Journey to the End of the Night-Chapter 1407 - 892: Yin Baishuang’s Good Fortune (Part 2)
Baili An nonchalantly handed over the new tea in his hand.
The Royal Hall that was filled with bloodlust just a moment ago suddenly changed its aura completely.
Gentle like the breeze of Ning Feng, he reached out to take the tea, his eyebrows still pressed with an inherent ominousness, yet inexplicably giving off a sense of solemn reverence.
Such a leisurely and spontaneous elegant affair as tea tasting, yet he bestowed upon it a sense of dignity.
Yin Baishuang watched from afar, clearly seeing Shen Tu sipping the tea in small sips, and the delicate little flower in the tea remained intact till he finished, not losing a single petal.
After finishing the tea, he couldn’t bear to discard the cup, keeping it steadily in his hand, head lowered, listening intently to Baili An speaking softly, his brows pressed with utmost respect.
Seeing this scene, Yin Baishuang almost questioned the rumors about Shen Tu.
God of slaughter?
The strongest in Central Netherworld? The enigmatic and unpredictable Royal Hall?
With such demeanor?
After the young man of her household finished speaking, the lord of the Royal Hall still reluctantly refused to return the cup upon leaving.
Though his face remained indifferent, his fingers gently caressed the ordinary porcelain tea cup with endless warmth, hiding it like a treasure within his sleeve.
Yin Baishuang had heard in the Mortal World about some talented scholars chasing after the courtesans raised by the noble and refined.
They would secretly hide small objects casually discarded by the little courtesans.
Yet, even though folk stories are exaggerated, they don’t deviate from reality, at least for those impoverished scholars and literati.
The renowned courtesan’s smile was worth a thousand gold, they were as distant as the moon in the sky, flowers in the sea, only to be admired from afar.
But this was the commanding and influential Royal Hall, the peerless powerhouse of the Central Netherworld.
Yin Baishuang couldn’t think of any reason why Baili An possessed such charm to make the rumored Shen Tu behave in such a manner.
More astonishingly, it wasn’t just everyone’s attitude towards Baili An that was puzzling, even visitors like her inexplicably enjoyed treatment as if they were revered ancestors.
Once out of the palace doors, anyone who could breathe wouldn’t avoid a three bows and nine kowtows; the living conditions in terms of food, clothing, and usage were exceptionally top-tier.
Yin Baishuang, never one to pursue decadence, spent three days in the Central Netherworld being served as a "noble ancestor," catered to with utmost thoroughness.
At the moment of departure, she couldn’t help but feel some reluctance.
Comparing the experience, she only felt her past "proud" life was something even dogs wouldn’t bother with when compared to her days in the Central Netherworld.
Yin Baishuang sat on the bed, watching Baili An pack his bags for departure, aimlessly swinging the Black Jade at her waist.
She swung her legs and said, "Life in Central Netherworld is indeed beautiful, but I originally thought I could accompany you to see your mother.
Now we’re about to leave, you still don’t plan to come clean with her?
Even an ugly wife still has to meet her in-laws, let alone I am so fair and beautiful. If you don’t take me to see her, it would be quite a pity."
Baili An’s actions paused while organizing the Qiankun Bag, and he looked at Yin Baishuang, seeming to have unspoken worries.
After a silent moment, he gave an apologetic smile and said, "If this time I can find my remains, I will definitely bring you to meet my mother next time, alright?"
Yin Baishuang blinked twice, not probing deeper into this matter with Baili An.
He was good in everything, except being overly concerned and anxious about those close to him; maybe because of past losses, he worried about harming those important to him, regardless of what he did.
To her, it was so; to Lady Ying Ji, it was also so.
Yin Baishuang didn’t care what might become of Baili An three years later if he couldn’t find his remains.
Having endured two hundred years of solitary crossing, she no longer minded the agony of losing something gained, and tearing heartbreak once more.
After all, in an endless nightmare, there’s always the hope of a moment of light.
Three years’ time, not questioning the future, for Yin Baishuang, these three years were a great gift, compared to that.
She felt more devastated and desperate to think that during unknown times someone had once crossed paths with her.
He understood Baili An’s kind intentions, but as someone who had also lost important people, she knew the boundless wait was immensely cruel.
