After buying a map to Great Jiang Imperial City, Jiang Xuan was lost in the joy of finally going home.
But then, the System threw him a curveball that made him panic.
He quickly ducked into a shop, terrified of accidentally bumping into Leng Wu Shuang.
He was in Cold Light Imperial City after all, which was essentially Leng Wu Shuang’s territory.
If his identity got exposed, he could end up being captured and made the Emperor—a path that could only lead to his demise, turning him into a living target on display.
Sure, he had gotten a bit stronger, but not enough to handle any royal drama.
Right now, the only way out was to make the best use of the System’s scanning function and dodge Leng Wu Shuang like a pro.
At that moment, he quietly spoke to his beloved System:
“Hey, System, how far away is Leng Wu Shuang right now? I need those deets!”
“Ding! Replying to the host, the target, Leng Wu Shuang, is approaching the city gate of Cold Light Imperial City.”
Jiang Xuan: “¿¿¿¿¿¿”
Hearing that, Jiang Xuan internally screamed:
“Whoa, talk about bad luck! She’s got my escape route completely blocked! Did she just return to Cold Light Dynasty? How convenient for her! It looks like I’m stuck here for now!”
“System, keep me posted on Leng Wu Shuang’s movements. The second she leaves the city gate, I want to know immediately!”
Meanwhile, at the Cold Light Imperial City gate…
A few guards were clearing the way while Leng Wu Shuang conversed with her ancestor.
“Little Shuang, as they say, there’s plenty of fish in the sea. You and that boy? Just a case of fate without fortune.”
“You’ve moped around Great Jiang City for over a month trying to gather intel, and yet, nada.
As Empress, it’s about time you focused on running the dynasty!”
“But… Ancestor… I just can’t let it go… I didn’t protect him well enough, and that’s why…”
“I told you… this isn’t your fault. The ones who kidnapped him are from the Imperial Sect.
They could wipe us out in a heartbeat; we can’t afford to provoke them.
And with your current strength, even if you were a hundred times stronger, you still couldn’t protect him.”
Leng Wu Shuang: “……”
Though she knew her ancestor was speaking the truth, it still hit her like a ton of bricks.
The Emperor she was so sure about was snatched away before she could even bring him back to Cold Light Dynasty.
It was a lifetime of shame for her.
No matter what, she had to get the Emperor back.
Even if the kidnappers were from the Imperial Sect, she wouldn’t hesitate to charge in.
“Ancestor, I’ve made up my mind. Now that I’m back, I’m going to the Imperial Tomb to undertake the legacy trial left by the first ancestor.”
“No way, Little Shuang, this decision is way too reckless! Not a single Empress who accepted the first ancestor’s legacy has made it back alive.
They say the first ancestor almost reached the Martial Emperor realm, but no one has ever successfully claimed her legacy.”
“I have no choice! To gain the power to bring the Emperor back, this is my only option. Only the first ancestor’s legacy can help me!”
…
As they approached the city gate, Leng Wu Shuang accidentally overheard a conversation between two guards.
“Man, who would’ve guessed that masked kid’s face would be so hideous under there.”
“Yeah, but he’s got a good heart. He even gave us extra spirit stones.
At first, I was pretty excited to see his face when I heard his voice.”
“Right? I thought I’d be feasting my eyes, but… aw man. Still, he’s a pitiful guy for wearing a mask just to avoid scaring people.”
…
Halfway through their gossip, they saw several powerful guards ahead and rushed to greet them.
“Welcome back, Empress, to Cold Light Imperial City!”
As soon as the words were out, the guards on the city wall knelt and saluted.
Meanwhile, Leng Wu Shuang stood still, slightly dazed.
She murmured to herself:
“A masked… ugly boy… This… could it be just like when I first met him…?”
Hearing the guards’ chatter, Leng Wu Shuang couldn’t help but reminisce about meeting Jiang Xuan for the first time; he was also wearing a mask back then.
And under that mask, he had quite an unremarkable, even ugly face.
But regardless, her instincts had already seen through it all. Even with her Martial Emperor cultivation, she couldn’t see through his disguise.
Sadly, it didn’t fool her instincts. That wild urge to be close to him was strong.
Back then, she had sensed something was off from her instincts.
But even the best disguise couldn’t mask the raw instinctive reaction she felt.
Suddenly, a ridiculous thought popped into her mind.
What if the ugly masked boy they were discussing was actually the one she couldn’t stop thinking about?
Once that thought crossed her mind, she knew deep down the chance of that was less than one in ten thousand.
But still, she felt compelled to confirm it with her own eyes. Once she saw him, her instincts would recognize him before her mind could.
Getting back to reality, Leng Wu Shuang waved off the formalities of the greetings and stepped forward to the two guards.
“I’m quite interested in the masked boy you just mentioned. Tell me everything you know about him.”
…
Before long, Leng Wu Shuang was examining the name Lin Tian in the records, along with the information from Great Jiang Dynasty, and a smirk graced her lips.
At that moment, she thought to herself:
“Great Jiang Dynasty? Seems like the likelihood that it’s him is even higher than I expected!”
Out loud, she continued speaking to the guards:
“Draw me a picture of the mask that young man wore.
He’s still in Cold Light Imperial City, right?
From now on, seal off the entire city and don’t let a single person leave. I’ll call in a few Martial Kings to patrol and maintain order at the city gate.
Also, activate the highest-tier bounty! Anyone who can provide information on this masked boy will earn a reward of one hundred million top-grade spirit stones!”
…
On the flip side, Jiang Xuan, having learned from the System that Leng Wu Shuang was still lingering by the city gate a couple of hours later, felt a bit down.
Reluctantly, he found an inn to settle in for the time being.
As soon as he got the signal that Leng Wu Shuang had left the city gate, he would seize the chance to bolt.
What Jiang Xuan didn’t know was that a massive storm was silently creeping up on him.
