FID – Chapter 1076

Chapter 1076 — I Rely on My Fists

After fleeing the waystation palace, Liu Yusheng didn’t know the way.

Fortunately, the royal sacrificial procession was massive, leaving deep tracks along the path. She could find the end point of the procession, following them.

She had no idea where the old Emperor and Shan Lai had set traps, nor how Feng Qingbai and the others were faring. While chasing after them, her heart burned with anxiety.

She really should have asked Qinglian for some colorless, tasteless lethal poison as backup. That way, she could have resolved the problem in one swift move earlier.

Alas, the only things in her space were her own modified sedatives and some harmless prank powders.

When she reached the royal temple, apart from the monks reciting sutras and preparing offerings, not a single royal figure was in sight.

After asking the monks about the sacrificial procession’s whereabouts, Liu Yusheng set off running in another direction.

At this moment, Feng Qingbai and Xue Qinglian had reached the outskirts of the temporary palace.

Outside the palace, it was completely empty—silent and still.

The two did not act rashly; instead, they crouched quietly, lying in wait.

Having walked on the edge of a blade for years, both were extremely sensitive to danger.

The palace before them was like a beast that had temporarily retracted its fangs and feigned harmlessness, waiting for any sign of movement to instantly devour them.

“How many do you think are lying in ambush inside?” Xue Qinglian asked via telepathy.

“I don’t know.”

“Then should you go in and count?”

“No need. I’ll just toss you at the door, and we’ll know.”

“I was wrong.”

Time ticked by.

The forces inside and outside the palace seemed locked in a silent standoff, each side waiting to see who would lose patience first.

If he weren’t worried about snoring and revealing their position, Xue Qinglian would have found a spot to rest for a short while.

Time was precious.

Feng Qingbai, by contrast, had not changed his posture from the start. His eyes remained fixed on the palace, unblinking as if he didn’t need to breathe.

“This is a waste of time. We don’t even know if Lucky Nannan is still inside. Maybe they’re just counting on us being too cautious to act, using this delay tactic, while on the other side they’ve already quietly taken her away.”

“Shh.” Feng Qingbai raised a finger, signaling silence, and tilted his ear slightly.

Seeing this, Xue Qinglian immediately clamped his mouth shut and mimicked the man, tilting his ear to listen.

If Feng Qingbai was doing this, there had to be someone speaking inside the palace.

…Great, he really couldn’t hear a thing.

The distance was too great. Feng Qingbai had to condense his inner power to catch even a faint whisper. As the voices inside grew clearer, the color in his eyes gradually shifted.

“Send a signal. Alert the others. The moment Liu Yusheng’s trail is found, she must be captured no matter what!” On the long couch, the old Emperor had fully recovered.

Thinking of Liu Yusheng’s words before she fled, he still could not control the twisting and contorting of his facial muscles.

His gaze was dark, sinister, and cold.

In all these years, no one had ever dared speak to him like that.

Death was his greatest fear.

Liu Yusheng had relentlessly pressed at his weak spot, challenging his authority. How could he possibly tolerate her?

After giving his orders, he glanced at the two who had sat silently in the main hall for a long time. With his eyes slightly lowered, he squinted. “Why did the two of you come back together?”

“Reporting to Great-Great-Grandfather, this unworthy grandson has failed. At Xiliang River, Feng Qingbai escaped. Feng Qingbai is extremely cunning and shrewd. I feared he might double back to look for someone and possibly harm you, so I immediately brought men to protect you. Saintess Shan Lai was also concerned that something unexpected might happen here, so she returned with me to assess the situation,” Prince Shunyang answered respectfully.

“You’ve worried yourselves.” The old Emperor closed his eyes slightly and leaned back. “Feng Qingbai, as the King of Nanling, naturally possesses exceptional strategy and cunning. You’ve waited this long and he still hasn’t appeared. He won’t be coming.”

“Whether he comes or not, I cannot leave. Protecting Your Majesty is more important than anything.”

“Mm.” A soft, indistinct sound came from the direction of the long bed.

In Prince Shunyang’s downcast eyes, a faint glint flashed.

He was very curious. What exactly had the Princess Consort, Liu Yusheng, said to his Grandfather before she escaped, to make him so easily begin doubting them?

Otherwise, when those closest to him returned to protect him, the Emperor would never first ask why they came back together.

Liu Yusheng… a woman who pretended to be harmless while hiding sharp fangs; she was far more calculating than he had expected.

He glanced casually toward the palace doors, then withdrew his gaze as if nothing was amiss.

Feng Qingbai truly wouldn’t be coming, just as his grandfather had said.

They had already startled the snake.

In the end, everything had been ruined.

“Someone—send a signal. Tell the others they don’t need to wait anymore. Spread out and search the surrounding area. Also pass down the order: seal the city gates and the docks.”

Since they couldn’t capture their prey in the trap, they would have to hunt proactively and cut off every possible escape route.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness,” Shan Lai spoke softly, “To capture them may not be difficult. We simply need to wait for the rabbit to return to the tree.”

Hearing Prince Shunyang give his orders, she guessed that Feng Qingbai either hadn’t come or had already left, so there was no need to be cautious in her words.

The two high-ranking nobles inside the hall looked at her in unison, waiting for her to continue.

Elsewhere, knowing that the palace had been set with an ambush and that Shengsheng had already escaped, Feng Qingbai didn’t linger. He quietly pulled Xue Qinglian away.

“Where are we going now?” Lacking combat strength, Xue Qinglian was frustrated.

This meant he had no say in the decision.

How infuriating.

“Shengsheng should be on the way to find us. We’ll split up. Go check the temple, while I head toward the Xiliang River.”

“Why do you get to go to the river? Let’s switch!” He already knew that if Nannan couldn’t find them at the temple, she would inevitably continue toward the Xiliang River.

Why should he go to the temple and come up empty-handed?

“Because my fists are stronger.”

“…” The temple it is, then!

Ignoring the man’s frustrated expression, Feng Qingbai changed direction and made his way toward the Xiliang River.

By now, the river would surely still be heavily guarded. Shengsheng could only rely on her light combat skills for survival. If she ran into archers, she might not come through unscathed.

That thought tensed him from head to toe, a cold glint flashing in his dark eyes.

By the Xiliang River, the commoners had already dispersed, and the sacrificial platform was empty. Both riverbanks were deserted. If not for the trampled grass along the shore, no one would have guessed that a grand sacrificial ceremony had taken place here earlier.

The afternoon sun was still scorching, making the river glitter in the light. The breeze drifting off the water carried a faint, whistling sound, adding an eerie emptiness to the surrounding area.

At the far end of the path, a slender, slight figure appeared. She was dressed in green with a simple hairpin, carrying a bamboo basket, hurrying along.

“Who’s there! What are you doing here?” A sharp shout erupted from behind a waist-high clump of grass, startling the woman into a shriek. Her basket nearly flew from her hands.

Seeing a small squad of armed men appear before her, the woman’s face turned pale, and she trembled. “R-Respectable officers, this humble woman is merely passing through, on my way home!”

“Where do you stay?”

“Not far ahead, Dongwu Village.”

“Which household?”

“The Wu family at the end of the village.”

The officer, hand on his sword, studied her carefully. Finding nothing suspicious, he let her go. “The Xiliang River area is under strict guard. Don’t wander about without cause!”

“Yes, thank you, officers. This humble woman will leave immediately.”

After she had walked a short distance, the lead officer suddenly tensed, eyes narrowing. “Something’s not right, after her!”