Chapter 22: I Must Regain My Cultivation as Soon as Possible!

Hearing Ji Xuanyuan speak this way, Chu Yuan felt that her reasoning was sound, so he replied, “Then I will have to trouble Your Highness!”

Before long, the two of them left the city together.

Outside the city, the guard detail and civil officials had long been waiting.

As the Imperial Carriage rose into the air, the chariot pulled by the Divine Phoenix flew steadily toward Qingmang Mountain.

The space inside the carriage was not large; the silk-covered couches were soft and comfortable, and the scent of sandalwood drifted through the air.

Ji Xuanyuan sat upright on the left side, still maintaining that cold and distant demeanor of the Crown Prince.

However, only she knew how fast her heart was beating right now.

Close!

He was too close!

From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Chu Yuan on the right. He was looking out the window, the silhouette of his profile flickering in the passing clouds and rosy light.

This face was clearly completely different from the image of her Junior Brother in her past life, yet his unintentional actions and behavior suggested he was the same person.

Ji Xuanyuan’s slender fingers tightened slightly within her sleeves.

She recalled the Junior Brother who always followed behind her in her previous life.

She remembered the Osmanthus Cake he used to offer her.

She remembered how he was injured while protecting her during her meditative seclusion.

She remembered his relieved smile at the very end when her sword pierced through his chest.

‘Senior Sister… actually… I never liked you…’

Ji Xuanyuan’s breath hitched.

The memories of her past life, which she had forcibly suppressed using the Ruthless Path, came flooding back at this moment.

Especially his final words before he died — if she heard them now, would they be his true feelings?

Even though she had been reborn and all mistakes could be undone, what could she say now that they had met again?

‘Junior Brother, it is me, your Senior Sister, the person who killed you in our past life’?

Ji Xuanyuan gave a bitter smile.

What right did she have?

In her past life, she had turned a blind eye to him.

In her past life, she had treated his devotion as a burden.

In her past life, she had run him through in front of everyone.

She once thought she could make amends after being reborn, but when she actually sat beside this man, she found she could not even say the words “I’m sorry.”

Because… what would it matter if she said it?

He did not have the memories of his past life. Would he even believe her? Would he forgive her?

Or would he be like he was in her countless nightmares, looking at her coldly with those eyes that were once filled with tenderness and saying, ‘Senior Sister, there is no need’?

Or perhaps…

Ji Xuanyuan closed her eyes, not daring to think any further.

Thump!

The Imperial Carriage suddenly jolted.

Her delicate body tilted to the right with the momentum, and her shoulder unintentionally brushed against Chu Yuan’s arm.

In that instant, her pupils shrank.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Ji Xuanyuan could feel the warmth of his arm through the fabric of their clothes, as well as the faint scent of herbs and wood clinging to him.

Logically, she should have sat up straight immediately and maintained the poise of a Crown Prince, but she could not move.

Or rather, she did not want to move.

Just for a moment.

Let me lean against him for just a little longer.

Ji Xuanyuan maintained this posture, her shoulder resting gently against his arm.

She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath them. Her heart hammered like a drum, yet she forced herself to maintain that nonchalant, cold expression.

She did not even dare to breathe too heavily, fearing she might disturb this fleeting moment.

Chu Yuan stiffened almost imperceptibly for a while.

His gaze remained fixed on the scenery outside the window, but his entire focus was concentrated on his right shoulder.

Chu Yuan struggled to keep his expression composed, but his mind was already racing through several thoughts.

‘Why?’

‘Why is this woman leaning her shoulder against mine in such an “accidental” manner?’

‘And she doesn’t seem to want to pull away?’

‘What kind of hint is this???’

‘She couldn’t possibly like me, could she?’

‘No, no, no!’

‘How could I fall for one of life’s three great delusions at a time like this?’

Recalling the various interactions they’d had while alone just now, Chu Yuan suddenly had a thought.

Earlier in the teahouse, this woman’s attitude only became so strange after she clearly finished testing the success of her cultivation technique!

‘She doesn’t actually want to use me as a seat cushion for the rest of her life, does she?’

‘No way! Since I’ve been reborn, I absolutely cannot be leaned on by the future Empress for the rest of my life.’

