As soon as Uncle Yao finished speaking in a panic, Wen Jiao realized something was wrong.
She turned around and looked back.
Uncle Yao's face was deathly pale, his hand clutching a jade slip for urgent communication, his chest heaving violently.
Wen Jiao quickly stepped forward to greet her.
" Uncle Yao, speak slowly."
She stared at the communication jade slip, her voice unconsciously tense.
What exactly happened in the capital?
Uncle Yao swallowed hard, forcing down his breathing, and said in a trembling voice:
"The Grand Secretariat... has just sent back an urgent confidential report."
"Just half an hour ago, the Great Qian Imperial Family personally issued a proclamation to the world on behalf of the royal family."
Wen Jiao's heart sank little by little.
Uncle Yao gripped the jade slip tightly, his voice hoarse.
"They claim... that the Great Qian never recognized Prince Chu's status as a son-in-law, nor ever issued an imperial edict of marriage."
"All the previous rumors about the prince consort are completely unfounded."
"The royal family... does not recognize them."
boom!
Those words fell like a thunderbolt crashing into the courtyard.
Wen Jiao's mind went blank.
She stumbled and nearly fell, but Uncle Yao reached out and caught her in time.
"Impossible."
Wen Jiao blurted out, her phoenix eyes filled with disbelief. "Between Xueyao and Chu Yunfei... even if the royal family has objections, Xueyao cannot stand by and watch the royal family make such a declaration at this time."
She grabbed Uncle Yao's arm, her voice becoming urgent.
Is the information accurate?
"What about Xueyao? What did she say?"
Uncle Yao looked bitter and shook his head.
"It's absolutely true. That proclamation bears the royal seal and has now spread throughout the entire capital."
As for Her Highness the Princess...
He paused, then lowered his voice.
She never showed up throughout.
"The Grand Secretariat has sent people to the palace several times to request an audience with the princess, but they have all been stopped at the palace gates by the imperial guards."
Wen Jiao loosened her grip, her fingertips tightening slightly.
She bit her pale lips, countless thoughts racing through her mind.
Strange.
This is too strange.
Given Ling Xueyao's personality, how could she possibly allow the First Prince to make such a decision for her?
Even with a knife to her throat, she would never compromise.
Did the eldest prince spare her?
Or has some unknown event occurred deep within the palace?
Upon hearing this, Wen Buqi's expression also darkened.
He glanced at the tightly closed door of the side room, his Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and finally he whispered:
"Broken..."
"I assured the sect leader and all the elders in the main hall today that as long as Chu Yunfei is saved, I will gain Celestial Person from the Great Qian Imperial Family."
"Now that the royal family has suddenly severed ties with him, wouldn't everything I've said become a joke?"
The words had barely left his mouth.
A long laugh suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.
"Hahaha, Elder Wen, it seems your information network is much better than mine!"
The sound of footsteps grew louder as they approached.
Zhou Changgeng and Zhou Heng entered the courtyard one after the other, their expressions calm, as if they had already anticipated what would happen here.
Zhou Heng's gaze passed over Wen Jiao and landed on her reddened eyes.
A gentle smile still lingered on his handsome face, but his hands, hidden in his sleeves, were clenched tightly.
That bitch, she actually cried like this for the man in the house.
Wen Buqi suddenly turned around.
" Zhou Changgeng, what are you doing here?"
His spiritual energy surged slowly around him, clearly indicating that he was truly enraged.
Zhou Changgeng merely raised his eyelids, his expression indifferent.
"This elder is here to convey a message from the sect leader."
He took out a communication talisman from his sleeve and waved it between his fingers.
"The sect leader has just sent me a message."
"The matter that Pill Pavilion requested in the main hall today... the Jade Firmament Sect does not agree!"
Wen Buqi's body trembled, then he laughed in extreme anger.
"Fart!"
"During the daytime in the main hall, the sect leader was clearly already tempted; it was you who interfered and stirred up trouble."
"Tell tales?"
Zhou Changgeng seemed to have heard a joke, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
" Wen Buqi, you overestimate yourself and that cripple lying in the house."
" Chu Yunfei's status as a prince consort has been personally rejected by the royal family."
"Right now, he's nothing more than a Rogue Cultivator, a stray dog who's caused a terrible disaster."
At this point, Zhou Changgeng took a step forward.
The oppressive aura of the Late Divine Sea Realm expert pressed down on Wen Buqi, causing the bamboo leaves in the courtyard to rustle.
"For a useless person abandoned by the royal family, my Jade Firmament Sect is forced to offer up its millennia-old treasure pill, and risk offending the Cangyun Sect and the Puppet Sect?"
" Elder Wen, do you think the Sect Master and all the sect elders are fools?"
Wen Buqi's face turned pale.
The oppressive aura forced him to retreat three steps, his heels carving two deep marks on the bluestone ground.
He opened his mouth, but for a moment he couldn't find a rebuttal.
The Nine-Aperture Life-Restoring Pill is a sacred artifact passed down for thousands of years by the Jade Firmament Sect.
The sect was willing to consider it earlier because Chu Yunfei had the support of the Great Qian Imperial Family, and the Pill Pavilion was willing to give up 30% of its net profit.
But now, the royal family has taken the lead in distancing themselves from the situation.
If Chu Yunfei is rescued, the Jade Firmament Sect may not only fail to gain favor from the royal family, but may also offend the Cangyun Sect, the Puppet Sect, and the Heavenly Sword Sect at the same time.
