Chapter Ninety-Two The Young Yang Xun

After parting from Silver Jade, Wan Youxue set out on the road back to the imperial palace. By then, she had already made up her mind: when Mu asked her why those people had died, she would say that she had suddenly lost control. It was not even the first time she had been unable to control herself. Given Mu’s understanding of her, he surely would not doubt her.

Pulling up her cloak, Wan Youxue entered the palace openly through the gate. There, she saw Ji Muyu standing alone, anxiously scanning the surroundings. He must have been looking for her.

The moment Ji Muyu noticed the black-cloaked figure at the gate, that silhouette struck him as uncannily familiar. He strode toward it at once, and also saw that no one had stopped her. That only confirmed his suspicion.

It was Wan Youxue.

Ji Muyu’s hurried figure soon came into Wan Youxue’s sight. She lowered her head and smiled, a smile laden with too many hidden meanings. When she lifted her face again, her expression had turned dazed, distracted, lost in itself.

"Snow."

Ji Muyu held her tightly. When he had discovered that Wan Youxue was no longer in the palace, he had been frantic, sending many people to search for her, yet there had been no news at all. He had truly feared that she might vanish like this and never be seen again.

"Mu." Wan Youxue almost instinctively uttered the name.

Ji Muyu loosened his embrace and looked at her face, only to find that her expression was terribly wrong. Blank. Empty. Utterly out of sorts. What had happened? How had Snow become like this?

"Snow, what is wrong with you? Don’t scare me, all right?" Ji Muyu gently stroked her hair, his heart aching and his fear growing.

Wan Youxue looked at Ji Muyu and shook her head in a daze. "I killed people. I killed people! Ah!"

With that, she clutched her head, crouched down on the ground, and screamed. She kept shaking her head and crying that she had killed people, that she had killed people, that she had not meant to, not meant to. In the end, she broke down and wept, her voice ragged and tearing.

Hearing this, Ji Muyu instantly understood. The people she spoke of killing must have been the people from the Rain Plum Palace. But what had happened to her?

He crouched down and steadied her swaying body, saying each word slowly and clearly: "It is all right. It is over. It is over."

Tears blurring her eyes, Wan Youxue shook her head hard. "Mu, sob... I did not mean to! Truly, I am not lying to you. I do not even know what happened to me! I just suddenly used poison and killed everyone, sob..."

As soon as she finished, Wan Youxue threw herself into Ji Muyu’s arms and cried with all her strength. It was a sound so heartbroken it could split the soul. How could Ji Muyu possibly bear to punish her now? Much less when she had said it had happened all at once, beyond her control?

Had Wan Youxue’s illness worsened again?

Ji Muyu did not dare believe it, yet under these circumstances he had no choice but to think so. Otherwise, how could Snow inexplicably lose control and kill people?

He had to obtain the Soul-Severing Lotus as soon as possible. But what could make Silver Jade willingly activate the Cold Spirit Array?

It was a headache of a problem.

Ji Muyu shook his head and set the vexing matter aside for the moment. He lifted Wan Youxue into his arms and carried her toward his chambers.

Mu, I am sorry.

Wan Youxue no longer cried aloud, only let her tears fall in silence. She was like a porcelain doll with no soul, her gaze hollow, only the tears flowing without end.

Ji Muyu did not dwell on the deaths in the Rain Plum Palace. Right now, his only thought was to restore Wan Youxue to normal as quickly as possible. Even if she remembered everything, he would accept it. He only hoped she would no longer have to endure such torment. As for himself, he was already a man who acknowledged no kin and recognized no bond; how could he possibly deserve a lifetime companion?

After Wan Youxue left the inn, Silver Jade did not linger either. One of the matters she had come out of seclusion to handle was already done; next, she had another to complete.

Everyone understood that Ji Muyu was certain to die in the coming war. No one would let him survive. And once he died, the country would be left without a ruler, inevitably plunging it into strife. Then the ones who would suffer would be the innocent common people. Silver Jade was no saint, but neither would she allow her own selfish interests to drag the people into misery.

Before entering seclusion, she had ordered Li Yue and Hidden Softness to search for the surviving heirs of the former royal house, because she intended to bring them back to the imperial palace. After all, none among them wished to be bound for life within that palace.

According to Hidden Softness’s report, they had found the person and already reached a preliminary understanding. Next, she would have to appear in person and speak properly with the surviving royal heir about this bargain.

In an unremarkable little house, Silver Jade sat at one end of the table, drinking tea at her leisure, while a crowd stood opposite her. Among them, a young boy sat directly across from her.

"What, you do not trust me?" Silver Jade asked carelessly.

"Why should we trust you?"

"Perhaps you are one of Ji Muyu’s men, sent to wipe us out all at once!"

"Yes, yes, why should we believe you can oppose Ji Muyu and also bring the prince back to the palace?"