Chu Yuan’s vigilance quietly rose.

Looking back at his experiences in his past life, the beauty of the Crown Prince before him was indeed in the top tier.

However, he was also very clear in his heart.

Nature grants the most vibrant colors to the most poisonous mushrooms.

Heaven bestows the most beautiful faces upon the most unpredictable hearts.

Especially since the Crown Prince beside him was the most famous Empress in the history of the Immortal Dynasty, with methods that could reach the heavens.

Such a person would certainly not fall for a waste from a branch of the Chu Clan for no reason.

But then again…

Chu Yuan glanced at her profile from the corner of his eye.

the Crown Prince had her eyes lowered, making it impossible to see her expression, but her body was clearly tense…

It didn’t seem like a calculation, but rather… nervousness?

Like she was looking at someone she had lost and found again…

Chu Yuan’s heart shivered slightly.

‘No!’

‘This is definitely acting!’

‘She wants me to fall into her trap and become a “Poor Tom,” played within the palm of her hand!’

‘I was a Licking Dog for 300 years; there’s no way this can fool me!!!’

In his previous life, in order to play his script well, Chu Yuan had become deeply familiar with the psychology of a Licking Dog.

A Licking Dog falls because they mistakenly believe the other person likes them, gradually sinking under the goddess’s various intentional or unintentional hints.

‘I absolutely cannot fall into this pit!’

‘But if I never fall into her pit, will she use some forceful methods?’

‘No! I have to find a way to make her feel that I am not someone to be trifled with!’

‘Reveal my identity as the Holy Son?’

‘No! If I reveal it, won’t that give her another chance to control me?’

‘I am the only son of the true Holy Lord; she could use that to control me and force the Holy Lord to serve her.’

‘Then… is there any other way?’

‘Right! My cultivation!’

According to the System settlement, he should inherit the highest cultivation level from his previous cycle.

Thinking of this, Chu Yuan could not help but close his eyes to inspect his meridians internally.

Inside his clear Dantian, an Inner Core wrapped in Demonic Qi was currently suspended.

In the Realm of True Emotions, the cultivation realms were divided into:

Qi Sensing, Clarity, Essence Accumulation, Domain Transformation, and Dao Harmonization.

In his last life, he had already reached the early stage of the Domain Transformation Realm before his meridians were destroyed.

This Inner Core was the proof that Chu Yuan’s cultivation from his previous life still existed.

As long as he found an opportunity to activate the Inner Core, he would have the power to resist.

Of course, Her Highness was so intelligent; he believed that as long as he revealed a bit of his cultivation later, she would become wary and stop targeting him.

With his mind set, Chu Yuan maintained his position without a word, neither moving away from Her Highness’s shoulder nor responding.

The Imperial Carriage continued forward.

The interior of the carriage was silent, save for the sound of the Divine Phoenix flapping its wings.

The two of them sat shoulder to shoulder, each harboring unspeakable thoughts as they headed toward Qingmang Mountain.

After a short while, a civil official’s voice came from outside.

“Your Highness, we have arrived at Qingmang Mountain.”

Ji Xuanyuan snapped out of her daze, her shoulder snapping upright as she straightened her back.

She looked down and adjusted her sleeves, her voice returning to its usual coldness.

“Young Master Chu, please.”

Chu Yuan nodded. As he stood up, his gaze swept across her face very quickly.

In that instant, he saw a flash of… disappointment in the depths of her eyes?

‘No!’

‘Acting!’

‘It’s all acting!’

Chu Yuan quickly withdrew his gaze and lifted the carriage curtain.

Outside the Imperial Carriage, Chu Linfeng and the others had already been waiting for a long time.

Seeing the Divine Phoenix pulling the chariot, Fang Henian breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Looking at that Divine Phoenix, the entire Chu Clan was filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

One had to know that in the Immortal Dynasty, only members of the Imperial Family could use such a divine beast as a spirit pet.

How could Chu Yuan arrive in such an Imperial Carriage?

Could it be???

The Great Elder of Chu hastily questioned, “Chu Yuan! You are…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a graceful figure also descended from the Imperial Carriage.

The expressions of everyone in the Chu Clan changed drastically upon seeing her.