In this situation, who would be willing to gamble with the foundation of their sect?
Looking at Wen Buqi's expression, Zhou Changgeng felt even more smug.
He withdrew his oppressive aura and turned to look at Wen Jiao.
"However, considering the century-old friendship between the Pill Pavilion and the Jade Firmament Sect, this elder is not unwilling to give you a chance."
Wen Jiao raised her eyes, her expression as cold as if covered with frost.
Zhou Changgeng stared at her, his tone carrying an arrogant air of condescension.
"Niece Wen, if you nod now and agree to marry my son Zhou Heng..."
"I, this elder, will personally go to the Sect Master's Hall and, with the reputation of the Grand Elder's lineage as my guarantee, I will surely persuade the Sect Master to bestow the Nine-Aperture Life-Restoring Pill."
Zhou Heng also took a step forward.
He suppressed the burning passion in his eyes and put on a deeply affectionate expression.
"Junior Sister Wen, you should understand my feelings for you."
"If you agree to marry me, I'll save the life of the person inside."
The words sounded very dignified and proper.
But to Wen Jiao's ears, all that remained was the grating hypocrisy.
She didn't even bother to look at Zhou Heng.
" Elder Zhou, there's no need to waste your efforts."
"There's absolutely no way you'll let Wen Jiao marry into the Zhou Family."
Zhou Heng's smile froze.
He stared at Wen Jiao, the gentleness in his eyes quickly fading, leaving only gloom.
Zhou Changgeng's face also darkened, and he shouted sternly:
"You ungrateful brat!"
"My son is the Holy Son of the Jade Firmament Sect, and he will have the opportunity to inherit the position of Sect Master in the future. Looking across the Eastern Continent, is there anyone more worthy of you than him?"
"You dare to defy the Zhou Family for the sake of a useless person who's on his deathbed?"
Wen Jiao looked up.
She neither backed down nor argued, but simply stared coldly at Zhou Changgeng.
"Has Elder Zhou finished speaking?"
Wen Jiao flicked her sleeve.
"If you've finished speaking, please leave."
"See a visitor out."
The courtyard was quiet.
Zhou Heng's face turned ashen.
Zhou Changgeng, enraged, laughed and said "good" three times in a row.
"Good, good, what a fine young lady from the Pill Pavilion."
"Since you are so stubborn, then this elder will make his point clear right now."
He stared at Wen Jiao, his voice turning completely cold.
"As long as I, Zhou Changgeng, am alive, even if your Pill Pavilion gives up 50% of its pure profit, you won't get your hands on even a single Nine-Aperture Life-Restoring Pill."
" Heng'er, let's go."
Zhou Changgeng and Zhou Heng, their faces grim, turned and left.
The moonlight fell on the bluestone ground, Wen Buqi's aged and weary face.
He looked at the closed door of the side room, then at Wen Jiao standing there, and sighed deeply.
" My Jiao'er... your second grandfather did his best."
"It's too late now, fate has played a cruel trick on us... Let's give up."
Give up.
Those three simple words struck Wen Jiao's heart like a hammer blow.
Her delicate body trembled almost imperceptibly, her nails dug deep into her palms, drawing blood, yet she felt no pain whatsoever.
After a long silence, she finally spoke in a hoarse voice, "Second Grandfather... I want to be alone for a while."
Wen Buqi moved his lips.
Finally, with a heavy sigh, he shook his head and staggered out of the courtyard.
Uncle Yao's eyes were slightly red as he looked at his distraught young mistress and comforted her, "Miss, don't be too sad. I'll try to contact the Grand Master again; perhaps..."
" Uncle Yao, you may also step down."
Her voice was as light as a breeze, yet it carried an undeniable weariness.
Uncle Yao opened his mouth, but ultimately did not try to persuade him further.
He bowed and left the courtyard, gently closing the gate behind him.
The night wind seeped in through the cracks in the window, carrying a biting chill.
Wen Jiao stood alone in the courtyard for a moment before walking heavily into the side room.
She slowly walked to the bedside and sat down on the floor, exhausted.
Chu Yunfei's eyes remained closed.
His breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible, his chest rose and fell more and more slowly, and the last remaining life force within him was like the last flame in the wind.
It could go out at any time.
Wen Jiao reached out her hands and gently stroked his pale, paper-like face.
The man who had once saved her from danger was now lying in front of her, too weak to even open his eyes.
She bit her lip, and the tears she had been holding back for so long finally burst forth.
"Tick-tock."
Hot tears fell onto Chu Yunfei's bloodied lips.
" Chu Yunfei..."
Wen Jiao gently pressed her cheek against his cold chest, her shoulders trembling violently.
I don't want you to die.
"I really don't want you to die..."
"But now, all the roads are blocked."
She gripped Chu Yunfei's clothes tightly, tears soaking her eyelashes.
"I can't do anything, I can't do anything..."
"Tell me, what should I do?"
Please tell me, okay?
In the empty room, only the girl's suppressed, broken sobs could be heard.
The young man on the bed remained unresponsive.
Chu Yunfei's breath grew weaker and weaker.
Wen Jiao hugged him tightly, as if she were holding the last precious thing in the world.
Despair crept into my heart little by little.
Just as she was on the verge of collapse...
A clear, melodious female voice suddenly rang out from the depths of her mind.
There was a hint of disdain in his voice.
"Hey, little girl, stop crying."
"You're giving me a headache."
"Who said he's doomed without the Nine-Aperture Life-Restoring Pill? I... have a way to save him."