Lu Qing Wan did not rush to depart anymore. Her eyes were fixed on Si Feng Wu, ready to bolt the moment he gave the order.
Si Feng Wu found her pleading gaze both exasperating and amusing.
Finally, he instructed Lian Yu, "Everything proceeds according to plan. If there are unexpected circumstances, use signal flares first, then the golden eagle for communication. It is better to postpone the attack on Gui Hua City than to lose this secret passage."
Lian Yu glanced at Lu Qing Wan, who was anxiously wringing her hands behind Si Feng Wu, and chuckled, "I understand. Hurry along, or the Princess will go mad with impatience."
Si Feng Wu, unaccustomed to being teased, did not retort. Lu Qing Wan's behavior rendered any words he might utter utterly inadequate.
He turned and commanded, "Depart!"
Thinking this would please Lu Qing Wan, he was surprised when she shot off like an arrow the moment she heard his order.
If not for Si Feng Wu's profound internal energy and exceptional eyesight, he would have struggled to track her rapidly diminishing figure.
She was a textbook example of "out of sight, out of mind."
Si Feng Wu, torn between laughter and despair, urged his horse forward and, along with the hidden guards behind him, swiftly moved away from the main force.
Meanwhile, Lu Qing Wan's haste to see Si Feng Wu leave was not solely driven by a desire to storm the Northern Wei imperial tomb and wreak havoc to assert her pride.
Having separated from Si Feng Wu and his companions, Duan Yue quickly caught up. Seeing that she had put a significant distance between herself and Si Feng Wu's group, Lu Qing Wan asked, "Quickly, tell me what's going on with San Sheng Lou. Why are they keeping even the Prince in the dark?"
Duan Yue rode alongside Lu Qing Wan, her expression grave.
"Mistress, my subordinate, following Da Bai, found the head of the Northern Wei branch of San Sheng Lou.
He informed me that the one searching for the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes and the True Dragon Token is none other than the Grand Elder of Han Xiao Hall.
He is dissatisfied that Han Xiao Hall, despite its past merits in saving the world, has been gradually forgotten by the people.
Therefore, he frequently stirs up trouble, believing that only when the world plunges into chaos can Han Xiao Hall once again achieve the glory of saving the realm and become a divine presence in the hearts of the people."
Lu Qing Wan winced as she listened.
"Can a mere Grand Elder wield such power?
Where are the leaders of San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Hall? Are they allowing that old scoundrel to wreak havoc on their ancestral legacy?"
Duan Yue sighed, listening.
"The leaders of San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Hall both disagreed with his actions and were harmed by him, their whereabouts now unknown.
Your parents and the Crown Prince Cheng An and his consort were all targeted by the Grand Elder of Han Xiao Hall in retaliation for their efforts to maintain peace in the world.
Currently, even the people of San Sheng Lou do not know where they are. However, he asked me to relay a message to you and the Prince: do not rashly go searching for your parents and the Crown Prince Cheng An and his consort.
Doing so would not only endanger yourselves but also potentially expose you as their weakness.
When the time is right, they will return on their own."
Lu Qing Wan's anger shifted from the morally bankrupt Grand Elder to the Crown Prince Cheng An and his consort, and her own parents whom she had never met.
"Since they knew it would put us in danger, why did they give the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes and the True Dragon Token to us?
Is this some kind of misdirection?
They fear danger, but we do not?"
She finally understood that from the beginning, these individuals had been after the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes, and later added the True Dragon Token.
But at its core, it was clearly targeted at the descendants of Crown Prince Cheng An and his consort, and the descendants of her own biological parents.
If he and Si Feng Wu had a different set of parents, they would only have to contend with individuals like Feng Qing Heng and Nie Wu Ming.
But because of these troublesome parents, their enemies like Feng Qing Heng and Nie Wu Ming gained a special power-up, significantly increasing the difficulty of their confrontation.
Duan Yue, seeing Lu Qing Wan's considerable anger, also wore a look of profound helplessness.
"I asked the San Sheng Lou branch leader the same question."
Lu Qing Wan's almond-shaped eyes widened. "What did he say?"
Duan Yue stammered, "He said that no matter what, the Grand Elder of Han Xiao Hall had already made a mortal enemy of them.
Even if you and the Prince did nothing, given the Grand Elder's vindictive nature, if he couldn't find them, he would certainly vent his anger on you and the Prince.
By leaving the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes and the True Dragon Token to you and the Prince, if a life-threatening situation arises, the people of San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Hall will ensure your safety.
This way, even though you might encounter more trouble in your daily lives, your lives will at least be guaranteed!"
"May they go to hell for their 'guaranteed lives'! Have they ever helped us when our lives were on the line?"
Lu Qing Wan cursed to the heavens.
She thought to herself that, apart from the incident in the Northwest snow mountains, the other times she and Si Feng Wu had been in danger were highly secretive, and the people of San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Hall might not have known.
Just then, Duan Yue spoke with a complex tone, "He said that the previous incidents you and the Prince encountered were deemed by them to be manageable on your own, serving as training for you both.
If you were truly in danger, they would have intervened."
Having heard enough bizarre pronouncements and witnessed bizarre events, Lu Qing Wan finally calmed down.
"Are you sure that person was truly from San Sheng Lou, not bribed by the Grand Elder, or someone impersonating him?"
Duan Yue nodded. "I can confirm he is from San Sheng Lou, but whether he was bribed by the Grand Elder, I cannot be certain."
Lu Qing Wan closed her eyes, trying to suppress her anger. "Issue my command later: have all our brothers search for the people of Han Xiao Hall."
A figure quietly appeared beside her. "Why are you looking for the people of Han Xiao Hall?"
Lu Qing Wan didn't bother asking when he had appeared. She merely stated with icy resolve, "To confirm if those two pairs who have pushed all the danger onto us, under the guise of 'training us,' are indeed our biological parents."
Her armor had been soaked by the cold wind of Northern Wei for hours and was now bone-chillingly cold.
Si Feng Wu, wanting to comfort Lu Qing Wan, dared not touch her. He could only follow her lead and let her vent her anger.
"After confirmation, what do you plan to do?"
He remained as calm as if Lu Qing Wan and Duan Yue were discussing strangers unrelated to him.
Lu Qing Wan's eyes flickered as she looked directly into his. "If they are impostors, then it is clear someone is deliberately trying to sow discord between us and our elders. I will naturally not take it seriously.
If they are real, then I will announce loudly and clearly that the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes and the True Dragon Token will be delivered separately to Han Xiao Hall and San Sheng Lou.
Every wrong has its source, every debt its debtor.
If the Grand Elder and his subordinates want the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes or the True Dragon Token, let them go and snatch them from San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Hall themselves.
If they dare to trouble me again, I will mobilize our army and the entire continent will launch a campaign to eradicate San Sheng Lou and Han Xiao Hall. Regardless of their allegiances, we will cut them down to the roots, leaving not a single one alive!"