After a sigh, Dong Guifei patted the couplet again, as if securing it in place. She faintly heard the sound of footsteps.

The cold wind howled through, sharp and biting.

As soon as she turned around, she saw the figure standing outside the courtyard gate.

Dong Guifei took a deep breath and said:

"Don't make a move, I'll confess everything."

...............

While the Empress was busy dealing with the sudden turmoil in the palace, Chen Yi and his group had already been traveling through the underworld for several days.

There was a yin-yang gate in Dong Guifei's cold palace that led to the underworld, and from the very beginning, Chen Yi had set his sights on it.

"She knows that one day above is equal to a year below. I suspect that in just a few days, she'll interfere with our divinations."

Chen Yi walked ahead, holding the hand of a little fox, traversing the rugged, narrow mountain path. To the side, he could see vast stone forests interwoven with crimson manjusaka flowers.

"She already has interfered."

Zhou Yitang calculated with her fingers and said softly.

Chen Yi replied somewhat sheepishly, "Faster than I thought."

Turning back, he saw Yin Weiyin, Yin Tingxue, and Min Ming. He had taken along as many of the women as he could.

As for Dong Gong Ruoshu and Lin Wanxiao, they were too closely guarded for Chen Yi to spirit them away, and Dong Guifei herself had no desire to leave.

Yin Weiyin took two steps forward, following closely behind Chen Yi, and said:

"You—did you and my father plan this all along?"

"Are you asking if I used him as a decoy to escape the palace later?" Chen Yi paused and said softly, "I did think about using your father to get away. Plans always need contingencies. If I had the choice, who would willingly come to the underworld to battle the winds?"

Escaping the Capital City through the underworld required finding a yin-yang gate outside the city, but that was far easier said than done.

The geography of the underworld does not match the human world, with its many winding and perilous paths, filled with countless wandering spirits and wild ghosts.

Thus, Chen Yi specifically consulted Dong Guifei, who only knew of one other yin-yang gate.

That gate led beyond the suburbs of the Capital City, in the direction of North Yao River. From there, they could travel upstream or downstream.

After some contemplation, Chen Yi said:

"Let's not worry about delays for now. If we reach the gate safely, you'll need to leave with my master, head to Yin Sword Mountain, where Lu Ying will meet you en route, and then let True Yuan Yu Zhen take you back to Taihua Mountain."

Before Lantern Festival, Lu Ying and others from Yin Sword Mountain had already left in advance under Zhou Yitang's instructions.

Yin Weiyin furrowed her brows:

"What about you?"

Chen Yi took a deep breath and said:

"I want to leave with you, but I can't rush off just yet. I need to stay behind and spar with them for a while longer."

"Spar?"

"I'm her primary target, not you. So, I must separate from you on this journey."

After speaking, Chen Yi smiled bitterly.

Since the events in the underground palace, Zhou Yitang was no longer the undisputed Ninth Under Heaven. In her current state, she could not possibly fend off the nameless old matron alone, let alone the many lords of Xique Pavilion down the line. Rather than fighting together, it was better to split into two groups, using himself as bait to ensure their safety.

Knowing that Chen Yi already had everything planned out, Yin Weiyin did not argue further. She furrowed her brows faintly, thinking to herself how this man always put everyone else out of harm's way while placing himself directly in its midst. If he wasn't a mere mortal, then he certainly acted like one born for such fate.

She initially intended to let out a cold laugh and sarcastically remind him to watch out for himself, but an inexplicable unease made her reconsider. After some thought, she toned down her words and, lowering her gaze, said:

"You… just be careful on the road."

Chen Yi noticed the subtle disdain in her tone and cast her a glance.

Yin Weiyin shivered slightly, pursing her lips, but raised her eyes to meet his gaze.

She knew she had slightly displeased Chen Yi…

And the consequences of that were never pleasant…

Brooding for a long moment, she leaned closer to his ear to offer consolation:

"…Once you return to Taihua Mountain, as your wife, I'll keep you company day and night."

...............

...............

Though they said the journey went smoothly, it wasn't entirely so.

Taking the path through the underworld to escape the Capital City was a risky gamble. Even riskier, after their divinations were disrupted by the court-appointed Taoists of the Astronomical Bureau, the group found themselves lost repeatedly.

Chen Yi's mood fluctuated as he realized their escape through the yin-yang gate in Dong Guifei's cold palace would soon be exposed. Surely, the Empress would dispatch pursuers, quickly extracting from Dong Guifei the locations of yin-yang gates near the Capital City.

The longer they delayed, the more precarious their situation became.

Yet, after many twists and turns, they managed to narrowly avoid danger, navigating countless winding trails and scaling several sheer cliffs before finally arriving at the yin-yang gate.

As they pushed open the gate and once again saw the warm, gentle sunlight, Chen Yi felt an odd sense of discomfort.

The blazing sun stood high in the sky, nearing noon; two full hours had passed.

Two hours were more than enough for the palace to react. Surely, the nameless old matron and spies from Xique Pavilion were already in pursuit.

Chen Yi turned his head to glance at Zhou Yitang.

She said nothing—no words of caution, no reminders of danger—just nodded faintly.

Two lifetimes as husband and wife; some things needed no words to understand.

But for Yin Weiyin and Yin Tingxue, things were different. The female crown couldn't hide the concern in her gaze, and Yin Tingxue was even more nervous, saying:

"Please be careful! If you're caught, the Empress won't spare you!"

Chen Yi reassured her not to worry, coaxing her patiently. But the girl's anxiety wouldn't subside, so he took out the small paper boat she had given him and said softly:

"This is the talisman you gifted me; I'll be okay."

Seeing this, Yin Tingxue nodded, then pulled out the small paper flower he had given her and said:

"I've kept what you gave me too."

Chen Yi felt a warmth in his heart but knew time would not wait, leaving no room for tender moments. With a wave of his hand, he urged them to depart quickly.

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