He strode away after speaking.
Inside the tent, Emperor Xian felt his chest suffocating. His body swayed twice, his eyes flashing with shock. She had been determined just now.
If he hadn't dodged quickly, would she have truly intended to strike him? Thinking this, her body swayed again, and she sank onto the soft couch, a chill pervading her entire being.
He forgot that she knew how skilled he was, and that she could never possibly hit him, which was why she had used her full strength.
Bingxiao and Duahun watched their mistress leave and returned to the tent.
They saw their master, usually arrogant, unrestrained, and cold-hearted, now sitting blankly on the long fur rug. His face was cold and devoid of any warmth, as if he had been dealt a blow. He was like a soulless puppet, sitting there rigidly.
Bingxiao spoke cautiously, her heart aching.
"Mistress, shall we?"
The person radiating cold ruthlessness and filled with killing intent suddenly looked up. His piercing pupils were tinged with dark red and laced with faint bloodshot veins. He spoke in a deep voice.
"Go to Tianshan."
He now felt trapped, confined within a vast, cold mountain range with no way out. He searched again and again, but couldn't find his way out. Therefore, he wanted to go to Tianshan; his master would surely be able to guide him.
"Yes, Master," Bingxiao and Duahun dared not say anything more. Although Tianshan was far from here, since their master wished to go, they would make the journey to Tianshan. Otherwise, their master would surely suffer.
The group quietly withdrew from the mountain.
The summit of Tianshan was a vast expanse of white. The sunlight reflecting off the accumulated snow emitted a dazzling glare, and a bone-chilling cold enveloped the entire mountain.
At the mountaintop, stretching out endlessly, a bamboo house stood silently.
A tall figure swiftly glided past, like a soaring roc. He rapidly leaped across the mountaintop and, in an instant, stopped before the bamboo house. His handsome face was as clear and pure as water.
Only here did he feel truly clear. The transparency and cleanliness of the snow brought peace to his heart, keeping all worldly clamor and vanity far away.
"Master, Master."
As his call fell, a boy with the demeanor of an immortal walked out of the bamboo house and bowed respectfully.
"Senior Brother has arrived. Master has gone out to play chess with someone."
"So it's my junior brother," Mu Rong Liuzun said calmly. When he had left the mountain, this junior brother was still a child, and now he was so grown.
It was evident how time flowed like water, never to return. He sighed and walked into the bamboo house. It was clean and spotless. Everything in the house was made of bamboo. His master's wine gourd hung on the wall.
Seeing such items, he recalled his master's arduous life.
Despite possessing astonishing talent, he had lost the woman he loved in his youth due to his impetuousness. Although he now lived a peaceful life, more often than not, he would drown his sorrows in wine, reminiscing about the past.
"Senior Brother, please sit and have some tea. Master will be back tonight."
The junior brother offered a cup of tea, its fragrance wafting enticingly. The water here was year-old snowmelt, sweet and fragrant, making the tea brewed from it exceptionally aromatic.
"Hmm, I'll stay here for a while. You go ahead and attend to your duties," Mu Rong Liuzun waved his hand. The young attendant retreated, leaving Mu Rong Liuzun alone in the bamboo house, lost in contemplation.
In the evening, Elder Chixia returned, clad in a loose, dark robe. The wind billowed it, making him appear as if he were riding the clouds.
With white hair and a white beard, his features were wise, his eyes bright and sharp, containing boundless mystery, as if he could see through the world's affairs at a glance. As soon as he landed, before even entering the house, his hearty laughter rang out.
"Zun'er has returned."
Inside the bamboo house, Mu Rong Liuzun smiled elegantly. A smile as moist as snow graced his devastatingly handsome face. He stood up and spoke respectfully, "Yes, Master. Zun'er has come to see you."
At this moment, he was nothing like the man in the imperial palace. The domineering, bloodthirsty aura had vanished, replaced by a fragrance akin to bamboo. His every movement exuded an alluring scent, making it impossible to avert one's gaze.
Upon seeing him, Elder Chixia was overjoyed. A glint of relief flashed in his eyes as he gazed at Mu Rong Liuzun with paternal affection. "Zun'er, have you encountered trouble?"
Mu Rong Liuzun walked over, helped his master sit at the bamboo table, personally poured him a cup of tea, and spoke softly.
"Master, please have some tea."
"Hmm," Elder Chixia nodded, taking the tea but not drinking it. He placed it on the table, looked up, and studied Mu Rong Liuzun intently. He stroked his beard from time to time, a smile on his face, and his voice, as gentle as flowing water, began.
"Zun'er, has she left?"
His words startled Mu Rong Liuzun.
His master was even more formidable than before. He hadn't said anything, yet his master knew. Astonishment flashed in his eyes. Elder Chixia burst into laughter, "Your face is full of lovesickness. Can't Master tell? Anyone with eyes can see it."
So that was it. Mu Rong Liuzun nodded, his eyes dimming. A sense of loss filled his jade-like countenance, and his falling hair added to his infinite charm.
"It seems my guess was correct?"
Elder Chixia sighed and placed his large hands on Mu Rong Liuzun's shoulders, offering comfort.
"Zun'er, although you govern the country wisely, possess strategic brilliance, and have a powerful aura that rivals anyone in the world, you must think clearly about what is most important. The reason I sent your senior brother down the mountain to help you find her is not solely because she is capable, but also because you have a destined tribulation in your life, and only she can resolve it."
"Tribulation?" Mu Rong Liuzun was taken aback. He looked up and saw the seriousness on his master's face, a fleeting solemnity, his eyes as deep as an ocean.
"Yes, I calculated that you would face a great tribulation. Even if you could dominate the world, you would not be able to overcome it. Originally, this was an unsolvable death tribulation. However, one day, a broken star fell from the heavens, and a strange omen appeared. Someone transmigrated from another world, and that person is the one who can resolve your tribulation. That is why I sent your senior brother down the mountain to help you find the person who can resolve this tribulation."
Elder Chixia spoke with earnestness, but as the saying goes, human calculations are no match for destiny. Even though he had foreseen everything, it ultimately did not unfold as planned.
"Transmigrated from another world," Mu Rong Liuzun's mind was entirely focused on this phrase. Could Yao'er not be the original foolish girl, but a soul that had transmigrated from another world?
Thinking this way, he could understand her various behaviors, her strange actions, and her inscrutable understanding.
"But now, everything is in vain. Nothing remains. She and I have drifted further and further apart. Even if there is a tribulation, it is destined."
He smiled, his face glowing like the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival. His temples were like carved frost, his eyebrows like painted ink. His pair of dark eyes subtly emanated a refined aura, resembling tender bamboo, its fragrance spreading.