That night, nearing the fifth quarter of the You hour, there were almost no survivors for hundreds of li around. Apart from that party from the Qiansha Sect, the Sheng Kingdom's imperial palace was littered with bloody corpses.
Ji Keci knew this was the consequence of using the Desolate City Spirit Maiden's weapon.
It was nothing but bloodstains. Corpses lay strewn about, mangled beyond recognition. Amidst the pools of blood, a woman who had already passed away lay in the arms of a man dressed in a green shirt and crescent-white robe. Ji Keci's legs went weak, her little heart pounding violently. The personal maid behind her, Man Sui, supported her so she wouldn't collapse onto the blood-soaked ground.
But she had never imagined that the leader of the Qiansha Sect, Sa, and the hall master of Tiandixing, Chu Heng, would actually use this Redstone Dagger to kill her closest friend—Fei Qingyan!
In her heart of hearts, she found this man utterly terrifying. Yet she also knew that he truly harbored feelings for the woman in his arms.
Ji Keci hesitated for a moment, then quickly walked over. To her astonishment, the Redstone Dagger and Redstone Ring had vanished without a trace.
Blood continued to flow from the wound at Fei Qingyan's heart. Yin Xi, who held her in his arms, did not speak a single word. He merely hung his head in silence.
Ji Keci desperately wanted to say something, but her throat was so choked with grief that she lacked even the strength to speak. She lifted her head to look at the sky. Day had given way to night. A bright, pale moon hung high, while the vast sea of stars twinkled as if vying for favor.
She dared not cry out loud. She could still faintly remember all the days she and Fei Qingyan had once shared. There was even that incident which had driven her to attempt suicide.
She never knew how Fei Qingyan had transmigrated here. Even more unexpectedly, she had discovered that Fei Qingyan's visage in the Sheng Kingdom had once belonged to the famously renowned Princess Xin Tong.
By then, Ji Keci had already fled the Yidu Dynasty and arrived in this territory of the Sheng Kingdom. Perhaps Yin Xi had come searching for her, but what he unexpectedly discovered was that Princess Xin Tong, whom he had once killed, had actually returned to life.
A long, long time passed. Yin Xi had never once abandoned his ambitions. As the heir to the Yidu Dynasty, he constantly expanded his power.
But tears still fell, heavy drops landing on Yin Xi's robes. She slowly opened her mouth and said, "Man Sui, let's go."
Man Sui looked at Yin Xi with some dissatisfaction, but still obeyed her master's command. Just as they were preparing to turn and leave, Yin Xi grabbed Ji Keci, who was about to depart, and slowly spoke, "Let's go together!"
Ji Keci hesitated for quite a while before nodding. "Very well. I hope Your Highness can grant this woman a status and allow her to be interred in the imperial mausoleum."
Yin Xi looked at Ji Keci, somewhat taken aback. Her eye rims were red and swollen—he knew she had been crying. His brows drew together tightly as he nodded. "As you wish."
Fei Qingyan's complexion had long since turned pale and flawless. She was gone. Ji Keci held in her hand the harmonica that had fallen to the ground when Yin Xi picked Fei Qingyan up.
Yin Xi did not recognize it, but Ji Keci did. Fei Qingyan had once won an award with this instrument. A perfectly fine person, just like that, was no more.
At this thought, Ji Keci's tears fell heavily onto the harmonica. She lowered her head, clutching the instrument to her bosom, and wept bitterly.
Yin Xi did not understand why Ji Keci was crying.
He had originally believed his heart incapable of pain. Yet he had not expected that at the very instant he killed Fei Qingyan, his heart would ache. The feeling in his heart was beyond description.
By now, they had already boarded the carriage, heading toward the Yidu Dynasty.
Ji Keci couldn't control her longing for Fei Qingyan, whimpering and sobbing as she wept. The entire way, it was terrifyingly quiet. Only the sound of soft breathing could be heard; no one spoke.