A noisy pack of old men. Hearing their childish questions, Silver Jade merely smiled lightly and looked toward the young boy who had remained silent the entire time. Even now, he showed little reaction. He was steady, at least. She only hoped that after handing over the realm to him, it would not fall apart too quickly.

"Be quiet." Silver Jade looked helplessly at the endlessly chattering old men, then released the pressure of her strength and spoke coldly.

In the next instant, the room fell silent, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. The old men stared in horror at the mysterious woman before them. They were sensible enough to realize that with the slightest movement of her finger, she could deal with everyone here.

Feeling Silver Jade’s oppressive power, the boy who had seemed like a little stone-faced imp at last showed a trace of emotion. He thought fiercely to himself: If only I could be this strong, then I could protect my home, my country, and my people.

At the same time, the way he looked at Silver Jade changed as well, filled with admiration and longing. He, too, yearned for such power.

"You may choose not to believe me; I do not care. There is more than one family that wishes to claim the throne. Nor do I have to choose to cooperate with you. Whether you agree or not is entirely in your hands. As for what this realm will ultimately bear as its name, I think you would not wish to see it wear a foreign surname."

Silver Jade set down her teacup and said her piece. Then she fell silent again. Watching the people opposite her arguing in low voices, she merely smiled.

The boy’s refusal to join in drew Silver Jade’s attention. Seeing such uncommon composure in one so young, she smiled and nodded in approval. This boy was excellent.

A light tap on the table. The others, having just witnessed Silver Jade’s overwhelming strength, immediately grew alert, shut their mouths, and looked at the exceptionally formidable woman.

"Young man, what do you think?" Silver Jade ignored the rest and asked the boy.

The old men went wild again, talking over one another without end: the prince was still too young to understand, that such a matter could not be decided by the prince alone, that she must not bully their prince because he was young...

"Did I tell you to speak?" Silver Jade’s dark, chilling voice cut through them. She truly could not endure these old men any longer.

The old men looked at her unwillingly, then turned pleading eyes toward their prince, hoping he would decide carefully and never act rashly.

The boy looked at Silver Jade. It seemed he had made a great decision. Meeting her eyes, he slowly said, "I agree to this trade."

"Very good." Silver Jade clapped her hands. She liked this boy.

"But I have one condition." His tone shifted.

The old men’s hearts were about to give out. Fearfully, they looked at the mysterious woman, then anxiously back at their prince, who still had demands.

"Let us hear it." Silver Jade spread her hands, all ears.

Looking at the sister who was not much older than himself, the boy’s gaze grew firm as he said loudly, "I want to become as strong as you, sister. I hope you can teach me martial arts."

Silver Jade heard his somewhat presumptuous request and only smiled. "You have such resolve. That is rare. I can arrange for someone to teach you martial arts. I hope you will cherish it."

"Thank you, sister!" The boy stood up from his chair.

"What is your name?" Silver Jade wanted to properly know this little youth.

"Yang Xun." The boy did not hesitate and gave his name directly.

"Hello, Yang Xun. I hope our cooperation is pleasant."

With that gesture, Silver Jade treated him as an equal and did not take the slightest advantage of him.

"Then what is your name, sister?" Yang Xun felt that Silver Jade was not nearly as cold as she seemed. On the contrary, she was very easy to speak with, and he could not help becoming bolder.

"Silver Jade."

"Silver Jade, hello. We will succeed together."

The old men could scarcely endure it any longer. Their little prince and that mysterious, powerful woman had actually settled the cooperation just like that. The atmosphere between them was something none of them could intrude upon at all. Only after the two had truly gotten acquainted and decided upon the arrangement did they belatedly react.

"Prince, you must not!"

"Prince, how could you be so rash!"

"Prince, why did you not discuss this with us before making your decision!"

"Prince..."

"Prince..."

Hearing the old ministers’ anguished cries, Yang Xun frowned. Seeing the little old-man expression on his face, with a touch of endearing awkwardness, Silver Jade gave a soft laugh. That laugh was so strange and unsettling that the old men, already terrified of her, all clamped their mouths shut and dared not speak again.

"Which of you is the prince, you or Yang Xun?" Silver Jade asked the old men at an unhurried pace.

"Of course the prince is."

Receiving their answer, Silver Jade suddenly smiled, her bearing turning fiercely imposing. "Then who has the final say, the prince, or you bunch of foolish old men?"

"O-of course the prince..." came a voice as faint as a mosquito from across the table.

"Good that you know it. Then trouble you honored elders to keep your mouths shut and listen carefully. If anyone dares say another word, do not blame me for throwing him out."

Silver Jade was all domineering charisma.

All the honored elders gave awkward little laughs and dared not utter another syllable.

"Yang Xun... I will only give you half a month to prepare these matters. I hope you will not disappoint me."

Silver Jade handed over each arrangement to Yang Xun one by one. She quite approved of this boy.

"Yes! Please rest assured." Yang Xun was deeply moved. He had not expected Silver Jade to have thought of everything already. All he needed to do was coordinate properly.

"See you in half a month."