Chapter 5: A Woman of Peerless Beauty

The massive mechanism turned slowly, and the heavy stone doors of the Nine-Layer Profound Tower of Langxuan Palace opened one after another, bringing up a burst of light dust.

Mo Heng took a deep breath in secret, his right hand habitually gripping the hilt of his sword, feeling a slight dampness of sweat in his palm. At this moment, he could almost hear his own heartbeat. For the person he was about to see, he clearly had expectations, yet also a few inexplicable resistances.

The heavy doors opened, and when he finally stepped into the last stone door, the surroundings seemed to suddenly fall into an isolated silence. All light and sound were sucked into the bottomless darkness. Walking up the spiraling stone stairs, the massive and flat obsidian stones beside him emitted a ghostly faint light, gradually giving people the illusion that they would never reach the end.

Not knowing how long he had walked, when he stepped into the top layer of the tower, his eyes brightened slightly. It was a stone chamber built of the same obsidian, with only a skylight inlaid with translucent jade at the very top. The rain had just stopped, the clouds were beginning to scatter, and the stars and moon quietly emerged from behind the heavy clouds, scattering into the faint night. A heavenly light pierced through the jade and spilled into the stone chamber, falling upon a woman in black robes in the room.

She stood gracefully with her back to Mo Heng. In the quiet light, a long, water-satin-like hair flowed down to her waist, outlining a slender and graceful figure. She did not turn her head when she heard the footsteps, just quietly watching the night sky where the clouds were opening and the fog was scattering.

It was not until Mo Heng stopped a few steps behind her that she suddenly turned around.

At that moment, it was as if all the starlight and moonlight had suddenly fallen into this square inch of heaven and earth. As her eyes turned, the autumn water was dazzling, her charming shadow like smoke, the misty waves like a fantasy.

As if a long bolt of lightning had swept through his heart, Mo Heng moved his gaze away somewhat awkwardly, lowering his head to bow while stroking his sword: "Nine Princess!"

A light laugh reached his ears, a faint fragrance like water before him, and a clear, soft, and charming voice entered his ears: "Mo Heng, why are you always so afraid of me? Do you have a guilty conscience, or did you not handle the matter I entrusted to you well?"

Mo Heng's hand on his sword tightened subconsciously. He steadied himself and took out a string of crystal-clear tourmaline beads from his bosom: "This subordinate has not failed the mission. The subordinates of the Mingyi Tower in the Nine Domains swear to be loyal to the Master and the Princess."

The beads slid onto Zi Rao's wrist, her skin as white as congealed fat, turning with dazzling light, then hidden beneath her hanging long sleeves. The beads were clear and warm, and he could vaguely still feel the heat of the man's chest. Zi Rao narrowed her eyes leisurely, smiling as she looked at the young general opposite.

Mo Heng was about to withdraw his hand when a warning sign suddenly appeared in his heart. A black shadow flew, a dark fragrance brushed his face, and a pair of white-jade-like hands reached straight for the long sword at his waist.

He was taken aback and dodged rapidly. However, his movements were fast, but those hands were even faster. He only heard the sound of a dragon's roar, and the long sword was drawn from its scabbard, actually snatched away by Zi Rao with her bare hands. Then the sword light flourished, turning into a dazzling clear radiance, pointing straight at his throat.

Seeing the sword Qi attacking, Mo Heng instantly regained his composure, retreating several steps like lightning. A sound of gold ringing in his ears, he actually used his sword scabbard to block the fierce sword strike.

Zi Rao praised with a clear voice: "Good!" The sword momentum turned sharply, light and shadow circling her body, and she attacked him with several more swords in an instant.

Mo Heng's wrist suddenly sank, the sword sheath in his hand flicked upward at an angle, arriving after but striking first, accurately and unerringly meeting the sword tip that flashed with starlight amidst ten thousand rays of cold light.

Zi Rao laughed charmingly: "Return the sword!"

Clothes swirling and sleeves flying, the sound of clanking fell, and the long sword returned to its scabbard, as if the two had already rehearsed it, without the slightest error. Although she returned the sword to the scabbard, she did not stop, her body like light smoke, her slender hands like jade, and she slapped Mo Heng with a palm.

Mo Heng raised his brows, advancing instead of retreating. As his body lunged forward, his hand had already gripped the sword hilt, and the long sword hissed out of the scabbard, drawing a dazzling long arc and breaking into the opponent's offensive.

The sword is in hand, the person is the sword. The essence in his eyes flourished, as if he had completely changed into another person. Sword Qi filled the stone chamber, and the black-clothed charming shadows flew and crossed. Suddenly, Zi Rao's figure flashed, her hands raised and sleeves lifted, as if a whole piece of star-cloud with faint light had swept across between the two, unexpectedly coiling around Mo Heng's sword.

