Chapter 387

Chapter 387: A Show of Force, Immortal Qing Feng

Yu Zhi Yi saw the mother and daughter’s contempt and didn’t get angry; instead, she let out a quiet breath. [If not for taking life itself as my path, I wouldn’t be allowed to kill without cause…] She shook off the stray, violent thought, but her mood still grew heavy.

She didn’t know why, but after this trip to the Martial Alliance, she seemed far more bloodthirsty than before. Over the past ten-plus years, she had suffered plenty of mockery and unfairness; each time she could stay calm. Even when someone went too far, she might punish them a little, but she never wanted to kill. Yet in just these few days, she had felt the urge to kill twice-and each time she had wanted to pull out the root and leave no one alive.

They hurried on for more than two days. Except for a short rest at noon to eat, they only stopped at dusk to find a place to stay. At last, on the evening of the third day, the city gates of the Capital City came into view.

Yu Zhi Yi breathed out. She had made it back just in time. If she worked hard to solve a few more cases and saved up a few months of leave, she could set out for the Hidden Realm. As for her mother and brother: after she left, if they wanted to stay in the Capital City, they could live in her manor; if they wanted to return to the Martial Alliance, she could send them back on the way.

They entered the city right before the gates closed. Yu Zhi Yi told Bai Zhi Yuan: “Please take my mother to my manor; I’ll deliver these two criminals to the prison.” At once, Chen Ruo Lan and her daughter’s faces changed. When they first saw the city gates, their hearts had leaped with dread-they didn’t want to enter the capital at all. But as prisoners, their resistance meant nothing.

Soon after, Yu Zhi Yi finished speaking with the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. She laid out the mother and daughter’s murders along with the testimony and evidence, all clearly recorded. The minister had barely lifted a finger yet gained credit for a solved case; he beamed and said with a laugh: “As expected of Official Yu-you don’t forget to handle cases even while on leave.”

Yu Zhi Yi coughed softly. If she could, she wouldn’t add more to her workload. But when someone walks a solved case right into your hands, it’s hard to refuse the merit even if you want to. She wasn’t good at small talk, so after a few polite official phrases, she left the Court of Judicial Review.

Next, she still had to enter the palace-just to report back to the Emperor so he wouldn’t think she hadn’t returned yet. Her post was special; she didn’t need to attend morning court. She also wasn’t the type who liked crowding into the Court Hall. Ending her meditation before dawn (the hour of the Tiger) just to stand there for hours while court officials argued over everything… After attending court a few times, she seriously wondered if those who wanted to be Emperor had something wrong with them. They rose earlier than chickens and slept later than dogs, and everything they wanted to do needed the court’s approval. Each session felt like a noisy marketplace; one issue could be argued for days. Yu Zhi Yi’s hearing was too sharp-after one try she couldn’t stand it. The Emperor had to endure that brain-pounding noise every single day. What was the point of holding overwhelming power if not a single day-or even a single moment-belonged to you? Even taking a stroll in the Inner Palace required balancing the front court and the Inner Palace. [Cultivation is better.]

She changed into her official robes and headed straight to the Imperial Palace. A guard stepped forward and said: “Official Yu, the Empress Dowager has been unwell lately. His Majesty is personally attending her. Please wait a while.”

Reading the guard’s face, Yu Zhi Yi could tell he was lying. She raised a brow and asked: “May I ask what’s wrong with the Empress Dowager?”

The guard gave a stiff smile: “Please don’t make it hard on me, Official Yu.” Palace matters about nobles weren’t for guards to gossip about. And since the person in front of him was the very one being targeted, no one wanted to risk trouble.

Yu Zhi Yi nodded as if she understood: “All right then, I’ll wait.”

An hour passed. Then two. Then three. When the far-off night watch beat his clapper, Yu Zhi Yi said to the guard: “Sir, could you try sending word again? If His Majesty is truly busy, I, the official, will head back for now.”

Before long the guard returned, wearing an apologetic look: “Official Yu, His Majesty is still at the Empress Dowager’s palace. Perhaps you could wait a little longer?”

Yu Zhi Yi smiled: “Then after Her Highness recovers, I, the official, will come again.” She turned to leave.

The guard panicked: “Official Yu, you’re just going to leave like this?”

Yu Zhi Yi looked at him with amusement and said: “I wasn’t summoned. I came on my own to end my leave. By the rules, even if I don’t report in here, as long as I go to the Ministry of Justice tomorrow, the leave process is complete.” She spread her hands: “So if I leave now, do you have an objection?”

The guard had no words. He was only an unlucky messenger. If he could, he would have let her in long ago. But even with ten times the courage, he wouldn’t dare offend a mysterious powerhouse from the Mystic Sect. He managed a pained smile and still tried to keep her.

Yu Zhi Yi lifted a hand to stop him: “If anyone asks, just repeat what I said.” She waved off any further pleading and walked away. Soon, her figure vanished at the end of the avenue. The guard could only pass along her words, near tears.

Inside the Longevity Palace, the Empress Dowager slapped the table; the well-kept face that usually looked gentle was full of anger: “That Yu Zhi Yi-does she think she’s an Immortal? How dare she treat me and the Emperor as nothing!”

She turned to the man at her side, calmed her tone, and asked anxiously: “Immortal Qing Feng, do you truly have a way to heal my son?”

The man called Immortal Qing Feng looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, not much older than Yu Zhi Yi. His bearing was extraordinary; every gesture carried a cold pride that looked down on all living beings. Even without knowing his identity, one could sense he was no common person.

Immortal Qing Feng didn’t speak. A woman beside him smiled and answered for him: “Please rest assured, Empress Dowager. Immortal Qing Feng is a true master from beyond the world. He can move mountains and fill seas; bringing the dead back and knitting bones is nothing to him.”

At the sound of that voice, the Empress Dowager felt an instant dislike-because the speaker was You Bing Yue. That woman had caused her son to lose face before the court and their families, then urged him to move against Yu Zhi Yi, completely offending her. If not for that, her son wouldn’t have been bedridden this long. The Empress Dowager was certain Yu Zhi Yi had a way to cure him, but because of resentment, she refused to do her best. She was furious at Yu Zhi Yi’s boldness-even daring to deceive the Empress Dowager-yet she also knew Yu Zhi Yi had her reasons. She was torn.

So she had tried to give Yu Zhi Yi a show of force. She hadn’t expected Yu Zhi Yi to turn around and leave. Right then, the desire to heal her son outweighed any need to settle scores. She decided to spare Yu Zhi Yi for now and see to the main business first.