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Not even Wang Dehai dared to touch or approach this black jade urn.

He understood that it was meant for Shen Yizhen to retrieve personally.

Wang Dehai lowered his gaze, concealing any unusual expression on his face as he replied, "Yes."

The urn that held Rong Shu's ashes was only the size of a palm, its surface gilded with a layer of gold. It felt heavy in one's hands.

Shen Yizhen left the palace with Rong Shu's ashes.

Lu Shiyi was waiting for her at the Meridian Gate. As a chief constable for half his life, he had seen countless corpses and been stained by much blood, hardening his heart over time.

But Zhaozhao... was different.

To this day, Lu Shiyi still remembered the scene when he found that delicate little girl in the den of human traffickers fifteen years ago. All the other children were crying their eyes out, but she, with her bright eyes, calmly surveyed her surroundings.

Of the nine years she spent in Yangzhou, seven were spent under the care of Lu Shiyi and Guo Jiuniang. The young girl's first taste of alcohol was stolen from a tavern in Ciying Alley.

The wine hidden in his house was potent, and just one cup was enough to intoxicate the little girl.

Lu Shiyi was exasperated.

But she, holding a wine jar and tipsy, said, "Uncle Shiyi, don't talk about Zhaozhao, okay? When Zhaozhao goes back to the capital, she'll have to behave like a proper young lady. It might not even be easy for her to have a sip of wine."

Such a straightforward and unconstrained man as Lu Shiyi was rendered speechless by her melancholic words.

He could only let her have another cup of wine.

Her mind grew even more muddled, and she tilted her head, asking, "Uncle Shiyi, can you be Zhaozhao's father?"

The past scenes flashed before his eyes.

Recalling the anticipation and longing in the girl's eyes when she asked him this question, Lu Shiyi's throat tightened, and his eyes welled up again.

Spotting Shen Yizhen's figure, Lu Shiyi turned his head away, hastily wiping his eyes with his sleeve, then sniffled. He quickly stepped forward and asked, "How is it? Has the Emperor...?"

Shen Yizhen shook her head and replied, "In five years, he will send someone to bring Zhaozhao back."

Seeing her deeply worried expression, Lu Shiyi tried to comfort her, "Five years isn't too long or too short. By then, he might have already let go of Zhaozhao."

Though he spoke thus, Lu Shiyi knew these words were but empty reassurances.

He had never truly let go of Shen Yizhen all these years.

In five years' time, the Emperor... might not be able to do so either.

Shen Yizhen sighed deeply and cast a glance back at the grand palace bathed in morning light. "Let's go."

As they walked, she stole another look at Lu Shiyi. "Are you really not returning to Yangzhou? I'm now free from my marriage with Rong Xun, but you still have your official duties—"

"I've already resigned from my post," Lu Shiyi interrupted, smiling. "You probably don't know this, but when Zhaozhao left Yangzhou, she asked if I could be her father. Now, I'll accompany her as her adoptive father, traveling through the desolate northern sands and the towering southern mountains."

Only as Zhaozhao's adoptive father, for Zhaozhao alone.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yizhen's pace slowed for a moment, but she quickly quickened it again and headed for the carriage. "If that's the case, then let's go together."

When Gu Changjin returned from his morning court session, Heng Ping informed him about Shen Yizhen and Lu Shiyi leaving the city.

Gu Changjin nodded gently. "Have you arranged for the covert guards?"

Heng Ping now held the position of Commander of the Imperial Guards, overseeing the palace troops and the entire imperial city's security. When Shen Yizhen left the palace, he had already dispatched men to follow her.

"All is in order," Heng Ping reported.

Glancing at the clearing sky, Gu Changjin asked, "Where is that Taoist priest that Liu Yuan captured yesterday?"

Heng Ping replied, "I've confined him in the guardhouse of the Imperial Guards. Chiiun is currently trying to extract information from him."

Gu Changjin hummed in acknowledgment, his gaze shifting slightly to rest on Heng Ping.

Since Chang Ji's death, Heng Ping had become even more reticent. Even the carefree Chiiun seemed to have developed a newfound fondness for alcohol.

Pain fades with time; words spoken now would be futile.

"Tell Chiiun to bring that Taoist to the Qianqing Palace," Gu Changjin said, stepping toward his royal litter. "Go rest. Come back to your duties in two days."

Monk Qing Miao was the only remaining disciple of the Qing Heng Sect in this world.

The Qing Heng Sect was founded upon esoteric arts, obsessed with defying fate and altering destiny.

The Qing Heng Sect had very few disciples, and each one chosen by the sect leader was a prodigy with exceptional talent, particularly in the art of formations.

Prince Qiyuan, the crown prince, had placed great trust in the demon Daoist Qingping, who originated from this very sect.

Qingping's formation required the blood of countless young boys and girls, leading Prince Qiyuan to commit numerous atrocities that enraged the people. This also gave the various vassal kings an excuse to march northward.

From then on, the Qing Heng Sect became known as an evil cult in the hearts of the common folk.

Daoist Qingmiao dared not continue using the name Qing Heng Sect to establish his school and instead named it Qingyan Temple.

The powerful Jin Yiwei managed to locate Qingyan Temple on Dragon Yin Mountain.

Unable to break the formation, they deceived Baoshan out of the temple, forcing him to reveal himself.

Daoist Qingmiao only had Baoshan as his disciple, a child he had personally raised and the sole remaining legacy of their Qing Heng Sect. How could he turn a blind eye and not save him?

He had no choice but to obediently offer himself in exchange for Baoshan's life.

Daoist Qingmiao initially assumed that upon reaching the capital, the Jin Yiwei would behead him, just as they did to his junior fellow apprentice, hanging his head at the city gates.

To his surprise, during his two days in the capital, the guards assigned to watch him treated him with fine meals and no harsh interrogation.

Since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it.

Priest Qing Miao, despite being confined, ate heartily and slept soundly, appearing worry-free about all matters.

Even now, upon learning that he would be meeting the emperor in the Qianqing Palace, he remained calm and composed, even daring to closely examine Gu Changjin's face for a long while.

It wasn't until Wang Dehai lightly scolded, "How brazen, why haven't you shown respect to the Emperor?" that Priest Qing Miao finally knelt to pay his respects.

Gu Changjin waved his hand, waiting for Wang Dehai to exit before addressing the elderly priest, "Priest, you may rise."