Mo Heng suddenly remembered that her seemingly ordinary clothes were woven from Ice Silkworm Profound Silk, light as gauze, soft as clouds, yet could withstand water and fire, and pass through knives and swords without a trace. At this moment, if he did not abandon his sword and retreat, he would definitely not be able to avoid the palm strike Zi Rao followed with. His thoughts flew, his offensive unchanged, person and sword as one, rushing toward his opponent.

Amidst the light laughter, Zi Rao's sleeves fluttered, and at the moment the sword tip reached her body, she flew up, landing behind him like a piece of misty light cloud. Her dark hair was like water, gently swaying before her, her black clothes hanging silently, faint ghostly light flowing. She didn't look like someone who had just fought at all, lazily raising her hand to tidy the broken hair at her temples, asking with a charming smile: "Mo Heng, why are you trying so hard?"

Mo Heng returned the sword to the scabbard, a rare smile actually appearing on his face: "This subordinate was reckless, please forgive me, Princess." If it were a real enemy in a life-and-death struggle, he would have definitely pierced the opponent's body with one sword before suffering serious injury. Unless one held the determination to perish together, any opponent would have to change moves to dodge this fatal sword strike.

Zi Rao smiled charmingly: "Always like this, you only look like a human being after a fight. Your sword technique is truly becoming more and more refined. I wonder how many people can block ten of your swords now."

Mo Heng's brows moved slightly: "Princess, you flatter me. If Master were to strike, I wouldn't be able to last ten moves under his sword."

"Oh?" Zi Rao's bright eyes turned: "Is he that powerful now? It's no wonder. You were able to enter this Nine-Layer Profound Tower today, so that woman is finally no match for him, right?"

Mo Heng nodded, smiling slightly.

Accompanied by him, Zi Rao walked out, descending along the stone stairs, stepping out of the heavy forbidden doors, and stepping onto the long stone path, where the heavenly light could already be seen from afar.

The biting cold light hit her face. She stepped over the last restraint in the tower and stepped onto the long-lost land. The nearly one hundred loyal guards waiting outside bowed their swords in unison, saying in unison: "Welcome, Nine Princess!"

Zi Rao stood at the end of the stone steps, looking out at the faint heavenly light, three thousand palace halls stretching like the sea, the vast universe boundless.

Just at this moment, a rising sun rose brilliantly, thousands of morning rays combing through the clouds and mist, scattering onto the earth washed clean by the night's violent wind and rain. The majestic halls were vast, and under the dazzling golden light, the peerless woman looked back with a smile, her sleeves fluttering, as if a heavenly maiden had descended to the world.

There were not many strange flowers or plants in the Changming Palace where the Eastern Emperor lived, but dense bamboo forests were planted everywhere. The bamboo was exceptionally straight, always standing with a proud posture in the wind and frost, the only thing unchanged being the emerald color.

A light breeze swept through the bamboo leaves, rustling like rain. Zi Rao walked forward slowly, her long skirt trailing on the ground with her elegant steps, gradually disappearing into the deep hall.

Layers of faint light passed through the patterns of the jade curtains and cloud drapes, merging into this wide space. The temperature and light converged into boundless silence, as if a layer of floating light and shadow at dusk, falling upon her charming eyes, revealing a faint gentleness. She stepped onto the dragon-patterned brocade carpet, silent and soundless, turning past the long obsidian dragon screen, and stopped quietly. Her expression did not show the flying smile she had when she first met Mo Heng. The lingering sorrow made those phoenix eyes float with a misty and ghostly beauty.

The Eastern Emperor was born to love silence, rarely leaving palace slaves to serve by his side. At this moment, he stood alone with his hands behind his back beside the long table. A wisp of sinking incense in the coiled-dragon bronze furnace drifted, lingering around the jade screen and golden table, gently falling onto his clothes, falling onto Zi Rao's soft silk robes.

Zi Rao came to his side. He was looking up at a piece of calligraphy he had just written, not turning his head, asking with a smile: "How is this calligraphy?"

On the snow-silk ice brocade, the silver hooks and iron strokes wrote a line of large characters in cinnabar—"Heaven and earth are not benevolent, treating all things as straw dogs," the brushwork was steep and tall, the ink fresh, clearly just completed.

Zi Rao stared, saying indifferently: "Heaven gives birth to all things, treating them as grass, throwing them into the land of ten thousand illusions, abandoning them in the world of desire and sinking, yet people treat heaven as a god. Is it not ridiculous and pitiful?"

Zi Hao smiled: "Heaven and earth have no heart, giving birth to all things in chaos, nourishing them with rain and dew, bestowing them with nature, and entrusting them with freedom. All living things have hearts, and the heart gives birth to ten thousand illusions. Is this the fault of heaven and earth?"

