As time passed, the stands of the Martial Arts Arena had become a sea of people. Final day. Final slot.
Those rogue cultivators who had sufficient strength but poor luck came out in full force today. A long line had formed at the registration desk, and determination was written on every face.
By the time Chu Yuan entered the Martial Arts Arena, the central arena had been completely rearranged overnight. The white jade stage had been polished until it was spotless, and the protective formations around it had been fitted with brand new Spirit Stones, their golden patterns shimmering under the sunlight.
There was not a single empty seat in the stands, heads packed from the lowest tier all the way to the highest. In that moment, banners fluttered and drums and music sounded in unison.
Soon, a majestic voice echoed through heaven and earth:
“The Successor of the Immortal Dynasty arrives!!!“
Instantly, silence fell over the entire venue.
What? Many rogue cultivators who had heard the rumors were stunned: The Crown Prince… really came???
As they pondered this, they saw the gates of the Martial Arts Arena swing open.
Outside the gates, the Golden Imperial Carriage slowly entered from the northern gate of Xuanji City. Nine Spirit Beasts pulled the carriage, their bells chiming, and the Phoenix Banner atop the canopy snapped in the morning breeze. Yin Shiniang led a formation of thirty-six Golden Armored Guards as vanguard, the procession stretching over a hundred feet, extremely imposing. Following them, seventy-two Palace Maids entered the vast Martial Arts Arena in single file, holding canopies, screens, and banners.
Seeing this grand display, the spectators erupted: “It’s the Crown Prince! The Crown Prince really came!!! This kind of procession clearly means she’s here to host the Closing Ceremony!”
“Who said the Crown Prince was indulging in pleasure? This procession clearly shows she’s… shh! Don’t speak carelessly, or you might lose your head!”
Amidst the crowd’s murmurs, the carriage door opened, and Ji Xuanyuan stepped out. Today she wore a Court Robe with a black base and red-gold embroidered edges, the golden thread phoenixes looking as if they were about to take flight from the fabric. In the morning light, her peerlessly beautiful face showed no excess emotion, revealing neither joy nor anger.
Led by the City Lord, she made her way toward the highest viewing platform, sweeping her gaze across the venue. Her invisible aura of majesty radiated outward, silencing the surrounding noise once more.
She did not walk quickly, but each step was steady and forceful. Under the crowd’s watchful eyes, Ji Xuanyuan suddenly stopped. Her stop felt as if she had stepped on the hearts of the people, sparking widespread curiosity: What did the Crown Prince see???
Following Ji Xuanyuan’s gaze, everyone saw a graceful figure already standing on the viewing platform. This woman had a similar appearance to the Crown Prince, but she wore only a simple palace dress, her hair styled in an unadorned bun.
The Second Princess!
Ji Yumeng, who had arrived early at the highest viewing platform, had no procession, no attendants. Only Wenzhong, disguised as a young guard, stood behind her like a silent stone statue. If the Crown Prince’s arrival hadn’t drawn everyone’s attention there, many people wouldn’t have even noticed that the Second Princess had also come to Xuanji City.
Ji Yumeng was long accustomed to this.
Since childhood, her sister had been like the sun, radiant and dazzling, making people afraid to look directly at her. As the younger sister, she could only be like the moon, reflecting the sun’s light to be noticed. This had resulted in her forever living under her sister’s shadow, forever overlooked.
Such a fate seemed to have been decided from the moment of birth.
At that time, Empress Wuyue had given birth to their twin princesses. The First Princess, born first, had a rosy complexion and a loud, clear cry. The Second Princess, however, was blue all over, her breathing weak, and she barely cried. This omen led many in the palace to believe that the First Princess was destined by heaven, born with the talent of an emperor. The Second Princess was merely “an extra wisp of residual soul,” meant only to highlight the glory of the imperial star.
