Su Wanqing saw how decisively Father Emperor accepted Lin Changqing's plan, and a strange surge of pride welled up inside her.
"Then, Father Emperor, Your Son will go make preparations for the Flower Deity Lantern Festival."
She curtsied and turned to leave.
"Wait."
Su Gan called after her, his gaze settling on the Golden Qilin lazily sprawled outside the palace doors.
Golden Radiance was squinting as he basked in the sun, his tail swishing back and forth. He looked as relaxed as if he were back in his own home.
"Your safety..."
"Don't worry, Father Emperor."
Su Wanqing smiled and interrupted Su Gan.
"The Saint Venerable left a Saintly Protective Aura on me. He said it could withstand a full-power strike from someone at Martial Saint Peak. And Golden Radiance will be with me, so those demons won't dare act rashly."
She touched the spot between her brows, where a trace of that warm current still lingered.
At her words, most of the worry faded from Su Gan's face.
A Saintly Protective Aura personally left behind by Prince Wu'an, plus a Pureblood Qilin at Early Martial Saint Stage protecting her at close range.
That setup offered better protection than the entire Royal Forest Guard combined.
"Good. Go ahead."
Su Gan nodded.
"Remember, be careful. If anything happens, go to Prince Wu'an immediately."
Su Wanqing curtsied and left the Imperial Study. Golden Radiance lazily got to his feet and followed behind her.
One person and one Qilin headed toward the Flower Deity Lantern Festival.
Su Gan watched his daughter leave, then gave an order to another eunuch beside him.
"Go inform the Sixth Ancestor. Ask him to secretly take charge tonight as well, backing up Prince Wu'an's plan, just in case."
Although the Sixth Ancestor rarely concerned himself with affairs, tonight's matter was of great importance.
Having another Martial Saint at Mid Martial Saint Stage on hand would give them that much more confidence.
The eunuch accepted the order and hurried away.
Su Gan sat back on the dragon throne and picked up his vermilion brush to continue reviewing memorials.
But his grip was visibly tighter than usual, and the tip of his brush dragged across the memorials, leaving several deep ink marks.
His eyes glinted with a cold, murderous intent.
The Holy Demon God Sect had provoked him again and again. Did they really think the Great Yu Dynasty was a soft persimmon they could squeeze?!
At that moment, in the rear courtyard of Prince Wu'an Mansion.
Lin Changqing sat cross-legged on a bluestone beside the hot spring pool, eyes closed.
His perception spread silently, like an invisible tide, enveloping the entire Capital City.
Seen from above the night sky, the whole Capital City was a vast chessboard.
Every street, every residence, every person was a piece on that board.
And what he had to do now was drag out, one by one, all the suspicious pieces hiding among the ordinary ones!
On Vermilion Bird Street, the crowds bustled.
An old man selling candied hawthorns carried his rack through the throng, a kindly smile on his face.
Lin Changqing's perception swept over him, paused for half a breath, then moved on.
At Caishikou.
A woman selling vegetables was haggling with a customer.
Her stall was piled high with fresh vegetables, and she looked like an ordinary market vendor.
Lin Changqing's perception swept over her, paused for a moment, then continued toward the next target.
His brow furrowed slightly.
These people were much better at concealing themselves than the ordinary members of last night's Branch Sect.
If he hadn't cultivated the Heavenly Saint Profound Art, which made his perception several times sharper than that of other Martial Saints at the same stage, he might not have noticed those faint irregularities.
But they were only "faint" irregularities.
Before the perception of someone at Martial Saint Peak, their disguises were no more than paper lanterns.
He checked them one by one, silently counting.
One, two, three.
Each time he locked onto a target, he placed a wisp of perception on them as a mark.
The marks were so well concealed that the targets couldn't detect them at all.
But as long as a mark remained, he could find them at once, even if they hid underground.
As he locked onto one target after another, the curve of Lin Changqing's lips grew more pronounced.
The Four Symbols Holy Guards: four personal guards at Early Martial Saint Stage, capable of joining together to form the Four Symbols Killing Array.
Golden Radiance had already pleased him. With four more, the number of Martial Saints under his command would almost rival the number the Great Yu Dynasty publicly acknowledged.
But it was still too early to close the net.
The system's mission was to stop the conspiracy. Killing a few minor underlings wouldn't be enough.