Zi Rao said: "Then who should one go to ask for the truth and seek an answer for so much suffering and struggle in the world?"

Zi Hao said calmly: "Life and death, fortune and misfortune, blaming heaven is not as good as seeking oneself."

Zi Rao was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "I have also often practiced calligraphy out of boredom all these years." After saying this, she flicked her hand back, her long sleeves rolling like clouds, sweeping across the cinnabar inkstone on the dragon table. A touch of cinnabar like blood, following her flowing sleeves, wrote a large "Endure" character on the wall, the horizontal and turning strokes flamboyant and unrestrained, as if a phoenix bird born from fire had flown into the sky, wings spreading, making the nine heavens lose their color.

Her long sleeves drifted down, and she stood silently, the expression in her eyes complex and difficult to describe.

Zi Hao stared at the character for a while, then suddenly laughed, finally turning around: "Zi Rao is still Zi Rao. After so many years, she hasn't changed at all."

Zi Rao also turned her head to look at him, a trace of gentleness gradually appearing in her eyes: "Have you changed?"

Zi Hao did not answer, turning back to moisten the brush with ink. On the snow-silk on the table, he wrote, his brushwork slow and graceful, the same "Endure" character falling before him.

Such condensed brushwork, the sharpness hidden, the brilliance exhausted, the character showing no trace of his emotions. The character is just a character, without joy or sorrow, without wind or waves. Having experienced too much and seen too much, everything can be turned into formless, soundless, and traceless.

Enduring to the extreme, the endurance itself is long forgotten.

He put down the brush and turned back with a faint smile, but suddenly his smile froze on his face. Behind him, Zi Rao was already in tears.

Before he could say anything, Zi Rao knelt beside him, suddenly gripping his arm. Caught off guard, the pain of the wounds made him subconsciously raise his hand to withdraw, but Zi Rao was gripping him so tightly that she gave him no room to dodge, reaching out to brush his sleeves.

"Zi Rao!" He quickly suppressed her hand. Zi Rao looked up quickly, staring straight into his eyes. He was unable to meet her sharp gaze for a moment, and finally gave up the resistance.

She slowly rolled up his sleeves, only to see the wounds on his entire arm, all dense tooth marks of venomous snakes. Although most had healed, they were still shocking. She bit her lip tightly, asking hoarsely: "Are you crazy? Do you not want your life? Did Li Si not tell you what that snake venom is?"

Zi Hao smiled as if nothing had happened, putting down his sleeve: "I know."

The answer was too calm, making one speechless. Zi Rao knelt there stiffly. He patted her shoulder, smiling: "Don't worry, I won't die easily. Otherwise, wouldn't it be lonely to leave Zi Rao alone?"

Zi Rao looked at him, suddenly reaching out to hug him, tightly gripping his clothes, burying her head in his chest: "For these seven years, I couldn't see you, couldn't hear you, couldn't touch you, but every time you felt pain, I could feel it. Every time, I felt my heart was bleeding. But I knew Zi Hao was still alive, so I had to live on. He would come to save me, and I would never let him die." She looked up, her eyes full of stubbornness, like a stubborn child wanting to protect the thing she cherished most.

Zi Hao smiled, gently raising his hand to stroke her shoulder, holding her in his arms. Through the sleeves, Zi Rao's fingers traced the wounds on his arm, asking gloomily: "Do you not hate her? Why let her go so easily? Letting her die like this, isn't it a relief?"

"Hate," Zi Hao said calmly, "hate to the point of wanting to tear her into pieces, pull her tendons and remove her bones. But I have too many things to do, no time to entangle with a person who deserves to die. My hatred for her ends that night in Chonghua Palace. From then on, in the human world or the yellow springs, we owe each other nothing." He seemed unwilling to talk more about this, then turned the topic, lowering his head and saying softly to her: "Zi Rao, the turmoil has just settled, some things need to be dealt with urgently, I want you to go see someone for me."

Zi Rao closed her eyes, seemingly not paying attention to what he was saying. After a moment, she said decisively: "I want to go to the Chu State."

"Chu State?"

"Yes, if there is anyone in the world who can solve the poison in your body, it must be Qi Shi. I know he is not dead. Even if the entire Witch Clan perished, he wouldn't die so easily. Mo Heng has secretly investigated these years, and he is very likely in the Chu State now. I want to find him."

"Oh," Zi Hao responded indifferently, "then that's perfect, the person I want you to see is also in the Chu State."

"Who?" Zi Rao asked, looking up.

Zi Hao said calmly: "Shao Yuan Jun, Huang Fei."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 6 =====