The Empress's Jealousy

Deep within the imperial palace, in a secluded side hall.

Dozens of seemingly indestructible isolation barriers formed a massive golden cage, sealing the side hall completely.

Ye Xuan stopped before the white jade steps outside the hall, standing with his hands behind his back. He did not bother breaking the complicated array nodes. Instead, he slowly raised his right hand.

A fierce, peerless sword intent burst from his fingertips, and a flash of crimson crossed his gray-white eyes.

“Break.”

Ye Xuan parted two fingers like a sword and casually swept them toward the layers of barriers.

A deafening explosion tore through the tranquility of the imperial palace.

The dozens of barriers, strong enough to withstand the full-force assault of a peak Mahayana cultivator, shattered inch by inch before Ye Xuan’s sword intent like fragile glass. They transformed into a sky full of golden light, scattering down in a glittering rain.

A violent wave of spiritual energy swept in every direction, flinging open the heavy wooden doors of the side hall.

Inside, the white jade lamp still cast its gentle glow.

Ying'er stood just beyond the threshold. The terrifying pressure that had made her seem lofty and all-powerful, regarding all living beings as mere ants before Wu Lingxiao, was gone. So was the detached expression with which she had toyed with golden flames at her fingertips.

At that moment, her eyes were rimmed with red, and her petite figure looked terribly fragile in the night wind.

The instant she saw Ye Xuan standing unharmed amid the shower of light, dressed in his black-and-gold robe, the tears in her eyes finally broke free and poured down her cheeks.

“Husband!”

Like a fledgling returning to its nest, Ying'er rushed out without hesitation and threw herself into Ye Xuan’s arms.

Ye Xuan caught her securely, wrapping both arms tightly around her soft waist.

Her petite body trembled violently against him, and her warm tears quickly soaked through the front of his robe.

“Husband…”

Ying'er buried her face deeply in his chest, clutching his robes with both hands. Her voice was thick with sobs and unease. “You finally came… You’re not angry with me, are you? You’re not angry that I kept deceiving you and hid my cultivation from you?”

Hearing the tremor in her voice and feeling the very real fear within her, deep pity flashed through Ye Xuan’s eyes.

He lowered his head slightly, resting his chin gently against the crown of her hair. Then, with the same fond exasperation as always, he reached out and lightly pinched her tear-streaked cheek.

“You silly girl. If I were angry with you, why would I be standing here?”

Ye Xuan’s voice was gentle enough to melt the heart. Looking into Ying'er’s clear eyes, filled with uncertainty, he curved his lips into a warm smile.

“You possess such tremendous power, yet even when Wu Lingxiao humiliated you, you refused to reveal the slightest bit of it.”

“Even just now, you only used a trace of your pressure to drive her away. It seems you can’t use your power without restraint… Could there be some reason holding you back?”

Ying'er’s body stiffened slightly.

She looked up at Ye Xuan’s gray-white eyes, eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything, and bit her lower lip. After hesitating for a moment, she finally gathered her courage and spoke in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper, yet filled with deep apprehension.

“My people… have been searching for me.”

She lowered her head, not daring to meet Ye Xuan’s gaze. Her voice trembled faintly.

“As long as I use the power of my origin, they’ll sense my aura. If they find me… I-I’ll never be able to stay by your side again.”

The smile on Ye Xuan’s face faded slightly. He did not ask what kind of terrifying beings her people were, nor did he ask what sort of fate she carried upon her shoulders.

He simply gazed at her in silence, then nodded firmly.

“I understand.”

There were no needless promises, no vows of eternal devotion. Yet those four simple words carried the weight of a thousand mountains.

He drew Ying'er into his arms once more, wrapping her tightly within the broad sleeves of his black-and-gold robe, as though he intended to use this mortal body—which was by no means invincible—to shield her from every storm and pursuer across the myriad heavens and worlds.

And in the shadow of a tall pavilion several hundred yards away—

Wu Lingxiao stood there in silence. Her black-and-gold imperial robes snapped in the wind, while her cold, beautiful, and noble face was hidden in darkness, making her expression impossible to read.

She had watched Ye Xuan shatter the barriers she had been so proud of with a single sword stroke. She had watched the young girl who had seemed like an invincible ancient demon god before her cry in Ye Xuan’s arms like a child who had lost her protector.

She watched the extreme tenderness in Ye Xuan’s eyes—a tenderness she had never received, and had never even dared to hope for.

Wu Lingxiao slowly raised a hand and pressed it against her chest.

There, the heart of an emperor—once cold, selfish, and utterly heartless—was now being savagely gnawed at by jealousy.

Bitterness and resentment surged up like waves, one after another, making her eyes sting and her breathing grow painfully difficult.

The next day.

Outside Weiyang Palace, beneath the warm and gentle sunlight of the imperial garden, Ye Xuan sat beneath a thousand-year-old spirit-peach tree. His black-and-gold robe lay spread casually across the grass.

Ying'er knelt behind him, her slender fingers gently combing through his long hair. Her movements were practiced and natural, as though they were not in the imperial household, where danger lurked everywhere, but in some secluded paradise beyond the mortal world.

“Husband, the spirit peaches in the Great Xia Imperial Palace taste quite good. They’re just missing some of the wildness of the ones we used to pick in the Divine Abyss.” Ying'er peeled a crystal-clear spirit peach and held the fruit to Ye Xuan’s lips between her fingertips.

Ye Xuan opened his mouth and bit down, juice bursting across his tongue.

He took hold of Ying'er's hand, his gray-white eyes filled with affection.

“If you like them, then after we leave this place, we’ll plant a few on a deserted island in the Endless Sea.”

“As long as I’m with you, Husband, anywhere is fine.” Ying'er smiled brilliantly, her entire being seeming to melt into Ye Xuan’s tenderness.

However, deep within a distant white jade corridor, a black-and-gold figure stood motionless in the shadows, as rigid as a stone statue.

Wu Lingxiao stared fixedly at the dazzling scene before her. Her fingernails sank deep into the white jade railing, leaving behind a series of clear scratches.

Rip!

Wu Lingxiao suddenly clenched her sleeve. The golden flame there continued to dance.

Throughout the day, she had employed countless forbidden methods, even going so far as to expend her origin dragon energy in an attempt to suppress it.

Yet whenever she saw even the slightest smile appear on Ye Xuan’s face for Ying'er, the flame would sense the jealousy in her heart and surge instantly, scorching her meridians and making her soul tremble with agony.

“Damn it… What kind of cursed thing is this?” Wu Lingxiao ground her teeth, a fine layer of cold sweat beading across her forehead.

She was the Empress of Great Xia, for heaven’s sake. When had she ever fallen to such a wretched state?

She couldn’t bring herself to kill him, yet she couldn’t imprison him. Even a single glance from that little girl filled her with an inexplicable sense of intimidation.

She watched Ye Xuan affectionately pinch Ying'er's cheek. She watched the two of them laugh and banter softly together. That nameless flame rampaged through her chest, nearly burning away the last of her reason.

“Ye Xuan… You’ve never smiled at me like that.”

Wu Lingxiao screamed inwardly.