Everything that followed matched everyone’s expectations. The First Princess grew stronger and more brilliant, while the Second Princess grew weaker and slower. The eunuchs whispered among themselves that this was “Twins Seizing Luck.” The First Princess had absorbed most of the Empress’s “Phoenix Vein Qi” in the womb, and the Second Princess was merely bearing the disasters and misfortune meant for the First Princess. “One flourishes, one withers; one prospers, one declines.” This was an unbreakable “conservation of energy.”
Perhaps out of pity, Empress Wuyue treated them fairly, providing them with the same Imperial Tutor.
Ji Yumeng had long learned to ignore the palace gossip. In ordinary times, Ji Xuanyuan had taken good care of her younger sister, Ji Yumeng. But as they grew older, the Crown Princess was nurtured as the successor and no longer had time to spend with her. It was then that Ji Yumeng, truly alone, realized how terrifying it was to be ignored. Facing the cold stares around her, she had to rely on Imperial Tutor Wenzhong to pull herself together.
This was her chance. Ji Yumeng would show her sister a different version of herself. The weak, clingy me of the past is dead!!! I don’t need my sister’s protection anymore. I can stand on my own! This time, Ji Yumeng would prove it to everyone.
At this very moment, she looked at her sister, and Ji Xuanyuan looked back at her.
Two pairs of identical eyes, separated by a long staircase, gazed at each other from afar.
Seeing her younger sister’s arrival, Ji Xuanyuan’s phoenix eyes gradually widened, filled with immense surprise. Although Ji Xuanyuan had her own intelligence network, all her thoughts these past days had been on her Junior Brother, and she hadn’t paid attention to her sister’s affairs. Now, seeing the Second Princess suddenly appear on the scene, Ji Xuanyuan found it reasonable after some thought. After all, at this time in her previous life, it had been her sister who hosted the Divine Hunt Grand Ceremony, while she herself had been busy with Immortal Dynasty affairs and had no leisure to watch some combat competition.
After centuries of separation, meeting her deceased sister again, memories flooded back to her like a tidal wave.
She could not forget that year when they built snowmen, had snowball fights, and left a trail of footprints in the deep snow. That day, her sister’s little hands were red from the cold, so she tucked them into her own sleeves to warm them.
“Yumeng, are you still cold?”
Her sister exhaled a warm breath, revealing her white teeth: “Not cold! With Big Sister here, Yumeng isn’t cold!”
As she spoke, her sister looked at the melting snow scene and couldn’t help but lament: “Spring is almost here again! I wonder if next year we can still come here to play in the snow!”
Back then, her sister was sickly and always seemed as if she wouldn’t survive to the next year. Young Ji Xuanyuan’s heart ached, and she gripped her sister’s hand tightly: “Don’t worry! There will definitely be a chance! Not just next year, but the year after that… forever! We’ll play in the snow here for a lifetime!”
Her sister’s once-dim eyes suddenly lit up at her heartfelt words. At that moment, it wasn’t just her hand that felt warm; her sister felt as if her heart, too, had been warmed by her. She nodded firmly: “Mm! It’s a promise! Forever!”
Years later, when Ji Yumeng was sentenced to death by poisoning in the Cold Palace, she still had not forgotten that winter. She resolutely drank the poisonous wine, letting the searing pain侵蚀 her internal organs, her unfocused pupils watching the heavy snow fall outside the window. Winter… is here again! Next year, no one will accompany Big Sister to play in the snow. Leaning against the bedside, she let out a long, deep sigh.
Watching her sister die before her eyes, Ji Xuanyuan stood motionless by the bedside, like a statue frozen in ice. The snow fell all night long, and she stood there all night. The wind and frost seemed to freeze the Empress’s eyes, preventing a single tear from falling.
Moreover, at that time, her cultivation of the Ruthless Path had already achieved some success. Supreme Forgetfulness, severing the Seven Emotions, cutting off the six desires, unmoved by external things. A ruler should not have personal attachments! A cultivator should have them even less!
