Today's first update: Chapter 3489! 1/4!
As soon as he spoke, the overwhelming pressure bearing down on Bu Wan abruptly vanished. Xu Kun even stepped aside and pointed toward the palace doors, his expression indifferent, as though he had truly lost interest in her.
"Y-You're letting me go?"
Bu Wan froze. She had never expected him to give up on her, his hostage, so easily. For a moment, she could hardly believe it, and an indescribable sense of loss and emptiness welled up within her instead.
"Heh. The Heaven's Mandate Black Bird is nothing special."
Xu Kun's chuckle carried undisguised disappointment and contempt. "You do not even have the courage to contend with Heaven itself, much less a trace of your brother's spirit—the spirit to press onward even against a million foes.
Go back. Return to your Phoenix Palace and continue being your sheltered, innocent princess. That is where you belong."
Bu Wan was completely bewildered.
She hesitated, then tentatively shuffled a few steps toward the palace doors, her footing unsteady.
Halfway there, she could not help turning around. She looked at the Lord of Huang, whose back was turned to her, his figure exceptionally tall and cold. Her lips parted, but she did not know what to say.
In the end, she looked toward Caiyi, who was likewise being restrained nearby and was gazing at her anxiously. Concern filled her eyes.
"Caiyi, she..."
"You need not worry about her."
Without even turning his head, Xu Kun cut her off, his voice resolute. "As her aunt and elder, you cannot even protect yourself. You have neither the ability to protect her nor the qualifications to guide her. She is a rare piece of uncut jade. What she needs is a craftsman who truly recognizes jade and dares to carve