Chapter 995: Red Blood (Requesting Moon Tickets)

"Who?!"

Captain Wu immediately sensed someone approaching.

He turned around and froze in shock—the arrival was oddly familiar; after a moment's thought…

"You're… Tail?!"

He had little memory of Tail; in Mo Cun, he'd had little interaction with her.

Had it not been for Fang Yue mentioning Tail after reuniting in Jingcheng, he might never have remembered such a girl.

He never expected that after parting in Mo Cun, this girl would now be a rising figure in Jingcheng.

But… Captain Wu looked at the corpse in his arms, his expression darkening.

And Tail simply walked coldly to his side, her demeanor icy.

"Let go of Ye Ge, Your Highness the Seventh Prince."

"I—I'm not…"

Captain Wu blinked, then lowered his voice urgently: "I'm not the Seventh Prince—I'm Wu Xing, Captain of Mo Cun. This appearance is thanks to Ox Constellation. Before his death, Night Captain teamed up with Ox Constellation—he needed me to use this identity as cover for some plan."

The Seventh Prince before him is Captain Wu?!

Tail froze on the spot—a sudden flash of insight struck her. Now she understood the unease she'd felt earlier.

If the Seventh Prince before her is Captain Wu, then it makes sense why he reacted so strangely to Fang Yue's death.

After all, according to her intel, the Seventh Prince and Fang Yue were rivals for affection.

Though some doubt lingered in her heart, after verifying a few details about Mo Cun, Tail reluctantly accepted this man as Captain Wu.

Still, she remained wary—after all, this was all just his word; no one knew the truth.

"Captain Wu, where are the others? And how is Ye Ge now?"

"The others were sent by You Xingchen to the Imperial Palace for protection. As for Night Captain…" Captain Wu clenched his fist: "Night Captain—he's dead!"

Captain Wu expected Tail to be utterly shocked and grief-stricken upon hearing this news.

But in truth, Tail's calmness left him feeling alienated.

"Is that so? Then hand over Ye Ge's body—I'll see to his remains. Also, I want to know what happened to Ye Ge before he died, and the others…"

As she spoke, Tail suddenly lifted her head toward the side—You Xingchen had just arrived beside them.

Seeing the 'corpse' in Captain Wu's arms, he understood roughly what had happened—but…

"Your Highness the Seventh Prince, please accept your loss. Ye Hongyi died in the line of duty, a model for our Qing Si. When you ascend the throne, grant him a posthumous title to honor his soul. But now, please hurry back to the Imperial Palace with me—seize back your rightful name from the First Prince and cleanse your name! I've already summoned the You Family Elder—they will ensure your safety!"

You Xingchen had knelt on one knee, but Captain Wu clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Night Captain just died, and you're already thinking only of dragging me into the Imperial Palace?"

"Your Highness's imperial safety comes first! Ye Hongyi died protecting you—his ancestors are honored, and we shall never forget him…"

"Shut up!!"

Captain Wu had no patience to listen further. He roared, carefully handed Fang Yue's 'corpse' to Tail, then glared at You Xingchen: "I won't go anywhere until I rescue You Sisi and An Dong'er! Before he died, Night Captain entrusted me with saving You Sisi—I will fulfill this promise!"

"But…"

You Xingchen opened his mouth to speak, but Captain Wu pointed at Tail.

"Take her into the Imperial Palace—protect her and the others. I will fulfill my promise to Night Captain, then join you there!"

With that, he ignored You Xingchen's reaction and charged toward the remaining aberrations of Juan Niao Lou, his golden aura and faint phoenix cries merging with the chaos of battle.

"This…"

You Xingchen glanced between Tail and the battling Captain Wu, gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and rushed to Captain Wu's side, guarding him.

Ox Constellation and Ming, who had been barely holding their ground, perked up instantly and soon crushed the black-worm aberrations, drawing more followers from Juan Niao Lou.

Tail observed all this, silently stepping back.

Though the path to the Imperial Palace might be perilous, compared to the uncertain loyalties of Ox Constellation and others, and the still-unconfirmed identity of Captain Wu, she preferred to risk it—taking Fang Yue's 'corpse' to the Imperial Palace for safety, or finding a place to try reviving Fang Yue.

As Tail watched the front and quietly retreated, she suddenly froze—her back pressed against two soft mounds.

As a girl herself, she instantly understood—slowly, she turned around.

Indeed, standing behind her was a woman, radiant with celestial aura.

Only then did Tail recall: when You Xingchen descended, three others had followed—and this woman was one of them.

"I heard. The Seventh Prince just said he isn't the real Seventh Prince, correct?"

"…."

"Forgive me—I'm You Long, the current Grand Elder of the You Family, one of Qing Guo's Four Great Clans."

You Long smiled and raised her hand.

Just that gesture sent chills racing down Tail's spine—her pupils shrank violently.

In that instant, she felt like a docile rabbit suddenly locked onto by a primordial beast—her entire body trembled uncontrollably under the crushing weight of power and hierarchy.

Cold sweat oozed unnaturally from her forehead, tracing down her cheek.

Yet she clutched the 'corpse' in her arms with all her strength—not an inch back!

"What… are you going to do?"

"…."

You Long said nothing—her raised hand blurred in an instant, slicing through empty air.

Boom!!

The next moment, black blood erupted violently behind Tail.

A headless aberration gradually took shape, its body spewing black blood as it toppled backward.

Behind the headless aberration, at Juan Niao Lou, a slanted line suddenly appeared—synchronized.

Crack!!

Accompanied by a tremendous slicing sound.

The line cut through Juan Niao Lou, severing it cleanly at the waist.

Along with it, the countless black insect spirits within that floor were also severed in half in an instant.

Juan Niao Lou, which had stood for years in Jingcheng, toppled downward along the cut line, crashing to the ground with a boom, kicking up a vast cloud of dust.

The tail stared blankly back at it all, utterly bewildered—beyond gripping Fang Yue's corpse even tighter to protect it, her mind was a hollow void.

The immense gap in power left her with no room to resist.

At that moment, You Long suddenly smiled, bent down, and pressed her crimson lips close to the tail's ear, whispering.

"What do I intend to do? It's simple—I will make the Seventh Prince truly the Seventh Prince. So, those who know the truth had best keep it secret forever."

Ssshh—

Red blood spurted from the tail's forehead.

Like an impossibly fine thread, it pierced from the back of her skull straight through to her brow.

Fresh blood oozed from her brow like pearls, her gaze gradually losing its luster.

As the blood dripped down her nose bridge to the ground, the tail and Fang Yue collapsed together—yet even then, her hands clung desperately to Fang Yue's corpse.

"Night… brother…"

The ending of the previous chapter was slightly revised; please reread it.

(End of Chapter)