As the situation outside continued to shift, Bai Yu finished digesting the information in the jade slip, then left the secret chamber and headed straight for a certain room.
Slowly pushing open the door, he saw Shu Lichuo suspended in midair above an enormous bed. Dense power of desire permeated the surroundings. Her head hung low, the golden ropes around her body gleaming with flowing light, while her delicate body trembled from time to time. None of her former dominance remained; in its place was a strange, alluring charm.
Now that the Holy Empress had been abducted, it was a devastating blow to the Royal Court. The forces that had once sworn loyalty to Shu Lichuo had nearly fallen apart over the past two and a half months.
Though the uproar outside remained as fervent as ever, the internal power structure of the Royal Court had long since changed. Most of the forces loyal to Shu Lichuo swiftly cut ties and sought new patrons, while some diehard loyalists simply left the Royal Court and searched the Northern Frontier for Bai Yu's traces.
Unfortunately, despite their grand and sweeping efforts, they found no trace of him. And as more time passed, more of Bai Yu's past came to light—something even harder for countless people to accept.
After all, Bai Yu's reputation in the Midstream had hit rock bottom because of the rumors. Coupled with his monstrous talent as a Great Apothecary, many in the Upperstream believed that the famed Holy Empress had likely already been devoured clean, bones and all.
Such an outcome was utterly unacceptable to Shu Lichuo's admirers. And if Shu Lichuo's formidable foundation had truly been thoroughly consumed, the Royal Court's fundamental reserves would risk being exposed.
Such speculation and rumors spread through the Northern Frontier, driving the