The ice pool possessed a mystical power.
For the Lan clan, the ice pool's power aided their cultivation.
However, for anyone not of the Lan clan, approaching the ice pool brought harm.
Yet, to find his daughter, Chu Jiangnan could only endure the churning pain in his chest and press onward.
The surge of blood in his chest continuously roiled.
Within the ice pool, a faint impression began to emerge.
"Yue'er..."
He saw her! This time, clearer than before!
He finally saw his Yue'er!
"Yue'er..."
How many years had it been? How many years had it been since he last saw this face?
Now, her face, her graceful figure, was within the ice pool. If he took just one more step, could he reach her?
"Your Majesty, do not go closer! That is merely an illusion!"
Lan Qing had not anticipated that the Emperor would be so quickly ensnared by his inner demons from the very beginning!
The Emperor had always carried a maiden in his heart.
For so many years, no other woman had ever caught his eye, for he had pledged his heart to only one.
A woman named Yue'er.
But alas, despite Lan Qing's efforts, he had seen nothing of Yue'er within the ice pool thus far.
In truth, the Emperor had long accepted that Yue'er was no longer alive.
However, what they sought now was not Yue'er, but the Princess!
"Your Majesty, you cannot go further! The ice pool will claim your life!"
Given the Emperor's current physical condition, if he fell into the ice pool, he would not emerge unscathed.
"Your Majesty, stop at once!"
"I... I see Yue'er. Yue'er is holding our child..."
Chu Jiangnan paid no heed to the warning, continuing his slow, deliberate steps towards the ice pool.
He truly saw Yue'er.
Her lifelike face was within reach.
Yue'er, holding their daughter, gazed at him with a hint of melancholy.
It was all his fault back then. He should not have left her behind to return to Nanming.
He had never imagined that the Emperor would feign illness to lure him back.
Then, to force him to inherit the throne, he had been imprisoned.
By the time he found an opportunity to escape and return, the valley was deserted.
Mingyue was gone, vanishing from the mortal realm as if she had never existed, leaving no trace.
Chu Jiangnan's greatest regret in this life was that after secretly pledging his life to Mingyue, he had mistakenly believed the news of the former Emperor's grave illness and left Mingyue in the valley.
If he had not left then, would he now be living a simple life with Mingyue and their daughter?
It was all his fault...
"Mingyue, where are you? What does our daughter look like now? I truly wish to see her..."
Once he found their daughter, he would pour all his resources into making her the happiest princess in all the land.
He would shower her with all his affection.
Allowing her to live forever under a mountain of love!
"Daughter..."
The little girl in Mingyue's embrace gradually seemed to grow.
From a helpless infant to a child.
She crawled from Yue'er's arms and stumbled towards him.
With every few steps, she aged several years, growing larger and larger, until she transformed into a graceful young woman.
He could almost see her face!
Just one more step!
Chu Jiangnan's heart surged with joy, and he no longer cared about anything else, quickening his pace towards his daughter!
"Your Majesty!"
Lan Qing's heart leaped, and he urged, "Danger! Stop at once!"