“Huff… huff…”
Ouyang Yun fled from the Holy Mountain back to Ouyang Villa all alone.
To escape as quickly as possible, Ouyang Yun had even unhitched his carriage and ridden the horse back himself.
He was quite old, and his physical strength was no longer what it used to be.
After pushing the horse to its limits to reach Ouyang Villa, he was gasping for air, nearly suffocating on the spot.
“My Lord, My Lord, what happened to you?”
Head Guard Cui, who was guarding the villa, hurried forward to support him after seeing Ouyang Yun’s disheveled and miserable state.
“Quick… quickly pack up all the valuables in the house. We’re preparing… preparing to leave Cangzhou!”
Ouyang Yun commanded Head Guard Cui through ragged breaths.
Head Guard Cui finally realized that something had gone wrong at the Holy Mountain.
“Then… what about the Miss—”
“I can’t worry about Yue’er anymore! As long as I escape Cangzhou and meet That Person in the Palace, he will surely find a way to avenge Yue’er!”
Ouyang Yun’s eyes looked ready to burst, his old face flushed a deep red.
“Your subordinate obeys!”
Head Guard Cui cupped his fists.
He then returned to the villa to call together the servants who had been “swapped” and ordered them to pack their things immediately.
Ouyang Yun walked into the villa, wanting to catch his breath.
However, his entire body felt like it was falling apart; every step was agonizingly difficult.
Then, due to a momentary lapse in focus, his foot caught on a few stones, and he nearly fell face-first.
“Dammit… misfortunes truly never come alone. Now even a few tiny stones are targeting me!?”
Ouyang Yun gnashed his teeth.
He felt as though he had never suffered such humiliation in his entire life.
However, in the next second, Ouyang Yun suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet begin to tremble without warning.
‘What—what’s going on?!’
Ouyang Yun panicked, but upon careful thought, he figured it shouldn’t be anything major.
‘After all, the Demoness is still on the Holy Mountain. She couldn’t possibly kill me from such a distance, could she?’
Just as Ouyang Yun breathed a sigh of relief, he discovered that the vibrations beneath his feet showed no signs of stopping.
Instead, they became more violent than before.
His heart felt like it was on a rollercoaster, plunging up and down.
Since he had experienced both the “up” and the “down,” it stood to reason that the next second should bring a “stop.”
The rocks around the villa suddenly began to stack on top of one another, forming stone walls that surrounded him from four sides without a single gap.
They gradually closed in toward the center.
Ouyang Yun looked on in horror and scrambled toward the courtyard.
However, the villa’s courtyard walls were utterly unable to block the incoming rocks.
They were destroyed in an instant, and the shattered debris even integrated into the new stone walls, which began to shrink at an even faster pace.
“My—My Lord! What are these stone walls closing in around us!?”
“These stone walls heal themselves even if you break them! We can’t get out! We can’t get out at all!”
“My Lord! We’re trapped inside!!”
Desperate wails echoed from all corners of the villa.
Ouyang Yun’s face turned ashen; he had already guessed the truth.
Perhaps the Demoness had set up this Stone Formation near the villa from the very beginning.
The reason she let him go at the Holy Mountain was to give him a shred of hope first, only to utterly crush it in the end and force him to taste the depths of despair!
As the stone walls drew closer, everyone from the Ouyang family huddled together.
With nowhere to run, their faces were filled with hopelessness.
“Demoness… your heart is truly cruel!!!”
Ouyang Yun let out one last desperate roar.
In the next second, they were crushed to death by the encroaching stone walls.
***
“Master, Ouyang Yun has been dealt with,” Su Cheng reported to Yu Yi after sensing the status of the Stone Formation.
“Good. You did well,” Yu Yi nodded.
After gradually sending the members of the Cloud family back to Yun Manor, this was the final trip.
Naturally, the people sitting on the Flying Chariot were Yu Yi, Su Cheng, and Yun Qianxue.
