Late at night, in the palace, the bedroom of Xue Ye is brightly lit with candles.
The imperial doctor has retired, and the palace maids have also been sent out.
Qian Renxue stood alone in front of the bed, holding a bowl of medicine in his hand.
Xue Ye was lying on the bed, his face was pale, his eye sockets were sunken, and his breathing was heavy and messy.
He has become extremely thin. The majestic emperor he once was is now only a skeleton supporting a layer of skin.
Qian Renxue looked at him for a long time.
She recalled the first time she walked into this palace when she was nine years old. He touched her head and said, "You will be the prince from now on."
Thinking of her playing the role of his son day after day, serving tea and water, reviewing memorials, and sharing the government affairs for him.
Remembering that he would occasionally ask "Are you tired?", she smiled and said "No."
Those smiles are fake, but the question is real.
Qian Renxue put the medicine bowl on the bedside, turned around and walked out of the palace. On the corridor, the night wind blew in, causing the corridor lamp to flicker.
Returning to the imperial study, she closed the door, sat down in front of the desk, spread out a piece of white paper, and dipped her pen in ink.
The pen tip hung on the paper for a long time, and then fell down.
"Come Crown Prince's Residence. Tonight."
There was no title or signature. She folded the letter, sealed it with Soul Power, and called the guards.
"Send it to Ashen Territory and hand it over to Chen Jieqi." The guard took it and stepped back.
Qian Renxue leaned back on the chair and closed his eyes.
I think of the conversation between Spirit City and him, I think of him saying that you are no longer alone, and I think of Ashen Territory's fluctuations in the platinum and scarlet clouds.
The pride of being the descendant of the Angel Clan makes her unwilling to lag behind.
But she is not in Spirit City, she is in Heaven Dou City, wearing the mask of Xue Qinghe, guarding the hospital bed of Xue Ye, and approving the memorial of the Xue Ye empire.
She didn't want to wait any longer.
Ashen Territory, night.
Chen Jieqi stood on the altar, the moonlight shining on the bluestone floor.
The sound of horse hooves was heard in the distance, and a fast horse galloped from the official road and stopped at the mouth of the valley.
The guard got off his horse and handed over a sealed letter with both hands.
"His Highness said, hand it over to Earl."
Chen Jieqi took the letter, tore open the seal and took out the letter paper.
There was only one line of words on it. He folded the letter, put it in his sleeve, and walked off the altar.
Dugu Yan walked out of the chapel and glanced at him.
"Where to go?"
"Heaven Dou City."
"Now?"
"Now."
He didn't explain, got on his horse and walked out of the valley.
Dugu Yan stood at the door of the chapel, watching his back disappear into the night without asking any questions.
Chen Jieqi is riding a horse at a gallop, the night wind blows into his robe, blowing his long silver-white hair back.
He didn't think too much, and he didn't need to think too much. When she asked him to go, he went.
The horse's hooves stepped on the official road, making a rapid clicking sound that could be heard far in the silent night.
He passed by Bluestone Ridge, passed by the Whitewater River, and passed by the villages that had been massacred by Evil Soul Master.
Now the smoke has risen again in those villages, and the people are sleeping peacefully.
He didn't know if things would change at Heaven Dou City when he came back.
But he knew that she probably wouldn't wait any longer.
Crown Prince's Residence, study room.
Qian Renxue did not wear the prince's court dress, only a white singlet, with her blond hair tied behind her head, revealing her own face.
She stood in front of the window, her back to the door.
The moonlight filtered in through the gap in the window lattice and fell on her shoulders, dyeing the white singlet silver.
Chen Jieqi opened the door and came in, bringing in a gust of night wind that made the candlelight on the table dance.
Qian Renxue There is no looking back.
"Xue Ye, tonight."
Chen Jieqi said nothing.
He walked to the table and looked at the burnt feather she placed on the table.
The feathers lay there quietly, and the burn marks glowed with a dark golden light under the candlelight.
"You don't ask why?" Qian Renxue turned around.
"No need, take the path you choose yourself."
Qian Renxue looked at him for a long time.
She remembered the first time she met him at the Royal Academy. At that time, he was eleven and a half years old. He had silver hair, golden eyes, and a light golden mark between his eyebrows.
I remember him saying, "There is some disguise, so you don't have to act so tiredly."
