Someone Was About to Have Bad Luck
After the Blood Qilin dispersed, the pool returned to calm, and the bloody smell in the hall quickly faded away.
Qin Yu withdrew his gaze and silently retreated, disappearing back into the shadows near the palace gate.
At the same time, Lin Yi's body trembled suddenly at the edge of the pool.
He cautiously opened one eye, his gaze quickly sweeping around.
After confirming that the terrifying aura that had been suffocating him had disappeared, Lin Yi instantly collapsed at the edge of the Blood Pool, gasping for breath.
After a long while, Lin Yi slowly propped himself up on his arms and sat up, still shaken, and looked around the empty palace.
He really felt it just now!
Something was standing right in front of him!
But he didn't dare open his eyes at all; he could only keep them tightly shut, pretending that he was still in a state of suspended animation, his hair soaked with cold sweat.
"What exactly is that...?"
Lin Yi shook his head, not daring to think about it any further, and quickly climbed out from the edge of the Blood Pool.
After standing still, he activated his Dou Qi to cleanse the dark red liquid that had stained his skin and trouser legs.
"That's terrifying."
Lin Yi glanced at the still-calm pool of water, shrank back, and all he wanted to do was get out of this awful place as quickly as possible.
But then he thought about it again, and realized that it had only been less than half a day since he came in.
If he ran out now and claimed he had passed the test... no one would believe him.
Not to mention, if it were discovered that he hadn't actually dared to go deep into the Blood Pool and was just lying on the edge to fool people, he would lose all face.
So Lin Yi gritted his teeth and decided to stay for three more days.
Anyway, those Imperial Family who had been soaked in the Blood Pool before, the shortest of them lasted for two days.
He'll stay here for three days before going out; even if he doesn't succeed, at least he'll save face.
As for the remaining time...
Lin Yi moved away from the Blood Pool, found a relatively clean spot on the stone floor against the wall inside the hall, plopped down, and then lay down.
He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and soon began to snore softly.
She slept quite soundly, though.
Qin Yu watched this scene from the shadows, his lips twitching slightly.
What a talent!
Qin Yu had originally considered whether to dispose of Lin Yi directly in the Blood Pool.
But he only let the thought cross his mind for a moment before suppressing it.
It's not the right time yet.
The Blood Qilin's demand is to retrieve three items: its horn, its eye, and its claws, which are respectively held by the Emperor and Lin Feng.
If Lin Yi were to die mysteriously in the Blood Pool now, the difficulty for him to get close to the emperor and Lin Feng would more than double.
Once Lin Yi gets out alive, the Imperial Family's attention will naturally shift away from him, making it safer to take action then.
Qin Yu withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at the sleeping fellow, and sat down cross-legged in the shadows, closing his eyes to rest.
Three days passed quickly.
A muffled whirring sound came from outside the palace gates, and the dark blue doors slowly slid open to the sides.
Lin Yi startled awake by the noise and sprang up from the ground with a start.
He took a deep breath, trying to appear less flustered, and then strode out of the hall.
Qin Yu followed behind him, stepping out of the palace gate almost simultaneously.
Outside the hall, Lin Feng and the white-haired old man were still there. When they saw Lin Yi come out, their eyes fell on him at the same time.
The white-haired old man shook his head slightly, saying nothing more.
Lin Feng stepped forward, patted Lin Yi on the shoulder, and asked in a low voice:
Are you alright?
After giving a few perfunctory replies, Lin Yi made an excuse and left first.
Qin Yu had already passed them and strode along the palace wall towards the outside of the palace.
Along the way, none of the palace servants, guards, or eunuchs noticed his presence.
He swaggered through the many palace gates, walked out of the Heavenly Qilin Palace, left Heavenly Qilin City, and arrived outside the city.
On the high slope outside the city gate, the spot where Yun Yun had been standing was now empty, but a very faint trace of Wind-Attribute Battle Qi remained on the ground, extending southeastward.
This must be a guide left by Yun Yun on purpose; only those familiar with her Dou Qi fluctuations can recognize it.
Qin Yu followed the trail for about half an hour and found Yun Yun leaning against a large tree, meditating with her eyes closed, by a stream in a dense forest.
The effect of his Extra Character was still present, so Yun Yun didn't react when he approached.
Qin Yu stopped three steps in front of her, thought for a moment, and then called out:
"Sister Yun."
Yun Yun suddenly opened her eyes, and with a flick of her wrist, her longsword was already drawn.
A sharp wind blade, wrapped in sword energy, pierced straight at Qin Yu's face; it was a completely instinctive reaction from someone who was startled.
Qin Yu had anticipated this, and he dodged to the side. The sword energy grazed past his ear, severing a few strands of hair and leaving a deep sword mark on the tree trunk behind him.
Yun Yun finally saw who it was. Her sword froze in mid-air, and her expression quickly changed from wary to helpless and reproachful.
"... If you appear silently like this again next time, don't cry out in pain if I wound you with my sword."
Qin Yu raised his hand and touched the severed hair at the side of his ear, his expression unchanged:
"Didn't I dodge it?"
Yun Yun rolled her eyes at him, sheathed her longsword, sat down again under the tree, and patted the ground beside her to signal him to sit down as well.
"How did things go?"
Qin Yu sat down beside her and briefly recounted what he had seen and heard over the past few days.
From the information obtained from the conversation between Lin Yi and his son, to the negotiation with the lingering spirit of the Qilin in the Blood Pool, and then to the whereabouts of the three remains.
As Yun Yun listened, her brows furrowed more and more tightly.
After Qin Yu finished speaking, she remained silent for a long while before whispering:
"... To dismember their own sacred beast, which they've worshipped for hundreds of years? How could these people do something like that?"
"They not only divided it up, but they also wanted to use its flesh and blood to nurture future generations."
Qin Yu shrugged, thinking to himself that this was just ignorance being bliss.
Yun Yun shook her head helplessly, her expression complex. She looked up towards the distant direction of Heavenly Qilin City, her words tinged with a sigh:
"I remember a hundred years ago, the Heavenly Qilin Empire was indeed the most powerful empire in the Northwestern Continent, without exception."
"The three empires of Qianshan, Youming, and Fengxue today were all vassals of the Heavenly Qilin Empire back then."
Thousand Mountains, Netherworld, and Snowstorm are the three countries that directly border the Heavenly Qilin Empire.
"Who would have thought that the foundation of the Heavenly Qilin Empire's strength was the protection of a Qilin, and that it was precisely those who were protected by it who destroyed it."
After a while, Yun Yun withdrew her gaze and turned to look at him:
"You say you want to kill Lin Feng and that emperor, how can I help?"
Before Qin Yu could speak, Yun Yun suddenly let out a soft "Ah," as if she had remembered something, and said:
"By the way, a few days ago, that prince named Lin Feng came out of the city once. He must have sensed my presence and came to test me."
"I chatted with him briefly, and then retreated here to avoid being continuously watched by them."
Qin Yu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and the outline of a plan quickly took shape in his mind.
He turned to look at Yun Yun, a hint of amusement in his eyes:
"That makes things easier."
Looking at his expression, Yun Yun had a vague feeling that someone was about to be in trouble.