Because she had been unconscious earlier, Yun Qianxue still didn’t know Yu Yi’s true identity.
Since Yu Yi had already taken her revenge against the Ouyang family, she would likely be leaving Cangzhou soon.
At the thought of this, Yun Qianxue’s heart began to race with urgency.
Forget about confessing her feelings to Yu Yi—she hadn’t even revealed her identity yet!
If Yu Yi left just like this and Yun Qianxue didn’t take action, she would regret it for the rest of her life!
After all, who knew if Yu Yi would ever return to Cangzhou?
Yun Qianxue wanted to reveal herself to Yu Yi right now, but Su Cheng’s presence made it difficult to speak.
And so, it wasn’t until the three of them returned to Yun Manor on the Flying Chariot that Yun Qianxue still hadn’t managed to say what was on her mind.
“My Lady, you’ve returned. Please, come inside,” Yun Yi personally came to the courtyard gate to welcome Yu Yi, his attitude even more respectful than before.
Yu Yi knew he had figured out her identity, which was why he had become so deferential.
“I came here to inform you of two things. I won’t trouble you by entering the manor,” Yu Yi declined Yun Yi’s invitation with a smile.
“My Lady… are you leaving?”
Yun Yi looked up at the sky.
“It’s already so late. Why the rush? Please stay for at least one more night!”
The night had deepened since their return from the Holy Mountain.
The wind and snow had stopped, and a bright, clear moon hung in the sky.
Although Cangzhou was still gripped by winter, it was far more peaceful under the moonlight than it had been before.
“I appreciate your hospitality, Lord Yun, but I have important matters to attend to and must set out as soon as possible,” Yu Yi declined again, her smile unchanging.
Seeing that Yu Yi’s mind was made up, Yun Yi felt it would be inappropriate to insist further.
He stole a glance at his daughter and saw that Yun Qianxue looked utterly devastated.
He couldn’t help but sigh.
‘Sigh… it seems Xiao Xue never managed to say anything… What should I do? Should I just reveal the truth to Lady Yu on her behalf? No, that won’t do. If I offend her, Xiao Xue will hate me for the rest of her life…’
Yun Yi thought to himself, equally anxious.
At this moment, the one under the most pressure was undoubtedly Yun Qianxue.
Her entire body was trembling, and her palms were slick with nervous sweat.
‘Yun Qianxue… look what time it is. What on earth are you doing?’
‘Hurry! Grab her hand and tell her that you’re the little girl she saved five years ago!’
‘Tell her that you fell deeply in love with her from that moment on and have been waiting for her for five years!!’
‘It doesn’t matter even if you’re rejected! But if you don’t say anything, what was the point of your five years of devotion and affection?!!’
Yun Qianxue continued to cheer herself on internally, but even so, she lacked the courage to say those words to Yu Yi.
‘Yun Qianxue… you’re really a useless coward…’
Her eyes shimmered with tears as she bit her lip, cursing herself in her mind.
But in the very next second…
A scene she never expected occurred.
“The first matter is finished. Now, it’s time to inform you of the second thing,” Yu Yi said to Yun Yi meaningfully.
“…Please speak, My Lady.”
“This Grandmaster’s purpose for coming to Cangzhou, aside from settling the score with the Ouyang family, was to take your daughter away.”
As Yu Yi’s self-address shifted from “I” to “Grandmaster,” her entire aura transformed instantly.
Yun Qianxue was stunned when she heard this.
She didn’t notice the change in Yu Yi’s title; she only heard the fact that Yu Yi intended to take her away.
Yun Qianxue looked up in disbelief, her eyes meeting Yu Yi’s.
Yu Yi’s gaze was both dominant and tender.
Just one look caused Yun Qianxue to fall for her all over again.
Yu Yi watched Yun Qianxue, offering an elegant smile as she spoke softly.
“After all, you have belonged to this Grandmaster since five years ago, haven’t you?”