Chapter 463: Chapter 353: The Nun Detoxifies at Night
As the conversation reached this point, the two spoke no more, stepping into the inner court of the royal palace.
Within the grand palace, security should have been tight, and one could never know where agents of Xique Pavilion might be lurking. Yet, the winds howled desolately, and the grasses swayed wildly. Despite Chen Yi and Dong Guifei both being at the Fourth Rank, they ventured deeper without encountering the faintest human shadow.
"Could it be that this is just a Secret Realm, leaving the palace a hollow construct?"
Chen Yi speculated aloud.
Dong Guifei, who was familiar with paper effigies, shook her head and said:
"If one seeks to fake to real, then the environment the master lives in is of utmost importance."
"What do you mean?"
"As the Taoist says... one must immerse in the mortal world to cultivate through its dust and grime. Hmm... The closer someone is to you, if they turn out to be fake, only then... can true enlightenment occur."
Dong Guifei’s voice unknowingly carried a hint of seduction.
Suppressing the flash of emotions within himself, Chen Yi contemplated the implications of her words.
The meaning was easy to grasp—it was like how a betrayal by someone close to you cuts to the bone. Imagine, if even the one who loves you proves to be an illusion, how would your state of mind hold up?
Nothing other than despair—or enlightenment.
And as for this inner court of the palace, all they had encountered on their way was emptiness, as if it had become an abandoned city.
While Chen Yi was musing, his peripheral vision caught a detail.
Through the interplay of leaves and branches in the distance, a faint bluish aura flickered—it seemed to be pointing the way...
Could that be Yin Weiyin’s Nascent Soul?
Chen Yi’s breath quickened instantly, unable to restrain himself, and he followed after it.
Amidst the crimson palace walls, winding through corner after corner, the path always seemed to stretch on, as the blue light flashed momentarily before disappearing each time.
Accompanying him, Jueyin, though perplexed by the scene, had no choice but to follow, as the antidote-bearer was already on the move.
As they dashed forward, Dong Guifei noticed the path ahead becoming increasingly familiar, her expression subtly shifting.
This was the road to the Cold Palace.
Her own residence.
Not far away, the courtyard stood desolate. The colder the wind blew, the eerier it became. Dry branches and fallen leaves were scattered everywhere, with no one to tend to them. Dong Guifei’s face betrayed a subtle change—her rosy complexion now tinged with unease.
She suddenly said, "This path is wrong."
Chen Yi questioned, "This path is wrong?"
Not wanting the reason for her shifts between the underworld and reality to be exposed, Dong Guifei furrowed her brows in hesitation. Yet, being a person of spiritual discipline who couldn’t tell lies, she eventually replied:
"This is... merely a Cold Palace... If one were to fake to real, it would certainly have no connection with this place."
Dong Guifei’s attempt at concealment did not escape Chen Yi’s notice. Instead, he smiled faintly and said:
"What if it isn’t fake to real?"
"If it isn’t fake to real, then what is it?"
Dong Guifei’s eyes betrayed a momentary daze, her tone softening as she countered Chen Yi’s question. The effects of the Jade Spring Paste were tormenting her, making her itch with desire,
"A spiritual person doesn’t lie... If I deceive you, I’ll be cursed..."
Chen Yi replied coldly, "You’re being cursed right now."
Dong Guifei: "..."
Infuriated! Absolutely infuriated!
Dong Guifei could scarcely believe Chen Yi’s words, gnashing her teeth in fury as even her legs began to itch, pressing tightly together.
Chen Yi ignored her, striding decisively into the courtyard.
The courtyard was utterly desolate, even the stone table used for resting under the trees was piled with fallen leaves. The trees were left untrimmed, their chaotic branches partially enclosing the table and chairs. As for the bedchambers, they were slightly better off, though not by much—dust clung to the doorframe posts, and spiderwebs stretched underfoot.
Chen Yi cast a casual glance around before stepping straight inside.
The interior of the room was neat but showed clear signs of decline. Chen Yi’s gaze swept across but didn’t spot anything noteworthy. He was about to shake his head.
"I’ve already told you there’s nothing of importance here," Dong Guifei chanted like a monk calling for enlightenment in a temple. "You’re just wasting time."
Chen Yi shot her a cold glare.
The nun with flowing hair retreated slightly but soon stepped forward again. How could she not know such words would provoke him? Yet she spoke them either out of flustered anxiety or in a half-hearted attempt to alleviate her condition with mugwort detoxification.
Chen Yi, however, paid no heed to this inexplicable woman, turning his focus back to the bedchamber.
Taking a deep breath, he silently recited the mental method to Open Heaven Eye.
Within the Heart Lake, the waves surged, and amidst the crashing sprays, a golden Heavenly Eye emerged from the waters.
Golden light swept across his eyes, and Chen Yi once again examined the mysterious concubine’s quarters.
His gaze halted upon the inner bedchamber.
Then he stepped forward and entered.
Dong Guifei’s face flushed with an uneasy rosy glow as she saw him step into her boudoir. Her heart pounded wildly, and she hurriedly followed him.
The boudoir contained few furnishings—merely a vanity, crimson curtains, and a bed. Dong Guifei initially tried to remain indifferent, but her composure wavered when Chen Yi’s fingers lightly brushed against the smooth bedding.
Dong Guifei trembled.
This bedding was the one she used nightly, rarely changed in the desolation of the Cold Palace. Now, with Chen Yi’s touch, wasn’t it essentially indirect skin-to-skin contact?
The jade ointment’s effect muddled her thoughts further.
Amidst her scattered wits, she failed to notice Chen Yi frown slightly before pressing a raised stone slab.
Whoosh.
The hidden sound startled Dong Guifei, causing her to shiver all over.
A trapdoor on the floor noisily opened, revealing a pitch-black passageway. Chen Yi lowered his gaze, peering into the dark corridor’s depths.
At the end of the passage stood a bronze door, linking the realms of yin and yang.
How startlingly similar it was to the one at the Prince’s Mansion.
"It seems the concubine who lived in this Cold Palace had a remarkable backstory. But why is it that, while one such door in the Capital City is surprising enough, another exists here?"
Chen Yi muttered to himself.
As the truth gradually surfaced, Dong Guifei’s face flushed as though dyed with blood. Her eyes followed his to the bronze door, seeing something entirely different.