance with Liu Qianxun’s energy field. A smile hung at her lips, but within that cold smile lay a trace of melancholy and sorrow. “For her sake, you would kill me?”

“I only want the antidote.” Liu Qianxun looked at Ling Yu, her eyes showing none of their former affection. Ling Yu’s heart gradually sank into despair with each of Liu Qianxun’s fierce moves. Yet she hid these subtle emotions behind stinging words and pretended smiles.

“Fine, very well! I taught you martial arts for six years but never sparred with you. Today I’ll see just how much skill you’ve learned from me.” After speaking, Ling Yu changed from defense to offense, her palms sweeping through the air like sharp blades, leaving deep marks wherever they passed.

Liu Qianxun dodged sideways, channeling her internal energy into her fingertips toward Ling Yu. Ling Yu lightly touched her toes to the ground, her body moving like a fan, floating up and down like a butterfly’s metamorphosis (a poetic description of fluid movement).

“You’ve learned the Single Finger Flick technique well~” She smiled, countering with the same move toward Liu Qianxun.

Liu Qianxun leaped into the air, spinning midair before diving down, her wind-blown figure light and graceful like an immortal descending from heaven. Ling Yu leaned backward, and just before touching the ground, her right leg shot upward to meet Liu Qianxun’s palm strike. In that instant, flowers and leaves scattered in the back courtyard, powerful qi currents stirred up dust, even forcing Lin Wuming to step back.

Their figures seemed frozen in time, one suspended in air, one stepping like the wind – though it was a duel, it resembled the dance of graceful swans, too beautiful for the mortal realm, stunning the manor’s guards.

“Once a match made in heaven, now turned to such bitter opposition…” Lin Wuming watched their struggle, shaking his head helplessly.

Despite using all her strength, Liu Qianxun gained no advantage. Her palm was blocked by Ling Yu’s foot, unable to release her internal energy. She spun like a whirlwind, pulling Ling Yu’s body up with her. As both released their internal energy simultaneously, Liu Qianxun was thrown back several steps by the powerful qi current, her face pale.

The whip wounds on her body reopened, blood slowly seeping through her clothes, cold sweat breaking out on her fevered brow. Ling Yu noticed her poor condition and moved to help, but Liu Qianxun struck out again.

“You have whip wounds, stop fighting,” Ling Yu said while dodging.

“Don’t concern yourself, just give me the antidote!” Before Liu Qianxun could withdraw her hand, Ling Yu frowned and seized her wrist, noticing spots of blood on her arm. Her heart ached, “Stop fighting, let me see your injuries.”

“The antidote!” Liu Qianxun shouted fiercely, striking hard at Ling Yu, who didn’t dodge. This palm strike hit her abdomen directly, forcing her to step back several paces, her true qi in chaos, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Liu Qianxun stared at her in shock, then glanced at her own hand, “Why didn’t you dodge?”

“Cough~” Ling Yu coughed lightly, spitting out the remaining blood, fearlessly wiping her mouth while maintaining her cold smile, “The Mother-Child Gu has no antidote. Killing me would be useless.”

“You’re lying!” Liu Qianxun shook her head, finding it hard to believe, even more unable to accept this truth.

“Whether you believe it or not is your concern.” Ling Yu turned away indifferently to leave, but her heart softened seeing all the wounds on Liu Qianxun. Words of concern reached her lips but stopped abruptly, “If you have the ability, find your own way to save her, hmph!”

“Ling Yu!” Liu Qianxun called after her, stepping forward, but just as she nearly reached Ling Yu, a figure flew in to block her path, “Show respect to the Princess.”

“Ye Ming?!” Liu Qianxun was startled. Ye Ming wore plain black clothing, hair tied neatly in a martial bun, carrying the air of a noble warrior, but her left sleeve hung empty.

Liu Qianxun stepped forward and grasped the sleeve, finding nothing within. She searched up and down until touching the shoulder to confirm that Ye Ming had truly lost her arm. She asked heavily, “How did this happen? Where is your arm?”

“It’s none of your concern.” Ye Ming stepped back, maintaining distance, her eyes calm as still water, as if she didn’t recognize her at all.

“Ye Ming?” Liu Qianxun looked at her in surprise, then turned to Ling Yu, who waved her hand, signaling Ye Ming to withdraw.

“This subordinate takes leave!” Ye Ming bowed before departing, glancing at Liu Qianxun one last time, still unable to recall who stood before her.

“I used a memory-erasing Gu poison on her,” Ling Yu said flatly.

“Why would you do such a thing?” Liu Qianxun thought of Bai Ruoxi’s death, and seeing Ye Ming like this made her heart ache dully.

“If not for this, she would have spent her days dwelling on the Young Princess’s death, becoming no different from a useless person.”

“But this is too cruel to her. The Young Princess gave her life for her, yet you made her forget…”

“What is that to me? Ye Ming failed her mission and should have died. This Princess sparing her life was merely to preserve her sword skills. Without her left hand, she still has her right to serve me.” Ling Yu spoke expressionlessly, though in truth, when Ye Ming was found by the Shura Sect people after losing her arm, she was barely alive. After being brought back to Changning Manor, Ling Yu used the Gu to ease her pain while erasing these painful memories.

For Ye Ming, living was more painful than death, so better to forget everything, cutting off love and emotions.

But Ling Yu never liked to explain herself.

Liu Qianxun smiled bitterly, her already pale face losing more color, “Heh, everyone is just a chess piece in your eyes. If so, why did you sacrifice Chen Qing’s life to save me?”

“Yes, I only keep useful chess pieces. I am just that cold-blooded. Is this your first day knowing me?” She didn’t know why she spoke to Liu Qianxun this way, as if venting her anger.

“Indeed, I’ve never truly understood you all these years, not like Lin Wuming who comprehends you so well. That’s why I’m not the one who stayed by your side.” Liu Qianxun turned away emotionlessly, prompting Ling Yu to step forward quickly, “Where are you going?”

“I’ll find my own way to save her!”

With these words, Liu Qianxun left resolutely, leaving Ling Yu unable to even speak words to make her stay. With hearts like this, what meaning would more words have? Now that she could strike such deadly blows for Qin Junlan’s sake, what meaning remained in everything she had done?

She clutched her chest; Liu Qianxun’s words and actions hurt worse than carving out her heart.

“Princess, why torture yourself so? Why not tell Tower Master that although the Mother-Child Gu has no antidote, as long as the mother Gu lives, the one possessed by the child Gu won’t die? You never intended to kill the Empress, it was only for…”

“Mind your own business!” After releasing her emotions, Ling Yu became even colder. Lin Wuming felt the injustice of it all – why did she insist on being the “villain” in Liu Qianxun’s eyes when that wasn’t truly the case?

“Reporting to the Princess, Chen Qing’s cenotaph has been prepared,” the guard reported.

“I know.”

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