Yin Baishuang slowly released the swinging Black Jade, watching as Baili An finished packing and prepared to depart.
Her eyes moved subtly, and as she pretended to tidy her clothes, the string of the Jade Pendant silently loosened.
Black Jade slipped into the soft quilt without alerting Baili An.
Yin Baishuang felt that over the past few days, she seemed to have exhausted all her life’s luck.
If possible, she wished to share half of the happiness she now possessed with Ying Ji.
Only someone who has experienced pouring rain can truly understand that a long wait that yields results is redemption, is hope.
Even if that result is short-lived, it is by no means a joy in vain.
She got up, smiled radiantly, and said, "Since we are leaving, Xiao An, let’s walk a little slower, and you can accompany me to see the scenery of the Imperial City once more?"
...
...
"By now, that kid should have already left the city, right?"
Having rarely left the Empress Palace since returning three years ago, Ying Ji today unexpectedly pushed open the tightly shut window.
She allowed the golden rays of the early sun to scatter into the hall, the morning air flowed through the palace, shadows of branches traced patterns, and the whole window was filled with speckles of faint light.
Ying Ji raised her hand to shield the sunlight from her forehead.
Not having seen the sun for a long time, even the morning’s faint light felt somewhat dazzling.
Looking at the sky of Central Netherworld, she suddenly felt the sky was high and distant, and there was a fleeting sense that she was trapped in a confined space, unable to look back.
Ying Ji clutched her chest.
What’s happening today, why do I feel so melancholic?
Ying Ji gave a self-deprecating smile; the elders of Central Netherworld always said, basking in the sun could ease the demons within one’s heart.
But this sunlight wasn’t necessarily effective for everyone.
At least, for a wandering ghost like her with no place to call home, it was as cruel as a scorching punishment.
Ying Ji detested the sunlight, disliked the light, and while something prompted her to open the window, she was extremely weary of everything outside.
The hostility in her heart began to stir again.
She feared she couldn’t restrain herself from going on a killing spree and had no choice but to go and close the window.
"Ha... ha... si ha..."
Before the window was shut, hurried footsteps and disordered breathing shattered the morning tranquility.
Ying Ji’s gaze turned icy as she detected a scent of blood growing stronger.
She lifted her eyes and saw a figure, drenched in blood, rushing into the courtyard with disheveled hair and an expression of despair and panic.
Like a headless fly driven to desperation, completely unaware of where he had fled to.
Ying Ji recognized this person’s identity; it was surprisingly Marquis Xifeng, the head of the illustrious family of Central Netherworld, wielding power in a region.
He possessed the third rank of Soul Awakening and was revered and adored by the Heroic Spirits.
When Ying Xiu was present, there were also tales of him being visited multiple times to invite him as a guest advisor to the Crown Prince.
Yet this Marquis Xifeng had always held himself in high regard, maintaining an aloof demeanor.
When Ying Xiu visited, he sat upright, pruning and tending to flowers, at ease and relaxed, not taking this Crown Prince seriously at all.
The usually elegant and refined Marquis Xifeng, now with clothes tattered, stumbled and dashed in in disarray.
Ying Ji was greatly astonished; in Central Netherworld, those who could drive the old Marquis Xifeng to such a state were few and far between.
But what surprised her more, was that there was virtually no one who dared to kill a marquis of the imperial court in this palace.
The half-closed window was pushed open again by Ying Ji with interest; she seemed indifferent, intending to stand by watching Marquis Xifeng who was being hunted down?
The terrified and frantic Marquis Xifeng spat blood, and in his desperate flight, he saw the window of the Empress Palace being gently pushed open by a pale, delicate hand, with slender fingers resembling Black Jade sculpture, contrasting against the pear yellow wood and broad red sleeves, like a beautiful painting.
Marquis Xifeng was momentarily stunned, apparently not expecting the Empress, who never stepped out of the palace, to open the window and step into the light today. He was overjoyed, as if he grasped a thread of hope for life, and cried out excitedly, "Your Majesty, save me!"
Ying Ji tilted her head, her soft, raven-black hair cascading down her shoulder, and she watched him unblinkingly, with an eerily quiet demeanor.
If Yin Baishuang were here, she would surely wonder where Baili An inherited that act of being a clever and decent person from.