After that day, her Ruthless Dao Heart grew even more resilient. It wasn’t until her Junior Brother died that Ji Xuanyuan’s Dao Heart was shattered.
In this second life, she no longer cultivated the Ruthless Path. Instead, the Path of Emotion had opened up all her senses. Meeting her sister again, Ji Xuanyuan could feel countless suppressed emotions surging through her like a breached dam. Regret, guilt, longing, heartache… each emotion was as clear as chisel marks on bone, deeply etched into her heart. They dragged her back to that snowy day when her sister died, making her truly feel how bone-chillingly cold the wind had been.
Now, centuries later, reborn into a second life, her sister still stood before her, lively and within reach.
Without hesitation, Ji Xuanyuan stepped onto the stairs of the viewing platform and walked forward. The hem of her Court Robe swayed gently in the morning breeze, the phoenix patterns glowing with red-gold light.
Seeing the Crown Prince’s behavior, Ji Yumeng instinctively took half a step back, thinking to herself: What’s wrong with Big Sister? Why does her temperament feel so different?
Before the Second Princess could react further, Ji Xuanyuan had already reached her: “Yumeng!!!”
Reaching out, she pulled her sister directly into her embrace, her fiery warmth melting her sister’s naturally cold body. This fervent hug instantly dissolved the resentment that Ji Yumeng had been brewing.
At a loss. Not just her, but even the officials of Xuanji City, including Wenzhong, were at a complete loss.
One was radiant and dazzling; the other lived in the shadows. One was surrounded by admirers like stars around the moon; the other was ignored by everyone. In the palace, they almost never appeared together. Over the years, who in the Immortal Dynasty didn’t know about the delicate relationship between the Crown Prince and the Second Princess? After so many years of distance, everyone assumed they didn’t get along. When they occasionally met, it was just a nod of greeting and a courteous address of “Your Highness.”
But now, the Crown Prince was holding the Second Princess tightly in front of tens of thousands of people. This scene was utterly baffling to those in the know.
As the center of attention, Ji Yumeng’s body involuntarily tensed up. Before this, she had rehearsed countless scenarios of meeting her sister face to face. Based on her experience, her sister would use her usual cold demeanor, give a faint “Mm,” and then walk past her, just like before. Her sister never cared.
But at this very moment, Ji Xuanyuan had excitedly embraced her. After so many years without this kind of closeness, Ji Yumeng could feel her sister’s warmth again.
When she came to her senses, she saw Ji Xuanyuan grasping her cold hands, her eyes full of tenderness: “Yumeng, it’s been so long! When was the last time we met?”
A buzz of discussion arose from the surrounding audience, but Ji Xuanyuan couldn’t hear it. Her eyes held only her sister standing before her. The snow in her previous life had been too cold. In those final years, she had been utterly alone, tasting the bitterness of solitude to the fullest. In this life, she wanted not only to save her Junior Brother but also to change her sister’s fate. Especially after her rebirth, Ji Xuanyuan understood clearly that her sudden arrival in Xuanji City had already triggered a chain of butterfly effects. Perhaps, through her own actions, she could help her sister avoid the worst outcome.
Ji Yumeng wanted to push her sister away. But the bond of blood ties could not be severed with just a few words. Faced with her sister’s sincere emotions, even Ji Yumeng couldn’t help but feel flustered:
What’s wrong with Big Sister? The sister who never looked directly at me… is taking the initiative to hold my hand? Could it be that she never changed, that she just neglected me because of the heavy workload in previous years?
Ji Yumeng suddenly felt her nose sting. She had planned everything, meticulously maneuvering in the court, even allying with Chu Yunlan to frame her sister. But in reality, she hadn’t needed to do any of this. Her sister was looking at her now.
[Second Princess!!!]
Seeing Ji Yumeng wavering, a steady Sound Transmission landed in her Sea of Consciousness like a basin of ice water poured over her head.