I remember him saying, "Whether you choose or not, it's up to you. This is what I recognize."
She lowered her head and looked at her hands.
"Chen Jieqi, I can't wait any longer. You and Tang San are both running forward, and I can't stand still.
Tang San comes out from Slaughter City, and the killing path can already force out your sixth Soul Skill before it is formed.
Your light changes from an oil lamp to a beacon.
And what about me? I'm still wearing a mask at Heaven Dou City, approving memorials, and serving an old man who is about to die."
Her voice was calm, but every word was like a stone, weighing on her heart.
"I am the successor of Angel God, the twentieth level of Innate Full Soul Power, and the young master of the Spirit Hall. I can't be left behind by you."
Chen Jieqi looked at her.
"You are not standing still, you are always walking, but the path you take is different."
Qian Renxue was silent for a moment, then she walked to the table, picked up the piece of feather with burn marks, and put it in the palm of her hand.
The burn marks of the feathers touched the palm of her hand, making it slightly hot.
"I'll leave this for you until I come back."
"How long?"
"I don't know." Qian Renxue said, "But it won't be long."
Chen Jieqi nodded, turned and walked towards the door. He walked to the door, stopped, and did not look back.
"Qian Renxue."
"Hmm."
"Waiting for you to come back."
He pushed the door open and went out. Qian Renxue stood there, looking at the closed door for a long time.
She walked back to the case, folded the prince's court uniform, and placed it on the table.
Then he took off his white clothes, put on a white palace dress, straightened his blond hair and draped it behind his shoulders.
She looked in the bronze mirror and saw that the person in the mirror was not Xue Qinghe, but Qian Renxue.
She opened the door and walked towards Xue Ye's bedroom.
In the bedroom, most of the candles were burned out. Xue Ye was lying on the bed, eyes closed and breathing weakly.
Qian Renxue walked to the bed, holding the bowl of cold medicine in his hand.
She sat down by the bed and looked at that face.
Pale, thin, with prominent cheekbones and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes like knife marks.
She had seen this face smiling, angry, and tired, but she had never seen it look like this, like a lamp that was about to burn out.
"Father."
Xue Ye opened her eyes, and the cloudy eyes turned and fell on her face.
His lips moved and he uttered a vague syllable, like "Qinghe" or something else.
Qian Renxue handed the medicine bowl over and helped him sit up.
"It's time to take medicine."
Xue Ye didn't refuse and drank the bowl of medicine with her hand.
The medicine was very bitter. He frowned but said nothing.
Qian Renxue put the empty bowl on the bedside, helped him lie down, pulled the quilt up, and tucked the corners of the quilt.
"Father, please have a good rest."
Xue Ye closed his eyes. His breathing became weaker and slower, like a lamp that was about to burn out.
Qian Renxue sat beside the bed and did not leave.
She watched his chest rise and fall, once, twice, three times. Then it stopped.
It was very quiet in the bedroom.
The candle flame danced and ashes fell from the wick.
Qian Renxue stood up, pulled the quilt up, and covered Xue Ye's face.
She didn't cry or frown, she just stood there, then turned around and walked out of the palace.
On the corridor, the night wind blew in, causing the corridor lights to flicker.
Her steps were steady and her face was calm. The skirt of her white palace dress dragged on the bluestone floor without a speck of dust on it.
She walked back to the imperial study, sat down in front of the case, and wrote down a warrant.
A minister will take care of it tomorrow.
Qian Renxue stood up and took one last look at the study room.
The memorial on the desk, the map on the wall, the bronze mirror in front of the window.
She has sat here for more than ten years, approved tens of thousands of memorials, and performed in thousands of plays.
She won't come back, but "Xue Qinghe" will.
Spirit Hall's disguise master is already waiting in the side hall. That person will put on her mask.
Wear her court clothes, preside over her coronation ceremony, review memorials for her, and act as the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire until she comes back.
Qian Renxue walked out of the study and out of the palace gate without looking back.
Behind him, the door of the side hall opened, and a figure exactly like "Xue Qinghe" came out, wearing a moon-white brocade robe and a jade crown, and walked towards the imperial study.
Qian Renxue rose into the sky and flew in the direction of Spirit City.
The night wind blew her white palace dress, and her blond hair glowed cold white in the moonlight.
Heaven Dou City's lights went out one by one.