The Once Mysterious Consort Has Also Returned

Inside the Weiyang Palace, sandalwood incense curled upward in faint wisps.

On the carved grand bed made of golden thread nanmu wood, Ye Xuan leaned casually against the soft cushions, toying with a warm, smooth jade pendant in his hand.

Wu Lingxiao knelt on the floor beside the couch. This once imperious Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty had now shed all her pride and imperial majesty. Dressed only in plain, light gauze, she carefully massaged Ye Xuan's legs like the most lowly maidservant.

Her movements were exceedingly gentle, terrified of causing him even the slightest bit of pain.

Ye Xuan looked down at her from his vantage point, his gaze sweeping over the Empress's breathtakingly beautiful face, which now bore a hint of fawning eagerness.

After a long while, he suddenly gave a soft chuckle. Reaching out, he lifted Wu Lingxiao's chin with his slightly cool fingertips.

"You have behaved quite well recently!" Ye Xuan's voice was gentle, even carrying a long-absent trace of a smile. "My cultivation base has also recovered nicely; I have already reached the Golden Core stage."

Wu Lingxiao's head snapped up, her deep phoenix eyes instantly bursting with ecstatic light.

Forgetting her dignity as an Empress, she acted like a young girl who had just been praised, proactively pressing her cheek against Ye Xuan's palm and rubbing against it. Her voice trembled with excitement, "Really? Husband's body is better? That is wonderful... As long as Husband can recover, Lingxiao is willing to do anything!"

"Since you are so obedient, therefore," Ye Xuan's thumb gently caressed her delicate lips, the corners of his mouth curling into a meaningful smile, "I am going to give you a great reward."

Wu Lingxiao was incomparably thrilled, her breathing growing rapid.

For the past eight hundred years, the look in Ye Xuan's eyes when he saw her had only been cold, disgusted, and filled with endless dead silence. When had there ever been such a tender moment?

"Husband... what reward do you wish to give me?" she asked cautiously, her voice carrying an uncontrollable quiver.

Ye Xuan leaned down slightly, bringing his lips to her ear, and whispered softly, "Tomorrow is your birthday."

Wu Lingxiao's whole body jolted. He actually still remembered?

"I have decided that on that day, I will let you see the true Consort Xuan."

Ye Xuan's tone was as soft as a devil's whisper. "I will use a secret art to seal my current memories, keeping only the memories of the Consort Xuan who once loved you wholeheartedly and had eyes only for you. Do you like this gift?"

Hearing these words, Wu Lingxiao's mind buzzed, and she became so excited she nearly fainted from dizziness.

The former Consort Xuan! That young man who would blush while feeding her pastries as she reviewed memorials, who would softly call her "Sister" when she was exhausted!

He was the only pure white moonlight in her long, drawn-out life!

Although she knew that the Ye Xuan before her was acting somewhat gently towards her, she knew in her heart that this was merely a layer of cold disguise.

Beneath the mask lay a madness ready to detonate his own soul at any moment, and a hatred that wished to grind her bones to dust.

But if she could truly, completely have that pure and flawless youth just one more time...

However, after the wild joy, Wu Lingxiao's heart suddenly clenched.

She thought of her past betrayal, and of the resolute, unyielding look in Consort Xuan's eyes when he learned the truth.

Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, a deep fear and shame welling up in the depths of her eyes.

Ye Xuan took in her expression completely, a cruel sneer flashing through his deep eyes.

He gently patted Wu Lingxiao's stiff cheek, comforting her, "Rest assured, the memory node I am sealing is from before your betrayal. It is the Consort Xuan from the ten years we were deeply in love."

Hearing this sentence, the heart that Wu Lingxiao had in her throat finally settled down.

Her eyes were red, and large teardrops smashed against the back of Ye Xuan's hand. Her eyes were filled with indescribable shame and gratitude. "Thank you, Husband, for your grace."

The next morning, the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling onto the resplendent glazed tiles of the Weiyang Palace.