[With the Crown Prince’s intelligence network, it is highly likely she has detected our movements.]
[Perhaps she has already guessed that we will join forces with the civil officials to impeach her for usurping power.]
[Second Princess, don’t be deceived!]
[Only because the Crown Prince is at her wit’s end would she act so warmly toward you!!!]
Hearing Wenzhong say this, Ji Yumeng snapped back to reality: Yes! For so many years, everything Big Sister did was for the sake of the nation, and she was increasingly showing the demeanor of an Immortal Dynasty Empress! The Dao she is currently cultivating must be the one that best aids her. How could someone like that possibly harbor such deep affection for me?
Fake! It must be fake! Once I truly give up the plan, she will definitely abandon me again.
With this thought, Ji Yumeng pulled her hand out of Ji Xuanyuan’s grasp. The movement was small but resolute. She raised her head and met the Crown Prince’s gaze directly. The deep affection in the Crown Prince’s eyes only made her vigilant.
A smile curled at the corner of Ji Yumeng’s lips, polite and distant: “Big Sister, with so many people around, don’t let others laugh at us.”
Ji Xuanyuan felt a void in her heart as she watched her sister take that step back. She instinctively tried to explain: “Yumeng…”
Before she could finish, Ji Yumeng interrupted her: “Your Highness, the combat competition is about to begin. You are here to host the Closing Ceremony. Don’t let official business be delayed.”
She stepped back to make way and did not look at Ji Xuanyuan again.
Seeing this, Ji Xuanyuan stood still for a moment before letting out a sigh. She realized that after centuries of separation, she had been too excited upon meeting her sister, which had only made her seem suspicious. Given what Yumeng was preparing to do to her now, she must think that I’m feeling guilty after discovering something. Never mind! I’ll think of another way later!
Ji Xuanyuan did not press further. Her sister’s guard was up; getting closer would only push her farther away.
After thinking it over, Ji Xuanyuan simply left her with one line: “Yumeng, next winter, how about we go walk in the snow together?”
Hearing this, Ji Yumeng’s heart trembled: So Big Sister remembers? That promise from that year…
Ji Yumeng looked up abruptly, but saw her sister had already turned and taken her seat at the main seat of the viewing platform. Even so, her heart still pounded like a drum, and she quickly retreated to a side seat.
Stealing a glance at her sister’s dignified posture, Ji Yumeng sighed in admiration: Big Sister… has changed! When she held me, that look in her eyes didn’t seem fake! Especially that last sentence, there’s no way she could have acted that out! So maybe I can… No, no, no!
She shook her head, trying to toss the thought out of her mind. I can’t think like this! Wenzhong is right. Big Sister must have sensed something, which is why she’s suddenly showing me kindness. A strategy of gentle persuasion? I won’t fall for it!!!
Although she had made up her mind, another thought crept into Ji Yumeng’s mind: If Big Sister actually keeps her promise and we play in the snow next year, what should I bring? The more she thought about it, the more an unconscious smile of happiness tugged at her lips.
At the same time. With the Crown Prince’s arrival, Fang Henian, as the City Lord, began to host the proceedings:
“By the grace of Heaven, the Crown Prince honors us with her presence at the Closing Ceremony, adding luster to our Xuanji City Combat Competition! Now, please welcome the Crown Prince to deliver a speech!”
Amidst the enthusiastic applause of the crowd, Ji Xuanyuan stood up and began to speak: “Today marks the final day of the Ten Thousand Immortals Combat Competition. This competition has a long and storied history. It is my honor to be here to witness it…”
As she spoke, her sharp eyes swept across the gathered cultivators. Just as she was about to launch into her prepared speech, her gaze was suddenly drawn to a familiar figure:
That… that person… why does he look so much like Junior Brother???
Not Chu Yuan! It’s Chu Yuan! The real Chu Yuan!!!
Suddenly, Ji Xuanyuan’s vermilion lips parted, and she completely forgot the speech she was about to give.
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