He had to wait for them to reveal themselves and expose their plan in broad daylight.
His perception continued to spread, penetrating every inch of the ground as it searched for any suspicious fluctuations of Spiritual Power.
Time trickled by.
The last glow on the horizon sank below the skyline.
Darkness settled completely.
Across the Capital City's streets and alleys, tens of thousands of flower lanterns were lit at almost the same moment.
Red lanterns, yellow palace lanterns, purple gauze lanterns, blue crystal lanterns, and lanterns of every shape and style.
Rabbit Lanterns, Butterfly Lanterns, Lotus Lanterns, Koi Lanterns—each one more beautiful and colorful than the last.
The Flower Deity Festival's lantern fair had officially begun.
Inside the Imperial Garden.
A huge lantern tower stood in the center, surrounded by flowers of every color.
Peonies, Chinese herbaceous peonies, roses, azaleas, camellias—flowers bloomed in profusion, their fragrance filling the air.
Ribbons hung from the lantern tower, fluttering gently in the night breeze.
The square before the lantern tower was already packed with people.
There were ordinary residents of the Capital City, wealthy merchants from all over, and quite a few court officials.
Everyone craned their necks toward the lantern tower.
But security was clearly much tighter this year than in previous years.
There were twice as many guards around the square. They wore plain clothes, but they couldn't hide their air of steely discipline.
Among the crowd, plenty of burly men kept watchful eyes on their surroundings.
They were dressed like ordinary people, but the bulges at their waists clearly concealed weapons.
In corners hidden from the crowd, the Demon Hunter Guards, the Demon Suppressing Division's most elite force, had already set up layers of covert sentries.
Xiao Qianjun was personally in command, concealed behind a rockery near the lantern tower.
He had changed into an ordinary gray robe tonight. At first glance, he looked like just another citizen enjoying the festivities.
But the blade at his waist was already drawn a few inches.
Just then, a low rumble of thunder came from afar.
Everyone looked up.
A golden figure was flying toward them through the night sky, treading on thunder.
It was a Qilin covered in golden scales, golden thunder flashing beneath its four hooves and illuminating half of the Imperial Garden.
A young woman in a long, bright-red palace gown sat on its back.
Golden phoenixes with outstretched wings were embroidered on the hem of her gown, shining brilliantly in the golden light.
Her long hair was coiled into a soaring immortal's bun, with a Nine-Tailed Phoenix Hairpin tucked into it.
The Night-Shining Pearls set in the hairpin gave off a soft glow, making her look as if she had descended from the heavens.
It was Princess Yunshu, Su Wanqing.
A wave of startled exclamations burst from the crowd.
"It's Princess Yunshu!"
"The Qilin the princess is riding belongs to Prince Wu'an!"
"Good heavens, that Qilin looks even more imposing up close than it did from afar last night! Look at those scales—they look like pure gold!"
"The princess made her entrance on a Qilin. What a spectacle!"
The commoners knelt in greeting, their voices rising like wave after wave.
"Greetings, Princess Yunshu!"
Su Wanqing sat atop the Qilin, smiling with graceful poise.
She raised a hand and gently pressed it down.
"Please rise, everyone."
"Today is the Flower Deity Festival. By Father Emperor's command, I have come to celebrate with the people. There's no need for formalities. Enjoy the flowers and lanterns to your hearts' content, and spend this beautiful night together."
Her voice rang clear and sweet, carrying a note of ease.
The commoners thanked her again, then rose to their feet.
The atmosphere in the Imperial Garden grew livelier still.
Meanwhile, in the crowd.
The old man selling candied hawthorns stood in a corner with his rack, looking up at the figure on the Qilin's back.
A murderous glint flashed through his eyes, then vanished as he resumed his kindly smile.
Yet the veins on the back of his hand, gripping the rack, stood out faintly.
Not far from him, a peddler selling handmade wooden carvings was also looking up.
His face wore the same excited smile as the other commoners, but his eyes were cold beneath it.
They exchanged a glance, and both understood what the other was thinking.
Why was this damned Pureblood Qilin beside Princess Yunshu too?
There were already more than enough guards hidden in the crowd. Now there was also this holy beast Qilin at Early Martial Saint Stage.
The difficulty of abducting the princess at the lantern fair had multiplied several times over.
Could the Great Yu really be blessed by Heaven?
Before you continue