As soon as Ye Xuan woke up, his gaze underwent an earth-shattering change.

Those eyes of his, which were always as deep as an ancient well, hiding endless calculation and killing intent, had now become crystal clear, so pure that they contained not a single trace of impurity.

He jumped out of bed, ignoring the palace maids waiting at the side to serve him, and walked straight to the wardrobe. From its deepest corner, he dug out a slightly worn white palace outfit. It was the clothing he wore most often when he had first entered the palace.

He clumsily but earnestly put on the palace outfit. Then, he picked up a belt embroidered with a few charmingly naive little ducks—the very duck belt Wu Lingxiao had sewn for him with her own hands back in the day—and carefully tied it around his waist.

"What are you all still standing around in a daze for?"

Ye Xuan turned his head, looking at the dumbstruck eunuchs and palace maids. His brows furrowed slightly, his cheeks puffed out, bearing a bit of the charming petulance unique to a young boy. "Today is Her Majesty's birthday! Quickly go and bring out all the red silk from the storehouse, as well as those glazed flower lanterns Her Majesty likes the most. Hang them all up!"

He was like a cheerful lark, weaving through the palace, so familiar with all its arrangements.

He directed the servants to move flower pots and personally cut out red paper. That earnest and joyful appearance made all the palace servants who had seen his cold, ruthless side shudder in fear, yet they had no choice but to obediently do as they were told.

When Wu Lingxiao hastily finished dealing with the urgent government affairs of the morning court and stepped into the Weiyang Palace full of apprehension and anticipation, she was completely mesmerized.

Red silk fluttered in the wind all across the courtyard, and exquisite glazed lanterns hung all along the corridors. And amidst that beautiful tapestry of flowers, a youth wearing a white palace outfit and a duck belt was standing on a wooden ladder, on his tiptoes, hanging a large red lantern.

The sunlight shone on the side of his face, making even the fine peach fuzz clearly visible.

What a clean, pure face it was, brimming with vibrant life!

There was no hatred, no indifference, only a heart and eyes full of expectation.

Sensing something, the youth turned his head. When he saw Wu Lingxiao standing at the palace gates, those clear eyes instantly lit up.

Without hesitation, he jumped down from the wooden ladder and, like a baby bird returning to its nest, ran excitedly toward Wu Lingxiao, plunging headlong into her embrace.

"Sister! You are finally back!"

The youth's voice was no longer filled with deep-seated hatred or the heart-piercing coldness of his every word; instead, it was full of reliance and a crisp youthfulness, carrying a sweet, coquettish tone.

This single cry of "Sister" was like a heavy hammer smashing ruthlessly against the tip of Wu Lingxiao's heart.

This decisive, ruthless Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty felt an intense bout of dizziness wash over her in this moment. Her legs grew weak, and she could barely stand.

Trembling, she reached out her arms and tightly hugged the youth in her embrace, greedily inhaling the familiar, crisp scent from his hair.

Her tears instantly broke their banks, blurring her vision.

"Consort Xuan... my Consort Xuan..." she choked out, her voice fractured and broken.

"Why is Sister crying?" Ye Xuan looked up, his clear eyes full of heartache.

He reached out his fair fingers, gently wiping away the tears on the Empress's face. Pouting his lips, he said, "Today is Sister's birthday, you are not allowed to cry! I have prepared so, so many surprises for Sister!"

For the rest of the day, to Wu Lingxiao, it felt like drowning in an illusory yet sweet dream, so beautiful that she hardly dared to breathe.

The gentle and tender Consort Xuan had truly returned.

He would hold her hand and run through the imperial gardens, cover her eyes from behind while she read memorials to make her guess who it was, carefully pick out every fish bone during meals, and then look at her with those sparkling eyes, expecting her praise.

He pampered Wu Lingxiao to the bone. That unreserved, unguarded love, like warm spring water, tightly wrapped around Wu Lingxiao's long-scarred and corrupted heart.

Wu Lingxiao felt completely dizzy with happiness.

