Chapter 444

Chapter 444: Conspiracy and Suppression

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

Deep into the night.

Shi Yun and her husband, weary from the exhausting affairs of the past few days, returned to the Ning Manor with Lu Chao Chao dressed in mourning white.

As the soon-to-be enthroned Empress, the court officials opposed Chao Chao leaving the palace, relenting only because of her tender age and reliance on her parents.

“Mother, I must have kept you waiting. The Emperor’s passing and Chao Chao’s ascension have left us overwhelmed,” Shi Yun spoke, deliberately refraining from referring to the deceased as “father.”

“Don’t overwork Chao Chao,” Madam Ning gently held the child’s hand and led her inside.

Inside the hall, a table was set with an array of dishes.

“Hmm? This isn’t the work of our household chef!” Shi Yun immediately noted.

Madam Ning, smiling warmly, ladled a bowl of soup for her. “I prepared it myself. Taste it…”

“You’ve grown so much, yet I’ve never once cooked a meal for you. This time, I wanted you to taste a mother’s love.” Her voice was gentle, but her eyes held an irrepressible yearning.

“Mother, it is I who should be honoring you.” Shi Yun’s heart ached for her mother.

Madam Ning shook her head.

As a mother, this had been her long-cherished wish.

She filled bowls for both Chao Chao and Rong Che. As Shi Yun lowered her head to drink the soup, tears silently fell into the bowl.

She understood her mother’s sorrow.

She was the Elf King, bound by duty to protect her people. She had her own destiny to fulfill.

After dinner, Shi Yun stayed in the same room with her mother.

Madam Ning retrieved a large bundle from a cabinet. As she unfolded it, various dresses appeared—each tailored for different ages.

“Every time I searched for you, I made these for you along the way.”

“This one was for your first birthday.”

“This one was for when you turned three…”

“And this…” Under the dim light, she unfolded each garment. They were pristine, yet had never graced her daughter’s form. For decades, without knowing if her daughter was even alive, she had continued her search, never daring to stop.

“These clothes followed me everywhere I went.”

“Some were lost when I fell into the river…”

“This life, I owe you much.” She sighed deeply.

Shi Yun wiped her tears with trembling hands. “Though I was not raised by your side, I have always felt your love.”

“I have had two mothers who cherished me dearly. Mother, you owe me nothing.”

Her life had been a series of misfortunes turned fortunate. She was separated from her birth mother, yet found a loving adoptive family. She had suffered betrayal at the hands of Lu Yuan Ze, yet bore a child destined for greatness.

She had always managed to turn peril into safety.

Madam Ning, her eyes red with emotion, embraced Shi Yun, tears falling steadily.

“Mother, if you miss me, visit often,” Shi Yun choked on her words.

That night, neither of them slept, lying together as Shi Yun recounted stories from her childhood while Madam Ning listened in silence.

Outside the room, Lu Chao Chao crouched by the door, chubby hands cupping her cheeks.

“Did I forget to tell them that once things settle, I’m heading to the Spirit Realm?”

There, Without Folly Mountain awaited her.

Her sect awaited her. She longed to go home!

Moreover, the Elven race faced the threat of extinction—how could she not go to support them?

The Black Dragon scratched its head and shook it. “You didn’t mention it.”

Lu Chao Chao waved dismissively. “Oh well, the mood between those two is too heavy now. If I say anything, I’ll definitely get smacked.”

The Black Dragon: ??

Alright, you certainly know how to pick your battles.

Lu Chao Chao turned to him, eyes alight with curiosity. “Didn’t you say you wanted to stay home for a while? Why did you return so quickly?”

Zhu Mo looked dejected. “I was imprisoned for a thousand years. I was just released when my clan summoned me back. I thought they missed me…”

“Turns out, they arranged a marriage for me!!”

“I told you before, didn’t I? The Dragon King’s youngest son was slain by a sword cultivator. That left only me unmarried in this generation, so they decided to use me for a political marriage!”

“The moment I returned, they bound me in wedding robes and tried to marry me off!”

“As if I would comply! I ran away immediately.”

Lu Chao Chao’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Did you… see the bride?”

Zhu Mo shook his head vigorously. “How could I? On the day of the wedding, countless experts gathered to witness the ceremony. Just as the bride was about to step into the Dragon Clan’s gates, I fled! I didn’t even catch a glimpse! Marry? Never!”

“Wow… thrilling…”

“So you just abandoned the bride at the altar?” Lu Chao Chao’s face was full of mischief.

Zhu Mo scratched his head, looking conflicted.

He had caught a fleeting glimpse as he fled—her fluttering gown, her slender figure—she did seem rather pitiful.

“It was unavoidable.”

“The clan brought this upon themselves.” The Dragon Clan had initiated the alliance, making the other party believe he was a willing participant.

Who would have expected him to escape on the wedding day?

Lu Chao Chao’s grin widened as she watched him, laughing softly.

“Master, why are you laughing? I almost lost my purity!” Zhu Mo was exasperated.

Covering her mouth, Lu Chao Chao sneaked away.

“Nothing, nothing. You’ll understand soon enough.”

Xie Yu Zhou gave Zhu Mo a sympathetic look. “You’re doomed. Last time she laughed like that, her father, Lu Yuan Ze, was about to get publicly humiliated.”

That was her “spectator” face.

Zhu Mo shuddered, sensing impending doom.

As Lu Chao Chao wandered off, she mumbled, “Aha, I predicted Zhu Mo’s fated match appearing soon.”

“But he ran away!!”

“Excellent, excellent. This is going to be entertaining…”

Fate had a way of ensuring that one could never escape their destined one.

Just as she was indulging in her amusement, her expression abruptly changed.

In an instant, she vanished.

Inside her spatial domain.

Lu Chao Chao formed a seal with her hands, directing immense power at Seven Sins, who was already dissipating.

The Divine Realm was destroying his physical body.

Yet, she was still incomplete, her missing heart rendering her powerless. She could only watch as Seven Sins gradually vanished into nothingness.

The moment he disappeared, Lu Chao Chao re-emerged outside the space.

A deafening storm rumbled outside.

More terrifying than even Nan Zhi Yi’s tribulation, the thunderous roars sent shivers down spines, as if the sky itself was cracking apart.

In Southern Capital, where preparations for the late emperor’s funeral were underway, people scrambled for shelter.

It was terrifying.

As though this storm sought to obscure something.

“Han Chuan, you wretched fiend!!”

“You dare cast Seven Sins into the Path of Reincarnation?! Damn it, I’ll kill you someday!!”

“Go ahead, cast him! I will scour the world to bring him back!”

Amongst the vast sea of people in the Three Realms, finding him again would be nearly impossible.

Even worse…

Seven Sins was formed from the Three Realms’ malevolence. Without restraint, he could bring about a catastrophe.

Lu Chao Chao’s eyes blazed with fury.

Inside the Ning Manor.

Madam Ning jolted awake, a scepter materializing in her grasp as she scanned the surroundings warily.

For a fleeting moment, she sensed a malevolent aura.

But in the next, it was gone.

As if it had never been there.