Even though she was already a Half-Step True Immortal possessing world-destroying power, at this moment, she only felt like the happiest woman in the world.

Looking at the youth's pure smile, a crazy, morbid thought even sprouted in her mind: if things could stay like this forever, if time could freeze at this moment, she would rather give up the entire Great Xia Empire, give up all her cultivation!

As night fell, thousands of candles were lit inside the Weiyang Palace.

In the center of the grand hall sat a massive, somewhat roughly shaped but fragrant cream cake. The table was filled with various home-cooked dishes, all made personally by Ye Xuan.

Having dismissed all the maids and eunuchs, only the two of them remained in the vast palace.

"Happy birthday, Big Sister!" Ye Xuan placed a wreath woven from willow branches on Wu Lingxiao's head, his eyes curving into a smile. "Hurry and taste the mandarin fish I made, it used to be your favorite!"

Looking at this incredibly heartwarming scene, Wu Lingxiao felt an unprecedented happiness.

She picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth. The familiar taste stimulated her taste buds, bringing tears to her eyes once again.

"It's delicious... This is the best thing... I have ever eaten..." she cried, desperately stuffing food into her mouth.

Ye Xuan looked at her gently, reaching out to wipe the crumbs from the corner of her mouth, his eyes full of doting love. "Eat slowly, no one is fighting with you for it, Big Sister."

However.

Just as Wu Lingxiao was immersed in this unparalleled happiness, thinking she had finally found salvation.

Consort Xuan, who had been gently stroking her cheek, suddenly stiffened.

Immediately after, his face turned deathly pale, his eyes lost their focus, and he fell straight backward, hitting the cold golden bricks with a heavy thud!

"Husband!"

Frightened out of her wits, Wu Lingxiao let out a shrill scream and lunged forward, wanting to gather Ye Xuan from the floor. "What's wrong? Imperial physician! Summon the imperial..."

Before she could finish her words, Ye Xuan, who was lying on the ground, suddenly moved.

The next second, he slowly stood up in an extremely bizarre posture.

He twisted his neck, emitting a spine-chilling cracking sound of bones.

He shook his head. His originally clear eyes were now completely replaced by a bottomless, pitch-black darkness, and his entire body exuded a sickening, maddening demonic aura.

He looked down at Wu Lingxiao, who was slumped on the ground. The corners of his mouth stretched into an exaggeratedly wide grin, his voice hoarse and full of malicious mockery:

"Your Majesty, are you satisfied?"

Wu Lingxiao felt as if she had been struck by lightning, the blood in her body turning completely cold in that instant.

She stared blankly at the demon-like man before her, her lips trembling violently, unable to make a single sound.

Ye Xuan ripped off the comical duck belt around his waist and casually tossed it into a nearby brazier. The flames instantly swallowed the belt that represented purity and love, turning it to ashes.

Seeing this, Wu Lingxiao trembled all over, the pain making it hard to breathe.

That was their token of love, once Ye Xuan's most precious possession.

"How truly ridiculous."

Ye Xuan slowly walked to the table and kicked over the large cake he had made with his own hands. The pure white cream mixed with red jam, smashing into a messy pulp on the floor.

"It's just that such a heartwarming scene looks so boring."

Ye Xuan stepped on the ruined cake, approaching Wu Lingxiao step by step. The demonic aura in his eyes grew heavier, even carrying a trace of bloodthirsty craving. "How could such a heartwarming scene be worthy of Your Majesty? What I want to see is rivers of blood!"

Looking at Ye Xuan, who was covered in evil energy and seemed like a completely different person, Wu Lingxiao's originally happy expression completely collapsed.

The drastic fall from heaven straight into the infernal depths of hell almost tore her sanity to shreds.

"No... Don't..."

She backed away in terror, tears rolling down like broken pearls. She reached out her hands, clawing at the empty air like a madwoman, and screamed shrilly, "Give me back my Consort Xuan! Give me back the Consort Xuan who called me Big Sister!!"